6 - Tension
After his talk with Midorima, Akashi felt like his co-workers were watching his every move towards Kuroko. Especially in their breaks.
So, when he walked to the concrete steps that day, instead of sitting, he asked them to go to the corner store.
"How did Daiki found his soulmate?"
"They were kids. One day she came and said he was her soulmate." At Akashi's look, Kuroko smiled. It was tiny. "She is a somewhat demanding person."
"How did she know?"
"She noticed that she liked watching Aomine-kun play basketball more than anything else. Then, she asked to see his sign."
"Daiki told he didn't recognise his soulmate from her sign."
"Well…Aomine-kun showed his sign. She interpreted it as a basketball. He liked his interpretation," He shrugged, "and accepted to be her soulmate."
What was this ridiculous story?
As if knowing his thoughts, Kuroko chuckled.
"I know, but they are…right, for each other. If you can stand to be around Aomine-kun, it is thanks to her. And he keeps her demanding personality in check." He paused, "They keep on bickering though. I guess everybody shows their love in different means."
Akashi hummed. Their neighbourhood was silent in this time of the day. It was relaxing.
He thought about taking Kuroko's hand swinging next to his but didn't want to create tension.
He suspected he wasn't the only person Midorima talked to.
"Internet is full of interpretations of my sign."
"Maybe, instead of looking at signs, you should read them."
"And my favourite would be my soulmate?"
"Why not?"
His soulmate sign supposed to mean anything only to his soulmate. Akashi always questioned how he would know it was the correct interpretation. Was this the way?
The interpretation only became right because Akashi liked it?
"Then, what does my sign look like today, Tetsuya?"
Kuroko jerked. His hand moved to his side pockets, where he always kept his book and pencil, but he wasn't wearing his apron. Then back pocket, before remembering he didn't have a smart phone. It jerked to Akashi's pocket before returning back to his side. His wide eyes slid off Akashi.
"Am I a candidate?" his weak chuckle trailed off.
Akashi stared at him.
"It is rude to sta-"
Not now.
Kuroko's fingers twitched. He looked at them, slumping his shoulders. His chin trembled before he bit his lip. He kept on blinking.
"Let's," he cleared his throat, "let's go to the store."
Akashi followed behind Kuroko.
Staring at his back.
Kuroko of last week would have turned back, laughing, took his hand and made some comment about his intense stare.
This Kuroko only quickened his pace.
It wasn't supposed to be this. He wanted the old Kuroko back.
Kuroko should giggle as Akashi recited love poetry, make fun of him while bringing him food and create impromptu pillow fights while making him watch a movie he never wanted to.
He should order strawberry bread, carrot ice cream or something else weird and then grin at Akashi's groan of having to eat it. Instead he ordered plain bread and was watching whatever news channel the corner shop owner had on his TV while waiting for it.
He gave the bread to Akashi after they left the shop. He took Kuroko's hand instead. Blue eyes looked at him and then widened.
His co-workers always said Akashi looked dangerous when mad.
"And now, don't scare off -"
Shut up.
"I am hurting you."
Kuroko shook his head.
He tightened his hold.
"Then return back to how you used to be before."
"I would hurt Seijuro-kun, then."
He shook their hands.
"Is this better?"
"What would you suggest?"
Akashi gritted his teeth. He didn't know.
Except one thing.
This was unforgivable.
Hurting Kuroko was unforgivable.
Diminishing his smile, creating distance, making him avoid eye contact.
Unforgivable.
Even as a price to find his soulmate.
"What do you hope?" his soulmate scolded in his head, "We would all live together?"
"You would have twenty years to be with Kuroko?"
"Or," he whispered, "he would be your soulmate?"
Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up.
Shut up.
"Seijuro-kun."
He opened his eyes, unaware he closed them.
Kuroko had an indulgent smile.
(The smile he had when Akashi monologued him about all types of inks and how to splatter them to create his sign.)
His heart twisted.
He refused to give up on this man.
"I am selfish and greedy."
Kuroko shook his head, "you are human."
He swallowed. "You?"
"I am also human."
He looked at their joined hands. Then into Kuroko's eyes.
"It is at most twenty years."
"Then I will cherish each moment."
He pulled Kuroko into his arms.
He never wanted to let him go.
How terrifying.
—
Kuroko mumbled. Akashi locked his phone and looked behind him.
"Did I wake you?" he whispered.
"No," he muttered as he moved towards Akashi and put his head on his shoulder.
Right on his soulmate sign.
"What were you doing?" His arm wrapped around Akashi's chest.
"Couldn't sleep. Was looking around."
"Social media?"
Akashi shifted. Kuroko pulled him and settled him deeper into his arms.
"Anything new?"
"No," he mumbled.
From 1 to 10, 1 caught with your hand in a cookie jar and 10 cheating on his boyfriend, what -
"Let's look at them together."
He stilled. Kuroko kissed his neck, his hair tickling.
"You don't have to hide anything. Let's look at them together."
He locked off his phone. It showed where he left on his notifications. He began to scroll down.
Was he real? What kind of soulmate would he has to rival Kuroko?
"This is boring."
Akashi chuckled. "They are meaningless after all."
Then froze. This one looked like a bird. A sparrow?
They were all supposed to be meaningless!
It couldn't be the one -
"Is this a sparrow tattoo? What kind of sign is that?"
Akashi released his breath and melted into Kuroko's embrace.
His heart was hammering.
"Since we are both awake, let's find something else to do."
He chose all notifications to move them to a folder.
Kuroko pushed him on his back. Then kissed him.
His whole body tingled.
Kuroko, who was all warm safety moments ago, was searing hotness now.
He glanced to his mobile as Kuroko's attention shifted to his neck.
A chill went down his back.
He marked all notifications as read.
All 1000+ of them.
Kuroko bit his neck. He gasped.
He threw the phone to the bedside table.
Those thousands out of millions were unfortunate.
It was the only thought he spared from them before Kuroko consumed them all.