Divine: A Haikyuu!! Mythology Zine is now on sale!
Divine is a 258-page PDF that contains art and fic from 44 different contributors. Buyers can expect to visit over 20 different cultures from around the world and share in the wonderful mythological deities and creatures that can be found there. All fused with our favorite volleyball boys and girls!
The zine will be on sale from December 17, 2018 to January 31, 2019 and will cost $15 USD. Please be on the lookout for our giveaway post one week from today in which one person from both Twitter and Tumblr will win a free zine! More details will come out soon so please follow us for any future updates if you are interested in this.
Reblog and @fanficzine for the chance to win a copy of the zine and all the merch in the bundle! If the winner has already purchased the zine they will be reimbursed for their purchase.
I was blessed enough to be chose by the amazing mods at the @fanficzine team as one of the contributors to this edition. I can’t wait for all of you to see it!!
All profit will go to TPAN, a charity that supports people affected by HIV/AIDS and related illnesses.
Pre-orders open on May 21st! Don’t forget to grab yours!!!
My piece is Klance-centered; a story of how Death spared a human boy’s life and asked for his help. Here’s a preview:
Sitting down before him was a boy no older than seventeen. His hair was dark and parted into three fringes on his forehead—which really confused Lance because how could someone have three fringes? The rest of his hair was hidden under a black hood attached to a black cloak. Actually, the boy was dressed in all black, from his robes to his shoes. Lance was once again confused—why was this boy wearing only black? He looked like his cousin Lucia. His mom told him she dressed in black because she was a goth, but Lance had no idea what that meant.
His eyes were cold and distant, making Lance jittery. Something about him was wrong. He didn’t look like the older guys in Lance’s school and neighbourhood. There was something different about him. Not just different, bad. A knot formed in Lance’s throat but he pushed it down. His father had told him once he had to be a brave boy to be able to take care of his family if they ever needed him. He had to go back home. He had to go back to his mom.
“Who are you?” he asked, his voice trembling, despite his efforts to keep himself together.
“I’m Death.”
Lance frowned. That made no sense.
“Are you a goth too?” he asked. If he was like Lucia then Lance had no reason to be afraid, right?
“A Goth? What? No. No, I’m not a goth. I’m Death.” The guy furrowed his eyebrows.
“Lucia says that too. Mom said Lucia isn’t Death—she just wants attention. She also said Death is a thing, not a person. So, since you can’t be Death: what’s your name?”
The guy—Death—looked taken aback. It was something Lance was used to. Many adults had told him he was very smart for his age and needed to learn to keep his mouth shut, but he didn’t care; he liked speaking his mind. His ‘wise’ words always got him in trouble. Sometimes he wished he could just keep his mouth shut but not saying what he liked made him upset. This was one of those times. He was in a dark, scary place with Death himself and insisted on knowing his name.
“I… I don’t have a name…” Death whispered.
“What do you mean you don’t have a name? Everyone has a name! Even pets have names! My hamster is called Javier. So is my cousin. Aunt Sofia was really mad at me for naming my hamster after him but I refused to change it. They look alike!” Lance defended himself.
Death blinked. Something about his eyes made a shiver run down Lance’s spine. The air around them grew colder. His lips were sealed shut by the growing uneasiness inside him. Why was this guy so pale? Why was everything black? Where was he? Lance didn’t like this. He wanted to leave. He wanted to go home. He wanted his mom. Lance opened his mouth, ready to call out for her when Death spoke.
“I suppose I had a name once. That was a long time ago, though.” His eyes moved from Lance to a point in the distance.
Kageyama was at his wit’s end. It seemed the sorcerer was incapable of walking ten meters without tripping, even falling a few times. It wasn't like he cared if Hinata scraped his knees and hands on the twigs, or if he occasionally scratched his face on a branch. What annoyed him was that every time Hinata fell there was a heavy tug on Kageyama’s belt which made it significantly harder to keep walking. After what felt like the millionth time he snapped, turning around and pulling on the chain.
“Can't you walk?” he growled at the sorcerer who looked at him through droopy eyelids.
“Sorry,” Hinata mumbled, straightening up. “it's just really dark and I can't see the ground very well.” He brought his hand up and rubbed his eyes.
Kageyama looked away, feeling a strange tug at his chest. He labeled it as annoyance and huffed. Why was this guy so useless? He was supposed to be this great sorcerer but he couldn't even walk in the dark without tripping. As much as they needed to keep going Kageyama decided a few hours rest wouldn't be of much harm. Plus, it would make him more aware of his surroundings.
“Fine, we’ll make camp. We leave with the first ray of sunlight, though,” he said, turning around and walking away, Hinata being pulled along by the chain.
After a few minutes of searching he finally found a suitable clearing. It was small but there were enough leaves on the ground to make it soft enough to sleep on. There was also a tree that stood out to him, tall and sturdy. He dragged Hinata towards it.
“Sit down,” he ordered.
Having expected some sort of resistance, Hinata’s compliance took him by surprise.
“If you try to leave you're dead,” he warned him before grabbing another chain from his bag, this one longer and heavier. Taking one of the ends of the chain he walked around the tree, tying Hinata to it.
Hinata looked up at him with dull eyes. “Is this really necessary?”
Kageyama didn't look at him as he connected both ends of the chain with an iron padlock. Unfortunately for Hinata, the key was nowhere in sight.
“It is of the utmost necessity. Sorcerers are manipulative and can bewitch guards to let them escape. The more iron around you the better,” Kageyama said, standing up and crossing his arms, looking down at him.
Hinata looked up but his eyes did not hold as much determination as they had earlier, perhaps due to fatigue.
“You only say that because you know you're no match for me,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifting.
Kageyama snorted and turned away, busying himself with setting up camp. “I am more than a match for you. However, if I had to fight you, I'm not entirely sure I could bring you back alive to my Queen and she would be oh-so-disappointed in me. We can't afford that, now, can we?” Kageyama said as he picked up dry sticks for a fire.
“What? Are you her lover or something? Sounds like you two are having an affair,” Hinata said and Kageyama spluttered, dropping some of the twigs in his arms.
Pretending not to have been caught off guard he bent down and picked them up. Hinata’s voice had held no malice, he had only been making an affirmation based on his observations. Still, it stirred something nasty inside of Kageyama.
“That is ludicrous. I have no romantic interest in the Queen. Besides, she could do much better than a lowly knight such as I,” he said, kneeling down and setting up the twigs.
“Well, that's for sure,” Hinata commented and Kageyama glared at him.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“What?” Hinata squeaked. “You said it yourself!”
Kageyama clicked his tongue and went back to working on the fire. Who did this sorcerer think he was to make such crude assumptions about him? It was offensive to think of the Queen in such a way. Kageyama only admired her, worshiped her for the leader she was. He was devoted because she was… Kageyama couldn't finish the thought and a fearful question popped into his mind. “Why am I devoted to her?” But as quickly as it came he shoved it aside with a strong affirmation. “I am devoted to her because she is my Queen, the highest entity chosen by God himself.”
Drawing himself back to the present he looked down at his attempt at a fire. It wasn't working and he couldn't figure out why. He had built fires hundreds of times while training as knight and going on campaigns. Why did it have to fail now out of all times? Why right when he had captured the most elusive sorcerer in the kingdom? It had to be some cruel joke by Fate itself.
“If you untie my hands I can help you with that,” Hinata quipped from his place underneath the tree.
Kageyama snorted but it held no humor. “You're funny. Sure, I'll let you go so you can burn me to a crisp and escape. What do you take me for?”
Hinata offered a sheepish smile “It’s always worth a try,” he hummed. “Although… I wouldn't hurt you or anything, just knock you out."
"How considerate of you." Kageyama rolled his eyes and turned back to the unlit fire. He glared at the sticks in his hand before throwing them off to the side. He stood and brushed himself off. “I was gonna light the fire for your sake, but if you're gonna be a brat then I won't. It's not even that cold,” he said, holding his head high as he grabbed a long cloth from his bag and folded it a few times.
“If you say so, who am I to go against the word of a Royal Knight?” The corner of Hinata’s mouth lifted.
“Shut up before I make you,” Kageyama grumbled, laying down and using the folded cloth as and pillow.
“Goodnight to you too.” Kageyama heard Hinata say but decided not to respond, closing his eyes instead.
**
Their journey continued on during the next three days with no further complications. As they walked through forests and roads there was no exchange of words save for Kageyama giving Hinata the occasional order to walk faster or stop tripping. If they kept going at that pace they could reach the castle within a week, four days earlier than first thought. But, of course, something had to go wrong. Fate was never this nice to Kageyama so when things went wrong he all but marveled at how it hadn't happened any earlier.
They had been walking only for a couple of hours when Kageyama felt a heavier-than-usual tug on his chain. He turned around ready to yell at the incompetent sorcerer – after all, they had stopped to rest but two hours ago - but upon laying his eyes on him he instantly knew something was wrong. Hinata was on the ground, curled up, holding his hands to his chest, his entire body shaking. At first, Kageyama thought he could be tricking him, but something inside him compelled him to kneel before the boy.
“Sorcerer? What is wrong? Get up!” He placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
Hinata didn’t move for a bit, his ragged breathing mixing with the sounds of the forest. As Kageyama tried shaking him the boy’s back arched and he let out a haunting wail. Immediately Kageyama knew what was wrong. Laying on top of his legs were his hands, his chained wrists bleeding profusely. More than that, the chains themselves were deformed, taking the shape of the boy’s wrists. Somehow he had managed to use his powers to heat up the chains and try to melt them so he could escape causing them to melt right over his skin.
“You idiot!” Kageyama screamed, grabbing the boy’s hands to closer inspect the wounds, but he could barely see anything.
Kageyama stood up and pulled Hinata along. Noticing that the sorcerer couldn’t walk, he grabbed him by the waist and threw him over his shoulder. Not too long ago he'd heard the sound of running water, now he ran towards it. Why had this idiot tried to do this? Of course, no one would want to be imprisoned but it couldn't be that bad. Kageyama wasn’t a cruel escort and Hinata wouldn’t be imprisoned by a cruel Queen. Did he really believe it would be such terrible fate? Terrible enough for him to mutilate himself and perhaps lose his hands in an attempt to escape?
Another cry of pain from Hinata echoed through the forest and Kageyama cursed. He shouldn’t even be worrying about this. The boy was a prisoner so he shouldn’t care about whether he was in pain or not. Something stirred within him, though, and he couldn’t fight it. Something inside of him was compelling him to help this boy. Why? How was he different from all the other people Kageyama had watched suffer? What was so special about him?
As they reached the river Kageyama placed Hinata down by the edge, trying his best to ignore the heart-wrenching cries of pain coming from him. He grabbed his forearms, not paying mind to the pained protests, and sunk his arms into the cool running water, all the way to the elbow. He cried again but this time it was mixed with relief and Kageyama found himself relaxing, knowing that at least the boy's flesh was no longer burning. Grabbing the key from his bag Kageyama opened the lock on the chains and tried pulling them off but they were glued to the boy’s skin.
“You goddamn idiot,” he mumbled and let go of him. “Keep your hands in the water,” he said and pulled a rag out of his bag, twisting it up and placing it into Hinata’s mouth. “This is going to hurt, okay?”
Kageyama was well aware of Hinata's aloofness, but he knew he had to keep talking. A memory invaded his mind; him and his mother working on the garden, planting new flowers. She would often sing to them and on one occasion Kageyama finally asked why. Flowers can hear us, Tobio, she’d said, all living beings can. Even if they don’t understand our words we can speak with our heart and they will feel it. From that day one Kageyama sang to the flowers with her every night until she died; then he stomped on the garden and rooted out all the roses and lilies, as if it would somehow dull the pain of the loss.
Returning to his senses, Kageyama continued talking; he started reciting an old folktale he knew by heart, putting his heart into it as he tried to calm the boy. As he spoke he slid his fingers under the shackles, peeling away the skin bit by bit with his thumb. He could hear Hinata’s cries muffled by the cloth, but he couldn’t stop now. As soon as he freed one wrist Hinata brought it to his chest. Kageyama let him be and worked on the second one, freeing it in due time. After throwing the remains of the shackles to the side he took Hinata’s hands again, examining the wounds.
It was much worse than he had hoped. All over his wrists there was no pale skin in the center of the wound, only the red moist flesh mottled with sickly yellow spots. On the edges some of the charred skin remained attached to Hinata’s body. The burn followed exactly the shape of where the shackles had been, perfectly outlined by the scorched skin. This was really bad. Kageyama had seen wounds like these many years ago.
Part of a royal knight’s training was to learn to make a sword and care for one. They were being mentored by the village's blacksmith when one of the boys in his group tripped and ended up dipping his hand into hot liquid iron, all the way to his elbow. His screams still haunted Kageyama sometimes, the sheer pain and desperation from it was overwhelming. They had immediately carried him to Kiyoko, the court sorcerer, but even her healing powers couldn’t do much. The boy survived but he lost his forearm. Kageyama now wondered if the same was to happen to Hinata. Would the sorcerer lose both his hands? Maybe not. Maybe wrist burns would heal better than full-immersion-into-hot-iron ones.
Kageyama was brought back to reality by the sorcerer slumping backwards onto the ground, passed out but alive. Good. At least now he wouldn’t be suffering. Kageyama washed his wrists again before searching the river's edge for healing herbs. He did all he could think of; applying a soothing salve onto the wounds, bandaging it, washing Hinata’s face and leaving a damp towel on his forehead but at this point, all he could do was wait. He can’t die , he told himself as he watched him rest, if he dies the Queen will banish me. I can’t let him die. I don’t want him to die.
Hinata refused to talk. The knight had cuffed him with iron shackles so he couldn’t get out of the situation. He could have tried something back at the square, but he would’ve put many lives at risk. The knight looked scary but he had to be strong. He had a mission to accomplish and being captured would hinder it. To get a chance at escaping he had to play nice and somehow do so while withholding the most crucial information.
Tied up in the living room of the elder’s house, Hinata felt bad for the man who had tried his best to protect him. Because of him, his barn was on fire and his people were terrified and going to get hurt. Under normal circumstances, Hinata would never have allowed himself to settle in a village, but when he woke up to Sugawara Koushi’s bright smile something shifted inside him. At first, it had been impossible to identify what it was. As Suga showered him with a rather motherly love Hinata noticed how much he craved that which he had never had.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when the knight walked in and closed the door ominously behind him. Their eyes met and a shiver ran down Hinata’s spine. The knight’s piercing blue eyes glittered with triumph, his chin tilted upwards ever so slightly conveying a sense of superiority.
“Hello, sorcerer. I am Kageyama Tobio, a royal knight for Queen Madoka Yachi of Miyagi,” the knight stepped slowly toward him. “I am here to arrest you.”
“What for?” Hinata looked up at him, widening his eyes in the slightest and raising his eyebrows, trying his best to fabricate a look of innocence.
“For not registering yourself as a magic user, for using magic without knowledge of the Queen, and for evading arrest,” the knight, Kageyama, crossed his arms over his chest.
“Okay. Fine. Then take me already,” Hinata mumbled, slumping against his chair. He hadn't been expecting such concrete charges against him. It would be easier to think of an escape plan if they were on the road and Kageyama was focused on the journey. Also, it would be much better for his own self-esteem if he could at least catch a glimpse of Suga before he departed. For that to happen he would have to pretend to collaborate with the knight.
Suga was the village’s healer and a sorcerer who was also not registered. Nobody dared report him, however, since he was close to a miracle worker. Hinata had been looking for him for a while and when he heard he was in Nagamushi he immediately made his way there. Things did not go as planned, though, because bandits had ambushed him on the way there. It was quite the nasty fight and the last thing he remembered was stumbling into the village, broken bones and bloody wounds, and collapsing in the middle of the square. Upon waking up he was greeted with an angelic smile and careful hands.
Given Hinata’s debilitated state Suga took him in without a second thought and, upon learning his true identity, taught him all he could about the art of healing so he could use it on himself. Suga’s landlord had found out about Hinata a couple of days before but had been pretending not to know in order to be in good terms with the village’s healer and, therefore, the other villagers. He was an old man of old values, though, and when the knight showed up and burned the barn he was convinced it was a sign from God.
“Not so quickly, sorcerer. First, I’m going to ask you some questions.” Kageyama’s voice intruded his thoughts bringing him back to reality. The pitch of his voice was higher than Hinata had expected but held a steadiness which required a lot of effort to master.
“Ask ahead, mister knight,” Hinata fluttered his lashes and the corner of his mouth turned up.
Kageyama’s expression darkened and Hinata considered mocking was perhaps not the brightest idea.
“Let’s start with your name,” Kageyama grabbed a chair and pulled it up in front of Hinata’s, sitting down to face him.
He couldn’t give his real name. That would mean endangering his family and he would never do that. “Satoru. Fu-Fukuhara Satoru” Hinata stuttered out, cursing himself for his shaky voice.
“So, we are not sharing names, are we? I thought we were close enough for that,” Kageyama glared. “Next question, who in this village helped you? I want names.”
Right there was another piece of information Hinata couldn’t reveal. He would never, ever betray those who had helped him in his time of greatest need. “No one. I threatened to burn down the village if they handed me over.” The lie came out with more ease this time, but it was not enough to convince Kageyama.
“Is that so? The elder seemed quite adamant on his hatred towards the crown,” Kageyama crossed his arms over his chest and pursed his lips.
“I told them to be convincing.” Hinata plastered a smile on his face that was certainly not convincing given the knight’s reaction. He knew he should be pretending to cooperate but this guy and his calm demeanor got on his nerves.
Kageyama got up and slowly made his way towards Hinata. He reached his hand out and, like a snake unto its prey, snatched Hinata’s hair in his fist, pulling his head back. Hinata let out an involuntary growl of pain. Despite his hatred for the knight, he couldn’t control his body’s reaction to pain.
“You do not seem to understand the situation you are in, sorcerer. This is an interrogation. You are mandated by law, to tell the truth,” the knight looked down at him like he was a vermin he wanted to squish under his foot.
Ah, so, he was one of those righteous knights who believed the law was above everything. It was sad, really, how they believe there was only right or wrong, black or white. He was well aware of the way the Queen trained her knights to be loyal to her and only her, always complying and never questioning. Kageyama, who looked around Hinata’s age, had probably been under the Queen’s brainwashing from birth. Hinata felt a twinge of pity for the knight, but it did not last long.
“I was truthful in all of my answers, sir,” Hinata looked away, trying to convey submission. Kageyama would never believe he was telling the truth so the least he could do for himself was not change his narrative.
Kageyama shook his head and pulled on Hinata’s hair making him look up again. “You better tell the truth, or things will not end well for you,” he growled, pushing Hinata’s head back and releasing his hair before storming out of the room.
Hinata clenched his teeth and glared at his back. This knight was pure evil. Once the door was closed he took a deep breath, trying to gather strength and find a way out of the situation. Having evaded the crown so many times so he was not about to be captured by a stupid righteous knight. The knight, Kageyama, stormed in, snapping Hinata out of his thoughts. Following the knight was Suga, shoulders back in impeccable posture and head held high. Even if Suga wasn’t scared, Hinata was and he pulled against the ropes tying him to the chair.
“What are you doing?” Hinata cried out, voice breaking with despair.
Kageyama closed the door behind them, muffling the noise of a ruckus happening outside. “You see, when you have a rogue amongst you it is wiser to give me the answers yourself,” he pulled out a knife and started playing with it. “Let’s try this again, shall we?” He looked at Suga. “What is the sorcerer's name?” Suga kept his mouth shut, looking defiantly into Kageyama’s eyes. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be. What is the sorcerer’s name?” He made his way towards Suga and extended his arm so the blade rested against his neck.
Fear bubbled up inside Hinata, leaving a void in his stomach as it made its way up his chest, clenching at his heart. With one swift motion, Kageyama could sink the blade into Suga’s neck and all life would be drained from him. The thought itself squeezed at Hinata’s chest, making it hard to breathe. After all, Suga had done for him, after how much he’d cared for him and loved him Hinata could not let him die. Despair clenched at his throat as he struggled to get the words out.
“Shouyou! My name is Hinata Shouyou,” Hinata cried out. “Please… don’t hurt him,” he croaked out. Suga looked at him, a twinge of pity in his eyes. Hinata knew Suga wanted him to keep his identity a secret, but Hinata refused to put Suga in even more danger.
“Now we’re talking,” Kageyama smiled and pulled his knife back. “Well, Hinata, since you started talking let’s keep it going. Besides the healer and the elder, who else helped you?”
Hinata wanted to throw up. The man before him had to be a sick person to smile after holding a knife to someone’s throat. He had known the Royal Knights were ruthless, but he had never imagined it was to the point of killing innocent people to get information.
“I already told you! Nobody helped me! I threatened them,” Hinata cried out, refusing to turn on the people who had helped him.
“Is that so? Because the old man confirmed you were staying at the healer’s house and being mentored by him.”
“I already told you, I made him do it!” Hinata looked at Suga, trying to plead with his eyes for the healer to follow his story.
“So we are back to lying, huh?” Kageyama shook his head and made his way toward Hinata. “Since you don’t want to tell me maybe the healer will.” Kageyama positioned himself from behind Hinata. “You see, the Queen ordered for you to be brought alive, but she never said anything about missing a finger or two,” Kageyama whispered in his ear and Hinata felt the light touch of the dagger sliding down his arm, a promise of pain.
“It was the whole village, sir. I took him in because I was designated to, but the entire village chose to help him,” Suga said, speaking for the first time.
Hinata felt his eyes sting with tears and his chest constrict. Suga was going to get hurt and so was the whole village. Everyone who had helped him was going to be punished and it was all his fault. The pain in his chest increased with every second he looked at Suga thus he looked away, refusing to let the knight see him cry.
“That’s better,” Kageyama said and put away his dagger. “I suppose the Queen will double the taxes to be paid by this village. Worst case scenario a flogging or two. Either way, be glad the entire village helped or it would be a death sentence,” he said to Suga who nodded but spoke no more.
Kageyama clicked his tongue and walked out of the house. Hinata sighed and turned to face Suga. “Why did you do that?” he whimpered, tearing up once more.
Suga looked away, biting his lower lip to stop its quivering. Silence befell them as Hinata waited for his answer. After what could have been minutes or hours - Hinata wasn’t sure - Suga turned to face him, mouth pressed into a thin line.
“He was not going to buy your story, Shouyou,” he said, voice flat.
“I don’t care! He’s going to flog you, Suga! Didn’t you hear him? They’ll come back for the village!” Hinata screamed, the tears finally overflowing and streaming down his face.
“He won’t get the chance. They will surely come after me so I’ll lead them away. Don’t worry, they won’t catch me,” Suga said, his voice regaining some of its motherly colors.
“I’m so sorry,” Hinata cried. “I’m sorry I even came here, to begin with. None of this would-” he hiccuped. “None of this would have happened if I hadn’t come here. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed, unable to look at Suga any longer.
“No. Nononono, don’t cry,” Suga whispered, kneeling before him and cupping his cheeks. “None of this is your fault. The only people to blame for this are the queen and her knights. You were just trying to survive and there is nothing wrong with that.” Suga wiped away his tears with his thumbs.
“But I put you all in danger,” Hinata shook his head, the flow of his tears not stopping.
“We put ourselves in danger, Shouyou. We chose to protect you. None of this rests on you, okay? It’s not your fault,” Suga whispered, pulling him into a gentle hug.
Hinata cried into his chest, letting out the fear and guilt he had been holding in. He was so scared, not only for Suga and the other villagers but also for himself. As far as he knew Kageyama was ruthless and God only knew what he would do to him. The only comfort he could find was Suga’s fingers in his hair and his soothing voice in his ear, calming him down gradually.
When he finally stopped crying Suga pulled away and looked down at him. “Do you have the Pearl with you?” he asked and Hinata shook his head.
“It’s in my bag. I left it at your house so you shouldn’t have a hard time finding it,” he replied.
“Okay. I’ll keep it safe, Shouyou, I promise. When you escape come find me,” he said and cupped Hinata’s cheeks. “If the Queen gets her hands on you, don’t let her crush you, okay? You are much stronger than you think,” Suga whispered and leaned down, kissing the top of his head.
Hinata closed his eyes briefly and leaned into his kiss, his heart heavy. “Suga-san… Stay safe… Please,” he pleaded.
“You too, Shouyou. You too.” Suga whispered against his hair.
Hinata opened his eyes when the man pulled away. They shared a smile that didn’t quite reach their eyes before Suga walked out, leaving Hinata alone in the house. Closing his eyes he let his head drop, thinking about the laughs he’d shared with Suga, the happy times he’d experienced in the course of but a few weeks. He would miss him so much. He had always known departure would come, but he hadn’t expected it to be caused by his capture. His head snapped up when Kageyama stormed into the house.
“Where is it?” he screamed at Hinata, face red and his fist clenched at his sides.
“Where is… what, exactly?” Hinata frowned, tilting his head to the side.
“Don’t play dumb,” Kageyama growled, stepping toward Hinata, a dark aura surrounding him.
“I am not!” Hinata squealed, wanting to punch himself in the face for sounding so pathetic. What the fuck was wrong with this guy?
“Where is the horse?” Kageyama pulled his leg back and kicked over one of the chairs, sending it against the wall with such force it broke.
Hinata winced and stared incredulously at the deranged individual before him. “Horse? What horse?” He immediately regret opening his mouth when Kageyama turned to him.
“The horse that was supposed to take the both of us back to the kingdom,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I don’t know anything about the horse!” Hinata insisted, deciding the knight probably had anger management issues.
Kageyama surveyed him, jaw clenched and lips pressed into a thin line. He turned around and stormed out once more, leaving Hinata to try to process all that had happened. Someone had stolen Kageyama’s horse maybe to prevent them from leaving. There was yelling outside and he wanted to know what was happening but willed himself to stay in place so Kageyama wouldn't lash out at him. The screaming went on for a few minutes before everything went quiet. Hinata’s curiosity was eating at him but before he could move to see what had happened Kageyama was once again inside the house. Neither of them spoke as Kageyama moved about, collecting his belongings and shoving them into his bag. Once he was done he turned back to Hinata, who instantly looked away.
“Since someone decided it was a good idea to pull a stunt and set my horse free, we are walking to the kingdom,” Kageyama said, slinging his bag over his shoulders.
Hinata’s eyes widened and he stared at Kageyama. “Walking? That’s a fifteen-day walk!” he exclaimed, horrified at the prospect of walking for fifteen days with this man.
“Your friends should have considered that before setting my horse free,” Kageyama walked over to Hinata and untied him from the chair.
He put the rope into his bag and pulled out an iron chain that sickened Hinata. Kageyama attached one of the ends of the iron chain to Hinata's cuffs and the other end to his belt. Escaping seemed further away with each passing second since iron drained his powers. Even so, he willed himself not to despair, knowing he had to remain calm in order to come up with a plan. Kageyama stepped back and Hinata groaned as Kageyama pulled him up. His whole body hurt from being tied up for so long and he was having trouble keeping his knees steady. He rolled back his shoulders and head before going up on his tiptoes and reaching up.
Cold metal pressed onto his neck and he froze in place. Looking down he saw Kageyama’s blade against his neck and very slowly lowered his arms, body trembling.
“W-What…?” Hinata croaked out.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Kageyama pressed the blade harder against his neck and he winced, lowering himself from his tiptoes.
“Stretching?” he offered in a small voice. It was hard to find his courage with a knife pressed to his neck.
Kageyama did not respond but looked into his eyes, assessing, looking for any signs of lying. Finding none, he pulled back and sheathed his dagger.
“Do not try to pull anything or there will be serious consequences,” he said, turning his back on Hinata. “Keep up, if you can,” he said and started walking.
Hinata stayed silent as they walked through the main square, not meeting eyes with the villagers. Taking advantage of his hair he hid, lacking the courage to face them. He knew he should apologize, make a big speech about never giving up or surrendering, but he didn’t. Instead, he kept his head down and let Kageyama lead him away from the village and into the forest.
**
They had been walking for a few hours when Hinata halted and tugged on the chains. Kageyama grunted as he was pulled back by his waist and turned around to face him.
“It’s dark. We should make camp,” Hinata held his head high.
“Out of the question. We are getting to the castle as soon as possible,” Kageyama tugged on the chain but Hinata refused to budge.
“It’s a fifteen-day walk. If we don't rest we won't survive to make it there.” Hinata bit his lip and looked around before turning around to Kageyama. “Plus, these woods are dangerous,” he added.
“I’m a royal knight, I think I can deal with bandits,” Kageyama rolled his eyes and turned around to leave but Hinata pulled him back violently.
“Stop being so dumb! I know these Woods, they are home to gangs of bandits so infamous not even the queen dares go after them!” Hinata growled. Why did he have to be so stubborn?
Kageyama tugged on the chain and Hinata stumbled forward. He grabbed the sorcerer by the throat, choking him. “Don't you dare speak of the Queen,” he growled.
Despair filled Hinata as his hands shot up to Kageyama’s, trying to loosen the grip. Tears prickled his eyes and he looked into Kageyama’s eyes, pleading for his life. His feet kicked uselessly in the air and his chest constricted painfully from lack of oxygen. Something flickered in Kageyama’s eyes - if Hinata hadn’t been gasping for air he would have said it was fear - and Hinata hit the floor, a hand over his throat as he tried to regain his breath. He felt the familiar bubbling of fear in his stomach and he immediately understood what the knight sought.The Queen liked her prisoners to be submissive, thus she had to break them. Kageyama was only trying to making her job easier by breaking Hinata during the journey.
No, Hinata decided, he would not be broken. Taking a shaky breath and wiping away his tears Hinata gathered his courage and stood up, holding his head high. “Fine,” he whispered through clenched teeth. “Let’s keep going, then.”
Kageyama surveyed him for a moment. “I will not tolerate disrespect towards the queen,” he said and gripped the chain tighter.
“Yes, sir,” Hinata mumbled, keeping his eyes up. He would not back down before the knight.
Kageyama clicked his tongue and turned away, pulling on the chain so they were walking again. Hinata looked down and clenched his fists. Why was this guy so entitled? Probably because, like all other Royal Knights, he strongly believed he was doing what was right, living in a black and white world. As much as it angered him Hinata couldn’t help but feel bad. He knew the knight had probably been brainwashed all his life to believe the Queen was the only righteous person there was. An idea flew into his mind and he almost tripped over his feet. Maybe, just maybe, he could show Kageyama all sides of the battle, the full spectrum of colors between black and white. Maybe, just maybe, he could teach him.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Characters: Keith (Voltron), Lance (Voltron), Allura (Voltron), Pidge | Katie Holt, Hunk (Voltron)
Additional Tags: Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Fluff, lance is sick, keith takes care of him, pure fluff, teeth rotting, Sweetness, IT WILL GIVE YOU CAVITIES, voltron winter gift exchange 2017
Summary:
Lance catches a cold but he is convinced it's a space flu and that he'll die.
Hello! This is my @voltronexchange gift to @lytzflicks ! I’m your secret santa! I knew you wanted some fluff so I tried my best to keep it light and lovely. I truly hop you enjoy reading it!!!
Hey hey hey its ur hq ss here to tell ya that im almost done with your fic >;3c i hope you'll like it Anywoooooooo i hope you had urself a wonderfull daayy and that everything is well with you. Dont forget to eat, and take a minute to just breathe 💕
You are so sweet!!! Thank you. I most definitely did not forget to eat. In fact I probably gained 10 kgs this Christmas! rip
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio
Characters: Hinata Shouyou, Kageyama Tobio
Additional Tags: Fluff, pure fluff, Post-Canon, college students kagehina, Haikyuu!! Secret Santa 2017
Summary:
To say that Hinata was nervous was an understatement. It had been two years since he had last seen Karasuno’s prodigy setter Kageyama Tobio - since graduation. It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried, but rather that after graduation Kageyama had moved to Tokyo, and Hinata to Osaka, so it was nearly impossible to match their schedules and meet.
Thus life had gone on without them meeting, and they moved on. Hinata had almost forgotten about it until he saw Kageyama on the news. His chest flooded with different feelings from the old surge of competitiveness to an ancient longing. Hinata had immediately reached out after that, scheduling a meetup with Kageyama and not taking no for an answer. Now, he wanted to punch his old self.
Hi!!! @sun-hinata I’m your secret santa for the @haikyuuwriters exchange! I’m sorry I’m a bit late but I hope you enjoy it!
I really like some of your writings!! Especially the haikyuu ones ;) i notice they are all bl pairings. Do you by any chance write gl pairing fanfiction too? Im just wondering
Hi anon! I have never written gl but if you give me a prompt I could definitely try it out!!
Written in collaboration with @gabberwockywrites .
AO3
First
Previous Next
Akaashi stared at his reflection, water dripping from his chin as a result of trying to calm himself down. Cold water usually did the trick but maybe the alcohol in his blood wasn’t helping. He was starting to think downing the whole glass of beer in less than five seconds had not been a smart idea. Upon hearing the door open he turned to see Suga walking in and offering him a careful smile.
“Hey, Akaashi… What’s wrong?” he asked, opening his arms for a hug.
“Nothing.” Akaashi turned back to face the mirror and sighed. “I was just overheated,” he said, grabbing some paper towels and wiping his face.
“Nothing,” Suga repeated flatly. “It didn’t look like nothing.”
Akaashi looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m telling you it was nothing,” he insisted.
“Nobody slams their glass onto the table and storm off for nothing,” Suga pointed out, lowering his arms from the denied hug.
“Maybe I do.” Akaashi turned away, avoiding Suga’s eyes.
“Wow. After two months working together, you still think you can lie to me?” Suga crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the sink.
“I’m not lying.”
“What is it? What’s so bad you can’t even trust me with it?” Suga asked.
“It’s not about trusting you!” Akaashi turned around, flailing his arms around, something he would not do if entirely sober.
“Then what is it?” Suga stood up to face him.
“It’s about being a professional, okay? This… This - all of this - is wrong!” He slid a hand into his hair and pulled at it ever so slightly.
“What does work have to do with any of this?” Suga scrunched up his nose and tilted his head to the side.
“You know very well what work has to do with this!” Akaashi frowned.
“No, I don’t. As far as I know, this is about you not having the guts to admit you have the hots for Bokuto. Where does work come into this?” Suga crossed his arms over his chest, expression hardening.
“It’s not professional!”
“I’m dating Daichi, it’s not like there are any rules that say you can’t,” Suga replied. “So go for it.”
“I… no! It would mess everything up!”
“That’s the fear talking.”
“It’s not fear if it’s what’s actually gonna happen!” Akaashi finished his sentence and turned away.
“What’s actually going to happen, Akaashi? What’s the worst that could happen?” Suga asked, uncrossing his arms. When Akaashi didn’t answer he took a step forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Akaashi… What are you so scared of?” Suga asked, his voice softer.
“I don’t want to talk about it, okay? This was supposed to be a fun time but Bokuto’s ruined it all,” he mumbled, a slight pout forming on his lips.
“You don’t mean that. I know you don’t,” Suga said, lowering his hand to rub his back. “Why did Bokuto ruin it?”
“He makes everything so confusing! He doesn’t know what he wants and he keeps leading people on!” Akaashi groaned, pulling away from Suga’s comforting warmth.
“Who is he leading on? You?” Suga nudged on, wanting Akaashi to get it out already.
“Everyone! Everyone thinks he’s so great but he isn’t!” Akaashi raised his voice.
“No, we don’t think he’s perfect but he’s a good person. I don’t think he would ever wish harm onto anyone,” Suga tried reasoning but Akaashi was too far gone.
“Look, it’s whatever. Bokuto can go and date anyone he wants, he can fuck all the waitresses in the world for all I care. I’m getting more beer and I would really appreciate it if you could leave me alone for that,” he said, his voice flat in a high contrast to its heat seconds before.
Suga was silent for a moment before sighing in resignation. “Ok, if you’re sure.”
“I am,” Akaashi replied. “So if you’ll excuse me.” He made his way out of the bathroom.
Akaashi would never be rude to Suga, but he was drunk. The alcohol was rising to his head fairly quickly, creating within him a trail of heat and anger. Of course, common knowledge dictated the best way to deal with being drunk was to drink more and that was what he did. Deciding he needed something stronger he made his way to the bar where he ordered a shot of Tequila and downed it as soon as it arrived. He could feet the heat rising to his face within seconds, causing him to stumble as he made his way back to the table and sat as far from Bokuto as possible. He refused to look in the model’s direction as he drank his now refilled beer, instead staring at Daichi and Suga in front of him. Watching the two of them flirt with each other made it even harder to forget the man sitting next to him who flirted with every single girl he saw. His anger grew with every wide smile Bokuto flashed at a stranger, man or woman. He took another gulp of his beer, his head swimming with thoughts he normally kept further down; like how much he’d like that grin directed at him or how much he really wanted Bokuto to pin him against a wall and- nope. Ending that thought right there. Another gulp of beer. More thoughts swirling. Bokuto’s smile flashes again. Akaashi was at his wit’s end and so he snapped.
“I know you’re worried but underwear shots are amazing! There are so many different ways to pose and it’s beautiful!” Suga slurred.
“Plus,” added Daichi “It really helps boost your popularity. It shows companies that you are serious about your job.”
Bokuto took another gulp of his beer. “I’m not sure… I’m kind of shy even if I don’t look it,” he mumbled.
Akaashi could not hold it back. He spit out his beer - luckily missing Daichi and Suga - and burst into a fit of laughter. It wasn’t fun, carefree laughter, though. It sounded sarcastic, mean, mocking. Bokuto turned his face away, a deep blush rising to his cheeks. Suga frowned deeply but said nothing. Once he recovered from his laughter Akaashi spoke.
“Sorry… it was just quite the funny concept to see Bokuto-san as a shy person. I mean, he does flirt with everyone,” he snorted.
“I… don’t?” Bokuto mumbled confusion etched onto his features. “I’m just nice?”
Akaashi covered his mouth not to laugh again. “Yes. Right. Nice.” He snorted and bit his lip trying not to laugh again.
“Akaashi, what are you-” Suga started but Akaashi interrupted him.
“Please, Bokuto-san, enlighten me as to how much of a conservative person you are who never oversteps the boundaries of professionalism,” Akaashi finished yet another glass of beer and intertwined his fingers, placing his hands on the table like a businessman.
“Akaashi, stop.” Suga reached for his hands but Daichi stopped him.
“I’m not… I don’t…” Bokuto stammered.
“I think you used too many big words in one sentence, Akaashi-san. I think Bokuto-san can’t process it,” Daichi said, trying to lighten the mood with a smile.
Bokuto gasped and turned to Daichi. “How dare you? I understood very well what Akaashi said!”
“Right. Still, you can’t deny that you are definitely the least bright on this table,” Daichi smirked.
“No. I think that’s you, actually. I mean, you’re dense at the very least since you haven’t noticed how much Suga wants you to go fuck him right now,” Akaashi said, not even looking at them as he waved at a waiter for more beer.
All three men turned to face him, jaws hitting the tables at his boldness. “Akaashi!” Suga was the first to squeal out while Daichi spluttered and stammered for a response.
“What?” he asked, turning to face them as the waiter refilled his glass. “Why are you looking at me that way?” He scrunched up his nose.
Suga stared at him in silence for the following seconds before sighing and shaking his head. “We’re never inviting you for drinks again,” he said, but the ends of his mouth tugged up in a smile. He stood and grabbed Daichi by the arm, leading him away from the table without another word.
“Someone’s bout to get lucky,” Akaashi slurred over his glass before taking a sip of the fresh beer. It took him quite a while to notice when his hand was suddenly empty and he was looking at an angry Bokuto. “Gimme,” he mumbled, reaching for his cup but Bokuto pulled it away.
“No. You’ve had enough,” Bokuto said. “Now, tell me why the fuck you are so mad at me,” he demanded.
Akaashi crossed his arms over his chest and rolled his eyes. “Why should I? I don’t owe you anything,” he mumbled.
“Don’t be such a spoiled child, it doesn’t suit you,” Bokuto said through clenched teeth. “I have the right to know what I did to piss you off.”
Akaashi snorted and shook his head. “You know very well what you did.”
“That’s the thing, I don’t!” Bokuto slammed the glass onto the table, beer splattering everywhere. “Fuck, I know I fucked up by calling you pretty. I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable, okay? I was just trying to break the ice because you never fucking talk to me!”
“Oh, so it’s my fault now? I don’t have the obligation to be friendly with you! I am your agent and you’re my client. There’s nothing more to it, so why do you keep pushing it?” Akaashi yelled, uncrossing his arms.
He expected Bokuto to scream back at him or even throw the drink on him. He wanted to rile him up, he wanted to fight, he wants to kiss- no. He definitely did not want that. What he wanted did not matter, however, because Bokuto surpassed all his expectations.
“Okay,” he said, his voice returning to its normal volume. He unwrapped his fingers from around the glass and stood up, grabbing a napkin and wiping his hand. “If that’s how you feel, consider it done. From this moment on we are agent and client. I hope you’re happy.”
Akaashi barely had time to process what had been said and Bokuto was already out the door. Why had he done this? If he had any chances, to begin with, he had most definitely ruined them entirely. Why was he so bad at communicating how he really felt and telling people what was truly bothering him? He stared at the beautiful man and watched him leave, feeling warm tears slide down his cheeks.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Haikyuu!!
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou
Characters: Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji, Kozume Kenma, Yamamoto Taketora
Additional Tags: Getting Together, Online Friendship, Online Dating, Fanfiction inside Fanfiction, fanfiception, Bokuto is a fanfic writer, First Meeting, Miscommunication, Memes, lots of memes
Summary:
Bokuto knew he had found his soulmate. The user, Kuroo, was true to his description, his entire blog filled to the brim with memes of all kinds from many different cultures. It offended Bokuto because somehow this boy knew more memes than him and that was unacceptable!
Written in collaboration with @gabberwockywrites .
AO3
First
Previous Next
To say the ride to Akaashi’s house was awkward would be an understatement. Twenty minutes had passed and they were stuck in traffic, the only words spoken at that point had been Akaashi’s directions to Bokuto. The silence was driving Bokuto crazy, and with his car radio broken he couldn’t even play music to ease the tension. Unable to stand the silence any longer he used the ice-breaker Kuroo had told him to.
“So umm…” he glanced at Akaashi out of the corner of his eye. “Why aren’t you a model?”
Akaashi spluttered, nearly dropping the touchpad he’d been working on. “What?!”
“You know cause you’re so… so pretty…” he trailed off, eyes sliding fully back onto the road and blush creeping up his neck.
“I’m… what?!” Akaashi sounded incredulous and Bokuto wouldn’t dare look him in the face.
“Pretty. You’re pretty. So why aren’t you a model?!”
Akaashi went silent for a while, turning away from him. “I guess I’ve never found myself particularly… attractive? I just never considered it.”
“Really?” Bokuto looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
Akaashi shrugged and kept his eyes away. “I’m rude and standoffish and never smile. Who would find me attractive?” he mumbled before looking up at Bokuto, whose jaw had dropped to the floor. “Please watch the road, Bokuto-san,” he mumbled and looked away once again.
Bokuto’s eyes snapped back to the road, just in time to hit the breaks at a stop light. “Right! Right, sorry.” He searched for something else - anything else - to say. “H-how much further?”
“...two more blocks should be close enough, thank you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi mumbled, looking straight ahead.
Bokuto hummed in acknowledgment and went silent. Great! He made everything awkward. Kuroo was definitely gonna hear about how his one-liner only made things worse.
As the car stopped in front of Akaashi’s building Bokuto turned to face him. “Do you want me to pick you up later?”
Akaashi shook his head, still not meeting his eyes. “It’s alright, I’ll just take the train. Thank you though.” He briefly smiled at Bokuto before taking his things and getting out.
Once he went into the building Bokuto groaned and banged his head on the steering wheel. Great! Perfect! Flawless! He had made Akaashi feel awkward. Just great. He rested his head on the steering wheel a moment longer and sighed, shifting the car into gear, and pulling out into traffic. Why did he think bringing up modeling was a good idea? All it did was make Akaashi feel bad about himself which was not what he wanted. Or was that even what he had done? Because the possibilities were endless! Maybe he made Akaashi feel like he was wasting his life not being a model! Maybe he insinuated he thought modeling was better than management. Whatever it had been, he knew he had messed things up. The worst part was that he had called Akaashi pretty to his face . Oh God, he called Akaashi pretty. To his face! Guys don’t do that to other guys, especially when said other guys are about to go drinking with you. Oh, he was fucked, and he was definitely calling Kuroo.
His internal monologue of “oh shit what did I do” repeated itself for the fifteen-minute drive home, only stopping when he stared at his closet and realized he didn’t know what to wear. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t think about it too much given almost everything in his closet matched. Tonight, however, he wanted to impress Akaashi which made him conscious of his fashion choices. He needed Kuroo.
“Bokuto? What’s up?” Kuroo answered on the second ring.
“I just called Akaashi pretty. To his face.”
Kuroo was silent for a heartbeat before his laughter carried through the speakers. “You… oh, my god… I always knew your brain-to-mouth filter was weak but I didn’t know it was that shit.”
“Kuroo! Not helping!” Bokuto whined. “I’m going drinking with him tonight!”
Kuroo choked on his laughter. “Wait, what?!”
“I’m… going drinking… with him… tonight?” Bokuto repeated.
“NICE!”
“I don’t know what to wear!” Bokuto groaned and banged his head against the closet door.
“Dude, seriously? You’re a model!”
“Yeah, but I’ve never thought about it before! I’ve just kind of worn... whatever I guess,” he mumbled.
“So, what’s different?”
“It’s Akaashi!”
“He sees you every day.”
“But I wanna impress him!”
Kuroo snorted and Bokuto had a hunch he was shaking his head on the other side. “Just wear something you can move in, something comfortable. He’ll love it either way.”
“Kuroo! Not helping!”
“I wasn’t aware I was supposed to help.”
“You were!”
“Well, I can’t. Some of us work at night and I have a shoot to go to.”
“Don’t blame me because of your messed up sleeping schedule!”
“I’m not! Just pointing out that I work at night and you don’t. Whatever, have fun, dude.”
“Fine. Thanks,” Bokuto grumbled into the phone and Kuroo hung up, leaving him to stand in front of his closet, staring.
“Something I’m comfortable in…” he pondered aloud, flicking through his shirts until he found one he almost forgot he had. It was from one of his favorite shoots. A Raglan shirt with a black torso and vibrant, floral-patterned sleeves. On the front, it had ‘VANS’ written on it since it was the brand he had modeled it for. Pairing it with black jeans and blue sneakers… he might just pull it off. Once he finished dressing he checked himself in the mirror and figured the leftover makeup from the shoot was good enough.
He got in his car and drove off to the bar, where he found Suga and Daichi but no sign of Akaashi. “Hey,” he greeted them as he slid into the booth in front of Suga who turned to face him and eyed him up and down.
“Hey. You look nice. Trying to impress someone?”
“I-no! What gave you that idea?!” Bokuto stammered, feeling his cheeks heat up.
Suga raised an eyebrow and leaned back against Daichi, sipping at his beer. “Nothing at all. Just your constant stare directed to a certain black-haired manager.”
Bokuto’s eyes widened and he leaned across the table. “Suga-san!” he whispered, eyes darting around the place for signs of Akaashi.
Suga waved a hand and chuckled. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.”
Bokuto studied him for a moment and, upon deciding he did not pose a threat, leaned back against his seat. “You better not,” he mumbled, a pout making its way onto his lips.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” Suga glanced at Daichi, slowly dragging his teeth over his bottom lip. He noticed Daichi’s eyes shift downwards towards Suga’s lips and heard his gulp.
“Guys! I’m right here!” he called out, snapping them out of it.
“Course you are,” Suga said, switching back to normal almost instantly while Daichi seemed to be having a rough time recovering.
Bokuto was about to call out to Daichi when he noticed movement by the door. He spun around quicker than a $20 fidget spinner and he locked eyes with Akaashi from across the room. It would have looked like the perfect romantic movie scene if not for Suga’s obnoxious burst of laughter in the background. Bokuto immediately turned back around, glaring at the photographer who seemed to be in a fit of laughter. Daichi offered him an apologetic smile and looked down at Suga, trying to calm him down.
“Hello,” a silvery voice sounded to Bokuto’s right and he looked up to find a bemused Akaashi standing by them.
Bokuto was speechless at the angelic figure standing before him. Akaashi looked breathtaking, hair tousled from the wind, long green jacket hiding a cream cardigan, and tight black jeans bunching at his blue high top sneakers. If Bokuto hadn’t known Akaashi was coming he could have easily mistaken him for someone else given how different he looked away from the workplace.
“Hi,” Bokuto replied, finding it hard to breathe.
Akaashi slid into the booth next to him, leaving a wide gap between them even as Suga slid closer to Daichi, nearly sitting on the other man’s lap.
“Hey, Akaashi,” Daichi greeted, wrapping his arms around Suga’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder, “Haven’t seen you around the office.”
Akaashi shrugged. “My calls are all forwarded to my cell phone and I can do most of my work on my laptop or tablet. Plus, it’s easier to make tea at home.”
Daichi chuckled. “Fair enough. I would not get any work done at home.”
Their conversation was interrupted by the waitress placing a glass of beer in front of Akaashi and refilling everyone else’s glasses. “How are you doing tonight?” she asked.
“Very well, you?” Bokuto smiled up at her, being the sweetheart he was with everyone he met.
“I’m well, thank you,” she said, a blush rising from her neck to her cheeks. “What can I do for you?” she asked, addressing them all again.
Bokuto looked around the table and when nobody said anything turned back to her. “I think we’re good for now, thank you,” he beamed at her and she swayed a little on her feet.
“”I’ll check on you later,” she said and bit her lip, eyes lingering on Bokuto for a second longer than needed before she turned away and left.
Suga smirked at Bokuto as the other man took a big gulp of his beer. “Someone has an admirer.”
Bokuto choked on his beer. “What?!”
“Bokuto, she was totally checking you out.” Suga giggled.
“She was not!” Bokuto said. “She was being nice and so was I! Can’t a man and a woman be nice to each other without it being taken wrong?”
“Maybe you were being nice but she was definitely checking you out,” Suga wiggled his eyebrows.
Bokuto was mid-groan when Akaashi slammed his empty glass onto the table. “I’m going to the bathroom,” he mumbled, getting up and storming away.
It took Bokuto a while to process what had happened and when he finally did he turned to Suga. “What’s up with him?”
“I’ll go after him,” Suga mumbled, placing his glass down and leaning over to kiss Daichi’s cheek before getting up and following Akaashi.
Much like Akaashi, Bokuto downed his entire glass of beer before groaning and burying his face in his hands. He knew he had fucked up by calling him pretty but he never thought it would be that bad. He hoped Akaashi could forgive him.
