"Starting today, I'm going to be your new homeroom teacher. My name is Akashi Seijuro and I'm twenty one years old. Now, that may seem pretty young to all of you, however if I weren't smart, I wouldn't be a teacher at the age of twenty one. I moved to Japan from Spain and I look forward to teaching all of you."
During lunch, whispers were heard through the classroom. The girls blushed and giggled while talking about how cute Akashi looked, while the boys looked down on the redhead for being so young.
"Hell we're seventeen or eighteen. He's like three years older than us!" One of the guys whispered harshly.
A blue haired boy slammed his hand on the desk, causing the class to look at him, "Like Akashi-sensei said, if he weren't smart, he wouldn't be here. If that man is here at that young age, I'm sure he is at least twenty one times smarter and wiser than all of you, including myself."
The whispers died down at Kuroko's outburst, they knew better than to stand up against Kuroko Tetsuya.
The blue haired boy was a bright student, but his reputation was second to none. To the teachers, he was nothing but a sweet honor student but to the students, he was like the devil but also like a god. The blue haired boy wasn't exactly a bad person; many girls fell in love with him and would constantly confess, while many guys would also confess to him or envy him. Kuroko never seemed interested though. He held an aura of mystery and wouldn't tell anyone anything about himself since the day he transferred to the school. He also had the tendency to disappear whenever the situation got too loud, which confused the students as to why he would run away. The blue haired boy didn't like being popular or in the center of attention, he preferred quiet areas where he could focus. Noise was too much for Kuroko and he didn't handle loud situations very well. He was the type of person who got migraines and occasionally panic attacks whenever there was too much noise, leading to headaches and sometimes fainting. Even after his migraine passed, he would still be able to hear strange noises that weren't there. Most of the time, he would yell and make an outburst in hopes to make everyone be quiet. All of the time, it worked.
Kuroko sighed and closed his eyes to enjoy his lunch break in silence. The less noise, the better. His eyes snapped open when the bell rang and he watched Akashi walk into the classroom.
The redhead was calm and collected, he wasn't easily shaken by the students and their jokes about him being too young to teach. Akashi would simply shoot back a harmless remark to make the students pay attention.
"Akashi-sensei, what do you think love looks like?" A girl asked suddenly.
The redhead took a deep breath, obviously irritated by the interruption in his lesson and said, "Well, to me, it won't look like you."
The female student seemed hurt by this but Akashi continued, "That's only to me. Love is an emotion, if we were to give it an appearance, it would be of who or what you love because that's all we can associate it to. Similar to how we associate the color red with love and passion. I haven't fallen in love before so I don't know what love would look like."
Even though sometimes Akashi's words were harsh, every sentence he spoke would teach a lesson, even if the lesson was something small like "shut up and pay attention to my class".
Kuroko found himself admiring the redhead with every day that passed. The blue haired boy wanted to be noticed more by his own teacher and Kuroko only noticed this when he caught himself staring at Akashi in the middle of class.
The blue haired boy's friend, Kagami, would always stay by his side to make sure he was there if things got too loud. Kuroko had fainted a few times from noisy events, so Kagami acted like a bodyguard and sometimes more like a mother. The taller of the two made sure to keep an eye on the blue haired boy.
One day, during lunch break, Kuroko was called out by two female students. The blue haired boy got up and followed them with Kagami close behind. In the field, another girl was waiting there. Her face was flushed red as she said, "Um…Kuroko-kun…I-uh, I really like you and I was wondering if you would go out with me!"
The blue haired boy showed no emotion and then he smiled sadly, "I'm sorry…I can't return your feelings. I'm afraid I'm in love with someone else."
"Eh?" Kagami and the girl said in unison. It was rare for the blue haired boy to say he was interested in someone. Actually, it had never happened before.
Everyone in the school knew that there was no one who suited Kuroko and was able to match his taste. The girl didn't know what else to say, so she mumbled, "Oh…I see. I hope the two of you are happy."
"Actually…" Kuroko muttered, "We're not together. It's a really one-sided thing and it's hopeless. I…uh, I should get going now. I'm sorry I can't return your feelings." The blue haired boy walked off without looking back at the girl and hoped that she wouldn't spread a rumor.
When Kuroko and Kagami got back to the classroom, the taller redhead asked, "Can I know who it is?"
"No." The blue haired boy said flatly and then flipped a book open to read.
Kagami leaned against the blue haired boy's desk and begged, "Please?"
Kuroko sighed at the sight of the redhead with puppy eyes and then closed his book and said, "Fine. But if you tell anyone, I will murder you with forks and knives."
Kagami chuckled at the blue haired boy's empty threat, "Okay. Shoot."
"Our teacher."
"Akashi-sensei?" The redhead asked to confirm it. When Kuroko nodded, Kagami smiled and threw his arm around his best friend, "Man, you've got high standards. But you realize that it's…impossible. He's a teacher and you're a student."
"I know, but imagine what could happen after I graduate from his class. He won't be my teacher anymore and I'll be a university student." The blue haired boy said.
Kagami shrugged, "True. Well, class is going to start soon. Good luck with your little dilemma."
Kuroko thanked Kagami and then saw Akashi walk into the class. He taught math and then science before the day ended. Once the day was over, he smiled and said, "Have a nice day and remember, there's a test tomorrow."
On the way back home, Kuroko seemed to be troubled and his best friend knew exactly what the problem was, "Worried about Valentine's day?" Kagami asked.
The blue haired boy gave a short nod, "Valentine's day is tomorrow and I normally stay home, but…there's a test…"
The taller of the two stopped and asked, "You're not thinking of going, right?"
"I have to! Tests are important. Besides, it's quiet during tests so I'll be okay." Kuroko said, almost as if he was reassuring himself.
"And what will you do after the test…?"
"I'll hide in the nurse's office. It'll be fine, I'll just avoid all the noise." The blue haired boy made a plan for tomorrow that he believed would work.
Kuroko woke up really early the next morning to beat everyone to school so he could hide in the infirmary where the nurse understood his problem with noise and was also his aunt. While walking into the school, he noticed Akashi walking down the hall towards him.
"Ah, Kuroko-kun, good morning. You're really early today." The redhead said.
"Good morning, Akashi-sensei." The blue haired boy said with a bow, "I'm just going to the nurse's office."
His teacher seemed confused as to why his student was going to the nurse's office but he smiled gently and said, "I hope there's nothing wrong then."
Kuroko nodded awkwardly and ran off. When he got to the nurse's office, the nurse smiled and said, "Hiding here again, Tetsu-kun?"
"I'm sorry, I just need a place to hide until the test starts and when the test ends." The blue haired boy said while sitting on a bed.
The nurse smiled and she said, "Well it's no problem to me, you're really quiet. But won't Taiga worry about you if he can't find you?"
Kuroko shrugged, "He'll find me."
The nurse, Kuroko and Kagami were really close since she saw Kuroko ever so often, either crying, blocking out the noise or unconscious. She made sure to keep the blue haired boy in a quiet place and always be around to help him.
Kuroko waited until ten seconds before the bell so he could run to class without anyone crowding him. Valentine's Day was his worst enemy after all; there was always too much noise and too many people crowding around him.
Kuroko stepped into class at the last second, trying to catch his breath. Akashi stared at him strangely, knowing that there should have been no reason for the blue haired boy to be running late since he was at school so early. The blue haired boy walked to the back of the class towards his desk, which was covered in chocolates and gifts. Kuroko sighed and packed them in his bag carefully. He was happy to receive so many gifts and he would cherish them, but first, he had to get the test over with.
When Akashi handed out the tests, Kuroko did his best to finish as fast as possible. To him, it was easy; the answers to the questions flowed from his brain straight to the paper, but he was able to tell that Kagami was having a harder time. His best friend sat in front of him and Kagami's struggles were evident. When Kuroko finished, he handed the test to his teacher and asked, "May I please go to the nurse's office, I have things to attend there."
Akashi knew that something was off about Kuroko, however, he had to follow the staff rules, "No. You will leave when the bell rings like everyone else."
Kuroko's eyes widened as he imagined the amount of noise that he would hear if he stayed until the bell rang, but he couldn't go against his teacher so he nodded and sat back down. The blue haired boy was restless in his seat; he stared at the clock and waited desperately for the bell to ring. He was able to see some people who wanted to give him chocolate or to chase him around the school. Akashi noticed all of this and he was determined to get to the nurse's office before Kuroko to figure out what was wrong. When Kagami finished his test, he turned and put his hand lightly on the blue haired boy's head.
"It'll be okay." His best friend whispered. The blue haired boy smiled nervously and continued to stare at the clock.
When the bell rang, Kuroko jumped out of his seat and ran for the nurse's office. Akashi took a shortcut to the nurse's office to make sure he was there before his strange blue haired student. In the middle of the hallway, a group of girls approached Kuroko and said,
"Happy Valentine's Day! Please accept our love."
The blue haired boy swallowed thickly as he suddenly became crowded by girls. He had lost Kagami somewhere so he had no escape plan. Kuroko broke past the loud crowd, his breathing became uneven and he started to feel dizzy. The blue haired boy ran to the nurse's office and tried to open the door.
It was locked.
Kuroko cursed colorfully and yelled in frustration. He knocked on the door frantically until someone opened it. It was Akashi. The blue haired boy heard the cacophony quickly approaching as the students called out his name. Kuroko looked at the redhead and said, "Please excuse my actions, Akashi-sensei."
Then he roughly pushed his teacher into the room.
Kuroko locked the door behind him and hid in the corner of the room with his hands over his ears. The redhead looked at Kuroko and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Too much…noise." The blue haired boy whimpered, "There's too much noise. I can't…breathe."
Akashi quickly opened the door to the nurse's office and faced the crowd of girls, "This is an infirmary! Be quiet and let the people in here rest. This is absolutely unacceptable, you think you want to have a crowd in your room screaming at you when you're sick?! I don't think so. Now, scram!" Akashi yelled in the hallways, then he shut the door and went back to Kuroko when he was sure everyone was gone.
The redhead tried to peel away the blue haired boy's hands from his ears, but Kuroko just shook his head no and tried to move away from Akashi. The nurse and Kagami walked in a second later. The taller redhead ran over to Kuroko and pried his hands off of his ears.
"Kuroko, it's me. Shh, it's okay. It's quiet. Everything is silent." Kagami said in a calm voice.
The blue haired boy was hyperventilating, his eyes were wide and he felt the urge to throw up. Kuroko mumbled, "It's so loud."
Kagami tried again but the blue haired boy just repeated himself. Kuroko curled up, bringing his knees right up to his chest and his hands back over his ears.
Akashi observed his student and then forcefully pried Kuroko's hands away from his ears again. Kagami stood back and watched his teacher with a worried expression. Akashi leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Kuroko's so that their warmth was shared. Their eyes locked together and then Akashi whispered,
"I know you're scared, but you have to understand that no one here is going to hurt you. No one is coming for you. You're safe here, that's why you come here in the first place, right? You know it's safe here. So sleep, it's alright."
When Akashi pulled away, the blue haired boy closed his eyes slowly and fell asleep in the redhead's arms. Kagami stared in disbelief as Akashi gently put Kuroko on the bed and asked,
"Can you tell me what's going on, Kagami-kun?"
"Uh…Kuroko gets migraines and panic attacks when he heard loud noises or when there's too much stuff going on. He didn't want to come to school today because on Valentine's Day, he tends to get crowded, but he came for the test." The taller redhead explained coldly.
"Ah, I see. Another question." Akashi said.
"Shoot."
"I can tell you don't like me." The red haired teacher started, "Why is that?"
Kagami picked up his bags and headed for the door, before he left he said, "I don't like you because Kuroko loves you instead of me."
The taller redhead shut the door quietly and went to have his lunch, leaving the nurse, Akashi and Kuroko in the infirmary.
The blue haired boy slept peacefully while Akashi seemed to be overthinking the situation of Kuroko liking him. The teacher sat on a chair with his legs and arms crossed and he thought,
Kuroko-kun loves me…Kagami-kun loves Kuroko-kun. Ugh…What have I gotten into?
"Um…Akashi-san?" The nurse said to get the redhead's attention, "I suggest you talk to Tetsu-kun about this whole liking matter. He takes things really seriously so it shouldn't be a problem. He won't break down and run away crying because you don't like him."
Akashi smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll have a talk with him when he wakes up. Is it alright if I stay here for lunch?"
"Of course." The nurse said with a gentle smile.
For the whole lunch break, Akashi sat beside the blue haired boy and thought hard about what to do with him. When lunch break was almost over, the redhead got up and said,
"Can you make sure he doesn't leave until school ends? I have to talk to him after all."
"Sure. He'll probably still be sleeping." The nurse said as she watched Akashi head towards the class.
For the rest of the day, Akashi felt worried and troubled. He didn't know how to deal with his feelings and Kuroko's feelings as well. The redhead was too young for this and he just felt lost as to what he should do.
When the day was over, he went back to the nurse's room to pick up the blue haired boy. The nurse handed Akashi and bottle of pills and said, "Be sure to give this to Tetsu-kun when he wakes up. He needs them to sleep and calm down. Usually after one of these breakouts, he'll continue to hear loud noises everywhere he goes, even if it's dead silent. The pills will just help him sleep."
The redhead nodded and said, "Can I have Kuroko's address? I'll just drive him to his house afterwards, I know his parents notified the school that they work abroad a lot so he's living alone so he'll need someone to drop him off."
The nurse handed a piece of paper to Akashi with an address on it and then said, "Tell him to get well soon."
Akashi carried Kuroko to his car and put him in the back seats so that he could lie down. The blue haired boy was still unconscious so the redhead decided to wait until he woke up.
After half an hour, Kuroko groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He saw crimson eyes staring at him and asked, "What…am I doing here? Actually, where is 'here'?"
"My car. You were unconscious." The redhead replied.
The blue haired boy sat up and asked, "…Why did you bring me here exactly? You could've just tossed me to Kagami-kun or the nurse."
Akashi sighed, unbuckled his seat belt and climbed over to the back seat with the blue haired boy. Kuroko looked as confused as ever but he waited for Akashi to explain himself.
"I need to talk to you about something Kagami-kun told me."
Kuroko suddenly didn't like where this conversation was going. The redhead was able to feel that Kuroko was scared so he said, "Whatever happens today will stay between us. I will not tell anyone, you will not tell anyone."
Kuroko nodded nervously and asked, "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Kagami-kun said that he didn't like me because you like me instead of liking him. Is this true?"
"Well, I didn't know about him liking me but it's true that I've grown to like you." The blue haired boy said with a small tint of pink across his cheeks.
Akashi continued, "You do realize that—"
Kuroko interrupted him, "Yes, I do realize that it's impossible and I get it. You're a teacher and I'm your student. But I'm thinking about after I graduate and how I won't be your student anymore. Will I be able to be yours then? Am I enough?"
The redhead blushed deeply and stared at Kuroko's blue eyes. Akashi quickly avoided the question and said, "I'm glad you understand…I'll drop you off at your house."
Kuroko stayed silent, he balled his hands into fists and stared out the window. The redhead felt bad, he did have feelings for Kuroko but it was impossible, even if they were only three years apart.
Before Kuroko left the car, the redhead handed him the bottle of pills, "She said to take one before you go to sleep. It's still really loud, isn't it?"
The blue haired boy brushed Akashi's hand away and mumbled, "Don't need it. Goodnight."
Kuroko gave an awkward bow and then ran into his house. The redhead sighed and decided to keep the pills with him, just in case Kuroko needed help.
The next day, the blue haired boy didn't go to school and he also stayed home the day after that. When Kuroko did come back to school, he looked really tired.
There were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was messed up. The girls and boys still loved him though, they thought he looked absolutely adorable.
Kuroko sat down in his chair and tried to get some rest.
I probably should've taken those pills from Akashi-sensei…It's still so loud. The blue haired boy thought to himself.
When class started, Kuroko began to doze off. All he wanted to do was sleep but every once in a while, he would hear something that he found loud or irritating. But the class was silent and Kuroko knew he was just hearing things. The blue haired boy listened to Akashi's voice as he taught the class and then heard,
"Kuroko-kun?"
Kuroko's eyes snapped open and he looked up to see Akashi standing in front of him. The blue haired boy stood up and apologized, "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening."
"I said, 'Are you alright?'. You look kind of sick. Would you like to go to the infirmary?" Akashi asked. Kuroko shook his head no, but the redhead said, "I'm worried about you. Please, go to the infirmary and lie down for a while. If you're feeling better then you can come back."
The blue haired boy gave in and nodded, then muttered a "thank you" under his breath so that nobody else heard it.
When Kuroko got to the infirmary, he plopped down onto a bed and tried to sleep. The nurse handed him a pill but the blue haired boy rejected it.
"I don't want it." He said.
"Tetsu-kun…You have to take it."
Kuroko repeated himself, "I don't want it."
The nurse sighed and put the pill away, then tucked Kuroko into the bed, "Try and get comfortable. You can still hear loud noises sometimes, right?"
The blue haired boy nodded and turned onto his side. When the lunch bell rang, Kuroko heard the door to the infirmary slide open. He heard two people whispering so he tried to eavesdrop,
"He has to take it." The nurse said.
"You can't force someone to take medicine."
"I'm his legal guardian, I think I can force him. It's like a motherly act to get their stubborn child to eat medicine. So please, get him to take it. I give you permission to force Tetsu-kun to take it."
Kuroko turned around in shock and saw Akashi standing there with the pill in his hand. The blue haired boy quickly got up and tried to leave the infirmary but the door was locked.
"Are you kidding me?" Kuroko said, "Akashi-sensei, if you touch me, I can file you under assault."
The redhead shrugged, "Well, I'll find out what to do if that happens. For now, you're taking this stupid pill and going to sleep."
Kuroko backed away from the redhead and tried to find something to hide himself. Akashi quickly snatched the blue haired boy's wrists and pinned him on the bed. The redhead got on top of Kuroko and tried to shove the pill in his mouth.
The blue haired boy grit his teeth together and kept his mouth shut as he thrashed around on the bed.
"Just…eat it, Kuroko-kun!" Akashi exclaimed while continuously trying to open the blue haired boy's mouth.
The nurse laughed slightly at the sight of the redhead being so childish. While the two of them struggled against each other, the nurse went back to her own work.
Both of them tired out eventually and they both stopped struggling. Akashi held the pill in his hand, trying to think of another way to force Kuroko to sleep. The redhead shuffled a bit to make sure he had the blue haired boy pinned underneath him and then brought the pill to his own mouth. Kuroko stared in confusion when Akashi put the pill in his own mouth. The redhead leaned down and kissed Kuroko.
The blue haired boy made a muffled noise as Akashi used his tongue to push the pill into Kuroko's mouth, then he pulled away and slapped a hand over the blue haired boy's lips and said, "Swallow."
As the pill melted in Kuroko's mouth, he couldn't stand the bitter taste so he swallowed it immediately. Akashi took his hand off and said,
"Open your mouth, I have to check if you actually swallowed it."
The blue haired boy was obviously pouting but he did as he was told. Akashi smiled and said, "Good. Rest well, Kuroko-kun."
The redhead leaned in and kissed Kuroko on the forehead without thinking. The blue haired boy's eyes widened and so did Akashi's when he realized he had kissed Kuroko's forehead. The redhead hastily got up, straightened out his clothes and left the infirmary. Kuroko felt tired and as much as he tried to fight the drug, he fell asleep.
After that day, Akashi began to ignore the blue haired boy. He would strictly act as a teacher and wouldn't interact with Kuroko in any other way. The blue haired boy felt as if he had done something wrong. He wanted to get closer to Akashi but they both ended up pulling away.
On graduation day, Kuroko graduated at the top of the school and he was accepted into the best university. However, when everyone started clapping, the blue haired boy ran off to hide. Akashi excused himself from the graduation ceremony to go look for Kuroko and he found him on the roof, covering his ears and crying in the corner.
The redhead slowly approached him and sat down beside the crying graduate.
"Akashi-sensei…I just embarrassed myself in front of the whole school because I can't take the noise…I'm scared." The blue haired boy said.
The redhead chuckled and said, "Everyone has a fear, you're afraid of the noise. You're afraid of not being able to hear yourself and that's okay."
Kuroko kept his hands over his ears and tried to drown out the noise in his head. Akashi continued to talk, "There's something I want you to hear."
The blue haired boy slowly lowered his hands from his ears, Akashi grabbed Kuroko's arms and pulled him into a tight embrace, "A few months ago, you asked me if you could be mine and if you were enough. I didn't answer you, which is what I regret, I can't even imagine how much pain you went through because of me just rejecting you over and over again. I'll tell you now that I want you to me mine and you are more than enough. You are always more than enough."
Kuroko sobbed as he held onto the redhead tightly. The blue haired boy leaned his head against Akashi's chest and listened to his rapid heartbeat. After a while, Akashi whispered an apology and lightly planted a kiss on Kuroko's lips. The blue haired boy kissed back and pulled Akashi down on top of him. Akashi leaned on his elbows and deepened the kiss. Their lips meshed together perfectly as they eagerly pushed and pulled, wanting more. At some point, their thoughts were abandoned, clothes disheveled and they lay there staring up at the sky.
Kuroko mumbled, "I can't believe we just did that on the school roof…"
"I can't believe nobody heard us." Akashi murmured.
The blue haired boy smiled and said, "We should probably go back and make it seem like everything is chill."
"Or we could pretend I didn't find you yet and you're still hiding somewhere."
Kuroko gave a sound of approval and he sat up. The redhead noticed the tally marks on his back and asked, "Where…did you get those marks?"
"Was born with them. Why?" Kuroko asked.
"I…uh, I have this memory from long ago, where I was with someone who had the same marks on their back in Spain." The redhead said.
"That's strange. Maybe you're insane." Kuroko joked. But the blue haired boy felt that something was definitely familiar about Akashi. He just couldn't remember why. Kuroko slowly brushed his fingers over the tally marks on Akashi's back and felt something wanting to burst within him. The blue haired boy gasped and whispered,
"Seijuro…"
Akashi felt as if something was triggered and his memories also rushed back to him. The redhead turned to face his loved one and wrapped his arms around him.
"I missed you, Tetsuya."
"Same."
Both of them hid from everyone until the graduation ceremony was over and then they made sure that nobody saw them when they hopped into Akashi's car to go home. Once they got to the redhead's apartment, Akashi asked,
"Won't your parents be worried?"
"I live by myself. The nurse at the school, Momoi-san, she takes care of me. My parents work abroad all the time and they don't really have time for me. I'm pretty sure Momoi-san knows I'm with you as well." The blue haired boy said.
"Just call her later and make sure she knows you're living with me."
Kuroko leaned against the redhead and whispered, "Okay. But in the morning, because right now I want to spend the night with you and without any other thought on my mind."
Akashi chuckled and pulled Kuroko towards the bedroom to hold his lover lovingly to make up for the time they lost.
In the morning, the blue haired boy talked with Momoi and moved his belongings to Akashi's apartment. The redhead continued to teach while Kuroko studied through university. Both of them got their tattoos and admired the beauty of having more and more tally marks on their back.
However, with each tally mark that was added, even though they were proud to have made it this far, they felt sad that another lifetime had gone by.
When Akashi came back home from work, he always saw Kuroko sprawled out on the bed with his books and study notes everywhere. The redhead smiled and carefully put the notes away.
Akashi was happy to see that the blue haired boy was working hard and he was happy to tuck Kuroko into bed and look at his adorable sleeping face every day.
Years passed and they lived happily. They were always happy to be around each other and they wished their lifetime would never end.
After many years, Kuroko passed away and a few years after that; Akashi passed away as well.
The classroom was silent. Many of Akashi's lessons were more quiet after Kuroko had passed away. It was as if the redhead had lost his light.
"Akashi-sensei?" A girl asked.
"Yes, dear." The redhead said while pushing his glasses up. He looked away from the chalkboard and faced the student.
"What do you think love looks like?" She asked.
Akashi sighed, clearly irritated that the student had interrupted class for such a silly question, but he gave her a truthful answer,
"Love to me looks like a boy with sapphire eyes which are like pools of water. His hair shining the same brilliant blue. His face always wearing a smile. His heart filled with compassion. His love burning strong within my heart. That's my love."
The female student was taken aback by this answer and she asked, "Where is your love?"
"Well…He's gone. He passed away before I did and my love is gone. But, I'll see him again, so it's alright. As long as that flame continues to burn within my heart, my love will never fade."