SWEETHEARTS [flufftober]

Reading Together (Kotaro Bokuto)

🧡

 Kotaro Bokuto had given up on love.

His sisters teased him for it, saying he hadn't given love a fair chance, but that was the opposite of what his problem truly was: Bokuto tried—and failed—to be in love so many times that his heart was tired of the disappointment.

He couldn't even count the number of crushes he'd had — that number was too astronomical to track. Bo had always been one to see the best in people, and that led to many one-sided infatuations and awkward confessions. But, more often than not, people just... ignored his confession and went back to normal.

And that hurt just as much, if not worse, than being outright rejected. Like his feelings didn't even exist. Like he wasn't important enough to even acknowledge.

So Bokuto swore off all varieties of love, only indulging in romance if it was musical, theatrical, or, his favorite, literary.

He usually chalked his love of romance novels up to having three sisters—because he'd been the fourth wheel of countless sleepovers with more dance parties, sappy movies, and book club meetings than he could remember—but somewhere along the way he actually found himself enjoying them. It was embarrassing, but he loved the repetition and familiarity of the stories; the forced proximity, the third act breakup, the grumpy and sunshine characters — he loved every damn trope.

Despite his vow to avoid any and all romances in real life, he was a sucker for his favorite part: the meet cute (and its secret, dare he say better, cousin: the meet ugly).

Bokuto was goofy enough that most people took his curiosity for simple kindness, but when he asked his friends and family how they met their partners, he cherished every tiny detail, every mundane moment. His parents met on a street corner, both hoping to cross at a busy intersection. His dad, ever the flirt, offered his hand for stability when he noticed that Bo's mom was trembling. Turned out that she was headed to an interview for her dream job, so she happily took his hand, fully expecting to never see the handsome stranger again but happy to borrow his confidence for a second.

He ended up walking her all the way to the skyscraper where her interview was scheduled to take place, the same place where he was headed for another day at work, slogging away on a completely different floor. Still holding hands, Bokuto's parents rode the elevator up to her floor first, where she gathered her courage and pecked Bokuto's dad on the cheek, asking for him to wish her luck.

He let the elevator doors close so he could have a moment to recover from her impromptu peck, but he stepped out on her floor and waited through her whole interview to hear the results. She got the job, but he lost his for being over an hour late.

And the rest was history.

🧡

All bundled up for the increasingly cool autumn weather, Kotaro Bokuto headed to the bookstore, searching for something to make him believe in real life love again, and wondered if he'd ever have a meet cute of his own. His parents met on a dang street corner, for Pete's sake.

It could happen anywhere at any time. The anticipation was killing him.

Bells tinkled overhead as he ducked into his favorite independent bookstore. The smell of cinnamon and cardamom and nutmeg perfumed the air, wafting in from the adjoined café next door and making Bokuto's mouth water. He always got his book first, then went to the café for a little treat, but their seasonal treats for autumn tempted him to break tradition.

With one yearning glance toward the café, he veered in the opposite direction, forcing himself toward the shojo manga section. Treats could wait. Choosing a book, on the other hand, was an art.

Bokuto took off his beanie and shook out his spiky hair as his eyes trailed over the alphabetical, uniform spines of the shojo manga aisle. Something about it was soothing — the smell of warm paper, the warm lighting, the shiny covers... all of it made it a little bit easier for Bokuto to breathe. He closed his eyes and inhaled.

"Looking for anything in particular?"

His eyes flew open and he choked on his exhale, finding an attractive stranger dressed in the store's pink apron required for all of its employees. "I'm sorry!" they blurted, eyes wide. "Do you need water? CPR? Can I call emergency services–?"

"I'm... fine," Bokuto rasped, waving them off. "Just... browsing."

"I feel terrible," they said, their hands reaching as if they wanted to comfort him but thought better of it. "If you swing by the cafe later, anything you want is on me, okay? I'm brand new and I just— I can't have a bad review on my second day." Their voice wavered as they looked away.

Bokuto's heart broke at the sound. He didn't leave bad reviews. Ever. He hated that this perfect stranger thought he'd jump down their throat for such a small thing. "H-hey! No harm, no foul! I'm fine!" he insisted. "Don't worry about the café either, I can buy my own snacks, no problem!"

"Please!" they shouted at him, eyes full of tears but face screwed up with determination. They subtly inched closer until they were nearly chest to chest with Bokuto. "I insist! Let me make it up to you!"

The tips of Bokuto's ears went hot, and his heart tripped in his chest. He found himself nodding. "Alright," he said with a shrug. "If you insist."

The attractive stranger seemed to notice their proximity and their cheeks heated to a blush, which Bokuto found terribly endearing. "I... I do insist," they said, giving a little nod like they agreed with themself. "And I'm buying you one of the pumpkin bagels to try! They're addicting!"

Bokuto chuckled, pointing at the stacks. "Mind if I grab something to read first?"

"Oh! Of course!" They nodded. "Please, be my guest! I'll take my lunch break to make sure you're taken care of at the café!"

With them hovering at his shoulder, it took Bokuto a record breaking twenty seconds to choose a book. He paid for it at the counter and followed the stranger through to the café, enveloped once more by a wave of deliciousness.

As they ordered, Bokuto snuck a glance at their eager face, wondering...

Was this it? Was this his meet cute?

When they turned around with an armful of pastries and a wide grin, Bokuto decided that it didn't matter in the end. Thinking in the future would only leave him disconnected from the present.

And he wanted to soak up every moment with this new friend.

They settled into their spots, sipping warm drinks and munching on fragrant pastries... Both enjoying their books in comfortable silence.

Even if it wasn't the meet cute... it was still worth it.

And maybe, just maybe, love wasn't completely off the table.