Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

kenma loved his job, really. he loved getting to do something he enjoyed and it was exciting for him! kuroo loved kenma's job too, it made his heart swell seeing the boy do what he loves. but what kuroo didn't like, was the nights where he would find kenma still at his monitor after a long day. nights like this one.

kuroo left their shared apartment at around 5 in the afternoon to go play volleyball in the park with bokuto and akaashi. usually, kenma would come along and they'd get something to eat after before going home, but today he wanted to stay behind to finish editing a video he had been working on recently.

"go meet up with them tetsu, i'll be done by the time you get home." kenma had told kuroo with a slight smile before the boy left.

kuroo had texted kenma when he was on his way home, but he didn't get a response back.

"that's weird.." kuroo thought.

it was around 8 pm when kuroo came home with a bag of take out food he got from a spot near the park he knew kenma loved, thinking that by now kenma would be done with his work. what he didn't expect to find was kenma, asleep at his monitor. he had been working all day on his special video for reaching 1 million subscribers, he wanted it to be perfect! and when he finally finished, he was so happy but so tired. he needed to sleep, even if his desk was a little uncomfy.

kuroo frowned at the sight of seeing his boyfriend sleep in such an uncomfy position. he probably hadn't even gotten up from that spot since kuroo left.

"baby, hey," kuroo shook kenma softly to wake him up. the smaller boys eyes opened slowly, blinking up in confusion at his boyfriend in front of him.
"tetsu? what are you doing i thought you were playing with bokuto?" a look of confusion shined on kenma's face.
"i just got back babe, its like 8 o'clock"
"oh," kenma looked back at his monitor to see the time, which was 8:12 pm. "i guess i fell asleep after i finished editing the video." he looked back at his boyfriend, who was reaching out for his hand.
"cmon, we are getting you out this room for the night."

-----
"tetsu you don't have to worry so much, i just really wanted this video to be good" kenma said while taking a bite out of his food. kuroo made sure the boy ate first, knowing he probably hasnt eaten anything since he left to the park.

"i know, i just don't like seeing you so tired, that's all" kuroo tucked a stray piece of his boyfriends hair behind his ear. kenma smiled softly at this.

"i promise ill sleep in as much as i can, yeah? i finished the video so im all yours and we can spend the day together tomorrow." kenma moved kuroo's hand from the side of his face into his own hand. they both loved spending their days together. they didn't have to do anything crazy at all, just watching movies on the couch was more than enough for them.

they talked about how the past few hours went while kenma ate. he almost choked when kuroo told him how akaashi hit bokuto upside the head for trying to get little kids to play volleyball with them. while kenma was talking about how his editing went, kuroo took the hair tie he carries on his wrist (for whenever kenma needs it) and tied up the top half of kenma's hair into a little ponytail to keep it out the smaller boys face. kuroo took the chance to give his boyfriend a soft kiss on the cheek.

"h-hey what was that for" kenma mumbled while rubbing the side of his cheek where kuroo kissed.
"because you're my boyfriend and you're the cutest thing in the world"
"i- you re so dramatic tetsu"
"all for you babe!"

the night went on, kuroo eventually ate his food as well and they both headed to their room to rest for the night.

they were laying down, cuddling each other. kenma was laying on kuroo's chest when he started tapping his chest lightly.

"hey tetsu?"
"yeah?"
"i love you"
kuroo's heart warmed.
"i love you too"

Chapter Text

tw just in case: theres mentions of food and eating!

"achOO"
"kuroo sneeze the other WAY"
"i'm sorryyy" kuroo said in a nasally voice. hearing his boyfriend's voice, kenma turned around in the bed to face kuroo.
kuroo's nose was a little red, and he looked really tired. kenma frowned at the sight of him like this.
"hey, are you feeling good?"
kuroo opened his eyes to look at kenma.
"its really hot in here why is it so hot"
"it's not hot, you're just sick" kenma got up out of their bed, which made kuroo pout.
"heyyy where are you going"
"i'm gonna go out real quick to buy you some stuff.. don't move from the bed please"
kenma put on a hoodie and his slides, and gave kuroo a small kiss on his forehead to hopefully keep his boyfriend in bed till kenma got back from the store.

--
"does he even like soup??" kenma thought to himself. he had never seen kuroo buy soup.. but it wouldn't hurt to buy some just in case. his basket had cold medicine, cough drops, some tea and honey, cans of soup, and some other snacks for both him and kuroo. kuroo doesn't get sick often, and this is the first time he's gotten sick since they moved in together so kenma was kind of panicking.
he got what he thought was right, and then made his way home. luckily for him, there is a store right by where they live, so it didn’t take him long to get home.

kenma stepped into his shared room with kuroo, to find his boyfriend sound asleep. kenma smiled softly at the sight, to him kuroo looked like a little baby. he made his way over to where kuroo was laying, and pushed away the stray hairs out of the boys face.
“hey babe, i got you some medicine but you need to get up”
kuroo groaned and covered his face with the blanket next to him.
“or i could lay here and sleep”
kenma laughed softly. “you’re not gonna get any better without some medicine bub”
he sat on the bed next to kuroo and pulled him up so kuroo would be sitting up, facing him.
kenma grabbed kuroo’s hand to hold it, and hopefully comfort his boyfriend a little. kenma wasn’t always good at showing affection, but he’s learned a lot in the time he’s been with kuroo. even so, he only really shows affection like this to kuroo.
“cmon, you need to eat something first so i can give you some medicine.”
“...what flavor is it?” kuroo wiped the sleep out of his eyes and opened them back up to see kenma internally questioning him a little bit.
“uhh… i think its grape?”
“okay i’ll do it” kuroo got up out of bed and waited for kenma to stand with him.
“is flavor really that important tetsu”
“well yeah imagine drinking CHERRY medicine. i would never”
kenma let out a small laugh at this. “alright lets go then you big baby”

--

after kuroo ate his soup (which apparently he did not enjoy), it was time to give him medicine.
“kenmaaa i don’t even feel that sick” the sick boy then proceeded to cough a few times after saying that.
“yeah and i don’t need to re-do my roots tetsu. take the medicine” kenma held up the little cup of medicine for kuroo
“so IF i take the medicine.. will you give me a kiss after?” kuroo smirked when kenma actually put thought into it.
he could get sick, yes, but he really wanted kuroo to get better. plus, one little kiss wouldn’t hurt right?
“okay fine-” the smaller boy didn’t get to finish what he was saying before kuroo grabbed the little cup and downed the grape-flavored liquid in a second. kuroo cringed at the flavor, but then leaned down to reach kenma’s face.
“so that kiss then?” kenma could smell the medicine on his boyfriends breath. he stood up a bit on his tippy toes and gave kuroo a light, sweet kiss. he could feel kuroo smile into the kiss.
kenma cringed at the weird grape flavor left on his lips when he pulled away.
“okay maybe flavor DOES matter”

--
the couple spent the rest of the day in bed, with kenma making sure kuroo’s fever stays down and that he gets some rest. the sick boy’s head was on kenma’s chest, fast asleep while kenma played some games on his switch. and within a day or so, kuroo was back to his normal self, and thanked kenma for taking care of him by buying him his favorite pocky sticks and a box of chocolate milk. he knew he didn’t have to thank kenma, but he wanted to know the smaller boy to know how much he was appreciated. kenma appreciated kuroo too, of course.

kenma woke up a few days later with a runny nose and a cough.

Chapter Text

kuroo was going out of his mind. or at least, he felt like it.
it felt never-ending, this cycle he was in. he was struggling to keep his grades up in school, spending night after night studying topics that were never gonna be useful to him, but anything for an A right? as a result of the lack of sleep, he's been falling behind a bit in volleyball too, which only stressed him out even more. i mean, he's the captain for god's sake he's supposed to be a leader and be an example for his teammates, right? how is he any useful if he can't do his job right? for kuroo, it was a constant battle in his head. he had these expectations to live up to that right now, it felt like he could do anything but live up to them.

today was one of the days kuroo and kenma didn't have practice after school. the two were on their way home, walking in silence which was weird to kenma. usually, his boyfriend would ask him about his day, or if he wanted to get snacks before going home. but today, kuroo seemed.. occupied with himself. he didn't notice kenma staring at him, trying to analyze what was wrong with kuroo. kenma took note of how kuroo's eyes twitched back and forth constantly like he was deep in thought. he took note of kuroo's hands clenching and unclenching frequently. and he obviously took note of how his boyfriend was quiet, and not in a good way.

"hey.. kuroo are you okay?"
kuroo snapped out of his trance and looked kenma in the eyes with a soft smile.
"yeah, i'm good! what's up?"
kenma knew he was lying, but he didn't want to push right now while they were in public, so he kept the thought to himself.
"can i come over? we can do our homework together if you have any."
kuroo blinked once, before agreeing. he knew he shouldn't have, and it's not because he didn't want kenma around. he adored kenma so much and in every little way, he just didn't want kenma to see him so weak and vulnerable. saying no would've raised even more suspicions though, and he didn't wanna worry kenma at all.

the rest of the walk was silent. kenma kept trying to figure out what was wrong with his boyfriend,
and kuroo was oblivious to it. it wasn't until they made it inside kuroo's room that kenma decided to ask.
"tetsu, are you okay?"
the phrase hit kuroo like a truck. kuroo felt his eyes water, but he quickly blinked them away before turning to look at kenma.
"yeah baby, why wouldn't i be?"
"well.. because..''
the smaller boy's eyes led to wander around the room, spotting the empty cans of energy drinks by kuroo's desk and the papers splashed out all over said desk.
"you seem a bit.. out of it and i just wanna make sure you're okay."
kuroo went quiet again. he could feel his heart growing heavier and heavier, and the tears coming back into his eyes again. he was sitting on the edge of his bed, head turned to the floor, trying to control his breaths and keep the tears from falling. kenma was sitting next to him, patiently waiting for the stressed boy's next words.

kuroo let out a sigh before shifting his body a bit to face kenma.
"i'm just.. really stressed out and i don't know what to do."
kenma's eyes landed on kuroo's twitching hand again, and he reached out to grab it into his own two hands.
"talk to me tetsu, you know i'll listen"
kuroo hesitated for a second before he spilled out his emotions. all the worries, the stress, he let it out.
"i just feel so..i don't know. i feel weak. i feel like im not a good student because im not understanding the topics anymore. i feel like im a bad captain because i cant even play right anymore. what kind of captain am i if i cant set a good example for my teammates? i feel this constant weight on my shoulders and it's like no one understands me. i used to be good at all this, balancing school and sport. now i can't even live up to my own expectations. im just.. im just such a disappointment i don’t know.”
by this point in his rant, kuroo’s eyes were wet with tears and he didn’t even notice. it felt good to finally talk about what was beating at his mind constantly, but he was still in the same spot as before.
kenma was softly playing with kuroo’s fingers, paying attention to every word he said and almost instantly did he come up with a conclusion.
“tetsu.. can you look at me for a second?”
kenma waited for kuroo’s eyes to land on his own, and he gave his boyfriend’s hand a small squeeze.
“you’re stressed out. you have a lot of pressure on you and you’re carrying a lot on your plate. it’s okay to feel like you’re losing balance right now, but that does not make you a disappointment.”

kuroo felt kenma’s hand reach up to caress his cheeks, wiping away the tears that were sitting on his face.

“you’re anything but that, honestly. you’ve kept this all in and you’re so strong, tetsu. so strong. you put the same smile on your face every day, the one.. the one i fell in love with.. and you act like nothing’s wrong even though inside you’re crumbling. that takes strength, tetsu. you’re not a disappointment at all. with school, we will go through the topics one by one until you feel like you have a better understanding. with volleyball, none of us are disappointed or upset at you for being out of it recently. if anything, i think the boys are just worried, ya know? if you’d like we can always practice in the backyard. we will work together to help you get back on track, okay? but you’re not alone and you are absolutely anything but weak. you’re the strongest person i know and you need to know that”

kuroo was left speechless. he needed to hear these things so bad, and now that he did he felt.. better. he could still feel the tears falling from his eyes, harder than they were before. kenma looked into kuroo’s eyes and knew just what he needed: a hug.
“now, i’m gonna lay down, and you’re gonna lay your head on my chest. you’re gonna cry, talk, whatever you want while i hold you, okay? i know i’m not the best at this stuff but i need to do this for you.”
and that they did.
kuroo’s cheek was pressed against kenma’s chest. he needed to cry and kenma’s arms remained wrapped around him the whole time, one arm around his neck and the other arm playing with kuroo’s hair. kuroo felt so safe and loved, all at once. he knew that kenma had a hard time displaying affection, and for him to go out of his way to do this.. it meant the world to tetsu.
he cried until he had no more tears left and not once did kenma let go.

when he calmed down a bit, he lifted his head from his boyfriend’s chest to look up at him.
before speaking, he took a second to just admire his boyfriend. admiring the way his soft eyes looked back at him with so much love, admiring the blush that was spread across the boy’s nose and cheeks. he was so in love.
“thank you for doing this for me. i feel so much better having you here with me and talking to you about it.”
“you don’t have to thank me tetsu. i’m always gonna be here for you, no matter what. promise.”
kuroo’s heart has never been as full as it was now. he leaned in to kiss kenma’s forehead, softly but with so much love, leaving the blonde to blush even more than before.
“i love you”
“i love you too, tetsu.”