Chapter Text
How many incredibly bad life decisions did Akaashi have to make to be standing here in this crowded club at 10 pm on a weeknight? What series of absolutely devastating misjudgements had to have taken place for him to be in this situation right now?
The bar was plenty full for a Thursday night, not at capacity, but with barely enough elbow room in the thick of it. Despite arriving as late as he could, he had still been there for too long. He had already had enough of the alcohol stench and overly loud voices.
Scanning the room, he noticed that he might be the only person in here without accompaniment. Everyone around him seems to be soaking in the atmosphere, company, and multiple beverages. He couldn’t even seem to get a grip on one of the three. Akaashi made a mental note to invite Yukie the next time that he attends one of these things. Scratch that, Akaashi decided that he will never be attending one of these things again.
The advantage, however, to attending alone is the vast amount of silent entertainment Akaashi found in everyone else’s amusement. Once he had gotten over the looming anxiety that told him that he should be having fun in the same way that that man over there is having fun, he started to actually enjoy himself.
He watched a couple dance like absolute fools with no mind for anyone watching, or personal space. There’s a group of 4 or 5 women in a corner close to the stage that are all gossiping closely together. Akaashi is convinced that they are all gossiping about each other. He spots 3 men putting bets on who can finish their drink the fastest. (Spoiler alert: it’s the man in the red, because he’s the only one that doesn’t almost choke to death on it.)
The numbers on his watch read 10:12 pm and Akaashi is cursing himself for checking the time. It’s only been 12 minutes of people watching and sipping on his drink. The slight annoyance that he felt for just having been there has returned. Every ounce of it that left when he made a fun game of trying to hear what certain groups of people were saying over the loud music had now found its way back to him. He definitely needs to bring Yukie with him next time. No, he’s not coming back.
10 o’clock means 10 o’clock, not 10:12 or, he checks the time again, 10:15. It smells like beer and sweat in here, Akaashi has work tomorrow too early in the morning to think about, and a guy has just bumped into him, spilling a drink down his back.
“Hey, sorry dude!” As quickly as the guy spilled the drink, he was gone. He left only a small apology sandwiched between a chuckle.
Now Akaashi smells like beer and sweat, he has work tomorrow, it’s getting increasingly loud in here, and every minute that he spends in this awful club, he is not getting back. His foot is tapping from a combination of the irritation and anxiety of the situation. If he is here for a minute longer, he’s not sure how he’ll survive.
Mic feedback catches Akaashi’s attention. “Alright, guys!!! I know, I know! I know what you’re all here for, why you’ve all been waiting this long! So, without any further ado, let’s give it up for Crowlster!!” The man on stage seems to be seething enthusiasm from every limb on his body. It’s a bit much for Akaashi, especially in the state that he’s in right now and surrounded by this many people. But said people give the same level of energy right back at the stage.
The lights go down, and with it, a shift in the atmosphere appears. There’s a weird aura of calm that settles along with anticipation. All throughout the venue, people are screaming and clapping simply at the thought of the band’s future performance. What is he doing here? Akaashi is completely out of his element. His comfort zone was 3 miles back, but he just has not stopped charging forward, and for what?
“Hey hey hey! How is everyone doing tonight?” The lights come back up slowly, bringing a dark silhouette into focus on the back of the stage.
When the band stepped forward into the bright spotlights, anyone (especially the attractive women) on the floor who were not pushed as far up against the stage as they could be, rushed to do so. Akaashi was not one of those people. He sat at the back of the room, away from the large swarming, screaming crowd, at a table facing the stage.
“Good! Good! We’re Crowlster and we are so excited to be playing for such a beautiful crowd tonight!”
Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a series of bad decisions that sent Akaashi here. Maybe it wasn’t a million events leading up to this moment. Maybe it was just 1 event and 1 non-thought out decision. Maybe, just maybe, it was the hot guy that he met at the coffee shop giving Akaashi his number and telling him that he was playing at Contact tonight at 10.
The man talking now was certainly a hot commodity. At least 15 women in the crowd were talking about him as he stood center stage. How could they not be? His ink black hair was sticking in a hundred different directions, but he made it look good. His body was chiseled by the gods themselves when they were having a particularly lovely day. Not so insanely buff so as to scare old women away, but with enough muscle to share and still be content with. And the way he smiled- no, smirked- could cure diseases if it tried hard enough.
He wasn’t Akaashi’s type, though. He was too smug, too vein, too full of himself. He portrayed an aura that knew how good it was and how it was too good for anyone else. Like he said, not his type.
If the lead singer simply portrayed that aura, the drummer was soaking in it. An uninterested facial expression that was either so good at faking that he didn’t want to be there, or was completely genuine in that he actually did not want to be there, sat upon his face. Truly, Akaashi could not tell which it was.
Despite not being at the front of the stage, he definitely commanded it. He was in charge the entire time, even if he hadn’t spoken a single word. There was no disputing it, especially when he raised his drumsticks up and tapped them 4 times in succession. Though he liked the commanding energy, he was also most certainly not Akaashi’s type.
No, it wasn’t the hot lead singer or the mysterious drummer.
Not long after the blonde drummer had started creating a rhythmic basis, the lead singer followed with the guitar, but not his vocals just yet. This band, or rather, duo in this moment in time, was enough for everyone in the room except for Akaashi. He knew he would regret it, but he checked his watch again. In the act, he’s particularly happy that he’s in the back of the room with no one to judge him for checking the time barely a minute into their performance.
In this simple melody that the two men had created, Akaashi had found himself getting lost and enjoying himself more in the moment than he would ever remember looking back on the memory, but it didn’t matter.
He wonders if he’s got the wrong place, the wrong time, maybe he should text him. There are only two musicians on this stage right now and even though they were incredibly talented, it’s not the reason that he suffered through the last hour in travel and waiting time to see. Even still, he can’t help but enjoy himself as he watches the dark haired guitarist thrash around with a genuine smile on his face. The drummer even finds a smirk.
With the energy that has already been created by the band, the crowd is going wild. The lead hasn’t started singing yet, but people are still screaming along and dancing to the beat the duo has fostered. It’s incredible, but-.
And then another element.
The sound comes first, a deep vibration that shakes Akaashi’s center. And as soon as it does, Akaashi doesn’t know whether to close his eyes and revel in the sounds that the band is producing or to never blink again, or just as long as the bassist is in his line of sight. He wants to feel the song and remember it forever, but his brain can only focus on one thing.
Earlier at the coffee shop, Akaashi was taken aback by how incredibly attractive he was, but here, right now, Akaashi wonders how they’re the same person. The guy in the coffee shop had ordered a pumpkin spiced latte, burned his tongue immediately after picking the drink up, and then whined about it quietly to himself until Akaashi came up to him and asked him if he was okay. He had a scarf wrapped around his neck and a jacket that was one size too big for him. His hair laid flat on his head with the bleached tips pointing down towards the ground.
“Stupid latte, stupid dumb cup with its stupid lid, stupid me for falling for the stu-,” he was grumbling to himself and to the cup filled with latte as if it was the liquid’s fault in the slightest.
Akaashi thought for many moments before actually approaching and asking, “Hey, are you okay?” When he did, the man perked right up as if the incident had never even happened.
“Yes! Thank you! The name’s Bokuto!” Bokuto’s hand was extended out in front of him, palm facing the sky. Akaashi had to wonder if Bokuto had ever shaken anyone’s hand before or if he was looking for a low-five.
“Akaashi.” He nodded as he says his name and gestures with his hand so as to not make a fool of himself in choosing a greeting. Bokuto was completely unphased by Akaashi choosing to not make physical contact with him as he wrapped the hand around his warm coffee cup.
“I’ve never been here before or had this,” he lifted his cup up and sloshes the liquid around inside, “had no idea it would be this good! Or this hot!”
“Are you not from around here, then?” Akaashi’s curiosity got the better of him, plus he wasn’t complaining about knowing more about this enigma standing in front of him.
Bokuto looked like he has to think for a half a second before shaking his head vigorously. “Nope! I'm about an hour out of the city, but my band and I are playing at Contact tonight! What about you? Any plans for tonight?”
What kind of amazing plans could someone have on a Thursday night? (Other than performing with a band, I guess.) Akaashi shook his head back and forth, “No plans, not tonight.”
His eyes looked truly golden as they light up at those four words. “Why not come and see us play then? We’re on at 10! What do you say?” Akaashi then regretted telling Bokuto that he didn’t have plans. He saw no way out of this, though, even if he agreed to go, it’s not like Bokuto would notice if he didn’t go. Then again, if he went, he’d be able to see Bokuto again.
Still, Akaashi hesitated, “Uh- Well, I-.”
“Here! You don’t have to agree and you don’t have to come if you don’t want to! You don’t even have to answer right now and feel bad about not coming or having to reject me, but here’s my number! If you want to tell me how it was, if you do end up coming, or if you want to sell it on eBay once I get famous, the choice is yours.” He reached into his back pocket and grabbed a pen. With a very shaky hand, he printed his number onto the sleeve of Akaashi’s coffee cup. He looked way too pleased with himself and it caused Akaashi to let a smile spread across his face.
“I’ll see if I can make it.” He left the conversations without obligatories, but Bokuto didn’t seem to mind one bit. Of course, Akaashi was going to go, despite his logical reasoning telling him that he will hate it there and that 10 pm is way too late to go to Contact, stay for the show, and make the commute home. Akaashi was going to go, not only because he would never forgive himself for not going to listen to his music and see his face again, but also because Bokuto was overwhelmingly kind and understanding. He wanted a reason to text him and talk to him again.
But here he was, in front of him, a completely different person. Akaashi is so sure that this person is just a sibling, twin, or stunt double that he would bet money on it. The person on the stage was wearing a cutoff tank that hugged his body in all of the right ways. He’s not sure if it’s doing him more favors than the adorably oversized jacket, but his rapidly beating heart tells him that it definitely is. This guy wouldn’t burn his tongue on a syrupy sweet drink, but if he did, he would shrug it off like it was nothing. And his hair, his hair , wasn’t drooping down into his golden eyes, no. His hair was sticking straight up, the silver tips no longer sitting politely at the ends of his depleted locks, but integrated within the dark strands.
Akaashi is regretting sitting this far away from the stage.
He wasn’t in charge of the stage or the energy as much as the drummer, but he had an unwavering control. Conventionally, he wasn’t as “heart-throb attractive” as the lead singer, but his smile was kind and aloof. He was absolutely Akaashi’s type and he couldn’t wait to text him about the performance tonight, or should he wait until tomorrow?
Regardless, he’s not even really sure what he’s going to say or how he’s going to praise him, because he spends the first 3 songs ogling over how different and incredible Bokuto looks on stage. It’s not just his new style, it’s this new vibe that he gives off. At first Akaashi thinks it’s from the confidence that the stage and the bass in his hands bring, but it’s not. The confidence isn’t new or increased from the man he saw in the coffee shop, so why is it flustering Akaashi so much?
Akaashi is trying his hardest to pay attention to the last songs of the set, not to the gorgeous man and his talented fingers picking at strings. He asks himself nicely to pry his eyes away and focus on the band as a whole and this incredible sound they’re producing.
He likes music, of course he likes music, who doesn’t like music? But, he wouldn’t consider himself a music fanatic. He isn’t a lover of all the old classics or constantly up-to-date with the latest hits. Though sitting here, listening to the sounds that the band is producing, Akaashi wonders why music isn’t his entire life.
The last song that Crowlster plays has his pulse quickening and blood pressure rising. His body is reacting to the music, swaying and moving with the beat. Perhaps if Yukie was here, he would be on his feet dancing. Akaashi is enjoying himself far more than he thought that he was going to all thanks to an idiot who burnt his tongue on a latte.
Bokuto seems to be enjoying the last song just as much as Akaashi was. The singer has a smile on his face that truly hasn’t left since he started playing. The drummer, who previously looked like he could not be bothered, now seems to be very into it. There’s something different about Bokuto. There’s a mixture of concentration and carelessness residing on the bassist’s face. Akaashi is captivated by it. He’s convinced that he has enough material to text Bokuto about tomorrow, so he allows himself to glue his eyes back to Bokuto for the final minutes of the gig. He begins to walk to the center of the stage as drums fade out with the guitar. The only sound in the entire place is coming from Bokuto. He has never seen this amount of pure joy exuding from someone.
A spotlight burns down on Bokuto so bright that he can see the beads of sweat falling from his forehead as his fingers pluck at the strings intensely. Though, for Akaashi, the spotlight is unnecessary, as that’s where his undivided attention would have been anyways. The song ends with a synchronized impact and is replaced with screams. Akaashi even contributes with loud claps and a “Woo!” or two.
“Thank you so much for being such a wonderful crowd!” The lead is breathy with sweat dripping down from his brow off of his chin. “Goodnight everyone! Stay safe!” The 3 bandmates are waving to the crowd as they exit off of the stage, smiling largely. All Akaashi can do is stare at Bokuto as he leaves the stage.
As he’s ducking behind the curtain, he swears that Bokuto’s eyes meet his for a moment.
The moment that Akaashi gets home from the venue, he realizes how exhausted he is. His feet hurt from the commute home, the back of his shirt is sticky, and his eyelids feel heavy. It hits him all at once. The only thing that he wants to do is crawl into bed; he can’t even be bothered to take a shower, he’ll do it in the morning.
“Ahem.” Someone clears their throat as soon as Akaashi steps foot in his room. Please just let me get into bed . “It is a weeknight. Where were you so late?”
Akaashi doesn’t need to look behind him to know that his roommate is standing in his doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. He collapses on the bed. “Please leave. I’m so tired,” he muffles into his mattress.
He feels a weight in the bottom corner of his bed. “Were you kidnapped?”
“Yukie, I am going to start throwing pillows at you if you don’t leave so I can sleep.”
“Okay, maybe not kidnapped, maybe…” There’s a faint sound of tapping on a chin. “A cute boy?” That’s it. He’s going to start throwing things. Akaashi sits up on his bed staring daggers at Yukie who only smiles in return. “So it is a cute boy?”
“I was at a club.”
Yukie laughs at this, literally, lets out a laugh so large that she has to hold her stomach. “You want me to believe that you, Akaashi, my wonderful roommate and dear friend, were at a club until 1 o’clock in the morning on a weeknight when you have work tomorrow?” She’s breathless and laughing between every word. “I would sooner, HA, sooner believe you were kidnapped.” Her laughing stops abruptly as she’s hit in the side of the head with a pillow.
“I’ll do it again.”
Yukie is no longer laughing, but she does continue on, “Seriously, where were you?”
“I. Told. You. Already. I was seeing a show at Contact. Now please let me sleep.” Akaashi lies back down in his bed, pushing Yukie as he slides his feet under the blankets.
“Akaashi, you are not falling for someone in a band. Do not tell me you are crushing on this guy who plays music on stage with other people for a living.” Akaashi has known Yukie for long enough to not get offended by these statements. She means no harm, only expressing her disbelief.
“You just said the same thing twice,” Akaashi points out.
This time Akaashi is the one hit with the pillow. “Hush. Hush. Answer the question.” Yukie’s eyes are glimmering with fascination. Typically Yukie is the one with the relationship drama, complaining to Akaashi who sits politely and nods along. Now the roles are reversed, whether Akaashi wants them to be or not. Yukie is sitting on the foot of his bed taking in every word that Akaashi wants to give.
He sighs loudly. The only way that Yukie will leave him in peace is if Akaashi just tells her the truth. Besides, Akaashi isn’t necessarily angry with talking about Bokuto to someone, especially Yukie. “There’s this guy.” Yukie starts bouncing up and down with a smile growing larger on her face, but she stays quiet, waiting for more details. “I met him at Brewers earlier and he gave me his number and told me to come see his show, so I did.”
“How hot was he?” Yukie’s eyes are nearly glowing. If this were anyone other than Yukie, Akaashi’s face would be as red as a stop sign, but this is Yukie, so he rolls his eyes and throws the pillow back at her. “That hot, huh?” He throws another pillow at her. “Holy shit, you better snatch him up, or-.” Akaashi throws his last pillow at her, more forcefully this time.
“He plays bass.”
Yukie presses her palms against one another gently and points them directly at Akaashi. “He plays bass,” she repeats, shaking her head, but not letting the smile leave her face.
“What’s his bands’ name? Let me look him up! Oh my god, you got his number, have you texted him yet? What’s his name?” Despite how tired Akaashi feels, he can’t even be annoyed at Yukie. It’s been a while since Akaashi has felt like this and he’s glad that he has Yukie to be excited with him.
“Tomorrow, Yukie, okay? I promise.”
“Okay, okay,” Yukie puts her hands up, “I’ll hold you to that.” She shuts the door behind her, leaving Akaashi alone in his room. He strips off his shirt and pants, putting on a pair of clean pajamas, a definite upgrade from his beer-soaked shirt. He looks down at his phone, a device that seemed suddenly much more important in his life.
What would he say to Bokuto tomorrow? What would Bokuto say back to him? Would it be weird if Akaashi asked Bokuto to go to another one of his shows? No, right? Bokuto is the one that invited him in the first place.
These questions swarmed around in Akaashi’s mind until he forcibly put them, and himself, to rest. There would be plenty of time tomorrow to worry about Bokuto, and he would.
Akaashi woke up just as he fell asleep, exhausted and thinking about Bokuto. Yukie made sure to wake him up, making him breakfast and starting the shower for him. “Today is a big day,” she had said, wiggling her eyebrows at him as she turned on his lights.
After his shower, he sat at the table with Yukie. “Okay, what are you going to say to him?” She is just jumping right into business.
“I’ll probably just text him on my lunch break and tell him that I had a good time at the show,” he shrugs, shoving food into his mouth. Yukie blinks at him once, and then twice, and then a third time.
“Why not text him now, and then when he gets it, he can reply and then you can reply again on your lunch break?”
“Yukie it is 7 in the morning, there is no way that he’s up.”
“So what? He gets a good morning text from the guy he invited to his show? Boohoo.”
That actually is a good point. He might as well get it over with and send the first text. Then, he won’t have to worry about it all morning before lunch. Plus, if he writes it right now, he’ll have Yukie there to make sure that he doesn’t chicken out or say the wrong thing. “Okay, okay, what do I say?”
“Well, what were you going to say?”
“Uh- I don’t know. Probably just like,” Akaashi pauses and pulls out his phone. He begins to type a message.
Hey! What’s up?
Yukie is peering over his shoulder, watching him tap each letter. Akaashi repeatedly taps the back button.
Hey Bokuto! It’s Akaashi.
Yukie puts two thumbs up and Akaashi keeps going.
Hey Bokuto! It’s Akaashi. loved ur show last night. No, no, backspace.
Hey Bokuto! It’s Akaashi. Had a great time at ur show last night! u guys were great.
“Yes! Perfect! Now just ask him a question so that he has something to respond to and then bam! You’re good to go!” She is absolutely beaming at the entire situation, specifically Akaashi actually talking to someone, but also the fact that she gets to help.
Hey Bokuto! It’s Akaashi. Had a great time at ur show last night! u guys were great. r u guys still in town?
“How are you so good at this when you have barely any practice?” Akaashi rolls his eyes and doesn’t answer the question. His finger is hovering over the send button, but he can’t seem to let himself make contact with the screen. “Do it!”
“I- I don’t know. Maybe I should just send it at lunch. Don’t you think it’s weird sending it this early in the morning, what if h-.” Akaashi is interrupted by Yukie’s finger giving Akaashi’s thumb a helpful nudge. Woosh .
“It’s not weird. It’s sent. You’re welcome. This way, remember, you don’t have to worry about what to say all morning before lunch. Now go finish getting ready, don’t be late for work.” Yukie reminds Akaashi of Bokuto yesterday when he scrawled his number on Akaashi’s cup, way too proud of herself.
Except, he is absolutely worrying about the message before lunch, but instead of worrying about things he can control, he’s worrying about things he can’t control. What if Bokuto replies and he thinks Akaashi is ignoring him? He did not think this through.
By the time lunch rolls around, Akaashi can’t even bear to look at his phone screen. What if Bokuto completely rejects him through a text message? It’s only noon and Akaashi has most definitely lost 2 years of his life due to stress. It’s fine. It’s fine, just do it .
Taking a great breath into his lungs, he unlocks his phone. 3 new messages.
yUWUkie / 11:57 a.m.
update? did he txt u?
yUWUkie / 11:58 a.m.
akkkkkaaaaaashhhhiiiiiiiiiii
yUWUkie / 12:01 p.m.
*eye water emoji*
He exhales the breath out of his lungs. He’s not entirely sure whether he is relieved that he wasn’t rejected or freaking out even more that he hasn’t messaged him back yet.
Sent to yUWUkie / 12:04 p.m.
Well, i thought i had 3 msgs, but they were all from u so
yUWUkie / 12:04 p.m.
oops :) maybe he’s still sleeping? u would b if u didnt have to work tday
Sent to yUWUkie / 12:05 p.m.
Guess so, yeah. Ill keep u posted.
yUWUkie / 12:06 p.m.
*thumbs down emoji*
Sent to yUWUkie / 12:07 p.m.
U know u can send actual emojis and not just write “*thumbs down emoji*” right?
yUWUkie / 12:07 p.m.
*eye roll emoji*
Akaashi is actually incredibly grateful for the few minutes of distraction that Yukie provides for him during his lunch break. Otherwise, he definitely would have been thinking about Bokuto not texting him back the entire time. He knows Yukie is right, too. If he didn’t have work today, he would be at home, still in bed sleeping right now. Plus, Bokuto was definitely there for longer than he was last night, who knows when he went to sleep?
Akaashi decides to give Bokuto the benefit of the doubt. He also decides to cut his lunch short and get back to work.
//
When Akaashi finally gets out of work at 4, he instinctively checks his phone. 2 unread messages. Probably just Yukie asking what he wants to do for dinner. He opens his messages.
Bokuto / 3:42 p.m.
HEy hey hey1 Akaashi! Sry just woke up lol tysm im so glad u came and had a gr8 tme!!!!! Doin shows in th area 4 anthr few weeks!!! Playing anthr show soon:(
Bokuto / 3:42 p.m.
:)*
Akaashi’s heart threatens to drop into his stomach with the severity of how it’s beating. The first thought that crosses through his mind is wow these texts are so horribly composed. The second, more important, thing that follows right behind is oh my god he texted me back. His palms are sweating now, having a hard time holding a steady grip on the phone. He’s not sure if he should text back now or wait until he gets home so Yukie can ensure he doesn’t make a fool of himself.
No, Akaashi knows how to text people. Akaashi can talk to Bokuto without Yukie. He types out a message and sends it without a second thought.
Sent to yUWUkie / 4:07 p.m.
SOS bokuto texted back. He’s illiterate and stupidly hot what do i say???
Sent to yUWUkie / 4:07 p.m.
(1 Screenshot Attached)
yUWUkie / 4:08 p.m.
LMAO.
Sent to yUWUkie / 4:08 p.m.
ur no help
yUWUkie / 4:09 p.m.
*wink emoji* don’t leave him waiting
He shakes his head. Okay, he can compose and send a text message, it’s not hard. He just sent 3 of them to Yukie and he’s already sent 1 to Bokuto, he can send another.
Sent to Bokuto / 4:11 p.m.
I had to be up early for work, but I hope u slept well. Where r u playing next? I’d love to go to another 1 of ur shows if u want me there.
His phone buzzes in response almost immediately.
Bokuto / 4:11 p.m.
:D yay!!!! Vision sat @ 10:30. Would Lov 2 c u there again!!!!!!! not a weeknight again so
Sent to Bokuto / 4:12 p.m.
I’ll be there. Hopefully I can b a little bit closer to the front so u can see me
Bokuto / 4:12 p.m.
LOL! i saw u last time 2!! Back in the corner. Was sneaking looks b4 the show
Bokuto / 4:12 p.m.
Not in a creepy way. Not how I mean it
Bokuto / 4:12 p.m.
u were like >:( b4 the show srted hahahahahahahahahahaha
Bokuto / 4:13 p.m.
sry what r u doing now????:)
Akaashi has a feeling that this is a precise look into Bokuto and how he functions. Unapologetically, he sent 4 texts in a row all within a minute. He doesn’t think about the text he wants to send for 5 minutes and proofread it. Whatever he thinks, he sends. Akaashi’s cheeks hurt from smiling at his phone too much.
Sent to Bokuto / 4:15 p.m.
omw home from work wby?
He stares down at his phone, waiting for an instant text back like before, but it doesn’t come. Bokuto was the one who asked him the question in the first place and now he has disappeared. Akaashi laughs at the elasticity of the bassist.
By the time he makes it home and changes out of his work clothes, Bokuto still has not texted back. There was only a chime when Yukie texted him to tell him she wouldn’t be home until late tonight, something about drinks with her friends. Akaashi sends back a quick “ok” and then goes back to waiting for Bokuto to text him back.
This is ridiculous. He should not be sitting here, waiting for Bokuto to text him back. He puts his phone down, making sure the ringer is on to notify him of incoming texts, and then begins to make himself dinner.
The thing is, he genuinely wants to know what Bokuto is up to. He wants to hear about his day and what he’s doing right now. Akaashi is not the obsessive type, not over guys at least, but he can’t even find enjoyment in watching his favorite show or playing video games right now.
It’s not until Yukie comes in that he notices how late he’s been waiting for Bokuto to text back. It’s not as if he was incapacitated as he was waiting. In fact, he got a lot of things done today. The kitchen was sparkling clean, the laundry was washed, dried, and folded, the books on the living room shelves were organized, and he had even set his clothes out for tomorrow.
Climbing into bed, Akaashi knows that Bokuto probably just had an insanely busy day and was able to text him before all of the craziness went down. He checks his phone one last time before putting it down on his nightstand, plugged into the charger.
Right as he’s drifting off to sleep, his phone chimes, pulling him quickly out of his sleepy state.
Bokuto / 1:26 a.m.
im abt to finally eat dnnr!!!! Sleep sckedule has been crzy w all these showsand prep 4 Them!
“Yukie! If Bokuto hasn’t texted me back all day, should I wait to text him back?” Akaashi screams into the hallway.
yUWUkie / 1:27 a.m.
absolutely not u idiot also stop screaming
Sent to Bokuto / 1:28 a.m.
that’s crazy. I’m about to go to sleep now. U should try to get some rest too after u eat. You can text me tmrw if u want to.
Sent to Bokuto / 1:29 a.m.
if ur not busy!
Bokuto / 1:32 a.m.
ok!!!:)))))!!!!!! sweat dreams!!!!!!B) zzz
Akaashi laughs at the goodnight text. It made him feel a lot better that he wasn’t just ignoring him. He knew now that it wasn’t because he didn’t want to talk to him, he was just busy.
Bokuto had not gotten home until nearly 4 am after finishing packing away all of the gear, having a few drinks with the crew members and band, grabbing a bite to eat, and finally making the journey back. Sporadically all throughout the night he was glancing down at his phone hoping to see an unknown number pop up, but it never did.
Getting home at 4 am meant finally falling asleep at 6. And falling asleep at 6 meant that he didn’t wake up until 3 in the afternoon. This wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Honestly, Bokuto’s schedule felt the most normal when there wasn’t one. After a horrible bet with Kuroo, he had tried to spend an entire week going to bed and waking up at the same time every day and decided he would never do that again.
When he woke up at 3 pm, he didn’t mind much. He knew that he didn’t have anything to do on his mental agenda, save for possibly practicing the one part of the new song that he can’t quite get perfect. Probably would be in his better interest to feed himself also. But for now, social media is calling his name and refuses to let it go to voicemail.
Scrolling through his personal social media at first, Twitter, Instagram, and the like, he checks his notifications and replies to comments. He then switches over to the band’s accounts, noticing quite a few new followers. All the while, he’s shifting and rolling around in his bed, hanging off the side of the bed, laying with his feet on the pillows.
A_Kaashi_K , OKURoo , and 739 other people liked your photo.
Bokuto immediately flips himself back upright, checking his messages app. 13 new messages.
Unknown Number / 7:09 a.m.
Hey Bokuto! It’s Akaashi. Had a great time at ur show last night! u guys were great. r u guys still in town?
T H E B A N D (& co)
Kenma (10:32 a.m.): new shirts r in.
Kenma (10:32 a.m.): (1 Image Attached)
Kuroo >:) (10:43 a.m.): WOOOO. Those look so good
Tsukki!! (10:46 a.m.): looks good kenma.
Kenma (10:52 a.m.): will roll em out at nxt gig
Kuroo >:) (11:01 a.m.): Sounds good
Kenma (11:03 a.m.): should i wait for bokutos thots? or just go frwrd w them?
Tsukki!! (11:05 a.m.): bokuto has no thots in his head or otherwise.
Kuroo >:) (11:06 a.m.): LOL
Kuroo >:) (11:06 a.m.): Just go forward w them he’ll like them
Kuroo >:) / 12:08 p.m.
Tsukki and I went to go get lunch and run some errands bbl
Tsukki!! / 2:49 p.m.
kurros phone died. someone didnt charge it last night like an idiot. we’ll be back soon.
He can’t even take a second to reply to the group chat or Kuroo and Tsukki. Akaashi texted him back and he liked the show. Bokuto jumped out of bed, changing into clothes that were acceptable for 3:40 in the afternoon. He has a pep in his step that usually doesn’t come unless it’s the day of a show or until after he’s eaten.
He should eat. On his way down the stairs into the kitchen, he opens the message from Akaashi, types out a reply, and sends it without a second thought. He doesn’t get a reply until he’s finished making food for himself. Akaashi hopes I slept well , Bokuto thinks to himself. And he liked the show . So Bokuto invites him to another one.
When he gets the text back that Akaashi will be in attendance, he knows that he has to find time to practice that part of the new song. He also cannot stop feeling lighter than the air surrounding him. He hasn’t been this excited for a show in some time. His giddy feeling and smile on his face encourage his next 4 successive texts. As he’s sending the final text, wondering about what Akaashi is doing right now, Kuroo and Tsukishima come in through the front door. They’re talking about something, but Bokuto can’t really hear them. He’s much more concerned with what Akaashi is doing.
“Bo, Bo, what do you think abo-,” Kuroo sets down his bag on the table next to Bokuto, but he doesn’t even flinch. He’s staring very intently at the phone in his hands. “Bokuto, hello?” He waves a hand in front of his face.
“Who are you talking to?” Tsukishima asks, hitting the back of Bokuto’s head when he doesn’t answer.
“That guy from the coffee shop. He texted me,” Bokuto still doesn’t look up from the phone, smiling at the image in his head of Akaashi walking home from work. He goes to type in a reply when the phone is snatched from his hands. He looks up and Kuroo has the phone in his hands, reading the text messages. Even the saddest puppy dog eyes couldn’t persuade Kuroo to give his phone back.
“How much damage did you do already?”
Bokuto furrows his brows, “What are you talking about?”
“4 texts messages in a row. Bokuto, no,” Kuroo is shaking his head, “Now you can’t text him back until late.”
“What- Why?”
“You’re coming off way too strong. You’re going to scare him away,” Kuroo shrugs as if to nail in the Duhhhh .
Bokuto cocks his head to the side and his eyes convey to Kuroo how confused his mind is. He’s had a lot of girls, and even some guys, that were interested in him and have tried to talk to him. He’s been interested in a handful of them in return, but he rarely, if ever, has he done something about it in the same way he’s done with Akaashi. None of them have ever really felt the same as Akaashi.
Kuroo, on the other hand, has had his fair share of boyfriends and girlfriends and one-night stands and long relationships. He has much more experience than Bokuto does, so he listens. He doesn’t want to come off too strong and scare Akaashi off; it’s the last thing he wants to do.
“When, uh, when do I text him back then? He asked me what I was doing? Do I just ignore him?”
“Yeah. Then, when you text him back later, he’ll be so excited to talk to you and for you to reply.”
Tsukishima has not moved since he walked into the kitchen. His jaw is hanging and he looks truly offended. “Are you an idiot?”
“Shut up, Tsukki. How many relationships have you been in? How much do you know about guys?” Kuroo waves at him dismissively.
“That doesn’t matter. I kno-.”
“That’s what someone who doesn’t have relationship experience says,” Kuroo smirks as he cuts him off. Bokuto is looking at the two of them. He makes a valid point.
“Fine. Fine. Do what you want to do. I’m going to work on the new stuff I’m writing,” Tsukishima leaves the kitchen, but not without a dramatic eye roll and a huff.
The rest of the day goes by with Bokuto repeatedly pulling up the messages app and Kuroo constantly taking his phone away from him. “What about now? It’s been ___ minutes/hours.” Bokuto would not stop whining.
It’s not until after 1 in the morning that Kuroo finally says, “Yes. Okay. I think it’s been long enough. Tell him you were busy. Act cool, y’know? Tell him tha-.” Woosh . “Did you send it already?” Bokuto is beaming again, staring intently at his phone waiting for Akaashi to text him back. “Well, I mean,” Kuroo reaches out to Bokuto, putting his hand on his shoulder, “It might take him a little bit of time to reply. It’s been almost 10 hours since he texted you las-.”
Ding ding . Bokuto beams even brighter, but the brightness fades as he reads the reply. “Akaashi is going to sleep. He did have work earlier. He texted me at like 7 in the morning.” He had wasted the entire day waiting to text Akaashi. “But! He does want me to text him tomorrow! I’ll wake up early and-.”
“What!? Are you trying to undo all the waiting you’ve done today? You can’t text him tomorrow. He’s going to the show on Saturday, you can text him before the show,” Kuroo stops and thinks for a minute, “Maybe text him once or twice tomorrow.”
“Idiots,” Tsukki calls out from his room down the hall.
Dramatically, he sighs defeated, placing his chin on his hands. “What am I supposed to do tomorrow,” he whines.
“You can get up before 3 in the afternoon, maybe clean, go out with Tsukki and I, do the laundry you’ve been neglecting for weeks, practice the new song for the show on Saturday, I can keep going. Do you want me to keep going?”
Bokuto shakes his head, sighing dramatically once again. “I’ll practice the song.”
“That’s it? Nothing else off the list?”
He shakes his head again. The least he can do is listen to Akaashi’s dying (he’s not dying) wish and go to sleep after he finishes eating. So he does. He kicks Kuroo out of his room, puts his pajamas on, and forces himself to go to sleep, thinking about the few texts he gets to send to Akaashi tomorrow.
Everyone at work today notices a shift in Akaashi’s mood. He says good morning to everyone, which isn’t out of the norm, but it’s the way he says it. It’s not a polite greeting, he actually means it. Good morning. It’s accompanied by a smile that sits where a straight line normally is, especially this early in the morning.
Bokuto hasn’t texted him yet, he notices on his lunch break, but it doesn’t tamper with his mood. Besides, the show is tomorrow. He must be really busy with his work and having to prep. In fact, he doesn’t even let it affect his mood when he notices that Bokuto still hasn’t texted him when he gets out of work. Last night he had even said to text him if he wasn’t too busy, which it seems that he is.
Besides, the show is tomorrow. Thinking about it too much makes Akaashi’s stomach feel nauseous and his head feel light. It was one thing going to see them for the first time. He wasn’t sure what to expect, who the band was, and he hadn’t talked to Bokuto. Now, he was excited to see them perform again, but he was nervous to see Bokuto on stage and girls screaming for him on the floor. AND he told Bokuto that he would try to get closer to the stage, which means being next to those screaming girls. Yukie couldn’t even come with him because of a work event.
“I’m really sorry, Akaashi, I’ve had this stupid event planned for weeks. I wish I could. Snap some pics for me!”
No mind. He was going to go and he was going to enjoy himself even more than last time. It was a good day. It was a good week.
Ding ding . It was a really good day.
Bokuto / 5:59 p.m.
Hey heyhey! vEry busy prppin 4 tmrw bu t wanted 2 msg u!!!! Hope ur day iz good! Excited 5 tmrmw?????? C:
He thinks back to Yukie yesterday and the text message that told him to definitely not wait to reply just because he didn’t text back for a while. Thank God he had Yukie for guidance.
Sent to Bokuto / 6:02 p.m.
Just abt to eat dinner at a reasonable time unlike some ppl lol. Im excited to see u guys tmrw! hows prepping?
Akaashi doesn’t spend time sitting around for Bokuto to reply, though, no matter what he’s doing, it’s always in the back of his mind. When he finally gets a text back, it’s about time for Akaashi to start heading to sleep.
Bokuto / 1:29 a.m.
I 8 dnr @ 9 tyvm!!. Prepping Is good!! Ben preaciticing the new song a lot tdy!! ULL hear it tmrw!
It takes Akaashi a solid minute to decipher the entire message, but the first “sentence” specifically. “Ohhhhhhh,” he says aloud to himself, shaking his head and chuckling. He’s pretty sure he looks dumbfounded right now. “I ate dinner at nine.”
He swears that Bokuto is three separate entities controlling one person. You have coffee shop Bokuto™, bassist Bokuto™, and texting Bokuto™. All three of them are so vastly different that if there wasn’t the small overlap of pure kindness and a sense of humor, he would be convinced that he was being catfished. While typing out a message, he can’t abstain from laughing unnecessary abbreviations and numbers and symbols that overtake Bokuto’s text. He’s not expecting to get a reply before going to sleep so he adds in a goodnight, but before he can send it, he gets another message.
Bokuto / 1:31 a.m.
How was ur day akaashi?
Akaashi is convinced that his heart flutters in response. A warmth climbs up his body from the tips of his toes to the tips of his ears. This simple message, only 5 words, void of typos, numbers, symbols or random capitalization, has Akaashi’s stomach doing flips.
He deletes the message that he was going to send and composes a new one. It doesn’t matter if it’s coffee shop, bassist, or texting, Akaashi knows that Bokuto genuinely cares about how his day was. He doesn’t bore Bokuto with the details of his job or what he had for dinner, though, he’s also not certain that Bokuto would turn down these details. Instead, however, he thinks that following Bokuto’s lead in simplicity is key here.
Sent to Bokuto / 1:32 a.m.
My day was great, even better now tho. hbu?
Once again, Akaashi doesn’t expect a quick response, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t receive one.
Bokuto / 1:33 a.m.
Busy!!!!! But good and prducivte! ty:))
Bokuto / 1:33 a.m.
AND BETR NOW 2!!!
Bokuto / 1:33 a.m.
Isn’t it ur bedtime????? Zzzzzzz
He absolutely missed getting consecutive buzzes from Bokuto’s notifications. He thinks for a minute before replying to the text. He should surrender and go to sleep. I suppose so , he types out onto his phone, but then quickly deletes it. If this was bassist Bokuto™ he was dealing with, he would be sweating and fumbling as he worries about whether the joke will land or make Bokuto feel bad, but this wasn’t bassist Bokuto™. This was a guy who typed and sent , “I 8 dnr @ 9”.
Sent to Bokuto / 1:35 a.m.
What? U don’t want to talk to me?
Bokuto / 1:36 a.m.
:OOOOOO no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Butt u ned sleep! Zzz i’ll txt u tmrw b4 the show!!!!!
Sent to Bokuto / 1:37 a.m.
Deal. I suppose I should get to sleep. Need my beauty rest.
Bokuto is obviously not thinking of Akaashi. How could Bokuto care about Akaashi and his sleep schedule when he sends the text he sends? Akaashi can barely think straight, reading over the text four times aloud. His face feels flushed and he knows that if Bokuto had said this to him in person, he would not have been able to stop himself from stammering. He reads the text one more time, making sure he read it correctly.
Bokuto / 1:38 a.m.
Beauty rest? 4 what lol??? Uve got enough of that 4 the rest of ur life. You’re too pretty for beauty rest. Gn akkaashi!!
It is now evident that Bokuto does not care about Akaashi’s sleep schedule and how tired he’s going to be tomorrow. Except, he can’t be tired tomorrow because tomorrow is the show. Instead, Akaashi is going to have to sacrifice valuable time doing other things before the show like spending extra time getting ready or calming his nerves for an extensive amount of time. Akaashi is convinced that Bokuto doesn’t care about any of this because now Akaashi cannot fall asleep. That text message, the thought of any one of the various Bokuto’s in his head sending that text message, is something that Akaashi’s overactive brain refuses to stop mulling over.
Akaashi cannot fall soundly asleep.