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Kenma is hiding. During a volleyball tournament. How did he end up here again?
Usually Kuroo helps. He notices Kenma twitching and blinking, and unnoticed by others, prys him away from the crowd to somewhere more quiet. Kenma gets overwhelmed by big crowds with lots of noise. He gets overwhelmed by a lot of things, like sometimes by his clothes. It’s just a thing that happens with Kenma, and Kuroo knows this. Kuroo didn’t notice today though. He was distracted with people from other schools. Kenma doesn’t really blame Kuroo, he knows how entertaining Bokuto can be and it’s not Kuroo’s responsibility to take care of Kenma anyway. Kenma should be able to handle himself.
What did he do though? When everything started getting too much for him and he realized Kuroo wasn’t paying attention, what did he do? Well, he ran away. He couldn’t just get his mouth open or even pull Kuroo’s sleeve to get his attention but instead he ran and hid to where he is now. In the bathroom. Under the sinks.
Kenma sighs. He promised to himself this wouldn’t happen anymore. He feels like a kid again, when he used to hide in his closet or under the bed.
The noise of the gym full of people and volleyball games are muffled in the bathroom. It’s really hard to find a quiet place in the middle of a volleyball tournament, Kenma knows now. The bathroom has three stalls and three sinks. Kenma is pressed up against the farthest corner under the sinks. It’s a small space and there are pipes right next to him in the cramped space. Kenma fits though. He has his legs curled against his chest and he wishes he at least took his phone with him. He was too panicked to remember that his phone was in Kuroo’s pocket and now he doesn’t have anything to fiddle with.
Kenma’s ears perk up when the door opens. He hears someone mumbling under their breath and sees their legs walk to do their business. He can’t see the boy’s upper half from under the sink. Then he moves to wash his hands and chooses the one Kenma is right under. Don’t notice, don't notice me, god please do not notice me.
Apparently his prayers weren’t heard.
— —
“Fuck you!” Atsumu yells to his lovely brother over the people gathered in the hallway. Osamu smirks smugly and lifts his middle finger in the air as people send weird looks at Atsumu’s loud outburst. Atsumu scoffs.
He’s still cursing Osamu under his breath when he enters the bathroom. Fucking Osamu and his annoying teasing. He thinks of all the smart comebacks he could’ve said to Osamu and stores them away for next time. Then he’s sure he has angered Kita’s gods somehow because he drops his phone on the floor, screen down. Why the fuck is everything so annoying right now?
“Fuuuuuuuck”, he yells into the empty bathroom as he bends down to pick up the goddamn phone. He doesn’t get up though because there’s someone under the sink and suddenly he’s on his ass on the floor, letting out an embarrassing shriek.
“What the fuck”, Atsumu says again, his voice highpitched as he sits on the bathroom floor, “Ya scared the shit outta me, weird guy under the sink.” The boy stares back with his golden eyes. He’s cramped under the sink, his hair falling over his eyes a little. He looks startled and now Atsumu’s wondering what this guy is even doing under the sink. “What are ya doin’?”
The boy stares at the floor and cracks his knuckles one by one. “I’m hiding”, he mumbles into the fabric of his volleyball shorts. Now that Atsumu gets a better look, this guy is wearing a whole volleyball team uniform.
Atsumu drags his ass closer to the boy and asks: “Why?”
They make eye contact and the boy squints his eyes, as if analyzing if Atsumu is worth talking to. He seems to come to a conclusion and answers: “It gets so loud sometimes”, then, “I’m Kenma.”
Atsumu mentally changes the name of this boy in his head from ‘the boy under the sink’ to ‘the hiding Kenma’.
“I‘m Atsumu. Ya play volleyball?” Atsumu nudges Kenma’s foot, meaning to point out his volleyball wear. “Which position?”
“I’m Nekoma’s setter.” He looks at Atsumu with a little more interest than before. He avoids his eyes though, gaze pinned to Atsumu’s hair. Atsumu likes Kenma’s eyes, how curious they look even if Kenma’s expression is otherwise neutral.
“I’m a setter too! For Inarizaki”, Atsumu smiles proudly. Kenma’s lips curl up just slightly. He opens his mouth to say something but hesitates. Atsumu finds himself wanting to hear what he thought and nudges Kenma again.
“Atsumu”, Kenma finally makes eye contact, “Can I braid your hair?”
Atsumu blinks a few times. Kenma blinks back. Atsumu snorts and turns around so his back is towards Kenma. He scoots a little closer, pushing himself under the sink too, so Kenma can reach his hair. Then he feels Kenma brushing his fingers through his hair.
“You got a ponytail?” Atsumu wonders outloud. He can feel Kenma sectioning his hair in two parts. Kenma hums affirmatively and starts to braid the other side. Atsumu had noticed his hair growing (especially with the root growth he has going on) but he’d never gotten it braided. He feels Kenma’s slender fingers gathering parts of his hair.
They talk a little about volleyball and Atsumu finds himself enjoying Kenma’s calming company. Kenma doesn’t talk that much but Atsumu doesn’t mind since he’s always been a bit of a talker himself. So Atsumu talks and Kenma listens while braiding his hair. He’s making french braids, and Kenma tells him more about different braiding styles. Atsumu knows nothing about braiding but he listens. He listens to Kenma’s soothing voice explaining how the braiding styles are different from each other.
At the end of his second braid, Osamu barges in the bathroom.
“‘Tsumu, the fuck are ya takin’ so long for?” He shouts immediately when he gets in. Atsumu feels Kenma’s hands twitching.
“Shuddup, yer makin’ my ears bleed with your volume”, Atsumu shouts back from the floor. “I don’t want ya to scare Kenma away.”
Osamu follows the voice to find his twin sitting on the floor under the sink as a boy Osamu doesn’t recognize is braiding his hair. His eyebrows furrow.
“Hi”, the stranger says, peeking around Atsumu’s shoulder. “I’m Kenma.”
Osamu stares for a while. “Why are ya under the sink?”
“He’s hidin’ ‘Samu! It’s too loud outside, god”, Atsumu claims matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes as if it’s an everyday thing to find a frickin’ braiding club under the bathroom sink.
“Shut the fuck up! You make friends in the bathroom now? Suits you right, shithead”, Osamu bites back and sits down in front of the pair. Atsumu snarls and tries to kick him but starts whining when Kenma tugs his hair to get him to stay still.
“Ow, Kenma!” Atsumu pouts and Osamu sees Kenma grin slightly. Osamu decides that this stranger can’t be that bad if he knows how to put Atsumu in his place.
He finishes the braid and pats Atsumu on the back to let him know. Atsumu shoots up to stare at himself in the mirror. “Wow, Kenma-kun, these are so cool! Ya think they’re gonna stay during the match?”
Kenma doesn’t move from his spot but hums and smiles as Atsumu studies his new hairdo. Osamu gets up to inspect Atsumu’s hair himself and cackles as he pulls one of the braids. Ignoring Atsumu’s complaining, Osamu turns his head to Kenma.
“Can ya braid mine too?” He asks eagerly. Kenma nods and pats the floor. Osamu grins in victory and scoots over.
“One or two?” Kenma asks as he cradles Osamu’s hair.
“One”, Osamu decides. Kenma hums again.
— —
Kenma is missing. Kuroo swore he would only say hi to Bokuto but of course he lost his sense of time catching up with him. Bokuto is so goddamn talkative.
Kuroo asks Shouyou if he’s seen Kenma but he hasn’t. He looks outside and the hallway spot where the Nekoma team left their stuff. Bathroom is the next target and if Kenma isn’t there, Kuroo will actually freak out a bit.
Pushing the door open, Kuroo finds that Kenma is in fact in the bathroom. He’s sitting on the floor, braiding Miya fucking Osamu’s hair. Next to them, Miya Atsumu is leaning into Kenma’s space, rambling and trying to twist and braid Kenma’s hair, all of them huddled in the space under the sink. Kenma lifts his gaze for the sound of the door opening.
“Oh, hey Kuro”, he says and goes back to braiding. Kuroo shifts his eyes slowly between the three of them.
“Kenma”, Kenma lifts his gaze to Kuroo again, “you amaze me sometimes. All the time, actually.” Kuroo nods approvingly, a smile spreading on his lips. He crosses his arms and observes the scene before him. “I love that you’re making friends but we have to go warm up soon. You doing alright even though I accidentally left you for a while?”
“Oh, this is the Kuroo guy?” Atsumu exclaims. “Just so ya know, Kuro, Kenma here was hidin’ when I found him and I kept him company when you so rudely abandoned him, asshole”, Atsumu scoffs and squawks as Osamu kicks him in the shin. Kuroo smiles even wider.
Osamu rolls his eyes. “Stop actin’ like yer some kinda lord an’ savior for Kenma. He’s doin’ just fine”, Osamu turns his head to glance at Kenma, “aren’t ya, Kenma-kun?”
Kenma nods, done with Osamu’s hair too. He looks at Kuroo again. “It’s fine, Kuro. I know how Bokuto is”, he states and directs his eyes to Atsumu. “Atsumu, you’re not my prince charming or whatever Osamu said but it was nice braiding your hair. It calmed me down.”
Atsumu pretends to be hurt, clutching at his chest. “What, ya tellin’ me yer not my damsel in distress? Ya wound me, Kenma-kun!” Atsumu yells dramatically and falls to rest his forehead on Kenma’s shoulder. Kenma rolls his eyes, but Kuroo can see the amusement on his face.
“There, there”, Kenma pats his back. Atsumu fake-sniffles and Osamu groans loudly. Kuroo watches the chaotic scene for a while longer before he can’t stifle his laughter anymore.
— —
Later when Nekoma is playing against another team, the twins stand on the side, cheering on Kenma like real fangirls (or it’s more like, Atsumu cheers and Osamu pretends to be embarrassed but follows the game just as intensely as his brother.) Kenma sighs as Kuroo’s obnoxious laughter can probably be heard by the whole Tokyo.