SUNDER - Bokuto x Reader

FIVE: Tic Tac Toe

"N..no, Sir!" I squeaked out, unable to maintain eye contact. Whenever he yelled at me, which hadn't happened in a long while, I cried. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. I was hoping this would be the former.
"You get distracted! Getting distracted lowers your grades! Do you want to accomplish anything in your life?!"

Please stop yelling at me...

"I do..!" I insisted, shrinking down as he leered over me.
"Doodling is not what good girls do! Am I clear on that?!" He banged the table again, though not quite as hard, and I nodded quickly so he would stop.
"Crystal clear! I'm sorry! I..it won't happen again, I promise!"

Heaving a sigh, my father scrunched up our fun and shoved it into his suit pocket, reaching out to pat me stiffly on the head.
"Good girl. Finish your homework and then go help your mother with dinner. You are to go straight to bed afterwards. Understood?"

I didn't do anything wrong...

"Understood, Sir..." I murmured, doing my best not to sniffle as he retracted his hand and fixed his tie.
"I have to meet with a client. I trust you won't disappoint me." With that, he left, and I stayed completely still until I heard his car pull out from the driveway. Then I waited longer.

Long enough to hear the sound of painting go from faint to loud. Looking up, I nearly shrieked when I saw Bokuto on my side of the fence, having raced around through the side gate.
"He didn't hit you, did he?! I heard a bang, and-"

I had never moved so fast in my life. On my feet, I slapped my hand over his mouth and dragged him to the very back corner of the yard, behind my mother's camellia bushes.
"N..no..! He didn't, b..but what the hell, Bokuto?! You can't be over here!" I hissed in a whisper, though it wasn't as hard as I wanted it to be, considering I was still partially crying.

The boy stared at me, owlish eyes searching mine and making no move to move my hand away. Once I was sure he understood that he needed to be quiet, I pulled my hand away, unsure about why my palm felt so tingly.
"I just had to make sure you were okay...and make sure to put a stop to it if you weren't..."

Bokuto...

He was sweet. There was no way that someone so sweet could be dangerous, or bad. I had to be missing something. Either that, or my father was...
"H..he's just serious about my education..." I explained, using the heels of my hands to wipe my eyes. "I was slacking off, and I guess I de-"

This time, the roles were reversed. Bokuto's much larger hand was over my mouth, and my startled squeak was muffled.
"Nobody deserves that. Like, for real, that was scary, even when I couldn't see anything. Actually, that made it worse. Does he yell at you like that all the time?"

His genuine concern was almost overwhelming. Honestly, his presence was just that. Overwhelming. Shrugging my shoulders, I nervously peered towards the house.
"O..only when I break the rules...I mean, I should've known better! N..not that I really get why it was such a bad thing, but..."

I didn't have an excuse. It wasn't a bad thing. My homework was nearly complete, not having to be turned in for another three days. I had already finished what I had for my other subjects, too. My neighbour was right. I hadn't deserved that.

"Listen. If he ever scares you, I'm literally like..." Bokuto turned and pointed to a window on the second floor of his house. "...right there. I'm not letting my new best friends get screamed at on my watch. Just hop the fence or run over. I gotchu!"

His smile defrosted something within me. It was calming, and somehow it made me feel a bit better. Still cautiously eyeing my own house, my gaze flickered back to him once more, and I offered him a smile of my own. It was weak in comparison, but the sentiment was there.

"Thanks, Bokuto..." Clearing my throat, I tapped his arm, nodding towards the way he had came from. "N..now, you need to go home..! If we get caught, I'm dead meat..!" Blowing a raspberry, Bokuto stood up, easily lifting me along with him after taking my hand. He gave it a light squeeze, again smiling ever so brightly.

"You deserve to have fun, (Y/N). I'm gonna sort something out so you can have a normal, teenagery day! I'll see you tomorrow! Cheer up!" With that, his hand slipped from mine, and he sprinted back down the side of the house, leaving me a nervous wreck behind my mother's flower bushes.

Wait...sort something out..? Teenagery..? P..pardon..?!

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***Ayoooo I'm back.

I haven't slept for almost two days (a huntsman spider decided my bedroom would be a lovely place to give birth last night so was too preoccupied to sleep), and brain decided to focus on Bokuto. So...Bokuto.

Next Time: Teenagery***