Kenma's heart broke as breathing became more difficult. His fingers touched the ball one last time, allowing him to set for Bokuto; Kenma then let his body gently fall. The blond sat on the ground trying to catch his breath. His chest tightened around his lungs, making everything seem harder. A weight pressed down, as though a child were sitting on him. Kuroo's eyes widened, a look of worry washed away the bright smile he was holding.
Kenma was no stranger to this sensation, he just allowed himself to do what the nurses had told him to: breath slowly, try to take more in bit by bit. A rhythm formed each time he did this. It was like a character regaining health in a video game. Nothing different. He just needed a potion; in this case, more air. Kenma looked up as he felt a warm hand place itself on his shoulder. His eyes locked with Kuroo's hazel ones. Kuroo's presence added an odd comfort.
"Are you okay? Do you need something?" Kuroo's voice was dripping with worry, it came as a surprise to Kenma that this boy, this boy he'd met today seemed to care more than people he met years ago. The string, wound tightly around Kenma's finger, pulsed.
"Just tired," Kenma gave a faint, fake smile. He knew that he wasn't just tired, he was dying, okay maybe not at that moment but he knew that eventually, he'd be gone.
"Maybe we should stop for today. Why don't I walk you home? Bokuto is supposed to meet a friend. I'm sure he won't mind," Kuroo gave his soulmate a kind smile. The dark haired boy glanced back at his owl haired friend only to see him still excited about his perfect spike.
"No need, I think I can manage. I don't live far," Kenma knew that he'd be taking Kuroo away from his friend if he were to ask him to come with him. Though Kenma was intrigued by his soulmate, he didn't want to impose.
"Nonsense, I'm sure Bokuto won't mind, right Kōtarō?" Kuroo glanced back at his friend, who wore a confused expression, a look of annoyance crept onto Kuroo's face. "Kōtarō, do you mind meeting your friend alone? I'm going to walk Kozume home." Bokuto gave a nod.
"Hey! YES! It's okay! Have fun you two! Nice meeting you Kozume!" Bokuto looked overjoyed. Bokuto knew how long Kuroo had wanted to meet his soulmate, it's all he'd talk about when his string first developed. It was something that Bokuto knew he didn't want to get in the way of.
"You both don't have to call me Kozume, Kenma is just fine. And really, Kuroo, you don't have to walk me home," Kenma knew that this was a losing battle. He just felt it, he felt that Kuroo wouldn't quit it. The one hope Kenma held onto was that his parents had chosen to leave the house.
"I don't have to but I want to. I'm coming with you. Besides, we're soulmates shouldn't we get to know each other?" Kenma was defeated. He'd expected a quiet walk to the park and back home. He was happy with this discovery though it was a little much for his mind to take. Meeting his soulmate was something he'd overthought for hours and hours on end. The boy kneeling in front of him was his soulmate, his mind couldn't quite grasp that this was his soulmate.
Kuroo stood up, extending a hand for Kenma to grab. Kenma extended a hand to grab Kuroo's. Their fingers touched, sending a spark through both their hands. There was an unfamiliar yet familiar comfort in their touch. Kuroo gave a rapid yank on Kenma's arm allowing him to get up faster. The tug was harder than expected, forcing Kenma to crash into Kuroo's chest. Kenma quickly pulled away, a light blush forming on both boys' cheeks. Kenma gently pulled his hand away to grasp the tank at his side. The cold metal handle sent a chill up the blond's spine.
As the two boys walked away from the park, there was a comfortable silence between the two. Both boys' minds burned with questions they wanted to ask each other, Kenma was too shy to break the silence and Kuroo didn't want to seem too forceful. Though they were both nervous, Kuroo took it upon himself to break the silence.
"So tell me about yourself? What do you like?" The dark haired boy was curious to know. He'd wondered for months; he'd wondered what his soulmate's favourite colour was, what their favourite sport was, what their birthday was, what made them laugh, what made them smile, what could possibly make them sad, what left them speechless. Kuroo wanted to know everything about Kenma but for now, he'd be content with this one answer.
"I like games… like video games," Kenma's voice was gentle. The sound of the plastic wheels rolling on the pavement almost drowned out his voice. The question had not taken Kenma by surprise, it was often a conversation starter.
"You like volleyball, you play setter, you love games and your birthday is October sixteenth, anything else I should know?" Kuroo was content with what he knew for today but he somehow wanted more. It was eating at him, wanting to know.
"I'm not the best at conversation… small talk is not my thing," Kenma's words gave Kuroo a twinge of disappointment yet he was unable to stop wanting to know more. His mind wanted to study Kenma. He wanted to know Kenma, better than he knew himself.
"That's okay, I can lead," Kuroo flashed the blond an award winning smile. Kenma would be lying if he said that Kuroo's smile wasn't the brightest thing he'd ever seen. "I am a spiker as you already know, I like chemistry and food, my birthday is November seventeenth, I really like red, I enjoy conversation and I like your eyes," the last statement caught Kenma by surprise. He wasn't expecting Kuroo to flirt with him so soon. Kuroo was more straightforward than Kenma had expected. Kenma just knew that his cheeks were a crimson colour by now.
"I umm..th-thank you I umm…" Kuroo had achieved what he wanted, he wanted to see a flustered Kenma.
"Awn, it's cute when you're flustered," Kuroo glanced down to see Kenma had stopped walking. Holding his cheeks, Kenma looked away from the taller boy. "I'm sorry, I tend to be too forward. I'll hold back," Kuroo was a little worried about pushing Kenma away. He just couldn't help wanting to know; he wanted to see Kenma's every reaction. He wanted to eventually love everything about Kenma.
"No, it's okay…" Kenma allowed himself to uncover his face, bringing his eyes up to lock with Kuroo's. The two boys simply looked at each other in silence. It was new to both of them. They knew that it would work out eventually.
As the boys arrived at Kenma's home, they both stopped. Kuroo's eyes scanned the place. It was a nice modern place, it wasn't far from the private school Kuroo was supposed to attend, Nekoma was the name?
"Can I have your number? I wouldn't want this to end here," Kuroo gave an embarrassed smile. It was true that Kenma didn't want this to end here. Kenma extended a hand signaling Kuroo to hand his phone over. The blond carefully entered the ten digits. He handed back the phone, as Kuroo saw the blank contact name, he typed in 'Soulmate'. A Cocky smile decorated his face as he glanced back at Kenma. Kenma couldn't get enough of that smile. Both boys didn't quite understand how to explain. It was as though their emotions were clear as day but clouded. They felt as though they'd known each other forever yet they knew nothing about each other.
"I guess I'll see you soon?" Kenma questioned as he closed the gate. There was something about Kuroo that made him want to know more. For the first time in a long time, Kenma wanted to be close to someone. He didn't understand how or why but he knew that he needed what was to come. There was something about Kuroo that just felt right.
"I'll text you," Kuroo gave him a wink and allowed himself to walk away. Both boys' minds were clouded with thoughts. They had many questions but they were both sure about one thing; they were happy.