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“Do I have to play with Aghaashi? He’s weird.” Bokuto pulled on his mother’s shirt one afternoon before the new family in town arrived.
“He’s not weird, he’s quiet. Yes, you have to play with him.”
“But he doesn’t like volleyball or sports. He draws and reads.”
“Maybe you should take an interest in something he likes, then.”
That afternoon, Bokuto threw the ball to Akaashi, trying to teach him a serve, just to hit him in the nose and cause it to bleed. His mother yelled at him for being so rough, and he was punished. He decided that he hated Aaahis Keiji.
Bokuto hated being second. He always strived to be number one at everything he did. And he was able to accomplish that for the most part. That is until Akaashi Keiji arrived in his life. He didn’t think much of Akaashi at first; the other boy was younger, skinner, and timider than Bokuto. Surely he would never be a threat in anything.
But then it started to happen. Bokuto’s first place ribbons and trophies slowly started to be replaced by second, and even third place insignias. He watched as Akaashi claimed first place in several competitions, annoying Bokuto every day he had to look at him.
But, there was one thing Bokuto still excelled in, and that was his relationships with girls. Even in elementary school, Bokuto had “girlfriends” and noted that Akaashi did not. He would taunt Akaashi about this fact.
“Hey, Akaashi. How many confessions did you get this year?” he asked.
“Um, maybe nine. Why?” Akaashi looked at him with a stoic expression. Even as a small child, Akaashi carried an air of maturity, it made Bokuto more annoyed.
“Oh, that’s too bad. I got fifteen. I got one from-”
“Good for you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replied walking off.
Bokuto could only recount one year of peace when he was in high school without Akaashi, one year of not having to compete with the golden boy, the perfect angel. But in his second year, he knew Akaashi would be matriculating into Fukurodani, and all the teachers and girls would fawn all over him again.
He couldn’t be more right.
On the first day of his second year, Bokuto heard the whispers about the raven-haired first year with the beautiful blue (or were they green) eyes. Bokuto didn’t care about the color of his eyes, or the curls in his hair, he hated Akaashi Keiji.
But Bokuto was determined to not let Akaashi get to him as he walked through the hallway, a love note in hand, for a girl in his grade. He had had a crush on the girl since he was about thirteen but decided he wanted to approach her now. He was nervous and it took him a few times to get the letter just right. He was happy with how it turned out after the third draft and tucked it neatly in an envelop to hand to her.
When Bokuto rounded the corner to the courtyard, he saw the girl near the cherry blossom trees, now barren as fall was approaching. As he walked closer to her, he noticed she was talking to someone. Not someone. Him. She was twirling her hair around her finger and talking to Akaashi, shifter her weight back and forth. As Bokuto got closer, he could hear their conversation.
“...I know I’m a little older, but I have had a crush on you for a few years now. Will you be my boyfriend, Akaashi?”
Bokuto stopped dead in his tracks. This was the one thing he was confident in. The one thing Akaashi couldn’t take from him. But here he was…
Bokuto turned around and walked to his practice. He would be early, but it didn’t matter. He needed to blow off steam and volleyball was his outlet. He walked into the locker room and began to change. He stood at his locker and removed his tie hastily before taking off his shirt and tossing them in the locker haphazardly. He heard the door open and was surprised when he saw the person walking in.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, frustration present in his voice.
Akaashi looked up at him, confused, and replied, “I’m here for practice. I guess I’m a little early, though. My mom told me you were on the team, too.”
“Of course I’m on the team. I’ve been on a volleyball team since middle school. When did you start to take an interest in volleyball? I thought you were on the track team.”
“I wanted to try something else.”
“You ‘wanted to try something else?’” Bokuto repeated. “You know what? I’m so tired of you and your perfect little life coming in and ruining mine.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You think you can just walk around here with your perfect face, pretty blue eyes, and soft black curls? I’ve had a whole year without you bugging me, showing me up, and now you come in here and join the volleyball club? My volleyball club?”
“You keep talking like that, I might think you don’t hate me,” Akaashi replied. He began to change out of his school uniform and into athletic shorts.
“Excuse me?”
“You just paid me about three or four compliments in that sentence alone. It sounds like you might actually like me.” Bokuto took a few steps up to Akaashi and grabbed him by his shirt. He was exacerbated. How could someone like him think he could just waltz in and take everything from Bokuto?
“You have no right to just show up in my life and start taking things from me, things that I worked hard to earn. I had one great year without seeing your stupid face, and now you show up and decide to join my volleyball team? Why did you have to attend this high school? Why did you have to take my girlfriend?”
“‘ Your girlfriend?’ I didn’t realize she was dating anyone. If I were you, I would take that up with her for approaching someone else. That would upset me, too.”
“Well… she’s not my girlfriend… yet,” Bokuto said, letting go of Akaashi. “I was going to ask her out today. But then I overheard her asking you out so now I can’t anymore.”
“I said no.”
“I don’t understand why she would like you anyway, it’s not like- what?”
“I turned her down. I said no.”
“Why would you say no to her? She’s beautiful!”
Akaashi shrugged his shoulders and turned back to his locker to begin changing. “She’s not really my type.”
“Beautiful women aren’t your type? What kind of weirdo are you?”
“I’m just trying to get ready for practice, Bokuto-san. Is this a conversation we can have another time?”
“Oh, I see. You’re one of those guys who likes really studious girls, the kind that always has her nose in a book, right? That makes sense, I guess.” Bokuto changed quickly, pulling on his shorts and compression knee pads. He began to pull on his shirt as Akaashi walked past him and paused.
“You’re wrong,” he said. “About my type.”
“Oh yeah, well why don’t you enlighten me then?” Bokuto asked with a sarcastic tone. Akaashi turned to look at him and swept his eyes over Bokuto’s partially exposed torso before raising his eyebrow and walking into the gym, leaving Bokuto standing alone and confused in the locker room.