Chapter Text
Bokuto was lost. He looked at the buildings around him and tried to find one of the landmarks Kuro had drawn on the piece of paper he was holding.
Is that the Keizer building? Wait, no, maybe that’s the building he said that if you see then you’ve gone too far.
He was never trusting Kuro with directions again. He should’ve known, honestly. After knowing Kuro since they were kids you would think Bokuto would have learned by now that Kuro can be more scattered brained than he is.
“Why can’t we just go to the restaurant together after practice?” Bokuto had whined while they got ready for drills.
Kuro closed his locker. “Because I need to go pick Kenma up first. You know if I don’t get him then he won’t come.”
“And if I have to go by myself, then I won’t come!”
“Come on dude, you’ll be fine. I’ll write down the directions?”
Bokuto just kept pouting at him.
“Drinks on me?”
Bokuto waved his hand, telling him to go on.
Sighing, Kuro gritted out, “And I’ll do the dishes for a month.”
“Deal!” Bokuto exclaimed, his mood instantly lifted. If there’s one thing he hates more than going places by himself, it’s doing dishes. While he may love to cook, the aftermath was something he dreaded so much that he often avoided it all together, opting to get carry out or annoy Kuro to the point where he would just make dinner for the both of them.
They made their way out of the locker room and onto the court for practice. Hinata was already jumping up and down, way too excited for what would be a long practice.
“Oi, stop jumping before properly stretching, Hinata!” Iwaizumi yelled from his spot next to coach. “You hurt yourself before next week’s game and you won’t have to worry about Kageyama’s wrath because I’ll kill you myself!”
Kageyama unfurled from his stretch to turn and glare at Hinata, daring him to injure himself.
Hinata hid behind Bokuto. “Yes, sir!”
Bokuto peeled him off, “Don’t make him angry, Hinata. He won’t come out tonight if he is, then who will we have to keep Oikawa out of trouble?”
Everyone wanted to have a few drinks at dinner and relax tonight. That wouldn’t happen if they had to babysit Oikawa all night to prevent him from drinking too much too fast.
Hinata’s eyes widened before he scrunched his face in determination and fell in line for warmups.
Coach blew the whistle. “Alright, let’s get started you pansies. Don’t even think about your weekend plans until you finish 10 laps of diving drills.”
Everyone groaned.
“Get ready to spend a fortune on my drinks tonight, Kuro.”
Kuro didn’t have time to grimace before the second starting whistle blew.
————————————
Now Bokuto was regretting acting cocky because he wouldn’t be getting any drinks tonight if he couldn’t even find the restaurant.
He finally gave up trying to read the hastily drawn map and pulled out his phone. He was only halfway through typing in the address before it died.
“Please, no,” he begged. He felt his heart start to bang. His hand tightened on the phone as if willing his body heat to charge the phone. “Seriously, God don’t do this to me."
For all the confidence Bokuto has on the court, he fails to be able to be by himself for long periods of time. His mind constantly raced with improbable possibilities and critiques as to just how incapable he is when left to his own devices.
His breathing started to pick up as he looked around the city. He hadn’t been to this part of Tokyo before. The only reason the team was even coming here was because Kuro had recommended it after he and Kenma went there for their date night. Kenma apparently goes there a lot.
If the tall skyscrapers weren’t enough to block the sky out, then the looming dark rain clouds did the trick. A rain drop hit Bokuto’s cheek. At first, he had to confirm he hadn’t started crying. He didn’t allow himself to cry in front of others. No one needed to break the image they had of him. But then another one hit his nose. And then his forehead. And before he knew it, a steady stream of rain started falling.
“Shit. Seriously?!” He ran across the street and stayed under an awning. “I should’ve made him do the dishes for two months,” he grumbled.
The glass door to his left opened, an older gentlemen carrying a violin case exiting the building. He paused when he saw the rain, placing his case on the ground and pulling out his umbrella in the process. He looked over and saw the soaked Bokuto.
He gave a warm smile. “I learned at a young age to always check the weather before leaving the house.”
Bokuto grinned. “Guess I’ll have to pick that habit up,” a small chuckle escaping his lips.
“You’re more than welcome to head inside there to dry off a bit,” the man said, motioning to the building behind him, “Looks like the rain will blow over quickly. No one will kick you out.”
Bokuto thought it over. He was already pushing the time he was supposed to be at the restaurant, but he figured it was better to be a little late and dry, than on time and pissed that he was soaked.
“Thanks,” Bokuto held the door for the man as he bent to get his violin, “And thanks for the sound advice.”
He smirked, “Have a nice evening!”
“You as well!”
Bokuto headed inside. It was a fairly large lobby. The alabaster floor tiles creating a very modern look with the white granite desk where a guard sat. But the walls looked like they needed a polishing. It was easy to tell that while the floor was new, the walls hadn’t been painted in some time. It was as if it had been last on their to-do list before they ran out of funds.
He didn’t want to intrude. Years of his mother hounding him to be courteous to hosts had him frozen at the door, too nervous to sit on the soft gray couches on the western wall.
“Wow, it really is pouring isn’t it,” the guard said after seeing Bokuto in the door. A glance at Bokuto’s stance answered his unspoken question of whether he was there to meet someone. “Feel free to take a seat wherever while you wait it out.” The drenched boy's hesitation had him adding on, “The couches are waterproof. Don’t worry about ruining them.”
That little statement was enough to ease the concern in Bokuto’s mind that he was going to mess everything up in this foreign place. He slowly made his way to the couch and as gingerly as possible, sat down. It wasn’t the most comfortable couch but it was better than standing outside in the rain.
He pulled out his phone to kill the time before remembering it was dead. He panicked again. What if Kuro tried to call him? What if his sister was in an accident and they couldn’t reach him? What if that game he was waiting for finally came in??
He clutched at his chest, trying to give it some sort of steadiness to ease the blood pumping in his head.
But then his head started to hear something else. It melted its way in through the mess of his thoughts, just soft enough for Bokuto to be able to focus on that rather than the improbable.
Soft notes of a piano were coming down the hall that continued pass the guard's desk. Bokuto didn’t know anything about music, the little he knew was from when he played drums in primary school for a year and didn’t think what he did really constituted as ‘music’. But even he could tell that this was beautiful.
The crescendo and decrescendo happened so effortlessly as the musician played that it had the man enraptured. His ears pricked at every soft high note that was dinged. He could almost feel the love and emotion of the piece, yet at the same time, such sorrow. It took someone incredibly skilled to be able to make someone as uncultured as Bokuto to be so affected.
He didn’t realize he had been staring in the direction the music was coming from until his eyes focused in on a slender man talking with a woman. They seemed to be the same age, but the man’s hand were waving frantically, his silver hair swishing around as his head bobbed with every flick of his hand.
“Suga-san, you have to calm down, we’ll find someone to replace Asahi.”
The man, Suga-san, did his best to keep his voice down as to not disturb anyone, but it was still slightly raised as he responded, “The benefit is tonight, Kiyoko, everyone else is probably booked! I can’t play Beethoven’s 'C Major Duet' by myself!”
Kiyoko thought a moment, her mind racing to find a solution as she looked at the large black, leather-bound book in her hand. Her hand froze halfway down the page before looking back at Suga.
“Well....there is one option,” she said.
“Who?”
She slowly glanced at the door a few feet down from them, Bokuto could only assume this is where the music was coming from.
Suga looked at the door and immediately half yelled, half whispered, “Absolutely not, Akaashi hasn’t had a break in months! This is his one night to relax.”
“I’m afraid this is our only option,” Kiyoko reasoned, “Everyone else is either booked or don’t have the skills to cold read the cello music like he can.”
Suga looked sadly at the door. Even Bokuto felt bad for whoever this Akaashi character was. With his busy volleyball schedule, Bokuto knows how needed a rest is every now and then.
The silver haired man finally responded, “Unfortunately, I don’t have any other choice.” He sighed. “Might as well break his heart now.”
He trudged over to the door but didn’t knock. He waited for so long that Bokuto worried that he was having a medical issue, but he finally heard the piano slowing down in speed and the final notes softly ringing out. Suga knocked on the door.
He was waiting for the piece to finish. Must be a musical courtesy.
Suga was halfway in the door, a quick mumble all that was heard before he was walking back to Kiyoko with a dark haired man.
Even from where Bokuto sat at the wall, he could see the man’s piercing blue eyes. They grabbed Bokuto’s attention almost as much as the music the musician was playing moments before.
The man, Akaashi he assumed, glanced up and they made brief eye contact before he turned to the two people waiting for him. The split second was all Bokuto needed to crave more. The depths of the man’s eyes held so much to them. Where Bokuto's emotions were usually shown all across his face, this man’s eyes were all that were needed for him to convey his message.
It was mesmerizing.
Kiyoko shyly pushed her glasses up before starting. “Akaashi-kun, I’m sorry to ask this but Asahi has a family emergency and won’t be able to make the benefit concert tonight. We need someone to fill his spot. I know that you were suppos-“
Akaashi didn’t have to hesitate before cutting in, “No worries. What time is it and what selections is it?”
Suga looked ready to cry. “Akaaashii, are you serious, you’re the greatest, I’m so sorry I took your night away, if I could play both instruments at the same time I would, you’re an absolute dream.”
He would’ve kept going if Akaashi didn’t finally respond with a very calm, “It’s fine Suga. I had just finished my rehearsal anyway. I don’t mind helping out.”
They talked briefly about the details before Kiyoko and Suga turned and walked back down the hallway. Akaashi went back inside the practice room, Bokuto’s heart dropping as he brought his head forward to sit on his hand perched on his knee. Akaashi exited a moment later with a bag strung over his shoulder.
He chatted with the guard briefly, most likely about the weather because a second later the guard pointed at Bokuto. Akaashi turned and looked at him.
Bokuto could’ve sworn time froze and prayed as hard as he could to please don’t sound stupid I’ll do whatever just pleaassee say actual words as he saw Akaashi walk over to him.
“You know, my Sensei taught me to always check the weather before going out.”
Bokuto blinked. Is this what deja vu is? He took too long to reply because he saw Akaashi’s eyes squint. “You’re the second person to tell me that today.”
Akaashi’s lips turned up just slightly in a small smile. Bokuto's heart fluttered. “Short old man, dark skin, carrying a violin?” he questioned.
Bokuto nodded.
“Yes, that would be my Sensei.”
“He was very nice. Told me to wait inside for the rain to stop.” He thanked above for putting coherent words into his mouth.
“So why are you still here?”
“Sorry?”
“The rain stopped. You didn’t have some place to be?” Akaashi jester through the glass door.
He was right. The rain had stopped and you could just barely see spots of the sky as the clouds started dispersing.
Bokuto's eyes widened. He was so caught up in his head and the music and Akaashi and the conversation and Akaashi that he didn’t even notice the reason why he was even inside this place didn’t exist anymore.
“Oh. Huh. I...didn’t realize. I’m supposed to be meeting some friends for dinner but I got lost and before I knew it, it was raining and my phone died and yeah, uh, here I am.”
Akaashi stared at him, most likely trying to comprehend what he had said because he said it so quickly. He must’ve finally understood because he asked Bokuto what restaurant.
“Blue cove?”
“Oh, yeah I definitely know that place. You’re not too far off. You just stay on this same street, take a right at the light and it’s the first place on the corner.”
Bokuto blinked. He was that close? “Uh, thanks. Sounds easy enough, hopefully I won’t mess it up,“ he laughed.
“I would walk you there but unfortunately I have to get home to prepare for a concert.” Akaashi stared at him a second more, a contemplative look on his face before averting his eyes. “Have a nice dinner.”
“You too.” Bokuto stopped. “Uh I mean, not you too, you’re not going to dinner but uh thanks for the directions and I meant have a nice night-“
Akaashi laughed. “I got it. See ya," he said, and walked out the door.
Bokuto had never thanked the heavens for rain that much in his life.