A Silent Court (Kenma Kozume x Reader)

Awkwardly Walking (5)

I'm stalling, slowly putting the books I don't need in my locker, rather than packing everything up quickly and running to the gyms. Coach scares me, and I know no matter my excuse she won't let me live it down, I shudder thinking about it.

I sigh and hear Aiko down the hall, she probably hasn't even turned the corner yet. I glance over and she's walking with Kuroo and Kenma. I'm confused on how she had the time to get to be friends with them, I know she's their manager, but I feel like it hasn't been that long. She had to poke her way into my life for about one and a half years before I sat with her at lunch.

"Y/n?" Aiko's voice travels to me through the empty hall. "Yeah?" I ask. "Ace skipping practice," Akio ask with her hand on her hips. My face heats up, "N-no I was just um, going," I say quietly slamming my locker and swinging my back up over my shoulder. "Hey wait," she yells and I hear her footsteps behind me.

I pick up my pace but she stops me. "Why don't we go with you," Aiko ask. I groan, thinking of all the ways I could say no -coach wouldn't like it, practice will be a while, it's not as fun watching, I don't want you guys being a distraction,- but I think how many words that would be, so instead I silently except it.

///

We make it to the outsides of the gym and I pause at the door. "Can you guys just wait out here, or go home?" I empathize the last part, hoping they'll choose to leave. I can hear Kenma whispering to Kuroo just to go home, but Kuroo isn't listening, he's laughing with Aiko. "Yeah we'll stay out here."

Yeah no, Aiko isn't listening she can hear my voice, but she doesn't know what I or she just said. I glance at Kenma, and I can see the cold breath escaping his nose. "Want to come in," I ask my, apparent classmate.

Me and him have three classes together, we found out the awkward way. He looks at me, then at Kuroo who didn't hear what I said, so Kenma nods.

I open the gym door, and the ball that was served isn't revived by anyone, so it hits the floor. Everybody is looking at me and Kenma. I want to runaway, hold my legs and put my headphones in. "Y/n." I hear a firm voice.

I choose not to look, knowing who it is, I lead Kenma to the bench, about to excuse myself to change. "You're late and missed morning practice," my coach says in a calm facade. I purse my lips, standing in front of Kenma and looking at my floor. "I.." I spin on my heel slowly. "I don't even want to hear it, go change," coach says, I don't waist a second to run to the locker rooms. I can hear coach questioning Kenma, now I feel bad for leaving him down there.

///

While practicing I turn in my own world. I'm the only person who exist here. Every noise and person disappears, but not feelings. These strange eyes from yesterday, that I can't put a face to are staring at my back again. They're not Aiko's, hers pierce my back with judgment, these eyes observe, they scrape my back in a curious way. They almost feel like that black void in my dream, mystery and empty.

I'm holding a ball, about to serve, but this feeling is unbearable, people are glitching into my world and I'm hearing scrapes of shoes.

I whip around and Kenma is looking down at his Nintendo and everyone else is doing their own way of practice. I sigh feeling eyes on me again, but serving the ball.

When practice ends I run up to Kenma and tell him I'll be right back to change. "Who was that boy?" Kora asks. "I don't know, he came in with Y/n- OH MY GOD DO YOU THINK-" Yamata thinks she is whispering, but I can hear her voice through the two sets of lockers in beetween us. I can tell Kora put her hand over her mouth and is telling her to 'shut it.'

I leave the locker rooms after changing. Leaving the sounds of, "I'm doing this after school" or "he's going out with her," and things like that.

When I get to the gym, Kenma is still waiting there, I'm surprised, I would've thought he went outside, or left. A smile appears on my face and I don't know why, the feeling is annoying.

"I'm done," I say getting his head to pop up. "Alright," he said in a monotone voice. Me and him open the doors to leave, and Aiko and Kuroo are gone. "Umm," I say, me and Kenma both staring. "I'll call Aiko," I say, pulling out my phone. Kenma nods, "I'll call Kuroo," he says.

I click on the only other contact, other than my mom, Aiko's. She put herself in as #1 BESTIE 4EVER. When I changed it back to Aiko K. she put it back as #1 BESTIE 4EVER, so I gave up.

I called her and she didn't answer, so I called again and still no answer. We have a rule: if you call once and they don't answer, call again, then if they don't answer leave a text or don't call again. I turn off my phone and turn to Kenma. He's shaking his head. "Should've figured," we both say.

"I guess we can walk home together than," he says, and I nod. "We live in the same area, when you have practice, me Kuroo and Aisha walk together, you two live next to each other, me and Kuroo live a street down." Is the most I've heard Kenma say. "Who's Aisha," I ask thinking hard. "Huh? Your friend," he questions. I chuckle. "Aiko," I clarify. I can feel his embarrassment.

Me and him walk, mostly in silence. "You're really good at volleyball," he says nervously. I glance at him, me and him are basically the same height. I shrug, "It's not like I was actually playing, it was just practice.

"Then I guess I'll have to see you actually play." Kenma says, and it gets quiet. Nobody has come to a game, other than Aiko, to see me play. "If you'd want." He adds slowly. "Yeah, sure, only if I get to see one of yours" I say.

The walk is awkward, I don't want to say it but it I wish I had Aiko's daily-drama-after-school-check. And then I think about Aiko, she seems to be spending a lot of time with that Kuroo guy.

"Are they dating," I ask Kenma. "Who," he ask. "Aiko and Kuroo," I say as we approach my street. "I was going to ask the same thing," Kenma says, his voice has changed, to a tone I can name.

We get to my house, "I'll see you," I think of when I'll see him, but it's Friday and we don't have school tomorrow. "Yeah see ya," he says, putting his second earbud in, and walking away while playing his game on his phone. Does Aiko really think I'm like him, what does the even mean?