Rain on the Windows | Kuroken

Chapter 3

The week of Kuroo's finals came and went in an instant. But by the end of it, he was so exhausted that the worries he would typically have about not passing were nonexistent.

His final tests finished early morning on a cloudy Friday. Classes had been dismissed the rest of the day, so Kuroo took the quiet trip back to his apartment.

It wasn't a long walk, only about a mile or so. But the trip was normally made with Kenma, who would almost always meet Kuroo after his last class. When Kuroo started classes for his four-year degree, he figured he would no longer make the trips with Kenma, as Kenma was required to attend countless meetings to create his new company. But much to his appreciation, Kenma always made time when he could and met up with Kuroo. A lot of times they would walk to a small coffee shop a few blocks from the apartment. There they would sit, telling each other about their days, making a few jokes here and there. Kenma had only been gone two weeks, but Kuroo had already begun to miss it.

Kuroo felt his phone buzz in his back pocket. He pulled it out to view the message sent by one of his old friends.

-

Bokuto (4:38 pm):

hey bro! in town this week and wanted to know if you're willing to catch up. if you're free, meet me at Akaashi's at 7

-

Kuroo smiled to himself. He hadn't met up with Bokuto since he received his two-year degree. Bokuto did the same thing Kenma did, and go straight to work after two years, but Kuroo and Akaashi decided to go back for two more.

Bokuto and Akaashi started dating soon after Bokuto graduated, but as far as Kuroo knew, it's been long-distance since then. Bokuto was almost immediately offered a contract to play for MSBY, and soon after was invited to join Japan's national team, so he's rarely been home. And if he is, it's usually only for a day or two.

-

Kuroo (4:40 PM)

yeah i'll def be there, see ya then

-

Kuroo walked back to his apartment with a more confident stance. Finally - something he could look forward to.

~~~

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bokuto's booming voice echoed onto the dimly lit front porch as Kuroo took a step onto it.

Kuroo grinned. "Ey yo!" He was met by a strong embrace from his friend. Although Kuroo may have been taller, he undoubtedly knew the shorter had always been a bit stronger than he was. "It's good to see you again." Kuroo and Bokuto clasped their hands in a high-five as they performed their old handshake.

Bokuto nodded and bowed, gesturing towards the door. "Right this way, your highness."

Kuroo couldn't help but laugh. Bokuto hadn't changed a bit. "Ah, yes, thank you, peasant." Kuroo pretended to strut into the house and was then met by a comforting feeling.

He couldn't recall if he had ever visited Akaashi at his new house. He had moved out of the university dorms about a year earlier, and Kuroo realized he must have never gotten around to visiting.

The wall decorations, however, made the house seem as though it had been inhabited for years. Countless pictures of both Akaashi and Bokutos' families lined the walls. Siblings, cousins, grandparents - most of which Kuroo had never seen before. Some of the pictures nearing the ends of the wall consisted of mostly Akaashi and Bokuto together. A warm feeling sprouted in Kuroo's stomach as he looked at the pictures of the two, whether they were sharing a kiss, wrapped in each other's embrace, or even just holding hands.

I want that.

Kuroo sighed to himself, annoyed with his thoughts. What was he talking about? He had a lot more to concern himself with than finding love. Maybe he would find it one day, maybe not. He hadn't put too much thought into it and he hoped to keep it that way.

Kuroo hadn't noticed that Bokuto must have left and gone to the kitchen, so Kuroo led himself by following the noise coming from down the hallway.

When he reached the kitchen, he was met by the wafting smell of hot pizzas lying on the table.

"How've you been, Kuroo?" Akaashi turned from where he had been previously cleaning a few dishes. "Sorry about the late notice, I didn't know Bokuto was going to be in town this week." Akaashi smiled up at Bokuto, who grinned back.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Kuroo waved Akaashi's last comment away. "I've been pretty good, though. I'm glad that the semesters are almost over, I'll be happy when I can finally get a good job."

Akaashi chuckled. "You and me both."

Kuroo turned to Bokuto. "How's the team been?" Bokuto clasped his hands together in elation.

"Oh, we're amazing as always," Bokuto grinned, and to Kuroo he looked as though he was about to start jumping up and down in excitement. "And get this! We're competing in the Olympics next summer!" Bokuto pumped a fist in the air. Kuroo was glad to see that his friend still had the same undying passion for the sport.

"That's sick, man! Give me the dates of your games once you get the schedules, I'll have to see one." Bokuto nodded vigorously at Kuroo's comment. "I also want to see what that shrimp's playing style is like after these past years," Kuroo added, remembering the short, orange-haired player he had first played against in a practice match back in high school. The last time he had seen him was during the Spring Tournament, where the shorter player's team, Karasuno, beat Nekoma, eliminating Nekoma from the tournament.

That game was one of the hardest Kuroo had ever played, and he had endless admiration for his hardworking team, even if in the end, they still lost. He could still vividly remember how Kenma came up to him after the game and thanked him for introducing him to volleyball, and how Kenma had so gently wrapped his arms around Kuroo when he cried after returning home.

Kuroo missed that caring feeling, more than he wanted to admit.

Kuroo hadn't noticed that the room had grown quiet, but Akaashi's voice quickly piped up from behind the counter. "How's Kenma been? I just noticed you hadn't brought him along."

Kuroo was both happy and disappointed by the change of subject, but he just smiled and answered. "Oh, yeah, he's been great. He just got an investment offer so he had to fly to Shikoku for meetings. I would have brought him if he had been home though."

Akaashi just nodded and changed the subject again, sensing Kuroo's subtle, but visible emptiness when talking about Kenma.

~~~

Kuroo hadn't remembered if he had gotten drunk and passed out, or if he had just fallen asleep. When he awoke, it was around three in the morning on Saturday. Akaashi and Bokuto were passed out in each other's arms on the couch next to the chair Kuroo had fallen asleep in. Kuroo knew that neither of them would have cared if he just camped out for the rest of the night, but at the same time, he didn't want to over welcome his stay.

Quietly, Kuroo stood up and found his coat and shoes. He found a small piece of paper and quickly scribbled a "thank you" onto it for the invitation. Kuroo let himself out of the house, sighing as he successfully left without waking either Bokuto or Akaashi.