Work Text:
“Today at work a girl asked me out.”
Kenma doesn't take his eyes off the TV screen as his character leaps over the obstacle blocking their path.
“Cool,” he says.
Kuroo doesn't answer. Kenma glances at him briefly, before pausing the game.
“You said yes?” he ventures, interpreting that unusual silence.
Kuroo shakes his head. “She left me her number, though.” He reaches into his jeans pocket and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. He passes it to Kenma.
He picks it up and looks at it, not knowing exactly what to do with it. There's a phone number written in an elegant handwriting on it, signed Akemi; a little heart decorating the 'i'.
“I don’t know what to do.” Kuroo admits, looking at Kenma as if he held the answer to all his problems. He certainly didn’t, but he could still try.
“You want to go out with her?” Kenma asks him.
Kuroo shrugs, avoiding Kenma’s gaze as his ears turn a little red. “Maybe. She seemed nice.”
"But...?"
Kuroo gives him a sad smile. “But, I’m afraid of ruining everything. Again.”
Kenma tilts his head.
“I’ll never get over my feelings for you.” Kuroo sighs. “Even if things worked out with this girl… I’d still be in love with you. I'm sure of that.”
“And you don’t want it to end up like it did with Takashi.” Kenma concludes. Kuroo nods. He thinks about it for a moment; it was a complicated situation, indeed.
“You could try talking to her about it,” he suggests.
Kuroo grimaces. “Oh, right. ‘I’m in love with my best friend, I hope this won’t be a problem for you.’ I don’t see how she could refuse to go out with me.”
“You’re not entirely wrong,” Kenma chuckles. “You should still try, though.” He turns serious, “It would be a different situation than the one with Takashi.”
Kuroo frowns.
“You were trying to forget about me, when you were with him, right?” Kenma reasons. “That’s why it ended badly. Because it didn’t work out.”
The other boy nods.
“With this girl, Akemi, you’d make things clear from the start.” Kenma looks at him, “You're in love with someone else, but you'd like to date her anyway. Let her choose if she’s okay with it. She might even say yes.”
“And then I wouldn’t have to worry about hiding my feelings for you from her.” Kuroo smiles at him, his eyes twinkling. “You’re so smart, Kenma. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You probably wouldn’t have all this trouble finding a stable relationship,” he mutters absentmindedly. Kuroo shoves him lightly.
“I would face a lifetime of disastrous relationships if it meant being able to be here with you, Kenma.”
“I know, I was kidding.” He smiles. “Here.” Kenma hands him back the piece of paper with the phone number on it. “Give it a try. And if it doesn’t work out, that’s okay. It means it wasn't meant to be anyway.”
Kuroo gently takes it in his fingers and smiles to himself. After a moment, he leans over to Kenma and leaves a quick kiss on his forehead.
“Thank you, kitten.”
“Sly move,” the boy say, wrinkling his nose.
"I don't regret it at all," the other replies, a fond smile on his lips.
⸻
They had chosen a bar near the university as their date place. Kuroo waits at one of the tables near the window overlooking the street and watches restlessly every single person who passes through the front door, waiting for Akemi.
Finally, he sees her coming. She's beautiful; tall, with dark hair cut neatly to her shoulders. She's dressed elegantly, and when she approaches him, Kuroo feels a delicate floral scent hit him. Akemi smiles down at him.
“It took me by surprise seeing that you actually decided to text me.” She greets him, taking a seat across from him and placing her purse on the chair's handle. “You didn’t seem very convinced the other day.”
Kuroo laughs. “No, I wasn’t indeed,” he admits, “But I thought about it and figured I might as well give it a try.”
“I’m glad,” she replies, just as the waitress approaches their table to take their orders. Akemi chooses a smoothie, while Kuroo sticks to the classic, with a plain coffee.
“So…” she studies him, when they’re alone again. “What made you change your mind?”
“A friend of mine, actually,” Kuroo confesses, “The thing is… my last relationship didn't end very well? For a variety of reasons. I wasn’t sure I wanted to repeat the experience.”
“Yeah, don't talk to me about exes,” she chuckles lightly, “Mine were all a bunch of assholes.”
“Nah, I’m pretty sure I was the asshole one this time,” Kuroo admits, “Not on purpose, but still…”
Akemi tilts her head, watching him curiously.
“I hope it wasn't because you cheated on her,” She says.
“Cheated on him.” Kuroo corrects her, studying her reaction.
The girl’s eyes widen slightly. “Oh, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean to assume anything.” She clears her throat. “I take it you’re bisexual?”
Kuroo nods. “I hope that's not a problem.”
“No, no. Of course not,” she quickly responds. “So you did cheat on him?”
He opens his mouth and then closes it again. How do you explain something like that without making it sound so bad?
“Not… exactly?” he tries. “The thing is, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Before we… started dating seriously. I haven’t done that in my last relationships, and that’s why they all ended badly.”
“Oh.” Akemi looks surprised. “Me too, actually.”
“You too?” Kuroo looks at her, taken aback.
“I wanted to wait for our orders to arrive before I brought up the matter.” She smiles at him. “You know, so we could talk about it without interruption. It’s a bit of a sensitive matter.”
“Oh yeah. That makes sense.” Kuroo blinks. “Mine is more complicated than delicate, if I'm being honest.” He chuckles.
“Well then,” she nods, looking at him amusedly. “Let’s talk about something else. What do you do for fun?”
And while they wait for the waitress to return with their drinks, they start to get to know each other. Akemi is at her last year in law school and is currently working part-time in a flower shop. She lives alone, but has two cats. She shows him a bunch of pictures of the two of them sleeping and doing things they shouldn't be doing. Kuroo has to stop himself from saying, 'I have one too at home, his name is Kenma'; instead, he just chuckles amused.
Finally, Akemi's smoothie and his coffee arrive. They have no more excuses to put off the real conversation now.
“So…” she says, stirring the drink with her straw. “Do you start or I do?”
“Hmm,” replies Kuroo, “Let’s do rock, paper, scissors, and whoever loses goes first?”
She bursts out laughing. “Okay, agreed.”
Akemi chooses paper, while he chooses rock. So, Kuroo it was.
“Okay, um…” he begins, suddenly uncomfortable. He scratches his neck. “I don’t know if there’s a nice way to say this. I’m in love with someone else.” He looks at her.
Akemi frowns. “Okay, so like… an ex?” she tries to understand.
“No, no. Nothing ever happened between us. And nothing ever will. It’s…” He sighs. “It’s my best friend. Kenma.” He smiles slightly, saying his name.
“You’re in love with your best friend,” she repeats, skeptically.
Kuroo nods, pressing his lips into a thin line.
“And what makes you think that… nothing will ever happen?” Akemi asks, frowning. “Not to pry, but situations like this tend not to end up well for the third person. Which in this case would be me.”
“Yeah, right.” Kuroo nods, understanding. “It’s not one of those situations where I think he doesn’t love me back but he actually secretly does. I… no.” He looks at her, “I know he doesn’t love me back. He told me. And Kenma knows I’m in love with him but, again, he doesn’t love me back.” He sighs, “It sounds much more complicated than it actually is. In reality it's quite simple.”
“You’re in love with your best friend but he doesn’t love you back… because he’s straight, I take it?” She tilts her head, trying to understand.
“That’s not…” Kuro thinks about it for a moment, “That’s not for me to say.”
“Yes, sorry.” She nods, still looking puzzled. “You’re right.”
"What I mean is... in my last relationships I was trying to forget about him. Then I realized it was all useless."
“And your exes didn't take it very well when they figured it out, I'm guessing.”
Kuroo gives her a crooked smile, nodding. “I thought about it. If it was worth trying to go out with you despite that.” He sighs, “Then Kenma told me to talk to you about it and see what your feelings were on the matter. Leave the choice up to you and all that.”
Akemi blinks in surprise. “He suggested it?”
“Yeah, of course.” Kuroo smiles fondly, “I told you things aren’t weird between us. Just a little unusual, maybe.”
“Okay, so…” she recaps, “You’re asking me to be in some kind of open relationship, did I take that right?”
“No, that’s not-” Kuroo pauses, “I mean, if you want to, I guess. I’m not in a position to demand exclusivity from your part.” He admits, “I wouldn’t go with anyone else, though.”
“Not even this Kenma?” Akemi asks skeptical.
“No, I wouldn’t go with Kenma.” He gives her a half-smile, sincere. “I would never do that to him.”
“I don’t get it,” she admits. “You talk about this guy like he’s a problem for our relationship, but then you tell me he’s not. I'm not following.”
“I’m in love with him.” Kuroo looks at her, “Even if I were to fall in love with you, I’d probably still be in love with him, too.” He tries to explain, “It doesn’t matter that nothing will ever happen between us, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that these feelings will never go away. He’s just that perfect.”
"And-"
“And I’m not going to give up his presence in my life.” Kuroo interrupts her, wanting to make it very clear. No matter what happened, Kenma would stay with him. “He’s my best friend.”
“So the choice is mine,” Akemi nods. “If I’m okay with being in a relationship with someone who wouldn’t be just mine.” She tilts her head, “Even if you wouldn’t actually cheat on me.”
“Yes! Yes, exactly,” Kuroo exclaims, happy that she finally understands what he meant.
“I should probably think about it,” Akemi reasons. “I could say yes now, but maybe in a few days I won’t be so sure about it.” She takes a sip of her smoothie, absentmindedly. “Do you think I could meet him? This Kenma?”
Kuroo’s expression breaks into an enthusiastic smile. “I can’t wait to introduce you to him.”
“We agree, then.” She smiles back, albeit more hesitantly. “I’ll meet this Kenma, and then I’ll tell you if this whole situation is okay with me.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Kuroo nods. He could already imagine Kenma’s face when he'd find out. His nose all scrunched up in that adorable way of his.
“It’s my turn now,” Akemi says.
“I'm all ears.”
Akemi takes her time before she starts talking. She stirs her smoothie slowly and takes a long sip through the straw. She looks him straight in the eyes.
"I'm trans."
Kuroo blinks. “Is that what you needed to tell me?”
“Yes.” Her attentive gaze does not leave him.
"Okay."
"Okay?"
“Yeah, sure.” He shrugs, “Thanks for telling me.”
“Don’t you want to know anything else?” Akemi studies him.
“Is there… anything I should know?” he asks.
“I guess not.” She smiles at him, “That was it.”
“Good.” Kuroo smiles back, “That was pretty quick.”
Akemi bursts out laughing. “It was indeed.”
⸻
In the end, the two boys decided to invite her over for dinner. While they wait for her arrival and Kuroo takes care of the food in the kitchen, Kenma is a bundle of nerves. Even though the other had reassured him several times, telling him that everything would be fine, he can't shake off the fear of making a bad impression and ruining everything for his best friend. From what Kuroo had told him, he seemed to like this Akemi a lot.
The doorbell rings, and Kenma literally jumps in surprise.
“Kenma, go open the door!” Kuroo yells from the stove.
“I'm not going to open the door!” he hisses back, his voice slightly high-pitched.
The boy bursts out laughing. “Okay, I’ll go. You watch the stove, though.”
As he tries not to burn their dinner, he hears Kuroo turn the lock and greet someone. A female voice answers something that Kenma can't hear because of the fan. After that, the two of them enter the kitchen.
"Kenma" Kuroo calls him, "meet Akemi."
He turns around, and finds himself having to agree with his best friend; she's really pretty. Kenma stares at her beautiful dark hair, spellbound.
“Akemi,” he continues, “Kenma.”
“Nice to meet you,” Akemi smiles at him. “These are for you,” she continues, handing him the enormous bouquet of flowers she’s holding. “For the intrusion.”
Kenma gives Kuroo a puzzled look. “Um… thanks.” he replies, taking them gently in his hands. “Nice to meet you, too.”
Kuroo starts to chuckle. “I told you he’d make that face,” he whispers to Akemi, loud enough for Kenma to hear. She politely doesn’t say anything, but she seems amused anyway.
“Shut up,” Kenma grumbles, turning to look for a vase. “Um… Kuro?”
"Yeah?"
"There’s smoke coming out of the pan."
“Oh shit- ” and he rushes to the stove, turning down the heat and trying to save their dinner.
Kenma finds an old vase and arranges the flowers in it, placing them in the center of the already set table. They looked really good there.
“Why don’t you give her a tour of the apartment?” Kuroo is saying, as he turns the food.
"Me?" Kenma asks, confused.
“Yeah well,” the boy glances at him, “unless you both want to eat some coal blocks for dinner, I guess I’ll have to stay here.”
He wasn't entirely wrong. Kenma wrinkles his nose. Kuroo looks at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Sure.” Kenma gives in, then turns to Akemi. “Okay, um… kitchen?” he says, gesturing with a hand at the space around them.
“Kenma!” Kuroo hisses.
“What?” he defends himself, “This is the kitchen!”
“Don’t-” he puts a hand to the bridge of his nose. “You know what, sure. Go ahead.”
Akemi can't hold back any longer and starts laughing; it's a crystalline sound; calm. Kuroo turns to look at her, amused.
“I'm sorry.” she composes herself, “Nice kitchen.” she says with a polite smile, stopping to look at the various photos sticked on their fridge. There are quite a few. Of the two of them, of their friends, of the old Nekoma team. Even Kenma loved to stop and look at them every now and then.
“How cute.” Akemi turns around. “You didn’t tell me that you knew each other since you were kids.”
“Yeah,” Kuroo replies with a warm smile. Kenma just watches her.
“This way,” Kenma calls her, “here’s the living room.” It was nothing special, actually. A couch, a television, some furniture. But it was cozy, and the two of them didn't need anything else.
Akemi watches everything with a smile plastered on her face, but doesn't say anything. Kenma studies her. He invites her to follow him into the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. The doors had been conveniently left open so that she could peer in without feeling like she was intruding. Kenma had spent the previous few days arranging everything perfectly for this meeting.
“Is this Tetsuro’s?” Akemi asks lightly, referring to the one with the double bed.
“Yes.” Kenma fixes his eyes on her. “I sleep in the other one.” He lets her know, gesturing to the smaller room on the left, with a single bed in the corner and a gaming station near the window.
“Of course,” Akemi replies, with a polite smile. “I wasn’t implying anything.”
“But you thought it.” He doesn’t take his eyes off hers.
She grimaces. “Can you blame me?”
“I guess not.” Kenma keeps looking at her. “But I thought it was only fair that you hear it from me, too. I’m not interested in Kuro. Not like that.”
She studies him carefully, too. They spend a few tense seconds staring at each other, serious, then Akemi nods. “Okay. I believe you.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m okay with you hurting him,” he warns. “He’s still my best friend, and he doesn’t deserve that.”
“I wouldn’t have expected otherwise,” she smiles at him, sincere.
Kenma, satisfied, nods at her and turns towards the last door.
“Bathroom.” he explains, pointing at it. She looks at him amused.
When they return to the kitchen, Kuroo is bringing the dishes to the table.
“Just in time!” he greets them. “Come on, take a seat.”
The dinner is pleasant. Akemi and Kuroo do most of the talking, but Kenma listens to them carefully and observe their dynamic. It was obvious that the two of them were getting along well, and it made him happy for Kuroo. At one point, Akemi turns to him.
“Tell me, Kenma,” she begins, putting down her glass. “Are you dating anyone?”
“Um…” Kenma glances at Kuroo.
She must have noticed, because she quickly apologizes. “I'm sorry. We don’t need to talk about it.”
“No, no.” Kenma shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’m not dating anyone.”
“Oh, okay.” Akemi looks between the both of them, confused.
Kenma finds himself staring at Kuroo again, uncertain. The boy smiles at him and nods encouragingly.
“I’m aromantic.” He turns back to her. "Aroace, actually."
Akemi's eyes widen slightly, but otherwise she remains as composed as she has been up until that moment.
“Oh, so that's why-” Akemi glances at Kuroo as well, “Okay.” She turns back to Kenma, “Thanks for telling me.” She smiles, genuinely this time.
Kenma can't help but smile back, a little embarrassed. He felt better now that he had told her. He hoped that Akemi finally understood how things were really between him and Kuroo; his best friend deserved a girl like her.
“Well, while we’re on the subject,” Akemi continues, clasping her hands together over the table. “I’m a trans woman. And I’m straight.” She looks at Kenma, “Not that anyone should care, but I'm saying it so you know.”
Kenma nods, and Kuroo remains silent. He probably knew that already.
“Well” Kuroo then says, standing up and heading to the fridge. “It's time for dessert.”
⸻
When it's time for Akemi to go home, she kisses Kenma’s cheeks and thanks him for his hospitality. Kenma wrinkles his nose, but doesn't complain.
“Sorry, I won’t do it again.” She smiles at him regretfully, seeing his reaction.
“This kitten doesn’t like physical touch very much,” Kuroo interjects, ruffling his hair. Kenma grumbles something.
“I’ll try to remember that.” Akemi laughs. She starts toward the door, but Kuroo stops her.
"I'll walk you to the car."
“What a gentleman.” She turns to the other boy one last time, “See you then, Kenma.” After that, they both disappear through the entrance. Clearly, they wanted a moment to talk alone.
Kuroo is gone for a long time, so much so that when Kenma finally hears him come back in, he has already finished clearing the table and is drying the last dishes.
He turns to look at Kuroo. “It went well, I take it.” Kenma frowns.
"Huh?" Kuroo looks at him confused.
“You’re all covered in lip gloss, Kuro,” Kenma lets him know.
The boy chuckles, coming closer. “Yeah, it went well. She said she’d like to see me again.”
“I’m happy, then.” Kenma smiles, “I liked her too.”
Kuroo looks at him fondly. “Can I hug you?”
“Huh… yeah?” He blinks, confused. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Kuroo confirms, squeezing him tight. “I’m just happy, too.”
Kenma chuckles, patting him encouragingly on the back.
“Okay then.”