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When Kenma was in elementary school, the classroom pet rabbit died. When the teacher asked if anyone knew what happened, a group of children blamed it on Kenma, who was too shy to speak up for himself. He thought they were his friends.
After waking up from dreaming about that time once again, Kenma sighed. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed. Why did the past always haunt him? As he walked out of his bedroom, he greeted his sleeping white cat named Marshmellow. The cat let out a quiet meow from where it rested on the couch.
Kenma took a shower and washed his blonde hair, which was a little bit past chin length. He had dyed it himself, and the black roots had grown out visibly since then. As he reflected on his childhood, his mother knocked on the bathroom door and told him not to leave the water on too long. After the shower, Kenma came out to the dining room of the small apartment. As he sat at the breakfast table with his mom, she nodded out towards the window. "I put up a wind chime. It feels like summer, doesn't it?"
Kenma hummed. "Isn't it late in the year for that kind of thing?"
His mother shook her head playfully. "It's never too late for that kind of thing! 'Nothing starts until you begin,' you know."
With a small eye roll, Kenma said, "where'd you hear that?"
His mother smiled. "It is a quote from a song!"
"Of course it is," Kenma said as Marshmellow mewed at his feet. Kenma looked down and smiled. "Ah, you want your breakfast too, don't you?"
After giving Marshmellow some food, Kenma quickly did the dishes for himself and his mom. The apartment the two of them shared was small, but homelike. He went to his room and put on his high school uniform, then grabbed his ipod and earbuds. Finally, he went to the front door to put on his shoes. "I'm leaving now, mom."
"Have a good day!" Kenma's mom called out. She looked at the picture of her husband and hummed a happy tune. He would be proud of who their son had grown up to be.
Kenma listened to music as he walked to the train station. When he got there, he stood at the yellow line and waited patiently. A group of girls from his school saw him; one pointed and laughed. The other girls joined in the laughter too. Kenma couldn't hear them over the loud classical music coming through his headphones. When the train arrived, he boarded it and stood by himself for the ride.
When Kenma got to school, he switched his shoes for his slippers at his shoe locker. He then walked down the hallway towards his classroom.
Three girls stood in his way. "How many years have you been single, Kozume?"
Kenma ignored them and went to walk around them.
One of the girls giggled. "He ignored us!"
A different girl nudged the first girl's arm. "Guess we can't ask such rude questions. It's obviously been sixteen years." The three girls laughed together.
Kenma pretended not to care. What they said was true, though. He had never dated, or even had a friend, for sixteen years; he planned on keeping that record. He had been in some groups when he was younger that might have seemed like friends, but he realized something then. if you have friends, they will only hurt you. So he decided he didn't need them.
-----
Kuroo Tetsurou and Bokuto Koutarou walked together down the school hallway. Bokuto gave an impressed sigh. "There were so many attractive guys and girls at Seino! I wanted to hit on some of them, but they just went after you instead!
Kuroo hummed. "Did they?"
Bokuto pouted. "Don't act oblivious! Even the cutest ones had the hots for you! Don't underestimate my power of perception!"
Kuroo chuckled. "Sorry, man."
Bokuto nodged Kuroo's arm. "Did you get that one guy's number?"
"Nah."
Shocked, Bokuto stepped in front of Kuroo. "What? Why?"
Kuroo shrugged. "Not like I had to."
Bokuto crossed his arms. "He so wanted you to ask for it! What a waste."
"Was it? He looked like any other guy, to me."
Bokuto narrowed his eyes. "Well wooooow, isn't that what we would expect the most popular guy in school to say. The universally admired Kuroo Tetsurou."
Kuroo raised an eyebrow playfully. "Is that sarcasm?"
"Don't say they all look alike to you."
Kuroo shook his head. "Of course not. I just mean they are all equal."
Someone called out to them from behind and waved at them. "Goodmorning."
It was Akaashi Keiji. Bokuto excitedly opened his arms wide for a hug, but Akaashi walked past him to talk to Kuroo.
"Where were you last night? I called and you didn't answer," Akaashi said.
"Ah, sorry. I went to dinner with some Seino high students," Kuroo said.
Akaashi tilted his head. "You should have invited me along then."
Kuroo looked at him apologetically. "Sorry, I will next time!"
"That would be great. We should all go do karaoke soon," Akaashi said.
Kuroo smiled and nodded as Akaashi walked off to get to class.
Bokuto, who was still standing with his arms open, turned around.
"Whatcha doing?" Kuroo asked.
Bokuto scowled. "Are you trying to steal Akaashi from me?"
Kuroo raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"
"Seriously! Akaashi is my angel! Especially with that ass of his!"
With a shake of his head, Kuroo said, "that's all you look at."
Bokuto flung his arms up and started to step backwards. "That's not true! Akaashi is way more than a guy with a nice ass! He is.."
Bokuto didn't finish his sentence. He had accidentally backed into Kenma and knocked him over. Kuroo stared at Kenma with a surprised look as Bokuto tried to apologize.
Kenma was on his hands and knees. He turned his head to glare at Bokuto.
Bokuto tried to apologize again. Kenma got up and ignored him, walking away.
Bokuto put a hand on one hip. "Man, he is a strange one."
Kuroo was staring after Kenma, his eyes wide with wonder. "Who is that?"
Bokuto hummed. "You don't know? That's Kozume Kenma. He is in my class. He is always rude like that. He never talks. I bet no one's even heard his voice. I don't know what his deal is, but he definitely isn't my type."
As he turned to look at Kuroo, Bokuto realized he was staring after Kenma.
Kuroo's face was unreadable until he gave a very small grin. "He is kind of… interesting."
----
Kuroo and Bokuto were walking back to class after the morning assembly.
Bokuto slouched over. "Man, these morning assemblies are so boring."
As Bokuto reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw girls with really short skirts and really long hair. He raced up after them.
Bokuto whistled. "You girls look scandalous."
One of the girls pouted at him. "Don't be a pervert!"
Kuroo caught up with Bokuto and nudged his shoulder. "Don't be a jerk, Bo."
"I'm just appreciative of their efforts. Although I don't know if I prefer long hair…"
The girls gathered around Kuroo and tried to invite him to go to various events with them. Bokuto pouted as he was completely ignored.
Someone with blonde hair further up the stairs caught Bokuto's eye. "Ah, now dyed hair is pretty scandalous too!"
Bokuto started walking up the stairs, reaching for a strand of the hair. Kuroo caught his movement and excused himself from the girls.
As Bokuto gently tugged some of the blonde hair, he realized it was Kenma. "Oh, it's just you."
Kuroo came up next to Bokuto. "Hey, what are you doing, Bo?
Kenma's brow furrowed in anger and he went to roundhouse kick Bokuto. Only, he kicked Kuroo instead.
Kuroo flew back down several stairs and landed next to the group of girls. All the girls rushed around Kuroo, asking if he was okay.
Kenma spoke in an irritated voice. "Everyone always says it's just an accident. But if it's an accident, then why does it keep happening? Leave me alone, asshole!"
Kuroo watched in awe as Kenma turned to walk up the stairs.
Kenma yelled over his shoulder. "I hope you die!"
One of the girls went to comfort Kuroo. "He is so mean! It wasn't even you that did it."
Kuroo sat frozen, staring after the direction Kenma walked away towards. Suddenly, he started laughing. "Yeow!!"
Bokuto furrowed his brow. "Did you hit your head?"
Kuroo calmed down and smiled. "Kozume Kenma, huh?"
-----
As Kenma got ready to leave his classroom at the end of the day, almost all the girls in his class glared at him.
Some of them whispered to each other, close to where Bokuto sat.
"What is his problem?"
"Yeah, who does he think he is!"
When Kenma got to his shoe locker, he opened it to grab his shoes. A bunch of thumb tacks and a note fell out. Kenma leaned down to pick the note up and read it. It said, 'how dare you kick an innocent guy? Apologize, jerk!'
Kenma stared at the note, feeling numb to his emotions.
Suddenly Kuroo came walking up to him. "Kozume-san?"
Kenma didn't notice him. So Kuroo tried again.
"Kozume Kenma-san?"
Kenma startled and turned to look at him. Kuroo held up a hand to give a wave. Kenma saw the dark bruise that was forming from where he had been kicked.
Kenma turned back towards his locker, thinking about how he kicked Kuroo and starting to feel a little guilty. "What do you want?"
"I'd like to aplogize," said Kuroo.
Kenma looked at the black haired man. "Apologize? For what?"
Kuroo gave a kind smile. "It was my friend who upset you. Bokuto, the guy who pulled your hair, is my friend. He said you're in his class."
Kenma shrugged and leaned down to put his shoes on. "That's news to me. I don't talk to anyone in my class."
"Bokuto may seem flirty and fickle, but he doesn't mean any harm. I'm sure it was unpleasant for you, though. Kozume-san… I'm sorry."
Kenma closed his eyes after he finished putting on his shoes. He crumbled the note from his locker in his hand. "Well… I'm sorry too... for accidentally kicking you."
Kuroo covered his mouth and chuckled. Kenma frowned at him.
Kuroo shook his head as he continued to giggle between words. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I just can't believe you roundhouse kicked me out of nowhere!"
Kenma frowned deeper and looked down, blushing in embarrassment.
Kuroo stopped laughing. "Sorry! I'm being sincere."
Kenma turned to walk away. "Can I go now?"
"You're pretty fun, Kozume-san."
Kenma paused. "Fun?... fun to pick on?"
"No. I mean, I think it would be fun to get to know you."
Kenma spoke quietly. "I don't understand."
Kuroo almost reached towards Kenma. "What I mean is… how do I put this…"
As he started to walk away, Kenma spoke again. "I don't care."
Kuroo stood by the lockers, watching Kenma leave. He had a confused look on his face. Why didn't Kenma want to talk to him?
-----
Kenma was behind the school buildings, under a tree. He knelt on the ground next to a kitten he was feeding. Kenma pulled the bowl away after a few minutes.
"That's enough. If you eat too much, you'll get a tummy ache."
The kitten mewed at Kenma, pawing at his leg. Kenma gave the small calico kitten a gentle pet. Then the kitten ran away.
Kenma stood up and started walking down a corridor between some school buildings. When Kuroo stepped out from one of the buildings, Kenma jumped in surprise.
"Hey!" Kuroo said in a friendly voice.
Kenma stammered and looked down. "Now what do you want?"
"Let's be friends."
Kenma looked at Kuroo suspiciously. "What?"
Kuroo held out his phone. "Let's trade."
Kenma blinked. He didn't know why Kuroo would want to trade phones. "I don't want to."
Kuroo gave a teasing smile. "I meant, trade our phone numbers, not our phones."
Kenma blushed as he realized he had misunderstood. "I don't want to do that either."
Kuroo stared at his own phone for a moment. Kuroo pulled out a paper and wrote his name and number on it. Then he held it towards Kenma. "I see. Here then. Take this, contact me any time."
Kenma reluctantly took the paper. Then he started reaching into his pocket. "When I kicked you… I hurt you hand, didn't I? Here."
Kenma handed Kuroo a bandaid.
Kuroo took it and looked at it with curiosity Then he smiled and rubbed the bandaid lovingly against his face. "Thanks. Though I'm not sure this little bandaid will cover it."
Kenma reached back into his pocket and pulled out 10 more bandaid, still attached to each other. "This should be enough, right? Let me know if you need more."
Kuroo blushed. "Oh, no. That's not what I meant…"
Kenma handed the stack of bandaids to Kuroo and turned to walk away. "Goodbye for real, now."
Kuroo stepped forward and held up the bandaids, waving them near his face. "Kenma! Thanks for these…. See you later!"
Kenma blushed at Kuroo using his first name, and ran away.
Kuroo frowned and spoke out loud to himself. "Maybe he doesn't like me…"
-----
Kenma walked home from school. He felt really freaked out. It had been a long time since he talked at school. And Kuroo had even given him his phone number, too. Kenma didn't know there were people who could smile so sincerely. Who could look so happy to see him.
Kenma found himself blushing, and shook his head as he pocketed the paper with the phone number. It's not like he would ever call Kuroo.
------
Kenma was at his part time job. He worked at a bakery. There was a man in a business suit that kept glancing at Kenma.
The owner of the bakery came up to Kenma. "Do you have a fever? Your face is red."
Kenma shook his head. It wasn't a fever, he had just been thinking about his day. "I'm fine, don't worry. I'm not sick."
Kenma walked over to the register and took a deep breath, trying to clear his head.
The man in the business suit came up to the counter holding a tray of pastries. "Uh...I'll take these, please."
Kenma nodded and took the tray. "Of course. Should I pack up the sweet ones together?"
The man looked closely at Kenma's face, eyes lingering a little too long. "No, please bag them separately. And also, can I get some wet wipes?"
Kenma bowed slightly. "Of course."
As Kenma packed the pastries, the man looked up and down Kenma's body. If anyone had been watching, it would have seemed suspicious. Kenma didn't notice.
The man put some money on the counter. Kenma calculated the total and handed the man his change.
The man stared at Kenma intensely. "Thank you very much, young man."
Kenma started to feel uncomfortable. "Um. You're welcome, sir."
The man stared at him a few more moments before he turned to leave.
-----
Kenma had finished work and was getting home after dark.
His mother welcomed him home. She was in the kitchen cooking. Kenma ignored her and walked to his room. She frowned after him. "That's not how you greet your mother when you get home, Kenma!"
Kenma closed his bedroom door and laid down on his bed. He held Kuroo's phone number in his hands, looking up at it. Kenma closed his eyes and sighed. It was pointless to think about Kuroo. He would only betray him, like everyone does.
-----
Over the next few days at school, Kuroo tried to say hello to Kenma on multiple occasions. But Kenma ignored him.
On the third day, Kuroo caught up to Kenma between classes.
"Hey, Kenma!"
Kenma frowned. "Don't just go calling me by my first name."
Kuroo persisted. "Why didn't you call me? I've been waiting."
Kenma walked faster. "Don't just follow me around, either. And I never said I would call you."
With a pout, Kuroo replied. "But I thought we could chat!"
"I hate talking on the phone," Kenma snapped.
"Huh? Don't you talk to your friends?"
Kenma stopped walking and turned around. He pulled out his phone and showed Kuroo his contacts. There was only 'home' and 'work' entered.
"I don't have any friends. People always stab each other in the back. And school is full of jerks looking for their next target. They assign roles like they are playing house, then shun the so called friends when it's not fun anymore. I don't want to be friends with those people."
Kenma turned to walk away.
Quickly as he could, Kuroo replied. "Not everyone is like that!"
Kenma turned to look back at Kuroo. "Yes, they are. I don't need friends."
Kenma ran away.
Kuroo put his hands in his pocket and looked down. After a minute, Akaashi and Bokuto came up behind him.
"Why do you look all spaced out?" Bokuto asked.
Kuroo turned around and cooked his head. "Do I? I'm fine."
Akaashi looked between the two men. "Let's go to karaoke tonight."
Kuroo smiled. "Sure, let's do that."
------
Kenma had ended up having to stay late at his part time job. The streets were dark and empty as he bid the owner goodbye and left.
As Kenma walked down the street, he noticed the man in the business suit that had made him uncomfortable the other day. With a frown, Kenma started to walk a little faster.
The man crossed the street and started following Kenma. For several blocks, he was behind Kenma.
When Kenma finally checked behind him and didn't see the man, he let out a sigh of relief. But then, the man reappeared right next to him. Kenma gasped out of surprise and ran for it, ducking into a convenience store.
He pulled out his phone and called home. The phone rang and rang, but his mom didn't pick up. He tried again, but she didn't answer. She must not be home yet.
Kenma felt panic creeping up in his chest as he checked out the large window and saw the man waiting across the street.
Kenma took a shaky breath, unsure of what to do. Then he remembered he still had Kuroo's number in his pocket. He pulled it out and dialed it.
-----
Kuroo was at karaoke with a group of friends. It was his turn to sing next, but his phone started ringing. He looked at the number but didn't recognize it.
"Hello?"
"Um...it's Kozume... please… I need help."
Kuroo's eyes widened. "Tell me where you are, Kenma."
Once Kenma told him where he was, Kuroo excused himself and rushed out of the karaoke place. He ran as fast as he could.
When he came into the convenience store, he was panting and out of breath. He looked around and found Kenma, hiding in the back of the store.
As Kuroo walked over the Kemna, he noticed he was hunched over so he couldn't be seen from the window. "What's wrong, Kenma?"
"There's a man outside. He often comes to my work to buy pastries. He followed me today when I left."
Kuroo looked out at the man, glaring at him. He turned back to Kenma. "How long have you been here?"
Kenma looked down. "About thirty five minutes."
The shock was evident across Kuroo's face. "He really is stalking you!"
Kenma hunched down further. "I don't know what to do! My mom wouldn't answer her phone and I have no one else to call…"
Kuroo walked away and went over to the counter to buy an ice pop.
Kenma blinked at him and walked over to him. "Kuroo-kun?"
After breaking the ice pop in two, Kuroo offered one half to Kenma. "Here, I got hot from running here. Don't worry, I understand the situation!"
Kuroo put an arm over Kenma's shoulder and started guiding him out the door.
Kenma glanced at Kuroo, surprised. "What are you…"
Kuroo gave his shoulders a squeeze. "Come on, let's go."
They walked out of the store, and the man across the street saw them. Kenma gave a small nervous noise. Kuroo whispered to him reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm here."
The man walked over and gave Kenma a confused look. "Who is he?"
Kenma looked at Kuroo, who turned to him to speak. "Kenma. I love you."
Kenma raised his eyebrows. "Huh?"
The next thing Kenma knew, Kuroo was leaning down and kissing him. Kenma's eyes went wide as new sensations flooded his body. He had never been kissed before.
As Kuroo continued to kiss Kenma, he looked at the man in the business suit with a possessive glare. The man backed away and walked off in frustration.
Kuroo pulled back from the kiss. "He is gone now."
Kuroo looked at Kenma's face and his eyes widened slightly. He didn't expect Kenma to be so speechless. "Kenma?
Kenma's mind was spinning and his face held a surprised look. He had been kissed. Kuroo had kissed him. What was going to happen now?