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When Yamamoto Taketora’s senpais graduated last spring, he knew that Nekoma’s last true voice of reason went with them. Calm and down to Earth Kai, straightforward and short tempered Yaku, and their clever former captain Kuroo would always make the most of their weeks of summer camp with as little pain as possible. Yes, they trained hard, and yes, they goofed around— but at no point during those past camps did Tora find himself standing almost alone and helpless in the middle of the dark, spooky forest on a dare.
“ A test of courage, ” Yuki called it. Taketora called it certain death in an obvious horror movie set up. Not helping was Fukunaga, and his insistence on creating atmosphere. With the lights turned off and everyone gathered in a circle, he turned on a flashlight and placed it under his chin before rattling off about the haunted woods and the shrieks of the departed in his soft voice, almost a whisper. Really, it was the most Tora had ever heard him speak, and of course it was for the purpose of theatrics and fear.
“Long ago,” he began, voice kitten-soft. “This school was built over the graves of a family murdered by a masked maniac…whose masks were made from the skin of his victims…who he also decapitated…”
The whole thing was so obviously made up, but it still made Lev and Yuki shake as they held each other and listened to the story. The first-years all huddled together, and Tora…well, okay. Maybe Fukunaga was a good story teller, and maybe his tale of blood and headless corpses roaming the woods got to him.
Not that anyone needed to know he felt even an ounce of fear. Hell no! Now he was the big senpai on the team, and the captain all of their juniors looked up to for support and guidance. All of them were so excited at the prospect of a Summer Camp Test of Courage that he just couldn’t bring himself to say no…and risk looking lame and boring. Damn it . Yamamoto Taketora had guts, and he wasn’t afraid of some dark haunted trees that probably couldn’t even catch up to him if he ran!
At least the dare was simple enough. The school hosting them was out in the suburbs and surrounded by several kilometers of woods and hills, and its gym was itself located in the oldest part of the building. In the waning hours of a hot summer day, shadows from the trees would dance against the grass and walls and fireflies buzzed around them in a haze. The air was thick and humid, the breeze was subtle, the sky was getting darker and darker…it was obvious what they had to do. Each boy would set out in pairs through the dense woods ahead with nothing but their wits, their phones, and whatever spare bravado they had left after a day of practice matches.
The plan was, go in as a group, pick your partner, go in separate directions, walk for at least a half hour, and find your way back to base: the gym. Really, Tora was no coward! So what if this was a scenario out of a horror movie, and so what if it was a natural human urge to be scared of dark, sense woods and what lies within; he was Yamamoto Taketora, captain and ace, and if something snuck up from behind and tried to kill him, he would just fight back!
In fact, the hardest part of this challenge turned out to be his partner.
Even in the dark spooky woods, Kozume Kenma managed to look bored. He had been the most reluctant to take part, only agreeing after the juniors promised to go into town afterwards and grab him ice cream. As they walked side by side on a barely visible forest trail, surrounded by scurrying critters and hooting owls, Kenma yawned.
“Ugh, my feet hurt…we should be in bed by now.”
“Pfft, you’d be playing games all night anyway! Sleep is way more satisfying after light exercise like this!”
Kenma didn’t reply; instead, in the ever dimming light of dusk, he could just barely make out his teammate’s deep, disgusted grimace. It was very typical Kenma, very blunt and cat-like. What wasn’t usually typical was the warmth spreading across Tora’s cheeks at the sight of it.
That little side-effect of Kenma being Kenma was…new. Sort of. Tora couldn’t quite put a word to what it was he was feeling beyond strange. Very strange. Kenma was a strange guy afterall, and Tora knew their relationship had never been easy. Kenma was blunt where Tora was a bit more tactful; Tora was undoubtedly hotheaded, where Kenma was quiet and analytical, needing to be pushed to the brink in order to snap back. It was rough getting used to being on a team with someone so outwardly unmotivated, but through the past almost three years, Tora liked to think they had settled into a genuine friendship based in comradery and trust.
So why the hell had he been making him feel so weird lately? He felt their solitude skin deep as soon as they walked off together, disappearing into the dark and away from their teammates prying eyes. They were friends, yes. Kenma’s stare shouldn’t be making his stomach flip and his cheeks burn.
Maybe he picked Kenma to be his partner here precisely because it would distract him from the ambiance of a haunted forest.
Tora cleared his throat. “So, should we use our phones as a flashlight? It’s starting to get darker-- WHOA!”
Kenma gasped as his foot caught on a raised tree root, nearly sending him face-first down onto the forest floor. He was caught by virtue of Tora’s quick reflexes. He managed to catch his teammate with one arm behind his back. Kenma weighed practically nothing in his arm, even as he went stiff with muted shock. Moonlight spilled out behind the clouds, revealing both the offending tree root and Kenma’s pale, wide-eyed stare.
“Well, see what I mean? Are you okay?!”
Kenma looked left, right, and then up at Tora as he blinked. “Uh, I’m fine. That root came out of nowhere.”
He could feel Kenma’s already labored breathing, and it was hard not to chuckle. Maybe he wasn’t afraid of the dark, but he sure hated that little surprise. Tora took the opportunity to tease:
“A small walk like this, and you’re already tired?”
“We’ve only been playing volleyball all day,” Kenma glared. “So excuse me for being worn out.”
“Aw, don’t take it the wrong way! Ya know, you’ve gotten so brave over the past year…I’m almost proud of you.”
Kenma took that as his cue to push away and straighten himself up— even in the summer heat, Tora’s arm suddenly felt cold. His teammate dusted himself off and made sure to roll his ankle, finding it thankfully sprain-free. With another sigh, he said, “Ugh, you sound like Kuro.”
Somehow, that brought a smile to Tora’s face…as well as a strange knot in his stomach.
“It’s because I’m a natural leader who you trust with your life, yeah?!”
“Pfft, sure. And your tendency to say corny shit.”
The two continued on, now aided by a steady stream of pale moonlight and twinkling stars. If nothing else, at least the night was beautiful. He took in a deep breath, and tried with straining eyes to observe their surroundings as they walked. These woods had clearly seen plenty of use, with a well worn trail weaving through scattered trees and evidence of students left here and there. Tora nearly jumped when he stepped on a soda can, and was quick to kick it away.
Honestly, this wasn’t so bad. Even if the sound of wind rustling through the trees in the dark gave him goosebumps.
At some point, comfortable silence set in. Kenma was never one for chitchat, as Tora was well aware, but he stood close enough for his shirt to brush against Tora’s arm and reassure him that he wasn’t completely alone in the dark. The moonlight would sometimes peek through the trees and hit Kenma just right, hallowing him in a soft white glow that highlighted his strangely delicate features. His hair was almost down to his shoulders now and pulled back into a loose bun in order to keep his neck from overheating. He never bothered to re-dye his hair blonde after that first time, and now it had gotten to a point where it was almost evenly split between his natural dark brown and yellow bottle blonde. Kenma’s eyes were more gold than brown, and there was almost something of an inhuman quality about them even as they were framed by tired dark circles.
Shit , Tora thought. Is Kenma pretty? That thought made his body temperature go from hot to sweltering…but that was totally just the summer heat. He thanked God for the darkness, however, seeing as Kenma would never know just how hard Tora was staring.
Once again, Tora cleared his throat.
“Do you know how much further we need to go?”
Kenma shook his head. “I’ll be honest, I’ve kind of been wandering aimlessly and following you.” He let out another yawn. “It’s been kind of peaceful, actually. Uh…” He took a quick glimpse at his phone, squinting at its harsh light. “It’s been fifteen minutes.”
“Only fifteen?!”
Tora stopped them both for a moment, looking around as best as he could at the trail they had been following. Only fifteen minutes, and any lights from the school behind them were gone. The treeline behind them was dark and uninviting in a way that not even the scattered fireflies could soften. It was like they were swallowed by the woods themselves, separated from their teammates, no noise to indicate there was anyone besides them wandering through the trees.
Wooooooooooossssshhhh.
“Mm—!!!” Tora felt a chill run up his spine. “L-Let’s keep going, yeah?!”
Kenma nodded, and they walked on. “So…you’re scared?”
“NO, I absolutely am not! You think I’d be afraid of some stupid trees?”
The look Kenma gave him said that he was not convinced. If this were two, maybe even one year ago, Tora would have been absolutely willing to start a fight with him over that. For now, he kept his cool, and took a deep breath through his nose.
“Whatever, let’s keep going!”
“...okay.”
The further they walked, the cooler the air became. Tora tried his best to ignore the sound of animals running past and leaves crunching from who knows where. Kenma remained silent beside him. Of course none of this made Kenma flinch— Tora could only imagine the amount of horror games he had played with a straight face.
“You know, uh…” Kenma began, fidgeting with his finger. “I’m not judging you for being scared. It’s natural. The woods are creepy.” He could just barely make out Kenma’s little grin. “And it’s not like you don’t have the guts, right?”
Tora gritted his teeth. “You know, Kenma, if that’s some weird way to encourage me—”
SNAP
It was as if the wind had been knocked from his lungs. Tora and Kenma both stood rigid, frozen as statues as their heartraced reached a feverpitch.
“D-d-did you hear…?”
“Sssshhhh,” Kenma slapped a hand over his mouth. “Someone’s close.”
Like hell someone was close! Tora hadn’t heard a breath of a hint of another human being the entire time they were there. If one of their teammates was close by, it was somebody with uncanny levels of stealth. He swallowed back whatever was climbing up his throat and pushed Kenma’s (warm, soft) hand away.
“Well then let’s get moving!”
SNAP
The shriek he let out was embarrassing enough; the way he clung to Kenma was even worse. “Someone’s here, SOMEONE’S HERE!”
“Shut up!!!”
Another snap, and Tora was about ready to hightail it out of there. Poor Kenma was being squeezed for dear life, but both of them remained frozen in fear. Leaves crunched closer and closer, and a nearby bush began to rustle despite a sudden lack of wind.
Something was about to pop out. Tora shoved Kenma behind him and found his courage.
“Whoever you are, COME OUT! I’m not goin’ down without a fight, buddy!!!”
“I don’t think that will help if it’s an animal—”
“Hi.”
“ AAHHHGHHH !”
Tora’s heart was stuck in his throat as a voice like a ghostly whisper greeted them, stomach dropping, palm clammy as he squeezed an equally spooked Kenma tightly to his form. We’re gonna die here , he thought. We’re actually gonna be killed by a headless ghost!!! Figures he would die in the middle of the woods during a Nekoma summer camp; what kind of luck was that?! Would the team remember their ace and captain fondly, even as he died in a desperate attempt to save his own teammate’s life?! And not just any teammate. Kenma was warm and steady in his arms, the closest they had ever been outside of team embraces. He would never see that weirdly pretty face in the light ever again, and now all that was left…
“KENMA!” He began. “Kenma, listen to me! If we’re going to die, I need you to know--!”
“TORA, shut up! It’s Fukunaga!”
“HUH?!”
Sure enough, when they both looked up, their enigmatic friend crouched in a bush with a smile on his face and a flashlight under his chin. He looked like a demonic trickster cat god come to terrorize Taketora for his hubris, and at that point Tora was convinced he was!
“F-FUKUNAGA! WHAT THE HELL?!”
The two separated, and Fukunaga shined the light back on them as he snickered.
“Sorry,” was all he said. Kenma pushed back from Tora and stared dumbfounded, all the while barely holding back a laugh.
“You…did you follow us this whole time?” He covered the smile cracking on his face. “Seriously? Are you crazy?”
“Sorry,” Fukunaga said again, though his smile said otherwise. Tora had never wanted to strangle him more.
“Sorry, my ass! I thought I was dead for sure!”
Fukunaga shook his head. “Dying from fear is unlikely in a healthy seventeen year old.”
“YOU…!”
“Pfft…” That’s when Kenma lost it. Tora watched in baffled amazement as he bent over and laughed, completely free of any panic and fear he’d felt mere moments ago. “Some test of courage, huh? You really are funny, Fukunaga.”
“Thank you.”
Tora felt insane. Alive, but insane. With sputtering deep breaths, he regained his cool. “OKAY! Okay! Well, look at that! The gang is all together! This stupid test has to be over now, right? Right?! Tell me it’s been thirty minutes!”
“It’s been thirty minutes,” Kenma confirmed. “More like forty. We can make our way back now.”
The trio walked back together with the aid of Fukunaga’s flashlight. By the time they made it back to “base”, as it were, the rest of the team had already made it out unscathed and built a little fire for smores. It was a welcome sight after the near-heart attack Tora experienced earlier.
“Captain!” One of the first years shouted. “You’re back! Everyone, our senpais are the winners!!!”
It was a strange victory, but a victory nonetheless. Their kohais gave them a round of applause, making Kenma visibility flustered.
He was…cute like that.
They celebrated with roasted marshmallows and soda bought by the underclassman, all of that and the smell of a summer-time bonfire was exactly the aid Tora needed to calm his frayed heart and nerves. His heart especially. Time with his teammates during his last summer as a high school student was something to cherish, after all. One teammate in particular.
Even as the fire died, the fireflies kept the darkness at bay. One by one their teammates made their way back into the gym to prepare for bed, leaving only the third year’s to watch the fire and clean up their mess. For the moment, however, Tora and Kenma simply sat and watched the fire glow.
“Hey,” Tora began. “Thanks for, uh, not making fun of me for being lame I guess?”
Kenma merely shrugged. “I meant what I said about fear being natural. Besides, uh…” His cheeks glowed in the fire light. “Of all people, I’m pretty sure I’m well aware of how cool you are.”
Fireflies danced about them, and Tora felt as if his heart had been struck. It thudded out of his chest as, without thinking, he reached out and brushed loose dyed bangs out of Kenma’s eyes.
“Kenma…”
Had they always sat this close? Tora swallowed the lump forming in his throat as he took in Kenma’s delicate features. That loose bun of hair, those golden eyes, small nose, pretty lips…very pretty lips…he could only hear the rush of blood in his head as he leaned in closer, slowly puckering up—
“Uh. What are you doing?”
Welp .
Tora could feel his blood run cold.
“MmmMMMM WOW! Lookit that, Kenma! There was a fuzz on your shirt! Damn, sorry, let me get that…”
“You were trying to kiss me.”
“NO, no! Of course not, that…!”
It was hard to tell whether it was a grimace on Kenma’s face, or, dare he think, disappointment. “You were definitely trying to kiss me. Ugh…”
Ugh?! Tora felt the sudden urge to jump into the dying fire.
“I’m SORRY, okay?! It was the atmosphere! The damn fireflies! It confused the mood in my head and I read the situation wrong!” He shoved his face into his hands. “So sue me!”
“It’s okay. You can kiss me…”
“Huh?!” He shot up, feeling more shocked than when Fukunaga jumped out at them. “Come on Kenma, that’s a mean thing to make fun of me about!”
“What? I’m serious. The moods here. Might as well, right?”
Well, now he was just confused. Tora looked around, anywhere but at Kenma, trying to decide the best way to run back in the woods and never return. And yet…fuck it. He was no coward. Tora started this, and he was going to finish it. So without hesitation, he took Kenma’s face into his hands and pulled him in for an unforgettable kiss by the firelight. Surrounded by fireflies, the stars above them, the moon bright and full.
Kozume Kenma’s lips tasted like chapstick and marshmallows, and Tora couldn’t get enough. When he pulled away, he got a glimpse of Kenma’s pink puckered lips and half-lidded golden eyes. The sight was enough to make his heart burst.
Tora had no idea if there would ever be a second kiss— but just that one was worth every near death experience in the dark woods. He’d run back in there as many times as it took to experience this high again.