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kuroo was sitting at his desk in his apartment, finishing up his english homework, when he heard a sharp knock at the door.
oh god, here we go i guess...
he stood up and closed his notebook then left his room to go answer it.
he reached for the doorknob and took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for whatever might happen, kenma's hurtful words still ringing through his mind.
"i never asked to be friends with you in the first place!"
kuroo opened the door and there he was.
the smaller boy stood in the doorway, fiddling with his fingers as he stared down at the floor in front of him.
"hi kuroo..."
"come in kenma," kuroo said flatly, turning away as kenma followed him inside.
"can we sit?" kenma asked, his tone nervous and hesitant.
"sure. you know where to go," kuroo answered, gesturing towards the small couch in the living room.
the two of them sat down on opposite ends of the couch, not once looking each other in the eye since kenma arrived.
there was an awkward silence between them for a moment before kuroo spoke.
"look, can we just get this over with? if you're not going to talk, please stop wasting my time. i have to work tonight and i still need to finish some homework," kuroo stated, impatient.
"i-i just don't know where to start..." kenma mumbled.
"alright, then you can leave if you're not going to say any-" kuroo started, getting up from the sofa.
"kuroo, wait! please..." kenma interrupted.
kuroo stopped and sat back down on his side of the couch.
"well?"
"i'm sorry."
"sorry for what? for calling me desperate? for saying you never asked to be friends with me in the first place? for making me believe you cared about me, friends or not, when clearly you don't?" kuroo ranted, his volume increasing slightly.
"all of it! i'm sorry for all of it!" kenma exclaimed suddenly. "i didn't mean what i said and i'm sorry. i wasn't thinking and i wish i could take it all back," he admitted.
"well, no shit you weren't thinking. all you ever think about is video games anyway," kuroo scoffed.
"please don't make this any harder for me than it is already," kenma practically begged.
"make what harder? you knew i liked you all along and yet you never said jackshit. if you came here to apologize and reject me, just get it over with...please. i can't take it anymore," kuroo sighed, his voice breaking.
"no, that's not it at all."
"then what is it kenma?"
"i...i talked to yaku and he told me to think about my feelings. you know i suck at talking about that shit and i'm sorry it took me awhile to come over here and apologize...but i-i..." kenma stuttered, pulling at his fingers and scratching his knuckles.
"wait a second, yaku? why yaku? you know i had a crush on him back in like first year, right? why would you go to him about me?" kuroo questioned.
"he's good at this stuff, i dunno. but please, listen kuroo. i thought about it a lot...about you...and how i feel. it didn't click for awhile, but then i remembered the day you told me you liked him."
"okay, and what about it?"
"well...when you told me you liked yaku...that was the night i decided to bleach my hair."
"and?"
"for someone who's in college prep classes, you sure are slow."
"seriously? you're taking jabs at me right now?"
"i'm sorry! i can't help it, okay? but...i bleached my hair because...well, i realized that it was because i wanted you to notice me...not yaku-san," kenma stared down at his twitching hands.
"so what? i'm sorry, i still have no idea what you're-" kuroo, wide-eyed, was interrupted to find kenma's lips pressed against his own.
the smaller male had climbed across the small couch and was now hovering over kuroo, his hand resting on the third year's broad shoulders as he kissed him.
it was sloppy at first, but kuroo gradually reciprocated, cupping the setter's cheek, before finally pulling away.
"i'm trying to say that i like you, tetsurō..." kenma finally confessed, sitting back down next to kuroo.
"i-i thought you...? i'm confused," kuroo exhaled, his face slightly flushed.
"i'm sorry it took me so long to figure out...that's why i went to yaku. he helped me sort out my feelings. i don't know why i've always acted like i have with you in the past...i guess i just never knew how to express what i really felt and it was just easier to ignore everyone, including you..." kenma explained.
"oh...that makes sense."
"and when i remembered bleaching my hair that day, i thought 'why the hell would i do that for his attention?' and that's when it finally clicked. so yeah...i like you."
kuroo was dumbfounded.
he never expected to hear this much of an explanation from the setter, let alone a genuine apology in the first place. he really thought that all he would get was a half-assed "sorry" and they'd just slowly go back to being friends again.
never in his wildest dreams did he think that kenma would say this much or even like him back.
"so...what now?" kenma spoke up, interrupting kuroo's train of thought.
"well...i'm working at the café tonight, so you can come hang out there if you like? i can try to help you with your homework during my breaks too," kuroo suggested with a shrug.
"okay. i'd like that. what about your homework though?" kenma asked, tilting his head towards at the taller male.
"nothing i can't finish during lunch tomorrow," kuroo assured him with a light chuckle.
"for someone with perfect marks, you sure procrastinate a lot," kenma replied bluntly.
"geez! calling me out on everything now, huh?"
kenma only giggled slightly in response, smiling up at the dark haired teen.
a warm feeling bubbled up in both of their chests, replacing the previous tangled turmoil that had occupied their entire beings just moments before.
kuroo smiled back, his heart full and his mind relieved, as kenma gazed up at him.
