Chapter Text
And isn’t it just so pretty to think? That all along there was some invisible string, tying you to me.
Ozaki Emi has lived an extremely sheltered life. She was what some would call a ‘rainbow’ baby. Her parents were on the older side when they had her, having struggled with infertility and conception for years before they finally had their little miracle. Unfortunately these struggles meant that Emi was born two months premature, leading her to have an autoimmune disease. To put it bluntly, her immune system may as well not exist. What looks like a simple cold for others can lead Emi to a week long stay in the hospital. Emi spent most of her childhood in and out of the hospital, making many friends with the other children who had chronic illnesses. After two years of elementary school, she ended up dropping out to do a lot of home schooling to make up for the school days missed, leaving her to feel lonelier than most children. But when she was fifteen, Emi pleaded with her parents to let her go to high school full time. She had started to go three months at a time without a hospital visit, so although they had reservations, her parents agreed. And so, Emi enrolled in Nekoma High School. There she made friends quickly with a boy in her class who was almost as introverted as she was - Kozume Kenma. His friendship brought along her friendships with the rest of volleyball team, most notably their captain. Kuroo took Emi under his wing, trying his best to introduce her to more people and help her make friends and connections. She became close with the two boys and when she started university with them, she became even closer to Bokuto. The extrovert instantly stuck to her, loving that she didn’t mind how much he talked or how excited he got about things. They complimented each other well, Emi helping to keep Bokuto calm when needed and Bokuto helping to bring her out of her shell.
Emi’s parents were extremely protective over her. After so many failed attempts of conceiving and bringing a child to term, they were obsessive about keeping her safe. All of her hospital visits brought on more stress and more protectiveness from them. When she told them that she wanted to live in the dorms of university, they nearly had heart attacks. But after much pushing and promises to be safe and not do anything unnecessary (for example, having a social life) they very reluctantly agreed to letting her try living by herself at Waseda University in Tokyo. Only a thirty minute drive from her parents’ house in Saitama, but they still felt like it was too much distance. Emi’s parents were extremely successful individuals, having built a respectable social profile for themselves. Her mother was a dignified politician and her father was a business owner. Not so high up that they got harassed by people, but high enough that they were well respected and anyone who was actively into politics knew who her mother was. This meant that they were very protective of not only their daughter but their image. And so it was, that having a single daughter who is living by herself was a much bigger deal to them than it should have been if they had regular jobs. Emi’s cousins didn’t help the ambitious and strict upbringing that they had for her. Her older cousin, Asuka, was a successful lawyer whilst her other older cousin, Kaori, was a highly respected diplomat. Both of course with equally successful husbands and two beautiful children each. So whilst Emi’s parents loved her and wanted the best for her, they also had a lot of expectations for her. Sadly, her passion for writing didn’t come into those expectations. Neither did her reluctance to settle down with anyone they brought forward for her. Whilst they were letting her gain a degree in Literature and Linguistics, she had to then get a minor in Business on top of that so that she had what her parents would deem a ‘real’ degree.
Emi’s parents would often attend galas filled with important people who had accomplished and important children that they would often try to set Emi up with. Which is what brought her to her current predicament. If she wanted to keep her support for her literature degree, her parents were pressuring her to start finding a boyfriend so that she could settle down and start thinking about continuing the family bloodline. Finding an heir for the family business, so to say. One of these galas was approaching and Emi’s mother had made it clear that there were at least three sons of overly important people who she wanted Emi to mingle with and eventually date. It wasn’t that Emi was particularly against romance or dating, she just wasn’t interested in it. She wanted to date for love, not for family gains. She knew that if she brought home a boyfriend of her choosing, her parents would be happy for her and not pressure her to go for one of their choices, but sadly they didn’t think that having no choice of a boyfriend was good enough.
“You’re twenty years old now, Emi. Your health isn’t getting any better. You need to start trying for a family as soon as possible!”
This brings Emi to today. Sitting in the coffee shop next to Waseda University, Emi was sat with Kuroo and Bokuto. Her head was in her arms, her pin straight, black hair covering her face.
“Emi, it can’t be that bad. Surely one of the guys will be nice,” Kuroo tried to encourage. She lifted her head, her green eyes narrowing at him.
“I don’t care how nice they are. I don’t want a boyfriend. I don’t want to think about a relationship at all,” she said. Kuroo sighed.
“Yeah. They’re pretty time consuming. I love being with Alisa and I wouldn’t change it for the world, but it’s hard to find time for everything I have going on,” Kuroo said. Kuroo had been dating Alisa Haiba for just over a year now. Emi thought they were a great couple, although she did wonder how Kuroo put up with Lev treating him like an older brother now.
“Why don’t you just tell them you have a boyfriend?” Bokuto suggested.
“Because they’ll demand to see photos and to meet him. I can’t exactly tell them I have a boyfriend then have no proof,” she said.
“I’ll be your boyfriend to get them off your back,” Bokuto offered. Kuroo scoffed.
“You? Are you joking? They’ll take one look at how much of a whirlwind you are and pluck Emi straight out of university with their bare hands. You’re too spontaneous and outgoing to be Emi’s boyfriend,” Kuroo said. Bokuto’s shoulders sagged, making him pout slightly.
“It’s okay. I think you’d make a great boyfriend, Bokuto. But Kuroo’s right. My parents would think all of your energy and excitement would kill me,” she rolled her eyes. Her praise perked him back up and he tilted his head.
“Okay, maybe not me, but maybe you should get a fake boyfriend! It’ll get them off your back,” he said. She let out a small hum.
“I don’t know. I don’t really know who I’d ask. You two and Kenma are the only boys I properly speak to. They already know Kuroo’s with Alisa and I think Kenma would rather run twenty marathons than come to any social gatherings my parents would need my fake boyfriend to attend,” Emi said.
“God, could you imagine Kenma at one of those galas?” Kuroo snickered. Emi sighed as she sipped her drink.
“I’m doomed. I’m just going to need to accept that I’m going to have a stupid boyfriend who I’m going to need to pretend to like for the next two and a half years until I finish university,” she said.
”Maybe Kuroo and I could find someone for you. It might be easier if it’s someone you don’t know super well. Might make the affectionate side easier. I was just thinking about how if I was your fake boyfriend we’d have to kiss and stuff and it felt weird in my brain,” Bokuto said. Emi wrinkled her nose.
“Yeah, I love you, but I don’t want to kiss you,” she said.
“I’m sure someone we know would be a good fit for this. Let’s go through a list of qualities a fake boyfriend would need,” Kuroo said.
“I don’t know about this. It seems too weird. I mean, why would anyone agree to this?” Emi asked. Bokuto shrugs.
“Maybe they have their own family pressures,” Kuroo said. Bokuto pulled out his notebook, flipping through it until he got to an empty page. He grabbed a pen, roughly scribbling ‘Emi’s Fake Boyfriend Qualities’ at the top of the page. She rested her hand in her palm as she decided to just go along with whatever they were planning.
“Okay. He has to be someone smart. Someone doing a good degree,” Kuroo said. Bokuto nodded quickly, writing it down.
“Someone who appears more reserved. They don’t want someone who they’ll think will corrupt me and take me to loads of parties and other ‘germ infestations’ as they call them,” she said.
“Someone well read and well spoken. Someone who’s interested in politics,” Kuroo said.
“Slow down! I’m not a fast writer,” Bokuto complained.
“It’s superficial, but someone from a nice family,” she said.
“Someone who’s super polite and respectful,” Kuroo added.
“Someone who knows what they’re going to do when they graduate,” she said.
“Okay. This is a good start, right? I’m sure between the two of us we could find someone who matches all this,” Bokuto said. Although he didn’t sound overly confident.
“It’s honestly fine. I wouldn’t expect anyone to be interested in doing this with me. The gala isn’t for another two months anyway. And they’d need to meet any boyfriend before I dreamed of taking one to a gala. But thank you guys for trying to think of something,” she said. She looked at her phone, sighing at the time.
“I’ve gotta get back to my dorm. I need to catch up on some assignments,” she said.
“Well don’t rule it out! We’ll come up with something!” Kuroo promised her. She smiled as she gathered her things, giving them both a small hug.
“I love you guys. I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. She waved goodbye and the two boys watched sadly as she left.
“This is some bullshit,” Kuroo said. Bokuto nodded.
“Yeah. I hope she finds a way out of it. Nobody deserves to be in a relationship they don’t want to be in. Speaking of crappy relationships, I’ve got to go see Akaashi,” he said.
“How’s he getting on? Still moping?” Kuroo asked.
“Yeah. He’s taken the break up really badly. Doesn’t help that Kiyabu has already moved on and seems intent on staying in his life pretending to be his friend. I’ve told him to just ignore her but it seems like he can’t. He needs her to think that he’s doing fine and is happy for her,” Bokuto ranted. Bokuto Kōtarō didn’t dislike many things or many people. But Akaashi’s ex girlfriend, Kiyabu Yuriko? She was a special exception. Even before she broke his best friend’s heart, he didn’t like her. Always trying to change Akaashi, make him like and do things that he weren’t him. So when Akaashi phoned him a couple months ago to tell him that he had been dumped, Bokuto was ecstatic. Until he heard sniffles and small sobs that he knew Akaashi was trying to hold in.
“She should just leave him be. Surely she knows that she’s just making things worse for him,” Kuroo tutted. Bokuto shrugged.
“I’ve told him to just ignore her but I just keep getting told about how much he loves her. It’s hard watching him,” Bokuto said. He packed up his bag, letting out a sigh before standing up.
“I’ll probably see you later. I’ll let you know how I get on with him,” Bokuto said. Kuroo gave him a wave, watching as his friend departed. He rested a hand on his fist as a small smirk grew on his face. Huh. Maybe he had figured out a way for Emi’s problem to be solved.
Emi stretched out her arms before typing on her laptop keyboard. She signed onto Waseda Writers Anonymous, pulling up her account. The university loved to promote creativity and collaboration between students. However, they knew that a lot of young people in their late teens or early twenties, were often far too mortified to actually attach their names to their pieces. Too scared to have people know what their biggest fears or dreams were. So five years ago, the leader of the Creative Writing club pitched the idea for an anonymous website that was open to all students, not just students in the Literature courses or the Creative Writing club. The website contained at least five thousand members, a tenth of the university’s population. Some people used it for a diary, some people used it for their own original story ideas, some people used it as a blog. People could follow each other, comment on posts, send messages to each other. All completely anonymously. It took a few months for it to take off, but now it was a roaring success. Emi pulled up her Home Screen, seeing a message waiting for her.
The way you describe things puts them into context perfectly. I always get excited when I see that you’ve posted a new piece of writing. - Tomo.
Emi blushed at the words on her screen. She wished she knew who Tomo was. All she knew was that he was a boy in second year, the same year as her. That’s all the information that was allowed to be posted on their WWA profile - their gender and what year they were in. They then got assigned a random name so that it was even more anonymous than someone figuring out who people were based on nicknames. She was assigned the name Shachi. People were welcome to share more personal details through the private messaging function but it was an unwritten rule that people didn’t.
Thank you, Tomo. I was hoping to hear from you. I was thinking about you recently since you haven’t been active in a while now. I hope you are well. - Shachi.
I am okay. I had been through a difficult personal time then I got caught up in my studies. But thank you for thinking of me. - Tomo.
Outside of Kuroo, Kenma and Bokuto, Emi would say that Tomo was probably one of her closest friends. She felt an easy flow of communication with him that she sometimes struggled to find with the boys in her real life. She knew they wouldn’t judge her, but voicing her thoughts and opinions to them seemed so much more real than hiding behind a pen name. She let out a sigh as she started writing her newest piece. She titled it ‘The Glass Box’. Writing about a girl who felt like she had lived in a glass box her entire life. Seeing the outside world, being able to hear the sounds of life and watch the experiences of people’s lives but always being shut away from it. Never being able to feel the sensation of having the sunlight kiss her skin. Being so close to the world but unable to touch it. It felt very apt for how she felt her life had been. She’d never had a birthday party. Never been allowed to hold or attend a sleepover. Wasn’t allowed to join a sports team. She’d never been on a date. Never had a boyfriend. Never been to a college party. She could see all of these experiences in front of her but they all felt so far out of her grasp that she couldn’t touch them. Just out of reach. Twenty years old and she felt like she’d barely lived at all. Just spent her life in her glass box that her parents carefully maintained, making sure it stayed pristine. Ensuring that no cracks or damages got to it. Despite her close friendships with Kuroo, Kenma and Bokuto, she found herself feeling lonely. A lot lonelier than she had ever felt before. She wished she had someone who she could tell her thoughts and feelings to. No judgement. She knew the boys would try to understand, try to help, but she knew they wouldn’t get it. That’s why she loved Tomo’s online company. It was as if he could see into her soul. Understand her. She tied up her hair, trying to stop the negative thoughts from creeping in. There were times where the thoughts would get so loud, so much, that it felt like they were seeping into her skin. Taking over her entire being. She jumped when her phone rang, the ringtone startling her.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Do you want to come to dinner with me and Bokuto tomorrow night?” Kuroo asked her.
“Sure. Where are you thinking of going?” she asked.
“Probably a barbecue place nearby campus. We won’t go too far. No public transport. I’ll drive us,” he said.
“Yeah. That sounds nice. I’d like that,” she said.
“Okay, good. I think Bokuto’s friend might be coming as well. Just to warn you since I know you’re iffy about meeting new people,” he said.
“New people? But I already have enough friends!” she whined. Kuroo laughed loudly on the other end of the phone.
“You do not. You’re so antisocial, it’s like I’m having to deal with two Kenma’s. Akaashi’s a good guy though. So don’t worry. He’s Bokuto’s best friend from school but he’s nothing like him so don’t worry,” Kuroo said.
“I don’t think there’s many people like him,” Emi giggled.
“You still feeling up for coming to dinner then?” Kuroo asked.
“Why not. It’ll be nice spending more time with you two. And I suppose I should finally meet the famous Akaashi. I’ve heard so much about him, I don’t know how I’ve never met him before,” she said.
“You know what? Me either,” Kuroo said.
“Will the four of us be driving together?” she asked.
”Nah. I’ll drive us and Akaashi will drive him and Bokuto,” Kuroo said.
“Okay. That makes me feel a little bit better,” she said. Her alarm went off on her phone, making her grimace as she moved the device away from her ear.
“Give me a second. Need to take my medications,” she said. She put the phone down, putting it on speaker. She grabbed her pill box and a bottle of water.
“You doing alright with all that stuff recently? It’s been a while since you’ve been in hospital,” Kuroo noted.
“Yeah. I’m actually feeling stronger. I don’t know if I am, or if my body is just starting to get used to feeling crappy all of the time,” she said.
“As long as you’re out the hospital, suppose it’s alright. Right, I’ve got an essay to write. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. She bid him goodbye before hanging up the phone. She sighed as she looked at her piece of writing, hitting publish.
Another great piece. Do you feel okay though? This was quite a sad piece. I felt very alone whilst reading what the girl in the glass box was going through. - Tomo.
Thank you, Tomo. I always appreciate your comments. I promise I’m okay. I’m just in my head a lot right now. Trying hard to see the beauty of life when I’ve barely experienced any of it. - Shachi.
“Hope you’re hungry. This place does massive portions. That’s why Bokuto’s so excited to go there,” Kuroo said. Emi laughed as he pulled away from the university carpark.
“I don’t know where he puts it all. He’s a bottomless pit,” she said.
“Suppose the amount of time he spends practicing volleyball and hitting the gym balances it out,” Kuroo shrugged.
“That makes sense actually. I forget that he’s actually really buff,” she laughed.
“He’s not the only one,” Kuroo bragged, tensing his arm whilst holding the wheel. Emi laughed some more, changing the radio station to one that played more modern music.
“Yes, you’re very muscular too,” she said.
“Too right,” he said. They both sang along to the song that was playing on the radio and Emi almost forgot to feel anxious about meeting Akaashi for the first time. Almost. As they got closer to the barbecue restaurant, nerves sat at the bottom of her stomach. Kuroo parked and he turned to look at her.
“You alright?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just a bit nervous,” she said.
“Don’t be. Akaashi’s a great guy,” he said. They got out the car and Kuroo spoke to the hostess as they got seated at their booth. Kuroo sat across from her and Emi rested her cheek against her palm. She scrolled on her phone, replying to a couple of texts her mum had sent her. She let out a small huff as she read one she had sent.
“What is it?” Kuroo asked.
“Just my mum. We’re having a family dinner next weekend. Askua won yet another big case so we all need to celebrate and I need to spend the evening hearing all about how amazing she is and how I should aspire to be like her,” Emi rolled her eyes.
“Be like who?” Bokuto’s voice asked. She looked up, smiling when she saw him. Her eyes found the man who was trailing Bokuto and they widened as they took in his appearance. He stood at six foot tall, with curly black hair that was perfectly swept across his forehead. Dark blue eyes met hers and he gave her a tight lipped smile.
“Bokuto, aren’t you gonna introduce the two?” Kuroo asked.
“Oh yeah! Akaashi, this is Ozaki Emi. Emi, this is Akaashi Keiji,” Bokuto introduced. Kuroo motioned his head to Bokuto, making him sit on his side of the booth. Akaashi awkwardly sat next to Emi, giving her a small nod.
“It’s lovely to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Bokuto,” Emi said.
“Likewise. I’m surprised it took us this long to actually meet. With how often he talks about you, I thought I’d have met you at one of the many parties he drags me to,” Akaashi said.
“Ah, parties aren’t really my thing,” she said, a false smile on her lips. Bokuto went to open his mouth but Kuroo quickly elbowed him. He knew that Emi didn’t like everyone knowing about her health issues. Didn’t like the sympathy and pity that came with them knowing.
“Nor mine. But it’s nice to know he gives someone a choice about attending them,” Akaashi said, sending a narrow gaze to his best friend.
“Aw come on! You have fun!” Bokuto said. Emi let out a giggle at Bokuto’s pouting and Akaashi shot a tiny smile at her. He didn’t know what to expect when Bokuto dragged him out of his dorm room, but he was pleasantly surprised. He always imagined Emi to be similar to Bokuto and Kuroo. But he was relieved to see that she was more introverted like himself. The waiter took their orders and soon brought over some drinks for them.
“Aw I wish I wasn’t driving. I could kill for a beer after the week of tests I’ve had,” Kuroo complained.
“Yeah, me too. But I don’t want to be the only one drinking,” Bokuto pouted.
“You don’t drink?” Akaashi asked Emi. She shook her head. Her parents were incredibly against her drinking. Too worried that they’ll react badly with her medications and put her in the hospital. So she never drank.
“Not really,” she simply said.
“If you two want to drink, I don’t mind driving us all back to campus. You can leave your car here and get it tomorrow,” Akaashi offered.
“You’re the best!” Kuroo grinned. When the waiter brought their food over, Kuroo and Bokuto both ordered a beer and Akaashi turned his attention to Emi.
“So how do you know these two?” he asked her.
“Aw! Look at Akaashi socialising!” Bokuto grinned. Akaashi glared at him. Emi giggled once more.
“Don’t be mean,” she chastised him.
“Emi was in Kenma’s class back in school. Took her under my wing. Made her help out with the volleyball club and then when she started university last year, she spent more time with this moron and they just stuck together like glue,” Kuroo said.
“You went to Nekoma? I’m surprised we haven’t met then if you were involved in the volleyball club. I used to play with Bokuto,” Akaashi said.
“Oh, I only helped out at school. I didn’t go to any training camps or anything although I wish I did. What position did you play?” Emi asked.
“I was the setter. And Bokuto’s babysitter,” he smirked.
“Hey! I wasn’t that bad!” Bokuto protested.
“You’re right. You were worse,” Kuroo snickered. Bokuto crossed his arm, bottom lip stuck out. Emi leaned across the table, ruffling his hair.
“Well you’re pretty great now!” she cooed at him. He instantly perked up and Akaashi raised an eyebrow.
“Wow. I’ve never seen someone else able to handle him like that,” Akaashi said. Bokuto went to protest some more but was cut off by Emi’s phone ringing.
“Sorry. Is it okay if I take this? It’s my mum,” she said. Akaashi moved out of her way, letting her slide out of the booth. She walked outside the restaurant and Bokuto grinned at his friend.
“Well? She’s pretty great, huh?” Bokuto said.
“She’s nice. Not at all what I was expecting,” Akaashi admitted.
“You didn’t expect another quiet person to put up with him, did you?” Kuroo laughed.
“Hey!” Bokuto glared. Emi came back to the booth, her energy noticeably drained.
“Everything alright?” Kuroo asked. Akaashi let her get back in the booth and Emi let out a sigh.
“Just my mum already ironing out details for my cousin’s celebration dinner next weekend,” Emi rolled her eyes.
“Oh which one now?” Bokuto asked.
“Asuka. She won a big case and she’s super close to making partner at her firm. So it’ll just be an evening hearing about how wonderful she is and don’t I wish I was more like her. But even better! Her husband’s younger brother is going. A medicine major. So my mum was telling me how I’ll need to sit next to him and wear my best dress and all that crap,” Emi complained.
“Ouch. Sounds rough,” Kuroo grimaced.
“I’m telling you, Emi. Tell them you have a boyfriend!” Bokuto said. Akaashi watched the exchange with mild interest. He didn’t want to pry into her family dynamics. But he found himself wanting to know more.
“And I’ve told you - it won’t work! They’ll want to meet said boyfriend and I can’t just pull one out my ass,” Emi rolled her eyes.
“That’s why you find someone! Someone fake to date!” Bokuto said.
“It’s silly. Nobody will want to do that,” she said. Kuroo took a swig of his beer, shit eating grin on his face.
“Akaashi can do it.”