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Not even looking up from the open book on the table in front of him, Akaashi blindly reached for his bag and searched its contents for his phone that buzzed for the twentieth time in the last ten minutes, signaling an outrageous amount of incoming texts.
When he finished reading the paragraph, he unlocked his phone to reveal exactly twenty-three messages, all of them coming from the same number, except the one from his mother telling him to answer the others, because the sender wasn’t leaving her alone and was driving her insane with all the questions.
Akaashi opened them, preparing himself for the inevitable flood of whatever Bokuto wanted this time.
15:21 HEY HEY HEY AKAASHI!!!!
15:21 WHERE YOU AT?
15:21 WANNA HANG OUT??
15:22 I’M ON MY WAY
15:23 ALMOST AT YOUR HOUSE
15:23 BROUGHT FOOD TOO
15:25 ARE YOU ASLEEP??
15:27 I’M HERE
15:27 GONNA RING THE BELL NOW
15:30 YOUR MOM SAID YOU’RE AT SOME LIBRARY
15:30 BUT SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE
15:30 ARE YOU AT THE LOCAL ONE?
15:30 NEAR FUKURODANI?
15:31 HEY AKAASHI
15:32 AKAASHIIIIIII
15:32 AAAAAKKKKKAAAAASSSSSHHIIIIII
The last six texts were just other variations of Akaashi’s name with exclamation and question marks.
Instead of sending a reply, he slipped his phone into his pocket, got up and made his way down the stairs to the front door. He stepped out into the tepid, floral-scented spring air, pulled out his phone and dialled Bokuto.
He picked up after the first ring.
”Bokuto-san, I-” Akaashi started, just to be cut off by Bokuto from the other end of the line.
”AKAASHI! WHERE ARE YOU?”
”I’m at the Metropolitan Central Library-” he answered, but Bokuto cut in again.
”Yeah? I have no idea where that is, but I’m coming, just wait for me, Akaashi!”
”Bokuto-san, you really don’t have to come all the way here. I’m gonna head back in an hour or two, we can meet up later.”
The line went suspiciously silent for almost half a minute before Bokuto spoke again.
”It’s the one in Arisugawa-no-miya Memorial Park, right?”
He continued like he didn’t even heard a word Akaashi said. Knowing Bokuto, it pretty much had to be the case.
Akaashi gave up trying to convince his boyfriend.
”Yes, that’s the one. I’ll be on the 3rd floor, near the stairs.”
”Got it, will be there in 40. Love you.”
Akaashi wanted to tell him a few more things, like how Bokuto should leave the food at his house and not bring it to the library, but the boy ended the call before he could finish that train of thought.
Putting away his phone once again, Akaashi took a few deep breaths and stretched his limbs, then he headed back to the library. T. S. Eliot and his works were still waiting for him to finish the essay for his English class.
It was almost half past 4 when Bokuto arrived, cheeks flushed probably from the three set of stairs he took running all the way up.
”Hey,” he whispered as he slipped into the empty seat beside Akaashi.
”Hello, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi greeted him. He was grateful the other could mute his loud demeanour when the place and time asked for it. ”I still need some time to finish this paper, but you can wait for me in the park.”
”No, no, I can read something as well while you’re studying,” Bokuto said, already getting up to find a book to occupy himself with.
Akaashi was sceptical at first, knowing only a few things could capture the other boy’s attention, and it was even more dubious, because the neighbouring shelves were full of foreign books. Bokuto was surprisingly good at English, but Akaashi didn’t think the boy could find anything he would enjoy.
Few minutes of wandering between the shelves and countless read covers later Bokuto returned to their table with a thin paperback. He seated himself on the same chair next to Akaashi and opened the book.
Akaashi took a quick glance at the front cover and let a small, fond smile spread on his lips. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry may be the book that Bokuto’s inner child would actually find interesting and fun to read.
”What is it?” Akaashi asked, not stopping in writing.
It was almost closing time, and he still had a few parts to finish, but Bokuto’s been fidgeting in his seat for the last few minutes. He sometimes looked at Akaashi, but mostly he just kept switching his legs, alternating between tucking one under himself and stretching both under the table.
”Do you have a spare piece of paper and pencil?” Bokuto asked.
Akaashi nodded and tore a page from his notebook, then handed it and a pencil to the boy beside him.
Bokuto took it with a soft ”thanks” and started drawing.
”Do you know what this is?” he asked after he put down the pencil and lifted the piece of paper up, showing off the sketches on it.
There were a few attempts, in various stages, but on the left corner of the paper the whole drawing could be seen.
Akaashi brought his right hand in front of his mouth. ”That’s a boa constrictor digesting an elephant, from the outside,” he said, his eyes lit up with the poorly hidden smile.
Loud laughing filled the air around them, the deep, warm laugh Akaashi loved so much. His smile broadened, but he shushed the other boy, taking into account the place they were at.
”That’s right,” Bokuto said, grinning wide, then he returned to reading the book.
At twenty past five Akaashi closed the book and put it back to its place, then collected his things from the table.
”We have to go, Bokuto-san. They’re closing in ten minutes.”
The boy looked up at Akaashi with disappointment. ”But I didn’t finish the book yet. I read only like twelve pages!”
”I can borrow it for you, if you want.”
”Really?” Bokuto’s eyes couldn’t be bigger, or the joy more visible in them.
”Yeah, sure. I’m a member and I didn’t borrow anything lately.”
”Thank you, Akaashi,” Bokuto cheered, springing up to his feet and he brought Akaashi into a quick, but firm hug.
”Come on, we really need to leave,” Akaashi said. He reached for Bokuto’s hand that wasn’t holding the book and guided him to the reception desk.
The next Friday Akaashi had to see one of his teachers with some of his fellow classmates to discuss a group project and when he got out, Bokuto was waiting for him at the entrance of Fukurodani Academy, under the cherry trees that were already losing their blossoms to the light wind, the soft petals falling like snow.
He had the book in his hands, seemingly lost in the words and Akaashi stopped a few meters from him, watching the other boy reading, turning a page now and then.
Akaashi didn’t think about the book after they left the library and he handed it to Bokuto, who thanked him for the thousandth time before he put it into his own bag and assured Akaashi that he would look out for it and return the book the way he got it.
Bokuto seemed to be around page 40, already halfway through the story. The faint smile on his lips and the occasional frowns when something was hard to understand made Akaashi’s mouth stretch into a smile of its own.
He took a few steps to close the distance between them and stopped only inches from the other boy.
”Hello, Bokuto-san,” he said, the smile permanent on his face.
Bokuto put a little piece of paper to the page he was on, then closed the book. ”Hello, Akaashi,” he beamed and leaned forward, planting the tenderest, smallest kiss on the shorter boy’s cheek. ”Are you ready?”
”Yeah,” he answered, gripping the strap of his bag. ”Where are we going?”
”It’s a surprise!” Bokuto said, grinning wide.
And true to his words, Akaashi couldn’t get the tiniest clue out of Bokuto until they arrived to the nearest park.
”I know we didn’t have time to go on a proper date the last few weeks, but I thought we could maybe still have a hanami, the cherry blossoms are not completely fallen yet,” Bokuto explained as he led Akaashi to the heart of the park where a couple of trees were still in almost full bloom.
He pulled out a thick blanket from his bag and layed it down, then he took out three bento boxes as well, putting them down on the blanket.
When he finished what he was doing, he looked at Akaashi and chuckled.
”You gonna stand there the whole time?”
The other boy didn’t say anything, just kicked off his shoes and seated himself on one side of the blanket, Bokuto following suit soon after.
”So,” Bokuto started opening the lids of the bentos, showing Akaashi the contents. ”I brought onigiri, some yakiniku and nanohana with karashi mustard, just for you. Oh, and a few slices of cake,” he finished, popping the lid of the last box.
Akaashi picked an onigiri and took a bite, while Bokuto rummaged through his seemingly bottomless bag and took out two bottles of tea.
”Mmmm, it’s good,” he said after he swallowed the piece of the rice ball.
Bokuto passed him a pair of chopsticks. ”Wait until you try the nanohana.”
Everything was delicious, and Akaashi was full before he could even try the cake.
They were laying on their backs, empty bentos forgotten on the blanket at their feet as they admired the view of the trees surrounding them.
”You have the book with you, right?” Akaashi asked, looking at the boy sprawled next to him.
”Mmm-hmm,” came Bokuto’s reply and he reached for his bag, pulling out the paperback. ”I’m at page, umm, 42,” he said, opening the book.
Akaashi took it from him, moved closer to the boy and rested his head on the other’s chest. After he made sure both of them were comfortable, he started reading it out loud.
Bokuto sometimes stopped him to ask about the meaning of a word, but otherwise they remained laying there.
When Akaashi closed the book and looked at Bokuto, he found the boy deep in thought.
”Did you like it?” he asked.
Bokuto smiled down at him and kissed the top of his head. ”Yeah. There were things I didn’t really understand, but some parts made me think about a few things.”
”What was your favourite?” Akaashi inquired.
Bokuto seemed to consider the question for a few moments. ”The part with the fox. That’s some seriously deep stuff that fox said,” Bokuto laughed. ”Yeah,” he continued, slipping back into his thoughts. ”Yeah,” he repeated.
Akaashi hummed and thought about it as well. He liked that book, he was twelve when first read it, after he found a copy at their home library, and since then he reread it every year.
”Say, Akaashi,” Bokuto started, his voice still low, pondering. ”Are we like the little prince and his rose? I mean, you know, we were just two strangers when we first met, two completely ordinary people, we had no need for each other. Until we spent time together. Now we are like, I don’t know. Like the fox said, we are important to each other, right? Because of all the time we wasted for the tie to establish between us. And we are responsible for it, for the connection we built together.” He smiled and then recited the part he meant, the best he could remember. ”To me, you are unique in all the world, and to you, I am unique in all the world. Now you belong with me, and I belong with you,” he added, smiling. ”Hey, Akaashi, are you-” he brought his hand up to touch Akaashi’s chin and lightly turned the boy’s head to look him in the eyes. ”Why are you crying?” he asked, his eyes widening.
Akaashi wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and buried his face into Bokuto’s neck.
”I’m not crying,” he mumbled. A few heartbeats later he lifted his head back up and smiled at his boyfriend, his eyes still filled with tears, but his smile was beaming. ”Yes, we are like the little prince and his rose,” he answered at last, kissing the other boy. ”Of course we are.”