[ on his side there's the longest sigh. he debates this next text heavily....but sends it anyway. ]
are you coming over?
[ bc they both know that's the only way kuroo will get him to eat something -- if he brings it to him.
a thing made easier if they ever dorm together...though kenma doesn't know that he'll even go to the same uni as kuroo. not that they've talked about it anyway or anything. so far. ]
[ kenma has been telling himself it's not a big deal. so what if he and kuroo haven't really been well and truly apart for a solid amount of time in years? for...most of their lives? no big deal. everyone has to go to uni. it's fine.
it's fine.
. . . ]
that would be cannibalism today.
[ mashed potato cat here. maybe kuroo is joking. he's not sure. but kenma has a small appetite anyway -- well, average in his own opinion, but others say different. sandwiches are plenty.]
[ kenma cannot possibly get more ensconced in the blankets than he already is, though he tries. it's cozy. he's not sure why the room feels cold to him; it's not supposed to be cold today. ]
door is open.
[ when he'd emerged from his room late (finally cleared that level to his satisfaction) to find a note from his mom about being out, he'd promptly stuck his head out the front door to see if she was just leaving, then deduced she'd been gone for some time already. then he returned to his room and potatoed.
so the door is unlocked. it's a safe neighborhood. and best of all that means kenma doesn't have to get up to let kuroo in.
whew, i thought i was gonna have to crawl through your window again!
[ would have been a lot harder with food and drinks in his hand. When he's done with the sandwiches he packs it all up with the drinks and some shrimp chips in case they get snacky. he also grabs a couple of those microwaveable apple pies in case kenma needs some extra cheering up, and then he makes his way to the Kozume household. ]
[ somehow those three lines perfectly exemplify kenma's expression. tater tot? well. they are good actually but that's not the point..anyway.
he doesn't laugh loudly, more a chuff of air than anything but he is amused remembering the last time kuroo came in through the window -- a near disaster. but lively. much as kenma says he doesn't like too much excitement, there's something different regarding kuroo. maybe it's just how used they are to each other. ]
k
[ when kuroo gets there, there's going to be just a bit of kenma's dark roots showing at the top of the blanket that otherwise covers him, and his phone is conspicuously set to the side, charging. kenma often wishes he could do like his phone and just plug in and recharge.
[ he knows that expression very well. he expects to see much more of it today.
after he kicks off his shoes, he goes straight upstairs when he goes inside, cause he has a feeling no one else is home for the time being. when he busts into Kenma's bedroom he's not surprised to see just the top of his head poking out of a complete blanket burrito. ]
Delivery boy here, at your service!
[Coming over, he gets onto the bed, setting his stuff down, then tries to peek into the blanket.]
Sometimes I wonder how you can breathe under there.
[ From inside the burrito blanket, there's a bit of motion just enough for Kenma to tilt his head at an angle that lets one eye come into view -- arguably alert for someone who hasn't slept. ]
It's nice.
[ He blinks, weighing the pros and cons of wriggling more out of the blanket -- on the one hand, delivery; on the other hand...he's comfy. A soft sigh followed by another yawn, and he settles for something in-between, not quite unwinding from his cocoon but also fidgeting enough until he's as far out as his chin, blankets sort of brushing his mouth. ]
You sleep with two pillows smushed together on your head.
[ Translation: that sounds much more dire. The slight smile on Kenma is so small it could be missed, but it's there.
His gaze darts around for the food, not sitting up still though. ]
[ It's been a little over two weeks. Kenma's leg still hurts and he still has the wrist splint, which means no volleyball, but he can move around and he's almost so far behind in his makeup work that he seriously considers the pros and cons of simply dropping out. But then that's a little melodramatic. He sighs, reaching up with his uninjured hand to push his hair out of his face for once. It didn't grow so very much in two weeks but it's been on the long side already. His blond is almost all gone, the black more threaded with gold than patchy and pudding like as it is associated with. As far as he knows from seeing Kuroo every night, he's okay. Akaashi or Sawamura or someone took care of the broken light pieces stuck in his paw bed, and the form he takes has only become more and more comfortable. Or, that's as much as Kenma can tell; he thinks he's right though.
Ever since that night he feels like he can sense Kuroo more than before and Akaashi confirmed with him that it probably had to do with the blood Kuroo licked off of him when he was hurt.
It's what he's thinking about now as he winces and tugs his bookbag onto one shoulder, heads to the door and toes his shoes on carefully. Kuroo will probably come pick him up right?
He does what he's gotten in the habit of doing: puts out feelers of a sort to sense if he's there and sure enough he can feel him getting closer. It's odd but not wholly unfamiliar. If he thinks of it a certain way, Kenma might argue they were already like this. ]
I'm off.
[ He says quietly but no one answers and he locks the door behind him just as mildly; it's fine.
One of the things that bothers him now isn't his bond with Kuroo which he doesn't feel is as new as it might be; rather, it's his own magic. He's barely a step outside and his vision swims. Overloaded. He stumbles, breaths huffing out of him. For whatever reason, it makes him more sensitive to everything -- sight, sound, smell, touch. This is why you locked it up, he tells himself and then also tells himself to shut up because it's not helpful. He doesn't know how to re-bottle it, so to speak, lock it up new or trick it into silence; he can't turn it off. It makes him even more tired than he was before.
Sighing, he brushes his hair back again. It's down to his shoulders these days. ]
Where are you?
[It's more a muttering to himself than anything because he can feel Kuroo even if he can't see him. Squinting, he glances back and forth.]
[ Kuroo is a couple houses away, but he crows it like a rowdy teenager, no longer bothering to ask questions like how could I have heard Kenma's quiet mumbling from this far away when the answer is and always will be: magic shenanigans. There's a lot of new unexplained qualities to their relationship, but Kuroo has always been curious about the magical world and so they really don't bother him. It helps him keep an eye on Kenma, too, so it's not that bad.
He fidgets as he approaches, something he's never really done before, but now he has a thin crescent scar down the palm of his hand that seems to reign him back in when he gets too caught up in thinking this is cool or fun or whatever.
That night was scary and difficult, but things have been creeping toward getting better every time, and now Kenma is on his feet again and looking much improved than he had two weeks ago even if he's not entirely fixed yet. This is good, and now maybe Kuroo can assess the result of his stupidity and apologize to Kenma's face instead of whispering it across whatever magic is bonding them together in the tentative moments when Kenma is almost asleep, and Kuroo is curled up half on his chest, massive paw flung across his chest to keep his promise and keep him safe.
Kuroo's family haven't clocked on, or if they have they haven't said anything. Kuroo thought his mother might have seen the seal burned into his stomach when Kuroo got careless with not wearing a shirt when he came downstairs, but she just smiled at him and asked what he wanted for breakfast. The seal is getting lighter and lighter every day now, Kuroo wondered at first if that meant it was getting weaker.. but when he starts to get sleepy in his own bed he can feel claws creeping around the wall he's built between himself and the monster living inside him. That's when he lets the change happen, and clambers out of the window, down onto the pantry roof, and down the street to do the same in reverse and let himself into Kenma's room.
He comes to Kenma's side, and smiles just like he always does, like there's nothing wrong and this is just another normal day. ]
You're out of bed! I honestly thought I was going to have to come inside and drag you out by your ankles. Full of energy today, then?
[Kenma refrains from saying 'better not' in reply because socially avoidant doesn't equate to socially stupid; he watches people and most of all Kuroo, and knows how that kind of a comment would sting. Instead he squints up at him through a rather mild expression and says, ] I want to go back to bed.
[ It's true even if it's totally out of the question. Unplanned but on point, he yawns and it's the kind of yawn that makes you wince because you can hear something crack. After the night of Kuroo's change, he's had quite enough of bones cracking or making any sound at all. It makes him queasy. Making a mumbled 'ugh' more or less, he raises his hands to his face to rub the heels of his palms into his closed eyes.
Calm down, he tells himself, and unconsciously his magic reaches out not to do anything but towards Kuroo and, when it comes up against the magic in him or the magic of what's been done to him, it settles a little. Something about Kuroo's presence is stabilizing for him, and while that's been true forever it's different feeling now in a way he can't articulate. And he's never been as grateful as he was that night for his magic, for being able to take away some of Kuroo's pain even if he couldn't actually 'save' him. Akaashi had told him not to worry -- that even trained magic users probably couldn't have contended with it at that stage, and while Kenma knows enough about Akaashi to know he isn't a person of lip-service, well, it still didn't make him feel better.
Hands still over his face, he sighs, then eyeballs Kuroo through his splayed fingers. ]
Are...are you feeling okay?
[ It bears asking, honestly, given everything that's happened and how they have so much they have to deal with still, but his voice is normal -- soft toned and mild. Calm. ]
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shut up and go get your food.
[ petulant cat status is approximately 8/10 as he yawns until his jaw cracks. but good thing for him there's no witnesses! no one can prove it.
even if he's well aware kuroo knows better than that. ]
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[ no sleep no food in how many hours? kenma is ahead of his time; uni is going to be a breeze. ]
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you're hungry too!
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am not.
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are too!
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are you coming over?
[ bc they both know that's the only way kuroo will get him to eat something -- if he brings it to him.
a thing made easier if they ever dorm together...though kenma doesn't know that he'll even go to the same uni as kuroo. not that they've talked about it anyway or anything. so far. ]
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[ he knows, he knows.
it's a topic he's pretty sure they've both been avoiding. it's too hard to think about, though he knows they're gonna have to. ]
do you want mashed potatoes?
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[ kenma has been telling himself it's not a big deal. so what if he and kuroo haven't really been well and truly apart for a solid amount of time in years? for...most of their lives? no big deal. everyone has to go to uni. it's fine.
it's fine.
. . . ]
that would be cannibalism today.
[ mashed potato cat here. maybe kuroo is joking. he's not sure. but kenma has a small appetite anyway -- well, average in his own opinion, but others say different. sandwiches are plenty.]
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[ what even is a solid amount of time? more than 3 days? yeah, he can't remember a time when they've been apart for more than three days. ]
i'm kidding. don't worry, i won't eat you.
[ he knows kenma eats the tiniest portions, which is why he really needs to eat when he can! ]
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[ kenma cannot possibly get more ensconced in the blankets than he already is, though he tries. it's cozy. he's not sure why the room feels cold to him; it's not supposed to be cold today. ]
door is open.
[ when he'd emerged from his room late (finally cleared that level to his satisfaction) to find a note from his mom about being out, he'd promptly stuck his head out the front door to see if she was just leaving, then deduced she'd been gone for some time already. then he returned to his room and potatoed.
so the door is unlocked. it's a safe neighborhood. and best of all that means kenma doesn't have to get up to let kuroo in.
win win. ]
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[ kuroo likes variations on a theme. ]
whew, i thought i was gonna have to crawl through your window again!
[ would have been a lot harder with food and drinks in his hand. When he's done with the sandwiches he packs it all up with the drinks and some shrimp chips in case they get snacky. he also grabs a couple of those microwaveable apple pies in case kenma needs some extra cheering up, and then he makes his way to the Kozume household. ]
almost there.
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[ somehow those three lines perfectly exemplify kenma's expression. tater tot? well. they are good actually but that's not the point..anyway.
he doesn't laugh loudly, more a chuff of air than anything but he is amused remembering the last time kuroo came in through the window -- a near disaster. but lively. much as kenma says he doesn't like too much excitement, there's something different regarding kuroo. maybe it's just how used they are to each other. ]
k
[ when kuroo gets there, there's going to be just a bit of kenma's dark roots showing at the top of the blanket that otherwise covers him, and his phone is conspicuously set to the side, charging. kenma often wishes he could do like his phone and just plug in and recharge.
he pulls the blanket closer. ]
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[ he knows that expression very well. he expects to see much more of it today.
after he kicks off his shoes, he goes straight upstairs when he goes inside, cause he has a feeling no one else is home for the time being. when he busts into Kenma's bedroom he's not surprised to see just the top of his head poking out of a complete blanket burrito. ]
Delivery boy here, at your service!
[Coming over, he gets onto the bed, setting his stuff down, then tries to peek into the blanket.]
Sometimes I wonder how you can breathe under there.
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It's nice.
[ He blinks, weighing the pros and cons of wriggling more out of the blanket -- on the one hand, delivery; on the other hand...he's comfy. A soft sigh followed by another yawn, and he settles for something in-between, not quite unwinding from his cocoon but also fidgeting enough until he's as far out as his chin, blankets sort of brushing his mouth. ]
You sleep with two pillows smushed together on your head.
[ Translation: that sounds much more dire. The slight smile on Kenma is so small it could be missed, but it's there.
His gaze darts around for the food, not sitting up still though. ]
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Ever since that night he feels like he can sense Kuroo more than before and Akaashi confirmed with him that it probably had to do with the blood Kuroo licked off of him when he was hurt.
It's what he's thinking about now as he winces and tugs his bookbag onto one shoulder, heads to the door and toes his shoes on carefully. Kuroo will probably come pick him up right?
He does what he's gotten in the habit of doing: puts out feelers of a sort to sense if he's there and sure enough he can feel him getting closer. It's odd but not wholly unfamiliar. If he thinks of it a certain way, Kenma might argue they were already like this. ]
I'm off.
[ He says quietly but no one answers and he locks the door behind him just as mildly; it's fine.
One of the things that bothers him now isn't his bond with Kuroo which he doesn't feel is as new as it might be; rather, it's his own magic. He's barely a step outside and his vision swims. Overloaded. He stumbles, breaths huffing out of him. For whatever reason, it makes him more sensitive to everything -- sight, sound, smell, touch. This is why you locked it up, he tells himself and then also tells himself to shut up because it's not helpful. He doesn't know how to re-bottle it, so to speak, lock it up new or trick it into silence; he can't turn it off. It makes him even more tired than he was before.
Sighing, he brushes his hair back again. It's down to his shoulders these days. ]
Where are you?
[It's more a muttering to himself than anything because he can feel Kuroo even if he can't see him. Squinting, he glances back and forth.]
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[ Kuroo is a couple houses away, but he crows it like a rowdy teenager, no longer bothering to ask questions like how could I have heard Kenma's quiet mumbling from this far away when the answer is and always will be: magic shenanigans. There's a lot of new unexplained qualities to their relationship, but Kuroo has always been curious about the magical world and so they really don't bother him. It helps him keep an eye on Kenma, too, so it's not that bad.
He fidgets as he approaches, something he's never really done before, but now he has a thin crescent scar down the palm of his hand that seems to reign him back in when he gets too caught up in thinking this is cool or fun or whatever.
That night was scary and difficult, but things have been creeping toward getting better every time, and now Kenma is on his feet again and looking much improved than he had two weeks ago even if he's not entirely fixed yet. This is good, and now maybe Kuroo can assess the result of his stupidity and apologize to Kenma's face instead of whispering it across whatever magic is bonding them together in the tentative moments when Kenma is almost asleep, and Kuroo is curled up half on his chest, massive paw flung across his chest to keep his promise and keep him safe.
Kuroo's family haven't clocked on, or if they have they haven't said anything. Kuroo thought his mother might have seen the seal burned into his stomach when Kuroo got careless with not wearing a shirt when he came downstairs, but she just smiled at him and asked what he wanted for breakfast. The seal is getting lighter and lighter every day now, Kuroo wondered at first if that meant it was getting weaker.. but when he starts to get sleepy in his own bed he can feel claws creeping around the wall he's built between himself and the monster living inside him. That's when he lets the change happen, and clambers out of the window, down onto the pantry roof, and down the street to do the same in reverse and let himself into Kenma's room.
He comes to Kenma's side, and smiles just like he always does, like there's nothing wrong and this is just another normal day. ]
You're out of bed! I honestly thought I was going to have to come inside and drag you out by your ankles. Full of energy today, then?
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[ It's true even if it's totally out of the question. Unplanned but on point, he yawns and it's the kind of yawn that makes you wince because you can hear something crack. After the night of Kuroo's change, he's had quite enough of bones cracking or making any sound at all. It makes him queasy. Making a mumbled 'ugh' more or less, he raises his hands to his face to rub the heels of his palms into his closed eyes.
Calm down, he tells himself, and unconsciously his magic reaches out not to do anything but towards Kuroo and, when it comes up against the magic in him or the magic of what's been done to him, it settles a little. Something about Kuroo's presence is stabilizing for him, and while that's been true forever it's different feeling now in a way he can't articulate. And he's never been as grateful as he was that night for his magic, for being able to take away some of Kuroo's pain even if he couldn't actually 'save' him. Akaashi had told him not to worry -- that even trained magic users probably couldn't have contended with it at that stage, and while Kenma knows enough about Akaashi to know he isn't a person of lip-service, well, it still didn't make him feel better.
Hands still over his face, he sighs, then eyeballs Kuroo through his splayed fingers. ]
Are...are you feeling okay?
[ It bears asking, honestly, given everything that's happened and how they have so much they have to deal with still, but his voice is normal -- soft toned and mild. Calm. ]