Archive of Our Own

Kuroo hated moving, packing was boring , he didn’t want to put all his toys away he wanted to go play outside. But his parents told him he needed to, and they were moving to Tokyo tomorrow. Kuroo groaned and flopped onto his bed. His eyes roamed around the white, black and grey room. He wondered if his soulmate would be in Tokyo, his parents had told him the story of how they met all time, how their worlds burst into colors when they met as kids when his mom moved next door to his dad. He hoped that happened for him. He let out a sigh and rolled over, staring at the black boxes filling his room, he still hated packing.

Kuroo stared at the house from the car window, it didn’t look like much, just the same grey walls with a white roof like every other house. His parents were talking to the next door neighbors while he sat in the car. His father came back and opened the door.

“The Kozumes have invited us in while we wait for the movers, they have a son close to your age! You could make a friend!” his dad said.

Kuroo scrunched his face in disgust, he hated meeting new people, but he climbed out of the car anyway and followed his dad into the house. His mom was already chatting with the neighbor’s wife in the kitchen. That’s when he laid eyes on the other boy, who was hiding behind his mom’s legs. 

“Oh, Kuroo honey, this is Kenma! He’s just a little younger than you are!” his mom said, cheerfully.

Kuroo barely heard what his mom said, he watched the other boy in amazement as his grey hoodie turned into a vibrant red, his white pants turning into a light shade of brown. His hair stayed jet-black, but his eyes turned from grey to a golden brown. The colors continued to swirl around them, filling the kitchen and the adjoining rooms, spreading to the outside. The other boy, Kenma, gaped at Kuroo, both frozen in place. The dizzying experience ended as quickly as it began, but neither of them said anything for a moment. Kenma’s face suddenly scrunched up in annoyance.

“Ew,” he muttered, before bolting up the stairs to what Kuroo presumed to be his room.

“Ew?!” Kuroo shouted after him, running up the stairs after him.

“What was that about?” he heard his mom ask.

“Kenma isn’t great with strangers,” the other woman replied.

Kuroo could see Kenma’s bedroom door shut as he reached the top of the stairs. He huffed and pushed Kenma’s door open. 

“What do you mean ‘ew’?!” Kuroo yelled, placing his hands on his hips like his mom did when she was mad.

Kenma jumped in the air and whirled around in surprise, eyes-wide, Kuroo was amazed how much his expression mimicked a startled cat. He opened and closed his mouth several times, staring at Kuroo.

“Uh, w-what?” Kenma asked, looking away.

Kuroo couldn’t help, but stare at the other boy like he was stupid.

“You looked at me and said ew then ran away after the Colors. You said ew to your soulmate!” Kuroo explained, flabbergasted.

Kenma’s eyes flickered back to Kuroo before looking away again, mumbling something under his breath.

“W-What?” Kuroo asked, “I couldn’t hear you.”

Kenma rolled his eyes and sighed, exasperated, “You’re not actually ew. I was just surprised.”

Kuroo stared at him, then busted out laughing. Kenma stared at him like he grew another head.

“Kenma, you’re funny,” Kuroo said, giggling.

Kuroo kept giggling as he watched Kenma’s pale face turn a beautiful shade of pink as a blush spread across his cheeks.

Kuroo stared at the Shonen Jump magazine, trying to keep his vision from blurring, meshing all the colors together. He could hear the clicking sound of the remote Kenma was holding behind him, plus the shooting effects from his video game. He could also feel Kenma’s eyes on him, he knew Kenma was trying to think of a way to cheer him up.

“Do...do you want to go level up?” Kenma asked.

“Yeah,” Kuroo mumbled, his voice cracking.

Kenma picked up the volleyball on his floor and the two of them went outside, the sunlight was blinding for a moment, but then gave way to clear blue skies. Kuroo smiled to himself, it’d never grow old seeing all these colors. They headed down to the river to practice volleyball in the field. He and Kenma practiced volleyball for a while, well, it was mainly Kenma falling onto the green grass and Kuroo laughing at him.

“You need to run after the ball!” Kuroo teased.

Kenma, who was currently face down in the grass, let out a loud groan, “I hate running.”

“Kyaaaanmaaaaa!” Kuroo whined.

Kenma lifted his head, a scowl on his face, “Shut up.”

Kuroo crouched down next to Kenma and nudged his side, Kenma let out a whine and rolled over.

“Stop that!”

“Get up,” Kuroo teased, poking him some more, “Up, up, up!”

Kenma rolled around some more before swatting Kuroo’s hands away and sitting up, face flushed.

“You’re so annoying!” he whined.

Kuroo chuckled, “It’s getting late, we should probably head back.”

Kenma’s face scrunched up for a moment, before his expression became neutral again, “Do we have to?”

“Well, we can’t stay out here.”

Kenma sighed and wrapped his arms around his knees, hugging his knees to his chest. Kuroo frowned, he hadn’t seen Kenma act like this before.

“Hey, Kenma, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Kenma.”

“Seriously, it’s nothing,” Kenma muttered, standing up.

He held out his hand, helping Kuroo to his feet, but letting go as soon as Kuroo stood up. Kuroo glanced at him, they usually held hands walking back. Did I do something wrong? Kuroo wondered, as they walked in complete silence back to Kenma’s house. Once they reached Kenma’s house, Kuroo leaned forward to press a kiss onto Kenma’s forehead, but Kenma pulled away. Kuroo didn’t like this.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Kenma said, rushing inside and closing the door.

Kuroo stared at the closed door in front of him, before heading to his own house.

It had been Kuroo’s last day of elementary school, he’d start middle school next year, without Kenma. The two of them were sitting on Kenma’s roof, next to Kenma’s bedroom. Kenma was playing on his PSP, Kuroo just stared at the pink and orange sunset settling over the sky.

“Do you think we’ll be together forever?” Kenma asked, suddenly.

Kuroo turned to look at him, Kenma was staring at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

“Of course, we’re soulmates after all!” Kuroo replied, grinning.

Kenma stared at him for a moment, his expression still unreadable, “Yeah.”

Kenma went back to his PSP and Kuroo was left wondering.

Kuroo was in his third year of middle school when he saw Kenma cry for the first time. Kuroo had known something was wrong for a while, but Kenma always shut down when Kuroo tried to ask him about it. But now, Kuroo was holding Kenma in his arms, as the younger boy sobbed uncontrollably into his chest. Kenma had scared the living daylights out of him when he heard him climbing through his window in the middle of the night. But the fear changed to utter concern when Kenma landed on his bedroom floor, eyes red and puffy, his legs scratched and bruised purple from climbing the ivy up to Kuroo’s room. Kuroo tightened his arms around Kenma, trying to pull him closer to him as much as he could. Eventually, Kenma’s sobs subsided and Kuroo pushed his hair out of his face, wiping away his tears.

“Kenma, babe, talk to me,” Kuroo whispered.

Kenma sniffled a little bit, avoiding Kuroo’s gaze.

“It’s...it’s my parents,” Kenma mumbled.

“Your parents?” Kuroo echoed.

Kenma nodded as Kuroo wiped away a few more tears.

“Did you know you can lose your soulmate without them dying? Apparently my parents have slowly been ‘falling out of love’”, Kenma said, using air quotes on the last part of his sentence, before sighing and continuing on, “Apparently...their ability to see color has been fading. I had noticed for a while, but I wasn’t sure...I didn’t know for sure. Figured it out today when my mom complimented my black hoodie. It was fucking blue. Soulmates last forever...what fucking bullshit.”

Kuroo went still, he had never heard Kenma cuss before either, “Is that why you ask me if we’re gonna last forever?” he asked, quietly.

Kenma’s silence was the answer Kuroo got in return. Kuroo pushed Kenma off him, gripping his shoulders tightly.

“Kenma, kitten, look at me,” Kuroo hissed.

Kenma looked up at him, biting his lip.

“We’re staying together, forever. I promise. I swear to fucking god, we’re staying together. Just because it happened to your parents, doesn’t mean it will happen to us. Alright? I love you, okay?” Kuroo said.

Kenma gaped at him, eyes watering again. Kuroo made a strangled noise, pulling Kenma back into a hug.

“You...you said you loved me,” Kenma mumbled, “You hadn’t said that before.”

“Well, it’s true. I love you, so fucking much, I love you.”

Kenma buried his face into Kuroo’s neck, “I love you, too.”

Kuroo sighed, “It’s late, we should probably get some sleep.”

“Hmmm,” Kenma hummed.

Kuroo rolled his eyes and picked Kenma up with him as he stood up, Kenma let out a squeak in surprise and Kuroo snorted, carrying him to his bed and dropping him onto the mattress. He laid down next to Kenma, wrapping his arms around Kenma’s torso and pulling him close to his chest. Kenma laid there, very still.

“Kitten, you good?” Kuroo asked.

“Uh, yeah, I’m good,” Kenma replied, “Don’t...don’t you think your parents might freak out?”

“Nah, we’ll just wake up before them.”

“Getting up early? Gross.”

“You’re the one who woke up at 2am to play video games.”

“That was different.”

“Uh-huh, sure, you can wake up early for one day, besides, we do have school tomorrow.”

Kenma groaned, “Don’t remind me.”

Kuroo chuckled, “Night, babe. I love you.”

“Night, love you too.”

“You can‘t quit!” Kuroo said, agitated.

Kenma huffed, they were sitting near the river, watching the blue water slowly flow along after volleyball practice. Kenma was hugging his knees to his chest, avoiding looking Kuroo in the eyes.

“Listen, the third years will be gone after the Inter-High, none of them are staying on the team. Us second years know how good you are, we need you. You‘re the brain of Nekoma! You can‘t quit, please!” Kuroo pleaded.

Kenma pouted, then sighed, “Fine.”

Kuroo grinned and leaned down to press a kiss on the top of Kenma‘s head, “You‘re also a great volleyball player, even if you barely move.”

Kenma scoffed, “Thanks.”

Kuroo sat down next to Kenma, wrapping one arm around Kenma‘s shoulders.

“We‘re gonna be the best volleyball duo the world has ever known,” Kuroo stated.

Kenma rolled his eyes, “Yeah, sure.”

Kuroo looked at him, gasping dramatically, “You don‘t believe me?”

Kenma stared at him, clearly trying to hold back a laugh, “We aren‘t even the best in Tokyo.”

Kuroo huffed and shoved Kenma lightly, who was giggling, “You wound me, Kozume.”

“I‘m well aware, someone has to keep your ego in check, nerd.”

“I am not a nerd!”

“You like chemistry , that‘s the baseline for being a nerd.”

“It‘s interesting!”

“It really isn‘t.”

“Okay, Mr. Video Games, doesn‘t liking video games make you a gamer?”

“If you‘re trying to insult me, you‘re really bad at it. Also no, it just makes me, well, a gamer.”

Kuroo huffed in exasperation, “I cannot believe you‘re my soulmate.”

Kenma kicked Kuroo‘s leg lightly, “Well, get used to it.”

Kuroo grinned, “Trust me, I am.”

Kenma stuck out his tongue in response. Kuroo chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kenma‘s waist, pulling him close. Kenma rested his head on Kuroo‘s shoulder as they lapsed into silence. They watched as the sun started slowly disappearing over the horizon, the sky turning from blue to shades of pink and orange. Kuroo glanced down at Kenma.

“Hey, kitten.”

“Hm?” Kenma hummed, lifting his head and looking at Kuroo.

Kuroo blinked at him, before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Kenma‘s. Kenma went still for a moment, before relaxing in Kuroo‘s embrace. Kuroo pulled away and Kenma‘s cheeks was a deep shade of red, though Kuroo could guess his cheeks were a similar shade. They stared at each other for a moment, before Kenma grabbed the collar of Kuroo‘s yellow shirt with both hands and pulled him into another kiss. Kenma parted his lips ever so slightly, deepening the kiss. Kuroo ran his fingers through Kenma‘s hair.

Oh. Oh okay, I could definitely get used to this. Kuroo thought.

Kuroo pulled away first, slightly out of breath and heart racing. Kenma‘s hair was an obvious mess, his lips slightly swollen. Though Kuroo didn‘t think about that, he just stared at the stupid, love-sick smile that was plastered on Kenma‘s face. That‘s what he wanted to remember forever, a smile Kenma gave him, just for him.

“You should at least try to get to know the others, they’re your teammates after all,” Kuroo said, nudging Kenma.

They were walking back from practice, night had fallen already, the street lamps providing the light for them. Kenma made a face at Kuroo’s comment. Kuroo thought he looked constipated making that face.

“Stop making that face, you look constipated,” Kuroo said.

“People make me constipated,” Kenma replied.

Kuroo rolled his eyes, but reached for Kenma’s hand and grasped it.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“You love me anyways.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“You guess so ?” Kenma repeated, looking up at him.

Kuroo grinned, pecking a quick kiss on Kenma’s lips, “Yeah, I guess so.”

Kenma scoffed, but pressed himself closer to Kuroo, “I guess I love you, too...oh, wait, I wanted to show you something!”

Kenma dug his phone out of his pocket, along with his headphones. He plugged the headphones in, handing one of the earbuds to Kuroo. Kuroo tucked the earbud into his ear. Kenma scrolled through his music, before clicking a song. The music filled the earbud in Kuroo’s ear. Kenma fast forwarded the song.

“This part, it’s this part,” Kenma said, as he turned up the volume.

I t's you, it's you, it's all for you / Everything I do / I tell you all the time / Heaven is a place on Earth with you / Tell me all the things you wanna do / I heard that you like the bad girls / Honey, is that true? / It's better than I ever even knew / They say that the world was built for two / Only worth living if somebody is loving you / Baby now you do

“It...it made me think of you,” Kenma said, pausing the song.

Kuroo pulled the earbud out of his ear. Kenma’s cheeks were red, nearly the same shade of red as their volleyball uniforms. He grabbed Kenma’s shirt, pulling him into a kiss. Kenma responded by running his hands through Kuroo’s hair. They broke apart after a moment, Kenma grinning that sappy smile. Kuroo knew he had an equally sappy smile on his face.

“Kuroo, the coach is looking for you!” Yaku called out.

Kuroo turned and nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

Kuroo trekked across the school campus to the teachers’ lounge where Coach Nekomata would be. He opened the door and gave a quick bow to the coach.

“You wanted to see me?” Kuroo asked.

Coach Nekomata grinned and nodded, “Sit with me for a moment.”

Kuroo sat down in the chair next to Nekomata’s desk. Even though, as captain, being called to talk with the coach wasn’t unusual, Kuroo always felt somewhat nervous, like he was about to be scolded. 

“Do you have plans, after high school?” Nekomata asked.

Kuroo blinked at the older man, “Uh, yes sir, I do.”

“And what are they?”

“I’m...I’m planning on attending college, for chemistry.”

Nekomata nodded, “And you’ve met your soulmate, correct?”

Kuroo paused, before nodding, “Yes.”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

There was a moment of silence between them, before Nekomata spoke again.

“Are you planning on going far away for college?”

“Uh, not really.”

“Good, good. Well, that’s all.”

Kuroo nodded. He got up, bowed, and walked out of the lounge, back to the gym. Well, that was strange. Kuroo thought. The sight in the gym that greeted him was even stranger. Kenma and Yamamoto were soaking wet, a puddle of water surrounding their feet. Fukunaga was holding a bucket and Kenma...was laughing? 

“You’re pretty funny, Fukunaga,” Kenma chuckled.

“Eh?” Fukunaga said, cocking his head to one side.

Kai and Yaku noticed Kuroo standing there and promptly avoided eye contact with him. Yamamoto, Kenma, and Fukunaga noticed him a moment later. Yamamoto went wide-eyed, but Kenma just gave him a small smile. Kuroo honestly had no idea what Fukunaga was thinking, he could never read his facial expressions. 

“We’ll...We’ll clean this up, sir!” Yamamoto yelled.

Kuroo frowned, “You don’t need to call me sir, I’m barely older than you. And change before you do, you two will catch a cold.”

Yamamoto practically vanished out of the gym, sprinting to the club room to change. Kenma trailed out of the gym at a slower pace, giving Kuroo a wink as he passed him. Kuroo couldn’t help the surprised look on his face, he hadn’t seen Kenma wink before. His heart definitely did not skip a beat. Kuroo shook his head and turned back towards Yaku and Kai.

“What the hell happened?” Kuroo asked.

Yaku, still avoiding eye contact, shrugged, “Uh, Kenma and Yamamoto got into an argument. Fukunaga threw a bucket of water on them.”

“Because they were...yelling...at each other?” Kuroo asked.

“Well, they may have been physically fighting, just a bit,” Yaku explained.

“HUH?” Kuroo yelled.

Kenma, in a fight?! What the fuck?! Kuroo thought.

“It wasn’t anything serious, just team bonding,” Kai said.

“Team bonding?” Kuroo repeated.

“Yeah,” Kai replied, grinning.

“Anyways,” Yaku teased, “Shouldn’t you go check on your soulmate to make sure he’s okay?” 

As Yaku was saying this, he walked up to Kuroo pinching his cheek. Kuroo swatted Yaku’s hand away, grumbling.

“I’m sure he’s fine, he is a fighter, even if he doesn’t look like one,” Kuroo muttered, he could feel his cheeks flushing.

“Awww, is someone getting embarrassed?” Yaku teased, some more.

Kuroo responded by pinching Yaku’s ear, grinning as Yaku yelped in pain. Kai interfered, grabbing Kuroo by the arm and tugging him off.

“Let’s be nice, okay?” Kai said, still grinning.

“Yaku started it,” Kuroo whined.

“Must be nice, to be able to see the Colors,” Yaku said, suddenly.

Kai and Kuroo both stared at him, he was the only third-year on the team without a soulmate yet.

“You’ll meet yours soon, I bet,” Kuroo said, trying to reassure him.

Yaku would never admit it, but he was pretty insecure at times, but Kuroo knew this. He just sighed and shrugged.

“My parents didn’t meet until they were twenty-five, so…”

Kai slapped him on the back, “Cheer up, Yaku! You’ll meet yours sooner, I know it.”

“How are you so cheerful all the time?” Yaku muttered.

Kai just shrugged. Yamamoto and Kenma had returned at this point. Fukunaga had already mopped up the puddle, as well as the small trails of water left by the two. Yamamoto and Kenma glanced at each other, then bowed to the others.

“Sorry,” they said.

The third years just shook their heads, “Let’s go home, guys.”

Kenma and Kuroo’s walk home started in silence, before Kenma spoke up, “What did coach want?”

“Huh?”

“He called you to the office?”

“Oh, he was just asking about my future plans.”

“Oh.”

“Why in the hell were you and Yamamoto fighting? I said to try and get along, not to fight them.”

“Yamamoto wouldn’t shut up about ‘guts’,” Kenma said.

Kuroo decided he didn’t want to ask for a better explanation, “Okay, are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. It wasn’t really a fight, besides, Fukunaga stopped it.”

“By throwing water on you two.”

Kenma smiled, “He’s funny.”

“And you’re weird.”

“And you’re a nerd.”

Kuroo tossed his arm around Kenma’s shoulders, “Yeah, I am.”

kitten<3

i’m dying my hair blonde come over and help me

nerd<3

what?? 

kitten<3

i said i was dying my hair come over 

nerd<3

ill be there in five minutes

Kuroo tossed on a white t-shirt and his only clean pair of blue jeans, practically sprinting next door to Kenma’s house. He stopped in the living room, giving Kenma’s mom a quick greeting before heading up to Kenma’s room. He pushed open the door to find Kenma sitting on his bed, playing his PSP, with a plastic bag on his head. Kuroo doubled over laughing immediately.

“What?” Kenma asked.

“You look ridiculous.”

“No I don’t.”

“You have a plastic bag on your head .”

“Shut up.”

Kuroo sat down next to Kenma, the stench of bleach radiating off the younger boy.

“Why did you decide to bleach your hair?” Kuroo asked, Kenma had never talking about dying his hair before.

“Yamamoto claimed I looked like Sadako while gaming with my black hair covering my face, when we were hanging out yesterday, I don’t want to stand out,” Kenma explained.

“And you think...bleaching your hair will help?” Kuroo asked.

“Yes, cause I won’t look like Sadako.”

“Guess I can’t argue with that logic. Yamamoto wasn’t wrong, you did kinda look like Sadako.”

“Shut up.”

“Wait, wait, wait, did you say you were hanging out with him yesterday?”

“Uh, yes.”

“Oh my god, you made a friend.”

Kenma scowled, “Shut up.”

“I’m so proud you, babe, you made a friend!” Kuroo teased, wrapping his arms around Kenma’s waist, pulling him into an embrace.

Kenma groaned, “I said shut up!”

“Absolutely not, tell me everything!”

“We just went to the store to grab snacks during the lunch break yesterday, that’s it.”

“You? Willingly hung out with Yamamoto? During school? I am so proud of you!”

Kenma wiggled his way out of Kuroo’s arms, sliding off the bed onto the floor, “You are so aggravating! We just both happened to be going there, I just played my game while I was waiting for him to check out.” he whined.

Kuroo cackled, the image of Kenma, lying on the pale brown floor, with a white plastic bag on his head, some blonde beginning to peek through on his head, in his red volleyball shorts and a black t-shirt was a sight Kuroo never wanted to forget. The alarm from Kenma’s phone broke the moment.

“You gonna help me rinse this or not?” Kenma asked, getting up from the floor.

“Yeah, you dork.”

“Nerd,” Kenma said, grinning ear to ear, giving Kuroo that smile he only got to see.

They headed to the bathroom, Kuroo turned on the water in the tub as Kenma pulled off the bag from his head. He leaned over the tub as Kuroo carefully washed the bleach out. Kuroo carefully ran his hands through Kenma’s hair, the bleach had surprisingly pulled out most of the darkness of Kenma’s hair, only the roots remained black. Once they were done rinsing Kenma’s hair, Kenma tossed a towel on his head to dry it some and Kuroo washed his hands, trying to get the smell of bleach off. Kenma inspected his hair in the mirror, scrunching his nose.

“What do you think?” he asked.

Kuroo stared at Kenma’s reflection, his heart skipping a beat.

“You look beautiful,” Kuroo said, every word filled with sincere honesty.

“Where‘s Kenma?” Kuroo asked, looking around.

Kenma was nowhere to be found, they had just arrived in Miyagi to play a practice game against Karasuno after several years of not playing each other. Apparently, they used to be major rivals, according to Coach Neokmata, but fell out of touch. Kuroo had to admit he was curious about the other team, but right now his only concern was finding Kenma. 

“Uh, I don‘t know. He was just here,” Yamamoto replied, also glancing around.

“He probably got distracted by his game, didn‘t realize we were walking away,” Yaku muttered.

Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “I‘ll go find him.”

“I‘ll watch the team, you know how to get to Karasuno?” Kai said.

Kuroo nodded, “Yeah, I‘ve got the map, be back soon.”

Kai waved at him and Kuroo pulled out his phone, hoping he could find Kenma. He decided to start by retracing their steps, he probably got lost when they made the last turn towards Karasuno. Kuroo probably only walked around for ten minutes when he noticed the familiar blonde hair sitting on someone‘s garden fence. And he was talking to someone? The other kid had bright orange hair and he was tiny. He seemed to be doing most of the talking while Kenma just stared at him. 

“Kenma!” Kuroo yelled.

Kenma‘s attention snapped towards him, “Hey Kuroo.”

“You know you should pay attention when we‘re heading somewhere,” Kuroo scolded.

Kenma just shrugged as he picked up his bag, “I knew you‘d come find me, you always do.”

Kuroo sighed and rolled his eyes, “C‘mon, we‘re gonna be late.”

“See ya around, Shoyo!” Kenma called out, waving goodbye to the orange haired boy.

Kuroo couldn‘t help but glare at the other boy, it was unusual Kenma was so friendly with someone he just met. Kuroo made a show of putting his arm around Kenma and pulling him close as they walked away.

“Jealous much?” Kenma teased.

“I don‘t know what you‘re talking about,” Kuroo grumbled.

“You were glaring at Shoyo, who I just met by the way, chill.”

“Oh so you‘re on a first name basis? With Shoyo who you just met. Interesting.”

Kenma rolled his eyes, dramatically, “ You‘re the one who said I should try to be more social. So I am.”

Kuroo huffed, “I did say that, didn‘t I?”

“Yep. So chill,” Kenma said, poking Kuroo‘s side, causing Kuroo to jump, he should have never told Kenma he was ticklish there, “Besides, he‘s on Karasuno‘s team, we‘d be seeing him soon anyways.”

“You‘re joking, that shrimp is on the volleyball team?” Kuroo asked, chuckling.

“He said he was a middle blocker, oh, and that their setter was scary, even though the setter is apparently his soulmate.”

Kuroo‘s chuckles turned into a full blown laugh, “That kid? A middle blocker? The position that is dependent on height? That‘s hilarious!”

This game should be interesting, Kuroo thought.

The two of them managed to find their way back to Karasuno, where the rest of the team was waiting. 

“Took you two long enough,” Yaku said, noticing their arrival.

“What took so long? Did you guys stop for a make out session?” Yamamoto teased.

Kuroo felt his face turn red and choked on air as Yaku and Kai burst into laughter. Kenma lowered his head, covering his face with his hair and walked towards Yamamoto, grabbing him by the collar and kicking the back of his legs. Yamamoto yelped in pain between laughs as he sunk to the ground. Fukunaga pushed the two of them apart.

“Mr. Freeze says no fighting,” he said, giggling.

Yamamoto, Yaku, and Kai were still laughing. Kuroo walked over and wrapped his arm around Kenma‘s waist, pulling him close, letting Kenma bury his face in Kuroo‘s chest.

“You all suck, all of you, go line up!” Kuroo grumbled.

 “I‘m killing Yamamoto, I‘m killing him,” Kenma mumbled into Kuroo‘s chest.

“Wait until after the practice game, kitten.”

“Fine.”

“Let‘s go line up.”

Karasuno’s volleyball team was not what Kuroo was expecting. He was gasping for air by this point, they had played three practice games by now. He placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Kenma was already just lying on the floor, also breathing heavily. 

“One more game!” Hinata begged.

“You haven’t stopped moving? Are you not tired?!” Coach Nekomata asked, shocked.

Kuroo didn’t get it, he had no idea how that shrimp could jump like that, especially that fast. He also was amazed Kenma could think of a plan to stop him, Kuroo had to admit, Karasuno was rough around the edges, but he couldn’t wait to play them again when they were more comfortable as a team.

“No, they have to get back to Tokyo,” Karasuno’s coach said.

Hinata whined as everyone began to clean up. Kuroo scanned the gym, the teams seemed to be getting along pretty well. He watched with amusement as Kenma ran away from Karasuno’s setter, who seemed to have been staring intently at him. Once clean up was finished, the two teams walked out to Nekoma’s bus together. 

“Kenma!” Hinata shouted, running up to the blonde boy.

Kuroo watched Hinata carefully, as Kenma stopped to talk to him. Hinata seemed very animated about what he was saying, but Kuroo was too far away from them to hear. The two of them waved goodbye and Kenma headed towards him. Kuroo wrapped his arm around Kenma’s shoulders as they boarded the bus to take them back to the train station. Kenma sat down in the window seat in their row on the bus and leaned his head against the window.

“I’m tired,” Kenma mumbled.

“Me too,” Kuroo said, leaning his head back.

Most of the team was out before they even turned out of Karasuno. Kuroo and Yaku were the only ones awake, Yaku was snapping pictures of Yamamoto sleeping in a really strange position, laughing silently to himself. Kuroo decided to take out his phone and snap a few pictures of Kenma sleeping, for the memories, of course, not because Kenma was drooling.

“Oi!” Yaku yelled, when the bus pulled into the train station, “Wake up your lazy asses up! We’re at the train station!”

A chorus of groans echoed around the bus as the team gathered their stuff and made their way towards their train. Once they made it onto the train, everyone promptly passed out again, Yaku included. Kuroo looked around at his sleeping teammates and smiled to himself.

The bright, yellow glare from the sun pouring in through Kuroo’s window forced him awake. He groaned as he opened his eyes, he did not want to go to school today.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” a voice said, from the other side of the room.

That jolted Kuroo awake, he flailed momentarily, before falling out of his bed and onto the floor, the green comforter falling on top of him. He pushed the comforter off him and saw Kenma perched in his desk chair, playing his PSP.

“What the fuck? Kenma? What are you doing here?” Kuroo asked, “How did you get in here?”

“Your dad let me in.”

“H-How long have you been sitting there?”

Kenma shrugged, “Like an hour?”

“You could’ve woken me up.”

“You looked like you needed to sleep, also, why do you sleep with two pillows on either side of you, completely facedown? No wonder you can’t tame your bedhead.”

Kuroo gaped at Kenma, who was still focused on his game. He shook his head and stood up, glancing at the clock on his wall, it was only 7:30am, they still had an hour before they needed to leave for school. 

“Wait you’ve been here since 6:30am?” Kuroo asked, “When did you go to bed last night?”

Kenma didn’t reply, keeping his eyes glued to his PSP. Kuroo frowned and walked over to him, taking the PSP out of Kenma’s hands. He stared at the blonde boy in shock, there were extremely dark circles under his eyes, his normally bright brown eyes were dull too. His skin was paler than usual, closer to white than Kenma’s usual tan. Even his blonde hair seemed dull in color. 

“Kenma…” Kuroo started, voice shaky, “Did you sleep last night?”

“I’m fine,” Kenma said, “I got some sleep last night.”

“How much?”

“Uh...like...two hours?”

“ Kenma! ”

“It’s not a big deal!”

“You only slept for two hours last night?” Kuroo yelled.

“Well. More like two hours...this weekend?”

“Two hours in three days?! ” Kuroo screamed, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

Kenma flinched, looking down at his hands and picking at his fingernails. Kuroo scrubbed his face, taking deep breaths in order to calm himself down.

“I’m sorry for snapping, I just...why? Why didn’t you say something? You could’ve come over here!” Kuroo said, the panic clear in his voice.

“I didn’t want to bother you, it’s not that big of a deal!” Kenma said, still staring at his hands.

“Getting only two hours of sleep in a weekend is a big deal! You can talk to me, kitten! You don’t have to deal with things on your own!” Kuroo said, taking Kenma’s hands in his own.

“I-It’s just, my mom got a boyfriend, apparently. She told me this weekend and...I don’t know...I know I should be happy for her, I mean I am , but...it’s stupid, nevermind,” Kenma mumbled.

“No, no, it’s not stupid, tell me.”

Kenma closed his eyes and huffed, “It’s...I was stupid, it’s been a few years, I know my parents were over, they weren’t getting back together, fuck they can barely be in the same gym for our games. But...I don’t know, part of me was hoping, just hoping, somehow they would get back together, that everything could be like it was when I was younger. Like I said...it’s dumb.”

“That’s not stupid,” Kuroo said, pulling Kenma into a hug, “Of course it hurts, dealing with that, I get it. It’s not stupid to want your parents back together, and learning about your mom’s boyfriend had to be a shock, but...you’re gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay.”

Kenma sniffed, his eyes glassy, Kuroo offered him a soft smile and pressed a kiss on to the top of his head. 

“I don’t want to go to school,” Kenma muttered.

“I don’t either,” Kuroo replied, “We don’t have to, I can ask my parents to call the school, say we’re sick.”

Kenma hummed, “I wouldn’t mind that.”

Surprisingly, Kuroo’s parents agreed to let both of them stay home. Kuroo didn’t dare ask if they had heard Kuroo yelling, he didn’t want to explain Kenma’s situation to his parents. When Kuroo returned upstairs, Kenma was already in Kuroo’s bed, fast asleep, wearing one of Kuroo’s t-shirts and a pair of volleyball shorts. Kuroo rolled his eyes to himself, as he slid next to Kenma and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Kuroo fished out his phone and occupied himself with random games and reading the news as Kenma slept. After about an hour of mindless scrolling, Kuroo placed his phone on the nightstand and decided to join Kenma in going back to sleep. He only woke back up when the buzzing of his phone started, Kuroo rubbed his eyes and looked at who was calling him. It was Yaku, it was also three in the afternoon.

“Fuck,” Kuroo mumbled, answering the call.

“Where are you? Are you and Kenma okay? I just heard neither of you were here today, we’re about to have practice and Coach hadn’t heard from you two,” Yaku’s voice said on the other side of the line, laced with concern.

“Uh, Kenma wasn’t feeling well today, stayed home to make sure he was alright,” Kuroo whispered, trying to not wake Kenma.

Yaku was silent for a moment, “Okay, I’ll let Coach know.”

The call ended. Kuroo sighed and glanced over, Kenma was still dead asleep, curled into a ball.

He really is like a cat , Kuroo thought as he slid out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping boy. He wandered downstairs to the kitchen, the least he could do was make them something to eat, he’d wake Kenma up after he was done. He pulled out a pot and turned on the stove to boil some water for ramen.

“Do you even know how to cook?” Kenma’s voice said, from behind him.

Kuroo jumped in surprised, whirling around, “You’re awake?”

Kenma was still definitely half-asleep, rubbing his eyes profusely. He walked over to Kuroo and frowned.

“Can you even make ramen?” he asked.

“Are you judging my cooking skills?” Kuroo asked.

Kenma nudged him away from the stove, “Yes. Didn’t you burn your parents’ old rice cooker, because you forgot to put water in it?”

“That was one time!” Kuroo whined.

“Still, I don’t trust you, you’re gonna burn the ramen or something.”

“Cannot believe my boyfriend doesn’t trust my cooking skills.”

“I absolutely do not trust your cooking skills. Go watch TV or something,” Kenma said, without missing a beat.

Kuroo gaped at the back of Kenma’s head, “I am thoroughly wounded, here. How can you be so cruel?”

“I’m not being cruel, I am simply stating the truth. You cannot cook, that’s what I’m here for.”

Kuroo wrapped his arms around Kenma’s waist, kissing his cheek, “You’re right, you’re also here, because you make great eye-candy in my t-shirt.”

Kenma smacked Kuroo with the pair of chopsticks in his hand, “Fuck off.”

“A good cook and good eye-candy, what more can I ask for from my soulmate?” Kuroo teased.

“You know what? Make your own ramen, this is all for me.”

“Wait, no!”

“That’s what I thought!”

Kuroo huffed as Kenma finished up the ramen, handing Kuroo a bowl. The two of them sat down in the living room and Kuroo turned on the TV. He put on a movie as the two of them ate. The flashing colors on the screen reflected in Kenma’s eyes as he watched the movie.

“Are you feeling better?” Kuroo asked, intertwining their fingers.

“Yeah, I am,” Kenma replied, resting his head on Kuroo’s shoulder.

“Good, love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Kuroo watched as the volleyball slipped out of Kenma’s fingers, hitting the ground. The whistle blew and Kuroo lowered his head, it was over. His time playing volleyball had come to an end during Nationals. He wouldn’t want it any other way. He walked over as Kenma plopped onto the floor, out of breath and tired.

“Thank you, for getting me into volleyball,” Kenma said.

Kuroo stood there in shock, “Y-yeah.”

The rest of Kuroo’s final year passed, soon, he was holding his diploma, taking pictures with his friends and parents, and most importantly Kenma.

“I’m gonna miss you next year,” Kenma mumbled.

Kuroo wrapped his arm around Kenma’s waist, placing a kiss on his cheek, “I won’t be far.”

“Still.”

The summer came and went, with Kuroo and Kenma spending almost every minute together before Kuroo left for college. Kuroo stood next to the car, packed with all his stuff. Kenma stood in front of him, eyes glassy.

“I’ll miss you,” he whispered.

“I love you,” Kuroo said, kissing him.

“Love you, too.”

Kuroo groaned, the chemistry textbook laying on his face, letting the book block out the light and surround him in the black of darkness. He was lying in his bed in his college dorm. Kenma was visiting for the weekend, but Kuroo had an exam on Monday and needed to study, Kenma didn’t mind staying in.

“Why did I take this class?” he whined.

“Because you’re a masochist,” Kenma replied.

Kenma was sitting on his lap, eyes glued to his phone. Kuroo groaned again and Kenma sighed, pulling the book off Kuroo’s face and dropping it on the floor. Kuroo looked up and grinned at him, tapping his fingers on Kenma’s thighs. Kenma rolled his eyes, without sparing a glance at Kuroo. Kuroo tucked one arm behind his head and just watched Kenma. He was dressed in a light purple Pikachu hoodie (which Kuroo had bought for Kenna’s birthday a few years ago) and Pikachu patterned boxers (which Kuroo had most certainly not). Kuroo thought Kenma looked ridiculous, Kenma said it was fashionable. Kuroo watched him tap away on his phone for a few more minutes, before plucking it out of his hands. Kenma immediately pouted as Kuroo placed the phone on his nightstand. Kuroo grabbed Kenma’s hoodie, tugging him down so he could give him a kiss. Kenma’s hands instantly found their way into Kuroo’s hair, Kuroo tucked his hands under Kenma’s hoodie, leaving soft touches along Kenma’s sides. Kenma let out a shaky sigh, lowering his hands to tug off Kuroo’s shirt. Kuroo chuckled, helping him get it off. Kenma sat back up and stared down at Kuroo.

“What? Like what you see?” Kuroo teased.

Kenma’s cheeks were red in an instant, “I’ve seen better.”

Kuroo snorted and pulled Kenma back down for another kiss. They stayed like that for a while, Kuroo alternated between kissing Kenma’s lips and his neck, coaxing out soft moans from Kenma. 

I wish we could stay like this forever , Kuroo thought, doing nothing, but holding each other like this.

Kenma pulled away first, out of breath and the hickies on his neck already forming. He looked at Kuroo with such an unguarded, soft expression it made Kuroo want to scream with happiness. 

“Let’s get married,” Kuroo said, the words slipping past his lips before he could stop himself.

He watched as Kenma processed his words, his face changing into an unreadable expression to a stupid, sappy grin.

“Married?” Kenma echoed.

Kuroo traced Kenma’s jawline with his fingers, “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Kenma said, placing his hand over Kuroo’s.

“O-Okay?”

Kenma let out a soft laugh, “Yes, let’s get married. But we should probably wait until we’re out of college, dork.”

“Why?”

“We have our whole lives together, what’s the rush?”

“I guess you have a point.”

Kenma leaned down, pressing a kiss against Kuroo’s forehead, before laying down on Kuroo’s chest. Kuroo wrapped his arms around Kenma and the two of them drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Kuroo woke up first. He wiggled his way out of the bed, careful not to wake Kenma. He changed into a pale yellow t-shirt and jeans, grabbing a sticky note and scribbling down a message to Kenma that he’d be back later and stuck it against Kenma’s forehead and kissed Kenma’s cheek. Kuroo chuckled to himself and headed out the door. He followed the directions on his phone to the store and pushed the door open.

“Hi! How can I help you?” a girl said, cheerfully.

“Uh, I’m looking for some rings?” Kuroo said.

“Like an engagement ring?” the girl asked.

“Uh, not exactly? More like matching rings.”

The girl nodded intently, pulling out a few boxes of rings, “Do you want something flashy or more simple?”

“Simple. Definitely simple.”

The girl nodded again, “We’ve got some plain gold bands, if that’s what you’re looking for,” as she pulled out a gold band and placed it on the counter.

Kuroo picked it up and looked at it. It really was just a plain gold band.

Kuroo grinned, “This would be perfect.”

“Do you know the ring sizes you need?”

Kuroo paused, he hadn’t thought about that, “Uh...no.”

The girl smiled, “That’s no problem, if either ring doesn’t fit you can come back for an exchange free of charge as long as you have the receipt. The total will be 16,000 yen.”

Kuroo paid for the rings and headed home. When he got back to the room, Kenma was still asleep, but the sticky note was on Kuroo’s nightstand and Kenma was...laying in the opposite direction? Kuroo placed the package on his desk and nudged Kenma awake.

“Kitten, did you wake up and then fall back asleep?” Kuroo teased.

“No?” Kenma mumbled, half-asleep with his eyes still closed.

Kuroo snorted, “Liar, wake up. I’ve got something for you.”

Kenma woke up immediately, sitting upright and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, “What?”

Kuroo handed him the package from his desk, trying to ignore the way his heart started to race as Kenma opened it. The gold ring fell out onto Kenma’s lap. He picked it up, inspecting it.

“You got me a ring?” he asked, his voice not giving any hint of how he was feeling.

“Y-Yes, a matching ring,” Kuroo said, holding up his hand where his own ring was.

Kenma glanced up at Kuroo and then back down at the ring.

“D-Do you...like it?” Kuroo asked, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

Kenma didn’t say anything, he just slid the ring onto his finger and looked at it again. Then at Kuroo. Kuroo really wished Kenma would say something . Then, in a split second, Kenma launched himself off the bed and threw his arms around Kuroo’s neck, Kuroo managed to wrap his arms around Kenma before they fell to the floor. Kuroo knocked his head against the floor and groaned.

“You’re so fucking cheesy,” Kenma said, grinning ear to ear, “Matching rings? You’re absolutely ridiculous. I love it, I love you.”

Kenma tugged Kuroo’s shirt, pulling him into a messy kiss. Kuroo pushed him back, laughing.

“And you say I’m the cheesy one? You just tackled me to the floor trying to give me a hug and then kissed me, I think you’re the cheesy one!” Kuroo giggled.

“Shut up and kiss me again.”

“Okay,” Kuroo said, pulling Kenma into another kiss.

Kuroo, Yaku and Kai sat in the stands, watching. They could easily make out where Kenma and Yamamoto were sitting in the crowd, the blonde hair and blonde mohawk being a dead giveaway. They even spotted Fukunaga, the three of them huddled together in the sea of red robes, definitely not in alphabetical order. When the principal called their names, Yaku, Kuroo and Kai screamed as loudly as they could, risking getting kicked out of the ceremony. Once the last name was called and the caps were thrown, the three of them rushed down to go find everyone.

“Kenma! Tora! Fukunaga!” Yaku screeched over the crowd, Kai holding him in the air.

The three boys turned around, shocked. Kai put Yaku down and the three of them rushed over, tackling them into a group hug. The six of them tumbled over onto the floor, laughing.

“You guys did it!” Yaku yelled, “You finally graduated!”

“Man, we were worried about you for a minute there, Tora,” Kai teased.

Yamamoto huffed and shoved Kai away from him, who was laughing. Kuroo kept his arms around Kenma, hauling him up, Kenma’s legs wrapped around Kuroo’s waist, his hands in his hair. Kuroo beamed at him, Kenma grinned back. Kuroo pressed a kiss on his lips and he heard his friends cheer as a flash went off, someone took a picture. Suddenly, Kuroo pulled away and gawked at Kenma, who stared at him, confused.

“Who are you and what have you done to Kenma?” Kuroo asked.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Kenma replied.

“You let me kiss you. In public. My Kenma would never !” Kuroo teased.

Kenma huffed and wiggled, trying to get out of Kuroo’s grip, “Shut up! It was just this once!”

Kuroo tossed his head back and laughed, letting Kenma go. Kenma huffed and straightened out his robes as Kenma’s parents approached.

“C’mon!” Kenma’s mom said, “We’ll take photos of you guys!”

They took photos for what felt like hours, getting as many as possible. Eventually, they found themselves out of the gym and in the front lawn of Kuroo and Kenma’s houses, their parents having set up a small after-party for them. Kuroo’s mom cut up a small cake for the new graduates, which Yaku, Kai, and Kuroo picked up, grinning at them. Fukunaga and Yamamoto weren’t fast enough, but Kenma managed to side step when the three of them smashed the cake into their faces. Kuroo huffed as Kenma laughed, having avoided the cake to the face. Yamamoto and Fukunaga were spluttering, wiping cake off their faces. Kuroo eyed Kenma, quietly grabbing another slice since his last one hit the ground. He wrapped his arm around Kenma’s waist, the cake behind his back. Kenma eyed him, the realization hitting a second too late as Kuroo pushed the cake into his face.

“Fuck you!” Kenma shouted, stumbling back, wiping cake off his face.

Everyone laughed and Kuroo grabbed him again, kissing him once more, not caring that he was also getting icing all over his face.

“Ewww!! Ewwww!! Get a room!” Yaku shrieked, mockingly shielding his eyes.

“Oh, like you can say much!” Yamamoto countered, standing up out of the chair he had been sitting in, “Lev told me all about your first kiss!”

Yaku stared at Yamamoto, getting up from his own chair, Yamamoto grinned as he took off down the street, Yaku chasing after him, screaming that he was gonna get him. Kenma rolled his eyes fondly, wiping the icing off his face, as the two ran around the street. Kai and Kuroo were hunched over, laughing at the scene. Fukunaga somehow had a bucket of water, ready to throw on Yamamoto and Yaku, who had managed to catch Yamamoto, the two now rolling around on the ground, Yaku cussing and Yamamoto laughing.

“I’m gonna actually miss this,” Kenma murmured, sitting next to Kuroo.

Kuroo took hold of one of his hands, “Trust me, they’re gonna still be around.”

“Unfortunately,” Kenma said, smiling.

Kuroo chuckled, “Yeah.”

Kenma and Kuroo ended up moving into an apartment together shortly after, Kuroo just took the stuff from his old dorm and deposited it into their bedroom. Kenma had brought exactly one box from his house that were just clothes, placing them into the dresser that Kuroo wasn’t going to use.

“Where’s the rest of your stuff?” Kuroo asked, staring at the one box.

“At home, I’ll get the rest of it, eventually,” Kenma replied.

Kuroo hated moving, but they finally were living together, on their own. Kuroo smiled as Kenma immediately laid on the floor, maybe moving wasn’t so bad. 

Kuroo was fine, he was fine. He was standing in the bathroom of their apartment, dressed in a suit, with Kenma dressed in a suit next to him. This was fine, they were headed to a fancy restaurant where Kuroo was going to propose again, properly this time, with an actual engagement ring. He patted his pants pocket to make sure the ring was still there, safely in the box. Kenma eyed him through the mirror, he knew something was up.

“Babe,” Kenma said, “You alright?”

Kuroo flashed a grin, “I’m great! You ready?”

Kenma nodded, still eyeing Kuroo. Kuroo herded Kenma out the door and they headed down to the parking garage to Kuroo’s car and got in. Kuroo gripped the steering wheel hard as he pulled out of the garage and headed to the restaurant. Kenma reached over and placed a hand on Kuroo’s thigh, using his thumb to rub comforting circles. Kuroo knew he was freaking Kenma out and he could practically hear Kenma overthinking in the seat next to him. Kuroo took a deep breath, the restaurant was only five minutes away, he could do this. He was fine . The light turned red. Kuroo wasn’t stopping.

“Kuroo! It’s red!” Kenma shouted, causing Kuroo to slam the breaks.

The car lurched to a hard stop and Kenma stared at Kuroo, wide-eyed.

“B-Babe,” Kenma said, voice a little shaky, “Are you sure you’re alright? We can...we can go back home, do this another time.”

Kuroo bit his lip and then sighed, “I’m fine, kitten, promise.”

Kenma’s eyes didn’t leave him until they pulled up to the restaurant. They climbed out of the car and Kenma slid up next to Kuroo, wrapping one of Kuroo’s hands in his own, before standing on his tiptoes to press a kiss onto his cheek. Kuroo smiled and relaxed, Kenma had said yes once already, he’d say yes again. Dinner went perfectly fine, besides Kuroo’s heart beating out of his chest. Now or never, Kuroo cleared his throat.

“Kenma,” he said, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

Kenma looked at him, smirking. Kuroo blanked for a moment, staring at Kenma, sitting there with his blonde hair pulled back into a half-bun, his black suit perfectly tailored. Kuroo was helplessly in love with the man.

“Yes?” Kenma said, still smirking.

Kuroo pulled out the box, standing up and walking to the other side of the table.

“You know I love you right?” Kuroo asked, voice soft.

Kenma’s expression softened immediately, “Of course.”

Kuroo got down on one knee, holding out the box and opening it, “Then, will you marry me?”

Kenma’s expression turned into shock, his face turning red as the restaurant’s other customers stared at them, before tossing his head back and laughing out loud, “Of course I will!”

Kuroo felt his face split into a stupid grin as he slid the diamond ring next to the gold band, before pressing a kiss onto Kenma’s lips. The restaurant cheered and the waitress gave them a free dessert as a congratulations. The two of them left, Kenma practically wrapped around Kuroo, stumbling back to the car as they laughed. Eventually, they managed to get into the car. Kuroo glanced at Kenma, before grabbing his face and kissing him hard. Kenma let out a surprised squeak before melting into it. They pulled away, breathless.

“I wanted to ask you properly,” Kuroo admitted.

Kenma smiled, “Oh, it wasn’t just for the free dessert?

“That may have been a part of it.”

Kenma snorted, shaking his head, “You’re ridiculous.”

Kuroo grinned, “Yeah, but you love me.”

Kenma grinned back at him, “Yeah, now if you hurry and get home, you might have a second dessert waiting.”

It was Kuroo’s turn to go completely speechless and red. Kenma just laughed at him, the loud, unguarded one that Kuroo wished he could hear all the time. They managed to make it back to the apartment, stumbling into the place, making out and attempting to undo their suits. Kuroo was guiding Kenma to the bedroom, when Kenma tripped over one of the coffee table’s legs and fell flat on his back, somehow not taking Kuroo with him. Kuroo busted into loud laughter. 

“Are you...are you okay?” Kuroo asked, through his wheezing.

Kenma laid there, glaring up at him, but also giggling, “I’m fine, but are you gonna help me up or not?”

Kuroo just laughed at him for a moment longer, before scooping up the younger boy and carrying him to the bedroom.

Kenma was curled up on Kuroo’s chest, having pulled the covers pretty much up to Kuroo’s chin, covering himself in the process. Kuroo kept his arms wrapped around Kenma’s waist, he could hear the tapping from Kenma’s phone as he played some mobile game.

“I’m hungry,” Kenma stated.

Kuroo lifted the covers and peeked at the blonde boy, “We just had dinner.”

“Like four hours ago,” Kenma replied.

Kuroo sighed, “What do you want?”

“Ice cream.”

Kuroo scoffed, pulling the covers off them and sitting up, causing Kenma to slide to the side, “Fine. Get dressed.”

“Actually I was just gonna go to your car naked,” Kenma said in a way that Kuroo couldn’t tell if the other boy was joking or not.

Kuroo figured he was joking when Kenma rolled off the bed and walked over to the dresser that housed all of Kenma’s things that he needed, pulling out a red hoodie and blue sweatpants, tugging them on. Kuroo decided to also get up and changed into a plain white t-shirt and matching blue sweatpants. Kuroo had to pretty much push Kenma out of the apartment and back to the car.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Kenma whined.

“Well go faster, you’re the one who wanted ice cream at midnight.”

“Actually, it’s only 11:57pm.”

Kuroo just sighed as they climbed into the car. Kuroo started the car and pulled out of the garage once more, putting in directions to the nearest open ice cream place. It had been raining, the city was wet and the colors were blurry from the rain. Kenma flipped through the radio channels, finally landing on one playing some soft music.

“You really should get bluetooth for your car,” Kenma muttered.

“Hmm, okay,” Kuroo hummed.

Kuroo intertwined his free hand with Kenma’s, tightening his other hand around the steering wheel. He stared out of the windshield, listening as the rain pounded against it, blurring the colors of the intersection’s lights before the windshield wipers washed the droplets away. A small hum came out of him as he squeezed Kenma’s hand.

“I love you,” he said.

He could see Kenma’s face form a small, soft smile as he kept his eyes trained on the mobile game he was playing with his free hand.

“Love you too,” he replied.

The light switched to the bright green and Kuroo pressed the gas. Kenma turned his head to look out the window, having given up on his game with an aggravated huff. The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence only broken by the soft music playing from the radio.

“Kuroo!” Kenma suddenly shrieked.

The sound of glass shattering and the dull crunching of metal, Kenma’s scream abruptly ending. 

Black. 

A dull ring echoed in Kuroo’s ears and he struggled to open his eyes. Everything was blurry, a collage of faint colors. A groan caught his attention, Kenma was slumped over, the dark red color of blood staining his face and hair. Kuroo reached out to shake his shoulder.

“K-Kenma,” he croaked.

Kenma didn’t stir, but Kuroo could see the rise and fall of his chest underneath the dark grey hoodie. Kuroo’s hand tightened on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

The hoodie wasn’t grey, it was red .

The realization jolted Kuroo out of his stupor.

“Kenma, Kenma, stay with me, babe. Stay with me!” Kuroo screamed.

Kuroo struggled to undo his seatbelt, ignoring the pain ripping through his right arm as he yanked it off. He cradled Kenma’s head, trying to be as gentle as possible. Kenma’s eyes were closed, but Kuroo could feel the faint puffs of air coming from his parted lips. Kuroo undid Kenma’s seatbelt, gently, trying to pull him and Kenma out of the car. 

“Stay with me, kitten, please,” Kuroo whispered, begging.

He managed to remove both of them from the car, cradling Kenma in his arms. He pushed Kenma’s hair out of his face, keeping his eyes trained on the blonde boy. The sound of sirens growing in the distance.

Blonde, his hair is still blonde, it’s going to be fine . Kuroo thought.

“Hold on babe, hold on please. Just a little longer, please, kitten, please.”

He tried to ignore the grey clothes on their bodies, the white car next to them, the dull shine of grey headlights encasing them, the perfectly black pavement underneath them. 

Focus, focus, his hair is still blonde. It’s still blonde.

The wail of the sirens surrounded them now. Kuroo looked up, the flashes of red and blue comforting him momentarily.

“It’s gonna be alright, babe, help is here,” Kuroo murmured, turning to look back down at Kenma.

Kuroo felt everything stop. The boy cradled in his arms had black hair, tinted with grey. 

No, no, no, no, no.

“K-Ken..ma?” Kuroo choked out.

The tears welled in his eyes, this isn’t happening, this isn’t real, this is some cruel joke, this is some nightmare .

Kuroo shook Kenma gently, but there was no response, no movement, no breathing. The paramedics were talking to him, all in the same grey-toned uniforms, bathed in the flashing of black and white sirens. 

“H-He’s blonde, he’s...he’s supposed to be blonde,” Kuroo murmured, voice cracking.

Kuroo groaned softly as he cracked open his eyes. The grey and white colors of the hospital room surrounded him. The haze he felt in his head disappeared as the events from the night snapped him awake. Kuroo tried to sit up, but a pair of strong hands on his shoulders forced him back down.

“You shouldn’t be moving around yet, you were hurt pretty badly,” a familiar voice said.

Kuroo looked to his left, Daichi was sitting next to him, his face ragged and eyes sunken. The grey tones of Daichi’s face made Kuroo want to throw up.

“K-Kenma…” Kuroo mumbled.

Daichi looked away, “I’m so sorry, Kuroo. We did everything we could, we tried...I’m sorry.”

The full weight of the blandness of the monotoned room around him crushed Kuroo, he could feel the tears stinging in his eyes, “No...no…”

Kuroo looked down at himself. The hospital gown that was usually some pale blue color, was the same shade of grey as the bedsheets, the usual pale yellow of the walls were the same stark whiteness as the floor, Kuroo’s own hands, balled into fists, were a light grey instead of the tan color of his skin he knew. Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut, this is just a bad dream, a nightmare, this isn’t real. It’s not real, it’s not real, it’s not real!

“Kuroo…” Daichi said, his voice sounding far away, “I’m sorry...Kenma’s gone.”

Kuroo shook his head, he couldn’t believe Daichi, he didn’t want to believe Daichi. But the lack of colors, it was obvious, the truth of what happened was there anytime Kuroo opened his eyes. Daichi took one of Kuroo’s hands in his own, Kuroo could feel the hot stream of tears on Daichi’s face, Kuroo didn’t want to open his eyes again. 

“I...I should have seen the car coming...I should have…He just wanted ice cream...” Kuroo whispered, opening his eyes slowly, the tears falling.

“The driver ran the red light going twice the speed limit, this wasn’t your fault, Kuroo,” Daichi replied, using his free hand to wipe away Kuroo’s tears, “It wasn’t your fault.”

Kuroo broke, his body shaking with the force of his sobs. Daichi stood up and leaned over, pulling Kuroo’s head into his chest. They stayed like that until the sobs died down, Kuroo pulled away after that, wiping his eyes. The ring on his finger, once a shiny gold, now a dull grey, felt horribly cold against his face. He pulled his hand away, staring down at the ring. He gently removed it from his finger, fiddling with it. He ran a fingertip over the ring, the urge to throw it across the room overwhelmed him for a moment, before he slipped it back on his finger. It was the last gift he had given Kenma, the thought made Kuroo want to break down again.

“The doctor should be coming by soon, to check up on you,” Daichi said, his own voice still thick with tears.

Kuroo didn’t reply, he just stared at the white ceiling above him. The door opened quietly, Kuroo glanced over. He assumed the person in the doorway was the doctor, his scrubs a plain grey covered by the white lab coat. His hair was also a grey tone, Kuroo wondered what his hair color was.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” the doctor said, “You were lucky, you sustained some major blood loss as well as a broken femur. It was amazing that the EMTs came and you were still conscious.”

Kuroo wanted to laugh, he wouldn’t call himself lucky.

“Are you feeling any pain?” the doctor asked.

Kuroo stared at him, he wanted to scream, of course he was feeling pain, Kenma was dead and he wasn’t.

“No,” Kuroo said, through gritted teeth.

The doctor simply nodded, “The morphine is probably still in your system. There’s a button on the side of your bed to call us when it starts wearing off. As for the femur, it takes about six months for it to fully heal and you’ll probably need physical therapy for it.”

Kuroo just nodded along.

“Ring if you need anything,” he said.

And with that, the doctor left. Kuroo sighed and looked down at his left leg, which was in a full cast. An awkward silence enveloped him and Daichi.

“Do...do you want me to stay?” Daichi asked.

“Please,” Kuroo murmured.

Daichi nodded and sat back down, still holding Kuroo’s hand. Before Kuroo knew it, he was dozing back off. He wasn’t sure how long he was out, but the whispers of voices woke him. Kuroo didn’t open his eyes and pretended to stay asleep.

“How is he?” a voice asked.

“He’s alive,” Daichi’s voice responded, “Broken femur and blood loss. It was bad, Suga. Really bad.”

Daichi’s voice cracked at the end.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright, Daichi,” Suga replied.

Daichi scoffed, “It’s not alright, it’s not! I couldn’t save Kenma, Suga. There was no way, he had already lost a good amount of blood, not to mention the internal bleeding, his...one of his lungs had filled with blood after a broken rib punctured it. It...it was awful. I...Seeing...Pulling up to the scene and seeing Kuroo holding Kenma like that...I’ve never heard Kuroo scream like that. It was haunting and I couldn’t even do anything. I couldn’t save Kenma, I couldn’t do my job…We nearly lost Kuroo, too. I just...”

Daichi’s voice trailed off, Kuroo could hear Suga kissing Daichi.

“You did your job, Daichi. You saved Kuroo, you tried your best to save Kenma. Kuroo knows this, this isn’t your fault, alright?”

Daichi sighed, “I know, I know...but…”

“I know,” Suga echoed.

“I called Bokuto...him and Akaashi should be arriving soon,” Daichi mumbled.

Kuroo pretended to stir, cutting off their conversation. As he did, he winced as the pain shot up his leg.

“Fuck,” he grumbled.

“Do you want me to call the doctor?” Suga asked, wide-eyed.

Kuroo shook his head, “It’s fine.”

Suga bit his lip, but said nothing.

“Bokuto is on his way,” Daichi said, looking worse than when Kuroo had first woken up.

Kuroo just nodded. As if on cue, the door swung open, Bokuto stood in the doorway for a moment, staring at Kuroo before flinging himself onto Kuroo.

“Ow,” Kuroo muttered.

Bokuto broke into sobs immediately, wrapping himself around Kuroo’s torso. Akaashi was lingering in the doorway, looking almost as tired as Daichi. 

“We’ll give you two a moment,” Suga said, pulling Daichi up, “We’ll go see if there’s any food available in the cafe, you probably need to eat, Kuroo.”

Kuroo decided to not mention the fact he wasn’t hungry, he just offered a weak smile as Akaashi sat down where Daichi had been as Suga pulled Daichi out of the room. He could hear the faint sound of Daichi crying as the door closed. Akaashi gently pulled Bokuto off Kuroo.

“We came as soon as we heard, Kuroo,” Akaashi said.

“Don’t...don’t say you’re sorry, please,” Kuroo muttered.

Akaashi and Bokuto glanced at each other, but said nothing. Kuroo avoided eye contact with them, twisting the ring around his finger. 

“Did...did anyone contact Hinata?” Kuroo asked, gazing out the window, watching the rain pound against it.

“I think so,” Akaashi answered.

“Poor Hinata,” Kuroo mumbled.

“Poor Hinata ?” Bokuto hissed, jumping out of his chair, “That’s what you’re gonna say? Poor Hinata?! You...You...You nearly died and you’re worried about Hinata?”

“B-Bokuto,” Akaashi whispered, grabbing Bokuto’s forearm.

“I...we...we nearly lost you Kuroo!” Bokuto yelled, pressing his palms into his eyes, his voice cracking, “I nearly lost my best friend! My best friend lost his soulmate ! And he’s worried about his soulmate’s friend…”

Bokuto slumped back into the chair. Kuroo stared at Bokuto, he had never seen Bokuto snap before. Bokuto wiped his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I thought...I thought you were going to be gone, too. Getting that call from Daichi...And you’re lying here in a hospital bed with a broken femur after suffering major blood loss...and you’re worried about someone else…” Bokuto said, letting out a hollow laugh, “That’s so like you...you always made sure others were okay before yourself. But, you don’t have to worry about others. Not right now, we can do that for you. Please...just please, get better...please...I can’t...I can’t bring Kenma back, but I’m going to be here for you. For anything.”

Kuroo opened his mouth to reply, but only a sob came out. He slapped his hand over his mouth as Bokuto cupped his face, thumbing away his tears. Kuroo squeezed his eyes shut again, as Bokuto pressed their foreheads together.

“You’re so strong, so strong. You have to be strong, for Kenma. Do this for Kenma.”

A week had passed. Only a week. Seven days, seven days without Kenma. Kuroo didn’t think he could keep doing this.

Kuroo had been released from the hospital, Akaashi and Bokuto had come to pick him up. They stood next to the car as Kuroo was wheeled out in a wheelchair. He stared at the car, he didn’t want to get in. Bokuto offered him a warm smile as he helped Kuroo into the car, once Kuroo managed to get in the back seat, Bokuto slid in beside him, leaving Akaashi behind the driver’s wheel. Kuroo flinched when Akaashi started the car, pulling out of the hospital’s parking lot. He tried looking out the window while Akaashi drove, but the blur of the monotoned world made him feel sick. He looked down at his lap, fiddling with his hands. 

“Where are we going?” Kuroo asked.

“Bokuto’s apartment, it’s not far from here,” Akaashi replied.

“Can we go to Kenma’s house?” Kuroo asked.

Bokuto bit his lip, glancing at Akaashi through the rearview mirror, Akaashi sighed, “Yeah, yeah we can.”

The drive took an hour and a half, Kuroo threw up three times. Bokuto looked like he was hanging on by a thread, moments from breaking down. Akaashi was the only one who looked somewhat put together as they managed to pull up to Kenma’s house. His mom ran outside to envelope Kuroo into a strong hug when he got out of the car. She sobbed into Kuroo’s shoulder and Kuroo cried with her. She helped him into the house, Bokuto and Akaashi trailing behind him. Kuroo had never seen the house without all the color before, he hated it. He glanced up the stairs, where Kenma’s room was. Kenma’s mom glanced up the stairs, too.

“Do you want to go up there?” she asked quietly.

Kuroo nodded as she helped him make his way up the stairs. She gave his shoulder a squeeze as they stood outside his door.

“I’ll be downstairs,” she said.

Kuroo just nodded again, as she went back down. Kuroo took a deep breath before opening the door. The room didn’t look any different than the last time Kuroo had been in it. The only difference is Kuroo could no longer see the green of Kenma’s bedsheets, the colorful rainbow explosions on the posters that lined the walls, the reds and blues of the figurines Kenma collected. Kuroo felt the lump form in his throat, as he scanned the room. Half of Kenma’s stuff was packed into boxes, boxes meant to go to their apartment with him. Kuroo sat down on the bed, wiping the tears that had begun to fall. One of the boxes caught Kuroo’s eye. Kuroo pushed himself up to look at it, it was full of photos. He lowered himself onto the floor, pulling the box into his lap. He looked through the photos, they were mainly photos of him, of Kuroo. Some were of the Nekoma team, some of Hinata, even some with Bokuto and Akaashi. Kuroo recognized some of the photos, he had always assumed Kenma was playing games on his phone, but Kuroo realized what Kenma had been actually doing, capturing memories. Kuroo bit his knuckle, trying his hardest not to let out a sob. He flipped the photos over, they all had dates on them from when they were taken, plus a caption. Kuroo flipped a few over, smiling sadly as he went through the memories. One photo really caught Kuroo’s attention, he put down the others and pulled it out. It was a photo of him, laying in his college dorm bed. One arm tucked behind his head, he was looking up at Kenma, grinning. When had Kenma taken this? Kuroo flipped it over.

The day Kuroo asked me to marry him. February 18th, 2014

Kuroo broke, he clutched the photo to his chest, sobs wracking his body. He heard Bokuto run up the stairs, enveloping Kuroo in his arms. Kuroo gripped Bokuto’s forearm, his sobs turning into screams.

“It’s not fair! It’s not fucking fair!” Kuroo wailed.

Bokuto only held him tighter, his own body shaking with silent sobs.

“We were supposed to have a lifetime together!” Kuroo shrieked, “A fucking lifetime! Why did he have to die? He wasn’t even nineteen! This isn’t fucking fair! Why did he have to leave me?” 

Kuroo broke into louder sobs, his body shaking uncontrollably. Bokuto pressed Kuroo’s head into his chest, as Kuroo’s sobs finally subsided. He took several deep, shaky breaths, trying to regain his composure. He held out the photo again, staring at the words scrawled on the back. 

This just isn’t fair, Kuroo thought.

It had been almost two months, two months since Kuroo lost Kenma. Two months since he had stepped foot in their apartment. He had been living with Yaku, Bokuto and Akaashi had offered their place, but Kuroo had turned them down, saying Yaku had more room. They all knew he was lying, he just wouldn’t have been able to handle seeing Bokuto and Akaashi be a couple. Yaku was with him today, as they stood outside the apartment. Kuroo stared at the door, the last time he had left this apartment, he had Kenma. Yaku gently took the keys out of Kuroo’s clenched fist.

“I can go in and get your stuff, if you want to wait out here,” the shorter boy said.

Kuroo shook his head, “No, I should...I should go in.”

Yaku nodded and opened the door. Kuroo stepped in first, half-expecting Kenma to be on the couch to greet him, only to feel the same crushing despair when he realizes he’s just gone. Yaku stepped in after him, the door closing with a dull thud. Kuroo looked around the apartment, everything had been left in its place. It felt like he was suffocating with every step he took, carefully making sure his crutches didn’t get caught on anything or knock anything over. He finally made it to the bedroom, slowly pushing open the door. The suits they had worn that night still laid scattered across the room. The dresser that stored Kenma’s clothes still ajar from when Kenma pulled out the red hoodie he had worn that night. Kuroo held back the tears, he was tired of crying. He managed his way to the closet, grabbing a duffel bag from it and shoving what clothes he could into it, cleaning the apartment would be at a later time. Kuroo made his way out of the bedroom, sparing a glance to the coffee table Kenma had tripped over that night. Kuroo grabbed a few of the pictures of him and Kenma that sat on the mantle and shoved them into the duffel bag as well. Yaku stared at him, having cleaned out the spoiled food in the fridge.

“You ready?” Yaku asked.

Kuroo nodded, “Yeah, let’s go.”

They left the apartment. Kuroo stayed at Yaku’s for a few more months. He eventually got the cast off, attending physical therapy for his leg. He had taken off the rest of the semester from college, his professors understanding his situation. He just focused on getting better, like he had promised Bokuto, for Kenma. He was sitting on Yaku’s couch, having finished with therapy for the day, when his phone rang. It was Daichi, Kuroo felt his stomach drop. Daichi and him texted a good bit, but Daichi never called.

“Daichi?” Kuroo asked, once the call connected.

“Kuroo?” Daichi’s voice sounded rough, like he had been crying, “Did...Have you heard?”

“Heard...what?” Kuroo asked, the panic rising in his chest.

“Yamaguchi...he passed away...yesterday,” Daichi mumbled, his voice thick with tears again.

Kuroo didn’t remember much after that, besides scrawling a note explaining to Yaku where he was and what happened and shoving his duffel bag with some clothes. He vaguely remembered grabbing the next train to Miyagi from Tokyo, finding himself outside of Tsukishima’s apartment.

Kuroo took a deep breath and knocked on the door. The door opened slowly, revealing Tsukishima on the other side.

“Kuroo? What are you--”

Kuroo didn’t let Tsukishima finish his sentence, instead pulling him into a tight embrace. The younger boy rested his head on Kuroo’s shoulder, immediately breaking into sobs. Kuroo let him cry for a few moments, before Tsukishima pushed him away and removed his glasses to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.

“Wanna come in?” he asked.

Kuroo nodded and stepped into the apartment. It was sparsely decorated, with a few pictures on the mantle above the fireplace of him and Yamaguchi, with just a futon and a TV. Everything else was packed into boxes. Kuroo settled himself onto the futon.

“Moving?” he asked.

Tsukishima shrugged, “Yeah, uh, I just...don’t think I can stay here.”

Kuroo nodded, he understood the feeling.

“I knew it was coming. He was sick, he was lucky to graduate highschool. I knew it was coming, but...but…” Tsukishima muttered, his voice cracking.

“He was your soulmate, of course it’s going to hurt,” Kuroo replied.

Tsukishima snorted, “Yeah, it’s fucked up. Seriously, who decided soulmates were a thing? Why give me a soulmate who barely made it to eighteen? Who was lucky to make it to eighteen! Aren’t we supposed to have our whole lives together? Then what the fuck was this? Not to mention going back to seeing no color. It’s just fucking bullshit! I’m already suffering! Why can’t I see color anymore too? What kind of world is this?”

Kuroo opened his mouth to reply, but Tsukishima cut him off.

“How do you do it? How do you keep living?”

Kuroo looked up at Tsukishima, the expression on his face was one Kuroo had never seen before, the anguish and pain easily written across every section on the boy’s face.

“One day at a time,” Kuroo murmured, “It’s just one day at a time. It gets...easier, eventually. The pain and regret is still there, it always will be, but...it gets less and less, more like a dull ache. You learn to live with it.”

Tsukishima snorted again, “Why should I have to live with it?”

“Because it’s what Yamaguchi would have wanted.”

A flash of anger crossed Tsukishima’s face as he advanced towards Kuroo, grabbing Kuroo by his shirt. 

“Don’t say that to me. Don’t fucking say that to me. You of all people should know how I’m feeling right now, you don’t get to say that to me !”

Kuroo raised his hands in an “I surrender” gesture, “You’re right, I’m sorry.”

Tsukishima sighed and all the anger on his face disappeared, “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Kuroo gave a small chuckle, “I don’t think I’ve heard you apologize before.”

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, sitting down next to Kuroo.

“Where are you moving to?” Kuroo asked.

Tsukishima shrugged, “I don’t know yet.”

“You...you could move in with me.”

Tsukishima glanced at Kuroo.

“That’d be nice.”

A week later, Kuroo found himself packing up everything in his old apartment, carefully placing Kenma’s things in a box and sealing it up. Kuroo’s stuff was already at the new apartment he was renting with Tsukishima, who decided to take a year off before going to college, in another part of Tokyo. Bokuto and Akaashi lived in the building they were moving into, helping Kuroo and Tsukishima with moving. Kuroo picked up the box of Kenma’s stuff and looked around the empty apartment. 

“I’m gonna miss you,” he said, to no one in particular.

Another month came and went, Kuroo and Tsukishima had settled into a routine in their apartment. Tsukishima did the cooking that had been agreed on pretty quickly, while Kuroo cleaned. That’s what was happening right now, Kuroo was washing dishes in the sink as Tsukishima made dinner. They didn’t own a proper table to eat at, their apartment was too small, so the two of them settled on the couch, plates in their laps. Tsukishima picked up the remote and flipped through the channels.

“What do you wanna watch?” he asked.

“Are you actually asking me for my opinion?” Kuroo asked, feigning shock.

Tsukishima rolled his eyes, putting on some horrible action movie, “Forget it.”

They ate in silence, Kuroo placing the dishes in the sink when they were done. Tsukishima had wrapped himself up in the blanket, Kuroo sat down next to him and Tsukishima rested his head on Kuroo’s shoulder, falling asleep quickly. Kuroo hesitantly ran his fingers through Tsukishima’s grey hair. Kuroo wondered if Yamaguchi and Kenma could see them right, he wondered if they were happy, that they found comfort in each other. The movie continued playing, but Kuroo didn’t pay attention, he never really did. They weren’t as exciting in black and white. Once it ended, he turned off the TV, nudging Tsukishima awake.

“It’s bedtime,” Kuroo said.

Tsukishima said nothing as they got up and went to their own bedrooms, Kuroo changed, eyeing the box of Kenma’s things that sat on the top shelf of his closet. He couldn’t get rid of it, he didn’t want to get rid of it, it was Kenma. Kuroo felt the tears prick his eyes and he sighed, wiping his eyes. He cried less nowadays, but every now and then he’d break. He didn’t feel like it tonight, climbing into bed and turning off the light, he pulled the covers to his chin and drifted to sleep.

“K-Kuroo?”

Kuroo jolted awake, panicking for a moment. The pitch blackness of night was something he would never get used to it without color. He fumbled around, flicking the lamp on his nightstand for some light.

“Tsukki?” Kuroo mumbled.

Tsukishima stood in his doorway, awkwardly leaning against the doorframe. Kuroo still wasn’t used to seeing Tsukishima look vulnerable like he did now, even though it had been several months, half-asleep with no glasses and a plain white shirt and grey shorts, supposedly. Neither of them knew if their outfits were matching anymore and they had stopped asking friends a while ago.

“Uh-”

Kuroo just sighed and pulled back his covers, letting Tsukishima crawl into the space next to him. He curled up in the empty space, pulling his knees to his chest.

“Nightmare?” Kuroo asked, as he went to turn off the light.

“Something like that,” Tsukishima mumbled.

“Hmm,” Kuroo hummed, not pushing it, he never did.

He rolled over, his back facing Tsukishima, “Goodnight.”

“Night.”

“W-What?”

“I’m going to visit Yamaguchi. You should come, visit Kenma.”

Kuroo frowned, he hated to admit it, but he hadn’t visited Kenma’s grave yet. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“He’d like to hear from you,” Tsukishima said, “So come on.”

Kuroo just sighed and followed Tsukishima out the door.

Sitting in front of Kenma’s grave, Kuroo felt sick, unsure of what to do or say. He took a deep breath.

“H-Hey Kenma, I...I’m so sorry for not visiting. I just...it hurt. A lot. I feel like I failed you. I should’ve been able to save you, keep you safe, protect you. But...but I didn’t. I hate myself for it everyday. Waking up and not seeing you, it’s not something I ever imagined happening, but…” Kuroo took a shaky breath, silently willing the tears to not fall, “I miss you, so much. I can’t even describe it. But, I'm doing better, slowly. I’ll always love you, I want you to know this. I know you’d want me to be happy too, though I can’t say I’m happy right now, I’m definitely doing better. I’ve been living with Tsukishima, since Yamaguchi...passed away. I got a job at the local college to teach chemistry. I like it, it’s a good job. Daichi and Suga got married, they, uh, they had your old highschool jersey on the seat next to mine. Hinata also says hello, he’s doing well for himself, he joined the Jackals with Bokuto, he and Kageyama got engaged, so did Bokuto and Akaashi. Hanging out with all four of them is...a time. You would’ve said you hated it, but I know you would love hanging out with them. I wish we gotta do it more often. But, uh, yeah. That’s about it. I’m still so sorry for not visiting, I promise I’ll visit more often. I love you. I love you, so much kitten.”

Kuroo wiped his eyes, wiping away his tears. He laid down the flowers he had brought for Kenma. He stared at the grave for a moment.

HERE LIES KENMA KOZUME

A WONDERFUL FRIEND AND BOYFRIEND

OCTOBER 16TH, 1995 - APRIL 18TH, 2014

He pulled the necklace that carried the gold band and engagement ring out from under his shirt and stared at it for a moment, Kenma would always be with him, he knew this. Tsukishima walked over and nudged him with his foot.

“Hey, you wanna grab a drink?” Tsukishima asked, holding Kuroo’s jacket out.

“Yeah, yeah that’d be nice,” Kuroo mumbled, wiping off his pants.

He turned to face Tsukishima and felt his heart stop. The boy in front of him gave him a quizzical look.

His hair...it’s blonde.