Keep your secrets (keep my heart too)
Bokuto Week day 7- Free day, birthday
Bokuto’s boyfriends were hiding something from him.
He’d known it ever since he woke up this morning to a cold bed, ever since he’d carefully tiptoed out of their bedroom to hear them whispering in the kitchen, oblivious to his presence.
”Make sure that he doesn't catch on-”
”As long as we’re careful-”
The words that Bokuto could make out were rushed and scattered, not enough for him to put together a complete picture of just what was so hush-hush, but enough to know it was definitely something he wasn't supposed to be in on.
His suspicions were only cemented when he had meandered into the kitchen, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing. Upon spotting him, Kuroo had practically fallen out of his chair trying to shoot a respectable distance away from Akaashi- as if Bokuto hadn't walked in on them making out more times then he could count- and Akaashi had tried to take an inconspicuous sip of his coffee so fast he choked on it.
They’d refused to look him directly in the eye, exchanging glances with each other behind Bokuto’s back as he bustled around fixing a bowl of cereal.
Even if they had’nt been spectacularly failed in their attempt to be inconspicuous, there was one little detail that told Bokuto they were definitely up to something.
Neither of them had mentioned the date. Bokuto knew for a fact they hadn't forgotten- it was marked on the calendar, after all, with a big red circle around it and a dash already through the box- one of them must have marked it off before Bokuto got up.
It was September 20th. Bokuto’s birthday, and neither of his boyfriends had said a thing.
Paired with their suspicious whispering, well, it wasn't that hard to figure out what they might have been up to.
It was amusing, Bokuto had to admit, because the two of them wouldn't know subtlety if it hit them on the head.
He’d play along, just for a bit.
Which is how he ended up wandering the downtown streets with Kuroo by his side, having accepted the invitation when Kuroo asked him to go on a walk together, carefully not mentioning Bokuto’s birthday or why he was leaving Akaashi out of their plans.
God, they were so bad at being inconspicuous it was painful but Bokuto loved them and it was actually pretty endearing if he was being honest.
Kuroo had been trying very hard to make conversation, anything that didn't have to do with Bokuto’s birthday today, and Bokuto had let him. Perhaps, however, his lack of total immersion could be sensed because Kuroo stopped mid sentence from where he was talking about some highschooler he scouted for a pro team the other day.
“Look!” Kuroo shouted suddenly, pointing his finger down the street. “An ice cream shop!”
Sure enough, when Bokuto followed Kuroo’s finger he found a small little ice cream parlor, tucked amongst the supermarket chains and rising city buildings that made up their little corner of the city.
“We should get some,” Kuroo decided, and before Bokuto could say a word either way Kuroo was using their linked hands to draw him forward, making their way across the busy afternoon crowd to the shop.
When they entered it was unsurprisingly busy, people ducking in to escape the midday heat. Bokuto took a moment to let the air conditioning wash over him, eyes roaming across the shop. There were so many people- employees bustling about, families with kids, teenage couples- but he recognized the person who was standing at the cash register the moment he saw him.
Kuroo did a double take a moment later, and Bokuto knew he’d spotted him too.
“Your ice cream cake is going to be five minutes more-” The employee was saying, and Akaashi nodded along.
“Alright. As long as its-”
And then Akaashi glanced up, saw the two of them, and froze.
For a moment, none of them said anything, and the employee glanced between them with a concerned look.
Finally Kuroo broke the silence, laughing awkwardly and glancing aside. “Keiji! What uh… what are you doing here?”
Watching this was unbearable.
As if it was even possible Akaashi stiffened up further, looking like he was just short of glaring at Kuroo for putting him on the spot. “I’m looking for you!” He said after a moment, bounding over to them and shoving Kuroo not-very-gently towards the cash register. “I wanted to go play volleyball with Kou.”
That wasn't that unusual of a request. The three of them had made it a habit to play together every now and again, be it pickup games or two against one (of which Bokuto always ended up on his own. “It’s not fair if you have a teammate.” Kuroo would chide him anytime he complained. “You're a pro! Me and Ji are both office workers, so we need all the help we can get”)
But still, for Akaashi to randomly show up at the shop before them? Saying he was looking to play a set?
Bokuto couldn't stop the grin that tugged at his lips. He loved them, adored them, but they were so bad at this.
‘This’, in question, seemed to be some sort of surprise party.
“No ice cream then?” He asked teasingly as Akaashi hastily pulled him out of the shop. He felt something like a ragdoll getting passed around like this, Kuroo quickly calling out behind him that he was going to ‘go home’.
“We can get ice cream later.” Akaashi dismissed him, walking down the street and away from the ice cream shop as fast as he could without running.
The park that they usually played at wasnt far from the apartment they all shared. It has nets set up, and was usually used for the junior volleyball teams to practise, but they could usually find a court to occupy.
It was nice. The sun was warm, the streets were just busy enough, it was their day off, and Bokuto got to watch his boyfriends flounder and fail to prepare a surprise party. The quiet silence they settled into as they made the 10 minute walk was comfortable and comforting.
Until they actually reached the courts, stood in front of an empty one, and Bokuto realized they were missing one key thing.
“We don’t have a volleyball.”
Akaashi’s lips pressed together into a thin line as he eyed all the other empty courts, void of anyone who might be able to loan them one. “Well that does… put a damper on things.”
“We can walk back to the apartment and grab one,” Bokuto suggested, and it was a real struggle to keep a shit eating grin off his face when Akaashi’s expression turned panicked.
“No no!” He said immediately, faster than he should have. “That's alright. We don’t need to play volleyball after all, maybe we can just… walk around!”
“Oh no,” Bokuto shook his head. “I think I’d really like to play volleyball.”
“Well we cou-”
“Back home it is!” And with that Bokuto was already making his way across the park, setting off on the familiar route home.
“Koutarou wait!” Akaashi called after him, sounding just short of panicked, but Bokuto just grinned to himself and kept walking away, trusting the other to follow.
And sure enough, Akaashi caught up to him a few seconds later, never far, just as always.
Akaashi spent the entire walk to their apartment trying to convince Bokuto to do something else, anything else, anything that would keep him away from their apartment.
But Bokuto had had a mischievous streak for as long as he could remember- perhaps just part of his personality, perhaps a byproduct of growing up with older sisters- and it only made him all the more curious to see what was going on back home.
Perhaps, he was being a little mean, going out of his way to dash his boyfriend's plans for a surprise party, but it was his birthday and watching Akaashi scramble about was amusing.
When they reached their apartment, Bokuto threw open the door before Akaashi could stop him. “We’re home!” He declared, voice echoing across the walls.
”Uh-” The sound of crinkling paper, and frantic shuffling came from down the hallway. ”You're back? So soon?”
Just as Akaashi stumbled through the front door Bokuto was shooting down the hallway, turning the corner into the living room just in time to see Kuroo hastily standing up from the floor.
There was a hint of shiny paper and string halfway shoved under the couch, and there was a golden gift bow left abandoned in the corner of the room, Kuroo awkwardly shifting his weight like he was trying to hide it from view. Bokuto decided not to comment on it.
“What are you doing here?” Kuroo asked with an almost painful smile, standing awkwardly in front of the couch.
“We’re looking for a volleyball. You?”
“Uh- nothing! Nothing at all!” Kuroo shifted his weight, leaning back against the couch. “Just… cleaning.”
“You? Cleaning?” Akaashi interrupted, turning the corner into the living room. “I refuse to believe it.”
“It's true!” Kuroo shot back, but just as soon as he did Kuroo was shoving Bokuto back down the hallway. “I'm in the cleaning zone and you guys are ruining it. Shoo!”
“What about the volleyball?” Bokuto protested weakly.
“No no, he's right.” Akaashi grabbed his hand, and now both of Bokuto’s boyfriends were dragging him towards the door. “We shouldn’t disturb him if he's cleaning. Lord knows it will never happen again.”
“Hey!”
Still, together they wrangled Bokuto out the door, ignoring any of his protests.
“Go for a jog or something!” Kuroo shouted once he and Akaashi had been shoved out of the house. “I’m kicking you out until further notice.”
And with that he slammed the door behind him, the only other goodbye being the sound of his retreating footsteps.
“Well then.” Akaashi said after a moment. “Perhaps we should get going before our neighbors start to stare.”
“You’re volunteering to jog with me?” Bokuto asked, and it was like Akaashi went through the five stages of grief all at once.
Running, Akaashi would always tell him, was one part of highschool sports he was glad to leave behind. Whenever Bokuto wanted a partner for his regular jogs he always had to hassle Kuroo into going with him- Akaashi had always been a brick wall on the topic.
But now Akaashi only grimaced in that way he always did when he was trying very hard to make it seem like he was not miffed at all by the situation at hand. “Yes,” He sighed after a moment, sounding defeated. “I suppose I am.”
And when Bokuto grinned and turned to hop down the apartment complex stairs, he could swear he heard Akaashi mumble, “Damn you Tetsurou.”
They hadn’t gone far. Just a lap around the block, and then back up the stairs to their floor. Barely a quarter of what Bokuto would usually run in the mornings when he didn’t have training during the off season.
It was nice and light, and when they got back Bokuto felt great. He could take on the world, really.
Akaashi wasn't quite so lucky.
Rather, he looked like he was two steps away from cursing out god and attempting murder.
He was lagging behind Bokuto, still dragging himself up the steps to get to their floor while Bokuto stood on the landing, feeling perfectly refreshed.
“You doing okay ‘Ji?” He called down, and was only met with Akaashi’s grumbles of dissent.
“I’m going to drop dead and take something down with me.” Was Akaashi’s only answer. Bokuto just watched in silence as Akaashi dragged himself up the stairs, finally pausing at the top of the landing, huffing and puffing.
“This is why I don’t run with you,” He said. “I can’t keep up with your pace anymore.”
“Tetsu can keep up with me and he has a desk job-”
“Oh hush,” Akaashi sighed standing up straight. “You wait out here Mr-hasn't-broken-a-sweat.”
And even though Bokuto had a pretty good idea why- had a pretty good idea since he’d woken up- he still asked, “Me? Why?”
Akaashi only shot him a look and started for the door.
“Stay put.” He commanded, right before slipping through. Bokuto didn’t hear the lock click- and even if Akaashi did lock it Bokuto had a key- so there was nothing keeping him out except his good character.
And Bokuto had always prided himself on his good character.
He couldn't say the same for his patience.
Which is why he found himself growing bored with standing in the apartment complex hallway after just a few minutes. It wasn't his fault really- he’d always been an antsy person, as long as he could remember. Surly Kuroo and Akaashi wouldn't have expected him to stay out here long.
Surely, it would be alright if he went inside?
It was his birthday anyway. Bokuto could do what he wanted, just this once.
So he shrugged to himself, pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against, and threw open the door with no fanfare.
The apartment inside was dark.
It was enough to give Bokuto pause, blinking to adjust to the dimness after coming in from the sun and the bright fluorescents of the hallway lights.
It was quiet.
That was unusual in their house. There was always something going on.
“Tetsu?” He called out tentatively, the door shutting softly behind him. “Ji?”
The only response was the faint echo of his own voice.
And then the lights clicked on, Bokuto’s vision flashed white, and from nowhere came screams of “SURPRISE!”
He’d been expecting it, some part in the back of his mind ever since he stepped into the dark and silent apartment.
Still, when his eyes adjusted to the sudden influx of light and he saw Kuroo and Akaashi standing in front of him with party poppers, his heart still fluttered in fluster and surprise, the kind of butterfly twirl you only got in those rare moments where nothing was wrong in the world at all.
“Happy birthday!” Kuroo shouted, much too loud for the evening hush that was creeping in. In his hands he held an icecream cake- the box it was encased in adorned with the logo of the ice cream shop they had found Akaashi at. “You didn’t think we’d forgotten, did you?”
“We’ve put together a surprise party. Sorry for acting… aloof today.” Akaashi offered, and really they were being less aloof and more downright suspicious but Bokuto supposed it didn't matter. Akaashi was holding something too, but instead of a cake it was a few wrapped presents in the same color as the wrapping paper Kuroo had hastily shoved under the couch earlier.
They’d been trying to put this together all day. Bokuto had known that, but seeing it all come together like this made his heart flip. It was like working on a long project and stepping abc when it was finally done to admire all that you accomplished, the scale of your feat never quite hitting you until that moment.
And they both looked so proud of their stealth, Kuroo grinning and Akaashi smiling softly that not playing along was never really an option.
“Oh my gosh.” Bokuto whispered, and it wasn't that hard to widen his eyes in surprise and glance between them like they’d just pulled a fast one on him. “No way.”
“You like it?” Kuroo asked tentatively, and Bokuto nodded.
“This is amazing!” If felt like he’d never said anything truer in his life, a smile coming to his face easier than ever. “I love it! Thank you. How’d you even know it was my birthday?”
Akaashi raised an eyebrow. “We’ve known for years.”
“Yeah! We wouldn't forget all of a sudden!”
It only made Bokuto grin harder, really, the warmth in his chest that much harder to ignore. The thought that the two of them could ever forget his birthday was almost as ridiculous as Bokuto himself forgetting, or not being able to realize what they were planning when they were being so painfully transparent.
But Bokuto didn't have the heart to say any of that. Didn't do anything other than laugh and revel in just how much he loved them. An all consuming thing, the kind of love that adored the simple moments and embraced the hardships.
“Right.” He said, and he sounded so impossibly fond even to his own ears. “I never doubted you for a second.”
Bokuto’s boyfriends were hiding something from him, and he truly did love them for it.