Reflection In Your Eyes

Chapter 12: Late Night Talk

[Just saying for those who don't know the difference. Kenma calls Kuroo 'Kuro' as a nickname. The words sound different. Kuro also happens to be the Japanese word for the color black so maybe the nickname came from Kuroo's hair color, idk. Anyways I just thought I should mention it so you guys didn't think I misspelled his name.]

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"I wasn't lost."

"Yes you were, just admit it."

"I wasn't lost!"

"You were."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

"I wasn't-"

"Were."

"Wasn't!"

The whole walk back consisted of the two bickering. Kuroo has that obnoxious smirk on his face and Tsukki was glaring at him. When they got back to Kenma's house, it was pretty late. "Hey you two! Have fun leaving us without warning?" Kenma's mom asked, the smile on her face made it obvious that she was joking.

"Sorry! I thought Tsukki-"

"Don't call me that."

"ANYWAYS. I knew Tsukki would be lost so I went to help him out like the kind person I am." Kuroo grinned.

Tsukki rolled his eyes. "I wasn't lost."

"You were." Kuroo put an arm around him. "Getting lost in a new place is normal."

Tsukki pushed Kuroo's arm off of him. "No. I wasn't lost."

The two didn't notice the whole group watching them bicker, the moms were giggling while Akiteru recorded the whole thing. Kenma was on the couch playing his games, not really caring. "-you don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure sure, keep telling yourself that." That earned Kuroo a light shove. He stumbled back a little and gasped. "So rude!"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous."

Kenma's mother decided to end the bickering by clappomg her hands. "I made food! Who's hungry?"

Kuroo's eyes brightened at that and he nearly sprinted to the table after washing his hands. Kei simply walked to the sink to wash his hands as Kenma was dragged by his collar by his mom, it reminded him of a cat carrying it's kitten by the scruff of it's neck. "Can he even survive alone?" Kei mumbled, not knowing Kuroo had walked behind him and heard what he had said.

"Yeah he can actually, he just likes to take advantage of what he has while he still has it. He'll be on his own sooner rather than later so he's been acting a lot more spoiled recently." Kuroo said casually, draping his arm over Kei's shoulders. "He's a good friend if you take the chance to know him."

Kei pushed Kuroo off of him. "I'm not looking for new friends, I already have a lot of crazy teammates to worry about." He walked towards the table, not caring if Kuroo followed or not.

The rest were already sitting down ready to serve the food when the two walked over. Miss Kozume had confiscated Kenma's PSP in order to get him to eat. "So Kei, where did you end up when you left?" Miss Kozume asked, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, a nearby park, which I was not lost at." He glared at Kuroo as if to challenge him to say otherwise.

Kuroo smirked. "He was totally lost, poor boy was alone on a bench texting his friend to come save him." He said dramatically.

Kei glared at Kuroo before sighing. "I wasn't lost but this guy likes getting on my nerves."

The rest of the meal was spent with the adults talking while Kuroo and Kei bickered. Kenma decided to take on the role of camera man and recorded the whole thing.

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That night was one of the worst sleeps Tsukishima Kei had in the past few weeks and that was saying something. For some reason he kept waking up, restless. He snuck out of the room he was staying in and went to the kitchen to get a drink. Kozume's had said he was free to access the fridge if he wanted but he stuck with water.

"Couldn't sleep?" He heard a familiar soft voice come from behind him. He turned to see Kenma on his phone playing a game.

"Just got thirsty..." Tsukishima mumbled. He didn't really feel like talking about his issues and Kenma didn't seem like the type to want to talk about stuff like that.

Kenma poured himself a glass of juice, his eyes not leaving his phone screen. "I couldn't sleep either, I need to finish this level."

"Wouldn't you just get in trouble? I know the rooster will at least have something to say about it." Tsukishima set his cup down and crosses his arms. Why did he have to think of Kuroo? The stupid rooster haired captain was beginning to occupy his thoughts and he didn't like it.

"Kuro isn't in charge of me... but don't tell my parents. They get mad when I stay up late playing games."

"Of course they would..." Tsukishima rolled his eyes at the pudding head, not that the latter would notice it anyways.

Kenma sat at the dining table with his drink. "You can't really comment on it, you look like you haven't slept in weeks." He blurted out casually.

Tsukishima looked at him in shock. Right, he was sleeping so he didn't have makeup covering his dark circles. "That's none of your business." He looked down at his water cup, suddenly not thirsty anymore.

Kenma shrugged. "Maybe, but that means my sleep schedule is none of yours. So we're at a stalemate. If you tell Kuro or my parents about me and my game then I'll tell your mom and brother that you haven't been sleeping."

"I always knew I couldn't trust you." Tsukishima said, mostly joking.

Kenma's mouth twitched into the tiniest of smiles for half a second. Tsukishima almost thought he had imagined it. "And you were always easy to figure out."

"No, you're just a freak genius."

"Like that Kageyama guy?"

Tsukishima huffed. "That dude is so smart it's almost terrifying, but he's also one of the dumbest people I've met."

"He's also just generally unsettling..." Kenma recalled the first time he had met the first year setter and how he had practically shadowed him wherever he went during their practice match. "I had to waste energy running from him."

"You're not the most energetic player."

"I only started playing because of Kuro. If I had been friendless then I wouldn't even be playing volleyball." Kenma paused his game and finished his juice. "He's a better person than you think."

"So you say."

Kenma shrugged and continued his game as he headed off to bed. "Just...give him a chance...."

And with that, Tsukishima was left alone in the dark with only his thoughts for company.

-Sky