𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢
part one.
"I swear to God if you stayed up all night-"
Akaashi immediately froze up at the sound of her voice, hesitantly ripping his eyes away from the portrait he'd been painting as his head slowly twisted around to see her. Through the darkness, he could vaguely make out her figure standing at the door, two mugs of coffee in hand. The glint in her eyes was spottable anywhere, teasingly menacing. Akaashi had no idea whether he should be terrified for his life or not. After living with (Y/N) for a good few years, he still had little clue.
He didn't need to answer her question, because she knew very well he had stayed up all night. The fact that she had woken up, showered and made coffee without a concern surrounding his whereabouts demonstrated that she knew exactly where he was (and what he was doing). And if that didn't give it away, Akaashi's tousled hair and heavy bags under his eyes (plus the crazed look dancing around in his irises) sure did. Hell, Keiji didn't even know what time it was.
As if (Y/N) had read his mind, and wanted to play a cruel, cruel trick on him, she used her elbow to hit the remote control on the wall.
With a small, almost entirely soundless, hum, the blinds that shielded the windows began lifting. Akaashi's studio had windows everywhere and almost no walls, giving him a full view of New York City and the full gloat of the morning sun, much to his horror. He regretted every buying said studio, as he was blinded by the glaring light after a night of being shrouded by the comfortable darkness.
(Y/N) let out another exhausted sigh, handing him the coffee mug after making her way over to him (though it was quite the adventure since paint tubes, canvases, papers, sketches and a lot more were scattered everywhere.) "Your eyesight is already horrendous, Keiji. I really don't need it getting worse,"
He blinked at her for a couple of seconds, confused beyond help. Glasses? Since when did he- Oh. Looking around the room, he realized everything was blurry. He had generally just assumed it was because of the sudden intrusion of sunlight.
"I need my glasses," He admitted, making a futile attempt to find them in the blurred mess he called his art studio.
(Y/N) let out a cheery laugh, which made him falter for a second as the gorgeous noise reached his ears, his heart skipping a few beats. He really was delusional, but at that moment he was sure to be the sanest man on earth for ever dating this woman. He watched her as if she were a God. Crouching down by a pile of what looked like books, she picked something black up in her hands. He just stared at her, feeling quite like a lost puppy as she placed them on his head. The world focused around him, and he was pleasantly met with the smiling face of the most dazzling woman alive.
She blessed him with a kiss on his lips, leaving him smiling like an idiot.
Taking a seat next to him (which included a bit of shuffling things around), she leaned her head on her arms, "So what's the schedule for today, captain?"
He took a sip of his coffee, though mainly to hide his embarrassment. He had... an inkling about his activities for the day.
The stupid ceramic mug did not do the job because she then said, a smile present in her voice, "No, no! Wait. Let me guess," He defeatedly put the mug down, looking at the face that always loved to tease him to no ends (and that he had fallen in love with). She continued, eyes shining with evil intent, "We start off with breakfast at the coffee place down the road, and then Keiji will insist on going to the Met for the thousandth time, and then he'll stay there for a good few hours, and at lunch he'll sit in central park and sketch everything in his sight. Am I correct?"
"N- no." Yes.
It had only been a few months since they had moved to New York together, and apart from chores and errands, Keiji had seemed to form a routine that consisted of coffee, art museums and sketching. She, being his girlfriend and everything, obviously knew this, and gave him an unmoved-by-his-denial look.
He stared back, searching those (E/C) pools he could dive into and never leave. They made him weak to his knees by looking at them alone, and as quickly as the French, he had given up, "Fine," He said exasperatedly, "What about you?"
She hummed, grinning in triumph, "I'll join you for coffee, but I have meetings and work from ten to three," She saw his small pout, patting his cheek lightly, "And then, I'm assuming that the person who stayed up all night might need a nap. I'll come home for that,"
"Bokuto needs us to do his taxes," Akaashi reminded her, recalling their best friend hesitantly approaching them about said matter, them having to comfort him for a whole hour about how he was not a criminal and he would not be going to jail.
She waved her arm loosely in the air, "That can wait. My afternoon cuddles, however, are a pressing matter and cannot be postponed,"
He fancied that idea, so he supposed it would be fine. Not seeing her for a few hours a day was routine, but she made up for it (in various ways, if you know what I mean). Cuddling on the couch while she played with his hair sounded very, very, appealing.
And so he nodded, "Okay. Let me get ready and we'll go,"
She grinned, that bewitching grin that would make him do every single one of her pleas until his hairs turned grey and he could no longer walk. (Y/N) definitely had him under some sort of spell, and he most definitely wasn't complaining.
♡
A shower to scrub all the paint off and a near-death experience with a taxi (only one of many), they had arrived at Keiji's go-to place. Not even just for breakfast. For everything. Consider it his Central Perk. Or, because where there was Akaashi there was almost always a (Y/N), their Central Perk.
"Ah, if it isn't the most gorgeous couple in the world!" The usual waiter there, who was named Karl (Marx? The racoon? They would never know), waved, coming over immediately. Within a few months, they had situated themselves quite well, in both people's minds and the location. Well, if you saw two Godly people walk into your establishment it was often hard to forget them. So when they came in three times a day, naturally you would get to know them (and enjoy their presence) well enough. "The usual?"
They nodded, taking their coats off as they sat on the couch-like chairs.
"Sure, Karl." (Y/N) smiled, resting her head on her knuckles (a habit that was developed after hours of excruciatingly boring business meetings). Even with her mother's name, which was now in the open, they still found it hard to respect a girl. A young girl, no less. Even if she did know more than half of those old white men there. Turning to face her lovely boyfriend, Akaashi noticed the slightly tired look that was subtly etched into her features.
"Are you okay?" He asked, idly playing with the loose thread of his shirt.
She shrugged indifferently, "Yeah, yeah. You're not the only one who stayed up, even if I did get some hours of sleep. But I hate talking about me- Wait, no, that's a lie." He smirked internally. He definitely loved this woman, "I mean that I'm not that interesting at the moment. You however, are." And she made him blush so easily too. Those were associated, he concluded.
"A- As if, miss youngest-upcoming-CEO," He stuttered, startled at both her words and the sudden fondness in her eyes. He saw her stare at him a lot that way, though that was a mutual thing that they seemed to do. It caught him off guard every time, yet when it was him that did it, she just always seemed to return it. From across the dinner table, when they were watching a movie, when they took leisurely strolls around the city. Akaashi was positive that there wasn't a time in which she wasn't making him blush. Maybe that's just the state she left him in all the time.
"Exactly. Boring. Tell me about your painting you spent all night working on~" She hummed.
(Y/N) knew him all too well. She most definitely knew how to get him to talk, but that was a known fact since they were in high school. He recalled their famous museum dates, and how she'd listen to him rant about art for hours. He supposed they hadn't changed at all. Just a different city with different artworks (and sometimes, his own).
He pursed his lips, trying to contain his excitement. He really did turn into a small child talking about their achievement to their parents when it came to his artwork. "It's just some dude I found in the park," He shrugged, but slowly slipped into rant mode. "I found his purple hair brilliant, and I don't think I've ever painted something so bright. And it was in a whole mohawk, so I could really picture a cool, eccentric and quite, uh... more street-style artwork at play. I had a whole vision as I saw him order from the hot dog stand next to me. Thankfully he let me take a picture of him and didn't beat me up. Anyway, I've been going around and looking at graffiti so I can start playing around with it to make the portrait. I haven't used graffiti since that one mural back in Tokyo so I'm completely out of touch. Plus, it's completely different when you..." He looked up at her, and realized that her wide (E/C) eyes were looking back at him softly, her smile like a whole cloud.
"I love you," She mumbled, which was something he found her saying a lot. Mainly after his rants because (and she had told him this) she loved his rants more than life itself and two, it was an easy way to embarrass him quickly.
He blinked, a flurry of pink growing on his cheeks, "Uh, yeah, well, uhm, you're not the only one," He stuttered, "Not me! I don't mean I love me. I love you. Too. I love you too,"
She let out a laugh that sounded like warm honey and everything good in the world.
Akaashi would forever think that his biggest privilege was being able to hear that laugh every day.
♡
"I'm home-" (Y/N) had started, before a pair of lips quickly met hers, catching her by complete surprise.
Getting over the small burst of shock, soon melting into his hold, she closed her eyes, mouth stretching into a wide, foolishly large smile. Knowing her way around the apartment like she knew the back of her hand, she slowly led the beautiful boy into the living room, heart fluttering as his arms snaked around her waist. Past the kitchen where they would always cook together, often making a mess, past the large bookshelf with the prized first edition Faulkner's, past the painting Keiji had made during a trip to Cape Cod and down the step which she had almost broken her ankle (don't ask how) and Keiji had to take care of her like some nursemaid.
Pulling away for a second he gazed back at her, gunmetal blue eyes sparkling with every star in the galaxy, "I believe you owe me a cuddle?" He grinned, slowly leaning into her so she would naturally fall into the plush couch. It was well into the evening, not even walking the way home being able to save her from the traffic. Their large windows filtered in the afternoon sun, blessing their apartment with golden light.
(Y/N) smiled, "Yeah, yeah. Now get your beauty sleep. Can't have your lack of shut-eye ruin that pretty face, not that that would ever happen but-" She paused, letting the boy who looked like a God under the orange lighting settle on her stomach, just below her chest. Naturally, her fingers made their way to his dark hair, playing with it unconsciously. It was not even a minute before she knew he had fallen asleep, his breathing calming slightly and his face softening.
Her eyes tenderized ever so slightly at the boy. In an apartment in New York, with the golden hour gifting the world with its beauty, she was grateful to have fallen in love with him.
part 2.
Shoyou was astounded. He most definitely was not an art enthusiast, but he had no doubt that the work in front of him was a masterpiece. The people around him seemed to think so too, as they all held looks of awe in their eyes whilst gazing up at the canvas.
The orange-haired boy had to resist the urge to yell, "I know her!" But he didn't. It was very tempting, however, wanting to feel the satisfaction of showing off his relation with the girl in the painting to all the rich people around him.
(Y/N) looked positively stunning in the painting, the hat she was wearing sprouting with all sorts of colourful plants and flowers as she gazed at the person above the painting with pure love in her (E/C) eyes. He liked what Akaashi had done there, almost as if it were a picture frozen in time of their special moments together. It was as if they were the canvas itself, staring at the girl being painted.
When Hinata had gotten an invitation to view Akaashi's gallery in New York, he couldn't say no. It had been an arduous flight, and quite the trip to even arrive at the gallery from his hotel. He had no idea how people lived in central New York, or even got anywhere. Even walking, the risk of getting hit by a car was way too high for his taste.
But he had arrived, and before he even got to see them, he was walked through the gallery itself. Even with (Y/N) nowhere in sight, she was a main feature in plenty of his paintings. He could feel her overwhelming, and very welcome, presence through the art alone.
From the sketches, to the watercolours, to, like the one in front of him, the large oil canvases.
"She's gorgeous, in't she?" An old man with a thick British accent mumbled, his wife dressed as the queen of England clung to his arm. Not in a creepy way, but rather appreciating the woman in the portrait.
"Mhm," Said wife nodded, "To think such a talented artist is engaged to such a talented businesswoman,"
Hinata did a double-take.
"And apparently they're high school sweethearts," The old woman mused again, though the eavesdropping Hinata had wished she would elaborate on that engagement part.
Hinata slowly drifted away from the clusters of people, making his way to the end of the gallery. He was told to go to the restaurant on the floor above it, but he stumbled a little on the elevator buttons, not knowing whether it was four or three, depending on if they counted the bottom floor or not. Hinata found the different customs around the world way too confusing. He ended up picking four, eternally grateful to the Gods above for letting the elevator doors open to a quiet restaurant.
He was already dressed all fancy, much to his joy, because of the gallery. He would've been severely out of place if he showed up in his t-shirt and shorts.
The host smiled at him kindly, "Can I have your name?"
"Oh, uh, Shoyou Hinata," He nodded, using his best English to make out her question and answer appropriately.
The host led the mandarin to a table where he already spotted two familiar faces, both looking as elegant as always. He had no idea what they were talking about, but to any normal person who didn't know the two, it would've looked like they were confessing their infinite love to each other. Hinata was sure they were probably just talking about pigeons, just looking at each other fondly every waking hour of the day.
(Y/N) had ripped her eyes away from Keiji's, lighting up like a Christmas tree at the sight of her child and mentee. Hinata was sure he was already smiling as wide as her too.
Getting up, not even caring if it wasn't graceful, she engulfed him in a bone-crushing hug. He happily returned it, though it was a little hard to do because she was holding his arms down tightly. Letting him go, finally, she looked at him with bright (E/C) eyes. "Shoyou! It's been ages,"
He grinned, "I saw you three months ago when you came to Tokyo. We called two days ago,"
She rolled her eyes, seemingly not have matured that much, "Exactly. Way too long."
Now over the excitement of seeing his literal idol, he realized he had to check this whole engagement thing, but unfortunately for him, her hand was already behind the table.
He had time, though, and if it came to it, he could just ask. So, after a quick handshake with Akaashi, he sat down.
"So, what did you think of the gallery?" Akaashi asked with a warm smile, but Hinata could spot the kindling anxiety behind his eyes. Anyone would be on edge about how they liked your work, though, so he didn't blame him. He had no reason to be anxious, because after all, his artwork was amazing.
"It was so cool! You make everything seem sooo... genuine! And natural! Like all your artwork is just so real and you can see it obviously comes from your heart. You can tell you put a lot of emotion into each one, which is obviously something I gotta appreciate, ya know?" He said, expressing his praise.
Akaashi blinked, the slightest blush dusting his cheeks.
"Awe, look. You made him flush," (Y/N) cooed teasingly.
Akaashi glared at her lightly, "Shut up,"
Ignoring his negative comment, she waved him off, no ring on said right hand though, and looked at Hinata, "So how old're you now? Old enough to drink?"
"You're gonna get him champagne either way," Akaashi commented, his cheeks returning to their usual colour.
"Keiji knows me all too well," The Ukai grinned.
Hinata might've felt like he was third-wheeling, if it hadn't been for (Y/N) constantly talking to him. It was one thing he noticed, but no matter who she was with, she always tried to make them as comfortable as possible. Hey, maybe that was why she had had a ten-person harem a few years ago.
"I'm twenty-three," He nodded.
She faltered with her order to the waiter, looking at him wide eyed, "No. You're not... Wait, but then how old does that make me?" She thought for a moment, in which Akaashi came very close to laughing at her. Eventually, she just shivered. (Hinata didn't know whether that was because she didn't get to work it out or because she'd rather not think about it), "I'm just going to pretend I'm twenty."
"You do that," Akaashi nodded, still on verge of letting out a laugh.
"So," She said, turning back to the waiter, "That champagne we had when we were with... uh... what was his name? The tesla dude. Elon? Musk? Yeah, uh him. Really annoying. Wanted to punch his face in,"
Hinata's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
The waiter nodded with a smirk, walking away with the order in their mind. He obviously knew what they were talking about, and Hinata could picture (Y/N) escaping to the kitchen to bitch about her guests.
"Elon Musk?" Hinata asked, eyes wide.
(Y/N) waved her hand in the air, again, not the ring hand, dismissing it lightly, "Yeah. This whole business thing makes you eat with a bunch of annoying people. It's disgusting."
"I'm grateful to not have to come along," Keiji nodded, smiling with relief. "I have to make us extra dinner when she comes home because she can barely eat with them across the table from her,"
"I lose my appetite completely," She explained.
Hinata looked between the two. Their whole dynamic, where they didn't have to voice their complaints for the other to fix them, was one many envied. He even envied it, and he had a similar thing with Tobio. They were so casual around each other, even as they shot each other loving glances. He knew their knees were touching under the table.
Eventually, Hinata had to ask, "So, uhm, this dude downstairs was talking about an... engagement?"
(Y/N) brightened up, "Ah, well we were waiting to tell you once the drinks came around, but I suppose there's no harm in telling you now,"
She brought out her left hand, and he immediately spotted the slight glint of a small diamond as it caught the light. It was beautifully elegant, and he could even catch the pride in Keiji's expression as she showed him her ring. They really, truly loved each other.
(Y/N) smiled softly. "As much as I hold pride in the Ukai name, I don't think Akaashi sounds too bad,"