─── ( memory two )
02; teas.

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THE ONLY THING KENMA EVER HAD IN HIS HANDS OTHER THAN A GAMING DEVICE WAS A VOLLEYBALL AND VICE VERSA. either he was focused on a match or something related to volleyball — only when he was forced to by kuroo, of course, or he held a switch or something related in his hands, eyes glued to the flashing screen of the device. he didn't see the need for anything else in that point of his life and nothing else would feel as great in his hands. perhaps, it was why the flowers yesterday were so weird. how he grasped them in between his rough fingers and treated them with as much care as he did for his game chips and disks and such.

but they were flowers for a grave, of course he would treat them with care. when the quiet setter had walked into the club room at nekoma the next day, holding delicately in his hands, a white box with some type of print at the top, nobody could tell what is was from a far away distance. but once he set it down and kuroo got a quick look at it, he realized it was a fine little tea box. it was the brand of the teas y/n liked to drink. interesting. kenma wasn't a tea person, he didn't drink it, kuroo recalled.

the black-haired third year took a seat next to kenma on the bench in the club room, fixing up his volleyball shoes. he asked, "are we going today?" keeping his eyes trained on his shoes.

"i'm going," kenma said simply, also fixing his shoes. "you don't have to come."

for a split moment, kuroo couldn't tell if it was kenma's way of telling the third year he didn't want him there or not. but then, he realized kenma would've been blunt if that was the case. 'yes, don't come with me this time' is something he would've said.

kuroo dropped his foot and sat up, turning toward his friend, "of course i'm going."

kenma also dropped his foot. he sat there for a moment, gripping his knees and staring at the floor of the room in interest. "okay." the second-year then turned and brought the white tea box into his hands, then faced kuroo, a look in his eyes kuroo had only seen on rare occasions. "what do you think about leaving this?"

he had a look that seeked approval. kuroo didn't say anything for a moment, opening the box of teas carefully. the tea bags and different herbs immediately reminded him of the way y/n smelled. red rose, pique, and melbourne... y/n was a fan of authentic black teas. they made her feel like she was living, as she called it, an aesthetic life.

"they're old. probably stale."

kenma said, still keeping his untypically hard amber eyes set on his third year friend, still searching for an answer from kuroo. he was met with a bright laugh, kuroo threw his head back and chuckled, closing the small box and handing it back to his friend, "i think it's a great idea." he said.

kenma smiled smally, "her tea was gross because everything she used to make it with was old. she made me drink it anyway," he shrugged and stood up from the bench in the club room. "it always tasted like box and when i asked her why she still drank it, she said it was a good nostalgic feeling."

kenma quietly walked out as kuroo followed him after making sure the tea box would be safe from his rowdy teammates.

kenma remembered the first time y/n offered him some tea. it was quite a horrible experience in the taste factor, but somehow and strangely, overall it was quite great. he often thinks how it's one of those things — where it seems like one thing matters but it's actually something else, something deeper. he used to think that entire concept was made up so people could call themselves wise and intelligent.

however, it seemed y/n l/n was exactly one of those people. not the ones who preached it, but the oned who practiced it. y/n was someone who had a whole other reasoning than what appeared on the surface of her actions. she unintentionally had deep meanings in the things she did and often times in the words she spoke, perhaps she was a more tame version of shouyou and perhaps, that was what kenma really liked about the girl...

"taste it, kenma-kun!" y/n cheered brightly as she held out her mug toward the boy. she beamed brightly, ushering the contents of hot early gray in the boy's direction and lifted it to his lips, "it's black tea! made by of course, the best tea-maker in town!"

"who's that?" kenma questioned curiously, immediately becoming confused when y/n looked dejected as she held her head down in shame.

kuroo's laugh caused both kenma and y/n to wheel around and face the third year who smirked boldly, holding an arm at his hip as he stared at the two people who were shorter than him, "i'll have some, y/n," he grinned, the look painted onto his face looked like he took it as some sort of challenge for whatever reason. none of kuroo's looks really needed an explanation.

y/n wrinkled her nose, delicate fingers reaching the back of her neck to scratch gently as she let a light laugh tumble past her lips, "aah... i really want kenma-kun to drink it, though..."

kuroo's grinned only widened at the words and he nodded is head of messy bed hair to the quiet setter, who moved his thumbs across his device speedily, invested in his game, "you heard the girl, kenma," kuroo snickered, "drink the tea."

kenma tapped his tongue delicately on the roof of his mouth in a click as he dropped his hands with his device on his lap and stared up, "ugh," he sounded out a soft noise of irritation in his throat, "do i have to?"

y/n clapped her hands together with a slight bounce from where she stood and pulled her joined hands to her chest, "it would mean a lot if you did! really!"

kenma blinked, clicked his tongue once more, then gestured for the cup. y/n smiled brightly, quickly shoving the cup into the setter's small hands. her eyes watched him carefully and precisely, causing the boy to lift an eyebrow before tilting the cup to his lips.

he took a sip.

then spit it out.

y/n squeaked, quickly hopping back as kuroo immediately began his howl of laughter, toppling over with his hands around his stomach, "bahaha! how do you not know how to make tea, l/n?"

y/n ran her fingers gently through her locks, "aah, i guess i like my tea different than you like yours..."

kuroo stalked off somewhere else, muttering 'to be young again' as he wiped the tears from his face.

"it's stale." kenma immediately stated, eyeing the cup with his quizzical amber eyes, a weird expression across his features. "why does it taste like that?"

"oh, i forgot about that..." y/n hummed in a kind of delight, "i like my teas stale! there's something about drawer-tasting tea that reminds me of my mother... i get a warm feeling and nostalgia rushes past me... it's nice that a drink can take me back to earlier times, so i take advantage of it."

kenma hadn't expected that response. it was strangely valid, and somehow, he'd expected her to say she forgot she had the tea bags or herbs or something.

"that's nice." he managed, glancing down at the cup again, "i'll taste it one more time."

y/n smiled, handing the cup to him once again, "maybe one day, you can have a nice memory in old tea as well, kenma-kun!"

kenma and kuroo found themselves at the graveyard after practice, kenma setting down the box of teas after taking two to keep in the pocket of his red jacket.

kuroo saw the small action and smiled at his friend, "you plan on drinking some old tea soon?" he asked.

kenma nodded, stepping away as kuroo followed after him.

"IN MEMORY OF Y/N."

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