Chapter Text
Outside of Nekoma High School gym, squeaks could be heard from shoes shuffling back and forth across the volleyball court. The shoes, belonging to Nekoma’s boys volleyball team, was practicing and preparing for their upcoming tournament. October was finally coming to an end and the warm temperatures they had been experiencing were coming to a close, and the chill of November could be felt in the air.
“Nice serve! Don’t mess up now” Yaku taunted from the other side of the court, trying to stir Kuroo as he stepped up to serve.
Kuroo simply spun the ball in his hands, grinning as he prepared to hit the ball.
Seeing as it was a Friday, Coach Nekomata had agreed to let the boys play a practice match against each other to work on the skills they had been drilling earlier in the week.
Kenma looked up to the clock that was situated above the door to the locker rooms.
4:30. Only thirty more minutes he thought, then I can go home and play some video games. Exams had been coming up and between studying and practice, Kenma had barley had time for anything else. Although Kuroo had invited him to study with him several times, which secretly made Kenma very happy because Kuroo was a closeted nerd and an excellent tutor to Kenma when he needed it. Kenma couldn’t exactly describe why, but small moments like studying together, walking home together, or even just sharing a box of Pocky filled Kenma with a joy and happiness he had never felt with anyone else.
Kenma acknowledged that he had never had many friends, so maybe it was simply the act of sharing regular human interactions with someone he felt so close to that made him happy.
Kenna’s eyes wa ndered from the clock back to Kuroo, who was still spinning the ball in his hand.
“Alright Yaku, this ones coming straight for you” Kuroo laughed as he pointed his long arm towards the libero across the net.
Kuroo served the ball and as promised, it went straight to Yaku, who dug the ball right back to the other side. Lev yelled as he went for the first touch. Kenma knew the ball was coming for him next, and he prepared to set it. Right as he began to put his hands in position, a couching fit came over Kenma and he lowered his arms to cover his mouth.
Feeling a bit lightheaded, he bent his knees and sunk down to the court beneath him as the ball Lev had tossed to him bounced next to him hitting the floor, signaling a point for the other side. Kenma continued to cough as Lev and Yamamoto ran up to him followed by Kuroo who had grabbed a water bottle.
“Yo Kenma, you good?” Lev asked, lowering his body to the meet Kenma on the ground.
Kenma in response did about the only thing he could while still coughing into his arm and nodded his head, keeping his eyes closed as he could feel tears piling up inside of him.
In a quick breath of air he was able to grab, he stood up and ran to the doors leading out into the chilled air, bumping into Kuroo as he did. His and Kuroos eyes met for a second before he yelled “I’m fine just give me a minute.”
Damn I didn’t want Kuroo to see me crying like that, Kenma though as he wiped the tears that stained his face from coughing so hard. He put his hands over his head, in an attempt to fill his lungs with more air and walked slowly around the courtyard outside the gym. Approaching the mirrored windows on the outside of the gym he looked at his reflection and saw his face was finally losing its warmth and the pink shade from his coughing fit. He then noticed the right sleeve of his practice jersey, where he had directed his cough, had a significant amount of blood on it. It was a bit hard to see given the shirt was already red, but Kenma could see it.
Well fuck that can’t be good, Kenma thought. He looked at his sleeve, this time not in his mirrored reflection and noticed a few flower petals on his jersey. Am I going crazy what is this, Kenma thought to himself
He began to brush the petals off his jersey when Kuroo came running out.
“Kenma! Here have some water. Are you okay?” Kuroo said handing him the bottle.
Kenma took it and drank before answering, feeling his through being soothed from the water. He could taste the metallic taste of blood being washed back down his throat. Wiping his mouth he looked up at Kuroo.
“I’m fine. I don’t know what came over me. Sorry for messing up the play” he said as his eyes darted away from the taller boy. Although volleyball wasn’t that important to Kenma, he knew how much it meant to Kuroo. Plus Kenma didn’t mind the extra time it allowed him to spend with the taller boy.
“What? Don’t worry about that. Coach called off the rest of practice anyways, the rest of the guys went to change but I just wanted to make sure you were alright” Kuroo smiled before playfully punching Kenma on the shoulder.
“Yeah I’m alright”
“Cool then let’s go change, C’mon.” At that Kuroo reached out and tousled Kenna’s hair.
“Ahh stop I’m gross and sweaty, plus I might have a cold or something, you don’t want to touch me” Kenma said as he took two steps away from Kuroo as they began to walk back to the locker rooms.
While it was true that he was sweaty and possible sick, Kenma couldn’t help but notice the electric shock he felt both when Kuroo playful punched his arm and when he messed with his two toned hair, and felt he may have had other reasons for telling the boy not to touch him.
The feeling reminded him of his first crush, a boy he had sat next years ago in class who always was short on pencils. Without fail everyday the boy would ask Kenma to borrow a pencil and Kenma would oblige, seeing as it hardly put him out anything. Handing the pencil to the boy, their fingers touched, and a spark was sent through Kenna’s body. Everyday Kenma would secretly love letting this boy borrow pencils, as their fingers would touch and Kenma could feel his crush developing.
While that was a silly school yard crush Kenma got over he remembered that feeling and what it felt like to be gently touch by someone he liked.
Kenma stopped in his tracks as Kuroo walked on a few paces before he noticed Kenma has stopped. Kenma had suspected for some time now that his feelings of joy that he got when spending time with Kuroo was more than just him being excited over their friendship. And judging based on the electric shock he had felt go through him moments before his suspicions were confirmed. He did in fact like Kuroo, and not just as a friend.
“You sure you’re good man? You’re just acting kinda weird and spacey. The rest of the team was talking about going out and getting some dinner or something but I think I should just walk you home.”
“Uhh yeah okay,” Kenma said as he began to walk again. “if, uh, y’know, you don’t mind missing out on the team.”
“No way! Gotta make sure my best friend and Nekoma setter is healthy if we want to do well in our upcoming tournament.”
Kenma felt his chest tighten. Best friend. That had used to be enough for him. He was Kuroos best friend, and Kuroo his, but for some reason the mention of this made it hard for Kenma to breath again and a few coughs escapes his mouth.
“Man we gotta get you home. You’re sick!”
Kenma looked at his hands which he had coughed into and saw blood and once again flower petals. Before Kuroo could see he brush his hands on his red shorts, masking the blood as the flower petals fell onto the courtyard.
“Probably just need some sleep and some tea and I’ll be good as new tomorrow” Kenma said as the two boys finally reached the locker room. The rest of the team had already finished changing and Kenma and Kuroo got dressed in mostly silence. Kenma sat on a bench as he began to put his shoes on sneaking a quick look at Kuroo who was pulling his shirt down over his torso. Kenma felt his ears turn pink and he began to focus more heavily on the knot on his shoelaces.
Kenma and Kuroo started off towards Kenna’s house and Kenma thought back on the events from practice trying to piece together both his newly acknowledged feelings for Kuroo and what could be causing him to cough up blood and... flower petals.