BokuAtsu

BokuAtsu
GENERAL
Haikyu!!
Character	Kōtarō Bokuto
Character	Atsumu Miya
Canonical?	Fanon
Status of Relationship	Best Friends/Teammates
IN FANDOM
Type (?)	Slash
Also Known As	AtsuBoku, BkAts, Kotsum

BokuAtsu is the slash ship between Kōtarō Bokuto and Atsumu Miya from the Haikyu!! fandom.

Canon

Pre-timeskip, Bokuto first saw Atsumu during the Inarizaki vs Karasuno match, where in the manga he ignored Akaashi's comment related to Osamu's abilities, so he could compare him to Atsumu's skills in some way that didn't make that much sense. When Akaashi then looked confused, and replied by asking Bokuto how Atsumu's talent was relevant to what he had just said about Osamu.

The next match involving Fukurodani was after they'd finished watching Inarizaki, where Bokuto was a lot different with his playing style than in any of his previous matches. He began trying to gain support from the people watching him while he served, the same way he'd admired Atsumu for influencing the people watching him. This shows how much Atsumu inspired Bokuto with the level of control he had over his school when it came to his serves.

Post-timeskip, they were introduced together when Atsumu was depressed after embarrassing himself at a fan event. Their teammates were whispering about them, basically saying that Atsumu wouldn't have been half as embarrassed if one other person there didn't get all the laughs, "and the slip-up is only part of it" ,, "I think what's really getting to him is that you-know-who got all the laughs." right before they showed Bokuto checking on him to make sure he was doing okay. Suggesting that "you-know-who" is actually Bokuto.

During the middle of the match between MSBY v. Alders, Bokuto started getting into his own head. He matured since high school so it was subtle, but Atsumu picked up on it and it went to a flashback of their first ever interaction. Bokuto referred to Atsumu as "Tsum Tsum," immediately, although they haven't interacted prior to that, which suggests Bokuto spent quite a bit of time talking about Atsumu after the Inarizaki v. Karasuno match, that he developed a nickname for him at some point.

Throughout the MSBY v. Alders match, Atsumu mostly focuses on setting the ball specifically to Bokuto after picking up on his mood when he failed to score some points. This shows Atsumu wanted him to score a point so he wouldn't feel insecure about his abilities anymore, showing that although he said he wouldn't put up with Bokuto's emo mode, he does care to make him feel better and not be sad. Then once he scores a point and feels better, he's back to encouraging Atsumu before his serve.

Atsumu isn't seen wanting friends up until the timeskip, signifying that he was only okay with having no one as long as he had Osamu. But he desperately tries to make friends and join in on what everyone else is doing, and the only two characters that seem to return the favor is Bokuto and Hinata. Hinata is friends with everyone, which doesn't make Atsumu all that special to him, but Bokuto really makes the effort to ensure Atsumu is doing well and feels okay.

Fanon

In spite of how much canon material they have hinting at their relationship, BokuAtsu is a rare pair, being overshadowed by BokuAka and SakuAtsu. Their individual nicknames for each other, Bokuto calling Atsumu "tsum tsum," and Atsumu returning the favor by calling him "bokkun." They're the only ones who refer to each other with these nicknames. Bokuto also has a nickname for Osamu, although him and Akaashi both use that nickname, so perhaps it doesn't hold all that much weight.

Due to an "error" in the art of the manga, where "Bokuto," was drawn out on what's very obviously Atsumu's jersey, as he was setting the ball directly to Bokuto, fans have joked that the two are now married.

On AO3, there are currently 190+ written works.

Fandom

FAN FICTION

Kotaro/Atsumu tag on AO3