[English] ~𝒟𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝒟𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂~ Kenma x OC

Chapter 8: A friend in the darknes

I enter my room in a panic. The cupboard doors were flung wide open and its contents were emptied. Random items were scattered across the floor. Pictures of Dad and me laid on the floor. My laptop was open. Luckily I had locked all my technical devices with passwords so nobody would have access to them. But the biggest shock was yet to come. In one corner next to my bed I discovered broken pieces. A bad presentiment crept into my head. Oh no...

I carefully picked up the pieces. Tears escaped from the corners of my eyes. That was my last memory of him, the last gift he gave me. A crystal that he himself had brought with him from Europe. In my favorite colors. Now only small pieces of it were left. Anger settled in the pit of my stomach. What were they thinking, going through my room and destroying my things?! I threw open my bedroom door. "ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!?" A door opened downstairs and a short time later I heard her coming up the stairs.

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"It's my right! After all, I pay all the bills in this house. Be grateful!" My mother stood in front of me, her face bright red with anger. But I wasn't interested. "THESE ARE MY THINGS, MY PRIVACY! YOU CAN'T JUST WALK IN AND GO THROUGH MY ROOM LIKE THAT!" My voice cracked. 

Suddenly she slapped me in the face. I froze. "You live in my house, under my rules. I've always turned a blind eye the last few times, but now that's over. And as for your hair, Miss, I'll look past it again today. But if you get into trouble again, if you do, then be prepared for harsh punishment. From now on you won't go out with friends anymore. They'll have a bad influence on you." With these words she closed my bedroom door and I heard a key turning in the lock. She had me locked up?! I shook the door handle in a panic, but nothing moved. That's it. It was over.

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The next few days were very similar to each other. I woke up in the morning, my mother unlocked my door, I went to school, then to training, came home again and was locked right back in. When Lev or Maru-Chan wrote, I just said I had to study. The only one who knew was Kenma, surprisingly. Kuroo must have told him, after all he spent a lot of time with my sister.

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Kenma: Sup. 

Me: What do you want?

 Kenma: Do you want to play a game? Heard you were grounded.

Me: Are you making fun of me right now?

First the three small dots appeared, signaling me that he was answering my message, but they disappeared again after a while. I put the phone aside. Two minutes later my ringtone alerted me that someone was calling. I picked up without checking the number."I don't like chatting." Kenma. Fuck. It's a good thing he couldn't see me, because heat rose to my cheeks. I didn't expect him to call me. "Izumi?" I swallowed. "I'm here, sorry. Didn't expect you to call." I heard a soft chuckle on the other side of the phone. Calmness immediately spread through me. Funny how much of an influence he had on me. "I'm not making fun of you, by the way. I just wanted to ask if you would like to play a game with me. Kuroo said that you are pretty much alone." He really was a weird guy. Wanting to comfort and spend time together with someone he barely knew? Somehow it made him even more attractive. Oh Kenma, if you only knew the chaos of emotions you triggered in me... I would never admit it openly though. "Okay, let's play a round", I finally answered.

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This time we played together, not against each other. Kenma told me about his everyday life at university. He studied something related to computers and development. I enjoyed hearing his voice. We stopped gaming at around ten and logged out, but none of us dared to end the call. 

"How are you doing?" This was the first time tonight that he asked something that wasn't game related. I tilted my head and adjusted my headset. "No idea." He was silent for a couple of seconds. Then he cleared his throat. "Can I suggest something crazy?" I looked at my smartphone, curious what he was about to say. "OK?", I said after thinking for about five seconds. I heard a jacket rustle on the other side of the call. "Do you feel like taking a walk?"

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I looked out of the window. It was pitch black outside. Every movement made me jump in anticipation. It took what felt like an eternity for Kenma to arrive at the driveway. In his hand he held a rope ladder. I had to grin. "Hi." His voice left goosebumps on my body. I waved. "Can you catch?" He didn't wait for my answer and threw the ladder in my direction. It landed in my hands perfectly. I carefully attached it to my window, then climbed down. Kenma waited patiently. I jumped down the last meter.

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The park was lit by moonlight alone. The pleasant cool breeze brushed a strand of hair away from my face. I sucked in the air. Kenma smiled. "It feels good, doesn't it?" I nodded. You only learn to value freedom when it's taken away from you. "I didn't think your mother would be like that. When I was with you the other day, she acted completely different." A sad smile crossed his face. You could see that he missed his mother. I looked at the sky and whispered: "My father always described my mother as a correct woman who was kind. But I'm starting to wonder if he was telling the truth." A star began to twinkle brightly. Tears rolled down my cheeks. "If Dad was still alive, everything would be a lot easier. If only I hadn't insisted that he watch me at the championships..." Guilt flooded my body and I began to shake. My senses began to blur together.

Suddenly I felt someone take my hand. Cautious, shy, but determined. My panic attack subsided. Kenma's eyes were on me as if he was trying to read my thoughts. "Are you okay?" Was I wrong or did I see concern in his eyes. "Why are you helping me? You barely know me." All my thoughts suddenly rushed out of me like that. Everything... I just couldn't stop. Kenma simply listened. He didn't interrupt me once. He just squeezed my hand reassuringly every now and then. After I said everything that came to mind, I took a deep breath. His face was expressionless, but a glimmer in his eyes told me he was working on an answer.

"I'm helping you because I didn't receive this help back then. Because I know how difficult it is to get out of this dark hole."

His answer was like sweet honey, melting my broken heart and putting it together peace by peace. He pulled me into a firm, but comfortable hug and my mind finally came to peace after these dreadful days.