Work Text:
“Kenma, can I kiss you right now?”
Kuroo had his hand under Kenma’s chin, fingers holding his jaw still and focusing the boys attention on him instead if the game in his hands. The two sat with their legs crossed on the carpet in Kenma’s room, facing each other. Kuroo’s back rested against his friends bed, eyes wandering the already-memorized posters on the wall, while Kenma worked on memorizing the layout of the game he was in the middle of. It wasn't an unfamiliar situation, not even when their knees touched the entire time they talked, Kenma always half playing the game in his hand.
Now, the blond looked forward at Kuroo’s scrutinizing gaze, eyes wider but face overall blank, as usual. He didn't seem fazed by the question.
“If you want to.”
Kuroo’s eyes narrowed at the empty response.
“Do you want me to kiss you?” It was always a weird game with them, one that Kuroo had dedicated himself to winning. Kenma was often puzzling to figure out, something attractive but also extremely frustrating to his captain. It's come the point of asking blatant questions.
“I don't mind,” the setter responded, casting his eyes downward again to watch his gaming screen. Kuroo sighed and moved his hand away, letting Kenmas chin fall as he returned his attention to the game. The captain watched his friend for a moment, an unsettling feeling making its way into his gut.
“Do you not mind if other people kiss you, then?”
The idea made his stomach turn.
“No,” Kenma said casually, able to carry on the conversation without giving it his full attention as usual. “I would mind.”
Kuroo raised an eyebrow even though Kenma couldn't see.
“Then why wouldn't you mind me?”
To the captain's surprise, his setter looked mildly uncomfortable as he shifted side to side on the floor. He'd never seen Kenma truly flustered before, but this was the closest he's ever gotten. It gave Kuroo a little hope.
“Cause I like you.” It was murmured, almost mumbled, with no emphasis anywhere to give Kuroo a hint to what he meant. Was it “I like you ” as in he doesn't like other people enough? Or “I like you” as in… the way Kuroo wanted to interpret it. The boy smirked as he leaned into the setter’s personal space, right above his DS.
“I like you too,” he said, with a mildly teasing tone. Kuroo watched for his friend's response, noting how he shifted his chin more towards his chest, and how his normally casual gaze seemed unusually focused on his screen. Damn, he really did want to kiss him. It's been a familiar feeling for a while now, but the idea was overwhelming in that moment.
That's why Kuroo followed his impulse and reached out, taking Kenmas chin in his hand again and shifting his focus up. They were way closer this time, and Kuroo was really liking the view of his golden irises. Kenma’s eyes were wide again, as the intense focus was shifted towards the boy across from him.
It was impossibly quiet for a moment before Kuroo pulled his hand towards himself, gently tugging Kenma with it. The setter allowed himself to be moved, leaning forward, as Kuroo brought their lips together.
They stayed like that for a while, pressed against each other, before Kuroo pulled back. Kenma hadn't responded at all during the kiss, but Kuroo got a great view of watching his friend blink open his eyes at the loss of contact.
The captain held them both there, raising an expectant eyebrow, waiting for a response. Kenma got the hint after a moment and looked somewhat panicked.
“I, I'm not.. good.. with people.” This time he did mumble, but Kuroo was close enough to hear every syllable. It wasn't even a proper response, but the captain got the message, and smiled.
“I know. Just kiss me back… if you want to,” he said coyly, moving in closer before adding, “I won't mind.”
He closed the space between them again, this time releasing his grip on Kenmas jaw and instead resting his hand on the back of the boy's neck. There was no noise in the room except the quiet digital tune ringing from Kenma’s game. The younger boy did kiss back, hesitantly at first, but following Kuroos lead.
It went like everything went between them. Kuroo showed, Kenma followed. When Kuroo brought his other hand up to cup the setter’s chin, Kenma released his grip on the DS and instead grabbed the fabric at the neck of Kuroos T-shirt. When Kuroo used his hand to tilt Kenma’s head back to better slot their lips together, the blond shifted his weight forward, pushing more firmly into the deeper kiss. Things moved in turns, both boys getting comfortable with feeling each other like they never could before.
After a while Kenma ended up on his knees, kneeling in the space between Kuroo’s legs, kissing the boy beneath him. Just like in volleyball, the boy was a quick learner, and was more than perceptive to how Kuroo was responding. The captain's hands rested on the other boy's hips, while Kenma’s fingers were wound into his hair. Despite their intimate position, the kisses remained simple and chaste, though Kuroo knew they both were pretty out of breath.
The finally broke apart, arms still around each other, breathing heavy between them. They looked at each other a long time as their breath and heart rates settled down. After a time, Kuroo smirked up at the boy above him, cocky attitude appearing effortlessly. Kenma seemed unprepared for the sly look and ducked his head into Kuroo’s neck, hiding his face. Kuroo found the shyness quite adorable, and he wrapped his arms fully around the setter’s middle, allowing the smile to spread across his face. That went about as good as he could ever dream.
They stayed like that for a while longer until Kenma pulled back and Kuroo released his grip. The blond settled back onto his thighs in front of Kuroo, eyes cast to the side and a slight blush across his cheeks.
“Can I go back to my game now?” He asked, looking a bit overwhelmed. Kuroo smiled, knowing the feeling.
“Only if you let me watch.”
Kenma didn't look at him as he leaned backwards to grab his DS where it had slid to the floor. Kuroo thought his setter was going to retreat back to his own space, which he would have respected, but then the younger boy was turning around on the carpet before sitting on his butt, back to Kuroo, still seated between the captain's legs. The blond rested his back on Kuroo’s chest like it was the most natural thing in the world, and Kuroo felt just as natural winding his arms around Kenma’s stomach.
The familiar tune ringing from the DS seemed to relax them both as they watched the small upper screen of Kenma’s device. It was a new version of a game that they used to play together when they were younger, and Kuroo suddenly went back to all those summer nights growing up, when it got too dark for volleyball, that they would play video games together. The new and improved version of the game made Kuroo a little nostalgic, and he wondered if the setter felt that same. Maybe it was just another video game for Kenma. It didn't matter to Kuroo, though, as he realized the game he's been playing for most of his life has finally been won.