Work Text:
1.
Two very excited individuals were pulling along their respective junior-best friends towards the designated gym in Tokyo for the week long training camp.
On one side, the zealous second year from fukurodani with half toned hair was chattering about how happy he was to finally introduce Akaashi to his best friend Kuroo from nekoma, and how he can't wait to meet said best friend's junior (and setter)
"Kaashiii I've heard Kenma is very calm and he's also a setter!! I think you both will get along very well!!"
"If you think so, Bokuto-san. But I haven't even met him yet"
On the other side was an energetic nekoma second year practically dragging his first year companion by the hood of his jacket because he couldn't wait to show off his friend to Bokuto and finally meet Akaashi
"Kenma!! Stop being lazy and let's hurry up!!"
".......Kuro It's 6 am how do you have this much energy..."
Both pairs managed to reach the gym at the same time and proceeded to gape at each other for a solid minute, before the realization sank in and confusion immediately became joy as Kuroo and Bokuto greeted each other.
The introductions went surprisingly smooth and Akaashi and Kenma were trying to be respectful while their partners were trying to show them off (the second years were competitive, apparently even when it came to their respective setters) which lasted all through warm-up and until they were officially on the court for a fukurodani Vs nekoma practice match.
Each team were eager to show off their new moves, the gym was filled with the sound of rubber squeaks as the players' shoes made contact with the floor and hard *thwacks* as the ball made contact with the players. The air was zipping with juvenile energy and the sweat was there as a testament of it. The match was extremely close, with both teams being neck and neck up until the set point was in fukurodani's favour and the ball was on their side of the court.
A steady pass was sent to Akaashi who got ready to send it to his ace, their best attack formation slotting into place as Bokuto jumped to spike the ball. Except instead of the ball whizzing through Kenma's block and landing on the other side, he was met with Kuroo's block which sent it straight back down to their own side of the court.
Fukurodani was left speechless as Akaashi looked over to deduce that Kuroo and kenma had infact, switched positions at the last second to pull off that block. Huh. Their hair seems to have switched too or is he imagining things?
Akaashi shakes it off and they get into formation for the next serve and the tides have turned in nekoma's favour once again as Kenma executes a setter dump right after the last point, digging a little at akaashi's setter soul but he decides he'll just have to get back at him next time.
Except next time, Kenma sends a perfect set to Kuroo, who's about to jump for it getting the blockers in position and on their toes to keep up, only for kuroo to stop right before leaping and wait a split second for the ball to lower itself just a little (to make up for the momentum he lost from stopping his run) and jumped to spike it as the blockers were powerless in mid air as they descend in almost slow motion while the ball is sent straight down their side of the court.
Bokuto was the first to break out of the trance, with a loud "WOAH WHAT WAS THAT!?!?"
Kuroo just smirks as he high fives Kenma and gives a dramatic pause for effect, because of course he does, before declaring: "that's the personal time difference attack."
2.
The first week they met was full of surprises, the four hit it off pretty well after they had dinner together at the cafeteria and talked about volleyball, interests, school gossip and everything in-between. By day 3 they had already formed a new routine for the nights- extra practice in gym 3 (which Kenma always ditched much to Kuroo's dismay) and then stuffing themselves with food, and then taking their futons and running off into a different room to sleep so Kuroo and Bokuto can ensue their shenanigans (for example trying their hand at cartwheels or attempting to sing a japanese rendition of "i believe i can fly" ) without their coach scolding them for the noise- this also saves Kenma and Akaashi from the embarrassment.
The fifth night was a bit different though. By the time they ran with their futons in hand, they noticed the lack of a certain setter. Kuroo was clearly concerned but he reassured Bokuto and Akaashi that he'd already told Kenma which room they were going to be using tonight and it shouldn't be long before he makes his way to them.
They settle in and lower the curtains of the room, before turning on the lights and pushing away the desks that were arranged in typical classroom fashion. The room was fairly small, and had two medium sized windows opposite the door. It fit the four of them though, and that's all they could ask for. It was the furthest room they found from their teams and by extension, their coaches.
The three of them laid down their futons , Bokuto to the left, Akaashi at the back middle and kuroo to the right. The fukurodani duo stared a bit as Kuroo whipped out another futon seemingly out of thin air and laid it at the front-middle section, obviously for Kenma. They chose not to mention it.
Bokuto was in the middle of explaining his newfound appreciation for the "ace" jersey he saw one of his senpai wearing when the three teens heard the door to their room unlock and in walked the missing setter.
Three heads turned to him in sync as he walked with his head dipped down and went straight to Kuroo and collapsed onto his side. They were taken aback and the two fukurodani players had no idea what to do in that instance so they were left with no option but to watch as the situation unfolded.
Kuroo knew Kenma was having trouble with their third years picking on him and he took a guess that this has to do with them and from the long day of practice. He slowly guided Kenma to sit Infront of him instead of beside him and started to smooth out his tangled hair, while gently massaging Kenma's scalp. He rubbed slow circled onto his head and ran his fingers through his hair in soft stokes, making sure to keep it out of Kenma's eyes. half a minute into doing this, he asked Bokuto to continue his story and looked at the person in question expectantly.
Bokuto hesitated for a moment before he went back into his storytelling mode and talked about anything and everything on his mind at the moment. Akaashi on the other hand, while responding to Bokuto, was keenly observing the other pair. He realised that Kuroo had coaxed Kenma into leaning onto him while he played with his hair and hummed something that Akaashi couldn't quite catch from his position. By the end of Bokuto's rant, Kenma was asleep in Kuroo's embrace as the latter's arms rest around Kenma's shoulders and his chin atop Kenma's head.
Wow, Kuroo took care of that without a hitch.
3.
Over time, both Bokuto and Akaashi grew to be fond of the other pair, with all of their surprises. Spending time with them was easy and almost always spontaneous, they'd gotten along very well when they met and they happen to share a few interests, majorly volleyball, so their friendship felt a lot like an adrenaline high that never ended. They were always up to something, there were unanticipated moments, planned hang out sessions, grueling matches, practice games, anything and everything inbetween. All four of them found their friendship to be comfortable, even through all the ups and downs of an ocean tide, they'd somehow always land up on the same shore.
The countless sleepovers and practice matches and games went by in a blur as their highschool years played out. The games got more and more exciting as well as the competition getting tougher. Karasuno made a comeback when Kenma and Akaashi were in their second year and the four witnessed the infinite hunger of one Hinata Shoyou paired with the relentless talent of another Kageyama Tobio carving out a path for themselves right infront of their eyes. The image sent even Kenma into a motivated race for that gold medal.
Between all this mayhem, they didn't ponder much on their already comfortable friendship and went with the flow of the tide as it dragged them along on the journey.
Graduation came along in a blink of an eye for Kuroo and Bokuto and for the first time for both of them, they were separated from their setter counterparts. Their reactions were pretty predictable, but the next surprise came when Kenma and Akaashi were in their second year of University, Kuroo and Bokuto in their third.
One summer Bokuto and Akaashi went over to visit Kuroo and Kenma at their apartment (yes, they live together and go to the same University, as do Bokuto and Akaashi). Bokuto in his 6 foot tall animal lover fashion, asked Kenma who was in the kitchen with him and Akaashi, each having a cup of coffee in their hands as they sat at the counter, about how they found their rescue cats. Two medium sized, very fluffy felines had made their way into Kuroo and Kenma's hearts, and by extension, Bokuto and Akaashi's.
Kenma's response was delayed, Bokuto could practically see the gears turning inside his head, mostly contemplating how to tell the story in a way that people-who-are-not-Kuroo could comprehend it. They've witnessed it before, Kenma saying the most vague and obscure sentences and Kuroo meeting him right at the mark as he understands everything Kenma said. At some point if either of Bokuto or Akaashi were asked if magic exists they'd probably just point to Kuroo and Kenma.
Eventually, Kenma sighed and set his cup down as he began speaking.
"Those two little gremlin cats? We actually found them the first day i moved here to attend uni"
"You've had them since your first day!?"
"Yea, well kind of, we found the white one first, it was a really rainy day and Kuro and i were walking back from class when we heard scratches and a small mewl so we looked into the alleys to find him shivering and wet. When we brought him to our apartment though, he kept running away and only returned the next day."
Kenma paused to look at the cat in question, sleeping peacefully cocooned into their other cat, with black fur, who also slept peacefully.
His gaze lingered on them as he continued
"So one day we decided to follow it and see where it goes when we've already given it food and shelter here, and lo and behold we were led to the same alleyway, but this time he was accompanied by the black gremlin over there."
Akaashi noticed that Kenma got more fiddly as he progressed into his story, and what he said next made his face flush ever so slightly, barely noticeable unless looking right at him.
"So we took them home, and named them or well- Kuroo named them and i was very much protesting him but he got his way in the end." He accompanied the end of his sentence with an eyeroll as he looked back to Bokuto and Akaashi
"Ah, so Kuroo-san was the one who came up with the names, I'm not surprised" said Akaashi, still watching Kenma keenly.
Kenma let out a frustrated groan at that, catching Akaashi off guard because of all the responses he had envisioned, that had not been one of them.
"I just wanted to name them Kuro and Shiro, like any normal person who finds a black and white cat pair, but Kuro was all like 'but kitten you call me Kuro too, that's too confusing!' and so i asked him if he had any better ideas," the pause was accentuated by another eyeroll "my mistake, remind me to never ask Kuro for ideas again. Anyway he went
'the black one is obviously like me so we gotta name him after me!'
so i told him that's exactly what i just said and he says
'no Kenma! The black one is me, so obviously the white one is you!! We have to name them with both of our names!!'
which i think is the stupidest idea ever, especially since he was complaining about getting one of them confused with himself and then he went and dragged me into it as well, and the white one doesn't even look like me!" Kenma looked absolutely done with Kuroo's antics as he took a second to catch his breath before continuing, neither Akaashi nor Bokuto interrupting him because they 1) were highly entertained by the exhasperated sounding Kenma, who slowly became redder with each sentence and 2) had no idea what to say.
"Get this, i told him that would make it twice as confusing and he said
'no no, we just need to make them rhyme!' like- how is THAT supposed to help??
And i was like Kuroo and Kenma don't rhyme at all and he said
'no! The black one is Tetsu, and the white one is Kozu!'
Can you believe him!? Then i asked him why we can't just call them Kuro and Shiro and he had the audacity to say
'Because every Kuroo needs his Kenma ofcourse!!' i-" Kenma finally brought his rant to an end as he looked at Bokuto and Akaashi, fully blushing now.
Akaashi was the first to break the newfound silence, saying "so..... You don't like their names?"
Kenma threw his head back in another groan as he replied "no of course i like them! I adore their names! That's why I'm mad this rooster came up with something that actually is adorable AND quirky so i CANNOT hate them ughhhh"
Bokuto and Akaashi looked from Kenma to the cats, who now had said rooster as company, smiling and rubbing their tummies, who also went completely unnoticed by the two since only Kenma could see him from his line of vision
So that's why Kenma was blushing, huh, he admitted all that knowing that Kuroo could hear everything.
4.
They've all grown into people they can be proud of. Bokuto went pro, Akaashi became a successful manga editor, Kuroo works for the volleyball association and Kenma is now a renowned youtuber and CEO of bouncing ball LTD. They all kept contact of course, and they could not be more proud of each other. Bokuto, Akaashi and Kuroo were all aware of Kenma's streams, and they knew he didn't like getting interrupted.
Which is why when Bokuto was watching one of his streams and saw Kuroo barging into Kenma's room without warning, he immediately called Akaashi to ask him to watch the stream. To his surprise Akaashi was already watching it and was just as shocked as Bokuto was.
They watched as Kenma muted the stream, spoke to Kuroo for a few seconds and looked back to the camera as Kuroo went off screen. He unmuted himself and saw the chat freaking out, asking who the stranger was. half of them were spamming the chat with "who was that!?", the other half divided into factions of people who knew Kuroo from the volleyball world, members of Kenma's channel who greeted Kuroo like a friend, and the people who had no clue what was going on but were utterly enjoying the chaos.
Kuroo soon returned to the screen with a plate of food as Kenma addressed the members of his channel,
"guys explain to the viewers how you know Kuroo"
the chat soon filled with responses like
dion_is_sus: he's our cult leader
fishingismypassion: bedhead supreme
kodzucats: he's kenma's pet rooster who talks to us sometimes
sho_sunshine: he's only the best volleyball player of course!
timmy_chamlet: he lives with kenma and interacts a lot with us members, he has a great sense of humour honestly i'd say he's one of the benefits of becoming a member
Kuroo dragged another chair and sat next to Kenma, taking the plate and bringing the spoonful of ravioli to Kenma's mouth.
reki_my_love: what are you doing here Kuroo?
"oh, zu-chan, you see i'm here because a certain kodzuken didn't eat properly the whole day and i need to resort to the drastic measures of feeding him so he stays healthy"
Kenma made a noise of disagreement but took the spoonful into his mouth anyway.
The stream continued like that for a few minutes, Kuroo feeding Kenma while answering questions he saw in the chat, and even naming a few members himself and asking how they were or why they weren't here yet.
"Keiji did you know any of this?"
"...no, i didnt think Kuroo knew all of Kenma's patrons"
"they seem to know him well too, when did that happen!?"
"i'm as clueless as you are Kou"
Just when they thought they couldn't be more gobsmacked, this happened:
Kenma read out a particular comment that caught his eye
pinkgamergirl: Kuroo is so hot, can i be his girlfriend?
Kenma looked dead straight at the camera as he replied with a bit of fire in his voice,
"miss girl Kuroo is my lover thank you very much." he wrapped his arm around Kuroo's middle and huddled into his chest like a possessive cat and even made a noise that sounded like an aggressive hiss.
Kuroo looked at the camera and then at the chat and snorted before descending into his full on cackle.
the members were having a field day and even Bokuto and Akaashi could hear each other laughing with mirth at the scene that just unfolded before them.
5.
Kuroo and Kenma had invited Bokuto and Akaashi to their apartment for another sleepover, they might not be kids anymore but sleepovers were always fun and brought out their inner children so they continued doing it over the years, albeit less frequent.
Akaashi was in the living room with Kuroo while Bokuto dragged Kenma out to the grocery store. They were in the middle of a conversation when something caught his eye on Kuroo's hand, something very shiny and suspiciously like a ring.
So he did as anyone does upon uncovering said information, and gasped
"Kuroo you're married!?"
Kuroo looked like a deer caught in the headlights and a bit flustered but he answered quickly,
"What!? No! This is a promise ring!"
"Oh. You bought them for you and Kenma?"
"Actually Kenma bought them"
"Wait really?"
"Yeah , he even got this one engraved. He is a closet sap i tell you. He didn't let me engrave his because he said it was a surprise and that he'll let me engrave something when i finally figure out a nickname that isn't cheesy as hell"
Kuroo removed the silver ring without Akaashi even asking and showed him the inside. Akaashi could basically feel the fondness radiating from Kuroo as he looked inside the ring. There, written in the most graceful handlettering font, read "My player 1"
"He asked you not to be cheesy as he wrote that?" Akaashi remarked with a chuckle.
"Yeah i know right? I think he just doesn't want the word 'kitten' forever engraved into his ring, but i honestly can't come up with anything else, he doesn't even like 'pudding', and i want it to be meaningful"
"His is related to something else that he enjoys right, so how about 'my setter'?"
"But there's so many setters dating their teammates, that could be you and Bokuto too"
Akaashi ignored the flush rising up to his face and continued speaking
"Hmmmm you like chemistry right?"
"Not more than volleyball but I'm all for chemistry puns if you have one in mind"
"How about 'My cation'? You know, the whole positive ion and almost sounds like "kitten" in a weird accent"
"...... Oh my god Akaashi you're a genius"
"Been told so a few times. You're welcome"
Kenma agreed to engraving that onto his own ring, much to Kuroo's joy.
+1
Here they are again, all together, joking around and being happy, celebrating Bokuto and Akaashi's anniversary with a (not exactly)quiet night in, just the four of them for old times sake. Kuroo and Kenma had set up game night and invited the former pair over as a treat, after making sure they weren't disrupting any of their plans of course. Popping champagne and dancing to a sappy love song, home has never felt warmer.
After a while of doing whatever impulsive thing came to their minds, Bokuto and Akaashi resorted to watching Kuroo and Kenma picking up Kozu and Tetsu respectively and making them "dance" with each other. Amidst the gazing, Bokuto remarked "you guys really are the best couple ever"
Kenma and Kuroo instantly stopped what they were doing and stared at each other before turning to Bokuto and Akaashi simultaneously. They then wordlessly dispersed to close the curtains on either side of the room, before Kenma reaching behind the couch to grab a projector trolly and Kuroo pulling down a screen infront of them, like they were expecting this to happen. Needless to say both Bokuto and Akaashi were imensely confused as Kuroo started speaking,
"before we start please get comfortable because this might take a while since both Kenma and i are very passionate about this subject."
"you, dear owls, did NOT just call me and Kuroo the best couple when your pretty selves exist." Kenma started the projecter, it showed a powerpoint presentation on screen titled "reasons why bokuaka should be everyone's otp" Bokuto and Akaashi were beyond speechless. Kenma continued anyway "anything you say about me and Kuroo can also be said about you two so i suggest we just get started with it and show you only the best presentation in the history of presentations"
Reasons why bokuaka should be everyone's OTP : no.1
Supportive boyfriends
Kuroo starts his explanation "i feel like this one doesn't need much elaboration, we all know that no matter how far away you two desire to stray from the norms, you have each other's support. If Bokuto woke up one day and wanted to be a spicy ramen reviewer, Akaashi would probably find it a tad questionable but meet him at every step of the way with never ending support anyway. And the same goes for Bokuto, he will always do his best to provide Akaashi a strong base and support system so he can excel. I rest my case. Kenma!"
"On it" Kenma clicked once for it to change to the next slide and took Kuroo's place to speak
No 2.
Romantics
"You both are perfect for each other, your love languages compliment each other and you know exactly what the other needs and when they need it. Each of you go out of your way to perform romantic gestures for the other, not even needing to be a grand gesture for you to get the message across: i love and adore you. Bokuto loves physical contact and will shower Akaashi's face with kisses and no matter how much Akaashi tries to hide away from it, we all know he loves it too and returns the gesture when Bokuto is almost asleep"
Akaashi blushed a deep shade of red at that, Kenma then adding "sorry Akaashi i had to call you out on that one heh"
No3.
Recharge
Kuroo was back to explaining this time, "ok this title is probably confusing, what we mean is that both of you have drastically different energy levels, but you still find solace in each other, and 'recharge' said energy by being in the other's presence. Bo is way to hyper for his own good-"
"Cough like you cough"
"-as i was saying before i was so rudely interrupted by my assistant, Akaashi handles all that extra energy perfectly, and Bo knows when to match Kaashi's low key vibes too."
No.4
Fixer upper
You guessed it, Kenma's turn
"You both perk up when the other is around. Bo knows Keiji struggles with anxiety and he learnt how to help immediately after Keiji told him about it, he even taught Kuroo some of those tips. And of course Keiji knows all too well about Bo's occassional struggles with confidence and he knows exactly how to cheer him back up."
They went on like that, alternating and explaining, eventually they lost count of the slide number. The topics went from childhood friends to domesticity to setter & ace duo to complimentary personalities to adjusting to passion to admiration to anything and everything that could be used to describe "Bokuto and Akaashi"
And at last, they ended the presentation with
Soulmates.
Both Kuroo and Kenma spoke in sync "a soul fated to be forever intertwined with yours, no matter what is thrown your way. The explanation? Every single slide before this."
At this point Bokuto and Akaashi were in tears. They were beyond shocked. They looked at each other and nodded once, then immediately stood up from the couch and ran towards the other pair. Akaashi grabbed Kenma and Bokuto did Kuroo, they dragged them to the centre of the room and enveloped them in a huge group hug.
"You two have outdone yourselves this time, i love you both so much." -Bokuto
"Your surprises are the silver lining that people preach about, you filled us with hope each time." -Akaashi
Kuroo and Kenma looked at each other confused, seemingly having a silent conversation before melting into soft smiles and returning the embrace.
The four of them were each other's life rope when the tide felt too strong.