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It really starts out of the blue, one sweltering summer day in Kenma's living room. Kuroo lays sprawled across the couch with Kenma curled against his side, tapping away at his PSP.
"Hey. Kenma."
"... What?"
Kuroo prods at the blonde setter until he looks up from his game. The leer on Kuroo's face is nothing new, but Kenma feels his hackles rising nonetheless.
"Like my new shirt?"
"It's... plain black."
"But it's made of boyfriend material," Kuroo says, cackling when Kenma smacks a pillow in his face.
It doesn't end there. Apparently, it was only start of the madness, for, the next day at school, Kuroo seeks him out after second period just as Kenma's heading to his next class.
"Kenma, wait up!"
He debates pretending he doesn't see Kuroo barrelling up the staircase with his book bag slung over his shoulder, a toothy grin on his face. He ends up waiting awkwardly at the top of the stairwell, wondering what the hell Kuroo looks so panicked about, when the other boy grabs him fiercely by both shoulders.
"Kuro?" He shifts uncomfortably, feeling the weight of curious stares. It's rush hour, and they're blocking the only exit.
"I forgot my library card!"
"... You don't even read — "
Kuroo continues undeterred. "But do you mind if I check you out?"
"..."
Kenma's brow twitches. He slips under Kuroo's arm, dodging the grabby hands and quickly darts to his next class, hugging his bag to his chest. He hears Kuroo calling after him, but thankfully doesn't try to follow. It wouldn't do if Kuroo saw the smile fighting its way onto his lips and the hint of red on his cheeks.
Just what is he up to?
To Kenma's simultaneous relief and chagrin, Kuroo doesn't try anything for the next three days, leaving him twitchy and suspicious. He almost chalks it off as another one of Kuroo's short-lived phases, but on the fourth day, Kuroo corners him after a gruelling practice game with Karasuno, a glint in his dark hooded eyes.
Kenma caps his water bottle warily, looking every inch an easily started kitten.
"Kenma."
"Kuro. Don't."
Kuroo does. With passion. "Your body is 75% water, and I'm thirsty!"
"..."
"Wait! Kenma! Don't! Aw, jeez, that's cold! ... Kenmaaaaaa, did you have to pour it down my shirt?"
"It's 65 percent, not 75. At least get that much right."
The Nekoma captain rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, seriously? Damn, thought I nailed that one for sure. Hey, no way... are you smiling? You're smiling, aren't you? Was that one funny —"
Kenma flees after tossing his empty bottle at Kuroo's head. It's only when he locks the door behind him that he smacks his cheeks with his hands, wondering what's gotten into him that he'd wanted to laugh at Kuroo's dumb pick up line; in front of his team and Karasuno at that. And he wonders why Kuroo's delighted grin when he'd noticed Kenma's smile had sent his heart into a fury.
His own curious responses aside, he begins getting the picture of what Kuroo is after. Especially when he becomes increasingly persistent after what Kenma likes to stubbornly refer to as the 'Great Failure' incident.
He also becomes increasingly embarrassing.
After practice that day, when the team splits off at the branching road, Coach Nekomata offers to treat them all to yakitori. Kenma weighs food against playing his new game in the safety of his bedroom, and it's obvious which of the two wins out. He politely declines, waving his teammates goodbye.
Kuroo grabs his wrist to stop him.
"Sorry Coach, I'm gonna have to pass this time, too. I think I'll follow Kenma home instead..."
Kenma swallows, wondering if he should run for it. Kuroo's grip tightens like he knows.
"... After all, I've always been told to follow my dreams."
The ensuing silence is palpable.
"Hyuuuuuuuu! Nice one, Captain!" Lev finally chortles, coyly putting a hand to his mouth, and the team bursts into fervour. Kenma watches them laugh it off with relief. When he looks up, Kuroo's easy grin settles the nerves in his stomach.
"Let's hear another one!" Inuoka pipes up.
"Sorry, no can do," Kuroo drawls. "These are only for our cute setter!"
Before Kuroo can crack another one, Kenma slips hurriedly away. But when he hears Kuroo jogging to catch up, he may or may not have slowed down, letting the taller boy fall into step beside him.
The walk home that day is quiet, but not uncomfortable. It never is with Kuroo.
"Was Kenma-san smiling just now?" Lev stage whispers, watching their setter and captain's backs disappear around a corner. "He totally was, wasn't he?"
"Shut up, idiot," Yaku snaps, elbowing Lev in the stomach, but can't help but wonder the same.
Kuroo and Kenma are both busy with school work, diligently scribbling the rest of the afternoon away, so Kenma doesn't expect anything else from Kuroo. After all, there's no audience around to laugh it off in the quiet of Kenma's room.
He really should've known better.
The Nekoma Captain is never known for wasting an opportunity, so when his lead snaps off his pencil, Kuroo stares at the object gravely for minutes, mulling it over in his head. Kenma looks up from his laptop, curling his toes in his socks.
"Do you... need another pencil?" he asks.
"No way. This pencil... it reminds me of you."
"What."
Kuroo holds out the stubby ended pencil like a trophy. "'Cause life without you would be just like this: pointless."
"..."
Kenma chucks a pen at his face, hiding his smile behind his laptop screen.
After that, things start to change.
Kenma forgets his house keys in the locker room after practice and calls Kuroo to bring him his set, as Kuroo has had Kenma's spare since 4th grade after finding them behind the big flower pot and Kenma hadn't asked for them back.
Kuroo picks up after 3 rings.
"O-ho?"
"... You should really stop doing that."
"No way, it's cool. 'Sides, Bokuto does it, too."
"That's exactly why you should stop," Kenma mutters, sitting down on his porch.
"Anyway, what's up? Miss me already? I actually just got back home right now, so nice timing."
Kenma rolls his eyes. Today was one of the rare days where Kuroo and Kenma went home separately, as Kuroo had to drop something off for his mother. Usually, Kenma would've went with him, but he has a project due tomorrow that he isn't even close to finished.
"Actually..." he fidgets, hating to ask anyone for a favour, even if it's Kuroo. "I forgot my keys, so I'm locked out."
Without missing a beat, Kuroo says, "You don't need keys to drive me crazy."
Kenma hangs up. He briefly wonders if he should jog back to his mother's workplace, or just wait it out on the porch with his PSP, when his phone rings again. He picks up reluctantly.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself." Kuroo sounds breathless, like he'd been laughing himself crazy just moments ago. "I'll be over soon; just give me, like... 10 minutes, 'kay?"
"'Kay. Thanks, Kuro," he mumbles.
"Don't sit under the sun," Kuroo says. "You'll burn up while you wait."
Kenma squints up at the sky; wonders how Kuroo always knows. "... Okay."
"Oh, and did I leave some papers in your room? I haven't been able to find them."
"Yeah, your university application... It's there." A pause. "I only saw the Tokyo application, though. I don't know where the others are."
"Haha, well, that's fine," Kuroo says breezily. "Since that's the only one I'm applying to."
Kenma's breath hitches. "Your... dad?"
"It's fine, Kenma. It's a good school. And I can't go too far, right? Who else would kick your ass at Mario Kart? Anyway, I'm heading over now. I'll see ya in a bit."
"Okay. See you."
Kenma stares at his phone, at Kuroo's name blinking at him on the screen and the ridiculous picture Kuroo had set for himself of a panther curled around a tabby house cat, and thinks.
Kuroo shows up as promised in no more than 10 minutes in nothing but a black tank and khaki shorts, his Nekoma sweater tied around his waist. Kenma stands up with a stretch.
"Told ya not to sit in the sun," he says as greeting, unlocking Kenma's door and holding it open for him. Kenma hurries into the coolness of his air conditioned house, dumping his bag at the shoe racks.
He presses at the reddening skin of his bare shoulders with a wince.
"Is that a sunburn, or are you always this hot?"
Kuroo laughs when Kenma turns on his heel and marches resolutely into the kitchen, trailing leisurely after the small blonde.
"C'mon Kenma, smile. I know you're not angry."
That's what he says, but he's clearly not expecting Kenma to do anything of that sort, because when Kenma lets his lips pull up at the corners and his eyes sparkle with mirth, he trips over his own feet, barely catching himself against the counter.
"Shit."
Then, Kenma laughs— laughs — and Kuroo feels something hot flare up in his chest and settle to his stomach; it feels a little like flying with his feet on the ground.
This is one victory that's for him alone, and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Thanks... Kuro."
And Kuroo's reply may or may not have been a flurry of kisses and grabbing hands that end with Kenma's lips fitting perfectly against his own, and the soft heat of their sweat-dampened skin sliding against each other when clothes feel like too much resistance.
Kenma's smile doesn't fade throughout the ensuing week, something that has the Nekoma players at a complete loss, and if their captain had anything to do with it, his smug smile would be the only indicator.
Bonus:
Kenma takes a breath to steel himself. He glances at Kuroo's profile from the corner of his eye, the tall captain yawning obliviously. They're nowhere near the school yet, and there's a notable lack of pedestrians around, so he decides this would be an optimal opportunity to exact his revenge.
"Kuro?"
Kuroo hums in question, glancing down.
"Your hands are free, right?"
"Uh... yeah. Your bag too heavy or something? I could carry it for you," he offers.
Kenma shakes his head; pulls in another deep breath.
"Then... W-Would you... " He turns away from Kuroo's probing gaze, but holds his hand out, and asks in a rush, "Would you hold this for me?"
Nothing happens for a moment, and Kenma risks a glance back to see Kuroo has stopped walking, staring at him with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. His own cheeks heat up and he almost pulls his hand back, but Kuroo snatches it up in his with great force. He laces their fingers together, tight.
"Yeah. Yeah, no problem."
The rest of the walk has Kuroo content to swing their hands between them, while Kenma dies internally of mortification. He wonders desperately about how Kuroo managed to pull all those cheesy lines without wanting to kill himself from sheer embarrassment.
It's only when they get to school that the situation settles in for Kuroo as well, and it has him doubled over in breathless, hiccupping laughter. Kenma has to hold his cheeks to keep the fire from spreading.
"Y-Yeah, I get it," Kuroo manages out. "Pretend it never happened. Got it. Hahahaha..."
Kenma promptly knees him in the stomach.
fin