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Kuroo was wandering through the house, feeling the weight of another long day behind him. The week had been a whirlwind of interviews and appearances, all while the rumours of his "relationship" with Kenma continued to circulate. He had tried to stay low-key, but it seemed like the tabloids had a mind of their own.

As he passed the living room, he caught sight of his younger brother, Hanzo, sprawled out on the couch with a controller in hand, fully engrossed in a game. The screen displayed a live stream of Kodzuken, playing one of the latest releases.

"Hey, Hanzo," Kuroo called, leaning against the doorframe. "You're watching Kodzuken again?"

Hanzo glanced back, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Of course! He's amazing! Did you know he has a whole series on this game? I can't believe you're dating him!"

Kuroo raised an eyebrow, a mix of amusement and unease flooding him. He had told Hanzo about his relationship with Kenma, but only in passing, trying to avoid making it a big deal—especially since he'd spun it as "just for show." "It's not like that," Kuroo said, trying to keep his voice light. "It's more of a PR thing."

His brother's smile faltered for a moment, but then he shrugged, returning his focus to the screen. "Whatever you say, but I still think it's cool."

Kuroo lingered for a moment longer before Hanzo turned off the TV, clearly shifting gears to play one of his own games. With a faint sigh, Kuroo wandered back to his room, feeling a strange pang of nostalgia. It had been a while since he had actually talked to Kenma outside of their initial chaotic interactions. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through Twitch to find Kenma

As he navigated to Kenma's channel, Kuroo noticed the chat was buzzing with excitement. He typed a quick message, careful to keep it casual: "Hey, who's this Kodzuken guy?"

Immediately, Kenma looked up from his game, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What?" he muttered, glancing at the chat. He took a second to process the name attached to the comment. "Kuroo? Is that you?" he replied, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Kuroo couldn't help but grin. "Nah, I don't know who that is. This guy thinks he can compete with me?"

Kenma rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face. "Right, as if you could ever be as good as Kodzuken." He played along, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

The chat exploded with comments as viewers began to realize what was happening. "OMG, Kuroo's here!" "No way! Is this real?" "This is epic!"

Kuroo feigned hurt in the chat. "Ouch! My feelings are so hurt right now, Kodzuken. How could you say that?"

Kenma laughed, shaking his head as he continued to play. "I'm just speaking the truth! Besides, you're an actor, not a gamer. Stay in your lane."

"Hey! I can totally game!" Kuroo typed back, chuckling at how easy this was. "Maybe I'll come on your stream one day and show you how it's done."

"Please, I'd like to see you try," Kenma shot back, his tone teasing. "You'd probably rage-quit after one round."

The viewers in the chat were going wild, flooding the comments with heart emojis and playful banter as Kuroo and Kenma played off each other.

As the stream went on, Kuroo felt more relaxed, after a long week of work this felt nice to have this freedom. He continued to watch Kenma navigate the controller, admiring how focused he looked while he played.

Eventually, the stream wrapped up, and Kenma leaned back in his chair, with a yawn. He turned back to the chat. "Thanks for watching, everyone! And thanks to Kuroo for dropping in. I'll see you all next time!"

As the stream ended, Kuroo's phone buzzed loudly, startling him out of his thoughts. He glanced down to see Kenma's name lighting up the screen. With a grin, he swiped to answer.

"This was a surprise," Kenma's voice came through, a hint of amusement tinged with disbelief.

"I hope you enjoyed my presence because your viewers sure did," Kuroo chuckled, leaning back in his chair

Kenma let out a sigh that was almost a laugh. "Yeah, right. You just sat there and occasionally made dumb jokes."

Kuroo feigned offence. "Dumb jokes? I'll have you know my humour is top-tier! Besides, I brought the charm."

"Charm?" Kenma echoed skeptically. "I wouldn't go that far."

"Oh, come on! You can't tell me I didn't steal the show." Kuroo said, "I could totally steal your viewers any day of the week."

"Please," Kenma scoffed. "You think you could pull in the same audience? I don't think so."

Kuroo's grin widened. "Challenge accepted! I can definitely do better than you."

Kenma's tone turned slightly incredulous. "You really think you can outdo me? In your wildest dreams, maybe."

Kuroo leaned back, crossing his arms smugly. "Oh, I know I can. Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"

"Fine. Come over to mine, and we'll see who's better," Kenma shot back, a competitive spark igniting in his voice.

To Kenma's surprise, Kuroo didn't hesitate. "Alright, I'll be there in thirty."

"Wait, really?" Kenma sounded momentarily flustered. "You're actually coming over?"

"Why not? It'll be fun. Plus, I want to prove that I can totally beat you in your own game."

Kenma paused. "Okay, but you better be ready to lose."

Kuroo laughed, the sound infectious. "Bring it on, Kodzuken. I'm ready for a challenge."

As they hung up, Kenma's heart raced, but then a sudden wave of realization hit him. What did I just do? He had invited Kuroo Tetsurou into his home. A home that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years.

Panic coursed through him as he glanced around his messy room. Empty snack wrappers lay scattered on the floor, and clothes were draped haphazardly over his gaming chair. The faint smell of instant ramen lingered in the air. He has to clean up.

1010 Words

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