one wild cat [Kuroo Tetsurou x OC]

X. Summer Rumble

[Friday, August 10th 2012 ]
[01.20 p.m.]
[Kuroo's residence]
[Tokyo, Japan]

Ding dong.

The doorbell rang in the Kuroo household. They were still on summer holidays, and Kuroo was just about to go to Kenma's house to chill.

"Yes?" Kuroo opened the front door of his house. There stood his expressionless volleyball club manager, with an expensive looking box on her hands.
"Nishikawa? It's rare that you go to my house out of your own free will."
"Actually, you're wrong. I was told to go here. Here. A gift," Kimi answered, still flat faced, and handed the box over to Kuroo.
"You sure know how to break hearts," Kuroo said, "What is this?"
"Melon," Kimi said. Kuroo observed the fancy looking box that turned out to be an actual expensive melon.

"Why are you suddenly giving me this?"
"It's a thank you from Ken-nii. He heard about the training camp story, so he made me buy you a melon. Thank you for your help the other day, and sorry for the trouble I've caused," Kimi bowed.
"You know you didn't have to right? I'm your friend anyway, it's only normal," Kuroo scratched his head. Kimi stayed quiet.
"Ken-nii kinda threatened me to do it, so it's yours now. He said he would've thanked you personally, but he could only come down later in winter."
"Oh I see. Well, thank you then. And thank him for me. Wanna eat it together?"
"No thanks, I'm leaving now, please excuse me," Kimi bowed. This somehow took him back.
How long ago was it since Nishikawa Kimi was this formal to him? She only keep this formality after she does something wrong. Well, he guessed that anyone would feel guilty about the incident in the training camp. Not that it was what he wanted, but he doesn't really know what to do when Kimi starts her D.I.Y. wall-building project like this.

"Nishikawa," Kuroo called out her name. Consciously or not, it didn't really matter anymore.
"Yes?" she turned around.
"If you like bearded dragon so much, I'll be a bearded dragon."

Wait what? Of course it mattered whether or not he said things consciously. Kuroo cursed himself as soon as the words came out of his mouth. What was he even trying to say?

"Are you high?" Kimi looked at Kuroo with a doubtful look, but it quickly turned into a small chuckle that she tried to cover.
"Couldn't you have phrased that a little more nicely?" Kuroo's was now looking at his kouhai with a pout.
"Have you, sir, been consuming illegal substances during day time, that might have rendered yourself intoxicated, and as a result, negatively impacted your figure of speech?"
Kuroo couldn't help but to pull her cheeks with both hands. Kimi's smart mouth always have something to mock him with. Not sure if he finds that annoying, or attractive.
"It's hot today, you should stay indoors. Kaito too, slurs when it gets too hot. See you around, Zmey number two," she grinned cheekily when he was done, and walked away.

[Friday, August 10th 2012 ]
[01.43 p.m.]
[Kodzume's Residence - Kenma's Room]
[Tokyo, Japan]

"Kenmaaaa," Kuroo slammed the door of Kenma's room open. For a second, he thought Kenma had dyed his hair back to its original colour.
"I did say see you, but I didn't think it was going to be a good twenty minutes later," the black haired 'Kenma' spoke.
"Oh? Why are you in Kenma's room?"
"To play games," she said, not turning around, her character jumping around on the screen.
"And where's the owner of the house?"
"Mum sent Kenma for an errand."
"Oh, will he be long?"
"No idea," she said shortly, still focusing on her game.
"Why didn't you tell me you were here?"
"Do I have to?"
"I mean, you shouldn't be going into a guy's bedroom so easily."
"You're telling me this after you told me to sleep in your bedroom?" Kimi retorted, but her character died and she lost. Kimi sighed.
"I come here pretty often. Mum is nice," Kimi put down her stick and turned at Kuroo.
"What is senpai doing here?"
"I don't know, just bored so I thought I'd come around. I'm still surprised Kenma would let a girl in his room."
"I came to play once, but Kenma said mum became a little too nice at him afterwards. She thought I'm his girlfriend or something. So we just went along with it. It saves him the trouble from not having a lot of female friends. Mum is happy. Kenma seemed happy too that his mum stopped nagging him. I can play new games. Everyone happy."
"You guys really are two of the same kind."
"Kenma and I are so alike. Even our silhouettes and height are similar too. We're like a pair of more accurately-printed identical twins."
"Please don't say that when you have a real life identical twin, you'll make Kaito cry."
"You're right, Kaito would probably cry," Kimi thought for a second and smiled, amused.
Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door before it swung open.
"Kimi-chan, oh, Tetsurou, you're here too."
"Mum," Kimi acknowledged the lady on the door, who is no other than Kenma's mum.
"I'm going out for a bit, and Kenma's got his set of keys, so be sure to lock the house if you guys are going out, okay? Tetsurou, you brought your keys?"
"Yeah."
"I'll leave it to you then. Bye!"
"Bye, mum," Kimi and Kuroo said at the same time.
As soon as the door slams closed, Kuroo turned to Kimi.
"Don't call her mum like she's your own," Kuroo pinched Kimi's cheek again.
"Huh? But senpai also calls her mum. She also told me to call her that."
"It's gonna cause a lot of misunderstanding outside this house, you know. You're a girl so just be careful, don't get yourself into trouble."
"Okay," Kimi fiddled her finger on the stick once more.
"Come to think about it, senpai, can I ask you a question?"
"Sup?" Kuroo said as he settled himself down on the floor, opening the manga he left in Kenma's house.
"Can I ask about your mum? If you're uncomfortable just ignore me," Kimi was still not turning to look at him.
"It's fine, it's not a landmine or anything. My parents are divorced, so mum lives on the other side of Tokyo with my sis."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Kimi finally turned to Kuroo. The latter smiled.
"Don't worry about it. We still meet sometimes. Rather, you finally care enough about others to ask questions? I'm surprised."
"I guess it comes naturally. You asked me a lot of questions the other day, and I know nothing about you. You'd want to know your friends more somehow, one way or another."
Kuroo smiled even wider, "Did you just say friends?" he teased.
"Neighbours. Sorry. That was still too good. Acquaintances."
"Instead of Shinzen, consider moving to Datekou. Your impenetrable defence reminds me of their iron walls."
"But anyway that was a joke. If you moved anywhere at all I'd be sad," Kuroo said.
"Really?"
"Mmhmm. Really."
"Even when I'm no longer the manager?" Kimi said. That's right, her contract as the experimental manager will be over soon.
"Even when you're no longer the manager," Kuroo confirmed.
"You're a friend, Nishikawa. Not a co-worker."
"Then, I won't move," Kuroo looked up to his kouhai, who had a faint smile blooming on her face.
"Really?" Kuroo asked, he couldn't focus on his manga any longer.
"Mmhmm. Really," Kimi said, mimicking Kuroo earlier.
"Well even though I said all that, you should do things because you want it, not because people tell you to."
"Well you're a smart kid, so I'm sure you have your best interest at heart. Whatever your decision is, I'll support it. Just don't disappear without a word, okay?"
"Aye. Care for a game?" Kimi asked Kuroo.
"Sure," he said as he took a stick.
"You have any other plans today?" they started a game where they play against each other.
"Ice cream," Kimi answered, trying to concentrate because Kuroo was winning.
"Loser buys ice cream," Kuroo grinned.
"After I give you melon? That's not fair," Kimi said, still flat-faced.
"So you admit you're losing?" Kuroo provoked her. Kimi sighed and clicked on the buttons on her stick more rigorously.
"Wanna go to practice together tomorrow? We can meet in front of the vending machine."
"No thanks."
"Nishikawa, you..."
"I have remedial lessons so I have to go early."
"What subject?"
"Japanese. And Biology."
"You and your supplementary lessons...Wait, Biology, really?"
"I fell asleep during test. Aaaand I win. Ice cream's on you, senpai," Kimi's character shot Kuroo's down as he groaned.