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Morisuke Yaku wasn’t sure when he had become so interested in the personal details of his teammates' relationship. It must have seeped into his life slowly, because before he knew it he went from not giving a single shit to finding his eyes drifting in their direction. There was no chance he’d admit it to anyone, but he would also listen in on their conversations. There was a lingering question on the tip of his tongue, one that threatened to come out but never did.
It was no secret to the Nekoma team that Kozume Kenma and their very own captain, Kuroo Tetsurou, were close. If that went over the head of someone else, they must have been blind. And even still Yaku had a feeling that even a blind person could pick up on it.
When Kenma produced a good set, Kuroo was the first to praise. He would offer encouraging words before anyone else had the chance to, diving straight in. After a successful game Kuroo’s hand could be found sitting fondly on the small of Kenma’s back, grinning fondly at his stoic friend. If it was a loss, his hand would sit in the same place. Those times he would mumble gentle words, reassuring that everything was okay and that they did their best. Yaku had a feeling that was much more for Kuroo’s own sake than Kenma’s.
None of the team would be able to recall a time the two did not commute to or from practice together. If one stayed late, so did the other. Even when Kenma exuded pure exhaustion after working hard during practice, wanting nothing more than to slip into the comfort of his own home, he would stay behind with Kuroo. Sometimes Kuroo could even convince him to set for him, if he was lucky. Most of the time Kenma would sit with his legs curled tightly to his chest, tapping away at the buttons of his game system. Even when Kenma was glued to his gameplay, it wasn’t hard to see him stealing glances up at his childhood friend. This wasn’t unusual, per say, Kenma watched all his teammates with an analytical eye. It helped him predict future strategy. However, looking closely, there was more than the interest of Kuroo’s movements. Something else gleamed in Kenma’s eyes when he watched Kuroo.
The same could be said for Kuroo. His watchful eye always fell on Kenma. Kuroo would stand on the sidelines, watching Kenma scold Lev. A thumb pressed firmly to his bottom lip, like he was deep in consideration about one thing or another. At times, a smile would curl Kuroo’s lips. If someone was to follow his gaze, there was a very small possibility that it wasn’t Kenma he was grinning at. Of course, if Kenma looked his way, Kuroo would avert his gaze. Kenma was perfectly aware of the watchful eye, and without fail would scrunch his face up in response.
Over time, these actions had become second nature in the Nekoma team dynamic. There was nothing unnatural about the way they interacted with each other. Most had begun to ignore it completely, there was no point of dwelling. They were simply childhood friends, of course they would be comfortable with each other. That also meant it wasn’t that out of the ordinary for them to share interactions that were uncommon between friends at times. They had been close for so long, that they never considered it to be odd. It was simple.
That didn’t stop Yaku from picking up on the moments that were questionably tipping over the edge of a platonic relationship. Again, it could simply be summed up as childhood friends. However, Yaku knew many childhood best friends. None of them shared the same relationship that Kuroo and Kenma did.
It wasn’t something he was overly concerned with, that much was true, it didn’t affect him as long as they were playing to the best or their ability. That didn’t stop his curiosity that had been growing within him. Maybe he secretly found some sort of interest in watching them interact. Or maybe Yaku was genuinely considering the legitimacy of the claim that they were just close friends. No one else on the team seemed to notice or care, so he wasn’t sure what his reason of curiosity came from.
It still begged the question that Yaku had floating around his head.
Were they really just friends?
Late for Practice
It was a particularly nice day. The sun was shining, creating pools of warmth whenever stepping out of the shade. The trees still subtly swished in the wind, a gentle breeze tickled Yaku’s skin. A nice day brought the spirits of the team up, it always did. That is until their captain decided that the weather was, quote, “perfect for running laps”. Yaku held back the groan that was itching in the back of his throat, presuming that the first years had put that message across well enough without his assistance. Kuroo had gone through the trouble of asking for the track team's permission to use the track, and refusing would only make him irritable.
Yaku wasn’t surprised to find out that Kuroo was right, he usually was. Kuroo was a good captain. He always managed to boost morale, and make the best decisions that benefitted the team. Yaku might never voice that opinion, Kuroo didn’t deserve the satisfaction of an ego boost. He already had enough for his own good.
Halfway through their second lap, pacing his strides to stay with Lev, realization came over Yaku. Something he hadn’t pieced together until now. Yaku craned his neck behind him, glancing over his shoulder without slowing his legs. His eyes grazed over the faces behind him, a grumbly hum leaving his lips.
“What are you looking for, Yaku-san?” Lev’s voice rang through his head, curiosity laced into every word he spoke. When Yaku’s gaze met with Lev’s, he stared at him with big eyes. Lev was expecting an answer. One that Yaku had no intention to give. Yaku grimaced at him, then shook his head, brushing off the question. Yaku pushed on, only managing to get a few strides ahead of Lev. Damn his long legs. Thankfully, Lev took this as some sort of challenge and didn’t push the matter any further.
What had caught Yaku’s attention was the attendance of the club members. Everyone was here. Well, almost everyone. Kenma was nowhere to be found on the track. This wasn’t too out of the ordinary. It was no secret that Kenma hated running, and would typically take advantage of Kuroo’s inability to say no to him. Somehow he would wriggle out of anything that involved exerting himself too hard. That wasn’t what had puzzled Yaku, however. Rather it was the fact that Kenma hadn’t been in the clubroom either, or even the locker room at that. Yaku wasn’t sure how he hadn’t picked up on it until now, but he decided to contribute that to Kenma’s soft spoken nature.
Yaku let out a shaky breath, starting to feel the exhaustion of cardio. He would push the thought of Kenma away from his mind for now. If Kuroo didn’t seem overly worried about it, it meant there was no reason for him to feel that way. Even on off days Kuroo would’ve noticed Kenma’s absence.
Thankfully, Kuroo was a compassionate captain. Before pressing on with practice, he granted them a fifteen minute window to work off the exhaustion of the run. The team stood sporadically throughout the club room, chatting while they held their water bottles close to them.
Yaku was sitting on a bench away from the other’s, doing his best to catch his breath. Pushing himself to keep ahead of Lev had done a number on him. Right now, he might’ve claimed the hard plastic water bottle he was clutching was his best friend. His soulmate, even. Lev must have felt Yaku’s fondness for the peacefulness that swiveled in the air around him as he closed in on him. Without missing a beat Lev began to babble. First about their mini ‘competition’ and how Yaku had really made him exert himself. Yaku rolled his eyes at that, Lev didn’t need to push hard at all to keep up with Yaku’s small legs. The only battle Lev had in that regard was his clumsiness. Then he went off on a tangent about needing new shoes. This was when Yaku checked out of the conversation, letting his eyes drift across the gym.
Yaku’s gaze stopped when it hovered over Kuroo. Kuroo was sitting adjacent to the bench Yaku was on, only a few feet away on the floor. Unlike everyone else, Kuroo was off to the side by himself. Kuroo’s arms draped lazily over his knees, that were pulled up in front of him while he propped himself up on the wall. Kuroo must have been thinking about something by the way he was fiddling with the lid of his water bottle. That was no surprise, Kuroo had spent a lot of time to himself after their practice match with Karasuno, no doubt trying to piece together strategy.
Yaku’s line of sight was obstructed when someone walked through the sidedoor of the gym. It only took a moment to register that it was Kenma. Kenma who was still sporting his school uniform, his bag dangling from his arm.
Lev was the first to greet him, bouncing excitedly much like a dog might after their owner came home. Kenma gazed Lev’s way, but did not voice a reply. Instead, he raked his eyes over the faces of every teammate. It wasn’t abnormal for Kenma to ignore Lev, or anyone for that matter. Though, with all factors taken into consideration it didn’t take Yaku much to deduct that Kenma must have been bothered by something. Even when Kenma did come to practice late, he would rush to change and join alongside everyone else. Instead, he searched with his eyes.
Yaku didn’t have to ask to know who Kenma was looking for. When his eyes finally fell on Kuroo, he sauntered toward him without hesitation. Kuroo seemingly hadn’t noticed Kenma’s entrance, still wearing that spacey look he got when he was deep in thought. This became abundantly clear when Kenma’s bag being dropped onto the floor beside him visibly startled him, only for him to settle down when he realized stood to the right of him.
There was no verbal greeting between the two of them, instead Kenma wasted no time in slotting himself between Kuroo’s legs. Kuroo looked a little confused by this action, but did nothing to move away from the gesture. Kenma slid his bag over to him, digging through it until his PSP emerged.
“I can’t beat this level, can you try?” Kenma didn’t look behind him to ask Kuroo, he just let his hair wisp over his face. Kenma cradled his handheld in his fingers, treating it like his fragile newborn as he always did. Kuroo seemed to hum in consideration, as if his answer wasn’t immediately obvious. Kenma sat expectantly. When Kuroo’s hands snaked under his armpits, Kenma would only take his hands away from the device when he was sure Kuroo had a good hold of it.
They were in the middle of practice, but no one was going to speak out and complain. Yaku suspected that the other’s hadn’t even noticed Kenma’s entrance, or his current whereabouts. Yaku had, though. Yaku watched carefully as Kenma settled into Kuroo’s front, sandwiched between him and his PSP. He kept his eyes on the screen, not glancing back to Kuroo once.
Kuroo and Kenma had an unspoken language, and could pick up on the other’s emotions without much or a second thought. Yaku could only guess Kenma’s day had not gone as planned, and that he was currently seeking comfort from his friend. Yaku also knew that Kuroo had already caught onto that. Kuroo was aware that something had prodded at Kenma in the wrong way, but he never mentioned it.
Instead, soft beeping came from the game station. The only words spoken were for confirmation that Kuroo was pressing the right buttons. Kuroo’s head had perched on Kenma’s shoulders at some point, his tongue sticking it out as he focused.
It wasn’t long before the chime of a loser greeted Yaku’s ears. Kuroo had failed the level, presumably killing off his character. Yaku sighed to himself. He wasn’t complaining about having more time to take a break after the run, but he was starting to wonder if practice would happen. Yaku decided he would turn his attention away from the two, he’d been staring for too long. With them within earshot, it was hard to simply ignore their conversation, though.
“Your failure made me feel better,” Kenma spoke quietly in response to Kuroo’s defeat. If Yaku hadn’t been paying attention so intently, he would have easily missed the mocking nature of Kenma’s comment. A groan followed Kenma’s comment. Then the ruffling of clothes that suggested Kuroo had given Kenma a playful shove.
“Kenma, you are so cruel,” Kuroo spoke, his shoes squeaking against the polished floor when he pushed himself up.
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
“ Am not. ”
Kuroo had followed up with another rebuttal, but by now Kenma had crossed the gym to slip into the changing room. Meaning that Kenma had stolen the last words right from under Kuroo. He grumbled something to himself before turning to his team, clasping his hands together to draw their attention. Practice was back on the agenda, yet Yaku had other things on the mind.
Window Shopping
Somehow, on a peaceful Sunday where Yaku thought he would be able to enjoy his day off from practice and school, he was dragged out. Lev had called him, insisting that Yaku accompany him to buy new shoes. Originally, Yaku had refused. Then he let himself be baited into it. Lev would not let up. Claiming that if he didn’t get new shoes soon, it would certainly result in problems within the team. Yaku didn’t know the validity of this statement, but he was not going to test it. Lev’s idiocy would not sit on his shoulders.
So, here he was in the shopping district with Lev by his side. Yaku could admit, the stares Lev got were not exactly welcome. It wasn’t as if that wasn’t expected, however. Lev was essentially a mutant when it came to height, and anyone would be taken off guard at first. Yaku would never admit to being a tad envious, and that was because he certainly was not. No way would he be envious of an idiot like Lev.
By now they had already checked out a few sporting stores, which hadn’t been much of a success. Lev didn’t seem to feel very confident about any of the shoes they supplied, and Yaku suggested that they simply go to a shoe store, who would offer a larger variety. Lev enthusiastically agreed, taking long strides to catch up with Yaku who had already walked ahead. Yaku made the agreement with himself that if this store also happened to be a flop, he would make up an excuse to escape Lev. Lev wasn’t awful to be around, sure. At times he could be humorous, and even a pleasure to talk to when given the right topic. Though there was only so much of Lev that Yaku could take at once. Especially when he got overly excitable.
As if on cue, suddenly Lev was beaming with glee, making a b-line to go across the street. Yaku’s eyebrows furrowed at Lev’s sudden wandering. He hadn’t even made the effort to explain himself.
“Lev, you idiot, where are you going? It’s this way,” No use, Lev was already following the scent of whatever prey he’d come across. Yaku let out an exhausted sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers. Guess he had no choice but to follow along, he wasn’t taking any chances of Lev making an embarrassment out of himself in public.
Catching up to Lev while avoiding obstacles proved to be a gruelling task. All the while Yaku had limited understanding as to what could have caught his attention in the first place. Lev was headed the direction of the game shop, and this only caused Yaku’s confusion to grow. Lev had never shown any interest in games unless it meant pestering Kenma.
Kenma. Yaku finally realized, though not from pure deduction. Rather, he stood a few feet in front of them. His face wasn’t visible to them, but there was no mistaking him when his eyes fell
upon dark roots, followed by brassy bleached hair. Lev had somehow spotted Kenma from across the street, as if he was some hunting dog trained to his scent.
“Kenma-san!” Lev boomed, practically vibrating with excitement to see his upperclassmen. Kenma looked up with hesitance, looking away from the phone that was clutched tight in his hands. Kenma offered a wave to them, tucking his phone back into the safety of his sweater pocket.
“Here alone, Kenma?” Yaku pondered aloud. Despite Kenma’s demeanour, and dislike for being overly social, Kenma would still venture off on his own. The game store was certainly a valid enough reason to put him through a potentially awkward social situation. Yaku was simply curious about his position on the outside, rather than browsing. It didn’t look like he’d bought anything either.
“No I-” Kenma shuttered in surprise, much like a spooked cat might, when a strong hand was planted on his shoulder. The unexpected pressure surprised Kenma, but his nerves were quickly resolved when a plastic bag hung in front of his face. Kenma grabbed it hastily, peering at the contents of the bag. Then he mumbled his thanks to his friend.
Yaku was not surprised by this either. Of course Kuroo would gladly accompany Kenma out to the shopping district. Yaku had come to the realization early on, back when he was in his second year and Kenma was new to the team, that Kenma and Kuroo spent just about every Sunday together. When asked why, Kenma had mumbled something about Kuroo being pretty good at making breakfast.
“Hello captain!” Lev beamed to Kuroo, Yaku followed with a nod of greeting. Kuroo let his hand fall from Kenma’s shoulder, it had lingered there longer than Yaku would have liked. By now, Kenma was already inserting his new game into his PSP. Kenma wasted no time with his games.
“Yaku said he would help me find new shoes!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be studying?” Kuroo’s eyes steadied on Lev as they usually did, peering into him. When Lev became sheepish, Yaku felt the lecture coming on.
Yaku only paid half his attention toward the conversation between Lev and Kuroo. He’d heard it all before, and had no interest in interjecting in it. Instead his eyes drifted to Kenma. He was already engulfed in his game, clicking away through the tutorial with haste. For some reason, Yaku can’t help but to notice that Kenma looks much smaller than usual. Something was different about him that gave off this impression. At first Yaku couldn’t exactly place why that would be. He wasn’t slouching any further than he normally would, and despite Kuroo making him look tiny in comparison, Yaku was accustomed to that by now.
Yaku was lost in thought when he noticed Kenma fiddling with the sleeves of his sweater. They seemed to be falling over his hands while he fiddled with the walkthrough of the game. Yaku panned his eyes over Kenma’s body, hoping he wasn’t being obvious with his mini investigation. The sweater Kenma was wearing was much too big for him, almost two sizes two big. It was a dusty grey colour, and was in pretty rough shape. It gave Yaku the impression that it had been through years of wear.
Realization seemed to smack Yaku in the face once again while staring at Kenma. The sweater that was draping over Kenma’s body, and making him look much smaller than he typically would was not his sweater at all. The more he thought of it, the more dots he connected.
Yaku had seen this sweater plenty of times before. This sweater belonged to Kuroo. Yaku was sure of this. He’d seen Kuroo pull this exact sweater over his head millions of times after practices in earlier years.
Jumping to conclusions would do no one any good. There was very obviously a normal explanation to this, one that was completely platonic and not anything more. By now, the sweater was too small for Kuroo. By that logic alone, that meant Kuroo had simply handed over some of his old clothes to Kenma. Nothing weird about that, he was sure that childhood friends did stuff like that all the time.
Probably.
Kenma’s golden eyes only flicked to greet Yaku’s for a short second before making their way back to Kuroo. Kenma reached a hand out to pull on Kuroo’s sleeve, grasping for his attention. Kuroo had stopped his lecture by now, instead he had derailed to criticize Lev’s shitty blocking technique.
“We’re going to be late,” Kenma stated, looking up at his friend. When Kuroo’s gaze dropped to Kenma, he nodded knowingly. Both of them said their goodbyes to them, and went on their way.
Yaku cursed himself for looking over his shoulder as they disappeared into the distance. Kuroo’s arm sat atop Kenma’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. Kenma paid no mind to this, keeping his nose buried into his new game.
They were just good friends. Searching for something that isn’t there is crazy, and would do no Yaku no benefit.
Even with that thought ringing through his head, Yaku was not fully convinced.
Futon Theft
Training camp was looked forward to by all teams involved. It was a good opportunity to participate in what could’ve been thought as too many practice matches. However, it provided the means to be competitive without the pressure of winning the set. There was a drive to win, but no guilt when it came to losing. Kuroo claimed more times than Yaku could count that it was important to form relationships and bond with the other teams. They could gather new insight from them, and learn from each other.
There was a degree of truth to what Kuroo said, Yaku knew that. However, he had a sneaking suspicion that he was trying to boast about the chaotic friendship he happened to have with Bokuto.
Unfortunately, wherever Bokuto and Kuroo went, trouble followed. It had been their reality since the two originally met in first year. They had a rivalry, and played frighteningly well together, but they also made sure to cause havoc to anyone in their general vicinity. Thankfully, Bokuto’s makeshift babysitter stayed by his side. Keeping him in line was a hard job, that wasn’t certain to work even at the best of times. That meant that Akaashi, the babysitter in question, and their very own Kenma would work in tandem. Kenma did a good job at distracting Kuroo when it was necessary, and Akaashi was just shy of being Bokuto’s puppet master.
This year was a little different. Kenma had become quite fond of Kurasuno’s middle blocker, Hinata. When Kenma first witnessed the quick attack that Kurasuno had up their sleeve, it was obvious he’d been drawn in by it. Kenma would never admit his interest, but he didn’t need to in order for the others to be aware of it. It was nice to see Kenma socializing, and Yaku knew Kuroo felt the same. In fact, Kuroo was absolutely smitten by it.
Kuroo was happy to see his best friend branching out, yes, but Yaku had a feeling that Kuroo was equally excited about getting to spend more time with his ‘bro’. Without Kenma, it left the two with the opportunity to be even bigger idiots than usual. This left Akaashi to be their only damage control. Yaku felt an ounce of sympathy for him, but not enough to step in and assist.
After a long day of exerting himself, the only thing on Yaku’s mind was crawling into the comfort of his futon. Throughout dinner it was all he could picture, lazily chewing on his food. Yaku wasn’t sure how all the first years had so much energy still, he’d practically fallen asleep under the comfort of warm water streaming over his body when he showered. By the time he exited the bathroom, everyone thankfully seemed to have settled into the notion of slumber just as he had.
Having the whole Nekoma team in one room was nothing new, and it wasn’t the worst experience that Yaku had ever had. However, that didn’t mean it didn’t come with annoyances.
Some of those annoyances included, but certainly were not limited to: Tora’s snoring, being the first. Yaku was seriously considering throwing him and his futon into the hallway, and he was sure that none of the others would complain. Tora certainly lived up to his title of the team idiot. The next annoyance, to no surprise, came from Lev. Yaku would finally have found a comfortable position, where he felt as if the futon was inviting him in and cradling him delicately. His eyes would flutter closed and he would be greeted with the beginnings of sleep. Then, a slender finger would prod at his side. Followed by Lev’s voice.
“Yaku-san, are you asleep?”
Yaku did his best to ignore this, to not groan and turn around only to bite Lev’s head off. Lev made that hard when it had become a routine every few minutes to jab at him. By the third, Yaku was expecting it this time. As calmly as possible, he would wait for Lev to reach out. Except this time, it never came. When Yaku rolled over, Lev was sound asleep.
Thank God, was the only thing that rang through Yaku’s head when he finally settled back into the futon. Hopefully Lev would stay asleep, and quit bothering him.
This wasn’t the end of the list when it came to annoyances, however. The last came from the screen that lit up the room. Yaku had no doubts who the screen belonged to, the only viable option was Kenma. As if it needed to be confirmed, the soft clicks of buttons rang through the room. Yaku had planned to ignore this, telling Kenma off was not on his to do list for the night. Thankfully, a grumbly voice laced with sleep that could be easily identified as Kuroo instructed him to turn it off, and that it was time for him to get some sleep.
There was hesitation where the screen still illuminated the ceiling, and Yaku wondered if Kenma would outright refuse and make sure their captain knew he was not Kenma’s mother. Instead, he heard Kenma whisper something so quietly that Yaku couldn’t even make out what he’d said. Although, he did hear gentle ‘mm’ come from Kuroo, likely an affirmation to whatever Kenma had told him.
The glaring light was suddenly shut off, followed by gentle shifting coming from where the two of them were situated. Kenma must have finally been settling in. Yaku made a mental note to offer Kuroo a thank you in the morning.
The only annoyance left was Tora now. Yet somehow Yaku lost the ability to care much for it when sleep finally caught him in its grips.
Much to Yaku’s dismay, sleep only kept him for a few hours. A full bladder greeted him upon waking. At first Yaku tried to ignore the pressure in his abdomen and simply go back to sleep. Unfortunately for him, his body was refusing to let up on its natural needs. From the steady sound of everyone’s breath around him, it was confirmed that he was the only sorry ass who was awake. With a gentle grumble, he pushed himself out of the futon. He almost felt heartbroken to leave it like this. Being stealthy was an important part of this bathroom trip, which proved to be difficult in the pitch black. Yaku did not want his worst fear to come true, he noted as his leg stepped over the sleeping body of Lev.
Navigating the halls when his eyes were practically shut with sleep proved to be difficult, he quickly realized. Adjusting his eyes to the pitch black room to the light of the hallway caused him to squint more than he already had been. Thankfully there were no casualties on the way to the bathroom. The way back ended up being a success too, and Yaku couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to crawl right back into the grasps of sleep.
Yaku slid the door open with caution in order to prevent awakening any of his teammates. Even if it would certainly be karma for keeping him up, he wasn’t in the mood to waste anymore time in which he could be in bed instead. When the door was open, the light from the hallway pooled in to illuminate his sleeping friends. In any other situation, this would be normal. Yaku would have not paid attention to anything other than his path back to where he desperately wanted to be at this moment. Except, this time, Yaku froze in place when his eyes gazed down.
On his way out, he would have not been able to view this sight. Even if one were to search the room, the darkness that had previously veiled them would conceal this fact. Something that was meant to go unseen, Yaku assumed. Yet there he was, staring down at them.
Earlier in the evening , when they had chosen where they wanted their futons to go, Kenma had chosen the very outside. Meaning that only one person would be next to him, he’d claimed that sleeping between two people made him feel claustrophobic. Given the opportunity, Lev quickly jumped to suggest he would be the one to sleep next to Kenma. Kenma flashed his signature grimace, scrunching his face up in obvious disgust. That settled the matter quickly, and they agreed it would be best if it was Kuroo who took that spot. It was the only logical solution.
Now Yaku stood viewing something that he was most definitely not supposed to be seeing. Or at least he felt like he shouldn’t be seeing it. Kuroo and Kenma were sound asleep. Them being asleep wasn’t the problem, no, if anything Yaku was thanking any higher power for that being the case. The feeling of breaching some type of privacy, even though they were all in a shared room, came from how they had been sleeping.
Kuroo was currently situated in Kenma’s futon rather than his own. This could have been passed off as an accident, that Kuroo had accidentally rolled over in his sleep without noticing. That would be a perfectly logical explanation. That is, if it wasn’t for the way they had been situated.
Kenma’s back was curved snuggly against Kuroo’s front, with his head perfectly nuzzled under Kuroo’s chin. Kenma had crossed the barrier of personal space, yes, but Kuroo had done no better than he. Even if Kenma had realized the breach, there would be no way to escape. Not with Kuroo’s arm draping over his waist to keep him close, and definitely not with his leg slotted in between the smaller boy’s, either. At this point, the two of them looked like two puzzle pieces. Yaku couldn’t deny that the two of them looked like they’d been born to fit together.
Yaku only realized he was gawking when a quiet whine escaped from Kenma. Following the noise Kenma’s face scrunched up, similar to the way he had looked at Lev only hours prior. The movement of Kenma caused Yaku to freeze up all over again. What was he going to do if Kenma woke up only to meet eyes with Yaku’s?
Except Kenma’s eyes never opened. Even when he started shifting his body, he stayed asleep. Just like a moonflower might, Kenma gravitated to the darkness. Yaku watched as Kenma flipped his body over, pressing his face into Kuroo’s chest to shield himself from the hallway light. Kuroo’s unconscious body reacted to the change, too. Like it was second nature. Like they’d done this millions of times, it was nothing new. Yaku kept his eyes on his friends, watching as Kuroo curled his hand into the back of Kenma’s shirt, soaking up the warmth radiating off of Kenma’s smaller body.
There was no way this could be an accident. These little embraces, the way they fit together, this was all intentional.
Yaku shook his head in disbelief of what he’d just seen, deciding now was the best time of any to head back to where he should have been this whole time. As Yaku settled back into his futon, he considered all of the possibilities. Kuroo and Kenma had grown up side by side, young kids always broke the rules of personal space and cuddled up with each other. That was just how kids were. Kenma and Kuroo had simply never grown out of embracing each other like they were still kids.
That must have been it.
Despite his efforts to cement this into his head, Yaku couldn’t help but question the truth behind this thought.
Kitten on The Counter
The Nekoma volleyball team was not dependent on one ‘special’ person, it was not carried on the back by just one player. Rather, their strength came from their teamwork as a whole. All of them working together was what they made them an unbreakable force, a threat to their opponents. As Kuroo reminds them at the beginning of every game, much to Kenma’s dismay, they all carry specific functions much like the human body did. Without a vital organ, the whole system would surely fail.
The harmony of the team did not always come easily, like any group of young men there was bound to be arguments that came from minor disagreements. It took upkeep to sync with each other in a way that would produce positive results. This meant spending time with each other outside of practice, as per captain Kuroo’s orders.
Kuroo’s claims of these activities being beneficial were not false in any way. Team building was important to any team, and Kuroo would be a failure of a captain if he couldn’t pick up on that. Everyone in the team would affirm that their captain was far from an idiot. In terms of leadership, at least.
Yaku found himself enjoying these nights, it was a nice change of pace from exerting themselves in practice. These evenings they all spent together were fairly laid back, even with the snatching of controllers that typically took place. These nights were usually hosted at Kuroo’s house, and he had never asked for any of the other’s to offer their home up. Yaku suspected this was for Kenma’s sake, keeping him in a familiar and comfortable atmosphere that was less likely to overwhelm him.
Tonight was no different. They all sat around the television in Kuroo’s living room. Kenma had been generous this evening, and agreed to share his gaming system as per request of Kuroo. The catch being that he would be given the authority to pick the game.
This notion didn’t seem like much of a catch to Yaku. Kenma picking the game should have been a given, anyway. He was the mastermind, afterall. This was proven rather quickly, too. Kenma had taken a moment to consider, but quickly concluded that Smash Bros would be the best option. He claimed it was for various reasons, one being the multiplayer aspect, the other being that he was ‘pretty okay’ at it.
It became apparent that ‘pretty okay’ was a huge understatement. By the smug grin Kenma wore when he annihilated everyone who decided to play against him gave Yaku the impression that Kenma had been humble for a reason, Kenma wanted the other’s to believe they had a chance. Only to crush them one by one. Just like on the court, Kenma was a force to be reckoned with.
Crippling defeat greeted everyone that night. Every last one of them was not safe from Kenma handing their ass right back to them. Even with the prospect of failure looming above their heads, they still foolishly believed the next round might be different.
After Kenma crushed Yaku to a pulp with no mercy, Kuroo lifted himself from his spot on the floor. Yaku’s eyes guided his way, as did everyone else’s.
“No need to let me disturb you, just going to grab some snacks for everyone,” Kuroo waved a hand behind him while he stalked away toward the kitchen. Kenma surveyed the people around him, debating over something in his head. It didn’t take long for him to decide his path, rising from the comfortable spot on the couch he’d been curled up in.
“I’m coming too,” he would call out to Kuroo, abandoning the controller he’d previously refused to give up onto the cushion. Yaku didn’t think much of this. In a room containing the whole team, there was no doubt that there would be a lot of noise. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for Kenma to take any opportunity he could to take a break from the noise, especially when Kuroo gave him the ample opportunity to do so.
Yaku turned his head back to the screen, no one was distraught by the absence of the two. It gave them the opportunity to have a taste of victory, that is until Kenma came back. Yaku happily watched the avatars on the screen instead of concerning himself with the other two. Lev was currently getting destroyed by Kai. Yaku shook in laughter when Lev cried out in frustration, Kai smiling widely when his was announced proudly on the screen.
Kenma and Kuroo’s prolonged absence hadn’t been on Yaku’s mind when he excused himself to the bathroom. By now, Yaku knew the path to get where he needed to be. Yaku recollected Kuroo’s directions from the first time he’d been invited to his home.
In the hallway just past the kitchen, the door on the left
Yaku listened to the pads of his feet hit the hardwood floor beneath him while he navigated his way through his captain’s house. The kitchen was just in front of him, the entrance on the right of him. At first Yaku hadn’t thought anything of it, barely even paying attention to the existence of the kitchen. That is until a familiar voice flowed out from the kitchen and into the hallway Yaku stood in.
“Okay, okay, what about this one?” Kuroo cleared his throat, and when he was talking again, Yaku didn’t have to see him to know that the words fell from a stupidly grinning face, “Are you sure we haven’t had a class together? Because we totally have chemistry,”
“We aren’t even in the same year, Kuro,” When Kenma’s deadpan voice followed the absolutely horrible excuse of a pick up line Yaku stopped dead in his tracks. He was starting to wonder if having to go to the bathroom was actually a curse for him, something was bound to happen every time.
Yaku’s internal conflict about this situation roared in his ears. Despite all rational solutions to this, including simply walking past and doing what he’d come to, he decided on something else entirely. Yaku quieted his steps as he approached the kitchen, not keen on the idea of being caught snooping. Yaku almost felt like a creep when he peeked his head around the wall, looking in on his friends.
Kenma was sitting atop the counter next to Kuroo, tapping away on his phone like he always did. Kuroo had his nose shoved into the fridge, rummaging around for something. Kuroo didn’t look up from the fridge when he replied to Kenma.
“You’re such a stick in the mud, Kitten.” Kuroo seemed to stop to consider for a moment. Suddenly he was pivoting back toward Kenma, now holding a jar of salsa, “How about you must be hydrogen, because I can feel a bond forming right now,”
Yaku’s face involuntarily folded in on itself in disgust. Kuroo’s shitty pick up lines were almost as bad as him calling Kenma ‘kitten’. If he thought hard enough about it, he might have been able to understand the correlation. Kenma was nimble and attentive, but that wasn’t enough to make Yaku change his mind about it being sickening. Kenma seemed to agree.
“I told you to stop calling me that, you sappy nerd,” Kenma didn’t look up from his phone when he retorted back to his friend, nor when Kuroo moved to close the distance between them. Now Kuroo stood just to the right of him, Kenma’s leg which was dangling from the counter pressing against Kuro’s stomach.
“But you love me,”
“Have I ever told you that you’re full of yourself?” Kenma looks up now, tilting his head back so he can stare at Kuroo head on.
“Many times,” Kuroo responds, a grin painted over his face. Yaku wanted to believe he was surprised his captain would be proud of shitty pickup lines, but Kenma was right, Kuroo was a nerd. Yaku had decided he had enough, that it was time to get on with his original mission before anyone became suspicious of his absence.
Yaku was just about to pull his gaze away when Kuroo leaned his face in closer to Kenma’s. Suddenly he couldn’t look away, he was locked onto the image of his two friends. Kuroo’s lips pressed tenderly to Kenma’s cheek, and before he knew it Yaku was watching his captain pepper kisses all over Kenma’s face.
“Stop it Kuro,” Kenma halfheartedly insisted. Kuroo paid no mind to this, and kept on with his new task, his previous one being abandoned when the salsa had met the counters surface. Yaku watched Kenma’s face that was still being greeted with Kuroo’s lips, his attempt to stay stoic was faltering. It was faltering quickly, at that.
When the quiet giggle being suppressed in his throat left Kenma’s lips, Kuroo moved back. For a second Yaku believed the show was over, but Kuroo’s face still hovered close to Kenma’s. When a hand snaked around to the back of Kenma's neck Yaku knew this wasn’t over. The snacks that were being prepared were far from their minds. This was made vehemently clear when Kuroo’s lips pressed to Kenma’s.
Yaku watched wide eyed when Kenma pushed back into it. This simple action on Kenma’s end gave Yaku everything he could have possibly wondered. The kiss they were sharing in front of his eyes was certainly not the first. There had been no surprise on Kenma’s end from the action, and he’d very quickly abandoned his phone on the counter to wrap his arms around Kuroo’s neck.
Kenma was the first to break their contact, and when he did Yaku almost fell over in surprise. Kenma had never been the most expressive type, unless it happened to be disgust. He would offer small smiles, but right now he was beaming. Kenma was smiling fondly up at his best friend, silently appreciating the view of him. This was a side to Kenma that only Kuroo had the power to bring out.
Somehow Yaku managed to break his gaze, despite the shell shocking experience he’d just had. Completely forgetting his original task, he found himself back in the living room. For a moment he stood frozen behind the couch, searching for anything he could focus on. Lev was the first to notice his presence, grinning in his direction.
“Yaku-san! We started thinking you’d fallen in,” Lev brought a hand up to his mouth in an attempt to hold in the laugh that was threatening to bubble up from his throat. Yaku did not disclose the sight he’d just experienced. Instead he flopped down onto the couch beside Kai, glaring at the fluorescent light of the TV.
There was no other explanation this time, and Yaku was beginning to understand that there never really was another explanation. All along he had been wrong, and maybe even a complete idiot. No, there were never any other possibilities. Yaku had finally come to understand this, there was only one option.
Kozume Kenma and Kuroo Tetsurou were anything but platonic.