“Bokuto-san, why do you keep calling me pretty?” Akaashi’s voice is calm. He is standing behind Koutarou just as he’s pulling off his shirt, and the surprising voice speaking to his back has him jolt around.
“Whoah! You scared me, be more careful!”
“I’m sorry.” Akaashi blinks, watching silently as Koutarou stuffs a fresh shirt over his head and pushes the sweaty one into his bag. The locker room is empty; Akaashi is responsible for being the last one and taking care of everything, which Koutarou thinks is very smart. Akaashi is brilliant. And he’s also clever enough to think of something that confuses Koutarou as much as that just now.
“I dunno what you mean,” he says slowly, furrowing his brows at Akaashi. “I do it because it’s true? And – y’know. Just. I-isn’t it obvious? Why do you call people pretty?” His cheeks are on fire, fuck. Koutarou quickly picks up his bag, pushing the belt onto his shoulder and tries to walk past Akaashi.
A soft hand curls around his wrist. “Please stop,” Akaashi says. There’s something dark in his words, and when Koutarou glances back at him, Akaashi is looking down, his lips a thin line. “Don’t say that to me if you don’t mean it.”
What? “But I do! You’re really pretty, and you’re intelligent and cool and-”
“Stop it.” The grip on Koutarou’s wrist tightens for a second. Then, Akaashi lets go, stepping back. His arms are wrapped around himself. He looks vulnerable, Koutarou thinks, oh no, what did I do, I don’t want him to cry. “I’m… sorry?”
Akaashi turns his head to the side. A shiver runs down his arms. “Just. I’m younger, you’re a great volleyball player, you could have – have anyone-”
Oh. Koutarou understands, finally, God his head is slow these days. Well, in that case. “I won’t stop.” Before Akaashi can protest, Koutarou gently cradles his cheeks, thumb brushing along the corners of his lips. “Hey. Look at me. I just really-” He is about to do this, fuck, fuck. “…I really like you. For who you are. So – when I say that, when I call you pretty, it’s – it’s how I feel. If you hate that, I won’t do it anymore, if it makes you uncomfortable or somethin’. But if you just think that you’re not good enough, I won’t stop. ‘cause you are, ‘cause I like you a lot, really really, I do, you’re so beautiful and-”
“Koutarou.” Akaashi leans in, and kisses him. “Shh,” he whispers against Koutarou’s mouth, soft, his lips trembling. “Okay. You can keep saying that, then.”
“Can I ask something,” Koutarou whispers back. His fingers are shivering. Akaashi smiles. “Yes?”
“Are we boyfriends now?”
The answer is a soft laugh, and another kiss.