Otaku Akashi
Although Akashi Seijuurou keeps up appearances and a cool façade, he is, however, a passionate closeted otaku. When his secreted kingdom of anime and manga is discovered by his former teammate and crush, Mayuzumi Chihiro, Akashi has to do all he can to prevent him from telling anyone about his "otaku-ness" and still keep up a front for the crowds.
Akashi unlocked his phone, crossed his legs and stared at the background on the screen. It was of his favourite character from the popular anime Fairy Tail. Akashi could say it a million times a day. He loved Grey like no other. In other words, he was obsessed.
He turned his phone off and leaned back in his seat, sighing contently. Akashi did his best attempt at stretching his muscles in the backseat of the car, exhausted from the long hours of studying and basketball practice. He would arrive home shortly and he was anxious to get back.
A new episode of Fairy Tail was supposed to come out today. He recorded it on the TV, but was disappointed he couldn't watch it the second it aired. Sometimes basketball took too much of his time.
There were days Akashi wanted to stay home and watch anime and read manga and fanfiction all day long, but he had to keep up appearances. It was tiring, actually. Keeping his inner fanboy hidden was a task, especially when basketball practice came. After the third years graduated and went off the college and university, they had gotten new members.
The youngest member on their starting team, who was also a first year, was utterly gorgeous and handsome. His name was Takeshita Yuu and he was an absolute stunner. A star! Akashi had the biggest possible crush on the boy, despite him being a first year. Akashi didn't mind crushing on a first year. Age and class didn't matter to him.
What he loved most about Takeshita Yuu was his dark, raven jet hair that sat messily on his head. He wasn't tall or impressive when it came to his physical build, but he was talented. Takeshita reminded him of Orihara Izaya from Durarara!, one of his many favourite anime shows. Takeshita resembled Orihara Izaya 86.7% of the time.
"We're home, young master," said Hanada, his driver.
The door was open and Akashi stepped out, slightly embarrassed that he got caught up in his fantasies again. Waving a small thank you with his hand, he jogged to his room and closed the door behind him. He hastily threw off his uniform and changed into a comfortable pair of clothes of shorts and a loose shirt. The piggy socks definitely did his 'lazy outfit' justice.
His hair grew over the past year and it was starting to bug him. Grabbing an elastic band from his desk, he put his bangs into a ponytail that sat snugly on his head. He traded his contacts with a nice pair of glasses.
"That feels much better," he murmured to himself.
He powered on the TV in his room. It sat across from his bed so Akashi could watch comfortably. After watching the new episode, he planned to read a couple chapters of the manga he was currently interested in, Tomodachi Game. Then he was going to read some fanfiction and attempt to squeeze in a bit of studying all the while trying to catch up on Katekyou Hitman Reborn.
Life as an otaku was busy.
Getting comfortable on the bed with his Grey plushy (which he absolutely adored and slept with every night), he fumbled with the remote a bit in his hands and pressed play. The intro was playing when he heard the door open.
He whipped his head into the direction of the door and his heart stopped.
In the doorway stood Mayuzumi Chihiro.
His face spoke indifference, but Akashi could feel the terror rise up in the back of his throat. Dread washed over him like a waterfall.
None of his friends – ever – stepped foot in his room before. All he could think about was Chihiro and what he could be thinking. All the posters, the DVDs, manga, stickers, plushy dolls, cosplay accessories and his bed! For crying out loud, Akashi's whole bed was full of Grey Grey and Grey.
He quickly regained composure and stood, back straight and chin held high. "May I ask why you are here without prior announcement, Chihiro?" Akashi commanded.
"I came to drop off my old notes," responded Chihiro impassively.
That's right! Akashi completely forgot that he had asked Chihiro for his old high school notes from his third year so he could study them in advance. Akashi was swept up in Grey Wonderland he didn't think of anything else. He had even told the staff the day before to let Chihiro in whenever he arrived, and yet he forgot.
This is what I get for being so inattentive. A sexy college student standing in my room and my worst fears coming true, thought Akashi. "Leave the notes by the door. Thank you for coming here yourself, Chihiro."
The said man snorted.
All colour drained from Akashi's face at that moment.
"What are you laughing at?" Akashi questioned, panic settling in his stomach. A fury of thoughts shot through his head. He could just imagine what the sexy first year college student would do, and it was all playing out in his head like a movie. Akashi tried his best to ignore his surroundings. And then he heard Grey's voice in the background. How badly he wanted to turn his head to the TV and fanboy over him.
"You're high and mighty, but you're too adorable to take seriously in that attire," he stated, now giggling uncontrollably. Mayuzumi's giggling quickly turned into hysterics. He doubled over, clenching his stomach and struggling to breathe through his laughter.
Akashi threw his usual façade away. He went over to him and nudged him aside so he could close the door. He crossed his arms and leaned against the door, exasperated as he waited for Mayuzumi to calm his laughing.
Mayuzumi quieted, seemingly done until he made eye contact with Akashi. He burst into laughter once again. It looked like it wouldn't end soon.
Akashi decided to turn off the TV. He had forgotten (again) what he was wearing.
Once Mayuzumi was done, he wiped his brimming tears. His face turned blank and voice hollow in an instant. "I apologize about that," he said. He set his backpack down and unzipped it, taking out a stack of notebooks and placing them on the computer desk.
He watched Mayuzumi's every move and reaction. There was nothing. Nothing at all.
The redhead was astonished at how he could wear a straight face and not express a hint of emotion whatsoever. He would have been glad, relieved even, but it was Mayuzumi, his former crush and basketball teammate, in his room – his otaku room. Oh goodness, the thought made ongoing bells ring inside his head. It was like reliving the nightmare of Nakiri Erina when Yukihira Souma found out she liked manga. Shokugeki no Souma wasn't RL, though, and he didn't cook or have God's Tongue. Nothing was in his favour, unfortunately.
Before Mayuzumi could make his way to the door, Akashi stopped him, blocking his path.
"Sit down, Chihiro," Akashi insisted. Akashi grabbed his senior and pushed him forcefully onto the seat by the computer desk. He took a step back, eyes focused on Mayuzumi. "I assume you won't say anything?"
Mayuzumi nodded. "I will not say anything, Akashi," he said.
The boy nodded but he was still doubtful. "You are going out with Kotarou, Reo and Eikichi tonight to hang out, if I am not wrong. You will not tell them that you came here and saw me like this." He cringed internally. That came off more as a command than a request.
"They're waiting for me outside, though."
"Pardon?"
"They invited me out. I told them I had to drop my high school notes off for you and they insisted on coming with me," Mayuzumi explained.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Akashi waved a hand for Mayuzumi to leave without another word said. He did so. Akashi fell back on his bed, burying his head in the blankets and groaning loudly. He still couldn't shake off the gnawing feeling at the back of his head. It was full of doubt and suspicion and hesitation and question and every negative feeling he could think of.
"Babaaaaa," Akashi wailed.
He got comfortable in bed and grabbed his iPad from the nightstand. He wasn't in the mood to watch Fairy Tail anymore. He wanted to seek the comfort of too-hot-to-be-real men instead. Soon, he started playing The Baddest Bidder, his all-time favourite otome game to date. His favourite was Baba. Baba swept Akashi off his feet every time he interacted with him. He wished to find somebody as great as him someday.
It wasn't long until Akashi realized it was late and he had to study for his upcoming tests. It wouldn't be a problem, however. There was a huge chance he knew everything that was going to be written on the tests. He liked being prepared.
After reviewing answers and organizing the notes from Mayuzumi, he settled in bed and cuddled his Grey plush. It would be tough trying to get some sleep tonight.
Even so, he still couldn't stop thinking of Mayuzumi. He just hoped that no one would find out about his…otaku life, or that Mayuzumi wouldn't turn his life into shambles. Although Akashi did have the upper hand in both scenarios, which was somewhat reassuring, he couldn't help feeling worried and anxious.
Akashi yawned, stretching his limbs tiredly. He sat on the edge of the bed sluggishly. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He watched himself in the mirror, still tired. He had a bedhead and his clothes were wrinkled in every place possible.
Once he was done brushing his teeth, he trudged out of the bathroom, still half asleep. Lazily, he grabbed his laptop from the desk and made his way back to the bed. Watching a couple episodes before starting the day wouldn't hurt, he guessed. It was Saturday. The weekend, finally!
Just as he got back under the covers and turned on the laptop, his phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Mayuzumi Chihiro: Come shopping with me today.
Akashi could feel every fiber of his physical being split into atoms and die one by one.
He was suddenly wide awake now. The memories of yesterday engulfed him and he could feel his heart sink to the very depths of the ocean.
Akashi Seijuurou: May I ask why I should spend invaluable time with you?
Okay, maybe it wasn't invaluable, but he still thought so. An hour wasted could've been spent watching two episodes or reading several chapters of manga!
Mayuzumi Chihiro: What was the manga series I saw on your shelf the other day? It looked quite interesting.
Akashi stiffened. He could feel himself fume with embarrassment.
Akashi Seijuurou: Is this blackmail? I was certain I told you not to bring up this issue whatsoever.
Mayuzumi Chihiro: You specifically said not to say a word to anyone on this matter, if I interpreted correctly.
In the end, Akashi joined Mayuzumi on his shopping trip that afternoon. Mayuzumi suggested shopping downtown.
"Are you sure they won't spot us?" asked Akashi.
Mayuzumi made a small grunt in response. "I assure you. Hayama, Mibuchi and Nebuya won't be out and about today. Don't you guys take Saturday off? If you haven't changed the schedule, that is," he said. "Besides, I asked you a question earlier and I never got a response."
"May you repeat the question then?" said Akashi.
"What was the manga series on your shelf?" Mayuzumi questioned.
Akashi was silent for a moment as they walked through the streets bursting with people. "Is this question significant to anything?"
"Yes. And they are?"
He sighed in defeat. Flushed, Akashi moved closer to the college student and dropped his head so he couldn't see his timid face. Nevertheless, one after another, Akashi started naming the titles of every manga he could think of at the top of his head as well as why he liked them and the characters he crushed on the hardest.
"…and Boku no Hero Academia is wonderful! You also have to check out Toradora!, Ana no Mujina and Blast of Tempest. Those are just a few to name. If you like romance especially – oh, wait. I mean if you like yaoi novels that involve romance, you definitely have to read Yatamomo by Harada. The author, Harada, is working on something called 'Harada World Explosion.' It's multiple works of yaoi! Isn't that just brilliant? I've read all of the author's works and they're magnificent!"
Before Akashi could go on, Mayuzumi stood up from the bench they were sitting on. Akashi got up too and only then did he realize he went into otaku mode and blabbered about his favourite works. He glanced at his watch.
Oh waffles, did I just go on and on for almost 30 minutes without break?! Akashi thought. Internally, he was bawling and shrieking in humiliation and rolling on the ground a thousand times over. He couldn't believe he lost himself in front of Mayuzumi! This time, however, he knew he didn't have to put up much of a façade like before, which he was glad for but he still felt like he needed to hide it all.
"Shall we go? The store I want to go to is right there," said Mayuzumi blankly, pointing to a bookstore in front of them.
What caught Akashi's attention the most was that the bookstore was his absolute favourite place to get manga. Excitedly, he tugged on Mayuzumi's sleeve to get his attention and grinned in enthusiasm. To his surprise, Mayuzumi offered a small smile.
"You're adorable when you talk about manga and anime like a child so excitedly," Mayuzumi commented. "Just to let you know, yes, I actually do like reading yaoi."
Akashi stood his ground but still blushed. His senior continued to make his way into the bookstore. Akashi quickly followed behind him, the excitement growing as he gazed at all the shelves and stands and pages of manga. Hurriedly, he made his way to the "romance aisle," his favourite genre of all. Mayuzumi trailed after him, his expression blank as usual.
"So what genres do you like?" Akashi probed.
Mayuzumi shrugged his shoulders. "Anything. Romance and mystery are my favourite."
"Romance and mystery. How great! Then what about some suggestions from moi?"
Mayuzumi continued to stare emptily ahead at the rows of shelves before them, not bothering to give any type of response. Akashi was used to it to some degree. Observing Mayuzumi when they went to school together, Akashi learnt a great deal about him. He knew Mayuzumi was a quiet person and that he wouldn't give replies at times, but he was always listening. That was just one of the many traits he liked about Mayuzumi.
"For starters, how about Yoshiki Tonogai who has written Judge. I also highly recommend Liar Game and Deadman Wonderland. They're great reads. As for the romance department, I suggest Nisekoi Doumei, Onihime VS and Fuuka. And I should stop here before I start yammering off again. Also, do you read webtoons? I know some perfect ones you could read that I'm sure you'll love," the redhead finished in one breath.
Unexpectedly, Mayuzumi chuckled. He grabbed a paperback from the shelf which he immediately recognized as Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun. He opened it up to a page and took a step closer to Akashi, bringing him into a side embrace.
Akashi's heart beat a million times per nanosecond. He remembered this scene. He both read and watched the series. Mayuzumi was, in other words, re-enacting a scene Haru had re-enacted from a novel. And to note, he held him in the exact same position! If only every day was like a romance novel, his life would be complete.
Mayuzumi didn't speak a word though. Not even a sound peeped out of him.
Then he tilted Akashi's chin upwards to the side so he could look in his eyes.
Akashi cried on the inside so badly it could surpass even a crying child. The hairs on the back of his neck stood straight. All he could think of were the scenes where the two main protagonists had their first kiss, and there were so many.
Is he going to kiss me?
The grey-headed student leaned in slowly, eyes gazing into his intensely.
Oh puffle-waffles, he's going to kiss me.
Then he smirked and released Akashi from his hold. Like nothing happened, Mayuzumi turned his attention back to the many books, putting the light novel he had earlier back onto the shelf. He then proceeded to move to the next aisle over.
Akashi reddened. He thought that to be too much like something happening only within the pages he read, not something to happen in reality. And yet, it did. Despite the hard air around him, his heartbeat was erratic and shy in feeling.
Akashi looked around and found there was almost nobody else there with them, which was quite surprising. He set himself on neutral and followed Mayuzumi. Akashi quickly realized that the shelf the college boy stood in front of was all smut. Yaoi smut! He was reading Yamamoto, his favourite-favourite of all time.
In that second, he could hear himself think, Why is there a cute college boy standing in front of the romance-yaoi-smut shelf reading the novel I recommended? A thousand question marks hovered above him.
"Why are you gawking at me so obviously?" asked Mayuzumi. "You suggested this, didn't you? It looks good so far. I think I might actually buy this."
The redhead wanted to fanboy.
A/N: Still wondering where I'm going to take this, but it'll have a lot of fluff and romance and mentions of anime&manga. I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while and I just decided to write it, so please look forward to it! Please favourite and review, I'd like to know your thoughts on this!3