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Bokuto squints at the circle. He thinks that he’s drawn it correctly, but he’s not entirely sure. Even if he’s gotten something wrong, he doesn’t really care all that much, since he’s not about to erase everything and start all over. Bokuto throws the chalk aside and sits down before picking up the book.
“Okay, okay, almost ready,” Bokuto says, his eyebrows furrowed in his concentration. He spots the passage he needs and lights up. He’s ready to summon his first demon.
“Get ready to pay up Kuroo,” Bokuto laughs to himself, wiggling his eyebrows. He takes a deep breath before he starts chanting, the foreign words filling up the empty room.
The circle starts to glow, and Bokuto continues chanting. He feels confused when he starts feeling the drain on his magic reserves, but it’s not heavy so he continues. The incantation is long, and he focuses hard, since he can’t mess up a single word.
Bokuto speaks the last word before a radiant light fills the room, and he covers his eyes with his arm. Once it fades, Bokuto peeks out from under his arm, and he’s startled to see someone floating in the air. He’s curled up slightly with his eyes closed, and it looks like light is rippling off him in gentle waves.
“Er, hello?” Bokuto says hesitantly, and his eyes snap open. They’re glowing blue, and they immediately focus on Bokuto. He gulps nervously before steeling his courage.
“My name is Bokuto Koutarou,” he says loudly, “And I would like to form a bond with you.” The person merely watches him silently before he glows again. Bokuto shuts his eyes tightly, and when the light fades away, he rubs his eyes before opening them for a second time. To his surprise, the man has turned into a woman.
“Wah!” He lets out a noise of surprise, dropping the book in his shock. His eyes never stray from the demon though, but he can’t quite understand the expression that’s on his-no, her face.
“I am bound to you, by the ritual you have summoned me by,” she says. Her voice is quiet, but it carries power. Bokuto shivers as the waves of magic roll past him. “I ask that you relay the rules I must obey.”
Bokuto’s mouth flops uselessly. He didn’t think this far ahead, and he’s scrambling to come up with proper rules. “Er, don’t attack me or my friends?” He says, scratching his head. “If I ask something, I would like you to obey? And it would be nice if you could, uh…” Bokuto trails off as he thinks hard. He’s actually not entirely sure what to add, but he feels like he should make a third rule. After all, a lot of things come in threes.
Bokuto perks up as he thinks of something. “Please help me cook!” Bokuto winces to himself as he thinks of his failed attempts in the kitchen. “I’m really bad at cooking, and it’s not good to always get takeout,” Bokuto laughs sheepishly.
The demon gives him an odd look. “Your wish is my command,” she says, and she gently lands on the ground. Bokuto takes a proper look at her, now that the light isn’t shading her face.
Bokuto’s mouth drops. She’s quite breathtaking, and he’s stunned by her appearance. She looks very delicate, but there’s something in her eyes that tells him not to underestimate her. He feels like she could easily murder him in his sleep if she wanted to. No, she could easily take him out right here and now, even though he’s a top class mage.
There’s one problem though.
Bokuto immediately sheds his jacket and holds it out to her, averting his eyes. “Your dress is a bit too flimsy,” he blurts, keeping his eyes firmly on the ground. “Please use this to cover yourself up.” She doesn’t move to take it from his hands, but Bokuto continues to hold it out. After a few moments of tense silence, she accepts the jacket and Bokuto lets out a sigh of relief.
Well. That’s been solved. Now to move on to the next problem.
“Follow me!” Bokuto says eagerly, bounding out of his basement. He had actually prepared an extra room before performing the ritual, as he doesn’t want to be an impolite summoner. Giving the demon somewhere to reside was basic manners.
She follows him silently - it’s like he can’t even hear her footsteps. Bokuto throws the door of the room open. “Tada! I hope you like it!” It’s a fairly empty room, with a single bed. “I didn’t put too much in here, because I didn’t know what you would look,” Bokuto admits. “But we can go shopping soon! We can get whatever you like!”
She steps into the room, and Bokuto watches her hopefully. “...It’s nice,” she admits quietly, and Bokuto cheers in his head. Something occurs to him, and he tilts his head.
“Can I ask for your name?” She tenses at his question, and Bokuto immediately backtracks. “I mean something I can call you by,” he quickly corrects himself. “Not like, your real name or anything. Whatever you want.”
Once again, she gives him a strange look, but Bokuto doesn’t know why she’s looking at him like that. It’s not like he’s entirely mannerless, he knows that asking for a demon’s true name is very rude. After all, their names hold power over them.
“You may call me Akaashi,” she says.
Bokuto nods frantically. “Welcome to my house, Akaashi,” Bokuto says, grinning. “If you need anything, let me know! I’d be happy to help you out.”
Akaashi is giving him the weird look again, and Bokuto can’t hold it in anymore. “Is everything okay?” He asks worriedly, shuffling nervously. “Did I offend you somehow?”
“Most summoners do not offer this amount of courtesy to their summoned demon,” Akaashi says simply. Bokuto bristles at the very thought of them.
“Other mages are really rude,” Bokuto huffs angrily. “They laughed at me ‘cause I shared my snack with my demon in school once. Demons have feelings too! They’re not slaves to be ordered around!” Akaashi blinks quickly, and Bokuto tries to make his anger go away.
“Anyways, we need to go shopping for your clothes!” Bokuto says, nodding to himself. “Wait here, I’ll grab something of mine for you to wear so you can head out with me.” He quickly bounds over to his room and pulls out a pair of sweatpants and a sweater. It’s a bit chilly outside, and he doesn’t want her to freeze.
“I’ll be waiting in the living room, come out when you’re done,” Bokuto tells her as he sets the clothes on her bed. She’s sitting on the bed, staring at the wall of the room. “Or, uh, if you want to go shopping later too, that’s fine,” Bokuto hastily adds. She’s probably exhausted from being summoned, and he doesn’t want to drag her out while she’s tired.
“I’m alright,” she says quietly. “I’ll be done soon.” Bokuto lets out a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t mess up, before saluting her and scampering off. From his own room, he grabs an extra coat and his wallet before heading out to the living room to wait.
Soon enough, she emerges. Bokuto feels a bit bad that the sweatpants and sweater are too large on her, but that’ll be fixed soon. “Here you go,” he holds out the coat to her. “It’s chilly outside, and I don’t want you to freeze.” Bokuto shrugs on his own coat that’s hanging by the door before opening the door and stepping out into the cold.
Bokuto quickly learns that Akaashi is not a very picky person. She doesn’t seem to really care what Bokuto picks, but he insists that she take some time to choose what she likes. Eventually, he manages to corral her into picking a number of clothes. Nicely, of course.
“You can also pick whatever you want for your room,” Bokuto says excitedly, leading her towards the furniture store. “If you want your walls painted another color, I can get that done for you easily,” he adds, eyeing the paint section that they just passed.
“I know there’s already a bed, but you can choose a new mattress and sheets if you don’t like what’s there,” he says, chattering away. “You probably want a desk and a nice chair to relax in or something. Or maybe one of those huge bean bags. Don’t worry about money, I have a lot! I make a lot since I’m one of the higher level mages.”
Bokuto glances at Akaashi from the side. He’s not entirely sure what to think of her just yet, but she doesn’t seem annoyed from all the talking that he’s doing. She’s also looking impassively at the furniture, so Bokuto wonders if he’s going to have to pick a few things out for her.
“All of this is unnecessary,” she says dryly, confirming Bokuto’s thought. Still, he won’t let her live in such a boring room. Since he’s already gone through the trouble of making her pick clothes, he’ll take care decorating the room.
“I’ll pick stuff out for you then,” Bokuto waves a hand carelessly. “If you want to take a break, you can sit down somewhere! Just don’t leave without me please,” he adds hastily before strolling down the store.
Bokuto has the feeling that Akaashi won’t enjoy his particular tastes, so he picks more casual designs. He finds a nice soft bean bag cushion, and it’s super big and soft. He runs his hand over the plush white texture, and decides that it’s perfect for relaxing. After placing an order, he turns to look for a good desk.
It takes a while, but he finally decides on a black desk with shelves built into it. It’s simple but cool, and he likes what he sees. Bokuto also picks out some nice pastel sheets, and he adds two fluffy pillows into the mix.
He wonders if he needs something more for room decoration, and his eyes land on some fairy lights. Bokuto’s eyes brighten, and he grabs a box. It’ll take some time, but it’ll be perfect.
Finally, he debates between designs for an extra blanket, before he finally decides on a soft shade of yellow. Satisfied, Bokuto finishes up the purchases before bounding back to where he had left Akaashi.
“I’m done!” He beams, holding up a single bag. “Everything else will be shipped to my house, so don’t worry about it!” Akaashi looks up at him, and Bokuto is once again reminded that she is very pretty. He gulps before reaching down to take the rest of the bags in his hands.
“Yosh! Let’s go home!” He says energetically before heading towards the exit. Akaashi follows him silently, but he’s determined to make her more comfortable during her stay here.
Their days pass by normally. Bokuto always chatters on, and Akaashi will listen patiently. Bokuto finishes up Akaashi’s room, and it’s pretty nice. Akaashi seems to appreciate it, as her eyes widen at the finished product. He’s glad he picked softer tones for the colors. Her closet is also filled with her new clothes, and she settles in.
Strangely, Akaashi refuses to let him help in the kitchen. She always prepares his meals for him, and Bokuto asks why he won’t let her help with the cooking. “It was one of your commands,” she says simply, and Bokuto pouts. He meant that he wanted her to help teach him, not cook for him.
“Fine,” he huffs. “But I’ll do the dishes then,” he adds, and Akaashi clearly does not approve. However, Bokuto points out that dishes were not part of his command, and she reluctantly gives in. She takes a seat on the couch and wraps herself in the yellow blanket he bought for her. His heart is most certainly not pounding.
“Akaashi,” Bokuto calls out. Her head tilts towards him, a sign that she’s listening to him speak. “I have a day off tomorrow, is there anything you want to do?” Bokuto asks as he continues washing the dishes. “We can go wherever you want.”
There’s a long moment of silence, except for the sound of the water running. As soon as Bokuto finishes, he shuts the faucet off, and it becomes completely silent. Bokuto turns to look at Akaashi, and he catches the pensive look on her face.
“Can we…” she trails off. At Bokuto’s encouraging look, she closes her eyes. “I would like to visit the library,” she says.
Bokuto nods. “We can do that! I can check out some books for you if you want,” he offers. She must be pretty bored, being cooped up in here all day. He would take her to class with him, but something tells him that she’ll get a lot of unwanted attention. “Anything else?”
Akaashi plays with her fingers, a habit that Bokuto picked up on a few days ago. “Could we stop by the beach?” She requests quietly. “I would like to see a sunset.” Bokuto nods wildly.
“There’s a really nice beach around here,” Bokuto says, taking a seat on the couch. He sits far enough to ensure that there’s enough space between them, so she won’t feel uncomfortable. “It’s a bit far though, if you don’t mind making the trip. It has the best sunsets though.”
“I don’t mind,” she says. Bokuto grins.
“It’s decided then! We’ll go to the library in the morning, have a picnic at the park, and then head to the beach in the evening,” Bokuto decides. He’s actually super excited for tomorrow’s plans, and his legs shake.
Akaashi gives him a side glance, and Bokuto tilts his head quizzically. “Is everything okay?” He asks curiously. “You can ask me whatever you want!”
She’s silent. Then she opens her mouth, and Bokuto waits eagerly for her to speak. “Could you stop shaking your legs?” She asks. Bokuto isn’t sure, but he thinks that he hears a slight tremor in her voice.
“Ah, sorry,” he says quickly, forcing his legs to stop. “It’s a bad habit of mine,” Bokuto laughs sheepishly. “I’ll try and keep my legs still.”
Much to his surprise, Akaashi lips turn upward ever so slightly. Bokuto’s eyes widen, and he grins brightly. “You smiled,” he says cheerfully. “You should smile more, Akaashi! You look really pretty when you do.”
Akaashi’s eyes widen before a pale blush comes over her cheeks. Bokuto feels his mind come to a stuttering halt and he immediately stands. “I, er, I have to go make plans for tomorrow!” Bokuto yelps, and he dashes away to his room, his heart pounding.
Bokuto closes the door and leans against it, his eyes wide. He knows that Akaashi is pretty, but she really is on a whole different level when she shows more expression. Bokuto slaps his cheeks to bring himself back to his senses before moving to his desk to make plans.
A few hours later, he stretches his arms and decides that he wants a snack. He trods to his kitchen before boiling water in the kettle and pulling out some snacks. Bokuto quickly makes two cups of tea and pours the crackers onto a plate before balancing it on a tray and heading to Akaashi’s room.
Bokuto knocks twice. “Akaashi? I have some snacks if you want them,” he says. There’s no answer, so he opens the door and peeks inside. He spots Akaashi sleeping on the large white bean bag he had bought for her.
She’s curled up into a ball, the yellow blanket nearly falling off her slim figure. Bokuto quietly sets the tray down before reaching over and adjusting the blanket to cover her properly. It gets a bit chilly at night, and he doesn’t want her to catch a cold. Bokuto pauses before leaving a cup of tea and a plate on her desk. He casts a warming spell on the tea to make sure it doesn’t get cold before he takes his leave.
As he closes the door, he fails to notice Akaashi’s eyes opening and staring at his disappearing figure.
“Good morning!” Bokuto says cheerfully as he enters the kitchen. Much to his surprise, there’s breakfast waiting for him. It looks absolutely delicious, and he drools over it just a bit. “Did you make this for me?” He asks Akaashi, who is sitting and sipping her cup of tea. She’s dressed in a pale pink sundress, and Bokuto is proud of himself since he picked it out. It looks great on her.
“Yes,” she says. Bokuto offers her a beaming smile before he sits and immediately digs in.
“This tastes great,” he sighs blissfully. “Thanks, ‘kaashi.” As he’s too occupied eating, he misses the tiny smile on her face as she watches him eat. Once he finishes, he puts his hands together and bows.
“Thank you for the meal!” He chirps. Afterwards, he stands and moves to clean his dishes, humming to himself. “Are you ready to head out?” Bokuto asks as he dries his hands on a towel.
Akaashi nods, rising to her feet. Bokuto feels his body thrum in excitement; he can already tell that it’s going to be a magnificent day. “Let’s go then!” He crows before dashing to the front door. He throws on his shoes and waits for Akaashi to catch up to him. She slips on her sandals smoothly, and Bokuto wonders how a single person - actually, a demon - can be filled with so much elegance. Everything about her is super cool.
“First stop, the library!” He announces as they leave the house. Bokuto immediately comes to a halt as he realizes something. “Akaashi! Did you eat breakfast?” He asks worriedly, turning around to face her. She shrugs her shoulders, which Bokuto takes as a no.
“Akaashi!” He wails, putting his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry! I should’ve been more considerate!” Bokuto grabs her wrist and pulls her towards the nearest convenience store. “I’ll buy you something real quick,” he says in a rush before hurrying to buy her a quick breakfast.
Five minutes later, he’s actually a teeny bit glad she didn’t eat breakfast. She looks, dare he say, happy eating the onigiri he had bought for her. If Bokuto squints, he thinks that her eyes might be sparkling.
“So onigiri for lunch then,” he muses to himself. He’ll also have to get some fruit, and something good to drink, and maybe some snacks for when they’re traveling to the beach. Oh, and dessert would be nice too. Maybe some chocolate covered strawberries? Bokuto thinks he remembers Kuroo saying that girls liked those. Or maybe that was for some holiday?
“I’m done,” Akaashi says. Bokuto’s attention snaps back to her, and she’s waiting patiently for him to lead the way.
“Sorry Akaashi,” he apologizes again, and Akaashi brushes a hair away from her face.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” she says. “Don’t worry about it.”
Bokuto hesitates, but she doesn’t really look all that bothered about it. “Okay,” he relents. “Let’s go to the library then. It’s pretty close by here.” The walk there is silent, but it’s not awkward or uncomfortable. Normally, Bokuto is pretty chatty, but he feels like staying quiet for some reason.
As soon as they arrive, Akaashi’s eyes immediately zoom in on the books. “I’ll be roaming around,” Bokuto says, grinning. “Go ahead and look all you want! Just come find me after you’ve picked out everything you want to check out.” Akaashi nods minutely before she disappears into the bookshelves. Bokuto takes a moment to sit down and stretch his long limbs out.
The building has a good cooling system, and it’s actually making him shiver a bit. He wonders if Akaashi is cold, since she has a sleeveless dress on today. He would definitely be cold if he had a dress on. He even has a jacket on right now, and he’s still a bit cold. With that thought in mind, he stands to chase after Akaashi.
“Akaashi?” He whisper-calls, wondering if she can hear him. Bokuto ends up wandering to the second floor, and he finds her after he passes three bookshelves. She’s floating in the air, her legs folded underneath her as she shifts through a book.
“Akaashi!” He calls, but he immediately slaps a hand over his mouth once he realizes he’s spoken a bit too loud. Akaashi’s head turns towards him, and she extends her legs out until they touch the ground. “Are you cold?” Bokuto whispers, heading towards her.
Akaashi shrugs. However, Bokuto notices that she’s a bit tense, and there are goosebumps on her arms. Bokuto takes off his jacket and slips it over her shoulders.
“Seems like this has happened before, hm?” He says jokingly. After all, this is the second time he’s given her his jacket. Bokuto doesn’t fail to notice how she pulls the jacket tighter around her.
“I appreciate it,” she says, looking a bit relieved. It’s a very subtle face change, and Bokuto is proud of himself for catching it.
“No problem!” He says brightly. “Do you need help searching? Or want me to hold anything for you?”
“It’s alright,” she says, waving her hand. Only then does Bokuto notice the stack of floating books near her. “I do have magic.”
“Right,” Bokuto laughs. “Silly me. I forgot something so simple.” Akaashi closes her book carefully before it floats off to join the pile.
“I think I have everything,” she says, and Bokuto blinks.
“That was really fast,” he comments. “You sure that’s all you want? I don’t mind waiting.”
Akaashi smiles a bit mischievously, which makes Bokuto a bit nervous. “I have everything I want,” she says, and she waves her hand. Bokuto’s eyes pop as three more tall stacks of books appear.
“When did you have time to hunt all those down?” He says in disbelief. There has to be at least fifty books there. Well, it doesn’t matter. He can just have them delivered straight to his house.
They’re quite the spectacle, checking out so many books. Thankfully, the librarian isn’t phased, so it’s a quick promise. The books are easily transported to his house, and they leave the library in good spirits.
“Well, we have some extra time to waste before lunch,” Bokuto says, putting his hands behind his head as they walk down the road. “Should we go pick out a fancy lunch?”
Akaashi hums, but Bokuto can’t tell whether she’s saying yes or no. He decides that it’s a yes, and he offers his hand to her. “I’ll teleport us to a nice store I know,” he says, waiting for her to take his hand. “A warning though, teleporting can be a bit nauseating,” he adds.
Akaashi takes his hand, and Bokuto feels the familiar tug in his gut before the world around them twists. They land in front of a large grocery store, and Bokuto makes a dramatic gesture with his arms. “Tada!” He sings loudly. “The best store to have ever been created!” He adds.
Akaashi claps politely for him, and Bokuto pats himself on the back for getting a reaction out of her. “You can pick whatever looks good,” Bokuto says as the automatic doors open. “Come on! Let’s pick out something fun!” As they walk in, he picks up a basket.
Bokuto probably goes a bit overboard, but he picks out a lot of sugary snacks, which fills up the basket pretty quickly. After all, today’s a day for them to enjoy everything! Akaashi wanders off to pick out her own things, and Bokuto spends some time debating over the drinks. This is something really important, and he can’t decide between mango or melon flavored soda.
“I’m done,” Akaashi suddenly says from behind, and Bokuto will forever deny that he shrieked like a little girl. Once his heart calms down, Bokuto takes a deep breath.
“Akaashi,” he says solemnly. “I need you to help me.” Akaashi’s elegant eyebrow raises, and she nods.
“I don’t know which soda flavor to get!” He wails, pointing at the drinks behind him. “I was trying to decide between mango and melon, but I can’t figure out what’s better! Please help me,” Bokuto whines.
Akaashi looks amused, as if she wasn’t expecting Bokuto to complain about the drink flavor of all things. She eyes the drinks before she reaches and grabs a peach and strawberry.
Bokuto stares at her in shock as she drops them in the basket. “Well,” he says. “I guess that works too.” She smiles slyly at him, and Bokuto’s heart skips a beat. He quite likes these new sides of her that he’s seeing.
“Let’s check out then,” Bokuto grins, pleased that the drink dilemma has been solved. After checking out, he stores their food away with a wave of his hand. He doesn’t really feel like carrying several bags on their trip to the beach. Thank goodness for magic.
Bokuto checks his watch. “Why don’t we head to the beach now?” He suggests. “If we get hungry, we can eat some snacks on the train, but I think it’d be cooler to have our picnic on the beach! Plus, the weather is great today, so it’d be nice to spend our afternoon there!”
Akaashi ponders on it for a moment. “I’d like that,” she says. Having come to an agreement, Bokuto offers his arm, like a gentleman. Akaashi accepts, and Bokuto has a silly grin on his face as they make their way to the subway.
“You seem to be in a good mood,” Akaashi comments as Bokuto buys two tickets. Unfortunately, there seem to be a number of people using the subway today.
“I have a lovely demon accompanying me today,” Bokuto says brightly as he easily maneuvers through the crowd. “What isn’t there to like?” If he had glanced back, he would’ve seen the surprised and pleased look on Akaashi’s face. Unfortunately, he’s a bit too occupied as the crowd is thick.
“I wish there were less people,” Bokuto sighs. Their arms are linked together though, so Bokuto feels relieved knowing that he won’t lose Akaashi. The train arrives quickly, and Bokuto manages to secure a spot for them on the train.
“Here, you can sit,” Bokuto gestures to the single seat. “I don’t mind standing.” He feels a bit too antsy to sit at the moment.
Akaashi shakes her head, but Bokuto grins at her. “Don’t worry about it! If I sit right now, I think my energy will explode through the roof. You should just relax on the way there!”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that,” Akaashi muses, smiling wryly. “It’d be quite the inconvenience to the people around us.”
“Right right,” Bokuto nods. “So you should take a seat!” Akaashi finally gives in and sits down, and Bokuto beams. He’s quite proud of himself for being a gentleman.
It’s quite a bit of a ride, but he chatters away with mundane topics. It seems like Akaashi doesn’t mind listening, and she even interjects here and there with her own comments. Halfway through, Bokuto pulls out a box of strawberry pocky and offers to share it with her. She takes a few pieces, and Bokuto enjoys the flavor of artificial strawberry.
When the train arrives, Bokuto gestures for Akaashi to follow him. They walk out of the station easily, as there’s far less people than when they first boarded. Bokuto is really glad the beach is right next to the station, as he can see the ocean as they walk up the stairs.
“We’re finally here!” Bokuto cheers as the sun hits them, throwing his arms up. Thankfully, there aren’t many people at the beach, and Bokuto is thrilled. The sky is clear, there’s a slight breeze, and the temperature is just perfect.
“I’ll go rent out a big umbrella thingy,” Bokuto says. “Want to find us a spot? If you don’t want to, you can just come with me.”
Akaashi shrugs a single shoulder. “I can find a spot,” she says, her voice melodious and sweet. It’s different from how she usually speaks, but Bokuto doesn’t really mind. It’s pleasing to hear.
“Okay!” He chirps. “I’ll come find you when I’m done!” Bokuto skips off to find a rental place, and it’s quick work to get one. He lugs it over his shoulder and marches off towards the sand, scanning the place for Akaashi. As soon as he spots her, he lights up and heads towards her.
He notices that there are a few guys around where Akaash is waiting for him. A frown finds its way onto his face as he notices that Akaashi looks extremely uncomfortable.
“You should come hang out with us,” one of the guys leers at her, grabbing her wrist, and Bokuto feels a spark of anger. That is no way to treat a demon, or even a person.
“No thank you,” Akaashi says politely, and she tries to take her wrist back, but the guys grip tightens.
“Hey, I was asking nicely,” he says with a frown. “You should come while I’m still being kind.” Bokuto immediately steps in and forcibly removes his arm.
“You can go away,” Bokuto says firmly, moving to shield Akaashi. “She’s with me, and she obviously doesn’t want to hang out with you guys. You should be respectful of that.”
“Who do you think you are?” The guy asks, pissed. One of his friends squints at Bokuto’s face and pales.
“Hey, look at that hair,” he whispers, tugging on the guy’s sleeve. “Isn’t he that crazy mage? The one who set fire to half the school because someone took his pencil?” Bokuto internally hides his wince as he thinks of that particular incident, but he keeps his expression straight, hoping that they’ll back off.
Thankfully, they do. “Shit, I think you’re right,” the guy says, suddenly looking nervous. “Hey man, we weren’t trying to pick a fight or anything, no hard feelings?”
“You should get lost,” Bokuto advises, and they immediately turn tail and leave. Bokuto lets out a sigh of relief before he turns to Akaashi and bows in apology. It’s a bit awkward with an umbrella, but he does it.
“Sorry!” He blurts. “I should’ve granted you permission to use your abilities a long time ago. It was a stupid mistake on my part.” Akaashi kneels down to meet his eyes.
“Please stop bowing,” she requests. Bokuto sheepishly straightens up, and Akaashi follows him. “It’s alright. I was actually hoping we could talk for a moment.”
Bokuto nods. “Let me set this up, so we can talk in the shade,” Bokuto says, gesturing to the giant umbrella. Akaashi nods and he gets to work, securing it in the sand so they can relax in the shade. Once it’s done, Bokuto sits, and Akaashi sits next to him. She folds up her legs underneath herself, and Bokuto waits for her to speak.
“Bokuto-san,” she finally says, speaking slowly, “you said you wanted to make a ‘bond’ with me when you first summoned me, correct?” Bokuto tilts his head, confused, but he nods. “Can you explain what you expect out of me?” She asks.
“Well, sure,” he says, scratching his head. “I actually summoned you because my best friend dared me to. He bet I couldn’t do it, since it’s really hard apparently, so I tried it.” Bokuto pauses before shrugging. “Honestly, you can do whatever you want to do. As long as you’re not trying to take over the world,” he adds hastily.
Akaashi doesn’t say anything else, and Bokuto wonders if he’s said something wrong. As he gets more and more nervous, Akaashi suddenly starts laughing. Bokuto stares at her, wondering if the heat is getting to her head.
“Bokuto-san,” she gasps, doubled over with laughter, “do you even know what it means to create a bond between a demon and a mage?”
Bokuto blinks. “Isn’t it just a deal?” He asks. “Like, I give you access to my reserves of magic, and you help me when I need it?” Akaashi finally stops laughing, a wry grin on her face.
“That would be a pact. Wording is very important when it comes to demons, Bokuto-san. Especially with higher-up demons, since they can take on more difficult tasks, it’s extremely crucial to word your order correctly.”
“A bond, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi pauses to stifle her laughter, “is when the summoner wants a sexual relationship with the demon. In human form,” Akaashi adds.
Bokuto’s entire body freezes, and Akaashi must be able to read the shock and horror in his face, because she reaches over and places her hand on top of his. It’s the first form of contact she’s initiated with him, and it’s enough to make Bokuto unfreeze.
“I’m really sorry,” Bokuto blurts, and it seems like he has nothing but apologies for her. “That’s not why I summoned you, I swear, it was just for the stupid bet I made with Kuroo. I would never ask you to do anything like that, never never never,” Bokuto says vehemently. “If you want me to release the pact, I can do that right now.
“I know,” Akaashi says, surprising Bokuto. “You’ve shown that to me. You’re a very kind person,” Akaashi continues, and is that a blush on her cheeks? “I came to understand that you had no intention of touching me. And...I would like to stay, if that’s alright”
Bokuto sags in relief. He’s glad that Akaashi doesn’t think he’s a total jerk. A thought comes to mind, and Bokuto straightens up again. “Can I ask you something?” He says curiously. Akaashi nods. “Why did you transform into a woman when I was summoning you?”
Akaashi’s eyes widen. “I thought you would find me more pleasing as a woman,” Akaashi says after a moment of silence. “Since, well, I thought you had other intentions.”
Bokuto frowns. “You should take the form of whatever is more comfortable for you,” Bokuto says pensively. “I mean, I like guys and girls anyway, so it wouldn’t have mattered. You’re really pretty in either form.” A hot red blush finds its way up his neck and towards his face as he processes what just escaped his mouth. Instead of looking disgusted, Akaashi looks very pleased by what she’s just heard.
She starts glowing faintly, and Bokuto watches as she morphs into a guy. Her clothes change for a pair of shorts and a breezy shirt, and Bokuto’s mouth falls open as Akaashi changes into a handsome young man. His cool eyes open and he meets Bokuto’s gaze.
“Yeah,” Bokuto croaks. “Definitely pretty.” Akaashi leans towards him and pecks his cheek, and Bokuto is sure that his face turns three shades darker.
“I find your company very pleasant, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says, looking satisfied as he pulls back. “If you don’t mind, I would like to stay around for quite a while.” While Bokuto had liked the shy and quiet Akaashi, he finds that he also likes this new, confident Akaashi as well. Scratch that, he’d like Akaashi even if he was a wriggling octopus. Probably.
“Well,” Bokuto gulps. “I wouldn’t, uh, mind. If you stayed. It’d be very nice, actually.” Akaashi offers him a genuine smile, and Bokuto wants to melt into the sand. It’s a good day to live, he thinks to himself.