Summary: Two little friends have always desired one thing: to end up as siblings. So when the chance presented itself after a finalized divorce, who were they to decline such an opportunity to finally bring their parents together?
Pairings: Bokuto Kōtarō x f!Reader
Updates: Thursday-ish Last Update: February 22, 2021
Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Mentions of divorce, cheating, cussing
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this series.
Summary: Two little friends have always desired one thing: to end up as siblings. So when the chance presented itself after a finalized divorce, who were they to decline such an opportunity to finally bring their parents together?
Pairings: Bokuto Kōtarō x f!Reader
Word Count: 2572
Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Mentions of divorce, cheating, cussing
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this series. Part of the @babythotshq Dearest Daddy Collab
Tags: open (send me an ask to be added!)
February 2025
“DADDY!”
Frowns fill the faces of those who look at the small girl yelling as she works her way through the sea of people to the court. Where are her parents? Riddle the faces of those around, but she pays no mind, she’s on a mission and there’s nothing that’s going to get in her way.
She screams out again, but this time stops halfway when she sees who she’s been looking for. A large smile spreads across her lips as she starts sprinting across the wooden court.
“Daddy!” She cries out once more and this time he hears her.
His round, golden eyes find her matching ones and he immediately stops whatever conversation he’s having, dropping into a squat with his arm extended outwards, just in time to catch her as she throws herself into his arms.
She wraps her arms tightly around his neck, barely allowing him room to pull her backwards just long enough for him to place a kiss on her forehead. She quickly realizes the mistake she’s made before pushing against him, telling him that he needs to shower. With a loud, hearty laugh, he puts her feet back onto the court before ruffling her hair.
“I am so sorry, Bo.” You start to apologize, “She took off and there are so many people.”
He waves you off before looking down at his daughter, who already knows what he’s going to say. “Seiko, you know better. What do you need to tell Y/N?”
“I’m sorry Y/N.” Seiko puts on her best apologetic face, poking out her bottom lip to added effect.
You laugh, shaking your head looking at the golden eyed little girl whose hair matches her mother’s brunette hair instead of Bokuto’s wild mix of colors. “Thank you, Seiko.”
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
You slip the phone out of your back pocket before rolling your eyes at the name on your screen before pressing the side button twice; sending the caller straight to voicemail. Bokuto cocks his head to the side, having watched the whole ordeal, but before he can question your actions your son grabs his attention.
“Uncle Bo you looked so awesome!” Your son Haruki exclaims as he eagerly jumps up to give the volleyball player a high-five.
“I did, didn’t I?” Bokuto throws his head up victoriously while you and Seiko just roll your eyes.
* *
“Careful, careful. Hold on to each other!” You call out to Haruki and Seiko as they run down the sidewalk and into a small café near the stadium. It had become somewhat of a tradition to eat there after a game or at least the games you and Haruki could attend. Seiko and Haruki are still talking a mile a minute as Bo opens the door for everyone.
Sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder if they were best friends because they were born just a few months apart and raised almost like siblings or if it had anything to do with you and Bo being best friends. You had met by complete accident; you had gone to your locker to get a textbook when you saw a boy with crazy colored spiky hair trying to open it.
When you questioned what he was doing trying to open your locker, he looked completely puzzled before stating it was his. You debated it for a few moments before he handed you the paper with his locker number and combination. You pointed out his locker was in fact the one next to yours, causing him to laugh. After that every day you were greeted with a very enthusiastic ‘hey hey hey’ and were attached at the hip. That had been 16 years ago.
The four of you pile into the same booth as always with you sitting across from Seiko and Haruki across from Bokuto. Your son absolutely adores the wing spiker and has been begging you to let him start playing volleyball too, but your husband doesn’t think he should.
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
You quickly click the button on the right side of your phone, this time just silencing it instead of sending it to voicemail.
“Are you getting excited to see your mom, Seiko?” You ask after the waitress takes everyone’s usual orders.
She beams, “Yes! She said we can go No Very Farms!”
You look between her and Bo confusingly before he corrects her ‘No Very Farm’ to ‘Knott’s Berry Farm’ and explaining that it’s an amusement park in California. It still surprised you to this day that Bokuto ended up having a kid with an American journalist. Mostly because there was so much mystery as to why they didn’t end up together.
You’ve seen them interact on several occasions and they always seemed to get along really well. You understand that some people just don’t work together, but Bo and Jess were great. They even had an adorable how we met story, but alas they didn’t end up together.
“And Mommy said we can take lots of pictures to mail to Daddy since he’s gonna miss me.” She giggles.
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
“Aren’t you gonna miss me?” Bo looks at his daughter who is still giggling as she shakes her head no. He places his hand on his chest and gasps before turning away from her, pretending to cry.
“I’ll miss you daddy, please don’t cry!” Seiko tries to throw her arms around his broad shoulders but her arms just aren’t long enough to wrap around his muscular form. She whispers repeatedly that she was just joking before he turns around, wrapping her into a hug.
This will be only the second time since finding out he would be a dad that he’d be apart from Seiko for more than a few days. Being a professional athlete meant that he spent a lot of time traveling, but those trips never lasted longer than five days. The first time was when she was two and he was gone for two weeks, this time she’d be gone for two months and he’d miss her fifth birthday. Jess has already promised to live stream her party and Bo had already mailed Seiko’s gift to Jess so she’ll be able to open it on her actual birthday, but it still feels like the end of the world.
Bzzzt Bzzzt Bzzzt
“You can answer that if you want.” Bo offers, “If you need to step outside, Haruki won’t mind sitting here with us.”
Haruki smiles up at you, “Yeah Mom. Your phone has been going off since we left home.”
You shoot your son a look, the ‘you shouldn’t have said that’ look which causes him to sink down in his seat. Truth be told you don’t want to answer the phone, you have nothing really to say to the person on the other end, but you didn’t want to ruin your outing with Bo and Seiko either.
“It’s fine. I can just get it later.”
Bo drops the subject as Seiko and Haruki begin talking about Seiko’s trip some more which includes promises of souvenirs, handwritten letters, and daily video chats.
You look at your phone: 6 missed calls, 3 voicemails, and 18 missed text messages. All from Nakajima Youta, your husband. As you sit there, staring at the excessive amount of notifications, your mind begins to wonder.
* *
It was an early autumn day, the kind where it wasn’t too chilly but the overbearing heat of the summer was long gone. You sat in a room, surrounded by your mother, friends and future mother-in-law as they all chatted away about how beautiful everything looks. You fiddled with your engagement ring as your mother pinned your hair up, pressing her cheek to yours as she smiled at you through the mirror.
There was a knock at the door and your mother was shocked to see it was Youta who had his hand over his eyes.
“Youta? What are you doing?”
“It’s bad luck to see the bride, but I just need her for four seconds.”
A smile twitched on your lips as you walked over to him, “What’s going on?”
He removed his hand from his eyes, but they are tightly squeezed shut as he awkwardly moved his arms around before finding your face. He stepped closer before he pressed a chaste kiss on your lips, his thumb gently stroked your cheek.
“What was that for?”
“This will sound lame, but I’m kinda nervous and I figured you were too. Thought it couldn’t hurt.”
You saw him smile before turning around so you could shut the door before he opened his eyes. Your mother and his began to talk about how sweet that exchange was. Followed by them wondering how you were remaining so calm when they had been complete messes before their wedding. Then it hit you that you were extremely calm, not once had you thought of bolting or canceling the wedding which to you was strange. You get nervous about a lot of things, you second-guessed a ton of things, and here you were with nerves of steel.
Two weeks later
“Mommy!” Seiko bounces up and down, glancing up at Bo with a huge smile on her face. Jess flew in so that she could attend a volleyball game with Seiko before heading to California. The original plan was for Bo to fly out with Seiko, but a last-minute change to the MSBY game schedule disrupted the plan.
“Hey baby girl!” She scoops the little girl up in her arms, spinning her around. She peppers her face with kisses as Seiko squeals, wrapping her arms around Jess’ neck. “Hey Bo.”
“Jess!” Bo wraps Jess and Seiko in a hug before placing a quick kiss on her temple. He grabs her bags as Seiko refuses to be put down; claiming she was too tired to walk. The family of three walk through the airport and make their way to the parking lot.
The ride back to Bo’s apartment is filled with Seiko asking her mom all about California, the same thing she’s asked her every night since she learned she was going. It doesn’t matter to Seiko that her mom has already told her the same thing, it’s different because this time her mom is sitting next to her instead of telling her through a screen.
* *
“Can we watch a movie?” Seiko asks as Bo and Jess finish cleaning up the kitchen from dinner.
“Of course.”
“YAY!” Seiko screams before running up to hug Bo and Jess then takes off to find the movie she wants to watch.
“She gets that from you.” Jess says.
“Her adorableness? I know.” Bo sticks his tongue out and Jess throws the towel in her hands at him. The kitchen fills with laughter as Seiko comes running back down the hallway, DVD case in hand.
“I want to watch this one!” Seiko holds up Coco; it was her favorite movie lately which Bo was thankful for, he was tired of watching The Lion King 2.
It wasn’t even 45 minutes into the movie and Seiko was asleep on Bo’s lap, his shirt tightly gripped in her little fist while Jess’s head is rested on his shoulder.
“Jess?” Bo whispers, not wanting to wake their daughter.
“Mm.” She hums, half asleep.
“She’s asleep. Want to tuck her in with me?”
She nods against his shoulder before sitting up, stretching the best she could; her body heavy with sleep. Bo cradles their daughter in his arms as they walk into the four-year old’s room; it’s decorated in fairy lights, purples and grays with owls everywhere. She has books on the floor, she said she had been doing research for her and Haruki’s next adventure and crayons littered her desks with drawings she had done to take to California.
Jess pulls the blanket over Seiko, pressing a kiss to her forehead before the little girl turns over to get comfortable. Bo turns off the light after making sure her nightlight is plugged in.
“You’re really good at that.” Jess says as she curls back up on the couch, Bo getting himself a glass of water.
“Turning off lights?” He laughs when she rolls her eyes.
“At being a dad.” She smiles, “I never really did thank you for how great you were with all of this.”
He just shrugs, “I couldn’t imagine having a kid with anyone else.”
A wide grin spreads across her face, “Really? No one? Not even someone with a son? A son who is best friends with Seiko. No one else? Huh.”
Blush faintly covers his cheeks as he clears his throat, “She’s married Jess. Plus, we already talked about that, remember? When we met?”
* *
October 2018
“That’s all we have time for today. A special thank you again to Bokuto Kōtarō and congratulations on the win.”
The cameraman signaled that they aren’t live anymore before the brunette let out a sigh.
“Are you okay?” Bokuto asked.
“Oh.” She started to fiddle with the microphone cord, “This was my first interview, I’m new to Japan.”
“Well you did great!” He exclaimed, holding up a hand for a high-five. The woman looked at him like he’s crazy but complied.
“Thanks. Ah, so did you.”
Bo smiled, “Jess, right?” She nodded. “I can show you around if you want.”
She shook her head, “Oh no, I couldn’t impose like that.”
Bo waved her off, “I really don’t mind. I think it’ll be fun.”
“Only if you’re sure. I have a guidebook I don’t mind using.”
Bo scrunched his face up, “Those don’t show you half of the best places.” He asked for her phone and put his number in. “Just let me know when you’re free and we’ll work it out.”
She smiled, going to speak before you ran up to Bo whose expression had changed; it was no longer just a polite look but one of adoration. His eyes appeared softer and the way his face lit would melt anyone’s heart.
“You did so great out there!” You throw your arms around him.
“Thank you.” His cheeks turned red which didn’t go unnoticed by Jess, “Y/N, this is Andrews Jess, she conducted the postgame interview.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Nakajima Y/N.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Jess said, feeling a tad bit awkward and blurted out the first thing she could think of, “You two make a lovely couple.”
“Oh no. No no no.” You shook your head, “We’re best friends. I’ve known Bo here forever.”
There was a slight shift in Bo’s demeanor but a shift nevertheless when a wave of sadness washes over his expression. He almost seems to have stiffened at the word ‘friend’ and somehow his hair seemed to have deflated. Jess tried not to think too much into it, she doesn’t know him or them at all.
“Y/N! Y/N!” Hinata waved from across the court.
“Hinata!” You waved back before heading over to meet Hinata.
“Did you see my spikes!?” He jumped up and down, “They were all swoosh bam!”
Jess looked back to Bo, “This is probably way out of line, but does she know?”
Bokuto frowned as his attention went back to Jess, “Does she know what?”
“That you have feelings for her?”
“I don’t…” He stopped when he saw the same look in her eyes that he’s seen in his, “No. She just got married.”
Summary: Two little friends have always desired one thing: to end up as siblings. So when the chance presented itself after a finalized divorce, who were they to decline such an opportunity to finally bring their parents together?
Pairings: Bokuto Kōtarō x f!Reader
Word Count: 2577
Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Mentions of divorce, cheating, cussing
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this series. Part of the @babythotshq Dearest Daddy Collab
Tags: open (send me an ask to be added!)
October 2018
Jess wasn’t sure if she should take Bo up on his offer, her mind had her convinced that it was just him being friendly. He saw the way he had looked at you and yeah, he said you had just gotten married, but that doesn’t mean feelings just fade.
She had pulled up his contact several times in the two weeks since she’d gotten it. Since she wasn’t familiar with Osaka or Japan at all, there were no run-ins with him which Jess couldn’t decide if that was good or bad.
It was a rainy Friday when she finally texted him; her thoughts had caught up to her and it dawned on her that no number of miles would cure the pain in her heart.
The adult part of her understood that people are busy and Bo wasn’t ignoring her, he is a pro-athlete after all. But the other part of her, the part that isn’t so mature, chalks up the 20 minutes that passed as he didn’t really mean his offer.
Bo was finishing up in the locker room after practice, he pulled his phone out of his bag before stuffing in his practice clothes. He was on his way out when he finally glanced down and saw two notifications.
Y/N: Just wanted to remind you that I won’t be able to text until next Friday! I’ll bring back souvenirs! (4:05 pm)
He didn’t reply, it was painful to hear about your honeymoon and to be fair he didn’t really want a souvenir either; some constant reminder that you were with someone else. Not to mention all you talked about was how much Youta wanted to start a family. Yeah, he really didn’t need that reminder.
He did perk up however when he saw the second text, one from an unknown number.
Jess: Hey. It’s Jess. (3:12 pm)
Bo quickly noticed that it’d been over an hour since Jess texted him and he panicked. Should he call her or text her back? He groaned when he got to the main exit only to see it was pouring and he once again forgot an umbrella.
Bokuto: Hey! Just got out of practice, sup? (4:40 pm)
Jess smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead, instantly feeling dumb for not realizing it sooner. She stared at her screen, suddenly unsure of what to say.
Jess: I was wondering if your offer was still available? (4:44 pm)
A huge grin spread across Bokuto’s face as he read the message. It no longer mattered to him that it was raining heavily as he walked to the bus station or that he’d have to shower again when he got home.
Bokuto: ‘Course! When are you free? (4:50 pm)
Jess: Sunday? Noon? (4:51 pm)
Bokuto: See you then! (4:52 pm)
Saturday was spent texting Bo most of the day, eagerly deciding where they should go. They ended up agreeing to go to the Shinsaibashi district once Jess mentioned needing to pick up a few things for her apartment. They were both surprised when they learned they lived in neighboring complexes, just a short walk to the others.
On Sunday, Bo all but bounced his way to Jess’s apartment. He had mentioned their texts and conversations to Kuroo who was almost as excited as Bo was; Kuroo liked you, he always had, but he didn’t like seeing Bo so hung up on you and Jess gave him a way to let you go. Jess opened the door and was taken back for a moment, the last time she’d seen Bo he was post-game sweaty in a volleyball uniform, but here he was in her doorway wearing tight black jeans and a hoodie taking her breath away.
Bokuto smiled when saw Jess dressed up; when they met she had on a pantsuit, but here she looked more comfortable. She had one a maroon knee-length dress, stockings and brown boots, accompanied with a scarf; her brown hair was down and curled.
“Ready?” He reached out his hand.
“Ready!” She took his hand as she shut the door.
* *
A few hours shopping around Shinsaibashi and Bo’s hands are full with most of Jess’s bags. She swore to him that she really didn’t mind carrying them, they were hers after all, but Bo wouldn’t hear it. What kind of gentleman would he be if he didn’t help? She has a few new pieces to add to her wardrobe, a couple of picture frames for prints she wanted to hang up and a few beauty ideas.
He motioned for her to head to a café, sitting her bags in a spare chair at their table.
“You sure there’ll be room in your apartment for all this?” He teased.
Her cheeks burn red as she tried to hide her face with the menu, “I’m sorry. I could’ve gone shopping on my own. I’m sure you don’t want to waste a day off running errands.”
He waved her off, “It’s fine. This is fun. My only plans were to watch TV.”
“Oh. I guess I thought you might hang out with Y/N.” Jess smiled at the waitress as she ordered.
Bo quickly ordered what Jess had, not really paying much attention the mention of you had thrown him for a loop. “I…uhm…she’s out of town.” He cleared his throat, “Honeymoon.”
“I…I am so sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything!” Jess’s eye widened instantly feeling awful. “Wow I just keep messing up today.”
“It’s fine. Really.” He took a sip of his water, “I’m having a lot of fun.”
Jess bit her lip before she began to pick at the croissant she had ordered. Bo ate quietly too which was odd for him but he really wasn’t sure what to say.
“So?” They both spoke at the same time causing them both to laugh.
“You go first.” She offered with a small smile.
“What brought you to Japan?” Bo asked, mouth slightly full of croissant which makes her laugh for a second.
She fiddled with her napkin, her mouth dried slightly. “Can I speak freely?”
Bo cocked his head to the side, not fully understanding, “Of course.”
“I guess you could say I have a Y/N of my own.” She bit the inside of her cheek. “His name is Mark and for years he told me that when he fulfilled his goals, he’d finally be ready for a relationship. Well six years is a long time and 5300+ miles seemed far enough to start over.”
Bo nodded, part of him was glad that he met someone who understood, but the other part, the bigger part of him hated it because no one deserves to feel that way.
“Well, Mark sounds like a dick, but I am glad that it brought you here. I like you.” Bo smiled, noticing her cheeks turned bright pink.
“I like you too.” Jess smiled.
* *
It didn’t take long for Jess and Bo to become attached at the hip; after the first few hangouts they quickly learned they had a lot in common. And for the things they didn’t have in common? They just taught each other about it.
The moment she expressed interest in volleyball, Bo jumped on the opportunity to teach her; even bringing her to the gym to show her a few moves with Hinata and Kuroo. The latter spent most of the time teasing Bo by flirting with Jess, even picking her up when she assisted in a block. Kuroo lived to pick on Bo, but he was happy Bo had someone in his life to help him get move on. He even managed to snap a photo when Bo picked up her, cheering with a sparkle in her eyes when she spiked a ball.
When Bo mentioned that he had always liked plants but couldn’t seem to keep on alive, Jess jumped on the chance to help him. Her apartment was filled with various types of plants; flowers and herbs and Bo loved listening to her go on and on about them. She went out and bought pots, soil and seeds and made it a challenge to see who could grow their plant the tallest; Bo quickly accepted and then in the same breath overwatered the seeds. Jess gifted him a fake plant short after.
Mid-April 2019
“Are you sure I look okay?” Jess asked, for the fourth time since Bo picked her up. They were sitting in his car outside of Kuroo’s apartment. Just like the other three times, he assured her that she looked beautiful.
“You’ll be the best looking one there.” Bo smiled as she rolled her eyes at him. He wasn’t lying, based on what Bo heard from Kuroo it was mostly just going be you, Jess, Bo, Kuroo and Kenma.
She looked down at her outfit one more time; dark blue skinny jeans, a pale pink flowy top with a thin gray sweater. She knew she’d looked fine, this was her go-to outfit back in California, but for some reason she didn’t feel confident in it. Maybe she should’ve worn her black ankle boots instead of her chestnut brown ones.
Her thoughts are interrupted when Bo opened her door, reaching his hand for hers. She gave him a straight smile as he pulled her into a hug. Breathing in his woody scented cologne instantly relaxed her; sandalwood quickly became a scent she yearned for since meeting him.
He lifted her chin with his index finger, making eye contact with her, “You look stunning. Stop worrying so much.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead causing her to smile.
He intertwined his fingers with hers before they walked into Kuroo’s apartment. Kuroo quickly answered the door.
“HEY HEY HEY!” Bo shouted in reply to Kuroo’s “HEY HEY!”
“Hey, Kuroo.” Jess smiled and then blushed when Kuroo grabbed her free hand, kissing the back of it.
“You know you can call me Tetsu.” He winked which caused Bo to pull Jess into the apartment, muttering that Kuroo worked just fine. Bo knew Kuroo was doing it to get under his skin, he wasn’t clueless, but Jess meant the world to Bo and he wanted to protect her. Kuroo was one of his closest friends and yeah, he trusted him, but Mark was still constantly on Jess’s mind. She needed more time to heal.
You were sitting on the couch when Bo and Jess walked in. You smiled at the pair, noting that Bo was still clinging on to her hand and how he had stiffened at Kuroo’s suggestion for her to call him by his first name.
After failing to agree on where to go to enjoy the night, Kuroo suggested seeing which set of best friends knew each other better. Kuroo clearly feeling that he and Kenma would have a landslide of a victory. Kenma shrugged since Kuroo took his gaming console and hid it which Kuroo and Bokuto took as agreeing. Bokuto was game for anything to show off his competitive side and to beat Kuroo.
The only issue was who would be Bokuto’s partner. Jess awkwardly stared between everyone not wanting to step on anyone’s toes.
“Bo, you can have Jess and Y/N. You’ll need all the help you can get.” Kuroo winked at Jess.
“It’s fine, I can sit this game out.” Jess said, holding her hands up. “I’ll pick the questions to ask.”
“Oh no, it’s fine.” You smiled at her, “I don’t mind seeing what you got.”
“Are we gonna have a cat fight?” Kuroo raised an eyebrow which gained a glare from you, an elbow to the ribcage from Kenma and Bo shaking his head.
“No. I just think it’d be fun. If I play, we’d smoke ya!” You teased Kuroo, sticking out your tongue.
“What do ya, Jess? Be my partner?” Bo smiled and you couldn’t help but see the way Jess’s face flushed as she nodded before moving to sit next to him.
You watched the two of them scoot closer to each other, Bo’s hand resting gently on her thigh as if that’s the most natural thing. Bo was a touchy person, you weren’t blind to that but it made you feel…jealous?
Once upon a time, during the first year you met Bokuto, you developed a crush on the two-toned haired boy. You thought that you had been obvious about it and had dropped hints, but Bo never seemed to reciprocate it or catch on. So, you moved on, leaving the idea in your first-year classroom.
“Y/N, ask the first question!” Kuroo shouted.
“Hold on, hold on.” You scrolled on a website until you found what you were looking for. “Okay, we’ll start with Team KuroKen: What’s your best friend’s favorite food?”
“Easy peasy! Apple pie!” Kuroo smirked, knowing he was right.
“Correct!” You cheered. “Now for Team Bess.”
“Bess?” Jess scrunched up her face.
You shrugged, “All I could think of on short notice.”
“Cool name or not, we’re gonna win!” Bo wrapped his arm around Jess’s waist, pulling her tighter to him. “Jess’s favorite food is mashed potatoes.”
Jess grinned towards you, “And Bo’s is BBQ meat.”
“C’mon Y/N, give us a hard question!” Kuroo begged.
The four of them continued to answer question after question until both teams had a tied score of 20. You began to smirk to yourself when you found the perfect question. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Jess, she seemed nice enough, but Bokuto had been your best friend for years and you didn’t like the fact that someone thought that six months was long enough to act like they knew Bo.
“Here we go, perfect question.” You winked at Jess, “What was the last movie your best friend watched?”
Team KuroKen quickly answered and a confident Kuroo started gloating about how they already won.
“Bo last watched Coco!” Jess exclaimed.
“Actually, it was (your favorite movie) a few weeks ago when I was upset.” You shrugged with a smirk on your face. Jess got up, excusing herself to go to the bathroom.
“WE WON!” Kuroo shouted before teasing Bokuto that maybe he’d have better luck next time.
“Kuroo, calm down.” Kenma sighed.
“No, Y/N, it was Coco.” Bo stood up, shaking his head, “We watched it together a few nights ago.”
“Well,” you stammered, crossing your arms. “How was I supposed to know?”
“You could’ve waited until I answered.” He let out a deep breath.
“That doesn’t make her your best friend.” You all but shouted.
“I can have more than one best friend.” Bo started walking towards the bathroom to find Jess. “You do, you have Youta, right? Why can’t I have Jess?”
Kuroo let out a low, awkward whistle before Kenma shook his head, heading into the kitchen.
“Youta is my husband. Jess is just...Jess. You’ve known her less than a year.”
“But you always said you’d marry your best friend. And so what? Jess is important to me, that should be enough for you to accept her.”
He walked down the hall, knocking on the bathroom door before gently opening it. He found Jess sitting on the side of the tub, tears in her eyes. Bo kneeled in front of her, pulling her into his arms, apologizing.
“Guess I should’ve just picked the questions, huh?” She laughed and a small sob mixed with it.
Bo started to laugh, “You’re something else, you know that?”
Summary: Two little friends have always desired one thing: to end up as siblings. So when the chance presented itself after a finalized divorce, who were they to decline such an opportunity to finally bring their parents together?
Pairings: Bokuto Kōtarō x f!Reader
Word Count: 4453
Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Mentions of divorce, cheating, cussing
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this series. Part of the @babythotshq Dearest Daddy Collab
Tags: open (send me an ask to be added!)
January 5, 2026
Jess watches her daughter through her laptop screen, the little girl has been quiet for about five minutes and she looks worried which makes her mother want to reach through the screen and comfort her.
“Seiko, baby, what’s bothering you?”
She sighs, swinging her feet back and forth. Ever since Misaki’s birthday something’s been on her mind, but she’s been too afraid to ask her dad or her mom. Usually Seiko would just say what was on her mind, ask whatever questions she had that popped into her head, but this was different, her dad and Y/N whispered when they talked and stopped when her or Haruki came into the room.
“Nothing, Mama.”
“It makes Mama sad when you’re upset.” Jess pokes out her bottom lip which gets a giggle from Seiko.
“Daddy said he made that face up!”
“Oh, he did? That sounds like Daddy.”
Seiko smiles a little, “can I ask you something, Mommy?”
Her sweet and low tone melts Jess’ heart as she gives her daughter a smile. “Of course baby girl.”
“What’s a divorce?”
Jess sucks in a quick breath, trying to decide how best to approach it while also curious as to where the subject even came up.
“Well, it’s when a mom and dad stop living together.”
“Why?”
“Sometimes it’s because they may be fighting a lot.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes people stop getting along.”
“Oh.” Seiko starts wringing her hands again. “I heard Haruki ask Daddy about it. Does that mean they don’t love him anymore?”
“No baby. Y/N and Youta love Haruki very much, just like Mommy and Daddy love you. Divorce is a grownup thing, but it has nothing to do with Haruki.”
Her golden eyes start shining, filling with tears. “Promise, Mama? I don’t like Haruki sad.”
“I promise. Can you go get Daddy?”
Seiko bounces out of the chair, quickly returning to her usual energetic self as she runs out of the room, shouting for her dad. Jess laughs when Bo walks into the room, carrying their daughter upside down as she squeals.
“Daddy put me down!”
“If you say so.” He acts like he’s going to drop her which only makes her start to squeal louder before he finally sits her down on the floor.
“Mommy wants you. I think you’re in trouble.”
Bo looks directly at Jess with a puzzled expression before she shakes her head. Seiko giggles before running up to the laptop.
“Bye Mommy!” She leans forwards, kissing the screen. “I love you!”
“I love you too baby girl! I’ll talk to you tomorrow!” She waves as Seiko runs into her room, leaving her parents alone.
“You look radiant as ever, Jess.”
She blushes, “you, as handsome as ever Bo.”
“Seiko said I was in trouble.”
“You are. How dare you not tell me about Y/N and Youta’s divorce.” She shakes her head, quickly checking her phone after it pings, Bo catches the way she bites her lip as she smiles at whatever she’s reading.
“I didn’t know you were so invested in their marriage.”
“I’m not, but I am invested in the happiness of my baby daddy.” She smiles wide, knowing Bo doesn’t really care for that term, that it makes him feel cheap, but she can’t let a teasing moment pass them by
“I’m not happy about it.”
“Maybe not directly, but it does leave Y/N open for new ventures. New possibilities. New relationship with an old friend, perhaps?”
“Jess! The papers aren’t even signed.” It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t briefly, very briefly, crossed his mind. A chance to finally tell you how he felt, but just like back in high school, the timing was all wrong.
She repeats what he said, mocking him which makes him roll his eyes. “Well either you can tell her or I will.”
“You wouldn’t.” Bo narrows his eyes at her and she mimics the expression.
“Do you really want to test that theory?”
There’s no doubt in Bo’s mind that Jess would actually do it which slightly worries him. He knows her better than himself most days and that she only has the purest intentions when it comes to him, it was something that he saw a lot in Seiko too. Even if there was a chance for him, he knows he has to tread lightly since it’s not just you he has to worry about but also Haruki and somewhere in there Youta counts too.
“Just promise me you won’t wait forever?” She tilts her head with a soft smile on her face. It’s the same one Seiko makes when she first wakes up and Bo feels a tug on his heart. “Even the knight deserves happiness in the fairy tales.”
“I promise. Just want to make sure the timing’s right.”
* *
Mid-April – 2010
Bokuto had realized his feelings for you on a seemingly random day after the first volleyball practice of your second year. He was thrilled when he heard that a first year named Akaashi Keiji was a setter, but the first person that he wanted to tell wasn’t there: you.
He had a few crushes before this, but he could tell this time it was different. The only downside to this realization was that now he found himself nervous to be around you alone. Before it didn’t bother him to sit next to you, shoulders brushing against each other’s, but now he opted for a seat across from you and if he had to sit next to you, his face was red the whole time. Then came the struggle between telling you or not telling you, both sides had a plus and negative.
Telling you meant you had the chance to share his feelings.
Not telling you meant he could keep you as a friend.
Telling you meant you could reject his feelings.
Not telling you meant you two would only be friends.
And of course, the one person who Bo would normally go to when he needed serious advice was you, but you were the one person who couldn’t help him with this one.
**
“Yukippe!” He called out to the second-year manager at the end of practice.
“Ko-chan!” She smiled as she turned to face him. She raised an eyebrow at his demeanor, he was chewing the inside of his cheek while nervously shifting weight between his feet.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Which class?” She put a hand on her hip, a small smirk on her face.
“Huh?”
“You need notes, right?”
“Oh, no.” He shook his head, “It’s uhm…I need advice.”
Her eyes widened, grabbing his hand she dragged him over to the bleachers, patting the stop next to her for him to sit. “Advice about what?”
“Well I think I like someone…”
She cut him off, “Is it Y/N? Tell me it’s Y/N!”
He wanted to deny it, but if she guessed that easily, obviously he wasn’t good at hiding his feelings. Or it could have just been you’re the only person he really hangs out with outside of the volleyball team. But if it was obvious, had you picked up on it? Or was that a sign you didn’t like him back?
“If it’s that obvious how come she didn’t already notice?” He sighed, shoulders dropping.
“She could just be shy. You two are really close, maybe she’s just nervous. Or she could want you to make the first move, some girls like that.” Yukie shrugged.
“What if I tell her and it ruins our friendship?”
“But what if you tell her and you have a really great relationship?” She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, “you can’t be in the game if you just stand on the sidelines, right?”
* *
The first time Bo went to confess he had practiced his small speech all night, not falling asleep until close to 2:45am. He even asked one of his sisters to iron his uniform in exchange for doing the dishes all week and made sure he left a bit earlier. If there was a pre-confession checklist, he had all the boxes checked and ready to go. It was all planned, he wanted to tell you his feelings as soon as he saw you, but he also didn’t want it to distract you from classes, you were very serious about getting into a good university. So as much as he hated to wait, he held out until the end of the day, right before practice.
He had told you to meet him at your locker after your last class and he pepped up when he got a quick glimpse of you waiting there for him. Taking one last deep breath, he continued to walk towards you until he saw something that brought him to a complete halt. You throw your arms around some guy he doesn’t recall seeing around Fukurōdani Academy, but to be fair that wasn’t saying much. He didn’t really keep up with people who weren’t in his class or on the volleyball team. He tried to hold on to the confidence he had all day, but it was shattered when you waved him over, introducing whoever the guy was as your boyfriend.
That’s how Bokuto spent all of his second year and most of his third year, watching you get into a relationship with what felt like everyone but him. He’d smile when you introduced the newest guy who confessed, whisper how sorry he was when you came to him crying when the relationship inevitably ended, help you pick up all the pieces. He became the one you could turn to who didn’t have an ulterior motive, the one who was just there for you without you even asking him to be.
Then after Bo felt he had waited long enough, that you were in a good place after the break-up, he’d get ready to confess only to have it shot down by you introducing him to the guy who managed to confess a day or so before he had the confidence to. And the cycle just continued, you got in a relationship, broke up, Bo went to confess, you already had a new guy, leaving Bokuto’s self-esteem to slowly be chipped away.
* *
February – 2012
“Bokuto-san, you should really say something to Y/N.” Akaashi said, helping the ace pick up a few stray volleyballs from their extra spiking practice.
The ace just shrugged, he had realized that it had been a while since your last break up and you hadn’t been acting like you were in a new relationship like you usually did. But for longer than he’d care to admit, he’d held on so tightly to his feelings that he wondered if he could even let them go.
“I’ll support whatever you decide, but I’d hate for you to regret not telling her years from now.” Akaashi gave Bokuto a small pat on the shoulder before he headed for the locker room.
**
March – 2012
Bokuto took a deep breath and smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt. Today was the day, he was finally going to confess his feelings for you. He had it all planned out, with Akaashi’s help of course. He had bought the small owl keychain you had said you liked last weekend when out shopping.
His heart fluttered when he heard your laugh and his pace increased even though his legs felt like they’d give out at any moment. He swallowed thickly, the heaviness of his nerves filling his chest with each step he took. The butterflies in his stomach multiplied making him feel a slight wave of nausea when he finally sees your face. You jumped up from the bench you’ve been sitting on, waving him over eagerly with a huge smile on your face. Something about this time felt right to Bo and he dug into his pocket, tightly holding on to the keychain.
“Bo!” You throw your arms around him and he let the floral scent of your perfume calm him.
“Y/N.” He cleared his throat, “I want to tell you something.”
“Can I tell you something first?” You smiled at him and gave him a small pout which he knows he can’t refuse. How could he ever say no to you?
“Of course.” What was a few more minutes?
“I got into Kyoto University!” You started to jump up and down, hugging him once again.
“Y/N, that’s awesome! I’m so proud of you!” The two of you sat down on the bench, knees slightly touched when you turned a bit to the side to face him.
“Thank you!” You let out a breath, “it might sound odd, but I’m glad to be going to university single. No distractions, I can just focus on me and my degree.”
You had started to ramble about the course catalog and the two different majors you were torn between, but Bo didn’t hear any of it. Your words repeated on a loop in his mind, breaking his confidence and maybe even a little of his heart. He wanted to get up and just go home, skip practice, he didn’t care about Nationals right now. Once again, he was too late, but for some reason this time felt more permanent.
“Bo! Bo!” You called out, “what did you want to tell me?”
When he looked up at you, you had that signature smile on your face, the one he always looked for on a bad day or the same one Akaashi would point out when he hit a slump during a game and it broke his heart.
“Nothing. Oh wait,” he stood up, pulling the keychain out of his pocket. “I just wanted to give you this.”
Your eyes widened and you squealed when the owl keychain was placed in your hand. You had briefly mentioned you liked it while the two of you walked past the small shop. To be fair you weren’t sure he had even heard you, but you weren’t surprised, Bo always came through. You pressed yourself up on your tiptoes, pressing a kiss to his cheek, thanking him over and over for the gift.
At that moment, Bokuto wasn’t sure which had hurt him more. Coming to confess to you, just to see someone had beat him to it or coming to confess just to hear you say you didn’t want a boyfriend. Each time had taken a toll on him, each time carrying the heavy weight of rejection, but this time Bo knew it would be the last time because he couldn’t take that pain anymore.
* *
January 13, 2026
“Let’s go to the swings, Hakkun!” Seiko grabs the boy and drags him across the playground.
“No. I don’t want to!” He tugs his arm away from her which causes her to stop and look at him. Haruki didn’t normally act like that, usually he just went along with whatever she wanted to do, but lately he’d been acting differently and Seiko didn’t like it.
“Fine! Play by yourself!” Seiko stomps away, crossing her arms as she goes. When she finally hops up on the swing, there’s an older girl on the one next to her.
“Don’t worry. Brothers can be moody sometimes.”
It isn’t the first time someone called them siblings, assuming they were related which usually bothered her because she didn’t think they looked anything alike. But this time, it gave her an idea that she wanted to share with him. Though it would have to wait because she was still mad at him.
* *
January 20, 2026
You and Youta have been sitting across from each at the kitchen table going over the fine details of your divorce for the last half hour. It still feels weird to you, for months the two of you could barely hold a conversation, but within the last few weeks it was as if you were back in college. As if this whole process was the same as a college debate and you both were able to effortlessly keep up the conversation. It was as if when you both accepted the end of your relationship had come, that pressure to make things work, to keep up the facade was gone and you two could breathe again.
It feels weird that 12 years of your life was now simplified into a small stack of papers, that somehow the love that you two had stumbled upon on a college campus was just gone. The same love that brought your beautiful son into the world had somehow vanished without you noticing. Maybe you had noticed, maybe you saw the way Youta’s eyes never stayed focused on you for long, how even when he was there he seemed to be somewhere else. Maybe it was something you had known when the lack of your husband’s touch had stopped bothering you and you’d wish he had stayed out all night rather than stumbling in at 3am just to end up waking you.
Your son walks by the table, going into the kitchen and grabs a snack that he knows he shouldn’t have because it’s almost time for dinner. He tries to walk by you, without a word before you reach out, stopping him.
“Ruki, it’s almost dinner. Let’s wait on the snack, okay?” You say, your tone gentle as you reach out to pull him into a hug. You were used to your son being more reserved than outgoing, he usually preferred to read or draw and always opted to be in the living room so he was around you but could still be alone. But recently you noticed that he preferred spending most of his time alone, if there wasn’t a specific reason to be around you or Youta, he holed up in his room.
“But I don’t want to.” He puts up his arms, pushing away from your embrace before he starts to open the foil package.
“Haruki, I asked you to wait for dinner.” You reach for the package, but he yanks it out of your reach.
“I don’t care!” He shouts, walking back towards his room.
“You need to apologize, Haruki. That’s not how you speak to your mother.” Youta stands up from the table, a serious expression on his face as his words come out steady and firm.
Haruki stops midway down the hall, turning his head slightly to the side and he mumbles an apology, heading back into his room before you or your husband could say anything further.
* *
February 22, 2026
“Hakkun!” Seiko throws her arms around her best friend, squeezing him a bit tighter than usual. She had been talking to her parents about what was going on between you and Youta and when she asked how she could help, they told her just to make sure he knew he was loved.
“Hey Seiko.” He gave her a small smile. You had dropped Haruki off with Bo since you had a job interview and Youta had to travel to Miyagi for a short business trip.
“My daddy said we can watch him practice if we want!” She smiles, taking his hand in hers, “you still wanna play volleyball, right?”
He shrugs, “I guess.”
“Maybe you and Saki-chan could practice together! Uncle Kaashi is gonna teach her!”
Haruki follows her to the top of the bleachers, she swears it’s the best spot to watch, but Haruki would’ve been fine on the first row. Both of them are watching the MSBY team run drills when Seiko screams before turning to Haruki.
Bo immediately starts apologizing to the team who just waved him off, telling him that it’s fine, they love Seiko and the slight distraction was the perfect chance for a small break.
Sakusa’s eye twitches as he glares towards Bokuto, “I really wish she was more like Jess.”
“Seiko is perfect the way she is.” Hinata quickly adds, giving the outside hitter a thumbs up.
“Is she?” Sakusa raises his brows before walking away, leaving both Hinata and Bokuto speechless.
“Speaking of Jess, how is she doing?” Meian jogs over to his teammates, water bottle in hand.
Atsumu cocks his head to the side, curious about his captain's seemingly sudden interest in Jess, but before he can ask, Bokuto begins to tell him that they had just talked earlier that morning and she’s been doing fine.
**
“I FORGOT TO TELL YOU ABOUT AN IDEA!” Seiko shouts before Haruki reaches over to cover her mouth with his hand.
“Seiko, inside voice.”
Her cheeks turn red and she gives Haruki her signature sorry smile before waving at her dad telling him the same.
“Sorry, I just got so excited.”
“What did you forget to tell me?”
“Remember when we were at the park and I wanted to swing?”
He just nods, he didn’t like thinking about how mean he had been and what made it worse was when he tried apologizing, Seiko just brushed it off, telling him that it was her fault not his.
“A girl called you my brother.”
“People do that a lot.” Haruki turns his head when he hears the smack of a volleyball, his attention going back to the MSBY practice. It wasn’t anything new for them to be mistaken for siblings even though they didn’t really look anything alike.
“But what if we were siblings?”
“Then one of us would have totally different parents.”
She huffs, annoyed with his attitude, but remembers what her mom said and calms down. “No, I mean what if your mom and my dad got together.”
His head snaps towards the little girl, his attention completely on her. “What?”
“My dad always smiles around your mom.”
“And my mom really likes being around your dad.” He taps his chin with his index finger, thinking. You did seem a bit sadder since he learned his parents were getting a divorce and he knows Uncle Bo makes you laugh a lot. He looks over to Seiko who has a grin on her face, “what did you have in mind?”
“I’m glad you asked.” Seiko leans towards Haruki, cupping her hand and whispering in his ear.
**
“Seiko! Haruki! Get your jackets ready, I’ll be back shortly.” Bo calls up to the two kids who are both smirking.
“Okay Daddy!”
“I’m serious. We have to meet Y/N on time.” He points at his daughter before heading into the locker room, but stops when he hears Jess’s name come up in conversation.
“What yer askin’ about Jess for?” There’s a slight amount of teasing in his curious tone.
“Just making conversation since Sakusa brought her up.” Meian’s almost boring response slightly irks the setter, but the faint blush on his cheeks aren’t lost on Atsumu.
“If yer that worried, I’m sure Bo would give ya her number.” Atsumu raises his eyebrow at his captain who seems to be a bit flustered now.
“I uhm—it’s really fine. I was just making conversation.” Meian shuts his locker a little too hard.
“You’re sure Bo would what?” Bokuto lets his presence known, a puzzled look on his face.
“Invite the team to Seiko’s birthday party, of course.” Atsumu smirks.
“Yeah, of course.” He goes to his locker, grabbing his stuff for a quick shower. It had never crossed his mind before, not that he was opposed to it, but thinking of Jess with someone else left a weird feeling in his chest.
* *
February 27, 2026
“What do you think they are talking about?” You ask Bo, both of you looking at the table next to yours. Despite popular opinion, Bo didn’t take Seiko out for fast food often, but you managed to convince him this one time wouldn’t hurt, so here you all were at McDonald’s much to Bo’s distaste.
Seiko and Haruki are sitting close to each other, hands cupped over their mouths as they whisper to each other, eyes going back and forth between their parents and each other. Both of your children had begged to sit at their own table, claiming they were discussing their next big adventure where no adults were allowed.
Bo shrugs, “probably scheming something or another. Seiko’s birthday is coming up.”
“That’s true. Can you believe they’ll be six this year?”
“Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m a dad.” He laughs.
“Anything special planned?”
He leans over, whispering in your ear, “Jess is coming in, it’s a surprise.” When he sits back up, he sees Seiko giggling before she looks down at her food, almost like she had been caught.
**
“What do you think they are talking about?” Seiko looks over at Haruki when she sees her dad lean over towards you.
“Adult stuff, probably.” Haruki takes a bite of a chicken nugget.
“Haruki, c’mon. We have to think of ways to get them together.” Seiko grabs one of his fries despite his protests.
“Maybe we should ask an adult.” He shrugs, “they’d probably have more experience with this.”
“But who?” She rests her chin on her hand, looking over at her dad who is laughing with you. Her eyes widen along with the smirk on her face, “I know the perfect person.”
* *
February 28, 2026
A yawn comes from the other end of the video call before the lamp on the nightstand flicks on, the once black screen now showing a very sleepy woman, brown hair thrown up in a messy bun.
“Sei…ko? Is everything alright?” She looks at the clock on her nightstand: 4:35am.
“Hey hey hey!” Seiko yells, waking her mother even more. “I have a favor to ask.”
At 4 in the morning? You really are Kotaro’s daughter. “Can it wait until Mommy wakes up, princess?”
Jess already knows by the small pout on her bottom lip that that is just not going to be an option. She sighs in defeat, wondering if she should just get up and get a coffee.
“It’s really important, Momma.”
“What is this favor that simply cannot wait?”
“Haruki and I need help getting Daddy and Y/N together!”
Jess fully supported the idea of Bo and you together, just a few weeks ago she too was advocating for him to tell you of his feelings. But hearing her daughter advocate for the cause left a funny feeling in her chest. She put that feeling to the side, the look on her daughter’s face as she anxiously waited for her answer was enough to take precedence and hearing about the McDonald’s table set-up she had come up with made Jess feel proud. Seiko takes so much after Bo that it’s rare Jess sees herself in her, but when she does, it’s a great feeling.
If you ever questioned how much I, as a writer, love you all, as my readers, just know that it is taking every ounce of my being to not make Bokuto x Jess endgame in Scheming Monsters.
