Scratch
Chapter 19:
New Friendships
The rhythmic stroking of his hair nearly made Kenma fall asleep right there, curled up in Kuroo's arms on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They had been peaceful and quiet, content just being together, for nearly a half hour. Even the cats had sensed the mood and calmed down, hyper as they always seemed to be.
Kenma was tucked into Kuroo's arms, and he couldn't help but think that they fit so well together. They were so close that he could hear Kuroo's breathing, his chest rising and falling slowly. He also felt Kuroo shift and he looked up curiously.
"Hey, can I cash in my coupon for any request?" Kuroo asked lazily, kissing the top of his boyfriend's head. He smiled fondly down at him, waiting for a response he knew would come.
"Is it reasonable?"
"Of course. I'll have you know that I did read the terms and conditions, for once."
Kenma chuckled under his breath and shifted to face him, propping his head up on his elbow. He studied Kuroo's face, looking for something to give away the request. There was no ridiculous expression on his face, and he wasn't smiling like he knew something.
It couldn't be too bad, right?
"Alright, what is it?"
"Well, as you know, New Year's Eve is coming up…" Kuroo started, running his hand through his messy hair. It was becoming more and more obvious that the action was a nervous tick. Kenma took note and nodded at him to continue. "I usually hold a party at my office, since we have a lot of couches and tables and some tvs. So… I want you to come."
Kenma looked Kuroo in the eye; he knew the request wasn't finished.
"But…?"
"But… it's a party. An actual party, you know, with alcohol, music, and all that jazz. There's gonna be a lot of people, and I know parties aren't exactly your thing," he explained, seeming more nervous by the minute. Smiling sheepishly, Kuroo added, "I want you to come, but you don't have to."
"Alright, I'll go."
"... That's it?"
"Yeah," Kenma said, smiling comfortingly at him, "You've done so much for me, it's time I do something for you. It is your coupon, anyway."
"You're amazing, you know that?" Kuroo mumbled, wrapping his arms around Kenma again. They were quiet once more, enjoying being together. Of course, until Kuroo ruined their relaxation.
During a random spurt of playfulness, he blew a raspberry onto the back of his boyfriend's neck, and began to tickle him. Kenma squirmed around, unable to believe he was actually being tickled. How old were they, five? He moved his shoulders to minimize his neck and whined, "Kuroo!"
"Sorry, sorry," he replied, stopping, but obviously not sorry.
When Kenma wormed his way out of the tangled limbs on the couch and stood up, Kuroo was surprised. He had been expecting him to relax again, but instead, watched as Kenma stretched, joints cracking as feeling returned to his extremities. Kenma's foot had fallen asleep, being stuck under his body for so long without movement.
"I have to drop by the office today," Kenma explained over his shoulder, walking into his bedroom.
"On a Saturday?"
He made a noise that probably meant yes-and-I-really-don't-want-to, and disappeared into his room. When Kenma returned, all four cats had piled on top of Kuroo, demanding attention as their owner was busy with something else. Gathering a pair of shoes and socks, he sat down on a chair and began to untie the shoelaces.
Kuroo kept quiet, knowing eventually all would be explained.
"Apparently, one of my interns needs my approval on something," he said eventually, fiddling with his shoes as he slipped them on. He stretched his leg out, willing his foot to wake up once and for all. After a few moments of annoyed silence, Kenma continued, "He creates the music for all my games, and the deadline is coming up."
Sitting up straight, Kuroo whistled and smirked.
"Why I have to go just to approve his music," he huffed without letting Kuroo get a word in, "I have no clue. But I need to go, even if it will take ten minutes at the most. Hopefully. Probably. I don't know, whatever."
Kenma stood up from the chair and grabbed the necessities. Keys, phone, wallet. Check. He looked around, feeling irrationally anxious that he was forgetting something. Unfortunately, that feeling was something he was used to.
One thing he didn't have to worry about was Kuroo picking up on the subtle fact that he needed to leave as well.
"That's what you get for being the CEO of a major video game company," Kuroo pointed out. He stood up lazily, swaying back and forth. Maybe he had relaxed a bit too much on the couch, but oh well.
They both made their way to the apartment door. By this point, Kuroo has mastered the art of not letting the cats escape. He had needed Kenma's help before, but he was as professional as he was going to get, when there were four cats trying to shove their way through the door.
Kuroo held the door open for his boyfriend and they walked to the elevator together. Even though he had picked up on the hint that he needed to leave too, he still felt he needed to provide a reason. The elevator opened and as they left side by side, he said, "I need to go home and pack. Fun, right?"
"Sounds like a ball."
The reply earned a grin from Kuroo, proud that the sassy side of Kenma was presenting itself more often. The longer he knew Kenma, the more he believed, deep down, that he was dating the King of Sass. To be fair, the sass was layered in a monotone voice, laced in a bunch of eye-rolls.
Still, he felt honored.
The elevator had descended all the way, and opened with a ding. They stepped out together, heading towards the parking lot and their respective cars. The weather, though incredibly cold, could have been worse. There was a light layer of snow, making the cityscape pretty, but not dangerous.
"I hope this doesn't take too long," Kenma mumbled, anxious to get back into the warmth of his car. He stood outside of his car politely, waving to his boyfriend as he left. Once he had plopped into the driver's seat, to no one in particular, he grumbled, "I hate the cold."
A vibration on the side table caught Kuroo's attention, and he groaned, pushing himself up from his position on his bed. Up until a few minutes prior, he had been dutifully packing, but collapsed on his bed in exhaustion.
Why was packing so tiring?
He had no clue, but was glad for the distraction. Picking up his phone, he unlocked it and opened up his text messages. He was delighted to see that it was from Kenma.
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 4:53pm
this is ridiculous. I was supposed to be here five minutes, and it's been an hour. I'm hungry and I want to go home.]
[To: Kenma
From: me
Sent at 4:54pm
why are you still there? that sucks! :(
weren't you just gonna approve something?]
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 4:55pm
I have to listen to the entire composition of music, and make sure it works with the scene in the game. also, the computer had a malfunction and the other intern had to fix it. I played with the kittens in the meantime.]
[To: Kenma
From: me
Sent at 4:55pm
KiTTEns?]
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 4:56pm
Yes. the interns I'm with today are the ones I gave one of the kittens to. I gave my secretary one of the ones as well, so there are two here. did I not tell you that?]
[To: Kenma
From: me
Sent at 4:57pm
ohhh that makes sense. i guess.
how much longer do you have to stay there?]
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 4:58pm
dunno. like a half hour, maybe a bit more. I wouldn't mind usually but I'm starving.]
. . .
[To: Kenma
From: me
Sent at 5:03pm
worry not, fair maiden, your knight in shining armor will be there momentarily! i will save you from the evils of your stomach!]
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 5:03pm
what?]
. . .
[To: me
From: Kenma
Received at 5:11pm
kuroo?! what are you talking about? …
wtf kuroo!]
Kuroo glanced down at his phone, unable to help chuckling to himself. He had received several texts from Kenma in varying degrees of annoyance and slight worry in the previous half hour, and it took all of his willpower not to reply.
Walking into an office building on a Saturday in the evening was a bit weird, but it didn't matter. Not only was this a cute way to surprise his boyfriend, but it distracted him from packing. Feeling a bit giddy, Kuroo held the package closer to him, and took the stairs two at a time until he reached the elevator. He quickly realized that Kenma wouldn't be on his floor. Rather, he'd probably be on the intern's level. Proud of himself for the split second decision, inside the elevator, he pressed button for the fourth floor. He shifted his weight back and forth, waiting for the elevator to ding. When he did, he walked out and began his search for his boyfriend.
Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to find the glass area that included several small cubicles, a bunch of young employees, and the hard-to-miss pudding head. Kuroo smiled, ignored the sound that alerted him to yet another text message, and walked up to Kenma. The interns noticed him first, but Kenma still hadn't realized he was there.
"Your dinner, your majesty," Kuroo said, taking only a little bit pleasure in the startled jump from Kenma. His boyfriend turned around, a look of surprise and then slow understanding. Followed, of course, by an eye-roll when Kuroo bowed, holding out his tupperware filled with food.
"Thank you, my loyal subject," Kenma replied, playing along and curtsied, taking the food. He took the lid off and smiled. Leave it to Kuroo to go to such lengths for something as simple as food. There was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, some carrots, and of course, apple pie. He looked up at Kuroo and smiled genuinely at him, murmuring, "Really. Thank you."
Kuroo beamed, and ran a hand through his hair to seem nonchalant. "It wasn't a big deal. Really, I just didn't want to pack anymore."
Kenma rolled his eyes again, before finally turning back to his interns. He realized that both Yamaguchi and Tsukishima had watched the entire exchange, and he could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. Holding the tupperware tightly as a sort of defense mechanism, he coughed and attempted to be polite, "Um… Kuroo, these are the interns… Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, this is my boy - uh, friend, Kuroo."
"Sup!" Kuroo said, sizing the two interns up. Tsukishima rolled his eyes exasperatedly, but Yamaguchi smiled and waved at him. "Ah, youth. You guys must have a lot of fun being so young and being interns here."
"How old are you, then? Eighty?" Tsukishima scoffed, turning back in his chair to face the computer. Kenma watched the interaction carefully. When he noticed Kuroo's mouth twitch into a smirk, and his eyes flash with interest, he felt a sudden guilt for introducing Tsukishima to his boyfriend. He knew what came next.
"Nah, I'm actually ninety, but I can still kick your ass," Kuroo joked, stretching his arms above his head. An audible pop came from his back and Kenma wasn't sure if that was doing anything to help his point. Yamaguchi snorted, finding Kuroo's joke funny. He winked at the intern, proud of at least getting a laugh out of someone. "Anyways, I'm having a New Year's Eve party, and Kenma's coming. You two should come as well, the more, the merrier."
"That sounds like fun!" Yamaguchi said, at the same time Tsukishima drawled, "No thanks."
The two looked at each other, and Kenma noticed they were having a silent conversation. Tsukishima huffed, obviously giving in. "Fine, we'll go."
Apparently, Kenma wasn't the only one to notice the conversation, because Kuroo leaned over to him, whispering in his ear, "Are they dating?"
"I don't know," he whispered back.
Kuroo didn't look convinced, but let it go anyway. Glancing around, he spotted an extra chair and pulled it up, sitting down next to his boyfriend to watch whatever he did at work. Tsukishima played some music on the computer in front of them while simultaneously playing a video game on a laptop. Personally, Kuroo thought it went perfectly together, but both Yamaguchi and Kenma made weird faces.
That's why Kuroo was a vet, apparently.
"Try a different pitch," Kenma offered, sitting back down and taking a bite of his sandwich. The same song played again, slightly different, and Kenma tilted his head thoughtfully while watching the video game on the laptop. "Can you make it a bit deeper? The cut-screen is about a dark past, we don't need a happy song."
"Sure," Tsukishima said, messing around with the keyboard. The new song that came out was much deeper, and matched the video game better. Looking satisfied, the intern turned to the desk and took out a paper, scribbling something on it. "Yamaguchi, you're up. Can you make the font on the cut-screen look like this? I think it'd work well. What do you think, Kenma?"
Kuroo watched with vague fascination as Kenma glanced at the piece of paper, analyzing the font and imagining the cut-screen as a finished project. He nodded, "I think this is it. Tsukishima, use that mix and match it to the cut-screen. Yamaguchi, use that font in dark colors, maybe a bit more cursive-y."
The two interns nodded, and scrambled to get back to work. Kenma turned in his chair to face Kuroo and apologized, "This is probably boring for you. You didn't have to come, you know."
"I wanted to, don't worry. Now, if you're not going to eat that apple pie, then I will," he teased, pretending to reach out and take the slice of pie. Kenma shielded his food and stuck out his tongue.
A few minutes, a slice of apple pie, and a random conversation later, Yamaguchi cleared his throat. "All done! Would you like to see the finished product?"
Both Kenma and Kuroo nodded, turning to face the computer on the desk. Tsukishima put the video game in fullscreen and began the cut-screen. It began with a dark opening, slow, ominous piano, leading into a full on symphony as it progressed, ending with the name of the game in the font requested. The rest of the words, log in, start, options, etc, were in the same font, though much smaller and less fancy.
"That was awesome!" Kuroo said, eyes-wide and obviously impressed. "This is what you do, Kenma? I mean, I knew… but still!"
Kenma blushed, looking away. Even after all that time, he still wasn't used to the bold compliments that came with dating Kuroo. He decided to ignore it and instead answer his interns. "Much better. I believe I'll be using that cut-screen for the next launch. Great job, you two."
"Thanks," Yamaguchi replied shyly, before a realization slowly dawned on him. "Wait. Wait. I just realized… if this is Kuroo, is he your vet?!"
"Yes, I am," Kuroo chuckled, amused that Yamaguchi figured it out at all. He thought that if they were interns, they wouldn't really care all that much about the boss's life.
"We have one of the kittens you delivered!" he squealed, dashing off to find the kitten. Within seconds, he was back, holding a squirming kitten in his arms. "This is Louie, and he's just so cute! Thanks for delivering him, I'm so glad I got to keep him. You wouldn't know it, but Tsukki likes cats as well!"
"Does he now?" Kuroo drawled, looking sideways at the other intern, who huffed and looked away. "I only delivered the kittens, you should thank Kenma for giving him to you. After all, they were his cats first."
"Actually," Kenma cut in, "I should thank them. I'm just glad I could find a home for all the kittens. I was worried I was going to have to give them up."
All four of them were quiet for a while, with only soft purrs and clicks from the computer breaking the silence. It wasn't an awkward silence for once, which surprised Kenma. Usually anytime he was included in a silence, it was unbearably awkward, but not this time. He wasn't sure if it was because Kuroo was there, or if he had maybe made new friends.
"Where is your New Year's Eve party going to be at, Kuroo?" Yamaguchi asked, absent-mindedly playing with the kitten in his arms. "I can't wait to go! I'll look forward to seeing you again, Kenma!"
Kenma blanked out for a second, trying to process what Yamaguchi had said. Was that another compliment? Probably. Did he just make another friend? Hopefully. He had always known that Yamaguchi was a sweet guy, the type that anyone would want to be friends with.
"Oh right, I didn't tell you, did I? It's gonna be at my veterinary office, I'll write down the address for you." Kuroo offered, reaching for the pen and paper, writing down the address and handing it to Yamaguchi. "It's getting late though, I probably should go finish packing."
"That's a good idea," Kenma said, just to say something, walking with Kuroo towards the elevator as he waved goodbye to the interns. Kenma paused, still feeling a bit weird. The day in general had been weird, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He had a Christmas present exchange with his boyfriend, he had finally finished up the cut-screen for his video game, Kuroo had brought him dinner, and Yamaguchi had said he looked forward to seeing him again. Too many good things in one day threw him off, and it felt weird.
It was weird to be happy, after so many years of being unhappy. It really, really was.
"See you in a few days, Kenma!" Kuroo said, opening his arms to give his boyfriend the opportunity to be hugged. When Kenma moved into the embrace, Kuroo smiled softly and wrapped his arms around the smaller man, whispering in his ear, "Bye, Kenma. I'll text you nonstop, promise."
Kenma snorted, and hugged back.