A/N: I'm glad that you decided to read my work! I haven't wrote fanfiction in quite a while, but I hope that doesn't affect my quality too much. I recently read the Haikyuu! manga, and I fell in love with Bokuto and Akaashi. I did my best to keep them in-character! Enjoy!

The day was the same as usual. After changing out of their volleyball uniforms, Akaashi, being one of the more responsible members of the Fukurodani Volleyball team, volunteered to finish clean up after practice. Of course, nobody had anything else to say about the matter. Well, except for one boy in particular: Bokuto.

"Hey, Akaashi!" He yelled, with that loud voice that was nearly obnoxious to some.

"I'll help you clean up!" With a smile plastered onto his face, Bokuto ran towards his friend.

The setter's upperclassman may have been the only one worthy being called a "best friend". Akaashi, despite having the appearance of a loner, was not against befriending others. However, it had always proved difficult for him to do such a thing. Unlike others, he was not blessed with natural charisma. It was a challenge for him to find the right words to say, and with his appearance that gave off a sense of apathy, it turned many people away.

"Really, you don't need to, Bokuto-san," assured Akaashi. However, he knew better than to think his words would change anything. For the past year, this has been a continuous routine. Even if at first his comments sounded anti-social, Bokuto still assisted him in cleanup.

"But I want to! Besides, your tosses were amazing today, so you deserve help!" Bokuto praised.

There it was, that constant reverence of his abilities. Even though he used that as an excuse, Akaashi heard those words on a regular basis, even on his bad days. Still, it would be a lie to say those words did not please him.

"My performance was average, but I am thankful for the compliment."

As Bokuto continued to rant about their combination attacks in the practice match, the two of them began to pick up scattered volleyballs off from the floor. Afterwards, they would take down the net, and they would finish by cleaning the floor.

He did not show it, but Akaashi was happy that his senior always helped him after practice. Well, that was not the exact reason. It would be more accurate to say that he was happy to spend extra time with Bokuto. It was hard for him to believe that he had only known him since his first year at the academy, considering how close they were. That owl had his faults, sure. He was loud, he was often pretentious, he occasionally held the team back with his mood-swings, and he was certainly not the brightest bulb around. Akaashi couldn't help but yearn for affection from his captain, despite them. No, he refused to look past Bokuto's faults. Instead, he looked at them head-on and accepted them; they were a part of the boy he treasured, after all.

"We'll finish in a few minutes, and then we'll get out of here!" said the captain.

"But I think it's going to take more than a few minut-"

"Oh! There's still some balls over there!" Bokuto interjected, jogging towards the other side of the gym. Akaashi sighed, redirecting his focus on cleaning duty, though thoughts filled his mind while doing so.

Even if he did accept his own feelings for that bubbly adolescent, Akaashi never understood why he loved him in the first place. His looks? While it wasn't as if Bokuto wasn't a tad handsome, it wasn't as if he was drop-dead gorgeous. His personality? Well, the boy had his pros and cons, but neither grabbed Akaashi's attention. He tried and tried again, but the raven-haired boy could never deduce the cause of his love.

"Dude, this was the ball that I did that awesome spike with!" Cheered Bokuto, jogging back to his setter.

He smiled for just a moment, appreciating the warm energy his captain gave off. He looked so happy and proud of himself; in fact, Akaashi thought he even looked cute.

"Huh? Did something good happen Akaashi?" questioned Bokuto.

The boy shook his head. "Uh...no, Bokuto-san. Why do you ask?"

"You're smiling! I never see you smile, so something must have happened!" he said, his face revealing his shock.

"Nothing in particular..." Though he appeared calm, his captain's comments caused his pulse to rise. After all, the only person that knew of his feelings was himself. "I suppose I'm having a good time."

"Ohoho? You must really love my company," joked Bokuto. There were many thoughts that ran through Akaashi's head regarding his next action. Should he tell Bokuto he was correct? Should he tell him that he was wrong? Should he just ignore him altogether?

The boy released a small breath of air, bending down to pick up another ball. Yes, ignoring that comment would be the best option. He couldn't afford to reveal his feelings, because that could possibly ruin his relationship with his captain. Furthermore, if that did occur, it would ruin the performance of the volleyball team, and Akaashi could not risk that.

"Didn't you say that you had a test on Friday, Bokuto-san?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Why did you have to bring that up, Akaashiiii..." mumbled the silver-haired youth. As his team member, it was clear to Akaashi that his captain had entered one of his depressive states.

"I can help you study for it..." It would be a chance for the two to spend more time together, and Akaashi wouldn't want to waste such an opportunity.

"Huh?! Really?!" the boy exclaimed, immediately reverting to his cheerful state. Akaashi nodded, putting the last few volleyballs away.

"I wish I was a genius like you, Akaashi! You can do third year work with no problem, but I'm barely getting by..." he sulked.

"You're over exaggerating again, Bokuto-san..." the younger boy replied. "But, yes. I could help you study after school, tomorrow."

"Cool! We can go to my house and have dinner afterwards!" Bokuto said gleefully.

His house? Well, this was a great opportunity for him. Despite the two of them being friends since last year, neither have had the opportunity to have dinner at each others houses.

"Well, if you wouldn't mind my compan-"

"Why would I mind? I love spending time with you!"

God. Why did he have to say such things? It wasn't enough that he felt he needed to hide his feelings. No, Bokuto had to make his heart beat uncontrollably. Akaashi swallowed the small amount of spit in his mouth, trying to wet his dry throat.

"That's...that's good," he said. Really? "That's good"? Akaashi couldn't help but criticize himself for such an inadequate response. Luckily, it didn't seem to affect his captain's mood whatsoever.

The two of them, after about thirty minutes, finished cleaning up the gym. As expected, Bokuto failed to finish in a few minutes, but it appeared that he forgot about his declaration. Akaashi shrugged, walking towards the gym doors.

"It's getting late; we should lock up," he said, beckoning Bokuto.

Once the duo locked the gymnasium and left the school grounds, they proceeded to accompany each other until their paths split. Akaashi had always enjoyed these moments. The sky was a palette mixed with light pinks and warm oranges, and the gentle breeze was pleasing to the skin. Bokuto continued to banter, with Akaashi replying with whatever he believed was appropriate. It was nice, being able to have the boy to himself. At school, it was easy for Bokuto to become distracted by all of their teammates since they had to practice. However, he was his only focus now, and that was enough to make him happy. It was illogical to even think such a thing, but Akaashi wish time would stop during these times. It was one of the moments he treasured, which was taken away by the splitting pathway.

"Oh, we're already here!" exclaimed Bokuto. "Time passes by fast!"

"Yeah...it does." Here it was, the end of accompanying the boy precious to him. He wasn't like Bokuto; he didn't sulk when something didn't go his way. Still, he was only natural for him to feel sad. After all, he was only human.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Akaashi!" he said cheerfully, walking away while waving goodbye.

"Have a good evening, Bokuto-san..." said Akaashi. His eyes were glued to the back of the man that held his affections. He took in every detail he could about him: his muscular figure, the way he walked, every movement his hair made when he took a step, and even his shadow's appearance. Second by second, he slowly disappeared from his vision, leaving Akaashi alone in the end.

It was then that he began to ponder about his plans with Bokuto tomorrow. Wasn't tomorrow technically a date? He formed a small smile from the thought. His heart beat in anticipation, and he began to walk down his own path.

"I can't wait, Bokuto-san."

A/N: I still haven't decided if I will continue or just leave this as a one-shot. If you would like more, just leave some reviews! 3