Akaashi Keiji is nearly asleep when the texts start coming, an insistent hoot that repeats every couple seconds. As he blinks at the ceiling, slowly registering the sound, he remembers - and sighs, throwing an arm over his eyes.

Sure enough, when he grasps for his phone, squinting at the bright light, the screen is lit up with the same contact.

12:42am
Bokuto-san: hey
Bokuto-san: hey hey
Bokuto-san: hey hye hey akaashi
Bokuto-san: akaashi r u dealt
Bokuto-san: *awake
Bokuto-san: !
Bokuto-san: ! akaashi please answer
Bokuto-san: !
Bokuto-san: !
Bokuto-san: !
Bokuto-san: !
Bokuto-san: akaashi
Bokuto-san: akaashi where are you are you ok
Bokuto-san: akaashi wake up and open you texts
Bokuto-san: *your
Bokuto-san: this is really important open your texts akaashi

Akaashi narrows his eyes, frowns at the ever scrolling list of texts. He opens the chat, sending a short message.

12:47am
Me: Bokuto-san, please go to sleep.

The reply is instantaneous.

12:47am
Bokuto-san: akaashi your alive! thank
Bokuto-san: I thought u were dead

He feels the corners of his mouth turning up, even as he types out a reply.

Me: Please stop texting, Bokuto-san. We have school tomorrow..

The phone falls silent for a blessed few seconds, before Bokuto's reply texts start arriving. Akaashi sighs, as a chorus of hoots surrounds him. No doubt Bokuto believes that acting like an owl is equally as important as looking like one.

A gentle hooting, more insistent than the previous ones, fills the room. He looks at the screen, lit up with a picture of him and Bokuto as the caller ID. Sighing, he accepts the call.

"Hey hey hey—"

"Bokuto-san, we have school tomorrow."

"But Akaaashiiiiii," Bokuto starts, and Akaashi winces.

"Please whisper. People are sleeping right now."

A brief silence, then Bokuto whispers loudly, "Akaashi, I can't fall asleep!"

Akaashi closes his eyes, trying to imagine Bokuto right now: cross-legged (or lying down?) on his bed, cupping his hand around his mouth as he tried to contain his excitement. "Yes, Bokuto-san, I realized that. Tomorrow is also a school day, and practice will be early, so you should rest."

"But Akaashi, I wanted to talk to you!" Bokuto is starting to sound desperate, and Akaashi groans inside. To end the call while firmly telling Bokuto to sleep (Option A) would be swift, but there would be no certainty that Bokuto would actually sleep. If Akaashi decided to talk with him (Option B), Bokuto's excitement would force Akaashi to Option A, which wouldn't be ideal. And Option C would be talking to Bokuto until he got sleepy, then switching to Option A with the confidence of Bokuto actually sleeping.

All in all, Option C seemed to be the best choice. He blinks a couple of times, collecting his thoughts.

"Bokuto-san, if I tell you a story, would you go to sleep?"

He can hear Bokuto perking up. "What sort of story?"

"What sort of story would you like?"

"Er…" Akaashi rolls over to his side, holding his phone to his cheek as he waits for Bokuto to respond. "Something about owls!"

"I can do that." Akaashi takes a moment to adjust his voice, preparing to talk for awhile. "Are you ready?"

"Yep!" He can hear the sound of Bokuto rummaging, the faint thud of his head hitting a pillow. "Go ahead!"

Taking a breath, Akaashi began. "In the old days, in a forest not far from here, there used to live an owl known far and wide as the luck-bringer. If someone walked beneath this bird and heard the sound of rain, they were blessed with good fortune, for the owl had chosen them to be a wise and just man. The rain was the sound of gold falling from the owl's golden eyes, precious coins that the man had earned for his good ways."

"That sounds nice," Bokuto murmurs, his voice quieter than before. "It must have been, for the person who earned the gold."

"Yes, it was."

"Do you think the owl would cry gold for me too?" Akaashi blinks, any haze of sleep falling away at hearing the undertones in Bokuto's voice. HIs previous assessment of Bokuto's mood was wrong, it seems.

"I think the owl would weep rivers for your enthusiasm in life, at the very least." He hears a weak laugh from Bokuto, and perhaps that's what makes him go on. "I would cry gold for you as well."

"Why?" A simple question.

Akaashi hesitates, briefly. He doesn't know Bokuto that well, other than he's cheerful enough during practice, as well as his skill on the court. But there's something in his voice that makes the words tumble out of his mouth regardless. "Because I appreciate you, Bokuto-san."

There's a span of silence, the quiet crackle of Bokuto's breathing the only thing breaking it. Akaashi waits. When Bokuto speaks again, it's wobbly, but with more life than before.

"Thank you, Akaashi."

"Are you feeling better, Bokuto-san?"

"Yeah." A pause. "See you tomorrow? At school?"

"Later today, Bokuto-san. And yes, I will see you soon."

"Alright." There's some rustling, then the click of the call ending.

Akaashi lifts his phone, watching the screen as the call information appears, then sends one last text.

12:57am
Me: Good night, Bokuto-san.

He hears a gentle hoot and glances at his phone, smiling as he sets it down on the nightstand and turns over to sleep.

12:58am
Bokuto-san: u too, akaashi!