The moment he opens his eyes, he is sure he is not where he is supposed to be. It is both irritating and endearing how he has come to be so used to seeing the bland white ceiling of his own Tokyo apartment that now he can tell it apart from any other bland white ceiling.

Shit.

He rarely utters profanities even in his mind but this time he has every right to transgress. This should not have happened. He should have been able to take two more glasses without losing his consciousness or even muddling it. As he opens his eyes fully, taking in the sunlight and listening to his environment, his brain has already started making calculations, estimating what might have happened, and assessing the current situation.

In his drunken state he had made the mistake of taking his usual rule of thumb as an accurate measure for his context and state of intoxication. It had not been a wise decision: first of all, he had slept a couple of hours less the night before due to anxiety that had filled his head courtesy of the prospect of visiting Kagami's place (again, he shall never regard that place as Kuroko's, this little childish wilfulness he shall allow himself to indulge at least in his mind from now on), secondly he had eaten less than his usual daily diet not because Kagami's cooking was not delicious but because he had felt a loss of appetite precisely because Kagami had cooked it, regardless of its taste, and thirdly he had just had intercourse before starting his second round of drinking and this particular romp had been quite a heavy and hard one, to put it mildly, very taxing on his stamina. Thus, his initial judgement that did not take into account any of these factors had failed miserably. He had become too drunk and here he was lying fully nude in a stranger's bed, hazy about any details of the night before.

It was not that Akashi never made mistakes, everybody made mistakes as humans were fallible by their very nature and the redhead was smart enough to know this. Or more precisely, mature enough now to accept this fact; for there had been a time in his youth he had been too immature and delusional of his own grandiosity to accept his intrinsically fallible human nature. All in all, what set Akashi apart from others was that he could always fix his mistakes to avoid defeat or any real harm. And that is what he is going to do.

Not that anything that might have taken place in the time between his loss of consciousness and waking up in a stranger's bed could simply be deleted; but then, he had been out cold and thus they were not mistakes of his but crimes of another: it was literally an assault on an unconscious person and while he has been disappointed in his judgement the night before, he would never blame himself for the despicable actions of an aggressor, whom he shall crush for their violation, by the way.

The vague sound of flowing water indicated that someone was taking a shower, it was the perfect opportunity to leave but he did not upon realising that his clothes were nowhere to be found. He could have stolen some clothes that lied around, they were a few size bigger but anything would do, and he has already found his phone and wallet, which is a little surprising if he has to be honest; a person malignant enough to put moves on him when he was unconscious (or worse, Akashi could not ascertain the details precisely then), he would have expected such a person to not pass the chance of thievery. Perhaps he is dealing with a particular kind of predator here; he especially hated those, still, nothing he could not handle.

I have had much worse.

The sound of water stops and Akashi sits up on the bed at the same time, he is fully naked but does not feel uncomfortable; the person must have undressed him at some point in the night as he woke up naked; so there is nothing to hide, is there? Nor does he owe any shame to an unknown aggressor. He has already sent out a notice to his favourite cab company to send a cab to his location via phone (and thank God, for GPS and smart phones and their handy applications). His hands itch at the possibility of a physical altercation; he is a second dan black belt in judo, not to mention his mastery of various other martial arts, or the peculiarly fierce persona he has been keeping caged for many months now. He is ready to handle any and all kinds of evil this mysterious person could be; he has met and not even flinched shaking hands with the most vicious people in Tokyo and whole of Japan. He is surely not depraved but he can be ruthless than the worst of yakuza. His assailant should not be much of an obstacle. However, the person in question turns out to be something completely else than what he imagined and for the first time in a year or so Akashi actually feels truly perplexed.

"Oh, you are awake, Akashi?"

"Ni-Nijimura-san?"

Nijimura Shūzō was anything but an evil person.

A cacophony of various possibilities erupts in his mind at the speed of light, the things that might have happened last night or the things that might not have happened, and could Nijimura be a rapist? If anything Akashi always knew predators were never monsters but often ordinary men, still it feels absolutely wrong to think of Nijimura as such. What he knows of the young man's character dictates that is not a possibility in this case. He sighs and orders the thousands of ongoing stubborn predictions and computations in his mind to stop. Just stop. He has to breath and not think anything for a moment. His determination on how he could handle the situation has wavered for a moment there, he could deal with anything but... Nijimura?

Really?

"Are you okay? Do you have a headache?"

"Slightly."

"Duh, nothing unexpected there. You drank too much."

The man makes a beeline to the small open kitchen. It is a studio apartment, quite a small and cozy place if a little too dull and messy. Nijimura both looks very different and not so different than the redhead had last seen him: he is taller, probably around 190 centimetres, his build is much sturdier, his muscles more toned and well defined, the softness of his face has disappeared though his features are not angular at all, his shoulders and back are much wider, his voice is lower and hoarser... He was a boy then, he has become a man now.

Still, the way his eyes look, the way he stands, the way he walks, the way his hands are larger and more calloused than Akashi's, the way his pitch black hair is slightly long but not too long and the way they drip little droplets of water now, the way his skin has flushed from warm water right after a shower, the way he exercises his neck muscles and stretches as he seems focused on preparing some kind of concoction Akashi has no idea what... The way Akashi cannot read him so perfectly... They are all the same.

"It seems to be the case."

Normally this would be the point where Nijimura would start complaining about how Akashi should not drink and he is not even of drinking age, is he? And how he could have expected to see Aomine perhaps wasted alone at corner of a bar, but never Akashi. Nijimura does not start to it though and Akashi is both a little pleased and a little discomforted at the fact, for the lack interrogation is appreciated but such failure of his predications is unsettling.

"Well you should be careful... Something bad could have happened."

Which precisely means something bad had not happened as Akashi had guessed. The first part still makes him a little bothered. Because it is a caring remark and it is sincere but nowhere near chiding as the usual Nijimura... Given his soft tone, it is akin to a considerate wish than scolding or blaming of any sort.

'The usual Nijimura'? What is the usual Nijimura supposed to be anyway? Akashi has known him only for two years, actually make that one and a half, or even one and a quarter. And that was when they were still children, who knows how Nijimura is usually now. It is easier to observe and note outwardly changes and similarities but it is not so easy to do the same for the internal affairs. He will have to talk with Nijimura to grasp those and right now he would prefer not to talk. His headache is actually quite numbing, thank God for his extremely well pain tolerance, he is able to not show it on his face.

"You are correct in that. As much as it pains and shames me, it was a true blunder to lose my consciousness. Could you inform me where my clothes are?"

Nijimura flinches very slightly, nobody but Akashi would realise it, or perhaps Kuroko would too and Akashi curses himself internally for bringing up Kuroko again to the spotlight in his mind; why and how does the aquamarine haired boy find his way into Akashi's thoughts so easily... It is infuriating. Absolutely unnecessary.

"They are still not dry... I washed them."

Ah, how dutiful.

Perhaps there are things he has known about Nijimura that are still valid; he seems to be so regardful and caring as ever.

"You did not have to, but thank you."

"They were dirty. I will lend you clothes."

Dirty, Akashi muses to himself. Nijimura did not even change his intonation as he said the word, honestly no insinuation was present but Akashi knows the double entendre the word carries and he knows that even if Nijimura has not chosen the word specifically for that reason, the brunette knows how both meanings hold true in this case as well. Whether it is said intentionally or not, it is simply too unsubtle to not realise. He would have expected an argument about being more careful in his private life, perhaps even an interrogation of his sexuality, Nijimura can be brash when he is protective and he is often so senselessly protective. At least he used to be. But neither is there, nothing of the sort is pronounced, and again Akashi is both pleased and discomforted and thinks perhaps some things have changed inside Nijimura as others stayed the same.

That's how you grow up after all: you always stay the same in certain points and you greatly change in others, so humans are in a perpetual and simultaneous stagnation and change... Ah paradoxes, Akashi adores these.

As Nijimura makes his way back to the bed with a glass in his hand filled up to the brim with a seemingly unholy liquid, the redhead pulls the bedsheets a little onto his lap to cover himself out of reflex. He is vexed for this little gesture, he had been perfectly fine fully naked till about five minutes ago, why does his subconscious require such timidity right now? Though somewhere in this he realises that it is not simply out of timidity, but of a new requirement of civility: for any stranger, especially a possible assailant, he would not mind being seen naked, raw, and lacking in etiquette, for Nijimura though it does not hold true. Even though the brunette himself is wearing only a pair of shorts and a black singlet. Not the best attire to greet a guest with, but then, does Akashi have any room to complain in that regard? Not much in his current condition.

"I will kindly take you up on that offer. Is this... for me?"

He gives a puzzled look at the drink Nijimura is offering,

"Yeah, it is for hangovers. You don't show it but you must be terribly hungover."

And he is. Yes, he does not reveal it but his temples have been figuratively vibrating with pain as though they were drums, his stomach is terrified and fragile, and he is not sure if he can drink the concoction but Nijimura's eyes are sharp and commanding, they are almost saying: "Drink it. Now."

So he takes the glass and Nijimura wanders to the other side of the room, opening a closet, likely in search of some clothing that would fit Akashi enough to not make him look like a child wandering in his father's clothes. It is not an easy task given the difference in their builds.

"Do you want to have a shower?"

"I actually already asked for a cab. It should arrive in fifteen minutes."

"Oh... You sure?"

If he has to admit, Akashi wants to get rid of the putrid smell and layers of hardened fluid covering all over his naked skin as soon as he can... However, the idea of spending more time with Nijimura is somehow both vexing and alluring, so he is not sure. He has always liked being in control, lacking knowledge in current Nijimura means a lack of control, he would like to change that before he leaves this apartment. But at the same time a survival instinct is adamant (both for himself and for Nijimura), he is not sure if the brunette will open subjects he would rather not discuss and if this would lead to unsavoury arguments he would rather not have...

"Yes."

He says, though his inner conflict is a little hinted in his voice. He blames this little blunder in his raging headache and the gag reflex he is trying hard to suppress as he slowly drinks the bitter mixture.

"Well, as you wish... But I would say it would be much better to take a shower at least. And if you want you can stay for breakfast, your clothes should dry by then. I am sure you would prefer that than to go out, even in a cab, like this?"

Nijimura's voice is again devoid of any insinuation but its absence does not change the fact that they both know. Akashi takes the french terry sweater and sweatpants, both in a soft shade of blue, from Nijimura's offering hands and gives him the empty glass in return.

"If you insist, then I would agree that it is indeed a better idea. Sorry to be an inconvenience."

Nijimura makes a move to the kitchen area again and places the glass in the sink.

"The bathroom is to the left... Well, it is the only door there is anyway. There are some dry towels in the small cabinet in the bathroom, you can use those."

Akashi nods and also notes how Nijimura has turned his back to him, he has started preparing rice for the breakfast but it is also a small gesture to let Akashi feel more comfortable walking naked to the bathroom. Younger male smiles at the subtle, tender care he is receiving; he has not experienced this in a long time and it amuses him more than anything. He cancels the order for a cab with the application on his phone before leaving for the shower.

The bathroom is terribly small but at least it has a working shower and the hot water helps a lot. In mornings like this, well not precisely like this factoring in Nijimura but in mornings after long hours of humiliating himself in various strangers' arms, Akashi prefers to take extremely hot showers. The burning sensation of the heated water on his skin invigorates him. He has always liked the idea of a purgatory; nobody is sinless after all, and to him water is not enough to cleanse, fire is needed. Not like he can burn himself to death so he prefers the one thing close enough but not fatal. Although he would never admit to himself that this is a cleansing ritual, because the very idea of sin or purity all sound ridiculous to him. Yet he cannot help it; perhaps he is just washing away the legacy of the defeat at the hands of his other self...

When he is finally out the shower, his alabaster skin has turned an almost alarming shade of pink and his breathing a little laboured. Nijimura gives him a surprised glance,

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I like to take hot showers."

"You should not have, it is not good for your health..."

"Perhaps so. But I already feel better. The strange mixture you made me drink must have helped."

"Oh, that helped for sure. It is great against hang overs. Come on, sit down."

The small and low rise table is barely able to accommodate two people which proves that Nijimura does not invite people into his home regularly. He probably lives alone and prefers his own company at home. If he wishes to meet people, it is outside. Akashi's mind has been taking notes about all the little details of both Nijimura and his dwelling since the moment he has decided to not take the cab and instead stay for a bit. This is pretty much reconnaissance for him.

"It is interesting you know such a thing... such a recipe, I mean."

At this point Nijimura could say, "well it is interesting you can get drunk like that, end up passing out in a bar, underneath your clothes fully soiled with another man's semen and your body full of bruises of rough sex."

Instead Nijimura chuckles,

"My professor at the lab is a pain in the ass, he is such a drunkard... I learnt how to make it from him and basically for him: I get to prepare once or twice every week."

"Oh, and perhaps is that why you were in the bar last night?"

Given the state of Nijimura's house and possible corresponding financial status, there are only two rational reasons why he could be at the bar last night: he has either come to get or see somebody who earns more than him and probably older, or he works at the bar. The last statement has increased the probability of the former compared to the latter. Nijimura smiles, a little surprised and a little not surprised, an amusing face he makes, he is probably surprised to hear that but he is also not surprised because it is Akashi. He should have expected as much.

"Yeah. He frequents that bar a lot, his family is old money so... I had come to get his drunken ass home but well..."

"Instead you had to drag my drunken ass out?"

Nijimura chuckles as he chugs down his cup of tea, Akashi is eating as gracefully and slowly as always in contrast,

"Something like that. I was quite surprised to see you there. Apparently you had already told the barkeep that he should call a cab for you in case you are unconscious by the time they are closing. So it was a true hurdle to get him to agree to take you with me. Apparently you even gave him 10000 yen to ensure he would and he kind of treated me like a kidnapper at one point."

Realising that he had not lost his conscious to the levels that he had completely left himself without a plan assures Akashi. He commends himself and then mocks himself for thinking such a measly plan would work.

"How did you persuade him then? Did you pay him?"

"Unlike you not everyone carries 10000 yen banknotes with them. I showed my university ID and my professor also helped... I guess the barkeep thought we were not suspicious."

"That is a fallacy on his side, it is not like people involved in academics cannot be predators. In fact the opposite is true for various crimes."

Nijimura is amused and also agrees, he nods his head as he gobbles a few pieces of tamagoyaki, Akashi is already full as he had not had much of an appetite to begin with, he is silently drinking his tea, taking in every little detail about Nijimura and this small space the brunette calls home in peace.

"Are you also a student at the University of Tokyo, Nijimura-san?"

Nijimura nods,

"Chemistry."

"Chemistry? Interesting. I never thought you were interested."

"I never thought I was interested in either... I started in Pharmaceutical Sciences then switched to Chemistry this year."

That explains it, Akashi thinks. His father must have finally died or cured of his malady. The former is more likely. He could say he is sorry now and offer condolences but it would not be appropriate, so he opts to wait till Nijimura explicitly informs him of the passing away.

"They are rather similar fields."

"Normally yeah but the kind of stuff I am interested for research right now don't have anything to do with medication, really... Though I do dabble in biochemistry. You are also in Tōdai, I presume?"

"Yes. I am studying Law."

"Really? Wow, that I would never guess."

"Why not?"

"You never seemed the type. I thought you would study Business or Political Science maybe."

"I was to choose one out of the those actually, I preferred Law as I felt current Business and Political Science programmes would be unbearably boring and inadequate for me. Department of Law is at least remotely interesting."

To anyone else the statement would have sounded very arrogant and they would perhaps be irritated, Nijimura is only amused though, even relieved it seems,

"Ah that's so you though... I get it now."

It is a little interesting that Nijimura even claims to 'get' Akashi. Perhaps it is the fact that they have not seen each other for so long. Perhaps it is because that Nijimura has never seen his other self bare naked like his other friends have. Because nobody ever claims to 'get' Akashi. In fact all his friends were equally surprised at his choice of studying law but even after he had explained his rationale, none had claimed to 'get' it. Even Midorima who probably had a better idea about it than most others and thus probably understood why, never dared to make the claim that Nijimura easily did despite not having seen the redhead in years. Perhaps they were afraid that if they started to truly comprehend Akashi, the darkness in his core would seep away to their psyche as well... Perhaps Akashi was just overcomplicating things, over-thinking his friends' motivations.

"Are you not going to eat any more?"

"No, thank you, the food was delightful but my stomach is too weak to eat much right now."

"No problem, the more for me the better."

Nijimura indeed cooks fine, the breakfast has been simple but tasted decent. Akashi wishes he could try it some other time; it is pathetic, really, but he never has people specifically cook for him (that is people who are not paid to specifically cook for him). So he is always a little excited and more contented than normal when someone cooks for him out of cordiality, despite his attempts to control this naïve side of his personality; likely a legacy of his childhood devoid of any parental tenderness or care.

"You are not in the basketball club, are you?"

"No, I am not. Are you the captain again Nijimura-san?"

"Nah, I am not playing either. But I have friends in the club so I know a little what's up with them..."

"I see..."

Akashi could ask why but he gets that it is oddly a private matter for Nijimura; the slight reluctance as he carefully negates his status in the club gives it away... He wants to but he does not and thus there must be a reason. There are moments when Akashi separates himself completely from his own life and regards everything around him with a subjectivity that is separate from his own; in those moments he has always found how silly it is that his life and lives of those around him were centred around basketball. In his case it is not as evident as it is with others, because in his case there is a ton of other affairs that require his attention, still every emotion, every change, every mood... They always first manifested themselves through basketball. Perhaps it was because he had chosen basketball as a refuge that it eventually turned to be the main battleground of his struggle... against himself.

Similarly, for Nijimura it seems basketball is more than just basketball. Akashi prefers not to pry directly; he will learn why if he deems it is important to know, and even then he will learn by other means that will not make Nijimura openly uncomfortable. He thinks that civility requires this, most others would think it is extremely creepy.

"You would make it to the team you know... You could be the captain too, right away."

Nijimura's voice is a little curious and Akashi wishes everyone was as civil as he himself was, but then the brunette has always been a little brash in the most unexpected times;

"I am afraid I do not have enough time."

It is both the truth and a lie and since both are well aware of this, Nijimura does not push any further than that. There is a limit to his brazenness. The conversation is brought to a stalemate like this and in his awkwardness, because there is nothing else left to devour either, the brunette seems to be doing his best to think of something else to ask... He continues,

"How is everyone else by the way?"

"They are fine. Shintarō is studying Medicine in our school, Tōdai. Tetsuya is studying Pedagogy at Tokyo Metropolitan, Atsushi is studying Business Administration at Hokkaido University but he is planning to also start to a course in Pâtissier Department of Sapporo College of Confectionery and Culinary, Ryōta is studying Commerce at Nihon University in Setagaya, Daiki is at Nippon Sport Science University in Setagaya, and Satsuki is studying Law at Meiji University."

Nijimura's eyes slightly get larger in interest, probably not at the respective choices of schools but Akashi's tone as he refers to each with their first names and Akashi wonders why has he not used Nijimura's first name to refer to him since the beginning. Perhaps, it was the shock of seeing the man he least thought of seeing that he had uttered "Nijimura-san" instead of "Shūzō" and then stuck with it because it felt comfortable. He is not sure but decides changing now would unnerve his former senpai unnecessarily and lead to a series of tedious questions and he could do without it today. Just for today, he will continue saying "Nijimura-san" and it will be like a reenactment of his days past. It will be fun.

"What about Haizaki?"

"He does not keep in touch with us and the last time he came across Kise and Aomine... It turned rather violent. He is a ronin by choice this year, apparently, he did not apply to any place."

"Ah that kid is so intent on wasting himself..."

"And you are so intent on caring for others Nijimura-san."

Nijimura blinks at the comment, a bit bewildered whether to take it as belligerent mocking and thus be angry at it or take it as some genuine compliment and thus be pleased if a little bashful about it. Akashi has always liked seeing a tinge of confusion in the silver orbs.

It must have been uncomfortable and too awkward to comment on, that Nijimura feels the need to change the subject,

"What about others? Are they playing basketball still?"

"Yes, except myself and Midorima."

"Hmm... I see. It may be interesting to watch All Japan Intercollegiate this year... Did you all go to the same high school?"

So he had never looked for them. Not that Akashi would complain, not everyone is as protective and attentive as he is, and none of them has probably ever looked around for Nijimura either.

"No. We all went to different ones actually."

"So you must already be attuned to competing with each other, huh? It must be an interesting sight. I knew I should have paid more attention to Interhigh last year but I was so busy..."

He probably has been, considering his sudden change of majors and its timing, it is likely that his father had died last year.

"It was interesting for those used to seeing our gameplay in the last year of Teikou... and our first Interhigh maybe. I am not sure if it would be that interesting for you Nijimura-san."

It would not be, other than their increased strength and potential of which the brunette must have already been well aware in their Teikou days, any other changes that occurred after the first Interhigh were mostly about their personalities and how their gameplay has reverted back to the early days of their time at Teikou... Perhaps a little different as each had come even more involved and invested at the sport and also developed new ways to improve, new styles to fit their teams, but then Akashi is sure that Nijimura had caught on to that potential as well.

Nijimura looks at him puzzled for a few seconds then something dawns on him, it has not been long enough for Akashi to be able to predict exactly what but he has a few very probable ideas on the content or at least the context,

"Well, I am sure you all grew up, so for me it would still be interesting, regardless... I mean you grew up a lot. How tall are you now?"

The last part is asked with a cheeky tone and Akashi is a little surprised, the captain he knew was rarely cheeky; yes, they all grow up and things change, evidently.

"I am 176 centimetres."

"Almost there."

"I have not grown much in the last year, so I doubt I will grow any taller. Not that I mind."

"How tall is Murasakibara now?"

"Atsushi is 210."

"Ah that giant."

"Others too, actually, I think they are all taller than you except Tetsuya."

"Really? Well I shouldn't be surprised I guess."

"You should not be."

There is a peaceful smile that Nijimura dons upon Akashi's indifferent comment, again Akashi is not able to precisely predict the reason. This unfathomable quality to Nijimura was surely not perfect nor was it permanent, still it entertained the redhead; it had been a long time since he felt like this... Uncertainty often gives him disdain, but he can cherish it if it comes without risks or nasty implications. It does with the brunette.

Although they soon start talking about various things and Akashi even respectfully helps his host clearing the table, they never touch upon the distasteful details of last night. When it is time to go, Akashi's clothes are still not fully dry and in all honesty, Akashi would not mind if Nijimura trashed them, for frankly, they might be expensive but they are very much redundant. It would be pretentious to say so and normally he would not care but somehow at that moment he cares with Nijimura, who must be already fully aware of that fact anyway but still insists that he will get the clothes delivered to the redhead one way or another at a later time. So Akashi concedes. He will also ensure that the clothes he borrowed from Nijimura are returned, within a day he thinks in his mind.

Akashi puts an order for another cab and in twenty minutes he is outside Nijimura's door, ready to pace down the stairs to the cab parked in front of the shabby building. Nijimura insisted on exchanging phone numbers and this made his phone feel even heavier in his hand; he is not sure how he feels about this man's re-entrance to his life so nonchalantly and in such an odd occurrence too. Right before he takes his first step in the stairs, Nijimura calls for him, not too loud, not too quiet, it is a soft but determined voice,

"Akashi."

"Yes, Nijimura-san?"

Akashi looks back with a little bit of curiosity, apparently this man wants to say one last thing to him and several probabilities and possibilities spring in his brain, subconsciously he is already calculating the respective likelihood of each prediction but before his calculations can properly finalise, Nijimura says,

"Take care."

His eyes are not soft, his voice is not tender; his gaze is sharp, he is not chiding or scolding either, it is almost as if it is a wish but from a person so intent and intense that it comes out as a though it is a command. Akashi feels a chill in his spine; nobody dares speak him in a tone like this.

He hates it.

He loves it.

He does not say anything in response and only one end of his lips curve slightly upwards, it is not a smile but a gesture of both pleasure and irritation; his eyes glint and he realises Nijimura had never seen his eyes like this before yet he did not comment even once about the obvious heterochromia. The realisation makes him blame his intellect for not notifying him of this detail before, but also pleases him. His asymmetrically coloured orbs gleam and he can see how it changes Nijimura's gaze, a cloud of deep thought covers the clear grey of his eyes.

Akashi turns his back then and as he descends the stairs he can feel a gaze of curiosity mingled with various unknown wishes bore into his back, it feels cold.

It feels delightfully, ardently cold.

...

(A/N: I would like to clarify a few points that are important to me:

Firstly, I think Akashi can be rather sadomasochistic and unstable at times. While I think he gets better at controlling both as he matures, I don't think he ever truly resolves this for the great intellect he carries as well as harsh responsibilities and his grandiose would dictate otherwise. Secondly, I do not think the matter of waking up naked in an unknown location after passing out is to be taken lightly; such a situation may indicate terrible assault and, we really should not even need to say this but, unconscious people cannot consent to anything (sex or else). Different people may have different attitudes and reactions to such situations; I think Akashi is of the type who is cold and assaying in times of urgency or uncertainty. I think he would be equally calm, self-confident, and calculating if he was kidnapped or attacked etc. Thus, I tried to portray the scene as such.

Thirdly, before writing this chapter I had actually seen this pair of french terry sweater & sweatpants by MeUndies and somehow kept imagining Akashi in them. So the clothes he borrows are these. I think he would look adorable in them. (If you haven't realised this wasn't really one of the important points but yeah, I just wanted to share.))