words | akaashi keiji

reunions.

"You will never be entirely comfortable. This is the truth behind the champion – he is always fighting something. To do otherwise is to settle."
Julien Smith

Akaashi released a heavy, tired sigh before crouching momentarily to pick up the small package layed out in front of his apartment door.

He hadn't ordered anything, and even then, if something was meant to be delivered to him, it would stay on the main floor, in his designated mail cubby.

He took the package into one hand anyway, lifting it up and down a few times to try to determine the weight. Until finally, he turned the lock on his door and entered his cold, dark apartment.

It had been cold and dark for months now, with the loss of his most recent ex-girlfriend still ringing in his ears like an awful remix that radio stations blast in the morning.

He tossed the mystery package to the small table in the entryway, leaving it be until he at least brewed himself a cup of hot, black, bitter coffee.

He began drinking coffee halfway into his last relationship, which made sense considering the woman ran her own coffee shop. But, he still missed his teas from time to time.

Without bothering to change out of the standard suit he had worn to work, Akaashi collapsed onto his sofa, spreading his legs and using one hooked finger to loosen the tie around his neck.

I'm only twenty-five, why do I feel like an old man?

It was probably the pestering from his parents, or the reeling loss of what he considered a perfectly normal relationship, or maybe just the thought that everyone around him seemed to be living more exciting lives than he was.

Sure, Akaashi had finally made it to the literature branch of the publishing company he had been with for almost five years, but it didn't mean that he wasn't tired when he arrived home.

Writers of literature might be even worse than manga authors, at least when it came to following suggestions and deadlines.

Just as he closed his eyes and thought of allowing himself to fall asleep right there on the couch, his phone rang out in its awfully awkward and loud ringtone that he used for work, making him jolt awake.

"Akaashi speaking."

"Ah, Akaashi." The unusually chipper voice of his boss greeted from the other end of the phone, and Akaashi settled back down on the couch to close his eyes once more. "I know this is pretty late notice, and you're all done for the day, but we picked up a new author earlier today. His old editor sent over all his current manuscripts, but he has one published work that I need you to take a quick look at. I had someone drop it off at your place."

Akaashi sighed in response, making sure it was audible and obvious, but his boss only sighed back.

"I know, I know. You don't need to over-analyze the work or anything. Just a quick skim will work, to get to know the writer's style. You know, what us editors got to do."

"Is it a long one? When does this need to be done?" Akaashi asked immediately, already slipping the pen from his pocket in preparation to scribble the author's name on his arm.

"Looks like he will be joining us on Monday, so you have almost a week to skim his novel. The name is Yoshida Hibiki. Check him out."