Kuroko worked for twelve years as a psychiatrist and he had heard many different stories from people. The blue haired boy felt upset every day when he came back from work and would write down the things that his patients told him, thinking that if he wrote them down, they would be emptied from his mind. The blue haired boy didn't hate his job, he loved being able to help as much as possible. But the people he came across sometimes had the most heart wringing, tear jerking lives.
Then there was Akashi Seijuro. Kuroko didn't understand why the redhead came to him for help, but all he did was sleep and he refused to tell the blue haired boy anything. As always, Akashi entered his office at eight o'clock. He grinned at his doctor and said, "Hey Tetsuya."
"Hello Akashi-kun, I'm guessing you want the usual." Kuroko said with a monotone voice.
The redhead's smile grew as he lay down on the couch in Kuroko's office and said, "Yes, please."
Kuroko disappeared to a closet and came back with a pillow and a blanket. Once Akashi was completely tucked in, he said, "Now Tetsuya, do your thing."
The blue haired boy sighed and said, "Today I woke up at four thirty in the morning and went out to a cafe for my breakfast coffee. Then when I got to my office, I opened my files on my patients, checked my schedule and started working. I met with the usual patients today and during my break I…"
Kuroko paused and looked over at the redhead. Akashi was fast asleep; he clutched onto the blanket and was curled up to stay warm. The blue haired boy turned back to his desk and wrote down his observations of Akashi during the session. It was the same as usual; the redhead would walk in with that stupid grin and then ask Kuroko to talk to him about his day until he fell asleep, then the blue haired boy would wake him up at the end of his session, which was closing time and they would walk to the subway together. When they had first met, Akashi had begged the blue haired boy to fix him, but afterwards, the redhead just came in to sleep. He didn't tell a single word to Kuroko about what was wrong. Of course the blue haired boy knew that Akashi was probably preparing himself to tell Kuroko everything; but it's been six months and the redhead didn't show any signs of opening up soon. The blue haired boy stared at Akashi's sleeping face for a while and then woke him up at ten o'clock. The redhead woke up immediately and heard Kuroko say,
"Akashi-kun, it's time to wake up. I have to lock up the office."
Akashi opened his eyes and quickly wrapped his arm around the blue haired boy's neck.
Kuroko was always a late reactor and before he knew it, the redhead had pulled him in and was kissing him.
The blue haired boy waited for Akashi to pull away and then Kuroko whacked him on the head with a book.
"I told you to stop doing that. I'm your doctor." The blue haired boy muttered while rubbing his lips to get rid of Akashi's taste ghosting his lips.
Akashi smiled, "Doesn't matter how many times you reject me. I'll get you to date me one day."
"I can't—"
"Date a patient. I know, I know." The redhead finished Kuroko's sentence as if he did so every day.
"Well if you know, stop kissing me." The blue haired boy said. The redhead slowly got up, folded the blanket he was using and put it back in the closet. Akashi picked up his cellphone and wallet and smiled at his doctor.
"Let's go." The redhead said. Kuroko led him out of the building and locked the doors after making sure the windows were closed and locked. The two of them got on the subway train together and waited for their stop. They both lived near each other so it wasn't strange for them to go home together. While sitting in the subway train, Kuroko asked,
"How was work?"
The redhead grunted, "Same as always. Sit at a desk and organize papers."
"You know sometimes a doctor doesn't always help. You should try other methods." Kuroko said.
"Like what?" Akashi asked the blue haired boy.
The doctor sighed and said, "I heard from other doctors that social interaction is a good solution sometimes. Maybe you need to get out more, find someone you love."
The redhead fell silent after hearing Kuroko say that and a few minutes later, he whispered in an almost inaudible voice, "I love you…"
Kuroko continued on without knowing what the redhead had said and when they got to their stop, they went their separate ways.
The next day was pretty much the same. Kuroko waited patiently until his watch notified him that it was eight o'clock. He called in the next patient and went to the closet to get out the blanket and pillow.
"Oh Tetsuya, you're ready for me this time." The redhead said while accepting the blanket and pillow from Kuroko and moving to lie down on the couch. The blue haired boy sat down by his desk and said,
"I figured you would want the same as usual."
Akashi tucked himself in and turned to look at his doctor's face. Their eyes locked and both of them exchanged a stare that burned each other. Kuroko was the first to snap out of his daze. He quickly looked away and said,
"Today I woke up a bit later than usual and I was feeling exhausted. I went to go grab my morning coffee, only to spill it over some papers when I got to work. As I tended to my patients, I continued to feel tired and found myself feeling dizzy. I tried to sleep during the times when I was free, but I usually have a patient every other hour. Each session felt longer than usual and…"
The blue haired boy looked at Akashi and saw that the redhead was still wide awake and that he was frowning.
"What?" Kuroko asked, "I'm telling you about my day like I always do. Why aren't you sleeping? Are my days boring you now?"
"You have a cold." Akashi stated, "Or you're sleep deprived; probably overworking yourself, am I right?"
The blue haired boy scoffed, "Since when did you become my doctor?"
Akashi got up and pulled the blue haired boy closer. The redhead gently placed his hand on Kuroko's forehead to feel his temperature and he said, "Since when did you stop being a doctor? You should know the symptoms of a cold." Akashi's concerned expression made the blue haired boy upset; he wasn't supposed to make his patients feel worried. Kuroko smiled slightly and said,
"I'm fine. I'll be fine for today. I'll take tomorrow off if it gets worse, okay?"
The redhead nodded and then tucked himself under the blanket again. In a few minutes, Akashi was fast asleep and the blue haired boy was left to doze off at his desk as well. Kuroko slept through his alarm that told him to wake up Akashi and close up the office. The redhead, on the other hand, woke up right away, folded the blanket and put it away in the closet.
Akashi watched the blue haired boy sleep with his head resting on his arms. The redhead smoothly leaned in and let his lips meet Kuroko's. The kiss was warm and soft and it made Akashi happy. When the redhead pulled away, his eyes locked with those blue ones.
Kuroko was still half asleep when their eyes met, but he quickly came back to his senses. The blue haired boy whacked Akashi on the head with a book and said, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop that? I can't date a patient."
The redhead smiled sadly, "I know…Let's go home."
Kuroko sighed, knowing that Akashi wouldn't listen to him, so he closed the office and went home with the redhead. On the subway, the blue haired boy let his eyes close for a second and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep on Akashi's shoulder. The redhead stayed as still as possible for Kuroko and lightly brushed his hair with his fingertips. When their stop was approaching, Akashi shook the blue haired boy awake and they both got off the train.
"Go to sleep early, okay?" Akashi said before they parted. The blue haired boy gave the redhead a small nod before they went their separate ways as usual.
The next day, Kuroko felt a lot better. The redhead was right when he told Kuroko to go to sleep earlier and he reminded himself to thank his patient during his session later. However, when Akashi's session came around, the redhead lifelessly trudged into the room and fell onto the couch. Kuroko came back with the blanket and pillow to see the redhead already sleeping on the couch. The blue haired boy was able to tell that something happened; most likely while Akashi had been working. Kuroko sat at his desk and observed the redhead sleeping in front of him. The blue haired boy scribbled down in his notes:
Akashi-kun seems very down today. He did not say anything while coming into the room and did not have his usual smile. Akashi-kun went straight to the couch and fell asleep without my aid of talking about my day…
The blue haired boy paused there when he heard Akashi mumble in his sleep. Kuroko lightly tapped his pen against the notebook and saw that the redhead seemed to be having a nightmare. The redhead muttered,
"Don't die. Don't die."
Tears streamed down Akashi's face as he desperately clutched the blanket and winced as if something was hurting him.
"Don't die. Please, don't die…Tetsuya…" The redhead whispered.
Kuroko quickly threw his notebook down on the ground and moved towards his patient. The blue haired boy lightly shook Akashi awake and said,
"It's time to wake up, Akashi-kun."
The redhead's eyes snapped open at those words and he said, "Huh? What?"
Kuroko got him a cup of water and said, "You were having a nightmare."
Akashi took the glass of water and then wiped away his tears. The blue haired boy didn't like seeing Akashi like this. The moment the redhead woke up, he would always always steal a kiss from Kuroko (no exceptions). The blue haired boy felt strange; he wasn't used to Akashi being so closed up. The redhead never told Kuroko about anything and all of the sudden, he had stopped any kind of communication.
"Akashi-kun, you've got to tell me what's wrong if you want me to fix it." Kuroko said.
The redhead sighed, "I know Tetsuya. It's just…hard to do that."
The doctor frowned and then picked up his notebook from the ground and said, "Start with your nightmare. You were mumbling for me not to die. What does that mean?"
The redhead hesitated and Kuroko was able to tell that Akashi was working up some sort of lie in his head, "I…uh…I don't know."
"Tell me the truth."
"I just had this strange dream where we met at a cafe, became a couple and then you died and I was left all alone." The redhead admitted, "There was another time when we were playing basketball and you got sick…and I visited you at the hospital because we were dating. Then you passed away."
When Kuroko finished scribbling down what was happening, he asked, "Is this the first time this happened?"
The redhead shook his head and said, "I've had these strange memories ever since I was little, so when I saw you…"
"You begged me to fix you because you knew I was the one in your memories." Kuroko finished the redhead's sentence. Akashi nodded and then got up,
"I'm going to leave early today…" He said.
Kuroko quickly stood up, "I'll go with you. You're my last patient anyway."
The redhead frowned, "I'd rather go alone, Tetsuya."
The blue haired boy paused and then said, "Alright."
When Akashi was gone, the blue haired boy felt strange. He didn't like the feeling that the redhead gave him.
The next day, the redhead came in late and fell asleep on the couch. Akashi completely ignored the blue haired boy and Kuroko never got a chance to say anything since the redhead would fall asleep immediately. When Kuroko woke the redhead up, Akashi didn't even kiss the blue haired boy, he just got up and left.
For a whole week, they didn't talk to each other and Kuroko continued to feel more and more negative. The blue haired boy didn't know what he did or what he didn't do. When Akashi left, the blue haired boy quickly closed the office and ran after him. They took the same train, but didn't talk to each other and when it was their stop, Kuroko ran after Akashi instead of going his way home. The blue haired boy grabbed onto Akashi's hand and said,
"Akashi-kun, you're acting strange. Ever since that day a week ago when you had that nightmare. You don't even greet me, you've stopped smiling, you don't even kiss me when you wake up. It's throwing me off because you won't tell me anything."
The redhead seemed surprised at first and he asked, "You put that I don't kiss you on the list. Does that mean that me not kissing you is affecting you?"
Kuroko yelled, "Of course it does! If you make a routine where you kiss me every day when you wake up and then suddenly break it, of course it would affect me! Think about what you're doing to me when you just stop kissing me. It's like I'm missing something every day now!"
The redhead chuckled, "You know…That sounded a lot like a love confession."
"Eh? A…Love confession? No. It's just strange when you break a routine." Kuroko said awkwardly while looking off to the side.
Akashi smiled and said, "Then…I'll give your routine back to you."
The blue haired boy was confused with Akashi's words and more confused when he felt the redhead tug him closer. Akashi wrapped his arm around the blue haired boy's waist and kissed him.
Kuroko's eyes were wide; this kiss was different than every other one. It was more passionate, the emotions were laced in between their lips as they kissed. The blue haired boy accepted the kiss and threw his arms around Akashi's neck to pull him closer. Suddenly, Akashi was pulling Kuroko after him and walking towards his apartment. The redhead threw his door open and pressed Kuroko against it to kiss him. They pushed and pulled at each other until Kuroko fell onto the bed. When the blue hared boy felt Akashi's hand sliding up his shirt, Kuroko said,
"Stop. Akashi-kun…stop, now."
The redhead immediately stopped his actions and sat back to make sure Kuroko didn't feel uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry…I just…can't. I'm really sorry. But I'm a doctor and you're my patient." He said while trying to catch his breath.
Akashi smiled gently, "It's alright. I get it. Want me to walk you home? Or do you want to stay here tonight? I promise, I won't touch you inappropriately if you stay."
Kuroko didn't want to leave the redhead, but he knew that staying would be a bad idea. The blue haired boy hesitated but he eventually said, "I want to stay with you…but I know I shouldn't. I feel so confused, Akashi-kun. I want to do what I can't and I've never felt like this before."
The redhead was able to tell Kuroko was really frustrated with himself so he hugged him and whispered, "It's alright to want things. It's okay to feel confused. You'll figure out your answer soon. Go to sleep, Tetsuya."
The blue haired boy held onto Akashi and nuzzled his face into the redhead's chest. Eventually, Kuroko fell asleep in the redhead's arms and Akashi fell asleep as well.
After that day, things seemed to have gone back to normal. Akashi and Kuroko grew closer together and their love for each other was obvious, however the blue haired boy made sure to follow the rules as a doctor.
"Akashi-kun, it's time to wake up. It's closing time." Kuroko said whiling shaking the redhead awake. His patient slowly opened his eyes and pulled the blue haired boy down to kiss him. Akashi received a whack to the head with a book and Kuroko said,
"I already told you. I can't date a-"
"I know." Akashi started, "You can't date a patient, but please Tetsuya, I love you. I have loved you and I will continue to love you. I don't even have to be your patient right now, I just want to be with you. Please."
"Okay." Kuroko mumbled.
"What?"
"I said ok. Don't be my patient and I'll reconsider" The blue haired boy mumbled.
After that, Akashi came to visit Kuroko as his boyfriend. The redhead waited for his shift to be over and they went home together. They continued dating for years until one day, just as Kuroko was ready to pack up his things in his office, he turned to see Akashi kneeling on the ground.
The blue haired boy gaped at Akashi as he got down on one knee. The redhead reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a silver ring. Kuroko stared as the redhead slipped the ring onto his finger. The blue haired boy felt tears streaming down his face, but he couldn't find any words.
"Tetsuya…Will you marry me?" Akashi asked.
Kuroko sobbed, not knowing how to react. Akashi quickly got up when he thought he was upsetting the blue haired boy and wiped away his tears and said, "I'm sorry…Perhaps I put too much pressure on you. We can just date! You really don't have to marry me!"
Kuroko laughed, grabbed the redhead's shirt and kissed him, "You idiot, I'm not upset. Yes. Yes, I will marry you."
When they got married, both of them regained their memories and got their fifteenth tally mark.
"Seijuro, can you believe that we only have 85 years left together?" Kuroko asked while lying down beside the redhead.
"Time goes by fast. But, you know, nobody said that we would stop seeing each other after 100 lives. Maybe we'll cross paths…" Akashi said.
"Maybe…" The blue haired boy knew that the chances were slim that they'd meet again after their 100 lifetimes together, but if there was a chance, they would both believe in it.
After many years, Akashi passed away and during that same year, Kuroko did as well.
My observations of my boyfriend the day he proposed:
Today, Akashi-kun walked into the office and seemed troubled about something. He wouldn't tell me what and went to sleep on the couch as usual. Even though he's not my patient anymore, he still comes to keep me company as I finish my paperwork. I wish I can tell him more that I love him. I feel like I don't tell him enough. When I got ready to leave the office, I saw Akashi-kun get down on one knee and propose to me...
I cried as he put the ring on my finger, how embarrassing. I hope I'm enough for Akashi-kun. Even though I may be a mess and I'm stubborn, indecisive and maybe a bit strange, I hope I can be enough to love Akashi-kun.