[English] ~𝒟𝒶𝓇ℯ 𝓉ℴ 𝒟𝓇ℯ𝒶𝓂~ Kenma x OC

Chapter 13: Vanilla Cupcakes or Apple Pie?

[A/N]: Trigger Warning: At the end of this chapter you'll find a scene describing an accident with a corpse. Please only read it if you are capable of doing so mentally. The paragraph is written in cursive.

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I grabbed a few things and stuffed them into my backpack. Then I crept back down the stairs and left the house. Kenma waited patiently by the streetlight. He reached for my pillow. "Do you have everything?" I nodded. We walked down the street together. He lived just a few streets away. The fresh evening breeze worked wonders. The throbbing behind my temple became weaker and weaker. I sighed quietly. "Everything okay?", he asked. My expression relaxed. "I'm just glad I don't have to endure that stress this weekend." Kenma gave me an unreadable look. I tilted my head, but he avoided my gaze. So I didn't pursue it any further.

We arrived at the house where Kenma lived with his roommates. Curious, I took a peak at the small sign at the doorbell. I already knew most of the last names. I had already met Kuroo-san, Akaashi-san and Bokuto-san several times. I only didn't recognize the last name Sakusa. Kenma unlocked the front door. "Come in kitten." I calmly walked in and was immediately amazed by how homely it felt already. The hallway was wide and decorated with numerous pictures and several jackets hung in the corner. Kenma placed my pillow on the stairs leading to the upper floor of the house before signaling me to follow him. I carefully took my shoes off my feet, placed them with the multitude of other shoes and followed Kenma. The smell of freshly baked apple pie hung in the air. I swallowed.

"Hey", he said and placed his front door key on the large kitchen table. Four heads turned in our direction at once. Bokuto-san began to beam. "Izumi-chan, what are you doing here?" He put down his spoon and trotted towards me. I held up my hand. "It's best you don't come near me. I'm a little sick", I said. Better not give them the flu or anything. In the farthest corner of the kitchen, a young man with black hair flinched slightly. Akaashi-san also came towards me. "You should rest! What are you doing here?!" 

Kenma answered before I had to. "She's better off here than at home for now, aren't you, Izumi?" I nodded. Kuroo-san stared at me thoughtfully. Come to think of it, he had changed a lot since I first met him. His bright eyes were dull, his face was sunken. Just what had happened in his life?

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"This is Sakusa Kiyoomi, he plays at MSBY Black Jackal. Kiyoomi, this is Ito Izumi, Hikaru's little sister and... a good friend", Kenma introduced me. Sakusa-san stared at me. Goosebumps spread all over my body. Had I done something wrong? Kenma seemed to notice the awkward silence. "Kiyoomi feels uncomfortable when someone is sick. He doesn't particularly like bacteria." That's why he flinched so much! I suppressed a smile. He reminded me a little of my best friend Rose, who also couldn't resist cleaning every surface at least twice. I took a step back. "I'm sorry, Sakusa-san." He shrugged his shoulders. "As long as you don't come close to me." With that the topic was ticked off. Bokuto had returned to the stove. "We baked some apple pie. Would you like some?"

I hesitated. Apple pie always made me feel a little sedimentary. My father loved it, but he had no talent when it came to baking, so each time the cake came out either too salty or too dry. Sometimes even both. But the growling of my stomach won. Feelings or not, I had to eat something again. "If I can have a piece, that would be great." Akaashi smiled. "With pleasure." They took the tray out of the hot oven in just a few steps. Kenma opened one of the kitchen cupboards and took out plates and forks, then put them on the table. He also pushed me onto one of the chairs. One look was enough to have me glued to the seat. I made a mental note to never argue with him because he would probably always win based on the look alone. Bokuto-san then distributed the still warm cake on the plates before the rest also sat down at the table. "Bon appetit!" Kuroo-san was the first to raise his fork to his mouth. I followed his example. I carefully pushed the warm pastry into my mouth. A salty taste spread across my tongue. Kuroo-san started coughing loudly at the same moment. "Kotaro! Did you drop the salt shaker in the dough? Why didn't you say anything?", Akaashi-san scolded Bokuto-san, who just grinned.

I had other worries however. A violent sob was trying to leave my body. I pressed my lips together, but it was too late. Crocodile-sized tears rolled down my cheeks and I began to sob violently. It suddenly became quiet at the table, then it became hectic. "Oh my God, are you okay?" Bokuto-san handed me tissues while Akaashi-san jumped up to rub my back comfortingly. Kenma took my hand. "What's wrong, kitten?" Sakusa-san laughed. "Kitten?" It was total chaos. "T-the c-cake...", my voice was high and squeaky from crying. "I-it tastes just like... l-like my father's..." I immediately started crying again. How embarrassing. 

Kuroo-san also looked over to me worried. "Kenma, it's best if you bring her up to your room now. She desperately needs sleep." He was right. The exhaustion caused my emotions to go completely haywire. "S-sorry." The boys just shook their heads. "It's okay, Izumi-chan. Don't worry. Get some sleep for now." Akaashi-san handed me a water bottle, which I gratefully accepted. Then Kenma pushed me out of the kitchen.

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Kenma's room was huge. In addition to the large streaming set-up, there was a large bed, a small sofa with a coffee table and a huge wardrobe. But the room still seemed very comfortable. Kenma threw my pillow onto his bed. "The bathroom is next door, kitten. You should get ready for bed. You can sleep in my bed tonight." He carefully brushed the tears from the corners of my eyes. I nodded, defeated. The whole situation in the kitchen made me extremely uncomfortable and my stomach was still grumbling. Kenma laughed quietly. "I think there are some vanilla cupcake leftovers from yesterday. I'll get you some." With that he disappeared. I grabbed a t-shirt and some shorts before disappearing into the bathroom to change. When I returned, there was a plate with a huge cupcake on the small nightstand. "Enjoy it." Kenma sat at his desk and smiled warmly at me. I quickly tackled the sweet pastrie.

After brushing my teeth, I crawled into Kenma's bed. It smelled like him. I immediately missed being close to him. "Kenma?" I heard some rustling. Shortly afterwards the mattress lowered. "What's up kitten?" I reached for his hand. "Can you stay with me? I need you... your closeness..." I felt him put an arm around me and pull me closer to him. "You don't need to ask, Izumi. If you need me, I'm here." I buried my nose in his chest. "Did you know you smell like vanilla?" His hand stroked my head. "Do you like it? The smell?" I nodded. "It suits you." He cocked his head curiously. "In what way?" I thoughtfully sorted the words in my head. "I don't really know myself, it just fits." Kenma laughed. "You should sleep." He gently stroked my back until I sank into my dreams.

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I kept seeing the burned out car in front of me. His body, which had been covered by a shroud. Only one hand was visible, but it was jet black. My father was burned alive. Nobody had helped him. There were things scattered all over the street. A picture of Dad and me when I was younger, a small keychain, a bouquet of my favorite flowers that were half burned aswell. There was blood on them... I screamed. Screamed for my dad, hoping he was still alive. Tears streamed down my face. He was dead. He wouldn't be coming back. The one person I could completely rely on no longer existed...

"Please wake up kitten." Kenma's voice made me jump. My pillow was soaked with the tears I had cried. My whole body was shaking. "Shhhh. I'm here." Kenma pulled me into his arms. My breathing became calmer. It wasn't the first time I'd had this nightmare. I wiped my wet eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Kenma just shook his head. "It's all good. Believe me, the first few weeks after my mother died, I felt the same way. I had these nightmares for weeks." His voice had a healing effect on me. Unconsciously, I snuggled closer to him. I wanted to feel his presence. His heart was beating loudly in his chest. "It gets better, kitten. I promise." I believed him.

Suddenly he flinched, barely noticeable. I looked up at him. "What's up?" He cursed. "Shit, I forgot to turn off the stream because I was panicking. More than 5,000 people just listened to us." I stared in the direction of his PC. Luckily we could hardly be seen from here because the light was too dark. However, you could definitively see our outlines. Now it was me who was cursing under my breath. Kenma jumped up, but it was too late. In just a few hours everyone on social media would know about this...