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In all their years of friendship, from the halcyon days of elementary school all the way up to the twilight of their high school careers, Kenma had never seen the color on Kuroo Tetsuro’s face drain so fast. One moment he was his usual smarmy, jovial self, and with one sentence Kenma had reduced his lifelong best friend to a stuttering mess with a deathly white facade.
And in his mind, the question had been so simple, so straight forward, certainly not worth the look of wide-eyed disbelief and terror that Kuroo was giving him now.
“...Kuro—”
“You want me to…”
“To kiss me—”
“To kiss you, yeah. You…you want me to kiss you?”
“That’s…that’s what I said, yeah.”
“Well…! I guess my ears are working right after all, huh?”
Kenma narrowed his eyes. The color returned to Kuroo’s face after a slow, steadying breath, allowing him to pull back that Cheshire cat grin with all the swagger an eighteen year old high school athlete could muster.
It wasn’t enough to trick Kenma; Kuroo’s playful grin didn’t quite reach his eyes. Damn, Kenma thought. Is the idea so bad? His cheeks started to burn a light pink. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, it’s just…uh…”
“No, no!” Kuroo cleared his throat. “I’m…a little honored you asked, actually!” Now his grin was too genuine. Kuroo threw up his hands in self defence against Kenma’s glare. “No, I mean it! You’d trust me with something as big as your first kiss?”
“It doesn’t have to be big.” Kenma’s stomach tightened. This is stupid. The locker room was empty, save for the two of them, but it felt as if he were stuffed in a hot sauna with three volleyball teams worth of guys. Suffocating was putting it mildly. “Just…to get it out of the way. I want to know what it feels like. Is that so bad?!”
“Whoa! No need to get defensive, Kenma!”
“I’m not being defensive!” He hissed defensively. What was there to be defensive about? Kuroo may not have realized it, but this whole thing was his fault to begin with. Well, him and Yaku, and Lev, and Tora, and everyone else on Nekoma who wasn’t named Kozume Kenma. He had a talent for drowning out the locker room talk surrounding him at the beginning and end of practice, golden eyes usually hyper-focused on his cell phone or 3DS screens to the point of lingering headaches— what drew Kenma’s attention to that conversation was a mystery.
“...Dry. Totally dry! But when I told her to maybe use some chapstick, she got all mad and stormed away!”
Lev was wilting against the lockers. He had arrived for morning practice beaming like the sun, only to return in the afternoon with an indescribable gloom. Yaku found the whole thing hilarious.
“I hope you know she threw your number away. Deleted it, and even went out of her way to flush her phone down the toilet.” Yaku’s merciless laughter spread throughout the room. “You don’t get your first girlfriend and immediately insult her. What did you expect to happen?!”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult! Just a suggestion!”
Even Kenma was aware enough to know that it was tactless. Of course, he expected Lev to lose his first girlfriend in about a week after announcing he had one, so Kenma was far from surprised. He would have tuned out again if not for Tora’s input.
“Dumb thing to say, but dry kisses SUCK. Probably more than super slobbery wet ones…”
Yaku shook his head. “That’s how I know you’re lying about how many kisses you’ve had. Wet ones are way worse.”
“Ohhh, and you’re such a connoisseur of kisses?” Kuroo snickered, his cheeky smile aimed at his classmate. “Is there a long line of people that have crouched all the way down to receive your blessed lips?”
Kuroo barely flinched when Yaku jabbed him in the side. “Enough to know that too much tongue is a turn off! You’re trying to kiss, not eat the other person's face!” Yaku’s own eyes had a teasing glint. “Why do you think I’ve never wanted to kiss YOU, Kuroo?”
“Oy, Yakkun--!” Kuroo hissed. “Let’s watch what we say around our juniors, yeah?”
Kenma could hardly hang on to any word that followed, because all he could think about was the fact that his lifelong best friend was (allegedly) a sloppy kisser, and he himself had zero experience to go off of and say otherwise.
It was a strange, ugly worm that had invaded his thoughts, and all throughout practice he found himself staring idly at Kuroo’s pink lips and sweat-red cheeks. Lips that (allegedly) devoured another person’s mouth whole, while Kenma’s were essentially virginal.
Not that he would usually care. So why do I care so much now?
Whatever the case, it was certainly convenient that they were almost always the last two in the locker room at the end of the day; cornering Kuroo and throwing that simple question at him was the easy part. Now all Kenma had to do was follow through with it.
Kuroo cleared his throat. “Well…okay! I’ll do it! I’ll claim the honor of your first kiss!”
“Eugh,” Kenma groaned. “Don’t make this so corny.”
“You wouldn’t have asked me if you didn’t want it to be a little corny, Kyanma. I’ve seen the dating sims you play.”
Kenma scrunched his nose. He knows me too well. With a huff, he nodded, trying to ignore the way his stomach twisted into knots every time he looked up to see Kuroo’s teasing grin. After all their years together, how the hell wasn’t he totally immune to that smile? Kenma had heard others whisper about how cool Kuroo was, about how handsome and devilishly charming they found him, all the while not-so-subtly asking Kenma for his number and details— they didn’t know the way he snorted when he laughed, and walked around with his hands behind his back like some old man. They didn’t know the Kuroo that Kenma knew, who never once saw a friend as a burden, who was fiercely loyal and loving and infectiously passionate. The same Kuroo who was painfully shy as a child and cried whenever he lost a game, only to stay up with Kenma for hours practicing volleyball or watching movies until he fell asleep in his best friend’s lap.
That was the Kuroo who Kenma knew best and wanted to share his first kiss with; yet as he sat on the bench in awkward silence, trying to push away his nerves while Kuroo finished packing, he saw for what was definitely the first time that his best friend may indeed have become hot.
And that realization was just a little horrifying.
Kenma squirmed as he sat— he feared his heart would pound loud enough to echo on the walls if it stayed silent for any longer.
“So…”
“Where do you wanna do this?”
Kenma jumped in his seat, snapping his eyes up to see Kuroo crouching eye-level in front of him. The urge to shove him away was strong, but Kenma restrained himself with a deep breath and answered; “Right here. Why not? It’s just us now.”
“Really?” Kuroo snickered. His cheeks and nose glowed a dusty pink. “Kind of a dingy place for a first kiss. Smells like sweat.”
“No worse than either of our bedrooms.”
“Ha! That’s fair.” Maybe it was a habit, or maybe Kuroo was caught up in the moment— either way, he reached out and gently brushed a curtain of Kenma’s long, bottle-blond bangs out of his eyes and behind his ear. Kenma’s face was heating up fast enough to leave him dizzy. “Then it’s your move. You’re in complete control, my dearest Kenma! Lean in when you’re ready.”
When I’m ready? Kenma’s brows pinched into a scowl. “Don’t put that pressure on me.”
“Don’t think too hard about it! Here,” Kuroo closed his eyes. “Just do what I’m doing; shut your eyes, and pucker your lips, and we’ll meet in the middle.”
Sure enough, Kuroo did just that, waiting in suspense with his eyes gently closed and his pink lips pursed and welcoming. Kenma’s stomach was suddenly a mess of knots as he took in the image in front of him— his life long best friend, kneeling in front of him, open and waiting for a kiss…that he had asked for.
What would be the point of letting his nerves get to him now? Despite the way his heart was currently beating out of his chest and the sudden strike of fear that, oh, this maybe might not end well for their friendship, and despite the fact that Kenma’s gut churned with bundled nerves:
Kenma swallowed his anxiety and pushed forward.
He only closed his eyes when their lips met, too scared of accidentally missing his mark; the “kiss”, if it could even be called that, was already starting out inelegant and clunky due to Kenma forgetting to purse his lips. His flat mouth pushed awkwardly against Kuroo’s, and it took barely a second for Kuroo to burst out laughing.
Kenma’s face burned.
“D-Don’t give me that look! I’m sorry, heh…!”
His little glare struck fear into Kuroo’s heart. Good. “SORRY for not being as experienced and loose as you.”
“Whoa, whoa,” He snickered. “I’m anything but loose! A couple kisses doesn’t make me a slut, Kyanma.”
Kenma simply pouted. “Let me start over again, okay?”
Kuroo simply nodded, and assumed the position as he closed his eyes and puckered up. This time, Kenma took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. How hard could a simple peck be? He licked his lips and moved forward in earnest, this time meeting Kuroo’s lips properly.
It was simple, sweet, but exceptionally chaste. Something more akin to two elementary school boys trying to imitate their parents’ morning kisses while playing rather than two hormonal high schoolers.
But it was still a kiss, and when Kenma pulled away he found it difficult to meet Kuroo’s gaze. Instead, he cleared his throat.
“Uh…that was good, right?”
Kuroo shrugged. “You tell me. It was your first kiss.”
“Hmm…” He pursed his lips; somehow, something was missing. “Can I try again? Maybe?”
“No need to ask, just go for it!” Kuroo’s stupid grin was enough to make his chest tighten. Still, Kenma nodded.
“Okay…”
This time, there was more weight. Kenma was firm as he pressed their lips together, reveling in the pleasant warmth it brought to his chest. Just as he was beginning to worry he was being stiff, Kuroo rested a large hand against his waist. That seemed to be all the push he needed; Kenma’s lips relaxed, and with that the kiss deepened.
Kuroo guided him along, moving his mouth against Kenma slowly, easing his way into a steady rhythm despite the younger boy’s inexperience. And it was…well, nice. Really, really nice. Pleasant, even. His hands rested on Kuroo’s shoulders, slowly snaking their way to meet behind his neck.
Kenma didn’t know what he expected—It wasn’t like he was stupid enough to think Yaku was being serious in his assessment of Kuroo’s kissing style—but he found himself enjoying his gentle motions and the subtle taste of chapstick on his lips. He certainly didn’t feel like he was being devoured whole. Then again, with all Kuroo’s assuredness, Kenma got the feeling his best friend was holding back.
That shouldn’t have bothered him, and yet…
He pulled back with a grimace, and Kuroo cocked an eyebrow.
“What, was that bad? I thought that was going pretty well!”
“...Uh,” Kenma fiddled with the back of Kuroo’s collar. “Can you maybe…give me more?”
“More. More?” Kuroo blinked, his face flaring a bright red. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Uh. You know, with tongue?”
“Tongue…” Kuroo laughed, but it was brief, his head spinning when the request sank in. Still, it was a long enough laugh to leave Kenma mortified, and Kuroo was met with a scowl deep enough to cut. He quickly put his hands up in defense. “Whoa, whoa, calm down! It was a nervous laugh, I swear!”
“You’re nervous? I’m asking my best friend to make out with me, and you’re nervous?!”
“I’m only human!” Kuroo’s large hands squeezed Kenma’s waist. He swallowed before speaking, voice low, deep. “But, I mean, if that’s what you want…”
Kenma felt goosebumps ripple across his body— he still had clear memories of a few years back, when Kuroo’s voice started breaking and deepening. He croaked like a frog for a good few months, being an endless source of laughter for their friends despite his obvious frustration. Now that voice had settled into a sultry tenor, and Kenma was suddenly and acutely aware of the effect it was having on his brain.
“It’s what I want.”
Kuroo nodded, and tugged Kenma off the bench and down into his lap. It was barely a pull at all. Kenma squirmed until he was straddling Kuroo, whose back rested against the cold lockers.
“It’s better if we’re closer like this,” Kuroo mumbled. Kenma figured he was speaking more to himself than the childhood best friend straddling his lap.
Kenma’s third ever kiss, and first with tongue, felt like a shock to his system. It started out like the other one, with its firmness and blooming warmth; but with the green light to go further, Kuroo started to test the waters. He swiped his tongue against Kenma’s bottom lip, making the other boy gasp, giving him little time to think before he was showing him up close how to properly slide together. God, it was enough to make him dizzy. Kenma expected the feeling of tongue on tongue to be disgusting, but here he was happily letting Kuroo lick into his mouth and explore as he wished. And in turn, Kuroo was intoxicated, swallowing back Kenma’s little muted moans with a grin on his face.
Kiss number three was definitely his favorite; If this was how it always was with Kuroo, then Yaku really was dead wrong. He understood the urge to tease Kuroo more than most people, but now all Kenma wanted to do was lay back and take what he had to give.
At some point, Kenma’s back hit the floor. Kuroo broke their kiss for only a moment, hovering over his life-long best friend, brow creased as he seemed deeply engrossed in thought. Their noses bumped, and Kenma subconsciously reached up to take Kuroo’s lips back for himself.
Naturally, Kuroo snickered. “Is this a part of making out, too?”
“You tell me,” He mumbled, willing away that pit of self consciousness threatening to overtake the moment. “You’re the one with experience.”
Kuroo’s eyes softened, as did the worry in his brow. He wordlessly continued, lowering himself on top of Kenma’s smaller frame, pressing a kiss to the junction between Kenma’s neck and jaw.
That simple gesture was enough to force a gasp from Kenma’s throat. Despite the way his face burned and his heart raced, he clung to Kuroo, unwilling to risk him letting up. Kuroo knew him well enough to take the cue— and Kenma could practically feel the way he grinned against his hot neck.
Late afternoon sunlight streamed through the windows of the locker room. They were tangled together on the ground long enough for Kenma’s back to be sore, but he really didn’t care. Especially not when Kuroo’s lips were sucking and kissing at his neck, no doubt leaving marks he would regret seeing the next morning.
“Ah…!”
Kenma couldn’t help the gasp; not when Kuroo was definitely, shamelessly hard as their hips rutted together. His own cock was stirring between them, suffocated and uncomfortable under a layer of sweatpants. Of course, his whole body was in need of some cool air against his skin. Everything was starting to feel like too much, and yet…
He clung to Kuroo tighter, putting some actual effort and rhythm into his hip rolls. Fuck, it felt too good to stop. Every sensation was new to Kenma, every touch a discovery. It was downright embarrassing how he shivered when Kuroo sucked at his neck. He somehow managed to mess up Kuroo’s mass of black hair more with the way he pushed his fingers up into the roots, lightly pulling, addicted to the way Kuroo gasped in response.
Kenma was beginning to think he was going insane. What started as a peck of a first kiss had somehow spiraled into dry humping his best friend on the floor, the two devouring each other whole as that dizzying warmth began to swell in Kenma’s core.
“Kuro…” he gasped, hugging the larger boy tighter. “I think…’
“Y-yeah?!” Kuroo nudged their noses together, looking down half-lidded and foggy, rhythm at a desperate pace as they both chased some kind of release. His voice was all breath and no snark. “You’re okay?”
Kenma, face completely flushed, managed to nod. Any words he could have said were caught in his throat and promptly swallowed up by Kuroo’s greedy mouth. He was drowning in the heat, choking on the coiling tension in his abdomen. It was pure instinct driving him to roll his hips faster, harder, to pull Kuroo in as close as possible without having to take off their clothes. The crazy part of his brain thought there was always next time for that.
But soon, all thoughts were gone. Kisses turned into desperate panting against each other’s mouths as the tension wound tighter and tighter until finally, finally, Kenma felt himself burst and unravel under Kuroo’s half-lidded dark gaze.
“Kuro…”
Kuroo was already gone. He came with a moan pulled straight from his core and clear relief on his face before he collapsed down and pinned Kenma to the floor. Of course, he was far too weak and dizzy to care. Yeah, he thought. Kuroo’s weight feels nice.
They stayed like that for a few moments, both boys breathing heavily in and out as they tried to recover their bearings. Really, after a long day of physical exertion, a rest against the cold floor was exactly what he needed…
It was only when his body started to cool and his vision became clear that Kenma felt the sharp sting of clarity slap him across the face. The feeling of sticky, damp come in his sweat pants was doing him no favors. Euphoria had turned to deep anxiety and panic in a matter of seconds.
“Uhm,” Kenma cleared his throat. His clammy hands dropped to the floor. “Uh, Kuro…”
“KENMA!” He had never seen Kuroo move so fast or so clumsy. He practically tripped over his own big feet in an attempt to stand up and give Kenma some air. “GOOD HUSTLE! Good hustle...!”
“...”
What else could he do but lay there looking up at his flustered best friend with shocked wide eyes? Kenma felt frozen in place. He hadn’t felt this dumbstruck and cottonmouthed around Kuroo since the day they met, and that had been as two very awkward children with no greater worries beyond what games to play and how to copy volleyball moves they saw on tv. Making out with—and getting off with—the closest friend he ever had was well outside of Kenma’s mental bandwidth.
If the silence dragged on any longer, he feared he may vomit and make things more awkward. So with all his bravery and might, Kenma sat up and—
“Y-Ya know, for your first time, you actually did pretty well.”
And here he was back to being dumbstruck. Kuroo seemed to have composed himself just fine during Kenma’s momentary breakdown, at least enough to put on his Cheshire smile and offer Kenma hand. It was hard to look him in the eye, but he took Kuroo’s hand regardless.
“...Yeah? I mean, I guess it’s not that hard in principle.” Rather than stand up straight, Kenma rested with his back against the lockers. His knees were weaker than they were after a run. “And you, uh…” Oh. Kuroo’s devilish smile was stiff as he waited for Kenma’s verdict, but his best friend merely grimaced at the obvious compliment fishing (and the wet spot in his sweatpants. “What? What?! You want me to say you’re an amazing kisser, huh?”
“Well, it’d be nice to hear!” Kuroo broke out into chuckles. “All things considered, I think I did pretty damn good!” The tips of his ears burned red. “I’ve never seen you whimper like that, Kyanma.”
“...Oh. OH, I see.” Kenma felt his nerves begin to melt away as he snickered. “You’re nervous and deflecting. I get it now.”
“HA, me? Nervous and deflecting? I would never.”
“Would to.”
“Would not.”
“Would to.”
“Would…” Kuroo cleared his throat. “...you like to do that more often? Maybe?”
“Would to— oh.” His flushed cheeks began to glow pink, and Kenma felt his stomach flip. He’d never experienced butterflies before, but somehow it made sense that Kuroo gave them to him first. Kuroo seemed determined to take all of his firsts that day. “Hm…maybe. If I want to practice again. I guess you are a good teacher.”