Work Text:
|1|
Kenma gained his reputation as a night owl rather early on in life. Of course, as a child, it was significantly more difficult to get away with staying up all night playing video games. So, when his parents started threatening to bin his games if they caught him up past his bedtime, he simply found a way around it. He would crawl into bed early and forego his usual sleeping until he was forcibly dragged from his cozy cocoon of blankets to instead wake with an alarm at 2 AM. Rising early to play his games meant his parents’ argument was invalid and he was free to indulge in his favorite past time. Well, until his mom got up early one morning to use the bathroom and found him sat on the floor, huddled under his duvet like a red-eyed gremlin with a controller in hand. She didn’t think his loophole was as clever as he did.
Moving out for university and his YouTube channel properly taking off certainly didn’t help to encourage better sleeping habits. His roommate in a small apartment just off-campus and friend from high school, Taketora, scolded him for his wonky sleep schedule regularly, but being one of the most chaotic individuals Kenma had ever known, he didn’t have a whole lot of ground to stand on. Suffice to say, after growing up essentially training himself to run on little sleep and his current school work requiring many all-nighters as well as a heavy dose of general suffering, he’d grown accustomed to sleep deprivation.
He was actually rather fond of being awake as the sun began to rise, listening to the sounds of the neighborhood coming to life and watching the colors spilling into his bedroom, blending as they shifted from one to the other. Sometimes it felt like the only truly peaceful time of day -- when half the world around him was still deep in slumber and the other was simply following a routine ingrained into their daily lives. He liked the tranquility of deep night too, the faint mystical vibe the cool air carried. His imagination ran most wild at those hours.
However, while he was used to getting less than the ideal amount of rest and did enjoy the quiet time he cultivated in the early hours of the morning, he still loved to sleep. The comfort he found on his futon curled up beneath piles of blankets like a burrowing cat was precious to him. Which is why he didn’t take kindly to it being disturbed (something Tora had learned ages ago and part of the reason Kenma had chosen him to live with).
He grumbled annoyed nonsense as he shuffled to the front door twenty minutes before noon, hair falling out of a messy bun to frame his scowling face. The oversized t-shirt he’d borrowed from Tora dwarfed his small frame and hung well past the waist of his sweats, but Kenma had never been one to worry much about appearances and he cared even less when it came to whoever seemed to be trying to break into his apartment. The rattling and banging finally stopped when he ripped the door open to reveal a flustered Taketora standing there, arm outstretched with a broken key in hand.
“Kenma! It broke! How the hell does a key even break?” he cried in befuddled outrage, waving the now useless scrap metal wildly.
Kenma squinted and grabbed his hand to stabilize it, finally getting a proper look at the key, “How hard were you trying to turn this thing? This isn’t the key to our apartment, you idiot.”
“What?” the taller man cursed and started studying the broken piece as he slipped inside past his tired roommate.
Sighing wearily, Kenma stayed where he was and fiddled with the lock to see if he could get the other half of the key out, calling behind him, “Tora, your stuff!”
He didn’t bother looking up to see if his friend was coming back to retrieve the bag he’d abandoned in the hall, but the streak of black in his periphery as his cat shot out the open door and down the hallway did catch his attention.
“Ringo!” he yelped and immediately raced after the ball of fluff.
His bare feet ached each time they hit the pathetically thin carpet covering the hallway and the percentage of his hair still actually in a bun decreased rapidly as he sprinted, but he couldn't care. Finally, Ringo’s pace slowed and he started to pad more leisurely past the other doors, much to Kenma’s relief, but as he allowed himself to ease up his toes caught on his stupid, baggy sweats and he found himself tripping over his own feet like a fool. He squeezed his eyes shut and braced for impact, already wondering how many bruises he'd be left with.
But instead of the pain of his weight colliding with hideous burnt orange carpeting covered concrete, he felt something firm and warm grab him, catching him before he could hit the ground.
“Got ya. Man, I never really thought all those diving receive drills would help outside of volleyball,” a baritone chuckle rumbled against his back and Kenma’s eyes flew open in surprise.
What he belatedly realized was a pair of strong arms, helped rebalance him properly on his feet and he immediately jumped back and away from the stranger’s touch. His fingers shook slightly from adrenaline as he carefully brushed a half curtain of black and gold out of his eyes to get a look at whoever he needed to thank.
A tall young man in jeans and a red hoodie stood before him, probably not much older than Kenma himself. Broad shoulders and a muscular frame loomed over his thin, 5’6 build and when he tilted his head a bit to meet his eyes he was slightly startled to find narrowed hazel staring back at him with a gaze eerily similar to one he often gets from his cat. The lopsided Cheshire Cat grin the mystery guy sported made the whole thing a little less intimidating as his expression whispered more promises of mischief than of danger. The ridiculous case of black bedhead also took the edge off and Kenma had to bite back a snort when he noticed it.
What weird hair…
“Should I take that cute little smile as a sign that you’re alright?” the man asked, tilting his head inquisitively as his expression softened.
Blood rushed to Kenma’s cheeks and he swiftly schooled his expression, crossing his arms, “I’m okay. Thanks.”
“No worries. I’ve fallen on this crappy floor before and it definitely leaves a bruise. As well as stains. I don’t think carpet is supposed to do that.”
“Just don’t think about it. It’s better that way,” Kenma advised, grimacing at the thought of how low quality the complex was in some aspects.
The man threw his head back and cackled, somehow easily coaxing an amused smile onto Kenma’s lips.
“My name’s Kuroo Tetsurou. It’s nice to meet you,” he introduced warmly once his laughter had died down, offering a hand to shake.
Kenma stared at him apprehensively for a moment before taking it, “Kozume... Kenma.”
Kuroo’s hand was warm and rough with callouses, completely overshadowing his small one that he knew was ice cold, as always. The taller man didn’t seem to mind though as his touch lingered, just brushing the inside of his wrist before he let go.
“Kozume Kenma,” Kuroo nods, “So, can I ask what had you trying to beat an Olympic sprinting record in your pajamas at noon on a Saturday?”
“Oh. I was just- Ringo!”
Kenma cut himself off with a gasp and an utterance of the cat’s name like a curse as he spun around in hopes of still being able to spot him, forgetting the stranger beside him.
Mrow.
A yell rang out by his feet and his gaze followed the familiar sound to find Ringo winding his way around Kuroo’s feet, rubbing his entire side against the fabric of his black sneakers. Before Kenma could bend to scoop him up, Kuroo’s long arms beat him there as he crouched to let the cat smell his hand. Ringo tested the waters by sniffing a couple of times and lightly touched the tip of his nose to his knuckles. It appeared to be sufficient vetting as he proceeded to meow approvingly and rub his whole head on the tan hand offered to him.
“Floozy,” Kenma muttered under his breath, watching unimpressed.
His cat was notoriously desperate for love and affection despite already spending most of his time snuggling Kenma or curled up in Tora’s clean laundry. Though Kenma was pretty sure he just did that because he knew it drove his roommate nuts. He was used to people using their asshole behavior as a reason to hate cats, but Kenma always liked that about them. Granted, he enjoyed it less when Ringo decided he wasn’t getting enough attention and started batting things off his shelves at 1 AM like little bombs he was dropping onto Kenma’s sleeping form.
“Did you just call your cat a slut?” Kuroo snickered as he straightened up, the cat now cradled in his arms.
Kenma shrugged, “He knows what I mean.”
“That so?” it was clear in his tone that the rooster haired man found the whole thing quite amusing, “Does he have a name or should I just call him Harlot?”
“It’s Ringo. And don’t ever mock my son.”
The hyena laugh came out again and Kuroo shook his head, “I wouldn’t dream of it. He’s not supposed to be out, yeah? You need help getting him back inside or is your place nearby?”
“Are you hitting on me?” Kenma’s deadpan voice made Kuroo grin and he was about to reply when another voice echoed down the hallway to them.
"Kenma! Where the hell did you go? Your phone’s blowing up with reminders about a stream!”
“Shit. I’m gonna be late,” Kenma narrowed his eyes at the purring ball of fluff in Kuroo’s arms, “This is your fault.”
He hurriedly plucked him out of the other man’s hold and moved past him to start back towards his apartment. After a few steps, he paused to look back, immediately making eye contact with Kuroo as he watched him go with a small quirk to his lips.
“Thanks,” Kenma said quietly, “For catching me. And grabbing him.”
A grin stretched across Kuroo’s face and he winked, waving two fingers at him in farewell, “Happy to help. See you around, Kozume.”
The half blonde faced forward again before the blush spreading up his face could be seen and made his way towards a confused Taketora standing in their doorway.
“You think you’re so slick, don’t you?” Kenma mumbled to the cat held against his chest.
He swore the meow he got in response sounded amused.
|2|
“Uh, Kenma?” Less than a week later Tora’s rough voice called from outside his bedroom, “Was Lev here earlier?”
Kenma looked up from his game with furrowed brows, his voice dripping with suspicion when he sighed, “What did he do?”
“The front door’s wide open.”
“Lev,” he hissed under his breath, lips pursing as the irritated man left the comfort of his fancy gaming chair to find his roommate in the living room.
“Tora. Remind me why I let that lanky bastard into our apartment.”
Taketora snorted, “He doesn’t really just take no for an answer? You’d feel like an ass? It’s too much work trying to avoid him? Or, whether you’ll admit it or not, we’ve been friends since high school and you actually kind of like him.”
“Hm,” the gamer just huffed at that and slipped on his sneakers, “I’ll check downstairs. Can you cover this floor?”
“On it,” his friend patted him on the back reassuringly before heading out to hunt for the escapee cat, rattling a bag of treats in one hand.
Shoes secured, Kenma followed quickly, jogging to the elevator and jabbing at the button for the first floor with perhaps a little more force than necessary. He stared stubbornly at the ground and told the anxious part of his brain imagining his baby dying in some horrible elevator related incident to shove it. It was a relief to hurry out of there as soon as it reached the first floor and Kenma imagined those irrational fears staying behind in the metal contraption.
“Ringo! Tst, tst, tst,” he tried calling him as he scanned the lobby for any sign of the sneaky little shit.
“The hell is a cat doing in here?”
The bewildered voice came from the community gym and Kenma silently cursed his cat as he speed-walked towards the double glass doors. He hated the gym. The music was always kind of crap and playing loud enough to be felt in your bones, which only ever served to make Kenma’s head hurt. It also had an unsurprising, but unfortunate tendency to reek of sweat and body odor.
His nose crinkled in displeasure as he entered the stuffy space. Thankfully it didn’t take long to spot his little fluff monster sitting daintily next to a weight machine and yelling at its user. He was already preparing an apology when he realized the mess of black hair and lean build of the person was familiar. Of course. His cat went straight for the hot neighbor Kenma had already looked like an idiot in front of once.
“Ringo?” Kuroo Tetsurou let the weird arm things he was hugging the air with return to their normal position and leaned down, “How’d you get all the way down here, little guy? I’ll bet Kozume’s worried sick about you. Not that I mind seeing you. You’re sweet as hell and I certainly won’t complain about the opportunity to talk to your dad.”
“Should I be worried about you abducting my cat one of these days?” Kenma drawled from behind him, choosing not to think about that last comment.
Kuroo whirled around in surprise and grinned when he laid eyes on the young man standing close with his arms crossed, “At this rate, I don’t think I’d have to. He seems perfectly capable of finding me on his own.”
“I wouldn’t get too smug. My roommate’s half-convinced he’s secretly plotting to kill us and replace us with hyper-realistic, remote-controlled android versions of ourselves.”
Kenma couldn’t help smiling a little when he earned that hideous laugh in response.
“I don’t think we need to worry,” the taller man said with a smirk as he calmed down, “How’s he gonna control the remote without thumbs?”
Kenma’s smile grew for a second in amusement, “I learned not to doubt his abilities when he was a kitten and I found him inside the fridge licking a thing of butter.”
Kuroo cackled again and hummed as he stroked Ringo’s back delicately, “That is impressive. Maybe he has a career in escape artistry.”
The cat owner rolled his eyes as he bent down to grab him around his middle and lift him into his arms, “The last thing I need is him learning how to open doors. Thanks for finding him again.”
Kuroo waved happily, “More like he found me, but either way, I’m glad to help. See you around, Kenma. Claw ya later, Ringo!”
The displeased look Kenma shot him over his shoulder at the poor pun just got him another grating laugh that had several people shooting the amused young man expressions of poorly concealed mirth (and annoyance from some who probably felt he was too disruptive for the small gym). Kenma was pretty confident they were all picturing the same hyena from The Lion King, but Kuroo just grinned at their gazes before returning to his workout.
As he made his way back upstairs to his apartment and a worried Taketora, Kenma wondered if he’d always been that outgoing or if he had to earn that confidence. Picturing the bird’s nest he called hair on a smaller, quieter boy made him smile and nuzzle the top of Ringo’s furry head. Cute...
|3|
It took a moment for Kuroo to realize he’d fallen asleep on the lumpy couch in his living room when he roused to find his surroundings didn’t match the expected view of his bedroom. He’d been spending the past several days since his run-in with Kenma working on a project for one of his classes and he must have crashed while editing. The rumpled notes in his lap paired with ink streaks across his hands affirmed it.
Movements sluggish with sleep, he leaned over the back of the couch and pouted when he peered into Bokuto’s bedroom to see two mismatched feet sticking out from under his comforter. It was reassuring to see his best friend made it home safe after being out late, but he wished him or Akaashi had thought to wake him up. He was gonna have this knot in his neck all day tomorrow.
Mrow! Mrowww!
He froze with a hand on his neck and slowly pivoted to frown at the front door suspiciously. A low scratching sound sprung from the same spot and Kuroo stared in confusion, slowly pushing himself up to standing. Was that... a cat?
His footfalls on the way to the entrance were nearly silent, socked feet scuffed on wood floors lazily. A quiet groan slipped past his parted lips as he stretched with a big yawn. The meowing was already louder by the time he closed the distance between it and himself, but it was suddenly joined by hushed whispers right before he swung the door open.
A strangled shriek greeted him on the other side first, fraying his nerves as his eyes acclimated to the light of the hallway before he could take in whatever had woken him.
“Kenma? Ringo?” he blinked rapidly in surprise.
Clad in boxers and a large white t-shirt stood the startled form of his adorable neighbor. His mischievous cat sat comfortably in his arms but made a happy chirping noise when he saw Kuroo. Well, that explained the sound that had disturbed his sleep. Man, that cat really liked him.
“I’m not stalking you,” Kenma mumbled, keeping his gaze below Kuroo’s face, “My roommate’s idiot friend showed up drunk and let him out. Sorry if we woke you.”
“Don’t sweat it,” the dark-haired man assured with a sleepy smile, “I was breaking my neck crashing on the couch anyway so you actually did me a favor.”
“Put heat on it,” the smaller man nodded and suggested with a yawn, “Goodnight, Kuro.”
Kuroo waved lazily at his retreating back as the human-cat pair returned to their apartment, “Goodnight, Kenma.”
A smile tugged while he slipped back into his own place, humming, “Kuro, huh?”
|4|
“Tetsurou?”
“Hmm?” Kuroo hummed distractedly, still scribbling notes about Phototaxis with one hand while the other repeatedly flipped a pen between his fingers.
“You know how you said your neighbor’s cat really likes you and I pointed out it might simply be a friendly cat?”
That grabbed his attention and Kuroo pushed his reading glasses up his nose as he raised his head to look at Akaashi standing by the balcony, “Yeah?”
“I think you might have been on to something,” with the words the younger man stepped to the side, exposing the cat sitting outside just on the other side of the glass door.
Bokuto’s excited cry of, “Kitty!” was mostly ignored, aside from the smitten look Akaashi gave him.
Two months since their first meeting Kuroo had seen Ringo enough times by now to recognize him easily. Besides, what were the chances it was some other cat that just happened to look like him and sneak onto his balcony? He jumped up, hurrying over to open the door for the fluffy creature. Ringo gave a satisfied meow and sauntered on in, casually strolling around the apartment.
“Careful. Maybe he wants to rob you,” Akaashi teased dryly, relaxing into the loveseat next to his boyfriend.
“Or maybe he’s a messenger of love from the pretty neighbor boy,” Bokuto posited, immediately wrapping an arm around the smaller body pressed to his side.
Kuroo snorted as he scooped Ringo up carefully and struggled to find the doorknob past the mass of black fluff blocking his view, “I don’t know if I’m that lucky.”
After finally finding it and stepping outside the apartment he gently kicked the door shut behind himself and made the short trip down the hall to Kenma’s unit. Knocking was a bit difficult with his arms full of cat, but he managed. It took a minute to get a response and he was starting to worry no one was home when the door opened with a slight creak.
Dark roots and golden eyes blinked up at him as Kenma appeared behind it, a Switch controller clutched in one hand. The hesitant gaze quickly widened when he spotted his purring cat in Kuroo’s arms, “Okay, what the hell? Do you bathe in tuna or something?”
He guided him inside and once he ensured the door properly clicked shut behind them, he whirled on his cat and his apparent transporter, “Seriously. How?”
“I think he jumped balconies. I found him outside on mine,” Kuroo explained amusedly.
“What the hell? Who are you? The Harry Houdini of cats?” Kenma frowned incredulously at Ringo, who didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered.
Kuroo grinned as he set him down gently, “That’s an incredible name for a cat. H-A-I-R-Y Houdini.”
The stare he got in response may have seemed blank at first glance, but Kenma’s eyes were soft and the twitching of the corner of his lips drained any real heat from it when he ordered, “Get out.”
Kuroo just cackled gleefully.
|5|
As the seasons began to change and the ratio of leaves decorating trees to those littering the ground shifted rapidly, classwork intensified and Kuroo and Kenma didn’t have much contact outside of passing greetings. The worsening weather seemed to be quelling Ringo’s adventurous urges as much as the time of year drained the energy from students. Though Kuroo’s interest in the other man didn’t wane, especially not after he discovered his YouTube channel and got to know more of him through his videos.
It was a Thursday night when he found himself relaxing again with a ‘Kodzuken’ video lighting up his laptop screen. He’d finally finished a paper that was worth at least 40% of his grade and the rain pouring down outside squashed any desire he might have had to go out even if he weren’t exhausted. With his headphones in and the repetitive sounds of a game and Kenma’s dry commentary, it took him a minute to realize the distant thudding he was hearing was someone knocking rather vehemently at his door.
He might normally have been a little annoyed with his scant time to chill being interrupted, but there were only two people who would pound on his door like that unless it was important -- Oikawa, who was a little shit, but also on his honeymoon on the beach with Iwaizumi, and Bokuto, who lived with him and therefore didn’t need to knock. He easily vaulted over the back of the couch and jogged to pull the door open. The sight that met him on the other side made his breath hitch and his stomach drop down to his feet.
It was Kenma, but Kuroo couldn’t be excited about seeing him when he looked like he’d been in a fight with a rose bush and was cradling a bundled towel in his arms. His shirt and patches of his skin were stained with blood, some even in the tangled mess of two-tone hair hanging in his face. The wide, tear-filled state of his beautiful cat eyes felt like a knife in Kuroo’s chest.
“Jesus! Kenma. What the hell happened?” he sprung into urgent action, reaching out to hold Kenma’s arm carefully, “You’re covered in blood. Are you okay?”
The distressed young man shook his head jerkily and his voice came out rough and breaking, “I’m sorry to bother you, but I- I need help and there’s no one else. He needs a vet. Now.”
The towel heap let out an awful, grating yowl and Kuroo felt his heart stop for the second time in only a couple minutes.
“It’s Ringo. Shit. Did he get hurt or what?” he asked over his shoulder as he scrambled around the apartment to stuff his wallet, phone, and keys in his pockets.
“He fell off a shelf and cut his leg. There was a lot of blood,” Kenma explained hoarsely, worried stare not leaving his injured cat for a second.
His pale complexion almost had a gray tint to it and Kuroo’s sense of urgency intensified when he pictured the desperate man fainting. Hurrying himself along, he silently thanked Akaashi for organizing the living room the other night and grabbed the umbrella propped conveniently right by the door. He tugged on his coat while simultaneously guiding Kenma away from the door and shutting it firmly behind himself.
“We can take my car,” Kuroo assured him, almost having to jog to keep up with the other’s frantic stride.
They were lucky enough to have a parking garage attached to the complex, saving them exposure to the heavy rain, but Kuroo draped his extra jacket around Kenma’s shoulders anyway. He’d been to the nearest emergency vet before when Bokuto and he had discovered a litter of newborn kittens abandoned the previous summer, so he knew where to go. The drive was no more than seven minutes (with maybe a few traffic violations on Kuroo’s part saving time), but the silence and Ringo’s pained cries made it feel much longer.
Kenma looked like he was itching to just hop out of the car while they were still driving through the animal hospital’s parking lot so Kuroo put a grounding hand on his knee. He couldn’t say for sure if it actually helped, but the anxious cat dad at least waited until they’d parked to clamber out of the car and he didn’t like, bite Kuroo or anything. He figured that was probably a win and hurried to stay right behind him.
Apparently, after eight on a Thursday night wasn’t a high traffic time for the vet and they did make sure Ringo was stable before asking them to wait a bit. Kuroo had distinct memories from his late teens of a Christmas Eve spending all day in an emergency vet waiting room after his dumbass dog decided to eat part of a rug, so it was a relief to be seen quickly. When they were called back Kuroo offered to stay behind, but Kenma simply grabbed his hand and didn’t let go the whole time they were in there. Kuroo didn’t know if it was completely accidental or an actual act of seeking comfort, but either way, he certainly didn’t mind.
“I get why you were so concerned. It’s a pretty nasty laceration and the placement on his leg there definitely explains the amount of blood. Just let me sew him up while he’s still numb and give you some ointment to put on the would as it heals. You did good bringing him here, but he’ll be just fine,” the vet finally assured them and Kuroo enjoyed watching some of the stress bleed right out of Kenma.
They made it back home before eleven and were still giggling about the little cone Ringo had to wear to keep him from aggravating his stitches as they approached Kenma’s door.
“He looks like a kid wearing one of those dunce caps,” Kuroo snickered.
Kenma looked vaguely scandalized, “He does not.”
A smirk spread across Kuroo’s face despite the exhaustion lapping at his senses as he leaned against the wall, “Does too.”
Kenma narrowed his eyes at him, “Does not.”
“Does too.”
“... Not.”
“Too.”
Sharp golden eyes rolled at him and for a second Kuroo thought he’d go inside without even saying goodnight, but Kenma paused with the door half-open.
“Thank you for everything, Kuro.”
He smiled softly and nodded once, “Anytime, Kenma. You know I’m always happy to help.”
Kenma waved with the hand not holding Ringo’s cardboard carrier and disappeared inside his apartment.
Kuroo waited just a moment before turning towards his own place, but he only got one step when the click of a door opening and a soft voice calling out behind him made him freeze.
“Kuro.”
He twisted on his heel to face him again, smiling softly, “Yeah?”
The movement was almost too fast for his tired eyes to catch, but in a flash, Kenma darted in to kiss his cheek and then he was back with a hand on the doorknob, “Goodnight.”
Kuroo grinned, a pleased warmth running through his veins, “Goodnight, Kenma.”
The smaller man immediately ducked into his apartment after that, thoroughly embarrassed, and Kuroo was left to ponder ways to ask him out later as he ambled back to his apartment. Even as he kicked off his shoes and collapsed into bed, Kenma was at the forefront of his mind. He briefly wondered if this is what people meant when they talked about falling fast, but he was asleep before he could think much more about it.
|+1|
Damp air fills Kuroo’s lungs as he breathes in deep, the heady smell of wet earth and rain washing away some of the fatigue from an intense practice. His sneakers send droplets of water flying with each step he takes, dampening the bottom of his track pants as he breaks into a jog towards the building’s entrance. The security here is a big upgrade from the old apartment complex he’d met Kenma in a few years ago and he has to put in a code as well as have his face scanned before he can enter.
“Hey, Koji,” he waves two fingers lazily at the security guard seated in the lobby as he passes by.
The older man smiles and nods, “Evening, Kuroo.”
A loud ding signals the arrival of the elevator and Kuroo steps in quickly, eager to be home. Having a place on the fifth floor is nice, with a better view and less street noise, but he’s glad they got the elevator fixed. The time it was down and they had to use the stairs made for a very grouchy Kenma. He smiles in amusement picturing the face he’d pulled at having to make the five flight hike all week and lets himself inside with a silver key when he reaches the familiar red door.
Mrow! Mrow, mrowww!
Ringo’s customary meows are his first greeting upon arriving at home and Kuroo’s grin grows when he spots the sootsprite yelling at him from the floor by his feet, “Hey, there, Ringo. Where’s your dad, hm?”
Kicking off his shoes comes absentmindedly as he leans down to scratch under the cat’s chin, calling, “Kitten? I’m home.”
“Welcome back,” a soft voice greets and Kenma’s face pops up from the other side of the couch, “How was practice?”
His hair is pulled back in a braid Kuroo had done for him last night, a little mussed now but still cute. He appreciates being able to see his partner’s face without golden and black locks hanging in the way sometimes. Kenma is always beautiful and his long-standing habit of using his hair as a shield is adorable, but it’s nice to have a clear view of his delicate features and cat-like eyes.
“It was good,” Kuroo replies, ditching his coat on a hook and striding over to hop over the back of the couch.
“Watch it. You’re so heavy,” Kenma huffs when the larger body bounces the cushions and nearly makes him drop his phone from his hand. He glares at him out of the corner of his eye without any real heat and the shameless grin he gets back is annoyingly cute
.
He makes sure the notes page he’d been planning new videos in saves properly, already anticipating the pair of lanky arms that wrap around him and pull him into Kuroo’s lap. Kenma lets out a faux disgruntled puff of air but instantly melts into the broad chest against his back. The smooth motion of finding calloused fingers to lace with his own and resting their joined hands over his stomach feels like basic instinct, just as tilting his head to let Kuroo lightly nuzzle his neck does. He can’t remember the last time they sat on the couch and didn’t end up in this position.
“You smell good,” Kuroo hums quietly, placing a reverent kiss to the pale column of his neck.
“You reek,” Kenma retorts, wrinkling his nose teasingly.
His boyfriend huffs a laugh and squeezes his sides, “That’s the smell of petrichor and man.”
Kenma raises an eyebrow and tilts his head to look at him, “What are you doing cuddling me while you’ve still got some other guy’s smell on you?”
“I mean me, you little gremlin,” Kuroo snorts, nipping at his collarbone in retaliation.
Kenma yelps quietly and swats his thigh, “Quit that. You’re not Ringo.”
Ringo mewls at them from his spot curled up at the top of the cat climber almost as tall as Kuroo that he’d gotten for him last Christmas.
“I told you he knows his name,” Kuroo smirks, meowing playfully back at the cat.
Kenma rolls his eyes, looking fondly at the man he loves, “He recognizes the sound we make when addressing him. He’s a cat.”
“He’s a genius! Like his dad.”
The arms around Kenma tighten and he squeaks at the tickling sensation of messy black hair brushing against his neck and ear.
“You’re my kitten,” Kuroo purrs, “Maybe that’s why he’s always loved me. He picked it up from you.”
“Or it had something to do with you routinely slipping him treats under my door,” Kenma accuses dryly.
Kuroo laughs (it still sounds kind of like a donkey, but Kenma finds it cute), “I couldn’t help it. Watching him poke his little paws under looking for them was too funny.”
“I can’t believe it took a month into us dating for you to tell me about that. Or that I never noticed.”
“Hey, the cat and I had an agreement. I didn’t want to piss off my future son.”
Kenma snorts, twisting in his lap to press a quick kiss to his lips, “Idiot. You know, I was thinking... if we decide to deal with the whole ordeal of properly getting married someday, Ringo should be in the ceremony somehow. Seems poetic with him being how we connected.”
“Fate would have found another way if he didn’t take care of that,” Kuroo murmurs happily, “But he should totally be the ring bearer and carry the rings down the aisle to us.”
“Mm. Yeah. Trusting our escape artist cat with our wedding rings sounds like a safe bet,” Kenma snickers as he wraps his arms around Kuroo’s neck and rests their foreheads together.
Kuroo’s responding chuckles are muffled by Kenma sealing their lips together again, pressing harder into the kiss. He toys with the shaved section of hair at the back of his partner’s neck and leans slightly into the warm hand cradling his cheek.
They trade slow, tender kisses for a few minutes like that before Kenma pulls back to whisper, “We should do it though. Someday.”
Kuroo raises an eyebrow, the hint of a smirk on his lips, “Trust Ringo with the most important pieces of jewelry we’d ever own?”
The eye roll and pinch to his side he gets is expected as Kenma corrects, “Get married. Or something like it anyway. I feel stupid just calling you my boyfriend. It doesn’t feel sufficient.”
The playful expression on Kuroo’s face melts into an adoring smile as he stares at his whole heart through misty eyes and cradles Kenma’s face in his hands, “I have a ring. I just, uh... kind of have to figure out where Ringo hid it...”
The responding silence breaks when Kenma suddenly dissolves into delighted laughter and buries his face in Kuroo’s chest.
“I love you,” he manages between chortles.
Kuroo grins and strokes his hair affectionately, “I love you too, Kitten.”
✧✧✧
From his perch above them, Ringo watches the couple hold each other, basking in their joy, and yawns. He rests his head on his paws and closes his eyes to sleep, thinking that he knew he was right about the rooster headed man from the start. He doesn’t know why humans can’t seem to sense their soulmates, the fated pairs are obvious to him, but he guesses helping them see it is just a part of his job as the cat of the house. As he drifts off peacefully, he distantly wonders just how long it will take them to find the ring under the couch.