Chapter 19 : unusual suspect
"I can't give you an answer. Not now."
"Okay... I understand. We understand."
"I just need to... think."
"Alright."
They didn't exchange anything for almost a minute.
"Take your time... Whatever you choose, I hope it won't change anything between us..."
Ten days earlier:
Kenma stopped the car on the side of the road without bothering to park properly. The traffic had been terrible and they were now terribly late. As soon as the car stopped, Akaashi unbuckled his seatbelt. In the same motion, he kissed the blonde on the temple, opened the door, and after a "see you tonight," ran off towards the university entrance.
Kenma sighed and leaned over to close the passenger side door. His arms couldn't reach the handle, so he unbuckled his seatbelt and sprawled onto the seat to reach it. Barely had he managed to grab it when he was honked at. He grunted, slammed the door, and gestured to the driver behind to go around him. The horn honked again. He repeated the gesture, this time more forcefully. That idiot clearly had enough space to drive around! He was honked at once again. Kenma cursed, restarted the car, and maneuvered back onto the road. The imbecile behind him stopped exactly where he had been a few seconds earlier. Seriously? Seeing other cars approaching from behind, he continued on the road and stopped again a few meters ahead in a parking spot. He turned off the engine and let his head fall onto the steering wheel. It was way too early to deal with this kind of bullshit... When he looked up, he saw that it was already 1:05 PM. Well, maybe it wasn't so early, but he had far too few hours of sleep to deal with the human species. He had gone to bed at 4 AM and woke up two hours later when Bokuto got up to leave. He couldn't sleep after that. He closed his eyes. A little nap would surely do him good.
He eventually gave up, realizing that his brain wouldn't leave him alone. He sank into the seat and took out his phone. Opening Instagram, he saw that he had an unread message from Kuroo. The latter had sent him a compilation of snakes meowing like kittens. He chuckled and replayed the video, a smile spreading across his lips. Hmm, perhaps he was on campus? Without taking more time to think about it, he got out of the car. He roughly knew where the science building was; maybe he would find him there. He only thought about sending him a text when he arrived in the vicinity of the science building. He did so and sat on a wall, waiting for his friend to text back. He jumped at the sound of a voice behind him:
"Why are you smiling like an idiot?"
He turned around: there was a tall bush behind him, some students must have just settled on the other side.
"Kenma sent me a text."
"Oh! What does he want?"
"He's asking if I'm on campus, he's around I guess."
Kenma let out a smile upon recognizing the voice. Bingo! He was about to get up to go around but dissuaded himself from doing so. Kuroo was clearly accompanied, and it's not that he didn't like his friends, whom he absolutely didn't know, but he didn't necessarily want to interact with strangers right now. At least he knew he was around, he just had to go in front of the building to wait for him... He was about to get up when Kuroo's voice reached him again:
"What?"
"Umm, Kenma?"
The concerned one frowned. The intervention had unsettled him: firstly because someone unknown to him was using his first name, but also because the tone used to do so was quite unusual.
"What?"
The silence lingered, Kenma almost held his breath. He didn't want to be noticed now.
"What?"
"Kenma..."
"Stop doing that..."
He agreed with him. It was getting awkward.
"So, are you going to tell him?"
"Tell him what?"
"That your little heart goes boom boom for him and that you get butterflies in your stomach when you see him!"
His heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened. What?
He remembered to breathe.
He rolled his eyes. This must be some kind of game.
"No."
From the tone of his voice, Kenma understood that it wasn't a game. He cursed under his breath. What were the odds of him overhearing this conversation? What did it mean exactly? Did Kuroo really...
"Hmm, I see, I see, you're waiting for the right moment, nice move."
"No... I'll just, not tell him."
Kenma frowned.
"What! But why?"
"Because."
"Because what?"
Kenma murmured the same question.
"Because… Just, because, I've done enough damage already."
"You're really not going to tell him?"
"No..."
Kenma felt the blood pulsating in his temples.
"It's okay, it's not the end of the world, I'd rather keep things that way. I don't want to loose him."
His heart tightened.
"Oh... Kuroo, I..."
"Well, I'll call him."
Kenma was abruptly brought out of his thoughts. No, definitely not! He was going to get noticed! He took out his phone but dropped it. He picked it up but almost fell into the bush as he got up. Seeing the name start to appear on the screen, he ran away. He let the phone ring several times. Maybe it would be better if he didn't answer after all... He dissuaded himself and picked up.
" Hello."
What was he going to say to him?
"Hey, is everything okay? You sound out of breath."
Seriously.
"...I'm fine."
"So, are you nearby? Where are you?"
Kenma glanced around. Good question, where was he exactly?
"In front of building C."
"Oh, I'm right next to it, I'll be there."
"Okay, I'll wait for you, see you soon."
"See you."
He hung up. His mind was racing. What should he do? What was he going to say to him? Should he act like nothing happened? Easier said than done now... now that he knew. He was good at concealing his emotions, yes, but he wasn't that good either! He sighed, frustrated. Did it really have to happen to him today, with only two hours of sleep? He composed himself and took a deep breath. His thoughts calmed down. The chemistry in his brain immediately transformed.
Was it really so surprising after all?
He smiled.
No, not really.
He knew exactly what Kuroo felt for him when they were kids. At the time, he only had a vague sense of it, but over time, he had come to accept it. Many years had passed since then, and time could have dulled those feelings... Kenma knew that wasn't the case. He had seen it. He saw it every time Kuroo laid eyes on him. He just pretended not to understand.
And on his side?
Was it reciprocal, even after all this time?
He glanced around. Kuroo was facing him. Their eyes met. Kuroo smiled at him.
He felt a deep sense of euphoria wash over him.
The answer came to him clearly:
Yes, it was.
-/-
Four days earlier:
Kenma parked the car. He glanced at the time and sighed: Keiji wouldn't finish for another twenty minutes. He slumped back in the seat and looked up. He could stay in the car and wait; he had brought his Nintendo Switch with him, so he could play a bit while waiting. He retrieved it from his bag and turned it on. However, as soon as the game loaded, he lost interest. He sighed again, letting the console fall onto his lap. He could also wait inside... maybe Konoha was there? He packed up his things in his bag and got out of the car. He caught his mate's gaze as he entered the Fukuro Coffee, but before they could exchange a word, a familiar voice intervened:
"Well, well, who do we have here? If it isn't the charming Kozume."
Konoha had just returned from the back room to sit behind the counter.
Kenma rolled his eyes, internally pleased to see the young man. He approached the counter and sat down across from him.
"Konoha, I've told you to stop calling me that."
The latter clicked his tongue.
"Okay, okay, but I've also told you that if I have to call you by your first name, you have to call me Akinori."
The blond grimaced.
"That's what I thought... So, dear Kozume, delighted to see you mingling with the commoners, it's been a while since we last saw each other, time drags on without you, my dear."
Kenma rolled his eyes:
"We saw each other last week."
"That's what I said."
Keiji approached them:
"I will be finishing soon."
Kenma nodded.
"Konoha, I am going to check the stock in the back."
The addressed one nodded, and the brunet disappeared behind the door leading to the stock room.
"Well, now that we're alone, we can converse in peace!"
"Don't you have work to do?" Kenma commented.
Konoha grimaced and waved his hand, indicating that he didn't care. So, they chatted quietly until they were interrupted by the brief vibration of Kenma's phone. He unlocked it and smiled when he saw that it was from Kuroo. He chuckled reading his text and immediately started typing a reply.
"Oh, what do we have here, a smile from Mr. Kozume?" teased Konoha.
"Hmm..."
The blond in front of him leaned on the counter and let his face fall into his hands, intrigued.
"So, who is it?"
He raised his eyebrows suggestively.
Kenma rolled his eyes before turning his attention back to his phone:
"My childhood friend."
"Oh, that friend you lost touch with for years who miraculously reappeared in your life?
"Yes."
"Hmm, I see, this 'friend'," Konoha drawled out the last word.
The implication made Kenma blush, and his friend noticed immediately:
"Oh, I hit the mark, interesting... Tell me everything," he whispered.
Kenma looked up, making sure no one could hear them.
"Well, maybe I'm thinking about... more."
"Seriously!" Konoha clapped his hands together in excitement.
"But shh, I haven't talked about it yet."
"Hmm... does he know about you?"
Kenma shook his head negatively.
"Hmm... What is he? A Sô-kita, Yama-kita?"
"Nothing, a beta."
Konoha raised an eyebrow;
"Oh... Really? That won't make it easy for you. Already, does he know that..."
"He knows about my secondary, yes."
"Oh, okay... How do you think he will react?"
Kenma shrugged.
"I'm not sure... I don't see him reacting badly, but I don't know..."
"Yeah, I see, you need to test the waters first."
"Yeah..."
"And what about your goofballs?"
"What about them?"
"What do they think about it?"
Kenma sighed.
"I still have to talk to them about it... I don't think it'll bother them, but... We haven't discussed it in a while now"
"Discussed what?"
"Well, we never really decided to be exclusive, but in practice, we've been for a while now… I don't know if… Well, you know."
"Anyway, you're not far off for now."
The blond nodded.
"Yeah... So, this stays between us, okay?"
"Okay, okay," he pretended to zip his mouth shut as a promise.
Kenma quickly realized that the discussion wouldn't end there.
"Okay, but what about him? Good-looking? Pfft, why am I even asking, he obviously his."
"Obviously?"
"I know your taste in men."
Konoha had glanced over at Akaashi, who had just returned from the storage room.
"Hmm..."
"Do you have a picture of him?" he asked Kenma in a low voice.
"No."
"Come on! I know you're lying!" he pleaded.
Kenma glanced at Akaashi. The latter was at the other end of the counter, busy tidying up dishes.
"It's fine, he won't see, and besides, you're showing me pictures of your friend"
Kenma sighed but still searched for a picture. He scrolled back to their conversation and tapped on the last picture sent. He handed his phone to Konoha. The blond looked at the photo and raised an eyebrow:
"Is your friend ten years old?" he remarked.
"No... That's us when we were kids."
"Hmm... you were cute with your hair like that... But I don't care! I want to see him now! I can't determine his potential with a childhood photo!"
Kenma sighed and took his phone back from Konoha's hands. The next photo was the selfie Kuroo had sent with the bracelet. He handed his phone to his friend again.
"Ah, better, he..."
Konoha fell silent. His eyes widened, and he looked at the picture with shock. Kenma frowned. While Kuroo wasn't unattractive, he didn't expect such a reaction!
"Uh... 'Kaashi, come see this..."
"What! No!" demanded the blond.
He tried to retrieve his phone, but Konoha backed away to prevent him from taking it back. Before he could attempt it again, Akaashi approached them. To Kenma's surprise, he had the same reaction as Konoha. Kenma sat back, watching the two young men in front of him. He didn't quite understand what was happening...
"Um, Kenma, how do you know him?" his mate finally asked.
He frowned, deeply puzzled:
"It's Jiji."
Akaashi gasped in surprise, dropping the cup he held between his hands. It shattered at his feet, the sound echoing throughout the coffee shop. The situation had taken a turn he hadn't anticipated, and Kenma had no idea how to interpret it.
"Oh! But that's Kuroo!"
Komi had just arrived behind the counter. He leaned over the phone still in Konoha's hands, and it took him less than a second to recognize the person in the photo. Kenma turned his gaze to him:
"Do you know him?"
"Of course! Everyone knows him here!"
"How so?"
"Ha, he's been coming here several times a week for months, flirting with Akaashi... Actually, I haven't seen him in a while... I wonder what he's up to..."
Kenma blinked several times, stunned. His face hardened, and he turned to his mate. The latter had buried his face in his hands.
"I told you it would come back to bite you," Konoha murmured to his colleague.
Akaashi lifted his head to glare at him.
"Konoha, we have already talked about this, and I told you not to meddle."
"Maybe, but I warned you! With your stupid 'It's no one, nothing is going on,' you should have thought about it before flirting like maniacs!"
"And I will not take back my words, I..."
"I told you so!"
The tone was starting to rise between them. It was Kenma who put an end to their altercation.
"Stop!" he growled.
They fell silent and turned their gaze towards him, intimidated by the tone he had just used.
"Keiji, you're done, let's go."
"I have not picked up the cup I broke yet..."
"I don't care. I'll wait for you in the car."
Keiji nodded, sheepish, and watched Kenma walk away.
"Why did you say that, Komi?" grumbled Konoha.
"I don't know, I didn't know it was a secret, sorry..."
Akaashi sighed.
"Sorry, Akaashi!"
"It's okay, Komi-san."
"Told you!"
Akaashi looked up, his gaze meeting that of his colleague.
"Yes, thank you, Konoha-san," he replied coldly.
"Um, Don't worry, I'll take care of the mess," said Komi.
The brunet sighed. He thanked him with a nod. He took off his apron and went to get his things.
"Um, good luck!" Komi called after him.
Akaashi nodded and left.
Kenma was waiting for him outside. He was leaning against the car, arms crossed. He sighed again and approached. Once he reached his side, the blond tossed him the keys:
"You drive. I'm not in the mood."
Akaashi nodded and got into the driver's seat. Kenma slammed the passenger door and slumped into the seat. He turned his gaze towards the window, clearly containing his anger. He started the car. Silence had prevailed for several minutes when Akaashi decided to ask:
"Are you mad?"
"Oh, you think?" Kenma replied sarcastically.
Silence fell again.
"Kenma... I swear I... I did not know it was Jiji."
The blond tapped his foot on the glove compartment.
"Damn it, I don't care about that, Keiji! I don't give a flying fuck!" he burst out.
He kicked again.
"The problem, Keiji, is that you didn't say anything!"
"Sorry..."
Kenma sighed loudly. He wasn't sure anymore if his anger was justified. Sure, learning this kind of thing from someone else wasn't necessarily pleasant, but maybe he was overreacting a bit... Maybe it did indeed come down to the fact that it was Kuroo after all...
"When did you meet him?"
"Three months ago, when he arrived."
"What!"
Akaashi jumped. Kenma hadn't calmed down for long.
"Three months! I can't believe it..."
"Nothing happened between us, Kenma..."
"What do you mean nothing! And damn it, Keiji, I don't care! You could have had kids with him for all I care! You do whatever you want, but the only thing I ask of you, that we ask of you, is that you talk to us! That's the deal, Keiji."
"I know..."
"No, apparently you don't!"
Akaashi grimaced.
"I'm not even mad, actually... just hurt. We're your mates, it kills me that..."
He didn't finish his sentence. He crossed his arms and sank back into his seat.
"Kenma..."
Silence.
"Nothing happened... really."
Kenma growled.
"I did not want anything to happen..."
"Why?" Kenma spoke without raising his voice this time.
"You know why," murmured the brunet.
Kenma seemed hurt, guilt flickering across his face. He turned his gaze towards the window.
"Sorry, Keiji..."
"It is not your fault, Kenma, but just..."
"Yes... I... I still don't know why I..."
He sighed.
"Keiji, I love you and I deeply care about you, you know that."
"I know..."
Silence fell again. Kenma's anger had completely dissipated.
"For Kuroo... I know I should have talked to you about it but... I thought... I did not want it to go anywhere... I just did not expect that... That I would end up… so attached to him."
Kenma took a deep breath.
"Anyway, it is over now."
"What do you mean?"
"I... um... He sort of... asked me out. And, well, I turned him down. We have not spoken since."
"Oh... damn it."
Keiji frowned, surprised by his mate's reaction.
"But," started Kenma.
"Hmm?"
"So... do you have feelings for him?"
Akaashi jerked and almost veered off the road. He quickly got back on track but couldn't avoid the turbulence. Kenma narrowly missed hitting the window with his head.
"Sorry."
"It's okay... So?"
Akaashi sighed.
"Yes. But I..."
"Good," interrupted Kenma, "me too."
Akaashi turned to look at Kenma, deeply shocked.
"Look at the road, we're going to end up in a car crash."
The brunet complied.
"Does it surprise you?" asked the blond.
Keiji thought about it. He knew the bond between Kenma and his childhood friend. He had seen how the blond reacted when he talked about him, his expression when he received his texts, the memories they shared...
After a brief pause, he replied:
"No."
"Good."
They fell silent. Only the sound of the engine filled their silence.
Kenma was the first to speak again:
"That's what I was telling Konoha... I thought I'd tell you guys."
"Oh," responded Keiji, surprised by the turn of events. "But... does Kuroo know about…"
"No, I haven't talked to him yet... But clearly, I don't think it's a big deal for him since you guys 'flirt like maniacs'."
"Konoha exaggerated..."
"Well... knowing that blockhead, it's not that surprising after all. I'm sure he's the type of guy to write you poems in German."
Keiji let out a light laugh, which caught Kenma's attention.
"Once, he brought me back my copy of 'Les Fleurs du mal'..."
"What was he doing with it?"
"I bumped into him on campus and forgot the book when I left."
"Hmm, and then?"
"He left me a note inside."
"What did it say?"
Keiji smiled.
''I didn't know you'd met Baudelaire' left on the page of the poem 'Hymn to Beauty'."
Kenma chuckled.
"What a wanker!"
They laughed together. The atmosphere around them had changed, much lighter and more relaxed.
"I'm still mad, Keiji."
"I know, sorry."
"You know I love you and it doesn't change anything but I'm angry."
"I know."
After several minutes of silence, Kenma finally spoke again:
"We need to talk to him..."
Keiji nodded.
-/-
It was official: Bokuto Kōtarō was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He had been pacing in the hallway, torturing his mind, ever since he got back home. Why now? Well, that was an excellent question! He couldn't even explain it himself. He had managed to get through the whole weekend without the event resurfacing.
He sighed. He was clearly lying to himself... Ever since the bizarre incident of the kiss in the gymnasium, it was on his mind constantly. For a while, he managed to convince himself that it was nothing much, that it didn't mean anything special. They were just caught up in the moment, that's all! This might have vaguely held true if Kuroo hadn't confessed his feelings to him. Bokuto finally resolved to keep silent, at least until he could talk it over with Kuroo. He didn't foresee that it would be far more complicated than he imagined.
Everything started off well. He woke up that Monday morning with a firm resolution to clarify the situation that very day. After his first class of the morning, he marched resolutely toward the science building, knowing Kuroo would be there. He played out every possible scenario in his head, preparing his questions, his answers; he was ready for any eventuality. Yet the moment their eyes met, his determination crumbled. Something in Kuroo's gaze completely disarmed him, and without thinking, he fled. All this time, he avoided mentally addressing the most central question: and what about him? How did he feel?
Yes, the kiss was unexpected, but he couldn't say he hadn't been a willing participant. It wasn't a stolen kiss; it had happened with his full consent! He had taken Kuroo in his arms, wiped away his tears, pulled him close, fully aware of what was happening, and then they had kissed. So, yes, he could claim he had just been caught up in the moment, that seeing his friend in tears had made him want to comfort him, without any deeper meaning behind it. But that was total bullshit, and he realized it the moment his gaze met Kuroo's. His heart had raced, and his mind, muddled with a thousand questions, had gone silent. He kissed him because he wanted to, and damn it, he wanted to do it again and again! Because he cared about him deeply, because he didn't want things to go back to how they were before, because he, too, wanted more...
The charade had gone on long enough, and it was time to straighten things up.
Unfortunately for him, while he had prepared a speech on his way back home, no one was there yet when he arrived. Since then, he had been pacing around, questioning even the legitimacy of his existence. Finally, he heard the front door open and his mates' voices reached him. He rushed into the living room to meet them.
"When are we going to talk about Kuroo?" murmured Akaashi.
"Oh..."
Akaashi and Kenma turned upon hearing him.
Bokuto slowed down and approached them with his head down, sheepishly.
"So you already know?"
Wait! How could they know? No one had seen them and...
"What are you talking about, Kōtarō?" asked Kenma.
"Hum, Kuroo?"
His two mates looked deeply puzzled.
"Who?"
"Kuroo, my buddy from college? You know? I talk about him all the time!"
Kenma sighed and buried his face in his hands.
"You never mentioned his name..."
Bokuto frowned, not seeing at all how that was relevant.
"Maybe it is not the same one?" suggested Akaashi, addressing the blond.
Kenma let out a frustrated groan. He grabbed his phone, and after a few taps, turned the screen towards Bokuto. He frowned:
"Yes, Kuroo Tetsurō, my college buddy... Why do you have a picture of him ?"
The situation seemed more and more confusing to him.
"What the fuck is going on..." muttered Kenma through his teeth.
"It is Jiji", informed Akaashi.
Bokuto widened his eyes, bewildered:
"Jiji?"
The two in front of him nodded.
"Jiji like your childhood crush who just resurfaced in your life?"
"Exactly."
"Oh..."
Bokuto lowered his gaze. He wasn't so sure anymore about wanting to confess anything now... He raised his head and addressed Akaashi:
"And you know him too?"
He nodded.
"How so?"
"They've been eyeing each other for months," Kenma replied.
"Kenma..."
"Oh... Oh! But... you've never told us about this, right?" asked Bokuto.
Akaashi grimaced.
"Yes, that's the problem!"
Kenma looked particularly annoyed.
The situation was becoming more and more odd.
"But damn it ! How did we not notice sooner!", grumbled the blond."
Only silence answered him.
"So, what now?" Kenma finally asked.
"What now?" replied Bokuto, still not fully grasping everything.
"Well, you came in saying 'so you already know'."
'Yes... but apparently you don't know... Which is a relief because that would have been weird... Not that it's not weird now but... well..."
"Yes, so what don't we know?"
Bokuto remained silent, nervously biting his lip without deciding to speak up.
"Kōtarō?" insisted the blond.
"Yes... yes... um..."
His mate's gaze became more insistent.
"Um... so, it started because... because I don't know why, but Kuroo started avoiding me... Well, I know why, I mean I didn't know before, but now I do..."
"Kōtarō..."
"Yes, anyway... Once we were talking and I mentioned uh, Keiji, well I didn't say 'Akaashi Keiji', I didn't specify anything, but anyway, I didn't think it was important but after that, he completely stopped talking to me and I clearly got that he was avoiding me..."
Seeing surprise creeping onto his mates' faces, he emphasized:
"Yeah, surprising! Anyway, I got a bit worked up, and one day when I clearly saw him turning around when he saw me... well, I chased after him, because it really pissed me off! But he kept running! So after a while he couldn't anymore, we ended up in the gymnasium, you know the one next to the pond, where go there a lot; by the way, that's where we met..."
"Okay,okay ! And?"
"And um... Well, I yelled at him, but I could see that he wasn't like, as I imagined, he looked all... all sorry and sad and... so I was like "oh ok, what?" but I kept going. And then I was about to leave, like he just told me he couldn't be my friend, I was so pissed! But then he caught up to me, and I turned around and he was, like, crying, so I didn't really understand... and then..."
"And then?"
" Um... Well, then he told me he wanted to be more... than just my friend."
Kenma and Akaashi were stunned. Kenma's bag slipped off his shoulder and fell to the ground.
"Yeah, that's what I thought too..."
"What the fuck…" murmured Kenma to himself.
"And then…"
"Because there's more?" interrupted the blond.
Bokuto gave a sheepish smile. He tapped his fingers against each other, a futile attempt to contain his discomfort. Eventually, he nodded.
"Alright then, spill it…"
Bokuto remained silent.
"Come on, what happened next?"
He didn't say a word.
Kenma started to growl. Bokuto flinched upon hearing him and finally spoke up:
"Okay, okay... Well, then we, um... we kissed."
This time, his mates' jaws nearly dropped.
"What?" snapped Kenma.
"Yeah... I... well, yeah..."
Kenma narrowed his eyes, furious.
"Damn it, why is this guy messing with my mates... I swear if... if he..."
He sighed in frustration, his face contorted with anger. He began to stomp away, but then turned back around:
"Alright, I'm calling him, he has some explaining to do, I swear that..."
As he was about to put the phone to his ear, Bokuto stopped him by grabbing his arm:
"Wait!"
"Wait for what?"
"Well, shouldn't we talk about it first?"
"Talk about what? We already did, right?"
" Well... we should discuss what we're going to do, right?"
"What do you mean ?"
" Well, I don't know, figure out if we ask him if... if we can officially court him, right?"
Kenma's anger instantly melted away, he blinked several times, bewildered.
" Or like if he wants to date us? Yeah... Maybe he'll understand more if we frame it like that..."
Kenma choked on his words, unable to form a coherent sentence.
"Well, I don't know, I like him, you like him, Keiji likes him..."
He turned to him to get his agreement, the brunet nodded, still standing in front of the door.
"Well, there you go..."
"Oh... um... I hadn't thought of that... Well, I mean, I did but... not like that."
"Alright then, hang up!" insisted Bokuto.
"I'm not going to hang up now!"
"Yes, you are!"
Bokuto desperately tried to retrieve the phone, but Kenma managed to contort himself enough to escape. They stopped when they heard that Kuroo had answered. Kenma put the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Ji?"
The call ended almost immediately. Kenma frowned, visibly confused. He glanced at Bokuto, then at Akaashi.
"So what did he say?" asked Bokuto.
"Um... he said he was passing under a bridge and then... then I think he threw his phone..."
Bokuto chuckled.
"What?"
Kenma shrugged. The three of them remained silent for a long moment, unable to fully grasp the situation.
The blond sighed and started typing on his phone again.
"Are you calling him back?"
"No... I'm ordering food."
"Cool!"
"You're right, we need to talk."
While certainly less appealing than eating pizza, it was probably necessary.
-end of the chapter-
Here we are, hope you enjoyed that chapter!
Next "Purgatory 2"
"Take your time... Whatever you choose, I hope it won't change anything between us..." That's what Kenma had told him. It was nice and all, but the more time passed, the more he realized he had to face the facts: it would change things between them, one way or another.
Of course, it would change something! "Sorry, Kenma, I'd rather we stay friends, but how about we go out for dinner sometime? With your two mates, for whom I clearly have feelings. One I've been flirting with for months, the other I kissed in the middle of a gymnasium, but no big deal." He sighed. What a damn mess! What was he going to do?