no major content warnings 1070 words, it's maybe a little angsty? (oh my god, I don't even know if this is good, but I was watching the Legally Blonde musical the other day and Bokuto Is Elle Woods and I may have been listening to the musical soundtrack on repeat writing this. I wanted to write fluff but...Angst snuck in there)
“Koutarou- Ah, sorry, Bokuto-san, right? That’s more comfortable for you?”
Bokuto looks up from the piles of notes around him.
“Whatever is fine...Keiji.”
The library is quiet, as it has been for the whole Thanksgiving break. Yet another thing about America that was strange for him. A holiday about a turkey. What the hell. From that to the overwhelmingly fast English, to the pressure of school, to the fact that he still has not told Ku-
“Bokuto-san? Are you paying attention?”
Keiji Akaashi, one of the few friends he has made at Harvard. A year younger than Bokuto, speaks amazingly fluent Japanese for being born in America, and is surprisingly two years ahead of him. Something about working hard and taking as many classes as he could to graduate early. Law school bills are no joke.
He reminds Bokuto so much of how Ku- how he had studied so hard to get here, how it inspired Bokuto to do the same to follow him, only a year later.
Only a year too late.
“Bokuto-san, if you’re not going to take this seriously, I’m just going to leave. It’s the day before Thanksgiving after all and I have my own studying to do.”
“Ah, I’m sorry Akaa- Keiji. Here, I finished the first five questions, but my brain isn’t here anymore for the last two.” He hands over the worksheet that Keiji made especially for him, so he could pass this one class that he was failing only a month ago.
Bokuto had no idea that the kind person that helped him get home on Halloween when he was wasted and crying in an owl costume would become his law school savoir. That night he had actually been planning on just buying a ticket back to Japan, but instead, here they were.
He puts his head back down on top of the books, frowning into the musty pages. The books are too old. Just like him.
“Huh.”
“Hm?” Bokuto turns his head so he can look at Keiji with one eye. “Did I get them all wrong again?”
“No. You...You surprisingly got them all right. For once.” Keiji’s lips twitch up in a rare smile and it makes Bokuto want to shout in joy.
“So I’m not a hopeless case anymore?”
The smile drops.
“I didn’t say that, Bokuto-san. But you certainly won’t fail.”
“Not failing is a good thing!!! It’s a step up!!”
“A baby step.”
“A step regardless!!”
-
They end their study session right as the library closes early for the holiday, bundling up in their coats and scarves. The cold weather and endless studying make Bokuto crave coffee and he offers to pay for Keiji’s out of thanks. They discuss the last case on the worksheet on the walk to Bokuto’s favorite cafe.
“I still think it’s stupid how she wouldn’t think about how a perm alibi showed how guilty she was when her hair was perfectly curled.”
“Well,” Keiji shrugs, opening the door, “Murderers don’t really think things through when they’re trying to lie to save their own lives.”
“I guess so. Good thing that lawyer had good hairstyling knowledge.”
-
The cafe’s quiet, only a few other customers besides them. It creates a nice atmosphere and for the first time since he got to America, Bokuto actually feels relaxed. He looks up at Keiji just as he takes a sip of his vanilla latte and the feeling intensifies. It makes him want to share it.
“Hey, Keiji?”
“Yes?”
“I know I’ve said it a lot already, but….Thanks. Thank you so much for helping with everything. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. I would probably be back in Japan, honestly. I would have just given up on everything.” He laughs a little, spinning his cup of coffee in his hand.
“Oh.” Keiji blinks at him, carefully placing down his mug. “Well. You’re welcome. You’re very smart, so I...I'm just here to give you that extra push. I can only guide your brain, not fill it with the knowledge that it already has.”
He pauses, looking up once at Bokuto.
“But I am glad that you stayed. It would have been a waste if you left.”
They fall into a silence, staring out the window next to them. It’s comfortable and Bokuto’s already not looking forward to leaving. He has no plans for Thanksgiving, not without K-
“Bokuto?! Is that you, Koutarou?”
There it is. The voice that is both what he always wants to and never wants to hear. But Bokuto forces a smile and turns around.
“Kuroo!" He's careful to say. "What a surprise, meeting you here.”
He forces to keep his eyes to Kuroo’s face, not to the person next to him, not to the waist that his arm is curled around, only to his face.
“I thought you said that you were going home for the break? We could have hung out, but I’m…Well, I’m visiting the future in-laws.” Kuroo’s voice actually sounds guilty, but the smile on his face says otherwise.
“That’s too bad. I’m sure you two will have a fun time though. We’ll have plenty time later.” He hopes that his voice sounds genuine, even though he can feel Keiji’s eyes watching him.
Kuroo’s fiance nods in agreement.
“Once finals are over, there will be a lot more time to celebrate! For now, we should order our coffee so we don’t miss our train, Tetsurou.” She gives Bokuto a sweet smile. “I hope you have a nice break, Koutarou!”
The way his name falls from her lips makes Bokuto want to break his mug. Instead, he wishes her and Kuroo the same thing back.
The couple leaves in giggles after getting their coffee, hands linked together. The picture of a perfectly happy couple.
It’s not until after the sound of them is long gone that Keiji breaks the silence.
“So….Are you-”
“Sorry, Keiji!!!” Bokuto stands up quickly, grabbing his bag, fake smile still plastered on. “I’m going to head home. I hope you have a nice break!”
“Oh- Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to- Bokuto-san? Wait!”
But Bokuto doesn’t hear him. He speeds down the street, away from the cafe, away from his problems, away from everything that had been waiting for him the moment he landed in America.
FILL: TEAM AOYAGI HAJIME/TESHIMA JUNTA, G
(oh my god, I don't even know if this is good, but I was watching the Legally Blonde musical the other day and Bokuto Is Elle Woods and I may have been listening to the musical soundtrack on repeat writing this. I wanted to write fluff but...Angst snuck in there)
“Koutarou- Ah, sorry, Bokuto-san, right? That’s more comfortable for you?”
Bokuto looks up from the piles of notes around him.
“Whatever is fine...Keiji.”
The library is quiet, as it has been for the whole Thanksgiving break. Yet another thing about America that was strange for him. A holiday about a turkey. What the hell. From that to the overwhelmingly fast English, to the pressure of school, to the fact that he still has not told Ku-
“Bokuto-san? Are you paying attention?”
Keiji Akaashi, one of the few friends he has made at Harvard. A year younger than Bokuto, speaks amazingly fluent Japanese for being born in America, and is surprisingly two years ahead of him. Something about working hard and taking as many classes as he could to graduate early. Law school bills are no joke.
He reminds Bokuto so much of how Ku- how he had studied so hard to get here, how it inspired Bokuto to do the same to follow him, only a year later.
Only a year too late.
“Bokuto-san, if you’re not going to take this seriously, I’m just going to leave. It’s the day before Thanksgiving after all and I have my own studying to do.”
“Ah, I’m sorry Akaa- Keiji. Here, I finished the first five questions, but my brain isn’t here anymore for the last two.” He hands over the worksheet that Keiji made especially for him, so he could pass this one class that he was failing only a month ago.
Bokuto had no idea that the kind person that helped him get home on Halloween when he was wasted and crying in an owl costume would become his law school savoir. That night he had actually been planning on just buying a ticket back to Japan, but instead, here they were.
He puts his head back down on top of the books, frowning into the musty pages. The books are too old. Just like him.
“Huh.”
“Hm?” Bokuto turns his head so he can look at Keiji with one eye. “Did I get them all wrong again?”
“No. You...You surprisingly got them all right. For once.” Keiji’s lips twitch up in a rare smile and it makes Bokuto want to shout in joy.
“So I’m not a hopeless case anymore?”
The smile drops.
“I didn’t say that, Bokuto-san. But you certainly won’t fail.”
“Not failing is a good thing!!! It’s a step up!!”
“A baby step.”
“A step regardless!!”
-
They end their study session right as the library closes early for the holiday, bundling up in their coats and scarves. The cold weather and endless studying make Bokuto crave coffee and he offers to pay for Keiji’s out of thanks. They discuss the last case on the worksheet on the walk to Bokuto’s favorite cafe.
“I still think it’s stupid how she wouldn’t think about how a perm alibi showed how guilty she was when her hair was perfectly curled.”
“Well,” Keiji shrugs, opening the door, “Murderers don’t really think things through when they’re trying to lie to save their own lives.”
“I guess so. Good thing that lawyer had good hairstyling knowledge.”
-
The cafe’s quiet, only a few other customers besides them. It creates a nice atmosphere and for the first time since he got to America, Bokuto actually feels relaxed. He looks up at Keiji just as he takes a sip of his vanilla latte and the feeling intensifies. It makes him want to share it.
“Hey, Keiji?”
“Yes?”
“I know I’ve said it a lot already, but….Thanks. Thank you so much for helping with everything. Without you, I wouldn’t be here. I would probably be back in Japan, honestly. I would have just given up on everything.” He laughs a little, spinning his cup of coffee in his hand.
“Oh.” Keiji blinks at him, carefully placing down his mug. “Well. You’re welcome. You’re very smart, so I...I'm just here to give you that extra push. I can only guide your brain, not fill it with the knowledge that it already has.”
He pauses, looking up once at Bokuto.
“But I am glad that you stayed. It would have been a waste if you left.”
They fall into a silence, staring out the window next to them. It’s comfortable and Bokuto’s already not looking forward to leaving. He has no plans for Thanksgiving, not without K-
“Bokuto?! Is that you, Koutarou?”
There it is. The voice that is both what he always wants to and never wants to hear. But Bokuto forces a smile and turns around.
“Kuroo!" He's careful to say. "What a surprise, meeting you here.”
He forces to keep his eyes to Kuroo’s face, not to the person next to him, not to the waist that his arm is curled around, only to his face.
“I thought you said that you were going home for the break? We could have hung out, but I’m…Well, I’m visiting the future in-laws.” Kuroo’s voice actually sounds guilty, but the smile on his face says otherwise.
“That’s too bad. I’m sure you two will have a fun time though. We’ll have plenty time later.” He hopes that his voice sounds genuine, even though he can feel Keiji’s eyes watching him.
Kuroo’s fiance nods in agreement.
“Once finals are over, there will be a lot more time to celebrate! For now, we should order our coffee so we don’t miss our train, Tetsurou.” She gives Bokuto a sweet smile. “I hope you have a nice break, Koutarou!”
The way his name falls from her lips makes Bokuto want to break his mug. Instead, he wishes her and Kuroo the same thing back.
The couple leaves in giggles after getting their coffee, hands linked together. The picture of a perfectly happy couple.
It’s not until after the sound of them is long gone that Keiji breaks the silence.
“So….Are you-”
“Sorry, Keiji!!!” Bokuto stands up quickly, grabbing his bag, fake smile still plastered on. “I’m going to head home. I hope you have a nice break!”
“Oh- Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to- Bokuto-san? Wait!”
But Bokuto doesn’t hear him. He speeds down the street, away from the cafe, away from his problems, away from everything that had been waiting for him the moment he landed in America.
Away from the words that still echo in his ears.
Koutarou, I’m engaged. I’m getting married.