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Kenma’s association with Bokuto Koutarou is, by and large, a tenuous one.
He knows Bokuto primarily through his best friend of too many years, Kuroo Tetsurou. Kuroo is occasionally obnoxious and loud, and therefore tends to pull other obnoxious and loud people towards him, almost like a too-bright sun that too-loud planets orbit. Bokuto happened to be one of those people. He also happened to stick around longer than most people, which means that, because Kenma spends a lot of time with Kuroo, Bokuto and Kenma’s paths crossed as well. And as Bokuto and Kuroo became even better friends and spent more time together, that meant that Bokuto and Kenma started spending time together as well. And that time only increased as Bokuto and Kuroo ended up as roommates in their third year of university, so if Kenma wanted to see Kuroo, he had to see Bokuto as well.
And right now is a prime example of that, as Kenma sits on the floor of their room, leaning against Kuroo’s bed, talking about a guy from his class that keeps trying to ask him on dates. “I don’t know what to do,” Kenma grumbles. “I’ve told him no so many times now, but he’s persistent, I guess.”
“Man,” Bokuto complains. “No means no. I’ve got half a mind to go teach this kid a lesson.”
Kenma rolls his eyes. “You don’t need to do that,” he says, though, because Bokuto is probably partially serious. “I just wish there was some kind of a non-violent solution.”
“You could just pretend you’re dating someone,” Kuroo says, without even looking up from his notebook that he’s been holed over for the past hour and a half.
“That’s a stupid idea,” Kenma says, because it is.
“No, it’s not,” Kuroo retorts.
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Yes, it is. And besides, where would I even find someone who would pretend to date me?”
“Sorry, babe,” Kuroo says, because he’s obnoxious and can’t stand not teasing Kenma for five fucking minutes, “I’m already in a committed relationship with my textbooks for the next few months.”
“I hate you,” Kenma grumbles.
“Hey,” Bokuto says, popping up. “Hey, Kenma, hey! I’m not in any relationships with any books or anything, so if you want someone to pretend to be your boyfriend, I could totally do that!”
Kuroo and Kenma react, as ever, completely in sync - both of their heads twisting around to look at Bokuto in unison. “ You want to be Kenma’s fake boyfriend?” Kuroo asks, his eyes big.
“Well, yeah!” Bokuto chirps. “I mean, it couldn’t hurt, could it? I like Kenma and everything, he’s a cool guy, so I can help him out. Also, look at my muscles.” He rolls his shirt up, displaying his shapely muscles, a look of pride on his face. “With these bad boys? I can totally fight off whatever asshole is trying to chat up Kenma.”
That sets Kuroo off to dissolve into loud cackles, most likely over ‘bad boys’ if Kenma knows his best friend as well as he thinks he does. Once Kuroo calms down a little bit, Kenma leans slightly towards Bokuto. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind you pretending to be my boyfriend, I guess. If you were okay with it, that is.”
“I did just say I’m okay with it,” Bokuto points out. “I wouldn’t have said I’m okay with it if I wasn't okay with it. Hey, Kuroo, did that make sense?”
Kuroo’s face stretches into the stupid grin he always does when he’s in a conversation with Bokuto that makes absolutely no sense to anyone outside of the two of them. “Oh yeah, made total sense, man. You said you’re okay with it because you’re okay with it, and you wouldn’t say you’re okay with it if, in actuality, you were anything but completely okay with it.”
“Thanks, man,” Bokuto says, his face bright, but it quickly falls. “Wait. I don’t get it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Kenma says before the conversation can go any further and get any more convoluted. “Just… I mean, if you’re serious about it. It’d be nice if you could come and meet me after class tomorrow. He tends to corner me once I get out of class to pester me.”
Kuroo’s head spins around at the speed of light. “He corners you - what the fuck do you mean he corners you?” Kuroo starts in, but before he can get too far into his rant, Bokuto cuts him off.
“Hey, man, don’t worry,” Bokuto says. He stands up and puts his hands on his hips, almost as though he’s a superhero. “I’m gonna be there for Kenma tomorrow. And if he tries anything with our Kenma, he’s gonna get his ass kicked, don’t you worry.”
“ Our Kenma?” Kuroo says dubiously, at the same time Kenma mumbles something along the lines of “Please don’t kick anyone’s ass and also don’t pretend you’re a superhero or anything tomorrow.”
“Wait,” Bokuto says. “I have some questions. I mean... “ He squirms in his seat. “I’ve had girlfriends before, don’t get me wrong.”
“Likely story,” Kuroo chuckles, and Bokuto glares at him.
“I have had girlfriends before,” Bokuto repeats, even louder this time as if to put emphasis on the statement. “But I’ve never like, dated a guy or anything. So I don’t know if there’s anything different I should do to pretend I’m dating a guy!”
“Not really,” Kenma says. “I guess just come up and put your arm around me. Maybe kiss me on the cheek if you want. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Now it’s Kuroo’s turn to stare at Kenma with big eyes. “You sound so casual about all this,” Kuroo says, his voice almost accusatory. “Do you have… experience?”
Kenma rolls his eyes. He’s at least ninety percent sure he’s told Kuroo about his past experiences, but regardless, he says, “Yes, Kuro. There was the thing with Keiji in third year, you know that, and Shouyou and I went on a couple of dates before realizing there wasn’t much between us romantically.”
Bokuto’s eyes look like they’re actually about to bug out of his head. “You had a thing with Akaashi ?”
“We were both captains at the same time,” Kenma says with a casual shrug. “Sometimes we needed to burn off some steam, I guess. No big deal.”
“No big deal ,” Bokuto says, his voice faint, while Kuroo just says, “Damn, who knew you had more game than me. My only relationships were…”
“That one in middle school with that girl who you went to the movies with and then spilled soda all over her shirt,” Kenma recites, “and the one in high school with the girl who you dated for a couple of weeks before she said she wasn’t actually that into volleyball and then you dumped her.”
Bokuto dissolves into laughter while Kuroo gives him a half-stern look. “Damn,” he gripes. “It’s nice to have a best friend that knows everything about you. Really. ” He turns to Bokuto anyways, though. “I trust you, Bo. Just don’t let him get hurt.”
“Will do,” Bokuto says, his face twisting into a grin.
“It would be nice,” Kenma grumbles, “if you two could stop talking about me like I’m not here.”
Kuroo laughs and Bokuto grins at him, and Kenma can’t help wondering exactly how the hell he’s going to pull this off.
.
Usually, when Kenma gets out of class, there’s this immediate sense of terror that grips him. He just knows that he’s going to be there, waiting for him, just as he always is. His fight or flight reflex kicks in, and he starts speedwalking away from the building as quickly as possible.
But today, when he walks out of the building, today Bokuto is there. He waves at Kenma cheerily, and Kenma gives him a tiny smile in return. “Hello, Bokuto-sa - “ If he was dating Bokuto, he probably wouldn’t call him -san , shit - “Bokuto. How are you?”
“Just happy to be with you,” Bokuto says, swinging an arm around Kenma’s shoulders. Hm, Kenma thinks. He’s never actually been touched by Bokuto before. The two of them aren’t the closest, if Kenma’s being honest with himself. But Bokuto is muscular, and therefore the weight of his arm around Kenma’s shoulder is kind of reassuring. He smiles gratefully up at Bokuto. Bokuto smiles back.
And then they get interrupted with a, “Hey, Kenma, that’s you right?”
Fuck. Kenma swallows, his throat dry, as he turns to face him. “Yeah,” he manages, and then finds he’s lost his voice.
“Is there something you need?” Bokuto chimes in for him, though, thankfully enough.
“Yeah, I was just saying hi to my friend Kenma,” he says, his gaze narrowing into a glare. Kenma’s a little afraid this might actually come to blows for a second. Bokuto’s not exactly known for his impeccable self-control, and he isn’t either. So Kenma digs his elbow into Bokuto’s (way-too-toned) side in warning.
“Well, Kenma and I have got to get going, actually,” Bokuto says airily. “We have a date. You know, getting lunch together. Super romantic. Gazing into each other’s eyes and all that.” Kenma elbows him again, because this is way too much and might feel like overcompensation.
He - Takahashi, that is - looks annoyed, crossing his arms across his chest. “What, Kenma? Are you in a relationship with this guy?”
“I am,” Kenma says, leaning his head further into Bokuto to give the illusion of a happy couple. “We’ve been together for six months now.”
He can feel Bokuto’s warm lips brush the top of his head, gentle and too warm, and he wants to take off running. He’s not used to the warmth of another person’s touch, much less Bokuto’s of all people. But as terrifying as it is, it’s also not terrible. As in… well, Kenma wouldn’t mind being touched by Bokuto even more.
Hah. That’s even more terrifying to admit. Kenma quickly redirects his train of thought as fucking Takahashi opens his mouth again.
“You deserve better than this, though,” Takahashi says, sneering at Bokuto disdainfully. “You’re super intelligent, and I highly doubt that this guy can even count to ten.”
“Hey,” Bokuto says, and Kenma decides that he’s had about enough of Bokuto defending him, so maybe it’s time Kenma defends the both of them.
So Kenma asys, “Bokuto’s very intelligent, actually. He’s majoring in sports medicine and earned honors last semester. Plus, he has to manage his athletics with his academics, so that makes it even more impressive.” And sure, Kenma had been exaggerating a little bit, but well, who needs to know that?
“Aw,” Bokuto crows. “Thanks, angel.” He squeezes Kenma’s shoulders, and even though Kenma isn’t looking up at him, he gets the feeling that Bokuto’s looking down at him with that big, sunny smile. It’s the same one that Shouyou used to give him - a smile infused with straight sunshine.
Takahashi scowls, clearly not satisfied with either Kenma’s answer or Bokuto’s response. “You’ll see one day,” Takahashi says. “But, well, if you change your mind. I’ll be here. I’m not giving up that easily.”
“Go ahead and give up already,” Bokuto sneers, and Kenma puts his hand around Bokuto’s wrist to hold him back before he can go chase after Takahashi and put them both in danger. Bokuto relaxes into his grip as Takahashi walks away, and then turns to Kenma, his eyes droopy all of a sudden. “That guy was a total asshole.”
“I know,” Kenma says. “But it’s fine. Hopefully he’ll buy that we’re in a relationship and start to move on or something.”
“I sure hope so,” Bokuto says. “Hey, maybe it’ll be more convincing if we hold hands as we walk away?”
“Uh, okay,” Kenma says, holding out his hand. He’s not sure what exactly he’s expecting, but Bokuto’s grasp is gentle as his (much bigger) hand encircles Kenma in its strong grip. Kenma holds on tightly in return, the feeling almost comforting in a way Kenma’s never experienced before.
“Wanna get some food?” Bokuto asks. “I’m starvin’.”
“Yeah,” Kenma says, and then exhales, letting some of his nervous energy out. “Though admittedly I’m hoping that you’ll only buy one meal today. Watching you eat three meals at once makes me nervous.”
“Aw, come on,” Bokuto whines. “I’m a growing boy, Kenma! I need my nutrients!”
Kenma glances over at Bokuto, Bokuto's weirdly colored hair blowing back in the summer breeze, and Kenma suddenly feels warm all over. He chalks it up to being defended for once in his life, but in truth, he doesn’t really know why - and that terrifies him.
.
Having lunch alone with Bokuto is something that seldom happens. Usually Kuroo is there, almost acting as a buffer between the two of them - breaking any silences with teasing one of the two of them, or goading Bokuto into telling a story. Kenma worries a little that without him, it’ll be awkward.
But it isn’t, surprisingly enough. Bokuto jumps into a story almost immediately after sitting down - something about how he’d been tricked into being the main representative for a fundraiser and while he wasn’t opposed, of course, since it’s for a good cause, he also hadn’t expected for his face to get plastered all over their campus. His hands are waving excitedly as he talks, and Kenma just watches and listens.
Bokuto isn’t exactly a mystery, he thinks. Unlike Akaashi, who it’d taken a while to fully get to know (and, even now, he’s not completely sure he understands), Bokuto puts nearly everything about himself out there for everyone to see. Nearly everything, though, Kenma amends, because there are some things that Bokuto seems to keep to himself, sides of Bokuto that Kenma’s never gotten to fully see. It piques Kenma’s curiosity. He wants to understand more about Bokuto.
After lunch, Bokuto takes his tray from him before Kenma can even begin to stand up. “I’m working on my balancing skills,” Bokuto brags, holding one tray precariously in each hand.
“Ah,” Kenma says. “Well, thanks for taking my tray.”
“Any time,” Bokuto says. It’s… oddly adorable, Kenma thinks. What the hell has gotten into him. Bokuto Koutarou, who is 180 cm and probably over 70 kg, is adorable ? But there’s something in his genuine, ray of sunshine smiles and in the way he excitedly talks that’s undeniably cute.
“What time do you get out of class tomorrow?” Bokuto asks once he resurfaces at Kenma’s side after putting their trays away.
“Uh, around three,” Kenma replies. “But if you have class at that time, don’t worry about it, seriously.”
Bokuto’s eyebrows furrow together, but then his mouth stretches into a grin. “I don’t have class, don’t worry! So if you want me to be there, then that’s where I’ll be.”
There’s something too endearing about his sincerity. Kenma bites down on his lip so that he doesn’t get too lost in his own thoughts. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”
“See you tomorrow, then,” Bokuto says cheerfully, and as he walks away, Kenma thinks that this is either going too well - or not that well at all.
.
Bokuto’s waiting outside the next day when Kenma steps out of class again. He quickly walks up to him, draping an arm around Kenma’s shoulders, pulling him close to Bokuto’s body. “My love!” he proclaims, too loudly.
“You’re being embarrassing,” Kenma hisses under his breath, looking around to make sure no one else besides Takahashi is listening. God, he hopes not.
“Sorry,” Bokuto says with a loud laugh. “I’m just so happy to see you, and to know that you only like me and nobody else, and you probably will never like anyone else.”
“That’s too obvious,” Kenma groans under his breath, but lets Bokuto kiss him on the forehead anyways. His lips are soft against Kenma’s skin and, well, if Bokuto wants to kiss him, Kenma’s not exactly going to complain. “Come on. Let’s go before…”
“Kenma!” Takahashi’s harsh voice cuts into the conversation. He shoots a disdainful glare at Bokuto, then turns back to Kenma. “I see you still haven’t changed your mind.”
“Yeah, and I don’t plan on it,” Kenma says. “We’re going to get some food.”
Takahashi shakes his head. “There’s no way you’re dating someone like that, ” he says in a tone that’s too condescending. Kenma ignores him, though, simply takes Bokuto’s hand in his again and pulls him off towards the student center so that they can go get some lunch.
Bokuto casts a glance back at Takahashi before turning to Kenma. “Does he follow you?” he asks in a tone that’s almost urgent.
“Uh, sometimes,” Kenma says. “Not usually. But sometimes he’ll follow close behind me and ask me to get lunch.”
“You should’ve said something earlier,” Bokuto says. “Kuroo and I, we would’ve jumped in so much earlier if you’d said something! We could’ve been doing this for months now!”
“It’s fine,” Kenma says quietly. “I didn’t want to bother you. Or make you feel like I couldn’t handle myself. This is already embarrassing enough.”
“Well, you see,” Bokuto says, and then pauses. “I guess… for me, it’s not that you can’t handle yourself. You’ve been doing fine on your own all this time, after all. But it’s more that like… well, why should you have to handle this on your own, when we can help you in whatever way you need? It doesn’t make you weak or anything to ask for help. In fact, I think it makes you strong.”
It makes you strong. A shiver runs down Kenma’s spine at the words, and he glances over at Bokuto, who grins at him and gently squeezes Kenma’s hand. “I guess you’re right,” he replies quietly. “You can be pretty wise when you want to be, you know?”
“I get told that a lot,” Bokuto boasts. “I’m pretty inspiring sometimes too. Maybe I should’ve been a motivational speaker. But I don’t think this university has a degree in motivational speaking?”
“I think you should stick with your current major. It fits more with your career ambitions,” Kenma tells him, but he can’t help but smile.
.
And so their routine begins. Each day after class that Bokuto doesn’t have class when Kenma gets out of class (which turns out to be most days, as coincidentally their schedules align fairly well), Bokuto is waiting outside of the building for him. He throws an arm around Kenma’s shoulders to hold him close, occasionally starts an argument with Takahashi that Kenma hurriedly tries to shut down, and then walks with Kenma to get lunch or dinner. Kenma wonders if it’s weird that they don’t invite Kuroo, but Bokuto points out that he’d told Takahashi that they were dates so if he decides to follow them, he’d be confused if there was a third person at the table.
It’s… really nice. Kenma’s never really had the desire for a relationship, doesn’t really see a place for him in one, but something about fake-dating Bokuto is starting to make him change his mind. He likes the idea of having someone there, he supposes. Someone to wrap an arm around his shoulders, someone to encourage him when he feels down, someone that he knows will love him no matter what. It’s disgusting, of that he’s aware. Sappy and gross and everything Kenma’s vowed not to be.
But he can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to actually date Bokuto, to kiss Bokuto square on the lips, to have Bokuto smile at him like that and know in his soul that Bokuto truly cares about him. And he has no clue where this is coming from, considering that he’d certainly never thought about Bokuto like that prior to this whole fake dating thing. The main problem is that it’s getting harder and harder to suppress his thoughts.
He considers telling Bokuto that they have to end it here, that he’s going to find another fake boyfriend or just stop the whole fake-dating thing altogether and deal with it on his own. But the day he determines that he’s finally going to say something, Bokuto sits down across from him and asks, “Can I ask for a favor?”
“Uh, depends on what it is,” Kenma says, his head spinning. Is Bokuto going to be the one to ask to break it off first? It’d be a relief, in a way, because it means that Kenma doesn’t have to be the one to ask. But it’d also be… really disappointing. He’s not ready to lose Bokuto yet.
“Okay, listen, I know we’ve been doing this whole fake dating thing to protect you, and like that’s great, of course,” Bokuto babbles. “But, well, there’s this thing I have to go to for my team, a dinner thing, and they’re requiring we all show up with dates. And one of my teammates saw us walking around campus holding hands so now they think - well, they think we’re dating. And I was just hoping you’d come to the thing with me so I don’t have to explain this whole thing to them.”
Kenma considers for a second. On one hand, Kenma really hates social events like the one Bokuto’s describing. He doesn’t really want to meet new people, either. But a free dinner sounds nice, and Bokuto has done an awful lot for him. Besides, he’s not sure how exactly Bokuto would explain this to his teammates either.
For that reason, and that reason alone, Kenma nods. “I’ll go with you.”
“Oh,” Bokuto says, and then, his grin growing, “ Oh. Okay, great. Oh, also fair warning, it’s kind of a fancy event, so you might want to get a suit or at least a button up shirt! And it’s this Friday night - “
Bokuto keeps talking, and Kenma sighs, leaning back in his chair. Even though he knows he’s made the right choice by choosing to go, he can’t help the anxiety that bubbles up in his chest at the mere thought of going to this event. But it’s for Bokuto, he reminds himself. He’s doing it for Bokuto.
.
“So let me get this straight,” Kuroo says. “You’re going to a fancy event? For Bokuto?”
“Yes,” Kenma says, scowling at his best friend. “That’s what I just said, isn’t it?”
Kuroo gives him a sardonic smile. “So you’re going to dress up in fancy clothes and go talk to people you don’t know and probably don’t like for Bokuto,” Kuroo says. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you actually like him.”
“Of course I like him,” Kenma says indignantly. “We’re friends.”
“You know what I mean,” Kuroo says. “ Like -like him. Want to actually date him.”
Kenma smothers his face in a pillow, his cheeks heating up already. “I don’t!” he protests, on reflex, and then lets himself admit, “Or… ugh, I think I might. But I don’t want to.”
“God,” Kuroo says, dramatic as ever. “My two best friends, falling in love. Leaving me behind and lonely. I really am gonna have to get married to my textbook.”
“Shut up,” Kenma grumbles, launching a pillow at Kuroo in an attempt to shut him up. “We aren’t in love. There’s no way that he’d actually like someone like me.”
“Someone like you ?” Kuroo says. “Oh, excuse me. Yes, Bokuto would never be interested in someone who’s funny, intelligent, a good friend, and, speaking objectively here of course, incredibly attractive. Would you stop being self-deprecating for a minute and see things as they are?”
“You think I’m attractive?” Kenma asks, glancing up at him.
“Of course that’s the part you’d choose to fixate on,” Kuroo says. “Let’s put it this way. Why would Bokuto offer to fake date someone he’s not at all interested in? And why would you accept if you weren’t just as interested?”
Kenma contemplates suffocating himself with a pillow just to escape this conversation, mostly because Kuroo has a point, but Kenma really doesn’t want to hear it. There’s no way Bokuto would actually be interested in him. No fucking way at all.
Still, he thinks, moving the pillow off of his face a little bit - Kuroo knows Bokuto better than almost anyone. And if Kuroo’s saying that Bokuto’s interested in him…
“Maybe you’re right,” he says. “But what happens when Bokuto figures out that I’m not exactly the most interesting person? I spend most of my time in my room alone, playing video games. I’m not exactly the type of person that can keep up with him and all his energy.”
“Bokuto doesn’t think like that,” Kuroo says. “He thinks you’re interesting, and he wouldn’t expect you to be anything other than what you already are. You know what I think?”
“What?” Kenma says, even though he very much doesn’t want to hear it.
“I think,” Kuroo replies, “that you’re trying to find a reason not to date him. Because you’re afraid of putting yourself out there. Just like always - you think I don’t know that’s why you never pursued anything with Akaashi? But I also think it’s okay to take a chance sometimes. And I think Bokuto is the perfect person to take a chance with.”
Kenma hates Kuroo sometimes. Mostly, he hates how well Kuroo knows him, and how Kuroo’s completely unafraid to call Kenma out on his bullshit. And most of all, he hates that Kuroo’s completely right.
Kenma takes a deep breath in. “I’ll think about it,” he replies, and Kuroo smiles at him.
.
Friday rolls around sooner than Kenma would’ve liked. He stares at his reflection in the mirror. The suit jacket is a little too long on his arms, he thinks, and he just… doesn’t really look like the kind of person that should be wearing a suit. He turns around to face Kuroo. “Do I look okay?” he asks, a bit self-consciously.
Kuroo stares at him for a second, his eyes big, and Kenma thinks that he definitely needs to change right away. Kuroo can’t find the words to say because they’d all be too mean. But then Kuroo swallows and says, “Uh, you look fantastic, Kenma. Seriously. Bokuto’s not gonna be able to keep his eyes off of you.”
“You really think so?” Kenma looks back at his reflection, which really does not look all that impressive. But it’s not like he has time to change. He steps away, running a last desperate hand through his hair, and then there’s a knock at the door.
“Hi, Bokuto,” he says, turning around, but once he does, he finds himself stunned. Shit. Bokuto really pulls off a suit well. It emphasizes all of his muscles and makes his golden eyes shine even brighter, somehow. He doesn’t know what the hell to say all of a sudden.
Luckily, Bokuto seems equally as stunned as he stares back at Kenma. “Holy shit. You look… amazing, Kenma! Who knew you could pull off a suit so well?”
Kuroo coughs, turning Bokuto’s attention back to him, and gives Bokuto a smarmy smile when they make eye contact. “Oh, only me. And just about everyone with eyes in the world.”
“Shut up,” Bokuto says, grinning at him and then looking back at Kenma. “Well. Let’s get going then?” He reaches out towards Kenma, his eyes wide and genuine, and Kenma takes a hold of his arm without a second of hesitation.
“Have fun, you wild children,” Kuroo says, turning back to the textbook on his desk. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Ha, that means we can do pretty much anything,” Bokuto says jovially. “I’ll see ya later tonight, man. Don’t spend the whole time studying! Do something fun!”
“I’ll play a game of pinball on my computer or something,” Kuroo grumbles. Bokuto and Kenma bid him goodbye, and then they’re all alone.
Kenma swallows. “Uh, how are we getting there?”
“It’s not a far walk,” Bokuto informs him happily. “I’m pretty sure it’s only like, fifteen minutes? If you’re okay with walking, that is!”
“Oh, yeah, that’s fine,” Kenma says. He holds on a little tighter to Bokuto’s arm, though, his heart rate picking up as they walk. Kenma isn’t really used to this kind of thing: to dates, even if fake, to spending time one-on-one with attractive guys he still doesn’t completely know that well. “Uh… so…”
“So the team is gonna be really excited to see you,” Bokuto says. “Lately I’ve been talking about you a lot. I mean, not in a weird way or anything - just like, we’ve been spending a lot of time together, you know, so I talk about you sometimes. Anyways! They’ll be glad to see that you’re a real person.”
“What,” Kenma says, glancing over at him. “Do they think that you talk to imaginary people?”
“Ha,” Bokuto laughs aloud. “Nah, probably not! They probably just think that I exaggerated? I do that sometimes. Did I tell you about the time that I went to the supermarket in a Spiderman costume and I…”
He continues on with his story along these lines, his hands moving quickly and fluidly as he speaks. He’s dynamic, Kenma thinks; he draws everyone into his orbit. And Kenma can’t help but be a little bit drawn in as well.
They make it to the event and Bokuto tightens his grip on Kenma’s arm, almost as if he can sense Kenma’s quickly escalating heart rate. “It’s gonna be fine,” he says cheerily. “I’ll be here the whole time, yeah? And if you wanna leave, we can leave! These things are usually pretty boring anyways. I just wanna make an appearance.”
“I… okay,” Kenma says, and even though Bokuto hadn’t actually said a lot, Kenma suddenly feels a hundred times more reassured. “Let’s go, then.”
Bokuto’s teammates are all very Bokuto in the best of ways. They are all loud and talkative and greet Bokuto with fist bumps and handshakes, then introduce themselves to Kenma with huge smiles. Kenma tries his best to be as friendly as possible, but they are hard to keep up with. Still, Bokuto tries to keep him engaged in the conversation. He asks questions that Kenma can jump in on, tells stories about Kenma that Kenma can add to, tells jokes that Kenma can laugh at and pretend he’s a part of the conversation. It’s what Kuroo does normally, but it feels different somehow. Maybe it’s that he hasn’t known Bokuto forever the way he has Kuroo, and yet Bokuto already knows how to do this.
(Maybe it’s that Kuroo is right. Maybe he really does have a crush on Bokuto. Or maybe, he thinks as he looks over at Bokuto who has a bright smile on his face as he talks, his arms splayed in the air to demonstrate the absolute enormity of whatever he’s talking about, maybe it’s not a maybe at all.)
He definitely has a crush on Bokuto Koutarou.
He feels a little like he’s suffocating all of a sudden. He bites down on his lip, hoping that the sudden pain will be enough to ground him, but unfortunately it doesn’t slow the racing of his pulse or the tightness in his chest. Bokuto looks over at him in the midst of his conversation. Immediately, something seems to register: he says a quick farewell to whoever he’s talking to and heads off in Kenma’s direction. Kenma wants to throw up.
“You didn’t have to leave your conversation,” he protests weakly. “I’ll be fine. Go back.”
“Nah, I’m good,” Bokuto says, beaming the stupid trademarked Bokuto Smile at him. “I can tell you’re like, not into this at all, which is totally understandable because the conversation in there was pretty boring anyways, so uh- what do you say we get out of here?”
“Uh,” Kenma says, and then lifts a shoulder. “Yeah. I guess that’d be fine.”
Bokuto leads Kenma out the door, even going so far as to hold the door open for him. Kenma follows him outside into the darkness of the night. The restaurant that the event had been held at is by the side of a nearby pond, and Bokuto steps up to the fence enclosing the pond, leaning against the railing. Kenma glances nervously to the side - are they going home, or aren’t they? But he decides to face his fears for once, and he steps up to the fence beside Bokuto. “What’s going on?”
“I was thinkin’ if I should say something or not,” Bokuto says.
Kenma’s eyebrows furrow together as he looks over at Bokuto. “Say something about what?”
“I don’t know,” Bokuto hedges. “It’s just… well, I’ve had a lot of fun hanging out with you the last couple of weeks, you know? I felt like I didn’t know you that well before. It was like, you were just Kuroo’s best friend, you know? But now you’re Kenma. And Kenma, you’re…” He trails off. “Shit, I don’t know how to do this. I just, well, I think you’re amazing. And cute. And funny. And I wanna spend more time with you.” He blinks, looking up at Kenma with his wide, innocent eyes. “Do you think you’d want to do that, maybe? Or, well, I guess I should ask… do you like me too?”
Kenma finds himself frozen. He doesn’t know what the hell to say, because he certainly hadn’t been expecting this. A confession from Bokuto Koutarou, of all people? He’d never thought that this was possible. How is it possible?
“Uh, is that a no?”
Shit. Bokuto’s still waiting for a response - of course he is. Kenma manages to rearrange his thoughts enough to say, “No. No, it’s not a no, I mean. It’s… I think that I like you too.”
“You think?” Bokuto says, tilting his head at him. “Well, like what percent sure are you?”
“Probably…” Kenma hesitates. “Probably around 95% sure.”
“Well,” Bokuto says, “is there anything that your fake boyfriend can do to convince you 100%?” There’s a slight smugness in Bokuto’s features that isn’t usually there, and is Bokuto flirting with him? That’s what’s happening right now, right?
Kenma decides to, for once, throw caution to the wind - and tease Bokuto a little bit, too, because there’s no way he’s as confident as he seems. “You could kiss me,” he says, arching an eyebrow as he does so. That’s seductive, right?
“Oh,” Bokuto says, his eyes getting bigger, and then - “Oh. Ha. You really want that?”
“Yes,” Kenma says. “I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t, remember?”
“Throwing my own words in my face!” Bokuto gasps. “You’re kinda evil!” But he’s laughing, though his laughter fades away as he cups Kenma’s cheeks, leaning in until their lips are pressed together. It’s warm and soft and caring, though Bokuto does speed it up a second or so in, kissing him a little bit faster. Kenma pulls back, his eyes big, and Bokuto pulls back too. “Oh shit, was that too much? I can go slower!”
“Maybe a little bit,” Kenma says, but he lets his lips turn up anyways as Bokuto leans in again, cradling his face with his two big hands. It feels just as good and protective as it had that first time that Bokuto had put his arm around Kenma, but the difference is that…
Well, this time he knows it’s real. This time he can feel that neither of them are pretending, that Bokuto means it just as much as Kenma does. And he smiles at the thought, holding on even tighter, letting Bokuto pull him even closer.
“Wanna be my real boyfriend this time?” Bokuto asks in a breathy tone in between kisses, and well, what can Kenma say but:
“Yes.”
His association with Bokuto may have started off a tenuous one, but he’s glad that their fake relationship has caused them to evolve this way. And hey, he thinks rather optimistically - maybe their real relationship will finally be enough to get Takahashi to leave him alone for good this time.
Because, however clueless Bokuto might be, Kenma finds that he likes him nonetheless, and he’s more than excited to ‘get to know’ Bokuto a little bit better.