Alone with You | A Kuroken Vampire Fanfic

Sempiternelle

The sky is a hazy mosaic of pinks and purples before Kuroo wins his first game. He jumps from his armchair and points at Kenma. "Oho ho ho! I told you I'd win⁠—and all on my own."

Elated, he bounds around the room. Kenma smiles down at the chessboard, at the perfectly set up checkmate.

Hearing the commotion, Samuel cracks the door open and sticks his head into the room. He narrows his eyes at Kuroo, who's still celebrating his victory.

"May I have a word?" His tone has changed, he's much more collected now than he was at dinner.

Kenma nods and crosses to the door. He's become the mediator between two warring states. Carrying the white flag from front to front, negotiating with the players.

He slips through the crack in the door after an apprehensive glance over his shoulder.

Kuroo settles back down into his chair, the win feeling more and more bittersweet the less he has Kenma there to celebrate with. He leans his head back and closes his eyes, shutting out the world.

The tomb. His tomb. It beckons him.

As the darkness settles into the sky outside, he pictures it. The beautiful castle, nestled into the pines atop a sheer rock formation.

The high walls provided the perfect perch to drink wine and view the sunset from. On the days free of clouds, he could sit and watch the sky for hours. The valley floor sloped downwards, carrying the lush green forest to the horizon. And when the wind blew, wafting the scent of pine and fresh mountain air right to his nose, he would close his eyes and pretend he was flying above it all. But by far, the view of the hazy orange to pink to purple as the sun fell into the horizon was his favorite.

There was one point on the horizon, where if he caught it at the right moment⁠—for it would only last a few seconds⁠—the sun would obscure that line between sky and earth. The ground would cut away, leaving him and the sun, and he would stretch out his arms to capture some of that light.

In his last moments at Bran Castle, he captured some of that light in his palm. He clasped it tight to his chest, keeping his eye on the horizon. For those few seconds, he felt... eternal.

It's almost poetic how things unfolded after that.

~

Kuroo finishes buttoning his shirt then pulls on his coat. He heads out the bedroom door but is stopped by Kenma, who's waiting just outside it.

He keeps his eyes downcast. "Take a different route home in case those men are still lingering around."

"Are you concerned I won't be able to hold my own against them again?" Kuroo quips. He pats his coat pockets, ensuring his belongings have been returned to their rightful places. Satisfied, he rocks back on his heels, chin up. "The only shame would be that you're not there to witness it."

Kenma tsks as he leads the way down to the foyer. Margaret produces Kuroo's piece of pie, he takes it with a half-smile spread across his face.

Samuel opens the door. "It was nice of you to stop by," he says. Kuroo laughs through his nose, amused by the butler's methods. He fits perfectly into this household.

He's the first and last line of defense between the outside world and Kenma⁠⁠—painfully shy Kenma. Even now, the head of the house has his eyes on the ground.

Kuroo steps up to him, half-smile growing into a grin. He waits for Kenma's gaze to meet his, then winks. "Don't miss me too much."

Kenma trains his eyes on Kuroo's shoes, a deep blush settling across his pale cheeks. Whatever response he's trying to make dies in his throat as Kuroo turns on his heel and heads out the door. Samuel shuts it and runs the lock home behind him.