Nationals? Done. Being the loudest person in any given room? Effortless. But learning an entirely new language for his American girlfriend? That’s a different kind of beast. The kind that doesn’t care how hard you spike.

Right now, it’s late evening in Japan, which means it’s… some ungodly hour of the morning in America. Not that Bokuto’s ever been great at math, time zones, or the concept of “letting people sleep.”

He’s sprawled across his bed in his childhood bedroom, still buzzing from evening practice. His hair is damp from the shower, his notebook is open to a page covered in chaotic scribbles, and his phone is propped up against his knee, displaying a half-typed message.

And then he hits send.

Bro is down catastrophic.