another one for kurokenmonth prompt: firsts
their first big fight? but it's not really a fight?
The Nekoma volleyball team knows that something has happened as soon as their captain and setter walks into the clubroom. If it isn't the clear with the way Kenma positively stomps across the room to his locker, it is obvious with the sheepish expression on Kuroo's usually smirking face.
"What the heck happened?" hisses Yaku at Kuroo when Kenma leaves with the first years.
"What do you mean?"
Yaku gives him a look.
Kuroo raises his hands. "Okay, fine. So I may have accidentally pissed Kenma off. It's fine, he'll get over it."
Just then, as Kuroo opens the door to the gym, a volleyball comes sailing over and smacks him right in the face. Yaku stares up at him in concern, before glancing over to see Kenma watching impassively.
"... This might take a while."
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.
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After a disastrous practice with Kenma obstinately ignoring their captain and Kuroo trying desperately to gain their setter's attention, the Nekoma volleyball team has about had enough. Even Lev and Yamamoto has managed to pick up on the rift between the two. They clean up quickly and quietly, whispering to themselves about what to do. When the two in question leave the clubroom for the day (separately, the horror), they gather around in a circle reserved only for emergency team meetings.
"We should lock them in a room together!"
"No way, Lev. Kuroo would never live to see another day again, and Kenma might end up in jail."
"Write them each a note telling them to 'meet me in the courtyard'?"
"Inuoka, you've been reading too much shoujo manga."
"Shouldn't we wait until they resolve this themselves?"
"Kai-senpai, that's diplomatic and all, but what if it never happens?"
"What if they fight forever!"
"Our team is doomed!"
"Everyone shut up!" Yaku puts his foot down before everyone can start freaking out. "We don't even know why they're fighting. Or if this is even that big of a deal."
"Kenma spiked a ball into Kuroo's face. It's a big deal, Yaku-san."
"They have fought before, surely."
There's a moment of silence as everyone furiously tries to think of a time when the notorious childhood friends duo on their team had such a quarrel.
Finally, Yamamoto snaps his fingers triumphantly. "That time when Kuroo got them lost in the subway stations for our monthly meetup!"
Kai nods, adding, "Or when Kuroo woke Kenma up at five o'clock on a Saturday. We don't have morning practices on weekends anymore."
Shyly, Yuuki raises his hand. "I remember once when Kenma got upset at Kuroo-san because captain left Kenma's phone charger at home."
Yaku pipes up, "Last week when Kuroo didn't have enough money to buy Kenma the apple pie he promised him at lunch."
The team nods, relieved that they managed to think of other circumstances where the inseparable pair weren't so perfect after all. Then Lev speaks up.
"Those aren't really fights, though? It feels more like captain-san messing up and Kenma getting mad at him."
"But this is the first time I've seen Kenma avoid him so much. Normally he'd just give in as soon as Kuroo promised him more apple pie or a new video game."
Yaku frowns. "Kuroo must have done something stupid again."
"Why don't we see what happens tomorrow, and then decide if we need to intervene?" suggests Kai. "It might be all solved tomorrow."
The rest of the team murmurs an agreement. They pack up for the day, hoping their captain and setter will work it out between themselves soon. They have another practice match coming up soon, after all, and they need both their brain and heart in order for the team to flow smoothly.
.
.
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The next day arrives, but unfortunately, the tension between the captain and the setter seems to have only gotten bigger overnight.
The rest of the team watches them enter the clubroom separately and change without looking at each other. They hover nervously at Kuroo tells them to run laps, while Kenma resolutely taps away on his phone in the corner. They glance at each other anxiously when Kenma's tosses go awry, and Kuroo pretends he doesn't notice. The distance between the two is so strange to see it's beginning to creep on everybody's nerves.
At lunch, Yaku plants himself down next to Kuroo's desk. "What the heck did you do?"
Kuroo looks up at him innocently. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about you, and Kenma, and how you two seem to be pretending the other doesn't exist and it just isn't right, Kuroo."
The taller boy sighs. "Look, I told you. Don't worry about it, it'll blow over soon. I think."
"You do know we have a practice match at the end of this week? The whole team is weirded out by whatever's going on between you two. Just spill, what did you do to Kenma?"
"Alright, jeez, no need to sic your scary mom look on me." Kuroo runs a hand through his hair, glancing at his desk for a moment. "It's really stupid, and I swear I've apologized like a million times already but-okay, okay, calm down-anyway, I might have accidentally, stupidly, uh, broke Kenma's PSP."
Yaku is stunned speechless for a moment. "You-what? How are you still alive?"
"I don't know man. But honestly, it wasn't on purpose and I even offered to get him a new one this weekend but it was just-god, even I knew how stupid it was- like, we were in his room, you know? Hanging out, playing games, and then things got a little hot and heavy, yeah-don't make that face, Yaku-anyway, I guess Kenma was really in the mood, for once, or something and somehow we fell over and I got pushed backwards and I forgot he left it there and then there was just this-really bad sound. So I stopped right there, you know, snapped right out of the mood and everything, and apologized." Kuroo lets out a breath, cringing at the mere memory of the incident. "But now Kenma probably wants to kill me or something."
Yaku shakes his head. "I can't believe you, Kuroo. How dense are you?"
"Excuse me? Ugh, help me, Yaku, what if Kenma's actually plotting my murder?"
"I doubt it, Kuroo."
Kuroo allows his head to fall onto his desk. "I know," he says, his voice muffled. "Tell the team don't worry, I'll fix this before the match, okay?"
Yaku sighs. "Fine."
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.
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The third day seems to be a little better. Kuroo and Kenma both arrive together, which the team nearly cheered out loud for. However, on the court they are still on opposite sides of the net-literally.
Yaku looks meaningfully at Kuroo, who grimaces back. The third year libero sighs to himself, but he can only trust his captain on his word. He decides to just focus on volleyball for now, and hope the two will sort it out on their own.
Unfortunately, certain wing spikers seem not to have the same plans, because the next thing he knows, Lev and Yamamoto have dragged poor Kenma into a corner.
"Kenma, just forgive captain-san already! Look at how sorry he is!"
"Yeah, Kenma, this is the longest you guys have fought, and it's seriously freaking us out."
Kenma stares at them unimpressively. "We're not fighting."
"What? You totally are! You've been ignoring him!"
The sighs quietly. "Can I go now?"
Yaku manages to reach them before collateral damage takes place and they make Kenma cry or worse-piss him off even further. He knows first hand how terrifying the kid can be when angered.
"Back to receives, you two!" He aims a kick at Lev for good measure. When they yelp and head back to the courts, he glances at Kenma. "Are you still mad at Kuroo?"
Kenma shrugs. "It's not really his fault."
"Then why don't you make up with him?"
Kenma frowns slightly. "Because Kuroo's dumb."
Yaku can't argue with that. He doesn't have a chance to reply though, because Kenma walks away and on the other side of the gym Lev has managed to team up with Inuoka with a stupid challenge that will definitely result in injured bodies. Yaku sprints.
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The clubroom is full of awkward silence as they change. Kuroo and Kenma are still standing too far apart and the boys aren't sure what to do about it. They're a bit tired of watching them dance around each other due to some unexplained tension, though. Some of them resort to desperate measures.
Yamamoto and Lev glance at each other, nodding. They nudge Fukunaga, who flashes them a thumbs up, and Yuuki, who nods a bit nervously. Then, as soon as their jackets were over their shoulders, they move as quickly as they can, filing out of the room and grabbing whoever they can on the way. Lev physically lifts Yaku off the floor before he can protest.
Once the whole team minus Kuroo and Kenma are outside the clubroom, Yamamoto slams the door and locks it from outside. He yells, "We're not letting you out until you guys make up! It's for your own good-and the team!"
When Yaku finally manages to kick Lev in the right spot to be let down, he growls. "What the heck did you do that for?"
"So they can resolve their fight, Yaku-san," explains Lev, nursing a bruise on his shin. "Good friends shouldn't fight for so long over a broken game."
Yaku stares at him. Then at the rest of the team, who are nodding along. He facepalms. "Oh my god, you guys, they're not-that's not-ugh. Never mind. Let's just go."
"Huh? But we have the key-"
"Trust me, they might... take a while."
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.
.
"Looks like we're stuck in here for a while."
"Mm."
"Are you still mad at me? I told you I'd replace your PSP this weekend-"
"I'm not mad, Kuro."
"Oh. Okay. You should've said so."
"..."
"..."
"...Kuro."
"Yes, Kenma?"
"Come over here."
"... Yes, Kenma."