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CHAPTER THIRTY

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!"

Kuroo groaned, pressing the two pillows against the sides of his head harder. Bokuto only laughed, grabbing the end of the blanket and yanking it off of the man. "Fuck, Bo," Kuroo whined, Lifting his head up with a pout. Bokuto ignored him, instead going to the small closet in Kenma and Kuroo's shared dorm.

Kenma was sitting up in his bed, arms stretching above his head as he yawned. Sometimes he regretted getting Bokuto a copy of their room key. Whenever Bokuto decided to wake Kuroo up early, Kenma had to suffer too.

"Come on! It's time for some party planning! I've made a list of some things we can get, first a cake. I know the best place to get one. You remember my old captain? His cousin owns a bakery near my place and..."

Just like always, Bokuto rambled on excitedly. It had Kuroo snickering, shaking his head in amusement. He flinched when a pair of jeans and a shirt were being chucked at him.

"Hurry up and get dressed! The day awaits us!"

The two were out the door within the next half hour, both offering Kenma a goodbye. Even as they walked down the side walk, Bokuto continued to shoot out all the ideas he's thought of for Akaashi's birthday. Kuroo listend intently, knowing that without his best friends help, this party would go to shit. Kuroo never was good at party planning; if it were up to him, they'd just sit around, get drunk, and eat pizza.

"Oh! Where are we having the party?"

"Uh, I thought maybe just his apartment? Someone could keep him out all day to make sure he doesn't see.

"Yeah, cool! Okay, come on, time for cake."

Bokuto ended up dragging Kuroo all over town, buying practically every party supply Kuroo could think of and even more. It was pretty entertaining watching the man run around like a puppy while party planning, almost as much as it was exhausting. After hours of buying and planning, the two finally found themselves back at Kuroo's dorm.

Kenma wasn't there when they got back, but a small note let them know he was out with Hinata. It was rare for Kenma to leave the safety of his room, but Hinata was always good at convincing the blonde to actually socialize.

With a sigh, Kuroo fell onto his bed. Bokuto set the take out on Kenma's bed before sitting next to Kuroo. "Shit," Kuroo groaned, "I didn't realize party planning was so exhausting." Bokuto laughed, the loudness of it filling the silence. It had Kuroo smiling, face still buried against his mattress.

"True, but I'm sure Akaashi will love it."

With another groan, Kuroo pushed himself into a sitting position. He was still smiling, despite his exhaustion, "man, I sure hope he does. He's always working so hard, I just want to see him enjoying himself for once."

Bokuto's own smile softened, his eyes too. His heart ached, a yearning feeling tugging at his strings. What he was feeling couldn't even be defined as jealousy anymore. He wasn't sure what it was, but it felt far much worse than jealousy. The way Kuroo looked and talked about Akaashi was something Bokuto wished he had. He wished he could have that with Akaashi, he wished he could share what the two had.

"He's lucky to have you," Bokuto said quietly, "and I'm glad you found someone, Tetsu."

Kuroo turned his smile towards Bokuto, rolling his eyes. "Don't look so down, Bo. You'll find someone too." Bokuto forced out a weak laugh, how ironic. The person he wants is dating his best friend, a man he also cared deeply for. Slowly, he tipped over, laying his head in Kuroo's lap. The taller man just chuckled, scratching at Bokuto's hair.

He's always enjoyed the feeling of Kuroo's head massages. Back in highschool, whenever he was stressing over upcoming tests or even his failing grades, Bokuto would get the worst migraines. Kuroo was always there, though, letting the ace lay his head in his lap as he massaged his scalp.

Bokuto really did have the greatest friend, and he wasn't ashamed or embarrassed to tell Kuroo he loved him. In fact, he tells the man on a weekly basis, and Kuroo normally returns it with a heart laugh. They've always been close in that way, they've never had to feel uncomfortable or weird about stuff like that.

He could say it was like brotherly love, but it really wasn't. He's never viewed Kuroo like a brother, the thought even made him grimace. He just loved him, it was plain and simple.

"Hey," he spoke up, eyes closed and body relaxed. Sometimes he swore Kuroo was a wizard, he was so good at calming Bokuto down.

Kuroo hummed, and Bokuto could feel him laying down. His hand never left Bokuto's hair, though.

"You really think someone's going to wanna be with me?"

"Of course," Kuroo mumbled sleepily, sounding mildly offended. "You're so lovable, dude. Anyone would be an idiot not to love you."

He thought of Akaashi, and how he didn't love him. Even throughout high school, Akaashi always seemed to turn tales on him. Sometimes he'd catch the boy staring at him, but the moment Bokuto would turn to look at him, ready to offer him a friendly smile, Akaashi would look away. Whenever the two would be walking towards each other, Akaashi would run the other direction. Konoha and Komi used to assure him that Akaashi didn't hate him, but they probably said so just to spare him.

Akaashi was gorgeous, and smart, and responsible. Bokuto was everything but. He was just some big dumb jock, of course Akaashi wouldn't want anything to do with him. Honestly, he didn't understand how anyone put up with him.

"Koutarou," Kuroo said sternly, lightly hitting Bokuto on the side of the head. "Quit it."

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Yes you you." Kuroo sat back up, glaring at Bokuto as he squished his cheeks together. "I know you better than you think. And I know the way you think of yourself."

Bokuto frowned, trying as hard as he could to avoid eye contact with Kuroo. "I'm not thinking anything about myself," he mumbled, cheeks still squished together.

"Oh shut up, you're such a liar." Kuroo really did know Bokuto, and Bokuto hated it sometimes. He remembered all the long nights he'd rant to Kuroo over the phone, telling the younger alpha anything that came on his mind. A lot of those times, it was himself. "I couldn't ask for a better best friend," Kuroo continued, a phrase Bokuto's heard him say many times. But no matter how many times he says it, it always sounds so genuine. "You're the kindest person I know. Fuck, you just spent Your whole day off from training to help me plan a birthday party. Not many people would do that-"

"Okay okay," Bokuto laughed out, "I get it."

"Good. You big teddy bear."

The volleyball player tackled Kuroo back against the bed, wrapping his arms around his tightly. The taller of the two laughed loudly as he patted Bokuto's back. Bokuto buried his face against Kuroo's shoulder, "love you, Tetsu."

Kuroo huffed out a laugh, "yeah yeah, I know."


I'm so sorry this is a day late! I didn't expect to be so busy this week and yesterday I just didn't find any time. I hope you enjoy though! Happy Sunday (:

- Bumble

Nobuyuki (BoKuroAka)Where stories live. Discover now