|| KUROKEN ONESHOTS ||

If I

Kenma is 10 years old when he gains unlimited access to the Internet. Kozume Ryuuto is incredibly proud of his son's ability for technology and when Kenma, on the tenth Christmas morning of his whole life, unwraps his last present, he finds a shiny, new, personal laptop.

He spends the rest of the day downloading game after game after game. He also finds out about tons of servers that kids just like him use to find other people to play with.

Kenma wouldn't exactly describe himself as a sociable person. He doesn't like to say hi, he doesn't like to say please, he has no interest in thank you and would you mind and have a great day.

Kenma also really likes games. More than that, he likes challenges. More than that, he likes winning.

He doesn't want to make friends - he wants to absolutely crush these guys.

So he joins server after server after server.

That's probably the first meaningful decision he makes in his life.

His parents might think that the new laptop has fried Kenma's brain. Maybe it partially did, but it has also made it possible for Kenma to try and interact with people in a totally new way.

He learns to fake all of it - he fakes his modesty, he fakes his admiration, he fakes his "it was just luck"s and his "you're so much stronger than me"s. He plays and has fun and levels up.

He never makes any friends.

Kenma is 11 years old when he gets a message from TunKsten17.

It says: Hey

Kenma answers: ??

TunKsten17 says: Oh lol I'm one of the guys you just crushed, I wanted to say you're the most skilled person in the whole server.

Kenma is so glad someone finally noticed.

They start talking a lot, more because TunKsten17 always finds an awkwardly flattering way to keep their conversations from dying than because Kenma enjoys talking to him.

Except the kid turns out to be kind of cool.

TunKsten17's name is Kuroo Tetsurou. He's 12 years old. He lives almost 5 hours aways from Kenma. He's definitely a boy - because Kenma's heard his voice while playing - but no matter what game they play together, his avatar is always female. Kenma is dying to know why, but he won't ask, because he doesn't like starting unpredictable conversations. He doesn't like starting conversations at all, actually, and he also doesn't want to drive Kuroo away - he's the first person who's ever manifested so eagerly an interest in trying to befriend him. Kenma will behave.

There are also other things he's dying to know about Kuroo. Like, for example, why is he in a gaming server if he sucks so hard at any game, ever.

"I don't know," Kuroo tells him over their voice chat. "I was having trouble making friends at school. Thought it might be easier like this."

His voice is shaky and small and Kenma thinks there can be no way someone as nice as Kuroo has no friends. Every conversation they've ever had rewinds in Kenma's mind, and he realizes maybe they've got more in common than what he originally thought.

"Is it?" Kenma asks, doubtful. Kuroo's the only almost-friend he ever made; he doesn't have a lot of experience in the friend-making world. "Easier, I mean."

"Yeah," Kuroo answer, very quickly. He clears his throat. "I have you now, don't I?"

Kenma's 13 years old and Kuroo is officially and undoubtedly his best friend.