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It was the first holiday break of Kenma’s first year of university.
Usually Friday nights consisted of him sinking into his desk chair, losing himself in a game to unwind from the week of classes.
Tonight, he glanced down at his phone screen for the fifth time in the span of a minute, the shiny black surface taunting him.
He said he was taking the train right after five… right? Kenma second guessed, annoyed by the lack of texts from Kuroo that evening. He blinked back to his game of WoW, where a monster nearly one-shotted him while his character was idle. He grabbed his mouse, clicking away at his keyboard in a hurry.
Living at home while Kuroo was at a university across Tokyo was much easier during high school, when the distraction of being Nekoma’s volleyball club vice captain consumed Kenma’s time. Now, a loneliness that he didn’t want to admit to crept in as cold as the lingering chill of the winter wind outside his window.
No, not loneliness.
That’s not the word to describe it when there’s only one person you want to be with.
The buzz of his phone vibrated his desk. Kenma couldn’t reach it fast enough.
“Hey.”
“Hey. Sorry, I missed the first train and grabbed a quick bite to eat. Damn kids were crowding all the restaurants so the wait was long.”
He could hear the bustle and rush of the station in the background as Kuroo spoke.
“It’s winter break. Not really surprising.”
“Yeah. Was just trying to hurry, you know. To…” he sounded almost out of breath, words to complete his sentence (that they both already knew) suspended in the distance between them:
To be with you. To make it to you.
“It’s fine. You’re tired. We have tomorrow.” Kenma reassured. Kuroo almost always came back to his dad’s house on school breaks, but they’d missed spending their birthdays and Christmas together this year. Last year, Kuroo came to every one of Nekoma’s volleyball matches and every practice he could make it to on the weekends. Which wasn’t as many as Kenma would have liked, but those practices kept him busier than he would have liked, anyway.
“Speaking of that…” Kuroo smiled, trying to lighten the mood as he walked across a street, bag slung over his shoulder. “I volunteered us for something tomorrow. It’s not all day, and I promise it’s nothing too strenuous, okay?!”
Kenma made a face and knew Kuroo could sense it through the phone. “Why? What is it.”
“Remember that café my dad’s friend runs? They’re having a cat adoption event and they need people, I told my dad we’d help out when he asked me. Just for an hour or two.”
“Like help with the cats? Or working at the café?” Kenma imagined cats walking on the tables and knocking over coffee cups. He imagined Kuroo holding the cats, cradling them in each arm, picking up a kitten… okay, that might be kind of cute to witness.
“I don’t know, he didn’t specify. Probably both.”
“You could have asked Kai, if he’s home. Or even Bokuto. Or anyone else…”
“No, I wanted to ask you!” Kuroo knew Kenma would be reluctant. “We have plans for tomorrow so this is just part of those now. Come on, It’ll be fun to do together.”
Kenma sighed. That charm. That smooth voice. Kuroo would do anything Kenma asked of him, but it was almost always true the other way around.
“Fine.”
Kenma wondered if Kuroo could tell how anxious he was to see him. Normally (or last year, at least) Kenma would have complained and Kuroo would have dropped it entirely. Kuroo never pushed Kenma to do something he wouldn’t be interested in, even as kids. Kuroo was too observant and too considerate. And Kenma was always grateful for those qualities in his best friend. His partner.
Maybe it was just because Kuroo missed him so much. Maybe that’s why he was pushing him to go to this cat café thing.
Regardless. Kenma wanted to be wherever Kuroo was tomorrow.
He laid in bed after they hung up, and stared at the ceiling. He wore his Nekoma volleyball club sweatpants, red fabric thin and comfortable. As comfortable as he could feel in this strange void of a transition into college life. Somehow, it felt like he was approaching the dawn of his future.
And Kuroo was still oblivious to his role in it.
When Kenma walked downstairs that morning, Kuroo was already at the front door.
“Surprised you’re ready to go.” He grinned, head tilted.
Kenma stared for a second when he first saw him. He looked a little tired, but only in his eyes. And only Kenma would notice it. That smile is what made Kenma glance down towards his shoes. He had to focus on getting ready, or he’d start blushing or something.
Dammit, Kuro. It’s only because you’ve been away for a while.
Kenma’s thoughts grumbled. He wanted to roll his eyes at himself.
“As am I.” Kenma’s mom commented with a laugh, walking to the kitchen with a wink. Kenma knew they’d been chatting. “Have fun at the cafe!”~
“Oh we will.” Kuroo reassured, eyeing Kenma now. “A hoodie? Do you think you’ll get hot in that inside, running orders?”
“I figured long sleeves were best. If I have to pick up any cats, at least.” Plus, he was cold.
“Smart thinking.” Kuroo had opted for a red t-shirt, under his black coat. “Guess if I get any feisty ones that scratch me, I’ll hand them over to you.”
Kenma’s face fell as he shut the door behind them, pulling his coat on. “You better not traumatize them.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m great with cats. And dogs. They all love me.”
“You haven’t had a cat since you first moved here.” Kuroo’s father had an older cat that had passed away just before Kuroo started high school. From what Kenma remembers, Kuroo loved that cat.
“I just have an understanding with animals. It’s a trust thing.” Kuroo shrugged, looking over at Kenma, then back ahead. “Sorry for not making it in time last night, by the way.”
“It’s okay.” Kenma melted into his scarf. “Just text me next time..”
“You know I always do when I can.” Hell, they texted throughout the day, everyday. In between every class. Called each other at night.
“I know.” Kenma blinked up at him as they approached the cafe. Kuroo’s dark eyes were serious for that moment, his darker hair in that same mess of a style.
The invisible understanding of what they were, what their relationship had evolved into, felt like it was gripping Kenma’s very being. They were always together when they could be, always in step and in harmony.
The bell above the door jingled as Kuroo led Kenma inside.
“Is this really necessary.”
Kuroo gave a smug “Hm?” in response. “Of course aprons are necessary. We’re serving drinks, there’s a high probability we could spill them with the cats around.”
Kenma sighed, tugging the apron string tighter at his waist, the white, fluffy cat-ear headband slipping forward. “Didn’t mean the apron.”
“The ears are gonna sell the whole thing, like Miss Kamiya said.” Kuroo held out a hair tie that the cafe owner also provided for Kenma. “Your hair’s gotten long. You ever gonna re-dye it?”
Kenma pulled his hair back into a low ponytail. “Not sure. It was annoying to do. Do you think I should?”
Kuroo looked him over. The brown reminded him of young Kenma. But the blond fit him so well, and it was now closer to the last quarter of his hair length. “I like it this way. And the longer length suits you.”
Kenma gave a small smile as a cat leaped onto an empty table. Miss Kamiya had told them all the names of the cats and a little about their personalities. This one was a white and orange Bobtail cat named Haru, who was curiously scoping out the incoming customers.
“Number two’s order is up.” A barista at the counter called. Kenma picked up a tray and placed the two coffees carefully on it, along with the receipt.
Customers ordered in the front at a computer and were given a table number. All Kuroo and Kenma had to do was bring the drinks to the corresponding table. And keep an eye on the cats, of course. Simple enough.
Kuroo had already scooped up Haru in his arms, lowering him to the cafe floor. “Your pals are all down here, Haru.” He smirked, adjusting his black cat ear headband. Haru immediately went to the middle of the room and happily rolled on his belly, showing off.
“Thank you.” The girls at table two said in unison, smiling from Kenma to a cat that was sleeping in a pink, plush cat bed nearby. “Oh my goodness, that one is too precious!”
“What breed is he?”
“Uh…” Kenma blanked.
“She’s a Calico.” Kuroo kneeled down and gently scratched the cat under the chin, when it extended its neck out in acceptance. “Momo is her name.”
Kenma watched the cat sleepily shut its eyes in bliss. Kuroo was really good with them. They all were so happy around him. Even the shy white kitten, Hime, was following him around underneath the chairs. At a distance, of course.
“A girl? My mom will want her immediately. We can take pictures, right?” She held up her phone.
“Of course.” Kuroo nodded and walked back to pick up an order.
Kenma followed, nearly tripping on a cat weaving and purring against his legs. He stepped over him carefully and set his tray to the side, kneeling to pet the loving black cat. Mesmerizing crystal blue eyes stared into Kenma’s golden ones. “What’s your name again?” Kenma pondered, as the fluffy cat begged for more attention with a quiet meow, as if replying with its name.
Truth is, Kenma had thought about asking his parents for a cat before. They were more pleasant company than dogs, and much lower maintenance. Something about them felt relatable. And not just because he’d been compared to them before, with cats being their high school mascot and all. They were quiet, observant, and admittedly adorable. A sweet companion and fellow introvert he would welcome to enjoy their solitude together.
He carefully lifted the cat, moving it out of the way, as he noticed Kuroo in a conversation with another table of customers. Kuroo held another cat, cradled against his bicep, guiding it to the carpeted cat tree near the window. It sprung to a platform, its long tail relaxed.
“They really open up more on their own terms. Mine was similar.” Kuroo reached into his apron pocket for one of the cat treats they were given, placing it down in front of the cat. It did look similar to the one his dad used to have. Kenma eavesdropped, multitasking as he took another order out.
“Are they energetic? Our last one used to dive off of the top of the fridge after midnight, almost every night.” The man joked.
“They can be. But during the day they just wanna soak up some rays in the sun.” Kuroo watched the cat finish crunching its treat. “A window or door with direct sunlight is perfect. Can’t do much about the late night zoomie marathons though! As long as you don’t have certain plants in the house, they’ll get to those no matter how high up. Even the compounds in aloe vera plants like saponins in the latex can make them sick, but they tend to not enjoy the taste anyway…”
... and there he goes with the nerdy science talk. Kenma wanted to shake his head, but seeing Kuroo like this with the cats, and his effective charm around people, was somehow warming his heart more than it ever had before.
“French vanilla cappuccino and iced chai for table five!” A barista called, snapping Kenma back to his job. Luckily, this was a small shop. He couldn’t complain about the amount of work, and it was kind of a fun environment..
“Want me to take this one?” Kuroo appeared with a smile.
“I can get it.” Kenma took the receipt first, setting it on his tray. His routine was to hold the receipt down with a drink afterwards, the cup acting as a paperweight, but as Kenma reached for the cappuccino, the receipt slipped to the floor and was promptly caught by that black cat from earlier. The cat ran right into Kenma’s leg, causing him to tumble forward. The tray fell from his palm with a thud.
Kenma held the cappuccino high, hoping it wouldn’t all spill, only to be caught mid-fall by Kuroo.
“Gotcha! You okay?” He had a firm hold on Kenma’s hip and under arm, eyes searching Kenma’s. “Goma came outta nowhere!”
Kenma calmed himself down, steadying, trying not to focus on Kuroo’s hands on his body. “Y-yea. But he has the receipt.”
Miss Kamiya and the baristas watched as Kenma set the drink down and both he and Kuroo dived after Goma. The cat was very pleased with this little chase, leading them along the side of the coffee bar, until Kuroo caught him and pulled him up.
“Okay okay, you’ve had your fun.” Kuroo laughed at the situation as Kenma gently retrieved the receipt from the cat’s mouth. At least it was intact.
Kenma sighed. Just when he thought this was going well, a cat almost makes him wipe out.
“Sorry, one of the cats actually got ahold of the receipt.” Kenma apologized when he brought the order to the couple at table five.
“Oh that’s fine!” They looked at the bitten paper, giggling, clearly understanding how mischievous felines can be.
Kenma found himself gravitating more and more to Kuroo’s side between orders as the last hour went on, just to hear him speak. Some girls were a bit flirty when they asked something like “Can I carry that little white one in my purse, if I adopted it?!”. Kuroo raised a brow and said they should look at getting a Chihuahua instead. The girl pouted as she continued to not-so-discreetly check out Kuroo.
Kenma shot her a hard stare when she left.
Soon, when more volunteers showed up, Kuroo and Kenma were relieved of their duties.
“Do you want a latte? They have some tea, too.” Kuroo asked Kenma as they took off their headbands.
“Maybe a small caramel latte.” Kenma had been serving them a lot and they smelled delicious.
“Really. Since when do you drink coffee?” Kuroo smiled. “Small caramel latte and a black coffee, please. Thank you, Miss Kamiya.”
The cafe owner repeated the order to the staff. “No no, thank YOU boys for coming to help on such short notice. And wait! Put those back on, I need a photo!”
Kenma wanted to protest. But Kuroo had already pushed the cat ears back onto Kenma’s head, cautiously handing the small kitten, Hime, to Kenma as he held a happy Haru himself. Hime looked around, but she wasn’t frightened, as Kuroo pulled Kenma in close, hand secure on his shoulder as he posed.
“This good?”
“Oh yes! Stay just like that.”
Kenma smiled down at Hime, with Kuroo grinning at their side, Haru purring. Hime slowly blinked up at Kenma, rubbing her head against his arm.
“She likes you.” Kuroo said, as Kamiya snapped the picture.
“Perfect!”
They walked back to Kuroo’s house, picking up some food on the way, sipping their coffees in paper to-go cups. Stores were closing and locking their doors for New Year’s, which was only about a week away.
“You still talk to Shrimpy? How’s Karasuno doing?”
Kenma knew Kuroo would ask about Hinata and how the high school volleyball teams were.
“Not since finals, really. I’m sure he’s busy. I don’t think he’s captain, though.”
“Lev says they’re on a whole other level this year. We gotta get out to the next training camp. If they’re invited or not.”
Of course Kuroo was still in contact with Lev and Inuoka.
“I’ll go to games. Not practices, though…”
“Oh come on. You loved it when I came to visit you guys last year!” Kuroo unlocked the door to the empty house, kicking his shoes off.
Kenma contemplated his next words. He set the plastic bag on the counter, casually taking out containers of food.
“You were just being a supportive boyfriend. I guess I expected it after the first few times.”
Kenma thought Kuroo was about to choke on his coffee. He knew Kuroo needed this to be defined, but Kenma didn’t. He’d known they were basically together for the past three years or so. They acted like it in almost every way that wasn’t physical. And there were times it had reached that territory, as well. Hand holding, reaching for each other, an arm around Kenma’s shoulder, like earlier at the cafe. There was even a private kiss that they never discussed, right after Kuroo’s graduation.
They didn’t need to say it for it to be true.
But Kuroo deserved to know how Kenma viewed their relationship. So it could fully bloom.
Kuroo stood dumbstruck for a few more moments. Kenma didn’t even look over at him.
“I.. I’m sorry, did you just say boyfriend?”
Kenma turned around to face this tall idiot and crossed his arms.
“I did. Am I wrong?”
“So you already considered… me as..”
“Yes?” Kenma went on. “Did you not-“
“No! I mean, yes! I did, but.. jeez, Kenma why are you saying it like this?” He looked up, hand falling over his face to conceal embarrassment.
“Well you didn’t say it. So one of us had to.”
“Say that you thought we’ve been dating? Since at least last year?” Kuroo steadied himself. “You didn’t even give me a chance to properly ask or anything.”
“We’ve been on what people would consider dates. We act like boyfriends. We’ve kissed.” He went on, finally mentioning it. “I thought it was kind of past that point of needing to ask.”
Kuroo felt like his heart could beat out of his chest. He was so utterly enamored with Kenma. He can’t remember a time when he wasn’t in love with him.
“I should have asked formally. I’ve wanted to.” Kuroo’s voice was lower and serious.
“That’s just because you’re corny.” Maybe ‘traditional’ was a better word for this instance. Kuroo was an old soul in the body of a 20-year-old, who ordered black coffee and told dad jokes. And damn was Kuroo corny sometimes, so this reaction was fitting.
Kenma picked at the plastic bag absentmindedly, stretching the handle with his nail.
“It’s because you deserve it.” Kuroo took a few steps closer, now making Kenma avoid eye contact, flustered.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to ask. If we both already know.”
Kuroo took Kenma’s hand. Kenma wondered how it was possible to feel so nervous yet so comfortable at once. The mix had his mind spinning in questions he’d never ask: Why did Kuroo have to make it romantic? And why was he happy about it?
“.. will you be my boyfriend, Kenma?”
Those words sounded nicer than he’d imagined. They sounded like home, and Kuroo’s hands felt like a promise.
“I already thought I was, so yes.”
Kuroo intertwined their fingers, giving a squeeze.
And when Kenma stood on his tiptoes to kiss his boyfriend’s dumb, smiling lips, it felt very, very long overdue.