Bokuto Koutaro, the man truly is remarkable. From head to toe his build truly is impressive, to be fair he IS an olympic athlete so it’s part of the job. Yet as impressive and respectable as this man is, he knows that what goes on between you two never leaves either of your apartments. Bokuto koutarou, a man people look up to can’t even love freely and it wasn’t just him who feels this way. You were also what society deemed “a real man”, you are a motogp rider. While you didn’t have a country's reputation and honor to uphold you knew that if this ever came out, everything you’ve given this sport would be gone. You both have given everything you possibly can to achieve your dreams. Bokuto gave up countless hours and almost 20 years to achieve being part of the national team while you gave up the chance to ever work another job. A fasciotomy saved your career but it came with a price. You’d be able to race comfortably for years after it but you knew someday you’d lose feeling in that arm.to you nothing hurt more than knowing your time will forever be limited on that track. Bokuto knew it, he saw just how happy you looked on that bike he knew he could never rip that away from you. But he too was a selfish man, the feeling of being in the air mid spike was a feeling like no other. It was so freeing yet it had a pressure that many would crumble under yet he shined in. You both looked ethereal when you were truly free whether it was on a track or volleyball court. That’s why neither of you could take it away from each other, you understood each other on a level no one else comprehended. When you were together it wasn’t like the movies said love was. Koutaro felt free and understood while you felt understood and adored, it was truly a peaceful and calm love you both shared, Yet as much as you both loved each other, you dedicated your lives to something you adored, something you spilled blood, sweat and tears for and you wouldn’t give it up even for the (your) world. So this beautiful love will forever be kept behind those glamorous doors. Love truly is war isn’t it? One side will always win and its not your relationship.
hey! idk if i should really call these cliches but i didn’t know what else to call them. also im sorry tsukis is so short im not good at writing him but he definitely fit. hope u liking!
warnings/tags: a little suggestive if u squint but mostly sfw! gn!reader i think
bokuto
hot neighbor who helps you move in. he lives next door and he doesn’t seem threatening to you at all. why not let him carry a few heavy boxes up the stairs for you? it wasn’t like you were staring at his arms and back the whole time. maybe even invite him in for some coffee? he really doesn’t need it- he seems pumped up enough. and he talks a lot. it’s cute for a guy so big. the boxes were heavy, obviously, but the way his back flexed when he moved the box upward into his forearm and against his chest to open your door? oh, it was so smooth. the way he handled the heavy box while pushing your door open and saying something about the empty space made you think how he might handle something else.. you were definitely asking for that cup of coffee.
tsukishima
evil tutor. it wasn’t your choice to have an evil tutor, rather your teachers. your grades were usually good, but seemed to be tanking pretty quickly. “he’s has the best grades in the class!” he said. “don’t worry, just until the exam in two weeks.”your tutor was clearly smarter than you, clearly disliked you, and clearly not a good fit. until you have to meet outside of school. you’ve never been inside the dorm of a guy who hated you, and you’ve certainly never kissed a tutor. but they say there’s a first time for everything. it became very clear that clearly, he doesn’t actually dislike you, and clearly, he happens to be a great fit.
yamaguchi
the guy that picks up your books for you after you run into him. it was an awful day at work, so you didnt actually have any books. but if it were books, and it were cliche, it would be him. anyhow, after a long shift at the small hole in the wall you worked at, you had convinced the cooks to make you something to eat. except, when you went to leave and you turned to say bye to your coworkers, your grip on the door handle pulled you forward. a hot guy on his phone. and then you takeout box was on the ground, open and with your food completely ruined. hot guy frantically put his phone in his pocket while apologizing, scrambling to pick up your food for you, but you were busy doing the same. you bumped heads. groaning and such, you both held the top of your heads as you both squat near the door. he picked the rest of the food up as you both blocked the entrance. "my name is yamaguchi." he closed the box, throwing it in an outside trashcan next to the door. then someone tried to come out. you both got out of the way and were now next to the road. you introduced yourself and he smiled. his freckles were cute but you were super hungry. "im sorry, again. it was totally my fault, i wasnt looking, and i pulled the door really hard." you laughed, he looked nervous. "can i.. would you let me take you to get dinner? i was going to get some, anyways." oh, you were sure this will be much better than whatever your cooks made you.
kenma
the guy that runs into you and doesn’t pick up your books. well, until you called him out for it. "hey! what the hell, man?" you kneeled on the hallway floor, two books in your arm and waving the other in the air. he froze, the mysterious coward, and mumbled excuses as he helped you pick up your books. "uh, what was that?" after handing you your books, it wasnt until you had stood up and put your bag on your shoulder that he looked up at you. his eyes were wide and his mouth zipped shut. you looked at him, confused and almost concerned. "um, hello?! im talking to you! an apology would be nice?" he stood to his feet, legs shaking and clearly terried for some reason. "um, well.." he looked up at you but then darted his eyes to the side. "my name is kenma," kenma looked at you again. "and im sorry i bumped into you." you looked him up and down after that. since you had to basically tell him to help you, then he would have to do something else to earn your forgiveness. "hm. walk me to class?"
hey!! thanks for reading. sorry if it’s ooc! i’m doing kuroo, daichi and nishinoya next! lmk if u have any reqs!
Synopsisજ⁀➴ You tell one tiny lie at work. One. Now your coworkers want to meet your boyfriend...The boyfriend who doesn't exist. Enter Bokuto Koutarou, who hears about your dilemma and, with the confidence of a man who has never once doubted himself, says: "I'll be your boyfriend."
Fake dating should've been simple. Instead, it somehow involves fake anniversaries, couple lore, coffee deliveries, karaoke dates, way too much hand-holding, coworkers who are far too invested, and a fake boyfriend who's suspiciously good at acting like the real thing. The real problem isn't convincing everyone else they're dating.
It's convincing themselves they aren't.
tagsજ⁀➴ fake dating, coworkers to lovers, happy ending, the both of you are kinda dumb, idiots in love, first relationship, office shenanigans
NOTESજ⁀➴ i hope yall enjoy this short fic ive written! it'll be a five-part series, it's more of a light-hearted series compared to 'the one that got away' but i hope it's a good and fresh change for y'all hehe
wcજ⁀➴ 8.5k
taglineજ⁀➴ comment below if you wanna be added to the taglist!
The lunchroom buzzed with the familiar chaos of midday chatter—plastic containers popping open, chairs scraping against the floor, someone loudly complaining about deadlines from two tables away.
You sat tucked between your coworkers with your salad and phone in hand, only half listening as the conversation drifted around you.
“…and then he had the audacity to say I was overreacting,” Mika groaned dramatically, making the rest of the table burst into laughter.
“Men are actually ridiculous.”
“No, because why are they all emotionally constipated?”
“Speak for your own boyfriend,” Mei snorted. “Mine cried because I accidentally washed his favorite hoodie.”
The table dissolved again.
You laughed softly along with them, more out of habit than anything. These conversations happened almost every lunch break nowadays—relationships, dating apps, bad exes, anniversaries. The kind of topics everyone else seemed to slide into naturally while you mostly stayed quiet and nodded at the appropriate times.
Not because you hated talking about romance.
You just… never really had anything to contribute.
It wasn’t like you’d never tried. There had been crushes before, a few awkward dates here and there too, usually set up by overly enthusiastic friends who swore their coworker’s cousin or former classmate would be “perfect” for you.
None of them ever really went anywhere. Sometimes the conversations died after the first date, sometimes you realized halfway through dinner that there wasn’t enough chemistry to justify a second meeting. Once, a guy spent forty minutes talking about cryptocurrency before ghosting you the next day.
At twenty-five, it shouldn’t have bothered you as much as it did. But sitting there surrounded by stories of anniversaries, arguments, exes, and long-term relationships made you feel strangely… behind. Like everyone else had received some guidebook on love you’d somehow missed out on.
You stabbed absentmindedly at your salad.
“…Hold on.”
You looked up to find Yui narrowing her eyes at you from across the table.
“You’ve been suspiciously quiet this entire conversation.”
Immediately, several heads turned toward you. Your stomach sank.
“Oh no,” Mika gasped dramatically. “Wait. Don’t tell me you’ve never actually been in a relationship before.”
The table erupted.
“No way.”
“Seriously?”
“Wait, really?!”
Heat crawled up your neck almost instantly.
“Oh my god,” Fumiko laughed. “No wonder she never says anything during these conversations.”
The sudden wave of attention felt heavy, the good-natured teasing suddenly putting you under a harsh spotlight. You stared at your salad, the fork still gripped tightly in your hand, trying to figure out how to laugh it off or change the subject before the heat on your face gave away just how much the comment stung.
“Hold on,” Mika suddenly leaned forward again, eyes narrowing. “You’re not dodging this. You’ve never actually been in a relationship, have you?”
Your fingers paused around the bottle.
“What?” you said quickly, too quickly. “Why are you all suddenly interrogating me like this?”
“That wasn’t a denial,” Yui chimed in immediately, amused.
“It literally was,” you insisted, though your voice sounded weaker than you wanted it to.
“No, no,” Izumi said, shaking her head with a grin. “That was panic. There’s a difference.”
The table broke into laughter again, and you slumped slightly in your seat, trying to play it off like it wasn’t affecting you more than it should. It wasn’t even mean-spirited—you knew that. If anything, they sounded genuinely surprised, like the idea just didn’t compute in their heads.
But that somehow made it worse.
Because it wasn’t pity. It was confusion.
Mei leaned forward, elbows on the table now, clearly invested. “Okay, but seriously though. How is that even possible? You’re twenty-five. You’re pretty, you’re normal, you have your life together—don’t tell me nothing has ever happened.”
You made a face at her. “I don’t really see why it’s such a big deal.”
That earned you a few amused looks, but it didn’t quite end the conversation the way you’d hoped it would. If anything, it only made them more curious, like you’d just confirmed there was something worth digging into.
Mika leaned back in her chair, arms crossed. “Because you always dodge the topic every time it comes up.”
“I don’t dodge anything.”
“You literally just did.”
“I didn’t,” you said quickly, a little too quickly again.
Yui smiled like she’d caught something. “Okay, then explain it properly. You’ve never mentioned anyone. Not even once. No stories, no complaints, no nothing.”
Your grip tightened around your plastic fork.
Five pairs of eyes stared back at you expectantly.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Waiting.
And maybe it was the embarrassment. Maybe it was the pressure. Or maybe your pride simply snapped first.
Because before your brain could catch up to your mouth—
“I am seeing someone, actually.”
The first thing that came was the silence. And then, it was the excruciating regret that pooled in the pit of your stomach as you nearly combusted at the realization of your own words that had spilled out before you could contain them.
You felt your soul leave your body.
Mika blinked.
Fumiko’s mouth gaped open.
Yui who was across the table actually choked on her drink.
“…You what!?” Mika finally shrieked, her voice bouncing off the walls of the lunchroom, garnering the attention of some others at the tables nearby.
The entire table exploded at once.
“No way.”
“Are you actually serious?”
“Since when?!”
“Hold on—why would you hide this?”
Your heart slammed violently against your ribs as the attention somehow tripled. You had not thought this far ahead. Not even remotely.
“Uh…” you laughed weakly, already feeling sweat gather at the back of your neck. “It’s just… recent.”
The questions started coming faster after that, like someone had flipped a switch and suddenly everyone had decided this was the most interesting thing that had ever happened during lunch.
“What’s his name?”
“How did you meet?”
“What does he do?”
“Wait, is he cute?”
“Show us a picture!”
“A picture?!” you repeated, voice rising slightly in alarm.
“Well obviously?”
Your brain felt like it was actively overheating. You tightened your grip around your drink just to ground yourself, forcing out a breath that did absolutely nothing to calm you down.
“Why are you all so intense about this?” you tried, but it came out more helpless than firm.
“Because you literally just dropped life-changing information on us,” Mika said, leaning forward once more. If she wasn’t personally invested before, she definitely was now. “We thought you were out here living like a nun.”
“I was not—” you started, but it faded out into a strangled groan as you buried your face into your hands. “Please stop talking.
But they weren’t done with you yet.
“So who is he?”
You blinked, face still buried into your hands. You slowly lifted your head up, your mouth opening on instinct. But no words came out.
Because that was the moment your brain very helpfully reminded you that you had, in fact, created a boyfriend out of thin air with absolutely zero supporting documentation.
You swallowed.
“Wait,” Izumi said slowly, squinting at you now like she was piecing together a puzzle. “Is he from work?”
You nearly tipped your drink over from how you jerked at the mere question.
“What? No!” you blurted too fast.
A couple of heads tilted immediately.
“That reaction was suspicious.”
“It wasn’t suspicious.”
“It was extremely suspicious.”
“Oh my god,” Mei gasped. “It’s an office romance.”
“No it is not!” But your voice cracked just slightly at the end, and that was enough for them to erupt all over again.
“I knew it.”
“Who is it?”
“How long has this been going on?”
Your face felt like it was actively on fire now.
You felt your entire body go rigid, like you had physically run out of survival responses. Every direction you looked, there was another face waiting for an answer you did not possess.
And then, like a final escalation from the universe itself, Mika suddenly clapped her hands together.
“Okay, okay,” she said, grinning like she’d already decided the ending to this story. “Bring him around someday.”
Your stomach dropped. “What?”
“We wanna meet him.”
“Yes,” Yui nodded immediately, fully on board now. “We should all go out together sometime.”
“Double date,” Mei added.
“Or karaoke!”
“Wait, yes—karaoke would be perfect!”
Your soul left your body for the second time that afternoon.
Because for a split second, your mind supplied absolutely nothing except the image of you standing there, awkward and exposed, while an imaginary boyfriend you had just invented was expected to exist in public.
You forced out a laugh, but it came out thin and wrong even to your own ears. “Haha… yeah. Sure, I’ll ask him if he’s okay with it.”
The conversation slowly drifted away again after that, but you barely caught any of it. Your brain was still stuck in the same loop, replaying every question they had thrown at you like it was some kind of interrogation you had somehow survived without actually surviving it properly.
You needed air.
Or distance.
Or both.
“Uh—” you cleared your throat and pushed your chair back a little too quickly. “I’m just gonna go get a drink.”
Mika barely looked up. “Vending machine?”
“Yeah,” you said, already grabbing your things. “Vending machine.”
Yui’s eyes flicked up at you immediately, a slow grin forming on her face the second she realized you were leaving so abruptly.
“Oho,” she sing-songed, leaning back in her chair. “Calling your lover boy?”
Your entire body froze for half a second.
“No,” you said quickly, far too quickly. “I’m not doing that.”
“Mm-hm,” she hummed with an amused look, clearly unconvinced. “Sure.”
You didn’t give them the satisfaction of continuing the teasing. Instead, you forced another awkward laugh, waved vaguely in their direction, and turned on your heel before anyone could say anything else that would make this situation even worse than it already was.
But just before the doors could fully seal shut, Mika's voice cut through the gap.
"Wait... doesn't she have a drink right here?"
You didn't stay to hear the rest.
By the time you reached the vending machine corner, your pace had slowed, your shoulders finally dropping as you stopped in the middle of the walkway. Your eyes were glued to the floor beneath you before you slapped a hand over your mouth.
“Oh my god,” you said out loud, staring into the empty space like it was going to answer you.
Your hand immediately went into your hair, tugging hard as your face twisted. “What did I just do?”
You paced two steps forward, turned and paced another two steps back, walking circles in the small space of the corridor by the vending machines for approximately eight seconds. Then you stopped, your feet planted to the ground firmly like your body had given up on functioning properly.
“I just said I have someone,” you muttered, voice rising slightly. “I just said that in front of all of them.”
You let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh that had no humor in it at all.
“No I didn’t. I did not just do that.”
A beat.
You looked around the empty vending machines like they might validate you.
They did not.
You stared ahead for a second like the wall might have answers, then dragged both hands down your face with a long, miserable exhale.
You had not meant to do that. You had not meant to say that. You had not even meant to think that far. And yet here you were, standing by the vending machine like a complete idiot, having just announced to a whole table of people that you were apparently seeing someone.
Someone nonexistent.
Someone fictional.
Someone you had made up in under two seconds because your brain had panicked and taken the wheel.
You let out a strained little laugh that sounded nothing like actual amusement. More like the sound of a person realizing they had just signed themselves up for consequences they absolutely could not afford.
“What am I supposed to do now?” you muttered. “I have to send in my notice, I have to find a new job, I have to—”
“HEY!”
You screamed. Your body jerked back as you flinched from the sudden interruption of your thoughts by that booming voice that had no reason being that loud. You spun around so fast you nearly smacked into the vending machine next to you.
There, Bokuto stood, staring back at you with equally wide eyes, his hands raised to his chests, balled into fists as if he were bracing for a sudden, unprovoked assault.
“Woah, calm down!” He burst out laughing almost immediately once he saw the shock-striken look on your face. “What the hell was that reaction?!”
You clutched your chest like you’d just narrowly survived cardiac arrest.
“Oh my god,” you gasped, genuinely breathless. “What is wrong with you?!”
“With me?” Bokuto pointed at himself, still laughing. “You screamed like I was a serial killer!”
“You scared me!”
“I just said hi!”
“You yelled it!”
“I always yell it!”
“That doesn’t make it normal!”
Bokuto snorted, completely unbothered as he stepped further into the vending machine corner while you tried to recover from the near death experience he had just inflicted on you.
“Seriously though,” he said after a moment, tilting his head at you. “Why are you standing here looking like your taxes got leaked?”
You stared at him, giving him a look.
“…What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted honestly. “But you look stressed.”
“I’m not stressed.”
“You were talking to yourself.”
Your entire body froze.
“…You heard that?”
“I heard the ‘what am I supposed to do now’ part,” he said brightly. “But if I’m gonna be honest, I couldn’t make out the rest since you were mumbling.”
You wanted the floor to open up and consume you whole. “Oh my god.”
Bokuto laughed again, softer this time, before glancing around the vending machine area. “So what were you even doing here?”
“Oh,” you said quickly, gesturing to the vending machine. “I was getting a drink.”
A pause.
Bokuto looked at the vending machine. Then back at you. Then slowly back at the vending machine again.
It was completely empty. The entire machine had clearly been unplugged and emptied out for restocking. There was literally nothing inside except a crooked “OUT OF SERVICE” sign taped to the glass.
Bokuto blinked.
You blinked back.
“…Right,” he said carefully.
Your soul briefly left your body again.
“I— okay, listen—”
“You’ve just been standing here staring at an empty vending machine?”
“I didn’t notice it was empty!”
“How did you not notice?” he laughed.
“I was having a crisis!”
“That actually explains a lot.”
You groaned loudly and covered your face with both hands while Bokuto continued laughing beside you, clearly having the time of his life at your expense.
And somehow, embarrassingly enough, it made the knot in your chest loosen just a little.
“Okay,” he said eventually, still grinning. “Now you definitely have to tell me what happened.”
“Nothing happened.”
“You’re standing in front of an empty vending machine talking to yourself.”
“…That doesn’t prove anything.”
“It proves a lot actually.”
You let out another long suffering sigh, dragging your hands down your face before slumping slightly against the wall beside the machine.
Bokuto waited.
Which, somehow, made it worse.
Because usually people filled silence quickly around him. But now he was just standing there patiently, watching you with open curiosity like he genuinely intended to wait this out as long as necessary.
You groaned again.
“I said something stupid at lunch.” You finally admitted.
“How stupid are we talking?”
You stared at him with a defeated look, your shoulders sagging as you sighed. “…Potentially life ruining.”
Bokuto burst out laughing immediately. “That bad?”
“It’s not funny!”
“It’s a little funny.”
“It’s not!”
He was still visibly trying not to laugh when he leaned beside the vending machine next to you, folding his arms casually.
“So what’d you say?”
You opened your mouth. Then closed it again. Because now that you actually had to say it out loud, it somehow sounded even more insane.
Bokuto raised an eyebrow.
“…Well?”
You looked away first.
“I told them I was seeing someone.”
A second passed.
Then Bokuto’s eyes widened dramatically.
“You have a boyfriend?!”
“Oh my god! Shut up!” you hissed immediately, lunging forward to smack his arm while glancing around in panic. “Why are you yelling?!”
“You just said you have a boyfriend!”
“I know what I said!”
“Since when?!”
“Since never!”
And then, the silence drowned out the space around you two. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Bokuto blinked at you in confusion for the umpteenth time in the past seven minutes you were talking.
And then, with completely zero scraps of dignity left in you, you sank to the floor, hugging your knees up to your chest.
“I don’t actually have one,” you mumbled quietly, the admittal making you want to bury yourself alive.
You didn’t dare look up at Bokuto who was sure to have found this amusing. But the silence stretched on for a second too long. Then—
“…What?”
You turned your head down a fraction more, still refusing to fully look at him out of embarrassment.
“I don’t have a boyfriend,” you admitted weakly. “I just panicked.”
Bokuto stared at you from above for a few seconds longer before the pieces visibly clicked together in his head.
“Ohhh,” he said slowly. “So you lied.”
You made a miserable sound, almost a choke but not quite as you snapped your head up at him. “I didn’t mean to! They just kept asking things and then suddenly everyone was staring at me and I got overwhelmed and it just— came out!”
“You told your coworkers you have a whole boyfriend because you got nervous?”
“I don’t know!” you cried, burying your face in your hands again. “I was overwhelmed!”
Bokuto looked genuinely fascinated by this information. You saw the way he shifted, crouching down to your level, his shoulder leaning against the vending machine as he chuckled. “That’s actually kind of amazing.”
“It’s actually ruining my life.” You snapped your head up to give him a glare. He only met your gaze with a look of amusement, as if the fact that your life was crashing down was pure entertainment to him. You wished you could wipe that very smirk of his face.
“So,” he hummed, “what happened after?”
At the mention of that, you were reminded of the very problem with your life at this moment, and you let out an audible groan. “They want to meet him.”
His face lit up immediately as a wave of understanding finally washed over him, piecing together why you had been mumbling to yourself earlier like you were chanting a curse upon this world.
“Ohhhh.”
You frowned, pointing at him accusingly. “Stop reacting like this is entertaining.”
“But it is entertaining.”
You let out another frustrated groan, sliding a hand in your hair that was now messed up from how many times you had run your fingers through it in frustration.
“I seriously don’t know what to do,” you muttered. “They wanna do group outings and karaoke and double dates and I literally invented a man out of nowhere.”
Bokuto hummed in understanding as you spoke, nodding along. For the first time since arriving, he actually went quiet.
Not joking quiet.
Thinking quiet.
You barely noticed at first, too busy spiraling internally, until you glanced up and realized he was staring off slightly with an oddly thoughtful look on his face.
Then suddenly, as if your mind hadn’t burst enough that day, his eyes snapped back to meet yours and—
“Why don’t I go with you?”
The air between you stalled, heavy and thick with the sudden shift in gravity. Bokuto didn't break his gaze; the intensity of his focus was absolute, pinning you in place while the sheer absurdity of his proposition echoed in the silence.
You blinked, your mouth opening and closing like a fish, before you finally managed to choke out, “What...?”
Bokuto looked back at you like he’d suggested something completely normal. “I can pretend to be your boyfriend.”
You stared at him, your brain frantically trying to parse the words that had just tumbled out of his mouth.
“What?” you repeated.
“You know,” he said with a shrug. “Just for the time being. Since they’re all on your ass about meeting him now.”
Your mouth opened, almost about to retort about how ridiculous he was being, that this wasn’t a joke to you. Your life was at stake here! But no words came out when you saw the sheer sincerity in his gaze, so you only sealed your lips closed.
“Are you being serious right now?” You asked in disbelief. Were you to blame? Anyone in your position right now would find this whole thing absurd.
But maybe not Bokuto as he deadpanned, “Yeah?”
He said it so casually that for a second it genuinely threw you off balance. Did he not realize how wild his own suggestion was? Why would he go to such lengths to fake date a coworker? And why did it seem like he believed this was somehow a perfectly reasonable solution to this disaster?
But maybe what made it all even more confusing was that this was Bokuto.
Bokuto, who floated through the office like human sunlight. Bokuto, who talked to everyone, laughed with everyone, made everyone around him feel comfortable without even trying.
You got along with him, sure, he was fun to be around. But you weren’t close-close, which made this whole conversation feel even crazier somehow.
“You can’t just pretend to be my boyfriend,” you said weakly, trying to find reason in this ridiculous situation you had found yourself in. How did you even get here?
“Why not?” He asked, tilting his head in genuine confusion.
“Because it’s weird!”
“It’s only weird if you make it weird.”
“You don’t get it—.”
“I think I do?”
You stared at him again, trying to figure out if he was genuinely insane. At your silence, Bokuto tilted his head slightly. “Do you have another plan?”
You stared at him, your mouth hanging slightly agape as you searched for a single coherent argument to dismantle his logic. But your mind was a wasteland. Every time you tried to construct a sentence—we aren't close enough, they’ll definitely know, this is the most unhinged idea I’ve ever heard—it just dissolved into a mess of static.
You looked at him—really looked at him. The way he was standing there, radiating that baffling, golden-retriever confidence, waiting for you to hand him the reins to your social survival. He looked so incredibly pleased with himself, as if he’d just solved a complex puzzle rather than volunteering to commit social suicide on your behalf.
The silence dragged on, vibrating with the sheer stupidity of the proposal. You felt your shoulders slump, your last shred of resistance evaporating under his relentless, wide-eyed sincerity.
You shook your head slowly, a desperate, pathetic gesture.
"No," you breathed, the word heavy with the dawning, terrifying realization that you were actually considering it. "I have... literally no other plan."
“Then there you go.” He clapped his knees as he stood back up, as if he was wrapping up a high-stakes business negotiation instead of a fraudulent romantic arrangement.
He beamed at you, that signature, sharp-toothed grin spreading across his face like he’d just landed a winning point in a match. He looked entirely too satisfied with himself, his posture shifting from relaxed to energized, as if the sheer adrenaline of the deception was already fueling him.
“Now, wait a minute,” You stood up along with him, trying to reign him in before he went overboard, a hand flying up to pinch at your nose bridge. “Just give me a minute to think…”
“What’s there to think about?” He asked. “We have the perfect solution.”
You groaned loudly at his words, dragging a hand down your face again. This was a terrible idea. A genuinely horrible idea. Probably the worst idea you’d had all week.
But unfortunately, it was the only idea you had.
“…Ugh,” you whined into your hands.
Bokuto waited.
And after another few painful seconds of internal suffering, you finally lowered your hands just enough to glare at him weakly.
“…Okay fine.”
Bokuto grinned immediately.
“There we go!” he said brightly, like you’d just agreed to something far less life altering than fake dating your coworker. “Don’t worry. I’ll do a good job.”
You stared at him blankly.
“…A good job?”
“Yeah.” He pointed at himself confidently. “I’ll be an excellent boyfriend.”
You felt your soul leave your body yet again. Somehow, agreeing to this had made everything feel ten times more real.
“You say that like this is a group project,” you muttered weakly.
“It basically is.”
“That’s not comforting.”
Bokuto only laughed again, entirely too pleased with himself as he pushed himself away from the vending machine.
Meanwhile, you remained standing there looking completely lifeless, like your spirit had permanently detached from your physical form somewhere around five minutes ago.
“Seriously though,” he said, starting to walk backwards down the hallway. “Text me the details of the meetup, okay?”
You let out a tired sigh. “Okay…”
“Oh!” Bokuto snapped his fingers suddenly like he’d just remembered something important. “We also gotta figure out our amazing backstory.”
You blinked, your mind fried beyond recognition. “Our what?”
“Our couple lore,” he said confidently.
“Our—”
“Like how we met. Our anniversary. Favorite things about each other.” He started counting on his fingers enthusiastically. “Ooh, and maybe a cute confession story too.”
You stared at him in horror. “Why are you taking this so seriously?”
“Because if we’re doing this, we gotta commit.”
You had no words left for him. Bokuto ignored the look on your face completely.
“Oh man,” he continued, already fully invested now. “What if they ask how long we’ve been together?”
Your eye twitched. “Please stop talking.”
“No wait, we should probably align our stories first or else we’re gonna expose ourselves immediately.”
“I’m begging you to stop talking.”
He laughed loudly at your suffering before finally turning properly toward the hallway again.
“Alright, alright. I gotta go before Akaashi snitches on me to the department manager for disappearing during work hours, anyways.”
“You disappeared for like ten minutes.” You pointed out.
“And yet somehow he always knows.” Bokuto shrugged, stepping away.
“That’s terrifying.”
“It really is,” Bokuto nodded solemnly. Then, just before turning the corner, he looked back at you again and flashed you an easy grin. “Don’t overthink it too much, okay?”
You blinked slightly because he said it so casually. So simply. Like this wasn’t a complete disaster waiting to happen. Like helping you was the most natural thing in the world.
And before you could even figure out how to respond to that, Bokuto lifted a hand in farewell and disappeared down the hallway, leaving you standing alone beside the empty vending machine once again.
You stared after him for a few long seconds. Then slowly looked down at your phone and back at the hallway, then back at your phone again.
“…What the hell is happening?” you whispered.
Because somehow, in the span of less than fifteen minutes, your imaginary boyfriend had become a real person.
Well.
Not a real boyfriend.
But apparently real enough to require a relationship timeline, a fake anniversary, and what Bokuto had very passionately referred to as “couple lore.”
You let your head fall gently against the wall behind you with a soft thunk.
This was either going to solve all your problems…
or completely ruin your life.
—
“So our official first meeting story is still the elevator incident, right?” Bokuto asked as he walked beside you, hands stuffed into his pocket. He leaned over, bending down ever so slightly too meet you in the eyes.
You looked up immediately, taken aback by how close his face was to yours before you turned your head away slightly. “What elevator incident?”
Beside you, Bokuto looked at you like you’d personally betrayed him.
“The one I talked about yesterday,” he said slowly.
“Oh, right.”
It was the only thing you could muster out as a reply. Your hand gripped onto the straps of your purse a fraction tighter, your mind in many places but none of them landing as a coherent thought. The two of you were walking down the street to a cafe Yui had recommended when they finally decided on a day to meet this long-awaited boyfriend of yours.
It wasn’t anything grand. Just brunch on the weekends involving the few girls who had put you up to this. Even still, a simple cafe outing should not have been enough to make your stomach twist itself into knots with every step closer to the meetup point.
“You have to remember these things,” Bokuto continued seriously. “What if someone asks how we met?”
“I didn’t think we’d have to be this serious about it.”
“Hey, it’s your social life that’s at stake here, not mine.”
You shot him a flat look, but Bokuto remained completely unbothered, hands still tucked into his pockets as he walked comfortably beside you.
Honestly, the most concerning part of this entire situation was how natural he seemed. Meanwhile, you, on the other hand, felt like your soul was attempting to leave your body every five minutes.
“So,” Bokuto continued, “you dropped all your papers in the elevator, and I helped you pick them up.”
You shot him a look, whispering under your breath, "That’s so incredibly cliché. Could we not have picked something cooler?"
Bokuto didn’t even glance at you, just kept walking with that infuriatingly relaxed stride. "Hey, it’s literally how we met. We’re just making a slight adaptation out of it.”
You let out a short, scoffing breath. "An adaptation? You mean you took a boring, awkward encounter and turned it into a meet-cute."
He chuckled, the sound deep and effortless as he kept his eyes trained ahead. "I mean, it was cute. You looked pretty frazzled."
"I was stressed," you corrected quickly, feeling your face warm up. "There's a difference."
"Whatever you say," he teased, and then, without missing a beat, he leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping into that smooth, practiced tone that made your pulse jump. "Plus, it’s easier to sell the story if we tell them you fell in love with me immediately because I was just so handsome and charming. It’s hard for people to argue with the truth, right?"
You stopped dead in your tracks, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind. "I did not fall in love with you immediately," you hissed, your voice climbing an octave. "That is not part of the script!"
Bokuto just shrugged, looking entirely too satisfied with himself as he kept walking. "Maybe not in your version of the script, but I’m the director of this production. Trust me, it adds the right amount of drama."
You stared at him.
“It adds narcissism.”
Bokuto gasped dramatically, placing a hand on his chest, faking wounded hurt. “Wow. And after everything I’ve done for this relationship too.”
“This relationship isn’t even real.” You mumbled, puffing your cheeks slightly as they tinted a flush pink.
“Wow,” he repeated, sounding even more offended now. “You say the cruelest things sometimes.”
Despite yourself, you felt a laugh threaten to slip out. As ridiculous as this entire situation was, the tight knot of panic in your chest had loosened just a little.
You glanced over to Bokuto who was staring ahead as he walked, the lighthearted energy in him spilling out with each step he took. You let out a snort, feeling a momentary wave of ease settle in you. Maybe because it was Bokuto in place of this whole fake boyfriend thing that it made everything seem like it could turn out okay. It made you feel a bit better about your predicament.
But that only lasted until the cafe finally came into view ahead of you. The reality you’d be facing of the endless interrogations, their reactions to see Bokuto of all people walking in with you, and how you’d be able to navigate this and act on the spot left your stomach in twists.
You slowed slightly on instinct, letting out a slow, ragged breath. Beside you, Bokuto noticed immediately. He chuckled as he glanced at you, “Relax, we’ll do fine.”
You met his eyes, the anxiety creeping up to you. But before it could get worse, Bokuto extended his arm towards you, offering you his hand for you to hold. You looked at him questioningly.
“Makes it more believable,” was all he had to say.
After a pause, you reached out, grabbing his hand. Almost immediately, his fingers intertwined with yours, his thumb stroking the back of your hand in slow, circular motions.
“Just follow my lead, okay?” He gave you one last look. You let out a deep sigh, loosening your shoulders before you allowed Bokuto to guide you to the cafe, pushing the door open. Instantly, the warm chatter inside washed over the two of you.
It didn’t take long to spot your coworkers.
The five girls were already gathered around a large table near the back, some of them in the midst of chatter while some others were hunched over the menu.
Yui noticed you first. Her face lit up instantly as she lifted a hand to wave you over before you saw the distinct second her eyes snapped to your right and landed on the familiar grey tousle of hair next to you. The others turned as well when Yui waved at you, but you saw the way their reactions settled in real time.
The entire table froze.
Fumiko and Mika’s jaws dropped simultaneously. Mei actually slapped a hand over her mouth. Izumi stared like her brain had temporarily stopped functioning.
And then—
“What?!” Yui shrieked loud enough for half the café to turn and stare. Several nearby customers looked over immediately. One elderly couple near the window frowned in visible annoyance. Another table looked genuinely invested now.
You felt your soul attempting to leave your body yet again.
“Haha…” you laughed weakly, lifting a hand in the world’s most awkward greeting as you two approached the table. “Hey guys.”
“Bokuto?!” Mika practically yelled.
The guy blinked once at the collective chaos before smiling easily and lifting his own hand to offer a casual wave, as if his entrance hadn’t shaken the very Earth to its core.
“Yo.” His voice was lax, free of any of the tension that you seemed to be feeling yourself.
“You didn’t tell us Bokuto was your boyfriend!” Yui accused immediately, eyes snapping to you, sounding personally betrayed. You shifted uncomfortably under her stare.
“I didn’t think there was a need to…” you mumbled.
“You don’t just date another coworker—Bokuto, of all people—and keep it a secret!” Mika pointed aggressively at the two of you, narrowing her eyes in betrayal.
Fumiko who still looked genuinely stunned leaned forward to ask, “Since when was this happening?”
“Yeah!” Izumi cut in, “you guys work on the same floor and you’re telling me no one has noticed you two are dating?”
You felt your palms get sweaty at all the questions asked. Were you supposed to answer all of them? Beside you, Bokuto gave your hand a firm squeeze as he let out a laugh—not one of nervousness, rather, the same amusement he had shown you the first time you expressed your troubles to him by the vending machines.
“Well, we were trying to keep it lowkey,” he said smoothly, then glanced down at you. “Seems like we did a good job, huh?”
You met his eyes, the smile on his face soothing your nerves a tad bit. Then, you turned to your friends. “Yeah, we didn’t really want it to be known.”
Yui narrowed her eyes at you, “How long has this been going on?”
You glanced at Bokuto again, too stumped to say anything. Naturally, he took charge, answering without a beat, “About seven months.”
You whipped toward him so fast you nearly got whiplash.
Seven months? Was that even believable?
Bokuto continued smiling casually like he had not just invented a timeline out of thin air. “Right, babe?”
Your soul ascended.
For a second, you just stood there, staring at him like your brain had short-circuited trying to process what he’d just call you. But as you glanced back at your friends, you cleared your throat, nodding your head.
“Yep.” You said, averting your eyes. “Seven months.”
“Dang, girl,” Mei smirked at you. “Didn’t know you had it in you.”
You frowned, your brows furrowing deep at the jab. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re a great fucking actress, that’s what.” Mika countered, her smirk sharpening as she leaned back, crossing her arms. “You’ve been stringing us along like we’re absolute fools, acting like you were trying to live your life out like a total nun or something. We thought you were strictly 'career-focused,' and meanwhile, you’ve been hiding this under your sleeve for half a year?”
She gestured toward Bokuto, who was standing beside you with an expression of such practiced, casual devotion that it made your skin crawl in the most confusing way possible. Sometime throughout the conversation, his hand had found its way, resting—a little too naturally—on the small of your back, his thumb tracing a slow, rhythmic circle against your shirt.
Fumiko finally rolled her eyes at the chaos and tapped the table. “Alright, everyone, calm down. You’re scaring them. Let them at least sit down before you grill them.”
Only then did you realize you’d been standing there like a statue the whole time, completely paralyzed by the interrogation.
Bokuto gave your back a gentle push, guiding you toward the booth. You slid in next to Izumi, who pulled her purse off the seat to make room for you. Bokuto followed right behind, sliding in next to you so closely that your shoulders brushed.
Now that you were actually sitting, the weight of the lie felt even heavier. You stared at your plastic fork again, praying someone would change the subject.
But no one did.
The moment everyone settled, the questions came crashing in once again.When had this started, how did you two meet, how you two were able to conceal it so well. Seven months was apparently a scandalous amount of time to keep something like this secret—which even you agreed to. But Bokuto had somehow managed to play it off.
You tried to answer where you could, but the problem was that the story had already taken on a life of its own. Every time you opened your mouth, someone else jumped in, another question overlapping the last, the conversation bending into something you could no longer steer properly.
Bokuto, on the other hand, didn’t seem to struggle at all.
He answered like it was easy. Like there was nothing strange about any of this. When someone asked how it all started, he leaned back slightly in his chair and said it happened in the office, that you had dropped a stack of papers in the elevator and he’d helped you pick them up. It was something the two of you had rehearsed, but hearing him say it—so casually, with that easy smile of his—made it feel as though it were real.
“And then what?” Mika asked, leaning forward, clearly invested now.
Bokuto glanced at you for half a second before continuing. “Then I kept seeing her around. Lunch breaks, hallways… that kind of thing.”
You could feel your face getting warmer.
Because that part wasn’t exactly untrue either. It just sounded different when he said it out loud, like something that had always been leading somewhere instead of something that had just… happened.
Somewhere along the way, the conversation shifted fully into storytelling. People laughed, reacted, teased. And Bokuto—he fit into it too well.
It wasn’t even that he was performing. It was worse than that. He was just being himself, but filtered through a version of reality where you were already part of his everyday rhythm.
When someone asked what you were like, he answered without hesitation. When they asked about habits, he listed them casually like they were things he had picked up over time. At one point, he slid your drink slightly closer to you without thinking, as if it belonged there already.
“She’s picky with food,” he said offhandedly when someone asked, making you turn to stare at him immediately. “But she’ll still eat anything if she’s hungry enough.”
“I am not—” you started automatically.
But the table was already laughing, and Bokuto just looked at you like he hadn’t done anything strange at all.
And the strangest part was that you adjusted to it. Slowly, awkwardly, but still. You found yourself reacting to him more naturally than you expected, picking up the rhythm of his presence beside you, falling into the gaps of conversation he left open for you without even realizing it.
At some point, Mika leaned back in her chair with a grin and let out a small sigh. “You two are honestly kind of ridiculous,” she said. “But it works.”
“Right?” Yui added. “It’s like you’ve known each other forever.”
There was a brief pause after that.
Bokuto gave a small laugh, scratching the back of his neck in a way that looked almost shy. “Yeah,” he said lightly. “I guess we just got used to each other fast.”
You didn’t look at him right away but you felt it anyway. The way his shoulder shifted slightly closer under the table, not touching, just there. Present in a way that made it harder to pretend you weren’t aware of him.
And for a moment, sitting there surrounded by laughter and voices and the warmth of the cafe, it didn’t feel like you were pretending. It just felt like you had somehow ended up in a version of reality where this had always been true.
The conversation didn’t really end so much as it slowly dissolved into overlapping chatter again—someone laughing about something across the table, someone else reaching for dessert the waiter placed down, chairs shifting as people settled more comfortably into the idea of this strange, unexpected couple sitting among them.
For a moment, you just stayed where you were—half listening, half still trying to catch up with yourself. Because somehow, without you noticing exactly when it happened, the entire performance had stopped feeling like a performance.
It had started to just… exist.
You felt it in the small details you couldn’t quite unsee anymore. The way Bokuto sat beside you like he belonged there. The way he answered questions about you without hesitation, like he wasn’t building a story on the spot but recalling something already familiar. The way you didn’t have to scramble to fill in gaps because he kept doing it for you—effortlessly, naturally.
It should’ve felt wrong.
It didn’t.
That was the problem.
A small laugh broke through the table again, pulling you back into the moment just enough for you to adjust in your seat, fingers loosely wrapped around your drink. You glanced sideways without meaning to.
Bokuto was already looking at you.
Not intensely. Not in a way that demanded anything.
Just… checking.
Like he always was.
You turned your head back around so fast you nearly got whiplash, letting your hair fall over your face to hide the pink hue dusting your cheeks.
The rest of the meal passed in a blur of clinking silverware and overlapping voices. You found yourself relaxing into the rhythm of it—the familiar comfort of your friends’ laughter, the way the table felt a little less intimidating now that the "big secret" was out in the open. Every now and then, Bokuto would chime in with something ridiculous, or he’d casually rest his arm along the back of your chair, his presence a constant, grounding weight at your side. It was surreal, how quickly you’d adjusted to his hand being near you, or the way he’d subtly steer the conversation whenever the questions got a little too detailed.
Before you knew it, the plates were cleared, the drinks were drained, and the loud, bustling energy of the restaurant had settled into a comfortable, post-dinner haze.
You were in the middle of laughing at something Izumi had said when Mika suddenly pulled her phone out, tapped the screen, "Well, look at the time.”
She glanced up at the lot of you, “I have a nail appointment in thirty minutes, so I should start heading out.”
The rest of the group followed suit, the collective rustle of bags being zipped and chairs being pushed back filling the air. There was a flurry of activity as people checked their own notifications, murmuring polite, half-distracted agreements.
"Yeah, I’ve got an early start tomorrow," Yui said, gathering her coat. "We should probably call it."
As they stood, the booth felt suddenly spacious and quiet. You shifted, your knee brushing against Bokuto’s, and for a split second, you felt a strange pang of reluctance at the thought of the "act" ending for the night. You stood up, too, clutching your bag to your chest as the reality of being back out in the real world—without the protective bubble of the group—started to set in.
One by one, they filed out, calling out goodbyes and lingering, teasing remarks about "lovebirds" and "don't stay out too late." You offered a tight, polite smile to everyone, feeling like a fraud as they walked away.
Soon, the bustling group was just a collection of backs growing smaller down the sidewalk, leaving you and Bokuto standing alone in the cooling evening air outside the cafe. The silence that rushed back in was stark, punctuated only by the distant hum of city traffic.
You finally let your shoulders drop, the tension of the last few hours leaking out of you. You turned to look at him, realizing he was already watching you, that same unreadable, thoughtful look back in his eyes.
"Well," you murmured, not quite sure what you were supposed to say now that the audience was gone. "That went... surprisingly well?"
Bokuto tilted his head, his expression earnest as he searched your face. “Does that mean I did good?”
You hesitated, the remnants of the adrenaline still buzzing under your skin. You looked at him—really looked at him—and realized he wasn’t just acting anymore; he was genuinely waiting for your approval. You felt a soft, genuine smile tug at your lips. “Yeah,” you whispered, your voice catching slightly. “You did good. You did... really good.”
Bokuto’s face lit up, a bright, satisfied grin that made your own cheeks heat up instantly. You quickly looked away, focusing on the cracks in the sidewalk to hide the flush you knew was blooming across your face.
“I’ll walk you home,” he said, his tone shifting into something steady and protective.
“Oh, you really don't have to,” you countered, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s only a fifteen-minute walk. I’m fine.”
He didn't miss a beat. “All the more reason why I should be able to do it. Consider it part of the boyfriend duty package.”
You stared at him for a second longer, trying to find a reason to push back, but his expression was so casually expectant that you simply gave in. “...Okay,” you murmured, letting out a breath you hadn't realized you were holding.
The two of you began to walk, the rhythmic tapping of your shoes against the pavement the only sound in the cooling night air. Your mind wouldn't stop churning. You replayed the entire evening—how effortlessly he’d handled your friends’ interrogation, how convincingly he’d slipped into the role of the devoted partner, and how strange it felt to have that hand resting on the small of your back. He had played the part perfectly. Too perfectly.
But the performance was over. Your friends had dispersed, the charade had served its purpose, and the stakes were gone. So why was he still here? Why was he going out of his way to walk you home when he could have easily headed back to his own place?
You glanced sideways at him. He had his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, his gaze fixed straight ahead as he walked with that easy, familiar stride. Maybe that was just who Bokuto was. He was always the friendly, over-the-top figure in the office, the kind of person who’d go the extra mile for anyone. This wasn't any different; he was just being helpful, just being Bokuto.
You looked away, staring down at your own feet. You had to keep reminding yourself: the performance was over. Everything that had happened in the cafe was just a fabricated web of lies designed to save face. It was a script, a bit of social engineering, nothing more. You shouldn't be confusing his helpfulness for anything that felt remotely like... more.
You sighed, the sound barely audible over the distant city hum. You were probably just reading into it because you’d been single for so long that your brain was hallucinating chemistry where there was only a guy doing a favor.
"I've definitely been single way too long," you muttered to yourself, shaking your head to clear the lingering, hopeful thoughts away.
“You good?” Bokuto asked, his brow furrowing as he looked down at you, his pace slowing just a fraction.
You blinked, startled, and snapped your head up toward him. “Huh?”
Bokuto looked at you with a mix of genuine concern and confusion, his head tilted slightly to the side. “You’ve been sighing like you’re carrying the weight of the world for the last three blocks. You sure you’re okay?”
You felt your cheeks heat up, embarrassed that your internal spiral had been so transparent. You quickly smoothed out your expression, offering a forced, casual shrug. “Oh! I’m good. I’m just… I’m good. Uh…” You took a breath, trying to keep your voice steady. “I just really wanted to say thanks. For helping me out with this whole… fake dating thing. You’re a real life-saver, Bokuto.”
Bokuto blinked, his expression softening as he processed the words. He didn't rush to fill the silence with a joke or a boisterous comment. Instead, he just smiled—a slow, quiet expression that felt far more genuine than his office persona.
“I’m glad I could help,” he said simply.
You offered him a small, sincere smile back, the lingering tension in your shoulders finally beginning to ebb away. The air felt lighter, the night quiet, and the path to your apartment stretched out ahead of you, peaceful and uncomplicated. You turned your gaze back to the sidewalk, and the two of you continued walking, side by side, into the soft glow of the streetlights.
during your lunch break you were with your boyfriend usually he does most of the talking whenever your with him. you and your boyfriend are two different people from personality wise you’re in the quiet, reserved, calm side meanwhile he is in the loud, energetic side of the relationship but you guys are perfect for each other.
while you were listening to bokuto speak about some cool trick he did during practice he remembered to tell you that he had a game today! “ooh! babe! i have a game today! are you going to go?” he said while he was playing with the tips of your fingers.
“maybe i don’t know, im kinda busy with a lot of things but ill see.” you held his hand when he was playing with your fingers. one of bokuto’s love languages is physical touch while you always liked your personal space but when you started dating bokuto you soon opened up and started letting him hold your hand, hug you, and a lot more.
when he mentioned you going to his game today you actually was planning to surprise him with something…
later that day you said something came up last minute and couldn’t go, bokuto was obviously devastated but pulled it through.
after the game had started when they started playing you were in your room rushing through to finish getting ready! you wore his favorite hoodie he left at your house and his favorite shorts you owned he said that they “hug your thighs very well” you still don’t understand about that but you wore them.
you hurried through the stadium you found a good seat where bokuto can spot you if he looked realllyyy hard. when the game was almost over they just needed to score one more point, a water break came out and when the fukurodani team was getting a water break akaashi suddenly said in a confused tone, “hey bokuto isn’t that your girlfriend? she looks like her.” he turned around very fast when he heard the word “girlfriend.”
“hhhuuuhhh? she isn’t—“ he was saying while turning around to look at this “she looks like your girlfriend” girl. the minute he turned around to look at “her” and saw you. it was like getting candy for the first time.
“BABE???!?!!” he yelled everybody in the side of fukurodani turned to look at you. your face turned red from embarrassment when everybody looked at you.
when it was bokuto’s turn to to serve he yelled out right before he served, “THIS ONE IS FOR YOU BABE!” he yelled and when he served the ball hit the inside of the court yet the other team didn’t save it so it hit the ground which meant a point for fukurodani!
your face was super red but when the game ended he sprinted towards you, “i thought you weren’t coming?!” he said as he hugged you and giving you a lot of kisses.
“did you really have to yell bo?” you said as you kissed his cheek while he is practically suffocating you, “OF COURSE i need to let people know your my girlfriend!” he said as he gave you a big smooch on the lips.
bokuto koutaro knows the lyrics to pretty much every pitbull song and will dance his freaking heart out. he will also drag everyone else into karaoke and get offended if someone doesn’t know a song.
“HOW CAN YOU NOT. HES PITBULL. MR. WORLDWIDE. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW SOMEONE WORLDWIDE??”
warnings: bit suggestive but NO SMUT, fluff, bokuto trying not to cry first thing in the morning, not proofread ♡
wc: 2.5k ♡
summary: it's your birthday but he has a match ♡
a/n: hiiii! sorry, its been a very long time since ive sat down and written something but since its my friends birthday i decided to move and write something for her again. of course it had to be bokuto since ive been getting into haikyuu again and i love him almost as much as she loves him. maybe one day ill write for sanemi or kuroo but that'd be too self-indulgent so we'll see. anyway, this is basically how i imagine what a day with bokuto is like! i literally started this in may and still left the last bit for when it was supposed be uploaded. i hope you enjoy after my long hiatus and happy birthday babycakes ♡
dividers: @petalpxl + @enchanthings ♡
it wasn't unusual these days for you to wake up with a heavy arm draped over you, nor was the sound of a chainsaw filtering down your ear as your boyfriend acted as if he had never slept a day in his life. as ear-numbing as it could be, any anger you felt was instantly dulled when he subconsciously held you closer in his deep sleep, burying your face in his bare chest and basically mounting you at this point - as if the sheer thought of you moving even a millimetre away was, in his eyes, a fate worse than death. you couldn't move even if you tried and as flattering as it was that he loved you so much as to try and fuse the two of you together, it was july and you needed air.
trying to peel yourself away from a 6'2, 87kg professional volleyball player in the blistering heat was no easy task, especially when the volleyball player in question was a stage 5 clinger. you wondered why he wasn't awake already, usually when he has a match later he's up racing the sun to the gym. today was different, it was after 10am, the glow filtering through the blinds would've made anyone think he was sent from heaven itself, and and he was on cloud 9.
miraculously, you had managed to free one of your arms from his grasp, but your victory was short-lived as kōtarō made a sound that could've been mistaken for a whine as you tried to betray him whilst he was none the wiser.
"don't go, i'm so comfortable" he mumbled into your neck, you didn't need to look to know he was pouting already.
"it's so hot, kou, and im hungry" you replied as you pushed some of his hair away so you could plant a light kiss on his forehead.
he hummed and smiled in response to your affection, but before you could try and convince him to let you free his eyes shot open and he sat up with so much urgency that you thought that you'd hurt him in some way.
"no no no no no no no no no no no" he rambled in the most dejected voice you'd heard off of him yet.
"what's wro-" before you could finish your sentence he turned to you with the most disheartened expression possible.
"i'm so so so sorry baby, i ruined everything", his hair flattening more with each syllable.
"ruined what?" you asked, looking around confused; everything seemed to be fine. what was he talking about?
"i meant to wake up early and surprise you with your favourite breakfast and all of the presents that i bought for you, but i was too tired and i didn't. i'm sorry" he had actual tears in his eyes, it was a miracle he hadn't broken down yet.
to his shock, and dismay, you began laughing at his anguish and pulled his head into your chest, stroking his hair to soothe him.
"it's ok i'm not mad, kou. i was tired too after last night" you chuckle, glancing around the room at the mess of clothes from a couple of hours ago.
he looked up with tears brimming in his eyes.
"are you sure? i wanted today to be perfect for you..."
you smiled and pecked his lips lightly.
"i'm sure"
seeing you not irritated by his mistake, he immediately went back to his usual raw enthusiasm, all the fatigue leaving his body and being replaced with the need to please you. his face beamed with so much pride, it was as if the sun dancing along his back was giving him some of its light.
"ok, ok! i'm gonna go make you breakfast" he stumbled out of bed and raced to put some clothes on, still rambling on about what food to 'make'.
you couldn't help but laugh at the enthusiasm, a stark difference to not even 10 seconds ago where he looked as if you had just told him he could never spike a ball again.
"kōtarō, you can't cook…"
he didn't care.
"what do you wanna eat?! pancakes?! waffles?! no! bacon and eggs!! good for protein, baby!" he exclaimed as he bumbled out of your shared bedroom in nothing but grey joggers. you just prayed he didn't blow the entire apartment building up.
20 minutes had gone by and you were still without your promised breakfast, it was oddly quiet in the kitchen too; usually he’d be making so much noise you’d think that there was a bomb going off.
unfortunately, your hunger was getting the better of you and the lack of noise filtering through the flat was leading you to believe that he’d made a mess and was trying to cover it up.
after throwing some clothes on, you made your way into the kitchen. as you entered bokuto’s back was to you, he seemed to be frantically messing around with a plate and cursing under his breath. how bad was the food?
“what are y-“
his head whipped round faster than the speed of light and his face was painted with sheer panic.
“no, no, you weren’t supposed to get up!”
he tried to cover the plate with his body, but the smell of burnt bacon was gradually making its way to you and your curiosity got the better of you.
slowly shifting his body out of the way, you looked down at the plate and you were met with the sight of two eggs and ? pieces of bacon in the form of a smiley face. the bacon was charred in places and was falling apart at the edges, and the eggs were slightly overdone, but it was the most beautiful breakfast you’d ever layed eyes on.
“im so so so so so sorry, i tried to make it perfect but i left the bacon too long when i was trying to place the egg-eyes” he said, he was so dejected that you could have mistaken him for a kicked puppy.
you turned up to look at him with more adoration than you thought possible.
“it’s perfect, thank you” you muttered gratefully, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek.
he smiled and moved to place your plate and a glass of orange juice on the dining table, then pulled a chair out for you so that you could sit down.
chuckling at his antics, you lowered yourself into the chair with quiet thank you. when you were comfortable, he almost ran to the other side of the table so that he could sit with you whilst you ate; also making sure his cooking didn’t take you out in the process.
with anticipation brewing in his eyes, he watched you take a bite of some of the bacon. it wasn’t half bad.
“is it at least edible?” he asked up from across the table.
it was a tiny bit chewy so you struggled to answer at first, which seemed to further his anxiety.
“i like it” you replied with a nod, smiling when he visibly relaxed and did a little fist pump from you not dropping dead after one bite.
unfortunately, his relief didn’t seem to last long.
“coach wants us to get there earlier so we can have a proper warm up.” he spoke (softly? no), he was looking down at his hand fidgeting on the table so he didn’t have meet your eyes, he couldn’t bear to see you disappointed on a day like today.
“i did try and get out of it! told them it was your birthday and that i wanted to spend it with you as much as possible and take you out before the match. he said no because its one of the last matches of the season and we’re too close to winning.” his shoulders and hair seemed to shrink with every word he spoke.
“i promise i’ll make it up to you after! we’ll win in three sets and then we’ll still have time to celebrate!” he exclaimed, grabbing your hand to prove his sincerity. you’d think that it was his birthday with the way he was acting, but it was endearing that he cared so much.
“it’s shit but it’s ok, i know its not your fault” you squeezed his hand back to try and calm him down a bit.
this seemed to make him feel a bit better because her perked up again.
“well, we still have time to go out for a bit! i’ll take you shopping and you can buy whatever you want!” he stood up with so much force, his chair scraping against the floor.
he started speed walking towards your shared bedroom, seemingly remembering something in there.
“i need to give you your present too! it’s not a lot because i want you to pick some stuff out for yourself, even if we don’t have long.” his voice becoming slightly quieter as he went to find where he hid your present.
when he came back he was holding a bag and he sheepishly handed it over to you.
carefully opening it, you saw a card and 3 boxes for a series of figures that you’d been collecting, one that you never got to finish since they stopped selling them everywhere.
“how did you…” you trailed on, lost on where he possibly found them.
“managed to buy them off this lady selling her spare ones, i couldn’t find them all but i tried-” his sentence was cut short by you throwing your arms around him and kissing him all over his face as a way of saying thank you.
your affections were, however, cut short by his phone ringing.
“sorry, it’s coach” he spoke with a scowl. “i wont be long” and he wandered off into the bedroom to answer.
you were taking a look at what figures you got when he came back in with a solemn look on his face.
“they’re asking for all of us to go down now so we can get as much training in before the match. im sorry, please don’t be upset i’ll make it up to you tonight” he looked utterly distraught.
you took a deep breath and grabbed his hands.
“it’s not your fault” you answered softly, smiling up at him a little “we’ll celebrate later, when you’re back. i’m gonna meet my friends anyway so it’s not like i’ll spend the day alone” you joked.
he didn’t seem comforted in the slightest bit.
“we’ll win the match for you.”
after your day with your friends, you decided to surprise bokuto at his match. he didn’t expect you to be there given what day it was, you had plans to go out but you opted for moving it to the following night.
the stadium was packed, as far as you could see every seat was filled. luckily, you’d managed to snag a ticket last minute; a seat in the middle of the stands with a clear view of the court.
you managed to make it at the start of the fourth set, so much for doing it in three. msby were winning 2-1, this would be an easy set, no? the loss of one set was just a minor setback, right?
wrong.
from one look at bokuto you could tell they’d won those last two by the skin of their teeth, the man looked as if he was mentally in another universe.
there was no passion behind his spikes, his jumps lacked character, even his run was upsetting to look at. he was a shell of a man.
yes, the team had amazing players and didn’t necessarily need bokuto to win, but as the match went it it seemed as if his mood was having an affect on the rest of them too - even sakusa was falling victim, more from annoyance though.
the first 5 points of fourth set were hard to watch, msby were being crushed and by some miracle, hinata had won them a point from a well-timed block. but now it was bokuto’s turn to serve.
he walked to the line like he was walking to the guillotine, if you didn’t know better you’d think he was preparing for his final moments.
his shoulders were slumped, his head was bent so low his chin almost touched is chest, and his hair, his hair that usually had more life than an pensioner crossing the road was on its last legs. you didn’t think it was possible for it to be so flat.
the only sound that could be heard was bokuto getting ready for his serve, everyone else was holding their breath and praying he’d pull it off, his mood was no secret.
“you got this kōtarō!” you’re not sure where the confidence to scream your encouragement across the room came from, but you were grateful.
in an instant, his ears perked up like a dog hearing it was time for a walk and his eyes desperately searched the stands until they met your own.
the smile on his face was worth every bit of embarrassment caused from your outburst.
it was like he’d been given the elixir of life, as soon as the whistle blew it was like he had risen from the ashes like a phoenix, the sound of the ball ricocheting from the other side of the court could have broken the sound barrier. a perfect service ace.
with their outside hitter back, msby performed one of the best sets of their career and finished out with a score of 25-8, winning 3/4 of the sets they played.
the crowd erupted and the team all swarmed together, but he didnt care, he was focused on finding you.
you sprinted down the stairs and fought to make your way to him, there were protests of how fans weren’t allowed past a certain point, but it fell on deaf ears.
before you realised how he’d moved so fast, bokuto was in front of you, picking you up and spinning you around as his laughter filled the room.
“youre here! i can’t believe you’re here! did you see my serve, that was all you, baby!” he bellowed, you could only assume people were looking and moving out the way to avoid being struck by your spinning body.
“you played so good, kou!” you replied, your face stuck in his sweaty neck as he held you like a vice before he carefully set you down so you could stand properly.
“wasn’t quite three sets though” you joked, smiling when he instantly broke into a quiet laughter.
“i’m sorry we couldn’t celebrate properly” he muttered as he began fidgeting with your fingers again, something he seemed to do every time he was nervous.
“it’s ok, there’s still time”.
he didn’t have chance to even think about a response because there was suddenly an orange tuft of hair at your side.
“happy birthday! bokuto told us it was today” hinata smiled fondly at you.
“thank you, shoyo!” you replied, returning his affection.
bokuto didn’t seem as impressed by the interruption and started, uncharacteristically, dragging you away before the rest of the team could steal you away and give you their best wishes before your birthday was over.
“sorry, i need all the time i can get to make it up to you how i’d like to”
it wasn’t exactly how either of you planned the day to go, but you wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
a/n: im so so so sorry i know how buttcheeks that ending is but i was so stuck on what to write and i was rushing, idk how people write endings cus they make me wanna tear my eyes out. ig it also just leaves it to your imagination.i also have requests open but im genuinely so slow writing things so i can’t promise when they’ll be done, i apologise. i hope whoever’s reading this has a fantastic day and happy birthday @thenanbread101 ! i love you guys <33 ♡
warnings: everyone is aged up 21+, nb/gn reader, oc best friend, ex boyfriend!bokuto, blind double date, hurt comfort, happy ending, heartbreak, exes to lovers, bad break-up, alcohol consumption.
synopsis: Your best friend, Rin, met someone at a volleyball tournament she was playing at and scored herself a date. Only she swindled you into joining her on said date to make it a (blind) double date. Ready to get back on the horse after the heartbreak of your previous relationship, you would've never guessed that your date would turn out to be your ex boyfriend. . ♡
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"What was his name again?"
Rin barely glances at you from beside you in the taxi, humming in thought before saying, "I don't remember."
Honestly, your question was a little deceptive, since she never actually gave you the name of this guy you're supposed to be going on a date with. She spun you into a flurry of information about someone she'd recently met at a volleyball tournament and mentioned he'd asked her out to dinner, throwing things one after another at you, and before you knew it, you were agreeing to a blind double dinner date.
"Do you remember your date's name?" You ask with a knowing lilt in your tone. A nervous fidget of your hands in your lap, adjusting your outfit and beginning to sweat in the air conditioned car. "Wasn't he a player at the same tournament?"
"No, he was a marketing or promo guy. I think his name was like…Tatsu…Tetsu…Toko…I don't remember."
You let out a huff of air that's something between a sigh and a laugh. "You're going on a date and you don't remember his name? Haven't you spoken since?"
Rin waves her hand passively, adjusting her dress when she crosses one leg over the other. Through the passing city lights, you see a small smirk tug on painted lips. "I'll figure it out when we get there; you know I'm bad with names."
Forced to let go, you make an active effort to lean back in your seat and relax. A blind date is new, especially when there's nothing you can go off of. No name so that you can stalk your potential date, not any kind of information besides he's a friend of Rin's date—of whom she can't remember his name and was never able to give you a proper answer there either.
It makes your heart pitter patter in your chest. Butterflies in your stomach. A smile creeping onto your face beyond your control as you watch the city pass through the window. It's been a while since you've been on a date; since your last relationship, you haven't been that much interested. A romance that you thought would last forever ended so abruptly that even when you tried to find solace in random people on dating apps or the club, it never filled that angry, distraught hole in your heart.
But this is different. You're over it all and you're open to having some fun again with new people. More than anything you just hope that your date is hot and you guys click well.
You've never heard of the restaurant Rin mentioned you're going to, which should've been a sign in itself that the place was expensive. The taxi that her date called and pre-paid for the pair of you, roomy with a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine and mounted TV's onto the back of the seats that play adverts for the most luxurious brands you've never heard of, all of that should've been your second sign. It's not until your third sign, the taxi turning into one of the most expensive areas of Tokyo, that you realise this promoter guy must be in a higher position than Rin led you to believe.
She does well for herself—better than you—so it shouldn't be so surprising. While you never got into volleyball or sports like she had in high school, you were always there to support her at every game you could possibly attend. A lot of your life has been surrounded by volleyball because of Rin and other people you'd met through attending matches. Other players and supporters, despite never having actually played yourself. You found yourself working a half-decent job designing seasonal menus and flyers for a well known food chain company. Rin was a player of a division two volleyball team that afforded her some of the better experiences in life.
After stepping out of the car and waiting for Rin to ensure her dress wasn't riding up from being sat down, you realise just how fancy this place was. Everyone walking past wore a suit and tie despite the evening summer heat. The smell of bergamot and tarragon that passes by leaves you longing for more.
It all makes you feel like you're under-dressed and undeserving of being here.
But Rin smiles at you and asks if you're ready before leading the way inside. The bottom floor is merely a lobby for the dozens of restaurants named on the floor chart, all with their own metal plated sign, some even going as far to give themselves foreign names that you likely won't pronounce correctly.
The restaurant you guys have a reservation at is on one of the highest floors, of course. Each floor that passes in the elevator makes your heart beat harder and faster—you can't explain why you're so nervous all of a sudden.
When the maitre de takes Rin's name for the reservation, he's apologetic when announcing your dates haven't arrived yet, offering for you both to have a complimentary drink at the bar while you wait. Perfect; you can wash away the anxiety with free expensive and fancy alcohol.
Sitting around further amplifies your anxiety to levels you'd rather not have to suffer through; especially when Rin seems to be just fine. Perched on the stool across from you, facing one another with your drinks beside you, she taps away at her phone completely enamoured with it. While you're sipping away at your drink faster than you realised and avoiding your phone to ensure one of you doesn't look ignorant and uninterested when your dates arrive.
All that was left in your glass was ice and floral decorations that were used as an excuse to amplify the price of the drink—fuck, you really don't want to know how much it cost—and you were about to ask Rin if she had heard from her date yet, an apology or an update, before your heart sinks all the way down from your chest to the floor.
You hear him before you see him—as is always the case—and your fight or flight response kicks into gear.
— ʬʬ k.bokuto texts your number thinking you’re his best friend, akaashi, only to find out its not. instead he’s faced with the beginning of the best friendship ever or something more
—ʬʬ starring :: k.bokuto and k.akaashi
— ʬʬ cw :: fluff! everything moves kinda fast, kotaro has been in love with you since he first saw you, youve been in love since 7th grade
— ʬʬ word count :: 543
— ʬʬ not proof read..
after putting your phone down you sit in silence, you just spoke to THE bokuto kotaro. the same guy you’ve had a crush on since 7th grade. you’ve been too scared to speak to him but it seem like he’s taken a liking to you? you squeal thinking about the fact you’ll be speaking to him tomorrow . you lay restless, ready for tomorrow to hurry. on the other side of things, bokuto is trying to remember you and your face. he remembers the name, vividly, he used to talk to akaashi about that name in middle school. then it hits him. youre the girl he’s been thinking about, the one who sits in the back with wired headphones and barely speaks to anyone. he still doesn’t have akaashi’s number so he isn’t quite able to tell him about this. he’ll tell him in the morning on the way to school. he’s kinda restless as well, he’s been thinking about you since the first day of school, and tomorrow he’ll be able to speak to you. the next morning you wake up 30 minutes early to be sure that you smell and look the best. you shower and use every single body wash that smells similar to one another. you spend at least 45 minutes on your hair alone, trying to see what would be cute enough. after 2 hours, you finally leave your house, smelling and looking like you just left a victoria’s secret shoot. you walk to school hoping you dont sweat. bokuto wakes up kinda early, ready finally speak to you. he spends a little longer in the shower, for once caring about his smell and appearance. he leaves the house to meet akaashi, ready to tell him about the mysterious girl.
you blush, shocked that he’s so excited to see you. you get to the gate and wait, you look up because you hear someone talking loudly. its bokuto. your heart skips a beat, he’s so jolly and giddy at 7 in the morning. akaashi looks tired of him speaking so loudly and tells him to quiet down. bokuto lowers his voice and looks in your direction, you could’ve sworn you seen hearts in his eyes as he looks at you for a bit then looks at akaashi, trying to whisper but fails. “akaashi, thats her! the pretty girl i told you about in our class!!” he exclaims, looking between you and akaashi. “bokuto-san, i think she heard you. she’s looking right at us” bokuto blushes. you’re really looking at HIM? he runs up to you and waves excitedly. “HI Y/N!!” “hi bokuto” you say blushing, surprised that youre actually speaking to him. “YOU’RE REALLY PRETTY. I KNEW YOUR PRETTY NAME BELONGED TO A PRETTY GIRL” “I TOLD YOU AKAASHI” bokuto explains, rambling “ok bokuto-san, you’re scaring her” he says as you turn a deeper shade of red. bokuto looks back at you and blushes even deeper. “can i walk you to class?” he asks, not making eye contact. “sure, you can” you both walk to your class as he drops you off and stares into your eyes, then at your walking form as you walk into class. he’s never been this happy that he texted the wrong number.
