"He saved me from the slums, he saw what I couldn't see in myself... So I will repay him... no matter what it takes."

****

Akaashi Keiji rarely yelled. 

He rarely got surprised by anything. Being around Bokuto Koutarou meant you couldn't lose your mind over every single thing; it didn't help the situation at all. It only made it worse. 

Thus, when he woke up in a room that wasn't his, that was so different from his own, he didn't panic. 

No, he took in a deep breath, got up, and screamed for precisely 10 seconds before he went back to his default face. 

Gosh, why did this only happen to him?

****

Tachibana Naoto knew of the supernatural. He was involved with it to some extent, but that was it. He only helped Takemichi in saving his sister. 

He didn't expect himself to be involved in it...

Not directly, at least. 

"Who the heck am I?" he mumbled as he stared at the mirror in front of him.

He still had black hair, slightly spiked as it was, but gone were his blue eyes, replaced with a color that was shifting between green and blue. A toned complexion, as if the person did sports, boasted itself through the mirror to the confused Naoto. 

Just what the heck was going on here? Even though he had just fallen asleep after bidding Takemichi good luck for his endeavors in the search for Mikey...

His eyes then caught a uniform set hanging nearby, and observed it. 

It actually reminded him of a high school student's outfit. 

He knew that this person couldn't be his high school self. Naoto hadn't worn a grey jacket in his school. He had worn the normal kind of outfit. 

Thus, as his detective skills kicked in, Naoto looked into the guy's phone. A particular chat with a Bokuto Koutarou gave him the most clues about who he was. 

Akaashi, apparently... 

... 

Wait. 

Was Akaashi his first name or his last??

Well, to him, it felt like a first name, so that was probably it. 

Plus, he didn't see any chats calling him another name, so he would just have to accept Akaashi as his first name. 

Yeah, that sounded right!

****

"Are you okay, Naoto?" 

Keiji looked at his supposed partner with a confused look, "What do you mean?" 

"You seem... well, off," the older male said. 

Off? What did that mean? 

"How so?" he asked bluntly. 

"Well... You're not... as expressive as usual?..." 

"Really?" Keiji had never actually thought much about it. Since he had to hold Fukurodani's brain cell, he had simply gotten used to not showing much of his feelings.  "How would you know that?" 

"Cause you have, like this routine of yours!" he threw his hands into the air. "You always get here at 4 am for no reason, scare the living daylights out of me when I come in and see you there cause I thought you were overworking for the umpteenth time, and then have coffee for lunch even though I tell you all the time you shouldn't, and then you work like it's your only thing to do in your life! I mean, honestly, I know that you're so focused on Bonten and the such, but come on!" 

Bonten? Who was that? 

Keiji decided to file it away for now, and said, "Should I be concerned about how you know it so well?" 

At that, the other flushed and looked away, "N-Never mind! S-Sheesh, such an idiot!" 

As Keiji watched him stomp away, somehow, he was reminded of Bokuto-san. Despite all the nonsense, Bokuto-san always found a way to make others laugh and smile, pushing them to their limits and soaring to the great beyond. 

It was what led him to Fukurodani, after all. 

A small smile, and a tint of red formed on his face. He looked like Bokuto-san during his emo modes... And it was cute. 

Keiji had never been one to hide his attraction for anyone, but he had to do it because it distracted him often during practice. He usually got someone to record Bokuto-san's spikes so once practice was over he could watch every spike with a smile in the privacy of his room. 

Now that he thought about it, that partner of his was really... cool... 

Once again, he blushed hard, and covered his face. He was a mess, wasn't he?

He then decided that he might as well do some research on Bonten AND perhaps some stuff about the body-swapping thing. Maybe it would provide some insight. 

The former led him to a bunch of websites regarding a criminal organization, and a bunch of delinquent-specialized psychologists had claimed that it used to be a biker gang. How it turned into something like this was still unknown. Keiji quickly scribbled those down on the notebook he had found upon waking up and then moved on to the next one. 

It led him to a lot of fictional stories of people swapping bodies, from those who were of different ages to those who only shared a town! 

It confused Keiji, really.

Did this have anything to do with the supernatural? He had heard stories from other teams about how the supernatural was real. (It didn't mean he believed in them, of course. He kept his logic to a high standard so as to keep the team steady.

It was a plausible idea, though. The only one that could explain his current situation.)

He then decided to check the forums. When he had started out as a setter for Fukurodani, he had been a mess due to dealing with Bokuto-san's emo modes. He had mentally panicked every time something stupid happened. 

But after asking for help through them, some people gave him tips, and from then on, his appreciation for forums had skyrocketed. 

Deciding that it was worth a shot, he typed forum beside the keywords he already had on the screen, and he found something interesting. 

"If you've been in a body swap for a day, do let us know! [P.S. Don't do it while you're in the body. It's best to do it in your own body.]"

"What the..." he mumbled, and clicked on the link to find out more. It didn't really mean much, apparently, because the information was fresh but the involved people themselves didn't know how to describe the feeling. They only listed out a bunch of stuff he shouldn't do, such as mention anything unrelated to the person he was impersonating. Typing didn't really matter, but they wanted him to retell the whole experience. 

He sighed and took a long sip out of his coffee. Wow, coffee really did help the nerves, huh? He was really glad about that. Otherwise, he would be a downright mess, and after the ten-second shout, he didn't really want to relive that. 

He then decided to try committing this website to memory so he could check up on it when he got back home. The people in the chat had said that it would only last for a day, after all.

Until then, he would just have to... what was the word again?

Right, relax. 

... Gosh he sounded like a mom now.

****

Tachibana Naoto was hating this experience, and the day had just passed noon. 

He had wanted to avoid a lot of things, and one of them was meeting up with the Fukurodani Volleyball team. He was anything but an athlete, and even if his body was probably used to it, his mind definitely wasn't. He didn't know the first thing about volleyball. 

So he had resorted to just plain ignorance. He knew that it wasn't a dream. He had pinched himself for way too many times. 

The second best option was that it wasn't permanent. (More of a earnest wish, but no one knows that.) The minimum, according to the many books he had read in his junior high years, was around a day. 

He was genuinely praying for that, because if this was permanent...

He didn't know if his sister and the others could deal with Akaashi. Takemichi would lose all his braincells, and Naoto couldn't let that happen when the two were so close to getting married. 

Either way, the slightly simple idea he had had in mind was DESTROYED the moment Bokuto Koutarou walked into the room, because, WOW, he looked crazy stunning. And Naoto could feel his heart racing. 

Dang it, he had tried so hard to hide his attraction to guys, especially since he worked with someone really amazing at work, but Bokuto Koutarou just had to destroy everything. 

"AKAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHIIIIIIII!" he cheered as he rushed in, like the wind was chasing him, and slammed his hands onto the desk. "LET'S GO PLAY VOLLEYBALL!!!!" 

"I-I'm sorry, Bokuto-san, but I'm not feeling too well today," Naoto decided to say as he grabbed his bag. Thank goodness class was over, so he could run away. 

"Oh... Keiji, are you sick?" the switch in tone surprised Naoto. It had gotten... softer. 

"Y-Yeah," he nodded. "I-I'm just feeling woozy..." 

"Then you should rest Keiji," he frowned. "You can stay in the infirmary if you want." 

"I-I'll be fine...." 

"But--" 

"It's okay..." Naoto gave him a soft smile. "I just need rest, Bokuto-san." 

"Promise me?" he asked quietly, squatting down to meet his eye seriously.

"Y-Yeah," the adult blushed slightly. How did Akaashi stay around him without losing his cool? 

Gosh... He was an absolute mess. 

But...

He couldn't help but like it. How he had changed his tone just for him, yet make it still sound like Bokuto Koutarou. 

He loved it. 

"... Alright then Akaashi!" he smiled brightly and nearly blinded Naoto as he got up and bounced away. "See you tomorrow then!" 

"S-See you tomorrow...." Naoto's voice grew softer while watching the other leave. 

His back... was so inspiring, Naoto couldn't help but think. 

And honestly? 

Naoto liked Bokuto, but his partner... Naoto couldn't leave the guy alone. 

So Naoto didn't mind. 

He would just have to text Akaashi Keiji once he was back in his body and yell at him, "JUST CONFESS ALREADY!" 

****

"Today... was really nice," Keiji mumbled while staring at the ceiling of Naoto's room. 

It was a nice breather, a break from the tiring yet fond routine he had with Bokuto-san. While he did love spending time with the other, getting energy from him often, sometimes Bokuto-san's... Bokutoness got to him.

Now don't get him wrong, he loved routine. It kept him ready for anything and everything that could come his way. 

But sometimes routines drained people, and it happened to Keiji often. 

Today had been such a fresh breeze, allowing him to see a whole new world. A world he hadn't seen before. 

Maybe it was time he reevaluated his future career. 

Being a detective seemed like something he could do. 

Keiji then smiled, and slowly closed his eyes as he let dreamland take him. 

I want to go back to Bokuto-san... Please, let it happen... 

Please let me be happy. This isn't my place...

****

Routine, to Naoto, had been a lifesaver. It had helped him pass the police academy with great marks, and allowed him to save Takemichi, allowed him to save his sister from the painful fate she was to get at the hands of Tetta Kisaki. 

But with the danger now past, and with this new point of view, he had to wonder if it was time for a change of routine.

Living as Akaashi Keiji, Naoto felt as if he was seeing the world through a different kind of lens. It had broadened his sight, allowed him to reach areas he would have never gotten to otherwise. 

This had also made him realise that for too long, he had never thought about himself; it had been about his sister. 

Maybe it was time to reconsider a lot of things, he decided as the exhaustion of the day caught up with him, and he closed his eyes, ready to return home, with his number saved in Keiji's phone as "You Used My Body".

****

The next day, Keiji didn't waste time, looking up the website from yesterday and typing out what he had gone through, before he texted Naoto, introducing himself before sending him the link to the website, adding in that it seemed like it was happening to a lot of people, so it would be nice to be able to help others by giving their testimonies. 

Naoto didn't mind, and quickly did so before texting Keiji, "By the way, mind if I save your contact as "Bokuto Keiji?" "

Keiji's only reply was, "I'll do the same to you." 

Naoto found that he didn't mind it as much as he should. 

****

"The magic is growing stronger... I can feel it... Soon... The time is coming."