"𝐓𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇"

❝🌸❞・𝟹

It was strange for Kuroo to be out late on a Friday.

Usually, he would come home from the university he was doing his PhD at, and demand that Kenma get changed so they could go on a date. It was endearing, even if Kenma grumbled about it on their way there.

Kenma glanced down at his phone. 7:03 P.M. He should have been back by now.

He looked outside the window, greeting a gray sky and the sound of droplets hitting the tin roof of the car park across the street like the rhythm of hundreds of tiny drummers. Hopefully Kuroo had the sense to pack an umbrella with him, lest he get wet and catch a cold. Kenma had always hated it when Kuroo was sick, even when it was just a cold. There was something unsettling about the strongest person in his life being weakened by something like a cold.

He considered ringing him, at least to put his own mind at ease, but was well-aware that sometimes Kuroo's meetings with his 'rude and unsavoury' advisor ran over time, and Kenma didn't want to interrupt that.

So he'd just wait. Kenma loaded Animal Crossing on his Switch, and curled up on their lounge. Surely, trying to reorganise his town would take his mind off of it.

Kenma wasn't sure how long he had been debating the placement of one of his villager's houses when he heard the familiar rattle of keys in the lock, followed by the twisting of the knob.

"Sorry I'm late," Kuroo said as he toed off his shoes by the door. "Got caught up with something."

Kenma hummed in response, eyes flickering over to Kuroo before back down at his screen. He wasn't wet, and he didn't look to be in a bad mood. So why had he been late? "Did you want to go out tonight?"

"Wait, are you telling me you were looking forward to date night? Who are you and what have you done with the love of my life?" He could hear the stupid grin in Kuroo's voice without having to look up at him.

Kenma wasn't looking forward to date night. He was just looking forward to getting to spend time with Kuroo, for once. They'd both been so busy lately, with Kenma dedicating most days to Bouncing Ball Corp and streaming, and Kuroo getting his PhD while teaching undergraduate chemistry classes. He knew they both counted on Friday nights to finally catch up properly, and were able to put aside all their other worries just for a night.

"Where were you?"

Kuroo lifted Kenma's legs and joined Kenma on the sofa, before pulling his legs back into his lap. "I'm glad you asked! You see, I was making my way home from the uni when I saw something in a shop window and thought 'I have to own that', so I stopped to grab it, which consequently made me miss my first train, and then the second train."

Kenma's eyebrows furrowed. "What was it?" He couldn't think of an item that would so instantly pique Kuroo's interest.

"I think it should be a surprise," Kuroo added, rubbing gentle circles into one of Kenma's legs with his thumb. "You'll like it."

Kenma narrowed his eyes at Kuroo in response. "Cryptic doesn't suit you."

"You want to know right now?" Kuroo asked, receiving a nod from Kenma in response. With this, Kuroo nudged Kenma's legs off his lap again and stood up. "Come to the bedroom in like 15 minutes. I need time to prepare." This phrase accompanied by a wink from Kuroo earned a shocked expression from Kenma.

"Kuro?" He didn't respond, only picking up his backpack and walking to the bedroom, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at Kenma one final time before shutting the door.

Thus began the longest 15 minutes of Kenma's life.

Kenma felt as though he was glancing at the clock every 30 seconds, but no time was passing. If what Kuroo was planning sounded like what he was insinuating... it wasn't like Kuroo at all. Kenma, however, couldn't think of an alternative. There wasn't a television in the bedroom, so it couldn't have been a movie or a game, but what else was there?