Kuroo stood walked up to the house he had been to a thousand times before. The driveway was empty, that meant Kenma's parents were still working. He walked up to the front door and took a spare key from under the doormat. He opened the door, put the key back and walked inside.

He kicked off his shoes as he flicked on the light. Kenma was sick, so he probably was playing some videogame on the couch, Kuroo thought. He walked towards the living room. The living room was uninhabited. Kuroo turned around and made his way upstairs. He knocked on Kenma's door, but did not wait for permission to enter.

Kenma's room was dark. Curtains and shutters shielded it from the outside sun. The hallway lamp cast his long shadow into the room. The desk was piled with books and notebooks. A backpack stood on the chair, opened, as if Kenma had decided halfway of packing his back that he was too sick to go to school. On the bed lay black blankets draped over the silhouette of a young man.

Kuroo turned on the lights. The silhouette moved, burying deeper into the dark sheets, betraying that his back was facing kuroo. Strands of blond hair peeked out of the pile of blankets. Kuroo walked towards the bed and sat on the side.

"How are you kenma?" Asked Kuroo. There was no reaction. Kuroo leaned backwards, hanging over his friend. He placed a hand in front of where Kenma's face ought to be to support his weight. "Kenma? I know you're not asleep. I heard you have the flu." No reaction still. "You should have texted me, I texted you like ten times today. I had to hear from your teacher that you were sick." The life under the blankets gave no recognition to Kuroo's words. Kuroo sighed and put the palm of his hand to Kenma's forehead. It was warm, but a warmth that showed no sign of a fever. "You're not sick are you?"

A shrug.

Kuroo forcefully pulled down the blanket, revealing Kenma's face. Kenma stared at the wall. "Kenma. What's wrong? Why weren't you at school today?" His tone revealing his worry. Another shrug. Kuroo lowered his body, leaning on his elbow as his side rested on Kenma's. "What's wrong?" He asked again. No reaction, not even a shrug.

Kuroo sat up and ran his fingers through Kenma's hair. It was tangled. Clearly a comb had not touched it today. As the thought crossed his mind he noticed the faint smell of Kenma's morning breath. He looked at Kenma, who was still staring the white wall intensely. "Kenma, I know you get down sometimes, but you worry me when you're like this. Have you even been out of bed today? Have you eaten anything?"

Again, a shrug.

"At least look at me!" cried Kuroo. Kenma's eyes moved to look at Kuroo, his head stayed perfectly still.

Their eyes locked. Kenma's gaze looked exhausted. Kuroo flinched and broke eye contact. He sighed. "I'm not going to let you wallow in self pity. Get up, get dressed. We're going down for a cup of tea." He stood up threw open the curtains and raised the blinds. The sunlight lit up the room in a more full way than the lamps ever could. Kuroo continued to Kenma's closet, he grabbed a pair of pants and a sweater and made his way back to the bed. Kenma lay still.

With a forceful pull he threw the blankets on the back of the bed. Kenma curled up. He pulled his legs towards his chest and buried his face between his knees. Kuroo pulled Kenma's arms away and pinned them down on the bed, forcing him to lie on his back. Kenma tried to struggle, but Kuroo would not give in. "No." He spoke in a resolute voice. Kenma looked at him. "You're getting up. Now."

Kenma gave in. He relaxed his arms and legs and closed his eyes. Kuroo released his arms and sat back up. Kenma moved to sit on the side of the bed with Kuroo. He sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his bare legs as he gripped his hair. Kuroo put an arm around him and pulled him close. "Kenma," he spoke softly, "what's the matter?" Kenma sighed. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He lowered his arms, putting his hands on is knees. "I don't know." He said.

Kuroo was relieved. Kenma spoke. Kenma reacted. Kenma acknowledged his existence.

"Have you been in bed all day?" Kuroo asked. Kenma nodded. "Have you eaten anything?" Kenma shook his head. "Can you handle coming downstairs with me to get a cup of tea? It'll make you feel better I promise." Kenma hesitated, then nodded. Kuroo stood up and presented the jeans and sweater he took from the closet. "Great! Then put these on please. Having tea in a shirt and briefs is a bit much, don't you think?" A faint smile appeared on Kenma's face. Finally, Kuroo thought.

Kuroo looked at Kenma, who seemed to gather all his power to stand up. Kenma stood. He walked right past Kuroo towards the closet, opening a few drawers, pulling out two black pieces of fabric. Kuroo turned around. He heard kenma changing. A few steps. The sweater was pulled out of his hands. A few moments later the pants were gone too. He heard a leg slip in, and another one. A zip, his que to turn around.

Kenma stood in front of him. Kuroo smiled. "Good, you look much better like this." He said as he walked downstairs. Kenma followed slowly. Kuroo was already boiling water in the kitchen when he heard Kenma shuffling into the living room. He heard thud as Kenma let himself fall on the couch. He took two mugs of tea and made his way towards him. Kenma lay sideways on the couch, Kuroo gently kicked him a few times, urging him to sit up straight. Kenma complied and sat up with crossed legs, warming his hands with the mug of tea.

They sipped their tea in silence. Kuroo tried to start up a conversation, but Kenma would only reply with hums and nods. He eventually gave up. He wasn't going to find out what was wrong this way. Kenma would tell him after he got himself together, he thought.

After an hour he broke the silence again. "Kenma," he said, "it's running late, I have to go soon. Are you going to be okay now?"

Kenma hummed. Kuroo looked at him, trying to convey that he was unsatisfied with the answer. Kenma sighed and spoke softly. "Yes, Kuroo."

"I will pick you up tomorrow, okay?"

"You don't have to."

"I will."

Kenma sighed. "Okay."

Kuroo got up and got his backpack. For a short moment the room was illuminated by a car driving up the driveway. "You're mother is home. I'll leave you in her care." Kuroo smiled. Kenma looked up and nodded.

"See you tomorrow!" Kuroo tried to sound happy as he walked out. He wasn't happy .