Chapter 23 - Behind the Circus Curtains

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WARNING // THIS CHAPTER HAS A BIT OF VIOLENCE (BE CAREFUL)


"Ah (Y/n) I told you you should've packed soft shoes, you could've put them in my bag" Kageyama grumbled as he carried your wooden sandals, while you crowded his other arm, walking barefoot out towards the back of the main circus tent. Hinata chased up the ground beside you, clutching his phone as he looked down at all the cool photos he'd taken inside the tent during the performances.

As you rubbed your eye, leaning only partially on Kageyama's shoulder because the flower pins in your hair were rather uncomfortable, you soon noticed a sweating Kentaro, dressed now in his trapeze black singlet and pants, come out of one of the little circus caravans and wave you all over. Sugawara and Daichi were ahead of you, and Tsukishima mindlessly pushed Hinata towards Yamaguchi to take your other side as your group changed course towards the blonde.

Kentaro threw a rolled towel over his shoulders and furiously dried his hair before you wandered up with a bright smile on your face, practically from ear to ear, in front of him. "RA!" You said, loud and cheerfully, turning your nose up at him as you reignited feelings of nostalgia from when you used to try to scare each other as kids.

"Ra" He said back before grabbing your face and kissing just under your right eye at the top of your cheek. You laughed as the breath from his nose had tickled one set of your eyelashes and he stuck his tongue out at you in mild frustration.

"You were great Kentaro-kun!" Nodding as Oikawa appeared from behind you with a shocked look on his face, Tanaka and Kageyama tailing him with equally furious expressions, all of them having just witnessed the strange interaction between you and the Mad Dog.

Nishinoya was the only one to actually walk up to the both of you, grab your hand furiously, and break the space in between you by standing there himself. Letting go of your wrist so he could cross his arms, "I heard there were tigers, I'm tired and I want to go home, are you going to show us to them or just stuff around flirting?" The libero made no attempt to make eye contact, his eyes almost closed with ill content at how casually he was speaking down to the manic athlete in front of him, who towered over him. The mental battle of black and blonde haired boys, Kentaro and Nishinoya, cast a startling stillness over the space.

Easily broken by Kiyoko smiling and nodding as she took her phone out of her pocket, "you're right Nishinoya-kin, we should be heading back to the bus soon. It would be lovely if we could see everything we can before we go. If you don't mind of course, Kentaro-kun".

As Kentaro nodded and you all began a new walk around between the smaller stands and through the crowds, noticing quickly as the groups of people lessened as you got closer to the darker, staff back area of the circus compound. Oikawa slipped around to walk next to his teammate, "you never told me you liked (Y/n)?"

"What's to like about her? She's annoying as hell" He sniffled a sneeze into his towel before glaring over at the pretty, brown-haired captain.

"But" Oikawa clicked his tongue and tried to stop himself from smacking the dumbass spiker across the head with Kiyoko's bag, which he, like a gentleman, had decided to carry for her, "you kissed her".

"And you don't?" Kentaro rolled his eyes to the side, narrow and sharp in a stare that would silence a snarling lion, and scoffed, "isn't that cowardly".

He was about ready to swing now, but held back as Kentaro lifted a hanging tapestry which had been strung up to seperate the back area from the public circus space, letting everyone in past him. "It's not cowardly, it's respectful!"

"Whatever cap-i-tan" The Mad Dog's eyes were even more defined in this lower light, helped greatly by the waterproof eyeliner that had been drawn under his irises for a darker affect during the performance. As lanterns hung from crisscrossing ropes over the heads of them as the cages of the circus animals came into view, having been unloaded off the circus train and rolled on wheels into the large paddock where the circus had been set up from.

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