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Kenma had never had a friend quite like Kuroo.
ㅡ
Kenma met him when they were young.
They didn’t even know what happened.
Kuroo didn’t let Kenma push him away. He seemed impervious to Kenma’s annoyed verbal jabs, whether intentional or not. Perhaps most importantly, he never minded putting more effort into the friendship than Kenma did. He didn’t treat him like a burden the way everyone else did.
Kenma wasn’t naturally social, but it was easy to spend time with Kuroo. He didn’t put pressure on them to mask when they were alone together.
So the two of them spent endless hours together in one of their bedrooms, Kenma playing games and Kuroo talking or just sitting and watching. Kuroo never minded. It was an immense relief.
ㅡ
Beyond this, he cared about Kuroo a lot. Enough that he started playing a sportㅡhis mortal enemyㅡjust for Kuroo.
Kenma didn’t love volleyball. The only way he could get through the effort and pain of practices was by constantly relating it back to his special interest. It was a strategy he had learned in occupational therapy back in elementary school.
So they endured by treating it like a video game. Kuroo laughed when he told him about it, but he assured Kenma that he was only joking and thought it was great.
ㅡ
Kenma started going to Kuroo’s volleyball practices while they were still in their last year of middle school. Most days he came into the gym just to sit and watch. Sometimes Kuroo would drag him in to play near the end of practice. Then they would walk home together afterward.
Kuroo’s teammates tried making fun of Kenma near the beginning. They said Kenma was weird and teased them about their games and headphones.
Kuroo put a quick stop to that. Even though he was only a first-year, he wasn’t afraid to stand up to upperclassmen. Most of them stopped after realizing Kenma was best friends with popular, outgoing Kuroo.
Kenma was grateful, of course. But sometimes he thought Kuroo seemed far more bothered by the bullying than Kenma themself.
By the time they reached high school, Kuroo was the only person Kenma spent time with outside of volleyball practice. The routine of it was comforting.
ㅡ
Kuroo and Kenma walked to school together most days. Kuroo especially liked this type of dayㅡit was early fall, and the mugginess of summer was starting to wash away in favor of fresher, cleaner air.
Kenma appreciated the fresh air too, but he was having a bad day already. Kenma was just exhausted. They didn’t have the energy right now to go to class and keep their act up. It was too much, they just wanted to curl up in bed and play games.
It didn’t take Kuroo long to notice. They were just a block past Kuroo’s house when Kuroo stopped them. “Hey. You okay?” Kenma nodded, but their hands started flapping a little by their sides.
Kuroo knew those flaps. Distressed flaps, not happy or idle ones.
“It's okay, Kenma,” he tried. It wasn’t much of an attempt at comforting them. Kenma just started shaking their head vigorously.
Finally they spoke. “I’m really tired.” Their voice sounded like they were trying not to cry.
Kuroo hesitated for a moment, looking in the direction of the school. Then he grabbed Kenma’s sleeve and started tugging them back the other way.
“W-wait Kurooㅡ”
“We’re not going to school. Do you want to go home or go out to get some apple pie?” Kenma considered the options for a moment. They weren’t physically tired, just socially. And apple pie did sound really good.
He held up two fingers.
“Apple pie it is!”
ㅡ
As had become their rhythm, Kuroo now spent nearly every Saturday night at the Kozume household.
Kenma loved that Kuroo never pressured him to actually talk or interact. They always felt free to play their game in silence while Kuroo watched or did his own thing on his phone. It was so easy and comfortable, in a way it never was with anyone else.
“Hey Kenma,” Kuroo spoke suddenly. They were lying side-by-side on Kenma’s bed, shoulders touching, while Kenma played a game he had already beaten twenty times.
“Hmm?” Kenma responded without looking away from the screen. They felt the bed shift as Kuroo turned slightly to face them. Kenma considered pausing his game, since Kuroo sounded serious, but it was always too awkward when he had nothing to do with his hands. They knew that Kuroo never judged them for it and didn’t mind if they played while talking. So they kept clicking away.
Kuroo snuggled closer to Kenma so he was pressed against their side, tucking his head against their shoulder. “Have you ever thought about.” He paused. Cleared his throat. Took a breath. “About. Um. Your...sexuality?”
Kenma’s hands paused momentarily but then continued. Their tiny avatar fell into the void and they restarted.
Kuroo spoke again, rushed and babbling. “Because I. I was thinking about it and I’m pretty sure I like somebody but they aren’t a girl so I think maybe I… I think maybe….” He trailed off. “Kenma?”
“Okay,” Kenma said, monotone. “Makes no difference to me.”
Thankfully that seemed like the right thing to say, because Kuroo slumped against their side in relief.
A long moment passed.
“So,” Kuroo spoke slowly. “What about you? Do you…like somebody?”
Kenma’s hands stopped clicking away at the controls. They paused their game and set it on the table beside their bed. Kuroo’s warmth felt nice. It was comfortable and relaxing. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.
“I don’t really… get that kind of thing.” Kenma didn’t elaborate further, but they knew Kuroo probably wanted them to.
Kuroo hummed softly, turning his head so his nose pressed gently into Kenma’s shirt. He was quiet for a long moment, then he spoke again. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah.”
ㅡ
Kenma absolutely despised the windows in his mathematics classroom.
They were positioned in such a way that the sun was shining directly through them into Kenma’s eyes; the light was inescapable. It had gotten so bad that they were getting overstimulated already, only an hour into the school day.
Someone behind Kenma slid back in their chair, making a tiny squeaking sound on the floor, but it grated on his nerves and made him want to scratch the skin off his arms.
Kenma started stimming with one hand under the table, trying to be discreet. Everything just hurt so much.
Their uniform was painfully scratchy on their skin. They slid their free hand under their collar to pull at it, but it didn’t help.
The lights were buzzing. Their eyes hurt. The squeaking of pencils felt like stabbing in his ears. Kenma’s legs were bouncing and they were rocking in their chair but it wasn’t helping.
Their chest felt tight.
Kenma stood up and grabbed their bag. They couldn’t have a meltdown right here. He started walking towards the door, hoping this teacher already knew about their accommodations because they weren’t sure they could speak.
“Kozume.” Dammit.
He turned back to the teacher and opened his mouth to speak. “I need.” They took a second before trying again. “To go.” That was all they could manage. Kenma turned and escaped through the door.
ㅡ
Once in the quiet hallway, things were better, but they were still afraid of melting down or having a panic attack. They found a quiet (and somewhat darker) spot in a stairwell where they sat down against the wall. Then he pulled out his phone and texted Kuroo.
im overstimulated and i left class, can you come? <
im in the east wing staircase <
> i’ll be there in just a minute, hang on
k <
Kenma closed their eyes and tried to focus on the cool stones they were leaning against. It didn’t work. The seams of their collar and their pants and their socks were all rubbing and it hurt so much but there was nothing he could do about it. He tried to slide his tie off, but when his fingers touched the scratchy texture he yanked them away from it and flapped them up and down in distress.
Kuroo found him a few minutes later. Their knees were curled up against their chest and they were rocking, shaking their head back and forth against their knees. Kuroo knelt down beside Kenma.
“Hey, Kenma,” he uttered softly. “Do you need anything?”
Kenma kept rocking, but they lifted their head slightly. Not for the first time, he wished he knew JSL. Despite speech delays and going nonverbal semi-frequently, they had never learned sign language. They managed to gesture around their ears.
Kuroo understood immediately and got Kenma’s headphones out of his backpack. Kenma took them and put them on. Kuroo also set his PSP next to him on the floor. Kuroo knew it was better to give them space at times like these.
Eventually, Kenma picked up the game and began playing it. Kuroo smiled with relief, still sitting against the wall near Kenma.
Kenma picked up his phone and typed out I’m sorry into the notes app, then slid it across the floor towards Kuroo. They weren’t looking at him, so they didn’t watch him read it, but a moment later, Kuroo laughed softly.
“Don’t worry about it, Kenma. I like helping you, and it isn’t your fault anyway.”
ㅡ
In their second year of high school, Kenma met Shouyou. And they were immediately fascinated. Shouyou was the opposite of Kenma in a lot of ways. First off, he loved volleyball. He was enthusiastic about it in a way Kenma didn’t understand.
Except he did understand, in a way. After all, most people didn’t understand why Kenma was so obsessed with video games. Maybe he was more similar to Shouyou than he thought.
And then there was the fact that Shouyou was possibly the most adorable person to ever walk the planet. He had a sunny smile and a sunny personality. And when he played…Kenma couldn’t look away.
They just loved to watch him. They loved watching him spike and run and dive his way through his penalty laps. They loved watching him sync up perfectly with that setter of his. They loved his orange hair and his wide smile.
They didn’t even consider that it might be a crush until Kuroo pointed it out.
“Say, Kenma, you sure seem obsessed with Chibi-chan over there,” Kuroo teased him one day. Kenma only gave him an unimpressed look. “What? I’m just saayying,” Kuroo sang.
“I just think his quick is interesting,” Kenma said flatly.
Kuroo slung an arm around his shoulders. “Are you sure? You look at him like you look at a brand-new game,”
“I do not.”
“I think you have a cruuushh,” Kuroo said, once again sing-songing the last word.
Kenma looked up at Kurooㅡa rare occurrence. He held his gaze for a few seconds, then turned to go, Kuroo following.
He dropped it after that, but it stayed in Kenma’s head for a while.
They wondered suddenly if they may have been wrong before about not getting crushes. But as they thought about it, they ruled out that option. Because did they really want to date Shouyou?
They probably could stand to be his friend. They liked spending time with Shouyou. They really liked watching him. But they didn’t want Shouyou to be their boyfriend. It just wasn’t right.
ㅡ
Training camps were really long for Kenma. A full week of games and practice all day was uniquely exhausting.
On top of that, their schedule was disrupted and they had to sleep and live in an unfamiliar place. After about three days of it, Kenma was so tired they had to go back and take a nap right after the matches ended. They slept through dinner. When they woke at 10 pm, they felt horrible.
The room was bustling as everyone prepared for bed. Kenma wanted to roll back over and sleep more, but they felt so off and the room was becoming overwhelming. Kuroo knelt next to Kenma’s futon and said their name quietly.
“I brought you some food from dinner,” he said. Kenma managed to squint their eyes open and saw that Kuroo was holding a disposable plastic container. They nodded slightly and rolled off the futon onto their feet.
The two of them left the room and found a quiet area at the end of the hall. Kuroo sat down with him against the wall.
Kenma tried to eat. They really did. But their sensory issues were acting up. The broccoli and noodles were suddenly the most unappetizing thing they had ever tasted. After a few bites, they set it aside and closed their eyes. They took a shaky breath, tipping their head back against the wall, and tried not to cry.
“Hey,” Kuroo said softly. “Is there anything I can do?”
Kenma tried to speak, but the only thing that came out was a tiny whimpering noise. Then their phone was being pressed into their hand. They slowly turned it on and paged into the notes app.
-- can we go somewhere else
Kuroo read it quickly and nodded. “Are you gonna have a meltdown?”
Kenma’s hands shook as he typed again.
-- i don’t think so, it’s just a lot. im sorry, i promise im not doing this on purpose
“I know, it’s okay,” Kuroo said gently. “Let’s go outside.”
Kenma managed to calm down slightly once they were outside in the dark and the fresh, cooler air. They sat together on the curb down the street from the hotel. Kenma had forgotten his PSP inside but he had a small stim toy that he fidgeted with until he felt marginally better. Once they felt ready to be touched again, Kenma slumped against Kuroo’s side. As usual, he put a heavy arm around their shoulders and squeezed comfortingly.
That night, Kuroo quietly got Inuoka to switch futons with Kenma. This gave Kenma a spot in the corner of the room, against the wall with Kuroo on his other side. It helped him sleep better.
Before going to sleep, Kenma wrote a final note to Kuroo and slid his phone across the floor.
-- thank you.
Kuroo smiled and ruffled their hair. “Of course, Kenma,” he whispered.
ㅡ
The third-years graduated soon after the end of the Spring Tournament.
Kenma sat through the ceremony staring at the game in his lap, clicking away and drowning out the world. They didn’t notice when Kuroo’s name was called. They were too busy trying to bury their feelings about Kuroo leaving. He knew Kuroo wouldn’t mind, though.
The volleyball team had practice that evening. Kuroo was the only third-year who came, despite already having passed on his position as captain to Yamamoto. His usual grin stayed on his face the whole time and he somehow kept the mood cheerful.
Kenma set to him until their fingers hurt.
ㅡ
Kuroo had to leave for university only a few weeks later. There was only a week to go before his scheduled departure. Kenma had been helping him pack all week, but now they were just laying together on Kuroo’s bed. For once Kenma wasn’t playing a game.
Kenma was lying on his stomach on top of the covers while Kuroo lay half on top of him. Usually, Kenma was hypersensitive and disliked being touched (although it was easier with Kuroo). But they’d had a particularly bad day and needed deep pressure. Kuroo had done this for them plenty of times before, ever since they were in middle school. Kenma no longer felt self-conscious asking for it because they knew Kuroo loved cuddling.
“Hey Kenma,” Kuroo started. “Are you going to be. Okay?”
“Not everything revolves around you, Kuroo.” That was a lie. And Kuroo probably knew.
Kuroo exhaled softly against Kenma’s shoulder, betraying his tiny chuckle. “I’ll still be here in Tokyo.”
“I know,” Kenma said quietly. He started chewing on the end of his hoodie string.
“You can visit anytime. And we can call every day. And I’ll text you. You’d better reply.”
Kenma nodded into the blanket. They both knew it wouldn’t be the same.
ㅡ
At first, Kenma did fine on her own.
They were alone in their classes, but that was nothing new. At lunch, they either sat alone in the courtyard or with the other third-years on the volleyball team. But she didn’t mind. She always had her game to play and it was easy to block everything out.
At practice, she set to Yamamoto and kept her head down. She didn’t see the point in playing volleyball without Kuroo there, but she had been doing it for years. So she kept playing.
It wasn’t until a few months into the year that things got hard.
The stress of school was getting to them. And now they had to deal with sensory issues without Kuroo, who had been helping them even more than they realized. Nekoma was knocked out in the semifinals at Interhigh prelimsㅡsurprisingly, farther than they had gotten last year. But once the tournament was over, Kenma was even less motivated to go to practice.
A week later, Kenma skipped practice on Friday evening and went home. It had been an incredibly long day and they could feel the burnout creeping up on them. They walked home and went to their room, turning on their Switch and starting up their favorite RPG.
But for some reason going through the motions didn’t hold any weight. Even their biggest special interest didn’t help. She played through a few quests, but eventually she just set the controller aside and collapsed back onto her bed.
Their thoughts turned to Kuroo. They thought about how they could just pick up their phone and text him, or call him, or even take the train and go see himㅡbut sending a text was too much effort.
So she just laid there while loneliness clawed at her chest.
ㅡ
Kuroo had definitely noticed that something was up with Kenma. He showed up at the Kozume household one weekend in early December. He was home to visit his parents but Kenma hadn’t answered any of his calls.
Kenma was lying in his bed with his headphones on, so he didn’t hear the small commotion of the greetings downstairs. His door creaked open slowly, but he didn’t look up. Until.
“Keennnmaaaaaa,” Kuroo drawled. Finally, they put in the effort to lift their head. Then dropped it back down to the pillow. After a long moment, they patted the bed next to them.
Kuroo padded slowly across the room, kicked off his slippers, and crawled onto the bed with Kenma. Kenma rolled against Kuroo and tucked his head into Kuroo’s shoulder.
“You haven’t been returning my texts,” Kuroo said uncertainly.
“Sorry,” Kenma whispered.
“It’s okay, I’m not upset. I just want to know why?”
“I don’t know,” Kenma said without inflection. It was his only answer.
“Okay. Okay, I just missed you.”
Me too.
Kuroo took a deep breath and gathered Kenma close to him, hugging him tightly.
Kuroo visited more often after that. Kenma somehow got through the rest of the year. Nekoma went to nationals at the Spring Tournament again, but got knocked out in the first few matches. It was rough without Kuroo and Yaku. The year seemed to end quickly, to Kenma’s relief.
ㅡ
Kenma got into the same university as Kuroo. It was no question which to attend after that; Kuroo was the only convincing they needed.
Kuroo had spent break at home, so Kuroo and Kenma made the journey back to school together. Kuroo’s mother drove her minivan so they had plenty of space for their belongings. They sat together in the backseat and Kenma spent half the drive napping with their head in Kuroo’s lap.
Unsurprisingly, Kuroo made a very good roommate. He just understood Kenma so well, understood his needs and his weird routines and his obsessions and his anxiety. He didn’t pressure Kenma to go out to parties (at least, not in a serious way). He worked around Kenma’s routines. He even went with Kenma to the dining hall for every single meal the first week.
They fell right back into their routine of hanging out together while Kenma played games. Sometimes Kuroo did schoolwork, but other times he just watched. Recently, though, Kenma kept noticing Kuroo’s eyes on Kenma themself instead of the screen. And he wasn’t afraid to be caught staring. Neurotypicals were so weird.
ㅡ
Kuroo had joined a casual volleyball club at the university. They had practices and pickup matches a few times a week, and Kuroo liked occasionally dragging Kenma to the practices.
The first time he went with Kuroo, Kuroo promised he didn’t even have to play. But apparently, Akaashi went on occasion, and Kenma wouldn’t mind seeing him again. So they came with Kuroo, head down as they played on their PSP.
“Kuroo, hey!” Some guy yelled across the gym. “Who’s your friend?”
“Hey, Sakaguchi. This is Kozume Kenma, they’re my setter from high school!” Why was everyone so goddamn loud?
The guy looked at Kenma skeptically. “You play?”
Kenma rolled his eyes. “Yes.”
Kuroo punched Sakaguchi’s shoulder good-naturedly. “Come on dude, give them a chance, Kenma’s actually really good!” The conversation continued, but Kenma tuned it back out.
The club actually wasn’t so bad. They did like tossing to Kuroo again. It was nostalgic and they liked seeing how happy Kuroo was.
ㅡ
Bokuto had made a habit of hanging out in Kenma and Kuroo’s dorm. Firstly, the room was bigger than Bokuto’s. And second, apparently Bokuto’s roommate was completely insufferable. Normally Kenma would assume Bokuto was actually the one being annoying, but he had met the roommate in question last week. The guy had made an awful joke about Bokuto bringing more of his “weirdo friends” around. Then he had called Bokuto stupid and annoying way too many times, to the point where it was obviously not lighthearted banter.
So Bokuto had been spending way too much time in Kenma’s room. Kenma actually didn’t mind that much as long as Bo was quiet. Currently Bokuto was messing around on Kenma’s Switch while they studied.
But of course Bokuto had to shatter the peace. “I’m glad you’re here now Kenma!” A long sigh from Kenma. “Kuroo seems a lot happier. And less lonely.”
“Was he lonely before.”
“I mean, he has friends. But he’s lonely in a different way.”
Giving up on his assignment, Kenma picked up their PSP and turned it on. “What way.”
“Kuroo is just so weird. He hasn’t even dated, you know! We go to bars sometimes and he comes with us. And he flirts with people but he hasn’t gone on a single date. Honestly I think he might benefit from getting a boyfriend. Worked wonders for me…” Bokuto rambled.
Kenma turned around in their desk chair to look at Bokuto. “He hasn’t dated?” Bokuto shook his head. Kenma looked down at his lap and fiddled with the edge of his skirt. “Why?”
Bokuto just shrugged. “How should I know? But like I said, he seems less lonely now that you’re here.”
The conversation ended there, but Kenma kept thinking about Kuroo’s single status. The guy definitely liked the idea of a partner, he got crushes and ranted about them to Kenma in high school. He’d even told Kenma, before leaving in third year, that he was looking forward to college dating. And then he hadn’t gone on a single date in his whole first year of university.
Kuroo was so weird.
ㅡ
Kenma eventually asked Kuroo about the dating. They were in their room one night, sitting side by side on Kenma’s bed, each on their own laptop.
“Bokuto said you haven’t dated anybody,” Kenma said quietly, eyes staying fixed on their computer screen.
Kuroo’s hands stopped typing. “Yeah. Guess I haven't found anybody I wanted to...see?” He shrugged casually and went back to clicking at the mousepad.
“Yeah. But you haven’t gone on any dates at all.” There was a long pause. Kuroo didn’t respond. “I just thoughtㅡ I mean, before…” Kenma trailed off, unsure of what he had been about to say.
Kuroo shrugged again. “I’m just not interested.”
Kenma stared at Kuroo’s hands on the keyboard for a long moment. They nodded in understanding. Kuroo took a slow breath in, smiling lightly, and wrapped one long arm around Kenma’s shoulders.
ㅡ
The second semester’s finals were coming up and Kenma was stressed out of her mind. She had a major CSE project due at the end of the week, plus an exam on Thursday. On Tuesday they spent ten hours sitting at their computer working on the project. Kuroo got back to the dorm from the library at seven in the evening. He found Kenma still there, bloodshot eyes staring at the screen as they reran the program for the twelve hundredth time.
“Kenma.” She didn’t respond. Kuroo walked across the room and took their shoulder gently. Kenma finally looked up at him. “Have you eaten?”
“Eaten?” Kenma asked blankly.
“Yeah. Did you have lunch? Or breakfast?”
“I had a protein bar this morning…” Kenma didn’t feel hungry at all, but then again they sometimes didn’t notice. Their interoception wasn’t the best.
“Kenma. It’s 7 pm. I’m taking you to the dining hall.” Kenma just nodded tiredly and saved their work, following Kuroo.
Kuroo let Kenma lean her head on his shoulder, half-sleeping, while they waited in line. Then he got Kenma’s food for them too because they were too tired to talk.
Kenma wished she had the words to tell Kuroo how much she appreciated him. But it was just so difficult. Somehow the only thing that came to her lips was “I’m sorry.” Kuroo always told them they didn’t need to be sorry, but they couldn’t help but feel guilty.
ㅡ
They spent more time together in the dorm that weekend. Both had finished finals for the term, so they had some real free time now. So they sat sideways on Kenma’s bed while Kenma played a new game and Kuroo talked about whatever came into his mind.
“Bo finally got rid of that roommate. He switched buildings and now he lives on the third floor here.” Kenma made no response and their eyes stayed fixed on the TV screen, but Kuroo was used to that. He knew Kenma was still listening. “I still feel bad for him though. That guy was a total asshole. He was constantly telling Bo to shut up and that he was annoying and you know that he’s sensitive about that. Anyways, I was pissed so I’m glad he’s out of there now.”
Kenma’s avatar died again. He went back to his last save and restarted fighting the monster.
“Also, there’s this guy in my biochem class who literally has pet sea anemones. Obviously, he lives off-campus, but he brought pictures the other day and it’s fucking hilarious. He has a lot of pets but still, sea anemones? And he spent half the lab on Tuesday telling me about their gastrovascular cavities and diffuse nervous systems and it was actually really interesting. Also, I’m used to that from you and Bo so I didn’t mind...”
Kenma finally beat the boss fight and dropped the controller onto the bed in front of them, flapping a few times in excitement. They looked over at Kuroo, their face still scrunched up with happiness. He cracked a smile at them and rocked up onto his knees.
“Want to go out to lunch? My treat.” Kenma took a moment to rub their face against their shoulder, another stim he only ever did around Kuroo. Then they nodded and grabbed Kuroo’s proffered hand. He pulled them up and straight into a tight hug. Kenma sighed and leaned into Kuroo’s chest, letting him squeeze them hard. It felt nice.
They went out to the bakery a few blocks away. It was their usual place because Kenma liked the apple pie. Kuroo bought a slice of pie for Kenma and a sandwich for himself.
They sat next to each other on one side of a booth. It was silent for a while as Kenma slowly ate their pie one bite at a time. Kuroo stared down at his plate with a soft smile on his face that Kenma couldn’t quite figure out the meaning behind.
Suddenly, he took a deep breath and nudged Kenma gently with his shoulder. “Hey Kenma.”
“Hmm?”
“I love you.” That was it. Kuroo just kept looking at the half sandwich remaining on his plate.
Kenma stared at him for a long moment.
Kuroo cleared his throat. “I mean. Actually. I’m in love with you. I have been since high school. And I thought I should tell you. So, um. I finally did. I guess.” He stopped rambling and glanced over at Kenma through his messy bangs.
“I,” Kenma started weakly. Their eyes flicked away from Kuroo’s and looked over his shoulder instead. “I can’t. Love you back. Romantically.” They didn’t have a script for this.
But Kuroo smiled a little. “Oh, I know. You told me that.”
Kenma blinked. “I did?”
“I mean, yeah. You basically told me you were aromantic.”
They looked back down at the table, brows furrowed. “Oh.” There was another long pause. “So you’re not...upset?”
Kuroo laughed this time. “Of course not. I’m just telling you I love you. Because I wanted you to know.”
Kenma had a social rule for this: when people confess that means they want a relationship. And they had just told Kuroo they didn’t love him back.
But. Kuroo wasn’t like anyone else Kenma knew.
Kuroo lifted his hand closer to Kenma and started running it gently through their dyed hair. They melted slightly into him as he played with their hair. “Listen, Kenma,” he said quietly, voice rumbling through his chest. Kenma closed their eyes and nodded. “I love you and I want to be with you in whatever way makes you happy. And I’m happy like this. Only difference is that I’m in love with you.”
Kenma couldn’t figure out how to form words. A weird feeling was filling up their chest. They leaned against Kuroo even more. Knowing what he wanted, Kuroo’s arms came up and hugged him.
“I don’t need to date you to be happy. I don’t really know why and I don’t care. I just love you.”
“Oh,” Kenma said. “Okay.” Kuroo was rubbing their back through their hoodie.
Eventually, Kenma pulled out of the hug and they each finished their food. And that was it.
On the walk back to the dorm, Kenma leaned against Kuroo’s side until he wrapped an arm around them. Kuroo grinned and pressed his nose against the crown of Kenma’s head.
Kenma quickly got used to Kuroo saying “I love you” out loud. It didn't make them feel guilty anymore. It just made them warm inside.
Sometimes they even said it back.