Archive of Our Own

Akashi exhaled as he finally arrived at the bar. He immediately took a seat and ordered his favorite whiskey. His patience had been tested multiple times today and he was so close to snapping. So naturally, he needed alcohol to calm down.

Today was really something. From his secretary messing up important documents, to his clients being almost two hours late, to one of his subordinates passing out in the middle of arguably the most important meeting in the quarter. Everything just seemed to go wrong.

It was amazing he didn’t explode, figuratively of course, and everything went well in the end.

His whiskey arrived in no time, and the moment the liquid touched his throat, he could feel his entire body relaxing. Finally.

Akashi sighed, closing his eyes. Should he take a day off tomorrow? He rarely did it because every day was so busy in his company. He checked his next day's agenda on his phone and saw there was only one meeting. And it wasn't even important. It could easily be rescheduled.

Taking a day off really seemed like a good idea, all things considered. Mind made up, he immediately informed his secretary, trusting him to take care of everything.

His body relaxed even more as he slowly sipped the alcohol. He shifted his attention to the TV that was playing.. an NBA game.

A wave of nostalgia suddenly hit him. There was a time in the past, when he actually dreamed about playing in the NBA. He imagined how nice it must be, to make a career out of the sport he loved so much. It obviously didn’t happen in the end. He stopped playing basketball once he started college, to prepare to take over his family company. But it was such a good dream at the time, when life was actually worth living.

Now at 31, Akashi’s activities only consisted of working, and avoiding his father, who kept talking about marriage. The topic that was the bane of his existence.

It wasn’t like he didn’t want to settle down, it was just, no one seemed to be good enough. There was always something missing. And he tried almost everything. He dated both men and women he personally chose, he dated people that his father chose, he even tried dating apps, but no one stuck. His longest relationship only lasted for two months. Honestly, if by some miracle, in the near future, he could manage to date someone for three months, he’d marry them immediately.

Obviously, at this point, he knew he was the problem all along, so that was why he sort of gave up. Had given up for two years now.

Mibuchi once said that this might actually be a good thing,

“You know what they said, Sei-chan. When you stop caring, that’s when it’ll happen.”

Yeah right, whoever told Mibuchi that, could stop with their bullshit. Because nothing was happening to him. Not even close.

“Ouch, almost!”

His musing was interrupted by a loud mumble. Akashi turned his head to his right side. There was someone, two seats away, that seemed to be very invested in the game on the TV.

From where he was seated, Akashi could only look at the guy’s side profile. He had brown, messy hair, and he wore thick glasses. His outfit was a simple grey sweatshirt, black jeans, and black-white sneakers. It was nothing special, but the moment Akashi saw him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity. He felt like he had met him before.

He ignored it though, in the end, and chose to focus on his drink again.

A moment later, the guy was speaking again. This time, he was talking to someone on the phone.

“Yeah?” A pause, “Alright, Shinagawa, first of all, please stay calm… You can’t stay calm? But you must... Okay, okay, take a deep breath... Good, now tell me the problem again, slowly.”

Akashi didn’t mean to eavesdrop but the guy’s voice was very soothing. Akashi couldn’t help but continue to listen.

“I got you, I got you. Let’s move to Google Meet.”

Akashi saw the guy take out a Macbook and an Airpods from his backpack. After putting the Airpods on his ears, he typed something quickly and in no time, was speaking again.

“Please share your screen, Shinagawa.”

The guy was silent for quite a while, there were occasional nods and hums every now and then, but otherwise, he was very focused on the screen in front of him.

“The problem is in this line, I think. Line 412. Let me try something.”

The guy then typed something again, his fingers moved around the keyboard elegantly.

“Now, try the code I sent you, and run your test. I’ll review your other code while waiting.”

The guy then moved his fingers around the trackpad, and smiled. The more he scrolled, the wider his smile became. He looked proud.

“Your code was beautiful Shinagawa, good job... The test passed? Awesome. I just approved your code so you can proceed... Not now, tomorrow. Now is the time to rest, you need it… Yeah, don’t worry about it… Okay, good night.”

The guy then closed his MacBook, took out his AirPods from his ears, and put them back in his backpack. He then continued sipping his drink, still smiling.

Akashi glanced at his phone to see the time. Almost 11 pm. Not only that this guy not the slightest bit annoyed that his coworker (Akashi assumed that was what the person on the other side was) bothered him outside working hours, but he looked like he was actually happy to be able to help.

The guy was both really cool and really kind. Akashi was in awe.

The guy must have sensed Akashi’s stare because he finally turned his head toward him..

And sputtered his drink. And immediately turned away again.

Akashi blinked. What just happened?

Putting aside the strange behavior, Akashi found the guy to be really cute. He especially liked his brown eyes. Even behind those thick glasses, his eyes were bright. He was very much interested, alright. And he wanted to-

The guy stole a glance at Akashi again, then proceeded to finish his drink in one go, took his backpack, and walked towards the exit.

He was running away.

Akashi was quick to stand up and followed him. Taking long strides, he successfully caught the guy’s wrist in no time.

“Wait,” Akashi said. He was surprised by how calm he sounded, even when his heart was anything but.

The guy turned around to face him, he looked half scared, half curious, “Y- yes?”

The guy was even more beautiful up close, Akashi thought, “This is going to sound insane, but you’re very attractive, and I’m very attracted to you, can I..”

“Have your number?” Was what Akashi wanted to say.

“Fuck you?” Was what Akashi’s mouth decided to utter. Not that it was wrong. But it wasn’t supposed to come out right now. He blamed it on the alcohol.

The guy’s eyes widened like he’d been slapped.

Akashi cursed under his breath. Well, here goes his chance to actually fuck the guy.

There was a long awkward silence. The guy didn’t try to escape, surprisingly, but he seemed to think really hard. In the end, he nodded, “Y- yes, uh.. you can.”

Akashi couldn’t believe it, “.. What?”

When they finally arrived at their room in the love hotel, they put their respective bags on the floor. Before they proceeded, Akashi asked the guy one more time. The last thing he wanted to do, was fuck a guy without his consent,

“Are you really sure about this?”

The guy nodded, a blush dusting his cheeks, “Yeah. I actually uh, always found you beautiful. So..”

Akashi found the statement rather odd, “Sorry, have we met before?”

The guy looked genuinely surprised, and Akashi thought he saw a flash of hurt on his face. He couldn’t be sure though.

“No, we haven’t,” The guy answered simply, not quite looking at Akashi, “Um.. are you drunk?”

“Just a little tipsy. I only drank one glass of whiskey. How about you?”

“One glass of shochu.”

Shochu was lighter than whiskey. It suited him, somehow. Akashi chuckled, “You’re more sober than me, that’s for sure,” He then walked closer, “Can I kiss you?”

The guy shook his head immediately, “No. No kissing.”

Akashi was a little taken aback, and could feel his entire being filled with disappointment. He was actually looking forward to feeling those lips against his, but Akashi respected the guy’s decision, and if that was what he wished, that was what he would get, “Okay. I’ll make sure you have a good time, regardless.”

The guy’s face started to redden again, “T- thanks, please take care of me.”

Adorable, Akashi thought. He kissed the guy’s cheek, and continued downward. Next, he attacked the neck, kissing and nipping and sucking, making sure to leave marks.

Making sure to leave an impression.

The guy’s breath started to become ragged, and it was only the beginning. Akashi couldn’t wait to hear more.

They both started to undress each other. The guy’s hands trembled a little and Akashi made sure to soothe him by rubbing his arms. It seemed to work, somehow. The tremble subsided, and he looked more relaxed.

The guy then looked at Akashi and bit his lip. Akashi wondered if he did it on purpose to tease him, or if it was spontaneous because he was still nervous. Either way, the urge to kiss the guy came back tenfold, and Akashi needed to actually take a very deep breath to stop himself from breaking his promise.

They were almost naked now. The only thing that was still on their body was their underwear. Akashi pushed the guy to the bed, and continued to admire him there. He looked good, very good in fact. His whole body flushed, similar to what one looked like after taking a warm bath. He was slightly more tanned than Akashi, there was no muscle visible, a sign that he rarely worked out, but the proportion was still ideal. Everything was soft to the touch. He imagined how comfortable it must be, to hug and be all over him after a long day at work.

He looked at the guy’s face and found him staring at his body in awe. Compared to the guy, Akashi was toned. The result of regular workouts and a healthy lifestyle. He was often complimented by his date or his bed partner. They told him he looked like an athlete, a model, and one time, a Greek god. He appreciated the comments, usually responded to them with a polite smile, but he barely felt anything on the inside. He was so used to being called perfect, and other variations of the word, his entire life, to the point that no compliment actually made him feel anything anymore.

But this time was different. The guy below him didn’t say a single word, only feeling the muscle here and there with feather-light touches. And yet, Akashi’s heart fluttered. He was proud to be the recipient of such admiration from someone he thought was perfect.

Akashi continued his ministrations from before, and started working with the guy’s nipples. He toyed with both at the same time, pinching and pulling with just the right amount of force. The guy gasped silently, his fists bunching up the sheet.

Akashi then got closer, took one nipple to his mouth and sucked.

“Ah..” The guy finally made a sound. And it sounded just as wonderful as Akashi imagined.

Akashi kept sucking the nipple and toying with the other, drawing out more ‘ah’ and ‘mm' from the guy. He switched to the other nipple, really taking his time with them all. He continued the journey of worshipping the guy’s body, inch by inch, making sure to leave as many marks as he could.

His cock was as hard as a rock, a proof of how much the guy’s reaction affected him, both mentally and physically.

Akashi took off the guy’s underwear, and saw his cock bounce. He was just a little smaller than Akashi. It was cute.

Akashi then opened the first drawer of the nightstand, knowing that was usually the place where the lube and the condom were located. He retrieved both, and opened the lube first.

“When was the last time you did this?” Akashi asked, he needed to know how he should proceed next.

“Oh, um.. about two years ago, I think,” The guy answered, looking a little embarrassed.

“It’s been a while. I’ll be gentle then,” Akashi smiled.

The guy blinked, like he didn’t expect that from Akashi, at all.

“T- thank you for being considerate. I appreciate it.”

Akashi was silent for a moment before he chuckled. The guy looked at him questioningly.

“Sorry, it’s just, you keep thanking me,” Akashi grinned, “it’s adorable.”

The guy blushed bright red. It was still possible apparently. Akashi thought he already made the guy blush to the very maximum. Well, it seemed that he was wrong.

Akashi reached for the guy’s bottom and slipped one lube-coated finger inside his hole. It was very tight.

He then moved his finger slowly, all the while watching the guy’s every reaction. He looked uncomfortable for quite some time, and Akashi found himself surprised at how much he enjoyed the process. He’d fingered the guy all night long if necessary, and he wouldn’t mind it one bit.

When the first moan spilled from the guy’s lips, Akashi inserted one more finger to join the first one. He increased the speed slowly, searching for the spot that he knew would drive the guy crazy.

He knew he found it when he saw the guy throw his head back and close his eyes. His moan got louder, “Ah.. AH!”

The guy looked so sexy. Akashi’s control was literally hanging by a thread right now.

He was about to insert another finger when the guy stopped him, “No, want you- inside. Want you now.”

Well, Akashi had no choice but to comply.

He grabbed the condom and ripped the wrapping apart with his teeth, rolled it onto his cock, and started positioning himself between the guy’s thighs.

He pushed the tip into the guy’s entrance with little resistance, and continued until his length disappeared completely.

It felt incredible.

Akashi exhaled harshly. He was completely overwhelmed. His cock fitted so perfectly inside, he almost lost it.

“You okay?” The guy beneath him asked.

Akashi let out a little laugh, “I should be the one who asked you that.”

“Oh um.. I’m more than o- okay, it felt really.. amazing,” He smiled, a little sheepish.

Akashi’s heart melted. He reached for the guy’s hand and kissed his palm, “I’m going to move.”

It was gentle movements at first. Akashi took his time, savoring every sensation, all the while caressing every part of the guy’s body that he could reach.

“Ah.. Ahn.. Mmh..” The guy moaned shamelessly at every thrust. A music to Akashi’s ears. He could feel pride swelling inside him, because he caused this.

He reached out to the guy’s face, trying to take the glasses off. It bothered him a little, he really wanted to look into those bright, brown eyes without anything separating them.

“N- no. I have very bad eyesight,” The guy panicked, swatting Akashi’s hand away, “And right now, I wanted- needed to see you.”

Akashi’s eyes widened. He stopped moving completely.

“So- sorry! Did I say something wrong?” The guy looked even more panicked now.

Akashi lowered himself, until their faces were just a breath away, “That’s really cruel of you,” he whispered, “How could you say that, and expect me to not want to kiss you?”

The guy looked surprised at the admission. He started to blush again, and turned his gaze downward to avoid looking at Akashi, “Fi- fine. You can ki- kiss me.. once,” he stuttered.

“I’ll take it,” Akashi said almost instantly. He knew how desperate he must have sounded, but decided he didn’t care. He was desperate.

Akashi tilted the guy’s chin and leaned in, pressing their lips together with one swift movement. The guy’s breath hitched slightly when Akashi’s lips began to move. Akashi never once felt like this when kissing someone. Fluttered hearts, but relaxed minds. It felt like coming home after an exhausting day, then it started to rain. The best possible feeling.

The guy opened his mouth and moaned, and Akashi didn’t waste time shoving his tongue inside. It felt even better there. The metaphorical rain started pouring heavily, while he took a hot shower. It was warm and it was perfect. Akashi was positively addicted.

The guy started to withdraw to take a breath but Akashi didn’t let him. Because he only got one chance.

His mouth kept moving for a few seconds more until he needed to breathe too. Akashi severed their connections slowly, a string of saliva stretched between them.

The guy under him breathed harshly. He glanced at Akashi briefly, before ducking his head, embarrassed.

“Sorry about denying you oxygen, but I only got one chance,” Akashi said echoing his earlier thoughts, a little smirk on his face.

The guy blushed at the teasing, his face turning red.

He was stunning.

Akashi started to move again, slowly increasing the intensity, making sure to hit the guy’s prostate with every thrust. The guy closed his eyes, his moans and gasps got even louder with each passing second. Akashi had a feeling that the guy was close, so he gripped the guy’s waist with both hands and practically rammed into him.

The guy screamed when he came, completely untouched. His cum splattered across his stomach. It was unannounced and it was sudden. But it was also..

It was also so fucking hot.

Akashi’s control snapped, and seconds later, he let out a groan, and came too.

Akashi tried to ride his orgasm as long as he could. Because it felt too good, and he didn’t want it to end. He found the guy staring at him, a sort of dreamy look on his face.

And Akashi understood somehow, because right now, he might be wearing the same expression.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, before the guy mumbled, “Ba- bathroom.”

Akashi reluctantly moved away from the guy, who quickly got up and dashed to the bathroom.

Akashi lay on the bed and sighed. That was definitely the best thing that happened to him in recent memory. And he wanted more of it.

More of him.

Akashi thought hard about what he should do next. How to approach the situation. Because he never experienced something like this before. A one-night stand for him was usually just that, like the name suggested. It was a one-night thing only.

Before he could decide, the guy came out from the bathroom, looking as fresh as ever, and started searching for his clothes.

Akashi could feel a sense of panic coming in, “What are you doing?”

The guy looked at him, a little confused, “Uh.. leaving?”

Akashi glanced at his phone to check the time, “It’s 2 am.”

The guy chuckled, “Believe me, I’ve had worse,” Akashi raised his brows at that, and the guy quickly tried to clarify, “I- I mean, in the context of working overtime, I left my office even later than this, plenty of times before,” he explained, “so I’m actually very familiar with Tokyo at early hours of the morning, which is beautiful by the way,” he finished with a smile.

The guy found his sweatshirt and wore it quickly, and Akashi realized he didn’t have much time left, “Can I have your number? I really enjoyed what we did, and would love to do it again sometime in the near future.”

The guy paused at his activity of wearing clothes, and Akashi could see that flash of hurt cross his face again. Akashi didn’t understand it at all.

The guy turned away from him, “Ah, no thanks. I’m not interested,” Akashi felt like his heart had been stabbed, “If it’s the sex that you want, I’m sure there are plenty of people that could do better than me,” he added.

Akashi’s eyes widened, he replayed what he said in his head and finally realized his error.

The guy thought Akashi wanted him for sex only. He was offended. But that only meant the guy.. was hoping for more? If that was the case, they really couldn’t be more alike. Because that was exactly what Akashi wanted too. He just phrased his words wrong.

There was still hope.

“Actually-”

“Uwaagh-”

Akashi didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence, because the guy tripped over his own feet while trying to wear his jeans.

Akashi paused, looking at the scene in front of him. Something like this happened before.

“Are you sure we’ve never met before? Because I’m having deja vu-”

The guy sputtered, “I’m sure we’ve never met before and no, you’re not having deja vu.”

Akashi pressed on, “Actually, I’m starting to remember-”

“No, you’re not starting to remember anything,” The guy said at the same time he finished tying his sneakers. He grabbed his backpack and mumbled, “Goodbye, all the best,” before he went out the door and ran, leaving a still-naked Akashi completely dumbfounded.

Akashi came to the conclusion that he did meet the guy before, at some point in his life. Last night, he was so blinded by his desire, that he didn’t notice all the signs. But upon reflection, now that his mind was clearer, he realized that the guy actually knew him. And there was a moment when he was surprised that Akashi didn’t remember him. Not to mention the strong sense of familiarity and deja vu.The problem was, for the life of him, he really couldn’t remember anything.

As the day went on, Akashi regretted his decision to take the day off more and more. Because he had nothing to do, and all he could think of was this stuff.

He sipped the wine that he brought from the kitchen earlier, and sighed. He was currently sitting on his bed, scrolling his photo gallery mindlessly. Hoping that there were some pictures in there that would trigger something in him to remember the guy.

And he must remember. Because he wanted to see the guy again. He wanted him.

The effort was fruitless so far, and he was getting a little frustrated. Akashi looked around his room and his gaze randomly settled on his high school basketball competition medals on the shelf. Those are the only things that he personally brought from Kyoto, 12 years ago, when he decided to settle permanently in Tokyo. His father’s wish, obviously. If it was up to him, he would rather spend an eternity in Kyoto, the city he loved with his whole heart. The medals are sort of a reminder of how good his Kyoto life was, back then. Because it was just school and playing basketball and nothing else. They were precious to him, and he wanted them close.

He looked at the three gold medals for Interhigh, two gold medals and one silver medal for the Winter Cup. It still annoyed him a little, that it was not three Winter Cup gold medals. All thanks to Seirin.

.. Seirin..?

Akashi audibly gasped. He opened the browser on his phone and immediately googled ‘seirin winter cup champion’. The first result was an article from 15 years ago. He clicked on it.

The first thing that showed up in the article was a picture of the Seirin team celebrating the win. He scanned the picture carefully, and smirked.

Found you.

He scrolled the article and found the Seirin team’s lineups for the game. He went through each name slowly, until he found what he was looking for.

12. Furihata Kouki

All the memories were suddenly flooding in. From days leading up to the final game, all the way to the aftermath.

So they did meet in the past, a few times, in fact. They even talked to each other the last time they met at Kuroko's birthday party, 15 years ago. Akashi said he hoped they could play again. Well, as it turned out, Rakuzan never met Seirin again after that, both in official matches and in practice games, so the wish was never fulfilled in the end.

Akashi tried to remember if Furihata ever caught his interest at the time, and found the answer to be a no. But then again, Akashi was not interested in anyone at all at that period of his life. Well, he was rarely interested in anyone at whatever period of his life he was in to be fair, so..

But he was interested in Furihata right now. He was very into him, in fact. He remembered about last night and his heart started fluttering again.

They fucked, once.

They kissed, once.

What’s next? They get married?

.. That, Akashi thought, doesn’t sound like a bad idea, actually.

Akashi shook his head. Must be the wine talking. But he did want Furihata, and he needed to do something about it.

The first logical thing to do was, of course, try to get in contact with him. So Akashi opened his Instagram and started searching. He typed ‘furihata kouki’ on the search bar, and the results came up in dozens. He decided to check the first few ones, since those were usually the most relevant. He also followed Kuroko, and that should add to the relevancy as well. He spent several minutes checking, but no one seemed to be the Furihata Kouki he was looking for.

Next, he checked both Kuroko’s followers and following. Thankfully Kuroko didn’t follow many people, and not many people followed him so, this should be quick. He spent another several minutes doing this, and found no Furihata Kouki.

He then did the same to Twitter and Facebook, and came back with nothing.

Where are you, Furihata Kouki?

There was one option left. He really didn’t want to do it, but again, he must.

He texted Kuroko.

Me : Can I call you right now? I want to ask you about something

Kuroko’s reply came after three minutes.

Kuroko : Sure

He pressed the call button. Kuroko answered after the first ring.

“Yeah ?”

“Hello Kuroko, sorry to bother you.”

“No problem. What is it, Akashi-kun?”

“Do you have Furihata Kouki’s number?”

Kuroko was silent for a moment before he answered, “I do."

“Are you still in contact with him?” Akashi asked, making sure that the number was still reachable.

“Very much so.”

Akashi lit up, “Can you share his number with me?”

“Why?”

“It’s a confidential matter.”

“What kind of confidential matter?”

Akashi clicked his tongue, “Well, it’s confidential, I can’t tell you.”

“I'm hanging up then.”

Akashi’s eyes twitched. The audacity of this guy.

“Fine, it’s about.. a marriage.”

“What? Who’s getting married?”

“Me.”

“Oh wow, congratulations Akashi-kun. But what does Furihata-kun have to do with it?”

“Well..” Akashi paused, “he is the other groom.”

Kuroko was silent again for a long while, before he spoke, slowly, “Akashi-kun?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sober?”

Akashi glanced at his wine glass, almost empty already, before answering, “.. Yes.”

“.. Alright, I’m going to ignore that last part, and ask Furihata-kun’s permission to share his number with you.”

Akashi sat up straighter, “Why?”

“Privacy reason. Furihata-kun is a very private person.”

Well, that explains some things, Akashi thought. He then sighed, “Okay.”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks,” Akashi then ended the call.

He didn’t have to wait long because five minutes later, his phone pinged. It was a text from Kuroko.

Kuroko : Furihata-kun refused to share his number with you.

Akashi felt a headache incoming. The audacity of these two guys.

So Furihata already rejected him, twice now.

In any other normal circumstances, he would have given up at this point. He was not the kind of person who forced himself onto someone else. Obviously, he had never really experienced rejection quite like this before, but he was always a gentleman through and through. If someone rejected him, he would leave them alone.

But last night was not a normal circumstance. There was a little alcohol and a lot of sexual desire involved. Akashi also made a blunder and turned it the wrong way, right at the very end. But even then, he was absolutely certain Furihata was interested in him too. The attraction was there, clear as day. Therefore he couldn’t give up. Not yet.

He opened his browser again, and googled ‘furihata kouki’. The first few results were LinkedIn profiles of people named Furihata Kouki. He clicked on the first one.

Akashi’s eyes widened, today might be his lucky day after all. Because it was the LinkedIn profile of the Furihata Kouki.

His Furihata Kouki.

.. Wait, what?

Anyway, it was him. Akashi clicked the profile picture to make sure. Messy brown hair, bright brown eyes, thick glasses. Yes, no doubt about it.

He closed the profile picture and scrolled to the employment section.

Google Japan - Senior iOS Developer

Akashi was absolutely amazed. Not only was Furihata stunning, he was also brilliant. A tech senior in Google Japan? That was the very definition of elite.

Should he pay him a visit then?

He opened a new tab, and searched for the Google Japan office. He looked at the address and grinned. It was not too far away from his own company.

He then spent the next few minutes researching the office policy. The one that stood out the most was, an employee could bring two guests per month to visit the dining hall.

Akashi hummed, trying to remember if he ever had any clients who worked in Google Japan. He switched to LinkedIn again to sort through his own connections when he noticed a link, ‘2 mutual connections’ on Furihata’s profile. He clicked on that link and saw that those two people were Kuroko and.. Mayuzumi Chihiro?

He clicked on Mayuzumi's profile. It turned out he also worked in Google Japan as an iOS developer. Most probably in the same division as Furihata then.

Not yet a senior huh? His Kouki is more amazing.

.. Wait, what? Why does he keep addressing Furihata that way?

Anyway, it seemed that he had a favor to ask of his senpai. He scrolled through his contacts, clicked on Mayuzumi’s name, and began composing a text.

“Thank you for helping me, Mayuzumi-san,” Akashi smiled at Mayuzumi, who looked at him blankly.

They were on their way to the office dining hall and Akashi could feel the excitement drumming through his veins, at the possibility of meeting Furihata again.

“What’s the reason for this again?” Mayuzumi asked, now guiding him to a sort of long corridor.

“I want to survey the dining experience of Google employees and if possible, want to implement something similar in our company. The system is a free buffet, right?” Akashi lied through his teeth.

Mayuzumi stared at him, still as expressionless as ever, before he nodded, “Yeah.”

They finally arrived at the dining hall. It was big and looked very cozy, Akashi couldn't help but feel impressed.

“Here’s the dining hall. Feel free to eat whatever. Just like you said, everything here is free.”

Akashi raised his brows, “We’re not going to eat together?”

“No, I have work to do. Just text me when you’re done and ready to leave.”

Akashi nodded.

“Oh, and also, don’t lie to me again next time.”

Akashi’s eyes widened, but before he could defend himself, Mayuzumi was already gone.

Akashi sighed, and stepped into the dining hall, feeling a little out of place already. Everyone dressed so casually, with t-shirts and sneakers, compared to him who dressed so formally with his suit and his oxford shoes.

The word ‘contrast’ had never been more true.

But he didn’t care nor the people around him, it seemed. Everyone was busy eating or mingling with their friends.

Akashi scanned the area, looking for the color brown, and found none. He tried walking around the hall once and still, no sight of Furihata.

After doing the same thing for at least 15 minutes, he finally gave up. He was so hungry and tired, and decided to try the food anyway, since he was already here.

And that was when he saw him, lining up for the buffet, wearing a white graphic t-shirt and a black windbreaker, looking as adorable as ever.

Akashi immediately went behind him, pretending to line up for food as well.

“I’m new here, what do you recommend?” Akashi asked, biting back a smile.

“Oh! Omuri-” Furihata stopped speaking immediately, mouth agape, when he finally turned around and saw whom he was speaking to.

Akashi thought the expression was really cute on Furihata. He wondered what other kinds of expressions he could make, as well as what food he liked, what kind of music he listened to, and many other things about him. He couldn’t wait to discover them all.

But first, with the most charming smile he could muster, he’d settle on this,

“Hello, Furihata-kun.”

Three months later

Kuroko couldn’t take it anymore. He really thought he was already an expert on unexpectedness at this point, after being a kindergarten teacher for more than half a decade.

But somehow, the kids always managed to outdo themselves day after day. They always manage to surpass Kuroko's expectations, more often than not, in the worst possible way. They were all very sweet and Kuroko loved them beyond words, but days like today, when unexpected events happened, one after another, that resulted in 15 kids crying at the same time, actually made Kuroko question why he chose this career in the first place.

He knew he’d do it again tomorrow though, and the day after that, and forever, because even though today was cloudy, the sunny days when kids were happy and smiling would come, and when it came, all the suffering he endured would be worth it.

But just for today, if he faced one more unexpected thing, he would snap.

Kuroko opened his mailbox and took out the letters. He got a few today. He got bills, more bills, and.. a wedding invitation?

He opened the invitation and read the first name,

Akashi Seijuurou

“.. What?”

He then read the second name,

Furihata Kouki

“.. WHAT?”

And snap, he did.