Chapter Text
An empath is a good listener.
That was something Akaashi heard a lot about himself. Though, that descriptor wasn’t entirely accurate.
Ever since he was a little kid, he could feel the emotions of those around him. From a young age, he had learned what it meant when people said to ‘put yourself in other people’s shoes.’ He didn’t really have a choice in it.
The people he associated with dumped their emotional baggage on him without his permission. It wasn’t out of ill will—simply, he absorbed their feelings like a human sponge.
After a while, he wasn’t even sure what he was feeling himself.
When others talked with him though, it was a little lighter. The happiness didn’t blind him as much, the sadness hit less like a truck. Anger was manageable, and jealousy, guilt, and confusion were duller.
It was just easier to listen to them vent than it was to let the emotions ruminate. It was easier to be a good listener.
Akaashi often wondered about his soulmate. He wasn’t a romantic like most of his peers were, but, he didn’t completely dismiss the curiosity that came with passing off his powers to someone else as if it were an Olympic torch. He thought about it a lot—mostly because he imagined his soulmate to be someone who would slot perfectly into his power, someone who was as calm as he was and levelheaded as well. Someone who could handle seven days of emotional floods without breaking a sweat.
But, he knew it was unrealistic to think that way especially as the number of deaths from soulmate related power swaps racked up to at least twenty percent of the population in the past year alone.
Still, Akaashi thought it would be nice to be able to be rid of his abilities for even a single week. He didn’t dislike his power, but, his perpetual exhaustion was something that he could never avoid as long as he had it. Trying to feel neutral all the time in order to stay certain in who he was as a person was not something he enjoyed doing as a hobby.
Rather, it was a necessity.
Well, maybe not anymore.
He stared back at the man with the funky hair who had come up to greet him, a wide grin plastered to his face as if permanently stitched there. The first-year immediately got chills.
“Hey, I’m Bokuto!” the upperclassman grinned, extending a hand, which Akaashi hesitantly reached forward to grab. Then, he near-shouted. “Are you nervous?!”
Akaashi blinked, confused at the way the question was asked immediately after his introduction. In thinking about it, he did feel a little nervous now, but, he was more than certain it was because the other freshmen at the volleyball tryouts were channeling their anxiety through him.
“A little,” he admitted politely, bowing his head and taking the man’s hand. “I’m Akaashi Keiji. I’m trying out for setter.”
Bokuto laughed loudly. Loudly enough that people around them flinched. His golden eyes seemed to dart here and there, never locking firmly on anything. “Ah, cool, cool! I’m super nervous too for some reason which is weird cause I’m only really observing today?”
Akaashi realized it then—and it was probably good that he did because obviously, this man was not the kind of soulmate he had envisioned having. This loud, extroverted upperclassman of his seemed high-strung already, and his power was probably making it worse. It was good Akaashi caught it early.
“Forgive me,” Akaashi started, reaching out to grab Bokuto’s attention. The upperclassman’s focus turned to him, golden eyes searching for answers across the first-year’s face. “I’m sorry, but I think you’ve taken my power.”
Bokuto blinked, seemingly not understanding. “I didn’t even ask if I could take it from you, though.”
Akaashi stared back, equally perplexed. “…what was that?”
“I’m not just going to take your power without permission. I don’t even know what it is,” Bokuto elaborated, brows furrowing. Akaashi was certain there was some kind of miscommunication now.
“No, I—” Akaashi began again. “I think we’re soulmates.”
There was a moment longer before something lit up in Bokuto’s eyes and he was lunging forward, grabbing Akaashi by the shoulders. “Soulmates?! You and me?!” All eyes in the gym turned to them.
“I—” Akaashi stammered, trying to reign in the excitable upperclassman lest they ended up at the center of attention. As if they weren’t already. “I believe so, yes.”
“You’re so… so hot though?!”
Akaashi flushed a deep red. “Wha—”
“Oh crap, don’t—no, don’t, ahh no, don’t be embarrassed, now I’m embarrassed—sorry, that’s not what I,” Bokuto stammered, reaching out and then thinking better of it, pulled back to rake his fingers through his hair. Akaashi followed the movement quietly, watching the man’s triceps pull a little under the tension. He raised an eyebrow.
His soulmate had some firm muscles. Nice.
Fortunately, before he could elaborate on any other thought, the coach stepped forward, addressing Bokuto. “Have you found your soulmate?”
“Yes!” Bokuto near-shouted, turning to face the older man. Akaashi turned to address him as well.
“I am not entirely certain yet, but I no longer sense my own powers,” Akaashi trailed off as he noticed Bokuto surveying him curiously. “…on my person.”
The coach seemed to consider them for a moment before sighing and scratching the back of his head. “Sometimes this kind of stuff happens, but generally we avoid it happening with captains. You’re excused for today Bokuto, and—Akaashi, was it? You’re free to have private tryouts after school tomorrow as long as adjusting to the new powers doesn’t hinder your performance. For now, you’re both excused.”
Akaashi nodded, eyeing Bokuto out of the corner of his eye. Captain, huh?
The upperclassman seemed a bit overwhelmed by the influx of emotions he was probably experiencing, a nervous smile tugging on his face. Akaashi gestured to him and his gaze snapped back to the first-year’s like an owl.
“Shall we, Bokuto-san?” He pointed to outside of the gymnasium, ignoring the curious looks of the others. Bokuto nodded furiously, following after him as Akaashi exited the building.
Once outside, Bokuto visibly relaxed, and he looked less panicked. Unfortunately, he still seemed a bit nervous though, but it was to be expected with how he had suddenly encountered his soulmate on the first day of tryouts when emotions would be high.
“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi began again, leading them to sit down on a bench under some blossoming trees. “It’s really nice to meet you, finally.”
“Yeah,” Bokuto smiled and this time, it looked more genuine and less forced. “I can’t believe I’m meeting you now—I’m sorry about being nervous, I don’t know why I’m so jittery, usually I’m better than this and I was actually really confident today—”
“It’s no problem, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi cut him off before the man could bite off his own tongue with the speed of his slurred speech. “My powers are very disorienting so I don’t blame you for your nerves.”
Bokuto looked back at him with wide eyes, one leg slung over the seat and the other outside, straddling the bench and leaning towards Akaashi. “What are your powers?” He asked in a barely spoken whisper.
“I’m a type of empath,” Akaashi explained, feeling a bit small under the man’s rapt attention. “I absorb other people’s emotional energy.”
“You absorb it?”
“Yes,” Akaashi reaffirmed, giving Bokuto a patient smile. “I don’t just know how other people feel, I often feel it strongly myself as well.”
“Oh, uh, that’s really cool?” Bokuto said, though he didn’t seem like he thought it was as cool as he said it was.
“What’s your power, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asked this time, trying to ignore the uncertainty he saw in the upperclassman’s eyes.
“Oh, I, uh, borrow other people’s powers! I can use them once a day.”
Akaashi’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. “Power replication.”
“No, I borrow it! Only for a few minutes and then give it back afterwards.”
“Does the original user lose their power?”
“Yeah!”
Akaashi hummed, slowly understanding. It was less a simple mirroring of powers, but rather, Bokuto took someone else’s powers as his own for a little while, presumably against their will.
“For how long?”
“Hm?”
“How long do you take them?”
“Four minutes!” Bokuto chirped, eyes landing on Akaashi’s face before flitting down, then up at their surroundings. He was a ball of anxious energy. Akaashi wasn’t sure if it was he who was giving Bokuto that nervousness.
“Thank you for the information, Bokuto-san.”
“No problem!” Bokuto redirected his attention to the first-year. “I think my power is pretty cool, so I hope you like it!”
“I’m sure I will. I apologize for my powers—I’m not entirely confident you’ll like mine as much.”
“No, it’s okay! I think it’s cool to know how others feel! Sometimes Konoha says that I can’t read the atmosphere so I think it’s good that I can learn how to!”
Akaashi didn’t know who Konoha was, but he smiled nevertheless. “If you say so.”
Bokuto watched the upturn of Akaashi’s lips before locking eyes with him. “Um, I, uh—do you think we can hold hands?”
The first-year blinked, looking down at Bokuto’s hands that were clenched on the edges of the bench. They did not look as if they were particularly eager to wrap around Akaashi’s own fingers.
“Does…” Akaashi contemplated his next words, watching Bokuto bite down on his lip. The upperclassman was quite apparent in how he felt. Akaashi felt confident that he wouldn’t need his powers to discern the man’s emotional state. “Would that help you with your nerves?”
Bokuto shook his head. “We’re soulmates, right? I want to uh, I think it would be nice. Holding your hand, I mean. You have really pretty fingers.”
Akaashi felt heat rise to his cheeks. “Maybe once we get to know each other better, Bokuto-san.”
“Oh, okay, that’s fine! Wow, I feel so warm, I mean, I’m usually warm so it doesn’t bother me, but—”
Yes, Akaashi was embarrassed, he got that. The first-year cleared his throat, trying to shake off the flush in his face. “It is springtime so, I am sure it is getting warmer.”
“Are you embarrassed, Akaashi?”
The heat he was trying to expel returned full force. Akaashi averted his eyes. “I admit I am a little nervous about the prospect of holding hands with you, my senior.”
Bokuto seemed to embolden at the title, puffing his chest up slightly. “It’s okay, I’m nervous too!”
Akaashi wasn’t sure how he could explain that Bokuto’s anxiety was quite possibly an extension of his own. As it was his power, Akaashi had enough time to be able to discern his emotions from that of his peers. He wasn’t sure if Bokuto was able to do the same just yet.
The first-year turned away, bringing his fingers together. “I’m glad that my performance will be the same as always for tryouts. In fact, it may even be better without my powers to distract me.”
“That’s great! Did you want me to ask coach if I can watch?”
“No, that’s quite alright, Bokuto-san. I understand you have your own responsibilities as captain.”
“I do, but, also,” Bokuto pressed, those golden eyes burning into the side of Akaashi’s head. “You’re my soulmate so I want to support you.”
“Thank you,” Akaashi murmured quietly, though the words were directed to his hands rather than to his upperclassman’s face directly. It was expected that those connected by fate would come to help each other, regardless of the amount of time they spent prior. “I would also like to get to know you better and support you as well.”
Bokuto beamed, leaning back against the bench, tension leaving his shoulders. “Man, Akaashi, you’re so cool.”
“Is that how you see me?”
“Well, yeah! I mean, this happened on your first day of practice and I know if it was me, I would have been a hundred times more nervous than I am now, especially if I was meeting my soulmate, yaknow?”
“I didn’t plan to meet my soulmate today, Bokuto-san.”
“Aghaashi, you know that’s not what I meant,” Bokuto pouted, and Akaashi couldn’t help but find it strangely endearing. “What I mean is—you’re really cool and I’m glad that we could be soulmates together!”
Akaashi thought it was too soon to make those judgments, but he withheld his opinions on the matter for his upperclassman’s sake. He also refused to acknowledge whatever that horrendous pronunciation of his name was. “I am grateful for the opportunity as well.”
Bokuto grinned as if he had just won the lottery and pumped his fist into the air enthusiastically. “Yes, my soulmate likes me!”
That wasn’t what he had said, but Akaashi exhaled with a smile on his lips. “That is yet to be seen. I look forward to working with you, Bokuto-san.”
“Yeah, you got it Akaashi!”
For the sake of both their wellbeing, Akaashi hoped the week progressed smoothly enough. And, Akaashi admitted that maybe, for the sake of Bokuto’s bright smile too, it would go even better than just adequate.
The first day went off without a hitch.
After all, tryouts for volleyball were in the afternoon so Akaashi only had to look forward to going home, doing his homework, and then heading to bed.
Bokuto had insisted that they walk home together and to the first-year’s surprise, they lived only a short distance from one another. It would still take a good fifteen minutes to go from Akaashi’s house to Bokuto’s, but, it was definitely closer than he would have imagined for Tokyo.
The entire walk back, Bokuto vibrated with a certain excess energy. Akaashi had assumed as much when they had first met, but his upperclassman was an excitable person. Ignoring his interesting choice in hairstyle, Bokuto naturally gravitated towards people and with Akaashi’s powers, sapped up their emotional energies just as easily. In fact, if Bokuto was as charismatic of a person as he presented without Akaashi’s powers, then the second-year was even more of a sociable individual with them.
He quickly learned not to blatantly blurt out how others felt by the end of their stroll, but greeted strangers cheerily, paying special care to those he knew were feeling bad. A simple smile and ‘I hope you have a nice day!’ turned many passerby frowns into carefully considered nods, and Akaashi was certain that by the time they reached his house, Bokuto had at least uplifted the spirits of a dozen different people.
It was kind of amazing.
After Bokuto wished him a goodnight and left, Akaashi was left to wonder how long it had been since he had last cared about how strangers felt. Once his powers had manifested, he had learned how to drown out the weight of excess emotions. Yet, Bokuto, with his charming personality seemed to embrace all those pressures easily.
Maybe he had been doing it wrong the whole time.
Regardless, Akaashi was glad that the perfect soulmate he envisioned didn’t actually exist because there was something about the power that matched perfectly with Bokuto. Now that he had met his actual soulmate, the first-year couldn’t really imagine anyone else using it as he did.
That night, Akaashi lay in bed and thought about Bokuto and his warm, kind, inviting presence. The first-year was still fairly indifferent to the soulmate concept as a whole, but, he felt that if he got to experience it with the second-year, it probably wouldn’t be too bad.
Akaashi sincerely hoped that out of all the soulmates that met every year, he and Bokuto would beat the odds and come out of the week unscathed. Technically, if twenty percent of the population were fatally wounded, then eighty percent were perfectly okay. Akaashi hoped they were in the majority.
With that thought, Akaashi resolved himself to look forward to the rest of the week. It was only as he drifted off to sleep that he noticed he hadn’t tried Bokuto’s powers because he had been so focused on his own all day.
Bokuto showed up at his house that morning, backpack slung over his shoulders.
With that unfazed grin and those bright eyes, Akaashi was absolutely certain he was a morning person.
Unfortunately, the first-year wasn’t.
“Bokuto-san, did we agree on an arrangement I wasn’t aware of?” Akaashi frowned, rubbing at his eyes sleepily.
“Oh—” Bokuto seemed to deflate and he at least had the tact to look worried. “I’m, uh oh, you’re upset. I thought it would be nice if we walked to school together!”
Akaashi looked back into the kitchen where he could read the time on the clock. “School does not begin for another hour, Bokuto-san.”
“I wanted to be ready, just in case!” Bokuto responded, though he still sounded a bit subdued. He probably felt Akaashi’s annoyance. If this was how the entire week was going to go, then Akaashi was now more than certain that they might end up killing one another.
As if in response to his thoughts, Bokuto lifted up a plastic bag and a steaming coffee cup that Akaashi hadn’t noticed. “I brought breakfast?”
Akaashi stared at the goodies and his expression softened, stepping back to allow Bokuto into his house. He was more than glad that his parents had the night shift at the hospital and were sleeping in their bedroom because he didn’t know how he would explain a strange-looking man entering their home at the crack of dawn.
He also wasn’t sure how to justify letting someone he had met less than twenty-four hours prior into his private abode, but, he blamed that one on his morning drowsiness.
Bokuto seemed to perk up a little, entering the house and following Akaashi to the kitchen where he placed his offerings on the small island there. Akaashi pulled up two chairs and then sat in one, watching Bokuto rummage through the plastic noisily.
Good thing his parents were heavy sleepers.
“I just picked up some onigiri from the convenience store on the way! I didn’t know what kind you liked so I just got everything,” Bokuto was saying, placing containers in front of Akaashi. Akaashi eyed each one, a glint in his eyes. Bokuto handed him a pair of chopsticks, grinning. “You feel hungry.”
It was more of a statement than a question because there was no doubt that Akaashi was starving. What he wanted more than sleep right now was a good meal and he had originally planned to heat up some leftovers from the fridge for breakfast.
Now, he was sitting in front of an entire buffet worth of rice balls.
Having a soulmate was great.
As he looked over to see Bokuto sit in the chair across from him, a goofy grin plastered to his face, his arms folded to rest on top of the counter, biceps in full view, Akaashi had to reiterate it.
Yeah, it was great.
“Thank you for the meal,” Akaashi said as he dug in, watching as Bokuto did the same.
The two of them quickly finished nearly thirty different types of onigiri platters. In a record eighteen minutes, the only proof left of their meal were the empty containers strewn across the island.
“Oh my god, Akaashi, I had no idea you could eat so much!”
Akaashi put down his chopsticks. “I want to work on forming more muscles so I eat accordingly.” It wasn’t a lie, but the amount of carbs he consumed probably would have the opposite effect. “Thank you for breakfast, Bokuto-san.”
“No problem, Akaashi!” Bokuto beamed, very content with himself. “We can do it every day if you want!”
“I would not want your wallet to suffer.”
“Oh, I guess you’re right,” Bokuto admitted, putting his own chopsticks down as well. He hummed in thought. “Maybe one other time this week, or next week, or whenever! Cause like, we have forever, right?”
Forever. Akaashi felt warmer at the thought, but he wanted to stay objective. “That is true, but, keep in mind, Bokuto-san, there are many soulmates who do not end up making it throughout the week to see that forever. And, although there are some who do, the seven-day trauma is too much for them to bear and they end up separating regardless.”
“Yeah, but, we’re not just anyone, right? We can beat the odds!”
“With all due respect, you hardly know me, Bokuto-san.”
“That’s not true!” Bokuto retorted, bringing up his fingers to count on them. “You have curly hair and green eyes, and you’re a setter. You can probably out-eat me in an eating competition, and you have pretty fingers. You’re a great listener and you explain things super well! That’s at least five things!”
“Yes,” Akaashi smiled down at his hands, feeling a softness in his chest. Were they really that pretty? “That is definitely at least five things.”
“Oh, and you’re cranky in the mornings!”
Akaashi snorted. “I am. Let’s not do this kind of thing too often.”
Bokuto eyes lit up. “You laughed! It’s really cute!”
Akaashi blushed hard, trying to redirect the subject. “We should get to school, Bokuto-san.”
“Aw, okay!” Bokuto whined, though it didn’t sound too serious. He shouldered his bag, and gathered up their trash in the plastic bag. “You really are cute though…”
“You normally would not call a man over 180 centimeters cute, Bokuto-san.”
“But you are!”
“Please do not use my own powers against me. It should be clear I am very…” Akaashi rifled through his word choices before selecting one that felt appropriate. “Unsettled.”
“You’re embarrassed,” Bokuto sing-sang, smiling.
“You have no proof.”
“Sure, Akaashi,” Bokuto waggled his eyebrows and Akaashi’s lip twitched as he bit back another laugh, bringing his hands up to cover his mouth. His upperclassman was being ridiculous and yet, Akaashi was falling into stride with his antics, reveling in the wide, sunny smiles Bokuto gave. It was silly, given that they hadn’t even known of each other’s existences until recently.
Maybe it was easier to fall for his soulmate.
And, despite not being any sort of romantic his whole life, Akaashi sort of, kind of hoped so.
For Bokuto’s sake.
School was fine.
In fact, it was probably more than fine.
Akaashi was used to redirecting all the emotions flying around him, from his classmates, to his teachers, to drama talked about randomly on the streets or on television. But now, it was peaceful.
He could focus entirely on his studies without simultaneously squashing feelings of panic or anger or whatever his peers chose to feel that day and for once in his life, he felt truly free. All he felt was his own emotions which were controlled and predictable, and familiar.
It was invigorating.
This sense of control carried with him throughout the day until private tryouts where he met with the coach as the rest of the Fukurodani team were doing warmups.
Naturally, he excelled there too.
“You’re a high-quality setter and the team definitely needs someone like you,” the coach was saying, though Akaashi could barely hear him through the high he was experiencing.
“Thank you, coach,” Akaashi responded curtly, though his hands shook with anticipation.
Akaashi knew his powers had always hindered him rather than helped him. There were times they were beneficial, but most of the time, they served to deter him from his goals, flood him with emotions he had no control over.
To be free of that burden for even a few days was a rush of liberation.
He felt as if his whole world had flipped—he was better able to feel things as he wanted on his own terms. He could be happy when he wanted to and prideful without worry. He could experience sadness, anger, and jealousy as anyone else did, emotions that came from within and not from those around him.
Akaashi kind of wished this swap lasted forever, especially because Bokuto seemed happier for it as well.
Turning to find the captain in the midst of the team, Akaashi immediately located the upperclassman as he took a running leap towards the net, narrowly missing the ball with a spike.
“Bokuto, calm down!”
“I, sorry, sorry, just a bit jittery!”
“Obviously!”
Akaashi observed the exchange quietly, a thread of worry winding its way around his heart. Despite how Bokuto acted around others outside of the court, it was clear that Akaashi’s powers were messing with him in games. The first-year only hoped it was a problem that would be resolved as more time passed.
“Bokuto-san!”
Bokuto swiveled around to locate Akaashi next to the coach. The first-year smiled softly in response as the captain jogged up to meet up with him.
“I passed.”
“You did?!” Bokuto bellowed, smacking Akaashi across the back in what the freshman assumed was a supportive gesture. “That’s amazing, Akaashi! You’re incredible!”
“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi responded, and he genuinely felt the gratitude from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes. He knew that on top of feeling grateful for getting a spot on the team, he was also feeling it for the power swap as well.
Whether or not that thankfulness registered with Bokuto, Akaashi didn’t know, but, the captain definitely killed quite a few setups from their reserve setter all the way until practice concluded.
It made Akaashi feel even better about the loss of his powers, especially knowing that this happiness came solely from himself and no one else.
Well, that was a bit of an understatement.
Some of it probably came from Bokuto as well.
It was a bit of a romantic notion he began to fancy, that whenever Bokuto lit up like a Christmas tree and ran around the school with that uncontrolled enthusiasm, Akaashi couldn’t help but feel as if he was absorbing the man’s emotional state as well.
Only this time, he was absorbing the emotional state of just one other person besides himself. Despite the addition, it was still something he felt comfortable with, and it allowed him the freedom to release some of the tension from constantly managing the entire world’s wants all the time.
Akaashi found himself admitting even after practice and after they had walked back home together as if they had been doing it for years, that if he only felt things for himself and for Bokuto, that would be fine.
He didn’t want to feel for anyone else.
And, when Bokuto nervously asked him for his number outside his door that night so they could figure out plans for the weekend together, Akaashi gave in easily.
Maybe the next time Bokuto asked to hold hands, he would give in then as well.