akaashi's apartment was absolutely stunning. the hardwood floor barely had a mark, and it was spotlessly clean.

today was akaashi's self-care day. kenma was visiting y/n for the day, and he wanted to take a break and relax.

as he sat in front of his desk, he applied the charcoal mask to his face. as he approached his eyebrows, he got anxious.

last time akaashi did one of these masks, he pulled out half of his left eyebrow. it still looked rigid at the end of the brow.

as the applicator lined his face with the charcoal, he frowned. lately, stress had been getting to him, and acne rose up on his face.

even though akaashi was always complimented on his looks, he couldn't help but feel insecure. beauty standards were at an all time high, and he couldn't reach that.

akaashi wasn't the best setter. he was never the best looking, not even the smartest. he was just there, slowly fading away.

he was nothing compared to atsumu or kageyama. so why did he keep going, no matter what? throughout the lowest points of his life, he relied on volleyball.

maybe he wasn't ready to let go yet. akaashi's passion for the sport died months ago, but his drive never paused.

as he finished applying the mask, he fixed the silk bunny headband he was wearing and sat back with his hands behind his head.

with a huff, he grasped his coffee stained notebook from the cabinet. akaashi had a small hobby, and that was bullet journaling.

he was afraid he'd get judged for how it was designed. there was bunny stickers holding up photos in the notebook and his calligraphy written gorgeously in a bubblegum pink color.

akaashi usually analyzed many things while watching shows, trying to find a deeper meaning.

and with attack on titan, it was easy! there was so many foreshadowing moments that akaashi was able to write about. the characters and the symbolism were an simple concept to write about, but they took a bit of thinking.

he proceeded to glide his marker along the page gracefully, while writing about why mikasa is so dedicated to assist eren.

after thirty minutes, akaashi started to peel off the mask. he winced as he went too fast. his face was an abrupt red as he immediately moisturized afterwards

as he smoothed out the product on his face, he finally removed the bunny headband off of his wet hair.

he walked up to his mirror, in curiosity.

akaashi's eyes outlined from his angular facial features to his slender body.

"am i.. good enough for her?"

he lowered his gaze and scoffed at himself. akaashi proceeded to leave the room without a word.

he ran down the stairs, putting on his shoes. locking the door behind himself, akaashi was on his way to the local boba shop.

it had been a while, and he was desperately craving taro bubble tea. the town was closely knit together, so everything was walking distance.

as he reached the outside of the shop, akaashi mumbled the name to himself.

"kung fu tea, looks like i'm at the right place."

he entered the shop, looking spaced out. though, the employee at the counter caught his eye.

she pushed back her brunette hair, showing her glistening face. her shining green eyes pierced akaashi as she started talking.

"hi, welcome to kung fu tea, how may i help you?"

he realized where he recognized her from. her name was hana, and she confessed to him last year.

the second year stood closer to the counter and waved her hand in front of his face.

"hello? i need to take your order?"

"ahh, sorry. i'll take a taro bubble tea, please."

"great choice sir, i'll be back with your drink."

a smile played onto her lips as she realized it was him.

after hana handed him his drink, she started to talk.

"been a while, huh keiji?"

akaashi's face turned sour. he barely knew her and she was using first name basis. he chose to ignore it for now.

"uhh, yeah. how have you been?"

"i'm great, now that you're here" she smirks.

he gulped audibly. akaashi was never really good at talking to people, he was always more reserved and quiet.

akaashi pressed the taro bubble tea against his lips as he drank at a rapid pace. he wanted to leave as soon as possible. he couldn't even taste the icy drink on his tastebuds.

"i have somewhere to be, i'll see you later?"

hana gave a nod, before handing him a slip of paper with her number on it. he looked at the ripped paper with a disgusted look for a split second.

her hand lingered on his back as she gave a flirty look at him.

akaashi almost threw up in his mouth.

he bolted out of the store, with a discombobulated look spread across his face.

he sighed, his posture going stiff. akaashi didn't get to even enjoy his drink. he decided to go to a museum, considering all of the time on his hands.

after sauntering around the town for at least fifty minutes, the museum was in sight. when he came in, he paid the individual behind the counter for admission.

as akaashi entered the main hall, he was instantly amazed by the historical paintings that decorated the wall with color.

the lights hung over him as he admired a specific painting. there was a blue tinted background with two hands connected in a praying pose.

there was something so flawless about the simplicity of the painting surrounded by all of the extraordinary pieces of art.

akaashi muttered the name of the painting to himself, a reminder to look it up and see the artist's other works.

he was in a haze, glancing upon the colorful paintings. none of them caught his attention though.

as he gazed off, only focusing on his thoughts, someone touched his shoulder.

akaashi flinched as he quickly turned around, bumping his forehead against another's. the other person winced, their head was lowered so he could only see their black roots.

they lifted their head, showing their amber slitted eyes. it was kenma, with a disoriented look spread on his face.

"agh, i'm sorry kenma." akaashi stated while holding onto his forehead.

"it's fine, uhm, i just wanted to say hi while i'm with y/n."

"could i possibly.. see her?"

"sure, i guess."

they approached y/n, who was looking at modern art.

she had her finger under her lip, like she was deep in thought.

kenma let out a "ahem." and y/n lost her concentration.

she turned around, proceeding to wave at akaashi.

"hey keiji! how are-"

he didn't know what took control of him, but akaashi ran over to her, pulling her into a warm embrace.

his chest expanded as butterflies teased his stomach. a rose color fumed up to his ears.

"i missed you."

he pulled away, embarrassed. kenma had wandered off from the dramatic scene, annoyed already.

"i'm sorry for jumping on you like that, i just.."

the words in his head disappeared as he saw y/n laughing with a full smile.

akaashi's smile widened.

might aswell enjoy it while it lasts.