Mascot

Akaashi

The nurse and Akaashi's parents had flipped upon seeing the bruises, but on top of that, he'd been grounded from seeing Kuroo for the rest of the month. The fracture in his leg had been jostled and the doctor had had to reset it.

His parents kept him home the next week. He was aware of Bokuto bringing by his homework and asking how he was, but he never got up to meet him. In fact, he only left his room to eat or shower.

He was upset to be back on crutches and refused to move around with them.

"Keiji, dinner!"

"I'll be out in a minute!" He watched Bokuto walk up the driveway to the front door.

"Now," his mom called. Reluctantly, he grabbed his crutches and made his way to the kitchen.

The knock on the door came as he hurried through the living room.

"Keiji, would you answer that?" His parents were already sitting and he scowled.

He didn't want to see Bokuto, much less talk to him, but he opened the door anyway.

"Akaashi!" Bokuto wrapped him in a giant hug. "It's so good to see you."

"Bokuto, what are you doing here? It's Saturday. There's no homework to bring."

"Keiji, don't be rude. He's been helping you despite your constant refusal to speak or see him, so I invited him to dinner to thank him. Let him in."

Akaashi gaped at his mom, but he didn't fight it. He backed out of the way and Bokuto shut the door behind him, following Akaashi to the kitchen.

He watched as Bokuto gawked at the two rooms he passed through. His excitement was barely containable and everyone could tell, but he managed to behave through dinner.

As much as Akaashi had told himself that he didn't want to see Bokuto, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off his chest the moment they started talking.

"How did the game go?"

Bokuto beamed. "We won, but only just. We'd still do better if we had you there."

"There's no mascot suit."

"Coach said that the new one comes in next week. Once you get healed, you could be right back in it."

"Everyone knows it was me. The mascot is supposed to be secret."

"No one is going to care about that. We need you out there."

His parents had long since left the table and Akaashi struggled to get his plate to the sink without dropping it. "I'll think about it." The fork clattering across the floor made him frown.

Bokuto picked it up and took the plate, placing it and his own in the sink.

Akaashi didn't say a word as they moved to his room. He threw the crutches down by the door and collapsed on the bed. They were exhausting to use and they hurt. When Bokuto sat, he threw his legs across his lap.

After a moment, he sat up. "Why are you so nice to me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I've been mean, and shut you out, and all, but yelled at you, but you still bring me my homework and want to see me. I don't know how you do it? I couldn't be nice to someone who is so mean to me."

"But you are. Being nice, I mean. Kuroo treats you so horrible, but you're still so nice to him."

"How do you do it?" He ignored the comment. Kuroo was just stressed was all. He hadn't meant to hurt Akaashi.

Deep down, Akaashi knew it wasn't true, but he loved Kuroo. How could he leave him?"

"I'd do anything for the people I love." Bokuto met Akaashi's eyes, hands resting on his legs

He blushed, averting his eyes. "Don't say things like that."