The Littlest Words (Akaashi Keiji x Reader)

Chapter 5

"Fuck."

You internally cursed as your mind completely blacked-out and you remain frozen in place, the drinks in your hand slipping out and went exactly down to your cart. Your now empty hand remained suspended in the air, shaking ever so slightly.

You stared at each other for what seems like forever when you finally blinked. 

Once. 

Twice. 

Thrice.

Then it finally dawned on you, hitting your mind with an imaginary hammer and crushing your self-esteem in the process.

"God, I accept the free trial to heaven right here, right now. Please disregard whatever time I've left to live and take me already."

With so much thoughts going on inside your mind as of the moment, it's now a tangled mess, leaving you to the point that running seems like the only option left in this kind of situation.

"What a way to set off my fight or flight response."

"Uhm..." He interrupted your internal conflict with yourself and gestured over your unmoving body. "Are you okay...miss?"

That's it. That's the last straw.

You felt your heart thumping loudly against your chest, threatening to jump out anytime soon. Despite the aircon emitting cold air, your body seems to overheat---a tinge of red is visible in your neck and the tip of your ears while your face is as red as a tomato, barely concealed by your (h/l) hair. Your breathing suddenly hitched as your mind goes blank. You literally short circuited because of the voice of the man looming over you.

If not for the cart supporting your weight, you would've stumbled over and experience further embarrassment; but you wouldn't like to manifest that to happen.

He furrowed his eyebrows at your reaction, finally showing more than just his usual emotionless state. He's now probably weirded out and think you escaped the mental institution you're in. You just prayed he doesn't remember the train incident or else you'd die on the spot.

He was the one to break the silence when he spoke calmly, "Do you need any help? You're shaking and your face is completely red, too."

You looked up at him and stared into his eyes, as if the correct response is hidden inside there. Intimidation quickly kicked in and you averted your gaze away from him.

It took a great amount of confidence and effort to answer his question, muttering slowly just enough for him to hear.

"Uhmmm... I am f-fine. Please d-don't sweat it."

You want to facepalm right now because you just had to stutter; but at the same time you heaved a sigh, relieved that you at least managed to form a decent sentence despite the unnerving situation at hand. However, the relief was short-lived as realization came upon you: You spoke.

Glancing at your left palm, you see the numbers go down to '1,007'.

"Well, a little decrease won't hurt anyone, right?"

You didn't realize that you're zoning out until the man spoke again.

"Can you please move a little? I'll grab something but you're kind of...in the way." The way he spoke is so soothing, but traced with no emotion so you don't know if he's annoyed or he's just naturally impassive.

You nodded hesitantly and moved out of the way, dragging your full cart with you. You then noticed him grabbing a pack of a different brand of banana milk from what you always buy. Your eyebrows furrowed and you can't help the bothered expression appear on your face.

"His choices are...ugh...disgusting. I wanna confront him about his choices but I don't wanna appear rude."

There was still a slight grimace in your face as you turned around and walked towards the counter. He seems busy so you didn't bother him and also, your interest in him dropped because of that petty "choice" thing so you decided to leave. The woman behind the counter gave out a tired smile and scanned your purchases. You took out your phone and wallet  and paid the right amount. After paying, you sluggishly went out and was immediately greeted by the cold early morning air.

There were still some people walking here and there but fewer than when you entered the store. You heard the noises from nearby clubs and wet market that was muffled by the thick walls of the place you came from. It was still fairly dark outside but the route is safe enough with the bright moon and streetlights lining the empty streets.

You closed your eyes and inhaled the fresh air, walking casually with the eco-bags in your hand. Japan's use of plastic is too much so that's the least you can do to somewhat lessen it---it became a habit ever since.

That man suddenly crossed your mind.

"I really thought he was good-looking and nice. But I think no person can have it all, huh? His taste is pretty bad so that's a very slight turn off."

"Doesn't change the fact that he's good-looking." The suggestive side of your brain retorted.

You exhaled through your nose and kicked the stones that's in your way to keep your mind from wandering off. Even if your interest in him is zero or a hundred, you know he still won't give a damn about you. You yawned, clearly deprived of sleep after getting that weird dream four nights in a row. You just want to go back to sleep but the trip back to your dorm seems longer as you drag your feet with a heavy breath.

You suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind you as you felt your heart skip for a second. You can feel cold sweat slowly dripped down your forehead and down to your chin. You felt fear gnawing your insides as you raised your speed, not bothering to look back as you tried to search for anything to defend yourself in case something happens. Reaching for your pajama pockets, your blood ran cold when you didn't feel your phone that you were sure you brought with you.

"Huh?! Please, not now. I'd like to die peacefully and not this way."

The person behind you slowly increased their pace, as if catching up to you. You want to cry and reassure yourself that maybe it was just a coincidence that the person is going the same way as you and that Japan is a safe place for women in comparison to other places; but you know you're just saying empty words. It didn't calm your nerves even for a bit.

So when your shoulder was touched by that person, your fist reflexively swung and collided with a toned forearm. You were ready to throw your bags when he suddenly stopped you by the arm and spoke, obviously not shaken by your measly "punch".

"Miss, i'm not a bad person. Calm down."

You finally took in his appearance. That's when you realized that he's the same man in the train and convenience store.

Your heart was still beating erratically and you distanced yourself from him, still keeping your guards up. You spoke in a cautious and hesitant manner.

"Who are you and why are you following me?"

He looked at you for a brief moment before taking something out of his pocket: a (f/c) phone identical to yours.

"I just followed you because the cashier said you left your phone in the counter. Besides, you're going the same route I was supposed to go."

Relief washed over your whole being as you smiled ever so slightly, almost completely unnoticed. He then hands you your phone which you gladly accepted. You're about to express your gratitude and apologies for hitting him when he suddenly talked, calm and composed.

"By the way, my name is Akaashi Keiji."

         

           。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

(A/N: I was planning to update everyday but then online classes happened and I was immediately bombarded with activities; therefore halting my updates. I'm sorry if this was so slow-paced but I intended to do it just like that so please be patient.   -Neli(☆^ー^☆))