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Kuroo rubbed his eyes, feeling them burn slightly from staring at his laptop screen. He didn’t know how long he’d been sitting there, his cursor blinking back at him. Far too long, if the way his knees fought him as he uncrossed his legs. Why he chose to sit like that while he studied, he’d never know. He just knew it was something he did.
He sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. He was tired. Exhausted, really. Midterms meant more nights spent studying, which also meant more nights being given last minute assignments that needed to be finished before said exams. All in all, it was the worst time of the semester.
No longer focused on his laptop, Kuroo could hear the sounds of Kenma’s game from down the hall, along with the occasional comment from Akaashi. If he was being honest, he was a little jealous. They’d already finished their midterms the week before, which he only knew because they’d ran out of coffee midway through that week and Kenma and Akaashi had looked like the walking dead with how little they’d slept.
The front door opened and closed, and he heard shoes being kicked off followed by a bag dropping the ground, and Kuroo sat back up. “I’m home!” Bokuto called through their apartment, walking into the living room. He smiled when he saw Kuroo, walking over and giving him a quick kiss before sitting on the floor in front of him.
Kuroo smiled. “How was practice, Bo?” he asked, closing his laptop. Without the light coming from the screen, and with Bokuto being home, he realized just how late it was. Well after his normal dinner time. When was the last time he’d eaten?
“Oh, it was great! Coach had us doing spiking drills and of course I crushed it,” Bokuto said, pulling Kuroo from his thoughts.
“That’s really awesome, Bo,” he said, warmth flooding his chest at the smile Bokuto gave him. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“No, not yet, you? And the others?” Bokuto asked, shaking his head. Kuroo shook his head as well, not missing the way Bokuto’s eyes narrowed a little. His eyes traveled to the coffee table where Kuroo’s school things were scattered among a now cold mug of coffee. “Have you eaten at all today?”
Kuroo opened his mouth to say something, but he wasn’t even sure he’d eaten breakfast. He hadn’t felt hungry when he woke up, and he’d jumped straight into studying. The only reason he had the coffee was because Akaashi had kept him company for a bit earlier that day and brought him one. “I… haven’t, no,” he said quietly. He looked at his textbook, knowing the look Bokuto would give him.
One filled with worry and what Kuroo always thought was disappointment. It didn’t happen often, since Kuroo was always really good at making sure that not only did he eat, but so did the others. It was rare when he didn’t. But it was days like today -- days where he’d been sucked into his studying -- that he forgot, and got that look from Bokuto.
“Kuroo,” Bokuto said, his voice a little quieter than it had.
Kuroo shook his head, giving him a tired smile. “Don’t worry about it, Bo. We’ll eat dinner together, the four of us, and it’ll be okay.” He knew that Bokuto didn’t really believe him. Not because he was lying, because he wasn’t. But because he knew Kuroo well enough to know that him not eating was a sign that he was starting to get over stressed.
Bokuto probably would’ve argued, but Akaashi and Kenma had come down the hall and into the living room. “Sorry we weren’t out sooner. A certain cat wasn’t able to save his game until just now,” Akaashi said, to which Kenma glared at him.
“Says the one who wouldn’t stop typing even after I did save,” Kenma said. Akaashi just rolled his eyes, making Kuroo smile a little. “Have you eaten yet, Bo?”
“Not yet. Kuroo and I were actually just talking about dinner,” Bokuto said, glancing over at him before looking back at Kenma. “Kuroo here apparently hasn’t eaten at all today.”
That made both Kenma and Akaashi look at him, and Kuroo shrank back a little, his smile falling ever so slightly. “It’s not that big a deal, really. It’s one day. Studying is kind of important.”
“So is taking care of yourself,” Akaashi said, crossing his arms over chest. Something in Kuroo’s chest knotted, and his smile completely fell. He didn’t like the way Akaashi was looking at him. It felt like disappointment.
Kenma put a hand on Akaashi’s arm, tugging it down a little. “Well, let’s eat then. I’m hungry and I know that Bo has to be, too,” he said, looking up at Akaashi. “Come on, let’s get dinner started. There’s some fish leftover from the other night that we need to cook before it goes bad.”
Akaashi looked between Kenma and Kuroo before nodding, following him to the kitchen. Kuroo let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding after Akaashi disappeared, but the knot in his chest was still there. He could feel Bokuto looking at him, but he couldn’t look back. Instead, he opened his laptop, starting to take notes again.
“Kuroo,” Bokuto said. Kuroo didn’t respond, keeping his eyes glued to his textbook as he typed. “Kuroo,” he tried again, but Kuroo still refused to look at him. He didn’t want to see that disappointed look. He couldn’t see it. “ Kuroo. ”
Bokuto closed his laptop, causing his hands to still as the screen touched them. Kuroo blinked, only looking up at him when his textbook was tugged from his line of sight. “You need to take a break,” Bokuto said quietly. Kuroo just blinked at him, and Bokuto sighed.
He stood, sitting on the couch next to him. Kuroo stared at where Bokuto had been, and jumped a little when his hands were pulled from the laptop. He looked up at Bokuto, the knot in his chest tightening. “You look so tired, Kuroo,” Bokuto whispered. “Are you okay?”
That’s what did it. What made the knot tighten so much it snapped. Kuroo tipped his head forward, hiding the fact that there were tears in his eyes. Bokuto pulled him into his chest, and Kuroo buried his face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around Bokuto’s waist, gripping his hoodie tightly, and Bokuto rubbed circles into his chest.
“You push yourself so much, Kuroo. You need to give yourself time to rest. To take breaks. To relax,” Bokuto whispered. Kuroo nodded slightly, the exhaustion of the day finally weighing down on him. It came out in the way he sagged against Bokuto. In the tears that had started to fall. In the way that he felt so tired .
“There’s nothing wrong with taking a little bit of time for yourself,” Bokuto said, making Kuroo cry more. It felt like all his stress was slowly leaving him, taking with it any energy he had. Bokuto hugged him tighter, kissing the side of his head. “Besides, we both know you could ace these exams in your sleep.”
That made Kuroo snort a little with laughter. Or at least, attempt to. The crying made it a little hard to laugh, given that the sound seemed to catch in his throat. But the point must have come across, because Bokuto chuckled a little, too.
He pulled back a little, seeing Bokuto smiling at him. “I’m sorry, Bo,” he whispered, voice cracking a little.
Bokuto shook his head, still smiling at him. “There’s no need to. I just worry about you is all. Comes with the whole ‘loving you’ thing.” That made Kuroo laugh a little.
“I love you, too.”
“Good, because otherwise it’d make this a little awkward,” Bokuto said. Kuroo furrowed his brows before looking at how they were sitting -- Kuroo straddled over Bokuto’s lap. His face burned and Bokuto laughed. “God, you’re so freaking cute.”
Kuroo hid his face against his shoulder again. “Why do you do this?” he muttered.
“Because I love you,” Bokuto teased.
He was about to respond when he heard someone clearing their throat. The two looked over to see Kenma standing with his arms crossed. “Dinner’s ready, if you two are done canoodling.”
Kuroo laughed, standing and pulling Bokuto with him. “I can’t believe you just said that.” Kenma just rolled his eyes, turning and walking back to the kitchen. Kuroo took Bokuto’s hand, looking at him. “Thank you, Bo.”
“No need to thank me,” Bokuto said, kissing him softly. “Now come one. You need to eat and I’m starving.” Kuroo laughed but let Bokuto pull them into the kitchen, feeling a little lighter and a little less stressed.