Chapter Text
Life had never been as simple as people made it out to be. Things were only handed to you if you had money and you only made it big if you had connections. He had heard it over and over again in his youth. Being set-up for failure was something that constantly plagued Bokuto’s mind, however he had the drive to defy the odds. He would end the cycle that he had been thrown into and he knew that from the moment he stepped foot into school. Big ambitions and big dreams that his mother loved to entertain, even at such a young age.
Losing his mother on a cold day in January at the age of eight of course halted his short-lived kindred spirit. All he knew was that she was sick, telling her everyday when he came home from school that he would become a doctor to “help fix Mommy!” That was his dream, but being separated from his mother caused a lot of emotional issues and social withdrawals that put any of those aspirations he had, on pause.
The formerly bubbly and overly-excited golden-eyed boy had no other option other than to move in with his grandmother in an entirely different area of the country. Too many changes happened too quickly and forced him to adapt to the new environment which put the grieving of his mother on a backburner, eventually fizzling into a dull flame that constantly sparked in his thoughts as he never got a chance to properly address it. His grandmother refused to acknowledge it, as well. She felt it was easier to just move on than address the feelings either one of them had about his mother’s passing. How was she supposed to tell an eight year old that he’ll never get to see his Mommy again and life's not fair like that sometimes?
A new house, a new school, new faces that he was expected to be friendly with.
The word spread quickly about him losing his mother as he joined in the middle of the year. All of these new faces were full of an expression he grew to hate- pity. Students approached him, not because they wanted to, but because they felt like they had to. It made him feel sick. He took their offers to play and to eat lunch together as his grandmother would always tell him to make friends each day before she sent him off. It was easy to sit with other kids and eat lunch or run through a jungle gym, but at the end of the day, they were still just strangers to him. The friendships he made never left the schoolyard.
Even when his personality began to shine through a couple years later, he made a choice to keep his peers at an arm's length. The older he got, the more genuine people were, the more they forgot about why he transferred schools, but that was even more of a reason why he didn’t want to pursue anything outside of the classroom. It was easier to keep everyone as an acquaintance than get to know someone with the thought of possibly losing them. He also was well-aware of the show he put on at school and what he was like when he left. He was able to forget about home for a bit and feel happy in school but as soon as the bell rang, dread would wash over him when he got knocked back into the harsh reality of life on his walks home. He was constantly reminded of how he would never go home to his mother’s face again. His grandmother was kind, he knew she tried her hardest for him, but she would never be who he longed for- who he needed.
On the same day he was nominated for class clown in his third year, his grandmother passed away from an illness she had been fighting for the past three months. He had school the next day, and the day after that, and after that there were the college entrance exams. He didn’t have time to grieve this time, either.
Graduation came soon enough. He wished his acquaintances well at their universities and they wished him well at his, as if he was even going to one. The ceremony ended and he made his walk back home to the empty apartment. He had worn his cap and gown all the way back, some strangers cheering for him as he passed by houses and cars. He would bow, thank them and continue on his trek home.
Entering the empty apartment twisted his stomach and made his nose tingle. As soon as the door shut, he slowly made his way to the floor where he could curl into himself and cry. His cheek softly rested against the linoleum and his graduation cap lightly popped off of his head to rest on the ground next to him. He could finally cry. After nine years, he could finally grieve. Grieve his mother, grieve his grandmother and subconsciously, grieve his lost dreams. He didn’t have to be strong in front of his grandmother anymore who chastised him any time he would get too emotional as it made her own reserve break. He could finally let it all out. He graduated. He did it. He couldn’t go to university. That was financially out of the question and those dreams had long been forgotten about. He would be eighteen in a couple months and there was already a manual labor job that said they’d take him on when that time comes.
On his 18th birthday, he got to work. It wasn’t anything glamorous but it was full-time which paid the bills. It gave him benefits, he had a week of paid time-off and a raise that came at the beginning of each year, he couldn’t ask for much more than that. It was definitely more physically demanding than he had thought it would be, but it was mindless repetitive work. He would be okay. He was fine.
Most of his coworkers were grown men or kids fresh out of high school like he was. He still had no interest in talking to any of them. However, about four months into him being there, one of the older men approached him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Sorry?” Bokuto questioned, confused as all Hell, thinking he possibly didn't hear him correctly. Who even was this guy? “I'm in my correct area. What do you-”
“You know you don’t belong here, kid.” he said in response.
Bokuto felt his face getting hot. Literally, what was this guy on? “What is that supposed to mean, old man?” he asked, getting defensive and turning to face the man now as he had previously not looked up from what he had been working on.
The man sighed. “You’re too smart to be here.”
Bokuto’s anger and confusion quickly switched to only the latter and he cocked his head, raising a brow as if asking the man to continue.
The man shook his head and smiled softly. “We get kids in here every year after graduation and we know they’ll be here for the rest of their lives. You’re too smart to be here, kid.” he continued, “This is a job you come to ‘til the end. You don’t belong here. Don’t throw your life away.”
Bokuto was baffled. This complete stranger, that he had never spoken to, let alone ever seen, had the nerve to tell him he was “too smart” to be working there. It made Bokuto’s cheeks get hot again, but this time it was with embarrassment. He looked down at the floor, not knowing how to respond and the man got the message.
“I’m assuming you’re here because you need to be, but as soon as you can get out, go for it, kid.” he said, turning to begin walking away. “I’ll be rooting for you.”
Bokuto stayed frozen, staring at the ground. His dreams from childhood came flooding back into his mind. He felt tears prick up in his eyes thinking about how all of his ambition left him as a child. It wasn't fair, but he couldn’t change his life around, now, right? He was too far in to go after what he had always wanted, and with that in mind, he went back to his mindless task, not bothering to spare the man another look.
It took nearly four years for him to finally snap out of it. He needed out. He had saved enough money to feel okay with quitting, plus there was a retail store near his grandmother’s apartment that was hiring part-time employees. He could surely manage that for some sort of income while he went back to school. The local community college was only a three mile walk away, too.
On his last day, he said goodbye to the bus driver that had brought him to each shift, goodbye to his shift lead and every face he passed. His responses back seemed to be mixed with well-wishes and occasional hints of jealousy. Bokuto didn’t mind, though. They were all still strangers to him. The goodbyes were just out of respect for the individuals he had spent the past three and a half years of his life with.
Unfortunately for him, the only person he cared about in that whole place, was the man that had advised him to get out, but he couldn’t find him to let him know he’d be leaving. That was the only person Bokuto had cared to see that day, but he didn't, which meant he would never get the chance to thank him. The conversation they had years ago had constantly replayed in his mind and was what helped him realize he had more potential than what this current job had to offer. Bokuto wished he could see him just one last time, but he didn’t even know his name, and he had never seen him after that day to be able to ask. He just wanted to be able to let him know he was finally getting out of there and it was all thanks to him.
-
Walking into a school after so long made the memories rush back into his mind. He began to unconsciously bite at the skin of his bottom lip as he looked for his first class, rekindling that nervous habit of his. It was a 9 am math course. He hated math, but to do anything in the medical field, he had to force himself to at least tolerate it.
Later was English, then psychology, then chemistry and lastly, a human biology course that was supposed to be helpful for a class he’d have to take next semester.
And they couldn’t have been any easier for him. It was the easiest 4.0 he’d ever managed. The fears he had of going back to an educational setting after so long had completely left him. He could do this. The worst aspect of it all was being surrounded by the kids fresh out of high school that repeatedly expressed just how much they didn’t want to be there. He felt so out of place because school seemed like such a privilege to him all these years, and he was so grateful to be there, but most of these kids didn’t seem to feel the same. He also felt weird about how old he was compared to everyone else. There were definitely some people in his classes that were older than he was and his baby face made him blend in with the ungrateful teens more than the adults. However, once he got used to it, they were such miniscule issues that they stopped impacting him after the first couple months. His main focus now that the first semester was over, was the second semester in the spring. He was more than over it… but all good things must come to an end.
Bokuto could tell this semester would be different, much different, from the first semester just based off of the first day of classes. The professors seemed more serious and the course workload was going to bury him, but he could do this, right? …Right?
As much as he had been made to believe that the biology introductory course from his previous semester should’ve helped him, he couldn’t grasp at least half the material. Not to mention, his lab partner didn’t even talk to him which just made things that much harder.
Focusing so much energy on the anatomy course this semester made him begin to fall behind in the rest of his classes. He felt like he was drowning, and after getting back one particularly bad grade on a test he thought he did okay on, he broke down in the hallway. He couldn’t help but feel like he was wasting not only his money, but more of his time. He had wasted the last four years not in school, and now that he was finally here, he was throwing it all away, and the only thing he could do about it was cry in the hallway. The most embarrassing part of the whole ordeal was not realizing how long he had been crying out there and all of his classmates being dismissed to see him in such a way upon exiting the class for the day.
All Bokuto could think about was how pathetic he looked and the feeling grew as some of those classmates looked at him in a way that he hadn’t seen since elementary school. With fucking pity.
The tears were quick to stop, but the awkwardness that came with having to wait on the outside of the door to gather his materials from inside of the room as his classmates flooded out, could’ve pulled more out of him in a second had he not been so stubborn about no longer receiving pitiful glances.
The next day, all he had to worry about was work so hopefully everyone would forget about it by then. But it was pathetic… and he should feel ashamed… so maybe if people still remembered, that just meant he deserved it.
However, it seemed like no one really did. No one even spared him a passing glance as he walked into their three hour lab class. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding as he made his way to the cubbies in the back of the room to put his bag away and get out his materials for today’s lab. He always went for the cubby space in the bottom right corner as no one else really seemed to put their bags over there, just a few in the cubbies at the top and some slightly to the left of his.
He squatted down and began to dig through his bag to pull out what he needed when he felt someone softly touch the top of his back right at the base of his neck. Despite how gentle the touch was, it still made him flinch, losing his balance to fall out of his squat onto his butt.
“Oh, sorry, kid. I was just trying to get your attention because I didn’t want to hit you in the head by pulling out my bag.” the man behind him said, taking one of the messenger bags in a cubby two spaces above his own.
Bokuto turned around quickly, still on his butt, his black bookbag between his legs. “I’m so sorry!” he sputtered out.
The black haired man smiled at him. “It was my fault. You didn’t do anything wrong.” he said, holding out a hand to help him up, which Bokuto took without a second thought.
The man’s hand was so much larger than his own and upon standing, the guy had at least a good 16 centimeters on him. Bokuto was 5’10”, which meant he wasn’t short, but he wasn’t considered “tall,” either- just average. The shorter of the two stared into the taller man’s eyes with his mouth slightly parted. The man’s eyes were a similar golden color to his own, just a bit lighter. His grin brought out the smile lines that extended from the outer corners of his eyes, solidifying that he was one of Bokuto’s older classmates. His black hair was so unkempt but his sharp features masked that aspect and Bokuto was sure that because of that, any hairstyle would look good on him. He could feel himself staring too long and he looked down as soon as he realized, tearing his hand away and putting it down at his side simultaneously. “Thank you.” he said, staring at the floor before turning around and shoving his bag into his bottom corner cubby, quickly grabbing a pencil from the side pocket as that was the last thing he needed. He could feel how warm his cheeks were and touched one with the back of his hand. How long had it been since he had felt anyone else’s touch, especially one that was so comforting?
He made his way to his lab bench and picked out that bed-head man sat two lab benches up from him. Bokuto internally groaned. Why couldn’t he be his lab partner instead?
“Did you do the homework that’s due today?” Bokuto heard his lab partner ask. Must’ve been to someone else, though. “Hey? Did you?”
Bokuto finally glanced over only to lock eyes with the bright blue-grey eyes that were staring into his own. He was also a beautiful dark-haired man. Bokuto would’ve stared longer if their eyes didn’t part as the other man turned away from him. “I guess not.” the man answered himself. “Here.” he stated, placing his assignment in front of the other, a very slight, almost unnoticeable smirk forming on his lips.
Bokuto’s eyes widened at the paper in front of him. He actually had done the assignment that was due today, but he was in shock at his lab partner going from never talking to him, to letting him copy homework the boy hadn’t even confirmed that he didn’t do. “I- well-” he stuttered. “Thank you.” he said, pulling out his own homework, figuring that double checking his answers couldn’t hurt. Were his answers even right? He looked smart enough, so Bokuto figured he could trust him.
One wrong…two wrong…three… As he erased his answers to fill in the correct ones, he would glance over at his lab partner to see if he was watching him fix all of the things he didn’t understand, but the dark haired man never looked over at him. Not even once.
As he fixed the last wrong answer on his sheet, he slowly pushed the paper back to its owner, mumbling out another, “Thank you,” to which the other responded by nodding his head in acknowledgement, the smirk creeping its way back onto his lips. More smile lines, Bokuto noted, but these ones were around his mouth. He also must have been a bit older… or maybe Bokuto really just had a baby face as he had been repeatedly informed of by strangers throughout his adulthood.
The class continued on as normal, however, Bokuto couldn’t pay attention to the lecture much at all. Despite it being a three hour lab, his mind was occupied by two strangers that seemed to relax his entire demeanor within seconds and just minutes apart from one another. He still had no interest in making friends, but was it a crime to be curious? He found his eyes consistently wandering between the man that sat two lab benches in front of him, to his lab partner who was taking notes so diligently, which reminded him that he needed to take his own every once in a while, despite the fact that they were nowhere as neat as the man’s who sat next to him.
Next thing he knew, the class was over, and everyone was getting up and walking towards the front to hand in their homework assignment. He patiently waited in the short line, his lab partner right in front of him. He was taller, too. Bokuto could feel himself internally sigh over it. Why wasn’t he taller? As he stood there deep in thought about the only two social interactions he would probably have all day, bed-head walked past him to gather his bag in the back of the room and he shot another closed mouth smile Bokuto’s way.
Bokuto awkwardly gave one back, obviously not expecting it. The man let out a small snicker just as he fully passed by Bokuto’s spot in line and the boy deflated. How embarrassing could he be? It obviously didn’t matter, though. He handed in his assignment and made his way back to his bag, shoving everything inside messily and slugging it over his right shoulder before making his way out of the laboratory. He definitely was still confused but maybe he had a reason to not hate going to that class as much as he used to, at least for labs. Lecture obviously was still different as he didn’t sit near either one of them. In fact, at the next class for lecture, he noticed that those two actually sat next to each other towards the middle of the room while he sat alone in the back left corner.
The atmosphere in the lab had completely changed after that day, though. The messy haired man would always smile at Bokuto and say good morning, sometimes even going out of his way to do so, and his lab partner- oh, his lab partner. Bokuto wasn’t sure what made him change, but he was sure that it was an entirely different person from the person that sat next to him at the beginning of the semester. He always asked if Bokuto did his homework, supplying him with answers no matter what. Any papers that were handed out, the man would be handed the stack and take two instead of handing Bokuto the whole pile to take his own as he had initially done in the beginning of the semester. Whenever their professor instructed them to turn to a specific page in their lab books, Bokuto couldn’t get to his book fast enough to satisfy his partner, which resulted in the blue eyed man turning the pages for him. It felt, awkward, Bokuto just sitting there as his lab partner silently turned the pages of his book before finding them in his own. It originally made the boy feel like his partner looked down on him, as if he wasn’t even capable of turning pages in a book. However, there was one day where the dark haired man let out a pleasured hum as he flipped the pages in Bokuto’s book, a content look on his face. Maybe his lab partner actually needed to do this? “Maybe an OCD thing or something.” Bokuto said to himself, mentally, and with that thought in mind, he didn’t even think twice when the man would reach over for his book in the beginning of lab.
Other than the book thing, his lab partner started talking to him more and more each class. Just small talk. Things like asking what he did over the weekend or what he ate for breakfast, generic questions like that. His responses would always be generic back, something about work or having cereal, occasionally lying about breakfast as he would forget to eat a lot in the mornings. It was just basic and simple conversation but it was so nice being able to talk to someone so casually. He really only ever spoke to customers or his coworkers, other than that, he had no reason to. His anxieties in new environments prevented him from initiating conversations at school and there was no one for him to talk to when he went home. Sure, Bokuto was as extroverted as they come, but he didn’t plan on making friends in college. He didn’t even think people would talk to him since he had made a promise before starting school again that he would just keep to himself.
He learned that the man that sat next to him was named Akaashi. Akaashi was smart- like super smart. He really knew what to do in class and each test he received back, there’d be an A at the top of the paper while Bokuto was pulling consistent C+’s and B-’s.
Dissection days were never a favorite of Bokuto’s. He was interested in watching them, but it was hard for him to participate. His lab partner caught onto that quickly. It was the gentle encouragement of, “You can do it,” and, “That’s right!,” that made Bokuto feel like he was doing better than before. Whenever it got to actually cutting the specimen, whatever it happened to be that day, Akaashi would always take over. Bokuto never did much more than the pinning when it came down to specifics. He would poke at certain parts to move things around to get a better look, but Akaashi would always swoop in whenever Bokuto started to look uncomfortable.
He also purposely never ate on dissection days, which he would always regret. Every time, without fail, his stomach would erupt with atrociously loud grumbling sounds, at the latest, thirty minutes into the class. Akaashi rarely spared him glances for the most part, however on days where didn’t eat in the mornings, there were definitely a few side-eyes that the older man threw at him periodically. The worst part? Food and drink not being allowed in the lab. Bokuto couldn’t even nurse a water bottle any time he felt a particularly loud stomach growl coming on. Occasionally he’d excuse himself to his water bottle that sat waiting for him outside the lab room door, but he couldn’t do it every time he needed to. Any time he chugged, his stomach would comply with his request to stop growling, but only for a short period of time.
There was one particularly bad lab class where Bokuto’s stomach would not quiet down from the second he entered the room, garnering the attention of not only his classmates around him, but also the professor’s. Bokuto had felt so sick that morning that it wasn’t even about forgetting to eat that morning, he just didn’t do it. However, his face was bright red from embarrassment the entire three hours and Akaashi couldn’t take it anymore.
“Here.” the man said, standing outside of the lab door as Bokuto had made his way around the corner to go to lab for the day. He was holding out a banana and a granola bar. “You need to eat in the mornings. We don’t want a repeat of the last lab, do we?”
Bokuto blushed. Just how long had his lab partner been waiting for him… and to give him food, nonetheless? “Thank you.” Bokuto said, taking the banana and peeling it back, grateful as he had definitely forgotten to eat again this morning. He took a bite and noticed that Akaashi was still holding out the granola bar to him, slightly bouncing his hand as if to tell the boy he wasn’t satisfied that he hadn’t accepted both food items. Bokuto shyly reached out for the other food and as soon as it was in his grasp, Akaashi turned and disappeared into the classroom.
Bokuto awkwardly shuffled off to the side of the doorway to finish his breakfast. Who knew a banana could taste so good?
“Hey, kid. Finally getting a meal in?”
The voice made Bokuto jump and before he got the chance to turn around, a hand was softly touching the middle of his back. “Sorry, bud.” the man laughed. “You’re really jumpy around me- I don’t mean to scare you.”
Bokuto had recognized the voice. It was good morning man. “I know.” the boy said, swallowing what he had been chewing and hesitantly turning around to face who he was speaking to, despite not wanting the man’s touch to leave his body. “I just don’t ever expect anyone to talk to me.” he stated with a smile, looking up at the older man.
The man just smiled back at him. “Well,” he started, “I’ll leave you to your breakfast, but make sure you hurry it up. Class starts in a few minutes.” he informed before entering the classroom. Just as Bokuto thought he was alone, the man stuck his head back outside the door. “Oh- and good morning.” he said, smiling so large that his eyes turned into crescents. With that, he was back in the room before Bokuto could even return the greeting.
That night, Bokuto once again realized that his investment with that course had him lacking in others. Unfortunately, so much so, that he had completely neglected studying for a test that he had at 8 am the next day. He sighed knowing that the consequences of his own actions would result in an all-nighter.
While he remembered it was easy to pull those in high school, that was years ago. Instead of being able to survive on an hour of sleep feeling more refreshed than ever, now he couldn’t live without at least four hours of sleep at this point or else he’d wake up feeling so sick to his stomach with a pounding headache to match.
Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t much of another choice other than to fail the test, which he really couldn’t afford, and he didn’t want to risk the illness that came along with a short amount of rest.
Just when it felt like he wouldn’t be able to make it, Bokuto saw the sun coming up. He felt prepared, and he better have. He didn’t just waste a possible good night’s sleep for nothing. He decided he’d get to campus earlier to get a change of scenery and maybe a coffee. He loved coffee, and for some reason, the dinky little cafe on campus made some of the best he had ever had. Yeah, a muffin and a coffee sounded great. He started on his fifty minute walk to campus, more relaxing than usual as it seemed as though people were just getting up for the day, leaving the roads clear of any traffic. Maybe he should start getting up earlier.
The test went well, at least he hoped it did. All he had left for the day was his physiology class lecture and then he could go home and sleep for as long as he wanted to. All he had to do… was get through… lecture.
“Hey, kid.”
“Wha-?”
“First, it wasn’t eating, and now it’s sleeping in class?” the voice questioned above him.
Bokuto immediately shot up out of his seat only to be met with an empty classroom, minus himself and the man in front of him.
His lab partner, Akaashi.
“No.” Bokuto said aloud despite not meaning to, still trying to wake up.
Akaashi sighed. “Can I have your number?”
Bokuto’s disoriented barely awake mindset didn’t even matter at that moment. He would’ve been confused no matter what his state of mind was. He was being asked out by an older, smarter and handsome man that had just woken him up after sleeping through their entire class? But why?
Akaashi stood there, blank expression occupying his face (as it usually did), still waiting for a response which he was too impatient to receive. “Do you want today’s notes, or no?” he questioned.
Oh. Notes. Right. “Yeah, sure.” Bokuto finally responded, taking the man’s cell phone that had been offered to him. He added himself as a contact, making sure to put “(from lab)” next to his name just in case before handing the phone back to its owner.
“Great. I’ll send them to you later.” he said, staring at the new contact before locking his phone and sliding it into the front right pocket of his tan khakis. “Now go home and sleep in a real bed, kid. You look like you didn’t sleep at all last night.”
“Oh if only he knew,” Bokuto thought to himself, but Bokuto just nodded before gathering his things. Akaashi had already left as he turned around to face the window. Rain. Great. He had forgotten to check the weather before leaving for school this morning and didn’t bring an umbrella with him. At least his investment in a waterproof backpack wouldn’t be going to waste.
Every part of him was soaked to the bone. His shoes were full of water, his socks had garnered an uncomfortable squish about five minutes into his walk. He dripped through the apartment as he made his way to the bathroom to shower, peeling off his clothes before stepping in. The dampness on his skin changed from an uncomfortable coolness to a warmth that engulfed his entire body. He stood under the running water for a while, staring at the floor in front of him, allowing the hot water to roll down his back. Eventually he cleaned himself off, washing his hair, too and got out with every intention of going to bed. It was only a little after 11 am, but sleeping the day away sounded so nice to him earlier. Neglecting any and all responsibilities to catch up on some much needed rest, but he was wide awake now, anticipating a text message. A new contact he could add to his phone that he rarely used.
He waited, ate lunch and waited some more. Sitting on the couch to pass more time, he “watched” whatever came onto the television first. Some random nature documentary. Nice. He mainly used the tv to drown out his thoughts whenever he was alone. It worked… most of the time.
As the television played his background noise, he pulled out some papers to study. He still couldn’t believe he fell asleep in class today. More specifically, a class he couldn’t academically afford to fall asleep in.
Midafternoon came before he knew it, and still no message. Maybe Akaashi had just forgotten or maybe he accidentally typed his phone number in wrong. With anxieties filling his mind, he allowed the soothing sound of birds chirping coming from the show in front of him to distract him. He shut his eyes and took some deep breaths before realizing his eyes weren’t going to reopen willingly. Within a few minutes, he was knocked out cold, sleep coming so easily to him.
When he woke up, the room was being illuminated by the soft glow of the television he had left on. He didn’t bother fully trying to wake himself up, just pushed his papers off of his lap onto the empty space next to him, turned off the tv and made his way to his room to finish his slumber. He could just barely make out the silhouettes of furniture but knew the apartment like the back of his hand, so navigating through it in the dark was a piece of cake for him.
When he entered his room, he flopped onto his bed and adjusted himself until he felt as though he was in the absolute best position to fall back asleep. It only took a minute, and he was back to sleeping the night away.
Waking up for the second time, he felt groggy and almost more exhausted than he had the previous day. He knew that just meant he had overslept but at least he didn’t have to worry about how he was feeling until he went to work later that night, which by then he'd hopefully be back to normal.
He slowly rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. After he was done in there, he went out to the kitchen to make himself a sandwich for breakfast. He was starving and wanted something more substantial than his normal bowl of cereal. He stood in the kitchen after making it and glanced out at the couch where his papers sat from the night before, right next to his phone. Wait. “Did that just light up?” he asked aloud to no one, swearing that he just saw his phone screen turn off. Talking to himself was something he did a lot when he was by himself. He thought he was crazy until he saw it light up again, and his body had never moved faster towards the device.
He turned the screen on to reveal… “5+ missed messages”? What? Akaashi had been texting him that much? And the last message displayed on the screen:
507-6284: That sounds good to me as long as it’s alright with Bokuto.
“Huh? What’s alright with me?” he asked before fully opening up his phone to his messages. The only message displayed was a chat with two blank contact pictures next to each other.
917-3121: Well I guess we’ll find out whenever he decides to respond. came through as he opened the chat.
Before responding, he scrolled through the chat to find out just who he was talking to.
11:10 pm
507-6284: Hello to the both of you. My apologies for such a late message but I needed to send it now or else I would most likely forget by tomorrow. I took it upon myself to make a group chat since we’re all in the same courses and it would be easiest to share our notes and other miscellaneous information we have pertaining to the class material.
11:11 pm
917-3121: No worries and good thinking! I appreciate it and look forward to utilizing this group as an extra resource.
11:18 pm
507-6284: Of course. I’m going to head to bed. Good night.
11:20 pm
917-3121: Good night, Akaashi.
5:43 am
917-3121: I’m not too sure if anyone else would be on board with this idea, but how does a study group sound? An in person type of deal. I do a lot better staring at a book than I do at a screen- call me “old school”.
8:11 am
507-6284: That sounds good to me as long as it’s alright with Bokuto.
8:12 am
917-3121: Well I guess we’ll find out whenever he decides to respond.
Well, no luck on finding out who the other person was. At least he knew the first number was Akaashi. He saved his number to his phone before responding.
8:14 am
Bokuto: Hi! Sorry I didn’t respond earlier. I slept for so long after I got home yesterday.
8:14 am
917-3121: He’s alive!
8:14 am
Akaashi: Good morning, Bokuto. I hope you slept well.
8:15 am
917-3121: You’re telling me you didn’t get enough sleep in class yesterday?
8:15 am
917-3121: I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I hope you’re feeling better today, kiddo.
8:15 am
Akaashi: Kuroo and I were just discussing the possibility of a study group. You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, however we will be going ahead with it whether you decide to partake or not.
“Kuroo,” Bokuto said after fully reading the message. “That must be the other person in the group chat, but I don’t know anyone named Kuroo.” he announced with a slight pout.
8:16 am
Bokuto: That sounds great!! I would love to join you guys to study.
8:17 am
Bokuto: Also, sorry to ask but who are you, Kuroo? Have we met in class before?
8:17 am
917-3121: Ouch, kiddo. Do my good mornings mean nothing to you?
Bokuto’s cheeks burned in embarrassment. Kuroo was two lab benches up guy. How could he be so stupid? He should’ve known it was him when he called him “kiddo,” plus, he and Akaashi sat next to each other during regular lectures.
8:18 am
Bokuto: OH MY GOD I’M SO SORRY!!!! I never asked for your name before ! I know who you are. I’m sorry! He sent before adding the other man’s number to his phone, his cheeks still hot.
8:19 am
Kuroo: It’s okay, kid. I was just pulling your leg.
Kuroo’s response didn’t help. Bokuto was still embarrassed so much so to the point of not knowing what to say next…so he just waited until someone else spoke up, hopefully to change the subject.
8:21 am
Akaashi: Would we like to plan our first meet-up? I’m sure all of our schedules don’t align nicely so it’d be good to pre-plan.
“Thank you, Akaashi!” Bokuto vocalized before responding to the message.
8:22 am
Bokuto: Yes, please!
8:22 am
Kuroo: Sure. I’m always free on Tuesdays after 1, Wednesdays after 3 and Thursdays I’m available all day.
8:22 am
Akaashi: Same here with the Thursday thing. Bokuto, are your Thursdays free?
8:22 am
Kuroo: Also the occasional Friday evening. Those work great when I’m free.
8:23 am
Bokuto: My work schedule is different every week, but I always have some sort of free time on Thursdays, usually in the morning or midday! Friday nights are great for me, toi!
8:23 am
Bokuto: *too
8:24 am
Akaashi: Perfect. Then it sounds like we’ll have our study group on Thursday mornings with the occasional Friday evening.
8:24 am
Kuroo: I look forward to it.
8:25 am
Bokuto: Me too! See you guys in class tomorrow!
8:26 am
Akaashi: Did you not want to discuss where we’d be meeting up, Bokuto?
8:26 am
Bokuto: oh right.
8:27 am
Kuroo: Did we just want to meet on campus? Seems easy enough. Parking isn’t usually much of a hassle on Thursday mornings.
8:27 am
Bokuto: There’s this really nice cafe down the street from me! It’s really nice and has two stories so we could definitely go there.
8:27 am
Akaashi: Sounds good to me.
8:27 am
Bokuto: Or that works, too!
8:28 am
Kuroo: No, Bokuto. I like your idea more.
8:28 am
Akaashi: How about we do both? Change up the scenery sometimes.
8:28 am
Kuroo: Even better.
8:28 am
Bokuto: Yeah! That’d be fun.
8:30 am
Akaashi: Okay, so let’s go for being on campus next Thursday morning at 8. We can go to the little cafe they have there. I know I’ll need a coffee LOL.
8:30 am
Bokuto: you got it!
8:31 am
Kuroo: Perfect plan.
With that seeming to end the conversation, Bokuto tossed his phone face down on the couch in front of him. He could feel his heart racing. That was the most he had talked to anyone over text in his entire life.
Just from the way the other two men carried the conversation, Bokuto gained some extra reassurance that they were most definitely older than him. Not by any more than probably five years based on their appearances, but he still couldn’t determine that for sure. He was never good at guessing ages. The boy sighed thinking about how these two adults were taking him under their wings to help with his education. He knew for sure that Akaashi didn't need extra studying but maybe Kuroo was struggling, too!
-
Kuroo was doing just as well as Akaashi. Bokuto quickly realized he was the only one in the trio not understanding the concepts.
It was frustrating to say the least but their guidance on certain confusing topics seemed to help… until he came back to the group on Thursday morning with yet another C on his test.
Kuroo frowned. “What's going on? What do you think is difficult? We can focus on that more, Bokuto.” He offered.
“I'm not sure.” the younger boy started, “I just feel like I don't remember anything after our study sessions are done.” Bokuto responded.
“Well, let's see if it's a problem with your memory.” Kuroo suggested, making Akaashi raise a brow and glance up above the frames of his glasses, finally looking away from his textbook. “My phone number is 9173121. Akaashi's is 5076824. Now,” he continued, “repeat those back to me.”
Bokuto was confused, but still listened. Both of the men he was sitting with were geniuses afterall. “Your number is 9173121 and Akaashi's is 5076284.”
“Good job!” Kuroo praised, making Bokuto's cheeks turn pink and making Akaashi smile slightly.
The study group continued on as if the phone number ordeal had never happened, leaving Bokuto utterly confused. What was that even about? It confused him so much that he couldn't seem to get those numbers out of his head no matter how hard he tried. It seemed extremely counterproductive since he should be focusing on the course material.
It wasn't until they were packing up their books that Kuroo spoke up, “What were our phone numbers again, Bokuto?” He asked.
“Your number is…” he paused, “917… 31… 21. And Akaashi's is… 5076284.”
Kuroo laughed. “Fantastic! So it isn't a memory issue.”
Bokuto smiled back. Sure, he could memorize a couple phone numbers but that was completely unrelated to what they were being taught in class. How was that supposed to prove anything?
The older two made their way out to their cars and waved goodbye as Bokuto passed them, the two assuming his car must be somewhere else in the mostly empty lot, but they noticed the boy had kept walking past the furthest car out.
The group had already had a few study sessions, however they had mainly been at the cafe near Bokuto's apartment that the kid had suggested. Of course it was feasible for him to walk home from there, but from school? It probably took him an hour!
Kuroo drove up to him first, rolling down his window which made Bokuto stop walking. “Hey. Where's your car? I'll drive you to it.”
Bokuto smiled. “It's okay. I don't mind walking.”
Kuroo smiled back. “You sure, kiddo?” he asked, looking down at his phone in his lap.
Bokuto nodded. “Yeah! Thank you for your help today!”
Kuroo looked back up at Bokuto, keeping that same smile. “No problem, buddy. See you soon.” he finished before waving and driving off.
Kuroo's car looked expensive. It was a deep blue that was almost black and Bokuto didn't even know what the logo on the back of it was. Not that he was a car guy or anything, but it definitely looked like a luxury car to him. He hadn't really looked at it too much until now.
He continued to walk, paying no mind to the sound of wheels on the gravel approaching him next.
“Bokuto.”
The boy turned to see Akaashi in his car. He drove a silver BMW, Bokuto knew that one. “Hi, Akaashi-san!”
“I'm giving you a ride home.” the older man stated as a demand more than a request.
Bokuto pulled back in shock before laughing. “It's okay, I promise. I like to walk.”
Instead of Akaashi driving away like Kuroo, Bokuto heard the man unlock his doors. “Either you get in or I follow you all the way home to make sure you get there safely.”
Bokuto sighed and laughed lightheartedly. “Alright, alright.” he gave in, making his way around to the passenger side and opening the door. “Thank you.” he said, getting in.
“Of course, and if I find out that cafe isn't actually close to you, I'm going to be your chauffeur for the rest of your life.” Akaashi commented, keeping a straight face, rolling up his window and putting his parked car back in drive.
“I promise! That cafe is actually super close to my apartment. It's only two blocks away.” Bokuto panicking at the thought of inconveniencing someone, making Akaashi raise a brow but not take his eyes off the road.
“Alright, I'll believe you.” he started, “Punch in your address.” he said, handing Bokuto his phone.
Bokuto obeyed and handed the phone back to Akaashi.
To be fair, he lived only about three miles from the school, but that was still a pretty far walk to pull off to and from every class day. Akaashi didn't make a comment, though. He just drove and focused on the road with his GPS giving him audible instructions on how to navigate back to Bokuto's apartment.
Bokuto felt uneasy. He didn't account for the fact that he actually hadn't been in a vehicle in months and the anxiety of being in a new environment in a somewhat uncomfortable situation had his stomach doing flips. Akaashi wasn't as talkative like Kuroo was. He preferred to observe more than participate. The car was silent, not even the radio was on. Anxiety grew inside Bokuto as the trip continued.
He determined the easiest thing to do was look out the window. He watched as they passed trees and buildings, never once glancing at the man driving him home.
The drive wasn't any longer than five minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
Akaashi pulled up to the apartments and unlocked the doors to the car. “It is close to the cafe.” He stated, blankly staring at the map notifying that the trip had been completed on his phone screen.
Bokuto smiled and opened up the passenger door. “Told ya.” He started, grabbing his bag off the floor, “Thank you so much for the ride. See you in class!” He finished, shutting the door.
Akaashi softly smiled back, waving bye to the boy through the window on his side of the car. He didn't pull away until Bokuto had successfully opened the door to the apartment.
“He's so nice.” Bokuto sighed out, dropping his bag to the floor, grateful to have found people like Akaashi and Kuroo. Maybe college wouldn't be so hard anymore, at least not with their help.
The study sessions on Thursdays improved more than just Bokuto's grades, they also improved his mood. He looked forward to Thursday mornings and the occasional Friday night more than any other days of the week, and now that Akaashi would pick him up and drop him off for the sessions they had on campus, Bokuto didn't even have to worry about walking there!
Akaashi had even offered to drive him to and from school in general. Well, not really offered. It was more like an instruction that Bokuto would go with him to and from school each time they had class. It was such a coincidence that they had classes at the same time and had to be there on the same days, too. Bokuto was so grateful.
“Are you sure you don't want any money for this, Akaashi-san?” He had asked once again, after another week of free rides.
Akaashi just laughed. “Bokuto, I've told you probably a hundred times by now that your apartment is barely even a detour for me. I don't need your money.”
Bokuto blushed. “You just always give me rides, and between you and Kuroo-san, you guys always buy my drink and food for me whenever we study.”
“Of course we do.” Akaashi responded like that shouldn't have even been a concern. “You need those things to help focus.”
Bokuto didn't know how to respond to that answer. It was a bit confusing why his classmates had been so nice to him, always offering things at the drop of a hat. Kuroo had even gone out of the way to get him a tube of chapstick one time! “I noticed that you bite the skin off your lips a lot. I figured using this might help.” he had said, and it did help! The cherry flavor from the chapstick being on his lips helped him to realize when he was biting the skin.
Not only did the improved mood do more for his relationship with Kuroo and Akaashi, but it improved his social life, entirely. More people had begun to approach him at school. It wasn't anything big, just small talk for the most part, but it was still nice.
Just before spring break had started, Bokuto was invited to a party that'd be taking place at a house across town. He had never been invited to a party before, and with his new appreciation for social interactions, he agreed to going. His classmate had offered to pick him up with the rest of the group he'd be carpooling.
“I'll be the DD so no need to hold back, man. Go crazy!” he said as Bokuto added his number to the guy's phone.
-
Walking into the house was an immediate culture shock to Bokuto. This was way out of his comfort zone and he immediately regretted saying yes.
There were colorful lights flashing in every corner of each room and there seemed to be no escape from the volume they were blaring the music at. It was at such an unnecessary level and Bokuto wondered how anyone would be able to talk to anyone else. The room was full of bodies and the temperature was too warm to feel comfortable. This was really what parties were like? Why did people even enjoy these?
Next thing he knew, a cup was being shoved into his hand by someone he had never seen before. “Bottoms up, bro!” he yelled in his face, making Bokuto flinch.
Bokuto looked at the cup now in his hand and knew he needed to be polite. He was offered a drink and now he needed to drink it.
He smiled and sniffed it. It smelled like straight up rubbing alcohol which made him pull a face. The guy that had handed it to him was gone and the group he had come with seemed to have disappeared into the crowd, as well.
Bokuto took a deep breath before he plugged his nose and pounded the entire cup.
It was disgusting and tasted like some sort of artificial fruit. He couldn't seem to put a finger on it.
Next, he was approached by his DD. “Hey, man! Poured you this!” He yelled at Bokuto's face, holding out a new cup, which Bokuto didn't take. “It's just two shots!” the guy spoke loudly, leaning into Bokuto's ear.
And for some reason, Bokuto took the cup and drank those down, too.
“Woo!” his classmate cheered.
Bokuto smiled. This was easier than he thought it'd be! The music also didn't seem too overwhelming for some reason anymore. The room was so pretty with all the different colored lights and everyone's faces looked so friendly and happy to be there. He felt so happy! He had to tell someone!
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, closing out of a different app that he had been using last and opening up his messages, clicking on what he thought had been the group chat with the people he had gotten a ride with.
11:32 pm
Bokuto: Thsi is so awesomeeeeguys! Thsnk you somuch for inviitijg me. He sent off, putting his phone back into his pocket before he felt it vibrate.
11:41 pm
A$n+k!%: What are you talking about, Bokuto?
11:41 pm
A$n+k!%: Are you okay?
Who's name was that? It was really hard to read right now.
11:43 pm
Aka+k!%: Are you drunk right now?
“Aka… Aka… Akaashi! It's Akaashi!” The boy said aloud in the overcrowded boisterous room, no one noticing him.
11:44 pm
Bokuto: Aakaaashi! Hi! Yessi am :)
11:44 pm
Bokuto: I am hsvinh soso much fun akaaashiiii
11:45 pm
Bokuto: Atap arty rn
He was smiling so hard at his phone. Akaashi had texted him!
11:46 pm
Kuroo: Make sure you stay safe, Bokuto.
Kuroo! Kuroo messaged him, too! He was smiling from ear to ear.
11:48 pm
Bokuto: Kuroooooo!!!!!!!!
11:48 pm
Bokuto: Kurooo hi!!!! Im reallu drunj rn
11:48 pm
Bokuto: Kuroo kuroo kurroo kurookuroi
11:48 pm
Bokuto: Kurrrooooooooooo :))))))))
11:49 pm
Akaashi: Bokuto, please calm down with all the messages.
…what? Was Akaashi mad at him? Did he do something really really bad?
11:50 pm
Bokuto: Aakaasgi are you mad atme??? Aakadhi im so sorry ifidint mran to makr tou mad please please im sorry
11:51 pm
Kuroo: Make sure you get home safe, Bokuto. Have a nice night.
Kuroo was mad, too? No, no, no- this couldn't be happening.
11:53 pm
Bokuto: Kurrooo!!!! Im sorry i difnt mean it i dony eant to mske you mad too!!!!!!!
He could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He wanted to go home.
11:55 pm
Akaashi: Bokuto, what are you talking about?
Bokuto sniffed as he stared at the screen, his eyes reluctantly filling with tears. They were so mad at him and he didn't even mean it. He was too distracted by his emotions to respond to them. Instead, he left that chat and went to the one he had originally intended on messaging.
“Hey guys what time are we-” was all he got to type out before a dead battery logo flashed across the middle of his phone and the screen turned black.
His phone had died.
And he wanted to leave.
And he didn't know where his ride was.
Bokuto could feel his heart rate pick up. It didn't help that it felt like the room was spinning, either. Pushing through the crowd, he made his way out to the front door and slammed his body into it, causing it to open. He stumbled out into the front yard, basically falling off of the stairs on the front porch, leaning forward as he began throwing up.
“Too much, buddy?” he heard from behind him.
“Can't hang.” came another voice.
As Bokuto finished emptying his stomach's contents onto the grass, he turned to face the people that had stood by and watched that entire scene take place. They were both smoking cigarettes, talking back and forth to each other, no longer focused on Bokuto. He stumbled his way towards them which made the two look back in his direction.
“Going back in for more?” the one closest to the door asked, going to open it for the disoriented boy.
Bokuto sniffled. He still had tears in his eyes from being upset, but he was grateful that he could blame them on getting sick if either one of them asked about it.
“Do one…” he paused, swallowing hard. His throat burned and the taste in his mouth was putrid. “Do one of you has a ph-phone could borrow?” he slurred out.
The other guy spoke up this time. “Oh yeah, dude. Here.” he said, handing over his phone to the white haired boy after he unlocked it.
He watched as Bokuto typed in different numbers, seeing that he was struggling with it. Typing in a few numbers, then deleting them when he had gotten halfway through. The guy felt bad for him, thinking he couldn't type in a simple phone number to contact whoever he was trying to reach, but in reality, Bokuto was just trying to remember his ride's number. Just as Bokuto was about to give up, staring at the phone in his hand, the owner of it spoke again. “Did you want me to type it in for you, man? I don't mind.” He offered, holding his hand back out to take the phone back.
Bokuto nodded, whimpering as he handed back the device. He felt like absolute shit and didn't even know what number he was going to say… but then it finally hit him! A series of numbers had flashed across his mind momentarily and his eyes lit up. He remembered! Oh, he was so happy!
“Okay, dude. Ready.”
“Okay!” Bokuto said, unable to contain his smile. “Ish 507-....” he answered, mumbling out the last four numbers.
“Got it! Here.” He said, the phone already ringing as Bokuto put it up to his ear.
“Hello?” came through from the other end. It sounded gruff, almost like his ride had been sleeping. That's funny.
“Hey, ‘s Bokuto. My phone diiied ‘n was hopin’ we could m-maybe leave soon.” Bokuto mumbled out, feeling bad for being the reason everyone would have to leave earlier than intended.
There was only silence that came through from the other end.
“Hullooo?”
“Yeah, no problem.” the voice said, Bokuto feeling relief wash over his body.
“Thank you so so so so muuuch. ‘m s-so sorry ‘bout this. Promise next time I'll-”
“Could you hand the phone back to whoever you took it from and tell them I want to talk to them?” the voice said, cutting him off mid-apology.
Bokuto was caught completely off-guard, confused as to why the guy he came with wanted to talk to the guy whose phone he was borrowing. “Uh, yeah.” he said before pulling the phone away from his ear and handing it back to the guy. “He wants ta talk to you.”
“To me?” the guy questioned in shock, making the other man beside them laugh.
“That's what you get for being nice and offering your phone to strangers.” he snorted out.
The phone's owner shot him a look before snatching his phone back and putting it up to his ear. “Hello?”
He stood there listening to whatever was being said on the other end, Bokuto watching on with curiosity. Whatever was being said on the other end had gotten the man's full undivided attention, his once angry expression slowly dissolving away.
“Of course.” he eventually responded, before pausing again. “Yeah. You, too.” he finished before pulling the phone away, hanging up the call. He didn't look up from the screen when it was done and instead started typing something. He could feel Bokuto's eyes on him and without looking up, he spoke again. “They're coming.” he started, “Just wait out there by the curb.” motioning towards the front yard with the hand that was holding his cigarette.
Bokuto was so grateful. “Thank youu again so much for helping m-me.” he said, still a bit confused about what had been said to the guy from the other end of the phone. Not his problem, though.
The guy sighed, turning off his screen and tucking the phone back into his back pocket. “Yeah,” he replied before taking a drag of his cigarette, “no problem.”
Bokuto made his way out to the curb and sat down. The air had a bit of a nip to it, but Bokuto appreciated it with how warm his body felt. The fresh cool air felt amazing to breathe in. As much as he was enjoying it it, he still hoped to get home soon. The thoughts of how he must've really upset Akaashi and Kuroo continued playing over and over in his head.
He had been so disrespectful to them with drunk texting them like that. They were his seniors, and they had been so helpful and nice to him and this is how he repaid them?
He was so embarrassed by his actions, he curled into himself as he sat on the curb, tucking his knees to his chest. Then he wrapped his arms around his head and buried his face in the gap between his legs and body.
He began to anxiously bite at his bottom lip. It tasted like his bile and not like that nice cherry flavored chapstick that it usually tasted like. It was enough to make him even more upset with himself.
Bokuto could feel the tears starting again, his eyes stinging a bit. He needed to hold back. He couldn't let the guys he came with know he was crying.
He had been so distracted by his own thoughts that he hadn't heard a car pull up and stop directly in front of him.
“Bokuto.” a voice said, making the white haired man pop his head up to find who had said that.
There was a car directly in front of him. Had they already grabbed the car? It was a few blocks away. “That was so nice of them to pick me up.” he thought to himself as he stood up from the ground.
He twisted his torso around and brushed off his bottom, not wanting to get any dirt in the car. When he turned back, the face he was met with was one of the last ones he had expected to see.
It was Akaashi.
“A-Aka-A-”
“Get in, Bokuto.” The older man said, watching as the boy began to look unsteady on his feet.
"Wha- Wha' you doin' here?" he asked, feeling his cheeks flush even more from embarrassment.
"You called me to come get you." the older man responded.
Bokuto's face crumpled.
He had told the guy Akaashi's number, not his ride's.
First messaging him so inappropriately, and now calling the man to come pick him up when he didn't even need him to.
And he finally (drunkenly) broke down.
“Akaashiii~ s-so sorry!” He blubbered out.
The older man rolled his eyes. “Bokuto, please just get in the car.”
Bokuto took in a jagged breath, stepping towards the car door and opening it up. “‘kaashiii~” he cried out as he took his spot in the passenger seat, shutting the door when he was fully in the car. He continued to sit there and cry. He felt so pathetic.
“Bokuto, please put your seatbelt on.” Akaashi said, his calm demeanor seeming to make Bokuto feel even worse.
The man must've been so disappointed in him. Not only was he giving him rides to school and the study sessions, but now he was picking him up when he was drunk, too. This couldn't get any more embarrassing.
“Bokuto, please.”
Another drunken cry came out of the distressed man. He couldn't even follow directions! “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” he cried out as he pulled the strap across his body, buckling himself in.
Akaashi sighed. “Bokuto, please calm down.”
“Aka-Akaashi.” Bokuto sobbed out, staring at the man with pleading eyes.
Akaashi looked back at him.
“I'm not moving the car until you stop crying.”
Bokuto immediately tried to hold himself back, biting on his bottom lip as he closed his mouth. He could feel it still wobbling, trapped beneath his teeth as little whines escaped from his throat.
Akaashi sighed again, but looked away and put the car in drive. “I'm taking you back to your apartment, correct?’
“Mhmm,” Bokuto whimpered and nodded, turning his head towards the road, still struggling to hold back his tears.
Akaashi was quiet after that, which skyrocketed Bokuto's anxiety over this entire situation. When he looked at the clock in the car, he couldn't help the guilty sob that broke through when he realized it was well past 1 am. It was so sudden, it made Akaashi jump.
“What now?” he asked.
“I-is so late.” Bokuto stuttered out between cries, pointing at the clock, but keeping his arm close to himself. He wanted to be as small as possible, scared of touching anything other than the seat he was in. He didn't deserve the level of patience and tolerance this man had for his pathetic behavior.
“Yeah?” Akaashi questioned. “‘Late’ is usually when parties happen.” he stated blankly, eyes still on the road.
Bokuto sniffled and stared back at the man. “I- I'm-”
“Did you throw up?” Akaashi asked.
Bokuto hiccuped. “Y-yeah. I jus’- I-”
“I can smell it.” he said flatly.
Bokuto wanted to curl up into himself and just die. There was absolutely no way that this situation could get any worse.
And of course he was getting too ahead of himself.
Because a few moments later, he felt warm again.
Except, it wasn't the same type of warmth he had felt previously throughout his entire body. It felt like it was concentrated in one specific spot. He looked down and his eyes widened in horror. This time it was-
“No! No! No!” he screamed without thinking, making Akaashi swerve the car.
“What!?” Akaashi yelled back, his laidback demeanor crumbling, scared from the sudden outburst. “What could you possibly be- oh.” Akaashi had started before looking over at the crying boy in his passenger seat.
He saw exactly what he was crying about.
There was a massive wet patch slowly growing across the top of his pants.
Bokuto couldn't believe it. He was full on pissing himself in this kind man's car!
He threw his hands over himself, trying to use pressure to make it stop- but to no avail. The stream continued around his hands as he sobbed. He was trying to apologize, but was crying so hard that none of his words actually sounded like words. This had to be the worst day of his life.
Wait.
No it wasn't.
The worst day of his life was when- when his Mom...
“I want my Mommy!” he sobbed out, the first fully coherent thing he had said thus far.
And Akaashi didn't know what to say. Bokuto sounded just like an upset little kid. That's really all he seemed to be currently. Crying and incoherently babbling after having an accident and now wanting his “Mommy”. Akaashi could feel his cheeks getting hot and a knot twist in his stomach before a smile crept onto his face.
As Bokuto's sobs continued to fill the car, Akaashi couldn't help but think of just how much Kuroo was going to enjoy the new information he had unexpectedly acquired tonight.