idk i'm very sleepy and tired and in want of cuddles
but hey i survived my 5pg paper like an hour before it was due AND my first term of uni so yay me
literally nothing happens in this but bokuaka has taken over my soul goodbye
Sometimes, Keiji can't sleep at night.
He knows what the official term is-of course he knows, he's planning on majoring in psychology after all-but he doesn't like to call it that. It just makes it more real that way. And that's not a good thing.
He never used to have trouble falling asleep, even when he was a teenager, with too many stimulations to keep track of and teammates to talk to and captains to babysit. He stayed away from caffeine and had his whole nighttime routine figured out to the last second.
But recently, it's been different.
Sitting up in his bed, Keiji sighs. His phone tells him it's a quarter past two, and he has a 9 am class tomorrow. There's a coffeeshop just down the corner by the bus stop, but Keiji knows from past experiences that not even chugging a full cup of espresso in the morning can save him from the heavy eye bags and scattered concentration throughout the day. He hates this, hates his body for being difficult, hates himself for not knowing how to fix it.
He used to be the one people came to with their problems, except now, he's the one with problems. And fuck, no one ever taught him how to ask for help properly.
Keiji glances at his phone again. Five minutes have passed. He's not feeling any sleepier, only more frustrated and slightly panicked because the night's not getting any younger. Biting his lip, he makes his decision.
Quietly, with practiced footsteps, he shuffles down the hall. The lights are out, even the one in the kitchen, which tells Keiji that Kuroo must have finally emerged from his room to force Kenma to get some sleep, because otherwise the kid would stay hunched over his laptop on the counter until morning. Their bedroom door is closed, and there's no light seeping through the bottom crack. Keiji continues down the hall, stopping at the door with a crooked hand-drawn owl stuck on it. It's ajar, like it always is, ever since the first time Keiji caved and took Bokuto up on his offer.
He pushes the door open, peering in through the dimness. It's dark, except for the tiny nightlight in the corner, the birthday gift that Keiji gave him three years ago, because his captain insisted there are monsters laughing at him in the dark, and also because the nightlight was shaped like-of course-an owl, Akaashi, an owl, you don't see those very often!
"Mm. 'Kaashi?"
Keiji pauses as golden eyes blink open blearily in the half-dark. He shuffles closer until he's next to the bed. "Sorry for waking you," he mumbles.
"Mmn, it's fine." Bokuto yawns, sliding over on his bed. "Can't sleep?"
Keiji hesitates for another second, before climbing onto the bed as well. "Sorry."
"No, no, don't..." Bokuto seems to lose his train of thought, eyes fluttering closed again. He throws the blanket over the both of them, lips curving up in a smile when Keiji curls up closer to his former captain. "Anytime, I said, right? G'night, Akaashi." His hand comes up to stroke messy dark curls, his breathing slow and soft.
Keiji already feels his mind calming down, the sound of silence closing around them, except not as oppressively as before, by himself in his room. He closes his eyes, concentrating on Bokuto's rhythmic hand movements, his steady heartbeat next to his ear.
"Goodnight, Bokuto-san."