Pierre awaits the two of you at the front door. "Welcome back home Miss." You bow to him, a smile on your face. "Your parents are sitting in the dining room. The two of you can make your way in there."
Akaashi bows to Pierre after following you inside. You properly take your shoes off and slide into a pair of slippers. Pierre's already laid out a pair of guest slippers for Akaashi before greeting the two of you. "I'm guessing these are for you." You point to the slippers that are beside you. Akaashi nods his head, slowly taking in the grand entrance of the house. He feels like he's stepped into Cinderella's castle. The architecture is far from Japanese influenced. A European vibe oozes out from the mansion and it's décor.
A coldness lingers around the mansion and it's not a coldness of temperature. Akaashi eyes Y/N, her timid behavior when she leads him to the dining room.
"I'm home-- father, mother." You bow to the two who are eating lunch together. Akaashi stands next to Y/N, bowing to her parents. "You brought a boy home?" You easily notice the irritable tone in your mother's voice. She narrows her eyes on you. Clenching your hands tightly onto the shoe bag, you muster a smile. "His name is Akaashi Keiji, my upperclassman."
Fathers steely gaze rests on Akaashi. He seems to analyze him, up and down. This uncomfortable atmosphere makes Akaashi wonder how Y/N turned out the way she is. He would think Y/N would be more like him. Expressionless and blunt. Her parents seem standoffish and crude.
"He was walking me home and was about to leave...but." You bite your tongue, not wanting to finish the sentence.
"Akaashi, is it? Do you have an ulterior motive with my daughter?" Father cuts straight to the chase. "If it's money you're after, I'm sorry to let you know that our daughter won't inherit any of it." Akaashi didn't expect this kind of conversation. His words stuck in his throat.
Furrowing your brows together, you purse your lips. "Keiji doesn't know anything about the family, father. He's just an upperclassman that looks after me. Please don't talk to him like that." Your face and chest burns when you speak up against your father. "Oh?" Father narrows his eyes on you. He notices the slight swelling on your right cheek. "Care to explain what happened to your face?" Your hand instinctively moves to touch your face, attempting to hide the swelling.
"We were playing a volleyball game together and I didn't anticipate the amount of strength I used. Sorry for injuring your daughter, sir." Akaashi speaks up, he rests his blue eyes on Y/N's father. "You're a volleyball player?" Mother brings the attention to herself, eyeing Akaashi with a sharp stare. "Yes, mam." He speaks to them in a polite manner, giving them his undivided attention.
Are your parents going to judge him for being a volleyball player?
You didn't want their harsh words to attack Akaashi. He's done nothing wrong to them. They were always like this to anyone you associated with.
Why do they go so far to berate your friends?
"You have to go back to practice with your team, right Keiji?" Changing the topic, you glance at him.
Please get the hint Akaashi.
Your eyes flick to the right, towards the exit of the dining room. "Yeah. I should head back. We're getting ready for our Interhigh games."
"Thank you for accompanying our daughter home, Akaashi." Father speaks in a deep tone, raising the cup of tea to his lips. "Make sure to send him off properly Y/N." The two of you bow to your parents and you lead Akaashi out of the dining room. Pierre appears in front of you, a tray in his hand carrying two plates of desserts. "Is Akaashi already leaving, Miss?" You notice the delicately prepared desserts on his tray, feeling guilty.
"Y-Yeah...mother and father started to drill him with uncomfortable questions." You whisper with a frown. Pierre looks down at his watch before returning his hazel brown eyes on you. He leans over to whisper in your ear. "They should leave soon for work, invite Akaashi to your room. I'm sure you two wanted to hang out a bit longer, right?"
"W-What are you trying to say Pierre!?" You whisper yell with a flushing face. Pierre wears a smirk, handing you the tray. "Off you go now, Miss."
Nibbling your bottom lip, you muster a glare at Pierre. But your eyes soften when you return his smile. "Akaashi, this way." You call out to him, hurrying towards the main entrance of the house and up onto the right staircase. Akaashi follows after you, glancing at Pierre who nods his head to him.
"Where are we going Y/N?" Akaashi asks, staring at the grand staircases. There's a left and right staircase that meet in the middle, leading to a middle staircase that connects to a hallway. "Pierre seems to take a liking to you, so he wants me to hang out with you in my room until my parents leave." You speak in a hurry, walking towards the right hallway. Akaashi follows along, slowly taking in the sights around him. He's still unable to wrap it around his mind that Y/N lives here. "Can you get the door for me?" You whisper to Akaashi who's slowly walking towards you. He walks up to your bedroom door and pushes down the handle, opening the door for you to step in first.
Y/N's room is nothing short of amazing. The best description of her room is 'royal princess'.
You lower the tray of desserts onto your tea table and walk over to your dresser to place the shoe bag and your school bag on top.
Akaashi's breath hitches when he realizes he's in a girls bedroom. "Keiji? Are you going to come over here and try Pierre's dessert?" Y/N calls out to him from the tea table. He stiffens in his spot by the door. Y/N doesn't seem to feel worried that the opposite sex is in her bedroom.
Maybe because Zico has been in here before?
The thought crosses Akaashi's mind and his brows furrow.
There's no way Zico's been in here with Y/N by himself, right?
Haru must've been with the two. Wait.
Why does that matter to him?
He's pulled out of his thoughts when he feels a warmth around his wrist. Y/N stands in front of him with her hand wrapped around his left wrist.
"Sorry for dragging you into this mess. At least eat Pierre's dessert before leaving." You pull Akaashi towards the tea table, sitting him down on the sofa. You raise a strawberry puff pastry plate towards Akaashi. He takes the plate and fork from your hand. "My parents can be a bit crude...I'm sorry if they offended you in anyway." You speak softly, clenching onto the ends of your skirt.
Akaashi shakes his head, slicing a piece off of the pastry and inserting it into his mouth. The taste of fresh strawberries melt on his tongue. You watch Akaashi widen his eyes from the pastry. "Delicious, right?" You smile from ear to ear. "Pierre was never good at making desserts when I first met him. He's gotten better over the years." Lowering his fork on the plate, Akaashi turns to look at you. "How did you grow up to be like..."
"This?" You point at yourself with a giggle. "Because of Pierre, Zico, and Haru. They're the reasons why I didn't grow up to be like my parents. Pierre especially." Your smile softens when you think about the butler who's been by your side for as long as you can remember. Akaashi notices the fondness in your expression when you think about Pierre.
"He looks young. Pierre." Akaashi clarifies himself.
"He's in his mid 20's. My parents hired him when he was 16. Apparently he was a runaway with nothing much to offer and my parents pitied him. He's taken care of me since I was 6." You cut a slice off the strawberry puff pastry on the second plate. "The previous butlers struggled to watch after me when my parents were away. Apparently I was a shut in but I can't remember much of that time."
Akaashi starts to learn more about you than you've learned about him. You cut yourself off, unsure if this is something Akaashi would care to know. "So...I'm just an upperclassman to you?" Akaashi changes the topic, noticing your uncomfortableness.
Biting your bottom lip, the tip of your ears redden. "You told Pierre that you're my upperclassman. I just followed along and told my parents the same thing." Akaashi nods his head, eyeing you with a playful expression. The two of you hear a soft knock and the voice of Pierre. "Miss, may I come in?"
"Yes, Pierre." You call out from the middle of the room. A click of the door opens and Pierre forms a smile when he looks at you and Akaashi. "How are the desserts? Is it to your liking?" Pierre walks over to the two of you, standing in front of the tea table. Nodding your head, you raise an okay sign. "You get a pass from me Pierre." Pierre turns his gaze to Akaashi, expecting an answer from him. Akaashi nods his head, "I've never tasted anything like this. It's really delicious."
"Oh, you don't have to flatter me, Akaashi. Miss does that plenty for me." Your cheeks redden when you hear Pierre talk about you. Akaashi eyes Y/N from the corner of his eye, noticing her reddening face. Pierre walks over to you, leaning over slightly to raise an icepack to your cheek. "A volleyball didn't really hit you, did it miss?"
"Ah..." Your eyes downcast, feeling the coolness of the ice pack Pierre places on your face. Akaashi notices the warmness Pierre treats Y/N. The total opposite of how her parents treat her. Seeing these two look so close makes his chest tighten slightly. "Were you eavesdropping on me again Pierre?"
"My apologies, miss. I was a tad bit curious." Pierre chuckles softly. You raise your hand over Pierre's gloved ones. He pulls his hand away when you get a grip around the ice pack. Straightening himself back up, he glances at you and Akaashi. "So, what is the real reason?" He asks with a gentle smile. "I can only assume it has something to do with you Akaashi?" Akaashi stiffens as soon as he hears Pierre's assumption. "What makes you think it's his fault Pierre?" You scrunch your nose. Pierre silences you with the dessert. "I'm not talking to you miss."
Grumbling, you silently eat the pastry. Akaashi is surprised by how obedient Y/N is towards Pierre. Clearing his throat, Akaashi looks at Pierre. "You're right. I was the reason she got hurt today. Long story short, a third year was jealous of how close Y/N is to me. The two ended up fighting each other."
"Fighting?" Pierre grows alarmed, eyes shooting back towards Y/N. "Are you hurt anywhere else, miss?" You part your lips slightly to lie but Akaashi cuts you off. "Her stomach." You furrow your brows when you look at Akaashi. "Let me see your stomach, miss." Pierre sternly speaks to you, brows knit together. Widening your eyes, you lower the fork from your mouth. "N-No. That's too embarrassing. I can't do that in front of you and Keiji!" You wrap your arms around your stomach.
"Akaashi can I ask you to look away for just a moment?" Pierre continues to speak sternly even towards Akaashi. Akaashi hesitantly looks away, slightly curious to know what kind of relationship Pierre and Y/N share.
Do neither of them care about the way they're acting around one another? Is it that easy for Pierre to see Y/N's stomach by a simple command?
"P-Pierre, I'm not a little girl anymore. I can't have you looking at me like this." You stammer out, feeling incredibly shy. "I know you're not the little girl I used to see, miss. You're growing into a beautiful lady. But I'm still your caretaker and I must aid your injuries." Pierre stares directly at you, his brows knit together and he seems adamant about this.
"Or do you prefer for Akaashi to tend to your stomach?" Pierre eyes Akaashi from the corner of his eye. "You two seem to be on a first name basis. That's a bit weird if he's just an upperclassman, right?"
You shut your mouth, completely silenced by Pierre.
"Let's just be honest Y/N. Pierre is someone you trust, right? He wouldn't be able to tell anyone at school." Akaashi speaks lowly, still turned away from you. Pierre relaxes his brows when he hears Akaashi's suggestion. He looks at you expectantly for the honest truth. Inhaling deeply, you muster up the strength to tell Pierre.
"I'm Keiji's fake girlfriend."