'till death do us part＜꒱ ‧₊˚ ⋅
the so-called-rivalry between a flirty boy and a cynical girl gets messy when they start falling for each other, but it becomes a disaster when her psycho ex suddenly wants her back. frenemies to lovers, but enter a...
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— francis forever, mitski.
kenma knows kuroo well. very well. it's only a given considering how long they've been friends for. kenma knows the scrawny rooster head almost as well as he knows the back of his hand — which is also very well.
point is, when you've known someone for long enough, you realise when they're not okay. even if it's the smallest things, twirling a ring between his thumb and index finger or how he anxiously keeps tapping his foot on the floor; soles of his worn out converse hitting the pavement with a 'thud' sound.
kenma tries to ignore it, to focus on his phone instead as he completes his daily commissions. the boys are sat on a bench, waiting outside the gym to meet the rest of nekoma and go out for south asian food together. lev always insists, even though he can never stomach the spice.
it's exactly two minutes later that kuroo stands up and starts pacing back and forth, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. kenma notices the ring is still being twirled between the tips of his fingers, but says nothing. he focuses on his game instead, simping over a bunch of pixels, and debating whether or not to buy more primogems.
it's four minutes later when his resolve crumbles. kenma looks up, feeling irritated at his best friend's irritating pacing. "kuro, is there something on your mind? 'cause you can just tell me, you know?" kenma lowers his phone, pausing his game to provide kuroo with his undivided attention.
kuroo pauses pacing and fidgeting. he lowers his hands to his side and slides the ring back onto his finger, "i'm just stressed. big match tomorrow, needing to deal with a sick lev tonight, and... yeah." he trails off, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. "it'll be great to just get this over with and go home, you feel me?"
kenma nods, he doesn't really mind being away from nekoma and his family, because he has his games. and that alone provides the boy with some sense of familiarity and comfort in a new and foreign place. the blonde decides to offer his friend some advice.
"i guess i know what you're saying. i mean, i have my games so i don't really mind, but you know what they say." kenma shrugs, resuming his game and having decided this is enough conversation for one day. "home is where the heart is."
"home is where the heart is." kuroo repeats. he realises kenma's part of the conversation is over. the boy turns on his heels, reaching into his pockets to pull out his own phone and scrolling through his many contacts until he finds the one name with a '💗' next to it; "but my heart, she's not with me right now."
"shit."
your fingers curl against the edge of the sink. it is cold, and it is wet, as you have just thoroughly washed your hands with soft pink bubbly soap. a part of you feels this is excessive, an over the top reaction to events out of your control — the bigger part is upset, confused, and feels disgusting.
the mirror is dirty, as all school mirrors are. but you can still make out your reflection staring right back at you, regardless of the stains, and the fact that you don't like what you see on the other side. she is you, but she is just a reflection, never having to hold the burdens or weights that you do, just a copy — with nothing (or nobody) holding her down, she is a blank, clean slate.
you, are not. you are tainted by the blood of a bird and smeared with pretend crimson kisses. I — you have convinced yourself of this, turned an insecurity into a fact in that self sabotaging mind of yours — AM DIRTY.
it's a notification from your phone, that buzzing feeling against your uniform, that pulls you out of your self loathing rabbit hole, and back into reality. you avoid looking at the mirror again, afraid to lose yourself in it again, and move to the side of the bathroom to check your phone.
upon seeing it's a text from kuroo, your heart feels less heavy, and with trembling hands, you unlock your phone to hopefully catch a quick conversation with the boy in his rare moments of freedom. as captain, he's usually busy, so you intend to make the most of this opportunity and catch up with him on how his trip has been.
tetsurou | 2:01 PM yo y/n !!!! whachya up ta
y/n | 2:01 PM horrible spelling 💀 but i'm at school right now moron where else would i be LMFAO
tetsurou | 2:02 PM ??? ur on ur phone in class HOW pay attention bae we can always talk later, put ur education before boys!!!
y/n | 2:02 PM i'm not in class LOL don't worry! i was in the bathroom having an existential crisis so 🤪🤪🦄🌈👍🏽
kuroo is typing . . .
a minute passes by, three dots dancing across your screen and illuminating the otherwise dimly lit bathroom.
the three dots disappear, and you can't help but anxiously rub your neck, "what's taking him so long?"
seen at 2:02 PM
you frown, and just as you're about to type out a whole paragraph ranting to the boy about the audacity he has to leave you on read — your screen lights up, and the ringtone you set for kuroo specifically (francis forever) begins to blare, echoing off the empty bathroom walls.
kenma, again, knows kuroo pretty well. some people, at first glance, think he's a massive idiot, just because he plays sport. but that's actually not the case. kenma knows his friend, and he knows that kuroo is really booksmart. you don't even need to be close to him to know that — one glance at his chemistry report card tells you that.
but when it comes to emotional intelligence? kenma isn't so sure.
it's not that kuroo is dumb, just that he's... a little less aware than he should be. he's not dense, it's the opposite if anything — one glance into his golden eyes and the boy thinks you're absolutely obsessed with him.
it's just that kuroo trusts the people he loves, more than he should. even in volleyball, the boy will place all his trust in his teammates, completely putting his faith in them so they can win together. but sometimes, that trust is detrimental.
take this conversation kuroo is having over the phone as an example. "have you been eating well?" because of his eavesdropping skills, kenma can infer his friend is talking to you, with the way his face lights up, and how he laughs into the back of his hands every five seconds. "you're kidding!! i can't believe i missed that, y/n."
the boy lowers his screen, frowning at kuroo's actions. affection both disgusts and intrigues him. kenma can hear kuroo ask you a question, a crooked grin plastered on his face; "so how are ya? you doing alright without me?" he taunts you, unconsciously messing with the collar of his shirt.
ew, kenma frowns. teenagers.
someone like y/n isn't going to open up straight away, and kuroo should know that. obviously, he shouldn't interfere or force you to talk about things she might not want to. but even kenma knows from playing all his otome games and reading all those ao3 fics, that you're supposed to let the person you love know you're going to be there for them, and that they can talk to you about anything, anytime. you need to be their safe space, and show them you care.
but kenma's face falls when kuroo eats up whatever response you gave him and moves on to talking about how nice the weather is here. kenma can guess you told him you were doing fine, and honestly, the boy isn't even surprised anymore. kenma rolls his eyes, gives kuroo one last disapproving asian mother look, and turns back to his game.
"you're lucky you have a nice face," kenma mumbles. "always the dense motherfuckers, i swear."
