AU: Regular
Requested
Tags/ Warnings: Male! Country Reader, not much plot tbh...just adds on to where the last one left off
Word Count: 1.8k +
•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•
It was very strange for Bokuto to hope for something like car trouble, and yet here he was, pulling into the driveway of a familiar house in the middle of nowhere, hoping for nothing less than his car to break down. Maybe it was because he didn't have an actual purpose for being there other than the boy who lived in the house. But, Bokuto told himself, that boy was reason enough.
The boy who lived in this house was worth the hours of questioning from his parents even though Bokuto couldn't tell them much about him. The things that (Y/N) had told him were his to tell, not Bokuto's.
Bokuto walked up the steps to the front door and knocked. A giddiness filled him, he could feel himself shaking from anticipation. He didn't have long here if he wanted to make it back to school on time, which only meant that he had to make every second count.
(Y/N)'s grandmother opened the door. Her usual distasteful look rested on her face as she glanced over Bokuto's form. The corner of her mouth twitched up. "(Y/N)'s at the chicken coup," she said, shutting the door before Bokuto could get another word out.
Bokuto only smiled. As he made his way through their back gate, one that he helped fix, he said to himself, "I think she's warming up to me."
Once he spotted (Y/N), he had to physically stop himself from running up to him.
Bokuto's smile faltered. He hadn't known (Y/N) long or even been at this house very long, but he hadn't realized just how much he missed it until he saw (Y/N) standing inside the freshly finished chicken coup gathering eggs. Could he miss something that wasn't really his?
(Y/N) turned his head. His mouth gaped open slightly. Refusing to break eye contact with Bokuto, he placed the basket of eggs on the ground. He rushed to him and then stopped.
"I smell like chickens," (Y/N) said.
Bokuto shrugged. "I think it's worth the risk."
(Y/N)'s smile widened and closed the gap between them. Bokuto wrapped his arms around him and let himself relax into the hug.
Bokuto sighed. "I can't stay for long."
"Can I persuade you to stay longer?" (Y/N) loosened his grip on Bokuto, taking a step back.
"Probably," he admitted, and he wasn't lying. Bokuto didn't think it would take much for (Y/N) to convince him, an offer of a story, a day feeding the animals, another quiet night of (Y/N) laying beside him on his makeshift ground bed, would be all it took. "But then we'd both have to face the wrath of my volleyball coach and play catch up with school work."
"Why both of us?" (Y/N) laughed. "You're the one who's going to face the consequences."
"If I go down, I'm taking you with me."
(Y/N) grinned. "Lucky me, then."
Even though Bokuto had only been gone a couple of days, he missed the ease and freedom he felt by (Y/N)'s side. One conversation with him could energize him for the rest of the year. He couldn't tell if he was being selfish for the thought of talking to (Y/N) every minute of the day if such a thing was possible. Would it make him a bad person if he took that offer without hesitation?
"Any more chores on your list I could help out with?" he called out as (Y/N) jogged back to the coup to gather the remaining eggs and fallen basket.
Bokuto silently took the basket from (Y/N)'s hands as they headed back to the house.
"You want to spend the only day you have here doing chores with me?"
"Never enough manual labour, right?"
A lapse of silence encased them.
"(Y/N)?" Bokuto asked.
(Y/N) glanced at him through the corner of his eye and then looked away quickly. "I've got an idea."
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You were being cryptic as you gave Bokuto directions, not saying a word more than to turn left or right. Though, to Bokuto's credit, he didn't ask any further questions except for how much longer he'd be driving even when you told him to turn onto a path that led straight into a grove of trees.
You had to suppress a smile every time the tires would hit the root of a tree making the car shift slightly, and Bokuto's face only grew scared.
"You're not driving me into the forest to tell me to dig a shallow grave, right?" he asked.
"Who knows." You shrugged. "A lot could happen in the time that you were gone. Oh! Stop here."
Bokuto parked the car. He twisted in his seat to get a sense of his surroundings. "I see trees and more trees."
You shushed him. "Listen."
Bokuto turned his ear to the front of the car and after a moment, he shook his head. "I hope you know where we are and how to get back. I don't think that the people you call to find you when you're lost will respond well to the answer of 'I don't know, somewhere in the middle of the forest'."
You chuckled and closed your eyes. You understood why Bokuto wouldn't hear anything, but you've been to this part of the woods to know what to listen for. Faintly, you heard the rhythm of a stream cascading downhill further into the woods.
The thought of water flowing away brought you both peace of mind and a wave of sadness. The look must have reflected on your face because when you opened your eyes, Bokuto was looking at you with concern woven in his eyes.
"Let's go," you smiled.
You still kept the location a secret as you led Bokuto gently by the hand to the sound of the water.
At the stream's edge, you stopped. Crystal clear water flowed over the rock bed that lined the bottom of the stream. It was less than 20 centimetres deep and just barely a meter wide. You didn't know where it ended, but not knowing only made it better.
A low whistle escaped Bokuto's lips. "I understand the secrecy. I wouldn't want anyone else to know about this either."
You crouched down and placed your hand in the cool water. "Then I guess it's our secret to keep."
Beside you, Bokuto copied your actions. You felt the warm brush of his shoulder against yours. You shivered.
"Is it strange to say that I don't want to go?" Bokuto asked quietly as if scared of his words. "I've only known you— this place, this town—for less than three weeks, but when I leave tonight, I feel like a part of me will always want to come back."
You swallowed. "Maybe this town just has that effect on people?"
Bokuto hesitated and ran his fingers through the water again. "Maybe it's the effect that you have on me."
Heat raised to your cheeks. You didn't reply for a while. You let yourself take in the words, the sound of the rushing water, and the coolness of your hand.
"Once upon a time," you said in a low voice, "there was a sad boy who lived on a farm next to a small town. He didn't smile or laugh and took every ounce of kindness given to him as pity. The boy didn't tell anyone, but tragedy had struck his home, his heart, almost a year ago when his parents were taken away from him."
You broke off and turned to face Bokuto, who was already looking at you. You steeled your gaze and continued, "Then one day, a very dull and ordinary day, he met another boy. This boy had a smile like sunshine and reminded the sad boy of a story he thought was gone forever, a tale of love and magic."
Bokuto didn't say anything, but his hand, still underwater, drifted closer to yours like water following its path.
You cleared your throat. "I think that's how I'll begin our story."
Bokuto brushed his fingers against yours. A shy smile grew on his face. "It's a good start. I think it needs to be longer though."
"Then we have a lot of writing to do." You looped your fingers around his.
"Yes, we do."
He leaned in closer. You could feel his breath on your skin.
The sound of rustling leaves, a splash, and the sound of a car alarm blaring made you jump back. Bokuto's foot was half-submerged into the water and he was leaning on his side.
He cursed under his breath as he stood up and offered you a hand. You gladly took it. He pulled out his keys and furiously started clicking buttons. Nothing stopped the sound.
"Sorry," he shouted over the alarm. "I need to be closer to turn it off."
"It's okay," you said back. "We should get going. I'll be there in a second."
Bokuto nodded and jogged through the clearing back to the car.
You stared at the water. This stream will never be a place of pure contentment, at least not yet. You hadn't stumbled upon the stream by yourself, it was a place that was woven into your father's stories, the one where your father proposed to your mother. It was also the place where you scattered their ashes; so even in death, they would start at a place of happiness and would continue their adventure downstream.
The car alarm stopped and you heard a cheer from Bokuto.
"Do you like him?" you whispered. You picked at the skin on your hand, "Is this the feeling?."
•──────⋅☾ ☽⋅──────•
You hugged Bokuto tighter than you did last time.
"We have to stop parting like this," you laughed.
Bokuto's hand clutched the back of your shirt. "Parting like this is okay for me. It only means that the next time we meet again will be better. I'll come back."
"Or I could go there?"
Bokuto pulled back. He raised an eyebrow. "You want to visit me at school? Are you—? Are you going to be okay with that?"
You ran your tongue over your lips. "Well, I'll have to be. With luck, it might be my school too."
"What?"
"Yeah," you laughed. You suddenly felt like you were going to throw up. "I applied for next year. I mean—my mom wanted me to go there, I want to go there and since the new school year doesn't start for a bit, it gives me time to adjust and help the farm and grandparents. And it's not so far away that—"
"(Y/N)," Bokuto said, a grin on his face. "That is amazing. I'll give you a tour! It'll be great! You can meet the volleyball team. Akaashi will see that you're actually real and—"
"Okay, one step at a time," you interrupted. "I haven't been accepted yet."
"I have a good feeling about it."
You smiled and stepped closer to him. "So do I."
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It wouldn't really be my week if the post isn't just a little bit late right? This is probably the quickest I've ever written anything....but it's also the sweetest thing I probably wrote too...
I might have grown attached to this story...
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading - KIWI
Posted: 13/06/2021