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

Chapter 14

"Hey, I'm home," Kenma whispered, poking his head into their shared bedroom. Kuroo was laying on the bed, book in hand, reading glasses slightly skewed on his face.

He looked up when he heard Kenma, closing his book and putting it beside him. "Welcome back, how was work?"

Kenma was aware that Kuroo now lived his work life through Kenma; he'd handed in his resignation at the university a few months ago now, and spent the majority of his time in their apartment.

He was evidently getting weaker. He spent less time moving around, more lying down and attempting to control his breathing, or read books to take his mind off of other things. Looking at him now, Kenma noticed that his cheeks had sunken in slightly, his face more gaunt than Kenma could ever remember it.

"Work was okay. We're releasing a game in a couple of months, if everything goes to plan." Kenma approached Kuroo, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead, causing Kuroo to hum softly. "What did you do today?"

"Read, mostly. Watched Bo's match on T.V. Wondered when you'd be getting home."

Kenma tried not to dwell on the fact that Kuroo wasn't as talkative as he once was, his voice not as lively. It didn't bother him, he was learning to carry conversations as Kuroo had often done for him in the past.

"Sounds like a good day, did they win?" Kenma asked as he stepped into their walk-in wardrobe, taking off the suit he had to wear in the office and exchanging it for an old pair of sweats and one of Kuroo's t-shirts.

"Yeah, you should have seen Bo's spiking, it was insane." Even without seeing his face, Kenma could hear the longing in Kuroo's voice.

He missed volleyball, Kenma could tell by the way he looked at old photos from their Nekoma days, always got really into the matches they watched on television, and ultimately looked despondent after each one.

Kenma didn't know how to fix it.

Once he'd finished getting changed and taken his hair down, he walked back to the bed, flopping down at the foot of it. The exhaustion of life, it seemed, was finally catching up with him.

"Are you tired?" Kuroo asked from where he was seated, just out of arm's reach.

Kenma groaned in response, hoping it conveyed his message. "Work's a bitch."

"You're good at it, though. I'm proud of you." Kuroo's voice was so sincere and earnest that Kenma felt warmth blossom through his chest. "You can get through it."

"I know. It's just tiring in the meantime," Kenma mumbled into the mattress. Due to the endless eternity of meetings, Kenma hadn't nearly been able to spend as much time with Kuroo as he liked. He loathed leaving him in an empty apartment on his own for hours on end. "I'm thinking of selling the company."

He hadn't told anyone else that yet. It had been at the back of his mind for a while now, a possibility that would free up his schedule, not else to mention the significant lack of stress he'd be under. It seemed like a win.

Kuroo, on the other hand, did not think so. "You can't sell it! That's all your life's work since you were in university, it's gonna last a long time. Why would you throw it away now?"

Kenma hummed again. He wasn't prepared to tell Kuroo that he'd be essentially throwing it away for him; Kuroo didn't need that guilt.

"Don't sell it. Please?"

A chuckle rose out of Kenma's throat. "If you think I should keep it, then I'll keep it."

"It'll give you something to do when I'm... y'know. Gone." Kuroo's tone had shifted from honest to one where guilt was creeping in at the edges.

"Don't talk like that. You're still here," Kenma chided from where he was laying.

Kuroo huffed. "Sorry, sorry. Can you come cuddle now?"

Kenma rolled his eyes, but hoisted himself up to crawl to where Kuroo was resting, placing his head on his chest, and one hand over Kuroo's stomach, feeling the rise and fall of each passing breath. "I'd never say no to cuddling."

"Are you sure you're Kenma?" Kuroo teased. He was sure he was himself, he was just finding it exceptionally hard to say no to Kuroo about anything these days (not that he was asking for much at all). Plus, it gave Kenma the chance to be close to him, something he hadn't realised he'd been taking for granted all this time.

"I'm me, I promise," Kenma whispered before pressing a kiss to Kuroo's collarbone where it was peeking out from the t-shirt he had on.

Kuroo whined at the feather-light kiss. "You're so cute."

Kenma moved his head back to lay on Kuroo's chest. Kenma couldn't even remember feeling Kuroo's ribs dig into him as he lay on him before, a sure sign that he was indeed growing weaker, just as his doctor had told him he was. Kenma bit his bottom lip, and tried to calm himself down by listening to Kuroo's thumping heartbeat. As long as his heart was pumping blood, he hadn't lost him just yet.

"Hey Kenma?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know if I want you to see me get worse," Kuroo's voice was soft, the way it always was when broaching a serious topic.

Kenma propped his head up so he was facing Kuroo. "Why not?" Not that he was going to budge, he just wanted to understand Kuroo's thought process.

Kuroo's eyes averted, looking anywhere except into Kenma's own. "I don't know. I guess I don't want you to remember me like that. Plus it'll suck for you. Yeah."

Kenma raised an eyebrow. "What? You think I'm going to think of you any differently?"

"I guess."

"I'm not," Kenma said, voice firm. "I'm in love with you. Nothing on this planet could make me love you any less, or think of you as anybody except the dork I fell in love with in the first place."

"Kenma..."

"You want to know what I love about you?" Kenma asked, completely rhetorically. Kuroo couldn't get out of this one if he tried. Kenma didn't even wait for Kuroo's response before he began.

He placed a kiss on Kuroo's jawline. "I love this. It's very attractive, don't call me shallow."

A soft blush began to spread across Kuroo's face, influencing Kenma's next move. He pressed two quick kisses in succession, both on Kuroo's cheeks. "I love these. I love how they look when you smile. And also when you blush. Cute."

Kenma shifted down, placing a kiss over Kuroo's chest. "I love this. Don't look at me like that, I mean your heart. It's the kindest and purest heart on the planet, I think. Thank you for sharing it with me."

The blush on Kuroo's cheeks deepened to a dark crimson, something Kenma was proud that he was still able to draw out. Channelling his inner-Kuroo was working after all.

He grabbed one of Kuroo's hands next, kissing his fingertips. "I love your hands. They're big and warm and a nice shape, I guess."

Next he moved up again, pressing a kiss to Kuroo's forehead. "I love what's in this. You're so clever, always have been."

Gentle kisses against Kuroo's eyelids were next. "I love these a lot, your eyes have always been very honest. I've liked looking at them since we were kids, but I don't think I've had the courage to tell you that until now."

Finally, he captured Kuroo's lips in a kiss. "And these. Not only for kissing, but also every word you say, every joke and every little quip."

Kenma had to bite his tongue from finishing with an all encompassing 'I love you'. Hopefully, Kuroo had gotten the message.