Daichi and Asahi hid in the corner of the hallway. They didn't notice the other person eavesdropping in the other one. His eyes were hidden behind his bangs as he listened to Ukai and Sugawara's conversation.
The setter was surprised when he turned to the hallway and saw his cousin's looming figure.
"Ayumu?" he questioned.
Ayumu didn't answer and walked towards him, face still hidden. Sugawara's eyes trembled when his face shoved against a firm chest. 'He's hugging me?! Ayumu?!'
"Koushi-nii," Ayumu whispered. "I'll cook your favorite food tonight." Sugawara giggled and patted the boy's back.
"Thanks, Ayumu."
-----------------------------------------
"Your eating pretty well today, Suga." Daichi commented.
"Oh?" Sugawara questioned. "If I don't eat a lot. I can't do my best."
Ayumu placed his chopsticks near Sugawara's face, patiently waiting for him to notice.Daichi and Asahi watched as Sugawara's sparkling eyes widen and happily bit the food handed to him. Hazel eyes caught them staring.
Ayumu huffed and rolled his eyes at them, making the two sweat-drop. He felt a stare in his direction and glanced at the person.
'Ah,' Noya was looking at him with big, hopeful eyes.
'Your too far, sorry' the manager averted his eyes awkwardly.
------------------------------------
"Huwaah?!" Taketora gasped at the two beautiful beings behind Tanaka. They both glanced at him in unison.
Ayumu blinked and turned away first, his alluring face showed no emotion. His soft hair danced along with the wind. His cold actions only adding to his charm, making the other male gulped nervously. Kiyoko continued to stare at the Nekoma player that ended up running a way.
Unbeknown to the other players, Ayumu was hiding behind the Karasuno players. His phone buzzed in his pockets. He chose to ignore it as he already knew who the person calling him was.
"Ayumu?" Noya tugged his jacket."Hm?" The male manager looked at him in confusion.
"Nothing," The libero grinned at the attention he received.
"...Okay?" Ayumu blinked and nodded, accepting Noya's odd action just now.
The game started, and Nekoma's team faced the crows head-on. Kenma's eyes scanned the opposite side of the court, studying each enemy player.
The corner of Ayumu's tugged upwards into a smirk. 'He's finally starting,' he thought as he watched the pudding-haired setter's sharp gaze shift across the court. He caught Kuroo's dark eyes; the boy was smirking at him in amusement. The manager rolled his eyes and lifted his middle finger.
Kuroo's laughter echoed in the gym.
"Huh? Why is he laughing like that?" Sugawara questioned beside him.
Ayumu shook his head at his friend, his eyes focusing back in the game.
"Nishinoya!" Sugawara yelled, watching the flawless receive. "Nice receive!" Ayumu shouted, completing Suga's cheer. Noya gave him a thumbs up before returning back into position.
The third-year setter reeled back at the sudden shout.
'Ah, right,' Suga smiled at the exchange. It might have been weird if it was the usual Ayumu, but around the libero, his cousin had always acted a little odd, more than usual.
Kenma's eyes widened slightly at the familiar voice he just heard. He had no time to be distracted and looked up at the bench as the game was picking up a fast pace. "Kenma!" Kuroo shouted, snapping him back in focus. After that, the game ran amazingly. Ayumu stayed silent as he watched the rest of the game and the next. He sighed and grabbed the empty water bottles, "I'll come back in a second," he stated.
-----------------------------------
"What would your managers' name happen to be?" Taketora nervously asked the pissed Tanaka. "Bastard," the crow's wing spiker grabbed the other's collar.
"No, I don't have the courage to talk to them."
"..."
"..."
"It's Shimizu... Kiyoko-san."
"That name fits her perfectly!"
"And-"
"I am Ayumu Kamedori." The male manager introduced himself as he gave the two gaping boys cold waterbottles. As if adding fuel to the burning wildfire, he also gave them a friendly smile.
"Kamedori-san," Tanaka sobbed, clutching his chest. 'No, no, respect the bro code.'
"Please," Taketora kneeled, begging for unknown reasons. Ayumu shrugged and walked towards the intimidating Kageyama. The manager threw a bottle on the setter's head, stopping him from scaring Nekoma's setter, enough for the other to escape.
"Bas-.."
"Tobio. Behave." Ayumu ordered, running after Kenma.
Kageyama nodded obediently, similar to Pavlov's dog. His dog ears were lowered down, but his dark aura was still around. He huffed in disappointment, dragging the volleyball net with him as he walked to the gym storage."Kenma!" Ayumu called, grabbing other people's attention including the setter.
"Ah, Ayumu," Kenma's eyes sparkled in happiness at the sight of the other boy. At the rare sight, the Nekoma players' eyes widen. 'Kenma!?'
"Wow, you've grown taller," Ayumu gave the boy a side hug. It has been a long time since he had seen the setter.
"You too," Kenma mumbled, burying himself in the boy's side.
'Ayumu still smells the same,' he thought as he inhaled the familiar, yet comfortable scent of apples.
"You still do that?" The manager said, voice filled with amusement . It was a habit the other picked up when they were younger.
Ayumu didn't know that it was one of Kenma's favorite scent, one of the things that made his mind relax.
"Ah, look at us," Kuroo's voice added within the mix, his hand placed on Ayumu's waist. "The trio back at it again," he hummed in happiness. The Nekoma captain only felt happy when the three of them finally found themselves after a long time.
"Pft," Ayumu hugged Kenma tighter, bending dien and kissed the other's cheek. "You wished, I only want Kenma back."
Gasps echoed in the court. "Stop cheating!" Sugawara shouted.
'He did say something about two kittens he left behind,' Sugawara's eyes observed the bantering trio.
"You!" Noya screamed, his chest constricting. 'How many more?' he inwardly questioned. He knew the male manager has odd ways to show affection to his friends, but the libero found this one way too much.
"What? Can't I greet a friend?" Ayumu said, his face not moving beside the flustered setter.
"Kuroo, stop touching my abs," He added like it was the most normal thing in the universe, lightly that was getting dangerously lower and lower.
"You guys didn't know?" Kuroo asked, placing his hand on Ayumu's shoulder. His smirk grew at the warmth he felt on his hand. 'Six packs,' the captain thought, controlling his emotion from showing his thoughts that weren't fit in the occasion.
"We're childhood friends," Kenma commented, wanting to disappear into the unknown. As much as he was embarrassed though, he didn't want to leave the comfortable hug he was in. He wanted to indulge himself further. 'I should take him home,' The setter thought his hand clutching the other's shirt.
"No, well yea, but not that," Kuroo smirked at the lost players, both Karasuno and Nekoma. "Ayumu's first love is Kenma, and I'm his-"
"Shut up." Ayumu patted the setter's head, steaking his phone and quickly typing in his number. He didn't have Kenma's number. He asked Kuroo before, but the captain refused to give it to him. "Fine, fine," As if he was reading the other's mind, Kuroo also handed his phone over.
"Begone." The manager took a quick selfie of the three of them and handed Kuroo's phone back. Kuroo then set it as his phone's wallpaper.
"Kuroo," Kenma called. The setter was fully hugging the male manager's side by now. "Send that to me."
"Yea, yea. I already did."The audience blinked simultaneously at the scene. Despite the earlier commotion, they were ignored by the trio, who was lost in their own world.
"What the hell?!"
"Wait, first love?!"
"Kenma and Ayumu?!"
"...Kuroo, why did he cut you off?"
"Do you really want to know , Yaku-san?" Ayumu felt an intense stare on his head. His eyes connected with the dark brown eyes of the Karasuno's libero. Noya's eyes were filled with emotion the manager cant put a finger on.
'Perhaps, is it...,' his thoughts trailed off as he felt cold hands on his abs again. Kenma's right hand that was clutching his shirt earlier was now feeling his abs. he setter couldn't resist the temptation he felt when he was clutching the other boy's shirt.
"Kenma, stop that. Kuroo is a bad influence on you."
"What? What did I do?! Oi! Slap his hand too!"Ayumu sighed and patted Kenma's head with his left hand, and removing Kenma's hand from the inside of his shirt with his right.
"It's time for me to go home."
"I missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Me too, Ayumu."
"Yes, yes. You too, Tetsu."
"Can't you just keep calling me that?"
"No. You act weirdly whenever I do." Kenma nodded in agreement.
"...fine."
---------------------------------
"So, when you were younger you thought he was a girl?" Sugawara asked, sitting beside the center of attention. 'Do you even like girls?'
Ayumu nodded in confirmation. "He was cute and short," his eyes connected with brown ones.
"You don't like him anymore, right?" Tanaka questioned. The idiot duo was seated in front of the two cousins, both of them looking back at the two.
The male manager shook his head, "No, we remain as friends now. No need to worry."
"But you were so flirty with Nekoma's captain too!" Noya groaned in frustration. 'Does he do this to everyone else? They called him by his first name too!'
"You..." the libero trailed off, watching the manager closely. "Let's hangout."
"Oh, me too-guh," Tanaka was about to point at himself, but a random flying object was thrown directly to his face. "Who was it!?"
"Sure," Ayumu smiled at the libero. It was a smile far different from what he showed the others. Watching it for the first time made Tanaka and Sugawara's mouth open, and their face redden. Noya turned back, hiding his blushing face as he stared at the window. Sugawara sighed, leaning on his cousin's shoulder.
"Damn it; your so smart but dumb. Are we really related? Are we?" He questioned, moving closer to the warmth of the other.
Ayumu's smile was still there when they arrived in the school.
"Aren't you quite early?" Ayumu's soft voice pulled Noya's head from the clouds.
"Hey," Noya smiled. "Let's watch a movie and shop around.. Tokyo."
"Sure." the manager returned his smile, ignoring the libero's hesitant choice. The two of them walked towards the train station. They talked about the most random things, from their favorite color to how do you avoid getting caught as a murderer. The only time they stopped talking was during the cramped train ride around Tokyo.
"Yuu, don't move." Ayumu's arms were already beside the libero's head. Noya knew the position they're in too well.
'Kabedon!' The shorter boy gulped nervously, eyes looking at anything besides the taller male in front of him.
"Sorry, I'm already late for work!" A random man shouted, adding himself to the tight space, pushing Ayumu forward to the already flustered boy.
"Shit." The manager mumbled under his breath. He didn't want to make the libero uncomfy.
Noya's eyes widened when he heard the other curse. It wasn't like he hadn't heard him swore before, but the closeness, the deep voice, and the tone made him feel hot. 'It's the train,' he thought, convincing himself otherwise.
"Yuu," the manager's clear eyes sharply studied Noya's face, which made the other boy inwardly panic. His brown trembling eyes connected with steady hazel ones.
Ayumu's right hand moved, his fingers lightly pinched the libero's soft lips. His eyes widened a little. Unfortunately, Noya didn't notice as his brain stopped working when he felt the touch and realized the closeness of their faces. He could feel the other's warm breath that smelled like mint.
'His eyes,' Noya thought, 'they're pretty.'
It felt long but only a few seconds have passed. Ayumu cleared his throat and removed his fingers from Noya's skin. "You had something on your face." he mumbled, averting his eyes. His face was flushed.
He grunted at the sudden pain he felt on his side. Noya punched him after muttering his thanks angrily.
The manager chuckled in amusement. 'This is going to be a long day, huh.'
"Are you sure you want to watch a horror movie?" Ayumu questioned, staring at the dark movie poster.
"Yea!" Noya scoffed. "Who do you think am I?"
CH. 7 | END