(A/N: I played around with chaptering a little so this one is shorter but I think flow is now better.
Also, Akashi sparring with Nijimura is for some reason very alluring to me.)
...
...
The next days and weeks are a whirlwind of textbooks and notes and summaries and reports because exams come with all their might and Nijimura realises how unready he is. They never talk with Akashi after their rather awkward deal. Well, he has sent the list Akashi wanted and honestly it took all his might to even prepare it and even more courage to simply press "send". It is not that he is ashamed or embarrassed but it is completely uncharted territory for him; he has always been blunt but has known when to keep his mouth shut and even if his previous romantic and sexual endeavours have been diverse if modest, he could not help being a little enthusiastic at the great potential that Akashi could provide and add a lot of stuff he has always wondered but never truly suggested a partner before.
Akashi replied his email a few hours after it was sent with a simple, "I've read and acknowledge these. Let me know if you would require me to prepare such a list as well."
Nijimura is frustrated at the business-like tone of the email and instead of asking for a reciprocal list (and it would have been really helpful in the future after all) he simply responded: "It's cool."
It was stupid.
He has no time to worry about the impacts of past stupidity for his possible future sex life though, because exams hit him hard. He should have studied more, he spends his days and nights with his eyes glued to textbooks and notes and continuously messaging with his senpais from the lab (and thanks God that they are so helpful in answering his questions for the second year's material) but it is simply not enough.
When all exams pass and he can finally breath easy, he visits home. He has not visited them since the beginning of finals and with the end of the term, before classes start again in October, it is the perfect change. He has been feeling a little alienated from his siblings and especially mother, who seemed to be always busy working, understandably. They live in Kanagawa now so it is just close enough to visit even for a few days and far enough to not be able to visit more frequently during the week.
It is while he is with his family that he receives a message from Akashi Seijūrō, it is simple and elegant,
"I wish you congratulations on passing all your examinations. I hope you are feeling better now and have been able to relieve your stress from the examination period. If you are available, I will be so this Monday. I wish you and your family a delightful time together."
Nobody who comes across such a message written in such a polite tone would ever even imagine it is a booty call. And he does not even want to wonder how and why Akashi knows that he passed all his exams, because the marks have not yet been released for all of them, and that he is with his family, because nobody outside his professor at the lab knows it.
This does not creep out Nijimura though, he has seen Akashi be the 'all seeing eye' far too many times in the past and recent times to be baffled, instead it amuses him, he finds himself snorting at the pretentiousness of it all.
He confirms to Akashi that he will indeed be available on Monday and finds himself sent a full address.
"I thought you would perhaps prefer it to take place in my house this time. It would be curt to forever inconvenience your dwelling."
Nijimura reads this message while he is still on the train and snickers. He is not sure whether it is cute or weird or perhaps it is both.
"Is it going to be awkward?" is the question that busies his mind on his way to Akashi's house. He took a shower and wore some of his more decent clothes though he thinks Akashi probably does not particularly care. In previous instances of their sexual activities it had always been so salacious and immediate, without much pondering that they never had any moment to pause and be awkward about it. It is not really like that when he has already sent out a list that involved some pretty crazy stuff to Akashi. When he knows Akashi is waiting him, for sex.
What surprises him the most is how little he cares about the possible moral ramifications of it. Nor does he even doubt the satisfaction he will acquire at the end. He had never thought of holding a man before Akashi or being held by a man before Akashi – but now the idea is not just acceptable but attractive. He finds that he really does not mind. He really must be bisexual. Or perhaps he is pansexual like Akashi said he was? What is the exact difference? He should study about these kinds of things a little perhaps, now that he knows the world is not as simple as he once thought.
When Akashi first opens the door, Nijimura is taken by surprise – he had expected many things but apparently he had not expected one thing that was very Akashi Seijūrō:
Akashi is wearing a black yukata with carmine obi that accentuates the colour of his hair and eyes, there is a serene allure in his gaze – it is not threatening, it is not explicitly inviting, but it is welcoming, it is calming...
"I was having tea," he says, "would you like to have some as well?"
Nijimura nods politely and enters the apartment. It is large. Very large. Probably two, no three instances of his whole apartment could fit in what seems to be Akashi's main room with an attached semi-open kitchen. It is also extremely simple; a careful blend of the modern with the traditional. It is lavish in size but modest in essence. It feels a little like Akashi. No, it feels very much like Akashi.
Except...
He focuses his eyes on the small maneki-neko on the beautifully designed wooden table. It is not a tacky one like those sold in dollar stores. It is gracefully crafted, however, it still is a maneki-neko; it is white and has red ears, bright golden plates... It is... nothing like rest of this house. It is nothing like Akashi.
"Do you like it?"
"Oh, thanks..." Nijimura realises Akashi setting the table with tea and pale coloured daifukus. Even the wares he is using seem sublime but simple.
"Um... it looks good? It is very cute actually. Not tacky either."
"Thanks. I am quite fond of it. Unfortunately I could not give it to you, it is a gift. But if there is anything else you like, feel free."
Nijimura blinks a few times but Akashi has uttered the words without even looking at him, busy setting the table at first and now sipping from his tea. A second later his bewilderment (and accumulated awkwardness till then) simply combusts into laughter,
"Is something amusing to you?"
"It is just... God Akashi... Do you know just how pretentious it is to say someone something like that?"
"Probably very. I was sincere though."
"I know and you were not trying to be arrogant either. Your natural vanity does not eclipse your natural modesty. Well... your whole house is modest."
"You think so? Most would think it is excessive."
"Well, it is huge but there is not much furniture or luxurious items. Or rather, no extravagance? I am sure this tea cup is very valuable for example, but it does not even give off an aura of excess at all."
"It is invaluable actually, in the sense that it is part of a set from an unfortunately recently deceased master's hands... Auction houses would do anything to get a hold of it."
This almost makes Nijimura drop the cup he is holding in his hands – he was taking a sip when Akashi commented. Somehow, Akashi is not even upset at the very real accident that was just avoided, he smiles contentedly, seemingly much amused,
"It does not mean you have to panic. It is sublime and thus I have it, but it is just a tea cup."
Nijimura cannot help contain a smile that blossoms on his face in response to the honesty he has just been dealt with. Any other person might have taken it as yet another haughty statement, but he knows there is not even a single bit of conceit in Akashi's words.
Truth is Akashi had never carried arrogance. Hubris, sure. Pride, certainly. But arrogance is something that profoundly requires self-ignorance and delusion to exaggerate oneself beyond their capability and actuality, which Akashi absolutely does not hold and instead his actions and words that may seem grandiose to most stem from the very fact that the redhead's potential is enormous. There was however a time (and there are still glimpses of it) when Akashi lost his composure and sense of reality and normality against his own grand capacity. His hubris and pride did not blind him but burdened him and to bear them he exposed them for all to see.
At least that's how Nijimura sees it.
It was a mistake, Akashi had learnt. Nijimura can estimate as much. But as he studies every little gesture of Akashi now, he thinks that he does not mind. He has never minded, the audacity of the redhead or the imposing dignity. Not even in the past.
How do they move from sitting at the table making small talk about their respective university lives and Nijimura's sibling worries and sipping tea to... Akashi's comfortable and stylish sofa where they make out like a pair of lovers who have not seen each other for so long that their heightened craving only unleashes an insatiable sensuality... Only that they are not lovers at all and even if they had not seen each other for long, neither had felt any real longing for the other.
How do they move from that point to Akashi's bedroom? His bed is large for both of them and there is a forcefulness in their movements that so bizarrely blends with soft caresses here and there and moments of unfathomable tenderness now and then... It is a whirlwind of aphrodisia, of fervour, of greed, and of urgency... The brunette has no idea how it has all escalated so smoothly, so quickly.
When Nijimura wakes, he finds Akashi carefully tucked in near him and they are so close to each other but not touching. He regards the redhead for a few minutes, how graceful he looks as he sleeps, his delicate features settled in a beautiful peace, his bare chest moves up and down slowly at every breath and even his inhales and exhales sound melodious.
Why would such a person even care to take Nijimura to bed? He could have anybody he wanted. As he said once, he could possess anybody he wanted. Why Nijimura?
The answer is simple, "trust". The problem is Nijimura is a little unsure of that answer. Is it really so important? For him, surely, he has felt it and confirmed it once again that night. But for Akashi? For a king who has only ever relied on himself in the worst case and have managed to rise victorious from every predicament? Akashi is a creature of doubt in essence, how could he revel or value trust? If anything, he should undermine it, belittle it.
His mind is busy pondering about this conundrum when he realises the aftermath of last night's events that Akashi had not bothered to clean up before falling asleep, which is not that surprising though he would not be surprised otherwise either, and it is only once his gaze hovers over the sticky skin he realises...
Sex is a dialogue.
It requires more than one person to be an intercourse and go beyond simple self-satisfaction by oneself.
Trust is even a stronger operative in bed than on court; Akashi could trust only in himself on the court, it is not enough in the bed because he will be taking someone in or he will be giving himself to someone. Regardless of the positions or the roles or the exact actions involved, trust becomes very valuable in intimacy. It is indispensably important because of the very nature of the situation.
Perhaps it is really just that. Solely that. Trust is what connects them together and brings them to this bed. He does not mind it. His hand, calloused from years of karate and delinquency and basketball reach out for Akashi's smooth ivory skin, under his touch fascinatingly dark and red and thick eyelashes tremble, his lips part with perhaps only a millimetre. He opens his eyes and Nijimura releases a breath he did not know he was holding,
"Hello."
"Hello."
"What time is it?"
"Not sure but it must be very early morning... It is the blue hour."
"Hmm... I like the blue hour."
Nijimura caresses the curve of his shoulder up to his neck – his hand pauses for a mere second at one particular point where his calm pulse is almost felt through the skin,
"It looks pretty usually..."
"Yes, it is aesthetically very pleasing. Are you sleepy at all?"
"No, I don't think I'll be able to sleep."
"I'll probably sleep about ten more minutes. You can take a shower if you'd like."
"Sure..." as the last syllable falls out of his lips, his hand cups Akashi's cheek, who does not seem to mind – he does not lean into the touch nor does he shy away from it, which strangely charms Nijimura. It is simply so... Akashi.
He unwraps himself from the bedsheets and goes to bathroom which is again large but simple. He is out in about ten minutes and sees Akashi, already dressed in his yukata, leaning on the counter of the open kitchen and staring into the horizon from the large windows of his living room – the sky is a lovely baby blue and horizon is smouldering in a pastel pink.
"It is indeed beautiful."
"Yes, it looks especially so from my house."
"Is there anything to eat?"
"I am afraid nothing other than daifuku. I do not cook so I rarely have anything in my fridge."
This upsets Nijimura somehow,
"Now that is simply unacceptable."
Akashi is entertained with that reaction somehow, he turns his face and gives a small smile of satisfaction,
"Perhaps. We could have breakfast outside if you would like? There is a lovely French patisserie that also serves delightful breakfasts in the morning."
"You are joking."
"No, and I should be out of shower in about fifteen minutes. Decide till then because I am pretty hungry as well and they open very early, so we are in the luck."
When Akashi is out of the shower and walks into his living room, clad in pure white bathrobes, he finds Nijimura sitting on one of the cushions near the table and gazing into the last minutes of sunrise.
The sky is a blazing fusion of all kinds of reds and oranges and yellows... He smiles, for it is absolutely fiery yet calm.
...
...
The next time is only a few days after and they do it at Nijimura's apartment. Because they start relatively early then finish relatively early, it is 8 pm and neither is sleepy and though it has been fun, it has not been that exhaustive. After some moments spent lying on the bed doing nothing and saying nothing, Akashi gets up for a glass of water. It is then the punching bag that is hung haphazardly at one corner of the room catches his attention and he wanders over, the leather is cool unlike the warm and humid air inside the room. He throws a punch instinctively and hears Nijimura snort.
"What is funny?"
"That is not a proper boxing punch."
"Because I have never boxed. However, I am very confident in my punches."
"I am sure you are and I am sure they are good but yeah, technique is different."
Nijimura's movements are lethargic as he moves to the spot near Akashi and carefully positions Akashi's arms and corrects his stance, he stands right behind,
"Like this and then move your arm straight and at the same time turn your torso anticlockwise and ensure to shift all your weight to your leading foot from your rear one..."
Akashi tries once at a slow pace and then another faster and a third that is at an acceptable speed for an actual punch.
"Wow that was actually really good. It had taken me some time to fluidly execute at all... But you catch these kind of stuff pretty easily, don't you?"
The redhead turns and gives a look that is clearly scolding and Nijimura could swear the lips (swollen from their earlier lascivious affairs) pouted a little for an instant. Instead of a response in words Akashi starts pounding the punching bag and after a moment Nijimura stops hovering behind him and shifts to his left side watching him go at it. After about ten minutes of this (and somehow Nijimura finds a fighting Akashi raw and stunning and mesmerising in all the right and the wrong ways), it is Nijimura who stops Akashi.
"Let me show you another one..." he says.
That is how they spend the next two hours literally punching. Not each other but the punching bag and by the end Nijimura has another idea, he dashes to one corner of the room and amidst a mess of many articles of clothing and god knows what else, he fishes out a focus mitt. Akashi has a pretty good idea of what that is used for based on several films he has seen. Nijimura wears the mitt to one hand as he hurries over, they position properly and Nijimura starts giving directives.
That is how they pass another two hours, except for the few short breaks they take to drink some water.
Nijimura finds himself oddly excited facing Akashi throwing punches in his direction. His narrowed and focused eyes, asymmetric and bewitching, shine with this particular glare, it is hot and heavy and most importantly it is predatory. It sends a message and the message is loud and clear and Nijimura can feel just how clear and loud it is in every punch that seems to be increasing in force and the side of his body receiving this fierce aggression is already aching.
He cannot get enough of it though. It has been such a long time since he last saw such enticing display of sheer power, defiant ferocity...
He stops Akashi and takes off the focus mitt then positions himself against Akashi,
"You want to spar?" the redhead asks in partial suspicion and surprise,
"Not really, I am sure you already pack a good punch and your physique is astounding, still, I just showed you the techniques, so it wouldn't be fair. Plus, I am not interested in punching each other's faces out without proper gear on us... Just come at me and I'll avoid."
"You sure you will be able to avoid?"
"Well please try not to ensure that I won't be able to avoid?"
Akashi giggles, it is too low and seducing than what a giggle should ever sound like...
It is not easy to avoid punches thrown by Akashi Seijūrō even if the redhead is not deliberately trying to ensure they fall on their targets and even if he has just learnt how to throw punches in this specific set of techniques. Nijimura manages it but the fact that he manages it hardly is what makes it exhilarating; adrenaline floods his body, sweat drops cover every path of his skin, his mouth becomes dry as he rapidly dehydrates... And Akashi looks at him with those eyes that so firmly declare him as a prey.
His prey.
It is ravenous and urgent.
When they finally stop both are breathing extremely hard and Nijimura realises how every muscle on the perfect body of Akashi Seijūrō in front of him is tense and his alabaster skin covered with sweat, the red strands of his hair messy and wet... He breaths hard.
There is something peculiarly similarly enticing about sex and fighting, the brunette muses silently in his mind.
"That was good..." is what he says out loud.
"It was," Akashi agrees and continues, "and very satisfying for stress release. I usually prefer kendo but since I've moved it has been inconvenient. It might be a good idea to buy some gear like this for my apartment."
"Oh it is great for relieving stress. I didn't know you practised kendo?"
"Kendo, iaido, kyudo, and judo are traditionally mastered in my household."
"Wait, so you have been trained in all?"
"Yes."
"Why did you choose basketball for club activities then?"
Akashi smiles and it is the kind of small smile you would give before you share an important secret with an important dear one, it intrigues Nijimura but what he hears is simple,
"Because it is not a sport traditionally mastered in my household and it requires both the best of the mind and body."
Nijimura understands and for some reason feels inclined to just lean in and ruffle Akashi's wet strands of hair, and he does just that,
"What was that for?" Akashi asks, seemingly irritated,
"Nothing, I just felt like it."
"You are weird."
"You are the weird one. Look at your hands... They are so delicate. And you were packing punches like that. Nobody would believe it if they saw it. I am sure you are marvellous at every sport you ever try. It is just ridiculous."
"It would be an insulting lie if I denied it, I am indeed marvellous at every sport I ever try. This was particularly enjoyable, I must admit, I've always been fond of display of bare force. And a deceiving looks is a great advantage, the most tenacious species end up being the ones you least expect and seemingly the 'great' beasts become extinct so easily."
"Hmm... True it is an advantage. I have a friend I met in the US and he is a true beauty, he has delicate hands too, well bigger than yours, still they look like those of a model than a fighter but he can knock out an adult man with a single punch."
"He must be a troublesome fighter."
"He is but that's what makes it even more exciting to watch him fight. He does not do these kind of things any more though. Well, I don't do much either but... Maybe I'll just train you so it will be entertaining for me?"
Nijimura reaches with his arm again to ruffle Akashi's hair...
Then in the blink of an eye finds himself on the floor on his back – that hurt.
That definitely hurt a lot.
Akashi looms over his body, leaning in from his standing position, his upper body dipping down and his face hovering above Nijimura's, his voice is hauntingly proud and seductively aggressive,
"I do not mind learning a new technique or sport, but you should not utter such insulting words... I do not entertain people, people entertain me."
Perhaps somebody else would be afraid at the ferocious stare boring down on their face and chest. Perhaps somebody else would be intimidated by the tone of voice that was threatening in itself beyond the content of what was said. And honestly, that somebody else would have every right to be so because that would be the rational reaction. Nijimura's reaction is not the rational one at all.
He chuckles.
"That was perfect. Fine, young master. I will entertain you by showing you new techniques. By the way, you cannot just perform ippon seoi nage while boxing with people. Rules don't work that way."
"There are no rules in real life fights though, are there? Any method is valid."
"Sure and when will you exactly ever be involved in a real fight? Don't you people have bodyguards for such things?"
"True. But all in all it is much more likely for me to be involved in a real physical altercation than a regulated boxing match. I could be kidnapped, or worse..."
There are moments that Nijimura forgets about how complicated Akashi's life could be and there will be these little things Akashi will do or say and he will do or say them in the most ordinary voice, as though they are banal occurrences for all... They are not. This is one of those moments and realising it Nijimura sighs,
"You would totally kick their ass if they ever tried something like that."
He would. It is the truth but there is a part of that statement that is more about wishing than stating that fact. Akashi realises this and smiles,
"Yes. I would."
Nijimura raises his hand then, as if asking for a hand to be lifted up but Akashi only slowly leans his face to the right,
"You will only pull me down on you, won't you? If I give you a hand."
Nijimura replies matter-of-factly,
"Yes, I will."
Akashi snickers and takes the hand anyway to be pulled down.
"Does it... bother you sometimes? To be so aware of what is going on around you and what will happen next minute or month?"
"I've ever only been like this so I do not know how else to be... Thus I am not particularly bothered. When I was younger, I was bothered by other people's obliviousness to their present and future though... It disillusioned me as a child. Alas, I am used to it now."
"So you don't get frustrated with them?"
"In general, no, but it does require a lot of mental power. It is a good thing I possess it."
Nijimura chuckles as he wraps his arms around the body that is still warm and humid with sweat, they are in their underpants and the clock on the wall shows 1 am. He starts kissing and licking the soft skin under Akashi's chin, it is slow and languid, more calming than titillating...
Things escalate though. They escalate fast too. This is something Nijimura has realised: things escalate so fast whenever he is with Akashi. Not just things of sexual nature but others too – from conversations to touches, they can accelerate at magnitudes that they have never with anybody else. He wonders, if it is the same for Akashi too, it may be so, may be not... More importantly, he knows, it has not been like this with Akashi before.
Oh, how different they are now, than they once were – he realises again, not only because they are sprawled on the floor, naked and needy, together now.
Things escalate fast with Akashi and Nijimura realises, he is more needy and demanding with Akashi than he has ever been with anybody else. The redhead, on his side, seems to be too generous; he rarely ever denies Nijimura and it is spoiling, he has to admit.
So that night, Akashi is again generous, he only comments passingly when they break a kiss to breath,
"I have to attend an exhibition at an art gallery at noon tomorrow."
They do not speak at all again sans the moans and whimpers.
When Nijimura wakes up in the morning, he finds every part of his body aching in dullness. Sleeping on the floor was a bad idea, obviously. He has no energy to even move a finger but the moment his eyes realise the time thanks to the clock on the opposite wall, he is quick to jump on his feet even though it comes with a wincing pain of his stiff muscles.
It is 11 am. Shit.
Though perhaps it is not that bad because he realises not only is Akashi nowhere to be found in the small room, he does not answer to calling of his name either. Is he gone?
Yes, he is gone – confirms the little note that Nijimura finds on his fridge.
"I have to leave early due to several errands I need to take care of in the morning. I helped myself to some toast, assuming you would not mind. I wish you a delightful day."
'Helped himself to some toast'?
Nijimura starts laughing and he is not sure what is the exact reason: is it Akashi's politesse that is always highlighted with honest hubris? Is it the fact that Akashi, despite his sublime lifestyle, does not mind having some meagre toasts as breakfast? Is it the fact that Akashi actually mentions it alongside his reasoning as though he has committed some kind of felony?
Nijimura laughs alone leaning to his kitchen counter in a cool autumn morning and everything in life seems fine and nice.