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Kuroo wouldn’t allow Kenma play, whether it’s just a regular practice or any friendly match, not even when it’s some crucial game, if the blond is as much as having a slight fever. The third year captain will stand awfully close to the younger outside the court when the team is having a break during practice or a match. His glare intensifies by tenfold whenever the other members of his team seem to disturb Kenma. He’d stick to Kenma the whole time, ready to give his scarf to him when he thinks the winds are too cold if the blond fall sick during fall or winter.
To put it simply, he wouldn’t let Kenma do anything much to the younger’s annoyance and exasperation, albeit a fond one.
He’ll chastise Kenma if he plays too much on his PSP instead of resting. He’d make sure Kenma drink his medicine and stay hydrated as he has to. He’d also make sure that his kouhai listen to whatever he said to do this and that. He’ll tend over Kenma, reheating the food left by Kenma’s mother in the morning before she went to work and make sure Kenma finishes his lunch, while occasionally shouting Kenma’s name to the direction of the younger’s room from his position in the kitchen to make sure that the shorter doesn’t fall unconscious.
He’d do anything when the younger fall sick. Yaku said he’s whipped, and he doesn’t bother to deny that.
So when Kenma feels slightly under the weather on a beautiful Tuesday at the beginning of summer, it’s not a foreign sight to see Kuroo hovering over the second year student like the helicopter parent that he sometimes is (to Kenma). And underneath the layer of his own jacket and Kuroo’s obviously bigger one, Kenma sports a scowl directed at the one and only captain of the team in the middle of Nekoma’s indoor court.
It’s not supposed to be this scorching when spring only ended a couple weeks ago, but he’s burning. Kenma’s perfectly sure that the jackets paid some contribution to his slowly increasing body temperature. He’s just beginning to feel some sort of fatigue starting this lunch, and Kuroo, being highly observant when it comes to Kenma, noticed the slightly paler complexion on the younger face and the seemingly more prominent eye bags under the other’s golden eyes—which admittedly not showing the usual spark even when Kenma’s playing games on his PSP.
That’s saying something when those eyes always turn just a little bit brighter than usual when they’re trained on the character of his game. And the lethargic way the younger moves only strengthen the raven’s hunch, as it was later confirmed by Kenma himself that he doesn’t feel like going to practice since he feels so tired.
Kuroo insisted that he wears the red jackets while he’s doing nothing at the side of the court watching his teammates practicing without him. He has this urge to kick some ass with the lackadaisical practice session but he’s too tired to move from his spot. The loud yells and shouts mostly from Yamamoto and Lev are starting to grates on his fraying nerves. He already feels an upcoming headache, and the rising temperature in the air doesn’t help his own heated body at all. That, combined with everything’s going around him makes him want to scream in frustration.
This is Kuroo’s fault, the blond thinks. He wanted to go home before practice if he wouldn’t even participate in the practice but of course the older doesn’t let him.
What if you collapse in the train? Or the street?
But Kenma feels that now he’s more likely to pass out than a few hours ago when he’s sure he still can make it home before his condition starts to become worse. He knows he has a weak stamina, but he also knows how far he can push himself before reaching his limits.
Kuroo left him to himself after telling him to not go anywhere and try to drink more, kitten, stay hydrated. While he usually tolerates (even likes) the slightly lame nickname given by the older, he wanted nothing more than he wanted to hurl his water bottle to the taller male at that time. He feels tired just by going back and forth to the restroom for three times already just in the last two hours.
Kenma has decided that Kuroo should pay for it later. He doesn’t want to walk the distance from the school to the station so he’ll have the other carry him. Who cares if the older is tired from the practice.
“How’re you feeling, Kenma?”
A familiar voice breaks Kenma out of his revenge planning and the soon to be victim is now standing in front of him, drinking from his own water bottle looking down to wait for Kenma’s response. Kenma tries his best to not stare at the bobbing adam’s apple by frowning to the team captain.
“This is ridiculous,” Kenma grumbles as he slides Kuroo’s jacket off his shoulder.
“But—”
“It’s hot, Kuro. I’m going to pass out from heat if I keep wearing that,” Kenma reasons.
The older frowns slightly, despite knowing that the temperature of the gym has risen during the whole time they’re practicing. It’s only break time, but Kuroo wants to take Kenma home for the younger to rest. Preferably after eating and taking some medicine. He knows he should let Kenma when the younger wanted to go home before, instead of staying on the sideline during practice. But he would be restless the whole time it takes for Kenma to reach home and tell him exactly that, and not passing out somewhere unknown.
Yet he also cannot fully focus on the ongoing practice as Kenma sits against the wall near their coaches, not looking any better in each passing minute, with coach Nekomata smiling knowingly at the second year’s condition.
Kuroo blinks in surprise when an obnoxious guffaw reverberates around the gym and Kenma sighs tiredly at the loud noise. His frown deepens as he turns his head to scold the culprit.
“Oi, Tora! Tone it down, will you?”
Kuroo’s frown doesn’t disappear from his face even when the slightly unruly second year clamps his mouth down and cut his laughter on a weird note. Eyes are now on the couple at the side of the court but neither of the two seems to bother telling them off.
Yaku walks closer to check on Kenma, with Lev following silently behind him. He cannot help but worry about the younger’s condition which, by the look of it, doesn’t fare well if the tired look the Kenma’s sporting is any indication. Not too much worse than a few hours ago, but not better either.
“Do you want to go home, Kenma?” the libero asks when he notices the way Kenma breathes is beginning to look like a mere short inhales—a telltale of the beginning of a fever.
Kuroo frowns at the other’s implicit suggestion. Their practice isn’t over and he doubts that the coaches would let them cut it short just because Kuroo has to bring Kenma home. On the other hand, he doesn’t think he can leave the team practicing on their own.
“Yakkun, what—ow!”
Yaku steps on Kuroo’s foot nearest to him, prompting Kenma to let out a small huff of breathless laughter. “Look at him! Why didn’t you let him go home when he still could manage that?”
Kuroo sighs, looking to the side for a moment before staring straight to Kenma’s eyes. “You want to go home, Kenma?” he asks sincerely.
Kenma opens his mouth to answer but instead of words, a bout of coughing takes place. Yaku clicks his tongue as he gives Kuroo his withering glare.
“Kenma, come on, we’re going home,” Kuroo looks like he’ll go into a panicked state at any moment as he crouches in front of the sickly setter. That’s so unlikely of him, but Kenma always manages to bring the most impossible things they think about Kuroo.
“No,” is Kenma’s curt, albeit weak, answer. “I’m not gonna die just because of waiting for the practice to finish. Just—” another small cough, “—go back to practice,” he finishes with a frown directed at the raven
“But Kenma!”
“You’re noisy,” Kenma grumbles, reaching for his water bottle yet again. When he finds it empty, he reaches for Kuroo’s without so much of a word.
Kuroo lets out a dramatic gasp. “You’re still mean when you’re like this!”
“I’m not,” Kenma argues when he finished drinking.
“Are too.”
“Not.”
“Too.”
Kenma sighs. “Go away, you make me tired.”
There’s a collective snickers around them and Kuroo sees Yaku has a disturbingly satisfying smirk on his face.
It’s Kuroo who sighs this time. “You want me to get the gym club mattress so you can lie down?”
The blond grimaces at the same time Yaku let out a disgusted, “Ew.”
Kenma doesn’t want to imagine whose sweat had been drying on the surface of the mattress, nor he want to find out. So he shakes his head with a frown at Kuroo who chuckles sheepishly.
“Do you want to eat something? I think I still have a granola bar in my bag—or you want me to get some snacks from the vending machine? You want a pocari?” the older glances at the blond’s empty water bottle.
“Kuro,” Kenma gives another sighs, shaking his head for the second time. “It’s okay.”
The unspoken I’m fine, don’t worry hangs in the air without going unnoticed.
Lev, who has been watching this whole time beside Yaku, tilts his head to the side with a look on his face that says he’s contemplating something, eyes going alternatively between Kenma and their captain.
“So, Kuroo-san becomes a mother-hen when Kenma-san is sick?” he says bluntly, earning another loud guffaw from Yamamoto and a few awkward coughs from the others to mask their laugh.
“Lev!”
At Kuroo’s annoyed cry the lanky first year jumps behind a snickering Yaku, who glances at Kenma and finds the younger looking back at him with a resigned look. “More like a mama bear tho, hovering around her cub,” he adds with no remorse.
Kenma gives the libero a wry glance but he knows it’s true. Mama bear seems to be more suitable as opposed to mother hen.
“Yakkun!” Kuroo turns at the other third year student before looking back at Kenma. “Kenma don’t listen to him!”
The exhausted blond just lets out another sighs, standing from his cross-legged position on the gym floor. “I’m going to the restroom,” he says.
But before he can stand upright, he seems to lose his balance. The world feels like it’s spinning too fast on its axis and Kenma’s hand shot to steady himself against the wall. He feels like riding a merry go round this time. Or maybe it’s just his headache. And then it’s just dark.
The said mama bear doesn’t notice this as he starts to bicker with Yaku, and before long Lev’s shout shocks everyone with how it’s resounding throughout the gym followed by Kuroo’s yell of despair when they see Kenma completely lost his ability to stand on his own.
“Kenma-san!”
“Fuck—Kenma!”
oOo
Kenma lets out a long sigh as he slowly opens his eyes. The world is swaying when he starts to get his bearing, blinking in lethargy, trying to remember what happened some time ago. He lifts his head which he belatedly realizes had been resting on someone’s shoulder.
Oh. It’s Kuroo.
And oh, the other’s carrying him on his back—that explains the swaying he feels.
Kenma almost chuckles at the irony of how it’s just like how he planned to do, just without him passing out. It’s not even on the scenario but it served its purpose to his original plan nonetheless. Kuroo still has to carry him.
After confirming that the swaying’s indeed because, yes, Kuroo is giving him a piggy-back ride, Kenma lets out another sigh before relaxing against the broad back. He nestles his head against the crook of the other’s neck, inhaling the scent from the same jacket he wore before. It settles his nerves and he doesn’t feel as disoriented like before.
“Kitten?” Kuroo calls, noticing the other’s awake.
Kenma lets out a barely audible grunt as a response.
“You okay?”
A hum, before Kenma decides to speak proper words. “Yeah. How long…?”
Even with the incomplete question, Kuroo seems to understand what the younger’s asking. “Not too long. Coach let me take you home,” he says with a shrugs. Well, as much as he can manage with Kenma on his back.
Kenma glances at his surrounding, and indeed, it’s the area he recognizes not too far from his school, but closer to the station. He lets out a questioning hum this time and Kuroo chuckles—perfectly knows what he’s trying to articulate.
“The team continues their practice, don’t worry,” he explain and Kenma sighs.
It’s silent for a few moments before Kuroo speaks again. “How do you feel?”
“Bad.”
The older snorts despite himself, “I know, but how bad? How’s your head? Do you think you might have a concussion?”
Kuroo still remembers the worrying thud when the younger’s body met the floor not long ago, before his hand could reach him to prevent the fall. Kenma’s been unconscious since then, not completely but clearly out of it with the unconscious whimpers and small grunts. So when he looked up to find coach Nekomata telling him to just go with a smile that makes him look like a kind, wise grandpa and not some merciless slave driver in the pretense of a senior volleyball coach, Kuroo hastily collected his and Kenma’s belonging. The next thing he knew, he hauled the younger on his back with the help of Yaku and Yamamoto and the others he doesn’t bother to remember when he has an emergency package on him.
And now that Kenma’s awake, he’s making sure that the blond didn’t hit his head—or if he did, he hopes it’s not that bad.
When the third year asks that, Kenma shakes his head to gauge the damage and yes, he feels dizzy but it doesn’t feel like a result of his head hitting the floor. “I don’t think so,” he says weakly.
“You sure?”
Kenma gives yet another hum.
“I’ve called mom and she’ll has the family doctor checking on you later,” says the older. Kuroo continues then, with something that sounds like you scared me, Kenma, don’t do that again, please?
At that, Kenma pinches wherever his finger touches from the way his hands circle around the other’s neck and slightly dangling down Kuroo’s front. It happens to be right under the raven’s collarbones and the latter yelps when Kenma’s vicious fingers take claims on their victim. The pinch leaves a dull throb and Kuroo just knows it’s gonna leave a mark later.
He knows he earned it, so he just chuckles apologetically.
“I know. I’m sorry, Kenma. Forgive me?” he murmurs, kissing the part of Kenma’s arm closest to his lips which happen to be the inner elbow. He doesn’t let go for a few seconds, until he feels Kenma shifts to slightly turn his head so he can nuzzle the side of Kuroo’s neck, under his hairline.
Kenma lets out a long, contented sigh, tightening his arms around Kuroo’s shoulders as he relaxes further into the other’s back. “Let’s just go home,” he hums an answer just for Kuroo to hear.
“Of course, kitten.”
Just like that, Kuroo knows he’s forgiven, and Kenma’s not really angry at him in the first place anyway.
And by the time they reach the entrance of the station, Kenma doesn’t pay any attention to the stares directed at them. It’s not every time Kuroo gives him piggy back ride, and he wants to enjoy that. Let’s just pretend he’s giving the older a chance to get into his mama bear character that proudly carries her cub on her back.