In Another Life
Littleluxray
At some point during their walk home from the gym, Akaashi had agreed for Bokuto to spend the night at his house.
"My parents are out for a month," he'd unconsciously said, causing Bokuto to go into a begging frenzy to stay over until Akaashi said yes.
Normally he would have been red with irritation from the sound of such irksome persistence, but the smile that would claim Bokuto's face whenever he agreed to something would make Akaashi forget all about how frustrated he was.
He entered his home with Bokuto in a matter of minutes, having walked faster than usual. Out there, the sickly one trembled like a new born animal, even with the extra jacket that Akaashi had offered him.
"It's warm-" Bokuto exhaled and shuddered once he was inside, slipping off his shoes.
Akaashi stepped in and turned his head. "I would hope so." He moved forward. "My room is this way."
Bokuto followed briskly. He observed his surroundings once again, having been fascinated by the inside of someone else's home.
Everything was neat and placed perfectly here and there, giving Akaashi's house a warm atmosphere to it. It reminded him of his home...
Bokuto nearly bumped into Akaashi as he stopped to enter his room.
"You can sit anywhere." He climbed into bed and folded one leg, pulling over his laptop to start it up.
"Is your bed alright?" Bokuto pulled off Akaashi's jacket.
"I said anywhere."
Bokuto plopped onto the mattress right after those words, bumping his head against Akaashi's shoulder. He recoiled with a grunt.
"Watch it." Akaashi shifted to the side to give his visitor more room. Despite this, Bokuto was still close enough for their arms to touch.
Akaashi sighed and lazily dragged his finger along the d-pad. "Do you want to watch a movie?"
Bokuto curled in on himself and pushed his hands into his hood pocket. "Yeah. Anything is fine." His yellow eyes stared at the screen intently.
"Okay." Akaashi opened the first movie that he had in his computer's memory. He pushed the laptop away and pressed play.
"What's it called?" Confused, Bokuto glanced over at him.
"Cloud Atlas."
"How long is it?"
"About three hours." He kicked his legs out of bed and walked across his room to retrieve a thick blanket that sat bundled up in a rolling chair.
He then tossed it to Bokuto once he was close enough. "You've been shivering. Use it."
Bokuto gathered the navy blue blanket in his arms, and cautiously threw it around his shoulders. It was soft.
"Thank you." He kept his eyes on the screen. "I used to handle the cold better than this." An embarrassed chuckle escaped him.
Exhaling through his nostrils, Akaashi reclaimed his seat in bed, crossing his legs. "Things happen."
"Yeah..."
Outside, the sky above grew dark as clouds rolled in. Bokuto quieted himself, curled up, and watched on as the movie started.
———
The sound of rain pelting hard against the window snapped Akaashi back into reality.
He looked around in weary haste, but calmed quickly once his memory had returned to him.
He'd nodded off for a brief moment, with his arms crossed and his head resting on a thick bundle of pillows. With much effort, he sat up to look at Bokuto.
The movie was well over two hours in, nearing its end, and Bokuto lay on his side, curled up and clutching the blanket with what little strength he had left.
His eyes were half-lidded and glued to the screen, his face void of emotion. It almost looked as if he were asleep.
"Bokuto?" Akaashi's voice was groggy.
Slowly, his yellow eyes scrolled to the side to catch Akaashi's gaze. He turned his head weakly, and his body along with it.
"I'm sorry. I've watched this movie so many times, I actually fell asleep." Akaashi dragged a hand down his face.
"Don't be sorry." Bokuto found himself smiling. "It's your house. You sleep if you want to."
"Not if I have a visitor over."
"It's fine. I'm not just some visitor, after all. We're friends." Bokuto's head lolled to the side, directing his attention back to the movie.
"You were out for about an hour."
Akaashi heaved a sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I envy you. I wish I could sleep like that again."
Guilt bubbled up within Akaashi's chest. He'd realized just how rude that was, falling asleep so easily in front of a person who's biggest struggle was just that.
"How... insensitive of me..." He furrowed his brow, mentally scolding himself.
"Don't cry over it." Bokuto shifted as he lay down, sticking a leg out to kick Akaashi. "The movie kept me company. It's very good. Kind of confusing, but good. I'll have to watch it again."
Strange. Bokuto was such a strange one. He seemed to be unfazed by many things, and blatant about others, blurting sentences out that didn't seem to have much thought behind them.
Akaashi doubted that he'd ever have Bokuto over again, so hearing him say 'I'll have to watch it again,' didn't sit too well with him.
Akaashi twisted his lips to the side and decided to bring up something else. "Are you tired?"
"Exhausted." Bokuto answered honestly.
"Close your eyes for the time being." Akaashi kicked his legs out of bed with much effort and stood on his feet. "I'll get us some water." He left the room quickly, leaving Bokuto by his lonesome.
After several seconds, he'd returned to see that Bokuto had changed his position in bed entirely.
He lay on his back, with his head on some of Akaashi's pillows. His hands rested on his stomach, the dark blanket surrounding him from behind, but slipping off just enough for his torso to be exposed.
His head rested against the bed, slumped to the side, facing away from Akaashi.
Again, if he hadn't known any better, Akaashi would have figured that Bokuto was already fast asleep. He approached his bedside silently. The room was dark, apart from the soft orange glow that his lamp gave off.
He set the drinks down and shuffled into bed, as if trying not to wake the other. Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling.
No words were exchanged for what seemed like forever before Akaashi spoke up.
"How does it feel? To not be able to sleep?"
Bokuto's answer was delayed. "Awful." He turned his head in the opposite direction, facing Akaashi now.
"I can barely keep my eyes open by day, and can barely keep them closed by night." He snorted in laughter.
"Does it frustrate you?"
"It did at first, when I didn't understand why. But now I'm kind of okay with it." A hand reached up to push through his own messy locks.
"I still miss it though. Sleeping. Dreaming."
Akaashi watched Bokuto, listening to every word he said.
"I used to have some insane dreams, too. Especially before certain volleyball matches.
" He laughed again, louder this time. "I'd dream that I messed up during a spike, and then I'd wake up fuming, and would constantly tell myself that I was the best."
"Do you still think that you are the best?" Emerald eyes searched Bokuto's own for an honest answer.
He sighed his response with a grin. "Yeah." Bokuto closed his eyes after that, one hand resting on the side of his head.
He was obviously tired, showing signs of exhaustion with every small move he made.
Akaashi grew silent and knitted his fingers together on his stomach, his head relaxing into his pillow.
The both of them didn't exchange any words after that, ending the conversation just as suddenly as it had started.