𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙸𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚜 - 𝙺. 𝙱𝚘𝚔𝚞𝚝𝚘 𝚡 𝙾𝙲

Chapter Eight

"You spend too much time with her," Fujiwara huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at her boyfriend in the driver's seat. "I'd think you have a thing for her if she wasn't an absolute cow."

"Hey, don't say that about my friend," Bokuto frowned, glancing over and getting a look at the fiercely jealous sneer he was receiving. "And you know I only have eyes for you, babe."

"Prove it."

Bokuto tilted his head slightly, though he kept his eyes on the road ahead as they travelled the short distance to Idoki's apartment building. "Don't I already?"

"No." She rolled her eyes. "You're always with her."

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Set her up with Akaashi."

Bokuto hummed, tapping the pads of his fingers against the steering wheel as if it were a keyboard. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. They do get along really well, don't they?"

"Yeah, they're both nerds."

"She is pretty dorky... okay! I'll talk with Akaashi."

"Good," Fujiwara replied. "I'm tired of you paying her so much attention."

Holding back a sigh, Bokuto tried to stave off his frustrations. She was just jealous, he knew that, but lately he couldn't help noticing the way she handled it wasn't exactly ideal. And well, the way she handled anything that didn't go precisely as she wanted was also certainly less than perfect...but it wasn't that bad - was it? He used to have trouble regulating his emotions too, so how could he judge her for something he himself had struggled to overcome? Something that he still struggled with some days? Sure, Fujiwara wasn't perfect, but neither was he, and Bokuto found a sort of kinship in that.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet with two large plastic containers in her hands, Idoki's tea-length burnt orange skirt fluttered in the late-fall breeze as she waited for the couple to arrive. Having prepared her mother's famous kabocha pie in an effort to feel like less of a burden, she was actually looking forward to today. Maybe it would be a little awkward, but the more she thought about it after she and Bokuto spoke the day before, the more she began to get excited to learn new things about him. Would his sisters be just as excitable as he was? Did he look more like one parent than the other? Was that the house he grew up in?

Of course, the curiosity that soothed her nerves wasn't as effective once she slipped into the backseat of Bokuto's car and felt the tension lingering in the small space. While both Bokuto and Idoki tried to include Fujiwara in their friendly conversation, it was obvious by her short replies that she had no interest in being a participant and glued her attention to her phone instead. That didn't, however, stop her from making her usual snippy remarks, which her companions both chose to ignore.

The moment Bokuto had parked in the driveway and turned off his car, the front door to a large house with wide window awnings swung open and two women with silver hair raced towards the vehicle, leaving an older man leaning in the doorway with a small smile. Bokuto was tackled by one of them as he shut his car door, while the other grinned at Idoki who had just gotten out of the passenger seat behind him. Not bothering with an introduction, Takara Bokuto impulsively reached for Idoki's hair, taking a thick lock of it to twirl in her fingers.

"Your hair is so pretty! And soft! Is this your natural colour?" She questioned excitedly before laughing at herself. "Who am I kidding, of course it's natural! Look at you with your little porcelain cheeks and those cute freckles, a true redhead! How rare!"

So it is a family trait... Idoki thought to herself as she let out a chuckle of her own. She didn't often get fussed over, and in any other situation, Idoki might have been startled by the outgoing nature of the woman now running her fingers through her hair, but luckily she had prepared herself for energetic personalities. "Thank you, Bokuto-san," she smiled sweetly. "I'm not sure if your brother mentioned th-"