Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Keiji’s body moved on its own. He didn’t remember much. Just his boyfriend, incoming headlights and darkness.

 “Akaashi! Hey! Stay with me!” His voice was faint.

Bokuto-san?

“Hey! Can you hear me? Keiji, help’s coming. Just... Just stay with me, okay?” He sounded desperate.

Help? Why do I need help?

“Keiji? Don’t leave... Kei... ji...”

Bokuto-san?

If there was a reply, Keiji didn’t hear it. Sound faded into the distance as his consciousness slipped away.

Kou?

The coldness around him was seeping through his clothing and it made Keiji groan from the discomfort. He blinked away the sleep in his eyes to find himself leaning against a wall in an alleyway. Where am I? The movement of people and vehicles several metres away caught his attention. Standing slowly as he willed away the numbness in his body, he walked out onto the main street.

It was already sundown but the streetlights in Tokyo provided plenty of illumination to guide people to their destination. Keiji recognised the area he was in. It’s about a half hour walk home from here... He sighed quietly, reaching for his wallet in his pocket to check whether he had enough for a taxi ride, only to find that his pockets were empty. He patted all of them, jacket pockets, jean pockets – nothing. Looks like I’m walking home then.

The places he passed on his way home were identical to the ones he saw nearly everyday, yet he couldn’t help the feeling that something wasn’t right. Like, how did I end up falling asleep in an alleyway? I was on my way home with Bokuto-san, when... A sudden throb was felt at his temple causing him to groan in pain. Keiji rubbed it gently, willing the pain to fade as his feet continued to automatically take him back to his house.

When he arrived, Keiji made his way up to the door giving it a few knocks then waited patiently as he heard footsteps padding towards him from the other side. He couldn’t help the small smile as he saw familiar long, black hair and the beautifully sculpted face of his mother opening the door.

“I’m home,” he said, offering a small smile.

However, what he wasn’t expecting was the frown the woman returned. “I’m sorry dear, are you lost?” She asked, eyebrows furrowing in confusion and worry.

That was certainly not the reply he was expecting. And before he could think, his mouth moved on its own. “Mum, it’s me.” When he received a raise of an eyebrow, he added, “I live here.” He felt stupid declaring that he also lived here. But that feeling was soon overwritten by a churn of his stomach when the woman pulled a thoroughly unimpressed expression.

What’s going on here?!

“Who is it, hon?” A dark brown, wavy haired man appeared behind the woman, looping an arm around her shoulders, fixing Keiji with a stoic look. “What’s the matter, boy?” He asked, dark grey eyes doing a once over the setter.

“He says he lives here...” she trails off, unsure of what else to say.

The man chuckled, removing his arm from his wife, instead leaning against the doorframe. “Did you miss the name plate outside?” He pointed at the stone pillar besides the gate which has the ‘Akaashi’ name plate on. “You have the wrong house.”

“I am an Akaashi,” he replied, trying to speak above a whisper as he felt his voice shrink inside him. When he was met with confused and slightly outraged looks, he felt his blood run cold. “My name’s Akaashi Keiji.” He felt strange having to state his own name in front of his own parents.

At the mention of his name, their faces paled. The woman looked on the verge of tears, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, while her husband looked murderous. He stepped forward, forcing Keiji to take a step back. Daggers were glared into the boy’s soul and never had he ever seen his father that angry. Honestly, he thought a smack round the face was incoming.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to do kid, but that joke wasn’t funny,” he spat threateningly.

“But it wasn’t a joke!” He replied, desperation laced in his voice, mentally kicking himself for speaking without thinking again and failing to keep his emotions contained. “You are my parents, right?” He felt stupid, doubting who his own parents were when he has been living with them all his life. “Akaashi Seto and Akaashi Yuko, right?”

His father visibly froze while his mother stepped forward, eyes red from restraining tears. “Prove it,” she choked out, snapping her husband back to the current situation.

Keiji didn’t know what to do. Prove it? Prove I’m their son? How? I don’t have my birth certificate on me. How do I-

“When’s your birthday?” She asked, stopping Keiji’s internal turmoil.

“December 5^th,” he replied without missing a beat.

“Why were you named ‘Keiji’?”

“Because you wanted a respectful son, one who considers all possibilities and opinions of others, in the end finding a suitable conclusion which benefits all parties involved.” Keiji knew he was right, that this was the right answer because I remember asking this very same question when I was in elementary school!

The woman in front of him considered his answer with a critical look, then abruptly turned on her heel. “Come in,” she said over her shoulder.

“What?” Both males gaped at her.

She sighed. “I said to come in. You live here, right?” A small smile was offered to Keiji before she strolled off into the house. His father glanced at him sceptically before nodding once and followed after his wife. Keiji understood that to be a “come in”. After closing the door quietly behind him, he toed off his shoes and whispering an awkward “sorry for intruding” under his breath.

After a few steps down the corridor, his mother popped round the corner. “How long have you been out?” She asked suddenly.

“Err, I-I’m not sure...” He replied lamely, still unable to comprehend the whole situation. Despite his answer, a towel was thrown at him, which he caught on natural reflex.

“Go take a shower, I’ll bring some spare clothes up. Shower’s-”

“Upstairs. Second door on the left.” He finished quietly, offering her a small smile which she returned, giving a nod before retreating back into the living room. It’s like I’m a guest in my own house... It’s weird. I still don’t understand what’s going on... He gripped the towel in his hand then marched up the stairs to the bathroom.

Chapter Text

The hot water eased some of the tension and uneasiness in his body, while his mind ran through multiple scenarios explaining how his own parents could have possibly forget that they had a son. They definitely are my parents. Well, they look and act identical to the ones I live with... Everything is how it was like yesterday... Yesterday? I was at school like normal. Volleyball practice with Bokuto-san then we walked home, then... There was a car... And then... He felt a similar piercing pain in his head again, but this time he wanted to continue his train of thought. Then I pushed him, I think... And then... He groaned in frustration at both the pain throbbing at his temple and his inability to remember anymore of what happened.

There was a knock on the door, snapping him out of his reveries. “I’m leaving some clothes in the basket. They should hopefully fit.” His mother called over the sound of running water.

“Thank you,” he replied.

After getting out of the water, Keiji recognised the clothes to be his father’s and pulled them on without much difficulty. He progressed down the stairs, more quietly than usual then stopped just outside the closed living room door. His parents’ voices could be heard from the other side.

“You can’t be sure.” His father said.

“You saw him, right? He looks...” She paused, probably taking a deep breath to compose herself, it’s one of her few habits. “He looks like us. His hair, face and those eyes are definitely yours.”

Unsure of when to make his presence known, he decided to knock now before hesitating any longer. The conversation beyond the door abruptly fell silent as he opened the door to his very familiar living room. His mother was sitting at the table, cradling a mug of coffee with her husband beside her. She gestured to the seat in front of them and after giving a small bow, Keiji sat down.

A heavy silent fell over the table. It was uncomfortable and awkward and Keiji knew that he wasn’t the only one feeling it. He was never good at starting conversations, much less when his mind was confused and unorganized. Thankfully, it was his mother who broke the silence first.

“So, where were you before coming... here?” She asked carefully, trying not to make the conversation sound like an interrogation.

“I err... Well, I don’t really know...” He felt stupid for being unable to answer such a simple question. His parents looked at him with concern and he thought he might as well tell them what he’s managed to piece together before waking up in the streets. “I was on my way home afterschool with a friend. Then a car came towards us... Sorry, but that’s about it... I don’t remember a lot,” he fiddled with his fingers restlessly under the table, “but I think I pushed him out of the way. What happened afterwards... I’m not too sure because the next thing I knew I was in an alleyway opposite the sushi bar downtown. It was already sun down by then, so I just made my way home. Well, I made my way here...” He corrected quietly.

A dense silence returned to the table but similar to last time, it didn’t last long because the raven haired woman spoke up again.

“We had a son,” she said darkly.

“Hey, you don’t need to tell him about that,” her husband voice was laced with worry.

She waved her hand dismissively. “No, I want to tell him. It might... help.”

“Sorry, but what do you mean by ‘had’?” Keiji asked carefully, curiosity peaked by the use of past tense.

His mother took a shaky breath before continuing. “Just over fifteen years ago, I gave birth to a boy on December 5^th. We named him Keiji, with the exact definition you gave outside: Respectful, patient and considerate.” Her eyes dropped to the forgotten mug of coffee in her hands. “However, he wasn’t physically strong. The doctors tried everything,” her voice wavered, tears threatening to fall. Her husband rubbed gentle circles into her back, calming her as she sobbed out, “he... he didn’t make it.”

Keiji’s heart sank further as he listened to her sob. After processing the information again and again, something caught his attention.

“Fifteen years ago?” He asked, seeming to catch the attention of his parents.

“Yes?” She replied, cheeks stained with tears.

“But I’m nearly seventeen. I’m in my second year of Fukurodani. Well from where I’m from anyway... Wherever that is...” He offered, mumbling the last bit more to himself.

“Keiji?”

“Yes, mu-” he swallowed the last word, unsure whether she’d appreciate being called it.

“You can call me mum,” she replied with a small smile which Keiji returned along with a small nod. “What would be the date today from your...” She trailed off looking for the correct word, “world, I guess?”

“October 19^th, I believe.” He answered, confused as to how this information could help.

“It’s February 26^th here... So the dates don’t match up,” she mumbled. “However according to your age, we are about a year and a half behind your world? If you catch what I’m saying...” She added the last part after seeing Keiji’s furrowed eyebrows and slightly tilted head.

“Hon, that’s a bit farfetched don’t you think?” Her husband looked worriedly at her.

“There are theories about parallel universes and other dimensions,” Keiji offered quietly.

“See! It’s definitely a possibility.” His mother said proudly, almost excited at the concept. She looked her husband in the eyes before turning to Keiji’s green ones. Taking a more serious tone, she continued. “Your eyes are unmistakable. You’re definitely our son... It’s just the you in this world...” She sighed, not wanting to repeat herself, although Keiji already knew what she wanted to say.

The silence returned as they pondered the new possibilities. It was a quiet yawn which escaped Keiji’s mother that brought him back to his senses.

“It’s late, maybe we should continue in the morning after we’re rested,” the brunette suggested.

“I’m going to use the shower. Would you mind showing Keiji the guestroom, dear?” She asked over her shoulder as she left the table.

“I don’t want to intrude,” Keiji spoke up, still feeling uncomfortable for saying such guest-like things when he was inside his own house.

“You don’t have anywhere else to go,” his father replied, which earned a small chuckle from his wife before she exited the room. “Didn’t you hear her a few minutes ago? She said you’re our son regardless of this situation.” He replied with a smile, standing up from the table then gesturing Keiji to follow. “Let’s go upstairs, the spare room is the one opposite the bathroom.”

“Oh.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“No, it’s just, that’s the room I sleep in... back home...”

“Is that so?”

They entered the guest room where the furniture layout was more or less the same as his own room, although there was a significant lack of decoration. He stood by the door as his father rummaged through the wardrobe, pulling out a few spare pillows and blankets, tossing them to the bed.

“I’ll get some spare clothes for you. Make yourself comfortable.” Keiji stepped aside to let his father leave the room before shuffling over to the bed. Not long after fixing his pillow in place, the door opened again and he was given a change of clothes for the next day. Bidding each other goodnight, Keiji sank into his bed, burying his face into his pillow while his mind pieced together whatever he could about the situation he’s somehow in.

So I was in a car accident in the original world and woke up here, where the me in this world died not long after being born. So am I dead? Is this the afterlife? He pinched himself hard under the covers, causing him to wince at the pain. I feel very alive... But can I even return to the old world? Can I go back to Bokuto-san? He sighed into his pillow. I miss him... Keiji fell silent for a moment, sleep slowly taking over when a thought occurred. Wait. Bokuto-san. If this world is a year and a half behind mine, then that means I’ll be enrolling into Fukurodani in just over a month. I wonder whether the Bokuto-san in this world is any different... I should talk to mum and dad about this tomorrow morning. He rolled onto his back, facing the dark familiar ceiling. They are still my parents, I guess, at least they didn’t slam the door in my face earlier. I’m glad they’re pretty much the same. Mum in this world is just as accepting as the one back home. Must be a mum thing. He smiled softly to himself. And as his mind started to clear, fatigue finally took over and he succumbed to sleep.

Chapter Text

Sunlight was flowing through his closed curtains and Keiji could hear faint chirping of birds outside. He rolled onto his back, blinking away the sleep as a familiar ceiling came into focus. What? Am I back? He sat up abruptly, swaying a little at the sudden movement. However after assessing his bland, undecorated room, he realised that no, he’s not back in his world. With a sigh, he trotted to the bathroom to wash up and change before going downstairs.

“Good morning,” he made his presence known to the woman in the kitchen.

“Ah, good morning!” She said cheerfully, “did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you.” He watched for a moment as she continued to make breakfast, then asked, “do you need any help with that?”

She chuckled lightly then turned to face him with a bright smile on her face. “If you don’t mind, that’ll be great!”

Keiji nodded once then walked further into the kitchen asking what he should do.

“I’ve made four pancakes already, but normally we have two each, so if you don’t mind making four more while I set the table...”

“I can do that.” He replied simply.

“Perfect! I’ll go set the table then.” She walked out with a cloth and a few knives and forks in hand. Keiji smiled to himself at the already made pancakes, they’re exactly the same as the ones mum makes. He mindlessly made the remaining pancakes and set them on top of the thinner larger ones his mother made before. It was only then that he noticed that there were four plates. Who’s the fourth person, he wondered.

She popped back into the kitchen not long after with her husband behind her.

“Morning,” he called to his father, receiving only a grunt which was unsurprising, knowing the brunette was not a morning person.

“Do you want coffee?” His mother asked as she set the kettle down.

“Yes, please,” Keiji and his father answered in unison which only made her chuckle again.

“Like father, like son,” she sang as her husband took two plates of pancakes out to the table. Keiji picked up the remaining two plates then followed his father out.

In the living room, he was asked again, “did you sleep well?”

“Yes I did, thank you.” He felt happy at the two adults’ concern, it was familiar and comforting but the situation he was in still caused some uneasiness in the back of his mind.

The door behind them opened and his mother walked in with mugs of coffee in hand. She was setting them down when the door opened again.

“Mornin’,” A young voice mumbled groggily. Keiji instantly whipped his head around to find the source of this new voice. There, at the door, rubbing her eyes sleepily was a young girl. Someone he didn’t recognise. She was no more than ten years old, inheriting her mother’s straight hair but her father’s dark brown colour.

“Ah, you’re awake,” his mother stated.

The young girl hummed in response. Her hand which was rubbing her eyes didn’t make it down to her side when she froze. Young innocent green eyes locking onto Keiji’s equally green ones. In a flash, she retreated behind the frame of the door, leaving Keiji a little stunned. His father beside him broke out into a hearty laugh while his mother tried to stifle her laughter.

“Fuji, where are your manners? That’s no way to treat a guest.” She scolded lightly. “Come introduce yourself.”

The young girl peeked her head around the door, eyeing Keiji suspiciously before coming out fully. She gave a low, rigid bow then said robotically, “I’m Akaashi Fuji, a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Ah hi, I’m Keiji, pleasure’s mine,” he replied awkwardly.

“Let’s eat, food’s getting cold,” the brunette pointed out and without needing to ask twice, they sat at the table. His parents talked about various topics while the two younger ones ate quietly. Keiji couldn’t help feeling self-conscious at the young girl’s insistent, piercing stares.

“Mum, why are the pancakes different sizes?”

“Ah, that’s because Keiji made the smaller ones.” His mother replied gesturing to said person.

“Good job by the way,” his father praised beside him, “they’re smaller but thicker.” He took another bite, humming in appreciation.

“Thank you,” Keiji replied shyly. His gaze met the younger girl’s again but this time she was flicking her eyes from him then to her father. Oh no, she’s going to-

“Mister, why do you look like dad?”

I knew it! She really did ask! What do I do now? What do I even say? I’m her brother? Oh my God, this is awkward. What do I-

“He’s your cousin, Fuji.” Her father supplied convincingly, snapping Keiji out of his internal panic.

“Cousin?”

“Yeah, he’s going to be staying with us for a while so be good, okay?” His mother added, giving her daughter a warm smile. She didn’t return it, she only looked at Keiji suspiciously again before scooping the rest of her pancake into her mouth, giving a quick “thank you for the meal” before trotting off upstairs.

“Sorry about her,” his mother smiled apologetically. “She’s not used to visitors and she doesn’t really get along with the other kids in the larger family.”

“It’s alright, I can understand why she’s a little...” He was searching for the right word, “uncomfortable.”

Beside him, his father chuckled softly. “She’ll warm up to you though, especially with you staying here.”

That reminded Keiji that they did just mention that he will be staying in this household for a little while. Feeling the need to make sure, he asked, “is that really alright?” He was met with two pairs of furrowed eyebrows which made him shrink a little. “I mean, I don’t want to be intruding...”

The raven haired woman sighed. “What did I tell you yesterday, Keiji? You’re our son, of course you’re welcome to stay here.”

“You don’t have anywhere else to go anyway,” his father added with a smirk.

Keiji knew they were right and felt so very grateful that they accepted him so quickly and so wholeheartedly considering the fact they only ‘met’ the night before. He stood up abruptly from the table and gave a low bow, thanking the two in front of him.

They waved at him to sit down again but before long, loud footsteps were thudding their way down the stairs. Fuji was standing at the doorway again, this time in her school uniform and bag securely on her back.

“Dad, I’m ready.”

“Well, I’ll be off then.” The brunette stood from the table, giving his wife a peck on her cheek.

“Have a good day,” she replied.

Then on his way past, he ruffled Keiji’s hair, giving him a small smile which he returned before following his daughter towards the front door.

When the door clicked shut, his mother chuckled which drew his attention away from the now empty hallway. “We didn’t tell you about her last night, did we?”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Surprised?”

“Very” he admitted. “I don’t have a younger sister, in fact, I don’t have any siblings.”

“Well for the time being, she’s your little sister, but remember to play the ‘cousin’ role. We have to make it convincing. Oh and you can’t call me ‘mum’ in front of her.” She winked cheekily, which made Keiji chuckle lightly. A beat of silence later, she took a more serious tone. “We don’t know how long you’re going to be here,” she started. “We already have our theory involving your world and ours. And we also figured out the time difference, correct?” Keiji nodded at that question, not willing to interrupt. “But the problem is, time in this world may flow differently from yours.”

“What do you mean by that?” He asked slowly.

“It means that one day in your world, could be weeks, months or even years here. And of course, the opposite is possible too. We don’t have enough information to figure out how exactly you got here and how to get you back, if that’s even possible.” She muttered towards the end, making Keiji clench his jaw at that possibility.

“I’d like to believe that there is a way back.” The young man said with an air of determination which his mother nodded in acknowledgement. “But until then, what should I do?”

“What should you do?” She repeated, unsure of what Keiji meant. “You mean like a job or school?”

He nodded, glad that his mother was along the same wavelength as he was. She tapped at her chin. Then as if a light bulb went off above her, she suggested, “High school. You said Fukurodani right? You could enter as a first year, given how it’s only February now.”

“Will that work?” He asked, “but I haven’t attended a middle school here.”

His mother tapped her chin again, thinking up another possible convincing story. “You could say you were abroad,” she suggested, “or home-schooled.”

The young man considered the options and maybe that would work. They continued to discuss the possibilities and concocted a convincing story where Keiji was studying abroad due to his parents’ work. But instead of studying in a foreign high school, they sent him back to Tokyo to attend high school while living with his aunt and uncle (who just so happens to be his parents from a different dimension). It’s scary how we might actually be able to pull this off.

A few hours passed as they talked about enrolling at Fukurodani and other theories to explore about dimensional crossovers. It was only when Keiji’s stomach growled embarrassingly that they realized it was nearing lunch hour.

“Let’s go out for lunch,” she stood up, dusting herself off a little. “Then we can go buy some things for you.”

“What do you-”

“You’re not thinking of wearing your father’s clothes the entire time you’re here right? Whether it be a long stay or short.” She interrupted with a grin.

He sighed, “You have a point.”

“Perfect. Now, let’s go feed our tummies.” She bounded off excitedly towards the door. Her energy reminded him of someone he hadn’t seen in what felt like too long. I miss him, he sighed at the thought of his boyfriend before strolling off after his mother.

Chapter Text

During lunch, they listed various items to buy for Keiji such as clothing and school equipment. Hours then passed as they explored different stores, ending with multiple bags hanging off their bodies. The two Akaashis were chatting away lightly when Keiji halted in front of a sports store. His mother paused soon after and a smile spread across her face as she retraced a few of her steps.

“How did we forget to buy your volleyball equipment?” She asked in a teasing tone.

Keiji nodded once before realising what his mother had just said. “How did you know I play volleyball?” I’m sure I didn’t mention it before.

“Was I right?” She looked delighted, “oh wow, I really was right!” She cheered happily, laughing lightly at Keiji’s slightly shocked face. “It was a complete guess but I guess you can say it’s Mother’s Intuition.” She smiled proudly at him before trotting through the automatic glass doors with a slight spring to her steps. With a sigh and a small fond smile, he followed.

He’s familiar with this store and found what he was looking for rather quickly. T-Shirts, shorts, socks, trainers, taping, towel, water bottle... The mental list goes on, checking and double checking he had everything he needed for when he joins the volleyball club as a first year at Fukurodani... Again.

“Keiji, knee pads are over here,” his mother waved to him from half an aisle down.

He approached her eyeing the knee pads. “I don’t wear knee pads normally,” he admitted.

“You don’t?” She seemed oddly surprised at this but for Keiji, him and a few others of the regulars didn’t wear knee pads. Shaking his head in response, he turned to leave for the counter when his eyes caught ‘the long kneepads’. He sighed to himself for having been reminded of his boyfriend again and the thought of when, or if ever, he’ll get to see him again. 

“I’m sorry you had to spend so much money on me,” he said feeling a bit guilty as he set the bags down on the living room couch.

“It’s fine. I had a lot of fun,” she beamed a smile at him which was warm and full of motherly love. He returned a small smile then began to move the bags up to his room, ready to sort them into the wardrobe.

While Keiji was busy folding and hanging up clothes, he heard the front door open then his father announcing that he’s home, along with Fuji’s voice echoing the same phrase. Not long after, there was a soft knock on the door and automatically he called out a “come in”. He didn’t bother to look at who entered the door at first, but when the person didn’t say anything for a while, he was curious.

Standing halfway in the doorway was Fuji holding a glass of water close to her chest. She looked uncomfortable and was looking at everywhere but Keiji. Fuji chanced a glance at him and they made eye contact. “M-Mum said to bring this up to you,” she stuttered, holding the glass out at arm’s length before quickly dropping her gaze to the floor. Keiji accepted the glass of water with a soft smile and a gentle “thank you”. Setting it aside after sipping it, he continued to fold his newly bought clothes.

Every passing moment, Keiji felt more and more self conscious, feeling holes being drilled into him by the intensity of the young girl’s stares. She didn’t leave after handing him the water but neither did she say anything. So when he started to feel a little too uncomfortable, he asked softly, “do you need anything, Fuji-chan?”

She mumbled something in response but it was impossible to hear despite them only being no more than two metres apart. “Sorry, what was that?”

“I said...” She shuffled awkwardly, “do you need any help?”

She’s only asking out of politeness, he thought.

“Only if you want to help,” he answered, giving her the option to opt out if she didn’t want to.

“But mum said I should help you, Keiji Ojii-san.”

“Ojii-” he half choked, half repeated in surprise. Coughing lightly to compose himself, he replied, “You don’t have to help if you don’t want to. And,” he paused to think about how to word this, “you don’t have to call me Ojii-san.” It makes me sound old... Too old!

“Keiji Onii-san then?” She asked tilting her head questioningly.

“Yeah, that’s fine.”

“And are you sure you don’t need help?”

“Yes I’m sure, thank you.” She nodded quickly then clicked the door closed as she shuffled down the hallway.

A small smile settled on his face until his mother called him down for dinner an hour later.

Chapter Text

Days passed uneventfully, with Keiji discussing possible theories of getting home with his parents alongside preparing to attend Fukurodani. How long he’d be attending, he didn’t know but for the time being, he had a go-with-the-flow mindset.

His life in this world seemed almost natural, his relationship with his parents, his daily routine and so on. However, the one defining difference was Fuji’s existence. He admits that their relationship at first was awkward but he liked to think that it has improved somewhat since then.

One evening during dinner, his mother asked the young girl, “how was your day, Fuji?” to make conversation. However she received a stern reply.

“Yeah. Fine.” She replied in a tone that some would say crossed the line of being rude, but by observing the expressions on the adults’ faces, Keiji knew that this was not unusual. They didn’t push her anymore so the conversation changed rather quickly.

It was only when the same answer was given three days in a row that her parents wore a worried expression.

“Fuji?” Her father prompted. “What’s happening at school that’s making you upset?”

She lowered her chopsticks and shrank into her seat. “I don’t understand fractions,” she mumbled, loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. “A lot of my friends don’t, but I’m still annoyed.”

Her parents exchanged a look before their attention was back on their daughter. “Fuji, if a lot of your classmates don’t understand then the teacher will spend the next few lessons going over it. So it isn’t anything to worry about.” Her mother said gently, however Fuji didn’t seem to like what was said.

“But it’s already been a few lessons,” her frustration was very evident in her tone. “I want to understand. I want to complete questions. I hate being so confused and always asking for help. It’s just so ugghh...” She finished with a huff.

There was a moment of silence, before Fuji picked up her chopsticks, scooped the remaining rice into her mouth then stood up abruptly. “Thanks for the meal,” she muttered before dashing out of the room and climbed the stairs to her room.

“She’s always like this when she’s frustrated.” His mother sighed a moment later.

“She’s better now. She didn’t use to tell us what was wrong.” The brunette added. “We saw irritation written all over her face but whenever we asked about it, she’d just storm off. Now, we only push her for an explanation if it lasts more than a couple of days.”

“Do you not have time to help her?” Keiji asked. It sounded a bit rude in hindsight so he added, “because my parents helped me out a lot when I was her age.”

They both chuckled. “We’ve tried, but she doesn’t like our teaching style apparently,” his father replied.

“I’m glad you accepted ‘our’ help though,” she air-quoted ‘our’ with her fingers.

They finished eating dinner in comfortable silence and his father was the first to excuse himself. It was when Keiji was drying the dishes with his mother that he had an idea.

“Hey, mum?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you have any baking powder and chocolate chips?”

Keiji knocked lightly on the door leading to Fuji’s bedroom which was used as the guestroom in his world. He received no reply, so he knocked again but this time walked in afterwards.

“Fuji-chan? I’m coming in,” he announced softly.

The young girl was hunched over her desk with a few books sprayed out over it. She glanced up at Keiji when he clicked the door shut, but her attention didn’t last, quickly returning back to the books in front of her. He approached her with gentle steps, setting a glass of milk on her table while looking over her shoulder to see what she was working on – fractions. She stopped writing and turned to face Keiji fully. He was unsure of what she was about to say when her expression stilled and eyes finally caught the plate of cookies he was cradling.

“You should take a break,” he suggested lifting the plate to emphasise his point and chuckling lightly when her eyes followed the movement.

He set the plate down on the low table in the middle of the room and made himself comfortable. Fuji joined him after picking up her glass of milk and settling opposite him. She was eyeing the cookies hungrily but didn’t make any movement to take one.

“You can take them,” he said simple. Then without anymore hesitation, she took one and munched on it happily. Keiji took one for himself too, evaluating the taste and already coming up with improvements.

Half way through her second snack, she asked “Keiji nii-san, did you make these?”

He only nodded in response due to his mouth being full of said cookies.

“They’re really good,” she mumbled quietly.

“I’ll be happy to make more some other time.” It was her turn to nod, taking the last one into her hands.

She finished it with a contented smile and sigh, however that didn’t last because her face fell into a frown when she looked up at her desk. Keiji watched her carefully, seeing the frown turn slowly into a pout as she pushed herself up reluctantly back to her desk.

“I can help you, if you’d like,” he offered before she settled at her desk. She looked over her shoulder, considering the offer.

“Will it work?”

“We won’t know until we try,” he shrugged. Fuji turned away from him, expecting that to be a “no thank you,” but was pleasantly surprised when she swept up her books and scattered them onto the low table.

For the next few evenings, this became a regular thing between the two; Keiji baking cookies after dinner, then bringing them up to Fuji’s room to help her overcome fractions.

At first he asked her specifically what it was about fractions that she didn’t understand. Then by testing her with simple questions, Keiji realised that she was able to do most of them. That was until they tried multiplying and dividing fractions. To the setter, he found this odd since he’d consider this much simpler than addition and subtraction of fractions, no need for common denominators and what not. But he doesn’t voice this and simply offers Fuji step-by-step instructions then a few questions for practice.

“Is it all clear now?” He asked at the end of the week while she completed the final question of her homework.

“Yeah!” She cheered happily. “Thanks Keiji-nii!”

He chuckled lightly before catching the time on the clock, 10:42. “It’s late,” he pointed out, unable to miss the deflation of Fuji’s posture. He tried to ignore it, knowing full well that she needed her sleep. Standing up from the low table with an empty plate and glass in hand, he stepped towards the door. “Sleep soon, alright?” he suggested over his shoulder.

She made an affirmative grunt and with that he stepped out of the room.

“Will you help me again with other stuff?” She asked after him. “Like stuff not fractions?”

“Of course, just ask whenever, okay?”

Her smile was bright, blindingly bright as she nodded enthusiastically.

“Well goodnight then,” he said, receiving a “night night” from the younger girl before closing the door behind him and proceeding to the kitchen to clean up.

Chapter Text

It was a quiet late-March afternoon when the front door was violently thrown open followed by rapid footsteps approaching Keiji and his mother in the kitchen.

“Kei-nii!” Fuji’s voice rang happily throughout the house and when she found said person drying his hands on a clean cloth, she didn’t hesitate to run to him... Well, more like into him.

Keiji let out a soft “oof”, certainly not expecting to have the wind knocked out of him by the young girl who held tightly around his middle. He patted her hair softly, noticing the rustling of paper behind his back, then asked, “What do you have there, Fuji-chan?”

She pulled away almost instantly with a huge smile on her face, eyes squinting shut and mouth displaying small white teeth. “I got full marks on my maths paper!” She announced, overjoyed, holding her test paper up to Keiji’s face and indeed, in the top right hand corner, in big red font, was 100 circled. He felt proud, no, beyond proud at Fuji’s achievement and he knelt down so they were eye level and held out his arms. She dived into them immediately, still vibrating excitedly and Keiji said into her ear, “That’s amazing. You’ve worked so hard, you definitely deserve it.”

“It’s all thanks to you Kei-nii!”

“Fuji, be a little more gentle with the door,” their father said as he appeared in the doorway. “I think you dented the wall,” he chuckled lightly.

“Dented the wall?” Her mother repeated in shock. “Fuji, you have to be more careful,” she scolded but there was no real anger to it.

“But mum...” she whined, as she pulled away from their embrace. “I was excited and happy and I just needed to tell Kei-nii and-”

“It’s alright Fuji,” her mother replied, stifling a laugh with her hand. “Congrats on the full marks, you deserved it.”

The young girl flashed yet another bright smile at her mother before trotting out of the kitchen saying , “I’m going to take a shower before dinner. Then I want to watch a movie with Kei-nii!”

There was a beat of silence after she left, then the remaining Akaashis in the kitchen let out their pent-up laughter.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen her so happy.” The brunette finally said.

“I can’t believe she dented the wall,” his mother giggled.

“It’s a good reminder of her achievement,” Keiji added with a fond smile.

“And when did she start calling you Kei-nii?”

This question made Keiji ponder for a moment. When did she start calling me that? He still remembered being initially called ‘Keiji Ojii-san’, making him grimace at the memory. His confusion must have been evident because his father spoke up, “I’m just glad she’s warmed up to you. Honestly I was a bit worried at first, given the situation and all.”

Keiji nodded in response when his mother clapped her hands together for attention. “Well then, now that that’s over, we better start making dinner.”

“Good idea,” his father agreed. “I’ll go change then set the table.” He disappeared after that and they started to prepare dinner.

When his father returned, he held a stack of DVDs in his arms. “I brought them down, so you can pick which one you’d like to watch with her later.”

“I’ll probably let her choose,” Keiji replied.

The brunette hummed in response and said, “I’ll leave them by the TV.”

“Thank you,” he called, before turning his attention back to the stir fry he was in charge of.

The atmosphere around dinner was light and happy, with everyone chipping in and laughing. However there was still this uncomfortable lump sitting in Keiji’s gut reminding him that he has to go back to where he came from. No matter how at-home he felt here, this wasn’t the world he belonged to.

Like most evenings, his father was the first to retire to his bedroom while Keiji and his mother cleaned the dishes. Although this time Fuji was watching them from the doorway, standing well out of the way and simply waiting patiently.

“Fuji-chan, why don’t you go and choose a film while we finish up?” Keiji suggested at the still excited little girl who nodded in quick succession before bouncing off to the stack of DVDs his father brought down earlier.

Soon the dishes were done and his mother asked, “Are you going to bake any cookies for the evening?”

“That’ll take some time though,” he considered, not wanting to make the young girl wait any longer.

His mother patted him on the shoulder. “Go ahead and make some, I’ll give her something to do in the meantime.” Then she moved out of the kitchen calling for Fuji.

Keiji got to work instantly, throwing all the ingredients together into a dough, then putting them into the oven. He stepped out of the kitchen to see Fuji and her mother setting the coach with pillows and blankets taken from the upstairs bedrooms. Keiji shuffled over to them and Fuji patted the couch, gesturing him to sit down.

“In a bit Fuji-chan, I need to keep an eye on the cookies, don’t want them to burn, do we?”

She shook her head at the question then asked, “Is Jurassic Park okay?”

“Of course.” He replied simply, earning a smile from the younger girl.

The cookies were plated, now sitting on the coffee table along with two glasses: one milk and one coffee. They made themselves comfortable on the couch and started the movie, listening to the Jurassic Park theme tune kick in.

“I’m turning the lights off, don’t sleep too late alright?” His mother called from the doorway.

“Okay,” the two replied in unison then the room turned dark, the TV became the only source of light in the room.

One movie turned into two, then three. Keiji knew he should have stopped Fuji after the first one but seeing as this little celebration didn’t come often, he made this evening an exception. Over the course of the late evening, the young girl had shifted her position multiple times and was currently on Keiji’s lap, wrapped in blankets.

They were half way through the Jurassic Park III when Keiji noticed the weight of Fuji’s head on his chest grew heavier.

“Fuji-chan?” He whispered quietly.

No reply.

“Hey, Fuji-chan?” He tried again.

Still no reply. Not even a grunt or a stir. Nothing. To be expected, she had been overly excited all evening, he thought fondly. He told himself that he’ll take her up to her room after the film has finished, but at some point between then and the end of the film, Keiji dozed off into a deep slumber, dreaming of bright happy smiles and loud excited voices.

The distant sounds of sizzling and clanging of pots and pans made Keiji stir. He could only feel an ache in his lower back but anything below was beyond numb. The weight in his lap groaned a little when the young man brought his hand up to rub sleep out of his eyes. It was then that he remembered about the movie night and mentally scolded himself for falling asleep.

“Oh, you’re awake,” a voice behind him stated. Turning to look over his shoulder, Keiji saw his father sitting at the table cradling a mug of coffee, smiling fondly at the two on the coach.

“Good morning,” he said, voice groggy from sleep. “Sorry I fell asleep here.”

“It’s fine,” his father waved a hand dismissively. “You two looked awfully comfortable when we came in.”

“Comfortable to the extent that I can’t feel my lower body,” Keiji replied earning a hearty laugh from his father.

“You should probably wake her up, breakfast will be ready soon.”

“Okay,” was Keiji’s quiet reply before his attention turned to the bundle of blankets in his lap. “Fuji-chan?” He whispered, gently pulling apart some of the fabric to find said girl. “Fuji-chan, wake up.” She stirred, groaned then fell silent. A sigh escaped him before trying again.

It took a total of ten minutes to get the young girl to crack open an eye and an additional 5 minutes for her to get off Keiji’s lap. She greeted her parents as she walked past the kitchen, then up the stairs to the bathroom. The setter stretched fully before taking the opportunity to pick up the pillows and blankets off the floor. When Fuji came out of the bathroom, Keiji went in to wash up.

Breakfast was uneventful and after seeing his father and Fuji off at the door, Keiji checked that he had everything ready for his first day at Fukurodani the following week. He wasn’t sure what to expect but he wouldn’t deny the small feeling of excitement at going to a familiar place and possibly seeing a particular someone again.

Chapter Text

Treading through the familiar entrance of Fukurodani Academy caused a flood of nostalgia in Keiji’s blood. The light breeze swept the fallen cherry blossom petals around his feet as he followed the other first years to the main hall where the entrance ceremony was held. Having already been at this high school for more than a year in his original world, he was considerably less nervous than the others around him. Keiji remembered his first day very clearly therefore making this day unnecessarily long and drawn out. After the speeches, tours and introductory homeroom was over, he signed his club application form without much thought then handed it in. He remembered spending his lunch break with some of his classmates but this time, he headed straight for the gym.

The squeaking of shoes against polished wood and the slams of volleyball were familiar and Keiji would have definitely said he had missed it.

“One more!” A loud voice called from within, making Keiji’s chest flutter because he has missed it dearly.

“Bokuto, save some energy for afterschool when the first years are here,” he recognised that voice as the third year setter, also the captain.

Keiji stuck his head through the gap in the door to see the gym he knew he’d spend hours upon hours practicing in.

“It’s because we’re going to get new players is why I’m so pumped!” The spiky haired teenager replied, pumping his fist into the air.

“Hey look, we’ve already got one.” Keiji snapped his head over to the person who had noticed his presence. Konoha, of course he’s the one to see me. And a second later, the doors flew open, presenting him to the team who he’d be playing with.

“You’re a first year?” The captain asked. “You interested in joining the volleyball club?”

Keiji nodded then replied, “I’ve already handed in my application. My name’s Akaashi Keiji.”

“Akaashi...” He heard his name repeated quietly, then his gaze met Bokuto’s who wore a strange expression, eyebrows slightly furrowed with a small frown. Keiji tilted his head at him and immediately the older boy snapped out of it. “Handed it in already?! You must be like super decisive or something!” His teammates didn’t even wince at his volume, must already be used to it.

“It wasn’t a difficult decision to make, Bokuto-san.” The name rolled off his tongue before he could stop himself and granted, he got raised eyebrows and odd looks from the athletes in front of him. Damn it, I said his name out of habit, he mentally cursed.

“You... You know who I am?!” The wing spiker asked overjoyed.

“I, err, I overheard someone say your name earlier...” He answered awkwardly, although it wasn’t a complete lie.

“Hey, it’s no fair that he knows your name before me, the captain.” A teenager beside Bokuto complained, then turning to offer a hand to Keiji. “I’m Hiro Takumi, captain and setter for the team.” Keiji shook his hand firmly feeling the callous skin against his palm.

“I’m Bokuto Koutarou! Ace of the team!” He introduced himself enthusiastically earning some exasperated sighs from around him.

“Why don’t you come in, we can show you around.” The captain suggested.

“Oh no, I don’t want to interrupt your practice,” a sense of guilt washed over Keiji for a moment.

Hiro only chuckled before ushering the young boy in anyway. “I doubt the team’s in any mood to practice right now, seen as we have our very first new member.” He smiled brightly which Keiji nodded in response. “We’ll give you an introduction during afterschool practice along with the other first years and a chance to get to know the members of the team.” He explained. “There’s quite a lot of people so it might take some time to remember. By the way which middle school did you come from?”

“Oh err,” remember the convincing story mum came up with, “I’ve studied abroad up until now, so I didn’t attend a middle school here.” He was surprised at how smooth he said it and looking at the faces of awe between his upperclassmen, it must have worked.

“Wow, so did you get to play a lot of volleyball while you were there?”

“I played it in my free time, but it was never dedicated time like it’ll be from now on.” I must be a natural at lying. Keiji often liked to consider himself as an honest person but after this, he might have to rethink that.

“I forgot to ask earlier,” the captain snapped his fingers together, “what position do you play?”

“Setter.”

“Setter?! That’s great! You can toss to me Akaashi!” The enthusiastic ace called.

“Maybe later Bokuto-san, we don’t have much time now and I’m not in my gym clothes,” it was so easy for Keiji to be talking to him like this and this wasn’t missed by the rest of the team.

“You’re like a natural at keeping him in check,” Hiro chuckled. “But it’s great that you’re a setter because we need one after I retire.”

“Taku-san, the time,” a third year middle blocker called from behind the captain.

“Ah, is it time already?” The captain turned around to inspect the clock himself and indeed they had ten minutes before afternoon classes. “Alright everyone, pack everything away,” and immediately the small crowd dispersed.

“You should head back,” the captain suggested. “It’ll be bad if you got lost and was late for afternoon homeroom.”

“Okay,” was Keiji’s reply.

“I’ll see you afterschool then, hope you’re enjoying your first day so far.” The captain said over his shoulder while jogging away to help his teammates roll up the net.

Keiji bowed to his retreating captain and left the gym shortly after.

The afternoon lessons were more introductions, talking about the subjects and topics which made Keiji mentally moan at the pain of having to repeat his entire first year studies all over.

Finally, it was afterschool and Keiji made his way to the gym, trying not to make his excitement obvious by keeping his usual stoic expression. He stood with several other first years gathering in front of the gym doors which Keiji peaked through only a few hours ago. The captain and two other third years stood between them and the doors, standing tall and almost threatening if Keiji didn’t already know them.

“I’m Hiro Takumi, the captain of the volleyball team. Beside me are wing spiker Aoi Rentarou and middle blocker Sora Hisashi,” he gestured to the two who gave a small nod to the crowd. “We’ll show you the locker room in a minute where you’ll change into your gym clothes. From there, we’ll run through the health and safety rules and get you warmed up for some trail exercises.” He explained, casting a firm look over the young first years. “Depending on how well you do and what position you play, we’ll allocate you to an upperclassman who you’ll be paired with for the week, understand?”

“Yes!” The group replied in unison which earned an approving nod from their captain.

“Alright. Ren, Hisashi, show them the locker room, I’ll tell the others the plan.” He pulled open the doors to the gym and disappeared behind them.

The two third years looked at each other then back at the group. “So then, to the locker room,” the middle blocker said, walking past towards the building opposite the gym. The first years fell into a silent line, following Sora while Aoi rounded up the few at the back where Keiji was.

“You don’t look nearly as scared as the others,” Aoi said in a low voice so that Keiji was the only one to hear.

“I guess it’s because I met you earlier today.”

“It was only a moment though. If I had to say, I’d say you even look bored,” he chuckled.

Keiji gave a small smile before replying, “Well I guess I just want to play some volleyball.”

He received a pat on the back when he entered the locker room and soon after the two senior students excused themselves from the first years, telling them to come to the gym after changing. There was idle chatter between the freshman about middle school volleyball experiences and positions which Keiji had little interest in joining, knowing that he’ll get along fine with his senpais.

“Is this everyone?” Hiro asked to the group of first years standing in a line in front of him.

There was a few mumbles and the captain took it as a “yes” seen as he continued. “Right, so to begin with, I’d like you to state your name and desired position one by one. Let’s start with you.” He pointed to the boy on the far right. The introductions were repetitive and by the end they were asked to sit on the polished wooden floor.

Hiro gave a rundown of the safety precautions scrawled over a moveable whiteboard which was decorated with multiple little drawings of owls around the boarder. Keiji paid more attention to the various hairstyles and facial expressions of the animals than the captain’s speech which he had heard a year ago.

The drawn out speech ended to Keiji’s relief and the group was told to stretch before doing three laps of the gym to warm up. Keiji did so effortlessly and when they were called back for the next set of instructions, he couldn’t help but notice the familiar feeling of being watch by a not-at-all subtle senpai.

They were split into two groups, one for serving and the other for spiking practice where the upperclassman stood around the court to observe the new members. Keiji was serving first and on instinct he threw the ball up and jump served it to the back corner. It was only the impressed cheers which made him realise that this was another difference he made from his actual first day at Fukurodani. The jump serve was something he had learnt near the end of his first year after pouring hours into perfecting it, so he accepted the little feeling of pride sitting in his chest.

The two groups swapped over, so for Keiji’s group, it was spiking practice. He was called over by Hiro to ask to set for the group. Keiji agreed without much second thought and soon enough he was sending easy tosses to each spiker. It was a simple exercise and before long the captain was calling all members to gather to end the day.

“Alright, good job everyone. I’ll review all the comments and allocate you to an upperclassman during tomorrow’s morning practice. Don’t be late otherwise you’ll run extra laps and join practice later than others. Is that clear?” Hiro asked.

“Yes!”

“Now if I can get the first years to pack away the equipment and have the second years watch over them to make sure they do things right. I need a talk with the third years.” He waved a hand to dismiss the gathering and was soon discussing the written notes and comments about the first years’ performance during practice.

“Captain.” Hiro looked up to see Bokuto rocking on the balls of his feet.

“What is it, Bokuto?”

“Can we leave the net out on Court A? I’ll pack it away later.”

Hiro nodded, already used to the fact that Bokuto made a habit of staying after practice. The spiker smiled brightly before thanking the captain and jogging off to watch over the first years.

The gym began to empty out as people left towards the locker room. Bokuto was standing at the back of the Court A readying a ball in his hand to serve, when Konoha called from the doorway.

“Hey Bokuto, don’t overwork yourself okay? It’s only the first day.”

“Don’t worry!” was his reply, before turning back towards the court. “Akaashi!” He yelped upon seeing said boy standing in front of him, expression unchanged by the sudden reaction. “Wh-wh-what are you doing here?” He stuttered pathetically still trying to calm himself from being startled out of his skin by the young setter.

“I said I’d toss to you later, didn’t I?” He replied simply, seeing Bokuto’s face break out into a wide smile.

“You might regret that,” came Konoha’s voice. “His spikes are endless and so is his energy.”

I know, was what Keiji wanted to reply but instead he chose to stay silent.

“Shut up, Konoha! Get going already,” Bokuto called back, earning a chuckle from the blonde before he left with a “see you tomorrow”.

Keiji walked to the other side of the court, well aware that Bokuto was watching him from the service line.

“What are you doing over there?” The spiker asked, tilting his head owlishly.

“You’re going to serve, right?” Keiji dropped his hips and elbows, reading himself. “I’m going to receive them.”

“But what about-”

“I can toss to you afterwards.”

Bokuto’s smile was genuine and bright for about five seconds before a grin took over. “You sure you can receive these? I’m not going to hold back.”

“Go ahead.” And with that, the first ball was sent over the net. Keiji received it, noting that it was slower and weaker than the one’s he was used to. Then mentally hit himself for forgetting that this Bokuto was a year younger than his high-velocity missile serving ace from his world. “Nice serve,” he called, before readying for another.

He received multiple serves, also calling multiple outs and by the time Bokuto’s form started to waver, Keiji called for a break. They sat together on the bench, wiping sweat with a towel and drinking to stay hydrated.

“You’re really good, y’know,” Bokuto commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Keiji. “I mean, you received most of my serves effortlessly and I really thought they were good and-”

“Your serves are good,” he interrupted him, knowing full well that he would ramble otherwise. “They weren’t easy to get and I’m sure you’ll improve a lot more seen as you do extra practice all the time.”

Bokuto smiled at the praise but soon a confused expression was present. “How did you know I do extra practice all the time?”

Damn it. Keiji mentally cursed, trying to think of an answer.

“I just assumed, I guess...” He felt like face-palming at how dumb his reply was, but it didn’t seem to bother Bokuto.

“Well you’re right! I always stay behind to practice. Most of the time it’s on my own because others get tired and sometimes I stay until it’s really late and stuff.”

“It’s normal for people to get tired, Bokuto-san.”

“Yeah but practice is fun!”

Keiji hummed before agreeing, “Yeah, I guess it is.”

The loud boy fell silent beside him, so Keiji turned to look at what caused it, only to see him staring eyes wide and mouth slightly gaping.

“You find it fun too?! Does that mean you’ll stay and practice with me some other time too?” He looked beyond excited and his golden eyes glowed with anticipation.

“Yes, Bokuto-san. I don’t mind staying and practicing with you.”

“SCORE!” He jumped to his feet with the motion of fist pumping the air. He grabbed Keiji’s hand before dragging him back to Court A. “You said you’ll toss for me, right? Let’s do that now!”

I don’t have a choice really, do I? Keiji mused as he let himself be tugged towards the court where they spent a few more hours tossing and spiking.

“Alright, Bokuto-san, that’s enough for tonight.”

“But Akaashi~,” he whined childishly.

“It’s late and we have practice in the morning,” Keiji replied sternly.

“One more!”

“Fine,” he knew it’d be easier to give him one final toss in case he started sulking and being even more of a pain. “Last one and then we’re packing up.”

The spiker nodded before getting into position away from the net. Keiji held the ball in his hands watching Bokuto do his run up then jumping, arm raised, hand ready. The ball sailed through the air gracefully before making contact with Bokuto’s palm sending it into the floor with a satisfying smack against the wood.

“Hey hey hey!” He called, turning towards Keiji with his hands raised above his head. Keiji returned the high ten, replying “Nice kill”, before moving to collect the scattered volleyballs.

Keiji slung his bag over his shoulder after getting changed in the locker room. Bokuto locked the door and pocketed the key then caught up to Keiji who had already begun walking off towards the school gates. The sun was low in the sky causing their shadows to be stretched out before them. The light breeze rustled the fallen cherry blossom petals and the whole scene was picturesque.

“Say Akaashi?” Bokuto broke the silence, slight nervousness coloured his voice.

“Hmm?”

“Did you really mean it when you said you’d practice again with me?”

Keiji stopped in his tracks and the spiker looked even more nervous. “Why would I lie about that?” He fixed the other with a stern look, “I don’t mind practicing with you and I’ll happily do it again. You can trust me a little more.” The idea that Bokuto didn’t trust him made him a little bitter, but yet again, he had to remind himself that today was the first day the Bokuto in this world met him. Even though Keiji has known him for over a year, knew him inside out to the extent that they had been dating for a couple of months, this and that Bokuto were not the same.

Relief was evident on Bokuto’s face as it cracked into a bright smile. “Thank you,” he replied softly which made Keiji’s own lips quirk upwards at how sincere and genuine he was.

The quiet moment lasted only for another moment before Bokuto started talking about the up-coming training camps and “it’s really fun especially when you kick ass and you have to meet my best bro Kuroo, he’s awesome!” Keiji commented every now and then but let most of the talking to his ace who gestured at nearly everything he said.

They’ve been walking for a while when Bokuto asked, “Akaashi, where do you live?”

“That’s a little forward to ask for someone you’ve met for no longer than a day,” Keiji teased.

The older of the two spluttered a mix between an apology and “what do you mean?!” which only made the setter huff a quiet laugh into his hand. He didn’t miss the awed expression on Bokuto’s face when the sound left keiji’s lips.

“About a block away from here, just a bit further after passing the ramen stand,” he pointed ahead.

“Oh that’s not too far then. I turn off at the crossing ahead and my house is...”

...round the corner from the train station.

“...just round the corner from the train station.” Bokuto finished, completely unaware that Keiji predicted his words before he even said them.

They reached the previously mentioned crossing and said their goodbyes and “see you tomorrow” there. Keiji had a few minutes to himself as his feet carried him back home, thinking about his day and how nothing was much different from how he remembered it being. It felt a little like reliving his first year in high school.

Days gradually became weeks and nothing was out of the ordinary. He went to school, played volleyball, spent time with his family and helped Fuji with her homework. Keiji tried searching online for any theories or experiences other people may have had which were similar to his, but more often than not the result came to be a dream or some spiritual vision which made little to no sense.

His life continued in this world, in a normal, uneventful and peaceful manner and soon spring faded into summer leading to Training Camp and Interhigh.

Chapter Text

“Hey hey hey Akaashi. How are you today? I’m great, like always!” Koutarou’s smile was a mask of happiness. “I got my maths test back today and I got above 80 percent! Isn’t that awesome? I’m totally awesome!” He paused for a moment, remembering to breathe before continuing. “I made sure to double check that my answers matched with the question this time because remember last time I forgot and failed? Yeah, don’t want to do that again.” He chuckled lightly. “It was embarrassing but more so when you brought it up in front of everyone at training camp.”

He fell silent for a moment, looking at his setter, pale faced and unmoving, the only sound in the room was the steady beeping of the heart monitor. “I really miss you, y’know. It’s only been a few days but it feels like weeks and months. I just...” He took a shaky breathe to compose himself as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. “I hope you wake up soon. The doctor said comas can last between two to four weeks and you know patience isn’t really a strong trait of mine... It feels like there’s something missing everyday and it doesn’t feel right. Like I’m, I don’t know, feeling a bit lost and empty without you Keiji...”

A moment of silence fell again over the hospital room and with a heavy sigh, Koutarou stood up from beside the bed. He leant over to lightly kiss the still body of Keiji on the cheek before straightening up. “Wake up soon, okay? I’ll be waiting for you.” And with that, he left the room, closing the door behind him with a quiet click before letting the warm tears roll down his face.

Keiji blinked his eyes slowly open, exhaustion evident in every part of his body from training camp yet he had woken up in the middle of the night. The room was very dark save for the moonlight filtering in from the window. The sounds of his teammates steady breathing was the only sound he could hear, so he felt no reason to remain awake. He snuggled closer to his pillow and blanket, however the moment he settled, his eyes snapped open at an unexpected sound.

Crying?

Indeed, it was the sound of someone crying, muffled but very clear in the quiet room. Keiji’s blood ran cold at how innocent the sobs sounded and he could come up with no explanation for it. One sniff and it was gone. He hesitated for a moment and upon hearing the second quiet sniff, he sat up from his futon and scanned the dark room for a sobbing figure, vision barely focussing on anything. However, there was no-one, all his teammates were sound asleep yet the sobbing continued which made Keiji worry more. He pushed aside his blankets and stood up silently, weaving ninja-like past his sleeping teammates towards the sound. When he heard a sniff directly below him, he stopped. Looking down, he made out the outlines of a mop of familiar black and white hair.

“Bokuto-san?” He whispered.

Silence.

He crouched down to kneel beside the ace before trying again. “Bokuto-san?”

He was met with silence again and was a second away from going back to his futon to sleep when a sob escaped Bokuto’s mouth.

Is he crying in his sleep? He thought before deciding that it’ll be better to wake him up from his nightmare than have him continue it.

He gently shook broad shoulders earning a soft grunt from the boy.

“Bokuto-san?” He whispered again, this time the spiker stirred.

“Akaashi?” came the groggy reply.

“Are you alright, Bokuto-san?”

The ace slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position facing Keiji. It was too dark to see anything in detail but judging by the outlines, Bokuto had tilted his head questioningly. “What do you mean?”

Keiji was brushing Bokuto’s cheek with his thumb before he could even think to stop himself. His cheeks were stained with tears and it made the setter’s heart clench. Bokuto seemed to have registered what was happening and he brought a hand up to his other cheek, wiping at the wetness.

“Oh...” was all he managed to say.

“Was it a nightmare?”

“Probably...” His sheepishness was evident in his voice. “I don’t really remember what it was about though. But I feel better now.”

Keiji felt Bokuto’s smile more than he saw it and thanks to that, he noticed he still had his hand on the other’s cheek. He slowly retracted his hand before slowly rising to his feet.

“That’s good then. Well, I’m going back so goodni-” He was interrupted by a hand wrapped around his wrist preventing him from straightening up completely.

“Can you... I mean, if you don’t mind... Could you perhaps, maybe, stay with me? For the rest of the night?” Each word was a higher pitch than the last and altogether it was funny to listen to, however Keiji knew that this was not a time to laugh at his ace. So he sunk back onto his knees in front of Bokuto.

“Of course I don’t mind.”

Bokuto made an affirmative sound before lying back onto his futon. After patting the space next to him, Keiji crawled into the warmth.

“Thank you.” It was quiet and barely audible but Keiji heard it nonetheless. Replying with a soft hum, Keiji snuggled closer into the other’s side, then drifting off into a dreamless, but very content sleep.

“Nice kill,” Keiji called after Bokuto scored a powerful cross spike.

“Hey hey hey! Suck it, Kuroo! I’m the best!” He cheered with the purpose of riling up the middle blocker.

“It was only one point,” Kuroo huffed from the other side of the net which Bokuto stuck out his tongue in response.

“C’mon let’s move on, we haven’t won yet,” Hiro said from the side line, breaking the little squabble up. He had given Keiji the setter position for this game to observe his plays and to be honest, he was pleasantly surprised at how well the ace worked with him.

Both sides got into position as Aoi rolled the ball between his hands, readying to serve again. “Aoi-senpai, nice serve!” Some Fukurodani members cheered and soon the whistle blew signalling to play.

Aoi served a jump floater which had the Nekoma players scramble for a moment before the ball was safely received. After a toss and a spike, Fukurodani’s second year libero, Komi, swiftly received it. It was a little close to where Bokuto normally spikes from but it didn’t matter.

“Akaashi!” A familiar booming voice called and without needing to double think, Keiji sent the ball to the ace.

The spike was powerful and nine times out of ten would’ve scored, but this time Kuroo made it in time to block it, sending the ball right down from above the net. The moment happened so fast and before Keiji knew it, he received a leather ball to the face. He grunted on impact, but everything else was silent save for the few bounces of the ball against the floor. The pain running up his nose made him see stars and sure enough, he was cradling a pool of blood against his mouth and chin.

“Akaashi!” Bokuto wailed beside him, full of worry and fear. “Are you okay?!”

Keiji held up his hand to stop the older one’s yelling in hopes of keeping the growing headache from getting worse.

“Shit, sorry Akaashi.” Kuroo was now beside Bokuto, concern and worry written all over his face.

“It’s fine, Kuroo-san,” Keiji managed to mumble through the steady stream of blood.

“Akaashi, here.” Hiro handed the bleeding boy a handful of tissue which he took gratefully. Then with a little help, the captain guided the young setter to a bench.

The match was paused as the Fukurodani members gathered around Keiji to make sure he was truly well and fine as he claimed. The bleeding stopped before long but the painful pulsing in Keiji’s nose fuelled his growing headache.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Hiro asked quietly.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.”

Kuroo, who was beside Bokuto and the only non-Fukurodani member around Keiji, let out an audible sigh of relief. “Thank god. Honestly, I am really sorry.”

“It’s really alright, Kuroo-san. I know you didn’t mean to do it on purpose.” Keiji sighed at the unnecessary amount of concern he was receiving.

“I would feel god awful if I was the cause of you going to hospital or something,” he joked lightly earning a huff from the injured setter.

Akaashi in hospital...?

Keiji took a glance at Bokuto who was silent the entire time and saw an unexpected frown. His eyebrows were furrowed, his golden eyes filled with worry and concern and his mouth pulled down. Before Keiji got the chance to reassure him that he really was alright, Hiro clapped his hands together gaining everyone’s attention and Kuroo took that as a sign to return to his own team.

“We can probably continue on with the match. I’ll be subbed in for Akaashi and in the meantime,” he turned to Keiji with a small smile, “you rest up. You’ve played really well today and deserve a little break.” The younger setter nodded. “Okay so let’s finish this and end the day.”

“Yes!”

The players returned to the court where Bokuto casted yet another worried look at Keiji, but this time he noticed that it wasn’t just worry present on his features, there was something else.

The match continued where Fukurodani had a five point lead. However, that soon changed when Bokuto fell into his dejected mode. The other players continued as normal as the ace stood around looking like a lost puppy. The gap narrowed to two points with Fukurodani at match point. Many expected Bokuto to spike in order to secure the winning point but it was that very thought which gave Hiro the perfect opportunity to dump the ball, ending the game 25-22.

“Bokuto,” Hiro called after bowing to Nekoma. “Sorry I took the last point.”

“C-Captain!” Bokuto spluttered for a moment. “Don’t apologize! It was a super cool dump! I wasn’t feeling like myself so it’s okay!”

The captain gave him a knowing grin then patted him on the back. Keiji watched the short scene and once the captain left Bokuto’s side, the young setter approached him.

“Bokuto-san?

“Woah! Akaashi!” The ace was startled by the shorter boy but soon his expression softened. “You feeling alright now?”

“A lot better, thank you. But what about you? You were off your game.” He shifted the centre of conversation to his senpai.

“Yeah...” Bokuto sighed heavily, “I don’t know, I just felt a bit down, y’know...”

“Was it because of me?”

At that, Bokuto stared at Keiji with a surprised expression. “Wh-wh-what made you assume that?”

“Well you were fine before I got injured so I just assumed that I was the cause for breaking your concentration.” The setter replied, fiddling his fingers to distract him from the piercing golden gaze.

“No, well, maybe a little. But it was more...” He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. It was Keiji’s turn to look at him confused now.

“It was just...” He prompted.

“Just stupid Kuroo saying stupid things,” the ace huffed.

“Like what?” Keiji was completely lost. He had no idea what Bokuto was referencing to and his confusion was very evident in his furrowed eyebrows and tilted head.

Bokuto ran through his gelled hair and looked around, avoiding eye contact with the setter. “He said that if y’know... If you had gotten hurt, like badly, you’d have to go to hospital...”

“Well if I had a broken nose and concussion then maybe,” Keiji was still lost.

“I mean, I don’t like the idea of you being in hospital... It makes me, I don’t know, sad...” He finished lamely, huffing at himself; it was just a dream idiot.

“Thank you for worrying about me.” He offered a small smile, “but I can assure you that I don’t need to go to the hospital, not for a nose bleed anyway.” Keiji turned to leave the gym, unaware of the mix of emotions present on Bokuto’s face.

Chapter Text

Playing multiple games in the space of a single weekend still took a toll on Keiji’s body. It was dark when he returned home after training camp, showering quickly before flopping down onto his bed. He felt himself sink into the bed and his eyelids felt heavy so when the door creaked open, he didn’t even make an effort to see who it was.

“Kei-nii? Are you asleep?” Came the young girl’s voice, quiet and cautious.

“I’m awake, Fuji-chan,” he lifted his head from the pillow, cracking one eye open to see said girl standing by the doorway holding a plastic box. She didn’t make any motion to come in so Keiji sat up and patted the edge of his bed. Without needing anymore prompting, she padded into the room.

She seems nervous. Keiji thought, judging by the way her shoulders were tense and drawn in.

“Fuji-chan?”

“I-I made these!” She thrusted the box towards Keiji. “I didn’t want to make cookies because you make them, so I made brownies instead.”

He took the box and opened the lid to see brownies moulded into various (odd) shapes. A small smile grew across his face as he looked up at the slowly reddening face of the little girl.

It feels like receiving chocolate on Valentine’s Day, he mentally chuckled.

“Thank you Fuji-chan, that’s really nice of you.” Taking a piece from the box, he popped it into his mouth and was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted. He nodded in approval and soon Fuji was beaming at him.

“Mum said that training camp was tough so I thought I’d make you something.”

Keiji chuckled a little then asked, “Say Fuji-chan, would you like to bake with me sometime? I can teach you how to make cookies and you can teach me how to mould brownies like these.” He held up a triangular shaped one to emphasise his point and promptly popped it into his mouth.

“Yeah! I’d love to!” Her smile was blinding. The sun may have set outside but her smile provided enough natural light.

“Keiji? Is Fuji with you?” A call from downstairs asked.

“Yeah, she’s with me.” He called back.

“Dinner’s ready so come on down.”

He turned back to the little brunette, holding out his hand. “Shall we?”

She nodded firmly and took his hand as he led them out of his room and down the stairs to dinner.

After multiple weekends of practice matches, individual and group training, Interhigh Preliminaries were upon them. It was their last evening in the gym before making their way to the venue tomorrow.

“We made it to Nationals last year so we will do it again this year. I expect nothing but teamwork, trust and victory tomorrow, understand?”

“Yes!”

For Keiji, time always flew by the quickest when volleyball was involved. He’d get so absorbed into the matches and plays that hours pass without him noticing. Of course, hours can also turn into days. The Preliminaries were over soon enough and Fukurodani Academy was seeded as one of Tokyo’s Representatives. The road to Nationals was familiar to Akaashi but even so, it always caused a surge of excitement within him. Game after game he was cheering for his team and occasionally called out to be a pinch server. His time on the court was minimal but Keiji knew he’ll be standing on the court full time once the third years retire.

In the end, the outcome of his first year’s Interhigh journey falls under National Top 8, just as he remembered. It was as if he was reliving his past but he knew full well that now was not the time to think about his dimensional crisis. The team lined up, bowed then began packing their belongings, ready to return back to school. The third years were weeping quietly into each other’s arms, the second years were silent and lifeless and the first years watched their senpais, hearts breaking at the sight.

The coach ride back to school was not much different. Players were either fast asleep or staring blankly out the window. It was a familiar pain but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.

Equipment was taken back to the storage room and the team was told to sit on the wooden floor of the gym. The third years were the only ones standing and everyone knew what was to come.

“Thank you for everything!” The upperclassmen said together, bowing to the sitting first and second years. They then turned to the coach and repeated the motion, “Thank you for these three years.” There was an applause before Hiro cleared his throat for attention.

“We didn’t make it all the way. We fell a bit short of the national title but we can still say that this school, Fukurodani, our Fukurodani is one of the Top 8 high schools in the nation. Be proud of that!” The captain’s voice was strained and tears pricking his eyes.

“Yes!” was the underclassmen’s reply.

“I’ll now announce the new captain. Bokuto, come up here,” Hiro gestured the spiky haired ace up to the front beside the third years. “I’ve discussed it with the coach and starting from now, you’re the new captain of this team.”

“But Hiro-san...”

Hiro held out his hand. “You’ll be fine,” he assured, “I know that because you have reliable teammates to support you.” He patted the new captain on the shoulder, “Take them to Nationals again, alright?”

“Of course!” Bokuto choked out, feeling overwhelmed.

“Well then, it’s time to head home. These will be your captain’s last instructions: Get home safely, have a good long shower, eat a big dinner then sleep, sleep for as long as you need, make sure those muscles of yours are well rested.”

“Yes!”

“Alright. Dismissed!”

After bidding farewell and goodnight, the gym emptied out, Bokuto and Keiji being the last two. The latter approached the new captain and asked, “Should we head home, Bokuto-san?”

He didn’t reply. So Keiji moved directly into his line of sight, green eyes meeting golden ones. “Bokuto-san?”

“Akaashi,” he replied quietly. “Can I make you my vice-captain?” It was a sudden question and the setter wasn’t expecting to be asked that until at least a few days later.

“Shouldn’t you talk to the team about this first?” He asked instead.

“I mean I will. I was just wondering whether you’d like to...” Bokuto’s voice trailed off and Keiji knew he was giving off the wrong vibe.

“I’d be happy to, but I think it’ll be wise to talk to the others before making any decisions ourselves.”

Bokuto smiled brightly at the fact that Keiji had agreed to the idea and soon enough he was tugging on the setter’s hand. “C’mon, we better go. We still have to fulfil our late captain’s final words.”

“Don’t make it sound like Hiro-san just died.” They both chuckled at that.

Bokuto kept his hand around Keiji’s wrist for much longer than necessary but the setter allowed it, he had missed the contact after all. Normally, affection was showered over him daily by the very same person but said person just so happens to be a dimension away.

The team agreed to give Keiji the position of vice-captain but seen as how unreliable Bokuto was with his own captain duties, Keiji found himself more often than not, taking on both responsibilities. Organising training camp schedules and regimes were second nature to him and before long, they were ready to spend a week training at Shinzen High School.

“Have a good week, Kei-nii,” Fuji said as she waved him off at the front door.

“Thank you and you too, Fuji-chan.”

Bokuto had just hopped off the coach when Kuroo jogged up to him. “Oi Bokuto!” He called. “Were you being serious when you said you’re now the captain?”

“Of course I was serious! You’re such a jerk!” The ace squawked.

The middle blocker threw his head back in laughter. “Sorry, sorry. I just couldn’t take you seriously.” He looked at Bokuto for a moment before laughing again. “I still can’t take you seriously. How did you make captain?” He snickered behind a hand.

“I still wonder how you made captain,” a monotonous voice said from behind the Nekoma player causing him to jump in surprise.

“Oh, hello Kenma,” Keiji greeted when he saw two-toned hair appear, holding a PSP in hand. He nodded in acknowledgement without looking up.

“Wait, you’re captain now too?” Bokuto asked his best friend.

“Yeah. Surprised?” The Nekoma captain said proudly with his typical grin.

“Yeah man! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well duh, I wanted to surprise you.”

“Bro, you’re the best,” Bokuto slung his arm around the taller boy’s shoulders before they walked off towards the gym.

“I know, but so are you.”

The two first year setter sighed at their antiques before following, Kenma pressing buttons in quick succession while Keiji watched over his shoulder while also guiding him in the right direction so he wouldn’t walk into a wall.

All the third years from Nekoma had retired as well and similar to Fukurodani, they were still experimenting with the first and second years. However, one thing Keiji had noticed about the other team was that they manoeuvre around Kenma. This was very evident when after receiving, nine times out of ten, Kenma didn’t even need to move from his spot to set the ball.

The games were tiring, both from the heat and the fact that all the gears haven’t clicked between the teammates yet. Nekoma and Fukurodani were playing their last match of the day but it simply wasn’t ending. Keiji was exhausted, his knees felt weak and he could see his teammates were no better. It was a deuce, one which had past 30 points and it was Nekoma’s match point. Despite wanting the game to be over, Keiji didn’t like the idea of losing. He assessed the conditions of his spikers and decided that they needed morale boosting. There was only one person on the team who could do that and sure enough Bokuto looked ready.

Kenma served to the back corner, but Komi was ready and received it cleanly to Keiji. He could feel Bokuto’s intense stare and when the ball landed against his hand he called out his name.

“Bokuto-san.”

“Alright!”

The ball sailed towards his ace and with a powerful jump, he pulled his arm back and cross spiked the ball over the net. However, it didn’t make it very far over as it hit Kuroo’s hand squarely in the palm and the ball was sent crashing down on Fukurodani’s side of the court. The whistle blew signalling the end of the game. Every player on the court were gasping for breath, holding their sides and taking large gulps of air.

“Yo Bokuto!” Kuroo slung an arm around Fukurodani’s captain, wearing his signature sly grin. “How does it feel to be shut down by yours truly?” He teased.

“Just you wait. I’ll smash right through your block next time with a new awesome cross spike!” Bokuto announced proudly, puffing out his chest.

“Another cross spike? Man, you gotta do better than that bro,” he winked at his best friend before trotting off to join his team in cool down stretches.

“Don’t worry Bokuto-san, we’ll win next time,” Keiji said seeing as his captain’s face pulled a frown.

“Akaashi?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we can try some straights?” He asked, shifting a little on his feet.

“Straight spikes?” Keiji repeated.

Bokuto nodded.

“I guess we can. Why the sudden change?”

“If I can spike some awesome straights, then I’ll have another weapon which will make Kuroo cry in frustration!” He threw his head back, laughing hard at the idea of Kuroo grovelling on the ground, cursing how awesome Bokuto is.

Keiji sighed at his captain’s imagination but still more than happy to assist Bokuto in order to improve.

Later that night, the two Fukurodani captains were alone in the gym to experiment straight spiking. Keiji didn’t vary his tosses too much, keeping them consistent was the better way for Bokuto to adjust to the new spiking form. Multiple spikes went out of bounds, either from them having too much spin or too much power.

Two hours of practice later, Bokuto started losing his form, growing impatient and frustrated at the low rate of success. After one too strong spike flew way past the back line, Keiji suggested to call it a night.

“Bokuto-san, it’s late, we should go.”

“Just a few more Akaashi.” He panted.

“No, you’ve done enough today, we can continue tomorrow.”

The captain huffed but conceded, picking up his jacket, towel and water bottle then he followed his setter out the gym.

The synergy between the players got better over the course of the summer training camps. The team consisted mainly of the current second years but that meant Bokuto’s in-game dejected mode was easier to handle. During extra practice, Bokuto focused on straight spikes, making sure they’re powerful and usable for the games to come.

Chapter Text

A few weeks after school started again, it was Bokuto’s birthday. Not to anyone’s surprise, the team agreed to cut practice short to celebrate. It wasn’t like Bokuto was able to focus anyway, being overly excited and unleashing an unbearable amount of energy. They all decided that there was only one restaurant to go to for their meat-loving ace and for that, Keiji and the team found themselves eating yakiniku while chatting and joking around.

After finishing the meal and paying, the team split up, walking towards their respective households. The sun had set a while ago and it was only Keiji and his captain walking down a familiar path, empty and peaceful. Bokuto was oddly quiet, but after a quick glance to the taller boy, Keiji relaxed at the sight of a contented smile across his face.

“Tonight was really great,” Bokuto finally said.

“Yeah, it was.”

Bokuto sighed but there was a negative edge to it.

“Hmm?” Keiji hummed, questioning Bokuto for the sigh.

“I’m just in a mood for a movie now,” he said a little sheepishly.

“We can,” Keiji replied simply.

“It’s late though, so I guess-”

“You can watch a movie at my house if you’d like.” He interrupted, praying that he didn’t sound too pushy.

If Bokuto had noticed, he didn’t say anything about it. Instead he just asked, “Really? You’d do that?”

Keiji nodded once and the ace whooped and cheered into the evening air.

“I’m home,” Keiji called into the dimly lit house.

“Welcome back, Keiji,” his mother popped her head around the door. “Ah, we have a guest,” she stated more than questioned. She stepped out into the hallway, bowing politely.

Bokuto quickly returned the gesture. “S-Sorry for intruding. I’m Bokuto Koutarou.”

She chuckled lightly behind her hand. “You don’t need to be that nervous Mr Ace and Captain of the Volleyball team,” her voice teasing and amused as Bokuto blushed.

“It’s his birthday today, don’t tease him too much.” Keiji made his way towards the living room with Bokuto following close behind.

“It’s your birthday? Why didn’t you say so, I’ll go make you something.”

“No, ma’am, it’s-” Bokuto started but was interrupted by his setter’s calm but very firm voice.

“You don’t need to go through the trouble, we’ve already eaten.”

“Fine then,” she conceded. “But at least stay the night so I can make you something in the morning!” She bid the two boys goodnight before bounding upstairs happily, leaving them in the living room, one looking lost and awkward and the other simply exasperated.

“Sorry about her,” Keiji sighed as he made his way to the TV and their movie collection.

“She’s very energetic,” Bokuto commented while looking over Keiji’s shoulder for a potential movie.

“Yeah, reminds me of someone else I know,” he replied but said person only made a questioning noise which earned a sigh from the setter.

Not more than twenty minutes into the film, when they were comfortable on the couch, they were interrupted.

“Kei-nii?” Fuji’s voice called from the hallway. When the door creaked open, she was there in her pyjamas, holding a sheet of paper in front of her. Like her first meeting with Keiji, she retreated back behind the doorframe upon seeing a visitor in the household. She peeked her head around the corner, looking into the room with suspicion.

Keiji sighed in exasperation, paused the movie then turned to Fuji. “Fuji-chan, where are your manners?” Remembering how his parents dealt with this behaviour.

The young brunette stepped out into the doorway and bowed robotically. “I’m Akaashi Fuji, a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Ah, hi there, I’m Bokuto. Pleasure’s mine,” he answered awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably under the suspicious glares by the little girl.

“What do you have there, Fuji-chan?” Keiji asked gesturing towards the sheet of paper thus interrupting the awkwardness in the air.

Her expression changed immediately, happily bounding over to Keiji. “I got stuck on a question but you weren’t in your room, so...” It was only then that she noticed the paused movie. “Are you watching Tranformers?! I want to watch too!”

Keiji was looking over the questions and was surprised at the sudden change of attitude. “Fuji-chan, what about your homework?”

“I can do that another time. Please?” She pulled puppy eyes at him as she brought her hands up into a begging gesture.

“I don’t see why not,” Bokuto answered with a shrug which made Keiji sigh.

“Woohoo!” She cheered, climbing into Keiji’s lap and making herself comfortable. She turned to Bokuto, “I like you already, Onii-chan.”

“You didn’t warm up to me that quickly,” the setter tried not to make his sulk too obvious in his voice and pressed the play button to resume the movie.

“Yeah but Kei-nii you’re scarier than Onii-chan,” she said bluntly.

Keiji choked on air and gave the little girl on his lap a disbelieving look. Beside them, Bokuto was in a fit of giggles.

“Oh my god, Akaashi! You should’ve seen your face!” He was clutching his side now. “That’s... That’s probably the most expressive I’ve ever seen you. Oh my god, I can’t breathe...”

“It wasn’t that funny, Bokuto-san,” Keiji mumbled, turning away from his captain to hide his heated blush.

I can’t believe she called me scary...

For most of the film, the three of them were silently watching and as Keiji expected, Fuji had fallen asleep again. He shifted her a little in his arms so that he could carry her up to her room. Bokuto had noticed the intention and reached for the remote to pause the film.

“I’ll be right back,” Keiji said quietly making sure not to wake the little girl.

“Sure.”

After tucking her into bed and giving her a light kiss on the forehead, the setter returned to the living room, grabbing two glasses of water and the small birthday present in his bag on the way.

“I never knew you had a little sister,” Bokuto commented, taking a small sip of the water Keiji handed him.

“She’s not my sister, she’s my cousin,” the lie rolled off his tongue as if it was nothing, yet there was this foul taste in his mouth at lying straight up to Bokuto’s face.

“Ohh,” he replied as he tilted his head in thought. “So wait, Akaashi-san from earlier, was she your-”

“She’s my aunt.” He said simply, not wanting to continue the conversation but Bokuto seemed entirely interested.

“Really? Where are your parents? I totally thought she was your mum, you look so alike!”

“My parents are working abroad...”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool.”

“Anyway, this is for you.” Keiji handed him a small owl key-ring, hoping to distract his ace from the topic at hand. “Happy Birthday.”

It was successful as Bokuto cupped his hands together, cradling the present with such care that Keiji couldn’t help but smile. His expression was mirrored tenfold as Bokuto smiled so brightly that the setter had to look away. “Thank you, Akaashi! You’re the best!”

Keiji wondered whether such a compliment was necessary for such a small gift but nevertheless, he accepted the other’s gratitude and continued the film.

At some point during the film, Keiji must have dozed off since he found himself leaning heavily against Bokuto’s shoulder. He went to push himself off but not only was he heavy with sleep, there was a weight on top of his head preventing him from moving. It was then that Keiji realised that his captain had fallen asleep too and they were both leaning on each other. In any normal situation, Keiji would come up with a few ways of slipping out of the odd sleeping position without waking the other, but he decided against it, preferring to enjoy the close moment and the warmth radiating off Bokuto.

He regretted that decision in the morning when he woke up with a sore neck and back. Bokuto wasn’t any better, groaning as his bones clicked from a large stretch. Breakfast was shovelled into their mouths quickly as they had to go to morning practice. But before they left, Keiji’s mum handed Bokuto a palm sized cake in a box for him to eat at school. He was more than ecstatic when he received it and thanked her multiple times over. They said a hasty goodbye before making their way to school. They couldn’t risk both captains being late together the day after Bokuto’s birthday – that would certainly raise unnecessary questions. Thankfully, they arrived early and practice went by like normal.

In fact, weeks went by uneventfully and before they knew it, the Spring Tournament Preliminaries were approaching.

Chapter Text

Just when things were looking good for the team, Keiji failed to get out of bed one day. He had a raging headache, accompanied with a high fever. It didn’t make sense how he managed to become so ill, given his health was good the previous few days.

As he was unable to do anything, Keiji simply laid in bed and allowed his mind to wander through various topics: from Bokuto, to volleyball, to studies, to his parents, to Fuji then to his current situation... With a sudden spark of realisation, it dawned on him that it was around this time that he had the car accident in his world. He bolted upright, immediately regretting it as he was hit with a wave of nausea. He flopped back down onto his pillow and squinted towards his digital alarm clock. It read 17:48 and sure enough, October 19^th, the last day before he found himself in this world. But what did this mean?

Keiji groaned at the pulsing in his ears and the sudden heaviness in his head. Thinking about it only made him feel worse. However a knock on the door prevented him from thinking anymore anyway.

“Keiji? Are you awake?” His mother asked as she cracked opened the door.

“Yeah, I am,” he replied weakly, leaning up on one elbow.

“Koutarou-kun is here, he said he’s brought you the work you’ve missed.”

“Why isn’t he at practice...?” He thought out loud which his mother only shrugged at.

“Maybe he’s just being a caring senpai.” And with that she retreated back out into the hallway.

Moments later, the door opened again and Bokuto peeked in nervously. It was comical how such a large presence on court could be so timid when entering Keiji’s room.

“You can come in,” Keiji said, wincing at how dry his voice sounded.

Bokuto shuffled in and sat down on the floor beside Keiji’s bed. “How are you feeling?” He asked whilst rummaging through his bag.

“I’ve been better. Why aren’t you at practice?”

“Ah, I was... But Konoha and Saru said to cut it short today,” he mumbled with a small pout.

“You couldn’t concentrate, could you?” When Bokuto stayed silent, Keiji suspicions were confirmed. It wasn’t surprising seen as he would sulk whenever he didn’t receive any tosses, let alone a whole day without his setter. How would he have coped if Keiji never entered this world? But they would have never met so he would have managed anyway...

A groan escaped Keiji’s lips before he could stop it. He rubbed his temple gently, reminding himself not to think about his situation.

“Hey, are you alright?” Bokuto asked, placing a gently hand over the one Keiji had against his head.

“Y-Yeah...” It was a simple gesture, but it was the sincerity that made Keiji miss the contact he shared with Bokuto.

“Ah, found it.” He retracted his hand in order to pull out a notebook from his bag. “Here, one of your classmates told me to give this to you, it’s the work you missed.” He offered it with a bright smile, making Keiji’s own lips tug upwards.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san. But I don’t think it’s wise for me to look over it just yet.”

“Ah yeah, of course. You have to be well enough to play volleyball before you can go study!”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” Keiji replied, huffing a light laugh at Bokuto’s logic.

They idly chatted, mostly Bokuto doing all the talking – thankfully at a reasonably low volume – while animating his speech with frantic hand gestures. It was nice to spend time with his captain like that but before long, his eyelids felt heavy. Keiji didn’t want him to leave but at the same time, if he asked Bokuto to stay, he’d risk passing over his illness.

“You know, it was only today that I realised that I don’t have your number,” Bokuto said after a while, a little nervously. “I mean, if this happens again, I need to be able to contact you, right?”

“Ah, I err...” It dawned on Keiji that he didn’t have a phone, “don’t have one...”

Bokuto’s pulled a disbelieving expression, eyes wide and mouth agape. “You don’t have a phone? How have you been coping? Have you never asked your parents?”

“Ah well...” I do have a phone... It’s just in another world. “I’ve just never really found the need for one.”

“Well, you have a need for one now!”

“I really don’t think it’s necessary...”

Bokuto huffed and dropped the topic there. Instead, he moved onto volleyball, of course he did.

“I’ll come by again tomorrow if you’re not well again,” Bokuto said before getting ready to leave.

“You don’t have to,” Keiji replied politely.

“No no, I want to. I gotta make sure you’re taken care of so you can come back in tip-top shape and we can kick Spring High Preliminary ass!” He pumped a fist up enthusiastically.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” Keiji offered a small smile before they said their goodbyes and Bokuto left his room. It felt significantly larger and emptier without his ace but Keiji knew nothing could be done about it. His relationship with this Bokuto was different from the one he had developed in the other world. It saddened him but all he had to do now was focus on getting better.

“Hey hey hey, Keiji. I bought the team some meat buns after practice today. Aren’t I a great captain?” Koutarou chuckled lightly. “You know, Kuroo’s been helping me out with practice. He and Kenma have been popping by after school and can you believe this: Kenma’s been sending me tosses! I mean, this is Kenma!” He was beaming at the mention of Nekoma’s setter. “He gets tired after a while though, so he’s nowhere near as tough as you, but it’s still nice. It would have been nicer if you were there too...” He paused for a moment, in which his previous expression fell into a much sadder smile. “But I’m sure you will, right? You’ll be back soon... right? Please come back soon...”

Bokuto-san?

Keiji blinked sleep out of his eyes to see the familiar ceiling of his room illuminated by the low afternoon sun. The dream he just had began to fade as he sat up slowly, noticing a weight on the side of his mattress. There, on the edge of the bed was Bokuto, sitting on the floor with his head propped up on the bed, even breaths, eyes closed, fast asleep. Keiji smiled fondly at him and gently carded a hand through his gelled hair. This gestured stirred him awake, however, and sleepy golden eyes met Keiji’s green ones. Bokuto offered a sleepy smile before leaning into the hand petting his head.

“If you’re tired, you should go home,” the setter suggested.

“But I don’t want to,” he whined quietly, nuzzling his face into the bed.

Keiji huffed a laugh. In a way he could allow Bokuto to stay the night given that he felt a lot better now after a few days. However, he didn’t want to monopolize any more of his captain’s time.

“You can stay the night,” Keiji offered anyway.

“I already planned to,” was the muffled response, making Keiji roll his eyes.

“You’re unbelievable.” It was a fond comment, no bite to it and it seemed Bokuto knew that as well.

It was approaching a week since Keiji first fell ill and odd dreams kept on occurring. They would vanish from his memory not long after waking up but they left a rather tight feeling in his chest. It was frustrating because Keiji simply couldn’t remember what they were about. He mentioned this sensation to his mother and like many things, she took it into consideration.

Then came the morning when she brought breakfast up to his room to find that Keiji was distressing in his sleep.

“Keiji? Keiji, wake up,” she prompted gently after setting his meal onto his desk.

He woke up with a start and seemed horribly disorientated.

“Keiji, how are you feeling? Was it another one of those dreams?”

“Y-Yeah, I was in a hospital room... a-and Bokuto-san was there. But he was different... Not the one from this world...” He recounted while the dream was still relatively fresh.

“So you are still connected to your original self,” she concluded.

“I guess so... The problem is how do I get back.”

“I honestly expected something to happen while you were ill, like maybe fade away or something.” Keiji gave her a confused look which she raised her hands up in front of her defensively. “I mean, I can’t say I’d be happy to see you go but considering the date a few days ago, I thought you’d be pulled back to your world or something. I don’t know... But seen as you’re better again...”

For Keiji, it was an interesting idea. Honestly speaking, it was incredibly difficult tackling a problem when they knew so little about it and all they’re doing was guess work. It was frustrating and all Keiji wanted is know whether he could go back and if he could, how to do it.

However, by the time he started to go back to school, everything went back to normal. Did he miss his chance to go back? Was he stuck in this world forever? Did that dream play any significance? These questions were left unanswered as they entered Spring High Preliminaries.

Chapter Text

After winning the semi-finals, Fukurodani secured a ticket to the Spring High tournament. However their desire for victory didn’t end there. They wanted to win the finals and be Tokyo’s First Representative. Nearly every year it had been stolen from them by Itachiyama but this year, this time, Bokuto wanted it for his team.

Keiji tried to fire up his ace from the start but by the time Bokuto was focused, they had lost the first set. However, Fukurodani pulled it back during the second set and with the hope that their momentum would carry through to the end, they made various aggressive plays. The game raged on into a deuce. Keiji’s thighs were certainly burning with fatigue but they couldn’t afford to lose one more point.

“Alright!” Komi yelled, receiving the ball neatly.

“Akaashi!” was the familiar yell of his ace and without even considering other options, the setter sent the ball to the left, trusting Bokuto to send it smacking into the opponents’ side of the court.

But instead, it was sent back down onto Fukurodani’s side with a solid kill block against Bokuto’s well polished straight spike.

The stadium roared with cheers but it was dull to Keiji's ears. Either way, they still made it to Nationals but it was the frustration of losing to Itachiyama again which left a bitter taste. Bokuto’s head was hung low but with a bit of encouragement, he snapped out of it and proceeded to line up and thank the opponents.

Despite the coach telling the team to have the night off, Bokuto asked, “Hey Akaashi, would you mind staying for a bit to practice?”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

And so, hours were spend with Bokuto sending spike after spike across the net, releasing his frustration.

“Nice kill,” Keiji commented after a particularly good straight.

“No. It wasn’t.” Bokuto huffed in annoyance, earning a raised eyebrow from his setter.

“Bokuto-san?”

“That would’ve been blocked.”

“You don’t know that,” Keiji replied, cautious of the other boy’s growing irritation.

“That felt the same as the last one in the game. If it felt the same, that means it would be blocked the same.”

Ah, so that’s what’s bothering him.

“So what is it that you’re aiming for?” Keiji needed to know the ace’s intention in order to help him achieve it.

“I want a straight spike which opponents can’t touch and even if they do, it’ll be so powerful that it’ll blast right through their blocks.” Bokuto looked serious and determined. He wanted this and Keiji couldn’t and wouldn’t be the one to put out that fire in the spiker’s eyes.

“We’ll need to work hard if you want to use that sort of weapon during Spring High.” And with that, he picked up a ball from the trolley and gestured Bokuto to get into position. His captain responded with a wide grin and with a toss, their practice continued.

A little while after the Tokyo Representative Playoffs, while the team were changing in the locker room, Bokuto noticed a small wrapped box in Keiji’s bag. It looked familiar but he couldn’t figure out why. It ended up distracting him for most of his morning lessons and by the time he realised what it was, it was lunch break.

“Bokuto, are you sure about this?” Komi asked in a hushed voice.

“Yeah yeah, positive,” Bokuto replied with furious nods.

“He didn’t mention anything this morning, what if it isn’t today?”

“He had a little wrapped box in his bag this morning. I even checked the Membership List and it said December 5^th,” Bokuto looked too serious for this conversation. “We have to like, surprise him or something!” He not-so-quietly whispered.

“But maybe he just wanted a normal day at school. Y’know, a normal birthday?” Saru considered, earning a pout from his captain.

“It can’t be normal! It’s a special day! We’ll make it special!”

It was one of those rare days where Keiji spent his lunch alone in his classroom. Occasionally, Bokuto would get himself into trouble thus being unable to spend time with his setter. It was nice to have some quiet time every now and then. Honestly, he didn’t expect anything special to happen on his birthday, hence why he didn’t mention it to anyone. So when he received a little wrapped present from Fuji that morning, he was pleasantly surprised. She was very nervous about it and didn’t give it to Keiji until he had one foot out the door.

He gently unwrapped the little gift to reveal a palm sized plastic tub. The lid popped off easily and sat inside was a miniature birthday cake, similar to the one Bokuto received from his mother a few months back. However, it was obvious that this one was made by Fuji herself, given the wonkiness and the use of brightly coloured icing. Keiji had to admit that he didn’t have much of a sweet tooth, but he happily took a bite out of it, smiling fondly at the image of little Fuji fumbling around in the kitchen making this.

By the time Keiji left his classroom for afterschool practice, he had almost forgotten that it was in fact his birthday. Everything that day was so normal that it slipped his mind, well, that was true until he walked into the gym, decorated with birthday banners and balloons.

“Akaashi! You’re here!” Bokuto ran towards the younger boy, pulling him into a tight hug. “Happy Birthday!”

“H-How did you know?” Keiji breathed out with the remaining air in his lungs.

“Well, Bokuto here-“ Konoha started.

“No no no, don’t mind him, ignore him!” Bokuto laughed loudly, “I’m a genius so of course I knew!”

There were multiple eye rolls before all attention was turned back to Keiji. “Happy Birthday Vice-Captain!” They said in unison which made Keiji lips tug upwards and his cheeks heat up a little.

“Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s practice,” Bokuto called, trotting over to the volleyball trolley. Keiji breathed out a sigh of relief, at least we’ll have practice like normal.

 “Hey hey hey, Akaashi! I’m the setter today, so you go and do some spiking! You’re the ace today!”

Or not.

“Bokuto-san, you don’t know how to-“

“Oi Akaashi,” Komi whispered beside him, “he spent all afternoon practicing with Konoha, so at least try and spike a few of them.”

“Try” was Keiji’s simple reply before doing some quick stretches to get himself warmed up.

Not to his surprise, Bokuto was terrible at setting balls. Most were too high and utterly inconsistent. As long as Keiji didn’t try any quicks, he managed to spike a few easy tosses earning loud cheers from his captain.

“Hey Akaashi, do you want to try a quick?” Konoha asked, gesturing to the ball in his hand. Keiji knew Konoha could toss and despite the pout on Bokuto’s face, he wanted to try spiking a quick instead of setting one. So he got into position and spiked it to the other side of the net with a convincing smack to the floorboard.

Komi blew a low whistle. “Man, who knew Akaashi was this good at spiking.”

“Watch out, Captain, we have someone who might threaten your ace position,” Konoha teased, elbowing Bokuto in the side.

“No! You can’t be serious!” Bokuto whined. “Akaashi, is this what you’ve been after all this time?! Have you been secretly wanting to be the ace of this team?”

“Bokuto-san, of course not. I-“

“Let’s have a three on three! I’ll show you who the real ace is!”

“But if you do that then you won’t get to spike Akaashi’s tosses,” Washio pointed out.

This made Bokuto pause, debating the two options. Folding his arms, then furrowing his brow together in thought, pondering... The team waited for one, then two, then three minutes. Silently watching their captain hum in thought.

When their patience ran out, Konoha yelled, “Let’s just have normal practice! God, why is it so difficult!”

Keiji sighed exasperatedly, this is why I prefer an uneventful birthday...

Practice was over and the coach said that they were not allowed to go home until all the decorations have been taken down. Keiji had just put away a few volleyballs when he heard, “Hey Bokuto!” Konoha called from where he stood at the top of a step ladder, taking down the birthday banners. “Make sure you walk birthday boy home!”

“I will!” Bokuto replied grumpily.

“Are we not staying for extra practice?” Keiji asked, not believing that his over-working ace does not want to practice just because it was his birthday.

“Well it’s your birthday, so we can cut it short,” Bokuto replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

“What do you mean cut it short? You and Akaashi are leaving now!”

“But what about the equipment and decorations?“ Keiji tried to protest, but Komi only waved his hand dismissively.

“We’ll handle it.”

After glancing around the gym at his senpais, Keiji conceded and was led out by Bokuto towards the locker room.

Their walk home was earlier than most evenings, with the sun slightly higher in the sky. Bokuto chatted animatedly as always and Keiji commented every now and then. Like the other second years instructed, Bokuto walked Keiji all the way home.

“Thank you for walking me home, Bokuto-san.”

“No problem, Akaashi,” and he was pulled into a tight embrace by his captain. It was familiar and warm, but the moment didn’t last long. Bokuto drew away and began rummaging through his bag.

“This is for you,” he offered a poorly wrapped rectangular box. It was different from the gift Keiji had received from Bokuto in the other world.

“You didn’t have to...” Keiji replied modestly, despite his curiosity. Admittedly, he did feel a little guilty that his gift for Bokuto’s birthday was considerably smaller.

“I just hope you find it useful,” was the last thing he said before turning towards the gate. “See you tomorrow, Akaashi! Enjoy your birthday evening!”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san. Have a good evening too.” And with that Bokuto walked away leaving Keiji feeling a gentle swell in his chest.

“Kei-nii, you’re home!” Fuji greeted as he stepped out of his shoes.

“Yeah, I’m home.”

“What’s that?” She pointed at the box in Keiji’s hands.

“It’s a gift from a friend, although I don’t know what it is.” He inspected it but due to the wrapping, he couldn’t figure out what it could be.

“Oh Keiji, welcome home. Dinner’s just about ready, have you showered yet?” Keiji’s mum asked from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I showered after practice.”

“Ah perfect, come sit down then.”

Towards the end of dinner, Fuji asked, “Kei-nii, are you going to open that?” She nodded towards the present to emphasise her question.

“I’ll open it later,” he replied, not wanting to interrupt their meal.

“You can open it now,” his father said.

“Yeah, I’m curious as to what it is too.”

Keiji sighed in defeat. If both parents wanted him to open it then he didn’t have much of a choice. He placed his chopsticks down, picking up the present and began unwrapping it.

The wrapping paper slipped out of his grasp as everyone stared at the box in hand. Keiji couldn’t believe Bokuto had bought this for him. It was certainly different from the gift he had received before. Moreover, it couldn’t have been cheap – no, Keiji was positive that he must have spent so much of his savings to buy this.

“Your friend must be loaded if he bought you a phone for your birthday,” his father commented, surprise was obvious in his voice.

“Honey, I think we’ve been outdone,” his mother gaped, gaze never leaving the box which held a brand new smartphone.

Keiji was still processing the item in his hands. He gently pulled it out of the box, cradled the expensive device carefully in his hands, when he noticed a sheet of paper tucked underneath it.

Akaashi,

I hope you haven’t bought a phone since the last time you mentioned not having one. It should come in handy and you can text me whenever now! In fact, text me after you read this!

Bokuto

And underneath his name was a set of numbers which Keiji assumed to be Bokuto’s own number.

Keiji put away the gift with care, setting it aside with caution and finished dinner in a daze. Never had he received such an expensive present before and he felt guilty for ever mentioning not having a phone to Bokuto. However, at the same time, he felt so very grateful for having someone who cared that much for him, who’d go out of his way to buy something so expensive just so they could contact each other. Keiji felt a flutter in his chest and gave up fighting the smile on his face.

After retiring up to his bedroom, he set up the phone, punching in his details and other information. Bokuto’s number was his first contact and without any delay, Keiji sent him a quick,

To Bokuto-san:
Bokuto-san?

From Bokuto-san:
yeah
who is this?

To Bokuto-san:
It’s Akaashi. Thank you so much for the present. I really don’t know what to say. It’s the first time I’ve received something like this.

From Bokuto-san:
AKAASHIII!!!
I’M SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT!!!
IS IT USEFUL?
wait youre using it now so it must be
THATS GREAT!!!
YOURE WELCOME!!!
WE CAN TALK LIKE ALL THE TIME NOW!!

Keiji smiled to himself as the texts came flooding in from his energetic ace. They texted well into the night, mainly Bokuto talking about random things, until Keiji reminded him that they still had practice in the morning. That night, he fell asleep with a soft smile on his face.

Chapter Text

The year was coming to an end. The streets of Tokyo decorated with bright lights and Christmas banners. It had been several months since Keiji first arrived in this world and yet, he has found no lead on how to return to his own. Worry was slowly replacing the festive atmosphere as he wondered if he’ll ever get back.

“You’re thinking too much,” his mother poked him in the cheek playfully. “It’s Christmas, don’t think about gloomy things. Let’s just enjoy the day together, as a family.”

The word ‘family’ made Keiji smile fondly and giving his mother a small nod, he pushed away his thoughts so he could have a good time with Fuji and his parents.

New Year’s was spent with the team, as they all met up at the shrine to pray.

“What did you wish for?” Komi asked.

“Doing well in Spring High,” Konoha, Sarukui and Keiji replied in unison.

“Just doing well? Oh come on!” Bokuto whined. “I prayed to win the whole thing and be number one ace in the nation!” He pumped a fist into the air, followed by his obnoxious laugh.

It wasn’t a lie that they all wanted to win the National Tournament but unlike their captain, the team liked to keep goals simple.

And either their prayers were answered or their devoted practice had paid off, or both, Fukurodani powered through their bracket of the Spring High Tournament.

“Bokuto-san!” Keiji called, sending what he hoped to be the last toss to his ace.

With a swift whip of his arm, the ball was cross-spiked into the corner of the court. The whistle blew and cheers erupted from the bleachers. Fukurodani Academy advanced to the quarter finals.

“Nice toss, Akaashi!”

“Nice kill. You’re doing well today,” Keiji praised.

“I know right!” Then he ducked down and whispered into Keiji’s ear, “We still haven’t busted out our secret weapon yet.” He pulled back with a wide grin and the setter felt his own lips tug upwards.

This was it, the quarter finals. If they win this match, they would have avenged their senpais and made it past Top 8 in the nation. Keiji tried not to recall his volleyball experience from his world, wanting to appreciate this timeline and tournament separately.

The team’s morale was high and the fire in Bokuto’s eyes was only fuelling their determination more. “Let’s have a good game!” They called out, bowing to their opponents before getting into position.

Fukurodani started well, momentum completely in their favour, allowing them to take the first set with ease. However, it was in the middle of the second set where the opponents adjusted their blocks and started choking Bokuto’s cross spikes, sending them straight to their libero. After multiple solid saves and blocks, Fukurodani lost their momentum. Falling behind by five points, their ace started growing quiet and grumpy and Keiji could feel the frustration emitting off his captain.

“Damn it...” He cursed under his breath.

Before Bokuto fell into dejected mode, Keiji said, “Bokuto-san, that secret weapon you mentioned earlier. We’re using it.”

“What, really?” He brightened up almost immediately and Keiji breathed a sigh of relief.

“You can do it, Captain,” Sarukui said patting Bokuto on the back.

“We believe in you, Ace.”

The words of encouragement were pulling Bokuto back, all that was left was to actually score.

“Alright,” Konoha called, receiving the ball to Keiji with ease. The opponents’ defence had already shifted their attention away from Bokuto therefore giving Keiji the opportunity to toss the perfect ball he’d practiced for so many evenings to his ace, already in position, in the air. The blockers came too late and with a swing of his arm, the ball smacked into the floor, just inside of the sideline.

That’s it. That’s the straight spike Bokuto wanted. The one which no blockers could touch. The one which brought momentum back to their side of the court. That moment. Bokuto’s moment.

The sheer happiness that filled Keiji in that moment was unreal. Their practice had paid off. Their practice had reached a goal which they had set a few months back. Their play brought life back to Fukurodani and without even realising the team was bundling together in a group hug.

“It was just one point...” Keiji heard from across the net. But what they didn’t understand was the meaning behind that one spike, the trust and feelings the team shared for each other and for their ace and captain.

The opposing team were crushed afterwards, unable to score a point after Bokuto’s recovery. And with a final practiced straight, blasting through the opponents’ blocks, Fukurodani advanced to the semi-finals of the Spring High Tournament.

“Alright, we’re gonna kick Kiryuu’s butt then take the finals!” Bokuto called, followed by a unified cheer from the team. They’ve made it this far, only two more wins and they’ll be national champions.

However, luck runs out eventually and with a powerful spike which Komi failed to save, Fukurodani lost in the semi-finals.

Their opponent for National third place became Shiratorizawa.

They couldn’t give up yet. Their journey wasn’t over yet.

But determination alone couldn’t get them another win. The team took too long adjusting to Ushijima’s left handed spikes and when the blocks were there to stop the ball, the force and power overwhelmed them.

Fukurodani Academy placed 4^th in Japan’s National Spring Inter-High Volleyball Tournament.

Bokuto Koutarou, Japan’s 4^th Best High School Volleyball Spiker.

In the end, the outcome was the same as the one Keiji experienced back in his original world, only the most minimal differences occurred.

Chapter Text

The cherry blossoms were decorating the school ground as the third years held their diplomas. Many were in tears but for others, it just meant a new chapter in their lives. Hiro and the other graduates wished the team good luck and thanked the coach for the past three years. Keiji watched them leave with a soft smile. Beside him, none of his teammates had tears in their eyes, instead they all seemed to burn with determination.

“Alright! How about some practice?”

It was afternoon practice of Keiji’s first day of his second year at Fukurodani. He was holding the gym doors open for the new first years when Bokuto yelled, “You! You’re tall! Come block for me!”

The poor first year looked nervous, not wanting to accept but neither did he want to be on bad terms with his senpai on the first day. Seeing him look around helplessly, Keiji had no choice but to step in.

“Bokuto-san, it’s rude to point.” Keiji lightly smacked away his captain’s arm. “You’re Onaga, right?” The boy nodded shyly. “I’m Akaashi, vice-captain. And this is...” Keiji turned to introduce him but said older boy had already bounded off to the court. “Is your captain,” he sighed, “Bokuto-san.”

“He seems lively,” Onaga commented, watching Bokuto talk animatedly with some other first years.

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” Keiji smirked a little.

When practice officially started, they ran through introductions, health and safety rules and other precautions. Most of the third years were allocated a group to assess their plays whereas Keiji kept track of their performance details. To no-one’s surprise, apart from the freshmen, Bokuto was not allowed to handle a group and therefore he was floating around aimlessly at the practicing players.

A lost puppy, was the thought that crossed Keiji’s mind.

Onaga was indeed tall. He had good game sense and his blocks were well timed, all that was left was solidifying his form. When playing for a powerhouse school, they’ll be going up against other strong schools with their very own super ace. If Onaga were to be on the roster, Keiji would have to draw out his potential.

“Washio-san,” Keiji approached the third year middle blocker, “could you practice with Onaga when possible, I think he has potential.”

Washio simply nodded before calling Onaga over. Keiji excused himself as he continued to assess the other first year players.

In a few weeks’ time, Onaga made convincing improvements and was put in as a starting member during a practice game against Nekoma.

“Kuroo!” Bokuto called as he trotted into Nekoma’s gym.

“Bro! How have you been?” They hugged briefly.

“Great, man! We have this super tall first year and he totally rocks!” Onaga scratched his cheek awkwardly at the high praise from his captain, while the other third years simply rolled their eyes.

“Dude, we have some good first years too.”

“Kuroo-san, are you talking about me?” A tall, lanky boy pointed at himself hopefully.

“Like hell I’m talking about you, Lev!” Kuroo yelled over his shoulder at said boy.

“Lev? A foreigner?”

“He’s half Russian,” Kuroo replied.

“Ehh? That’s no fair!” Bokuto whined which make Kuroo snicker.

“He’s still an absolute novice though.”

Keiji already knew the boy, but still, Kuroo was right. Haiba Lev was an inexperienced player. He had height but his blocks were weak. Moreover, his receives were horrendous too. Fukurodani won two sets convincingly and while most Nekoma players were doing a lap of flying falls, Kuroo sent endless spikes at Lev with the intention of ‘practicing receives’.

“It looks like target practice to me...” Keiji commented, watching Lev get ball after ball aimed at him.

“If he wants to play on a defensive team, his receives have to be good,” Komi shrugged.

“Kuroo! I want to spike at him too!” Bokuto called, jogging up to his best friend.

“Yeah, good idea bro!” Kuroo grinned devilishly at the poor first year middle blocker.

“Lev! You better focus or Bokuto will spike stars into your skull!” Yaku called after finishing his lap of flying falls.

It was cruel to watch but Keiji was too tired to try and stop the trouble-making captains, so instead, he turned a blind eye to the matter and began taking down the net.

“Hey hey hey Keiji! Sorry I’m a bit late today but I have a good reason though, you won’t believe it!” Excitement was evident in his voice. “On the way out of the gym, I saw the coach talking to my English teacher. I was a little nervous seeing them together because we had a test the other day and I didn’t feel that confident afterwards. But then they waved me over and gave my test paper back and would you believe it, I got a whopping 82! That’s great, right? I’m awesome, right? Yeah!” He grinned wide and proud. “And Kuroo said he’ll treat me to Yakiniku as a ‘well done’ gift. He’s such a bro! The best bro! I have to admit, he did help me out a bit but you helped me out too. The notes you... you left behind... they were super useful too...” He should’ve said that differently, ‘left behind’ were the wrong words, because now there was a steady stream of tears running down Koutarou’s cheeks. “Keiji, you... you always help me out... you’re always here for me... and I know it’s my turn to be here for you now but... I just... I don’t know... I miss you. I miss you a lot. I’m getting impatient, I know. But I just..” He took a shaky breath, “just want you to wake up... open your eyes and smile at me again. I really miss that. I’ve been saying this every time but please... please, wake up soon.”

Chapter Text

The team was meshing together well and Keiji had high hopes for the upcoming Interhigh. It was like any other evening where Keiji returned home after extra spiking practice with Bokuto, had dinner with his family then spent a bit of time with Fuji before retiring to his room to complete his homework. What he didn’t expect was a phone call from his captain at 3:22 am. Keiji blinked at his dim phone screen, processing the caller ID before swiping to connect the call.

“Bokuto-san?” His voice was croaky from sleep and Keiji cleared it quickly.

“Akaashi...” Bokuto’s voice was quiet and shaky. It made Keiji’s chest tight just from hearing it.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen?” He was worried because Bokuto hardly called, preferring to text instead. Moreover, it was in the middle of the night.

“J-Just a nightmare...” he replied weakly, followed by a sniff and Keiji knew he had been crying.

“It’s okay. It’s not true, whatever it is.” He paused for a response from the older boy, but he was silent on the other end. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Bokuto made a negative sound and there was a shuffle which accompanied it and Keiji could only assume that he had shook his head in response, despite the setter being unable to see him.

“If you’re sure. Do you think you can get back to sleep? We need to be up in a few hours and we need our ace to be in top form, remember?”

“Yeah... Yeah!” Bokuto whispered loudly, “Thanks Akaashi. I feel a bit better now.”

“No problem. Sleep well, Bokuto-san.”

A short hum was heard, then “Goodnight, Akaashi,” and the call ended. Keiji had a small smile across his face but he couldn’t help but wonder what Bokuto’s dream was about. Was it that bad that he needed to call Keiji?

They never brought up Bokuto’s nightmare again as Interhigh preparations monopolized most of their time. With the addition of Onaga into the starting line-up, they were confident and ready to play on the National stage again.

Their journey, however, was cut short by none other than Shiratorizawa. They had an early encounter during the quarter finals and regrettably, Fukurodani Academy was knocked out, making them one of the Top 8 in the Nation again.

The loss was bitter and it was worse for the second and third years who were defeated by them last tournament. But nevertheless, defeat only fuelled more determination to practice and take revenge. With summer training camps quickly approaching, it gave the team plenty of opportunities to practice with different players. This year, they had the addition of a Miyagi High School, Karasuno. They had played against Nekoma during Golden Week and their coaches were closely acquainted.

Keiji thought that maybe Karasuno would be different in this world but no, that wasn’t the case.

In fact, there weren’t many significant differences between his own world and this one.

But what worried him most was time... It was gradually nearing the time he had the accident...

“He’s not waking up, Kuroo...” Koutarou said hopelessly to his best friend, shoulders slumping in defeat.

“The doctor said to be patient, right?” The middle blocker replied, rubbing soothing circles into Koutarou’s back.

“It’s been so long though...” Tears were spilling down his cheeks, “I don’t want to wait anymore....”

“Bro...” Kuroo pulled the shorter teen into a tight embrace, feeling the sobs wreck his wide frame. “It’s going to be okay, he’ll wake up soon. Just wait a bit longer, okay? I’m here for you.”

“What if... What if he never wakes up?”

“Bokuto-san?” It was a little past two in the morning and Keiji was awoken by quiet sobbing again. In contrast to last year, Bokuto slept beside him therefore allowed the setter to reach him easier, instead of having to trek across the room. “Bokuto-san?” He tried again.

Bokuto bolted up into a sitting position, chest heaving and looking disorientated and terrified. He looked around the dark room frantically before settling his gaze onto his setter who wore a very concerned expression.

“Akaa-“ His voice got caught in his throat as more tears streamed down his cheeks. Breathing staggered and shoulders trembling, Bokuto stood up abruptly and ran towards the door.

“Bokuto-san!” Keiji called after him, wincing at the volume of his voice. After glancing over his shoulder at the undisturbed sleeping figures of his teammates, Keiji chased after his captain.

Down an empty corridor, Bokuto was hunched over, leaning heavily against the wall as tears fell off his chin and onto the floor.

“Bokuto-san?” Keiji placed a gentle hand to the older boy’s shoulder before dropping to his knees beside him. “Did you have another nightmare?”

The response was a few small nods as Bokuto continued to wipe his endless tears.

“Was it that bad?”

“I-I don’t know whether I’d call it bad...” The spiker sniffed loudly as his tears began to slow. “They always leave me like this, but they’re not scary, just... sad.”

Keiji tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean by sad?”

“They’re always about the same thing.” Bokuto seemed unwilling to elaborate but Keiji was genuinely very worried because whatever these dreams were, they had been affecting the ace for at least a year.

“And what is that?” Keiji prompted.

Bokuto swallowed nervously, before lifting his gaze to meet Keiji’s half lidded eyes. “They’re about... They’re always... You’re always... in hospital...” He replied quietly, dropping his gaze back to the floor.

“What?” Disbelief evident in Keiji’s voice.

“I-I know, it’s stupid and it’s not true but somehow it feels really real.” The younger boy knew he should stop Bokuto before he went into ramble mode, but Keiji was curious about the details, plus it wasn’t like he knew what to say anyway. “Like, you’re always lying in a hospital bed and I come and see you after practice and stuff. I tell you about what happens at school and everything is so accurate that it’s weird. But they’re not memories because I know that it didn’t happen yet it feels like it has and I don’t know, it doesn’t make sense.” He finished with a huff of frustration.

Could it be that Bokuto-san’s dreams are connected to the Bokuto-san in my world?

“Why...” Keiji paused, thinking about how he should word his question. “Why am I in hospital?”

“It was an accident or something and you’re in a coma, but... ahhhh!” He ruffled his hair in frustration, “It’s not true, so it doesn’t matter, right?” The smile on his face was hopeful but it quickly fell when he saw Keiji’s expression. “Akaashi?”

“Bokuto-san...” This was a lead. Something he needed to prompt him in the right direction. He had to tell him the truth. “It might actually be true...”

“What? But you’re here.” Bokuto reached out his hands and ran them down Keiji’s arms, as if to confirm that he was physically in front of him.

“I mean... Hear me out, okay?” Receiving a slow nod in response, Keiji took a deep breath to compose himself. “I’m not from this world. The Akaashi Keiji of this world died a long time ago, soon after he was born in fact. I was in a car accident in my world and when I woke up, I was here.” Bokuto was listening intently but Keiji could tell he was only barely following. “It sounds crazy, I know. But it’s the theory my mum and I have come up with, to explain how and why her supposedly deceased son turned up at her doorstep one evening.”

“S-So, you’re saying my dreams are real?” Uncertainty was laced with his voice.

“It’s a possibility, yes. I had one dream like that a few months ago when I was really ill, remember?”

Bokuto nodded in quick succession before asking, “Are you trying to get back, then?”

“Yeah, since I shouldn’t really exist in this world.” Keiji admitted and Bokuto’s shoulders slumped sadly.

There was a brief silence before Keiji saw more than heard Bokuto mouth the word “mum”.

The setter’s blood went suddenly cold at the realization that he mentioned his mother in his explanation earlier. His mother who was supposed to be his aunt...

“Bokuto-san, I’m sorry I lied about my mother being my aunt, it was just-” He tried to explain but he was stopped by a gentle press of callous fingers to his lips.

“Don’t apologize, Akaashi, you had a reason to lie. It’s alright. I understand.” He offered a smile before adding, “I was totally convinced she was your mother anyway.”

The pressure on Keiji’s lips lifted as Bokuto retracted his hand. They shared a moment of silence as they processed the information before the captain perked up. “But wait, in my dreams we’re...” He trailed off, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“We’re...?” Keiji prompted, unsure of what his captain was about to say. Bokuto mumbled something inaudible under his breath in response. “What was that?” The distance between them slowly closed as Keiji leaned in to hear Bokuto a little clearer.

“We’re dating... in my dreams.” He muttered and Keiji couldn’t fight back the large smile as he leant back.

“Yes. Yes, we are dating in my world.”

“I’m glad...” Bokuto smiled softly in return. “I’m glad the me in your world had the courage to confess to you.”

“Do you want to know how he did it?” Keiji chuckled lightly at the eager nod he received. “It was the two of us left after practice one evening and we were serving to each other and one of the balls I received had writing on it. It read, ‘this ball is my heart and-‘”

“You just received it.” Bokuto finished, his blush growing a shade darker. The setter felt his own cheeks heat up and smiled shyly. “I actually thought about doing that before...” The older boy admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. The gentle laugh that escaped Keiji’s mouth made Bokuto’s heart flutter. “I want to help you get back to your world,” he said, giving the younger boy a determined look.

“I don’t know whether I can...” Keiji confessed.

“I’d still like to try. And...” The blush darkened again and Keiji found it amusing how many different shades of red had decorated his ace’s features.

“And?”

“I’d also like to date you too.” This, however, was less amusing as Keiji’s soft smile fell.

“But if I’m going to leave, then-“ He tried to argue.

“That doesn’t matter. I’m serious about sending you back to your world, but I’d also like to spend the remaining time with you, close to you, before you have to go.” The look of determination was familiar to Keiji but the large amount of guilt building in his chest left an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

“It wouldn’t be fair, I couldn’t-“

“Please?” Bokuto interrupted, leaning forward to press their foreheads together.

That one word in that hopeful voice broke through Keiji’s defences. He couldn’t say no. It was impossible now. “If you’re sure...” was all he managed to say. The smile that lit up on the older boy’s face was heart warming but Keiji felt cold and his mind was running wild.

He isn’t a replacement. This Bokuto-san and the other Bokuto-san are different. Does this count as cheating? Am I two-timing?! In any case, I’m going to make him upset when I go. I’m being selfish. But if I didn’t agree, he’d be upset anyway. Either way I’m selfish... This is bad...

A gentle hand caressed the side of Keiji’s cheek, removing him from his chain of negative thoughts. “Hey, don’t worry about me, okay? I’m just glad I met you. I’m a little annoyed that the person I like is already taken but when he’s taken by me who’s not actually me, I don’t seem to mind as much.” The ace smiled awkwardly at what he just said. “Knowing that we’re together in another world makes me happy enough. I don’t want to keep you here because it’s too painful watching the other me worry about you so much. That’ll be too selfish, right? I mean, even though I want you by my side, you don’t belong to me. You should be with the other Bokuto Koutarou. So think about yourself, okay? I’ll be fine.”  

Keiji felt a damp thumb run over his cheekbone. Only then did he realise the wetness was from his tears. Bokuto wiped them carefully away and as much as Keiji’s conflicting emotions were raging inside him, he leant forward, closing the distance between them and kissed his captain. It felt natural and right, like every kiss Keiji had shared with Koutarou. And it calmed him. His emotions fell quiet and after pulling away, the soft smiles shared between them were enough to remind Keiji how in love with the boy he was.

Chapter Text

Training camp ended with a barbecue and seen as all the players were exhausted from the intense week, they were given the next day off. Keiji was planning on resting and catching up on much needed sleep when Bokuto approached him.

“Say, Akaashi?”

“Yes, Bokuto-san?” He replied, pulling his water bottle away from his mouth.

“Do you think we could spend tomorrow together?” Bokuto asked shyly, kicking a stone absently.

“Sure. What do you have in mind?”

“Well, I kind of want to talk to your aunt, I mean your mum,” he corrected.

Keiji knew where Bokuto was going with that one comment and simply nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation with other people around.

“Oh Koutarou-kun, it’s nice to see you again.” Keiji’s mum greeted as she held the door open for the boy.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again too, ma’am.” He bowed politely, taking his shoes off before padding into the living room.

Footsteps were heard trotting down the stairs and before long, Keiji rounded the corner. “Ah Bokuto-san, you’re here.”

“Hey, Akaashi.” The ace greeted from the table. Keiji took a seat beside him as his mother brought over two glasses of juice.

“I heard from Keiji that you know,” she didn’t elaborate as she took her seat opposite them, but Bokuto knew what she meant.

“Y-Yeah,” he replied, nodding lightly.

“So, what do you think?”

“W-Well, I was wondering whether we could provoke Akaash... I mean Keiji or something.” The sudden use of Keiji’s given name caused both boys’ cheeks to redden. Across the table, Keiji’s mother only smiled at them before Bokuto cleared his throat and continued. “Like find a link somehow, similar to how I can see what the other Koutarou sees through my dreams.”

“Provoke, huh...” Keiji’s mother repeated, “We haven’t thought about that.” She looked over at Keiji who shook his head.

“What ideas do you have in mind, Bokuto-san?” The setter asked.

“I thought school would be a good one since we spend most of our time there. Of course, volleyball was the next idea I had but seen as how we’ve been doing that for more than a year now and nothing’s happened, it’s not really what we’re looking for...” He finished quietly, before perking up to continue. “So I thought maybe we could go to places where we hung out often and maybe you’ll feel something.”

“We could do that,” Keiji agreed.

“But if that doesn’t work then I don’t know... Maybe if you got hit by-“

“I don’t want to be hit by a car again, thank you, Bokuto-san.” The setter interrupted causing Bokuto to blush deeply and waved his hands in front of him defiantly.

“No no no, sorry, I didn’t mean to...” He pouted a little, feeling guilty for even suggesting such a terrible thing, “Sorry.”

“It’s fine. I hate to admit that it might actually work, but I don’t want to risk something like that.”

Bokuto made an affirmative noise before falling into a short silence. Absently, Keiji’s mum hummed, the warm and knowing smile never leaving her lips.

They pondered the suggestions before a loud growl of the older boy’s stomach interrupted them. The older boy was blushing again and Keiji’s mother simple chuckled.

“All this serious talk has made someone hungry,” she teased.

“Ah, sorry about that,” mentally cursing his stomach as he rubbed it a little.

“I’ll go make something.”

“You don’t need to. I’m alright, I’m not hungry.” As if to prove him wrong, Bokuto’s stomach growled again, contradicting what he had just said. The ace huffed in annoyance and slumped back into his chair.

Keiji’s mother chuckled again. “Your stomach says otherwise. I’m feeling a bit peckish too so I’ll whip up a quick meal.”

“I’ll help,” Keiji offered but she made a dismissing gesture.

“No need, you and Koutarou-kun stay put. I’ll be back in a bit~” She sang, giving her son a wink before trotting away to the kitchen, completely unaware – or simply choosing to ignore – Keiji’s sceptical gaze.

“What did you do round about this time back in your world?” Bokuto asked, leaning an elbow on the table.

“Around this time?” Keiji repeated, tilting his head in thought. “We went to the beach with the team once. And the onsen. We had a date to the zoo...” He trailed off, brows furrowing as he wracked his memory. “I don’t think we actually did all that much. We were busy with studies and practice that-“

“It’s fine!” Bokuto interrupted. “We already have a few leads! I’ve always wanted to go to the beach and onsen with the team. It’ll be super fun!” Keiji couldn’t help but smile at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm.

They chatted idly for a while longer before Keiji’s mother returned with a few bowls of noodles.

“Thank you for having me,” Bokuto bowed to Keiji’s mother after having toed on his shoes.

She waved to dismiss the formal action and replied, “Come back at any time, Koutarou-kun. It was lovely having you.” The warm smile she gave was returned with a bright one.

“Thank you! I’ll see you at school, Keiji!”

“Y-Yeah,” Keiji stuttered a reply before the older boy exited his house. God, I’ll never get used to him calling me by my first name.

When the door clicked shut, Keiji exhaled softly before glancing to the side at his mother. What he didn’t expect was for her to be smiling – rather smugly, in fact – at him.

“W-What?” Heat crept up his cheeks as she turned to him fully.

“You two are so sweet together,” she cooed but Keiji felt dread weigh him down more than anything. He stayed silent for a moment as his mother’s smile fell to a softer, sadder one. “Do you really think I’ll be against it? You boys dating?”

“Mum, we’re not-” He tried to deny but he was swiftly interrupted.

“Keiji, you don’t need to lie. Even if you two aren’t dating for whatever reason, the feelings are obvious.” She looked up to meet his rich green eyes. “It’s obvious from both of you,” she added, gentle smile never leaving her lips.

The young man couldn’t hold his eye contact, he dropped his gaze to the floor as his fingers worked against each other in stress. He should have expected his mother to notice, should have been more careful. It wasn’t like he didn’t trust her, it was just that no matter how much his parents loved him, for Keiji to be in love with another guy... That wasn’t easily accepted - especially in this society...

Again, he stayed silent.

An exasperated exhale left his mother. “Keiji,” she placed a hand to his cheek, tilting his head so that they could make eye contact again. The action was careful and gentle but it didn’t ease the knot in Keiji’s gut. “You are free to love who you want and as your mother, I will support you no matter what. If Koutarou-kun makes you happy then that’s already plenty.”

The words were reassuring and if Keiji wasn’t so tense, he would have noticed the gratitude and appreciation towards his mother for being so understanding.

She wrapped her arms around his larger frame but somehow, in her embrace, Keiji felt a lot smaller, more fragile. One hand soothed circles into his back while she rested her head on his shoulder. “You’ll always be our son and we’ll always love you. So trust us a little bit more, okay?”

Finding the courage to return the hug, Keiji wrapped his arms around his mother, burying his nose into soft hair. “Thank you, mum.” He paused for a moment, before adding, “And sorry.”

“You haven’t told your actual parents, have you?” Keiji tensed at the question and that was all his mother needed for an answer. “You should. They won’t reject you, I’m certain of that. Most likely, they’re waiting for you to tell them yourself.”

Keiji didn’t want to reply.

“You’ll do that, right? You’ll tell them after you get safely back to your world?”

“Okay...” He answered carefully. “I’ll do that.”

They pulled away, his mother giving him a pat on the shoulder before making her way upstairs.

Realisation hit Keiji when she was only a few steps up. “Mum, does dad know?”

She lulled her head over her shoulder with a mischievous grin. “Of course, he does.” And again, Keiji’s breath hitched. “He was the one who pointed it out first.” Waving lightly, she continued up the stairs, leaving Keiji in a momentary state of surprise and mild shock.

Had he really been that obvious?

As Keiji said, they really didn’t have much free time due to their studies and practice. Their relationship didn’t change much and although the team didn’t say anything aloud, the knowing looks Keiji received were enough to tell him that they knew. His teammates seemed happy for them, or maybe it was simply because Bokuto didn’t go dejected as often.

Despite the limited free time, Bokuto still managed to schedule both a trip to the beach and one to an onsen. The team happily agreed but unfortunately for Bokuto and Keiji who had hoped the trips would stimulate something, it ended up being a simple team bonding activity. They still made sure they enjoyed themselves, but the underlying disappointment between them was evident.

Chapter Text

For Bokuto’s birthday a few weeks later, they went to the zoo and spent most of the day in the owl sanctuary. He wanted to adopt one of the great horned owls and pouted childishly when the zoo keeper said he couldn’t. In a way to make Bokuto feel better, Keiji bought them matching owl phone charms. Instantly the pout was replaced by a bright smile. By the time they arrived back to their part of Tokyo, the sun was already low in the sky.

Keiji was talking about the red panda when he realized Bokuto had stopped walking beside him. The setter turned to see his boyfriend staring off into the distant. He retraced his steps and asked, “Bokuto-san? What’s the matter?”

“Keiji, can I take you somewhere real quick?” It was rare for Bokuto to use his first name. Even though they had been dating, the only time he used it was in front of his parents to avoid confusion.

“Sure...” He replied with a single, slow nod before the older boy grabbed him by the hand and dragged him in the direction he was gazing off into earlier.

It wasn’t a leisurely walk, it was more like a light jog as Bokuto lead the way to an unfamiliar part of the city. They entered a park but apparently that wasn’t the destination. Keiji trusted Bokuto to know where he was going but he wouldn’t deny the confusion and curiosity building inside his gut.

After exiting the park, they stood at the entrance to a hospital. Bokuto slowed to a walk and Keiji took the opportunity to ask, “Bokuto-san, why are we here?”

“I-I think this is the hospital you’re at...” He said glancing around the building. “I’m not sure, but I just have a feeling.” Instead of going into the hospital, Bokuto tugged Keiji round the corner. They walked past a few windows, some with their curtains drawn, some empty. Keiji was too busy glancing into each room when Bokuto stopped abruptly, causing the shorter male to walk into him. “I think it’s this room,” he said, peaking into a small, standard hospital room with a single bed.

Gesturing Keiji to see for himself, the setter also looked inside. However, he did not expect to react the way he did.

A wave of nausea hit him hard. His vision blurred for a moment and with his knees buckling beneath him, he sank to the floor. His chest tightened making it difficult to breathe, wheezing and gasping for air as he felt the world spin around him.

“Keiji! Hey! Are you okay?” It was faint. The ringing in his ears drowned out Bokuto’s voice but the hand rubbing gentle circles on his back meant his boyfriend was still beside him.

Keiji wanted to answer Bokuto and tell him that he was alright, but his throat was constricted and he couldn’t find his voice. His body moved unintentionally and he could hear muffled, rhythmic steps. Then, everything began to calm down. Keiji could breathe easier now. The ringing in his ears was quieter. His heartbeat slowed and his head felt clearer. He cracked open an eye to see Bokuto’s chin and startled when he realised he was in Bokuto’s arms. A quick glance around confirmed that they were back in the park they passed through earlier.

“Hey, are you alright now?” Bokuto asked quietly as he sat himself down on a bench, Keiji still in his arms.

“Yeah, I’m okay now.” The setter sat up, positioning himself between Bokuto legs as the latter snaked his arms around the younger boy’s waist, pulling him close to his chest.

“What happened?” The captain asked, resting his chin atop the other’s shoulder.

“I don’t know. I looked inside and I just felt really ill. My head hurt, I lost my balance and...” He trailed off. “I think that’s the place...”

Bokuto hummed lightly, tightening his hold around his boyfriend. “So if we get you into that room, we can send you home...” The sadness in his voice was painful and Keiji felt his chest tighten, but nevertheless, this was what they were looking for.

“Probably...” was the only response Keiji gave.

“Koutarou-kun, is that true?” Keiji mother asked, eyes wide and intrigued by the information her son had just offered her.

“Yeah. So maybe if we could get into that room then...”

“Keiji,” his father spoke up. “This is all very sudden, but what’s important is when you want to go. We’ll support you no matter what but just...”

“We want you to go with no regrets,” his mother finished off, taking her husband’s hand into her own.

They have been a family for only a year and a half but for them, it was the first time they’ve had a son. Keiji knew it would be hard for the people around him, but it was worse for the people back in his world. The right thing to do was to go back to where he belonged.

It didn’t make it any less painful.

“When I first showed up at your doorstep, I honestly thought I was home. But the looks you gave me said otherwise. I was scared. I didn’t know why my parents suddenly didn’t remember me,” Keiji glanced up to meet their eyes. They were smiling softly but it was filled with sadness. “I still don’t know how to thank you for letting me stay here. For all you knew, I could’ve just been anyone. But you believed what I said, you helped me and supported me. I really, really am grateful you didn’t turn me away that night. But I’ve been in your care for long enough. I need to return to my world, so I want to do it... tomorrow.”

Silent tears were flowing down his mother’s cheeks but she nodded nonetheless. “We love you, Keiji.” Pulling a tissue out do dab her eyes of tears, she continued, “I’ve always dreamt that my son would grow up just like you and I’m proud because not only have you become handsome, but smart, dedicated and caring too. This past year and a half has truly been a blessing,” she glanced to her husband who nodded in agreement. “But I know better than to keep you here. Knowing your parents... your real parents, they’re probably worried sick and it would be our fault to keep you here any longer. We’ll send you off tomorrow.” She offered her best smile which Keiji returned.

Chapter Text

“Kei-nii, when’s your train?” Fuji asked tugging the older boy’s arm as they stood outside the hospital.

“I’ll get it after my doctor’s appointment.” To an extent it was a lie, but at the same time it was also the truth. Everyone apart from Fuji knew that. All she needed to hear was that Keiji would go to his appointment then catch the train back home.

“Will you be alright?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, Fuji-chan,” he knelt down in front of the younger girl, ruffling her hair lovingly.

“Come visit some time, okay? I’ll miss you!” She smiled brightly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Behind her, Keiji could see his mother tearing up at what the little girl said. In all honesty, he was having trouble holding his emotions back because this was goodbye. It was such a simple and innocent request from a young girl, yet it caused so much pain in his chest.

Keiji stood back up and raised his arms to embrace his mother. “I hope you get home safe, Keiji.” She whispered into his ear.

“I’ll miss you, mum.” He drew back before hugging his father. “I’ll miss you too, dad.”

“No matter where you are, you’ll always be our son, Keiji. Keep making us proud.” Tears were threatening Keiji’s eyes but he had to keep his composure, especially in front of Fuji who was oblivious to his situation.

He pulled the young girl into a hug again, before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

“Keiji, we should go,” Bokuto suggested from behind him and the setter pulled away.

“Take care of him, Koutarou,” Keiji’s father called as he guided his daughter back towards their car.

“I will.” Bokuto replied, bowing.

They waved a final goodbye to the Akaashis before the captain and setter entered the hospital.

They had discussed methods of getting into the room. Possible convincing lies to tell the staff to let them in but in the end, the easiest way was to sneak in. Bokuto had checked beforehand that the room was still empty and through some guesswork, they managed to find it.

Upon entering the room, the same nauseating feelings washed over Keiji, however they were much stronger this time. Bokuto supported him to the bed, hands gentle and caring. Already, Keiji felt his consciousness fade in and out, his vision was blurred and all he could make out was the whiteness of the ceiling as he laid in bed. His breathing was fast and strangled, but he felt rooted and exhausted.

“Keiji?” Bokuto asked quietly, taking one of the setter’s hands into his own. It was difficult to hear over the cotton stuffed in both his head and ears, but Keiji wanted to listen to what his boyfriend had to say. Even though he felt like drifting off into the darkness, he forced himself to hold out for just a little longer. Just to hear what Bokuto had to say.

“I’ve already told you most of what I want to say. You’ve made me so happy and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done. Remember that time I told Tsukki about having that moment in volleyball?”

Keiji wanted to nod but his body felt to heavy to do even that small action.

Bokuto continued, “Yeah, you were my moment. You were the one who made that moment possible.”

With care, Bokuto brushed a few strands of hair off the setter’s forehead, but his body barely registered it, the numbness growing too strong.

“I’m going to miss you. You’ve been so important to me and having to let you go kinda sucks but I know you’ll be in good hands. I trust myself to look after you,” he laughed dryly, tears decorating his cheeks as Keiji’s breathing slowed and became shallow. “I’m a little jealous that he has you instead. But he is also me, so I guess it’s alright.” Another chuckle left his mouth. “I’m sure he makes you really happy and if he feels the same way I do then know that you make him really happy too.”

Bokuto leant forward, planting a soft kiss to Keiji’s lips before squeezing his eyes shut, willing the tears to slow down.

“I love you, Keiji. Get back safe, alright? And thank you... for everything.”

I love you too, Kou.

I wonder whether he heard me...

I can’t hear his voice anymore.

He felt like he was falling. Deeper and deeper into an unknown realm. Far out of reach.

But progressively towards home.

When Bokuto opened his eyes again, he found himself in an empty hospital room. Why am I here? He thought in confusion, bringing a hand up to scratch his cheek when he noticed the wetness. Have I been crying? What was I doing just now? He pulled out his phone, owl charm dangling against his hand, checking to see if he had a doctor’s appointment or something. But when his calendar came up blank, he cocked his head to the side in confusion. Weird. Oh well, I have a day off so I guess I can go pester Kuroo. With no recollection of why he was in the hospital room, Bokuto skipped out of the building and towards Kuroo’s house.

Thank you for everything, was the thought Keiji woke up to. His eyelids felt heavy but he pulled them open to see the same white ceiling he was under a few moments ago. With a slight tilt of his head towards the window, it must have been late afternoon given the dark orange and red hues of a sunset he saw nearly every day. He tried to move a bit more but his limbs felt heavy. However, as Keiji became more connected to his body, he realised that the heaviness in his left side was more evident. So, he craned his neck upwards to see Bokuto sound asleep on top of his left arm. A fond smile pulled at his lips as he brought his other arm over to brush over a few strands of black and white hair. His body felt weak and tired but he wanted to do this much. The older boy stirred in his sleep then cracked open an eye. The gold was still hazy with sleep but upon landing his gaze upon Keiji, gold met green, his eyes opened fully, showing wide circles of rich gold.

“K-Keiji?” The hoarseness and uncertainty of his voice made it sound nothing like Koutarou.

“Hey, Bokuto-san,” Keiji whispered a simple greeting.

“Keiji!” The older boy pounced onto the setter like an overjoyed puppy. On impact, Keiji made a surprised oof but managed to return the embrace albeit not as enthusiastically. “I’m so glad you’re awake! I’m so, so glad! Welcome back!” Keiji assumed that he shouted that but being so deeply buried into his chest, Koutarou’s voice came out muffled.

Petting his captain’s gelled hair gently, he smiled fondly. “It’s good to be back.”

Chapter Text

“Hey Hey, Keiji,” Koutarou called over his shoulder, rocking back on his chair away from the laptop.

“Kou, be careful.” Keiji scolded from where he could see the other man from the kitchen.

“There’s another article on your book, lots of positive comments too!”

Keiji made his way to Koutarou, setting a mug of hot chocolate down for his boyfriend as he took a seat beside him. He scrolled through the various responses, smiling softly at all the encouraging words and praise.

Seven years ago, Keiji returned to this world. The year and a half which he spent in the other world was only three weeks here. It took a while for him to adjust his internal clock but once he was fully recovered and settled back into his regular lifestyle, Keiji began recounting his time in the other world. Koutarou was very supportive, listening to Keiji’s experience and never once casting it aside as a dream or anything. In fact, he was the one who suggested writing a book.

It took two years to write, then another two years to edit before getting his professors at university to review it. The response from them was immediate and his work was sent to a publishing firm within a few months. It escalated quickly from there. New theories were developed based on Keiji’s book and the popularity was overwhelming. Articles were written, fan letters were sent in and Keiji had even attended multiple interviews. Never did he imagine his experience would lead to such an outcome.

Even so, thoughts of ‘what’s the other Bokuto-san doing now?’ or ‘how are his parents and Fuji-chan?’ wandered back into his mind every so often. But they were always left unanswered, always out of reach, leaving an odd feeling to settle in his chest.

Maybe one day, their worlds would be bridged, or maybe they were meant to be separate to begin with. It was all still a very complex mystery left unexplained and unsolved.

“Oh, this one said they’ve sent you a letter too. We should go check our mail box soon.” Koutarou commented, bringing Keiji back to the conversation.

“I can do that now actually.” Keiji offered, receiving a nod from his boyfriend.

“Okay. I’ll see what else people have said.”

With that, Keiji made his way out of their shared apartment and down into the lobby. Inside their mail box, there were a few letters and a postcard. He flipped through the various items, recognising some to be fan letters but there was one which stood out. It looked relatively normal, but the handwriting on the envelope was unmistakeable.

He closed the door with a quiet click, eyes still glued to the letter. “Kou, did you write a letter at any point?”

“Me? No. I don’t really write letters. Why?”

Keiji returned to the table and set the items down, keeping a hold on the peculiar one. “It looks like your handwriting,” he commented, turning to show his boyfriend the neatly scrawled ‘To Akaashi Keiji’ on the front.

“Maybe it’s someone who has a similar style. Open it, let’s see.” Koutarou suggested excitedly, bouncing lightly in his chair.

Dear Akaashi,

It’s weird for me to write this because I don’t know you. Your name appeared on my phone contacts one day and I realised that I had been texting you and calling you for a while. Yet I don’t remember any of it and neither do I know who you are. That’s strange, isn’t it?

I tried calling back but no-one ever picks up. Then I wonder maybe you’ve gotten a new number or something. But I still don’t remember ever talking to someone called Akaashi.

But then, whenever I say your name out loud, it feels right.

I’m not making any sense. I feel weird writing this, but I want to get it out. I’ve been dwelling on it for a while.

 You seem like a close person to me. Whenever your name pops up, I feel happy but also kind of sad. It’s frustration next because one word shouldn’t be able to make me feel that way.

I’ve asked my friends and wondered whether they might know an Akaashi, but they all said no.

Are you real? Did you ever exist? Am I making you up? Because if I’m writing this to no-one, then why do I feel like I’m missing something?

Ever since your name came up, I’ve noticed a few things which just don’t feel right. Like, extra practice (I play volleyball by the way), someone feels missing and neither Kuroo (my best bro) nor Kenma (best bro’s boyfriend) can help me fill that gap. Whenever I score a point with a good spike, I get praised by my teammates but it doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Speaking of the team, we didn’t have a setter for a while. Like that’s strange because we’ve been in tournaments and we must’ve had a setter during those matches. But no-one knows how we managed without one. Were you our setter?

There were also some old receipts lying around. Apparently I bought a brand new phone, but it isn’t the one I’m using now. I went to the zoo a while back but I don’t know why I would’ve gone alone. I have an owl phone charm and keyring which feel important but I don’t remember buying them or who might’ve given them to me.

Was it you? Are you the person I’m missing? Are you real? If you are, then where are you now? Why aren’t you here? And why can’t I remember you?

Please be real. I feel like I’m going insane right now. I don’t know what to do.

Akaashi Keiji, what were you to me?

Bokuto Koutarou