The moment he realises that he loves you
ᵎᵎ 🧸 ⋅ Kenma x gn!reader but of fluff then angst, sfw
⋅ warnings: mention of insecurities, ooc?
He's not quite sure when his feelings for you began; in fact, he's unsure when he first ever noticed you.
Maybe it started off when he asked you for a pen, too lazy to rummage through his bag to find his own ones that were scattered all over inside, because he forgot to zip his pencil case closed.
Or perhaps it was when he first made eye contact with you as you handed him his eraser that had fallen from his desk. It was also the first time he truly looked at you, though he quickly turned away, offering a quiet "thank you."
It might have been the time you bumped into him while you were hurrying to the teachers' lounge, just like in a cliché anime scene.
He recalled how annoyed he felt when it happened. Papers flew everywhere, and as you frantically gathered them up, you stuttered a quiet, "I'm so sorry."
It would have been rude to just walk away, so he crouched down to help you pick up the scattered papers.
"Here", he mumbled, handing you the stack of papers he had gathered.
His breath hitched as he felt your soft touch as you took the pile from him.
"Thank you", you responded. And that's when Kenma made the mistake of looking at you again, and gosh, he immediately regretted it, because the second time he properly looked at you, he realised- you were so pretty. Like so pretty, he could imagine the sparkles and flower petals behind you.
He could feel the slight warmth creeping up on his cheeks as he looked everywhere but you, because if he did, he knew he would turn into a mess.
Unsure of his ability to speak without stuttering, he nodded awkwardly and walked away.
Ever since then, he couldn't help but start noticing little details about you— in a non-creepy way, of course. He used his long hair as an advantage to hide the fact that he was sneaking glances at you in class.
He found the way you unconsciously tilt your head when you don't understand what the teacher is talking about, cute or the way your eyes brighten when you know the answer to something.
"Since when did I start thinking about stupid stuff like that..." He muttered to no one as he had lost another fight against the boss.
It's no surprise that Kenma had no experience with things like crushes or dating. This man used to stay up all night playing games, or even wake up early just to do so.
Even after school and sometimes volleyball practice, he rushes straight home to continue where he has left off on his favourite game.
He really doesn´t scream boyfriend material at all.
"Whatcha got there?" The sound of another voice startled him, and he quickly looked up just to see you with your damn tilted head, curious about what he was playing.
"I-I uh..." He cursed himself internally. Dang it. Of course, he´s stuttering and, once again, avoiding your gaze.
Your eyes lit up when you recognised what game he was playing.
"Whoa, isn't the boss like really hard?" You asked him as you sat beside him to observe, which made Kenma even more anxious.
"It's alright..." he mumbled, leaving out the fact that he literally lost just a few seconds ago.
After a bit of hesitation, he asked. "You play this too?" He shifted a bit on his seat and continued to smash buttons.
"Mhm! My friend recommended it to me a while ago, but I keep getting stuck at the puzzles, so I never reached the boss...." You trailed off.
Kenma let out a hum of acknowledgement, trying not to focus on the fact that you're sitting so close, observing his gameplay.
Maybe the fact that you showed interest in his hobbies made him attracted to you.
As time went on, he got used to your presence, so he didnt get as nervous as the first few encounters with you.
But he couldn't deny the fact that his ears felt warm when you were around. Which left him irritated
He didn't dislike you; he disliked the way you made him feel, the way he couldn't help but focus on your details even more, now that you two got close.
The sound of your giggles, the gentle touch of your fingers, the melodic sound of your voice, it all left him awake at night.
He scratched his head and groaned out of frustration, rolling around on his bed.
It's the third night now that he hasn't been able to sleep. He sighed and reached for his phone on the nightstand. The screen's light blinded him temporarily before he lowered the brightness.
He revisited the chats he had with you. The difference between your chatting style and his was obvious. He's rather dry over text, just like he was in person, but it has never bothered you.
For some reason, he enjoys rereading your texts; it makes him wish that you would text him more.
"Kenma!" You sprinted towards him from behind on the way to school. You two had figured out that you shared the same path to school; you just took a turn early to return home.
"Have you cleared the level you talked about yesterday?" Leaning close, you once again watched what he was playing on his phone, just as you always have.
"I did...it was easy," he lied. It actually took him an hour to clear that stage, but you didn't need to know that, because the way you were amazed by his words left him satisfied.
You sighed as you continued to walk beside him. "I'm jealous, you know. I've never reached that far into the game," you grumbled.
"Have you ever thought that it might be because you don't build your characters correctly?"
"It's not my fault they give me shitty stats!"
The walk was peaceful, the weather was perfect: sunny yet not too hot, but warm. Some of the cats he sometimes sees were resting on top of the walls.
He looks down at your hand, and he wishes to hold it. Would you let him if he asked? Is your hand as soft as he imagined? The thought of that makes his cheeks warm.
He really wanted to know.
Although his thoughts were cut short, as he heard an obnoxiously loud "Hey" from a certain rooster head behind him.
"Don't you usually leave earlier for school?" Kenma narrowed his eyes as he watched his childhood friend catch up to them.
"I woke up later than usual," Kuroo groaned. "I didn't even have time to eat breakfast," he complained.
You just giggled beside Kenma and joked, "You could've run with a toast in your mouth, you know."
Kuroo later noticed the presence beside his best friend.
"You never told me you made a new friend." He hung an arm around Kenma's shoulder, which annoyed the latter.
"I don't have to tell you everything, you know," he grouched.
Kuroo let out a dramatic sound and playfully clenched the spot above his heart.
After watching the playful exchange between the two, you finally decided to introduce yourself.
"I'm 'name', Kenma and I share the same class. That's how we know each other. "
Kuroo let go of Kenma's shoulder and gave you a smile.
"I'm Kenma's childhood friend; he has probably mentioned me a couple of times already," he claimed proudly, but you only gave him a confused smile, which made Kuroo freeze.
"He did?" "He didn't?" you both asked in unison.
"I didn't," Kenma shrugged.
"You really are heartless!"
You three carried on with your walk, and you and Kuroo really hit it off. He was telling stories about him and Kenma back when they were kids, which made the blonde groan.
He also mentioned other stuff, like some fun facts about chemistry or how the nationals were coming up.
"You never told me about that!" You looked over at Kenma.
Kenma only hummed. "I didn't think it was important to," he admitted, as he continued playing on his phone.
His words made the black-haired gasp in disbelief.
"How could you not tell her that?! It's one of the most important events in the world!" Kuroo gave him an earful.
He then walked over to you.
"Why don't you come watch us play?" The question made your eyes light up.
"Are you sure it's all right for me to come?" you asked and looked over at Kenma to see if he had any objections.
Kuroo only smiled. "Of course it's alright! I'm sure Kenma over here won't mind," to which Kenma replied with a soft "not really."
"It will be fun, I promised."
After a bit of thinking, you nodded. "I will hold you to it then," you said, smiling and playfully punching Kuroo's shoulder, which made him laugh.
Kenma finally looked up from his phone and noticed how close you two had gotten.
He stopped in his tracks and watched you two interact in front of him.
Ah. With the amount of time he has spent with you, he has forgotten his place in this world.
It was as if he had been splashed with cold water.
He was reminded of how different he was compared to you.
And it gave him a bitter feeling.
a/n: I had this in my drafts for a year, and it was supposed to be just about the moments where Kenma has fallen for you, but then I remembered I like my men miserable
©mizuyu0o 2026. do not repost, plagiarise, translate, or adapt my work