|| KUROKEN ONESHOTS ||

5 + 1

Kenma's sick and Tetsurou's sick of it.

He's been walking to school all by himself for a whole week now and it sucks. It already sucked enough at the beginning of the school year, because no matter how hard his father tried to convince him otherwise, middle-school was scary, and Testurou was not very brave. It already sucked enough because Kenma was younger and there was no way at all he could suddenly become Tetsurou's age. It sucked because it was Tetsurou's favourite thing when they did the same things and pretended they were alike – he liked the thought of being like Kenma.

So it already sucked enough. But their schools were close to each other, which meant they could walk together in the mornings. Or at least they could before Kenma decided to get the flu.

Tetsurou is mad at Kenma for being so selfish, and mad at his father for not letting him visit Kenma because he might catch the flu too, and mad at himself for being mad at Kenma.

There's a phone in the living room. Tetsurou goes to take it, puts the receiver against his ear, and dials the Kozume family phone number. If he knows it by heart it's thanks to all the times he's called Kenma during this week alone.

"Hello," says Kozume Ryuuto's voice from the other end. "Hanshiro, is that you?"

"It's Tetsurou. Hi."

Ryuuto laughs his all-knowing Dad Laugh. Tetsurou thinks it's a little bit scary but he also finds himself quite often practicing a scary laugh of his own. It might come in handy. "Hello, Tetsu. Is everything alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Tetsurou replies. "Can I speak to Kenma?"

Ryuuto gives Kenma the phone.

"Kuro," Kenma says, and then he coughs loudly. Tetsurou flinches and keeps the receiver away from his ear until he's done. "I'm dying."

No, you're not, Tetsurou thinks, and then immediately gets worried that maybe he is dying and everyone is just trying to hide it from him. "But Dad said it was only the common flu?"

"No," Kenma replies. "I'm dying of boredom."

This is a very pleasant revelation. Until then, Tetsurou had assumed that he was the only one affected by the distance, and that Kenma didn't care whether they hung out or not: even if he didn't see Tetsurou, he had his games, and his laptop, and his parents distracting him.

This changes things. So maybe it is better when Tetsurou is around, even if Kenma doesn't say, doesn't show.

Well, Tetsurou knows how to play the game, too.

"I know," he says. "But what else can we do. My dad won't let me come over."

Kenma is silent for a few seconds, and then says, "Sneak out."

Oh. Tetsurou had expected something different. He had expected Kenma to talk to him a bit longer on the phone, to maybe make up some game they could play while distant. He shouldn't have assumed: he knows that there's no way Kenma would like speaking for as long as Tetsurou would want.

It's so annoying that they can be so different at times.

Tetsurou grits his teeth. "Fine."

He tries to sneak out, he really does. But it's the middle of the day, and Hanshiro's home and Tetsurou is only eleven years old. He thinks that maybe if he moves while his father's back is turned away he can get away with it. But Hanshiro turns around again, because he's an alive person that can move, and tells Tetsurou, "What are you doing?"

Tetsurou sighs. Maybe next time, then.

—

"I fucking hate them," Kenma growls, kicking
one of his desk's feet.