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i. kenma
His senses were sharp, like a cat’s. He knew he was picky, had always been, and quite frankly, he hadn’t liked Kei at the beginning. They were too much of the same, too analytical, too intuitive.
What a troublesome guy, he thought the first time.
And he was right about it. Kei turned out to be much more troublesome than he had originally thought. Kenma didn’t really get Kuroo’s infatuation for Kei until that one day after a match when Kuroo invited him to tag along with them, ignoring Kenma’s glare. That evening, though, Kenma discovered that Tsukishima Kei was more than an annoying adversary.
Kei didn’t feel the need to fill the silences with unnecessary small talk. He didn’t press Kenma to join the conversation if he didn't feel like it and that made him feel at ease. Kei was also surprisingly good at firing back to Kuroo’s jabs with an incredible speed and wit, which made Kenma chuckle.
Genuinely.
(Kuroo looked at him like he had grown another head).
Kenma still remembered that first meeting quite well, and so the ones that followed after that. Kei wasn't usually a talker until someone brought up a subject that interested him. His opinions were always informed and concise. The three of them usually ended up having really good debates or witty banter they all enjoyed. Kei also liked talking about music and showing them new songs, and he had the skill to replicate Kenma’s videogames’ OSTs, something that impressed him. Sometimes, when they didn’t feel like going out, they would stay at Kenma’s and Kei would watch Kuroo and Kenma play, offering advice to both of them as soon as he got the game’s mechanics. One time, Kuroo dared him to play as well; and so they had discovered that he was a formidable opponent in that field too.
Kenma still remembered the night Kuroo had told him if Kei could join their relationship. He was lying on Kenma’s lap, watching him play. His phone rang and he stood up to pick up.
Best friends since childhood, Kenma and Kuroo knew each other all too well. Kenma was aware of Kuroo's crush on Kei, but he never gave him shit about that — he trusted him, so he paid no mind and focused back on his game.
Kuroo hung up and came back after a little while. Kenma could feel him radiate happiness. “Tsukki is coming to college in Tokyo,” Kuroo said. Kenma replied, “Ah.” Then Kuroo bit his lip and dropped the bomb.
“Kenma… could we… include him?”
Kenma didn’t really like that at the beginning. He wasn’t going to deny it — he was jealous. But he accepted because he guessed it was better than losing Kuroo completely, and also, he kind of liked Kei as well.
The start of it was awkward. Kenma was guarded, but Kei was clever and their personalities matched, and little by little, Kei won him over.
Kuroo communicated in big words of affection, big kisses, deep hugs. Kei communicated in silences and subtle touches, the light brush of a hand against Kenma's, a squeeze on the knee, putting a blanket over him when he passed out playing on the couch. Kenma liked how Kei sang off key and danced awkwardly when he drank a little too much. He liked how he observed things Kenma didn’t get to see when he was playing, and how he gave him advice on it. He liked how Kei ran his fingers through his hair and how softly he brushed it when he did it in the mornings. It made him drowsy. Sometimes, when Kei and Kuroo worried over his sleeping schedule, Kei would sit next to him and would ask him, face burning, to put his head on his lap. Kenma could never resist, and Kei would run his fingers through his hair until he fell asleep.
Kenma also liked how vulnerable he actually was, how he constantly tried to please the ones he loved in his own silent way. Like that time he let his hair grow a little longer than usual, and then longer and longer after Kuroo told him he liked how it looked. He also remembered how Kuroo gave him a pair of glasses for his birthday, and the day after that Kei changed his old pair for the new ones and didn’t go back.
It made Kuroo smile for like a week. It made Kenma smile, too.
ii. kuroo
He’d thought it be more difficult to make them get along, but it turned out not to be so hard.
Kuroo felt blessed by how easy it actually was. He felt joyful every time he said something stupid (on purpose) and Kenma and Kei exchanged a Look™. He also felt blessed after those long days at work when he came home a little later than usual and found both of them asleep on the couch, Kenma’s head resting on Kei’s chest. He loved how insightful Kei was and how Kenma had grown used to ask them both for help with the developing of his upcoming company, Bouncing Ball. He remembered being embarrassed and happy when Kenma told both of them that his team was thinking of making a line of clothing for the brand and Kenma wanted them to be the official models for it. Kei and him had been so stiff at the beginning of the photoshoot, but Kenma’s eyes gleamed when he saw them both in the casual, modern outfits and he smiled so wide and took a picture with his phone. That made them relax instantly.
Sometimes, when they got grumpy, Kuroo would put Kei’s music loud and take them dancing in the living room, insisting until they let themselves get lost in the music. Sometimes when they had been inside for too long he’d press until they agreed to go outside, meet some of their friends, go to a bar or watch a movie. Do different things. And on those rare times when he got sad and gloomy, they would notice, and make him company. They weren’t good with words, not when it came to discussing feelings. But Kenma would lie on his lap, like a little kitten, and Kei would ruffle Kuroo's hair and comment on how it looked like a bird’s nest, then hold his hand and squeeze it tight until Kuroo smiled and opened up about whatever was bothering him. And they would listen. This was their unique way of showing love; and Kuroo was so, so grateful for it.
iii. kei
He was well aware that Kenma and Kuroo knew each other way better than he knew both of them. Most of the time he didn’t particularly mind, but there were some occasions where Kenma and Kuroo would exchange a glance, share an inside joke or an obscure fact about the other like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Kei would feel left out. He knew they didn't do it on purpose and it was something to be expected. He considered himself a logical person and tried to remind himself of that, but that didn’t mean that emotion didn’t get the best of him from time to time.
And that was the thing. Sometimes, he still had bad days. Sometimes he woke up in a sour mood and sometimes it scared him to the bone how much he’d come to care about the two. And sometimes he still thought about Akiteru and that time he lied, and how Kei had placed all his hope and heart and illusion on him only to have it all crashed, and how it had hurt, and it terrified him that the same could happen with them.
(Yeah, that day was one of the bad ones. The Sendai Frogs had lost a match and Kei couldn’t stop thinking what if, what if, what if. His boyfriends held him tight when it ended, and Kuroo said that they were proud of him. But still, Kei felt like he hadn’t done enough.)
Dinner was awkward. They could obviously sense Kei was frustrated but they wanted to give him time and space to assimilate his feelings before asking him about it. So, Kuroo, with the best intentions, had started talking to Kenma about something unrelated and they ended up reminiscing their old times at Nekoma. Kei usually enjoyed hearing their stories, but that day it just made him feel like he didn't fit in. And then Kuroo made a comment that made Kenma chuckle, Kei hit the last straw.
Kei apologized and said he was going to rest. They exchanged one of their trademark looks, which Kei tried to ignore. He went to the room, put his headphones on and curled up in the bed, thinking, overthinking. The music came to a halt all of a sudden and it turned out to be Kuroo, taking his headphones off. Behind him, Kenma was staring at him with a concerned expression.
Kuroo put the headphones on, ignoring Kei’s protests and shook his head, taking them off again. “Oh no, not Radiohead. We’re not gonna let you mope around.”
“Give those back,” Kei snarled.
“Not until you tell us what’s going on.”
“Kuroo—”
“Kei,” Kenma called him as he approached him, sitting next to him on the bed. “You know you can trust us, right?”
“It’s stupid,” Kei protested, because he knew it was, but he just couldn't help it.
“Feelings aren’t stupid. Now come on, ruffle my hair. I know it puts you on a better mood,” replied Kuroo lightheartedly, placing his head on Kei’s lap. Kei thought he literally just needed to start purring to turn into a cat. The thought made him smile and when he looked up, Kenma was smiling too.
He looked down and let it all out while stroking Kuroo’s hair and doing his best to untangle the knots. Kuroo and Kenma listened to what he had to say, never interrupting him.
“That’s all?” Kuroo asked when he was done.
“I — yeah.”
“It’s bullshit. I mean, not what you’re feeling, but… the fact that you’re feeling that way. We love you, and we love what you bring to our relationship. Right, Kenma?”
Kenma nodded. His cheeks were on fire, and he took one of Kei’s hand and kissed it gently.
“And also,” Kuroo went on; “yes, we might not know you as well as we know each other, yet. But we got a lifetime ahead of us, so… yeah.”
Kei swallowed, heart beating hard and loud.
“A lifetime?”
“Yes,” Kenma nodded. He looked away, bashful. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is. I would… like that,” Kei said, and Kuroo couldn't help giggling because they looked so cute all embarrassed like that. Both Kenma and Kei glared at him, so he coughed.
“Sorry, but you’re just adorable. However, Kei,” he said, all serious again. “If you want us to know you better, you need to open up more often. Like today. Okay? We will listen, and it's not stupid.”
“It's never stupid. We're here for you,” Kenma emphasized.
“I… okay," said Kei. "I’ll try my best.”
“Good boy,” Kuroo replied. “You deserve a prize.”
“Oh?” Kei arched an eyebrow, his signature smirk finally making an appearance again. “What would that be?”
Kuroo got up in a flash, grabbed a pillow and threw it right at Kei’s face as he shouted: “This!”, and Kenma rolled his eyes and retaliated, hitting Kuroo with another pillow in order to avenge Kei. Kei fixed his glasses and joined too, going after Kuroo, except he managed to dodge it and it ended up hitting Kenma by accident. They got into a fight that no one won; and when Kei found himself on the floor, laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach; he thought that maybe, just maybe, that was exactly what life was about.