Perspectives Shifting
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story they belong respectfully to Haruichi Furudate.
Warning: Themes of shounen-ai/yaoi/homosexual relationships and whatever, you know all that good stuff, fluffy and also some mild OOC-ness… and timeskip's… If any of this bothers you then you have the option of not reading.
Music: "Mitsumete Itai" by Hitomi Kuroishi (Want Stared)
Day 1 The Setting Sun
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Kageyama's eye twitched at the sight in front of him. Having come downstairs from his bedroom, he entered the living room space only to discover his housemate laughing gleefully as he dangled a piece of string in front of a white and orange spotted cat. The feline pawed at the long object and when Hinata yanked it away and began waving it wildly in the air, zig zagging it around and around, the creature jumped for it and gave chase.
Where the fuck did it even come from?
Why was it here?
And where was his convenient store food?!
"That isn't meat buns…" He growled lowly, clenching his fists tightly. "How is that flea bag more important than bringing back food?!"
The entire room then turned towards Kageyama, most of the inhabitants blinking in question at his fuming appearance. Hinata on the other hand, whipped his head around and he glared up at the taller teen as he too began to seethe. "Hey! He isn't a flea bag!" He exclaimed, gathering up the cat and holding him protectively. "And you don't have to yell either lame-o Kageyama! Your food is in the kitchen waiting for you, overbearing highness."
"Huh?! You want to say that again?!"
"You guys don't fight!"
Nishinoya snickered loudly. "Yell any louder and Daichi will come brawling in here like a storm!" He began to laugh.
Next to Nishinoya, Asahi turned, looking slightly offended if not fearful from the thought of Daichi coming in to witness the commotion about to erupt.
"Noya-san, don't jinx it or it might just happen!" Tanaka hissed.
"But it's not us getting in trouble though."
"That may be true however we're still the oldest and it's our responsibility to look after the younger boys." Ennoshita pointed out, his brow furrowing at Nishinoya in particular.
"Oi! What is with all the yelling going on!?" Daichi's voice boomed throughout the whole building.
Quite literally everyone froze in fear, Kenma included. Not long after, a stomping was heard followed by a pair of scrambling feet.
"Daichi, just wait a moment I'm sure they've come to a compromise!"
"Hardly!"
"But—"
"Alright, what's going on here!?" Daichi exclaimed the moment he appeared in the room.
Immediately, Hinata pointed an accusing finger up at Kageyama and he in turn pointed back down at Hinata whilst everyone else just pointed towards the two of them. Daichi, set his gaze upon the pair and with Kenma caught in the middle, he again turned tail and hid his face against the crook of Hinata's elbow to avoid Daichi's angered gaze.
"You two again?!"
"Stupid Kageyama started it!"
"Like hell!" He spat. "You're the one who brought that thing back!"
"Quit complaining just because I didn't hand you your food like a servant, your majesty!"
"Hinata I'm going to kill you!"
"That's enough!" Daichi's roared at the top of his lungs and for a moment, Kenma could have sworn that the entire manor had shaken from the force.
It was then that Sugawara stepped in only to sock Daichi in the gut with a tightly clenched fist. His partner doubled over as a result from the impact and everyone around them visibly winced from the sight with drawn out groans of pity. After all, no one was brave enough to take on their leader as nonchalantly as Sugawara was.
Now that he had everyone's undivided attention, Sugawara clapped his hands together in front of him and grinned widely. "Alright, everyone settle down!" He exclaimed, still smiling.
Despite the argument that had transpired, Sugawara's presence made the room glow, sending the dark cloud away. And Kenma, the poor bakeneko had no idea who he was more afraid of—Daichi or Sugawara.
"Hinata, Kageyama…" Sugawara turned his gaze towards them in a scolding manner. "Apologize to each other and then to everyone else in the room—its only right since you both disturbed the entire house with your argument."
"H—hai…" They both replied, swallowing thickly with nervousness.
"I—I'm s—sorry!" Kageyama sputtered first.
Hinata didn't like the forcefulness of Kageyama's apology. It made his frown deepen and although he was reluctant, the look Sugawara wore frightened Hinata more than anything at that moment. Swallowing his pride, Hinata held the feline closely, as if seeking moral support and with a sigh he opened his mouth to reply. "Fine, I'm sorry too, your majesty…" He said, looking away quickly as Kageyama instantly shot him a glare. "I'm sorry, everyone!"
Before Kageyama could explode again, Sugawara placed himself in between the two teens, his grin still wide as ever. "Is everyone here and accounted for?" He asked, looking around the room.
"Actually, Tsukishima's isn't here." Ennoshita commented.
It didn't surprise Sugawara however and he nodded his head. "He's probably over at Yamaguchi's studying." He replied, looking between Hinata and Kageyama. "Which is something I'm not seeing you two doing."
Hinata froze while Kageyama visibly shrunk away.
"Speaking of which, midterms will be coming up, I heard…" Daichi added, recovered from Sugawara's punch for the most part. Having managed to sit himself down on the tatami mat comfortably, he rubbed his stomach gently, grumbling quietly at how sore it was now, no thanks to his partner.
At this point, Tanaka and Nishinoya stiffened as well, looking down guiltily while Daichi sighed.
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The rest of the evening continued on with the same banter amongst the group, Kenma observed. They were like a murder of crows. And speaking of which, the black birds outside didn't seem to want to leave him in peace as they stared at him from the windows, which was how Kenma found himself sticking to Hinata like glue. He was safer in the teen's company. At least, as safe as he could get considering the glare Kageyama sent his way as well as the careful eye Sugawara had on him. Knowing that he had their attention left Kenma rather uncomfortable but Hinata was good at distracting him with pieces of meat taken from his dinner plate.
Kenma hadn't considered it beforehand, but he should have seen it coming after supper when the word bath was mentioned afterwards.
"Hinata, when it's your turn, don't forget to take neko-san with you and clean him thoroughly." Sugawara chimed. "I don't want him to dirty your bedsheets since I'm certain you'll be taking him to bed with you." He added, sipping his tea quietly.
Next to Sugawara, Daichi appeared to be snickering; all the while Kenma looked up at Hinata with frantic eyes.
Hinata didn't seem to notice his reaction though and made a sound in understanding. "Oh, you're right!" He said loudly before lifting Kenma up and holding him above his head. "I hope you're not the type that hates water."
Kenma however, whined in reply as he made a disgruntled face. "Meow…"
He did his very best not to put up a fight. Struggle he did, but it was a hopeless effort as Hinata scrubbed him down from head to tail and even between the toes of his paws. By the time Hinata toweled Kenma down and then proceeded to bathe himself; his fur was radiant and sparkling. Even Sugawara gave him an impressive whistle when he padded out of the bathroom beside Hinata which made Kenma feel embarrassed from the new attention.
"He didn't cause any trouble did he?"
"Hardly, but I'm not going to complain about it!" Hinata grinned, gripping the towel around his neck.
It was then that Kei appeared from out of nowhere, startling both Hinata and Kenma. "Seems like you took your sweet time, huh?" He asked, carrying his own towel and a set of clothes.
"You came back late so I don't see why you should complain about not getting the bath first!" The shorter teen exclaimed.
Unfortunately for Hinata, Kei was far from interested in him and instead looked down at Kenma, his calculating eyes boring into the feline. Kenma no sooner stiffened from the blonde's gaze, arching his back as he began to hiss at him suddenly. The animosity was literally dripping off of Kei and he didn't bother hiding his hostility either as his stare turned into a menacing glare.
"Huh? Kitty, what's wrong?" Hinata questioned, kneeling down to Kenma's level.
Despite Hinata's presence though, Kenma's instincts were screaming that Kei was a dangerous threat. And ignoring the matter was out of the question as his damp fur stood on end.
Kei was hardly intimidated by the feline at his feet. Instead, his mouth curled into a knowing smirk. "How about showing us your true colors, bakeneko-san?"
Hinata whipped his head towards Kei. "Bakeneko?"
"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" Kei replied flatly.
"That's enough fighting out of you two." Sugawara retorted before looking down at Kenma with an expectant gaze. "As for you, I'd appreciate it if you showed us your true form—we won't hurt you, I promise however, one wrong move and I'm certain you won't leave this place unharmed."
The threat hidden behind Sugawara's words sent shivers up Kenma's spine. However, the older male's words still rang true despite it. Kenma was essentially trapped in enemy territory. Looking up at Hinata, the teen gave him a worried look and that was enough to persuade Kenma that unlike the rest of the house, he didn't mean him any harm.
With a reluctant sigh, Kenma closed his eyes and gradually his feline form began to grow and take shape. As he stood up on his hind legs, his fur began to recede, transforming into a flowing white yukata that hung loosely around his frame. Although Kenma now appeared in his human form, his cat ears and tail remained, the latter of which swished nervously back and forth. Beside him, Hinata was speechless, his brown eyes wide and glowing as he stared up at him.
'Ah, I'm taller than him.' Kenma thought as Hinata began to stand up straight, and for a moment he felt his heart flutter.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Sugawara smiled. "Now, how about we move out of the hallway?"
"Wait! I'm coming too!" Hinata cried, moving to step in front of Kenma protectively.
Kei clicked his tongue. "That isn't necessary."
"Yes it is! I'm the one that brought him home so it's my responsibility to protect him, especially from the likes of you, Tsukishima!" Hinata glared before sticking his tongue out.
"Hurry along please." Sugawara ushered the group towards Kei's room with a heavy sigh. "Children these days…" He muttered under his breath.
Following silently, Kenma was surrounded front and back by Kei and Sugawara respectfully. Hinata on the other hand, walked beside him, eying him curiously up and down. His ears flickered and when their eyes met for a split second, he was swift to look away.
"So, you were a bakeneko all this time, huh?" Hinata asked to which Kenma nodded his head.
Watching Kei open the door to his bedroom, the blond stepped into the space first; making room for Kenma to move in next after him but the feline youkai was stopped by a gentle tug at his sleeve. Seeing that it was Hinata himself, he was rather surprised by the teen's next words.
"Do you mind telling me your name then?" Hinata asked, looking unsure in the way he fidgeted slightly however the look of determination he wore told him otherwise.
Unable to control himself, Kenma no sooner found himself becoming a blushing mess and looking away he covered the lower half of his mouth with his free hand.
Ahead of the pair, Kei complained quietly, heading towards his desk where he could sit in a chair and wait. Sugawara on the other hand, chuckled softly but he continued to try to persuade the two to enter the room without delay, which they did with Hinata grumbling quietly.
Without asking, Kenma sat himself down in the middle of the room, sitting there quietly followed by Hinata and Sugawara. Looking down at the ground, he released a shaky sigh, feeling the teen so close to him. "It's Kenma, Kenma Kozume…" He finally answered—his voice soft as he kept his eyes trained on the floorboards and nothing else.
Although Kenma couldn't see Hinata's face, he felt the other's emotions radiating off of him. It was bright and warm—reminding him of the sun and despite the urge to look, he remained stubborn but smiled nonetheless as he heard Hinata's voice chime excitedly next to him.
"It's nice to meet you, Kenma!" Hinata exclaimed happily without missing a beat, effectively making Kenma's heart pound even harder in his chest.
