Thread by @IDtsuKei

Today I’m coming in with some #kentsukki thoughts.

Tsukishima starts watching kenma’s streams his first year of college. It’s an adjustment going from three years of studying with the idiot duo and the anxiety duo to studying alone. Even if he moves to the library instead of

His (blessed) solo dorm room, he cannot focus. He’s reluctant to admit his brain was trained to focus with the background noise of his friends. It’s a rainy night and he’s in his dorm, procrastinating studying by catching up on the group chat. He sees a message from hinata about

Some charity stream kenma is doing, and throws it on in the background. It starts as another way to procrastinate, but it turns out that kenma’s quiet almost monotone way of discussing the games is perfect background noise to trigger his brain into studying. It quickly becomes a

Habit. If kenma isn’t live, he’ll throw on old vods.

The fact that he watches kenma’s streams is never meant to be a secret, but it’s also not something he advertises. He was never close to them when they played against each other and he doesn’t want it being awkward.

He’s finally gotten some kind of schedule set up for himself that helps him balance school with practices for the frogs(oh how he dreads the day it’s announced to the world that he signed with them, he can already hear Kuroo and bokuto screaming in the distance) when a small

Wrench is thrown into the routine. October is fast approaching and one very little known fact about Tsukishima is that he does not have the stomach for horror. At all. You would think with his demeanor he would be into the spookier side of the season, but all he wants is the

Cozy sweaters and apple and pumpkin flavors. He cannot handle any genre of horror. The gore makes him sick to his stomach, and the tension building thrillers leaves him feeling seconds away from a heart attack. Either way, they both give him awful nightmares that has him

Waking up on the verge of screaming, covered in sweat, and unable to fall back asleep. The wrench comes when he’s studying for an important test in a required class for his degree. Kenma’s stream is starting up in the background. He glances up at the stream when kenma starts

Talking about a new game that they’re playing, some highly anticipated follow up to some ‘choose your path’ horror game. Tsukishima pauses. Surely, a video game played in the background is not the same as actively watching a movie? Besides, he really needs to focus on this test

And kenma’s voice helps him more than his study playlist. (Do not talk to him about the implications of this, he just likes their stream that’s all. Nothing else is going on here.) He was wrong. He suffers through the set up of the game, but looks up as the monster is revealed

For the first time to see the blood, and instantly is nauseous. He grimaces, and closes out of the stream. He’s done enough studying today anyways, kenma was just chatting for at least half an hour before they started the game, and the exposition was another 15 minutes. He’ll try

Again tomorrow. Except, 2 am rolls around to find Tsukishima flailing awake, dreams of werewolves ripping out his throat slowly fading, but the terror clinging to him. Ok. This is fine. He can deal with this. Kenma probably finished the game in one play through and it will be

Back to regularly scheduled content tomorrow. Wrong again. Kenma did finish the game, but as they start stream up again, they explain they want to replay it for some alternate paths. Tsukishima takes a deep breath, he knows what to expect now. He can do this. He cannot do this,

He barely makes it five minutes past where he left off last time, his brain playing last nights dream on a loop. It takes him ages to fall asleep, and when he does he only makes it a few hours before the dreams have him awake again. The next week feels like he is reliving the

Same day over and over again. Kenma is jumping from horror game to horror game, fully embracing the season. Tsukishima can’t find it in him to watch someone else, and keeps suffering through.

Finally, the weekend hits and after a grueling practice Saturday morning, Tsukishima

Finds himself in the dorm of his former senior, daichi. Daichi is (unfortunately in tsukishima’s eyes) dating kuroo, who has dragged along kenma to this party. Tsukishima is in the kitchen, scowling at a tipsy yamaguchi who cannot stop laughing.

‘It’s not that funny. Shut up.’

‘Tsukki, you’re literally an adult now. Stop watching if they’re too scary for you,’ yamaguchi replies as he settles down. ‘I can’t believe you still have nightmares.’ He breaks into giggles and Tsukishima regrets telling him.

‘Who’s having nightmares?’ Tsukishima jumps as

Kenma appears behind them. He can feel his face burning as he imagines how much of the conversation kenma has overheard.

‘Tsukki. He can’t handle horror,’ yamaguchi says, raising his eyebrows at tsukishima as he speaks.

‘Oh,’ kenma replies softly. They look up at tsukishima.

‘That’s a shame, I love horror games.’ Tsukishima can feel his heart pounding.

‘He knows! He keeps watching your stream even though he can’t handle it.’ Tsukishima snatches the cup out of yamaguchi’s hand, and is half tempted to chase after him as he shrieks and runs out of the

Kitchen. He’s stopped by kenma’s hand on his sleeve.

‘You watch my streams?’ Tsukishima hesitates before nodding, willing the blood in his body to stop rushing to his face.

‘I give you nightmares?’ Kenma asks, concern marring their features.

‘No!’ Tsukishima splutters, ‘I

Mean…the games you play do. But like. It’s not you.’ He’s stumbling over his words, he’s sure that kenma must think he’s crazy. ‘Besides I could turn them off, I just..don’t.’

‘Why?’

‘Why?’

‘Yeah. Why don’t you turn them off?’ Kenma’s hand is still clutching tsukishima’s

Sleeve. Tsukishima notes the pink hue on their cheeks, that wasn’t there when they walked up.

‘I Uh. I guess, you help me focus on my studies. Your streams.’ Tsukishima hasn’t had a drink tonight but he feels half drunk as the words spill out. ‘I’d turn them off but it’s just

Your streams that do it. I like your voice.’

‘Oh.’

‘Yeah.’ He takes comfort in the fact that at least he is no longer the only one who rivals a tomato. Kenma looks contemplative, before they nod slightly and look back up at tsukishima.

‘What days do you watch most often?’

‘Tuesdays and thursdays, probably. I have practice every other day.’

‘Got it. I’ll make those regular game nights and keep the horror to the other ones.’ Kenma nods again, dropping tsukishima’s arm.

‘You don’t have to do that kenma-San. I couldn’t ask you to do that.’

‘You

Didn’t ask. I want to. What’s your username?’ They press, leaving no room for argument. Tsukishima tells them, and the two of them spend the rest of their night split between the kitchen and the porch. The conversation isn’t always easy, and there’s a lot of awkward silences but

It’s one of the best nights Tsukishima has had in awhile. The night ends with kenma putting their number in tsukishima’s phone, joking that if he doesn’t text, they’ll call him out on stream.

If you were to ask Tsukishima and kenma when they officially started dating, neither

One could give a solid answer. Was it when kenma started gifting a sub to Tsukishima every month so he didn’t have to have ads interrupt his studying? Was it when Tsukishima started sleeping over at kenma’s house when the frogs played in Tokyo, vs driving back with his team? Or

When kenma starts telling people they can’t play a multiplayer horror game the day it comes out because their partner will be in town, and they won’t be live all weekend? They don’t really have an answer. All Tsukishima knows is that the second kenma told him they would make

Sure he could watch when he needed to, he’s never looked back. Except now, instead of watching kenma’s streams while he studies, he listens to his partners streams while he is doing paperwork in his office, before spending the night in each others arms.

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