Upon feeling his phone buzz in his pocket, Akaashi pulled out his phone and sighed, reading the message. Even through the screen, Bokuto managed to be show the same energy level as a child.

[ 1:32 pm ] Bokuto: hey hey hey !!!

[ 1:33 pm ] Akaashi: Hi.

[ 1:33 pm ] Bokuto: :0

[ 1:33 pm ] Bokuto: that was fasttt

[ 1:35 pm ] Bokuto: anyway, i was thinking there's not really a whole lot of stuff to do around here besides swimming and you've probably done a lot of swimming already sooo i was wondering if you wanted to go to the arcade or something loll

Akaashi took a moment to process the message. Usually, the lack of punctuation and capitalization would have unnerved him badly, but he didn't care as much when it was Bokuto. He typed a response quickly, standing up from the couch as he did. His sister grumbled at him to sit back down, but he brushed her off and sent the message without a word.

[ 1:36 pm ] Akaashi: Sure. I'll meet you at the arcade at two.

~~~

Bokuto let out a loud cheer as the screen flashed "VICTORY!" at him. He had made it his personal goal to beat every game in the arcade, and he was on the eighth (out of thirty). Around him, few games were actually being used, which was surprising, considering it was a Friday afternoon in the middle of summer. Perks of being in a small town, huh?

"Did you see that? That was so cool!" Bokuto shouted.

"Yes, it was." Akaashi's voice was so monotonous that his statement could have been taken either sarcastically or genuinely, and Bokuto decided to believe the latter. (As did Akaashi, though he didn't admit it.)

At Akaashi's words, Bokuto flashed him a bright smile and punched his fist up in the air. "Yes! I'm the best." Even though the arcade was dark due to the black walls and dark floor, Bokuto's grin seemed to light up the room.

He practically jumped over to the ninth game, so eager to continue his streak of eight straight wins that he accidentally left Akaashi to pick up the tickets he had won. This next one was a racing game, and Bokuto knew he could get first place. . . . Or so he thought.

Three races and three loud "Last Place"'s later, Bokuto stepped away from the console, his head low and his shoulders slouched. He turned away from Akaashi, posed dramatically with one hand on his chest and the other on his forehead, and said, "I can't do it. Don't let me play anymore, Akaashi. Find someone better to win."

Akaashi just sighed and crossed his arms. "You're the only one playing right now, so you're automatically the best at it. I can't find someone better since there's no one—"

With wide, surprised eyes, Bokuto turned back around to see Akaashi, sudden realization dawning on him. "You're right! I am the best!" He went to the console again. "Watch, I'll win this round!" His hair even seemed to stand taller as he pressed the play button.

Sure enough, Bokuto won, getting first place by a long shot. He beat the next three games with ease, shouting about his greatness and, unsurprisingly, getting louder with every victory cheer. Even though Bokuto was being incessantly noisy, Akaashi was glad he was back to his usual, energetic self.

Suddenly, Bokuto paused when he reached the next game. It was a giant claw machine, one that was taller than him by at least a foot. Inside, giant stuffed animals were lounging about, covering the walls and floor within the cube. Smaller toys were hidden in between the larger ones, staring up at the ceiling as if watching for the claw to choose them.

"How do I win this one?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Akaashi thought for a moment. "Maybe you choose a toy, and if you get it, you win, but if you don't, you lose."

"Whoa, Akaashi! That's so smart!" Bokuto said, face full of awe. "Hm . . . which stuffie do I want? Wait, you should choose!"

"What? Why me?"

"Because you helped me figure out the way to win!"

"Oh, okay." He pointed to a medium-sized toy by the side of the cage. "That one. It won't be too hard, but it won't be easy either."

"Anything for you," Bokuto smirked. He began cleverly moving the controllers, driving the giant claw toward the toy. He glanced around to make sure the claw was in a good spot, pressed the drop button, and leaned back to watch as it picked up the stuffed toy, smiling up at Akaashi. The claw dropped it into the prize bin and Bokuto grabbed it, handing it to Akaashi, who took it with his free hand. (His other was carrying the tickets Bokuto had accumulated.) "Why an owl?" he asked.

"I like owls."

"Really?" Bokuto said eagerly. "Owls are so cool!"

Akaashi plainly nodded in agreement. "Well, you won that game. That makes thirteen wins."

"Yep! Only seventeen more to go."

~~~

After two more hours at the arcade, Bokuto finally beat every game. He had racked up so many tickets Akaashi was struggling to carry them all and had taken to wrapping them around his shoulders, until Bokuto grabbed them to cash them in and check out the prize booth. He spent all 1873 tickets on candy, which Akaashi found highly concerning but didn't bother to stop.

Once Bokuto was done, he dragged Akaashi out of the arcade and back into the fresh, salty sea air. "That was great!" he yelled, putting a piece of candy into his mouth.

"It was," Akaashi said. "Thank you for suggesting it."

"Of course!" he shouted happily. "Wait, if you had so much fun, why did you stand still and watch the whole time?"

"I prefer that to actually being part of things. It's easier that way."

"Oh, okay," Bokuto said, continuing on, unfazed. The two had started walking back to the beach, which was only about fifteen minutes away from the arcade. "Hey, Akaashi?" Bokuto turned his head to look at him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why here?"

"What?"

"Why are you visiting this town here?" he asked. "I'm just curious since there are other beaches in Japan."

"My mom said that this town had the only beach she hadn't yet visited in Japan, so now we're here. I don't really mind, though," he added. "I like it here. It's nice."

"Aw, Akaashi, that's so sweet!"

Akaashi rolled his eyes, clutching his new stuffed toy closer to his chest. "Oh, also, thank you for the toy—Wait, what are you doing?"

"Say cheese!" Bokuto held up his phone, taking a quick photo of Akaashi before stretching his arm up into the air so the smaller boy couldn't reach it. Since he was just an inch shorter, his fingertips nearly reached Bokuto's, but not quite."You were too cute to not take a picture! I want to remember this!"

Akaashi glared at him, crossing his arms in bitter defeat while Bokuto glanced down at his phone, cursing when he saw the time. "I'm sorry, Akaashi, but I have to run, my shift starts in twenty minutes and I still need to get to the store. I'll text you later, alright?"

"Okay. Goodbye, Bokuto."

"Bye, cutie!"

He ran off, abandoning the sidewalk to cut through an empty road. Akaashi was left in silence, suddenly alone with his wandering mind while he continued to walk back to the beach house. He didn't entirely understand the way he was feeling—bunches of little butterflies were fluttering in his stomach at the thought of Bokuto complimenting him with something as simple as "cute." It was a strange, exhilarating feeling, all while being utterly terrifying, making the jittery butterflies fly both excitedly and nervously.

Akaashi wanted to talk to Bokuto more, not only to figure out what made him so intriguing and whether his hair was dyed or not, but also because he felt ecstatic at just the idea of hanging out with him, getting closer, even becoming actual friends.

Akaashi had never been one to keep friends for long. Ever since he started school, he had moved around from person to person, becoming temporary friends with them by sitting together at lunch or playing together outside of school. But once he moved to junior high, he stopped making an effort to have friends. He knew that they were going to leave—everyone always did. And it hurt. So, he stopped trying.

But Bokuto. . . . Akaashi didn't know why, but some strange part of him wanted him to try. He wanted to be friends with Bokuto and he wanted to make an effort for him. They could become friends, and maybe Akaashi could finally find someone that would stay.

That hope was wonderful to Akaashi, at least in the moment. The feeling spread from his heart all through his body, making his lips curve upwards into a small (but unstoppable) smile and his brain go fuzzy, in the best possible way.