(i realize i've been doing this slightly wrong, in the pov telling of "the way you said 'i love you'"... anyway)

rated G for giggly good feelings
that's it. just bokuto with a huge gay crush on one akaashi keiji.

6. on a sunny tuesday afternoon, with the sunlight glowing in your hair

"-and then, you'll never believe what Kenma-chan said! He didn't even look up from his phone, you should've seen the look on Kuroo's face!"

Koutarou gestures wildly, animatedly retelling the story of his last visit to his partner-in-crime. Akaashi walks beside him, hands in the pockets of his jacket, the tiniest smile on his face. They're heading home after a good practice, with Koutarou nailing almost every spike. It's nearing the end of summer, with just the slightest breeze ruffling through the trees, but the days remain long and bright even now. Koutarou is content strolling through these familiar streets at this slow pace with his setter and best friend.

"I'm sure it was ridiculous," says Akaashi, and Koutarou grins.

"It was! You should join us next time!"

Akaashi only shrugs, smile still in place. "Maybe next time." He tilts his head to look at the sky, squinting just the slightest bit from the glare of the setting sun.

Koutarou watches him, falling silent, which he's prone to do often in Akaashi's presence. It's not like he's completely conscious of it, and if Akaashi notices, he's never mentioned it. But Koutarou quite likes it sometimes, the way they can fill the space between them with mindless chatter, or just comfortable silence. Even for Koutarou's restless mind filled with too many thoughts and ideas and doubts and fears, when it's just the two of them like this, he doesn't feel the need to distract himself from his own mind. For just a few brief moments, all the noise in his head calms down, and for that, Koutarou is eternally thankful and glad that the fates have allowed Akaashi Keiji into his life.

They cross the street, their shadows growing longer behind them. Little kids run by them on their way to the playground, and Koutarou turns to watch them. He smiles, remembering when he was that small, so brave and loud and untouchable in the face of whatever the world could throw at him. Before he grew up and understood that one man couldn't take on the world by himself, especially when his own self tended to sabotage him at inconvenient times.

He turns to remark on something to Akaashi, but he forgets it as soon as he catches sight of his setter. The boy is staring ahead, the last of the sunlight filtering through the tree branches and lighting his face. He has on a serene expression, a soft curve tilting his lips, his messy black locks reflecting the sunset as if a halo of some ethereal being. Koutarou thinks Akaashi has never looked more breathtaking.

Then Akaashi turns to him, and his smile widens just the slightest bit. His dark eyes seem to soften as he gazes back at Koutarou, and with the fading afternoon sun making him look positively glowing, he says, "I love you, Bokuto-san."

Koutarou pauses, but only so to blink the brightness out of his eyes, enough that he can focus back on the beautiful face of his setter, his best friend, his favourite person probably ever.

He grins. Wordlessly, he reaches out, and Akaashi takes his open hand.

They hold on all the way home.

raise your hand if akaashi keiji is prettier than you are and you're glad for it (bokuto raises both his hands in a banzai manner, probably)

also, haha, slipped in personal headcanons about our favourite alpha owl and his inner demons, oops (/casually self-promos: pls go read my bokuto character study)