Warnings: Hinted AkaKuro, possible OOCness.
Akashi keeps glancing around himself the whole way home, as if scared of someone following him. And when Kuroko asks him, he says that's exactly what it is.
"I'm running away from home, remember? Knowing my parents, they'll turn the whole city around once they find out I'm gone." Akashi sighs and runs his fingers through his shockingly red hair. "I really don't want to get caught though, so let's just hurry and get to your house, Tetsuya."
"…okay," Kuroko mumbles and turns away to hide the blush on his cheeks. He doesn't really understand why the other can make him blush so easily but it feels nice.
It feels nice to be finally noticed and maybe even needed.
It's the first time Kuroko's ever brought a friend over so it's natural for him to feel nervous. He should probably offer the redhead something to eat, or at least serve some tea, but instead he stands awkwardly in the middle of the living room and tries to calm down.
"Are you switching schools in the middle of the year then?" Akashi catches Kuroko by surprise with the question. The bluenette shakes his head.
"It's my last year of high school and we don't have much school left anyway, so I'll just come back to Tokyo for the exams and such. My father's parents still live here so I can stay with them while I'm here."
"What about university? Are you planning to stay in Osaka?"
"I don't really know yet. My father's transfer was really sudden so I haven't really thought about what I'm going to do in Osaka." Kuroko looks at Akashi. "What about you then, Akashi-kun?"
"Me? Well, I don't really know either. If I'm really going to Osaka, I can't attend school in Tokyo, can I? And if I do, my parents will probably find me." Akashi sits on the couch and stares at the floor, lost in thought. "They want me to go to Todai after graduation, and I could get there with my grades, but…" he trails off.
"…so you're not going to go back home?"
Akashi scoffs and looks at Kuroko with an amused glint in his eyes. "If I went back after something like this, they would probably hire me a bodyguard and keep me chained to him for the rest of my life. Or at least until they die."
"…oh," is all Kuroko says to that. Then again, he doubts there are many people who know how to react to Akashi's words. It sounds like his parents are even worse than Kuroko's stepmother – and now that the woman's gone for good, Kuroko feels like he's privileged compared to Akashi.
At least he always had the periods of freedom when his father was home. But if both of Akashi's parents want to keep him confined in his room, doesn't that mean he really has no chance of being free unless he runs away from home?
And I'm the only person who can help him? It seems that Kuroko's heart goes crazy whenever the redhead's involved. It's a bit annoying though, to have his heart beating so hard it physically hurts.
As the two fall into silence, Kuroko can't help his eyes wandering to Akashi's neck. The scar is partly hidden beneath the collar of his shirt but the bluenette still traces it with his gaze, completely forgetting that Akashi didn't seem too eager to talk about it last time.
"…it's rather rude of you to keep staring at my neck," Akashi says after a while, sounding annoyed. Kuroko jumps a little and retreats a few steps, his face burning with embarrassment.
Why did I do that again? Now it's going to be awkward for him to stay here… say something, distract him.
"I-I could make some tea if you'd like," he suggests shakily (why is it so hard to keep his voice steady?).
"Thank you," Akashi replies with a smile, and the atmosphere gets lighter once again.
Kuroko tries his best not to take too long in the kitchen but his brain seems to disagree. First he drops the teapot, then the cups (one of them breaks), and just when he's finished cleaning the shards, he somehow manages to splash some of the boiling water on his hand.
Calm down. This time it'll go better. We'll talk, get to know each other, and I won't go too close to him. Kuroko runs cold water on his hand and flinches at the sting of pain. Great, it's going to need a band aid. He must seem like a clumsy idiot in Akashi's eyes for this.
Several minutes later Kuroko finally emerges from the kitchen carrying a tray with the tea pot, cups and some sweets he found in the cupboard. Akashi smiles at him and the slight trembling in Kuroko's hands gets so bad that he almost drops the tray.
Please don't drop it in front of Akashi-kun, Kuroko berates himself mentally and somehow manages to set the tray on the table without spilling anything. Another few minutes pass in silence as the two sip their tea.
"It's good."
"What is?"
"…the tea?" There's a hint of amusement in Akashi's voice.
"Oh." How about thank you? Or something, anything else to start a conversation? But no, Kuroko's mouth refuses to open and all he can do is stare at his cup with growing despair.
This is just as awkward as last time, if not even more. So why not just throw all cautiousness to the wind and make the situation even worse than before?
"Akashi-kun."
"Hm?"
"Since I told you about the situation with my family, I was thinking that maybe… you could tell me about the scar on your neck?"
The expression Akashi responds with is not as defensive as before but he still sighs. "You really want to know, huh."
"Well, it is rather clearly visible there…"
"Fine, I'll tell you. But not right now, a bit later." Akashi reaches for his cup and takes another sip. "Thank you for agreeing to my request, Tetsuya," he says suddenly, as if he hadn't even thought of saying that earlier.
"You're welcome," Kuroko says. His face is probably about the same shade as Akashi's hair because it feels like his cheeks are on fire and he still can't understand why the other boy can make him blush with such mundane things as thanking him.
Kuroko's dad's working late again so the boys have dinner by themselves. Akashi has no idea how to cook, he's always had a maid for that, and Kuroko isn't a master either, mainly due to his stepmother, so in the end they have boiled eggs and some leftover rice.
Akashi says it's good though, so Kuroko doesn't really mind.
Evening falls fast and it starts snowing. The two boys sit in the living room and stare at the flakes dancing in the air while chatting about irrelevant things, such as which season they prefer and when their birthdays are. Turns out that Akashi's turning 17 in just a few weeks – Kuroko makes a mental note to remember the date to be able to do something special on that day.
It's only when they've gone to bed (Kuroko brings out a spare futon for Akashi and lays it next to his bed) that Akashi brings up the scar again. He does it on his own, just casually mentioning it after they've discussed their schools a bit.
"I've wanted to die ever since I was 13. The first two attempts failed completely, didn't even leave a scar or anything." Akashi's tone is casual, as if he was talking about something as trivial as weather. "On the third time, I really wished I would succeed so I went all out. I stole my father's razor and slit my neck with it." Even in the dark, Kuroko can see Akashi staring at the ceiling with an absent look.
(How can he be so calm while talking about something like this?)
"There was so much blood and I was sure I'd succeed. But apparently a maid found me and called an ambulance. I was in a coma for a few days and the doctors thought I wouldn't make it… of course I wasn't there to hear it, they told me afterwards."
The redhead falls silent for a moment. "Hey Tetsuya… if I had died back then, the two of us wouldn't have met. And because of our meeting, I'm really glad to be alive right now. Back then, though… I really wanted to die. All those three times I tried to kill myself, I really wished I would die."
Kuroko chokes up. Sure, he's been miserable too, but at least he's only been desperate enough to try to kill himself once. And that is without a doubt the worst he's ever felt – so cornered that there's no other way but to die to escape it. Akashi, on the other hand, has felt like that three times?
The bluenette can't even begin to imagine how horrible Akashi's life must be.
The sudden wave of sympathy that washes through Kuroko makes him get out of bed and crawl next to Akashi on the futon and, in a burst of courage, wrap his arms around the redhead's waist. He can feel Akashi tense against him so he has to say something to explain himself.
Which is why he ends up babbling totally cheesy lines.
"Don't worry, Akashi-kun. You're not alone anymore. I'm here for you. You don't have to carry your burdens alone." At least I meant well, even if the execution wasn't the best possible…
Akashi looks at him and smiles. Kuroko's heart misses a beat.
"Thank you, Tetsuya." The redhead presses his head against Kuroko's shoulder and leaves it there. It only takes a few minutes for him to fall asleep, for which Kuroko is rather grateful because his heart is trying to break through his chest again. This time though he knows exactly why.
I like him, he thinks in horror. I barely know him, he doesn't need someone like me liking him, but I really like Akashi-kun.
Akashi shifts a little, his hand settling on Kuroko's hip, and Kuroko can't take it. He sits up, removing the hand and runs to the kitchen, his heart about to burst.
(I can't. Just stop. Please. I can't. He wouldn't ever like me back anyway. Just don't.)
There's no doubt about it. If he spends any more time with this person, he'll end up falling in love.
A/N: So sorry for the late update! I hit another funk in writing so what can I do. Writer's blocks are no joking matter -_- And I still didn't finish that other fic. Seriously feel free to hate me for never being able to stick to my plans. /drowns in tears of self-loathing
But thanks for all the reviews! Reading through them when I'm having a writer's block and realising that people actually like this story and want to read more makes me really happy and also gives me inspiration to keep writing. And whoa, I'm almost at a 100 followers on this story! Idek what to say, I just hope I won't disappoint anyone in the future haha :D
Hopefully I'll be able to update a bit faster next time~