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Thirty-first of October, Halloween.
For Kozume Kenma, this yearly event doesn’t modify his day very much, other than him possibly switching to playing a horror related videogame and consuming some kind of Halloween related food; though playing horror videogames isn’t that out of character for the introverted young man.
Attending university certainty takes up a fair amount of Kenma’s time, but his side hustle gives him a steady and substantial income, for someone of his age. One could joke that his cat-like golden eyes are what give him the ability to be a such a successful professional gamer. His observation skills, and judgement are perfect for live game-streaming and making YouTube videos. His work, that he is able to do from the comfort of his own home, allows him to make enough to be able to rent out his own apartment that is close to university.
Close, because traveling from his parents’ house is too much effort, though he doesn’t mind the bus if he can play with his portable console; and renting alone because people aren’t exactly his ‘bag’ and standing out is definitely not his favourite thing in the world.
Thankfully, his average height and specifically chosen hairstyle, two toned dark rooted dyed blonde chin length locks, allow him to fit right in. He can seem invisible amongst the university crowds of Tokyo, if he so desires; which he does because, being away from crowds is preferable.
However, if his best-friend Kuroo Tetsurou, ever wanted to move in with him, he wouldn’t hate it. In fact, Kenma almost brought it up once, though he backed out because it crossed his mind that Kuroo would think it was because he needed to be looked after. Which isn’t entirely wrong. Kenma has been known to stay up all night and skip meals, on multiple occasions, because when he gets into ‘the zone’ with gaming, it would be sub-optimal to stop.
Of course Kuroo already knows all this and more about his friend, who is one year his junior, because they have known each other since childhood.
In a tsundere-adjacent fashion, Kenma still acts apathetic towards his perpetually bed-headed and most cherished friend, especially when that friend forces him to dress up for Halloween and be amongst people.
‘What a hassle.’
Kuroo Tetsurou, epitome of super tall, dark haired and handsome, has been titled a ‘master of provocation’ by those who know him well. Though Kenma has seen sides of him that even those people have not. Contrary to his scheming personality and energetic persona, as a child he was shy and withdrawn. It was only after the two youngsters became neighbours and begin to play volleyball together, did Kuroo start to come out of his shell.
So even though, at face value, the pair look like night and day, they are similar in a lot of ways. Kuroo is intuitive enough to empathise with Kenma when it comes to feelings of anxiety, and being a very observant man, he is always mindful of Kenma’s introverted and withdrawn personality. Unfortunately, Kuroo grew up listening to his parent’s yelling matches, before their divorce, and often resorted to covering his head with a pillow to escape. He would shy away in public from the fear of confrontation, and because of that experience, he knew how to look after Kenma better than anyone.
Still, Kuroo somehow managed to convince his introverted friend to come along to the small Halloween festival hosted by their university. He was even coerced into wearing a costume.
“Just think of it as cosplay. It’s be fun, Kenma,” convinced Kuroo the day before. However, with such short notice Kenma wasn’t sure he would be able to pull off a costume worthy of being called ‘cosplay’. Maybe something more along the lines of plain ‘dress up’.
Kenma calculated that his best bet for staying ‘under the radar’, would be to pull together a costume that was recognisable enough to stop people asking “so, what are you dressed as?” but also costumed-up enough to look like he put in at least a little effort.
Anything to avoid unnecessary small talk with strangers, who will probably either be hyped up on sugar, or drunk from having sneaked alcohol onto campus. At least Kuroo would be there as a buffer, and if that failed, he’d have his portable Nintendo.
Bringing a social buffer feels like a necessity for those who don’t particularly enjoy company of people; which is definitely true for Kenma; though Kuroo is not included in that group of people. His reliable giant friend is comfortable and safe to be around. Always has been and probably always will be.
The obligation to go was heavy enough on Kenma’s mind, that it outweighed the anxiety of being around big crowds. Spending time with Kuroo at least made it worth it. So he decided it would be best to go, and go early enough to miss the rowdiest of the crowds.
So, Kenma got ready for the Halloween festival, all the while thinking fondly over his long friendship. He pinned one last homemade, cardboard accessory to the front of his long-sleeved black t-shirt, grabbed his social buffers (phone and Nintendo), and headed out the door to meet Kuroo at his student housing on campus.
It took one short bus ride to get to the university campus. At the bus stop, Kenma took in a few deep breaths of the cool autumn air as the sun began to set, preparing himself for the onslaught of giddy university students. He could already see groups of them dressed up for Halloween. Some in decent costumes, some dressed provocatively, and some in pain streetwear. He cursed under his breath at the number of people were actually in streetwear.
“Damn it. I could have gotten away with normal clothes.” Especially pissed off because he, against better judgment, decided to forgo his coat, that would have protected him from the cold. The coat would have covered his attempt at a costume and made the whole thing redundant, which he expected Kuroo would tease him for. Though deep down he knows Kuroo would never have been annoyed at him, he just didn’t want to disappoint the man.
In Kenma’s opinion, if it was just the two of them for Halloween, watching movies and playing videogames, it would be a more enjoyable evening. He’d probably even stay the night like old times.
He made his way down the path of the entrance to the university, and turned left to where the student housing was located. He weaved through a group of spooky-costumed young adults, and made his way up to Kuroo’s dormitory. Another benefit of arriving earlier than planned, other than avoiding the drunks, was to spend time with alone with Kuroo. Of course he always enjoyed being in Kuroo’s company, but in Kenma’s mind, if he could make a long enough appearance then he could politely go home early after having put in enough hours to be deemed sociable. It’s the usual way he would approach unavoidable social gatherings. By Kenma’s calculations, it is easier to arrive before the other guests, and put in the hours, while spending less time socialising.
Knocking on the door to Kuroo’s shared living quarters, Kenma was early enough to catch his athletically tall friend before he had his costume on. Instead Kuroo was sporting a red hoodie and track pants, as he swung open the door to enthusiastically greet Kenma.
“Woah! You look pretty good, Kenma!” Kuroo whistled and beamed with sincerity, yet always with a gleam of mischief in his eyes. Kenma had long gotten used to his resting scheming face; the face that made Kuroo look like he’s up to trouble, which often got the attention of ‘the ladies’. Girls who liked ‘bad boys’ were often drawn to Kuroo without even knowing a thing about him. This bothered Kenma a little, though he couldn’t put his finger on the exact reason why.
Kenma swatted away Kuroo’s attempts at patting his head and playing with the animal ears he was wearing, feigning annoyance. Kuroo was just being provocative as always.
Kuroo, who stood a good foot or so taller, welcomed Kenma inside the small two-bedroom student housing apartment. Being the scientific brainiac that he is, Kuroo qualified to stay in the best student housing on campus. Only those with a high enough GPA could apply to stay in the newly renovated, shared apartment type housing. The only downside was Kuroo’s housemate. The housemate was another high achieving student, who was always, always around and wanting to chat. An exhaustingly chipper man that needed to take the hint that he should just leave Kenma alone.
After a very brief greeting, Kuroo announced that needed to change into his costume before they head out to the festivities. So, he looked over at Kenma and asked, “you coming?” Knowing full well that Kenma doesn’t want to be alone with the terminally delightful guy, watching a documentary on serial killers in the living room.
‘Like, it’s fine to like those shows. Each to their own…. but why do you have to look so HAPPY while watching it,’ Kenma thought with a touch of concern for his safety.
Without a saying a word, he followed Kuroo into his bedroom and immediately took seat in the middle of the bed before pulling out his phone to play a game.
“Easy now, Kenma. You’ll use all your battery before the night is over,” Kuroo commented, teasing Kenma lightly to test his mood and gauge his level of anxiety. He felt a little guilty for conning his friend into going to the Halloween festival with him, but he honestly just wanted to spend some time with Kenma.
Satisfied with the spiteful, but expected, glare that his adored friend shot his way, Kuroo laughed and proceeded to remove his hoodie and t-shirt, before tossing it at the blonde’s head.
“Gross, Kuroo,” he complained in a flat voice, untangling the clothing from his animal ears and throwing them back at Kuroo.
For some reason, and that reason was probably because he’s was not looking at his phone, Kenma watched the shirtless man digging through the cupboard, silently appreciating his toned body. Muscles, much larger than his own, moved and danced beneath smooth skin rendering Kenma’s mind blank. Thought they both played volleyball up until they finished high school, Kuroo was always the sporty athletic one.
Kenma observed as Kuroo tried to flatten his dark messy hair, which easily added a couple inches to his height, in the wardrobe mirror and failed; doomed to having hair resembling a rooster forever.
Catching Kenma gazing at him in the reflection, Kuroo smirked and asked, “What you looking at, Kitten?”
Kenma’s face flushed, caught staring, and shied away, mindlessly pulling out his phone. “Don’t call me that,” he retorted in a calm unhurried voice.
Still shirtless, Kuroo sauntered over to the bed where Kenma sat. “But that’s what your dressed as right. A kitten?”
“Oh.” He looked down, remembering he was wearing a costume, then went back to playing with his phone. “No. I’m a black cat with nine lives.”
Kenma had cut out nine cardboard hearts, coloured them red and pinned them to his chest, so as to resemble a videogame’s ‘life bar’.
“So, you still have all your lives? It’s clever,” Kuroo chuckled as he poked the red heart-shaped ‘life’ directly over Kenma’s own heart.
The animal’s ears that adorned Kenma’s blonde mop were black and pointy. The black long-sleeved t-shirt and pants gave a cat-suit illusion, without being as tight and scandalous; and the tail pinned to the belt loops on the back all added to Kenma’s cat costume effect. An obvious enough costume for people to recognise, but with handmade touches to appease anyone who would ridicule him for such a simple Halloween costume. Exactly his plan.
“I guess,” he shrugged in response. “I just didn’t want anyone to talk to me and ask me what my costume was… and I didn’t want you to get mad at me for doing a lame costume.”
“Well, you did a good job,” Kuroo expressed before he looked away at something in the distance and adding, “it’s cute.”
He doesn’t see Kenma’s blush creep up to his ears as he continued to played with his phone.
Kenma never cared about being ‘cute’, and it was too much hassle to try and be ripped and sexy like Kuroo was, but he definitely didn’t mind it when Kuroo called him cute.
‘Wait, did I just..’ Kenma’s internal monologue paused at the realisation that he just called Kuroo sexy in his mind. ‘That’s different,’ his thought process resumed as he sneaked a peak at Kuroo, who was now trying to dress himself in tattered old-looking clothing.
Caught staring again, Kuroo locked eyes with a startled Kenma and resisted the temptation to tease him, by flashing a warm smile that oozed affection instead.
Returning the conversation back to Kenma’s costume, he continued, “so… nine lives. Does that mean cats have nine souls?”
Kenma’s hum turned into a “no. I think they are supposed to have the one soul, but get reincarnated into different bodies when they die. Kind of like a game, I imagine.”
“So they have one soul... does that mean they have one soulmate for all their nine lives?”
Kenma flashes a confused and slightly concerned look in Kuroo’s direction. “It’s just a cat, Kuroo.”
“Humour me then.”
“Well, I don’t know. Why? Do you believe in soulmates?”
They locked eyes for a brief moment. “…Maybe,” Kuroo drew out the word and made it sound unconvincing.
Composing himself, fixing his shirt and then returning his attention back to Kenma, he brushed aside a bit of the blonde’s hair for him, and changed the topic. “Never mind, Kitten. It was just a random passing thought.” He chuckled and then elbowed Kenma to get his full attention, even though his attention was already solely on Kuroo.
“Hey, if you want to charge your phone you can use my charger. It’s on my bedside table.”
Kenma eyed Kuroo suspiciously, like he was being set up.
‘It’s at trap!’ His internal monologue imitated Admiral Ackbar. He was supposed to go ‘enjoy’ the festival and be somewhat social with his friend; not use his phone as a conversational deterrent.
Noticing Kenma’s hesitation and recognising the suspicious expression he wore, Kuroo added, “it’s fine Kenma. I’m just happy you came. I mean, I knew you would obviously, you’d never let me down. Not that if you didn’t come it would let me down...” Kuroo the king of provocation, in that moment, went back to being a mumbling shy boy. Spewing a breathy explosion of words. “that’s not to say I wouldn’t be sad if you weren’t here. What I meant was I’m glad you came even though I know you didn’t want to and I didn’t want to pressure you to come and I would have been fine if you didn’t because I want you to be happy but I’m still glad you’re here...”
“Kuroo, stop.”
And just as quickly as Kenma butted in, Kuroo agreed with a “yepgoodcall,” delivered as one word. He ran a hand through his bed-head while holding his breath, as if to stop himself from muttering more nonsense than he already had.
Kenma’s mostly expressionless face managed a smirk at Kuroo’s expense. “Still, are you sure it’s okay I can play with my phone… or maybe even my Nintendo?” He asked in a quiet and innocent tone.
“You brought your Nintendo?” Exhaling and then tilting his head to the side questioningly, like a puzzled cat, because Kenma isn’t the only one who’s a little cat like. They were both on the Nekoma Volleyball team after all. Cats for life. “How are you carrying it? It didn’t look like you had it in your back pocket.”
‘Huh?’ Kenma internally fumbled in surprise from Kuroo’s keen observation of his back pocket.
Side stepping the implications of such a statement, Kenma pulled the Nintendo out of a small case that was strapped around his shoulder. It would be understandable for someone to miss that he was carrying it, considering it’s dark out and he’s dressed in all black (aside from the cardboard red hearts pinned to his chest), as well as the fact that the case is small and also black; but it was interesting to note that Kuroo could tell his back pocket was empty, and yet didn’t notice the case he was carrying.
“Oya, I guess I missed that,” Kuroo did a sort of chuckle/laugh though his nose and scratched his neck. “Anyway, I have these chain things that I was going to wrap around my body for my costume.”
He lifted up a plastic bag and passed it over to Kenma, who quickly plugged his phone in to charge, then accepted the bag to inspect its contents.
“What’s it supposed to be.” He pulled out one end of the colourful chain made of pipe cleaners and various household items.
“It’s a chain of DNA.” Kuroo smirked, proud to show off his big brain at any chance he could. “…Because Halloween is like scary and ghouls with chains, but make it science and deoxyribonucleic acid.”
Holding up a portion of the ‘chain’, Kenma glared at his friend, unimpressed with his sad excuse for linking science with a Halloween theme.
“Okay, I know!” Kuroo defended and chuckled in spite of himself. “But I had a ton of tests this week and didn’t have time to make something better. And it’s hard to find costumes in my size….”
“Because you’re a giant,” Kenma interrupted.
“Okay, since when was me being tall a bad thing. Pretty sure I killed it in volleyball because of my height.”
“It’s not a bad thing. I like your height.” Realising he just verbalised a somewhat compliment regarding Kuroo’s physical appearance, which is very out of character for him, Kenma squirmed where he sat, knowing what was coming.
“Oh, Kitten,” Kuroo sang. “I didn’t know you felt that way. I’m touched.” He mocked and pressed a hand over his heart from the flattery.
“Don’t call me Kitten,” Kenma requested once more.
“I guess that’s fair. To be called Kitten you’re going to need some whiskers. Let me get a marker and I’ll draw them on for you.”
“NO!”
“Easy there. I’m just kidding….” He gave a slight pause, then added “I can use a pen instead. It will be easier to wash off than the marker will.”
What else was Kuroo to expect but a ‘death-glare,’ proving that his suggestion was rejected.
****
“HEY, HEY, HEY! WHAT THE HELL, GUYS!” A tall guy that rivalled Kuroo’s build, who was dressed in a comically large ‘cup of instant ramen’ costume, waddled up to the pair who had just arrived. The front of the university festival’s haunted house was the destination where Kuroo and Kenma were supposed to meet up with some friends. “WE WERE ALL SUPPOSED TO WEAR COSTUMES!”
“Calm down, Bokuto! We are wearing costumes,” Kuroo defended, pointing to their home made, low quality, Halloween outfits as a ‘black cat with nine lives’ and ‘ghoul wrapped in DNA chains’ (which is just Kuroo wearing tattered clothes, and a colourful chain of pipe cleaners).
Bokuto Koutarou, the ramen cup guy with spikey white and grey hair, was visibly upset and tried to cross his arms in anger, but the location of the arm holes in his costume made that impossible. His costume made him look like the mascot for styrofoam cup’o’noodles, and must have made it challenging for him to make it through door ways. This was an extra special sight to behold by his amused friends, because despite Bokuto being a professional athlete and division 1 volleyball player, he struggled with costume mobility.
A second person approached them. The blue eyed and dark haired man joined the group, wearing what must be the accompanying costume; giant chopsticks. Equally comical in size, a pair of large chopsticks adorned the sides of Bokuto’s apathetic costume partner, Akaashi Keiji. “He’s just mad that we’re all not as uncomfortable as he is.”
“AKAASHI!!!! That’s. Not. True!! I’m MAD because they didn’t put any effort into their costumes!”
*Que Kenma pulling out his phone to play with.* Kuroo smiles at Kenma fondly for just a second before defending himself to the angry Bokuto and indifferent Akaashi.
“Look, we handmade ours. It’s better than buying or renting a costume. This DNA chain took me ages. The colours represent the types of nucleotides. And look how cute Kenma is as a kitten!”
Kenma ignored that comment because he knew Kuroo was likely trying to get a rise out of him, and he was still a little annoyed that he was somehow convinced to leave his Nintendo behind.
“…But you look good man. Ramen… wow.” Total sarcasm dripped from Kuroo’s smirking lips.
“Shut up. I look cool!” Retorted Bokuto confidently.
Interrupting the bickering that would convince anyone that the two were siblings, Akaashi sighed. “Can you guys stop. We should line up for the haunted house before it gets too long.”
“Don’t worry, Akaashi. Just put a lid on Bokuto for five, and he’ll be done.” Kuroo paused and waited patiently for the roaring laugher that he was sure to receive from his quick witted pun. Which didn’t come. “…Get it. Because he’s ramen. It takes five minutes to cook. So if you put a lid over his steaming head, he’ll be done being mad.”
“I get it Kuroo. It just wasn’t funny,” explained Akaashi apathetically. However, after a couple of seconds passed, Kuroo finally got the reaction he was looking for from Bokuto, who seemed to have only just understood the joke. The giant cup of ramen tried to hold in his sniggering and failed, making his laughter sound more maniacal than it usually was.
So, the group lined up for the haunted house and caught up with each other though conversation. The group had known each other since they met during the Fukurodani Academy Group volleyball training camp back in high school. Boktuo was the only one of them to go pro, and the rest all attended the same university, though both Akaashi and Kenma are a year younger.
They reached the front of the line, bought tickets and received an explanation from the attendant that this particular haunted house was 3D. They were handed pairs of cardboard glasses with red and blue plastic lenses and told to put them on once they enter. So they did. Kenma put his phone away, and Bokuto insisted on being in front of the group, excited to ‘protect’ Akaashi and the others from any ‘bad guys’.
The four of them moved through dark rooms, where fluorescent splashes of colour popped out with the aid of their glasses. Plastic mummies and monsters moved with motion sensors and ominous music played as they walked. The 3D haunted house seemed pretty tame to the group, up until the point where brave Bokuto wasn’t so brave anymore. The 3D glasses made it hard to have a sense of depth perception, so no one noticed a still figure in a one-piece ‘spooky scary skeleton’ outfit, positioned against the wall, until it was too late. The spooky scary skeleton was a real human, who jumped forward and lunged at Bokuto while yelling the word “INSANE!”
On instinct, Bokuto shrieked, screamed and tried to kick the figure in self-defence, only to have his movement limited once again by the ramen costume. He fell backwards, hit Akaashi who whined in either annoyance or pain, and then fell down like a turtle on its back. Screaming and yelling at the terrifying situation, Bokuto struggled to get back up. Akaashi tried his best to get the ramen cup back on his feet, while Kuroo doubled over with laughter. Kenma, unaffected by the scare itself, couldn’t help but break a little smile at Bokuto’s reaction, all the while noticing that the skeleton man, who had retreated a little to a safe distance from Bokuto’s failed kick, was trying to supress their own laughter.
The low light made it hard for Akaashi to help Bokuto off the ground, and when he finally made it to his feet, 3D glasses still on the ground where he fell, it happened again. The spooky scary skeleton, who had made no attempt to re-hide, spooked Bokuto again and he fell over once more. Both the skeleton man and Kuroo snorting in laughter, the latter trying to express that he wished he got all of it on camera.
Amused but exhausted with Bokuto’s screaming and ridiculousness, Kenma walked ahead of the group. Confident in his ability to keep his cool. He was used to playing horror games and didn’t mind thriller movies, so this scenario was a piece of cake. He would be more scared if he was being forced to hold a conversation with someone he doesn’t know, about a topic he doesn’t care about. Which is a totally different story to Bokuto, whose cries could still be heard from not far behind.
“Hey, don’t go too far ahead,” Kuroo gently scolded as he caught up with Kenma and grabbed his left hand. “It’s dangerous to go alone,” he joked, using a quote from the game ‘The Legend of Zelda’ just to try and make Kenma smile. It’s a shame that it was too dark for Kuroo to see the exact reaction he hoped for.
Kenma, making no attempt to shake off Kuroo’s hand, kept moving forward through the haunted rooms, immune to the scares from haunted house employees continually jumping out and yelling. To Kenma, it didn’t seem like Kuroo was holding his hand because either of them were scared of the haunted house. He suspected that it was because Kuroo was more scared of losing Kenma along the way, which would be more in character with Kuroo’s attentive nature.
Nearing what seemed to be the end of the haunted house, the duo looked over their shoulders to see if they could spot how far behind Bokuto and Akaashi were. At the exact moment they turned back, and because Kuroo let his guard down since he though they were at the end, a clown covered in blood popped out to scared them. Out of instinct Kuroo reached over and picked up Kenma by his waist in what Kuroo would later claim was an attempt to protect he dearest friend.
“You’re just as bad as Bokuto,” stated Kenma as he was slowly put down, not holding back on the sass, but feeling a bit fuzzy from the body contact.
The pair made it out of the haunted house first and Kuroo, still slightly embarrassed by the whole situation, insisted on taking a cute picture together before taking off their 3D glasses.
Bokuto, whose face exhibited a shade of shock, and Akaashi exited a little while after.
“Well that wasn’t that scary,” stated Bokuto as if it was a matter of fact. His comment received nothing other than eye-rolls from Akaashi and Kenma, and goofy laughter from Kuroo.
As the night grew later and the rowdy crowds started to arrive at the festival, the quartet of friends decided they’d hit up the food stalls next. Some Halloween themed and some regular food stalls were scattered across the paved pavilion area of the university.
While consuming various Halloween festival food and drinks, the four took seats at a panic table nearby. The only one who was unable to sit comfortably was Bokuto, who’s costume would ride up and cover his face when he tried sit down. Fed up with the situation, Bokuto declared that he needed to go to the bathroom and therefore needs Akaashi’s help with his imposing costume. So they walk off leaving Kuroo and Kenma to sit together and relax as Halloween hits played over the pavilion speakers.
Shortly after Bokuto and Akaashi left, a loud woman, also dressed as a black cat, approached the remaining duo. Taking the seat on the other side of Kuroo, she brushed her shoulder against him and introduced herself, voice hazy with signs of intoxication.
Thinking that the situation was weird, because the empty other side of the picnic table clearly had plenty of room for her to sit, Kenma brought out his phone to distract himself and stay out of the discussion.
The woman engaged in loud flirtatious conversation with Kuroo. She threw subtlety out the window when asking about Kuroo’s height, poking his bicep and asking about where his dorm room was located. Kuroo seemed to grow more irritated, the more she kept trying to touch him. Though Kuroo was flirty with almost everyone and was a hit with the girls, he never kept a girlfriend, claiming that it was distracting when studying to keep a high GPA. He wanted the freedom do sports and be with his friends, so luckily Kenma never really had to share Kuroo with anyone.
Kenma also grew increasingly irritated the more the ‘cat woman’ threw herself at Kuroo. He was annoyed at her loudness and also her inability to see that Kuroo obviously doesn’t want her around. If Kenma were honest with himself, he would realise that the feelings washing over him were called jealousy. Jealousy, because the ‘cat woman’ was being grabby and touching Kuroo way more than necessary, but also because she was ruining their time together. Lucky for him, Kuroo was very much disinterested and brushed her off quickly and assertively.
Once the woman left, Kuroo released a heavy sigh and toyed with one of the hearts pinned to Kenma’s chest. “Kenma, you pull off a black cat much better than that chick did.”
Not having anything adequate to say in reply, Kenma shrugged and put his phone away now it was just the two of them again.
“This is mine,” Kuroo unpinned the same heart he was just playing with and proceeded to pin it to his own shirt.
“Hey!” Kenma scolded. “Why did you take one of my lives. That means you killed me.”
“What! No. I didn’t kill you. I just stole your heart, Kenma.” He defended to the man staring blankly in return. “It’s supposed to be cute.”
“Well then if I jump on your head, I’ll kill you too.”
“You’re not Mario, Kenma. You’re dressed as a damn cat with nine lives and I just took one… oh wait. I see what you mean.” As it dawned on Kuroo, he chuckled and handed back the heart to an irritated Kenma. “My bad. Here have it back.”
Kenma snatched it aggressively and re-pinned it to his shirt. Kuroo smiled and watched him do so, amused when Kenma started to yawn, showing signs of his sleepiness.
Bokuto and Akaashi returned a short while later and re-join the group with stories about volleyball and what all their old classmates were up to. Kuroo keeping an eye on Kenma gauging his exhaustion/anxiety throughout the conversation. As the crowd at the festival started getting louder and a bit rowdier, Kenma yawned once more and rested his head against Kuroo’s arm as he absentmindedly played with his phone.
As if reading his mind, Kuroo decided to call it a night and suggest they all go home.
“You’ll stay at mine right? It’s too late for you to catch the bus and I think it will be hard to get a taxi with this crowd.”
Responding with a gentle and sleepy nod, Kenma followed Kuroo back to his student apartment. Thankfully the irritatingly enthusiastic-all-the-time housemate was nowhere to be seen.
Kenma took the first shower and then changed into some of Kuroo’s clothes, which were big and cosy on him. He pulled out his Nintendo and waited for Kuroo to finish his shower. He sat himself in the middle of Kuroo’s bed, like a cat claiming a spot with no consideration of where it’s human wants to sit, only thinking about their own warmth and comfort.
After his shower, Kuroo returned to the bedroom wearing only pyjama pants and a towel around his neck. He took a long look at Kenma sitting in the middle of his bed, comfy like a cat but not dressed as a cat anymore. The cold of the late autumn night must have caught up with Kenma so he had helped himself to Kuroo’s ‘oversized on Kenma’ red jumper and started playing with the Nintendo.
Kuroo moved around to find a shirt to wear to bed, and doesn’t notice Kenma’s golden eyes traveling over his exposed torso again. For Kenma, it was a torturous form of déjà vu. Breath-taking was the word Kenma would use to describe Kuroo in that moment, though he remained silent. He’d always felt a comfortable familiarity with Kuroo, but lately his feelings have been a bit muddled.
Kuroo didn’t see Kenma looking, but he did hear the ‘game-over’ sound effect coming from the Nintendo. He turned to see Kenma frowning at the game and pressing buttons a little harder than normal, which usually only happened when he was really struggling with a level. Deciding this was a good enough moment to bring it up, Kuroo broke their silence, “Umm, I checked and I think my housemate is using the spare futon. We can wither share the bed or I can take the couch.”
“I can take the couch.” Kenma grabbed one of Kuroo’s pillows and moved to stand up, only to be stopped by Kuroo pressing down on his shoulders.
“Nonsense. I won’t allow that, Kitten.”
“Well you’re too giant for the couch.”
“Then I’ll take the floor.”
“Don’t be stupid,” he sighed. “Just get in the bed.” Kenma shuffled over a little to one side to allowed space for Kuroo.
Instead, Kuroo snuck onto the bed and opted to sit behind Kenma, placing his long legs either side of Kenma’s crossed ones. His now clothed chest pressing against Kenma’s back and his head resting onto the blonde’s shoulder.
Kenma had become used to the physical contact between them. Like when Kuroo would touch his arm or pat his head. Normally, he hated physical contact, but with Kuroo he kind of enjoyed it. Keeping up with his tsundere-adjacent façade, Kenma acted as if Kuroo’s head was the heaviest thing in the world, whined and dropped his shoulder, because he didn’t know how else to act.
“I just wanna see you play the game,” Kuroo explained. “You seem frustrated at it.”
Kenma licked his lips nervously. He was frustrated, but it wasn’t all due to the video game. A little, sure, but mostly at the knots that had started forming in his stomach since he first started thinking about Kuroo in a slightly different way. In a way that would make him somewhat more than a friend.
“Fine,” he breathed. After a moment, Kenma relaxed a little and leaned back into Kuroo’s chest like it was the back of a chair, to which Kuroo hummed in approval.
As Kenma continued to play his game, Kuroo watched intently, commenting every now and then, while absentmindedly rubbing Kenma’s knee. Tracing and gently stroking the area covered by the borrowed pyjama pants. Kuroo’s gentle and proud smile resembled the look of joy that one gets when a cat decides to sit in their lap. Only the chosen one gets to have a cat sit with them like this.
“Getting tired yet, Kitten?”
“Don’t call me Kitten.”
“You hate it?”
Kenma’s throat bobs with a nervous swallow. A little hesitation in his voice as he answered, “it’s just weird.”
“But is it bad weird?”
Taking a moment to think before he responds, Kenma sighs and turns off his Nintendo. “I guess it’s not bad.”
Happy with his response, Kuroo, wraps his arms around Kenma’s middle and nuzzles his head into the crook of Kenma’s neck, where the hood of his jumper had bunched up like a scarf, then mumbled something into the fabric.
“Huh?” Kenma prompted for a repeat.
Removing his face from the fabric, Kuroo uses his hands on Kenma’s waist to turn him around just enough so he could look into his eyes. Taking a deep breath and then speaking clearer, but not too loud, he repeated, “Are you my soulmate?”
Nervously he replaced his head back on Kenma’s shoulder and attempted to look up through his lashes so he could gauge Kenma’s reaction.
It took a moment or two for Kenma’s heart to start beating again and for him to get his thoughts together. That question seemed to come out of nowhere. He took a quick glance at Kuroo and then stared down at his hands, twiddling his thumbs.
“… maybe.”
Kuroo held his breath.
“…at least in this life.” Kenma added just a couple of seconds later, lips curled up into the hint of a smirk, having referenced their conversation from the beginning of the night.
Kuroo couldn’t help but grin wickedly into the hoodie. His grin turning into a chuckle that reverberate through of his chest and caused Kenma’s body to shake along with him.
“Good.” Kuroo punctuated their discussion. “You’re mine then, Kitten.”
Biting his lip to limit his uncharacteristic but unstoppable smile, Kenma then retorted to save embarrassment, “…but you know I’m not actually a cat right.”
“I beg to differ. Pretty sure you are one.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.” Before Kenma could come back with another response, Kuroo swooped in to kiss his cheek quickly.
Out of shock, Kenma forgot about their childish disagreement and his face flushed, embarrassment shining on his cheeks. Vocal cords useless to rebuttal as his mind raced. He didn’t mind the kiss and he wouldn’t mind if it happened again. Or if it became a thing that they did. Or if they kissed on the lips.
“…I’m so sorry, Kenma! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I just…” But before Kuroo could get out a full apology for abruptly kissing him without permission, Kenma butted in.
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable.” Though it was delivered too quickly for it to be considered fully convincing.
Kuroo’s eyes blew wide, and mouth parted in shock. It seems he was expecting any other response but that. “Really?” He questioned in astonishment, while he raised a hand to run through Kenma’s hair softly.
Meeting Kuroo’s eye for a brief second, once more, and then shying away to blink at Kuroo’s chest that started to look like it had the same appeal of a pillow, he nodded. “It was… okay.”
“Okay?”
Kenma turned a little further and rested his head on the chest pillow. “Yeah. Umm… it was… nice.”
“Nice?”
Kenma could feel that Kuroo fully stopped breathing for a moment. Kenma’s honesty seemed to catch Kuroo off guard, rendering him speechless.
Both astounded at the revelation that somehow, on that Halloween night, the two’s relationship would progress.
Kuroo moved his hand out of the blonde’s hair, and guided it down to the side of his face. He caressed the cheekbone lightly and then cupped a finger under his chin to lightly guide Kenma toward eye contact. He stroked Kenma’s chin with his thumb for a moment considering his next move, as Kenma waited. Blush continuing to grow up from his cheeks to his ears.
“You’re perfect. You know that right?” Kuroo lightly kissed Kenma on the forehead.
“N..no I’m not,” Kenma defended.
“Well, you’re perfect to me.”
Kenma’s bottom jaw practically fell down in surprise at the incredibly sweet and corny words coming out of the man who he’s known since forever.
Eye’s catching the movement of Kenma’s lips, his thumb moved up a little and stroked the bottom one lightly, entranced by the soft pink skin. At this point, Kenma’s own hand moved up to cover Kuroo’s hand and his eyes fluttered to the other man’s lips in the same fashion.
Taking that as a good sign, Kuroo leaned down, straining his neck a little, and slowly brought his lips to Kenma’s in a light touch. His lips were warm and soft, not at all dry like his own. Lips melding into each other, the sweet kiss lasted for a few seconds before Kenma pulled away and Kuroo straightened back up. Each taking a moment to let the fogginess in their minds clear.
Kenma took a deep breath and broke the silence first, “Kuroo….”
Someone cleared their throat. Interrupting their lovely moment, the bedroom door had creaked open and a head poked though, staring at the surprised couple.
Kenma froze like a startled cat, not moving a muscle.
“Hey guys, uhhh…. I just wanted to see if you got home okay… I see you’re fine. Okay… Alright. Bye.” The housemate waved and retreated behind the door.
“I don’t like your housemate. He’s creepy. You should move in with me.”
Kuroo chuckled and responded coolly with, “sounds good to me.” His usual enigmatic charm coming off in joyous waves before he moved in to give Kenma another kiss.
The end.