Chapter Eighteen
The next week passes in a blur, Kenma reminds him that time was moving just as slowly as it was before. Kenma also reminds him when to take his medication, two pills every morning when he wakes up. He falls asleep almost right after he swallows, into dreams that can only be described as nightmares. They feel real, because they were real. His mother throwing him out. Calling him a freak. Never letting him see Natsu again. Then there's other dreams, Grand King stars in those, hands touching him like heated iron, burning him. He wakes up screaming and sweating.
He apologizes to Kenma, who says nothing, just pets his hair, commenting how badly he needs a shower. He doesn't take one, can't find the energy to leave Kenma's bed, in more than one case he asked Kenma to carry him to the bathroom. Side effect, Kenma had informed him after his realization that his limbs were too heavy to function. He doesn't remember eating, but he does remember Kenma waking him up telling him to do so, the only time he really raises his voice instead of treating him like he's made of glass. He tells Kenma to take care of his village while he takes another nap, stray pieces of rice and fish on his cheeks.
He has to go back, eventually, he decides. His dreams are in Karasuno, Little Giant, being the best decoy he can be. He'll have to return to Kageyama, to his team, eventually. He has nowhere to stay though, and that scares him, keeps him awake for another few minutes in between his bouts of unconsciousness. Kenma offers to get him a transfer form to Nekoma, but he declines, I can't leave them. He asks Kenma to let him stop the pills, but Kenma asks him if he'd rather sleep too much or not breath at all.
The question takes some pondering, I can't play if I'm always asleep. He can feel his muscles weakening every time he wakes up, Kenma tells him not to worry. You don't have to be strong around me. He sighs, nods, then goes back to sleep. Haruo is there when he wakes up sometimes, smile half as bright, but more then he can manage himself. "I'm fine, teacher." He says, brain still fuzzy. He laughs, when Haruo's face lights up. "You better recover quickly then, my dazzling student, you still have much to learn!" He sleep easier at that.
He gets out of bed on Sunday, Kenma helps him to the bathroom, even when he insists that he can make it himself. "I need a shower." He comments, already crawling towards the bathtub. Kenma's hand hovers over his shoulder, he looks up at the older boy, squints because Kenma's hair is really bright for some reason. "Can you-" His throat clears, "Do you need help with-?" He snorts, "I'm not that weak, Kenma, I know how to stand." Kenma's smile is reassuring, fills him with motivation to do this one thing by himself.
Then he falls. Kenma's arms keep his head from colliding with the bathroom tile, blond hair frames a pale face when he looks up. "Okay, maybe I'm a little weaker than I thought." He admits, trying to lighten the dark look that takes over Kenma's features. The other boy snorts, catching on like he always does.
Kenma takes of his own clothes before helping with his, it's the first time he's seen the other boy naked and he's trying not stare. Kenma tries to hold his composure, but he's cheeks are red and his lips are twitching. Kenma maneuvers him into the bathtub, "You have a very nice belly button." He says conversationally, as if Kenma's dick wasn't pressed against his back. The other boy chokes on his own spit, then resumes rubbing scrubbing over his body. "D-don't say stuff like that."
He's willing to bet everything he has that the twitch against him was not out of irritation, he snickers then leans back, his shampoo infused hair making a weird squishing noise as it settles on Kenma's shoulder. "Can I kiss you, Kenma?" He asks, feeling lighter than the pills already make his head. Kenma's ears are red, he likes the look. Kenma's neck shifts, then their lips are lined up, slotting together and sharing breath through a stream of water. Kenma offers his lips for as long as he needs it, but nothing more.
"Do you want this?" He has to ask, physically compelled because his thoughts are never silent right after he medicates. "What want?" Kenma's lips are swollen from being chewed on, guilt and satisfaction mix in his stomach. He leans forward, away from Kenma to get a better look at him without being confused with the heat. His lips open but nothing but water comes out. The kissing? The touching? Me? His face is heating up, angered with how he can't find the words.
"Do you want to do this?" He settles with, his spine stiffening as he physically prepares himself for Kenma's reaction. Kenma doesn't speak, and he's pretty sure the water is going to get cold soon, "I don't want to hurt you." It's quiet, straight into his ear, along with a heat that spreads across his back. Hurt me. He doubts for a moment that he could ever be hurt again, that if anything else is added to the pile, it would topple. I'd break. He scoffs, turns around so they're face to face, his thighs on either side of Kenma's. He wonders when Kenma's legs go bigger than his.
Kenma's face is blank, and wet, his lips are more so when they're smashed against his. He pulls back after Kenma's body loos/sens under his, "You could never hurt me." It's the truth, Kenma is probably the only person on the planet that could never hurt him. Kenma's face is contorted in doubt for a long time, then acceptance, it comes in the form of a smile, one with too bright teeth you could only get in Tokyo. He takes in the rest of Kenma's body under the other's careful stare. Kenma's body is awesome, Hinata decides, filled with firm muscles and some soft hair that he has to touch.
Kenma's hand grabs his before it sinks lower, onto a particular patch of hair that sends color rushing into both their faces. "You're going to catch a cold." He almost asks how someone can catch a cold from warm water, but doesn't object when Kenma's arm wraps around his chest to lift him from the bathtub. He lets the older boy dry him off, his legs too weak to do so himself, he can feel Kenma's eyes wash over him. It feels like the first time those cat-like eyes have really seen him.
He feels exposed, but only for Kenma, it's a nice feeling. He's wrapped in fabric soon after, and the connection is cut off. He watches Kenma put new sheets on his bed, offers to help but he's met with silence, he sighs and tries to accept his uselessness for the time being. He wiggles his toes, attempting to recuperate his strength quickly, but the digits only twitch weakly. He hates the pills, hates his disorder. But he has an answer now, he'd rather be weak and breathing with Kenma.
His phone is plugged up near the bed, not of his own doing, and he crawls to it. "You've been getting a lot of messages." Kenma comments as he pushes a pillow into its case, he hums loudly, a habit that has Kenma staring at him whenever he does it. He's tired by the time he gets to his phone, holds back a long sigh because he shouldn't be this weak, even with Kenma.
He has a lot of messages, most from his team, a few from Grand King, and even one from Kageyama.
"idot nae arnt you hum" He blinks, trying to translate it for the longest time, it takes even longer to think of a response. I got kicked out of my home for having a mental disorder. Also I kissed Kenma. A lot.
"Been busy"
"I'm in Miyagi today!"
"I miss, miss, miss my Chibi-chan; please talk to me!"
"Is this about the meat buns?"
"Your mom said you ran away from home. Is it my fault?"
There's a spike of guilt when he reads Grand King's messages, he left him in the dark about the entire thing. Grand King, who loves him, gave him a gift for no reason other than to show that. Who kissed him. Who touched him. He's not sure how to feel when he glances up at Kenma. He thinks he can love Kenma, he doesn't know how to feel about Grand King. Grand King who has scary eyes and plays with his head.
"Sorry" It's not enough, he should tell Grand King about everything, he deserves that much. He doesn't know why.
"My mom kicked me out" Then nothing more.
"Shouyou, answer your senpai!"
"Shouyou, we're going to the gym on Tuesday! Tsukishima is joining us!" He can't help but smile at Noya-senpai's constant enthusiasm, he tugs on his hair, wondering if he could pull off as much hair gel as his senpai does.
"Im in tokyo until school starts" It's mostly the truth, he doesn't know how long he's going to stay with Kenma. Forever, part of his brain prays, but he can't fully convince himself to do it. Staying with Kenma, using his strength to patch his own, seems wrong. Even if he really, really likes to kiss the older boy. His phone buzzes in his hand, he wonder is his senpai was waiting by his phone for the last week, waiting for a response.
"Gwaah! Make sure you practice! Or your senpai will punish you!" He wonders what kind of punishment Noya-senpai could actually come up with, he loves everything about practicing volleyball. He can't find an answer when he responds.
"Right! i wont give up until I can beat you!"
"Hinata your mom said you ran away from home, call me." Daichi went to his home? Why is she telling everyone that, she's going get the police involved. He's not sure what else to make of that.
"She kicked me out"
"Hinata if you need a place to stay I can help." Did Suga-san also go there? He's not sure how to feel about all of that, he hopes that those two can just not say anything. There's also a happiness swelling in his stomach when he reads their texts, they're worried. It's weird, having people on the team worried, he wants them to stop. He's safe in Tokyo, relieved and the only thing that scares him is going back.Going back to Natsu. It's conflicting, he can't but he needs to return to that house. He's let's out a soft noise when he refers to it as that house instead of my home. He closes his phone.
"Kenma?" The older boy frowns down at him while he adjusts the sheets, there's a hum, but he's not ready to talk. Kenma walks over to him, sheet forgotten, and he's covered in warmth, "What is it, Shouyou?" Kenma sounds scared now, worried, his stomach cramps with each syllable. "Do you-Do you think I should go back?" Kenma's legs tighten around him, then the older boy's chin is pressing on his shoulder. "I don't know." It's not helpful, because neither does he. "They're family, that's your home, and your team." He knows that, but the truth spoken out loud makes his eyes itch. "But I don't think you can stay there. In that house." He nods, tilts his head back. "I want to stay here."
Kenma's breath stops for a second, "I really, really want to stay here. With you." Kenma nods into his frame, "But I can't give up on my dream." Kenma nods again, but it's barely there, and the older boy's chin is shaking against him. "I know, but where will you live?" He shrugs, he doesn't want to inconvenience his senpai, but he'll pay him back somehow.
"Want me to come with you?" It feels like a genuine offer, he laughs, trying to imagine Kenma somewhere besides Toyko. "I wish you could but-" You belong here. I can't drag you down. He doesn't know what to say, finds himself like that a lot this past week, "I love you." He sighs it into Kema's ear, not what he wanted to say, but he means it. I love Kenma. Kenma stops breathing again, but the limbs around him tighten further until he can't breathe either.
"I love you." It's been too long since he's heard those words from another person, Grand King was the last and that sends guilt and ice into his veins, but it doesn't ruin the flush he can feel in his face. The kiss again. And again. He's in Kenma's lap again, shaking legs bringing them to eye level. He stares into Kenma's eyes, golden, and cat-like, and he smiles against Kenma's lips.
"Can you make it downstairs?" He's sure Kenma does mean anything else with his question, but he hates being reminded of how useless he is right now. "Would you carry me if I couldn't?" He snarks back, irritation sneaking its way into his tone. He offers the older boy a guilty smile, but Kenma doesn't look angry from his words. He almost wishes he would.
"Even with the weight you've lost, I doubt I could manage that." Lost? He looks down at his body, he's always been small, and he didn't think he could get any smaller. How does sleeping for a week straight make you lose weight? He grumbles his way out of the door, half crawling and half supported by Kenma's arms.
They manage to make it down the stairs without either of them falling, Kenma pats his head three times, he glares into Kenma's smirk. "Would you prefer something else?" His tone is teasing, something new for Kenma, he can't think anything more because Kenma's lips are pushing into his and his brain doesn't work anymore. I like teasing Kenma. He decides when he can think again.
Kenma drags him into the living room, then pauses. He looks up from the ground and spots Haruo, who's giving him a bright smile, like before he left on Sunday. "Look who's out of bed, any good dreams, Shouyou-chan?" He's only slightly taken back by the cheerfulness from the older man, his brain stutters with images -memories- of his mother and of Grand king. He smiles back, matching Haruo's happiness, "Of course, that's why I slept so long, teacher." The older man is laughing and the guilt of lying eases in his chest.
"We're doing hotpot for dinner, do you want to invite Kuroo-chan?" Kuroo-chan. He giggled as he climbed onto the couch, his legs starting to cramp already. "You're good friends with Model Boy?" He knew they were friends, but not best friends. It's nice that he was someone. He wonders if Kuroo was strong for Kenma, or if he climbs onto Kenma's lap crying. Both options seem unlikely. "He lives next door." That was not the answer he was expecting, "We play volleyball and walk to school." Also not the answer he was looking for, but he likes to imagine Kenma with a good friend, even if that friend insulted his height on several occasions.
"I think you should invite him!" He chirps, interested in seeing Kenma interact with another friend. Haruo whoops, "The more the merrier!" But his face is stuck staring at Kenma's, who sighs, then nods. "I'll text him." Kenma could probably just yell from the door, and the entire Nekoma team would show up, but he nods, patting the spot next to him. Kenma joins him, his leg is warm and fuzzy against his. "You boys want to play a game while we wait?" Haruo's tone makes him uncomfortable, intimidating but cheerful. But Hinata Shouyou is never one to back down to a challenge, "Your on!" He shouts, plucking the controller that Kenma offers him.
His eyes are burning by the time that dinner comes, Kenma's pause during their eighth round to text Kuroo not enough time for his eyes to recover. "C'mon, Shouyou-chan, it'll take more than that to beat me!" Haruo taunts, bumping his shoulder while his eyes remain attached to the screen in front of them. He grumbles as the TV is turned off, the fourteenth round ending up with him in third place. For the fourteenth time. Haruo told him not to be salty, but he's not sure what that means, so he just smiles before declaring that Haruo will be his rival.
It's almost disappointing when nobody else calls him on his previous list of rivals, but Haruo doesn't notice, gloating that it would take years for him to catch up, he's about to ask Kenma for more tutoring when the doorbell rings. "Oh! That must be Kuroo-chan, he's a little early." Haruo jumps up and rushes to the door faster than Hinata thinks is necessary. "Kuroo-chan! It's been so long since I've seen you! Did you get taller? Your hair is so messy!" He can't hear what Kuroo-chan is saying but he can hear the deep tone of his voice after the door shuts. He looks back at Kenma, who's looking at him while chewing his lip. "You okay?" He asks, pretty sure it's the first time he's ever asked if Kenma is okay.
The older boy nods, then stands up, offering him a hand. He stands on his own, but stumbles after the second step and Kenma's hands latch around his arms. "Sorry-" He mumbles, as Kenma helps him to another room. There's a big table in the middle, with a black box in the center of it. Kenma helps him onto a cushion against the wall and he gives the older boy a smile as he takes the spot next to him. "Sorry." He offers again, when he notices that Kenma is breathing harder than usual, but the blond just waves him off. He spreads his legs out and stretches them, giving his toes a wiggle, proud when they move more than they had done since last week.
There's movement from the door, then a presence stops in the doorway and he looks up, Kuroo-chan is staring at him, then at Kenma, and then back at him. The tall boy seems to pull himself back together and approaches the table, setting down dishes full of meat and vegetables. "I heard a pretty interesting rumor about you, Chibi-chan." His tone is playful and there's a wink with a smile that spreads heat into his cheeks before he looks away. Stupid Tokyo teeth.
"Rumor?" Kenma grunts from beside him, but the black haired boy doesn't say anything as he leaves the room again. Haruo walks in next, following by The Stunning Aki-chan, who does look stunning, but in a different way than she usually is. "Are you okay, Kozume-san?" He asks quietly, if she hears she hears, if she doesn't, he offered. She blinks, as if realizing where she is, then sets down a big bowl on top of the black box on the table. That's going to make the hotpot? He stares at it for a moment then up at Kenma's mother once she starts speaking, "I'm fine, Hinata-kun, how are you?" He doesn't believe that, feels guilty for knowing the I'm Fine is another way of I'm not fine. He swallows, and nods, "I'm okay." Offers her the most genuine smile he can manage, she smiles back, a barely there tilt of her lips. "And how are you Kenma, Kuroo-kun?" She adds the other boy as he returns to the room with a handful of chopsticks.
Kenma shrugs, then hums without a word, but his mother nods, then turns to Kuroo, who's pairing chopsticks and handing them out before sitting directly across from him,"I'm pretty good!"The dark hair boy answers offering the elders a smile. Haruo smiles in return, taking the far end for himself, close to his son and wife "That's good to hear, Kuroo-chan." Kuroo's face is swept clean of his smile at the nickname, and Hinata snickers into his arm to keep from laughing ridiculously loud.
"So, how does this thing work?" He asks, tapping at the black box in the middle of the table, four sets of eyes blink in unison at his question, "It's an electric burner." Haruo answers, as if that means anything. "So it doesn't use gas?" The man nods, then starts mixing sauces together. Tokyo is a very weird place. "Do you prefer hot or neutral, Hinata-kun?" Kenma's mother asks casually, and he's left perplexed, again. "Uh-" Is Tokyo even in Japan? Kenma slides against him, "Neutral is sesame and soy, hot is- Hot. Obviously." The older boy points at the split sections of the pot as he explains, "Neutral's fine." She nods, but his eyes are drawn to Kuroo, who's giving him an unsettling look with a smile on his face.
He looks more like a cat up close. He swallows and darts his eyes away, watching as Kenma starts putting strips of meat into both sides, he tries follow the older boy's lead, but he can't quite manage a grip on his chopsticks. Fucking Haruo. He curses the older man silently, bad muscles and hand cramps were not going to stop him from eating. "Something wrong, Hinata-kun?" Kenma's mother asks from across the table and he curses her for being so observant. "Just uh-" He glances at Kuroo, then away before the older boy can notice, "Side effect, I guess." She nods, her chin tightening in sympathy.
"Don't worry, Chibi-chan, I'll feed you." There's another smile and another wink shot at him, he wonders if Kuroo has a chronic eye twitch or if he's just creepy, he nods then smiles, "Thank you, Kuroo-chan."Then giggles when the older boy's eyes narrow at him. Two can play this game. Kuroo's face smooths out, then he's adding more strips of meat into the pot, then there's a lid and everyone's head drops in unison, Hinata blinks scared they all died suddenly. Then Haruo starts praying and he can breathe again.
He drops his head, not sure if he should be doing something else, Haruo speaks more quickly than he's ever experienced in his life, "-amen." He finishes, and the others repeat it, and he's left confused again. "Haruo was raised Catholic." Kenma's mother explains, obviously catching onto his confusion, he nods. "Is that common in Tokyo?" He asks, looking at Haruo now, who has a flush in his cheeks. The older man shrugs, adjusting his glasses, "I grew up around a lot of Catholic people, so I'd probably say yes." They share a nod, and a smile. Kenma's parents start talking to each other and he's left wondering what other weird customs Tokyo has, Robot dish cleaners, a lot of dental work, a gas-less cooker, and now religion. It shouldn't be weird, he's heard his classmates talking about Jesus and God seriously, he just uses them to curse violently.
"You haven't been to school in a while, Kenma." Kuroo says suddenly, leaning forward to stare at the blond boy across the table. Kenma's brows rise steadily, "It's summer." Kuroo just laughs, "But we always practice in the summer." Practice! He turns to Kenma, who's glaring over at his teammate, "I never practice during the summer, you know that." His tone is quiet and almost angry. Kuroo just laughs, "You'll never improve with that attitude, isn't that right, Chibi-chan?" He twitches at the nickname and tries to glare at the dark haired boy, but he's disarmed with another dark look. Rumor.
"I-I guess." He mumbles, staring down at his hands, still fumbling with his chopsticks. "You guess? I thought you wanted to be an ace, it takes a lot of work, you know." He does know that, is about to tell Kuroo that he knows that, but a hand is digging into his thigh and he quells the urge. "You need breaks to improve as well." He's reminded of Grand King when Kenma speaks, of his injured knee. Kuroo's smirk widens into a leer, "I suppose you're right, another time then, maybe the shrimp can join us?" It's phrased like a question, but it sounds more like an order.
Kenma sighs quietly, the hand on his leg starts moving, "That's up to him." He'd very much like to get back to practice, learn tempos with the Nekoma team, but something in Kenma's voice is telling him that it might be a bad idea. Kuroo looks like he wants to say something else, but he's interrupted when Haruo declares the hotpot ready and removes the lid with a flourish. The smell of boiling meat eases the tension in his shoulders. He manages to get his chopsticks between his fingers, but he's not sure if they'll stay that way if he tries to pick anything up. The problem is half solved when Kenma slides an empty dish in front of him and starts piling it with steaming meat that he fishes out of the pot.
His face flushes with embarrassment at the action,"Thank you very much." He whispers, just for Kenma, lifting a shaky hand to feed himself. There's a strip of beef halfway to his mouth when he notices that Kuroo is staring at him, he raises a brow to the dark haired boy, who smiles easily and proceeds to dig into the hotpot in between them. The meal passes slowly, Kenma getting him accessible food, Kuroo staring at him, he stares back, Kenma's hand massages his leg and the process repeats until the pot is empty.
"Well, that was delicious, we should do that more." His gaze darts from Kuroo's to Haruo's and he smiles at the older man, "I agree!" He chimes in, the meat had been amazing, and the some of vegetables that Kenma forced him to eat were pretty good, except the mushrooms, which he had silently refused to eat.
"Thank you for having me, Kozume-san, Haruo-san." Kuroo adds, standing up as if to leave, "Won't you stay for dessert, Kuroo-kun? We have pie." She adds the last part with a sharp look to her son and the dark haired boy chuckles, an awkwardly loud outburst that makes him uncomfortable, and slightly concerned for the older boy's lungs. "It's safe to assume that it's apple then?" Kuroo asks smugly while he catches his breath. Kenma makes a soft noise in his throat, but doesn't comment.
"Not quite, someone decided to purchase seven pies for reasons I do not know." Kenma's mother sounds tired, but she smiles at Kuroo, who looks rather stunned. "Seven? Kenma, what were you thinking?" Kuroo's tongue clicks loudly as he shakes his head. "You know how he gets around that stuff." Kenma's mother informs, like gossiping with an old friend. Maybe he is.
He's left wondering how long Kuroo has lived next door while boxes of pie are set in front of them, Kuroo keeps laughing for a long time as he eats, it's obnoxious but endearing. Kenma just seems irritated and he starts thinking that the hand on his leg is more for the older boy's benefit than his own. He puts his hand on top of Kenma's and the other boy jerks, trying to pull back but his fingers tighten around Kenma's. The older boy stares at him, he offers him a smile, but Kenma's retracts his hand firmly, and he picks up a spoon and fork. Of course.
Then there's a slice of pie on his plate, and then another, and another. He's full and ready to sleep, but Kenma just stares at him, and he sighs. Hinata picks up his spoon and scoops up a piece, he has no idea what it is, the flesh is warm and yellow, which does nothing to narrow down the fruit. "Pear." Kenma tells him, and he hums back around mushy pears. That one is more bitter than he would like, but Kenma eats the rest of it for him. The next one is peach, he remembers the dull pink-orange color, and his final piece if pecan, which is dry and gross and he offers it to Kenma who shakes his head. The older boy is busy making weird noises around what can only be apple pie.
He contemplates putting it back into the box, but there's already a piece missing from it and he's pretty sure that would be frown upon. The problem is replaced with another one when a huge hand settles over his, he swallows and looks up to see Kuroo with his impossibly long arm spanned over the table and touching his. "Don't like nuts, Chibi-chan?" He's pretty sure there's a joke in there somewhere, but the way the dark haired boy is looking at him is making him more inclined to scream than laugh. "I think I'm done with pie for a few months." He admits honestly, earning him an offended look from Kenma, who has pie on his cheek again.
"Understandable." Kuroo amends, taking the plate from his loose grip and eating it smoothly. He's not sure what to make of the older boy, He can't be that much of a bother if Kenma is friends with him.Which makes him question how his friendship with Kenma is and decides that Kenma is a person who attracts loud people. He ponders the mystery silently as plates and pies are pulled from in front of him, he doesn't offer to help, he'd just break most of the dishes while he crawls to the sink. He can hear the dish robot beeping and Kenma returns quickly, offering his arm to him.
Hinata gets to his feet before taking the other boy's arm, climbing the stairs was much more difficult than coming down had been, and he's left sweating as he collapses on Kenma's bed. "You know," Kuroo starts, Was I really focused on not falling that I didn't notice him follow. Kenma looks less shocked than he does, the blond boy just settles on the edge of the bed next to him. "When I heard from Karasuno captain that Number Ten ran away from home, I was actually pretty shocked." He blinks, Daichi told him? He was pretty sure that Daichi had only interacted with the Nekoma captain once, personally.
"Daichi told you that?" He hisses, shame rising to heat his neck. The dark haired boy nods, his messy hair bouncing with the movement, "Told me to keep an eye out, and here you are." Why does everything come out of his mouth as a threat? He's not sure, "Wa-I already told him." Watches as Kuroo's lips twist, "Told him what? That you ran away from home to join the rival team?" That obnoxious laugh is back, but it's just for now. He rolls his eyes, "No, and I didn't run away I-" Oh. Mind games.
"You?" Kuroo prompted, looking a little irritated. "I'm- Vising Kenma, summer vacation. Didn't run away." Technically not lies, but Kuroo looks like he sees through his words, the dark chopper eyes dance across the room, "Seems like you've got more stuff than just a visit, Chibi-chan." His head is nodding towards the area where he knows his bags are, Hinata smiles easily, "Oh you know- Middle blockers always come prepared." He has no idea if that's actually true, but he's pretty sure it's bought him enough time to think of something.
"They sure do." And then Kuroo is towering over him, he knows that there's more than a handful of centimeters between them height-wise, and that Kuroo might weight double what he does right now, and his limbs are slightly numb, but that doesn't stop him from asking, "You wanna fight?" As loudly as possible.
Kuroo's laughing again, a deep chuckle that makes his stomach twist for reason's he can't explain, "Fight? You can barely move your legs!" The taller boy's words send color into his cheeks, "I can still take you!" He promises, but Kuroo's enormous hands are raised, "Now now, I didn't come here to fight-" But he's cut off with Kenma's "Why are you here?" The blond boy's hands were occupied with his phone, but his eyes were on the dark haired boy in front of them.
"Like I said, just keeping an eye out, thought I'd get some answers before reporting back. You know how middle blockers are, right?" He wants to hit the taller boy for making his statement sound cooler than when he'd said it. "What more answers do you need?" He asks, trying to sound anything but scared. Kuroo's hands fold in on themselves, pointing to the nightstand where two bright bottles are sitting. He swallows, throat dry again, side effect. "Just about those orange little containers, speaking of orange, what happened to- this?" He scoffs, and Hinata flinches as a huge hand settles onto his head. He can feel his breathing quicken as the weight settles. Girl troubles. I love you. Marking. Mine.
He squirms, trying to bat the hand away, but it's too heavy, too strong. "Kenma doesn't take any medication, last time I checked." He says, ruffling the dark locks, "But I do like the new color. It suits you." It's the first time someone hasn't talked his choice as anything but a mistake. He's left stunned by the half-compliment. "Ar-Thank you, I guess." Kuroo's laughing again, then it stops abruptly and the hand is pulled from his hair. "Shouyou got kicked out." Kenma mutters it, loud enough for the both of them to hear. Ice. He feels ice.
Kuroo's eyes raises steadily, revealing more of his chopper eyes, "Who would kick little chibi-chan from his home? It's almost a taunt, but he can almost hear concern, he's pretty sure he's imagining things now. "Don't you think Karasuno captain deserves an answer?" Of course Daichi deserves an answer, the man had held him while he cried and got up early so he could practice, those things make Daichi a great captain, that doesn't mean Kuroo deserves an answer. "I'll tell him right now." His phone is across the room, and he doesn't want to embarrass himself by crawling to get it.
"Don't worry about it, consider it a favor, middle blocker to middle blocker." He's sighing before he can stop himself. How does Kenma deal with this guy? "Well, Daichi knows I got kicked out of my home, but if you want to tell him that I'm in Tokyo, feel free." His words are angry, angry about giving Kuroo what he wanted. Even more so when the guy smirks. "I'll make sure that Karasuno captain gets the message." He's growling now, "His name is Daichi, and he's twice the captain you'll ever be!"
Kuroo's face is shock, then a playful smirk crosses across his face, he reminds himself that he has to be much more careful around the Nekoma team. Kuroo leans down suddenly in his face, "We'll see about that, shrimp." Then he's standing back up, "Let's see how well that captain of yours taught you then?" He blinks, He knows I can barely move. Fucking bastard. He calms himself down, only to respond, "Anytime, anywhere." He gets it out evenly, but his teeth are grinding.
"We'll make a bet then," Kuroo's grinning, his unsettling cheekbones higher than he's even seen them, "Winner decides what to do with the loser." He doesn't say no, because he has no intention of losing. He'd find a way to fly, even if his legs were chopped off before then. "Deal!" He calls back, extending his arm as quickly as he can, Kuroo's hand is crushing his and he can't squeeze back. He suppresses the pain until the other lets go, glad that the pills made him barely feel anything in his limbs.
"Have Kenma bring you to the gym when you're not-" He waves his hand, the one that had just been crushing his fingers, at him and then continues, "Three on three, tournament rules. Don't be late." He scoffs, then frowns, "How do I know you won't rig the game?" It could easily happen, Kuroo looks like a guy that could make that happen, but the taller man just laughs, "Are you, Chibi-chan, suggesting that I, Kuroo Tetsurou, would cheat to beat a puny guy like yourself?" He growls, because yes, he was suggesting that.
"A good captain doesn't have to cheat to get what he wants." And then he's gone, with a wave and wink. He sighs, falling back on Kenma's bed, feeling tired all at once. "Brush your teeth, Shouyou." But he has better things to do with his teeth, like tug at Kenma's lip until the older boy kisses him. "I'll never get white teeth like all you Tokyo guys, so what's the point of brushing." He says once he's pulled back to catch his breath. Kenma snorts, "Well, if you brush your teeth, I'll-" He hums for a split second, "I'll set to you, five times."
He's brushing his teeth. On the floor, but he's doing it. Kenma is smirking behind a pile of foam and his phone, but he can feel it when it's pressed onto his cheek as they climb back into bed. "Can I kiss you, Shouyou?" He asks, even though their lips were just together, he's out of breath and about to pass out, but he nods. Kenma's hand is on his shoulder, pushing him down, and the older boy climbs on top of him before pressing their lips together.
Holy shit. Kenma's tongue is against his lips, flashes of Grand King and being kicked out are all removed from his mind as Kenma pushes inside. It's wet, and tastes like mint. He pushes his tongue against Kenma's and then they're rolling into each other. Kenma's hands are on his hips, lightly, stroking in a softness he'd never thought would be real. He's trying not scratch the older boy's back as he clutches at his shirt, whining for more.