#levkenma

As soon as Lev walked through the gym’s doors with a cat in his hands Kenma knew he was trouble.

The taller boy did remind him of Hinata, but only in the sense that he was an idiot. He had an abrasive personality, and declared himself the ace after only five minutes of practice. This made Yamamoto flare up in all the wrong ways. His height, which should be an advantage, became a disadvantage when he tried to spike. No matter what Kenma tried, his toss was always too low for the other boy to hit it. Lev was an unknown player to them all, which put everyone on edge. Plus, he knew nothing of volleyball. In fact, it was a miracle he could consider himself the backbone of the team.

This meant that he would need someone to hold his hand and teach him all there is to volleyball.

Kenma was unanimously nominated to the task. Lev, for some reason, became fixated on the blonde.  He ended up following him around the entire practice. He kept asking for a toss, invested on spiking so he could ‘prove himself a capable ace!’. Kenma, meanwhile, felt a headache coming on.

“Why did you pick me to help Lev?” he asked Kuroo on the walk home, uncharacteristically grumpy.

The older boy hid a small grin and shrugged. “The kid was only listening to you. Plus, coach seems to have high hopes for him. Let’s see what he can do with the proper training, huh?”

“Whatever,” Kenma went back to his phone, ignoring the smirk on his friend’s face.

---

Of course, as time went on Lev only became a better player. He and Kenma managed to synch up, and he ended up hitting the other’s tosses at least 80% of the time. He was still an idiot, however, so hiccups frequently happened.

Yet it appeared that Lev had finally learned how to have a bit of tact. He didn’t bother Kenma about the games on his phone anymore, or asked why he played them. It was now only once a week that he pointed out Yaku’s height, and he rarely mentioned being the ace in Yamamoto’s hearing now.

Perhaps Lev wasn’t as much trouble as Kenma initially thought.

He would soon find out that he was sorely mistaken.

Kenma was no stranger to headaches. He spent the majority of his day surrounded by people, and people liked to make a lot of noise. It wasn’t so bad during school hours, as there was usually only one voice speaking and he could focus on the work in front of him. That made it easier to ignore the sounds of other people.

Volleyball, however, was extremely loud. There was always at least one person talking, and the main point of the sport was communication with every person on court. He always had to filter out people calling for a toss, the squeak of sneakers on the gym floor, and the movement of teams. All the while, he had to keep moving, breathing, and calculating the next move. It was a wonder his brain hadn’t fried yet.

Luckily Kuroo knew about Kenma’s headaches, and always kept painkillers in his sports bag. Unfortunately for Kenma, Kuroo himself had gotten a headache earlier that day and took the rest of the medicine.

So when a headache hit Kenma in the middle of practice, there was no escape from it.

On top of that, it was an unusually warm day and the cooler in the gym wasn’t working. Not only was his head throbbing, but he was sweaty and felt like dissolving into the floor.

Lev, as usual, wasn’t helping.

“How was that spike Kenma-san?” He asked, hopping up to the older boy. “I think I’ve finally got it down! Plus, Yaku-san said I’m getting better at receives too!”

The blonde rubbed his temples, closing his eyes. “It was good.”

“Really?” the other said excitedly. “Was it better than my last one?”

“Lev,” Kenma started, headache only getting worse with the other’s rambling. “I don’t know and I don’t care.”

The taller boy stopped moving, and Kenma could feel him wilt. Unfortunately, at the same time he felt someone’s hand clap his shoulder. “Lev, Kenma.” Kuroo’s voice interrupted cheerfully. “Go outside and cool down for a bit will you? Its hot out, and it doesn’t help being stuck in a room with a bunch of sweaty teenagers.”

Lev nodded immediately, and Kenma turned to go outside without further prompting. Anything to escape the awkward situation he had just gotten himself in.

He sat down on the gym steps, forgetting that Lev was told to go outside too. As such, he was surprised when he noticed the other sitting beside him. The two of them didn’t speak for a bit, and Kenma fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. He didn’t mean to snap, it just happened as a result of the heat and his headache. After all, he was only human and prone to mistakes, he reminded himself.

Lev took a deep breath, exhaling as he sat next to Kenma. The next words out of his mouth took the other by surprise. “I’m sorry.”

Kenma went wide-eyed, and almost looked directly into the others eyes. “... For?”

“I don’t know, but I must have done something! I didn’t mean to make you snap, Kenma-san.” he said guiltily, rubbing the back of his head. “I don’t want you to be upset, especially if it’s because of me.”

Kenma looked at the ground, the small breeze cooling him. “I’m not mad,” he said after a long moment. “I have a headache and its hot, that’s why I snapped.”

“Really?” Lev said, voice going back to normal as he smiled.

The blonde nodded, still looking at the ground when he felt the other nudge him. “Hey! I can help your headache.”

Kenma looked at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. Lev only smiled wider, leaning into the other’s personal space.

“... Well?” he said after a second, voice terse due to his head still throbbing.

The white-haired boy leaned closer at his words, and Kenma closed his eyes, waiting.

He did not expect to feel soft lips brush against his forehead.

Immediately his eyes flew open, only to see Lev grinning and leaning back. “It’s a family remedy! My mom does that whenever my head hurts, so I figured that would help you too!”

Kenma tried to glare at him, but was interrupted by the other standing up. “Alright, now that you’re feeling better let’s get back to practice! I want to spike again!”

In the end he could only sigh and stand back up, thankful that no one had been watching them.

---

It was thirty minutes before Nekoma was supposed to be on court and Lev was nowhere to be found.

Of course it had to be during the Spring Tournament, and of course Kenma was the one sent to fetch him. At least Lev was easy to pick out in a crowd; the blonde didn’t have to worry about staring at people.

However, he had no idea where the tall teen would be. Where was Lev usually?

He was usually on court or practicing with him.

Kenma loitered in the main hall, wracking his brain as to where the other would be. He checked the bathrooms, concerned that Lev had gotten caught up in something. Hinata told him stories about how that happened to him, and he and Lev were too similar for Kenma not to worry about that. No luck. The blonde then decided to check the water pump near the front, thinking that maybe the other had gotten to hot.

He wasn’t there either. Kenma was starting to get frustrated, and he nearly huffed out loud.

Where had Lev gone?

The blonde heard a cat meow nearby and suddenly the scene by the river long ago played in his head. He decided to follow the sound.

He wasn’t surprised to see Lev sat down near a cat near the back of the building. “Oh, hey Kenma-san!” the taller boy said cheerfully, pouting when the cat ran away afterwards.

“Why weren’t you with the rest of the team?” Kenma asked, curious since Lev didn’t have the tendency to wander off.

“I was just… err, practicing!” Lev said, still crouched from where he had been petting the cat.

That was weird, Kenma thought as he sat beside the other, “With what volleyball?”

“Oh, it... uhh, I lost it!”

Kenma squinted at Lev in suspicion. “You’re a bad liar.”

The white-haired boy rubbed the back of his head. “Ahh, I know. I’m just nervous! I never thought I’d be nervous at my first game.”

“Most people are,” the other remarked dryly.

“Really? Were you?” Lev asked.

“I’ve been playing since I was a kid. I don’t remember my first game.”

“Right,” he looked to the side again. “Everyone on the team’s been playing for a long time huh? At least, a lot longer than I have.”

Kenma wasn’t going to have this. There was no way Lev was going to get nervous and doubt his own skills before his first game, “Lev.”

“Yes?”

The blonde sighed before he grabbed the others arm to pull him down. As he did so, he kissed his cheek. “Family remedy,” he teased while the other gawked at him. “My parents did this whenever I was acting nervous and cowardly.”

He felt strangely embarrassed (who wouldn’t after kissing someone’s cheek?) and stood up suddenly, hand extended to the other. “We’re going to be late.”

Lev took his hand, only instead of standing up he pulled Kenma back down and kissed him.

Well that. That was something. It was an awful first kiss, and Kenma didn’t know if his face was red from anger or embarrassment. It was probably a combination of the two.

They both pulled away after a second, and he was glad to see the other’s face flushed as well. “Kenma-san,” Lev said after a moment, voice hesitant. “Will you go out-”

“-Ask me after we’ve won this match.”

They aid that opposite attract. That there was this immediate chemistry that formed in people with opposite personalities ; that even if they clashed, they could fit well together if the two people didn’t overstep their boundaries with each other.

Kenma always thought that this happened in video games, when unexpectedly, two characters that everything opposed could fit well together, and fall in love nonetheless despite their opposite characteristics. That in real life, if someone wasn’t at least a bit similar to yourself, nothing could grow between you and them.

This is why, when he first met Lev, he didn’t spend so much time looking at him. Not because he wasn’t worth something, but because this giant ball of energy, that jumped everywhere and was always loud didn’t brush him in the right way. He was just someone that was here, like a constant bright light that could unnerve you but of which you were used to anyway. Not bothering you, not being noticed either.

But as time grew, Kenma began to notice Lev more. It was the moments when he would be more focused on his work than usual, staring intently in front of him like nothing else existed anymore. It was his position, looking ready to jump on the ball no matter what and how it happened. That despite is averageness in his play, he would be here, improving and working until he lied on the court, panting and exhausted. Those days, Kenma could only say to him that he did good, and could only notice the way Lev’s face would illuminate like he had said the most beautiful and meaningful thing in the world. But he was not the only one to praise Lev that day, and no one else had had such reaction from the other player.

And Kenma could only frown slightly, watching him rise again like he wasn’t so tired a few seconds ago, like he could do a whole practice match again and play like no one else.

It was also in the way everyone laughed, noticing Lev too when he would be happy and vindictive when they would score against another team thanks to his tosses, taunting them by saying that Nekoma had the best setter before any other player. And surprisingly, Kenma could only be pleased hearing that, no matter how he felt about playing this day.

It was different from the support of the team, from the support of Kuroo, and Kenma still didn’t know what to do about it yet, but he didn’t reject those moment. He just begin to stare more at the unusual player they had, noticing every little quirk of his.

It was his outgoing ways that would stop when a challenge was met. How all his demeanor could change depending on his actions or whom he would talk to. How he would not back up from a challenge but thrive to face it, and slightly become the team’s overbearing strength when he would shout encouragement or praise during matches.

Maybe Lev didn’t have a lot of technical abilities that could make him stand out as a player yet. But Kenma couldn’t help noticing as person, couldn’t help but stare quietly and avert his gaze when Lev would face him, his big smile on his face, eyes creasing wrinkled on his temples from it.

But it was also how elegant Lev would be, despite his long limbs and how sometimes he didn’t know what to do with them. But most of the times, he would walk in stride, movements so fluid and elegant Kenma could only stare, eyes fixated on these movements, mind blank; before shaking his head again if someone called him out or his game would bip his inactivity.

And this is why, maybe, Kenma would be drawn to him faster than anyone else. Because Lev, in all his extroversion, would only be happy, face morphing when Kenma called out to him for a praise, instead of the insults he would take as encouragement to better himself. How Lev would wave at him without shouting his name like he did for anyone else, like Kenma would be too startled out because of this. And maybe he would, for Lev was so tall and impressive in his own way everyone noticed him directly if he opened his mouth; and Kenma didn’t want to be the center of attention because of this. But Lev never did that.

And sometimes, Kenma couldn’t help but be happier, eyes slowly widening in surprise because Lev had talked to him for once, without Kenma prompting a response, only to talk to him about his games, about an interesting fact that he didn’t know. So Lev had to research this, had to try and find out something that could impress him without boasting about it, but lighter feet and boncing limbs when Kenma would utter a response, if any.

But Lev seems always happier, always more likeable when something like this would happen. His never ending energy would be more muted, more contained in his flexing muscles and never ending smile, just turning a bit cocky if someone dared to truly challenge them.

Kenma never stopped staring at Lev since these times. Always wondering the riddle that was Lev. How could someone like this tall Russian could be so interested by him, quiet and small Kenma when he could gain the attention of anyone ? Could be interested by him but respected him so much, he would never step over Kenma’s boundaries and play with them. Instead, just accepting and trying to bond over things that Kenma liked, never trying to push himself into Kenma’s world, only to be a solid presence at each new fact, each new comment about what he was playing that day. It would be all the smiles that Kenma received, that had something new, something more than every other smile he had.

And Kenma could only but slowly fall for him, slowly accepting and responding to Lev’s comment, watching in amusement and wonder him Lev would react each time like Kenma had brought him the most marvelous present at Christma. How Kenma would try and praise him more, never being tired on how he could make Lev go further and better in his own game play, like he had Lev’s world and soul between his hands.

And how, to Kenma’s utter embarrassment, Kuroo had picked on that and told him to act on that sometimes, will you ? But Kenma was happy just staring at Lev, and appreciating every little conversations they had, or every smile Lev shared with him until Kenma’s lips began to stir slowly too, forming little smiles that made them both happier.