falling in love was a lot like opening christmas presents. it was the anticipation, the surprise, the joy, the happiness, that came hidden behind something that which you'd never expect. it was waiting for something new to happen, or admiring the outside before diving past thin boundaries. it often came with a bow on top. and kenma thinks kuroo was not very far from a gift, anyway. ... or, kenma hates christmas almost as much as kuroo loved it. well, used to, anyway.

"do you remember?" kuroo asks, gently pressing his fingers to kenma's while the seahorses danced with the current. "that they make this little heart between each other." kuroo nods. "and they never leave each other." kenma hums, a tiny grin tugging at his mouth. "you told me that they always find each other in the end, right?" kuroo turns his head to kenma, who was already looking at him from where he was on his shoulder. kuroo's heart pumps heat into his bones and his nerves are a little frayed, the butterflies in his stomach making him smile again. before kuroo really has a chance to think, he finds himself leaning into kenma, softly pressing his nose to his and feeling like the world is not spinning as fast as it usually did. slowly, slowly. "yeah." kenma smiles and shuts his eyes, letting his heart escape him again while the moon protects them once more. "thank you." he tells him. "...for finding me." ... or, a "kuroken childhood friends to lovers ofc but they first meet on a field trip and don't reconnect until later? maybe at like a zoo or aquarium" au

"why don't you look at ads on craigslist?" kenma gets up from the couch while the slight adrenaline rush is still surfing on his blood, deciding that maybe hinata was right. if he couldn't take him or kageyama, maybe it was best for him to get a complete stranger after all. he was nineteen - this was the perfect age to do something fucking outrageous and then have a cool story to tell when you're older, like pretending to date some random dude from craigslist. and it was going to be a bad idea, he knew that, but kenma had been backed into a corner and had nowhere to really run to. well, he did, but there was no way he was going to risk kissing hinata shouyou during the holidays. ... or, kenma swore relationships were a waste of time, kuroo loved the holidays, and hinata was...well, hinata.