Day 21fst
Someone suggested it on his first year at Fukurodani (probably Komi, since he is really good at it and stands up from everybody else, unlike on court were the libero just goes by like a shadow) and then, the next year, someone suggested it again (probably Komi once more). They were supposed to go only the second years, but nobody was able to shut up Bokuto about inviting Akaashi as well, so the second years plus Akaashi went. The next year wasn't even a suggestion, someone just asked at what time should they meet, and from that moment it was stablished that it had become a tradition that will never die through the years.
Including the day of today.
That is the reason of why eight years later of that first time, on the twenty first of December (always the same exact day no matter what, no matter who was dying), Bokuto is sitting on a bench next to an ice rink, with Konoha and Sarukui, freezing his butt out.
"Is it me or it's colder than thirty minutes ago?"
He shivers while hugging himself, it felt as if the temperature had just dropped fifty degrees in no time.
"Maybe if you hadn't took off your coat, but don't take me too serious on that, probably I'm just saying nonsenses" Konoha smirks.
Laying forgotten on the bench is Bokuto's warm, cosy and wintery coat, whilst he is starting to not feel his limps. Where hell is Akaashi?
"Konoha what a crazy idea! Everybody knows that owl sweatshirts are warmer than coats. Cra-zy"
"Well, yeah, Saru is right" Bokuto starts. "I can't hide this cutie"
He looks at his sweatshirt with the proudness of a father seeing his child graduating from college. It is simple pale pink, but in the centre there is a customized drawing of two owls (resembling very much to Akaashi and himself), a volleyball above them and a speech balloon with the words "HOOT, HOOT, HOOT? DIDJA SEE THAT?" coming from one of the owls (his).
"Yes, Bokuto, your sweatshirt of your boyfriend and you drawn into owls is amazing, you love Akaashi so much and owls are the best. Now, PUT THE DAMN COAT ON!"
Konoha has always taken the job of parenting Bokuto in Akaashi's absence. A tradition that doesn't die through the years, neither.
"Not until Keiji gets here" He puffs his cheeks with stubbornness.
"I don't think you should rely on his authority to make you be responsible, you know"
Konoha gives a look directed to Sarukui and Bokuto kind of guesses that this is not going to look good for him.
"Yes, Bokuto, you are a grown man and our poor baby Akaashi is not your father"
Sarukui smiles using the creepy one, it's always so scary that makes Bokuto shiver more violently than before.
"Either you start behaving or he will have to find another man who doesn't need someone blowing his nose"
"It's not like that" He frowns, he is not liking the conversation at all.
"Yeah and as pretty as he is it won't be difficult, I'm pretty sure we could even find him some fine candidates today"
"SHUT UP YOU BOTH, I'M SAYING IT'S NOT LIKE THAT"
Keiji loves him, he has found him more than once and twice hiding a smile when parenting him.
NO, WAIT.
Keiji doesn't parent him, he is an adult, his boyfriend just finds endearing when he acts like a child. Yes, that is it.
WAIT, NO.
That is not, either.
"What it's not like that?"
Bokuto straightens his stand recognising the sweet voice of his saviour.
"Akaashi, the man!" Sarukui approaches him and pats his back, Akaashi nods at him and at Konoha and then fixes his eyes on his shivering boyfriend, it's too soon to start scolding him.
"Why are you not wearing a coat, Koutarou?"
Bokuto looks at him from head to toes.
"Why are you wearing a coat?"
Akaashi sighs, guessing what is going on.
"Bokuto, put the coat on"
The volleyball player ignores him completely.
"I feel so betrayed right now, I mean, what are you? My boyfriend or my worst enemy?"
Not so far from them, Washio's head pops out from the crowd of people and, thanks to his tall presence, Komi was being able to be spotted as well. However, he is not worried, once he puts the skates on his feet he is the one to be noticed.
"Hello my most beloved former team mates. Have you been g… Bokuto, why are you not wearing a coat?"
Bokuto puffs childishly making the air closer to his face looked white with the warmness of his breath.
"Why is everybody so obsessed with me and my coat?"
He just wanted to be cool, but everything was going the other way around.
"My coat and I"
"No, not with you Konoha, with me"
Probably the only one that doesn't burst into a laugh is Akaashi, who is looking at him with endearing and loving eyes.
Well, no.
Akaashi is laughing, too.
"Last time I checked my hands were getting frostbites and you are just walking around in a sweatshirt" Komi says.
"It wouldn't sound half as crazy, if my supposed sowlmate hadn't betrayed me"
All the eyes travel to Akaashi with wonder in them, he lets go a sigh.
"You didn't expect me to go around on this temperature in only a sweatshirt, did you?" He knows his boyfriend was expecting exactly that, though.
While Bokuto makes a pout, like the wounded lover he is, Konoha's eyes widen at the understanding of those words.
"Don't you tell me…" but he can't finish the sentence bursting into a laugh that have him bending over himself.
The other ones look, kind of guessing kind of wondering what is happening.
"Yes, we are wearing matching sweatshirts" He lets the truth go in resignation.
"Don't say it as if you were announcing that Hitler won the war!"
Then it happens all at once, the rest of the team joins Konoha in his bending laugh.
At this point Bokuto just wants to cuddle into himself and cry, all his incredible plan gone through the gutter. They were supposed to look really cool and the others get amazed once they saw them hip against hip, speech babble next to speech babble.
However, Keiji's incapacity of tolerating the cold has prevented him from that joy.
Meanwhile Bokuto is sulking with his glaze directed to the ground, Akaashi makes a face to the former team, just like the old days. At the same time he is putting the coat off, and freezing, and cursing his big baby boyfriend and the things that are done in the name of love.
He moves next to Bokuto, so it can be read: "HOOT, HOOT? DIDJA SEE THAT?" "Hoot, hoot. Yes"
And, of course, the team understands. How could they not when are things that could never be forgotten.
"Woooow, Bokuto, your sweaters are amazing!"
"The owls are the living image of you both"
"Was it your idea, Bokuto?"
"Of course it was, Komi, we wouldn't expect less from our normal ace"
When Bokuto moves his head to Akaashi his eyes lighten up like any other Christmas light is capable of, bright and blinding, and Akaashi wonders if a little bit of cold wouldn't have been worth it for that simple pure happiness.
"Now, can we all go to for what we've come here, skate?"
Sarukui pats his head, making himself look taller.
"You just want to gain centimetres, recognize it, Komi"
"Shut up"
"Don't need to be so eager, with everybody wearing skates you, my child, will look short as usual"
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS OR I WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY SHORTNESS AND KICK YOUR ASSES"
Bokuto isn't able to put away his grin, he isn't just glad the tradition went on in time, but also that their friendship continued to be the same, perhaps a little bit more mature (or maybe not), but definitely the bone remained like tough roots.
The skating ring is big and shiny, thousands of different kinds of blue and white lights stacked at its borders, and in the centre of it, a plastic Christmas tree garnished with balls of all the colours of the rainbow. It kind of looked like something coming out from a terrible romantic cliché Christmas movie.
Bokuto loves skating the nearest as possible from the tree, brushing with his fingers a branch or a ball whenever he can without jeopardizing his stability. Sometimes being yelled by the security guard, sometimes by Keiji, although in the end, it's always worth it. Because he gets to touch the Christmas tree while skating with his friends at the beginning of the Holiday, and in his language this means good luck.
"Watch me, you losers!"
Komi yells at the same time he jumps to do a pirouette, is not more than a simple full twist into the air, however, enough to attract some kids to cheer him. Looking at the scene, Bokuto feels brave enough to increase his speed and skate towards Keiji, grab him by the waist and lift him from the ice.
"Koutarou!"
He gulps in surprise and holds on his shoulders, fearing for his butt.
"I'm going to throw you like those skating couples, make a nice pirouette, better than Komi's"
The excitement is all over his face and voice, pretty similar as when he spikes.
"I swear it, Koutarou, if you let go off a single finger of me you will be spending Christmas single"
"What, no!"
Bokuto puts him down though he straightens the grip, smashing hips against hips, noses touching. Keiji starts to make circles in one of his shoulders, preventing himself from smoothing away with his fingers his boyfriend pout.
"Don't joke about that, Keiji, you know I don't like it"
"I'm sorry" He isn't and both of them know it.
"It's Christmas, a time to be kind and corny, cut out the sassiness"
It's not like Akaashi didn't want to, it's just that he loves a wee bit too much Koutarou's pouts, they are his weakness. Not that he knows, for the sake of himself Koutarou will never be aware of that fact.
"What if I give you a forgiveness kiss?"
"I'm not sure, I may need more than one"
He leans and Bokuto manages to meet him halfway, even if they were already touching, it's more a sweet than a passionate kiss, although there is tongue involved. He brushes Bokuto's check, caress that is copied back making him unable to help a smile.
"I think I'm going to get sick, Saru"
"Yeah, I got you. I don't know what is clingier, if Bokuto French kissing our baby or touching the Christmas tree like a kid"
Konoha and Saru pass next to them skating with serious faces, arms behind their backs and not even looking at them.
"I allow you to be sarcastic with them"
Akaashi tilts his head, resembling a curious owl, then lifts a finger to give a couple of tips against his mouth.
"But they are not telling lies"
"AGAAAAAAASHEEEEIIIEE"
Akaashi jiggled with the lyrics of jingle bell sounding on the background, maybe he is looser on this time of the year, too. Jiggling like when he started dating Koutarou and couldn't bottle up his contentment. By then he was seventeen, his behaviour was more than excused, now though…
Lame.
He tends his hand and when Koutarou intertwines their fingers he starts moving, dragging him along. And they skate like that for the next whole hour, wishing he could do it holding both hands instead of only one, since Koutarou's are little heaters, yet wearing gloves. He is feeling so Christmassy that even gives in and agrees to approach the tree to touch together one of the branches.
"Can we take one ball home?"
When Bokuto has to ask is because he already knows the answer, although there are times where the surprise reigns.
"No"
Well, apparently today is not one of those times.
"It would look really cool on our tree"
Akaashi prepares himself to skate away knowing if he stays the question would go on and on and on.
"No"
Bokuto knows the pouting homeless kitty face has some kind of effect in his boyfriend, but unluckily doesn't seem to be working this time. So he leaves it there to follow Keiji out of the ring were the others are waiting for them. He leaves it as if it was his dearest dream and not just a piece of plastic coloured in metallic fuchsia.
"I swear, nowadays parents are mentally damaged. I was only teaching those girls how to pirouette, for god's sake, I'm not attracted to children!"
Konoha and Sarukui were already wiping tears from the laugh, even Akaashi's mouth corners were starting to lift, the only one who maintained the composure was Washio and only because he was dealing with the situation talking to the security guard.
"Have someone accused you of being a pederast?"
Bokuto asks scandalized.
"Those crazy protective parents, this is the society that awaits for us, over spoiled and protected kids"
"Just recognize it, Komi, you like them shorter than you and the only ones that fit are the children"
"DON'T EVEN JOKE ABOUT IT"
But it doesn't matter, they will tease him forever with this unfortunate accident, and memes will be send at their WhatsApp group and maybe, probably, most certainly, someone will give him a doll as a Christmas gift.
"Everything is all right, I've calmed them down and no charges are going to be presented"
It is a wonder how Washio, the tallest and scariest, hasn't made it worst, Christmas is a wonderful time, without question.
Not much after they farewell each other with a bunch of new photos on their phones and Akaashi feeling bone frozen swearing to not wear more matching clothes on winter unless they are gloves, they walk back to their apartment half hugging.
"Hey, Kou"
He calls him in a heavy whisper and Koutarou can't do anything more than halt, because those two words carried something with them.
"Here" He takes an object from his pocket and tends it to his boyfriend, who grabs it with expectant owlish eyes. "Merry pre-Christmas or whatever"
Koutarou looks at it, and it can be seen the moment his mind clicks and recognizes what is it about.
"Wha. Kei. OH MY GOD" All his face brightens up and he can't help himself from wrapping his arms around Keiji and take all the air from his lungs with a hugs.
It is one of the ice rink Christmas tree decoration, two peppermint sticks crossed between each other.
"It's not the ball, but…"
"No, no…" He pulls him into a kiss, sappy and sweet, because there is no words he can say and he is feeling way too much. "I love you, Keiji, I love you to the Pole North and back"
Maybe his homeless kitty pouting face does actually work, in the end.
"Can we set up the decorations when we get home?"
"No"
"Plis?"
"No"
"Pretty please?"
"No, we are doing it tomorrow"
"Oh… What if we wait to midnight, then it will be tomorrow"
"I'm throwing this to the river"
"NO, you stole it for me, is mine! Besides, the river is for the fish, not for the plastic, uncivilized"
"Wait, did I use uncivilized correctly?