"How's Y/L/N doing, Bokuto?" Konoha bounces the volleyball against the wall while the others are focused on a practice game. Bokuto grins from ear to ear, jumping up to slam the volleyball against the wall. He runs to the side to continue his attacks against the wall. "She's maintaining Akaashi's attention."
Konoha shakes his head, chuckling. "I can't believe you're keeping track. To think you're the evil mastermind behind the setter challenge. Does Akaashi know?" Bokuto catches his volleyball, walking over to Konoha. "Of course he doesn't. He still thinks it's some crazy fangirl of his."
"He'll kill you when he does find out it's you." Konoha grunts out, missing the volleyball that flies over his head. "There's not a single day where a girl is not trying to get his attention."
"I'm doing this out of friendly love." Bokuto rebuttals. "He won't hate me when he finds the right girl to keep him company. Akaashi needs to live a little. Life isn't just about school and volleyball." Konoha stares at Bokuto with a disgusted look. "It's so weird to hear you speak seriously sometimes. It's actually disgusting." Konoha involuntarily shivers. Bokuto scrunches his nose, shrugging.
"Akaashi did surprise me today during gym period. He asked Y/L/N to help him with his scrape. I wonder if anything interesting happened between the two when I left." Bokuto grins, tossing the volleyball up and slamming it against the wall again. "Scrape? Did he get hurt?" Konoha raises an eyebrow, twirling the volleyball in his hands.
"Yeah, I did because of that idiot." Akaashi appears between the two, eyeing Bokuto. Bokuto turns to look at Akaashi, getting hit in the face by his volleyball that bounces off the wall. "Serves you right." Akaashi smirks.
"Where?" Konoha looks at Akaashi, not seeing any injury. Akaashi raises his shorts up slightly to show his right knee. A Band-Aid plastered over it. "Did Y/L/N kiss it all better?" Konoha teases, laughing at his own joke. Bokuto seems intrigued, rubbing the side of his face. "Did she?" He asks. Akaashi closes his eyes, sighing in annoyance. "No. She cleaned up the scrape and placed a Band-Aid over it. That's all that happened." Konoha and Bokuto frown at his response.
"You really take things for granted Akaashi." Konoha drags out a sigh. "Moments like those are rare to come by."
"Especially how guilty she felt when she saw you getting hurt." Bokuto pouts. "I bet if you asked her to kiss your knee, she would."
"No she wouldn't." Akaashi cuts Bokuto's weird imaginations off. "OH! Imagine Y/L/N in a nurse outfit. She'd look so adorable." Konoha smirks over at Bokuto who's blushing at the idea, the tips of his ears red. He seems to fantasize deeply, jaw dropping slowly. Akaashi narrows his eyes on the two who are fantasizing lewd thoughts. He doesn't understand how his seniors can be so immature and horny all the time at their age. The two 18 and considered as an adult.
"Can you two not do that here. Have your sexual fantasies at home in your bedroom." Akaashi grimaces when he sees their blushing faces. Bokuto and Konoha both snap out of it, both feeling embarrassed now. "E-Excuse me, is Akaashi here?" An unfamiliar girl pops her head inside of the gym.
"Looks like another candidate is here to try the challenge." Konoha wears a lopsided smile, exhaling. "Akaashi could go out with a girl every single day in the school year and he'll still have plenty of girls left to mess with."
Akaashi bites his inner cheek when he hears Konoha's statement, ignoring him he walks up to the girl. "May I help you?" His low voice makes the girl blush. She shyly tucks her hair behind her ear.
Here it comes, the usual line.
Can we go somewhere quiet?
Akaashi recites the possible scenario in his mind.
"Is it okay if we talk somewhere more quiet?" The girl mutters out. Akaashi holds back the exhale that wants to escape from him, he silently nods his head. Konoha and Bokuto both watch Akaashi leave the gym with the girl.
"Want to bet she's going to cry or not?" Konoha glances at Bokuto with a Cheshire like smile. "What are we betting?" Bokuto grins, the two slowly inching their way out of the gym. "If she cries, the winner has to pay for the snacks after practice." Konoha extends his hand out. "Okay, sounds good. I'm betting she'll get angry." Bokuto firmly shakes Konoha's hand. "I'm betting she's going to cry then." Konoha smirks, the two of them hiding behind a few bushes.
"So, what did you need from me?" Akaashi cuts to the point, the two standing in the middle of a small section of the courtyard. The girl nibbles her bottom lip, clenching onto the ends of her skirt. Akaashi's seen this scene play on loop ever since the start of his second year. A different girl plays the confession role each time.
"Um..." The girl nervously stares at her shoes.
"You like me, right?" Akaashi bluntly asks the question. The girl stiffens, looking up at him with widen eyes. Her cheeks turn a rosy pink and she nods her head. "Now are you only confessing to me to complete the first rule of the challenge? Or are you genuinely trying to be my girlfriend?"
"Isn't Akaashi being a bit....rude?" Konoha whispers to Bokuto. The two never witness these interactions between Akaashi and a girl. Other than Y/L/N's failed attempt. "I think he's just being blunt like usual. So it comes off as rude?" Bokuto shrugs, leaning forward to hear the two's conversation better.
"No! I genuinely want to be your girlfriend Akaashi!" The girl yells out, her nervousness completely gone after hearing Akaashi's blatant attitude. "What makes you think you're different from other girls?" Akaashi murmurs, his gunmetal blue eyes expressionless when he glances at her, sliding his hands into his short pockets. She furrows her brows together, biting her lower lip. "What are you looking for in a girl Akaashi? I'm sure I meet those qualifications." She holds her ground, staring at Akaashi directly.
Konoha covers his mouth, eyes wide. "This girl has some spunk." Bokuto nods his head, smirking. "This is pretty interesting. I wonder what Akaashi plans to say."
Akaashi stays quiet for a moment. He never really thought about it.
What did he want in a girlfriend?
Bokuto and Konoha would say something ridiculous along the lines of having a girl with hot looks is enough. But that's not something Akaashi will cater to on a high pedestal.
"Akaashi?" The girl calls out his name, snapping his attention back to her.
"Not someone who's willing to change who they are just for the guy they like." He mumbles out, staring at the girl for a brief second before walking back towards the gym. She stands there in utter shock, hands clenching into a fist. She neither cries or gets angry. Hurt, she furrows her brows and clicks her tongue, running away.
Konoha and Bokuto stare at each other in silence. Neither of them won or lost the bet.
"Akaashi's a dick." Konoha mutters out. Bokuto bursts into laughter. "He was just being honest Konoha."
"Yeah but he couldn't decline her in a more gentle way? What do these girls even see in him." Konoha mutters under his breath, pouting. The two make their way back into the gym, noticing how annoyed Akaashi is after that confession.
Konoha and Bokuto stare at one another. "Why is he annoyed for? He broke a girls heart." Konoha scratches the side of his cheek. Akaashi clenches his teeth, slamming the volleyball onto the wall. It flies over his head when his feet lands onto the gymnasium floor. Everyone in the gym seems to tense up when they notice Akaashi's annoyance. "Do you think he's starting to get annoyed by the amount of partakers?" Bokuto taps a finger to his chin. Konoha rolls his eyes at Bokuto. "I think you should take the challenge down Bokuto." Bokuto frowns at the thought. "But, how else is Akaashi going to find someone who's special to him?"
"Not like this." Konoha points over at Akaashi, who's back to slamming the volleyball against the wall. "It must not feel pleasant to reject so many girls every day. And he has to deal with their tears."
Bokuto feels a bit guilty for not thinking about Akaashi's mental health. He created this challenge as a joke but maybe this two year long joke is causing Akaashi grief.
Akaashi catches the volleyball that's flying at an incredible speed. The frustration built up in him starts to simmer down. He just wants to enjoy his second year of high school without the guilty conscious of rejecting another girl. Seeing their tears and heartbroken face does affect him despite him not expressing it. Each rejection he makes, is another chip away from his own
emotions.
What even is love? What does it feel like? How can he put a stop to this challenge? Would things stop if he started lying about having a girlfriend?
Questions swirl in his mind as he weakly hits the volleyball against the wall.
A fake girlfriend.
The idea sounds ridiculous and an image of Bokuto pops up in Akaashi's mind. Only an idiot like Bokuto would suggest that kind of idea. But something about it gravitated to Akaashi. Having a fake girlfriend may help him understand what love can be like.
But who would play along with his lie?
He didn't exactly befriend any girls. For a second, Y/L/N crosses Akaashi's mind. His brows furrow together.
Why did she come in mind?
"Hey Akaashi, you alright over here?" Bokuto's loud voice booms next to Akaashi, he wears an awkward grin. Akaashi stares at him, not a smile or frown on his face. "Do I look alright to you?" Akaashi throws the volleyball towards Bokuto, crossing his arms.
"N-Not exactly..." Bokuto dryly chuckles, scratching the back of his neck. "Anything I can do to cheer up my bud?" Akaashi lowers his eyes to the waxed wooden floor, flicking his eyes back up to Bokuto. "Do you have her number?"
"Her, who?" Bokuto raises an eyebrow, lowering the volleyball from his chest. Akaashi bites his inner cheek, not wanting to say Y/L/N's name. Bokuto notices the troubled expression on Akaashi, speaking up again. "Her as in Y/L/N?"
"Yeah." Akaashi is quick to answer. Bokuto's awkwardness turns into curiosity, a raised eyebrow on his face. "I don't but, what do you need her number for?" Akaashi's lips frown slightly, brows furrowed. "This challenge is getting annoying, so I'm going to get a fake girlfriend."
"WHAT?!" Bokuto is taken aback, noticing the glare Akaashi throws at him.
"I'm just as surprised as you are Bokuto. To think my thought process dwindled down to something you would think of." Akaashi grimaces, scrunching his nose. "She's the only one I can think of who'd willingly play along. Despite how awkward she is around me, she's still meeting the standards of the current challenge. I'll just make something up for this one." Bokuto quietly listens for once, his face in utter disbelief. "You're talking about her like she's just doing these things as an assignment."
"Well, we both don't know why she gained interest in the challenge without having the ulterior motive to date me. I doubt it's to be my friend, she seemed relieved when I was away from her today." Akaashi catches him speaking more than usual. He's not surprised when Bokuto wears a sleazy smirk.
"Why don't you ask her yourself tomorrow? I'm sure she'll tell you her reasoning." Bokuto snickers, walking away with a pep in his step. Akaashi groans, ruffling his messy black hair.
Is this a good idea?