𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒊𝒄𝒆𝒔, t. kuroo ✓

nine.

NINTH RECORDING
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our graduation ceremony was kind of cheesy, wasn't it? guess it was worth it. i think i saw kenma genuinely smile for the first time on his own. i'd gone and kissed his face over and over again had we not had to line up.

graduation. it was cheesy, but he'd cried along with the rest of nekoma high as they went up and received their diplomas, shaking hands with teachers they'd loved, hated, leaned on, cried to, and asked for support. some of these kids he'd gone to school with since the beginning, back when they were tiny and wild and not bound to society's chain of expectations. of course, family and friends were invited, and he'd pushed for kenma to be there, along with what he could gather of his.. dwindling familial remains. he'd rather not focus on that.

graduation! his heart has soared when you walked up and received your award for valedictorian, taking in your shocked expression with a grin when your name was called. all the students clad in a large sea of red cap and gowns had erupted into a massive roar of applause and thundering of shoes against the wooden floor. he wasn't surprised, as were most of the staff, who has greeted you with pride evident in their smiles, hugs, and handshakes. they all knew how you put in a stupendous amount of effort into your studies and praised you along the way, even when you felt like giving up. and now all that hard work had paid off. finally.

graduation. the last time he'd see you, probably.

i think your speech topped mine by far. congrats by the way, mr. salutatorian.

he cracked a smile, glancing up to see the medal perched on his desk. okay, so maybe balancing leading a team to victory and piles of schoolwork (and make up assignments on days they left for games) was a little challenging sometimes.. but he'd made it work. flawlessly, might he add. plus tutoring other students when he could. it was worth it while it lasted.

he has to disagree, though. watching you nervously place your hands on either side of the podium, he'd smiled when you breathed a nervous hello into the mic, laughing quietly as your grin brightened when the students cheered in response.

"i didn't prepare a speech for this, i'm so sorry! i guess i got nervous, 'cause what you supposed to say to the group of students you've laughed, cried, and studied to the brink of literal exhaustion with? and for three years? don't worry, it only gets worse from here! you're going into the real world, now, where mr. yakamin won't violently drop a textbook on the floor when you fall asleep and pretend to be surprised when you jump out of your skin and see god for a split second." you had placed a hand over your heart in mock exhaustion as the students tittered with laughter, offering a salute to the staff member in prose. "you were always my favorite teacher, to be honest."

and as you spoke, one by one, the realization dawned upon each student, heads turning to look at each other with wide eyes. sure, some of them would be going to the same colleges and universities (honestly, what even was the difference), but.. it wouldn't be the same. cliques would be broken, friendships scattered, and the only thing to keep them in check would be visits and phone calls. tears pooled at the corners of your eyes when you started to talk about your experience going to high school: the joys, setbacks, breakdowns, achievements, and so on. he'd wanted to run up and envelope you in his arms once you'd walked back to your seat, your face tears stained but your smile bright.

this is really it, huh? god, i don't even have the heart to be mad at you anymore. i'd rather not end it like this, you know? you better call me as soon as you finish listening to this, dumbass.

he laughs, and god! does it not feel forced anymore! he feels as if a huge weight has been lighted off of his shoulders, clawing his way back up towards the light. he supposes he'll metaphorically break the surface and breathe once he talks to you.

i just don't want to have any grudges between us, okay? two more week until school really ends, and then we'll go our separate ways for good. unless you're going to tokyo university. i haven't decided what i even wanna do yet! i'm super excited and lowkey scared. college boys ought to be mature, right?

a pause. it feels like the longest pause of his life.

i can't believe i just indirectly— i didn't mean to! i was just talking about not having grudges, stupid fucking—

he huffs another laugh as you scold yourself, closing his eyes and imagining that you're here beside him, feather like touches ghosting the length of his arm as you twirl a lock of his unruly hair around your finger.

we'll keep in touch, though.. right? i'm gonna miss you.

he sees his high school year play out like a movie: him being a first year, him becoming captain, their first win when he's captain, meeting you his second year.. and then a blur of pure happiness until the incident.

he knows you deserve better, oh, he does. but he wants you to take him in regardless.

i gotta go. mom's calling everyone and their dog about me being valedictorian, snort. pray i make it out alive. i hope she knows it's a school night! bye, tetsu! love you lots!

NINTH RECORDING
1:29 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━⊙ 1:29