Hi dears! Coming to you with another set of amazing fics that stole my heart in August! With that I’m officially saying goodbye to summer, let the spooky season come!
As always, remember to support these wonderful writers with kudos and comments! Be mindful of the ratings and tags!
kuroken
Three Eggplant Emojis by 0blivion
this one deserves the top of the list 💜
iwaoi
all my attention by DailyMelody
matsuhana
just cause by starbooms
waves by SpookyMoth
osasunakomo
tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies by CH3RRYHYP3
achromatopsia by saasuupon
osasuna
Wish you were here by neverwere
tiramisu by yuzubalm
bokuaka
the gardener's guidebook to love by eurydicees
birds of a flower by afancyghost
latibule by iskawrites
kagehina
Reason & Resentment by pearlsephoni
maybe sometime, you’ll remember what i’d said there, i said— by izucaii
Ok I know that we are all freakin about about the new haikyuu chapter but can I just say that it’s not even what bokuto said but also HOW HE SAID IT I have been screaming nonstop since I read this and let me explain why…. BECAUSE… THIS IS TOO MUCH…
So here’s one of the translated scans I was reading, and while the translation isn’t incorrect it doesn’t convey the entire story:
What bokuto said was, in Japanese:
でもね赤葦 (demo ne akaashi)
俺には (ore ni wa)
120%をちょうだい (120% wo choudai)
SO LETS BREAK THIS DOWN LINE BY LINE
1. “でもね赤葦”
“But akaashi“
He could’ve said “でも” (demo) ”でもな” (demo na) “でもさ” (demo sa) or even ”けど” (kedo), which more or less convey “but”
BUT HE SAID でもね (demo ne)
Which is a way of speaking that’s more commonly used by women/children, and at the same time conveying a kind of “but you know“ feeling; overall this is just softer than the other ways of saying “but”
2. “俺には”
“for me”
Not “for this match,” or “for the team,” but “for me” – I don’t know/care about other people (aka your 100% might be enough for other ppl), but FOR ME, BOKUTO KOUTAROU, SPECIFICALLY
3. “120%をちょうだい“
AND THIS IS WHERE I DIE
“Give me your 120%”
He could’ve said くれ (kure) or よこせ(yokose), which both also mean “give me”, but the way bokuto said it implies that Akaashi has to reach out and give it to him too, not just him trying to get it from Akashi. I’ve seen dictionaries say that this is closer to to “いただく” (itadaku) which is more focused on the act of receiving instead of taking, if that makes sense. On the other hand choudai is also more commonly used by women/kids, in a way that you can imagine children asking for candy or a girl acting cute and asking for something from her boyfriend (if you understand Chinese I am trying to explain 撒嬌 but there is no English word for this LOL if u r into kpop its kind of like aegyo I guess??). Basically like how he said でもね this is much softer/childlike than any other way he could’ve said it. HOWEVER even if it is softer there in undeniably an element of pressure and trust to it such that Akaashi WILL deliver this. AND UH… another context u see this commonly is in doujinshis where they ask for sex and literally say “全部/すべてちょうだい” (zenbu/subete choudai) “give me your everything“
AND THIS IS WHY JP TWITTER IS FREAKIN OUT ABOUT HOW IT LITERALLY READS LIKE A DOUJINSHI
To give more context/comparison to this, here are some examples of how other characters in haikyuu say “give me“ to each other:
Akaashi to Konoha: “kudasai” much more formal, polite, very akaashi lol
Bokuto to Konoha: “yokose” more manly, guy between guy kind of way of speech, GIMME
And perhaps the most beautiful comparison here is from chapter 286 where hinata says “give it to me next time too” with his dark!hinata face because aksjhdkjf THEY R SAYING THE SAME THING BUT THE WAY THEY SAID IT JUST REALLY REFLECTS THE DYNAMICS so he said “次もくれ” (tsugi mo kure) which is also more along the lines of guy between guy kind of speech, and slightly more demanding. I feel like I’m not doing this explanation justice but just let me say that I don’t think Kageyama or Hinata would ever ever use the word choudai towards each other because that really isn’t how their dynamic works if that makes sense??? I just love the parallel between the bokuto/akaashi relationship and kageyama/hinata relationship between setter and spiker and how both pairs feel immense pressure from each other but at the same time still such little difference in wording really shows the differences in the dynamic and im lkzjfhkljsafhkakd
TO SUM IT UP BOKUTO SPEAKS IN A MUCH SOFTER/GENTLER/CHILDLIKE TONE TO AKAASHI AND AND I AM DEAD AND AM STILL DYING AND PLS SCREAM WITH ME
Akaashi Keiji has a secret. One that he’s sure people might be surprised by if they found out.
He has a deep, prevailing love for classical ballet. He’s not sure when it started. Perhaps when his parents took him to a Nutcracker performance when he was barely eight years old. To this day, he spends hours of his free time watching videos online, and reads about the history of the art form. He even convinces his mother to take him to see live performances on occasion.
There's something so romantic and expressive about dancing. The way the dancers can convey emotion through their body, with no words at all—it’s absolutely fascinating. Keiji admires them so much. He wishes he could be like that.
He doesn’t tell anyone. He’s not ashamed, just cautious. Dance should not be a gendered interest, but alas, society is strange. His friends and most of his teammates already know he’s gay. No need to push the stereotype further, right?
What he doesn’t predict is that his best friend (and secret crush), Bokuto Koutarou, is apparently also a fan.
“Akaashi!” The older boy exclaims, right over his shoulder. “Is that the Australian Ballet?”
Keiji flinches, scrambling to switch off his phone. “Bokuto-san,” he scowls, “it’s very rude to eavesdrop.”
“Oh, sorry!” Koutarou plops down next to him. Their futons are close, much too close, and Keiji can smell his mint shampoo. It’s distracting. “But seriously, is it?”
Keiji shoots a nervous look around. Most of the training camp attendees are either taking turns in the bath or wandering around campus, enjoying the warm evening. Only Komi is here, casually lounging with a magazine on the other side of the room. “Ah, um, yes,” he nods. “You’re familiar with ballet, Bokuto-san?”
The other boy nods enthusiastically. “My sister does it! My other sister and I tried it when we were younger, too!”
Surprised, Keiji stares. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah! I still do exercises I learned back then. It’s good for flexibility and to strengthen muscles. People don’t know how much of a workout ballet is! It’s really hard.”
Again Keiji nods, awkwardly shuffling on his futon so that he and Koutarou are sitting thigh-to-thigh. “Would you… like to watch the rest of this with me, Bokuto-san?”
Koutarou answers with a beaming smile.
They make it a habit of watching dance videos together. Koutarou is surprisingly knowledgable about the different companies, even mentioning specific dancers and performances. It’s odd, only because he never watches or talk about it otherwise. Perhaps he’s shy about his interest, too?
It isn’t until one evening, when Koutarou is staying the night at his house, that he discovers the truth.
Keiji is eager to show his crush the souvenir program her purchased after seeing a performance of La Sylphide two years ago. He carefully passes it to Koutarou, wondering if the other boy will be surprised, or maybe even jealous that Keiji was able to attend such a special, sold-out show.
But instead—
“Oh! My sister was in this!”
Keiji freezes. He turns slowly to look at his friend, unsure if he heard correctly. “What?”
“Yeah, she was made principal ballerina that year!”
Keiji frowns. “Your sister… performed with the National Ballet of Japan?”
“Yeah!” Koutarou grins. “She was there for two years, until she went overseas. I miss her so much.”
“Wait a minute.” Keiji is having trouble trusting his own ears. Because it sounds like Koutarou is insinuating… but no, that can’t be it. Can it? Suddenly frantic, he flips through the program, until he find the cast profiles. He leans in to look at the lead female dancer. A familiar face in the modern ballet scene. He blinks, turning to look at Koutarou, and then back at the woman on the page.
Intense golden eyes. A wide, toothy smile. Silvery hair, with just a hint of black at the roots. “Bokuto-san,” he croaks, “is your sister… Bokuto Kai?”
Koutarou chuckles. “Well, yeah! That’s my Kai! Isn’t she so cool?”
Keiji chokes on nothing. He sputters, enough for his friend to reach over and pat his back consolingly.
“You okay, ‘kaashi?”
Is he okay? Keiji doesn’t know. The fact that his best friend’s sister is one of the most well-known ballet dancers in Japan, the world even, is actively shifting his reality.
“So… I guess you’re a fan?” Koutarou smiles in obvious amusement.
One year later, Keiji is standing frozen in the threshold of his now-boyfriend, Koutarou’s family home. He’s been here many times, and spent time with most of the family. But the person at the door is not anyone he’s met before.
But oh, he knows her well.
“Ah, you must be Akaashi!” Kai Bokuto is short, the crown of her head barely reaching Keiji’s shoulders, but her immaculate posture seems to expand her presence. She’s wearing a cotton hoodie and leggings, her silver hair tossed over one shoulder in a long braid.
She’s a vision.
Keiji’s mouth drops open. He blinks. “B-Bokuto-san, um, hi! Hello there. You… um, I… well...” His words stumble out of him like dominos. He’s never felt so inarticulate in his entire life.
Kai laughs. “Please, call me Kai! I’ve heard so much about you. Come in, Keiji-kun!”
When Keiji finds his boyfriend inside, he greets him with a light punch to the shoulder. “You could have warned me she was here,” he hisses, “I just made a fool of myself.”
Koutarou snorts. “You’re such a fanboy!”
“Shut it.”
It turns out, Kai and Keiji have a lot more in common than a love for ballet. Both of them love literature, poetry and art history. Kai regales him with stories of her time in Europe—including her recent stint in Paris, thes city Keiji wants to visit more than anything.
They also happen to be quite protective of Koutarou.
“He’s very important to me,” she says, as they watch Keiji’s boyfriend hurry to help his mother in the kitchen. “He means the world to all of us, really. It doesn’t matter how tall or strong he gets—he’ll still be our baby Kou.”
Keiji grins softly. “Yeah.”
They exchange numbers that first night, and stay in touch when Kai flies back to France for her next set of performances. She regularly sends him photos, poems, news articles, and of course, updates on the Parisian ballet scene. They ask each other advice on outfits and home design.
“Ya know, I’m starting to think you like her more than me,” Koutarou pouts, one morning when they are curled up in Keiji’s tiny dorm bed.
“Are you jealous?” Keiji raises one eyebrow.
“Hmm,” Koutarou hums, “maybe a little…”
Giggling, Keiji turns in his hold, leaning up to touch noses. “Don’t worry, love. You’ll always be my number one star.” The comment seems to light a fire in Koutarou, whose face splits into a brilliant smile as he pulls Keiji in tighter. “Promise?”
Keiji smiles back. “Always.”
//
I love the idea that Keiji gets along great with Koutarou’s sisters, and admires them (almost) as much as his boyfriend. The idea for Kai being a ballerina was inspired by the beautiful artwork of Temari! I just can’t get the idea out of my mind.
Please, if you enjoyed this, reblog and comment! It really helps me out. 🥰❤️
jbbartram-illu
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2087
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