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Sometimes Kuroo liked to think that guarding Kenma around was second nature. See, it was never just walking with the shorter boy, it was guarding. Kuroo walked in front because Kenma didn’t like to watch where he was walking. Eye contact was too almost inevitable when walking and with Kuroo around Kenma didn’t need to pay attention. Kenma just needed to go where Kuroo lead him. Anything other than that Kuroo would physically handle. Kuroo was the one paying attention to traffic and watching out for people that would get to close. When that happened Kuroo would move himself or Kenma because Kenma liked physical contact as much as he liked eye contact. Not at all. So Kuroo took care of it. It was simply how Kuroo and Kenma were. Because it had always been that. Just Kuroo and Kenma. And Kuroo liked it like that. So yes, guarding Kenma around was practically second nature. And because guiding Kenma around was second nature he really couldn’t be blamed for grabbing the kid running towards his best friend at top speed yelling “KENMA, FIGHT ME!”. In hindsight, Kenma hadn’t reacted as he normally would. Instead of flinching and moving behind Kuroo he actually turned around and looked up. But Kuroo didn’t have time to process this. All he saw was someone rushing towards Kenma and now he had some orange haired kid by the back of his hoodie and an irritated best friend.
“Kuroo put him down.” Kenma demanded, to which Kuroo barely twitched an eyebrow at but complied none the less. The kid looked a little sick, probably from being jostled so quickly, but started rambling the second his feet hit the ground. Kuroo watched with interest as his normally reserved friend conversed with the other boy without any prompting. He listened to enough of the conversation to understand that they were talking about the new pokemon game, which was the reason why he and Kenma were outside in the first place. His best friend had been excited for weeks and well Kuroo wasn’t one to damper that joy, so he walked with Kenma around the city with relish as the other boy captured pokemon. He enjoyed watching his friend’s expression break out in joy every time they encountered another pokemon and if maybe he was enjoying it more than a normal friend did well… it was because they were best friends. And best friends shared happiness. Which was not something that was happening right now. Kuroo didn’t understand what was so great about this other boy. He was really loud and flailed his arms everywhere when he was talking. Kuroo had never seen Kenma this comfortable with someone this loud and it was throwing him off. Well that and Kuroo thought he knew all of Kenma’s friends. They were Kuroo and Kenma. You weren’t friends with one without being friends with the other. And Kuroo didn’t know this boy. So it was normal that he was a little irritated that Kenma was clearly relaxed with this “Hinata”. And it was totally expected that Kuroo’s nails would bite into his palms when Hinata practically jumped Kenma. Why wouldn’t it be normal for Kuroo to get a little irritated that Kenma hugged back? Kuroo was supposed to be the only one Kenma was comfortable with. But apparently he wasn’t. And didn’t that just piss him off.