Inked Skin - Bokuaka

Chapter 9 - Impressionable

Afternoon was one of Kuroos favorite times. The shadows were now twice as long as themselves, the air hang hot fading to cool fast, and smelt faintly of cars exhaust fumes.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting the landscapes in soft pinks and yellows, falling into golden hour.

Kuroo walked along the street as he headed home from the convenience store, a popsicle pinched between his fingers, the sweet stickiness overrunning the stick and dripping onto his tan skin.

He took a bite, tired but content with listening to the sounds of nature settling in as he passed through the suburban area.

He listened at the small chirp of a cricket, the rushing of wind rushing through branches and leaves, causing the trees to sway and the passing of an occasional car.

In fact, this could be even considered a normal day for him.

Finishing practice and immediately heading to the nearest corner store to fill himself with unnecessary junk food before he got home, avoiding being berated by his mother for eating before dinner.

But the melon pan he had just brought sat so good in his stomach.

Today wasn't going to be normal, was it.

He could say that at least as he spotted a boy up ahead, blonde roots faded from black charcoal, long eyelashes batting against the golden light as he stood in front of the coffee shop Kuroo usually worked at.

He stopped in his tracks, popsicle half in his mouth as he looked on.

Kenma was just standing there, hands in his pockets and eyes clearly unfocused as he stared just above the shops entrance.

Kuroo looked around. Bokuto wasn't there to harass him.

He could easily slip by, overlooking the fact that he had supposedly agreed to ask him out.

Besides, wasn't the promise that the next time Kenma came i n t o the shop was the time he'd own up to his side of the deal.

And neither of them were any where near inside the premises of the building, so really he could just-

Suddenly Kenmas head swiveled to the side, making direct eye contact with Kuroo.

Well shit.

Kuroo pulled the ice block from his mouth and smiled weakly as he made his way over.

"Looking for someone? I'm almost certain that i'm not working here today, so there must be some other reason" Kuroo grinned, coming to a stop by the boy, who looked phlegmatic and throughly unmoved by his teasing.

"How do you know I wasn't looking to see if you were in there so I could avoid you?" Kenma cocked an eyebrow, face still stern.

"Oh" Kuroo sucked on his popsicle as he looked over to the coffee shop, which looked close to closing up for the day.

"Ouch. Guess i'll try not to take that to heart" Kuroo shrugged, and made a move to proceed past Kenma and start on his way home, but he was stopped.

"Where...uh... where were you?" Kenma asked, shyly.

He suddenly looked diffident and totally at loss with his usual apathetic expression.

Kuroo stopped, leant back on his heels and popped the ice block from his mouth.

"Why does it matter?" he asked.

"It wasn't half as fun ordering when there wasn't a flustered employee tripping over himself to do his job" Kenma gave a half snort.