aki-terrible: 'sunday, i'll pick you up at six. dress light.'
The first hurdle up till Sunday was undoubtedly, Kei. Sure; recently his attention had been fixated on a pretty little blond, but it still seemed as if nothing really escaped his reach. Telling him that Yamaguchi had plans was a sure fired way of landing underneath his radar, and there was no way on Earth Yamaguchi could lie to Kei. Not successfully at least.
Yamaguchi was scribbling on a piece of note paper, the same name doodled over every inch of its surface. "... I can't, uhh, hang out with you and Yachi this Sunday."
Kei stopped his own pencil's etchings, looking up from their schoolwork as they collaborated together. "No? But we're teaching Yachi how to skate. And I need help with those other idiots."
The darker haired teen thought of Kageyama and Hinata in a skating rink together and winced a little. It wasn't fair leaving the two alone with Tsukishima, especially when he had Yachi to attend to. But Akiteru had already taken his Sunday away. "I've got plans," he breathed softly, watching Kei's eyes narrow in suspicion.
"If you don't want to hang out with us, you can just say so."
"Tsukki! No, it's not like that," Yamaguchi defended, his eyes lowering down to the paper he half hid underneath his forearms. "I've really got plans."
Tsukishima leaned back in his chair, wondering why Yamaguchi was making such a big deal out of this. "With who?" he asked, dooming Yamaguchi.
Eyes shifted up to him. "Akiteru."
The taller teen was slightly taken aback, even if it wasn't overly obvious. Yamaguchi had a knack for noticing these subtle changes, and the sight of them always made him either nervous, or concerned. Right now, he was the former. Tsukishima could tell his best friend was telling the truth, but he wasn't sure why Yamaguchi would be hanging out with his older brother in the first place. So, he sighed, drinking some boxed juice. "You've been hanging out with him more, recently. Since when did you get so close?"
You know when, Yamaguchi wanted to say, instead shrugging. "We just like to talk and stuff. He's teaching me how to pick up girls."
"God." That seemed to be enough of an answer to keep Tsukki off his back, because the unwaveringly sarcastic teen looked like he wanted nothing to do with it. "He's been asking me all these weird questions about you. No wonder."
Yamaguchi perked up at the sound of that. "He has? Like what?"
Tsukki rolled around on the thought, his pencil aiming back to paper. "Hobbies. If you still like soggy french fries. What you do when you're around a girl you like. Your type. Stuff he should be asking you." Little did he know, this knowledge was making Yamaguchi's day.
"Really?" He asked softly, more to himself, a dreamy sigh leaving him, working his pencil over paper once more.
A
ki
te
ru
The second hurdle was Sunday morning, 0600, when Akiteru was busting into his room. Yamaguchi wasn't aware of his presence until his shoulders were being shaken gently. "Nnh... wha- -?"
"I said six. What's the big idea?" Akiteru's voice was playful, barely above a whisper. It'd taken the younger teen to realize that Akiteru was in his room for the first time. Sneaking around his underwear drawer.
That woke Yamaguchi up immediately. "W-Wait, what're you doing?" He climbed out of bed, trying to flatten his bed hair as Akiteru examined a pair of briefs, then discarded them in favor of swim trunks, stuffing them into a bag. "Packing," Akiteru replied, nodding toward the rest of the teen's dresser. "Get dressed. We'll make up lost time on the drive."
"The drive?" Yamaguchi whined, confused and sleepy. Akiteru stopped in his tracks, giving Yamaguchi a one-over as he pulled on a pair of shorts. The more they shared a gaze, the redder Yamaguchi's face got. Finally, Yamaguchi lost the staring contest when he averted his eyes, muttering a, "Take a picture," as Akiteru laughed.
"I thought you meant six pm." Yamaguchi finally spoke once he was more fully awake and seated in Akiteru's rental car, buckling himself up. "I didn't think you were capable of getting up this early."
"What're you talking about?" Akiteru was driving and manipulating the car's stereo dials, responsibly keeping his eyes on the road. The look of concentration he wore on his face was cute, to Yamaguchi. "I went to the same school as you, n' had volleyball. 'Course I've been up this early."
"Where are we going?" Yamaguchi asked, though more likely than not he'd be happy to accompany Akiteru to Hell and back if he wanted.
"Down south." Music started up and Akiteru retracted his hand with a grin. "Gonna go chase some sun."
And then, he started singing. This surprised Yamaguchi at first, because he was used to a softer, deeper version of this voice on Tsukki. He'd definitely never heard the glasses-clad teen sing before. But Akiteru's voice unashamedly boomed within the confines of the vehicle.
It was just you and me
Under the map, only a tranquil sea
I took your hand, you looked away
But I knew I got you smilin' the whole day
Akiteru's singing itself wouldn't have been too bad, if he hadn't been gesturing to Yamaguchi the entire time and making a goof out of himself. He knew he shouldn't have been as flattered as he was, but Yamaguchi couldn't help but feel special, even if it was a corny serenade. "Jeez Aki, cut it out!"
It's perfectly sane, how crazy I am for you
Feelings won't change, perfect not pure
The way you get shy makes my heart beat up my whole chest
Just tell me you're mine
I promise I'm yours
Moon and Stars
Yamaguchi rolled his eyes, feeding into another blush as Akiteru poked into his side. "What are these lyrics anyway?"
"Trust me, this is a one of a kind song," Akiteru caught his breath, speaking through the song. Yamaguchi almost regretted it, because he wanted to hear him sing to him some more. "This band never makes songs this cheesy. It was like a one time deal for them."
"Ohh," Yamaguchi acknowledged, trying to be interested in the things Akiteru liked. "Yeah, Kei thinks he liked these guys on his own, but I'm the one that found 'em first."
Was this a band Tsukki was interested in? Yamaguchi looked at the digital screen on the dashboard, memorizing the song's name and the artist. Wasn't it the same artist of the CD he'd bought Tsukki?
Just tell me you're mine
I promise I'm yours
Moon and Stars
After Akiteru revealed his wide range and fully stocked repertoire, Yamaguchi hadn't known how many hours had passed. But Akiteru always had something interesting to say about music, or some weird coworker, and sometimes even Yamaguchi was talking loudly over the music just to get his own point across. He didn't ask where he was going again, because at this point it didn't really matter.
Reading a large sign passing by them, Akiteru nodded his head toward Yamaguchi without looking off the road. "'kay, keep your eyes closed until I say so." Yamaguchi complied and closed them because he loved surprises more than anything. He was anxious for some reason, chewing on the inside of his cheek as the car swayed around. He hadn't gotten a good look at the town's terrain, and all he had to go on was the salty scent of the breeze that rolled passed them when the windows were rolled down. The car was slowing and he could hear seagulls. His heart leaped as the car jolted to a stop.
He was expecting Akiteru to tell him to open his eyes, but he didn't get the prompt. Instead, his heat grew closer, and breath tickled his face.
Lips pressed into Yamaguchi's, forcing his head back into the seat behind him. He made a weird strangled sound in the back of his throat as he broke the kiss, his eyes wildly blinking into Akiteru's.
They shared the same salty air and the heat from their cheeks. Yamaguchi's hands were still half pushing at Akiteru's shoulders.
"... You were supposed to keep your eyes closed," he muttered after a short while, something nervous in the way that he spoke. Yamaguchi'd never heard Akiteru sound so unsure before.
The grip on Akiteru's shoulders loosened, his fingers readjusting over his back as he looked coyly between them. "I promise I'll keep them closed if you do that again," he blurted, and nothing could've won him over more in that instant than the wide, sloppy grin on Akiteru's face.
This time Yamaguchi was a little more prepared for it. He knew it was coming, at least. This was his second kiss, and when Akiteru broke apart and brushed up against him once more, it was his third. He felt his lips pillow out against Akiteru's, trying to move his mouth in sync with the older man's, but eventually hands came up tot he sides of his dark hair to keep him still. Yamaguchi didn't mind submitting to him, breathing out in soft little huffs through his nose as Akiteru slipped in his tongue, pulling a deep groan out of Yamaguchi before he even knew it was coming out.
They were both men. No matter how relatable and funny Akiteru was, he was much older. He wasn't even mentioning the most important fact here, that Akiteru was indeed Tsukki's brother. There was no way he'd be happy about this.
Akiteru pulled back to scan his eyes over the bliss spilled prettily over the high-schooler's features. Yamaguchi tried to fix the heated look on his face, but Akiteru had already memorized it by then.
"I didn't drive you out here to kiss you," Aki started, before clearing his throat and correcting himself, "Well, I did, but that's not all." He let his hands slide off the sides of Yamaguchi's face, giving him leave to stare out of the clear windows and over the golden shore separating them from the ocean. Still taken aback from the breathtaking kisses, the view presented to him gave him a whole other feeling entirely. Something gripped his chest and refused to let go.
"Wow," he uttered, scanning the marks the sea left with each wave creeping on the sand. Akiteru was still watching Yamaguchi, his smie returned. "Yeah." But he wasn't looking at the ocean when he said that.
After a few more seconds of mulling everything over, Akiteru was opening the door and climbing out. "I'll wait outside, so get changed." Akiteru was already pulling off his shirt to leave in the car, bringing a bag of stuff for the two of them to use as he gave Yamaguchi the privacy he needed. Really, Yamaguchi wouldn't have cared so much if Akiteru stayed or even helped him change, but this was his childhood friend he was thinking about. He'd been like a brother to him.
No. Tsukki was his brother. Yamaguchi was something very different. He changed into the swimtrunks Akiteru had packed for him, decidedly leaving on his shirt as he stepped over the sand. Shoes became a nusiance and finally he was letting his bare feet catch sand. Yamaguchi played in it as they walked, trying to keep his eyes focused on the beach rather than Akiteru shirtless. Finally, though, he thought up an excuse to stare. "You're gonna burn if you don't put any sunscreen on." Yamaguchi was a little darker, the burn wouldn't be as severe.
"We'll be swimming. I'll be fine," Akiteru draped a towel over a spot he'd deemed fit, lowering there things as Yamaguchi stared at him dumbly. "Water's not going to protect you from the sun."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it."
...
"You're the adult, I guess."
The beach was fairly busy, you could expect nothing less on the weekend, on such a sunny, warm day. Everyone was so busy with their fun that Yamaguchi stopped feeling self conscious, and focused more on the looks Akiteru gave him, and the looks he was giving Akiteru. Swimming and rough housing in the water was a lot more fun with their strength all but matched. It'd been awhile since Yamaguchi had so much fun without holding back for the sake of someone else. Akiteru liked seeing Yamaguchi happy, so it was a win-win.
After a long bout in the sea, they'd pulled themselves back to land, sand drying on their skin as they split the two towels between them, each lying against one. Shade from an abandoned umbrella cooled their skin, but the smell of salt and sand was still there. Akiteru looked pink already, but it'd be awhile before he'd feel the burn, so Yamaguchi didn't feel like saying anything now. The two were busy catching their breath, Akiteru's foot catching on Yamaguchi's.
A question had been burning on his mind. "Why'd you kiss me?"
Akiteru's hands were behind his head now in a makeshift pillow. His eyes were closed, and for a second, Yamaguchi'd thought he'd fallen asleep.
"You want the serious answer?" he said with some hesitation.
Yamaguchi turned on his side to watch Akiteru's still face. "You know I do."
Progressively, Akiteru's frown deepened. Yamaguchi realized that he wasn't irked; he was just embarrassed. For someone as round-the-clock gorgeous as Aki to have such an ugly response to embarrassment made Yamaguchi feel that much sweeter.
"I ran out of excuses to see you. Figured I'd need a better one."
"Aki."
"Gahhhhh, fine." Akiteru groaned, twisting over on his side to face Yamaguchi with a feral grimace almost biting in its nature. But there was no hiding the embarrassment laced beneath irritation. Tsukki was similar, but his feelings were softer around the edges. Akiteru was loud in all that he did.
"Before, you were like a little brother to me, and so for old times sake I wanted to cheer you up... but the more we hung out, the more I realized how wrong it was, that I wasn't the one making you happy." He sounded tormented. When had Yamaguchi ever heard him talk like this? "I started regretting how we met, and how you must've thought of me, because there was no way you could've saw me as anything more than a brother after all that we've been through." For Akiteru to be this concerned really shocked Yamaguchi. In his naivety, he'd thought that Akiteru breezed without a single insecurity. He'd been wrong.
Finally, Akiteru said what he'd meant all along. "I realized that you're everything I'll ever need."
The waves rocked on behind them, voices sounded all around them. Time was still going on, but for Yamaguchi it all seemed to stop. He'd thought that if someone did love him, he wouldn't care who it was so long as it was someone. But in that moment, he was really glad Akiteru was the one that loved him, and he knew now that he wouldn't want anyone else.
Yamaguchi was the one to attack this time, behind the cover of someone else's beach umbrella. Akiteru froze underneath the boy's warm body, his eyes closing as he sank into the kiss, in no way derailed by the fact that they were in public. No one they knew would be in the vicinity. Yamaguchi looked obviously younger, but he could pass off as a twenty-year old. God the things Akiteru wished he could get away with in public, squeezing Yamaguchi's ass through his wet trunks as he kissed fervently, rolling Yamaguchi over on his back.
Around the time they'd gotten over each other, which was admittedly still a work in progress, they'd gotten lunch and done a little shopping. They got a souvenir for Tsukki and Yachi, then a little something for each other. Yamaguchi snuck a little prophylactic Aloe Vera into Akiteru's bag for later.
During the ride back, Yamaguchi fell asleep. Akiteru kept the music and his humming down to a minimum.
Yamaguchi hadn't realized when they'd stopped, but Akiteru was gently nudging him by the shoulder. "Tadashi. We're home now."
The younger of the two moaned a little bit. It numbed the ache all over Akiteru's skin.
Soon he was reaching over to unbuckle the pinch server, leaning to open the car door. "C'mon, buddy. I'll help you out."
"Nh-nnh, no, I can do it." Yamaguchi sleepily rubbed his eyes, blindly groping for the door handle. When it buckled open, Yamaguchi was opening his eyes to see Akiteru staring after him. He smiled sheepishly and placed his hand on Akiteru's shoulder, leaning in for a kiss.
"fuCK!" Akiteru ripped his sensitive shoulder away from Yamaguchi's hand, panting erratically, eyes panicked.
Understanding at once, seeing just how red Akiteru had become all over, Yamaguchi felt a little too sorry to say, 'I told you so'. But still.
"There's some aloe in your bag." That was enough of a 'told you so' for Yamaguchi. He braced himself as Akiteru leaned in, this time pecking Yamaguchi's lips, before he exited the car.
There was a promise to text each other later, but now that Yamaguchi'd snuck a nap in he was ready to find that song and download it onto his iPod to memorize. It was girly and a bit neurotic, but what was so wrong with either of those things? After a good shower he was sprawled out on his bed, playing the song on repeat, eyeing the shirtless pic of Akiteru he'd sent after applying copious amounts of the green, soothing gel over his skin.
aki-terrible: 'This stuff is the tits. you're a life saver'
freckles: 'i know.'
aki-terrible: 'please tell me you had a good time today and that i can see you some time in the near future. Like. near.
Yamaguchi smiled terribly wide. freckles: 'not until your sunburn heals. night night, weirdo'