the Nobleman's child

Three days

The sun shown down on my sleeping form, stirring me from my dreamless sleep. I groggily looked around the room, noticing Bokuto slouched in the corner of the room fast asleep. His mouth was hanging open slightly and a line of drool fell from his lips. He looked peaceful and calm, unlike how he was when he was awake, hyper, and chaotic. 

I took a deep breath, noticing how my uneasy feeling had depleted to the point where I could function. I slowly sat up and changed before shaking Bokuto awake. 

"AKAASHI!!" He yelled wrapping me in a hug. I stumbled back a bit, holding both of us upright. 

"Do you feel better? Are you ok? Do you need anything?" Bokuto riddled off questions and I had to hold up my hand to cut him off. 

"I'm just fine, and I should be the one asking you if you need anything," I say, noticing some of his worries disappear. 

"Do you still hurt?" He asked, his eyes staring into my own. 

"No, but the pain might come back. I'll tell you if it does, Bokuto-san," I said, staring back with a flat face. Bokuto nodded, looking away slightly. 

"What was that you were talking to the others about before you fell asleep?" Bokuto asked awkwardly and I internally cussed them out for bringing it up then. 

"We have this pack from when we were in school, that if something is wrong we would tell the others. I personally haven't been great at that. Nothing is wrong, Bokuto, but I'm sure they will continue bugging me about it," I half-lie. In reality, it was part of our job to work together, regardless if we're friends or not, though they took that job more seriously because of our out-of-work relationship. 

"Do you want to practice?" I ask, wanting to change the topic and make Bokuto-san feel better. He eyed me cautiously. 

"You were super sick yesterday, are you sure you're ready to move that much?" He asked slowly, gaining a soft glare from me. 

"I'm sure, Bokuto-san," I said, my voice determined. He nodded, leaving to get changed into athletic clothes while I did the same. 

I met him outside, the net halfway set up. I rushed to the other end and quickly hooked the net into place, waiting for Bokuto-san to do the same on his end. I collected the ball from the storage closet and tossed it in the air a few times, adjusting to the weight and size of the ball. Bokuto stood on the other side of the net in a ready position while I threw the ball into the air and jumped after it. I felt the core of the ball in my hand as I served it over the net, Bokuto carefully receiving the ball. He ran closer to the net as the ball slowly started to fall, spiking the ball onto my side where I dove in order to dig it up. 

The ball bounced off my hand and I jumped to my feet, running after it. My shirt brushed against the net slightly as I prepared for a spike. Bokuto jumped to block me, but I aimed a diagonal spike and sent it down the length of the net, gaining a figurative point for me. 

I served the ball again, Bokuto receiving, then attempting to do a setter dump to throw me off. I dove for the ball, able to get under it before it hit the ground. Bokuto seemed amazed but quickly brushed it off as I prepared for a spike of my own. This time Bokuto was able to block it, the ball slamming down onto the ground before I could stop it. 

This continued for a few hours before Bokuto had to sit down hard on the ground to breathe. 

"How are you not out of breath? I've been doing this for years, and I still can't go this long without needing a breather!" Bokuto exclaimed, staring up at me with wide eyes. I simply shrugged and smirked at him. He seemed to stop and stare at me for a while, causing me to look away and stare out in the distance. I knew I had a list of things to do before the others came.