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It all happened so fast.
“Bokuto!”
The voices were becoming easier to hear as light returned to the world. Bokuto opened his eyes, and noticed several faces pressing into his personal space. The eyes that drew him first were familiar, flecked with color and catlike.
“Bokuto!” Kuroo’s face was contorted into a frown, concern creasing his normally handsome and stoic features.
Bokuto found his hand moving sluggishly upwards as he pressed against the creases in the other man’s forehead. He proceeded to attempt to smooth them out with his thumb. “You know you look better when you smile.”
A sharp breath and a laugh escaped from Kuroo as he shook his head. “You scared the crap out of us.”
Us? Bokuto focused his gaze, realizing that he was laying on his back in the middle of the gym. In the middle of practice. With the whole team staring down at his idiocy.
Great.
If he hadn’t embarrassed himself yet, it had just happened as he’d officially outed himself to the whole team.
Practice was Bokuto’s favorite time of the day. After the school day dragged on and all the boring classes were over, Bokuto would rush to the volleyball gymnasium. At the start of the year, it had been decided that he would finally be put on the starting line. First years only rarely made the cut, but as a second year, he was finally eligible. There was a lot of hard work to get there, but finally he was deemed worthy!
It was also the year that Akaashi had decided to move into the chaotic apartment that Bokuto had previously only shared with Kuroo. Neither Kuroo nor Akaashi had made it onto the school’s team, which left them doing homework in the stands while he practiced. Despite their alternate career paths they still had an unnatural addiction to the sport.
Volleyball would always be their first love.
It's all good. I can work with this. Probably.
Stiffly, Bokuto pushed himself up, but not without pain and a healthy helping of dizziness. What happened?
“Nope. That’s not happening.”
“Coach?” Bokuto whined, closing his eyes with a long and overexaggerated huff.
The last thing he remembered was going in for a dig. He remembered hitting the floor, and then ... he was drawing a blank. “Did I die?”
This time he’d said it out loud, at least.
“You dove right into the net pole.” Akaashi shifted into Bokuto’s view at this, and the former Ace felt his heart fall into his stomach. All he needed to do was embarrass himself in front of his team and boyfriends. Both of them.
It wasn’t that he was expecting to hide whatever injury he had sustained from them, indefinitely. Living in the same household it became more of a when than if, which he could handle gracefully enough, but having them actively witness his mistake chipped layers out of his self confidence.
“I’m sure I’m alright.” Bokuto insisted as he tried once more to push himself up from the floor. It didn’t get him very far as his vision swam and his stomach pinched.
“You’re out for the day. Boys. Do you mind taking him to the nurse and personal trainer? I think he might have a concussion.” The coach instructed Akaashi and Kuroo, both.
“Hey, seriously. I’m fine!” Bokuto pushed himself up, through the dizziness and into a sitting position. “I can play!”
In the same moment that he felt a hand against the middle of his back was the same moment that he felt his body lurch, rejecting everything he’d eaten in the last several hours. Before he could speak, or force it down, it returned from his stomach with a vengeance. All over the court.
~~~~
“I don’t think he’s right.” Bokuto complained as he was propped up on every single pillow that they owned, tucked into bed with a small ice pack wrapped in a towel pressed to his head by Akaashi.
“Well, the moment you have a doctorate in athletic health I’ll take your word on it. Until then, I’m afraid the doc thinks you have a concussion.” Akaashi chuckled slightly, shaking his head.
It was then that Kuroo walked into the room, phone limply held in his hand. “I called your coach and told him you’ll be out for the week. I can--”
“It's really not that bad!” Bokuto insisted, whined even, pitching up from his comfortable nest. Akaashi was there to push him back into the pillows.
“Bed rest means just that. Rest. In bed.” All the while, Akaashi didn’t move his hand from the ice on the Ace’s head or the gentle pressure from his shoulder.
Bokuto growled, crossing his arms in defeat. If he hadn’t been completely dizzy he would have resisted and forced his way out of bed and back to practice.
“If you don’t rest, you’ll end up more braindead than you already are.” Kuroo grinned, leaning back on the door frame as he mimicked Bokuto’s crossed arms. “Honestly, it's hard enough to deal with you and the few brain cells you do have.”
“We don’t want to add you to the one brain cell club, do we?” Akaashi found his own lips curling up at his own words. “Although Hinata would enjoy having another member, I’m sure of it.”
“You two really just keep me around to pick on me, don’t you?” Bokuto sank further into the pillows, frown lines creasing his face.
“There are other reasons, I assure you.” The small smirk on Akaashi’s face spread wider at the implication of his words.
“You do have your uses. None of which include being completely braindead.” Kuroo agreed. “As I was saying, I can email your teachers on your behalf to tell them you aren’t going to class all week too, but now I think that it sounds like a whole lot of a you problem.”
“Oh come on!” Bokuto whined. “Is that how you treat a cripple?”
“A cripple who, firstly, did this to himself and, secondly, gave a whole lot of sass back? Yeah. I think it is.” Kuroo swallowed a laugh and pushed himself off the wall. “Or you can pay me back when you’re feeling better.”
“I feel fine now!” Bokuto insisted, throwing his hands up, almost smacking Akaashi square in the face.
“You tell that to the volleyball club that had to clean your lunch off the floor.” Akaashi, catching Bokuto’s flailing arm before it made contact, let out a sigh. “I ordered from your favorite ramen place. It should be easy on your stomach.”
“Fine.” Bokuto grumbled, shifting back into the pillows and crossing his arms. “I'll sit in bed and suffer through the confinement.”
Shaking his head he grumbled under his breath. “But I ain’t gotta like it and I’m not gonna be quiet about it.”
~~~~
Bokuto had always slept in a big bed. After getting two boyfriends, he had needed to buy a bigger bed when he’d gotten to college, so any time he spent in his bed without at least one of his boyfriends now always made him feel lonely. He had gotten too used to the press of flesh against flesh.
“If you are going to force me to stay in bed, the least you could do is come keep me company!”
Yes, the television on the dresser was on, and yes, there was a pile of work next to the spiky haired man. Even still, Bokuto called into the other room, pleading for attention.
“I need to get this paper done.” Kuroo called back from the living room, a slightly annoyed tone in his voice.
“You can bring your laptop in here!” Bokuto leaned from his propped position to see out the door into the next room. “Akaashi does it all the time!”
“Do I look like Akaashi?” Kuroo paused for a moment before adding, “I don’t want the answer to that.”
Bokuto had opened his mouth to respond, his smile thick and mischievous. “Well, you should still come in here!”
Whining seemed to always get the man everything he wanted, and on cue, moments later, a disgruntled Akaashi was moving in with a laptop and stack of books in hand.
“I am not doing anything except sitting here and giving you company. I need to get this project done today.” Akaashi gave Bokuto the look before settling down on the opposite side of the bed.
“I wouldn’t dare consider disturbing such an important project.” The sarcasm was thick on Bokuto’s tongue as he watched the setter set up his work space.
One hour later, Bokuto had managed to inch his way into Akaashi’s space, like a little worm moving ever closer. His back was pressed against Akaashi’s leg, which was criss crossed with a book perched precariously on the point of his knee. Bokuto was fast asleep, breathing steady and even.
Without thinking, Akaashi’s hand went to brush the deflated hair of his lover. “You know,” he mumbled, “You are a lot easier to handle when you’re sleeping.”
“You’ve got that right.” Kuroo stood in the doorway, arms crossed and smile softly pulling his lips upward.
“How long have you been there?” Akaashi moved to close his laptop, quietly.
“A while.” The answer was short, but Kuroo didn’t seem like he was done taking in the picture.
Akaashi let out a sigh, shifting so as to relieve the numbness flooding his foot. “You could have said something.”
“And entirely ruin the moment?” The smile widened from a smirk to a grin. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, what are you doing home, still? I thought you had a lab tonight.” Akaashi moved his gaze from the former captain back to the broken boyfriend.
“It was canceled. I wanted to see how our little owl was doing.” Finally Kuroo pushed himself from the wall, and stepped into the room.
“He acts all big and tough, but He really isn’t doing well.” Akaashi frowned, slowly petting Bokuto’s head. “The dumbass puts up such a tough front, but between the confinement and the rest, I can tell he’s struggling. When was his follow up, again?”
“Tomorrow. He’ll be fine. He’s tough even if he’s a big baby.” Kuroo moved to the edge of the bed on Bokuto’s side, and scooted closer to the other two. On his way, he gently closed books and moved them into a neat pile. “Even if we’ve gotta keep him here for another week, he’ll bounce back good as new. And maybe he’ll look where he dives for his damned dig next time.”
“You are asking a bird who only knows how to soar to learn to walk.” Akaashi laughed, looking up from one boyfriend to the other, eyes settling down at the sleeping Bokuto.
“Yeah, but we can hope.”
~~~~
It was, in fact, good to get Bokuto outside. It was a Saturday morning and that meant that the campus was mostly deserted. Something about college students and sleeping in on a Saturday morning.
“Thank you for letting me go for a walk.” Bokuto walked a slow step ahead of the other two as he turned to walk backwards. “I’ve been a good boy. I totally deserve it!”
“Yeah, but if you fall and hit your head again, you’ll be back in confinement.” Kuroo shook his head as Bokuto righted himself and walked straight.
“Fine. You’re no fun!” Even still, Bokuto was the happiest he’d been since his injury. He was moving a little stiffer than normal, but that was to be expected with how little exercise he had been allowed over the past week.
They walked in silence, simply taking in the beautiful day. Once they had arrived at the building with the sports medicine doctor, Bokuto immediately tensed up. His good mood dampened, as if he was expecting the worst news. Without a release, the coach wouldn’t let him play, and without being able to even exercise, the rain cloud over his head would only worsen.
“Everything will be fine.” Akaashi reassured as they stepped into the elevator.
“You have been good. I can’t see why he wouldn’t give you a clean bill of health.” Kuroo nodded, leaning lazily against the railing of the elevator.
“Yeah.” Bokuto didn’t seem to be convinced. They once again fell into silence.
They exited the lift, Bokuto now falling in step behind Kuroo and Akkashi. It was at the door to the office that Akaashi and Kuroo stopped.
“You’ve gotta go by yourself.” Akaashi bit the inside of his lip as he reached for the door. It wasn’t a secret that they were dating, but it wasn’t common knowledge, either. It was better if Bokuto went on his own.
“We will be here for you no matter what happens.” Kuroo smiled a small smile, lips curling slightly.
“Yeah.” Bokuto looked pleadingly between his two boyfriends. “I’ll be back!” And he put on his strong face.
There was a moment where the other two waited, not sure what to say to the other. It was tense and uncertain.
“He’ll be fine. He always is.” Akaashi assured the other man.
“Yeah. You’re right. I just know that he needs this dumb sport more than he needs anything. Just like Hinata and Kageyama. It is entirely his whole being.” Kuroo leaned against the hallway, letting his head fall against it as he looked up at the cheap fiberglass ceiling tiles. “He needs to be alright.
“Also,” Kuroo chuckled, looking at his boyfriend. “I’m not sure I can take even another day of the whining.”
They both laughed at that, knowing that the confinement was likely one of the worst things that Bokuto had likely ever had to endure.
“We need to make sure that he doesn’t go clobbering himself in the noggin any time soon then.” Kuroo relaxed against the way, Akaashi coming to rest next to him.
“I don’t think it’ll be that hard. I bet our owl will do anything to keep his wings from getting clipped again.”
“Yeah. Maybe he’ll look before he leaps.” Kuroo closed his eyes as they fell into a comfortable silence. Before either had realized it, Bokuto was rushing from the room, an excited grin splitting his face in two.
“Hey, hey, hey!” His fists raised towards the sky with a now crumpled paper in his hands. “Got the all clear!”
A soft, echoing laugh came from Kuroo as Akkashi let out a relieved sigh. They looked towards each other with a smirk before looking back to Bokuto.
“Well.” Kuroo’s smile turned up in a cocky fashion. “You get to practice tonight?”
“Of course!” Bokuto stood up tall and the joy radiated throughout his entire being.
“Can I see that?” Akaashi already had his fingers around the note before Bokuto could say anything. He pulled, and reluctantly the Ace released his grip.
“I mean. The Doc said I was good.” Bokuto pouted, looking from Akaashi to Kuroo, lip out and eyes on the verge of watering.
“You are still going to need to take it easy.” Akaashi folded the note back up neatly, heading it to Bokuto. “But yeah. You can practice, under limited circumstances.”
“But I can still practice.” Bokuto mumbled, kicking the air out of frustration.
“Yes. You can.” Despite himself, Akkashi was smiling. “Let's go take this to the coach. I'm sure he wants you back on the court as much as you do.”
“Come on Bo.” Kuroo was the first to move, heading towards the door and out into the fresh air once more.