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"GREAT WORK TODAY, BOKUTO!" HINATA CHIMED HAPPILY. THE EAGER ORANGE-HAIRED boy was jumpy and restless even after an action-packed game, still full of the newbie-like excitement that came with playing for a pro team like the MSBY Black Jackals.
"You too, Hinata!" Bokuto said cheerily. "I just wish Akaashi was here to see it, but I'm glad that he was able to make it to our match against the Adlers last week."
"Yeah, he must be busy with work and all but I'm sure the two of you will meet again very soon!" Hinata hummed in agreement.
Kotaro bid farewell to his teammates and walked home after a long, grueling practice.
Any outsider would see Kotaro Bokuto's life and assume it was perfect. After joining the MSBY Black Jackals, his popularity quickly soared. He got the opportunity to move to Osaka, a new city and a clean slate, while still getting to play alongside his old friends. Being on a pro team provided him a cushy paycheck, and while Kotaro wasn't one to boast his wealth, he was able to afford a large penthouse overlooking the center of Osaka all for himself.
However, there was one part of his life that seemed incomplete.
Was it his career? No, he was comfortable with his steady athletic improvement. Kotaro couldn't let himself fall down that mental rabbit hole again. It had been years since high school, but the silver-haired boy vividly remembered how deeply he had let his matches affect him. It wasn't that he didn't care about the outcome of his matches now, but he had learned how to control his emotions a bit better on the court and more importantly, stopped being so hard on himself.
Was the problem in Kotaro's friendships? Sure, sometimes it was a bit hard to connect with his best friend, Aakashi, due to the both of their busy schedules. He could tell that his friend and he were drifting apart. Not in a bad way, but in a 'that's how life goes' way. The two didn't see each other in person much and Aakashi wasn't one for texting (he never checked his phone, much to Bokuto's constant complaints). But when the two of them met, even after a long time, conversation flowed naturally. Kotaro accepted this. It wasn't the problem.
Kotaro was happy and content for most days of the week. However, there were days when practice ran late, and would find himself walking back to his penthouse at the ungodly hour of 3 AM. Although the vibrant city of Osaka never slept, when Kotaro was almost a hundred stories above the rest of the world, alone, in his silent and dark world, he felt like the last man standing on Earth.
That was when the soft ache of longing began to clutch his heart.
His teammates, Atsumu and Hinata, had their own partners and lives. Some of his other teammates even had spouses and kids. Did he want that? He wasn't sure. But he definitely knew that he didn't want to be alone.
Yet, dating became hard for Kotaro. He never really consciously sought out a partner, but instead occasionally accepted a blind date or two set up by his publicity manager, teammates, or his two badgering but loving older sisters who insisted on butting into his dating life. These dates never ended well, as most of the time, girls were only interested in his money or fame.
