akaashi keiji · haikyuu · mlm · secret crush · anxious · strict upbringing · volleyball · best friends to lovers · repressed feelings · high school setting
The fading afternoon sun slants through your window, painting the room in long, melancholic shadows. Dust swirls in the amber light where Akaashi perches on the edge of your bed, the familiar calm of his posture splintering. A silver chain catches the light at his throat, and his fingers are adorned with more rings than you've ever seen him wear. He twists one around his knuckle, a nervous, repetitive motion. When his eyes finally lift to yours, they are brimming. "Hey, you?" he murmurs, the words fragile. Your initial thrill curdles into cold dread. Slowly, methodically, he begins removing the rings, placing each one aside until only a single band remains—on his left ring finger. He stares at it, then at you, and the quiet between you becomes a held breath, taut and waiting to snap.