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Everything is ready for the party.
Almost everything.
The guests will start arriving in a few minutes, but instead of helping with last-minute preparations, Kuroo is lying on the carpet in front of his couch, one arm outstretched, trying to reach a cat. Totoro is already safely ensconced in his room, curled up on a cat bed, but Susu has managed to wedge himself under the couch in the farthest corner, just out of reach.
The angle is not in Kuroo’s favor, nor is the cat’s stubbornness and ability to shrink himself. Kuroo stretches as much as he can, just barely touching the cat’s tail, but when he hears a soft hiss he quickly withdraws his hand.
“Suit yourself, then,” he says and calls out to his roommate, Bokuto. “Susu’s out, just so you know,”
“Got it! Help me set up the food, will you?”
Kuroo sighs and brushes a few stray cat hairs off his pants as he stands up. Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto’s new boyfriend, is coming to the party and Bokuto spent the afternoon concocting a tray of delicacies he thought Akaashi might enjoy.
Akaashi’s bland affect and placid exterior conceals a ferocious appetite, both for food and for Bokuto. Kuroo has resorted to his youthful habit of sleeping with his head between pillows to muffle the noise of their lovemaking (supplemented with noise-canceling earbuds and a collection of boring podcasts).
The chatter of voices from the other room remind him of his hosting duties. He thinks he hears Kenma’s voice in the other room, but that can’t be — they haven’t talked in months. They were inseparable from elementary school through most of college, but this year, Kuroo got a girlfriend, then Kenma got a boyfriend, and somehow they’ve lost touch.
It’s fine, everything’s fine, so why does it feel like he’s missing an essential part of himself? Is this what happens when you lose a leg or an arm, a phantom pain for something that’s not there?
He takes a deep breath, drops his shoulders, and smiles broadly as he enters the main room to welcome the onslaught of guests.
Kenma dodges Bokuto’s outstretched arms, angling himself to be pulled into a side hug instead of getting crushed into Bokuto’s massive pecs.
Thanks to Akaashi, the apartment is less Spartan than it was when Kuroo and Bokuto first moved in. There are throw rugs on the floor and art on the walls, and he glimpses a comfortable-looking couch in the next room.
The noise of the party quickly overwhelms Kenma; he pulls a random can off the drinks table and plops on the couch. It’s removed just enough so that the worst of the noise is blocked; he opens the can and takes a sip, wincing at the flavor but welcoming the slight dulling and fuzzing that the alcohol brings.
An inquisitive chirp from underneath the couch catches his ear. He takes another sip of his drink, and hears it again. He clicks his tongue and makes a pspsps noise, and feels something against his leg. He cranes his neck to look over the edge of the couch and sees a fluffy black cat staring up at him.
“Fluffy” is inadequate to describe of the magnificent ruff on his chest, the extravagant tail wafting gently in the air as he stares at Kenma with bright golden eyes, and the legs covered in long fur, giving them the appearance of Edo-style hakama.
Kenma looks for a collar or a tag, but if the cat has one, it’s buried in fluff. They stare at each other for a long moment, then the cat jumps on to the couch. Kenma solemnly holds his hand out for the cat to sniff and the cat tilts its head to bump its jet-black whiskers against him, then walks across his lap and settles down next to him, laying his front half across Kenma’s lap.
Kenma shrugs and pulls his handheld out of his pocket. Not the worst party he’s ever been to.
Kuroo is roaming the party, making sure the guests are well-supplied with drinks and snacks, and picking up stray bits of party detritus in hopes of minimizing cleanup later, when he notices Susu on the couch, sitting on the lap of — “Kenma? What are you - why are you - how have you -“ Kuroo realizes he’s babbling and takes a deep breath, changing his focus to the cat.
“I see you found Susu. Is he bothering you? I can move him.”
Kuroo reaches for the cat, who deftly shrinks away from his touch, snuggling closer to Kenma in the process.
“It’s okay, I’m comfortable if he is.” He runs a hand down the cat’s back, and the cat closes his eyes in contentment, rolling onto his side so Kenma can more easily scratch under his chin.
Kuroo is still staring at Kenma in shock, when the sound of breaking glass and raucous laughter from the other room breaks his focus.
“I’ve got to take care of that, but I’ll be right back, I promise.”
Kuroo returns bearing two different cans and a plateful of snacks, arranging it between them like an offering.
Susu’s nose twitches as he smells the food, but it’s not to his liking; he settles for swishing his tail dangerously close to the plate. Kuroo quickly picks it up and offers it to Kenma.
“These are Akaashi’s favorites,” he says, pointing at a skewer of grilled meat. “Bokuto would be mad if he knew I snuck one for you.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Kenma says solemnly as he chews it, then familiar shapes catch his eye. “Are these mini apple pies?” Kuroo nods and Kenma smiles as he reaches for the first one.
“Who is this?” Kenma asks through a mouthful of pie, pointing at the cat.
“His name is Susu, like the Ghibli movies. He showed up a couple of months ago, yowling pitifully and covered in fleas, and fell asleep in my arms after I got him cleaned up.”
Susu looks up when his name is mentioned; his golden eyes, one darker than the other, stare up at Kenma. Kenma slowly blinks at him and the cat responds with his own slow blink, then oozes further onto Kenma’s lap and starts kneading his leg.
“Wow, he really likes you. I can give him three pets, max, and then he tries to swat me.”
Kenma smirks at him. “Skill issue,”
“Pffft, I just need to get more of those liquid treats. You look good, by the way,” Kuroo adds, almost as an afterthought.
“Is it such a surprise that I can take care of myself?” Kenma’s tone comes out a little sharper than he intended.
“Not at all, of course not,”
“I know how you like to take care of people.”
“Not all people,” Kuroo says, then adds so softly that Kenma almost thinks he imagined it, “Just you.” He finishes the rest of his drink and puts the can on the floor next to the couch.. “I didn’t realize you’d broken up with Haruko,”
“It just wasn’t working out.” Kenma shrugs. “It’s funny, I didn’t think height mattered to me, but I realized I like taller guys.”
Oops. Kenma hadn’t intended to say this, but the effect on Kuroo is gratifying indeed. His pupils dilate and he looks at Kenma almost hungrily. Kenma has seen that look before; Akaashi and Bokuto looked at each other like that before they got together.
“What about Mai? I don’t see her around.”
“We broke up.” Kuroo is oddly reticent.
“Why didn’t you text me? we could’ve been hanging out.”
“I did!”
“No you didn’t,”
Kuroo pulls out his phone, determined to prove him wrong, and pulls up the text chain between him and Kenma.
It’s farther down than I thought, he thinks, and finally finds it. The last sent message is indeed from Kenma; he had typed and retyped a message, but hadn’t sent it.
I miss you so much, it said. He swallows down the emotion that threatens to overcome him.
All Kuroo wants to do is sit and talk to Kenma. It felt like they hadn’t talked for years instead of a handful of months. The noise of the party falls away and they’re in their own bubble, talking about their classes, movies they’d watched, games they’d played - one topic leading to another seamlessly and effortlessly.
Kenma is telling a story about a recent stream when they suddenly notice that the party is almost over. The last guests are saying their goodbyes and Bokuto is carrying a stack of plates to the kitchen.
Kuroo leaps up, the spell broken. “I have to help clean up, but will you stay? Please?”
Kenma gestures to his lap. Susu has fallen asleep on his lap and his whiskers and paws are twitching as he chases some dream-prey. “Where would I go? I’m stuck here.”
Kuroo returns with waters for both of them and collapses on the couch, splaying his legs out, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.
“Do you want to know why we broke up? It’s kind of a funny story.”
Kenma shrugs. “Sure.”
“One day I was kissing her and I realized I didn’t like kissing girls, I liked kissing guys, so we broke up. Then I kissed a couple of guys and I realized something else.”
Kenma has stopped petting Susu and is listening intently. “And?”
Kuroo turns his head so he’s looking at Kenma. “I realized I’d rather be kissing you.” He watches Kenma for a reaction. “Is that too weird?”
Kenma ponders this confession. “Weird, but just weird enough. Can I kiss you?”
Kuroo’s eyes widen and he nods rapidly. He sits up straight and reaches out a hand to cup Kenma’s cheek, then tilts Kenma’s face and softly kisses his forehead, then his nose, then his cheek, and finally on the lips, gentle and tender.
Kenma doesn’t know if he says Finally! out loud or just thinks it, but he surges forward and swiftly deepens the kiss. He’s wanted to do this for years and it’s everything he’d hoped for. Kuroo gives a little grunt of surprise, then responds with equal fervor and drops his arm to wrap around Kenma’s slender waist and pull him close.
Once again they are in their own bubble, ignoring the world around them, lost in the pleasure of finally being able to touch and caress, to find what makes the other gasp.
When at last they break apart for air, Kenma takes the opportunity to kiss his way down Kuroo’s neck, fumbling at his shirt buttons to expose his neck and suck a mark, then blows on it. “You’re mine — I want everyone to know.”
Kuroo groans, pulling Kenma even closer and burying his head in his hair, inhaling deeply. “You’re going be the death of me, but what a way to go.”
Susu had tumbled off Kenma’s lap onto the cushions when they started kissing. He stares at them balefully, then jumps off the couch and stalks away, offended at having lost lap access and Kenma’s gentle hands.
They look at each other, slightly dazed from kissing, then Kenma yelps as Kuroo suddenly stands and pulls on his hand. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
Kenma raises an eyebrow. “Only tonight?”
Kuroo takes both his hands and presses them to his lips. “Tonight and every night after, if you’ll have me, but let’s start with tonight.”
Kenma smiles fondly. “Sap.”
“You love it.”
“No.”
“Whaaat??”
“I love you.”
“Kenma!” A pause. “I love you too.”
The door closes, reopens to allow Totoro, a small calico cat, to leave, then closes again. For now, the apartment is quiet.