It's too noisy. It's always too noisy. All the sighs, all the hushed conversations, the sounds of many bodies tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable in small cots that was never made for comfort. Kenma hated this place. He could never sleep. After two years of living in a homeless shelter, he still could never get comfortable enough to really sleep. It's too noisy, it's too depressing, it's too crowded. He always felt like someone was watching him. Not that anyone in particular would have any reason to watch Kenma. It was just a feeling, like he was trapped with so many people, he couldn't help but feel watched. So he once again found himself lying still, trying to tune out the world around him until sunrise came.

As soon as those precious rays of light greeted the windows, he quickly rose from bed to go get some breakfast, and then rushed out the door. He didn't exactly have anywhere in mind to go. He mostly just wanted to be anywhere but there. Breathing the outdoor air always seemed to temporarily lighten his spirits. But also he just wanted to be in a world where no one saw him as a diagnosis. "Socially withdrawn." "Video Game Addict." "Avoids Reality." Everyone working in the shelter treats him as though his whole existence is nothing more than the list of problems kept on his file. He supposes it's a step up from most of his roommates who are judged by their rap sheet, but still, he misses the days when people who met him just thought he was a little quiet compared to his peers.

Kenma's feet started in the direction of the library. He spent most days in there. Plus the librarian who's there on weekdays usually packs extra lunch to share with him. Kenma was pretty sure that she had a bit of a crush on him, but he wasn't in a position where he could afford the morals to turn her kindness down. He started to wonder what chapter he left off in the series of fantasy books he was working on, right when a near sprinting body collided with him on the sidewalk.

"Oww.." Kenma whined, slowly getting up from being knocked backwards. As he sat up he noticed that whoever knocked him down was male, kind of short, and had violent orange hair which went in all directions.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry! I'm such a scatterbrain sometimes. I slept in and I'm about to be late for class." The boy reached down to take Kenma's hand, when his eyes lit with realization. "Kenma! Oh my god is that you? Now I'm really sorry Kenma. Are you alright?"

"Hi Shoyo." Kenma answered as plainly as possible. "I'll be alright. You should probably go get to class."

Hinata looked to be pouting. "You haven't answered my texts in like FOREVER Kenma. Did I do something wrong?"

Kenma shook his head. "No, I just lost my phone."

"Well that sucks. Can you give me your new number then?"

"I don't have one."

"What? Why not?"

"I can't afford a phone right now…"

Hinata blinked. He took a moment to look Kenma up and down. Kenma cringed. He knew that look. That look as people notice that you're hardly holding it together anymore. Their faces then fill with pity, then they look away because they suddenly feel bad for even looking at you in the first place.

"Lots of things have happened since high school haven't they Kenma?" Hinata asked in a hushed tone.

Kenma flinched. "I'm just going through a rough time."

There it was. The lie. The so well practiced lie he tells anyone familiar he runs into. This is just a rutt. It was easier to play pretend that he was going to get out of this. No one needed to know that this rutt was his life for the past two years, and it looked to continue on till the end of his days.

Unlike everyone else though, Hinata wouldn't just swallow that lie, and turn away. He quickly dug into his pockets and shoved a key card into Kenma's hand.

"You know where the dorms are for this university right? I live in the Greene building, room 7C, I don't have any roommate so just go in alright? Feel free to use anything in there."

Kenma looked down at the card in his hand, then back up to his friend. "But Sho..."

"I really gotta go to class now alright? We'll talk when I get back. Bye!" Hinata quickly waved, and then began sprinting again in the direction he was going before he and Kenma collided.

Kenma watched the violent orange hair on Hinata's head seem to weave all over the sidewalk as Hinata did his best to make it to class without causing anyone else injury. After about 30 seconds, Kenma lost sight of the color as Hinata mixed in with the crowds up ahead. It was only then that Kenma looked down at the blue key card that was shoved into his hand. He brought the card up to his face and stared at it while whispering to himself,

"What should I do now?"

Hi everyone! I got a new job that has a lot of downtime so I've been trying to use it to get some writing done. Also I've been watching a lot of Haikyuu lately, and for some reason this is the only pairing I've found myself drawn towards. This stories rating is mainly because the themes are pretty depressing, so I'd rather error on the safe side.

If you have any questions/comments, please leave me a review~