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"No~! Damn it~"
Shouyou dropped his head in his hands, the control sitting in his lap as the Mario Kart victory soundtrack played tauntingly in his ears. Hanamaki and Matsukawa laughed at him.
Oikawa tossed an arm over the ginger's shoulders and Iwaizumi ruffled his curls up. "I'll play for you, go hop in the shower, Bunny."
Shouyou handed the controller over to Oikawa with a pout and stood from the couch to stretch his body out. "Thanks for letting me stay here, but all my stuff's in Bokuto's dorm. I can't shower here."
Almost awkwardly, Shouyou reached out to hug Oikawa, and the brunet chuckled, though it was reluctant because he was bummed out Shouyou couldn't stay here.
"If he does anything, you know where to find us."
Iwaizumi handed Shouyou a dorm key, Shouyou gratefully accepted it and hugged Iwaizumi as well. "Thank you so much..."
They hadn't realized how much pressure they had been putting on Shouyou until now, they hadn't realized he was so scared, so full of pent-up emotions that it made his little body tense in fright.
It was exciting to see him like that. Just a bit more, and Shouyou would so easily fall into their trap. They just had to bait him with something he needs- friends. They can be friends, they can hold themselves back again. Like a game of tug-of-war.
Hanamaki pulled Shouyou away from Iwaizumi with a playful laugh and toppled atop Matsukawa with Shouyou sandwiched between them. A smile played on Shouyou's lips, what an endearing sight.
It might even be better than seeing him upset. He was chuckling and trying to get out from between the two guys, but they wouldn't let him go.
They were still playing around, but Shouyou's laughing had slowed, and he placed his hand on Hanamaki's chest, hoping not to hurt the male beneath him, who he could've sworn placed his hands on his hips.
"Oh, right! Up and at 'em! You gotta get ready for your performance tomorrow!" As if nothing had happened, Hanamaki hoisted Shouyou up and hesitantly pulled his hand away.
It was just a strange encounter, Shouyou brushed it off as nothing. You think he'd learn by now, honestly.
"Thanks again, you guys!"
They're... really not that bad. Maybe I was right in the first place and they just have a hard time getting their feelings across because of their lives back at home.
Shouyou exited the dorm room, the smiles everyone wore for him vanished. Iwaizumi went to the bathroom, Oikawa rushed to his bedroom, Hanamaki and Matsukawa held a burning, fiery lust in their eyes as they stared at the doorway.
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Bokuto was sitting on the couch when Shouyou got out of the shower. The poor little ginger realized he had nowhere to go, but the kitchen. Though Bokuto seemed to be calm, he still wasn't willing to test the waters just yet.
So, instead, he sat on the counter and leaned against the cupboard with a quiet sigh. His hazel eyes fluttered shut. How long's it gonna take for him to go to sleep?
He decided to brush up on what Kageyama said to him. What did he mean by that? Is Akari really planning on doing something during the performance? What could he do in front of all those people? Pull my pants down or something?
"Shouyou."
A jolt racked Shouyou's spine. He lifted his head and opened his eyes quickly to see Bokuto leaning against the counter with a downcasted look.
"I won't touch you... I won't yell at you or hurt you, so... will you listen to me?"
"Uh... What?"
Bokuto pushed himself up off the counter and took a few steps forward, Shouyou was cornered between the counter and Bokuto standing in front of him, but... he didn't feel like he was cornered.
Bokuto had tears dripping from his eyes, his lips shaking as if he were holding back a barrage of emotions.
He fiddled with his fingers, ran them through his hair, sighed, but he refused to make eye contact. Shouyou felt the need to comfort the guy, even with his instincts screaming at him not to.
Bokuto spoke just as Shouyou's hand moved to reach out to him. He froze and listened to what Bokuto had to say.
"That day... Uh, I know it's not an excuse but... Ugh, my parents came to my dorm and chewed me out and... I was just mad... I wanted to just, like, hold you or something, but I did something..."
He glanced up at the now-fading marks he had left on Shouyou's body and cringed. "Different... So, I'm sorry..."
The only sound in the room was Bokuto's tears dripping onto the tile. Shouyou didn't say anything, he had to think things over.
It really wasn't Bokuto's fault that he's this way. If he had better parents, a better upbringing, he'd be just like Shouyou, wouldn't he? They all would.
And Shouyou knew that that didn't excuse their actions or words, but it's in his nature to be forgiving. He's looked up to these elite groups for so long, perhaps that's why Shouyou felt so capable of forgiveness toward them.
Bokuto turned around, Shouyou grasped at the back of his shirt and pulled him into a hug. It made his face cringe, it made a shiver run down his spine, but this warmth was a lot different than before.
It was probably one of the first times Shouyou had touched Bokuto willingly, especially after what happened a few days ago.
Bokuto carefully wrapped his arms around Shouyou's body and nuzzled into his bruised nape. Hot tears poured down his shoulder and into the back of his shirt, but Shouyou paid it no heed because Bokuto seemed to really be holding his feelings back.
The little ginger parted from him once he realized Bokuto had stopped crying, pat the buff guy's back with an awkward smile, and bid him good night.
"Ah, Shouyou..."
He turned around, Bokuto scratched at the back of his head. "I wish I could say we're doing this for your own good... but... I'm just, I'm sorry... in advance..."
"Sorry... for what?"
"For the future."
Bokuto went into his bedroom, Shouyou was left to ponder Bokuto's words, but, for now, he'd stretch and get some sleep. He has a performance tomorrow, after all.
