uGh almost 1k words
I was so close
but yay this was originally going to be KenHina
but then I was listening to How To Be A Heartbreaker by Marina and the Diamonds and was like hEy why not
aND THEN it was going to be angst (if you couldn't tell at first) but I was like no, I write too much angst as is
so this somehow is the outcome
enjoy~~

———

"I can't. I'm sorry, Kuroo."

Those were the words Kenma had to tell his best friend. He couldn't. He couldn't fill that spot in the captain's heart. He couldn't make all of Kuroo's dreams come true. And he was sorry.

The blonde dragged himself out of Tetsurou's house and down the street to his own. A glance at his phone revealed a barrage of texts from his other best friend, Hinata.

3:26 PM
Hinata: Kenma!

3:28 PM
Hinata: KENMA!

3:29 PM
Hinata: hmph, but guess what!! I finally got to get my feelings across to Kageyama!

3:33 PM
Hinata: Kenma... answer me please

3:41 PM
Hinata: just reply whenever you have time

4:00 PM
Hinata: I CAN'T KENMA KOZUME ANSWER ME NOW

He checked the time after reading all of the messages. 4:58 PM. How long had he even been at Kuroo's? Normally he would look at his phone every other minute, but to have missed messages from over an hour ago... It didn't matter now, though, his priority was to answer the flustered boy he had worried.

4:59 PM
Kenma: Sorry, Shouyou. I got distracted. But it's great that you got to tell him, I'm happy for you.

Almost immediately his phone vibrated with a response.

4:59 PM
Hinata: Yeah it is! But don't worry about it. Do you have plans for tomorrow?

5:00 PM
Kenma: No, are you coming here or am I going there?

5:02 PM
Hinata: Hmmm.. Maybe I should come up to Tokyo for the day! A change of scenery! Can Kageyama come too??!

The sigh that escaped Kenma's lips was one of not disgust, but rather disappointment. Maybe he just wanted a day to be with someone who could make him smile, a distraction of sorts. Despite his reluctance, the blonde agreed.

5:03 PM
Kenma: Sure, he can.

5:03 PM
Hinata: Yay!!! I'll see you tomorrow~~

~

"Am I not enough for you?! Is that it?!"

Kenma woke up in a cold sweat. His breakup had been replaying, a nightmare that never ended. Until he woke up of course.

"Shouyou and Kageyama should be here at about noon, so I have..." Kenma drifted into thought as he muttered under his breath. When he did finally look at the clock, his eyes widened. 10:57 AM.

"Shit."

He hurriedly threw on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, it wasn't like they were going somewhere fancy later. Just as he was about to make toast a series of dings sounded throughout the house.

"Who is texting me this early?! ...Oh wait it's not early."

11:01 AM
Kuroo: I hope you're happy, genuinely I do. I started talking to Sawamura again, and it's going well. Just remember that I'm here if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, or arms to hold you. I won't object.

Kenma smiled in bliss, it meant a lot to him to get a text like that. Back to the toast for now.

Thirty minutes later everything was set up and clean, waiting for the couple's arrival. The setter casually laid down on the couch to pass the time.

Sure enough, there was a knock at the door a little after noon.

"Come in!!" Kenma yelled from his spot on the couch.

Hinata and Kageyama quietly walked in, joining Kenma on the couch when seeing him.

"So..." Kenma started.

"Where are we going today?!" Hinata finished for him.

Kageyama sat still with no answer, awkwardly holding his boyfriend's hand and death glaring Kenma. The blonde shuddered when he realized, slightly unnerved, but determined to make a good first impression.

"It doesn't matter to me, wherever you both want to go," Kenma finally said.

~

The day passed by quickly, walking through displays of fish and other sea creatures. Hinata and Kageyama held hands the whole time, Kenma standing in as the photographer when asked to. They ate dinner at the seafood restaurant within the aquarium, tremendously enjoying themselves. At least the couple did.

1:48 AM
Kenma: I'm sorry that it's late, but can I come over?

When he didn't get an answer over ten minutes later, the blonde came to realize that his friend probably wasn't even awake. It was silly to even think Kuroo would be awake at this hour. Right before he was about to go to bed, though, his phone screen lit up.

2:02 AM
Kuroo: You know where the spare key is

He smiled despite himself, and threw on a jacket. The walk was only 5 minutes, so he wouldn't need much more.

The key was always under the flower pot next to the door, and Kenma quickly made his way inside. This was basically his second home, and he knew his way around by heart, even in the dark. When he got to the bedroom, Kuroo was sitting cross legged at the foot of the bed, waiting.

Without thinking, Kenma ran in and started crying like a small child.

"I thought that I wasn't enough for you. I though you would be happier with someone else. I thought I liked someone else, myself. But now they're happy with someone who isn't me, and I don't want to hurt that. I think I like you, Kuroo, I think I love you."

His heart spilled out, and Kuroo wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

"It's okay. Sawamura is with Sugawara anyway, I didn't stand a chance. I just didn't want you to worry about me, y'know?" Kuroo admitted.

"Oh..." was all Kenma could manage, his tears and crying getting in the way of speech.

"You wanna just stay like this for a while?" Kuroo asked, petting the blonde's soft hair as if he were a cat.

"Yeah," Kenma sniffled, "that would be really nice."