Our Music

Chapter 6

Akaashi was dully aware of a hand on his back. Could vaguely hear people talking around him. Dimly noted that he was walking somewhere. But he didn't really realise it.

His chest felt empty, but he could only hear his heart thundering in his ears. His lungs were tight and his throat hurt, but that was secondary to the light stinging on his cheek. The mark felt like it was searing itself into his skin.

They walked into a room and Daichi sat him down on a sofa. He looked at his knees, but he seemed to not really see them, looking past instead. Suga pressed his lips together in a thin line, having lead them there, and placed a paper cup of cold water into Akaashi's hands. 

"We're in a private room now, alright?" He spoke softly and quietly, careful not to touch Akaashi as he sat down next to him. "Drink some of this." 

Akaashi hardly even heard him. Didn't look up. His fingers felt as numb as the rest of him as they curled around the cup.

"Thank you, Sugawara-san," he said, and Suga bit his lip. He hadn't expected anything less, but it still hurt to hear his tone the same. He wished he had fetched Daichi to take him away sooner. 

Bokuto stood still in the doorway, staring at Akaashi. His heart thundered in his chest, all he wanted to do was hug him as tightly as he could, try to hug all those bad thoughts away. But Daichi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Bokuto-kun, you should go." Bokuto gave him a panicked look.

"W- what? No I- I need to be here-"

"Koutaro." Daichi looked at him sternly, but kindly. "Go home and get some rest. You can text Keji later, you have his number, don't you?" Bokuto swallowed, feeling the phone hung in his pocket. 

"Yeah..."

Bokuto shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the dorms. He hadn't felt the cold before, but it made his skin tingle now. 

___________________

"Thank you again, Sugawara-san, Daichi-san. Sorry that you had to deal with this." Suga smiled warmly up at him.

"Don't apologise, Keji. This wasn't your fault." Daichi huffed.

"I should have arrested them!" he muttered, folding his arms angrily. 

"Go back and get some rest, okay?" Suga patted his shoulder comfortingly. "And text me when you're back safely."

Akaashi walked through the silent concert building. He hadn't been able to tell, but it had most likely been an hour at minimum since-

He felt his pace slow and he began to zone out, but he shook himself out of it and kept walking. He needed to just grab his stuff from the dressing room, and then get home and text Sugawara-kun. 

He opened the door to the dressing room with a click, and picked his back from the floor, but he froze as his gaze landed on the table.

His violin had been placed there; it's shadow falling across the room dauntingly in the dim light. There was a little yellow note stuck to the top of the case.

Hello Akaashi-san!

We didn't know what to do with this, so Yamaguchi suggested that we leave it in your dressing room. It's really cool! Hope you're okay Akaashi-san! 

Love, Hinata Shouyo <3

And in a different handwriting there was a little Kageyama Tobio, and another reading Yamaguchi Tadashi. Akaashi would have found it cute, endearing, at any other time, for any other thing, but seeing it sitting atop his violin made his blood run cold. He wished Hinata had chucked it in the bin instead.