(A/N) Lyrics from Lithium by Nirvana, as well as my own. (as well as the song titles Something About Breaking Glass in a Silent Room & Poisoned Rationality and their lyrics do not steal pretty please I will cut you 😊) Im so sorry this is like a week late (well exactly five but still) I hope you enjoy although I'm a bit scatter brained. It awful log too, over 3,400 words. Yeesh
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Meraki
(v.) to do something with soul, creativity, or love; when you leave a piece of yourself in your work
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     Making it into the club proved to be a damned chore. The parking lot brimmed with idiots and cars, and lacked even a single parking space. In the end, they parked a bit down the street in a restaurant's lot. Akaashi prayed to whatever god there was that his precious baby didn't get towed. The brief walk proved exhausting and hazardous, for they dodged cars and assholes on bikes at intersections and weaved through dense crowds of people hustling their way up and down the streets.

     "I hate walking, so much." Yamaguchi breathed out, fanning himself lightly. "I think I'm sweating honestly."

     Akaashi nodded. "It's okay, even if we start smelling, everyone's probably gonna smell like piss and liquor by now, anyways."

     "That's true, I don't even think that teenagers would even be able to get into this place." Yama said, taking in the exterior of the club. The giant cement box's entrance was on the side in the alleyway, the face of it covered in incredible graffiti and a neon sign with a few malfunctioning letters. The entirety of the club intimidated Akaashi, yet the sketchy building with a line of questionable people found itself on everyone's lips, renowned as a fantastic place to gather and drink the night away.

     "Well, either way there's gonna be quite the array of people..." Akaashi muttered, observing the variety of people and styles. Predictably, the band appealed to all: hipsters, goths, hippies, and even more sophisticated individuals. You name it, they probably listened to the up and coming band.

     They shuffled into the line, which began further in the alley, and others immediately crowded in behind them. They stood there in the cramped line, minutes of their time ticking by as the crowd dragged forward at a distastefully slow rate. People cut easily, and yelled to talk to one another like old people. Within about ten minutes, a man, with thin framed glasses and long hair tied in a knot at the top of his head, stumbled forward. His small frame struggled to move against the flow of people, but he somehow managed to part the crowd. When he released himself from the previous position, he stood on his toes and whipped his head around, clicking his pen in an absent minded way. He fanned himself with his clip board, his brows drawn together, eyes narrowed, and a seemingly permanent frown perched on his face. 

     "Alright, you freaks, move it up some." He growled, but flinched when someone brushed against him. He asked for names every once and a while, perking up whenever he approached two boys. Akaashi noticed the correlation to him and Yama. Each of them were pale or olive skinned with freckles dusted on their face with dark hair. Each time a person have their name, he rolled his eyes or scrunched his nose with disfavor. "Gah, are none of you Akaashi Keiji or Yamaguchi Tadashi?" He snapped, throwing his hands up in the air.

     Yamaguchi raised his bored gaze, eyes meeting Akaashi's. He shrugged. Akaashi perked up as well, and lifted his hand up in the air, as if unsure of his answer. "Um, I'm Akaashi Keiji."

     The man raised his thin, finely shaped eyebrows. "No shit?" He snorted, rolling his eyes. "Can I see an ID?"

     Akaashi nodded, patting around his chest and stomach, searching for his wallet. He grunted, reaching into his coat pocket at his left hip. He pulled the brown leather wallet out, and flipped it open. He thumbed the embroidery nervously as the man studied the ID skeptically. After a few moments he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and nodded. "Yeah, alright, and I'm guessing fruity here is Yamaguchi?"

     Yamaguchi's face scrunched up in annoyance. "Fruity...?-"

     Akaashi interrupted him quickly, grabbing Yama's hand and squeezing. "Yeah, we have our VIP tickets and such."

     "You don't need to show them, just cut the line and go to the front. Aone will let you in." He pleasantly said, sagging in relief and stepping under the red rope barely holding the line together.

     Akaashi bowed his head respectfully, before dragging a mumbling Yamaguchi away as quickly as possible. They pushed their way through the dense crowd, managing to get over the red rope as well. Yamaguchi still complained. "He called me fruity..."

     "Hey, take it as a compliment. You're colorful," Akaashi smiled, throwing an arm over Yamaguchi's shoulder as they (practically) skipped freely. Yamaguchi rolled his eyes, laughing at Akaashi's lame attempt. Their walking slowed, and Yamaguchi searched around. They tiptoed forward, unsure of where exactly to find Aone. Moments later, as they neared the entrance, an enormous man stepped into their path, blocking it, and looked down. He didn't say a single word, but smiled gently opening his arms up to Yamaguchi, and Yama dove into his arms giggling. Apparently all the Karasuno players were fond of Aone. Another man leaned from behind him, grinning slyly. Aone released Yama from the bear hug, and gestured to the door, turning his broad shoulders, and opening up to the shorter brunette.

     His eyes flickered to Akaashi, before a light red dusted his cheeks, and silently bowed his head. Akaashi mimicked him.

     "Good to see you," Akaashi politely said.

     "Hello, you two are looking... positively ravishing," Futakuchi Kenji smirked, his eyes flaring with lust. His eyes dragged up and down Akaashi's body, as if trying to see through his clothes. Akaashi's face flushed deep red and he looked away uncomfortably. Aone frowned deeply, shaking his head. "We're the boy's body guards."

     Akaashi raised his brows, returning his attention. "Seems pretty legit." He muttered looking at how tall the two were. Aone, who was built like a bull, towered over most, and Futa clearly could hold his own in a fight. But he didn't seem like the type to get his hands unnecessarily dirty.

     Futakuchi rolled his eyes, and nodded back to the club. "C'mon, love, before you miss all of it." He purred, turning and allowing Aone to push through the crowd. They followed him to the two front doors, and slid in behind a tall, broad shouldered man. The interior of the club was a wide room, one side filled with tables and lounge chairs, and the rest of it, as far as Akaashi could make out through the flashing lights and mobbing dancers, was empty save for a stage at the furthest back wall. Most of the people clustered on the dance floor, but all the tables were filled and the bar had three absurdly busy bartenders dealing with customers.

     Yamaguchi's mouth dropped at the horde of people. "There's literally not enough seats."

     Aone grunted lightly, mumbling to Futakuchi, who turned to face them. "Well, you don't have to worry about standing. Follow Goliath and you'll find your people."

     Futakuchi disappeared into the waves of people moving about, and Aone parted the crowd before them easily, earning nervous looks from those closest. Their slow and steady progress through the mob brought them closer and closer to the stage, and before long, they reached another set of velvet ropes. Aone looked back and unhooked it from the latch, opening up the small VIP area before them. Akaashi raised his eyebrows, and they stepped in, with Yama close on his tail.

     Finally being able to see clearly without people to block his view, he realized there were a few leather couches surrounding a coffee table in a small area in front of the stage, off ever so slightly to the side. His eyes shifted over the people, searching for someone he knew, preferably Hinata, or Yachi and Kiyoko, but didn't notice them at first. Although, soon a tall woman strode towards them. Her hips swayed through her sashay, resembling a relaxed cat strolling to rub themselves on something. He couldn't see her face clearly, and he squinted. She flipped her long, silvery hair out of her face, and popped a hip. Her broad smile resonated even in her emerald eyes. "Akaashi! Is that you?" She exclaimed, a thick accent drenched her words. "Oh my goodness, it is!"

     "We've missed you, Alisa." Yamaguchi grinned. "Where is everyone?"

     "Getting drinks, and probably other things." She said, a light, disapproving frown gracing her mouth. "Come." She turned, her heels clicking as she motioned for them to follow her. Alisa led them to a long leather couch, and splayed out on top.

     "Where's Lev and Yaku?" Akaashi questioned, dropping down beside her. "I haven't seen Lev in quite a while."

     "Oh, they couldn't make it. Lev has some big tests and Yaku is forcing him to study." She circled her fingers at her temples. "My poor babies are going to tire themselves out." She groaned.

     "Ah, they'll be fine." Akaashi reassured. "Let's just hope Lev doesn't say anything silly about Yaku's size."

     "You made it! Finally! You missed hanging out with the guys before the show!" Someone squealed, and Hinata raced up, bouncing onto the chair and into Yamaguchi and Akaashi's lap. His flower crown shifted on his head. Yachi and Kiyoko laughed at his energy, and sat at the other end of the couch. Akaashi noticed the slight U curve in the couch, and he could see them just fine.

     "When is it even gonna start?" Yama whined, pouting and throwing an arm around Yachi.

     "It should start soon. It should've started like a half hour ago, actually..." Alisa said, peering at her watch.

     As if on que, an obnoxious screeching and a loud crash sounded out on the stage. They all cringed, covering their ears. "Okay, what the fuck..." Akaashi squeezed an eye shut as the vile noise peaked. He turned to face the stage to see Oikawa Tooru crouching on the stage, peals of laughter crossing to his ears, and Kenma Kozume picking up his black mic.

     Kenma cleared his throat and tapped on the mic, a shy smile on his lips. "Sorry... Is it working? Yeah, um... Hi..." He chuckled.

     Oikawa reached over Kenma and snatched the mic. "Hello, you fucking weebs, and welcome to the Matsun's club, Honne. It's quite a great place, you might see me here more often." Oikawa beamed, and the crowd surged forward to the stage as they exploded into wails of women.

     "Some things just don't change, huh?" Akaashi muttered.

     Kiyoko giggled and shook her head. "Not at all."

     "So, tonight we have a surprise set list, we'll be covering some great songs. We'll be sharing a song not on our album, it's actually on the next one..." Oikawa blabbed, and Kenma rolled his eyes, grabbing the mic away.

     "Tooru you talk too much." A snarky voice exclaimed, but the noise barely reached either ears. It was as if it didn't quite reach the mic. From the darkness of backstage emerged Kuroo Tetsuro and Tsukishima Kei. They loomed over the two other boys, causing Oikawa to laugh a bit nervously, and Akaashi to gulp.

     "Aw, c'mon, Tsukki-chan..." Oikawa whined, his attractive face sulked, causing another uproar of feminine squeals.

     Kuroo shook his head, and reached out for his guitar, its body made of clear plastic and covered with various stickers, and Kei grabbed his as well. Before Kuroo lifted the strap over his head, he set down a bottle of alcohol previously hidden from Akaashi's sight. Akaashi breath hitched lightly, noticing his slight wobble.

     Dammit, Kuroo... Akaashi's internal dialogue tore at his heart and internally scolded Kuroo. I told you to stay away from that stuff. You know what it did to your dad...

     "Anyways, I think we're gonna go ahead and start." Kenma muttered, shoving his mic into the stand.

     Oikawa grumbled and shifted back to his drum set, dropping onto his stool, spinning in a circle. He pulled sticks from somewhere under it. Akaashi noticed his slight limp, possibly the wound that ended his athletic career.

     Kuroo shoved his cord into his guitar, almost angrily, and crossed his arms. Kenma swayed gently, side to side, before he started speaking. "I guess, it's really necessary, that we should start with a classic. I don't know what song to do though." Kenma chewed at his lip and closed his eyes with thought, and the crowd responded rigorously. Many cried out for something from the 80s, 90s, or recent music. Kenma opened his eyes abruptly. Kuroo and Tsukishima stared out, appearing bored. "Aha, yeah, I know what we're gonna do..." He giggled, and leaned away from the mic. He muttered something to the others, and they nodded.

     "It's kind of amazing that they're deciding right here on the spot..." Akaashi gasped.

     Yamaguchi laughed. "They're a little overly spontaneous... It really frustrates Kei," He rubbed the back of his neck. Moments later, faint counting came from Oikawa's mic. Right on the count, Kuroo's fingers picked at the strings, deep notes coming from his amp, and after the first rhythmic set, Tsukishima and Oikawa joined with their instruments. The crowd's excitement increased tenfold, apparently quite familiar with the song.

"I'm so happy, 'cause today I found my friends, they're in my head. 

I'm so ugly, but that's okay, cause so are you. 

We've broke our mirrors..."

     Kenma's voice spread across the crowd. Akaashi knew it was a song by Nirvana, but that's all he could really name. The audience's frenzy was aided by the chorus, which didn't necessarily stand out to Akaashi at that point.

     "Ne, is this Lithium?" Yamaguchi called out, and Yachi nodded. They spoke for a moment, and Akaashi bodily attempted to listen, however he couldn't hear a single word they said over the music.

     "Yeah, it's cool to see them play it." She called, returning her gaze to the stage. Akaashi refocused his attention as well.

     "I'm so horny, that's okay my will is good."

     Kenma's voice rasped a bit, and he flipped his hair out of his face. His cat eyes trained on Hinata, who squealed like the other girls, as his small hand pointed to him.

     In the first chorus, they played down the outraged cries, and let the crowd sing it as they danced. However, this time around the chorus vibrated the damn building. Kuroo and Tsukki's guitars roared to life and Oikawa's beats thrummed in Akaashi's ears. All four of the guys sang along, screaming their lungs out, and laughing, along with the crowd. By this time, everyone and any one, was standing and screaming too. 

     "Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

     Tsukki and Oikawa's voices fell down, and Kuroo and Kenma continued singing.

     "I like it..." Kenma cried out, and Kuroo echoed in the background: "I'm not gonna crack..."

     "I miss you..."

     "I'm not gonna crack..."

     "I love you..."

     "I'm not gonna crack..."

     "I kill you..."

     "I'm not gonna craaaack..."

     Their voices alternated, before Kuroo's final repetitive line drowned out in the cheers, along with the other musicians. Like the beginning, Kuroo now only played the low chords, before Kenma began singing the first verse once more. Akaashi stood, and muttered something about getting a drink while he could to Yamaguchi, and pushed through a rave to simply go to the bar.

     He found a single seat open, and plopped down throwing his head down on his arms. Kuroo had changed rather drastically, and Akaashi hadn't even spoke to him directly. He only smirked as far as he could tell, not smiled, and his style was entirely different. The tears pricking at the back of his eyes threatened his makeup's wellbeing.

     "Y'know, I honestly wouldn't put my face anywhere near the bar top," A familiar voice said before him. Akaashi picked his head up, confused.

     "Wha..." He squinted in the dim light, focusing on the pastel pink-haired man before him. He rubbed the countertop with a cream rag, a mischievous grin on his lips. "Maki?"

     "In the flesh, my friend. Seriously, I'm pretty sure some awkward shit happened where your face was." He teased, throwing the rag over his shoulder and leaning his chin in his hand. Akaashi laughed and shook his head.

     "So you bartend? For Matsukawa?" He asked incredulously.

     "No, no, 'course not. I'm a co-owner." He waved his hand dismissively. "The bartender got drunk and I took over. You want something to drink?"

     Akaashi nodded, sitting up properly. "Yeah, surprise me."

     Hanamaki's hands went to work and Akaashi listened to the loud covers. They did a Linkin Park and Three Days Grace song, a My Chemical Romance song, and even a few Fall out Boy songs. When the song, "Build God, then We'll Talk" ended, the boys paused and discussed something, before playing a song from their album.

     He thought it was called, "Something about Breaking Glass in a Silent Room." The verses were quiet and slow, and when the chorus rolled around they lost their shit.

"Watch what you say, 'cause when the whole world hears, you can't take it back."

     Kenma chuckled, as the instruments stopped momentarily. His eyes followed Kuroo on the stage, his jumping and silly guitar tricks, and his head banging to the beat of the song. His messy, unaware splendor always had astounded Akaashi.

     "Ne, Akaashi?" Hanamaki said, sliding his drink towards him. The glass's contents were bright pink with a lime.

     "Hm?" Akaashi responded, sipping at his drink. It was similar to Sex on the Beach, but instead of orange and peach schnapps, there was a hint of bitter grape fruit.

     "Have you talked to Kuroo yet?" The words hung in the air, moments, before Akaashi could form words. Unsure of the sudden question and where it would lead, he coaxed himself out of a comatose with a sip of his drink.

     "No... Why? Should I not?" He stammered.

     "What? No, you should! Kuroo's still a great guy. He's hardworking and smart, but still the king of provocation. He knows how to push your buttons. I guess that's part of the reason why he writes the songs."

     "Him? Kuroo?" Akaashi couldn't help but snort a bit. In high school, Kuroo hadn't had a single damn creative bone in his body. Everything was about volleyball. "He's writing these lyrics?"

     Maki nodded. "But, if you couldn't tell from here he's still quite different. He's colder, emptier. I guess when you put all your soul into your art, it kind of eats away into nothing."

     Akaashi glanced back to the stage, watching Kuroo's movements closely. He grinned and danced a bit, occasionally calling out to the crowd or touching their hands. He definitely had changed, his confidence blanketed the room more so than ever before, and he kept a bottle at his side. Although, one single thing stood out the most, and worried him just as deeply as the alcohol. Kuroo didn't smile. If he did, there was no way that they were truly joyful at all. His eyes didn't shine, and they didn't crinkle at the corners. The song ended, and they moved onto another, swiftly, the chords melted together. Akaashi didn't quite know this one.

     "Poisoned Rationality." Hanamaki blinked, his eyes wide. "I didn't think they'd play it..."

     "Why's that?" Akaashi turned, a bit bemused.

     "It's one of Kuroo's darker pieces of work..."

     Each of the sounds coming from the stage stabbed at Akaashi's heart, tearing his eyes away from Maki. Akaashi sipped deeply, the alcohol burning his mouth and throat, and his eyes narrowed. The harsh drumming and angry strokes of fingers on the guitars created deep, mournful sounds, which resonated deeply within him. Kenma's voice pulled at Akaashi's heartstrings; he could hear the blood pulsing in his ears at the beat of the song.

     "I need to accept that you're gone..."

     The words echoed in his ears, but the voice changed. He heard Kuroo rather than Kenma. His husky lyrics tore into Akaashi, and he felt almost physical pain.

"You haunt my veins. The curves of consciousness that you've drawn, this never-ending rain."

     Akaashi's eyes found Kuroo, watching his grim expression and tired movements, his now completely lifeless eyes. He wondered who he wrote about in his sad songs. The songs mostly were about fun and dreams, but also love. Some happy, others reminiscent, but this one pierced Akaashi.

     "In this pathetic black and white world, you're everything that's grey..."

     Kuroo's flaming eyes drifted over the crowd, searching for someone. Akaashi thought that he glimpsed a bit of hope. They glided slowly and immediately froze when they fell upon Akaashi. His breath hitched and heart skipped a beat, slowly breathing out through his nose. Kuroo's shrouded eyes devoured his form, deep bewilderment implanted in his irises. Yet, seconds later, an uncertain, pleasant smile—a true smile—kissed his lips. Akaashi's breath evaded him, his lungs and throat contracting.

     Kuroo's smile truly is something else. It flashed brilliantly like the sun reflecting off the water, and his eyes closed happily. But the brevity of said smile astonished Akaashi, for in seconds his gaze again burned into his turquoise eyes, the giddy excitement of Kuroo's previous expression disappeared, and now his intense glare returned.

     Akaashi decided he had to go.

     Immediately.

     He pulled money out of his wallet, tossing it to Maki.

     "I'll see you tomorrow night..." He leapt off his stool, and rushed from the club, ignoring Maki's calls.