Scratch
Chapter 2:
Character Development
Kenma fiddled with the napkin with the phone number written on it. He was walking to work from the parking garage a block or two away, and he couldn't decide if he should throw the napkin away or not. Scowling, he stopped and stepped aside so people could walk without interruption. Giving up, he fished his phone out of his pocket and entered the number: Kuroo's number.
The contact name was appropriately written as the idiot vet.
Smirking to himself, Kenma put his phone away. As a last act of defiance, he blew his nose into the napkin and threw it away. But he really knew it wasn't defiance - after all, the number was safely stored in his phone anyway. Looking up, he continued his and got to the stairs up to the offices of Kozume Games. What awaited him inside the rotating doors was someone Kenma wasn't entirely surprised to see.
You have got to be kidding me right now, he groaned. Irritated, he stomped through the building's lobby to the couch where a certain someone was lounged. He ground his teeth, attempting polite conversation. "What are you doing here?"
"Is that a good way to address someone who saved your cat?" The idiot vet himself said, eyebrow quirked.
"She's pregnant. Not dying. You know, like you told me?"
Kuroo just laughed, a hearty, definitely annoying laugh. He jumped off the red couch, landing swiftly on his feet, and without missing a beat, strolled over to Kenma. "Hey, Mr. Big Shot Gamer, show me around your office, yeah~?"
"No thanks. Going back to my original question… what are you doing here?" Kenma retorted, unamused by Kuroo. He paused for a second, before remembering something. "Actually, forget that. How did you even know I worked here?"
Kuroo looked at the other man in confusion, like the answer was extremely obvious. It kind of was.
"You're joking, right? Literally everyone knows or has heard of Kozume Games. You're Kenma Kozume. Of course I'm gonna know where you work! Plus, adding a quick google maps search to find the location really wasn't that difficult." Kuroo smirked, tilting his head. His hair flopped over a bit, distracting Kenma. "Shouldn't you know that? Computers are pretty useful, Mr. Big Shot Gamer."
"... You're annoying."
"Back to that, huh? Let's go up to your office~! I bet you have a secretary and a huge office with a twirly chair! Maybe even an office overlooking the city!" Kuroo pleaded, vaguely reminding Kenma of an over-excited puppy.
He rubbed his temples in response, and decided it wasn't worth arguing. He sighed. "Fine. But you leave after you see the office, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, okay whatever! Let's gooooo!"
It was gonna be a long day.
Kuroo was plain and simple fascinated by Kenma's office.
Yes, he had a secretary, yes, he had a twirly desk chair and - yes - Kenma had an office overlooking the city. He didn't understand why the vet was so fascinated - it was just an office. There wasn't anything special in it, a couple tables and couches, a tv and gaming devices. Nothing of extreme interest.
But I suppose Kuroo is the type of person that finds every little thing absolutely amazing, Kenma thought to himself. He smiled a little bit at how childishly happy the other man looked right now. But seriously, he needed to get to work - he had a bunch of games to try out and develop for the upcoming winter.
"Kuroo. You need to leave now."
No answer.
"Kuroo," he repeated, louder this time.
No answer. Kenma's face twitched.
"Paging doctor douchebag," he said loudly, hoping third time's the charm. Success. Kuroo turned around with a big grin on his face. Somehow, even Kuroo's smiles still managed to have a tad bit of smug in them. But that's just how he is, I guess.
"Aww, come on Kenma, I was just admiring your nice office! No need to be an ass."
"That's rich, coming from you. Did you know? Your contact name in my phone is the idiot vet." Kenma replied, all bark but no bite. Which was kinda funny, cause he was a cat person, but whatever.
Again, Kuroo burst into that lovely, handsome, (what? no!) ugly, annoying smile. Whoop-de-doo, even jerks can smile. It's not like the smile made Kenma's heart race or anything, right? Kuroo cocked his head, the smugness of the smile showing more this time. "Ohohoh, you actually put my number in your phone? How sweet! Give me your number!"
Despite fighting an inner war, Kenma managed to shove the turmoil away in return for a snarky reply. "Yeah, and then I blew my nose in the napkin and threw it away."
The other man stared at him. All of a sudden, he bust out into loud laughter. He fake-wiped a tear away. "Oh man, that was gold. I definitely like you. You're interesting."
What?
Kenma didn't know exactly what expression he was making, but he knew it was definitely one he didn't make very often. The compliment and confession threw him off guard. People usually thought he was boring and unexciting, but here he was, a guy he had just met calling him interesting. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"... ma? Kenma?"
"Huh?" He replied not-so-gracefully, too busy talking to himself. "What?"
"I was just wondering if you were okay. Your face twisted in pain for a sec." For some reason, Kuroo actually seemed concerned. "If you're worried about Sugar, everything will be okay. Cause I'm her doctor of course!"
He laughed again, full of obnoxious arrogance that was somehow comforting. Sometimes unwavering confidence that everything would turn out alright was exactly was Kenma needed.
"Ah. Yeah, it'll be… okay… I guess," he murmured quietly. Deciding he didn't totally hate the idea of Kuroo being around a lot, he held out his hand. There wasn't a dull moment with him, that's for sure. "Okay, give me your phone."
Kuroo complied, without a trace of hesitation. Quickly, he put his number in and wrote his contact name as Kenma.
"Oooh, thanks dude! Now I can bug you nonstop!"
"At least you admit you're bugging me," Kenma said, a ghost of a smile on his lips. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Kuroo.
"You know, even though you're super cute as you are, I bet you'd be even CUTER if you smiled!" Kuroo said, ruffling Kenma's hair.
Swatting the hands away from his head, Kenma grumbled something about don't touch me and I need to get to work. When nothing changed, he sighed and turned to face his secretary, exasperated.
"Time to go! AONE! Please escort this idiot - I mean, Dr. Kuroo out. He is interfering with my work."
On cue, a tall, muscular man walked into Kenma's office. Without saying a word, he ushered Kuroo out. Even with a huge bodyguard-like secretary guiding him to the door, Kuroo was undeterred. Nothing could match his determination when he wanted to be obnoxious. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he winked at Kenma, who pretended not to see. "See you, Kenma! Miss me lots, 'kay?"
"... No."
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 9:34am
heeey! :) :) testing testing! i hope this really is your number b/c i totally wouldn't put it past you to give me a number to a pizza place or something. oh well, here i am.]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 9:34am
you literally just left. I have work to do, so leave me alone before I regret not actually giving you the pizza place's number.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 9:37am
for someone who has a lot to do, you sure replied quickly!~ okay, okay, ill leave you to work. just because you asked so nicely.]
Kenma paused, debating whether or not to reply with something; a bye or a thanks. If he did, it'd be the proper thing to do, but it would also open up for a reply from Kuroo as well. Don't overthink it. Are you seriously debating whether or not to reply? Kenma frowned, realizing his inner voice was right; he wouldn't over think it.
Stretching, like a cat again, he put down his phone and began his work for the day. Despite what he said, Kenma didn't really have all that much to do. Sure, check out a few games and fix their bugs, maybe even work on the game he's been developing, but that's not much. All the dirty work gets done by his workers, since Kenma had proved himself, rising to his position he has now.
Though Kenma was only 26, he was an extremely famous video game developer, along the lines of C.E.O.. Throughout his teenage years, he spent nearly all his time playing games and figuring out how to get past a certain level. He developed an interest in making the games, ones that had never been thought of before: he was full of ideas for games. During high school, he learned how to use html language easily and swiftly, first making his own website and went up from there.
Not only that, but Kenma was extremely smart - he skipped the 11th grade, starting university as he turned 17. Ignoring everyone around him and focusing on his game developing, he got through college with high marks and a great understanding of games.
This isolation made his social abilities suffer, and ended up going through some bullying as well. For years, people had been telling him what he could and couldn't do. It took a toll on him. If he hadn't already had self esteem issues and anxiety in high school, he definitely would have gotten it from university.
Of course, it wasn't all bad.
He started a small game of his own, and was picked up by a starting company that saw his potential, right after graduating at 23. A full four years of undergrad with required subjects, and two great years dedicated to his game developing. The company that picked him up was run by an old man, and twenty months and several popular games later, Kenma took over the old man's position.
Kenma was brought out of his thoughts and reminiscing with an annoying ding! from his phone. Another text from Kuroo. Grumbling, he quickly opened the text - he wasn't excited or anything - and frowned at the contents. He didn't know it then, but it would be the first of many times that Kuroo would read his mind.
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:11am
hey, i just thought of s/t. you dont like your last name being know, right? b/c they'll know you run Kozume Games. (haha, look how popular you are, my phone corrected it to be capitalized!) why is the company Kozume Games? wouldnt it have been easier for it to be a generic name?]
Kenma spent a good fifteen minutes deciding what exactly to tell him. The truth? Or some bullshit? A bit of both? How to phrase it? Eventually, he typed a quick sentence that was vague, but true enough to get the question answered.
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:21am
the guy who hired me liked my name, and called me kozume.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:21am
that's not all of it.]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:22am
what?]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:22am
you answered 11 mins late. something's up.]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:23am
I don't always look at my phone.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:24am
ya you do, lol. you dont have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable, but was i at least right in assuming that there's something else?]
Kenma knitted his eyebrows together. It bothered him how quickly Kuroo had figured him out - they had met the day before! Was he really that easy to decipher? Isn't 11 minutes a reasonable time for a response? Those weren't the only things that bothered him: it was whether or not to tell Kuroo. It wasn't like the real explanation was terrible or anything, but it was still something that affected Kenma.
He supposed that it couldn't be too bad - if all else failed, he could get a restraining order. Plus… Kuroo, though extremely smug and obnoxious, still seemed like a person that wouldn't make fun of someone. It was weird how contradicting it was, but that's the general gut feeling Kenma got from him. He hadn't ever told anyone the whole story, maybe he would feel better if he got it off his chest.
There were many reasons he could have used to explain why he told a virtual stranger his life story, but in all honesty, he didn't really know. All the reasons were true, but he found himself drawn to Kuroo. He felt like he had known this guy for way longer than a few days. And so, hee found himself typing one of the longest texts he's ever sent to anyone.
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:31am
well… the guy hired me a bit after I graduated college. he saw my potential when everyone else didn't. I was scared I wouldn't even get a job, but he hired me. I was 23. he was in his 60s.
it was a small company, at first, he brought me up, and believed in me. he called me Kozume and acted like the father I never had. he made me like my last name, myself, again. growing up, my dad was known as that one dad, the one who never cared about his kids. you know, the drunk one. my mom stayed with us until i was old enough to go to high school, and then left. her excuse was that she never wanted to be a Kozume.
so… yeah. the entire neighborhood knew, and I got picked on as well. it sucked. anyways...
a year and a half later after he hired me, a game I made got really popular, so did the company. a while after that, I took his position with his guidance and permission. he still watched over me, so I didn't change the name… but a couple months ago, he died.
it was really difficult. it still is. I couldn't stand working at the company that was still his. I don't know why, I just didn't like it. I changed the name, but I kept it related to him. I was indebted to him.
it sounds dumb, but there you go, lol.]
Kenma took a deep breath, re-read his text for spelling errors and typos. For good measure, he added an lol to somehow make it seem less dark. He knew Kuroo would probably be freaked out by everything he had sent, and how much of it. It didn't really matter at that point, it just felt good to tell someone the entire story.
Sent.
Out of curiosity, and maybe a little bit of dread, he re-read his text. He was slightly amused that it had to be sent in two different text messages. A mere minute later, he got a response he wasn't sure he would get.
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:32am
damn that's a backstory for the history books, lol. but seriously, that doesn't sound dumb. i'm really sorry about your loss, even though i know it doesn't help at all.
thanks for sharing with me, although you probably didn't want to. its probably the most you've ever texted at once, huh?]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:33am
how do you even know all this stuff about me? we've known each other like, two days.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:35am
b/c i want to know even more. holy shit that was cheesy, lol. you're interesting, what's wrong with wanting to know more? that backstory was pretty badass, and besides, what type of person has 4 cats and doesn't realize one of them is pregnant?
theres much more to learn!]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:36am
shut up.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:37am
i didn't even say anything! we're texting! hahaha]
[To: the idiot vet
From: me
Sent at 10:37am
you're not even funny.]
[To: me
From: the idiot vet
Received at 10:39am
i'll have you know, i think i'm hilarious.]
Kenma caught himself smiling at his phone. Avoiding the urge to reply with something sarcastic, he put his phone face down on the table and actually tried to get some work finished. It worked for a little bit, but he found himself glancing at the phone periodically, almost like he was hoping for another text.
He wasn't. He definitely wasn't hoping for another text. There was no way Kenma would allow Kuroo, a guy he had just met, take time away from his games. Especially the guy with a bird nest for hair, the one with a terrible, corny sense of humor.
Who was he kidding? He was definitely waiting for another text.