The Galaxy is Endless (I thought we were, too)

Chapter 7

It was strange for Kuroo to be out late on a Friday.

Usually, he would come home from the university he was doing his PhD at, and demand that Kenma get changed so they could go on a date. It was endearing, even if Kenma grumbled about it on their way there.

Kenma glanced down at his phone. 7:03 P.M. He should have been back by now.

He looked outside the window, greeting a gray sky and the sound of droplets hitting the tin roof of the car park across the street like the rhythm of hundreds of tiny drummers. Hopefully Kuroo had the sense to pack an umbrella with him, lest he get wet and catch a cold. Kenma had always hated it when Kuroo was sick, even when it was just a cold. There was something unsettling about the strongest person in his life being weakened by something like a cold.

He considered ringing him, at least to put his own mind at ease, but was well-aware that sometimes Kuroo's meetings with his 'rude and unsavoury' advisor ran over time, and Kenma didn't want to interrupt that.

So he'd just wait. Kenma loaded Animal Crossing on his Switch, and curled up on their lounge. Surely, trying to reorganise his town would take his mind off of it.

Kenma wasn't sure how long he had been debating the placement of one of his villager's houses when he heard the familiar rattle of keys in the lock, followed by the twisting of the knob.

"Sorry I'm late," Kuroo said as he toed off his shoes by the door. "Got caught up with something."

Kenma hummed in response, eyes flickering over to Kuroo before back down at his screen. He wasn't wet, and he didn't look to be in a bad mood. So why had he been late? "Did you want to go out tonight?"

"Wait, are you telling me you were looking forward to date night? Who are you and what have you done with the love of my life?" He could hear the stupid grin in Kuroo's voice without having to look up at him.

Kenma wasn't looking forward to date night. He was just looking forward to getting to spend time with Kuroo, for once. They'd both been so busy lately, with Kenma dedicating most days to Bouncing Ball Corp and streaming, and Kuroo getting his PhD while teaching undergraduate chemistry classes. He knew they both counted on Friday nights to finally catch up properly, and were able to put aside all their other worries just for a night.

"Where were you?"

Kuroo lifted Kenma's legs and joined Kenma on the sofa, before pulling his legs back into his lap. "I'm glad you asked! You see, I was making my way home from the uni when I saw something in a shop window and thought 'I have to own that', so I stopped to grab it, which consequently made me miss my first train, and then the second train."

Kenma's eyebrows furrowed. "What was it?" He couldn't think of an item that would so instantly pique Kuroo's interest.

"I think it should be a surprise," Kuroo added, rubbing gentle circles into one of Kenma's legs with his thumb. "You'll like it."

Kenma narrowed his eyes at Kuroo in response. "Cryptic doesn't suit you."

"You want to know right now?" Kuroo asked, receiving a nod from Kenma in response. With this, Kuroo nudged Kenma's legs off his lap again and stood up. "Come to the bedroom in like 15 minutes. I need time to prepare." This phrase accompanied by a wink from Kuroo earned a shocked expression from Kenma.

"Kuro?" He didn't respond, only picking up his backpack and walking to the bedroom, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Kenma one final time before shutting the door.

Thus began the longest 15 minutes of Kenma's life.

Kenma felt as though he was glancing at the clock every 30 seconds, but no time was passing. If what Kuroo was planning sounded like what he was insinuating... it wasn't like Kuroo at all. Kenma, however, couldn't think of an alternative. There wasn't a television in the bedroom, so it couldn't have been a movie or a game, but what else was there?

Kuroo once again had Kenma completely stumped. And Kenma certainly didn't like not knowing things; especially when it was him involved.

The second that 15 minutes was up, Kenma sprung to his feet and wasted no time making his way to the bedroom. He took one deep breath before twisting the knob, but it didn't help. Nothing could have prepared him for the sight inside their bedroom.

It was as though Kenma had just walked into a different universe. The room was dimly lit, but everywhere Kenma looked, there were bright stars decorating. Twinkling fairy lights were hung from the bedhead, stretching around all four walls to bathe the room in a soft purple glow. But even more spectacular than that was the projection of an entire galaxy on every surface of the room, stars littering the ceiling and walls in the shape of constellations that Kenma could remember learning about as a child.

Kenma's lips were slightly parted as he took in the sight of a room that was unrecognisable as their own. "Kuro." That was all Kenma could say, knowing words would fail him in conveying how much this meant to him.

Kuroo was seated cross legged on the bed, smiling up at Kenma as though he was the universe that he'd created. A small dome-shape projector was laid onto the bed in front of him, creating the illusion of their room being shrouded in stars. There was such a gentleness to his expression that Kenma wondered if he was the only one that'd ever seen it. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful," Kenma whispered, eyes still scanning the room in childlike wonder.

Kuroo opened his arms in gesture for Kenma to come and join him on the bed, to which Kenma happily obliged. Once Kenma was seated next to him, Kuroo wrapped his arms around him, and pulled him closer, so Kenma's back was against his chest. Kenma leaned back into the warm touch. "Thank you, for this."

Kuroo pressed a chaste kiss to Kenma's shoulder. "Kenma, you deserve the universe, and this was the only way I could think of giving it to you." Kenma's face instantly warmed into a crimson blush at Kuroo's words. Every day Kuroo found ways to prove he was a never-ending stream of sappiness, and Kenma wouldn't have it any other way.

Kenma shifted an arm so he could slip his hand into one of Kuroo's, and gave it a soft squeeze, hoping that conveyed to Kuroo all the things that Kenma couldn't fathom putting into words. This means everything to me. I want to give you the universe, too.

I love you.

"The weather ruined my plan to take you actual stargazing, unfortunately," Kuroo mumbled against Kenma's shoulder.

"I like this more. We can go real stargazing another day."

Kuroo hummed in affirmation before lying down on the bed, and pulling Kenma down with him, arms still securely wrapped around his middle. They were both staring at the stars on their ceiling, watching them softly twinkle.

"Do you remember when we used to sneak onto your roof as kids?" Kuroo asked, voice soft.

Kenma did. They'd done it so many times growing up that their parents stopped scolding them as they got older. They'd spent countless nights on Kenma's roof (always Kenma's. It was flat, and therefore not nearly as dangerous as Kuroo's would have been.) Kuroo had always talked about the stars; the chemistry behind how they formed, his favourite constellations, and every dorky thing in between.

Kenma had loved every moment of it, but he'd never admit it. Kuroo knew it anyway.

He couldn't help but be proud of how far they'd come since then, both growing more than they thought they were capable of. Kenma turned his head to press a soft kiss to Kuroo's jaw, followed by another, and then another, and then infinitely more; one for each star dancing around their room.

In the confines of their four-walls, Kuroo and Kenma were both perfectly content to stay in their own little universe, created just for the two of them.