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Kenma, by all means, was not a normal kid. He was quiet despite having been involved with sports from a young age, and while he was lazy by definition, he always delivered something much better than what he had promised.
He was also inexperienced when it came down to romantic feelings or relationships, which is why the logical conclusion to his heart beating faster, his mind going blank, and finding it infinitely harder to breathe around Hitoka Yachi was simply that he was dying and needed to go lie down.
(Kuroo had laughed and shaken his head at Kenma when he had mentioned it and said “you like her, stupid. Try saying hi to her every once in a while. I’m pretty sure she’s in the same boat.”)
( Stupid Kuroo. Kenma had thought. Stupid Kuroo who’s been with stupid Daichi since their first year. What does he know? )
But, as he was with most things, Kuroo was right. Kenma did have a stupid, stupid, school-boy crush on Yachi. He wanted to hold her hand and kiss her cheeks and give her his jackets and be a space she could go to when she was anxious and needed to calm down. He could go on and on, listing all the stupid cute things he had imagined doing with her, and at the top of the list was confessing.
He never got a chance to do it, because, like with everything, Kuroo and his big mouth just had to say something to Hinata, who told Tsukishima (because with his reasoning- “why would I keep something like that from my boyfriend?” Kenma couldn’t stay mad at him.), who told Yachi. Because of course he did; they were best friends, dammit. Kenma still didn’t get it.
She had shyly walked up to him at dinner and asked if she could sit down. He had to resist the urge to bolt. She wasn’t anything to be scared of, usually, but Kenma was petrified. He told her that she could sit wherever she wanted. She sat down across from him.
And then she had casually confessed that she liked him , and asked if he wanted to be her boyfriend , and Kenma couldn’t say no, because the title of ‘Hitoka’s boyfriend’ rang in his head and he couldn’t stop the stupid smile climbing its way onto his face as he agreed and said he liked her, too.
That was almost six months ago, and now Kenma was faced with a totally new crisis.
Kuroo had found out about his tendency to wear sports bras that were a size or so too small, and was threatening to take him off the team until he stopped doing it. Kenma had argued that he wasn’t realistically putting himself in danger, and that when they played, he wore the right size- Kuroo hadn’t wanted to hear it and had reiterated his statement before leaving.
Kenma had sulked a lot, especially when Kuroo turned him away at practice and sent him home. He may have complained about it to Yachi on their weekly video call (he did, she had agreed with Kuroo and he had hung up before calling her right back and opening with “that was funny, right?”)
And he supposed that led them to now. Nearly a week after their call. Yachi showed up unexpectedly on an off day, a package tucked under her arm, a bright smile on her face, and the scarf Kenma had crocheted for her as a precaution against the winter winds wrapped around her neck.
“Toka?”
“Ken! I’m glad you’re here, I was worried you might’ve been out with Kuroo today.”
“Tetsurou’s out with Bokuto- they’re shopping for Daichi and Akaashi, I think. What are you doing here?” He asked, letting her inside and waiting while she shed her winter layers and removed her shoes.
“I have a present for you!” She exclaimed as she turned around, the package clutched to her chest.
“Oh,” Kenma said, a brief moment of panic flying through him. “Is there something special going on today? I must’ve forgotten, I’m sorry, I don’t have anything for you-”
“Nope! Nothing special going on, don’t worry. I just wanted to get you something.” She moved past him and into the living room, setting the package on the table and sitting herself down on the couch. “Have you eaten yet?”
“Yeah, I had some okonomiyaki for breakfast. Do you want some? I have another half in the fridge.”
“Oh, no, I’m alright! Thank you, though. I had breakfast before I got on the train.” She pat the spot beside her, grinning. “C’mere! I want you to open this.”
Kenma obliged her, moving to sit down next to her and reaching for the package.
“What is it? It feels like clothes.” He said, looking at his girlfriend, who simply smiled mischievously.
“Open it, you’ll see!”
“Okay, okay,” he laughed, leaning into her side as he opened the package, tearing the tape off the grey plastic. He reached inside, pulling out what looked like a beige tank top, and he stared at it for a moment, confused. He turned it over in his hands, looking for a pattern or something that would let him know what he was looking at.
And then it hit him, suddenly, and his breath caught in his throat as he took note of the tag.
“Is this…?”
“It’s a binder, surprise!” Yachi said softly, sweetly, leaning closer to him to peer over his shoulder and point to the tag. “I got your measurements from Kuroo- it should fit, but if it doesn’t, I’ll return it and get you a new one.”
Kenma was silent, looking at the fabric in his hands, eyes wide with surprise and hands shaking.
Yachi noticed this, and her voice became quiet and her presence retreated from his side. “I’m sorry, Kenma, was this not something you wanted? I just thought you would like it because you were complaining about how Kuroo wouldn’t let you practice until you got one, and I’ve bought from this site before, so I know it’s trustworthy-”
He cut her off by throwing his arms around her neck and hugging her tight, binder gripped in his hand.
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” he whispered, tears collecting at his lash line.
She chuckled and it was music to his ears- god he loved her, he loved her so much- as she wrapped her own arms around his waist, kissing his hairline.
“I’m sure that’s not true, but thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
He smiled and pulled back. “I’m going to try it on. Would you mind turning around?”
Yachi nodded, still smiling, and closed her eyes before turning away.
Kenma made quick work of getting out of his sweatshirt and sports bra, tugging the binder over his head and closing his eyes tight before he could look.
“Toka?” He asked blindly, holding one of his hands out. “Will you hold my hand? Take me to the bathroom? I don’t want to look until I can look in a mirror and see it all at once.”
A hand slid into his, and it was Yachi’s, and he loved holding her hand, he loved kissing her knuckles and the inside of her wrist, and the weight of her hand in his was comfortable and grounding and real.
“Yeah, I’m right here. Let’s get you to that bathroom. Try not to bump into anything, okay?”
“Okay.”
They made it there, with Kenma only hitting the edge of a table once, hushed giggles spilling between them, even if they were the only ones in the house.
“Alright, are you ready?” Yachi asked, hand sliding out of his, but he reacted quickly and grabbed her hand again, nerves taking hold of him once again.
“Will you… I mean, do you mind still holding my hand? I’m just… I’m a little scared.” He admitted, breathing out a shaky sigh accompanied by a nervous laugh.
“Of course I will, Ken. Are you ready?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m ready.”
He opened his eyes and turned to look in the mirror, eyes widening at the sight.
He was flat. His chest was flat, like a boy , like most of the boys he knew, and he felt his eyes fill with tears as he turned to the side.
He hadn’t had a big chest before, but it was enough to be notable, and now he didn’t . There was nothing .
Yachi squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”
He turned to face her fully, eyes full of tears and body shaking with the force of holding in his sobs.
“I love you.” He said, low and heavy with the weight of the confession. “I love you so much , I can’t believe you did this for me. All because I complained once? You listen to me, I’ve never… Hitoka, god, I love you so much.”
She smiled, cupping his face with her free hand, brushing away a spare tear that had escaped. “I love you, too.” She whispered, and the force of the words had pulled a wet sob from Kenma’s throat as the pair lowered themselves to the floor and Yachi gathered Kenma into her chest, holding him as he cried.
She rubbed his back and kissed his forehead and waited until he calmed down to pull away and smile at him, a smile reserved for when she thought no one was watching them, a smile that she had only ever directed at him. “I’m so glad you like it. I love you.”
Kenma smiled back, the same secret smile, eyes still wet with tears. There was something beneath that, though, a small glimmer of love shining through at Yachi. It was the only way he ever looked at her anymore.
“I love you, too.” And he leaned forward to kiss her, holding her close as she held his face and kissed him back, a smile spreading on her face.
It was a perfect moment, Kenma would say when recounting it to coworkers or even on streams. The perfect way to say I love you, the best way to show it- my wife is the loveliest woman in the world and I’m so lucky to be sharing my life with her. He’d flash his ring, then, the most lovestruck look on his face. She’s my forever, my always. I love her more than anything.
And if she was with him, she’d giggle and kiss his cheek and show her own rings, cheeks rosy. He’s a big sap, she’d say. But he’s right. It was perfect, and it was the moment I knew I wanted to be with him for the rest of my life.
And when Kenma eventually found the time to get top surgery, Yachi was there to drive him home and make sure to get him to drink water and eat properly, and to make him take proper care of his scars.
Hand-in-hand, Kenma would open his eyes to look in the bathroom mirror once he had healed, and Yachi would be there to hold him while he cried tears of happiness and laugh at him as he kissed all over her face.
~End~