Chapter 12 | Comfort Doesn't Need To Be Words

——————————CHAPTER 12 Comfort Doesn't Need To Be Words——————————

Kuroo had a concern he's been dealing with for years already: his bed hair. No matter how much he combs, it would always go back to its messy rooster-like form. And today wasn't an exception.

Schools were still open for final requirements submission, but since he's a diligent student despite appearance, he already completed all of his work before the exam week ended. However, he knew it was different for you. You were in the same class, and he knows how all teachers called for you regarding your performance.

Sighing as his hair still stayed messy despite his efforts, he gave up and dropped his comb. It was just 6 in the morning, but he got up really early to make sure you could attend school today. He wanted to help you as much as he could.

Heading out, he texted Kenma who he was sure would be awake already, and he was right. The smaller teen opened the door for him, yawning as he just woke up a few minutes ago.

"You're always so extra for my cousin." Kenma sleepily muttered.

Kuroo simply smiled, knowing his bestfriend already knew why. "Don't be so jealous." He joked. The two headed upstairs, entering your room where you laid on your bed, awake as you focused on an anime.

"Morning." The black-haired male greeted, making you turn to him with tired eyes and nod in acknowledgement.

Kenma excused himself, getting a new set of clothes before heading downstairs again to take a bath, leaving you two.

"What are you doing here so early?" You yawned, resting your cheeks on your arms as you laid down on your stomach with your arms crossed infront, still looking at the screen of your laptop.

You heard him sigh. "You haven't slept?"

"Mm... no."

He sighed again. "You're supposed to go to school today, aren't you?"

"Is that why you're here?"

"You have projects to turn in, and you're watching anime?" Kuroo scolded lightly, eyebrows furrowed as he massaged his temples like a stressed dad. "Get ready, now." He added sternly.

You turned to him with a frown. "I still have a week, why does it have to be today?"

He groaned in annoyance. "Come on, get up." He walked towards your bed, gently pulling you by the arm.

"No!" You snatched your arm back, turning your back on him as you laid sideways and hugged a pillow, hiding your face. "Let me sleep." Coincidentally, the episode you were watching just transitioned to the ending song.

"Are you even finished with any school project?" He questioned.

"No."

Kuroo sighed exasperatedly. There was one that he helped you with, but you weren't able to finish it because of the time. He figured that you didn't continue it after that. "I guess I'll have to help you with everything." He muttered, making you smile underneath your pillow.

Moving your laptop to your bedside table, he sat on your bed, facing you as he bent down and supported his weight with his elbow plopped on the area next to your stomach, making him crossly position over you. With his other hand, he reached for your hair and combed it gently, his fingers being caught by entangles. "Still, get up, we're going to work with it right now."

"I'm sleepy." You muttered, hiding your cheeky smile using the pillow. He was so close right now, and it made your heart race uncontrollably as butterflies seemingly fluttered in your stomach.

"You were just watching anime a minute ago, weren't you?" He continued to stroke your hair, leaning his weight over your body as he relaxed his head on the pillow you were hugging. He still couldn't see your face because of it. "Come on, get up."

The door then opened, and he only glanced to see Kenma entering with a towel flat over his head, before resuming his attention to you. The blonde wasn't a bit bothered to see your closeness as it was a usual thing now, which is actually unusual to other people. You two weren't dating, and you weren't best of friends either. Just two people comfortable being physically close with each other. The setter continued to the dresser, plugging the hair dryer and beginning to dry his hair, filling the room with its whirling sound.

"And you still have that requirement for your PE class..." Kuroo reminded.

You pretended to be asleep, staying on the same position as you buried your face under the pillow you were hugging, hiding the sad expression that started to fill your face. You've been stressing about it, which is why you weren't able to sleep much at all. You kept on thinking how you'd escape from that fate, while you didn't want to fail either.

Kuroo has been wanting to talk to you about it too, but he couldn't get the chance to. You were always so busy with anything associated with anime, manga, and drawing even when he visits, so he'd end up playing with Kenma the whole time without being able to talk to you much.

Until your cousin left ahead knowing it would still take Kuroo much time to convince you to get up, you two remained quiet. You heard him sigh, and felt the bed shifting as he seemingly adjusted his position. He laid sideways behind you, his head lifted supported by an arm as he loomed over you. "You know you can talk to me."

After a minute of silence, you finally spoke. "Do you pity me, Kuroo?"

"I care for you." He almost immediately replied, placing a hand on your arm as he rubbed it comfortingly. "A lot." If you weren't wearing long sleeves, you might've felt electrocuted by his touch.

"Why?"

He paused, because he knew exactly why. And because he knew he can't tell you that reason, not because he was afraid, but rather he knew it wasn't the time. Kuroo understood you in a lot of ways, and as much as he wanted to tell you that he liked you, he didn't want to add to your worries considering you may not feel the same way. He wanted you to heal first, while being with you in the process.

"You're important to me, (Y/N)." He answered instead, which wasn't a lie.

You took a deep breath, calming yourself as you kept your face hidden. You were embarrassed to show your emotions whenever you open up. It makes you feel humiliated, and you always feared that. "I was Karasuno's manager... along with Kiyoko, my... ex bestfriend." You started, feeling your heart starting to clench at the memory.

"Daichi was my classmate from middle school, and we've always been close like siblings since then. We went to the same high school but weren't in the same class, and I met Kōshi through the volleyball team. He also invited Kiyoko, and we became partners for the job."

Kuroo had to move closer to understand clearer since your voice was being a little muffled by the pillow. "I'm listening."

"I've liked Kōshi since our first year, but we only started dating just before our second year when he confessed to me. It was awkward at first, since he was my first boyfriend as I was his. But everyone was supportive, especially Kiyoko." You lowered the pillow a little, revealing only your eyes up. Glancing sideways, you were surprised to see Kuroo so close, and he was too, but remained calm as he nodded at you in encouragement.

"It was great. We were happy even when we weren't such a strong team, we've built a strong relationship. The current second years came, there were Nishinoya and Tanaka that I considered as my brothers. They called me sis, it was cute."

Kuroo can't help but notice the gleam of happiness as you told him the story, and it was all it took to realize how happy you were, and how much you must've loved them. Seeing your eyes shift from happiness to a lonely one made his heart clench. He drew soothing circles over your arm, which you found relaxing.

"And then... I started to become stressed. I was always fighting with my parents because of my life goal that didn't appeal to them and other things. Around that time, it was the vacation before our third year... and my first anniversary with Kōshi came." You continued, your eyes glistering as tears started to form. "I wanted to get my mind off things, and I also wanted to give him something he won't forget. I was just... afraid he won't feel contented with me. Almost every other couple I knew were having sex, and I felt like I was lacking. So... it happened."

You sniffled, tears you've been keeping finally escaping as they fell, wetting your bedsheets. You hugged your pillow tighter, bending into a fetal position and accidentally, your ass made contact with Kuroo's crotch, startling and flustering him, but you didn't notice that. You continued to sniffle, hiding your face under the pillow once more.

Gulping, the male moved his lower body away from yours to safety, even when he was about to fall off the bed. Now was not the time to be thinking of lewd thoughts. His face was red, but he calmed himself as he focused on listening.

"I got filled with stress, regrets and negative thoughts... and I pushed everyone away. I... poured my frustrations on them... in a negative way. I said words I regretted saying, but it was also around that time when my parents were going to move oversees for work. I was destined to move here. Actually, I fought with them because of that, too. I didn't want to move... but then it became my escape." You shakily inhaled, letting your tears soak the pillow and your bed. You felt Kuroo's arm sneak from your arm towards your waist as he gently pulled the pillow you were hugging down, and you were feeling too weak to hold it back.

"Come here." He softly whispered, turning you around to face him. You shifted your position the other way, burying your crying face on his chest as he embraced you tightly. "If you're going to cry, cry on me."

You clenched on his vest, only now noticing that he was wearing his uniform. Sobbing, you leaned closer, your heart hammering as you inhaled his scent. He smelled so attracting, and his embrace made you feel at ease that you just wanted to stay that way for as long as you could.

There was a lot more that you haven't said, like how you just disappeared from them without saying anything and without telling them where you were, cutting off ties and deleting their numbers and emails to run away and move on, or how you weren't sure about how you feel about Kōshi right now, but you just continued to cry on his chest. He rubbed soothing circles around your back, and you felt him plant a kiss on top of your head.

"For now, cry it all out... and then rest." He whispered. "I'll stay here with you." True to his words, he didn't leave you alone even after you fell asleep. He ended up falling asleep as well, and Kenma got home after school to notice such scene, even taking a picture as remembrance.

——————————To Be Continued——————————