𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕦𝕝𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 | 𝕜.𝕜𝕠𝕫𝕦𝕞𝕖

invitation

"don't stay for me, please. it'll only make me feel worse."

as the three second years sat in their class, they each had different things playing on their minds. katsuo was excited, finally feeling the pure joy of being part of a strong team. nekoma's basketball team had previously won the winter cup; the very thought of even being in the running for the competition sent pure thrill coursing through his veins.

hanako's thoughts drifted to sakurai, who insisted that things were okay between them this morning. see, the saito girl had spent her morning in the music room as she had come to school early for her brother's practice, and had found sakurai there. the pure stress balling up in her stomach over her new friend made it difficult to concentrate.

kenma's mind was mostly empty as he stared out of the window, watching the leaves swirl around in the spring time wind. tapping his fingers against the desk, he hummed quietly, eyes drifting over to the girls huddled near the door. a small smirk pulled at his lips when he watched one of them walk over to katsuo's desk.

"saito-san?" she asked quietly, so quietly, infact, that katsuo didn't hear her the first time. the boy was too occupied in his excitement. slightly louder this time, she repeated herself. "saito-san?"

glancing up, he smiled. "yes?" nervously, the blonde fiddled with her hands, blushing as she tried to respond. unfortunately for her, katsuo got the complete wrong idea. "hey, are you okay? should i get the nurse?" years of being a protective brother had practically wired him for moments like this.

blushing deeper, she shook her head adamantly, earning small giggles from her group of friends. "i just wanted to introduce myself." she managed to stammer out. "i sit behind you."

katsuo patiently waited for her to continue, but it seemed she was waiting for his approval before she said her name. from the back, hanako watched with interest. this happened to katsuo a lot, and he still wasn't any better at it.

luckily for him, he didn't have to be today. "oi, saito!" a boy pushed past the girls by the door, handing him a piece of paper. "captain said you can choose your number. the ones that are highlighted are taken." mouth dropping open, katsuo's eyes gleamed as he grinned at the third year vice-captain before him.

"thank you, uenoyama-san!" the older boy ruffled katsuo's hair as he stood in front of his desk.

"no problem. here's the thing though, you'll have to let one of the guys measure you during practice since our old manager graduated." he sniggered, leaning forwards as he watched katsuo's eyes roam the paper.

"i can get my sister to measure me. might have to get her a step-ladder though." both boys laughed, and hanako felt herself smile lightly at them. she was glad her brother was making friends.

"cool, just get her to swing by later. coach is placing the orders tonight. you gonna come eat lunch with us today?" katsuo paused at uenoyama's question, shuffling a little in his seat, before shrugging.

"maybe. i'll see you later, uenoyama-san." he nodded at the black-haired boy with respect, smiling as he slipped out of the room. sighing in defeat, the girls disbanded as the bell sounded.

hanako heard two of them muttering as they made their way to the back of the room. "saito-san is so cool." she couldn't help but agree.

"and he plays basketball? why is he so perfect?" the girls continued to gush over her brother, and hanako felt a tinge of contentment pluck at her heart. she liked that people liked him. it made her happy.

꧁꧂

by the time lunch rolled around, katsuo pulled up a chair to hanako's desk, taking out his bento box. "you're not gonna eat with the team?" she asked softly, feeling the shame settle in at the thought that she was the reason he was missing out on spending time with his new friends.

"that's okay. i'd rather eat with you." katsuo responded, reaching to open his lunch before hanako's cold hands stopped him.

"you should eat with them." her voice was unwavering, dynamics a little louder than usual. blinking in confusion, katsuo tiled his head in a silent question. why? "it's rude to turn down an invitation." she reminded him.

that wasn't the reason at all. hanako knew that her brother wanted to protect her, and she knew that she greatly burdened his life. she didn't want to be the reason that he held back from a good high school experience. she didn't want to hinder him any more than she already had. "i don't want you to be alone." he reasoned, making hanako feel inferior once more.

could she not do anything right? could she not just be normal so her brother wouldn't give up on living his life to take care of her? before she opened her mouth, kenma turned around in his seat, pushing past the self-consciousness as he spoke.

"if you want, you can come eat with kuroo and i." he suggested, averting his eyes from the saito siblings and their shocked expressions. in that moment, they looked almost identical.

after getting over his initial surprise, katsuo glanced at his sister, who was still frozen. "do you want to?" no. her mind screamed at her, telling her no. still, it was the least she could do to make her brother not feel bad about having fun with his friends.

"i...okay." she whispered, sending a small smile over to katsuo as she pulled her bag closer to her. not believing her, he leaned toward her.

"you sure?"

"yeah. it'll be fine." kenma almost smiled at her words, instead, settling for a small nod as he twisted further in his seat to face the two.

"kuroo will be here soon. we just sit on the field. it's quiet." hanako seemed to feel slightly more reassured by his words, shooing katsuo away.

"go. have fun." she encouraged, handing him his lunch as he stood up.

"okay, okay! i love you."

"i love you too."

꧁꧂

(a/n) bad filler ugh i'm
so sorry