Chapter 8: Waiting

When Bokuto awoke Monday morning, it took him a few minutes to remember. Akaashi. Tokyo. How many more days until he's back? Four. Right. He rubbed his face to try to wake up some more.It's Monday. Training this morning. Gotta go.

Before getting out of bed, he picked up his phone and immediately texted his boyfriend:

B: morning babe hope you slept well got training soon but will talk to you later

Then he sighed and waited to see if Akaashi would text him back right away. After a minute, he got the message he was hoping for.

A: Good morning, Bokuto-san. Let me know when you're able to talk. I will watch the game tonight.

Bokuto smiled. Akaashi was going to watch him on TV. Not the same as being in the arena, but close. He tumbled out of bed to grab a shower, trying like mad NOT to think about his boyfriend, then dressed in sweats and a practice shirt and jacket before making his way to the kitchen to eat a quick breakfast.

He arrived at morning practice to find Atsumu and Sakusa already there, along with a couple of "old guys" including Meian and Barnes. Shortly after, the rest of the team arrived, including Hinata, Inuaki and Tomas. They were all stretching and warming up, as they usually did, when Atsumu noticed that Bokuto seemed less energetic than normal.

"Bok-kun, ya doin' alright?"

Bokuto answered, "Yeah, Tsum-Tsum, I'm fine."

Atsumu glanced around at his teammates. Sakusa just shrugged, as did their captain. Hinata looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if he should speak. Atsumu decided to get the scoop from Hinata when he had the chance.

During a short water break, Atsumu pulled Hinata aside. "What's up with Bok-kun? He's not actin' normal."

Hinata spoke softly so no one would overhear, "His new boyfriend went back to Tokyo and I think he misses him." Atsumu's eyes widened slightly and then he smirked. "Gotcha. Okay. Maybe I'll give him some extra tosses today, and you could do your whole 'Bokuto-san, that was amazing' crap," Atsumu said the last in a high-pitched whiny voice.

"Hey," replied Hinata. "It's not crap! He is amazing!" Atsumu just walked away, leaving Hinata a little irked.

Atsumu did try to pump Bokuto up a little with some extra tosses and was a little (though not a lot) nicer than usual. Hinata did do his so-called "crap," which involved praising Bokuto in a very genuine, Hinata-like way. By the end of practice, Bokuto was a little more peppy, and they all seemed a little relieved. They needed the ace to be on his game that night.

That night during the pregame warmups, everyone was keeping an eye on Bokuto to see if he was going to be alright. They all knew from the three other younger players from the "Monster Generation" that Bokuto had a reputation in high school for going into "emo mode" when he was not doing well in a match or if something else was wrong. So far in the pros, he had not displayed any behavior like that, but it seemed like it was in the back of everyone's mind that it could possibly happen again.

Right before the game started, Hinata went to Bokuto for a pep talk. "Bokuto-san! Akaashi may not be here in person but he is watching you. Be the ace you are. Make him proud, okay?" Bokuto smiled. It was true. Akaashi would be watching him and he DID want to make him proud. So, time to suck it up and be a normal ace. "Let's do this!" he yelled as they made their entrance to the arena.

Bokuto and the entire team actually had a really good game. They were able to defeat the Adlers two sets to one. And while Bokuto did not enter the court tumbling like he sometimes did, he was keenly focused and plenty intimidating. He had a few amazing cut shots, some killer serves and a chest receive that made the crowd go wild.

When the game was over and he was done with his shower and dressed, he picked up his phone to text Akaashi. He grinned widely when he saw his boyfriend had already texted him.

A: You were great tonight, Bokuto-san. Call me when you can.

B: thanks kaashi ill call soon 3

When Bokuto got home, he immediately slipped off his shoes and jacket and picked up his phone to call his boyfriend. Akaashi picked up after the first ring (not that he was waiting for the call or anything).

"Hey," Akaashi breathed out the greeting.

"Hey, babe," said Bokuto as he plopped on the sofa. "Did you enjoy the game?"

"Yes. You played well. It was a good game."

"Aww, thanks, Kaashi. What part was your favorite?"

Akaashi paused only for a couple of seconds, "All the parts you played, Bokuto-san." This made Bokuto smile brightly again. "No really. What parts did you like?"

Akaashi thought for a moment. "Well, I loved when the crowd went wild for you after you received the ball with your chest." Bokuto giggled. "And I really liked the looks on the other team's faces when you hit that one cross shot and they all just stared."

"Yeah, that was a good one," agreed Bokuto.

"But I just really like watching you do what you love."

"Aww, Kaashi, that's nice."

"I miss you," breathed Akaashi.

"I miss you too," returned Bokuto. They both didn't speak for several seconds.

"Four more days."

"Yes." More silence.

Bokuto then asked, "How was your day?" and they began to talk about less serious and frankly sad things. They were on the phone a couple of hours before Bokuto yawned.

"I'll let you get to sleep," Akaashi said. "You've had a long, hard day."

"Sorry. I am pretty tired."

"It's fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Then it will only be three days," Bokuto said with a small smile.

"Yes, it will," agreed Akaashi. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Kaashi. I love you."

"I love you too."

For Bokuto, Tuesday morning was very much like a repeat of Monday. Wake up. Remember Akaashi. How many more days? Three. It's Tuesday. Training this morning. Get up.

He was in a similar subdued state at team training, and again his teammates tried to boost his mood. Atsumu actually decided that they needed to do more. During a water break, he gathered Hinata and Sakusa to tell them.

"I think we should get together tonight. Have a little party. Help cheer up Bok-kun. Whaddaya think?"

Hinata agreed readily. Sakusa did not reply, not that Atsumu expected him to. "Then it's settled. I'll have my shithead brother make us some onigiri. Shoyo-kun, you and Tobio-kun bring some drinks. Omi-kun, you bring snacks."

Sakusa sighed and responded, "I never said I would hang out with you idiots tonight."

"Oh, Omi-kun, you know you love us. Let's say around seven at my place, okay?" Atsumu continued, not even considering that Sakusa might not come. He was always pretending he didn't want to hang out with his teammates, but he always ended up doing it anyway. Atsumu went right up to Bokuto and told him of their plans. He did not give him a choice, he just told him to be at his place at seven. Bokuto just sort of nodded and agreed. It wasn't like he had any other plans that night.

Bokuto spent an uneventful afternoon at home. He had to do some shopping and some cleaning, all that objectionable adulting stuff. He couldn't talk to Akaashi because he was at work, so he had to settle for sending him texts for the time being.

At around six thirty, he hopped in the shower to get ready for the party at Atsumu's house. He threw on some old jeans, a blue t-shirt and some trainers. No use trying to dress to impress tonight. He arrived at Atsumu's apartment, which was only a short walk from his own, a little after seven. Hinata and Kageyama were already there. Sakusa arrived a few minutes after Bokuto, carrying a bag of snacks. He practically threw them at Atsumu without speaking, and went to sit at the table. Atsumu didn't pay any attention. Omi-kun usually wasn't much of a talker.

The night was a pretty normal one for the group. Food, drinks, video games, inane chatter (mostly Atsumu, Hinata and Bokuto), name calling (mostly Hinata and Kageyama), drunk antics (mostly Hinata, Atsumu and Bokuto), and challenges and competitions (all of them).

The one thing that was not typical of the night was that Bokuto kept looking at his phone and texting someone, although they all knew who that someone was. Often Bo would smile after looking at his phone, but occasionally he just looked sad. Atsumu decided it was time to talk about it.

"Bok-kun, who are ya textin' over there?"

Bokuto looked up and sheepishly replied, "Akaashi."

"So how's that going?" Atsumu asked. "You two seem to be pretty hot and heavy already."

Bokuto smiled a half-smile. "Yeah. It's just, I hate that he's in Tokyo now. And I won't see him for three more days." Bokuto looked like he might cry.

Hinata looked at his friend with sympathy and thought he looked like a child who just had his favorite toy taken away. Of course, admitted Hinata, that was probably a very accurate description of the situation.

"Bokuto-san, I know you miss him but you'll see him soon. It's only a few days. I'm sure you'll get used to this arrangement and it won't always be so hard." Bokuto looked up and nodded, though he didn't seem convinced.

"Well, at least ya have us tonight!" Sakusa groaned at Atsumu's statement, which started the two of them bickering. Again, very typical. Hinata pulled Bokuto aside and told him quietly, "You know if you need to talk or need anything, I'm here." Bokuto nodded. "I know, thanks."

They finally parted around eleven o'clock and Bokuto texted Akaashi as soon as he was back at his apartment. He wanted to talk to his boyfriend, not just text.

He was lying on his bed, shirtless and ready for sleep, when he got the facetime call. They smiled at each other through their screens.

"Hey," Bokuto said softly.

"Hey," said Akaashi, smiling. "How was the party?"

"Fine," responded Bokuto, not really wanting to go into details. "What did you do tonight?"

"Just caught up on work and watched a movie." Then Akaashi seemed to take notice that Bokuto was not wearing a shirt.

"Are you… do you have clothes on?" he asked, sounding scandalized.

Bokuto chuckled. "Yes, I've got pajama bottoms on. Why do you ask, Kaashi?" he said slyly. Akaashi blushed slightly, not wanting to admit that seeing his boyfriend's naked chest, even if it was through a screen, was turning him on.

"Uh, no … no reason," Akaashi stuttered. Bokuto laughed out loud this time. "You're so cute. What are you wearing?" he asked suggestively, wiggling his gray eyebrows a bit.

Akaashi responded, still trying to recover from his embarrassment. "Just a t-shirt and shorts."

"Well, Kaashi, in three days you can touch my body again," teased Bokuto, making the redness rise in Akaashi's face once again.

"What makes you think I'd want to do that, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi replied, trying to sound sassy. Bokuto just laughed again. "Damn, it. You're so cute. I miss you."

"I miss you too."

When they hung up shortly thereafter, Bokuto was thinking about Akaashi's pretty face and Akaashi was thinking about Bokuto without a shirt on and getting a little too excited.

Three more days.