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' Dude, we should really do something about Bokuto's emo-mode. Our first match is coming up and Captain-san is so close to bursting into tears, bless his good soul. There's no way we can defeat freaking Oikawa or Ushiwaka without Bokuto's spikes. We are screwed.'
' I thought you said Akaashi told you what to do, Kuroo. What happened to the emo-mode manual?'
' Bah, we did everything Akaashi told us to do! Ignore him but let him stay on the court, check. Don't toss to him, check. Tell him to calm the heck down, check. Uh, tell him a girl thinks that his spikes are the best thing since sliced bread, check. And he's still in emo-mode. He wouldn't even talk to us- Jeez, he's worse than Kenma now. Are the methods outdated? What do you think huh, Dad Crow?'
' Don't call me that.'
' Fine, Papa Crow. Actually, I have a great idea. Let's just phone the Bokuto-whisperer himself and see if he can do something about the emo-mode.'
***
Akaashi knew something was wrong the very moment he received a phone call from Kuroo. He had just gotten off a meeting with the coach and advisor (the typical duty of a Captain), ready to lock up the club room and call it a day.
The ex-captain of the Nekoma volleyball team rarely called him, especially after he had left his college team behind and gone to college. They weren't even close in the first place; Akaashi only knew him through Bokuto. Akaashi got along better with Kenma, because they shared many similarities. They were setters, enjoyed silence and were pretty used to dealing with boisterous friends.
' Yes, Kuroo-san?' He answered, a cold, foreboding feeling surging through him.
' Akaaaaaashi! How nice to hear your voice,' Kuroo said exasperatedly, which was surprising and worrying at the same time. Kuroo rarely sounded exasperated. Not even when they lost a match. Well... he could get annoyed sometimes when Kenma ignored him for a brand new game ( ' Bro, you can't get jealous over a game,' Bokuto would exclaim).
Akaashi said calmly, pocketing the keys, ' Same here. It's been a while. What's wrong?'
' I know it's quite late and I know you need to go home and stuff, but we really need er, your help. Oh, sorry about the background noise. That's probably Captain-san.' Akaashi heard sobbing on Kuroo's line. ' We are in big, big, big trouble.'
Ohhh.
' Let me guess,' Akaashi sighed, making his way down the stairs. ' Is it Bokuto-san?'
' BINGO!!!' Kuroo shouted, relieved. ' You really are the official Bokuto-whisperer! Kudos to you, Akaashi! Well, let's see, your Bokuto has been stuck in emo-mode ever since he came to college.'
' He's not my Bokuto,' Colour flooded onto Akaashi's cheeks.
' Daw, we all know it's true,' Kuroo sang, the old mischief coming back up. ' Anyways, he can't serve or spike at all, and he just sulks on the bench throughout practice. Um, he isn't really getting along well with the new college setter because he doesn't know how to work with him...'
' Kuroo-san, I thought I told you to-'
' We did everything we could! Ignore him and stuff,' Kuroo argued. ' But he wouldn't calm down. Seriously, we don't know what to do, man. Bokuto is still acting crazy and Captain-san is crying desperately in a corner right now. Can you hear that?' The sobbing continued.
That was odd.
Akaashi had legit sent Kuroo and Daichi each a Bokuto emo-mode manual (co-written by other ex-Fukuroudani Third Years and Yukie) the moment he got wind that they were all going to the same college on sports scholarships, because he needed successors to look after Bokuto (he wouldn't be around anymore). Each and every method on the manual had been tested on Bokuto and they worked perfectly.
' Okay, I get it,' Akaashi frowned, he was now out of the school gates. ' So what do you want me to do now?'
' Can you come over, now?' Kuroo asked.
' Now?!' Akaashi glanced at his watch. It was 7 in the evening.
' Please,' Kuroo added. ' Captain-san really is going to die at this rate. He's crying waterfalls. OH GLORIOUS BOKUTO WHISPERER!!! SAVE US!!! SAVE THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM! SAVE THE DREAM! SAVE CAPTAIN-SAN!'
' Okay, okay, Kuroo-san, I'll come over now,' Akaashi swallowed, automatically taking a quick turn to the nearest bus stop.
' OH GLORIOUS BOKUTO WHISPERER!!!' Kuroo continued to scream and Akaashi could almost hear Daichi's annoyed yells behind him. ' WE ARE NOT WORTHY!!! Oh, Papa Crow is getting mad. I'll wait for you outside.'
***
Akaashi hugged his sports bag to his chest as he rode on the bus to Bokuto, Daichi and Kuroo's college. Fortunately, the journey would only take 15 minutes.
He hadn't seen Bokuto since the last volleyball team gathering, when he was appointed Captain. It was a pretty obvious choice, but the ex-Third Years cheered for him enthusiastically of course. Bokuto even made a big point of hugging him and the entire team cheered (Akaashi was blushing the entire time).
The new Fukuroudani Team was good, but it was so different from the old team Akaashi had come to know and love. No, no, the new Wing Spikers were excellent, but they weren't Bokuto. They lacked his verve, and they just weren't as enthusiastic about volleyball as Bokuto.
It was probably wrong of Akaashi to compare his new team to his senpais, but he couldn't help but miss Bokuto terribly. He had been meaning to visit Bokuto some day, but Kuroo was quicker.
He got off the bus and found that Kuroo was waiting for him at the college bus stop. He was somehow still wearing his preferred Nekoma tracksuit and his bed hair was as messy as usual.
' Kuroo-san,' Akaashi nodded politely.
' Akaashi! Here you are,' Kuroo said solemnly, as if he was standing next to the deathbed of a friend and led Akaashi to the college gym.
Akaashi's first impression of the gym: ENORMOUS. There were a few courts, so several volleyball teams could probably practice in the gym at the same time. The court furthest away from the door was being occupied by the college team at the moment, and boy, Kuroo was right. The team was in disarray.
He spotted a gangly boy crouched at the corner of the gym like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, only he was sobbing uncontrollably. ' Ah, that's the Captain-san, I've been telling you about, ' Kuroo pointed carelessly, and Akaashi winced.
Some of the players were playing board games under the net, looking bored.
Daichi ran up to them, his knee guards falling down to his ankles,' Hey, Akaashi-san. It's good to see you again. Um, sorry for bothering you, but would you mind, um, calming Bokuto down for us? He's being difficult. And um, Captain-san is still crying.'
' I can tell,' Kuroo sighed.
Sure enough, Bokuto was standing at the other corner of the gym with his back to them, sulkily pounding a volleyball onto the walls. Many more volleyballs littered the floor around him.
Akaashi walked up to him, cleared his throat and said in the most official (Akaashi-like) voice ever, ' Bokuto-san, please calm down.'
Bokuto froze, dropping the volleyball.
'Captain-san' stopped crying.
The other team members slowly looked up from their board game.
The next second, Akaashi was almost squashed by a bone-crushing hug and his eardrums were blown up by a loud, delighted 'AKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASHI!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU'RE HEREEEEEEEE!'
' Yes, Bokuto-san,' Akaashi choked, ' um, I can't breathe.'
' OH SORRY,' Bokuto said, releasing him immediately and started to shake Akaashi by his shoulders. ' AKAAAAAAASHI I MISS YOU AND YOUR TOSSES SO MUCH WHERE WHERE WHERE WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WHY DIDN'T YOU VISIT ME HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M HERE ARE YOU HERE FOR ME I'M SO HAPPY.'
Kuroo whispered to Daichi discreetly, ' Yeeees we did it.'
' I'm sorry, Bokuto-san, I was, er, very busy,' Akaashi dipped his head apologetically, fighting away a blush.
' I called him here,' Kuroo supplied tonelessly. ' You are welcome.'
' WOW KUROO! LOVE YOU, BRO! BEST BRO EVER. AND AKAASHI!!! NEVER MIND YOU'RE HERE NOW THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS,' Bokuto was back to his hyperactive self, all signs of emo-mode gone in an instant. ' ARE YOU COMING HERE TO TOSS FOR ME AGAIN? ARE YOU HERE TO SEE MY SPIKES?'
' Only if you calm down, and I can toss for you,' Akaashi promised.
' CAPTAIN-SANNNNN, THAT'S THE SETTER I'VE BEEN TELLING YOU ABOUT,' Bokuto was now off to prattle to Captain-san. ' HE'S SO COOL HE'S THE BEST HE'S GONNA TOSS FOR ME RIGHT NOW I CAN PLAY NOW.'
' Oh, that's... Good?' Captain-san said, confused.
' COME ON, AKAASHI YOU HAVE TO TOSS FOR ME. IMMEDIATELY,' Bokuto pulled him eagerly to the court.
' Okay, Bokuto-san.'
***
Good news: Bokuto was back to normal.
In the end, Akaashi did toss for him, which made him very, very happy.
Captain-san went over to speak to him after practice, thanking him profusely and shook his hand.
' Oh god, we can finally a chance in defeating Oikawa,' Captain-san was getting teary-eyed all over again.
The college setter turned out to be a very nice guy, who just didn't know how to communicate with Bokuto and he wasn't even the least miffed at Bokuto's endless praises for Akaashi. He did ask Akaashi for pointers at how to get along with Bokuto and what type of tosses he liked. They even exchanged phone numbers.
The rest of the team crowded around Akaashi, speaking in hushed voices and staring at him with such admiration and respect as if he was the saviour of the team.
Daichi took a swig from his water bottle, watching the scene in front of me, ' Hey, how did you know that's going to work?'
' Are you serious? Akaashi is the Bokuto Whisperer and they're practically married,' Kuroo sniggered. ' Like you and Suga-san.'
' Very funny, Kuroo.'