He was standing there, looking through a small and slightly moldy window. He could feel the breeze outside, it was a chilly November night after all.

All the kids were hurrying home to their parents, people were closing gates and doors. The street lights slowly lit up and illuminated the roads.

He kept staring until he finally let his head down... And at that moment Akaashi thought:

"Maybe being a little bit adventurous wasn't that good at all"

- START GAME? -
> Yes?

....

There was once a crooked man...
..who walked a crooked mile...

November 1st.

"Akaashi, you're gonna love this place! I'm sure of it" Suga said cheerfully as he handed the house keys to Akaashi.

"You think so?" Akaashi looked at his friend who nodded frantically.

"I even helped pick it! We thought it would be a great place for you to start a new chapter, you know" Suga's husband Daichi spoke and gave Akaashi a warm smile.

"There goes" Akaashi slowly pushed the key into the keyhole and turned his hand..

Click.

The door opened to reveal and nice corridor, as Akaashi stepped in the old wooden floor creaked under his feet. The walls were painted in a slightly dark sand-y color.

"Go on, go on" Suga encouraged him. Akaashi simply nodded and took steps further.

He opened the door to reveal the main room. It was quite large, and also quite empty. A thing which stood out the most was a crack in a wall, not that it mattered much anyway.

"We know it's not much now, but you have your mysterious ways to make any place warm and welcoming" Suga put his hand on Akaashi's shoulder.

"Thank you guys, really. This place seems nice, I like it" Akaashi placed his bags next to the bed and looked around again. "You guys want some tea while you're here?"

"That would be nice, thank you very much" Daichi said. Both Suga and Daichi sat down and waited till Akaashi found the tea he had brought with himself. Soon the room filled with a nice aroma and the three of them were enjoying the hot drinks.

"Really guys.. Thank you for helping me" Akaashi said, he kept stirring his tea.

"No need to thank us. That's what best friends are for, right?" Daichi said and the room fell into a nice and comfortable silence for a moment. The clock on the wall kept ticking and ticking until Akaashi spoke again.

"So, I should probably unpack. I don't have work in the upcoming weeks so I guess that's good" he put the empty cup on the table and leaned back.

"The shop is still under construction? I guess that's good, you'll be able to get used to this place. I, on the other hand, have work tomorrow. Daichi, we should go and let Akaashi pack" Suga stood up and fixed his cardigan.

They said their goodbyes, hugged and soon Akaashi was left alone in his new house. He went to collect the cups, but noticed Daichi's license on the table.

"Oh, he must have forgotten it" he quickly picked it up, hoping that the two were still outside. The moment he got close to the door, he heard voices.

"Suga! That place is practically falling apart, how could you offer him this?" Daichi spoke, he seemed a bit angry.

"He needs a new start! And I couldn't find anything else! You know, after everything that happened with Bokuto and his dad... He needs something" Suga was concerned, he even emphasized on Bokuto's name.

"I know he does, but this place.... He could have lived with us for a short while, not in this practically haunted house" Daichi sighed loudly.

Akaashi backed away from the door, he decided to give the license to him another time. He went back to his room and sat down on the bed...

They were right, he needed a new start. His life was a mess.

"Ugh, I'm so tired. Maybe I'll just sleep and pack tomorrow" he said to himself, but before he could even close his eyes - the phone rang.

Akaashi slowly walked to his phone and picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked, but no one said anything.

"Hello? Who is calling?" Akaashi asked again, but no one spoke a word. Just as he was about to hang up, he heard a faint "Akaashi" on the other line.

He knew that voice way too well.

"Don't call me, please" he said before hanging up, it hurt him, but he knew that it was the right thing to do.

Akaashi wobbled back to his bed, he tried to not think of what happened in the past. He wanted to forget it all, he wanted to a fresh start.

He closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep by listening to the clock ticking on the wall. Who knew what the next day would bring him.

-  Scene 1 - House Rules -
> Continue?

...

He found a crooked sixpence,
Upon a crooked stile...

Akaashi's morning wasn't very nice and definitely not a good way to start his day. He woke up covered in cold sweat, his heart was beating fast and eyes wide.

A nightmare.

He had been having nightmares quite often recently, but this was something new. Something completely different.

~~

When he woke up it was still dark outside, the clock showed past 3 AM and Akaashi wasn't too surprised. He went to sleep at around 8 PM anyway.

He decided to make himself a nice cup of coffee, maybe eat something and go back to sleep, but something was wrong. An odd odor in a room that made his head spin and insides twist. He placed his feet on the wooden floor, the creaking sound it made sounded even louder than before.

A moment of silence and then... A cry.

"I-Is that someone crying at 3 AM? Wha-?" Akaashi panicked, he wanted to check whether the person was okay, but then again his "people skills" were sorta rusty.

With small footsteps Akaashi slowly made his way out of his small house, he tried to determine from where the cry came from, but the moment he stepped outside...it stopped.

Since the houses were quite close to eachother Akaashi decided to check the nearest one. He knocked on the door, but nothing...

"They must be sleeping, I'm so stupid" he said and walked back to his house. But as soon as he stepped in he heard a painful cry again.

His breathing stopped at the moment he realized it was coming from somewhere within his own house. Fear kicked in and he froze in his stance, all he could hear was someone crying.

He tried to calm down by taking deep breaths, but that didn't help at all. Akaashi wasn't able to muster up any courage too, but still ended up stepping forward.

He opened the door on the left and entered a small office room. A table, a computer, a bookshelf and that's it. No one was there, but just as Akaashi was about to leave a radio started playing. Well, not exactly playing, more like making a weird and annoying sound which gave Akaashi even a bigger headache.

Once he was able to turn it off, he left the office and opened the door on his right. A bathroom, nothing out of the ordinary aswell.

At this point, Akaashi was scared and confused. Someone was still crying and he couldn't find who! Where were they?!

He finally made it into the main room and looked around... No one. His bed was empty, the sofa was empty, the only thing that really sticked out was that damn crack in the wall. Akaashi had considered going to the attic, but decided not to - he knew his heart wouldn't be able to handle it.

His eyes spotted a note on the floor and he went to pick it up, but the moment he grabbed it the cries became louder.

He covered his ears and shut his eyes, hoping that the cries will stop..

~~~

And that's when he woke up.

Akaashi immediately jumped out of bed and went to get himself a glass of water.

"Damn, what even was that dream? Is it because I just moved?" his heart was still beating like crazy.

Once he was able to calm down, Akaashi picked up his phone. Ah, one missed call and a voice mail. He set his phone on the coffee table before clicking "play" and changing into normal clothes.

".. Uhm.. Hey, Akaashi. I know, you've been avoiding my calls and all, but I'm really worried about you. I know you don't wanna hear my voice, but listen to my side of the story too, please. Call me when you can, I'll pick up immediately. So, uhm, yeah. That's all. Bye."

Akaashi let out a heavy sigh.

"Why is Bokuto so persistent? Can't he understand that I'm over him or?" Akaashi said to himself, he would have casually put his phone in his pocket and went to make himself something to eat if not the note on the sofa.

The very same note from his dream.

His hands started trembling immediately as he got closer to it. And only a few words were written on it.

"He promised me so many things. And he broke those promises the next day"

It was a page from Akaashi's diary.

- SCENE 2 - Sleep Walking - END. -
> Continue?

...

..he bought a crooked cat,
..which caught a crooked mouse...

The upcoming few days were restless for Akaashi, getting used to a new place and so on.

Not to mention those nightmares.. Every single night he would have the same dream over and over and over again..

This started leading up to Akaashi staying awake for as long as he could, and yet he still couldn't figure where the crying was coming from, or who was crying.

Sugawara and Daichi were getting worried aswell, so they decided to do something.

Akaashi opened the door for them early in the morning, he had bags under his eyes. Around seven empty cups of coffee and five empty cans of energy drinks indicated Akaashi's attempts at pulling a second all-nighter.

"What winds brought you here?" Akaashi asked, his voice so...vain. Suga glanced at Daichi for a second before inhaling deeply.

"Akaashi, we can't see you suffering like this. We booked you a room at a very nice hotel, me and Daichi will fix this place a little bit, maybe that will help" Suga said and for a second there Akaashi's eyes sparkled, but it soon went away.

"Guys, you don't have to. You really don't have to, I can suffer through this" Akaashi didn't want his friends to waste their time on this, they had their own personal lives.

"We do. Akaashi, listen.." Sugawara placed his hand on Akaashi's shoulder. "We care about you and if keep on going like this - you'll put your health in danger. So please, go and rest"

After a few silent seconds Akaashi finally nodded and mumbled something about packing. He left to another room and as soon as Akaashi closed the door - Daichi spoke.

"What about Bokuto?" he whispered.

"Let's not talk about that to him. He's been terrorising him, calling him every single day... He should just let him go" Suga said before letting out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Daichi walked closer to him.

"Just worried, that's all.. He probably thinks he's a burden, but I don't want him to think that. I really don't. He deserves to know that we care" Suga was concerned, but he couldn't help it. Ever since the incident with Bokuto, Akaashi hasn't been the same.

From a cheerful guy with a lot of dreams, especially a dream of becoming a pilot, to a silent and depressed man with no motivation to do anything.

Akaashi packed his things quite quickly, he didn't have a lot anyway. And yet Sugawara was right, Akaashi did think of himself as a burden, he still couldn't help but pity himself - his friends take care of him, how pathetic is that?

"We'll drive you" Suga said and soon enough the trio was in a car, Akaashi didn't speak a word.

He was feeling sick and sad. All his dreams went down a drain and yet his friends have to be stuck with him.

~~

"Suga! I got in!" Akaashi exclaimed as soon as Sugawara opened the door.

"What?! That's absolutely great! I'm so proud of you! You have been wanting to become a pilot for so long now... I'm so happy" Suga held his friend in his hands.

"I still can't believe it!" a smile on Akaashi's face didn't go away till he went to sleep. Akaashi, Suga and Daichi celebrated his acceptance into Flight school for a whole night.

~~

When the car stopped and Akaashi finally stepped out, he realized where he was.

"Oh.. It's this place.." he spoke quietly.

"You know this hotel? We tried to pick one away from town" Daichi said, he watched as Akaashi frowned for a second.

"Bokuto brought me here once" he sighed. Suga mentally slapped himself for not knowing this, damn, this could bring trouble. "..but it's fine. Thank you guys"

"Don't thank us. Go and rest, we'll take care of everything" Suga managed to squeeze out a smile and watched as Akaashi slowly walked through the entrance.

"Fuck. We should have known. This could be a big trouble" Daichi sighed, but after a small discussion the two decided to leave Akaashi to rest and went back to town.

Coincidentally, and also to mess with Akaashi's already fragile mental state, Akaashi's room number was 208 - the very same room he and Bokuto spent three days in.

Even thinking about those days made Akaashi want to vomit. He rushed to his room and immediately fell onto the bed.

He was exhausted, being awake for around 50 hours really had weird effects on him. The moment he closed his eyes, he couldn't open them anymore. Akaashi didn't care that he was still dressed in uncomfortable jeans and wearing his boots - he just wanted to rest.

Fortunately, this time he didn't have a nightmare. He didn't have any dreams...

Akaashi woke up when a staff member shook him, checking on him.

"Sir, is everything okay?" she asked, her voice showed clear concern.

"Y-Yeah.. Why?" Akaashi blinked a few times to get adjusted to the light.

"The maid said no one opened the door for her, she was afraid you were hurt. Are you sure you're feeling alright?" she helped Akaashi sit up and the other just nodded.

"Yeah, I was just tired so I went to sleep the moment I walked into this room. Sorry I made you worry, I'm fine" Akaashi gave her a small smile, but from the corner of his eyes he could see a certain someone sneaking around, his room door was open after all.

The girl told him to call the reception if he needs anything and left the room. After Akaashi glanced at his phone he realized - he had been sleeping for 18 hours. He sure was exhausted.

He thoroughly searched his bag till he found his wallet and decided to head to the cafe on the first floor. However, Akaashi had completely forgotten about a person waiting for him.

"Akaashi" Bokuto spoke as soon as the other opened the door.

"Leave me alone" Akaashi said coldly, trying not to pay attention to him.

"I didn't know you'd be here. Please, let's talk" Bokuto pulled on Akaashi's sweater lightly.

"There's nothing to talk about. You messed up, I don't forgive you" Akaashi kept his back turned to Bokuto, he didn't want to see his face.

"I know I did, but you gotta listen to me. I still love you and I swear I will do anything you want me to" his voice sounded genuine but Akaashi knew how good he was at lying.

"I would forgive you and give you a chance if you had, for example, stolen from me or something but.." Akaashi finally turned to him. "..you broke me. You broke my heart. You messed me up and didn't even care when your friend was taking advantage of me. So how can I forgive you? The Akaashi you knew no longer exists, say hello to a new version of me"

"I'm.. I'm sorry" Bokuto wanted to say something more, but Akaashi turned and walked away from him, leaving him in his place just frozen in shock.

Meanwhile Akaashi's heart was beating so fast that it felt like it will stop any moment. He didn't expect to see him, all he wanted was some rest.

His appetite was already gone, but he couldn't afford going back to his room with Bokuto probably still standing there. Akaashi went outside instead, maybe some fresh air will calm him down.

The yard was impressive with pathways and benches around, it was late afternoon but to his surprise there were almost no people around.

"Met someone you didn't wanna see?" a soft voice spoke behind him. Akaashi turned around to see a girl with a bright smile on her face.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I'm staying in a room next to yours"  she answered and a sudden wave of guilt washed over Akaashi.

"Sorry you had to hear that" Akaashi apologized, but the girl shook her head.

"It's fine, I know how that feels. Name's Yachi, by the way" Yachi smiled and offered Akaashi to sit down on a bench.

"Love is so complicated" Akaashi sighed.

"Yeah, it is, but there's nothing one can do. I used to come here with my girlfriend every month, we were so in love" Yachi spaced out for a few seconds.

"Used to? What happened?" Akaashi looked at how Yachi's face expresion changed.

"We argued. Similarly to how you and that guy argued, and I said some things I shouldn't have. It was all lies, I told her I didn't love her when I really did, I told her she meant nothing to me when in reality she was my whole world... And I lost her. I wasn't even able to say sorry, she slipped and fell out the balcony. Her spine hit the ground pretty hard and she was left in a vegetative state, her family agreed to not let her suffer and unplugged her from life support a few days later.." Yachi said and Akaashi couldn't help but let a few tears roll down. Beautiful, yet tragic.

"I'm so sorry" Akaashi couldn't do much but offer her a tissue to wipe her tears away.

"It's okay. It's been a few years, so. How about you? What happened?" Yachi suddenly turned to him.

"Well, me and Bokuto had been friends since primary school and we were always close. Somewhere at the start of highschool I started falling for him and soon, to my surprise, he confessed. I thought we were a perfect couple but a few years later.. A few years later something terrible happened and he was the main cause of it. What's worse is that he didn't even care what was happening to me.. He left me.." Akaashi still couldn't talk about it, it would always hurt him...

SCENE 3 - Hotel Confessions - END.
> Continue?

~~~

..and they all lived together...
in a little crooked house..

Akaashi couldn't sleep the upcoming night, knowing Bokuto was staying at the same hotel as he made him feel so sick and unhappy.

He stayed up and decided to draw. Just as many artists he let his emotions and feelings take the hest of him and soon the blank page turned into something interesting. And yet, Akaashi wasn't satisfied with it, so once the clock hit 3 AM, he decided to leave his room.

He wandered around the corridors until he reached very interesting doors, upon opening them he saw a grand piano in a middle of the big room.

A sigh of relief left Akaashi's mouth as he walked closer to it. Akaashi probably would have enjoyed it more if not the door opening behind him.

"I knew it was you" Bokuto spoke, startling Akaashi.

"Can you just leave me alone?" Akaashi asked, even in the dim light he could see his face.

"Why won't you talk to me? All I wanna do is talk. You know I still care about you and I wanna protect you.." Bokuto said and took a step forward.

"Don't come closer or I'll scream" Akaashi threatened.

"Just tell me why you hate me so much! We have so many memories! Remember I took you to the beach and we watched the sunset while sharing a kiss? Or that time we cuddled up under the blankets and watched the first snow fall to the ground? I'm not asking for much, just tell me" Bokuto said and for a second Akaashi considered staying quiet, but no.. Maybe he should give him at least one reason.

"How about that time you ruined my dream of becoming a pilot?" Akaashi asked as he turned to him.

...

"Wow! We all gathered here! I'm glad you all brought friends" the professor spoke as he looked at the classroom full of young people.

The professor decided to call all students and have a fun meeting before the exams the next day. And so, Akaashi was there with his boyfriend Bokuto. He was so happy, he was going to become a pilot soon and fulfill his dream, Bokuto was proud of him too - well at least it looked like that.

"Now, don't forget to bring the notes from your doctors tomorrow. Especially the one concerning eyes, you know that it's the most important one. I can't wait till I see you all piloting planes!" the professor exclaimed.

"Akaashi, but aren't you colorblind?" Bokuto asked cheerfully and at that moment the whole classroom, all 40 people, went quiet and looked at him.

Akaashi's hands started trembling, but Bokuto didn't stop there.

"You're not supposed to be a pilot if you're colorblind! I was at the doctor's with you yesterday, remember?" Bokuto asked still not grasping the situation.

Akaashi's heart broke in half.

After that day everybody was talking bad about him, calling him a traitor, all teachers avoided him and he wasn't able to finish flight school..

...

"That was an accident.. I didn't mean to!" Bokuto tried to explain himself.

"I can't see two colors, but so what?! I could have still been a pilot and you ruined my dream! I will never forgive you for this and this is just the beginning of things I hate you for" remembering all this made Akaashi break down again.

He pushed Bokuto out of the way and ran downstairs, he knew Bokuto was following him. He opened the hotel door and ran out, his eyes were full of tears, he couldn't hear what Bokuto was saying.

A honking sound made him remove his hands from his eyes and the only thing he managed to see were to bright headlights in front of him.

After that was just darkness and pain.. Pain which slowly faded away..

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SCENE 4 - Broken Dreams - END.
> Do you want to continue?
> Are you sure?

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When Akaashi finally opened his eyes he was blinded by white light, it took him good five minutes to get used to the surroundings.

When he looked around he realized where he was - the hospital. White walls, uncomfortable bed and a fake plant in the corner.

"Oh, you're awake" the nurse said once she walked in.

"What happened?" Akaashi tried sitting up but his back hurt a lot.

"You were hit by a car, your friend called the ambulance. Fortunately, you don't have any major injuries just a few bruises there and there, so we'll release you as soon as someone comes to pick you up" the nurse spoke nicely.

"I see.. Thank you" Akaashi gave her a weak smile and waited till she left the room.

Damn, it was his own fault. He knew Suga was going to blame himself for this and make Akaashi feel like he's a burden again. Somewhere deep down Akaashi wished that the car hit him harder.

Just as he had thought, Suga rushed into the room.

"Akaashi! Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I should have stayed with you, this never would have happened" Suga started apologising.

"Don't say that, I'm fine.. It's not your fault" Akaashi said, but Suga didn't wanna listen to a word Akaashi had said.

"Yes it is! Akaashi, I promised your mother to look after you and I have broken this promise. You've already went through so much pain and now this..." Suga said, he held Akaashi's hands for a bit before Akaashi turned away so he wouldn't face him.

"But she's dead, right? The promise doesn't matter if the person you promised something to isn't alive anymore.. Please, Suga, you make me feel like a burden. You've done more than enough.." Akaashi couldn't look at Suga's face, he knew the other was shocked and mad, and sad.

"Akaashi, I understand that you're in pain and all, but don't say this.. I'll go for now. Call me later" Suga stood up and left the room, leaving Akaashi alone to deal with his thoughts.

Akaashi knew he was harsh, but he was tired of being looked after. Akaashi's mother died when he was still young, just a little boy, Suga was a couple years older than him and started taking care of Akaashi. If only Akaashi's father was a nice man, maybe Akaashi would have grown up differently.

He heard the door open again, but didn't dare to look at who came in.

"Suga, we already talked.." Akaashi said and slowly turned his head, but was surprised to see Bokuto standing there, instead of Suga. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry. It's my fault this happened.. I know you didn't wanna see me and yet I stood there blocking your way" Bokuto had a bouquet of flowers in his hands, Akaashi's favorites - red carnations.

"Can you leave?" Akaashi was in no mood to argue, he just didn't wanna see him.

"Please... Let's just talk, give me another chance. We share so many great moments as I've said before. All those dates and everything.. So please, one more chance" Bokuto stepped forward.

"I gave you too many chances already. When you missed our three dates and didn't meet up with me at all because you wanted to play games with your friends - I gave you your first chance" Akaashi turned to Bokuto, his lips trembling.

"When you insulted me in front of the whole school and made others bully me for some lie - I gave you your second chance, even though people laughed at me, pushed me around and even physically harmed me" Akaashi saw how the small smile from from Bokuto's face started fading.

"When you ruined my dreams of becoming a pilot - I gave you your third chance" Akaashi didn't realize he was crying until he tasted something salty on his lips.

"Even when we argued and you slapped me, when you raised your hand against your lover - I gave you your fourth chance with a thought you're going to change" Akaashi's whole body was shaking as his memory was slowly making it's way back to him.

"But when you... When you didn't do anything or say anything when your friend was taking advantage of me, I've had enough. I realize that you're a monster.." Akaashi wiped his tears away, the memory of that night is the one that haunted him for years.

"W-What do you mean took advantage of you?" Bokuto's voice was shaky.

"That night, that party.. You were there when your friend or colleague had his hands all over me, you saw him wrapping his arms around my waist. I even told you I wanna leave, but you didn't care! You told him to "get to know me better" and just left me alone with him! I was so weak, I still am, do you think I could fight back when he threw me on the bed and ripped the clothes of my body? Do you think I could fight back when he put his hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream? I couldn't, I couldn't do anything and he made me feel like absolute trash. And guess what, the next morning when I tried to tell you what happened you said "I don't care".. So you think you deserve another chance?" Akaashi couldn't see at all, his vision was blurry.

"I.. I'm sorry. I should have been better" Bokuto said and placed the bouquet on the bed before leaving the hospital room.

Meanwhile Akaashi was left alone. All alone with his dark thoughts.

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SCENE 5 - The Truth - End.
> Continue?
...

He was standing there, looking through a small and slightly moldy window. He could feel the breeze outside, it was a chilly November night after all.

All the kids were hurrying home to their parents, people were closing gates and doors. The street lights slowly lit up and illuminated the roads.

Akaashi had just gotten back from the hospital after arguing with Suga one more time. He realized that he had had enough, that he was done with everything.

He didn't want to be a burden anymore.

He didn't wanna remember all the bad things anymore.

He didn't wanna face Bokuto and be hurt anymore.

He kept staring until he finally let his head down... and at that moment Akaashi thought:

"Maybe being a little bit adventurous wasn't that good at all. Maybe I shouldn't have moved places, maybe I shouldn't have talked to Bokuto or Suga. Maybe... Maybe I should just disappear"

And with these words Akaashi put his head through the noose and stepped off the small stool. His body was left hanging in the attic of his new house.

And only the diary on the floor below him, contained everything that Akaashi had went through - and his suicide letter in which he said one thing:

"I still love you..even if you're a monster"

.

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there was once a crooked man..
who walked a crooked mile.
he found a crooked sixpence,
upon a crooked stile.

he bought a crooked cat,
which caught a crooked mouse...
and they all lived together...
in a little crooked house..

but the crooked man was sad,
and once he had a thought.
why should he be crooked, when the others: they were not?

everything was worthless, he heaved a great big sigh,
and went, and found a rope, and tied it to the sky.

upon a chair he stood, his eyes were blank and dead.
without another thought, he went and hung his head.

...

...
BAD END.
> Play again?

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Hello everyone, this oneshot is a gift for 3k followers since I managed to reach that. I know it wasn't what people expected, but I wanted to write something in my old style.

Hope it was interesting.

-hatari.