"𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀" - 𝗞𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗻

"Page 15"

🛸Song recommendation:
I met you at the station - Addict., Rewind

At the end of the week Kuroo couldn't take it anymore.
Kenma had been avoiding him the past days and today they hadn't even seen each other.

Kuroo didn't know why. As far as he knew, he had done nothing wrong.
And he was worried about Kenma.
Before their breakup, Kenma had acted distant too.

Back then it had been because of his illness.
Was the cancer back?

Kuroo prayed it was not.
Still, he knew something was wrong.
And since Kenma always seemed to escape before his boyfriend could ask him about it, he would need to follow him until there was a chance to talk.

So on that day he quietly walked after Kenma, as the latter went home from school.
To Kuroo's surprise though, Kenma went in another direction.

At the train station the younger one took the train into town, Kuroo standing behind a few people, trying to figure out where he was going.

When he stepped out of the train he immediately knew.

There, right in front of him, behind their cherry tree, laid the hospital.

Kenma crossed the street towards it, staring at the floor.

Kuroo could feel his heart drop, a familiar iron hand squeezing his heart until it threathened to explode under the pressure.

So Kenma was indeed sick again.

He sped up his pace, until he was only a few steps behind Kenma.

"Kenma!", he wanted to yell, but it sounded more like a whisper.

"Kuroo?", his boyfriend asked with a shocked expression, turning around.
Hands in his pockets and his hair a bit out of place - Kenma looked so cute, it broke Kuroo's heart all over again.

"Is it true?", Kuroo asked quietly.

"What?" Kenma's expression changed to uncertain, which also made the insecureness in Kuroo's chest tighten.

"Are you sick again?"

No one spoke for a while. Kenma just stared at him with a blank face and Kuroo's body felt like it would crumble more and more with every second.

If Kenma was sick again, it would destroy him. Twice.
Once, because he loved him.
And a second time, because Kenma had kept it a secret from him again.

Kuroo didn't know if he could do it all over again.

"What? Why?", Kenma just asked. His body language revealed nothing now and after a couple seconds he just turned around again and sat down, leaning against the trunk of the tree.

Kuroo remained speechless, just staring for a while.
"You're literally right outside a hospital. And you had cancer. You never have time for me anymore. And you ask why?"

Kenma's expression softened a bit, but he still was unreadable.
"Were you worried about me?"

"Of course I'm worried about you, Kenma!"

Kuroo let his backpack slide from his shoulders to the ground and sat down next to it. His head felt too full, too overwhelmed again.

"You don't have to be."

"You're sick! Of course I'm worried! Why didn't you tell me the cancer was back again. We could have...done something."

What exactly, Kuroo didn't know. Everything inside him felt numb, his vains pulsing. He didn't even have the energy to be sad or angry at Kenma.

"Kuroo. I'm not sick.", Kenma whispered.

"What?" Kuroo looked up in surprise, blinking hard. The last minutes had convinced him so much, he had been sure what Kenma would tell him.

"I'm fine. Really, there is no cancer. I even had a check up this week. There's nothing. I'm healed, I'm healthy. There's no reason to worry."

Kuroo closed his eyes, letting his head drop onto his knees.
The darkness seemed comforting, if there weren't his thoughts and questions lurking in the shadows.

"Why then?"

"Why I'm here? This is our tree, Kuroo. I often come here."

"No, I mean why you hate me."

"You're my boyfriend, I don't hate you, idiot." Kenma tried to sound reassuring, but it didn't really reach Kuroo's ears.

"Then why have you been avoiding me the last weeks? What was so important you couldn't spend time with me?"

"Nothing." There it was again, the uncertainess in Kenma's voice.

"Nothing?" Kuroo still didn't look up, but he couldn't hide the sharp tone. "Right, you just don't like to hang out with me."

"You know that's not true."

"I don't know anything anymore."
Kuroo took a deep breath, squinting his eyes, as he could protect himself from Kenma's answer to the following questions.

"I don't get you, Kenma. I understand your past choices. We talked about it. And we were good for a while. And now? What happened? What could be so important that you avoid me and lie to me about what you're doing?
You promised, Kenma, you promised to talk to me."

Kuroo gasped for air, finally shifting his gaze to the other boy.
A small figure under a blooming cherry tree, a beautiful, idyllic picture.

"I'm sorry, Kuroo.", he said faintly.

"I thought you loved me.", Kuroo answered, his voice fading out.

There was silence again and the only thing Kuroo could hear was the loud throbbing in his head. It turned into a beating pain, when Kenma spoke again.

"I lied."