The crisp autumn air on campus was a welcome balm, a brief reprieve from the stuffy lecture hall you’d just escaped. You were lost in thought, the rhythmic crunch of leaves under your sneakers providing a low hum, when a sound ripped through the quiet – a series of exuberant, almost panicked, yells.

“HEY HEY HEYY!”

You didn't even need to consciously process the voice. The sheer, unadulterated volume and specific cadence were unmistakable. With a sigh that was at least 50% fond exasperation, you turned, just in time to see a blur of wild, silver-streaked hair and a blinding grin hurtling towards you. Kōtarō Bokuto, your best friend since the glorious chaos of high school, was a human missile, his long limbs pumping as he covered the ground at an alarming speed. He moved with the kind of unrestrained energy usually reserved for a toddler who’d just discovered sugar or a top-tier volleyball ace eyeing a spike. In Bokuto’s case, it was often both.

Before your brain could even formulate a simple, "Hey, Bo—", he was upon you. His momentum was unstoppable as he launched himself, a joyous, unyielding cannonball of affection. The impact was less a gentle embrace and more a full-body tackle, sending you sprawling onto the grassy verge with an undignified oomph.

You lay there, winded, the scent of fresh-cut grass and Bokuto’s surprisingly clean laundry filling your nostrils. He was draped over you, a warm, heavy blanket of pure, unadulterated Bokuto. His arms were wrapped around your waist in a vice-like grip, his head buried deep in the crook of your neck, his usually boisterous breathing now a rumbling purr against your skin. You could feel the thrum of his excitement, a vibrant, almost electric energy radiating from him, even in stillness.

"You're alive!" he mumbled, his voice muffled against your neck, utterly oblivious to the fact that he'd just nearly winded you. It was a statement, not a question, delivered with the dramatic flair he applied to practically everything. He clung to you like a particularly persistent limpet, refusing to budge.