Of Sleepovers, Puppy Eyes and Crushes

by tendous-satoris

"Kenma had planned to stay in all night, relax, play some video games with his best friend after a hard week of exams. What he had absolutely not planned to do, was hang out with his team at Kuroo's house and play truth or dare with his peanut gallery of a team. Of course, the night hadn't gone as planned. When does it ever?"

Kenma had planned to stay in all night, relax, play some video games with his best friend after a hard week of exams. What he had absolutely not planned to do, was hang out with his team at Kuroo's house and play truth or dare with his peanut gallery of a team.

Of course, the night hadn't gone as planned. When does it ever?

It all started when Kuroo had knocked on his door and invited him over to the team sleepover.

"C'mon, Kenma!" He had whined. "It's the last chance we have before nationals! It won't be the same without you."

"You know there's plenty more opportunities to have sleepovers with the team before school ends." Kenma deadpanned, looking up at him with a 'stop with the bullshit' look on his face. "What's the real reason?"

Kuroo sighed, running a hand through his already unruly hair. "Okay, fine, you caught me. I just want to get out of your house for a bit! I care about you, is that so wrong?"

"No, I guess not." He relented. "But I do have a legitimate reason for not going."

"And what's that?"

"Shouyou's over. I can't just ditch him because you want me to 'get out of the house.'"

"He can come too!"

"Hey, Kenma! What's taking so long?" Said boy asked, coming down the stairs and standing next to Kenma. "Oh, hey, Kuroo-san! What's up?"

"S'up, Shrimpy?" He grinned. "Say, would you like to come over and hang out with the rest of Nekoma with us? Kenma said he'd only go if you went too, and we'd hate for you to waste your visit to Tokyo cooped up inside."

"I didn't say that, exactly-"

"Yeah, that'd be awesome! Why didn't you wanna go, Kenma?"

"I did not say that and you know it-"

"Don't make me sick Inuoka on you." Kuroo threatened with a dark in his eye.

Kenma's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would." He held up his cell phone. "I've got him on standby."

"Wait, I'm confused. What would Inuoka do, smack you? Kick you? Step on you? He is really tall, and his legs are super long…" Hinata's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Not even close." The captain chuckled.

"Also, I'm not that short."

"Three words." They said in unison. "Glistening puppy eyes."

"Oh…" He deflated a bit as if he were expecting something bigger. "Wait, how's that so bad? I've dealt with Natsu's and Yamaguchi's multiple times before…"

"Inuoka takes it to the next level. He kinda looks and acts like an excited puppy all the time, right?" Kuroo explained, looking somewhat distressed. Hinata nodded. "Well, when he's doing his puppy eyes, he looks like a kicked puppy. No one likes kicked puppies, right? And his eyes glisten, and his lip trembles, and-"

"I think he gets it…" Kenma interrupted, gesturing to Hinata's look of absolute horror on his face. "Fine, we'll go."

"Yes!" Kuroo cheered, pumping his fist.

"Let's go get our stuff." Kenma sighed, turning to Shouyou. "Give us a few minutes, we'll be there soon." He told him, heading up the stairs.

"Inuoka can't be that good, can he? There's no way…" He asked as they packed their stuff up.

"Well, luckily he's never used them on me before, but if what Lev and Tora say are true, then yes, he is that good." He shuddered. "I've witnessed it before, though, and I don't know how Fukunaga managed to say 'no' to him."

"Y'know, I've never actually heard Fukunaga-san speak before…"

"Yeah, he's mute. Though, Kai-san claims he's said 'yes' and 'okay' before, though I didn't hear it, so I don't really know." He shrugged. "Now, we should probably go, or Kuro will come looking for us, most likely with Inuoka in tow."

"Yeah... By the way, remind me never to get on Inuoka's bad side."

"Smart move." He nodded, nodding.

Arriving at Kuroo's house took all of 1 and a half minutes since he lived 3 doors down.

"Hey, Kenma!" Yamamoto called out, grinning, as they entered the basement. "Oh, the shrimp from Karasuno's here too. Hey!"

"Shouyou's here?!" Inuoka and Lev cried at the same time, looking over with bright grins.

"Hi!" He returned the grin, looking around. The third years were huddled in a corner, Kuroo on his stomach, and the other two sitting in cross-legged positions, playing some sort of video game on the tv. Shibayama, Lev, Inuoka, and Yamamoto were lying on their respective sleeping bags, playing cards, and Fukunaga was petting one of the several cats scattered around the room, two black ones, and a calico, with a small smile on his face.

"Cats!" He cried out excitedly, putting his stuff down and rushing over to pet the calico, who began purring. "What's her name?"

"Lucky," Kuroo grinned.

"Cool!"

"You named your calico Lucky?" Yaku snorted. "Real creative."

"I was 4!" He cried indignantly.

"What's this one's name?" Shibayama asked, pointing to one of the black ones.

"Does it have white on its neck or its head?"

"Head."

"Oh, that's Umbreon."

"You named it after a Pokemon?" Yaku continued to laugh.

"Actually, I named that one," Kenma interjected flatly. "We were going to keep him, but then we found out my mom was allergic to cats, so we gave him to Kuro."

"But why Umbreon?"

"See the little white circle on his head? Kinda looks like the yellow one on Umbreon's head, right?"

"Looks more like a smudge to me…"

"Lev, you're blind."

"Yeah, yeah." He huffed.

"Tanaka-san tells Nishinoya-san that a lot." Hinata giggled.

"Say, how's Yuu doing, anyway?" Yaku asked, lips curling into a fond grin. "Haven't seen him in forever."

"Ohoho, first name basis, huh." Kuroo's grin was much more cat-like and sneaky then Yaku's, causing him to roll his eyes. "And how's my precious boyfriend, Tsukki?"

"Huh? I thought you were dating Bokuto-san from Fukurodani!" Shibayama blinked. "Did you guys break up?"

"Well-"

"And I thought Bokuto-san was dating his setter, Akaashi-san." Inuoka tilted his head to the side, resembling a dog now more than ever, causing a shiver to go down Hinata's spine.

"I mean, we haven't really worked out the details yet, but we're all just kind of dating each other at this point." He shrugged.

"You can do that?!" Hinata exclaimed loudly, causing Fukunaga to cover his ears with a wince.

"Yup." Kuroo's grin was now just as fond as Yaku's, probably thinking of his wonderful boyfriends. "Thrice the love.~"

"... Kuroo, did you seriously just use the word 'thrice'?" Said libero asked.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Well, I just didn't think someone of your intelligence level even knew words like 'thrice.'"

"Excuse you, I am so intelligent!"

"He is in college prep classes," Yamamoto commented.

"Yeah, I know. We're in the same class!" Yaku grumbled.

"Remember that time he insulted you with science?" Kai grinned.

"Wait, what? When'd this happen?" Lev asked.

"I wanna hear this story," Inuoka added, leaning into the makeshift circle they had created.

"Well, it was when we were in our first year at Nekoma." Kai began, more than happy to embarrass his friends. "We were at lunch, and they had gotten into another petty argument."

"It was not petty!"

"Yeah!"

"Be quiet, kids, the adults are talking." He chided jokingly.

"You're the only one older than us here, sea grape asscrack!" Kuroo complained.

"And not even by that much!" Yaku agreed.

"Y'know, I think 'sea grape asscrack' has the title of weirdest insult I've ever heard…" Shibayama whispered to Inuoka and Hinata.

"I've heard weirder." Hinata shrugged. Upon seeing their gaping expressions, he elaborated, saying, "Tsukishima once called Tanaka-san that he looked like a glorified Mr. Potato Head and Nishinoya-san that he was short enough to pass for a preschooler. That one wasn't particularly weird, per say, more just plain rude."

Shibayama's eyes hardened like obsidian. "Remind me to give him a good ass-whipping the next time Nekoma meets up with your school."

"Oh, Nishinoya-san already did." He snickered. "He had a bruise on his face for, like, 3 weeks afterward. It was hilarious."

"Good." He grunted. "Teaches him not to mess with us, short people."

"Anyway," Kai continued, "Yaku called Kuroo an 'old fart' because of the fact that he preferred fish over meat, and Kuroo told he didn't think someone so lacking in… what was it?"

"Docosahexaenoic acid," Kuroo told him casually, in an almost bored tone. "It's a nutrient commonly found in fish like sardines, mackerels, and yellowtails that help stimulate and improve brain function."

"Right, that." Kai nodded. "So, basically, he told Yaku that he didn't think someone lacking in… that... 's opinions would have much validity."

"How the hell do you remember all that?!" Yamamoto asked, gaping.

"I dunno, I just find it interesting so it sticks in my brain." He shrugged, before grinning. "Maybe it's all the fish I eat, as opposed to meat like Yaku does."

"Grr… one of these days, I'm gonna rip your tongue out of that big mouth of yours and strangle you with it!"

"I-isn't that a bit harsh…?" Hinata sputtered. "Do they always fight like that, or is just a one-time thing...?"

"Nah, they're always at this." Yamamoto sighed. "We all know they secretly care about each other, though."

"So, kind of like you and Kageyama," Kenma smiled. "You guys fight all the time, but when it really comes down to it, you guys actually care for each other a lot."

"Oh, I get it." He nodded.

After a while, everyone started to get a little bit bored, so Shibayama suggested they play a little game of good ol' Truth or Dare.

"Okay, I'll go first," Kuroo said. "Kai, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Boring…" He muttered. "Fine, who was your first crush?"

"Lame!~" Yaku cooed.

"Shut the fuck up, Yakkun."

"Don't call me that."

"I'll call you whatever the hell I wanna-"

"Alright, alright, that's enough fighting." Kai cut them off with a rare glare. "And to answer your question, Kuroo, it was a girl in grade 4, Mika."

"Okay, your turn."

"Hmm, Yamamoto."

"Truth."

"Wow, that's a new one," Kuroo said. "You usually choose dare." Yamamoto just shrugged.

"Now, for your question…" He thought about it for a moment, before curling his lips into what appeared to be Kai's version of a shit eating grin, though it looked more like a cheeky smile. "Who's the most attractive person in the room?"

"Lev." He answered without a moment's hesitation.

Said boy looked at him, wide-eyed. "W-wait, me?!"

"What other Lev is there?"

"I would've expected Kuroo-san, or Kenma-san, even Hinata…"

"Yeah, whatever, now don't make me regret my pick..." The Ace scowled.

"O-okay."

"Now, who to choose…" He tapped his chin as he sat back down. "Oh, Kenma! Truth or dare?"

"... Dare." He answered after a moment's hesitation.

Yamamoto's grin could only be described as feral. "Kiss Hinata."

"Easy enough." He shrugged, leaning over to kiss him, though his face stopped a few inches away, seeing as he was on his phone. "Shouyou."

"Hmm? Uh, s-sorry, I wasn't really paying attention…"

"That's fine." He smiled, leaning in to give him a small, chaste peck on the cheek. Hinata's face just about lit up like a stop light.

"Aww, how cute.~" Kuroo and Yaku cooed at the same time, causing them to look at each other with equally confused and horrified looks on their faces.

"W-what was that?"

"It was the dare," Kenma answered nonchalantly, taking out his PSP with a shrug, though his face was burning pink as well.

"Kenma, it's your turn…"

"Oh." He mumbled before a small, mischievous smile manifested on his lips. "Inuoka. Truth or dare?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Dare!" Of course. He always chooses dare.

"We all know you have a crush on someone in the room, well, naturally, except for the crush in question." His smile only got wider and eviler. "Kiss them on the mouth."

"How do you know I have a crush…?" Inuoka asked hesitantly.

"It's pretty obvious," Kuroo grinned, sleazy as ever. "Literally, everybody knows it. Except him. It's hilarious."

The whole room exchanged knowing smirks. Even Hinata knows. Well, except Shibayama, of course.

"C'mon, how come I'm the only one who doesn't know about this?" He whined, scowling.

"Well, I guess since it's a dare, I can't really back outta this…" Inuoka sighed. "Stay still for a sec, okay?" He asked Shibayama, placing a hand delicately on his cheek.

"Um, okay. But why-" His words were muffled by the soft, innocent kiss placed on his lips by the middle blocker. The third years cooed, and Yamamoto was cheering something about it taking way too long. Kenma was just sitting there smugly, and Hinata had the biggest grin on his face.

"O-okay, th-there, I did it." His words were extremely rushed, and a bright blush painted his cheeks, though Hinata swore he saw a tiny smile. "Happy?"

"Very much so." The setter hummed. "So, it's your turn."

"Oh, right. Uh, Kuroo-san! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Who was your first crush?" He asked, with a slight sigh. "Sorry, I couldn't think of anything else."

"Revenge!" Kai grinned.

"Fuck off." He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, I had a crush on Kenma for our first few years of being neighbors. Only ended when I started high school."

"H-huh?!" Kenma sputtered. "Y-you, what?!"

"I had a crush on you…" He reiterated, looking slightly disturbed. "I-I thought you knew!"

"No?" The bottle-blond blinked.

"I was being super obvious about it, though…" Kuroo looked more confused than anything now. "Oh, whatever. That's in the past. Hinata, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" The redhead grinned.

"Hmm…" He pretended to think, tapping on his chin in false thought. "Take off your shirt." His lips curled into his trademark shit-eating smirk.

Kenma began sputtering and coughing.

"Ah! Kenma-san, what's wrong?!" Lev fretted, rushing over to the older boy's side.

"I-I'm fine, Lev. Just something caught in my throat…" He coughed a bit more for effect, before composing himself enough to pull his knees up beneath his chin. "Shouyou, your turn." He mumbled, trying to redirect the attention onto the now shirtless redhead.

"Oh! Uh, Yaku-san! Truth or dare?"

"Dare. I don't trust you not to spill my deepest secrets, Shorty." His eyes narrowed.

"Yaku-san, isn't that a bit hypocr-"

"LEV, NO!"

He got a black eye that night.

"Owww…"

"U-uh, I dare you to apologize to Lev!" His words were rushed out.

Yaku seethed. "Fine." He turned stiffly to his silver haired kouhai, muttering a gritted, "I apologize, Lev, for giving you a black eye." He turned back to Hinata. "Good enough?"

"Y-yes, Yaku-san!"

"Now." His head whipped towards Inuoka, who stiffened under his harsh gaze, "Inuoka. Truth or dare?"

"D-dare, Yaku-senpai!"

Yaku's lips curled into an evil, evil smile that would bring weaker men to their knees. However, they were volleyball players, they were strong.

"Show Hinata-kun your puppy eyes."

Inuoka blinked. "Uh, okay?"

"Wait, no! Yaku-san, is this revenge for making you apologize to Lev earlier?!"

Yaku grin was feral. "You got it, kid."

"Shouyou, look at me." Inuoka prompted softly, causing him to turn his head towards the puppy-like boy. "Just focus on my eyes, okay?"

"Okay…"

Inuoka blinked slowly, in a motion that made his eyes glisten with what appeared to be unshed tears. His lip trembled, and he made a whimpering sound reminiscent of a kicked puppy. It absolutely broke Hinata's heart.

"I'm half-tempted to time how long Hinata can last." Kuroo snickered, Yaku echoing the sound.

"H-Hinata…?" He mumbled, lip still shaking, as if he were about to cry.

"Wow, he's really goin' for it." Yamamoto said in amusement.

"Alright, that's enough. You're gonna make him cry, jeez." Kenma quickly separated the two middle blockers, noting Hinata's watery eyes.

Kuroo yawned. "Guys, I think we should go to bed. It's getting pretty late."

"Good idea." Yaku nodded, gesturing to the corner, where Shibayama sat motionless on his mattress, sound asleep.

With everyone safely in their sleeping bags, Kuroo turned off the light, saying a quick, "Good night, everyone.~"

"Good night, Kuroo-san."

Bonus:

"Do chickens have feelings?"

"GO TO SLEEP, LEV!"

fin.