paws // bokuaka

fourteen: kotaro bokuto

Akaashi loved his cat.

He's always loved his cat. And he's always told me just how much he loved his cat. It made me jealous sometimes, but I was happy that he wasn't alone all the time.

I think that after Kenma ran away, Akaashi started feeling really lonely.

***

"Kotaro!!" I was surprised to hear Akaashi's frantic voice when I answered his call this afternoon. He was panting. Usually, I would've used this situation to make an unholy joke about fucking him, but this time, I'll still be making an unholy joke about fucking him. There are other ways I could make him pant ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). "Please! Have you seen Kenma anywhere near your apartment?!"

I blinked. "...No? I mean, I didn't check?"

"Can you take a second to look right now? Please, it's urgent." Akaashi's tone was nearly desperate, yet I'll be making another unholy joke about fucking him. You know, I could make him even more desperate for something else ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).

Suddenly, it implied to me that I didn't actually know what he was so bothered about. I brushed my curtains to the side and peered through the nearest window, my eyes scanning the floor below me. "I took a look, he's not there," I told Akaashi. "Why are you so worried?"

"He's not here! I- God, I checked the entire apartment! But my window was open and my couch was soaked from the rain last night...!" I heard his anxious voice crack. "Fuck! He fucking left! I should've- I should've fucking paid more attention to him the last month! Shit, this is all my fault!"

hm Keiji sounds really hot when he says "fuck," but he'll be even hotter when he's fucking me, and that's not only on the broken air conditioning ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

His usual calm composure shriveled to pieces and his voice was heavy, his breathing fast and uneven. He sounded like he was on the verge of tearing up. "Are you sure you haven't seen him!? Can you ask around if anyone's seen him? I- fuck, I'll send a picture of him so you can show a photo... God, I fucking hate this. I'm a fucking moron," my eyes widened with surprise when I heard Akaashi let out a small cry.

don't you think there are other ways i can make him cry ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)-

shit this isn't the time

"No! Babe, don't cry, Keiji!!" I blurted out. "You'll find him! No, we'll find him together!! I'll help you!" It broke my heart when another small sob escaped him, and I suddenly felt terrible for making all those sex jokes.

"Mhn... thank you, Kotaro," he mumbled softly, sniffing quietly. "I- I'm a mess right now. I'll- I should go."

There was a short silence.

"...Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fucking not!" Akaashi snapped through the phone, choking on his words. "Shit...! God, sorry, I'm so stressed right now... fuck, I should cool down a bit... ah, sorry. Just- tell me if you hear anything, okay?"

With that, the call ended.

I just stood there, looking down at my cell phone absolutely dumbfounded as I tried to process how devasted Akaashi was just now. My heart... it was shattering with every sob he gave. But I didn't have anything to say to him... I couldn't find the words to comfort him.

Slowly, I shifted my gaze upwards from my phone, my face etched with worry, and stared at Kuroo, who was sitting on my bed.

It was the first time I ever remembered seeing him without a grin on his face.

***

"Keiji, are you okay?" It had been three days since Kenma went missing, and I was helping my boyfriend put up posters for him. It was colder than usual and in the evening, and I was feeling more down than I've been in a long time.

"...I'm okay." I pouted. I could feel like he was lying.

Akaashi was staring at the ground, holding the posters close to him as we walked throughout the streets. My feet kicked at loose pebbles on the ground as I strolled next to him. We had already contacted as many animal shelters as we could to file missing pet reports and posted online.

I visited Keiji's house more than I usually did because he would sulk at home a lot and I was worried he wouldn't take care of himself. He might've been doing that a lot, actually.

It really surprised me how awfully depressed Akaashi became after Kenma left. I always thought that he was so stable and steady, unlike me, and knew how to make the best out of every situation. I didn't know how to comfort him. He was always such a therapist for me, but I never really noticed how hard it is to help somebody else feel better with your words.

"Um, I love you, Keiji," I said quietly, trying to cheer the younger male up. "And I'll try to do whatever it takes to help you find Kenma!! If, you know, that helps."

"I appreciate you saying that," Akaashi muttered, giving me the tiniest forced smile I've ever seen. His eyes were a little glazed. I could feel him spacing out. "It helps, thank you, Bokuto-san."

You know, it didn't just hurt me that he called me by my surname.

It also kind of stung when he didn't say he loved me back.

thank you so much for reading and for 1.8K views! i really appreciate it! i hope you're still enjoying the story! 

i'm planning on ending it soon, but i haven't really come up with any ideas for that- 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i'll come up with s o m e t h i n g, it'll be f i n e 

i'm supposed to be asleep right now, but instead i'm drawing kinky hq fanart and writing fanfiction bc this is the best thing i could be doing with my life right now 

- lexi