Chapter Text
Bright lights. Hardwood floors. Cheers from the crowd. A number 12 jersey standing out amongst the players on the court. Time slowed down. Everything was dull compared to him. He was a star, and all Akaashi could do was orbit around him and hope he wouldn’t fall in.
An alarm blared loudly, cutting through the silence. Akaashi groaned, squinted open his eyes and fumbled around to turn off the offending noise. He lay flat on his back, blinking as his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim morning light of his bedroom. He wasn’t in the Tokyo Metropolitan Gym. He wasn’t watching Bokuto play for the first time. He really needed to stop dreaming about his senpai like this.
Akaashi dragged himself out of bed and went through the motions of his morning routine on autopilot. Get dressed, wash face, eat breakfast, pack bag, brush teeth. He left the house and walked the short distance to the train station. Once he arrived at the platform, he didn’t have to wait long for the next train, and he was lucky enough to get one of the last remaining free seats.
He allowed himself to take a breath and close his eyes. The train ride was about ten minutes, then another couple of minutes’ walk to Fukurodani, and then he would see Bokuto at morning practice. Bokuto; his teammate, his senpai, his crush.
They had only known each other for a few months, but Akaashi was already head over heels. They weren’t even that close; they hardly saw each other outside of volleyball so he couldn’t say they were friends. Akaashi was still trying to build the ace’s trust as a first-year setter. But still, Bokuto was something special.
Soon, the train arrived and Akaashi walked the rest of the way to school, through the gates and to the clubroom.
“Good morning,” he said as he entered the room. There was a chorus of greetings from the few other first and second years getting changed. He walked past them to an empty spot at the back of the room and started changing into his gym clothes.
Just as Akaashi was finishing up, a loud voice at the doorway made his breath catch in his throat.
“Hey! Morning everyone!” Bokuto called with a smile, walking down to the end of the room towards Akaashi. “Morning, Akaashi!” Bokuto threw his bag down next to Akaashi’s.
“Good morning, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi tried his best to look indifferent while his stomach did flips. He zipped up his bag and headed for the door. He really didn't need to stay and stare at his crush while he changed.
Once everyone had gathered in the gym, practice went as normal. The team all did warm-ups together and then they split off into a few groups to do drills. Akaashi set for the group of second years to practice spiking, while their official setter, a third year named Morioka, took the other group.
Akaashi felt like he was starting to sync up well with the first- and second-year spikers, while the third years seemed to prefer to stick with the setter they already knew. Akaashi didn't complain, he didn't want to step on any toes, but he did aspire to be Fukurodani’s starting setter one day.
He set for Konoha, then Washio, and then it was Bokuto’s turn. Akaashi knew exactly what kind of tosses he liked. Partly because he sometimes stayed behind for extra spiking practice with him, and partly because Akaashi paid close attention so he could impress Bokuto. It seemed to be working, as Bokuto hit a powerful shot over the net and turned to look at Akaashi with his big, bright eyes.
“You always have the best tosses, Akaashi!”
“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” he replied, trying not to smile.
***
After morning practice, Akaashi headed straight to class. He liked this day in the timetable. He had maths, Japanese and then art class before lunch. While he was a good all-rounder academically, he was much more inclined towards literature and art than maths and science. He just found thinking outside the box much more interesting than rigid calculations.
So far in their art class, they had gone over a few different mediums so they could try them out and see which ones they enjoyed. Akaashi didn't any exceptional talent with a brush or a pencil, but he really enjoyed photography. He even had his own DSLR camera – a gift from his parents for his birthday last year.
The art teacher Yamada-sensei, a young woman with blue rimmed glasses, called the class to attention and started to explain the new assignment.
“Alright everyone, since you're all high school students now, I think you're ready to take on a bigger project. For the rest of the year, you're all going to be working on making a cohesive art portfolio using the medium of your choice.” There were some groans and mumbling from the back of the class. “Now, I know not all of you are aspiring artists, but I want you to think of this as an opportunity to build something over a long period of time. I won't just be grading you on artistic skill, but also the composition of how you put your portfolio together and what message or story you can tell with your work.”
This was sounding interesting to Akaashi. He had never really done anything with the photos he had taken for fun. There was a folder on his laptop with some of his favourite photos that he had thought about printing out to stick on the wall, but a portfolio was an entirely different challenge.
“Since this is probably the first portfolio any of you have done,” Yamada-sensei continued, “I’m going to give you a theme and help you through the process of putting everything together throughout the year. I want you all to focus on contrast. We’ll be studying some examples over the next few weeks and your assignment for the end of the semester will be to create a collection of work that shows strong contrast. Then we will use these pieces to build your full portfolio from there.”
She turned on the projector to bring up a slide show with different examples. “Dark and light, high and low, hot and cold, hard and soft. Notice the use of colour and lighting and shape in these examples. You will need to pick one or two of these contrasts to focus on in your work.
“Now, for the rest of class today, I want you to brainstorm. Think about what medium you want to use, how you can show contrast, and what your subject material could be. And remember, I want you to tell me a story through your work! I’ll give you twenty minutes or so, and then I’ll come around and talk to you individually.”
Quiet chatter filled the room as the students shared their thoughts with their neighbours. Akaashi opened his sketchbook to a blank page and started jotting down some thoughts. He definitely wanted to do photography. What would be an interesting subject? He had taken a lot of nature and cityscapes around his neighbourhood, but if he really wanted to be able to tell a story, focusing on people would probably be more interesting.
Dark and light. He thought of the Fukurodani team colours; black, white and gold. Bokuto’s black and white hair, his bright, golden eyes. Black knee pads against pale skin.
High and low. Akaashi tossing a volleyball high in the air, Bokuto jumping to reach it, the ball slamming down on the ground. Looking down at the players on the other side of the net as they dive for the ball in vain.
Hot and cold. Bokuto’s mood swings? No, that one doesn’t even really work. Something other than Bokuto or volleyball. A… hot cup of tea on a cold winter morning. Steam fogging up a window.
Hard and soft. A skyscraper cutting into the clouds. Harsh lines, soft curves. Bokuto’s spiky hair, his toned muscles. They look hard, but if he could reach out and touch them, would they be soft?
Ugh. Why do his ideas always come back to Bokuto? Akaashi knew why – he was always thinking of Bokuto. He was just so interesting to look at. Akaashi couldn't get the image out of his head of Bokuto paused in mid-air, about to hit a spike, everything else fading away. He could tell a story with Bokuto. Show the world – or just his art teacher – how much of a star he was.
Akaashi looked up from his sketchbook. Yamada-sensei had started going around the room to hear everyone’s ideas. There was no way Akaashi could use this idea. It would be revealing too much about himself and his dumb crush on his senpai. And what would Bokuto think if Akaashi said he wanted to take photos of him? But all of his other ideas were so dull in comparison.
“Akaashi-kun,” Yamada-sensei said as she approached his desk. “What ideas have you got so far?”
Akaashi glanced between his sketchbook of scattered notes and back at the teacher. “Um, well I want to do photography,” he started.
“That's great. Do you have a camera?”
“I do.”
“Brilliant. And what are you thinking for your subject matter?”
“Well, I like taking photos around the city, of buildings and people on the streets. I was thinking there could be some contrast there.”
Yamada-sensei nodded. “You could certainly do something there. Man-made versus organic. It could be a commentary on city life. Any other ideas?”
Akaashi hesitated for a second but decided to share it. This was just a brainstorm after all. “I was also thinking about doing something with portraiture. I have a friend from the volleyball club, and I was thinking about a story I could tell about him through photography. I could also use contrast with the colours and angles.”
“Yes, that sounds very interesting. You could get some great shots with that. And I like that you're already thinking about a story. You have a good artistic eye, Akaashi-kun. I can't wait to see what you do with this.” Yamada-sensei smiled and moved on to the next student.
Akaashi looked back at his sketchbook and tapped his pencil on the page. Maybe it was actually a decent idea if Yamada-sensei thought it had potential, and not just an excuse to take photos of Bokuto. Both could be true. But Akaashi still wasn't sure if he could do it; if he could ask Bokuto, if he would say yes, if it would turn out to be anything good or just purely self-indulgent. He would keep brainstorming for now.
***
During afternoon practice, Akaashi kept thinking about his photography portfolio. They were playing a practice match with the team split in two, and Akaashi had ended up on the other side of the net from Bokuto. He probably should have been paying more attention to the spikers on his side, but his eyes kept being drawn to Bokuto.
Bokuto hit a sharp cross shot that whizzed right past Akaashi, and he was reminded how glad he was that they were on the same team. It was an interesting view though, from the other side of the net. Akaashi imagined a photo looking through a blurry net, crisp focus on Bokuto’s face after scoring a point.
The ball was in Akaashi’s side of the court now, he needed to focus. He watched the ball travel in an arc high above him, took a couple of steps to line himself up, and tossed the ball towards Sarukui. The spiker hit the ball, but it was blocked and sent right back down on their side.
It was Bokuto’s serve next. Akaashi watched him throw the ball up, run, jump, swing his arm down to hit the ball. His form was magnificent, it would make for a great photo if Akaashi could capture it right. The serve receive was off, too close to the net for Akaashi to get a good set up, so one of the first-year middle blockers jumped to hit it directly over the net. The ball got past the block this time, Bokuto tried to save it from the back line, but it veered off course when it hit his hand. His annoyed pout was cute – another thing Akaashi wanted to take a photo of.
Bokuto’s side ended up winning the set, and they played a few more until practice ended. Akaashi took a long drink from his water bottle while people started to filter out of the gym to head home.
“Hey, Akaashi?”
He lowered his water bottle to see Bokuto cautiously approaching him. “Yes?”
“Could you stay for extra practice? I really want to get some more spikes in.”
“Sure, I can toss for you,” Akaashi replied, his heart rate quickening as he put his bottle back down on the bench. He always felt nervous, being alone with Bokuto, no matter how often they practiced together.
“Yes!” Bokuto cheered, his body language opening back up. He bounded over to the net and dragged a cart of volleyballs into place. Akaashi walked over to join him.
“I’ll leave you two to lock up if you’re staying longer!” the captain called out, leaving the keys on the bench.
“Okay!” Bokuto replied.
Once the captain had gone, the gym was empty apart from the two of them. It seemed that Akaashi was the last person willing to stay late with him at this point. Akaashi had never seen any of the third years stay, and occasionally Bokuto could convince one of the second years, but he really needed a setter to practice his spikes with. Akaashi was happy to fill that role so he could be near Bokuto for a while longer.
“Ready, Akaashi?” Bokuto asked, holding a ball ready to throw to him.
“Yes.” Akaashi focused himself on the task at hand. If this extra practice was going to be any use to Bokuto, he needed to make sure his tosses were perfect.
Bokuto threw the ball up high towards him and Akaashi set up a toss along the net. Bokuto ran up, jumped, and hit a sharp cross shot. He was really getting good at those.
Bokuto was grinning when his feet landed back on the ground, and he turned to look at Akaashi. It took all his willpower to not smile back like an idiot.
“Nice kill,” he managed.
“Right?” Bokuto turned back to the ball cart. “Give me another one, Akaashi!”
As they continued practicing, Bokuto filled the silence between hits by telling Akaashi about his weekend. Something about hanging out with his friend Kuroo, the story was a bit jumbled and hard to follow. All Akaashi could do was focus on setting and not get too distracted by Bokuto’s attention on him, alone in the gym together.
Eventually, Bokuto said they could stop for the day, or evening at this point. They tidied up, locked the gym, and went to the clubroom to change. Akaashi got changed quickly, while Bokuto took his time. Akaashi hesitated, he was never sure if it was more polite to wait for him or leave straight away so he didn't end up staring. He thought about telling Bokuto about his portfolio assignment, about asking if he would be a model for him.
Bokuto looked in his direction, and Akaashi chickened out. He quickly grabbed his bag and turned towards the door.
“See you tomorrow, Bokuto-san.”
“See you!”
***
Over the next few days, Akaashi continued trying to think of other ideas for his portfolio. Nothing else was sparking much inspiration, though. He just kept thinking of more photos he wanted to take of Bokuto.
When he next had art class, Akaashi had the chance to talk to Yamada-sensei about his ideas again. The teacher encouraged him to explore the one he felt the most inspired by and try to do a test shoot to get an idea of how it could work.
Akaashi stayed behind for extra practice with Bokuto again that afternoon. He thought that maybe when they were alone together, he would have a chance to ask about doing a test shoot. He was fully prepared for Bokuto to say no – it was a strange request after all – but at least if he got an outright rejection, it would force Akaashi to move on and come up with another idea.
The longer Akaashi put off asking, the more his anxiety grew, until he started to find it hard to focus on tossing for Bokuto. He squeezed his eyes shut for a second after Bokuto hit another spike. He should just do it and get it over with.
“Bokuto-san,” he heard himself say.
Bokuto paused, volleyball in hand ready to throw. “Oh, do you want to stop now? I guess we have been going for a while.”
“No, that’s not it. I… have something I wanted to ask you about.”
“Oh? What is it?” Bokuto tilted his head curiously.
“Well, I’m doing a photography portfolio for art class and… I was wondering if I could take some photos of you?” Akaashi could hardly believe he was actually saying this.
“Of me?” Bokuto’s eyes widened.
“Yes, um…” Akaashi felt like he needed to come up with some kind of reason. “My theme is about volleyball, and you’re the ace, so I thought I should get some good shots of you.”
“Oh, cool! So, are you taking photos of the whole team?”
“No, just you. We’re supposed to only have one subject for the portfolio.” That was a blatant lie, but it felt safer than the truth.
“So, I’ll be the star of your portfolio?”
“I guess so.” Akaashi let a small smile slip. That was exactly what he wanted to show in his portfolio – how much of a star Bokuto was.
“Woah, that would be so cool!” Bokuto’s eyes were almost sparkling. “I’d love to!”
“Really?” Wait, was this actually happening?
“Of course! You can count on me.” He smiled and puffed out his chest proudly.
“O-Okay. Then, do you want to do a test shoot? Maybe tomorrow after practice?”
“Sure!”
Akaashi was taken aback at how easy it was to get Bokuto to agree, he was even excited about the idea. Akaashi started to let himself get excited as well. He was actually going to take photos of Bokuto for his portfolio.
“I can keep tossing for you if you want, Bokuto-san.”
“Oh right,” Bokuto seemed to remember that he was still holding a volleyball. “Let’s go!” he said, throwing the ball up for Akaashi.
***
When Akaashi entered the clubroom the next morning, Bokuto was already there. Bokuto waved when he saw him, and Akaashi walked over.
“Morning, Akaashi!”
“Good morning, Bokuto-san.”
“We're taking photos today, right?”
“Yes, I've got my camera.” Akaashi took his camera bag out to show him.
“Ooh can I see?”
“Sure,” he said, passing it to him.
Bokuto opened the bag and carefully took out the camera, turning it around in his hands.
“Wow, it's such a fancy camera! It's like you're a professional!”
“I'm definitely not a professional, Bokuto-san. Please don't get your hopes up too high.”
Bokuto passed the camera back to Akaashi. “I'm still excited though! I bet the photos are gonna look so cool!”
Konoha and Sarukui came over to see what was going on. Bokuto’s excited voice was certainly hard to ignore.
“What are you taking photos of?” Konoha asked.
“Akaashi’s taking photos of me!” Bokuto grinned.
“Why would he want to take photos of you?”
“Because I'm awesome!”
Konoha folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. “No, that can't be it… Akaashi, is this guy forcing you to take photos of him to inflate his ego?”
“No,” Akaashi smiled. “I'm doing a photography portfolio, and I asked Bokuto-san to help me.”
“Oh, do you have Yamada-sensei for art?” Sarukui asked. “I had to do a portfolio last year too.”
“Yes.” Akaashi hoped they wouldn't ask too many follow up questions about his choice of subject.
“Well, if he gets too annoying don't hesitate to ask one of us to take over,” Konoha offered.
“Hey, I'll be a great model!” Bokuto looked offended. “Don't listen to him, Akaashi.”
“Thank you for the offer Konoha-san, I'll keep it in mind.”
“Akaashi!”
Akaashi couldn't help smiling at Bokuto’s pout. He was glad that Bokuto seemed to be excited about the photoshoot, anyway. He turned back to his school bag to get out his gym clothes. They still had to get through the day before they could start taking photos.
***
Maybe it was just Akaashi’s imagination, but he thought that Bokuto was trying to show off during afternoon practice. Every time he would score a point, he would turn to Akaashi to see his reaction, as if to say, ‘did I look cool there?’.
Akaashi was always watching, but he kept his face neutral. He didn’t want to let slip how much he was enjoying watching Bokuto, and Bokuto watching him. He gave out his compliments sparingly, saving them for the best plays that really deserved them.
Bokuto was certainly in good form, though. It seemed like he was jumping higher, hitting sharper crosses. He looked good. Akaashi was selfishly looking forward to the photoshoot, so he could have photos of Bokuto playing volleyball to stare at as much as he liked.
Once practice ended, Bokuto bounded over to Akaashi with a big smile on his face.
“We can do the photoshoot now, right?”
“Yes, I just need to get my camera from the clubroom.”
“Okay! I guess I’ll just wait here.” Bokuto bounced on the balls of his feet idly, watching Akaashi as he headed for the gym door.
When Akaashi returned with his camera, he entered the gym to see Bokuto passing a volleyball to himself. Bokuto was facing the other way and concentrating on keeping the ball in the air, so he didn’t seem to notice Akaashi returning.
Deciding to take advantage of the situation, Akaashi turned on his camera and snapped a few shots. He could really get a good sense of height with a portrait shot from this distance, and he liked how candid it felt. Bokuto turned to catch a ball that was slightly off, and noticed Akaashi standing there, looking through his camera.
“Oh, hey! You’re back!” Bokuto smiled at him, taking his eyes off the ball and letting it fall to the ground. “Did you already take some photos?” He asked, jogging over to look.
“Yes, just a couple.” Akaashi showed one to Bokuto.
“Ooh, nice!” Bokuto leaned in close to see, making Akaashi’s heart beat just a little faster. “So, what do you want me to do now?”
“We could start with some jump serves,” Akaashi suggested.
“Okay!” Bokuto turned around to pick up a ball and walked over to the back line of the court.
Akaashi stood a couple of meters away and lined up his camera. “Ready when you are,” he said, and Bokuto nodded.
As Bokuto tossed up the ball, Akaashi started pressing the shutter button in quick succession. He captured Bokuto’s run, the swing of his arms back, and up as he jumped, finally slamming the ball to the other side of the court.
“How was that?” Bokuto asked.
“I think it was good.” Akaashi checked the photos and adjusted some settings. He thought they were decent, but there was something different from the image he’d had in his mind. “Bokuto-san, do you happen to have your uniform with you?”
“No, sorry, it’s at home. But I can bring it next time if you want.”
“Okay.” So, he would be willing to do another photoshoot? That was a good sign. “Can you do a few more serves, and I’ll take photos from different angles.”
Bokuto agreed and took another ball from the cart to do a jump serve again. This time, Akaashi knelt down to get a lower angle. For the next serve, he took photos from behind Bokuto, and the next, he took some from in front.
Akaashi then directed Bokuto to stand in front of the net so he could take some photos from the other side. Bokuto waited, watching Akaashi as he adjusted the focus to get it looking just right. He snapped a photo of Bokuto watching him, his golden eyes standing out between the strings of the net.
There were some limitations with not having any other players to help, so Akaashi just had Bokuto dig the ball over the net, or jump for a block, or pretend to do a spike.
Back on the other side of the net, Akaashi took more photos of Bokuto playing pretend volleyball. Some from low angles, some close up, some far away. He looked rather lonely, all by himself on the big empty court. But when he turned to look at Akaashi, he was smiling brightly.
“What do you want me to do next?”
“I think that might be enough for now, Bokuto-san. It’s just a test shoot, so I don’t need to get everything today.”
“Okay,” Bokuto walked over to meet him. “Can I see some photos?”
“Sure.” Akaashi flicked through some of the recent ones to show him.
“Ooh, I look cool in that one! Can you send it to me?” Bokuto leaned in excitedly, placing a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. Akaashi stepped away, startled by the sudden touch.
“Um, yes,” he recovered his neutral expression. “I’ll sort through them tonight and pick out the best ones for you.”
“Great! You should come sit with me and the other second years at lunch tomorrow so we can show them too!”
“Oh, okay. As long as I won’t be bothering you.” They had never spent their lunch break together, what if it was awkward?
“Of course not! We all know you. Plus, I want to prove to Konoha that I was a good model!”
“Okay, then.” Akaashi smiled, and so did Bokuto.
“Hey, if it’s not too late, do you wanna toss for me for a bit?”
“Sure, I can stay a bit longer.” It was the least he could do to thank Bokuto for agreeing to take photos with him.
“Yes! Doing all those pretend spikes was making me want to hit a real one so bad!”
Akaashi chuckled slightly to himself as he put his camera back in its bag and off to the side of the gym.
As he tossed for Bokuto and watched him spike up close, he wished that he could take photos with his eyes. That way, he could toss for Bokuto at the same time and capture every detail from this angle. Bokuto seemed to shine brighter though Akaashi’s eyes.
***
After going home and having dinner with his parents, Akaashi looked through the photos he had taken that day. He saved them all onto his laptop and went through deleting the terrible ones and moving the rest into different folders.
He had a folder for the ones that would work well for his portfolio, ones he thought Bokuto would want to see where he looked cool, and some of Akaashi’s personal favourites.
He had taken some close-ups of Bokuto’s strong arms and his broad back, those went into his favourites folder. The ones of him smiling at Akaashi went in there too. While Akaashi would like to think those smiles meant something, he knew that Bokuto was just a cheerful person and would be smiling the same no matter who he was with. He could imagine, though.
Akaashi’s eyes lingered on the photos longer than he probably needed to. He wondered if it was because the photos themselves were interesting, or if he was just so gay for this boy that he couldn’t take his eyes off him. Probably mostly the latter, but hopefully a bit of the former too. Bokuto was just so interesting to look at, surely Akaashi couldn’t be the only one to think so.
Akaashi was feeling more optimistic about his portfolio now, too. Not only did Bokuto agree and not think it was weird, but he was using it as an opportunity to show off. That meant Akaashi was able to get some great shots. He thought he had some interesting high and low shots, but the colour contrast wasn't quite what he had imagined. Bokuto wearing his uniform would probably help – then he could get some close-ups of the black and white patterns. Akaashi wished he had more control over the lighting, but maybe with some editing, he could get close to the effect he wanted.
He picked a selection to show to Bokuto and emailed them to himself so he would have them on his phone. He had forgotten to ask for Bokuto’s email address, so this would have to do for now.
***
It wasn’t until Akaashi was sitting in science class before lunch, letting his mind wander, that he realised he didn’t know where Bokuto and the other second years sat for lunch. He didn’t have Bokuto’s number either to ask. That might be a problem.
Akaashi supposed that if he couldn’t find them, he could just show Bokuto the photos after practice. But then they wouldn’t get to spend lunch together. Despite his apprehension that it might be awkward for him to randomly join their group, Akaashi had been looking forward to seeing more of Bokuto outside of volleyball. There might be other opportunities to see him, maybe, if Bokuto wanted to be friends with him.
When the bell rang, Akaashi took his time putting his books away. He still wasn’t sure what he was going to do exactly. Maybe he could check the cafeteria – he seemed to remember that Bokuto usually bought lunch from there rather than bringing something from home like Akaashi did.
With his bento in hand, Akaashi headed out of his classroom. He stopped dead in his tracks when he looked up to see Bokuto standing at the end of the hallway. Was Bokuto waiting for him? Why else would he be by the first-year classrooms?
Akaashi realised he was probably in the way of people trying to get past, so he mentally shook himself and started walking. When Bokuto saw him through the crowd, he smiled and waved to him.
“Hey!” Bokuto greeted. “I guessed you wouldn’t know where to find me, so I came to get you. I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course. Thank you, Bokuto-san.”
“Great, let’s go then!” Bokuto bounced on his feet and started leading the way. “You should give me your number so I can text you next time.”
Next time… what else would Bokuto text him about? “Okay.”
Bokuto made a new contact on his phone and handed it to Akaashi to fill in his number. Once he had done so, he handed it back and watched Bokuto type something. Akaashi’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and he opened it to see an owl emoji from an unknown number. He smiled and looked back at Bokuto who was smiling too.
Akaashi put his phone back in his pocket and looked forward again. “Can you send me your email address so I can send you some photos?”
“Oh yeah!” Bokuto typed something again, and Akaashi’s phone buzzed a few seconds later.
They continued walking and ended up outside the cafeteria. It seemed Akaashi’s first guess had been pretty close.
“You've already got lunch right? I'm gonna get something from here, I'll be quick!” Bokuto got in the line and Akaashi followed beside him.
Akaashi looked around the room, but he couldn't see the other second years, so he concluded that he should stay with Bokuto for now. When they made it to the front of the line, Bokuto got a yakisoba pan and juice.
They then went out of the cafeteria, and out of the building entirely, to some tables just outside. Akaashi saw the other second years as they approached, and his nerves shot up again.
“Hey hey hey!” Bokuto called as he sat down.
“Sorry for intruding,” Akaashi said, trailing a few steps behind before sitting next to Bokuto.
“Hi Akaashi,” Sarukui greeted.
“Don't worry about it! You're welcome to join us,” Komi assured.
“What about me? Why don't I get a warm welcome?” Bokuto frowned.
“You're here every day, man,” Konoha pointed out. “You don't need a special greeting.”
“It might be nice once in a while…” Bokuto mumbled.
“Hello Bokuto, nice to see you. How have you been these days?” Sarukui said with an edge of sarcasm.
“Great, thank you!” Bokuto perked up, and the others laughed.
Akaashi eased a little; it was just like the banter in the clubroom before and after practice. He wasn't a total outsider.
“Oh, Akaashi! Show us the photos!” Bokuto grinned at him.
And the nerves went back up. Everyone looked at Akaashi expectantly as he got out his phone and opened the folder of photos he had downloaded to show to Bokuto. And everyone else, apparently. He clicked on the first photo, one of Bokuto mid jump serve, and handed it to Bokuto.
“They're not the best quality because I had to download them onto my phone, but here.”
Bokuto’s eyes lit up. “Woah, I look so cool!” He turned the phone to show Washio beside him. “Look at my cool jump serve!”
Washio took the phone to take a closer look and nodded in approval. “Very nice,” he said, passing it on to Konoha.
“Wow, you're a pretty good photographer, Akaashi.” Konoha said. “You actually make him look like the ace.”
“Hey, I am the ace!” Bokuto cried.
“I'm just joking,” Konoha laughed, passing the phone to Komi.
“Why are you taking photos of Bokuto again?” Komi asked.
“For my art portfolio,” Akaashi said.
“Right. What's your theme?”
“Well, the theme for the class is contrast, and my idea for the subject matter is, like, showing the story of the ace. I guess.” It sounded better in his head but saying it out loud made Akaashi second-guess himself.
“How are you showing the story?” Sarukui asked, taking the phone from Komi to have a look.
“I'm not really sure yet, this is just a test shoot so I'm still figuring out what I'm doing.” Maybe Akaashi needed to think more about what he wanted to show through his photography, other than just ‘Bokuto is really cool and I have a crush on him’.
“Well, I think it's looking good so far,” Sarukui said, passing Akaashi’s phone back to him.
“Thank you.” Akaashi swiped to the next photo and passed his phone to Bokuto again. “You can scroll through the rest.”
Bokuto looked at the rest of the photos while they ate lunch, occasionally pointing out his favourite ones and showing the others. Akaashi could tell he was genuinely excited, even if the other second years were just saying nice things out of politeness. Bokuto’s opinion was the one Akaashi cared about the most.
When he finished looking through the photos, Bokuto gave Akaashi’s phone back. “Thanks for showing me, Akaashi. They look really good!”
“Thank you. And thanks for being my model.”
“Of course! I'll be happy to do more whenever you want!”
“Okay.” Akaashi smiled slightly, trying to not look as excited as he felt on the inside. Bokuto liked his photos; and even wanted to take more.
Akaashi stayed with the group of second years for the rest of their lunch break, mostly just listening to the conversation. It didn't end up being too awkward, thankfully. Bokuto even seemed to be trying to include him in the conversation by asking him questions occasionally.
Akaashi expected it to be a one-time thing, but Bokuto showed up outside his classroom again the next day. Every day the next week too, Akaashi ended up sitting with Bokuto and the other second years. He thought, optimistically, that they might be becoming friends.