𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘 𝙠𝙞𝙨𝙨 (𝖻𝗈𝗄𝗎𝖺𝗄𝖺)

Six | My Youth Is Yours

It was nearly five in the afternoon, and Akaashi and his sister were standing in the kitchen, cutting up fruit in peaceful silence when a knock sounded from the door. "I'll get it," Akaashi said, but his mom beat him there.

"Hi, you must be Bokuto!" she said enthusiastically as she opened the door. "Keiji has told me all about you." Then, under her breath, she added, "Thank you for bringing my son out of his shell. He usually doesn't go out much, but lately it seems he's been out of the house often more than not."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He, ah, didn't have many close friends back in Tokyo."

"No way! Akaashi is a great person to be friends with."

"Thank you, Bokuto. I'm glad Keiji met you."

"Me too."

"Mom? Is that Bokuto?" Akaashi asked loudly.

"Yes, Keiji."

"Hi, Bokuto!" Akina yelled.

Akaashi left the kitchen and walked to the door, stepping around his mom to see Bokuto. "We'll go ahead and head down to the beach."

"Okay, we'll be down soon," Mrs Akaashi said. "Wait, first, can you set up a few umbrellas down there? Thank you, Keiji."

"Sure."

Bokuto and Akaashi grabbed the two closed beach umbrellas from their place outside on the front porch and worked together to carry them to the shore, where they set them up quickly. Bokuto had even brought a speaker to play music on, and he turned on a playlist of songs he had made Akaashi listen to just a few days earlier. Once they had everything put together, Bokuto stripped off his shirt and turned to Akaashi, who had accidentally been staring and looked away quickly. "I have a volleyball if you want to play," Bokuto said.

"Okay."

Once the two arrived at the net just a few meters away, they decided not to have a winner since it was just the two of them, but the game started soon, and every time Bokuto scored a point, he would jump up and yell, "Yes! I'm the best!" That was, until his receive sent the ball all the way into the water and he had to begrudgingly retrieve it.

"I can't play anymore, Akaashi," he whined, placing the back of his hand on his forehead dramatically. "Hurry up and win."

"There isn't going to be a winner, Bokuto. We're just playing."

"But did you see my receive? I can't play anymore."

"That was just one ball. You've scored thirteen other points."

Bokuto gasped enthusiastically. "You're right! Wait, Akaashi, can you set to me?"

"Sure, Bokuto." He walked over to Bokuto's side of the net and grabbed the ball. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah!"

Akaashi tossed the ball into the air directly above him and shot it forwards as soon as it touched his fingertips. The ball spun slightly, flying straight towards Bokuto's arm. He hit the ball with such intensity it kicked sand high into the air when it hit the other side of the net, and he cheered, raising his arms up in victory.

"Did you see that? Didja see that, Akaashi?"

"Yes, Bokuto. It was amazing."

He grinned, and his golden eyes were so bright they looked like stars. Akaashi felt his own lips curve upwards just at the sight of Bokuto so unequivocally happy. As strange as he thought it was, Akaashi would have done anything to see Bokuto's smile again. The way it titled to one side slightly, how the laugh lines by his eyes became immediately visible, and the light shining in his eyes all made his smile just perfect.