A Night on Fuji-Kaido Drive

Ch. 10

By the time everyone finished their coffee, it had been decided for everyone to head home except the trio, who would stay behind to clean up the aftermath from the previous night. Kenma returned to the kitchen after the last of the others left to make him another cup of coffee as he turned to Anzu and Kuroo, " How bad is the damage?" he questioned. "I'm honestly not sure. I haven't even been out back yet; here isn't bad. I have to tidy up the living room and tackle the dishes from breakfast," Anzu said as she began to pick up the blankets and pillows scattered around. "I'll go survey the damage outside," the rooster spoke, and before Anzu could protest, he walked out the front door. Well, shit, there goes avoiding being alone with Kenma, Anzu thought to herself as she placed things back where they went in the living room. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the setter sitting quietly on the sofa as he sipped his coffee.

Time felt still, and the tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife as Anzu tidied the living room. As she made her way toward the kitchen, the setter finally spoke, "Do you want my help in the kitchen? I can wash if you dry, you cooked so you shouldn't have to wash dishes, too", Kenma questioned as he set his cup down to stand causing Anzu to panic. She fought to keep her body from showing signs of panic as she felt sweat forming on her brow. "Uhh, thank you, puddin; I just remembered I should check and see how the bathroom is holding up. Gotta make sure the idiots didn't blow anything up," Anzu said quickly as she made a beeline down the hall. Kenma felt like his chest was caving in from sadness as he observed her odd behavior. Should I say something? I upset her with my actions last night; she could barely look at me for a few seconds. Kenma thought as he tried to decide what action to take. He pulled out his phone and began to play Subway Surfers to help him feel more clearly.

Anzu didn't need to go clean the bathroom; it was spotless; she just couldn't be alone with the setter anymore as her mind raced with everything that had happened. She loved both boys. When Anzu met them for the first time, she was wrapped up in the most profound depression she had ever known, so riddled with anxiety that she could barely come to school each day for fear of having to interact with the other students and have them perceive her. She looked into the mirror as she remembered the first day they had met.

*FlashBack*

Why do I have to join a club to graduate? I don't have time! I need to work all my hours to pay my rent. Anzu thought to herself as she walked towards the main gym. She had just moved out independently after being given no choice after her mother handed her signed emancipation papers on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. "What are these?" Anzu asked as she began to flip through the documents angrily, looking back up at her mother. "Those are me legally signing away my parental rights. You are no longer my responsibility; you have until the end of the week to get out." her mother said coldly, looking down at Anzu with disgust. She pulled out an envelope and threw it towards Anzu, "This should be enough for a deposit, the first month's rent, and enough to keep you going until you get a job," her mother added before turning on her heel and retreating to her office to do whatever she did in there. Anzu sat in silence, too stunned to speak. So yeah, Anzu had bigger fish to fry than joining a silly club; she was working 40 hours a week, trying to keep up with her school work, and was barely making ends meet. What happened to if you get a job and work full-time hours so you can support yourself? There was no point to any of it. What was the point in trying if she was doomed to fail from the jump? The sound of volleyballs slamming into the court brought Anzu out of her disassociation as she stood in the main gym's open doorway.

*Flashback over*

Anzu shuddered at the memory and never wanted to return to that. She had come too far and put in too much work to let these feelings ruin her hard work on her mental health, and her time of hiding had ended as she made her way back into the house to find Kenma. She had to at least talk to him about what happened last night; she didn't have to spill it all because, honestly, she didn't even know how to put all of it in words. She came down the hall and spotted him on the sofa playing a game on his phone like always. She went to the couch and sat opposite the setter, causing him to look up from his phone, meeting her eyes.

"Hey, how are you? I wanna check in with you after last night", Anzu said nervously, meeting Kenma's eyes. Kenma took a moment to take in Anzu's presence before him as she looked at him with concern. "I'm going to admit I don't feel great right now. I am terrified that I pushed you too far last night and made you uncomfortable around me because I was stoned and didn't stop to think about my actions before I acted", Kenma anxiously rambled at Anzu. He hung his head in shame after waiting for her to speak.

Anzu hadn't expected Kenma to respond like that, and she couldn't help but feel terrible for making him feel that way. "Kenma, it's not your fault. I was caught off guard and didn't know how to react. I care about you, but I don't want to hurt you," she said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Kenma looked up at her, his eyes filled with uncertainty, "Do you still want to be friends?" he asked hesitantly. Anzu smiled softly, "Of course, silly. You guys mean a lot to me, and I don't want to lose that," she replied, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. Kenma let out a sigh of relief, and the two sat in comfortable silence for a few moments before Anzu spoke up again, "So, do you want to help me with the dishes? I have a blunt lying around somewhere we can share with Kuroo once we get done?" she asked, gesturing towards the kitchen. Kenma nodded eagerly, and the two got to work, chatting and laughing as they cleaned up the mess from breakfast. As they finished, Kuroo walked in, looking exhausted but relieved to see them getting along. "Hey, you guys finished already? I was just about to come help," he said, grinning at them. Anzu smiled back, feeling grateful for her two amazing friends and the second chance Kenma had given her.

"It's all good, Roo; we were just about to come to see if you needed any help, too," Anzu giggled as she dried her hands. "I'm going to go grab that blunt. Do you want to smoke with Puddin and me? I think I'm going to order takeout for lunch, and we can watch a movie," Anzu asked as she disappeared into her room, only to emerge a minute later with a blunt. "That is the best idea I think you've ever had, pup," the rooster called as he threw his body down on the sofa and started flipping through the TV to find a movie for them to watch. The trio spent the rest of the day lazing in front of the TV, passing the blunt back and forth and enjoying each other's company.