always...

chapter 45 - bokuaka

bokuto chuckled at his phone as he made his way down the spiral staircase of the akaashi penthouse.

"whatcha laughin' about, hmm?" akaashi questioned sweetly, approaching bokuto from the kitchen.

"nothing, really. i was just texting kuroo and he was giving me advice about how to keep a job," bokuto explained.

"oh, since when do you go to kuroo for advice?" akaashi said, tilting his head.

"kaashi. calm down, we're friends...all the captains are actually, and kuroo has like, 3 jobs or something so i thought i'd ask him for some pointers," bokuto assured him.

"hmph...you never ask me for work advice," akaashi pouted.

"babe. you worked for your mom. it's different," bokuto chuckled lightly.

"fine, fine...are you going to eat before you go?"

"no, i'm okay. i'll probably just grab some bar food there or pick up something on my way home. don't wait up for me, alright? get some sleep."

"okay. also, when can i visit you at work? or are you still adjusting to the job?"

"um...still adjusting...i'm not sure when you can visit actually, i'm usually pretty busy," bokuto half lied.

"oh...okay then. just let me know," akaashi smiled at bokuto as he took his keys and wallet from the kitchen counter and planted a quick peck on akaashi's forehead.

"i love you keiji."

"i love you too."

bokuto blew him a kiss goodbye before he turned around and walked out the door.

his commute to seventh heaven was the same as usual: he took the bus into downtown tokyo and arrived at the club in about 20 minutes.

the spiky haired teen made his away around to the back of the building and let himself inside, taking his time card from his designated slot and inserting it into the machine that hung on the wall.

bokuto could already feel his head pounding slightly to the beat of the heavy bass that echoed through the building. it took his eyes a few minutes to adjust to the strobing lights, however he was slowly getting used to the sudden changes the more shifts he worked.

he made a beeline to the bar in the middle of the club, doing his best to avoid bumping into any of the drunk customers that surrounded him.

he gave a quick nod to maeda, who always worked the same shift as him because she was still showing him the ropes behind the bar, before grabbing his apron and bright white bowtie.

bokuto scanned the room quickly, hoping to find a certain dark haired male to help keep him entertained while he worked. it took him a minute before his golden eyes landed on him at his usual pole.

"tetsu!" bokuto yelled, trying to wave at his friend, but to no avail.

kuroo was already busy entertaining the clubgoers that had gathered at his stage. he had stripped down to nothing but black metallic spandex and a black bowtie, his rippling abs and toned chest shown off exquisitely under the dim spotlight above him.

his right leg was wrapped around the steel pole as he swung around it, his thigh flexing as he gripped it. dollar bills rained down on him like confetti, gathering at his feet while he danced.

bokuto simply laughed to himself, impressed at how the nekoma captain had become so good at showing off his body like that, enticing his audience and seducing them with even the slightest sideways glance.

once bokuto had settled in, he started taking orders from around the bar. he mixed margaritas, bloody marys, mojitos, and vodka sours all night without spilling a single drink.

he had to admit, he was getting good at bartending, though he refused to reveal his newfound skill to akaashi in hopes of driving him away from ever visiting him at seventh heaven.

as the night went on, bokuto racked up more tips than his previous shift, feeling proud of his ever increasing progress.

soon, kuroo took his break and stepped down from his pole, grabbing his black silk robe from his supervisor before heading towards the bar.

"oi! bokuto! pour me some rosé, will you?" kuroo requested before fist-bumping the ace.

"anything for you dude," bokuto laughed. "how has your night been?"

"good...the usual really. same amount of tips, some of my regular customers have stopped by...nothing notable to be honest," kuroo admitted with a shrug. "how about you? spill any drinks yet?"

"nope! first week without doing so too! i'm pretty proud of it, if i do say so myself," bokuto smiled wide, puffing out his chest slightly with his hands on his hips.

"oh ho ho, really now? i find that hard to believe considering how much of a klutz you were just last week," kuroo teased him.

bokuto narrowed his eyes at him as he grabbed a wine glass from under the counter and popped open a bottle of rosé. he began pouring the pale pink liquid into the vessel before "accidentally" tipping it over, splashing the alcohol onto kuroo's front.

"oh! my bad! i am so sorry kuroo!" bokuto gasped, sarcasm clear in his tone.

"it's okay! really! i can just-" kuroo untied his robe and practically tore it off his body, "do this! stripping is my job after all," he said with a sly smirk.

bokuto cackled, clapping his hands in absolute enjoyment as kuroo headed back up to his pole across the room. he stepped up onto the small stage and gripped the steel shaft before looking right at bokuto behind the bar.

"this dance goes out to my friend back there at the bar who spilled rosé on my favorite silk robe," he announced loudly with a wink.

kuroo wrapped his leg around the base, his thigh flexing hard, showing off all the toned muscle he had built up from volleyball. he began swinging around the pole, his movements, effortless; every spin, every lift, every kick he performed was perfectly in sync with the thumping club music that filled the room.

at the end of the song, bokuto clapped for his fellow coworker, still laughing at how kuroo had shot him the most dramatically seductive yet sarcastic looks throughout his dance.

the rest of their shift was uneventful and before they knew it, the night was over. the two teens punched out and picked up some onigiri from a convenience store that was on the way to the bus stop. eventually, they went their separate ways back home, greeting each other goodbye and goodnight.

when bokuto arrived back at the penthouse, he found akaashi already in bed, asleep, and quickly joined him after taking a shower and changing into his pajamas.

"goodnight keiji," he whispered, kissing akaashi on the cheek before turning off the lamp on the nightstand.

bokuto turned over, his back to his boyfriend, unaware that akaashi was still half awake and stuck in his thoughts.

akaashi hummed instinctively at the presence of his lover next to him, but didn't bother fully waking up to talk to him.

why won't he let me visit him? it's been like 2.5 weeks, right? i bet he's just nervous and doesn't want me to make him flustered...still, that seems silly...

has he even gotten his first paycheck yet? could he be lying about having a job? i mean, who forgets the name of their workplace? no...he wouldn't do that. it's bokuto after all...he forgets a lot of things.

he said he'd let me know when i can visit...what if i just surprise him? no...that might be intrusive. i just have to trust him on this...

i trust him.