Offline Connection (Kenma x Reader)

Chapter 8

Kenma was sitting in his room, hunched over with his game console in hand, as usual. His fingers moved across the controls like second nature, but... something was off. He kept losing. Not because he was bad at the game-far from it-but because his mind was somewhere else.

"Game Over," the console droned again.

Kenma sighed in frustration and turned the console off, tossing it to the side as he flopped backward onto his bed. He stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts spinning uncontrollably. Why can't I concentrate? It didn't take long for his thoughts to land on the one person who'd been living rent-free in his head for days now: Y/N.

The moment he thought of her, his face heated up again. Why am I blushing?! He covered his face with his hands, trying to will away the warmth creeping up his cheeks, but it only got worse the more he thought about her. Sitting up, Kenma stumbled over to the mirror, his eyes widening as he saw his own reflection-his face was a bright red.

His heart raced, and he instinctively clutched his chest. Why is my heart doing this? He looked down at his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh no..." he muttered, the realization finally hitting him like a ton of bricks.

I... like Y/N.

Kenma's eyes widened in horror. "No, no, no," he whispered to himself, starting to pace the room. His hands frantically ruffled through his already messy hair. This can't be happening. Not me! He rummaged through his thoughts, trying to rationalize it, but nothing made sense.

"Kenma, honey, are you okay in there?" His mother's voice floated through the door.

"Yeah! I'm fine!" Kenma called back, sounding far less fine than he wanted to. He groaned softly, staring at his blushing reflection again. I have to do something. I can't deal with this alone.

Without another thought, he grabbed his jacket and bolted out of his room, heading straight to Kuroo's house next door. Kuroo had been his best friend and neighbor for years, and while Kenma usually avoided sharing feelings, this was... an emergency.

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At Kuroo's house, Kenma sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor, trying not to make eye contact.

"So," Kuroo started, already smirking, "you finally gonna tell me why you showed up here looking like you saw a ghost?"

Kenma groaned, burying his face in his hands. "I think I... like Y/N."

Kuroo's smirk turned into a full-blown grin. "You think? Dude, your face is as red as a tomato right now. It's a miracle you didn't realize it sooner."

Kenma shot him a glare, his blush deepening. "I didn't ask for your commentary."

"Hey, hey, don't shoot the messenger!" Kuroo leaned back on the couch, clearly enjoying this way too much. "So, what's the plan? Gonna confess your undying love for her? Maybe bring her flowers? Write her a love letter?"

Kenma groaned louder, sinking deeper into the couch. "I don't know! That's why I'm here. Why does it have to be so complicated?"

Kuroo chuckled, patting Kenma on the back. "Relax, man. It's only complicated because you're overthinking it. It's just feelings-everyone has them."

Kenma shot him a look. "Not everyone bursts into flames whenever they see someone."

Kuroo's grin widened. "Kenma, that's called liking someone. Welcome to the club."

Just as Kenma was about to defend himself, Kuroo had an even worse idea. He whipped out his phone and opened the group chat with the volleyball team.

"Wait... what are you doing?" Kenma asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Kuroo's grin turned devilish. "Oh, nothing... just updating the boys on this hilarious development."

"Kuroo, no!" Kenma lunged for the phone, but Kuroo held it high above his head, his tall stature making it impossible for Kenma to reach.

"Oh, this is too good," Kuroo cackled, typing rapidly with one hand while keeping the phone out of Kenma's reach. "Kenma. Has. A. Crush. On. Y/N. Send!"

"Kuroo!!" Kenma jumped, desperately trying to snatch the phone, but Kuroo kept dodging with ease, laughing hysterically. The group chat exploded with notifications-Lev, Yamamoto, and the others all chiming in.

Lev: "NO WAY. KENMA?!" Yamamoto: "HAHAHAHA!" Yaku: "Finally, I thought he'd be a console hermit forever."

Kenma groaned, giving up the fight and sinking back onto the couch, arms crossed over his chest. "I hate you."

"Nah, you love me," Kuroo said, ruffling Kenma's hair, his phone still buzzing with team comments.

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Meanwhile, across town in her room, Y/N was going through a very similar crisis. She was sitting on her bed, staring at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks glowing red. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest, and no matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking about Kenma.

"Oh no..." she muttered to herself, clutching her pillow tightly. "I... I like Kenma."

She flopped back onto her bed, letting out a squeal of embarrassment into her pillow. The realization had hit her like a freight train. All this time, she'd thought she was just being friendly, but now it was clear as day. Every time she was around him, her heart would race, and seeing him blush recently had only made her feelings stronger.

Her mother, hearing the squeal, knocked on the door. "Y/N? Are you okay?"

Y/N quickly sat up, flustered. "Uh... yeah, just... thinking."

Her mother opened the door, her eyebrow raised. "You sure? That sounded like the kind of squeal that only comes from... boy troubles."

Y/N groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Mooom!"

Her mom chuckled, walking in and sitting on the bed beside her. "Come on, you can tell me. Who's the lucky boy?"

Y/N hesitated before blurting out, "It's Kenma."

Her mom's eyes widened in surprise. "Kenma? The quiet boy with the games?"

Y/N nodded, blushing even harder. "Yeah... I just realized I like him."

Her mom smiled warmly, patting Y/N on the shoulder. "Well, that's adorable. Does he know?"

Y/N shook her head rapidly. "No, no, no! And he can't know! I don't even know what to do about it."

Her mom chuckled softly. "Just be yourself. If he likes you back, it'll happen naturally."

Y/N sighed, flopping back onto her bed again. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

Her mom smiled knowingly. "Because love always feels complicated at first. But trust me, it gets easier."

Y/N couldn't help but blush even more at the word "love." Oh no... what am I going to do now?

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Back at Kuroo's house, Kenma had finally managed to wrestle the phone out of Kuroo's hand, but not before the damage was done. The entire team knew, and they weren't going to let him live it down anytime soon.

As Kenma stared at the relentless flood of messages, he groaned again. "Why did I even come here?"

"Because you love me," Kuroo repeated with a wink.

Kenma glared at him. "No. I'm never coming over here again."

But despite all the teasing, Kenma's thoughts kept drifting back to Y/N. What am I going to do now?