synopsis: Bokuto had been consistently in your orbit since high school, letting you push him away and always bouncing right back. Is today the day that his persistence pays off?
word count: 2k
note: my gift to @osaism for the hq summer fic exchange hosted by @sodaneko!
read on ao3 | divider credit
If you could go back in time about six hours prior to this moment to ask yourself where you thought you’d be now, the answer certainly would not have been close to your current situation. And you certainly wouldn’t have said you would be enjoying it.
To be in the arms of the man who was such a pain in your side for so long, to have Bokuto Koutaro grinning in your face as he holds you above the sand that he’d saved you from falling into just felt…right.
“Lucky I was on your team to save you, huh?”
“Yeah you sure saved me from the scary sand,” you mutter, acutely aware of where your hands were resting on his chest as he grins down at you. He’d always been built, but now? He was blocking out the sun as he held you in place with his heart pounding beneath your hand. “You can let me stand now.”
“My bad. Just wanted to make sure you were good.”
“And you see that I am. Thank you.”
It’s so difficult to keep your tone curt when he looks at you like that. More so when your former teammates are all watching you, trying to figure out if something was finally there after years of speculation and manifestation or if you would do what you always did when Bokuto tried to help and push him away. In a perfect world they would all be minding their own business, but you knew it would never be that way.
Ever since high school it had always been a question of whether you and Bokuto had feelings for one another, due to his increased interest in being close to you over the years and your own insistence on supporting the boys club.
Both the boys and girls clubs had always been pretty unified, showing up for each other where it was possible and training together when practice times could align right, so it was surprising to many people when you said that Bokuto’s high energy annoyed you when you were doing the most to encourage your team to support the boys only to roll your eyes and ignore the captain who was trying to give you his attention in return. Even after graduating you found yourselves showing up for one another where you could, attending art shows or college games, and now you were often at MSBY matches you could make it to or hosting watch parties for their away games you all couldn’t attend – so it had been a no-brainer to organize a reunion for your teams, especially since almost everyone had been in close contact.
The Fukurōdani volleyball club reunion beach party had a pretty high attendance rate, and you’d quickly been greeted by your fellow captain with a large smile and crisp high five that you’d accepted with a grimace at his energy and wince at how much power Bokuto had put into it.
“Do you ever slow down!?” you’d asked, shaking your hand in an effort to get the tingling sensation to go away faster. “And where’s Atsumu!? You said you’d bring him!”
“He went to help his brother at his shop. Said to tell you he was sorry.” Bokuto’s answer has you pouting, because Atsumu would’ve provided a great distraction for you despite him not being one of your classmates. You’d gotten to meet the blonde after an MSBY match and he was quite talented at making himself the focal point of a group despite the personalities he was on a team with, and you definitely remembered the way Bokuto looked disappointed at how much attention you were giving his teammate. ”But you’re happy to see me, right!?”
“My aching hand says otherwise,” you counter, holding your reddened palm out in front of his face for him to see while your other hand adjusts your sunhat. What surprised you was the way Bokuto took your hand in his, his thumbs carefully pressing into your palm and smoothing over your skin. You’d expected a pout, but instead you get a soft apology that has your stomach flipping slightly at the sincerity and the way he was looking at you. The light in his eyes was still there, but instead of his usual puppy-like energy they carried something more…something deeper.
Something you didn’t want to put too much thought into so early in the day. Or ever, if you were being truthful.
Bokutou had been very helpful in getting things set up, making sure everyone who arrived at the beach knew where you’d be hanging out. The volleyball net had been his responsibility to set up, and it was done perfectly leaving zero room for you to find an issue when you approached to inspect it.
“Looks great, right?”
“Definitely looks like it won’t fall over on me. Good work, Bokuto.” He goes for another high-five, this time holding his hand up for you to smack and grinning as you stare at him. “What are you doing?”
“I hurt you last time and don’t want to do that again, so you hit me!”
He’s not the tour to move the target, and you know he’s serious about getting this high-five, so you gently tap your hand against his to give him what he wanted without giving him too much excitement on your end.
And with every little thing worth celebrating that occurred over the afternoon, Bokuto was holding his hands up for you to hit with a high-five. Food grilled nicely? High-five. He saved one of the umbrellas from flying off in a gust of wind? High-five. You remembered everyone’s positions to help organize a brief six-on-six? High-five. When he’d asked you to be his double in a two-on-two and go until you lost? High-five.
And now, as he’s setting you on your feet he holds his hand up for yet another high-five to celebrate the point you’d blocked. And it’s the first time you don’t roll your eyes while giving him the celebration, and it feels like he’s aware of that change if the grin on his face is any indicator.
“This is just like mixed practices all over again,” one of the boys complains, dropping into the sand on the other side of the net as Bokuto picks up the ball. “The captains never let us win and they’re still so good together!”
“It’s all her, I’m just following the leader.” Your cheeks warm at Bokuto’s praise, and you’re thankful that you can play it off as if it were the exertion of playing in the hot sun rather than the butterflies in your stomach. After all these years he could still get you flustered, but you’re not sure you can keep up the facade of indifference much longer.
It had gotten easier after you both had graduated, he kept playing volleyball while you went off to college, and not seeing each other every day did wonders to keeping your feelings for the energetic boy in check. You’d shot him down when he confessed his feelings for you in your third year; you’d had your own feelings but without knowing where volleyball would take him or life would take you it simply felt safer for both of your hearts to keep things friendly but not romantic. But he didn’t give up, nor did he switch up on you, remaining the same kind and goofy soul that attracted you to him in the first place.
Akaashi had told you that Bokuto talked about you constantly still, and that knowledge made today harder for you with every high-five and excited grin sent your way.
Everyone starts to disperse after the group photo, until eventually it’s just you and Bokuto with the now deconstructed volleyball net and the setting sun. Being alone with him like this felt so much like closing out those late practices, sending him “one more” ball until he was eventually too tired to keep going and you’d lay on the floor talking about your next matches. Only now you weren’t playing anymore except for pickup games and he had locked in a starting spot on a professional team, leaving no time or reason for gymnasium floor debriefs.
“I’d say today was a success,” he starts, leaning back on his hands as you nod your agreement. “Oh! Hang on.”
You know better than to ask where he’s going, because by the time you have the words formulated he’s already digging through his bag. He pulls out a jacket, black and yellow and obviously team gear, before he’s back by your side only draping his jacket over your shoulders before settling on the towel beside you again.
“What’s this for?”
“It’s getting cold, can’t have you freezing on me.”
You know without a singular doubt that he would never let you freeze to death, but to vocalize that would likely be too revealing of how well you actually knew him despite all your efforts to push him away. “Plus I always knew you’d look cute in my stuff.”
“Will you ever not be corny?”
“Nah.” He’s proud of that, and you also feel a sense of pride knowing that he was proud of who he was and likely to never really change who he was. “Something tells me you’re kinda into it.”
“Yeah, maybe a little,” you concede, the smallest of smiles breaking free as you slide your arms into the sleeves of his jacket. “Don’t make it weird.”
“I’ll be so cool about this, I promise.”
He wouldn’t be, but that was okay at this point in the day. He’d worn you down high-five after high-five until this moment. His team jacket draped over your shoulders and your head resting on his shoulder as you share a towel on the sand and watch the sun set. It’s not where you thought you’d end the day when you arrived at the beach, nowhere near where you thought you’d be at this point in your life if you were to ask your high school self, but there’s not a single spot you’d rather be than sitting by Bokuto’s side.
“So, would now be an okay time to ask you out to dinner? Or is that ‘weird’ by your standards?”
Everything he did was weird by your standards, but you trust that in all the years you’d known him and told him as much that he was well aware of that fact. So you don’t remind him, instead telling him that you’d love to go to dinner with him before smiling for the picture he pulled his phone out to take. One just your smiles, the second with a kiss to your head that makes your heart feel lighter. He’d waited so long for this moment – so long for you – you knew exactly what you’d wanted to do for your first dinner date.
“I’ve got some vegetables I need to cook before they go bad,” you offer after a few moments, looking up at him only to see him staring down at you. Not in surprise like you would’ve expected, but that overly familiar look of adoration you’d had memorized since high school. The look that you were finally letting yourself accept as yours.
“You want me to come cook with you?”
“Yeah,” you whisper, noise brushing against his as he leans in just a bit closer. “I’d like that a lot.”
If you could go back in time about eight hours to ask yourself how you’d be spending your evening, you wouldn’t have even considered that kissing Bokuto while wearing his team jacket in the sand was in the realm of possibility. But now that you were here, your hands in his messy hair and his hands on your trying to figure out where would be the most respectful as you exchanged kisses in the sand. But you’re grateful to have been so wrong about how this day could’ve turned out, and you’re sure you will continue to be as days went on with this man by your side.
feeling that slow shift into shameless physical contact with your f/o…. an arm around your waist, a kiss to their cheek in public, an intertwined hand, a seat on their lap, fingers stroking along your lower back……
𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒊𝒕’𝒔 𝒓𝒊𝒆 ♡ !! and she’s opening her c♡mms again 🍡✨ please do drop by my 𝐊𝐎𝐅𝐈 where more details are available if you are interested ♡ limited slots are open !
he's subtle about it too, doesn't make a big deal out of it and doesn't push when you tell him "i'm fine" after he asks if you're okay, but he does speak a little more gently, touch you a little more softly, fingers in your hair while you sit on the couch after dinner, quiet except for the tv in the background
you don't say anything and he still doesn't ask, doesn't push, just waits until you lean into his touch a little more, watches out of the corner of his eye at the way you chew your bottom lip--it's like he can feel it in the air, the moment your walls finally come down, the barely noticeable tightness in your shoulders loosens a fraction
you sniff once, feeling the way your eyes start to sting and all of a sudden you're being pulled easily into the warmth of him, hands careful but sure as he shifts you into his lap, head on his shoulder and nose pressed to the column of his throat
he just hums comfortingly like this is what he was waiting for, and shushes you softly, lets you cry it out until he feels your breaths begin to even out again
eventually his hands find your cheeks and he pulls your face from its place against his now tear stained shoulder, eyes swimming with warm tenderness and thumbs swiping gently across your damp cheeks
"feel better?" the question is soft and you can't help but feel the weight in your chest ease when his cheek dimples with a small smile
