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On the morning of November 17th, Kuroo wakes up at 7:00, showers quickly, gels his hair, brushes his teeth, dresses, eats breakfast, turns on the TV, and prepares for his first class at 9:35. He tries his best not to break routine because it’ll just end messily for him and for Kenma, who is unfortunate enough to be rooming with him.
When he goes to open his science textbook, Kenma sticks his head out of his room, shoots a weird look at Kuroo, and scurries into the kitchen. Kuroo blinks - Where’s my usual good morning? Rude. - but shrugs, flipping to the assigned chapter.
He works his way through decoding amino acids from DNA from memory (for practice, he tells himself, just in case I need to know the specific base codes for isoleucine in class), then makes a secret code based on mRNA codons for fun, and finally finishes the homework he should’ve finished last night. Kenma appears from the kitchen and shoots him another look - disappointed, this time - and ducks back into his own room. Kuroo can faintly hear him making a phone call, so he decides to do some math instead of eavesdrop. Which is all because he is an honorable man, and eavesdropping just because he’s curious is something totally below him.
Kuroo sets down the math textbook with a sigh, and focuses in on Kenma’s voice, through the wall.
“Yeah, he’s home right now… 9:35, but he... early… thank you… -to-san… see you.” He can hear the click of Kenma’s nails against his phone, ending the call. Hurriedly, Kuroo returns his gaze to his math textbook, though triangle theorems are far from the thoughts currently plaguing his mind.
A few seconds later, Kenma appeared at the door of his room, his yellow cat-like gaze snapping towards Kuroo immediately. “Kuroo… Are you busy today?”
He knows that look when he sees it. Kenma is after something.
“Mm,” Kuroo replies, pretending to be so so so interested in the Pythagorean Theorem, way too interested to reply, even though he’d learned the theorem way back, like five years ago or something.
Kenma frowns and narrows his eyes, looking like a displeased kitten. “Kuroo.”
“Nah, I only have my two classes with you then I’m done. What’s up? Changed your mind about that date with me?” Kuroo snickers, setting down the textbook and rising from his seat on the couch.
Kenma wrinkles his nose like Kuroo is some repulsive dead creature. “No. Did you forget what day it is today?”
“Yeah,” Kuroo says immediately, interest perked. So that’s why he’s been acting so weird. It’s some kind of special day. “What day is it today?”
The smaller male eyes him curiously, then replies with a small sigh of curious disappointment, “It’s November 17th. Bye, Kuroo. I have to go get something, see you in class,” a slam of the door and he’s gone.
“What?” Kuroo drags a hand through his hair, ruffling it more for that “naturally sexy” look that so suits him. “Just don’t get that kid sometimes,” he says to an empty house. Better get ready for class, the thought strikes, and Kuroo hurries to grab his books.
********
“I hate math,” Kuroo moans, feeling freer than ever after his last class of the day. Kenma spares him a single glance before returning to his phone. New High Score!, his screen declares.
“You messed me up,” Kenma says, but there isn’t the usual annoyance creeping into his tone. Kuroo frowns. Something is off.
When they pass by the student-run convenience store on the corner, Kenma doesn’t ask for a lollipop, or instant ramen, or anything. He merely peeks up from his phone, then turns his kitty eyes back to his phone and goes back to utterly destroying grown men on Call of Duty. Now Kuroo is certain that he’s forgotten something very, very important.
Kuroo hopes that when they arrive home, he’ll know why Kenma is acting so weird.
********
They arrive home in silence, and Kuroo immediately gets to work on his science paper. Five minutes pass, and there’s an insistent knocking at the door.
Kuroo stands up from his laptop and stretches, glad for the break. He looks out the peephole and drawls, “Who is it?”
“Tetsu! Open up!”
Kuroo actually gasps. “Bo!” The door is opened and there he is, in all his white-haired glory - Fukurodani’s buff volleyball star.
Holding a cake.
“Bo…?”
“Happy birthday, ya piece of trash! You’re old now!” Bokuto grins widely, and it all falls into place.
“It’s my birthday.” Kuroo blinks, confused, then realization dawns and he promptly smashes his face into his hands. “Holy cow, it’s my birthday. I totally forgot.”
Bokuto’s grin gets even wider, if possible. “Yeah! And you’re an idiot! Happy birthday!”
Kuroo groans. Then he feels a small hand tapping at his waist, and looks down to find Kenma, eyebrows quirked and a small smile on his face.
So this was what the phone call was for.
“Kenma,” Kuroo cries and the blond freezes, a look of immediate regret on his face as Kuroo hooks his arms under the smaller male’s and lifts him up like a parent would a child. Kenma continues to look mildly horrified as Kuroo squishes him into his chest in a bone-breaking hug. “Kozume Kenma,” he outright sobs, “I love you so much,” and Kenma ferociously refuses his offer of a kiss so Kuroo smooches his forehead instead.
“Get me down,” the smaller protests, and drives his toes in between Kuroo’s ribs until he complies. Grinning like an idiot (which he probably was, for forgetting his own birthday), Kuroo lets him down. Kenma looks up at him, then sighs. “Stop grinning like an idiot and say hi to your friends first,” the faux blond chastises, and Kuroo turns back to Bokuto, who has his arms crossed and a frown.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in, bro?” the white-haired ace whines childishly. Kuroo laughs, feeling light as a feather, and steps back to allow Bokuto and his entourage into the dorm.
He’s glad that they got a big combined dorm, with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a small living room, because the amount of people that poured into his dorm is just amazing. First comes Bokuto, who wraps him into a bone-crushing hug, smooches his cheeks messily, and hands him a sloppily wrapped present, beaming with pride. Kuroo smiles widely and places the black-and-white gift on the table next to him. Next is Akaashi, who reluctantly allows Kuroo to wrap his arms around him and squeeze. “Thanks for keeping Bokuto alive on the way here,” Kuroo whispers, and Akaashi lets out an amused and slightly tired chuckle. The setter places a small red box onto the table next to Bokuto’s present, and Kuroo’s grin cannot possibly stretch wider. Until a certain silver-haired middle blocker comes up to him and literally jumps him. Letting out a yelp, the birthday boy is crushed by roughly 176 pounds of Russo-Japanese and they topple onto the sofa, Lev yelling in his ear “Happy birthday, Kuroo-san!”
“Lev, that’s enough,” scolds Yaku from behind Lev and Kuroo has never been more happy to see the smaller man. Lev gives Kuroo (whose ears are bleeding) an over-enthusiastic grin and presses an envelope into his hands excitedly. “Kuroo-san, I hope you like my present!”
That’s enough sunshine for one day, Kuroo thinks as he accepts Yaku’s congratulatory kick in the behind and a small neatly wrapped gift. Then Hinata peeks his head in the door, yells, “Kenma! Scary Tall Guy! Happy birthday!” and suddenly Kuroo can’t see.
“Why,” Kuroo says, emphasizing the word as he turns to Kenma, “is the freaking sun in my dorm? We have Lev already, I’m blind and deaf and I can’t feel my legs after the Kremlin just collapsed on me.”
Kenma gives an unapologetic shrug and opens the door wider.
“Hey, Kuroo-san,” comes a lower voice from the door, following sheepishly after Hinata. “Sorry to crowd your dorm. We’ll drop off our gifts and leave.”
“Sawamura Daichi,” Kuroo gasps like a drowning man. “Yaku and I - and Akaashi-san, too - are the only sane ones in here and I cannot survive. Please stay.”
Daichi rolls his eyes as if saying, You? Sane? but doesn’t question it and enters after Hinata, who is attached so closely to Kenma it looks like they’re joined at the hip or something. “Here,” he says, handing Kuroo a box. “It’s from Karasuno. I have a date, so I’ll be leaving Hinata with you, sorry.” Kuroo snorts. At least Daichi has the decency to look sheepish about that, ditching him with the Actual Real-Life Sun over a date. “Happy birthday, Scheming Captain,” Daichi says, clapping Kuroo on the back, and they both grin at each other, looking forwards to the matches they’ll play in the future.
Kuroo sits his rear end down on the couch and greets the rest of his guests - Kai, Shibayama, Yamamoto, Fukunaga, Inuoka. The table is crowded with presents and Bokuto is already pulling out alcohol despite Akaashi’s insistent protests that ”We’re too young, Bokuto-san”.
“Spoilsport Akaashi,” Bokuto whines, but gently tucks the cans of beer into the fridge. “For later,” he tells Kuroo, and the captains share a grin full of promise.
The others have made themselves busy, either raiding the snacks Kenma had so thoughtfully put out or by plopping onto the couch with their phones, busy snapping photos. Yaku had dragged Lev out by the ear with a “Sorry, we still have a class in half an hour but this oversized stick forgot” look on his face and a birthday wish for Kuroo. Shibayama, Inuoka, and Fukunaga, apologizing profusely, say that they have something to do also and that they can’t stay longer. All three wish Kuroo the best, and he sends them off with a grin and a wave, promising leftover cake if they want to come back.
The only members of Nekoma left are Kai and Yamamoto, as well as the ever-present Kenma and himself. Kuroo allows himself to relax now that the “oversized stick” and his handler were gone, as well as the nervous first years. Kenma nestles himself to Kuroo’s right, Hinata chattering excitedly beside him, so his left side is empty save for a few candy wrappers that he tosses into the nearest trashcan. Kuroo lets himself fall into the plush couch and sighs deeply, glad that he is able to spend the day like this with his friends, the ones he cares most about. Kenma looks up at his exhale, a faintly worried look clouding his golden eyes, but Kuroo’s surprisingly calm smile reassures him and the faux blond turns back to his game.
“Tetsu!” Bokuto’s smug voice breaks into his thoughts, and Kuroo sits up straighter, displacing Kenma at his side. “You won’t believe who’s here.”
“Who?” Kuroo asks, interest piqued, sitting up as straight as he can and letting Kenma fall onto his back.
Bokuto grins and gestures towards the door with a mock bow. “Our favorite Mr. Saltishima has arrived!”
Kuroo’s jaw falls open.
Tsukishima Kei stands in the doorway, left hand gripping the delicate rope handles of a decorated paper bag, presumably Kuroo’s present. The knuckles of his right hand, gripping the door, are pretty much white with how hard he’s holding the edge of the white wood.
“Tsukki!” Kuroo cries, leaping off the couch.
“Sorry, wrong dorm,” Tsukishima immediately replies, casually easing the door shut, a slightly nervous smirk tugging at his lips.
“Nononono, you’re not escaping my birthday party,” the Nekoma captain says loudly, wrenching the door open and engulfing a startled Tsukishima in a hug.
He can almost see Kai and Akaashi raising eyebrows in synchronized amusement while Bokuto laughs to himself in the back as Tsukishima awkwardly returns the hug. “Only because it’s your birthday, otherwise you’d be dead,” the blond whispers into his ear.
“I guess it’s gotta be my birthday more often,” Kuroo snarks, and gets a jab to the stomach as a result.
He feels a hand prodding at his back and reluctantly lets go of Tsukishima, who makes some kind of “warding off evil” motion and heads to the back, to deposit his present with the others. Kuroo turns to yell at whoever’s poking at him and ruining his quality Tsukki time, and sees Kenma, wearing an unimpressed look.
“Cake,” the setter says, a singular word that sounds like a message from heaven.
“Cake,” Kuroo replies, and pretty much flies to the kitchen, yelling “Cake! Cake! Cake! Cake!” Kuroo’s pretty sure the neighboring students are going to murder him tomorrow, but he could possibly care less as Bokuto sits him down in a chair and everyone else surrounds him, Kenma bringing out the cake.
As the setter lights the candles, Kuroo lists off the people sitting next to him, one by one.
Bokuto, his best bro ever - Akaashi, the trustworthy, loyal Mom Friend™ - Kai, his ingenious vice-captain - Yamamoto, bursting with energy and always pumped up - Hinata, the Actual Sun™, full of joy and positivity - Tsukishima, salty but there for him - and Kenma, his ever-present best friend, always willing to take care of him.
When Kenma touches his shoulder and whispers, “Make a wish,” Kuroo closes his eyes and pictures the rest of his friends with them, the ones who had left early and the ones who didn’t come today.
I wish… that we can all be happy together.
It sounds less cliche than he thought it would be, and Kuroo opens his eyes again, smirk softened to a smile. “Thanks, guys,” he says, eyeing every person around him in turn, truly meaning it from the depths of his heart (even though he won’t admit it later). “Thanks for being here with me.”
Kuroo blows out his candles and feels like the luckiest person on earth.