HONEY CULTURE, haikyuu

( beloved bouquets I ) a. keiji

akaashi keiji

𝕿he ocean twilight had dwindled - night ascending from the city-scrapers of tokyo. Stars had once again dappled the canvas above, leaving a splotch of moonlight reflecting the arraying benches as you waited idly for the train to send you back home. you found yourself making origami with a piece of abandoned paper you found in one of the seats, humming to yourself as you folded the paper into a paper frog, kicking your sneakers lightly in the empty air.

somehow, you felt at ease. watching the trickles of night-glitter efface into the frigid winds, the night birds singing its tune into the rustling branches and the soft taps of city noise howling in the distance. the only thing missing was an ethereal music humming in the background and the presence of another person to help you chatter away as you waited.

"um, excuse me?"

an unfamiliar voice makes you pause, you stop folding the paper in your hands and looked up in question. there stood beneath the darkness was a boy, the moonlight tracing his figure and melting with his raven-painted hair. eyes that reminded you of viridescent ferns and sprouting vines - they were littered with faint glitter. you were breathless for the first time, eyes wide in awe. you have never seen someone so,

gorgeous and pretty.

"um." he speaks blankly, his head tilting slightly. "is someone sitting here?" his eyes dart towards the empty seat beside you and you immediately shake your head with a kind smile.

"go ahead."

"thank you." you watch silently as the boy settles in beside you. a lonesome silence spills in between you two, and judging by his apathetic stares and silent looking demeanour - he isn't the type to talk to just anyone he meets. you turn out of curiosity to peek at the boy once again and the first thing you noticed from him was the bouquet of flowers in his arms,

the flowers that were your favorite kind was hugged to his chest.

the boy seems to catch on with your stare and raises a silent brow at you. "something wrong?"

though his tone sounded suspicious and unfriendly, you manage to smile brightly, pointing at the flowers in his hands. "sorry for being nosy but are those for a special someone?" you ask.

he seems to be taken aback by your question and nods his head almost silently, caressing a finger through one of the petals. "yes, they are for my dear mother. why do you ask?"

"they are my favourite kinds of flowers."

"oh really?" he seems to be more comfortable around you now, his stiff posture melting as he eases back a bit. he looks at the white flecks of the flowers."gypsophilas are your favourite? how come?"

you chuckled softly and tenderly played with the paper frog in your hands. "It's cute, small and are gentle to handle. the scent is soft and flowery, and its nothing too strong and i don't know, i like the ambiance it gives off." you turn to him, your eyes softening. "you said you are giving that to your mother, correct?"

"yes," he blinks at you,

"well, I think it would be perfect for her. she would definitely love it." you couldn't help being friendly with the boy, you send him a soft smile of your own and a rosy blush dusted the apple of his cheeks, some of his fallen bangs swaying with the night wind. after that, the both of you exchanged friendly conversations about different topics. from the ambiance, to favourite pastries and the starry night—after awhile you soon found out his name was akaashi keiji from fukurodani academy.

you had never thought you would chat with a lovely stranger who at first glance looked like a cold winter, with icy stares and stiff postures akaashi was a season opposite from yours, the bright pink lights of spring that sprouted arraying flowers of delight - it collided with the cold stiff of his personality but the more you bonded and talked beneath the empty night in the train station, the more his winter cold persona melted into delighted softness and finally, a smile settles on his lips thought barely visible.

    in the distance, you hear the familiar noise of a train and you instantly perked up, your conversation with him cutting short.

    "the train is here," you mutter, swinging your pack over your shoulder and fixing the scarf that hugged your neck. you take a few steps forward as the train pauses right in front of the both of you, under the moonlight a frown appears on the boy's lips though he quickly masks it with a curt nod and a silent sigh.

    but before you entered, he quickly stops you.

   "wait,"

    your feet stops as you turn to the boy with wide eyes, in front of you he held a gypsophila, a single white flower he had plucked from his bouquet. you turn your gaze and saw the soft smile in his eyes.

    "here, take one. consider this as a friendly gift." he says, then he averts his gaze for a long moment.  your heart stutters when you saw the shy look in his eyes, he looked really cute at that moment.

    you accept the flower he had graciously gave you, caressing the tip of your nose on one of its petal. you send akaashi a grateful look before rummaging your pocket for something and pulling it out.

    "here, then take this with you."

    akaashi stares at the item in your hand, puzzled. he takes it from you and questions,

     "the paper frog?"

akaashi looks at you for some kind of reassurance but you only grinned at him, not uttering a single word. you hopped onto the train and twirl just in time to say, "give it to me when we meet again, have a good evening akaashi!"

    akaashi blinks and watches silently as the doors to the train closes, even as its engines crackle and the rails leaving behind a squeal - he couldn't peel his gaze away as the train marches out of his view. he still stood there in the cold night, holding the paper frog closer to his chest like it has some lingering warmth to it, and inhaling the city scent deeply to calm his erratic chest.

   on that very night, he knew your friendly bond with him would blossom to become something more beautiful and beloved.

part one, end.