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Kenma Kozume was not a perfect person, and if there was anyone who knew that, it was his best friend since childhood and fiancé, Tetsurou Kuroo.
Kenma was aware that no matter how capable he had been of surviving years of unhealthy behavior, it didn’t mean that Tetsurou would stop worrying.
From the beginning of their living together as fiancés, Tetsurou evidenced his total disagreement with her lifestyle, due to the fact that he definitely overestimated the situation. Kenma did nothing that could put him in mortal danger. Actions like not eating, not drinking water, forgetting to go to the bathroom or not sleeping for a day were not going to kill him; it wasn't like he did it on a daily basis, it only happened occasionally when he had very important unfinished business.
Having just found out, Tetsurou was satisfied with expressing his discomfort through gestures of disapproval, but as time went on, and seeing that his faces did not even have an effect on Kenma, he began to take more seriously, what he called, his greatest act of love.
To do this, he first had to memorize Kenma's routine on busy days, which was not too difficult. His busy days basically consisted of waking up and spending the rest of the day in front of the computer. This way he would occupy himself, taking only selective breaks, with whatever he was developing or planning.
With the information obtained, Tetsurou began with the second step, which was to determine which exceptions Kenma considered.
"Don't you have a job to go to?" Kenma inquired without the slightest intention of being polite or subtle, as he finished arranging sheets in a closet. "I could swear today is Thursday."
"You're not wrong, hottie," Tetsurou replied, smiling at him from his position on their bed.
"So?" Kenma looked up at the ceiling for a second. "Why don't you leave?"
"There's something very important today, so I asked for permission at work."
Kenma frowned in bewilderment, going over Kuroo's homework list and his own homework list in his mind.
"You don't have any earrings this week, as far as I remember."
"But you do," Tetsurou stated, "so over the weekend I'll be here, let's just say, for you."
Kenma nodded as he walked to the kitchen; two small creatures and a tall man followed his slow but sure steps.
By this point, Kuroo was determined not to miss any non-work-related action that Kenma was going to perform, no matter how insignificant it might seem.
"Aren't you going to start working yet?" Tetsurou asked as he saw Kenma squatting in front of the kitchen cabinet.
"Yes, but it will be after I feed Luna and Artemis."
Kuroo's eyes widened in surprise at this information. He had never been aware of how their cats managed to be fed, it was just as if, somehow, he knew that their two cats were going to have food... And of course they were going to have it, Kenma was going to give it to them.
Tetsurou watched the shorter man rise from his position, then serve the plates of food and drink.
After that, Kenma went to the room of both of them and picked up the clothes that were piled on Kuroo's side of the closet. The last one opened his eyes in surprise, he was supposed to learn things about Kenma that day, but he was discovering facts about himself, details he had never even noticed before.
Tetsurou followed Kenma on his way to the laundry room and watched as his boyfriend separated their clothes so that each pile would occupy a washing machine; making sure to place Tetsurou's favorite garment freshener in its corresponding pile.
"Are you going to stare at me all the time?" Kenma questioned, evidencing how aware he was of Tetsurou's presence.
"Yes, I told you I'm here for you," Tetsurou replied, however, he ran his gaze to the cats that were playing by the baskets of clothes.
After programming the washing cycle, Kenma walked, at last, to his streaming room. Tetsurou followed him, devotedly.
Sitting down in front of his computer, Kenma began with a first task that, Tetsurou counted, lasted six uninterrupted hours. Six hours, in which he didn't move except to thunder his fingers or back.
"Kuro, don't forget to eat lunch," Kenma mentioned when it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
He didn't hesitate to get up to fetch the food. The older man was tempted, more than once, to tell his boyfriend that it was important that he also eat, go to the bathroom and, in general, take care of his physiological needs. But Tetsurou knew that such an action would merely be an instant solution and what he needed was a long-term measure that would ensure Kenma's complete well-being.
At the end of the first session, Kenma got up following him to refill the cat's dishes and dry their clothes.
The second session lasted only four hours, after which the blond-haired boy moved the clean clothes to the main room, as well as serving the last meal to the cats.
The final session lasted another seven hours, ending at three o'clock in the morning. By the time Kenma decided he was done for the day, Tetsurou was about to fall asleep in his position.
"Kuro," called the youngest, "let's go to sleep, if you stay there your back will hurt."
With the information obtained, Tetsurou began to run simulations. He had to make sure that Kenma was going to notice his motion no matter how busy he was.
The first thing he did was to leave a note taped to his cats' food cabinet, a note with a simple "I love you".
The black-haired man had decided to take the situation calmly and not personally, in case Kenma didn't notice his signal. Despite this, Tetsurou felt a great sense of relief and warmth when, after realizing the situation, he received a reply upon returning from work that evening. A pointed and concise reply, characteristic of Kenma.
"Nah, I love you more," Kenma announced as soon as Tetsurou set foot in the workroom, feeling out of place and out of context.
"Huh?" He inquired, demonstrating his high degree of eloquence.
"The note." Kuroo raised his eyebrows in response. "It said you love me," Kenma pointed out without showing any emotion, "so I reply that no, I love you more."
Tetsurou smiled flirtatiously.
Meddling with Kenma's routine, not just on heavy days, but on a daily basis, made Tetsurou think about how their relationship worked. By this point in their lives, they had found a balance that fit them perfectly.
Kenma disliked cooking and strong smells and Kuroo hated the feel of fabrics, plus he always forgot to feed his cats. At first glance, it would seem that such rejection would be a problem for them, but in the long run, it allowed them to settle into their household duties better.
Something that had always happened to them. Tetsurou and Kenma had always been made to amortize what weighed the other down.
In this way, what started out as a measure to ensure Kenma's well-being on difficult days became a habit.
A habit custom that filled to the brim the door of the food cupboard with notes of "I love you", "Don't forget to eat, I left your plate in the microwave", "You fill my life with happiness", "Don't forget to drink water, please" and that covered the washing machines with notes of "Don't forget to go to the bathroom", "You make my world more beautiful", "My greatest fortune is to be with you all my life".
A habit that filled the drawers of Kenma's streaming room with romantic notes of all colors.
A habit that added more love to Kenma and Tetsurou's hearts.
Kenma Kozume was not a perfect person, but neither was Tetsurou Kuroo. They began their relationship knowing that no other people would describe them as perfect at all, but both were sure that their imperfections were made to understand each other.