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Bokuto startles awake when the bus comes to a screeching halt in the shopping mall parking lot. He jolts again as he realizes where his head currently lies—on the shoulder of one Akaashi Keiji. Bokuto quickly twists towards the window to wipe the drool from his chin before turning back to his seat partner. “Uh…sorry about that,” he stutters, blushing as he swats a spot of residual saliva off of the collar of Akaashi’s jacket.
“No worries, Bokuto-san,” his best friend responds, giggling at Bokuto’s frantic behavior as he makes an attempt to blow the collar dry. “Really, it’s okay. You deserved to rest after that game.”
Bokuto stops blowing, lips still pursed as his eyes roam up to meet Akaashi’s. He’s mere inches from Akaashi’s face, so close he could almost…nah, that’s silly. Best friends don’t do that. He kinda wishes they did though.
“I was pretty great, huh?”
“You never cease to amaze me, Bokuto-san.”
Okay, he really wishes they did.
Bokuto’s stomach interrupts the soft moment with a forceful growl. His already-flushed cheeks grow pinker as he says, “I guess I worked up an appetite.”
“I’ll say,” Akaashi snickers. “Why don’t we go grab something from the food court?”
“Great idea!”
As the team enters the mall, they walk by a claw machine full of owl plushes. Akaashi turns his head to look; Bokuto taking notice of his subtle smile.
It’s the cutest damn thing Bokuto has ever seen.
“Did you wanna play?” he asks Akaashi as he pulls out his wallet. “I have a little extra cash!”
Akaashi waves him off. “That’s very kind, Bokuto-san, but I couldn’t take your money.”
“Oh, okay…” Bokuto deflates, hair and all, as they continue walking towards the food court. He instantly perks back up when he has the most brilliant idea.
“I 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 gotta pee,” he says dramatically, adding a little dance to sell the fib. “I think I saw some restrooms on the way in. I’ll catch up in a bit!”
Bokuto barely hears Akaashi’s reluctant approval as he begins sprinting in the direction of the entrance. He rounds the corner, setting sight on the flashing yellow machine filled with a variety of brightly colored owls. He waits patiently as a little kid finishes playing, winning one of the toys on the first try.
This’ll be a piece of cake.
Bokuto walks up to the machine, takes out a 100 yen note and slides it in. He grabs the handle and moves it to the right, but the claw doesn’t budge.
“What the hell?” Bokuto smacks the glass lightly, hoping to jolt the machine to life. When that doesn’t work, he glances down at the screen which reads ‘1/2 credits’.
200 yen for a generic plush? For god’s sake, it isn’t frickin’ Duolingo…
Oh well. He can skip the boba this time. Akaashi said he should be drinking more water anyway.
Bokuto pays the extra 100 yen and begins playing the game, moving the claw towards an owl with teal feathers. The plush is perfectly placed, lying face down in the middle with no surrounding obstacles. He impatiently presses the button as soon as the claw is directly over the toy, causing it to swing on the way down.
“No, no, no!” Bokuto mutters as he helplessly watches one of the claw’s arms land directly on the owl’s midsection, shifting it to the left as it swiftly clamps around nothing. Bokuto drops his head in defeat before immediately glancing back up in determination.
‘kaashi is getting a damn owl if it kills me.
He pulls his wallet out again and counts the bills. 1,000 yen left. That’s okay, he can live without the green onions on his ramen today.
Bokuto pays another 200 yen as he sticks his tongue out and squints one eye before taking hold of the machine’s joystick once more. The owl’s position is a bit trickier this time around with the left side pressed against a similar pink-feathered plush. It’s still the most accessible one, though.
This time he waits patiently for the claw to stop swinging before pressing the button. The left side slides perfectly between the two conjoined owls, claw clasping around the teal owl as it begins to rise. Bokuto does a little happy dance to celebrate.
This is it!
But as his shaking hips inadvertently smack the machine, the owl slips from the claws grasp and back into the pile.
“NOOOOOO!!!” Bokuto raises his fists in the air and dramatically drops to his knees, completely unabashed by the concerned glances he’s receiving. He relaxes his appendages, letting gravity force them to his side as he takes a moment to calm himself down. There goes the ramen’s soft-boiled egg…
Bokuto makes another feeble attempt, this time completely misjudging the distance and almost snagging a yellow owl. Which would have been fine except Bokuto already named the teal one and, well, there’s no way he’s leaving without Hootie now.
Two tries later—Hootie is back in the open with Bokuto down to his last 200 yen. He may have to concede to his hunger, but he will never admit defeat to this damn claw machine.
Bokuto slides the last two bills in, a bead of sweat dripping from his brow as he carefully moves the claw. He checks the timer before walking to the side of the machine, ensuring that the claw is placed directly above the teal owl. Bokuto opts to let the timer run out, the claw dropping on its own. He holds his breath as it briefly stops before clasping shut with all the claw arms finally surrounding Hootie.
The boy doesn’t dare speak, move, or even breathe as the machine slowly brings the owl closer to the drop zone. Bokuto knows that logically this can’t take more than a few seconds, but it feels like forever and it’s torture.
When the plush finally falls, Bokuto quickly rushes to grab it before its fake wings somehow magically fly itself back into the pile. “You’re a little shit, Hootie,” Bokuto grumbles at the owl before turning back towards the direction of the mall’s food court. As Bokuto approaches, he strategically hides the owl behind his back and sits next to his best friend.
“There you are, Bokuto-san. I was getting worried.” Akaashi gives the now-sweaty Bokuto a quick once-over. “Is everything okay? Aren’t you going to get something to eat?”
Bokuto slyly sets the plush on the table in front of Akaashi, giving a half-crooked smile. Akaashi jolts, eyes widening with wonder at the sight. “Is that…for me?”
Bokuto nods. “His name’s Hootie, by the way.”
Bokuto’s entire body tenses and mind goes fuzzy as his setter’s lips connect with his cheek. He’s not sure how long the kiss lasts, he just knows that it isn’t long enough.
“Thank you, Bokuto-san. I love it,” Akaashi replies fondly. “We’ve still got some time before we have to be back on the bus, why don’t you go get some dinner?”
Bokuto nervously shifts his gaze away from Akaashi. “Oh, I’m not hungry…”
Bokuto’s stomach chooses that exact moment to betray him, grumbling loudly to fill the silence. Akaashi gives Bokuto an all-knowing glance before abruptly leaving the table and returning with a pair of chopsticks. “Here. We can share mine.”
“Akaaaaashiiiiii….” Bokuto whines in protest.
Akaashi presents the chopsticks again with raised eyebrows. “I’m not going to let you starve to death over some dumb owl.”
Bokuto jokingly covers Hootie’s ears while whispering “Shhh! He’ll hear you!” before finally taking the utensils from Akaashi’s hands.
On the bus ride home, Bokuto places a kiss of his own on Akaashi’s forehead as he rests on Bokuto’s shoulder, squeezing tightly around his new plush.
The best 1,200 yen Bokuto’s ever spent.
