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“Goodnight, Tetsurou. Sleep tight, okay?”
Kuroo nodded, a large yawn escaping him as he snuggled down under his duvet. He buried his face against a soft, plush cat, contentedly pressing his skin against the dark fabric. “Night, Mama. Love you.”
Kuroo’s mother smiled and blew him a small kiss. “Love you, too. Now off to sleep— school tomorrow.”
“Do I hafta go to school?” Kuroo peeped one eye back out at his mom. “I don’t wanna.”
She gave him a small, sympathetic smile. “I know, baby bean. But you can’t just skip school— you’re only six . You have to go learn and make friends. You said you want to be like Papa, and be a professor, right?”
Kuroo wrinkled his nose as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. “But I can learn at home!” he whined. “I can read already all by myself and—”
“Tetsu,” his mother chided gently. She sat down beside him and drew Kuroo into her side, wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulders. “I know you’re worried about meeting new kids, and I’m sorry we had to move away from your old school. But you’re gonna be just fine, baby bean.” She pressed a kiss against his head. “ You’ll make new friends and we’ll find some sports clubs or something for you to join, okay?”
Kuroo sighed heavily. “But… what if they don’t like me?” he whispered, a hint of fear creeping into his voice. “What if they see how tall I am and call me ugly?”
“Hey.” Kuroo’s mother pulled away before cupping both of his cheeks in her hands. “You are not ugly, baby bean. You’re my beautiful, sweet, caring baby and just because you’re a little taller than the other kids doesn’t make you any different from them, okay?” She stroked one of his cheeks with her thumb. “Trust me. Everything’s going to be just fine.”
Kuroo wrinkled his nose again, before sighing and pulling away slightly. “Okay…” He went to lay back down when his mother reached out and pulled him back against her chest. “Mama?”
“Let’s just snuggle a little bit, baby bean. I’ll miss your snuggles starting tomorrow.” The two of them sat still for a long moment. Kuroo quietly relished in the warmth of her hug, his anxiety slowly slipping away with each second he spent wrapped in his mother’s arms.
Maybe things would be okay. Maybe Mama was right, and he’d make new friends and school would be fun.
Maybe he was worrying for nothing.
Maybe…
- - - -
Maybe not.
Kuroo rubbed at his face roughly as he walked up the path to the front door, trying in vain to wipe away the tears staining his cheeks. He took a deep breath, steadying himself before he pushed the door open into their entryway.
“Tadaima,” he called out, slipping off his school shoes.
His mother’s head appeared in the doorway to the kitchen. “Okaeri, Tetsurou. How was school today?”
“It was— it was good,” he replied, managing to raise a smile onto his face. “I’m gonna go upstairs to do my homework before dinner. Is that okay? I’ll bring my bento down with me later.”
“Of course. Tell me if you need any help, okay? Papa’s going to be home late today so I’m making your favorite,” his mother winked at him. “I’ll call you when it’s ready, okay?”
Kuroo nodded before turning to head up the stairs, keeping the smile on his face until he was sure he was out of sight. He let himself sigh as he trudged into his room, gently closing the door behind him before tossing his bag onto his bed and flopping down beside it.
As far as most days went, today hadn’t been as bad as some of the others, he supposed. He’d managed to escape major harm, and for the first time in a month, he’d been able to have a peaceful walk home. Kuroo had even managed to get to class with his homework intact, meaning he didn’t have to rush and finish what he could once he’d gotten safely into his classroom.
Kuroo’s stomach rumbled loudly, reminding him that he hadn’t been able to eat his bento at lunch. Well, not able to wasn’t quite the right way to say it: he’d given his lunch to Kento-san in Year 3 in exchange for another day of minimal… attention from the older boy.
Kuroo sat up, wincing when he used his left arm to push himself away from the mattress. He gazed down at his arm, before carefully moving his shoulder in a circle. Immediately, he winced, a sharp pain running up his arm and into his shoulder. He scowled, glaring down at his arm and wrinkling his nose irritably. He really didn’t want to have to tell his mom or dad about what was going on, but…
A sudden flash of movement caught Kuroo’s eye, making him flinch. He peered around cautiously, a small sigh escaping him when he realized he was still alone in his room. He’d begun to think he’d imagined the movement when he spotted it again and realized that the movement was coming from outside his window.
Curiosity took over now that Kuroo had realized he was safe, and he crept over to his window. He squinted momentarily against the bright summer sun, before his gaze landed upon a small figure in the window of the house across from him. Kuroo froze when he finally identified the source of the movement, though whether it was in shock or amazement, he’d never know.
There was a boy with dark hair, perhaps a year younger than he was, twirling in slow circles across his room. His movements were slow and fluid, making him appear as though he were floating through the air. Kuroo watched in silence as the boy paused in the middle of his room, before raising both hands up and drawing them back to his body to cup his hands over his chest.
A cloud moved then and bathed the boy in golden sunlight, making it seem as though he were an angel glowing in the sunshine. Kuroo gasped, both eyes widening as the boy finally turned towards him and Kuroo caught sight of gorgeous golden eyes. There was an air of pure contentment about him, highlighted by the flowing yet purposeful way the boy brought his leg flush against his chest, toes pointing straight up into the air in a full split.
Kuroo reached out with one hand, pressing a palm against the cool glass as he continued to watch the boy with bated breath. Unconsciously, his head rose and dipped, dark eyes tracing the path the boy took and—
“Tetsurou! Dinner’s ready!”
Kuroo flinched, falling backwards onto his butt with a startled cry when his mother called to him from below. He scrunched his nose, a pained expression taking over his face while he reached down to rub at his backside. “Coming!” he called back, a flash of disappointment coursing through him.
Kuroo stood up slowly, a careful stretch confirming to him that he hadn’t hurt himself in any major way. He glanced back towards the window and hesitated. The boy was still dancing, movements never tiring, and Kuroo could hardly bring himself to leave.
But another call from his mother, chiding him that his rice would grow cold, finally forced him to tear his gaze away. He gave the boy one final, longing look before he snagged his empty bento box from his backpack and scurried down the stairs, hoping that maybe, just maybe , the boy would still be there when he got back.
Maybe, for the first time in three months, Kuroo would have something to look forward to.
Maybe.
Just maybe.
- - - -
“Tadaima!”
Kuroo’s mother poked her head out from around the doorway to the kitchen, just as she always did when he returned home from school. “Okaeri, baby bean. How was school?”
Kuroo shrugged nonchalantly, discreetly pulling his jacket’s sleeve to cover the mottled, blue mark on his arm. “S’fine. They talked today about summer vacation. Nakamura-san said he’d assign some homework for us to do over break.”
“Ah, that’s right, that’s in two weeks isn’t it?” Kuroo’s mother came out from the kitchen, looking rather thoughtful. “Is there anything you want to do over break, Tetsu? Papa has to work but maybe we could do a day trip, you and me? Or maybe we could invite some of your friends back here for a sleepover?”
Kuroo shrugged again, though he managed a smile up at his mother. “I’ll think about it. Can I go finish my homework now before dinner? Nakamura-san wants us to read a book before class tomorrow.”
“Of course, baby bean. You’re such a hard worker— I’m so proud of you.” Kuroo’s mother walked down the hall to press a kiss against his head and take the bento box he’d pulled out of his backpack. “We’re having udon, so make sure you come when I call, okay?”
“Yes, Mama,” Kuroo called back as he quickly began hurrying up the stairs.
“And don’t forget that—” But Kuroo missed the rest of his mother’s words, too focused on getting himself up the stairs and into his room.
He was a little later than usual, having had to take a detour coming home to avoid Kento-san and his friends. It meant that he was probably already long into his routine. And Kuroo would have to wait until next week to see it again.
After all, it was only on Thursdays that he practiced his routines from beginning to end. All the other days he was either doing what Kuroo had learned was called “conditioning” (thank you library books), or he was simply dancing in his room. Improv dancing, it was called.
Kuroo pushed the door shut behind him, tossing his backpack off at his desk before quickly crossing his room and pushing the curtain open a little. A bright stream of sunlight glittered into his room, but Kuroo ignored it in favor of peering through the crack in his curtains. He squinted, eyes straining momentarily against the bright sunshine until they adjusted enough for him to see.
Kuroo blinked. He frowned. He blinked again and rubbed his eyes, before staring out in increasing horror at the sight in front of him.
The window was empty. The bedroom was dark, devoid of the boy that had captivated Kuroo with his dancing for the past three months.
Kuroo stepped back, eyes flashing over to the clock on his nightstand desperately. 4:54pm. The boy was never gone this early in the day. Sure, there had been a handful of times when the boy would disappear for a few minutes before returning with a glass of water or a plate of apple slices. And Kuroo knew that like clockwork, the boy would change into his dance clothes at 5:30pm, before leaving in a car for several hours, presumably heading to dance class.
But never before had Kuroo seen the bedroom empty on a Thursday afternoon. After all, Kuroo always rushed home on Thursdays, eager to watch the boy dancing for the majority of the afternoon. Because every Thursday, without fail, the boy would be in his room, twirling, leaping, stretching, dancing in ways that kept Kuroo mesmerized for hours upon end. And with the curtain propped open, Kuroo had even begun imitating the boy’s routines the past few weeks.
And Kuroo absolutely loved it. He loved feeling so free, so in tune with his body. Sometimes it hurt to move in the ways the boy did, but in Kuroo’s opinion, it was well worth it. He could understand why the boy danced so much, could understand why the boy’s face was the most content when he was leaping across his floor.
So why wasn’t he doing that now ?
Kuroo chewed on his cheek as he turned around, a flash of worry coursing through him. Had something happened? Was there something going on that was keeping the boy from going about his usual routine? Surely the boy hadn’t been hurt or something, had he? Had he gotten into a car accident? Or had Kuroo’s bullies found him instead, having been deprived of their usual target? Oh god, what if Kento-san had—
A sudden knock on their front door made Kuroo jump. He scurried over to his bedroom door and pressed his ear against it. He heard his mother open the door, followed by the sounds of unfamiliar voices filling their entryway.
Were they having guests? Kuroo frowned, eyebrows knitting together slightly. He hadn’t remembered his mother mentioning having guests over for dinner, but maybe they were his father’s work associates?
The sound of footsteps making their way up the stairs caused Kuroo to jump backwards. He looked around in a panic, before running over to his desk, clicking on his desk lamp, and yanking the first workbook he could grab from his backpack. He laid it open on his desk just as a gentle knock sounded on his door.
“Tetsu?” His mother opened the door, poking her head around to peer in at him. “Our neighbors are here— come down, okay?”
“Neighbors?” Kuroo blinked, pretending as though he hadn’t heard anything. “We have guests?”
His mother smiled fondly. “I guess you missed me saying it earlier, huh? Our next-door neighbors are over for dinner. They have a son who’s about your age, so come down and meet him. Papa will be home any minute— we’ll have dinner once he’s here”
Kuroo nodded, though a bubble of anxiety rose in his chest. A son his age, huh? With his luck, it would be one of Kento-san’s friends.
“Wanna come with me?” His mother’s eyes softened as she opened his door further. “He seems like a sweet boy, very quiet. I don’t think he’s like those other boys, Testu.”
“Huh?” Kuroo’s eyes widened, one hand automatically pulling at his jacket sleeve. “What— what boys?”
She gave him a small, sad smile. “Baby bean… I haven’t brought it up since you haven’t but…” she shook her head. “Well, now isn’t quite the best time to talk about this.”
“We’ll talk later tonight. For now though, do you think you can trust me?” She held out a hand to him. “If anything goes wrong, I promise you can come back up here, no questions asked. Okay?”
Kuroo stared at her hand for a long moment, before he finally nodded. “Okay.” He stood, shakily taking his mother’s hand in his own. She gave it a reassuring squeeze before they began down the stairs together.
Kuroo could feel his heart hammering in his chest as they walked down. He trusted his mother, of course he did. She’d never let anyone hurt him.
And yet, he still let out a shaky breath as they came to the living room’s doorway. He glanced up at his mother, who gave him another reassuring nod, before he walked into the room.
There was a man and woman, both seated on the long couch on one side of the living room. They both looked over when he stepped in, offering him friendly smiles.
“Ah, you must be Tetsuro-kun? A pleasure to meet you. We’re your next-door neighbors, the Kozume’s.”
“A-a pleasure to meet you too, Kozume-san.” Kuroo flushed when the woman suddenly beamed at him.
“He’s just as sweet as you said he was, Kuroo-san! And Kenma-kun, sit up won’t you? Say hello to Tetsuro-kun.” The female Kozume-san patted the lump beside her, which Kuroo was startled to find was in fact not her jacket, but was rather a small child. A boy presumably, considering she’d called him “Kenma”, though the dark, mid-length hair would’ve fooled Kuroo into—
“It’s you .”
Kuroo took a second step forward, mouth dropping open in shock. The boy had finally sat up and glanced over at Kuroo, revealing familiar golden eyes that gazed over at him, only to stop and widen suddenly when they spotted him.
“Oh? Do you know him, Kenma?” Kozume-san looked down at her son curiously. “Have you two met?’
“I—” Kuroo blushed furiously, immediately looking down at his feet. How on earth was he supposed to explain this?
“He watches me dance.”
Kuroo’s head snapped up at the soft voice. “You—?”
Kenma gave a small nod. “He’s been watching me dance in my room for a while now. He’s really nice about my turns and stuff. And he’s not half-bad himself.”
“You dance in your room?” Kenma’s dad queried, looking surprised. “I thought you only danced in class.”
Kenma looked down, a hint of pink dusting his cheeks. “Well, Sensei said I should practice and well…” He glanced over at Kuroo, who was watching him in stunned silence. “I felt kinda silly at first but then he started watching and cheering me on so I kept going.”
The adults all looked at each other, exchanging amused glances. “Well, that sure makes things easier,” Kenma’s dad commented with a smile. “Why don’t we send these two off then, while we wait for your husband? I think they’ll get along just fine.”
“Sure,” Kuroo’s mom smiled. “Why don’t you two head up to Tetsuro’s room?” She gave Kuroo an encouraging nod when he looked up at her, startled. “We’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
“...Okay. Er… come with me?” Kuroo asked awkwardly. He held his breath as Kenma looked at him, hoping, praying , that he would agree.
“Okay.”
Kuroo blinked, surprised by Kenma’s response, before he beamed. “Oh. O-okay! We’ll be upstairs, Mama. C’mon, Kenma.” He took two steps forward before holding his hand out to Kenma, which, after another moment’s hesitation, Kenma took. A warmth blossomed in Kuroo’s chest when Kenma grasped his hand, and Kuroo had to fight back a sudden tear that appeared in his eye.
“You okay?” Kenma peered up at Kuroo, a hint of concern showing in his golden eyes.
“Yeah.” Kuroo wiped his face with his sleeve, another smile quickly taking over.
“ I’m just fine .”