"Sleepover, take two!" Kuroo whooped, throwing his hands in the air, his remark punctuated by Hinata's maniacal screaming and Kenma's mumbling about how unfair it was that it had to be held at his house, though secretly happy about the prospect of getting to spend the evening with his two favorite people. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, especially not Kuroo, who's ego was already increased tenfold whenever Kenma so much as put down his game to acknowledge his existence, which admittedly, wasn't often.
"Thanks for inviting us, Kenma!" Hinata was bouncing from foot to foot, animated as always. This type of behavior from anyone else would make Kenma want to gouge his eyes out, but it was Shouyou, so it was fine.
"I invited you," He muttered. His gaze shifted over to his childhood friend. "Not him." Kuroo just smirked, having grown immune to Kenma's insensitive comments over the years and years of dealing with them.
"Keep that up, and I might think you don't like me."
Kenma suppressed a smile. "Look at you; you're finally catching on." Kuroo snickered. Usually, Kenma never let this side of himself see the light of day. While he was typically perceived as a calm, cool, collected, and overall emotionless guy, behind that exterior there was actually an abundance of witty remarks and quips, which he never hesitated to use on his childhood friend. Not that Kuroo minded, of course. He would take any kind of attention he could get from Kenma, whether it be to 'degrade' him or not.
"What are we gonna do first?" Hinata asked brightly, eyes flitting rapidly between his two upperclassmen. Kuroo shrugged.
"Dunno, but we gotta go to bed kinda early tonight."
Hinata cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy. "Why?"
"We have a match against Nohebi tomorrow," Kenma replied, sounding more bored than usual. "Coach has been badgering us for weeks about it."
"Yeah." Kuroo rested a casual hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Coach threatened to bench anyone not in peak condition for this match, no matter how good they are."
Hinata hummed in acknowledgment, smiling cheerily up at Kuroo. "I'm sure you'll do great!" He paused for a moment and put his finger to his lips, a contemplative look crossing his soft features. "But why'd you invite me over for a sleepover if you've got to get up so early."
Kenma opened his mouth to reply, but Kuroo beat him to it. "Because you're coming with us!" He cried, grinning like a maniac.
"I AM?!"
"He is?" Kenma paused his game to peer up at his friend suspiciously. "Since when?"
"Since now!" He cried, still as lively as ever. Kuroo turned his attention back to the sparkling ginger, who was practically vibrating under his hand at the prospect of getting to see his two friends play in a real match and not just a practice one. "I've already scored the shorty a ticket and everything!"
"REALLY!" Hinata spun around on his heel to hug Kuroo's midsection, which was about as far as he could reach. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! THIS IS AWESOME!" He beamed, the sight of which would've reduced Kuroo to putty if he hadn't already seen it so many times. Not to say it didn't still affect him, of course. He had just learned to not outwardly express the pure bliss that washed over him every time the smaller player smiled at him, which was no small feat.
Hinata unlatched himself from Kuroo's waist and sprinted over to Kenma, wrapping the pudding haired boy in a bear hug of epic proportion, muttering his thanks over and over again. Kenma, never one to disappoint the Karasuno player that he'd become so fond of, returned the hug tentatively and glared, though it held no malice, over his shoulder at Kuroo. Kuroo merely shrugged, a mischievous smirk plastered on his face and a twinkle in his eye.
After freeing himself from Hinata's embrace and telling the younger boy to set up the Wii for them, which the orangette eagerly complied with, Kenma grabbed his childhood friend's elbow and dragged him towards the corner of the room.
"What the heck do you think you're doing?!"
Kuroo shrugged, trying his best to feign innocence. "Whatever do you mean, my dear Kenma?"
Kenma rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You know perfectly well what I mean." He gestured with his free hand over towards the direction of the living room that Hinata had disappeared into.
Kuroo gasped dramatically. "Why, I thought that you'd be excited to spend more time with your precious Shouyou?"
Kenma let go of Kuroo's elbow and crossed his arms. "Cut the crap. What're you doing." He meant it as a command, not a question.
"Can't a guy just invite his friend to a match every once in a while?"
"If that were the case, you would've informed me about it earlier," Kenma huffed, clearly annoyed about how long this exchange was dragging out. "I know you. You're up to something."
Kuroo put a hand up to his mouth in mock offense. "I would NEVER-"
"Kuroo," Kenma said warningly, his face contorting into a scowl in a display of emotion rare for this particular setter.
"Fine." Kuroo relented, throwing his hands above his head in a gesture of peace. "I thought we could use him."
Kenma's angry expression quickly melted away into one of confusion. "Use him? What do you mean?"
Kuroo thought for a moment. "Think of it as...weaponizing Hinata."
Kenma sent his friend an utterly unimpressed look, clearly not following. Kuroo tried again.
"Okay, so you know how Hinata's smiles can basically melt anyone who's looking at him within a ten-foot radius, right?"
Kenma nodded. He knew all too well, having been on the receiving end of those smiles way too many times. "Yeah?"
Kuroo snapped his fingers. "There's that space behind the volleyball court where spectators can stand and watch, right?" He didn't wait for Kenma's answer. "Hinata can stand back there during our match and aim his stupidly bright grins right in Nohebi's faces!"
"What about our team?"
"As long as none of them look behind them, they should be fine!"
Kenma raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "That's cheating," He said matter-of-factly.
Kuroo scoffed. "It is NOT! It's a foolproof plan!"
Kenma sighed and rubbed his temples. "It's literally the equivalent of blinding Nohebi with a bright light."
Kuroo grinned. "EXACTLY! But instead of a bright light, it's a person!" Kenma waved him off with a groan and a half-hearted nod. He'd known Kuroo long enough to know when he got riled up enough about something, there was no changing his mind. Besides, even he had to admit his plan wasn't half bad.
"Fine." Kenma glanced pointedly at Kuroo. "But I'm asking him."
"Asking who?"
"Shouyou. If he's okay with it. If he doesn't agree to it, then we're not going to take advantage of him."
Kuroo rolled his eyes. "You're such a big softy. As if I'd ever take advantage of the literal embodiment of sunshine." Kenma ignored his friend to walked into the living room. True to his word, the Wii was all set up, and the Mario Kart loading symbol was already twirling on the screen.
"Hey, Kenma!" Hinata bounced up to his friend. "You ready to get your ass beat?" Kenma just smirked. Popular to contrary belief, Hinata wasn't all sunshine smiles and sparkly eyes. He cursed, no doubt a side effect from being around Kageyama 24/7, though the vulgar words only surfaced when he and Kenma were competing in a particularly competitive Mario Kart match or when he was ranting about how hard Kenma was 'hacking.' To his day, the pudding haired setter was pretty sure he was the only one, besides Kageyama, out of the whole volleyball community that had ever heard the sweet, pure, innocent boy they all were so protective of swear.
He didn't mind much, though, nor was he shocked. After all, despite his own soft exterior, he could sprout some pretty nasty insults if necessary, though it hardly ever was.
Lev had been on the receiving end of said insults more than either of them would like to admit.
Kuroo snorted, sauntering into the room behind his friend. "As if. Kenma's a literal hacker." Ignoring said boy's cries of protest, Kuroo turned his attention solely on Hinata. "Hey, Shortypants, I have a favor I'd like to ask you." Hinata hummed and nodded in response, giving him the okay to continue. "While you're at our match tomorrow, would you mind watching us from the sidelines behind our court instead of from the stands?"
"I'd love to!" Hinata responded cheerily, keeping his joyous eyes trained on the taller man in front of him as he flopped down on the couch. "That way I'd be able to see the game better!" Kenma slid into the cushion next to Hinata, who, in turn, expertly curled into the pudding haired setter's side. Kuroo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Ever since Kenma had received that hug from Hinata at training camp, he had started to slowly become more and more comfortable with affection from the energetic, touchy middle blocker. Kuroo, who had made it a habit to stop my Kenma's house every day, now had a full photo album dedicated to moments when he had caught the two short volleyball players sleepy cuddling.
It was natural at this point, and Kenma had gotten so used to Hinata's nature over the time that he'd known him that he didn't even bat an eye anymore at surprise hugs or unexpected body warmth from the smaller boy. It was just instinct for the ginger, and he was totally fine with that. Still, though, Hinata was the only one who possessed the privilege to be this touchy with the setter, something that the Kuroo both admired and envied him for.
Kuroo resisted the urge to make a 'That's gay' comment and continued with his proposition. "So anyway, while you're over there..." He bit back a grin, aware of how weird his next request was going to seem. "Do you think you could smile at the other team every once in a while? You know, more than usual?"
Sure enough, Hinata turned his head to raise an eyebrow. "Why?" He asked, genuinely curious. Kuroo just waved him off, shooting him a smirk and a breathy chuckle.
"Never mind that. Would you please?"
Hinata didn't even miss a beat, eager to help two of his most self-reliant friends with whatever he could. "Sure!" He exclaimed, earning himself a hair ruffle from Kenma and a relieved sigh from Kuroo.
"Good." Kuroo nodded and grabbed a nearby controller. "Be prepared to be OBLITERATED, Kenma!"
xxx
Kenma won every.
Single.
Game.
Which of course, didn't go over well with his two friends, both of which were now seated across the table, refusing to talk to him and grumbling to each other in frustration as they rapidly ate their fill of fried rice and egg rolls, courtesy of Hinata and his admittedly fantastic cooking skills.
"We should probably head up to bed soon." Kenma suggested after a few minutes, not at all bothered by the attempt at ignoring him. After all, as much as he enjoyed their company, he would always prefer the quiet as opposed to heated raging and maniacal screaming over a simple video game. Kenma glanced at the clock, confirming his suspicions. The trio had been playing the Wii for a little over five hours, though to them, it felt more like thirty minutes. It was now 11:25 pm, approximately eight hours before the start of the Nekoma Player's match at eight the next morning.
"Yeah," Kuroo sighed, giving up on his poor attempt at the silent treatment. "It's probably for the best if we don't want to get our asses beat."
Hinata pouted but didn't say anything. He still had bundles of energy left, as always, but he knew to make his friends stay up for another four hours doing who knows what until he tired out was selfish, and that went against the very essence of the small ginger boy.
The three volleyball players quickly cleaned up their dishes and headed off to the living room, which they had decided would be the designated sleeping spot at Kenma's house since it possessed numerous comfy couches and pillows. Hinata quickly went upstairs to shower while the other two changed and got out a basket of blankets for them to share. Kuroo settled down on the couch closest to the tv and promptly put in a DVD of Nohebi's latest match. After a few minutes of coaxing and convincing, a reluctant Kenma joined his friend on the couch, hair tied back in a low ponytail and cheeks bright red from scrubbing them with facewash.
The two Nekoma players sat in silence as they watched their opponents, throwing in a few words of criticism and comments along the way. It wasn't long before Hinata bounded down the stairs, dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt, with his usually fluffy hair sticking out everywhere from having been hastily dried with a towel. He bounced over to the two and squeezed between them, throwing his legs over Kuroo's. Kuroo just snorted in acknowledgment, not even batting an eye.
Kenma rolled his eyes as Hinata's still slightly damp hair fell onto his lap as the ginger successfully laid himself comfortably over the two Nekoma players. Seeing this, the younger boy grinned brightly up at his upperclassman, earning himself a huff from the setter as a soothing hand began to run through his curls. Messing with Shouyou's hair had become a habit of Kenma's, and he would often unconsciously find himself playing with orange locks or curling them between his fingers. It was soothing, really, and it calmed him enough so that his anxiety-ridden self wasn't so jumpy or suspicious of everyone around him.
"So, that's the team you're playing tomorrow?" Hinata asked lazily, crossing his ankles so he didn't put so much pressure on Kuroo's lap. Kuroo hummed in response, keeping his eyes trained on the game. "They're pretty good."
"Yeah," Kenma whispered, not wanting to disrupt the unusually quiet atmosphere that surrounded the three friends.
"We're gonna beat them though," Kuroo declared softly, reaching for the remote on the coffee table. "They're not anything special. All they have is a bunch of well-rounded players, no particularly special skills."
"Like my quick?"
"Mmhm." Kuroo turned down the volume on the tv, letting a comfortable silence, one that was occasionally punctuated by the cheering of the crowd, envelop them. Kuroo's eyes never left the game as he carefully examined every one of the players, looking for weaknesses or habits that his team could exploit. Kenma, eyes glazed over and wholly lost in his thoughts about who knows what, ran a hand leisurely through Hinata's hair, carefully working out knots and smoothing it out. Hinata simply enjoyed the feeling. While he usually couldn't stand silence, this was a rare exception. It wasn't awkward, nor was it forced or weird. It was natural, just three friends relaxing together and enjoying each other's company in ways they usually couldn't on the volleyball court.
He could stay like this forever if he could.
xxx
Long story short, Kuroo's plan had worked. All too well, it seemed. The three volleyball players had arrived at the gym together, Kuroo and Kenma in their uniforms and Hinata still in the same pair of clothing he had slept in the night before. The rest of Nekoma regarded the trio with confused looks, but they paid them no mind. Hinata wandered over to behind the court on the sidelines while Kenma walked over to Lev and Inouka, the only other two Nekoma members who knew about Hinata's freaky smiles, and pulled them aside to tell them Kuroo's plan. Both had exchanged looks and agreed that it indeed was a stroke of brilliance before walking over to where Hinata was positioned to ruffle his hair and thank him. Hinata, confused as always, just smiled and nodded.
Nohebi's inevitable defeat became apparent after Nekoma's first point, which had resulted in the ginger's face erupting into an excited, heart-melting smile, causing all players of the opposing team to physically freeze, which had gotten Nekoma nearly five service aces in a row. Kuroo smirked. This was too easy.
The Nohebi players eventually recovered, but they didn't do much better. Every time Hinata's eyes so much as sparkled, the poor players would almost automatically forget what they had to be doing or mess up whatever action they were trying to execute.
The real trouble came when Nekoma won the first set, which caused Hinata's face to light up like a Christmas tree and laugh cheerily, pumping his fists into the air in celebration. A few members of the Nohebi team audibly choked, their hearts not able to handle the picture of pure innocence and delight before them. Their coach, however, not having seen this display since he was on the sidelines facing the game, berated them harshly for doing so poorly. The team just hung their heads and stumbled back onto the court, barely able to keep themselves upright.
The second set wasn't any better, and Nekoma won it without having to do practically anything. Hinata was already pumped from his friends having won the first set, and that made his smiles all the more bright and lively. The brain of every player on the Nohebi team was no doubt turned to mush from having to look at the megawatt smiles from the cheerful middle blocker the entire game, and honestly? They weren't even that mad that they lost. They doubted that anyone could focus long enough to get a good match in with the orangette grinning right in their face.
"We crushed them," Kuroo whispered to Kenma as the two watched Lev and Inouka cheer enthusiastically at Hinata's performance as they ran up to the ginger to scoop him into a hug.
"Yeah," Kenma muttered, turning to his childhood friend. "An idiotic idea you had actually worked." He crossed his arms. "That's a first."
Kuroo snorted, knowing full well that Kenma was as happy as he was on the inside, whether he decided to show it or not. "My 'idiotic' ideas always work!" He insisted, reaching into his duffle bag for a moment to pull out his phone. "I have GOT to text Bokuto about this."
