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Kuroo let out another lovelorn sigh that made Yaku nearly want to smash a beer can against his head—whose head still to be determined. His attention was focused across the room, but Yaku didn't have to turn to see what—or rather who—had caught Kuroo's eye.
"Just look at him," Kuroo directed, gesturing impatiently in the other direction. Yaku rolled his eyes but obliged, turning in his chair to get a view and, sure enough, there was Kenma, sitting next to an animated Lev, giving noncommittal responses. "Doesn't he look amazing?" Kuroo asked dreamily as he laid his head on his hand, elbow resting on the table.
Yaku scrunched his nose at Kuroo but took a second look across the room. Kenma looked as he always had. Blond hair grown out, pulled back in a messy bun. Dark circles under his eyes that told the story of staying up all night gaming. An utterly bored expression that screamed that he wanted to bolt any chance he got. 'Amazing' was nowhere near the top of the list of how he would describe Kenma's looks.
"Ya wanna know somethin?" Kuroo whispered conspiratorially and Yaku turned to him, noting the shrewd expression on his friend's face.
"What?" Yaku humored him, taking a sip of his beer.
"If I marry him, then that means no one else can have him," Kuroo declared, sounding determined. "I have a ring, ya know."
Yaku choked on his beer and Kuroo gave him an unimpressed look. "You what?" he finally asked after smacking his chest a few times and getting the drink down. "Why haven't you asked him? How long have you had it?"
Kuroo sighed and dropped his head on the table with a thud. Yaku quickly glanced across the room, but Kenma was still focused on Lev and gave no indication of having caught Kuroo's misery. "I dunno. It's gotta be perfect. But until I do, other people might think he's available. Just look at how close him and Lev are!"
Yaku rolled his eyes again. If he wasn't careful, he was going to give himself a migraine at this rate. His hand itched to hit him, but he resisted…barely. "Dude, everyone knows you're together. You guys have been disgustingly attached at the hip since high school."
Kuroo cackled, gaining a second wind as he sat up to take another sip of his beer. "You sound jealous."
"I'm really not," Yaku deadpanned and waved the waitress over to ask for water. He and Kuroo fell into silence for a few minutes, Yaku unable to help but notice how often Kuroo's eyes found Kenma no matter where he was in the room.
"You need to find a way to propose," he finally said and Kuroo nodded sadly.
"It's gotta be perfect," Kuroo hiccuped and focused on Yaku. "Something big and grand."
Yaku frowned. "Is that something Kenma would actually want?"
Kuroo sighed and shook his head miserably. "No, but it's what he deserves." He took a sip of his water and dropped his head back onto the table.
"Pick up your head," Yaku snapped and Kuroo reluctantly listened, eyes clearing suddenly.
"Tomorrow," Kuroo declared, hitting a fist against the table decisively. Yaku again quickly looked around but no one was paying them any mind. "I'm gonna do it tomorrow."
Soon, the reunion party had dissipated and Kuroo and Kenma left hand in hand like the disgustingly attached couple they were. Yaku was one of the last to leave and found himself wondering how he had been talked into agreeing to help Kuroo come up with the perfect last minute proposal. Of course, he wasn't completely blameless…he'd also sent some texts to see if anyone else knew about the ring and if a small betting pool had happened, well, that wasn't his fault. Kuroo shouldn't have waited so long.
Tetsurou woke up to a headache and a text.
»From Yakkun
>Where the hell are you?
Tetsurou blinked himself awake and took in his surroundings. The familiar room…the messy blonde hair of his boyfriend spread out against the pillow…the cozy warmth of an arm draped over his chest.
«To Yakkun
<In bed?
»From Yakkun
>You were supposed to meet me at 9!
Kenma shifted, holding him tighter, and Tetsurou smiled down at him, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair, maybe kiss those soft-looking lips, move down to that bared neck... Memories of the night before flashed through his mind and he briefly considered waking Kenma…
His phone vibrated again.
»From Yakkun
>I'm giving up my last day of vacation for you, asshole! Get moving!
Tetsurou frowned at his phone and closed his eyes, trying to remember what else had happened last night. Nekoma had had a reunion party…he'd been hanging out with Yaku for the majority of it…they'd been drinking…he'd seen Kenma get a little too close to Lev…
He sat up with a start, dislodging Kenma who let out a squeak in surprise.
Oh shit. He'd told Yaku about the ring.
Kenma blinked blearily at him like a cat that had been rudely jostled awake, which wasn't far from the truth. "Everything okay, Kuro?"
Tetsurou looked at him in a panic and then his phone that vibrated with yet another impatient message from Yaku. His head pounded and he dropped it against the headboard with a deep sigh. He was certain Kenma was still watching him and Yaku was probably going to kill him for being late when he finally arrived.
"Yeah," he said in a fake cheerful tone, carefully getting out of bed so he didn't disturb Kenma even more. At least he should be able to get a few more hours of sleep before getting up. "I forgot that Yaku and I were going to hang out today." It wasn't a complete lie, even if it wasn't the full truth, either.
Kenma hummed in response. Tetsurou felt sharp eyes watching him across the room as he got himself ready and dressed, though he couldn't help but smile at the disappointed huff he heard when he pulled on his jeans. He resisted the temptation to ignore Yaku and stay with Kenma, enjoying a nice, cozy morning, but it was difficult, especially with the headache still making itself known.
He walked over to the bed, bending low to give Kenma a kiss. Kenma reached up and looped his arms around Tetsurou's neck, nearly pulling him back down, but he stayed strong, remaining firmly on his feet. His phone vibrated again and he reluctantly stepped back, his heart skipping a beat when Kenma licked his lips and studied him. "Maybe brush your teeth before you leave," Kenma said wryly, smirking, which made Tetsurou chuckle and nod.
"Love you, too," he told him in return, grinning at Kenma's sudden flush, before finally leaving the bedroom. He took a few moments to drink some water, take something for his headache, and yes, brush his teeth, and then he was out the door.
Yaku was pacing in front of a flower shop when Tetsurou finally showed up. Tetsurou gave him a crooked grin and held up a cup of coffee in apology, which Yaku yanked out of his hands with a little more force than was probably needed. Thankfully, he took his anger out on the cup and Tetsurou was able to remain unharmed, just as planned.
"Kai couldn't get another day off work, but he recommended this florist," Yaku informed him as they walked through the doors. The chime above the door signaled to the worker behind the counter to greet them as they began to walk around. Tetsurou's first impulse was to buy a bouquet full of everything but one look at Yaku had that idea immediately fleeing his mind.
"So, what kind of flowers does Kenma like?" Yaku asked casually, taking a sip of the coffee.
Tetsurou stopped in his tracks. "What?"
"What flowers does Kenma like?" Yaku repeated with a roll of his eyes. He then stared at Tetsurou as he felt a shiver run down his spine.
What flowers did Kenma like? Had he ever said? Come to think of it, Tetsurou wasn't sure he'd ever seen Kenma with flowers before. Had they ever had a conversation about flowers? He was Kenma's boyfriend and had known him since they were kids! He should know his favorite flower. How did he not know? He should —
"Kuroo, breathe," Yaku's voice broke through his thoughts.
Tetsurou took a deep inhale. Focus.
"Roses," Tetsurou declared.
Yaku raised an eyebrow.
"They're a classic!" he defended and Yaku's stony expression softened before taking another sip of coffee.
Tetsurou confidently bought a dozen roses and they left. True to his declaration from the night before, Tetsurou was tempted to go for big and grand, but Yaku kept him grounded, reminding him that that's not what Kenma would want, and Tetsurou agreed—even if he still thought Kenma deserved grandest proposal possible.
They finished gathering everything in the early afternoon and were preparing to part ways, Tetsurou back to his home shared with Kenma and Yaku back to his hotel to get ready for his flight.
"Don't fuck it up, Kuroo," Yaku threatened, smacking him on the back. "I'm rooting for you."
Tetsurou slipped into their house with the flowers tucked behind his back and his bags gathered in one hand. He knew Kenma was scheduled to be streaming for a little while longer, but sometimes that changed, or he would take a break to get snacks or a drink. As it turned out, the house was mostly silent, though he could hear a faint murmur coming from the direction of Kenma's game room. Tetsurou let out a sigh of relief and quickly moved to the kitchen. He had to get everything ready before Kenma finished his stream, so he had to move fast.
Near the end of making dinner—and dessert!—Tetsurou stepped away to change into a nicer outfit. He'd texted Kenma that he thought they could have a nice date night at home, but left it up to him to decide if he wanted to also dress up or not.
Tetsurou was plating the food, apple pie cooling on the counter, when he heard Kenma finally shuffle into the kitchen. He turned with a smile and choked at the sight that greeted him. Kenma had apparently taken his text seriously and had changed into his best 'I'm a CEO' suit. His hair was brushed and redone in a neat bun—usually it would be a mess by the end of a stream. The scent of his cologne wafted over, tickling Tetsurou's nose.
"Y-you look great," Tetsurou stammered, not noticing the sauce dripping from the spoon and landing on the floor.
Kenma gave him an amused smile, lifting an eyebrow at the sauce before focusing on him. "You look great, too, Kuro. I love the apron over a suit look."
Tetsurou looked down at himself. He'd also changed into a suit, one that had gotten him through many top collaborations and deals. He figured a proposal was probably the biggest deal he'd ever make so why not wear his lucky suit? Of course, he'd still been cooking so he'd needed to protect it. Unfortunately, their only apron had been a gift from Fukunaga and it was a frilly pink thing covered in cat heads that Kenma had taken one look at it and declared was perfect, so now it lived in their kitchen. It also clashed terribly with his suit. He quickly took it off while Kenma took a seat.
"I was serious. It looked sexy," Kenma fake pouted and Tetsurou laughed as he hung the apron on its hook.
The table was decorated with a white table cloth, the roses standing in a glass vase in the center. He quickly lit candles and dimmed the lights to give their dining area a more cozy vibe. Instrumental music played softly in the background, and dinner was plated on their best china, which he carefully set in front of Kenma.
He then sat across from his boyfriend and watched in rapt attention as he took the first bite, feeling accomplished when Kenma let out a delicious-sounding moan. Tetsurou picked up his own chopsticks and took a bite, also pleased with the results.
"How was your stream?" Tetsurou asked after a few minutes of silent eating, smiling as Kenma came alive recounting the progress he'd made and some of the more memorable comments from his viewers. Kenma then turned the question on Tetsurou who refused to lie, so he glossed over his day with Yaku, framing it as hanging out while running errands.
Once dinner was finished, Tetsurou cleared away their plates and went to cut the freshly baked pie. This was it, the moment. He would just slip the ring onto the plate and ask Kenma and…
Tetsurou sighed. feeling his shoulders droop.
It wasn't right.
It was nice. It was perfect. It should have been the right moment.
But it wasn't. It was too forced. Kenma deserved big and grand, but he also deserved authentic. Not a forced proposal because Tetsurou was jealous that Kenma had been spending time with another friend. That wasn't how Tetsurou wanted to remember this moment.
"Tetsurou?" Kenma asked and he shook himself as he realized Kenma had been trying to get his attention multiple times. He quickly placed the slices of pie onto the plates, keeping the ring hidden in his pocket. Another time.
Again, Tetsurou let Kenma take the first bite before joining him, eating their dessert in a comfortable silence. Their plates were both sitting empty when Kenma finally spoke.
"So what's the special occasion?" Kenma's head was tilted and he was smirking at Kuroo, expectant, eyes too knowing.
Tetsurou blinked in surprise and took a sip of water to hide his nervousness. "We just don't get to do date nights very often!"
"I see," Kenma said evenly, still smirking, but looking straight through him.
Tetsurou chuckled and jumped up, grabbing his plate. "Hey, we should play a game together after I finish cleaning up! It'll be fun."
"I'd like that," Kenma agreed easily, also standing and picking up his plate. "Let me help you clean."
Later that night, after Kenma had soundly beaten him at multiple rounds of Mario Kart, they were laying together in bed. Tetsurou held Kenma while he scrolled through social media, desperately fighting back sleep. In the end, he couldn't help but yawn and Kenma put his phone down, snuggling back against Kuroo.
"You know," Kenma started and Tetsurou hummed in response, half asleep as he unconsciously tightened his hold around him. Kenma brought a hand up to one of Tetsurou's arms, rubbing softly. "I thought you were finally going to propose tonight."
Tetsurou felt his heart stop as he came fully awake and attempted to pull away in his shock. Kenma held on, however, keeping him wrapped around him. "What are you talking about, Kenma?" Tetsurou laughed weakly, giving in to the hold and settling down again.
"Tetsurou," Kenma said seriously, before laughing, resuming his caressing. "Your suit pants are tight. They make your ass look great, by the way."
Tetsurou blinked in confusion. "Thank you?"
"They also outline everything. Your pocket has been unusually box-shaped for months. How long do you plan to carry it around before you get the courage to ask?"
Tetsurou sputtered, for once at a complete loss for words. "You know?"
Kenma rolled suddenly so that he was laying on top of him, gazing at him with an intensity that had him almost struggling to breathe. "I do," he said quietly, before leaning down to kiss Tetsurou. His eyes widened in response before closing as he eagerly returned the kiss, until eventually, Kenma pulled away, flashing a devilish grin and beginning to move down…
It wasn't until much later, when they were both sated and he heard Kenma's gentle snoring that he realized one single, tiny, very important fact.
He still hadn't proposed.
But at least he knew what Kenma's answer would be when he finally did.
Epilogue — The next morning:
"Hey Kuro," Kenma asked when he noticed his fiancé was finally awake. "Did you know there was a bet on when you'd propose?"
"What?" Kuro shrieked, though Kenma thought he shouldn't have been shocked—their friends were ruthless.
"Did you really think Yaku wanted to spend his last vacation day with you at the florist to be nice?" Kenma laughed, waving his phone in Kuro's general direction.
"Well, yeah, we're like best friends…" Kuro trailed off. "That little devil."
"Don't worry. I won." Kenma held up his phone and showed him a message:
> Kuroo throws an elaborate dinner and decides it's not perfect enough so Kenma gets tired of waiting and takes matters into his own hands