Hello ! This is another OS in the series I made out of a post on Tumblr. This time, it turned in almost 2k of kuroyama. I regret nothing, you go Yams ! I hope you enjoy !

"Well well well ! Isn't that the annoying pinch server from Karasuno ?"

There is someone – no, two people, what did they do to deserve this – leering at them right now and Tadashi feels like it's the beginning of middle school all over again. Worse. Those aren't bullies, which is good, they don't want bullies, but also bad because Tsukki taught them how to deal with bullies. And with the team they had, dealing with normal people seems like a foreign experience.

Well, this still is far from normal, these are Oikawa and Ushijima leaning over their shoulder.

"Don't be petty, Oikawa. You watched every single Karasuno match, you know exactly how much Yamaguchi improved these last two years."

"Don't spoil my fun, Ushiwaka !"

No, this is not how university first day was supposed to go – first day, only, and they managed to run into the setter Suga said they should watch out for, and the volleyball giant their team beat in their first year. Tadashi needs a break, it's break time after all, they want to eat lunch in peace. The other two don't seem to share this view and are making a move to sit down next to them – no no no, this is not good, Tadashi has to do something before he gets dragged into this. Whatever "this" is.

Oikawa is talking about alien movie marathons. Ushijima mentions training somewhere during the banter. They must be on the volleyball team – who are they kidding, of course Genius Setter and Best Teen Player are on the team. And the same team now. Wow. It must be a good team.

"Um, sorry, but I already made plans to eat elsewhere ? I – I really gotta go. See you another time !"

Ushijima waves at them and – he actually looks relaxed, nothing like that frown from two years ago, and he's quite attractive like that – wow, Tadashi should really stop having gay epiphanies out of nowhere.

oo

"So ! This is the scared cat Tooru threatened to bring back by the tail last week ?"

And this is Kuroo, dubbed by Tsukki "the most annoying person to ever live" – Tadashi disagrees. His presence is a relief, Kuroo being someone Tadashi actually knows and spent time with. Tsukki had never been good at making friends but Kuroo was persistent, to say the least. He even ended up talking to them. It says a lot.

And Kuroo is making his happy cat grin. Tadashi might be melting a little inside but they were already not very consistent because of the anxiety anyway, so Kuroo won't notice.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here, Tadashi ! You didn't tell me you were going to this uni, I would have given you a tour !"

See, this, right here, is Kuroo being nice. Something he's done a lot, that still makes Tadashi's heart flutter with – whatever the hell that makes hearts flutter, fear, hope, platonic attraction, Tadashi honestly can't guess on this one. But Kuroo is nice. Tadashi shouldn't be worrying about Kuroo commenting on how they shouldn't even bother applying for the volleyball club when they've just met after several weks of not talking due to too many tests at once, and then holidays.

"Don't let your insecurities get the best of you," Tsukki used to say, and Tadashi knows this – but it's not like Tsukki was good at following his own advice either. Oh god, what is Tsukki even doing now that Tadashi isn't here ? Not talking to anyone in his class, that's for sure, overworking, maybe, since Tsukki did discover he could do that somewhere during his last year. There is Hitoka with him, though.

"Tsukki is going to be ok, I think."

"Hum. That's good ? I wasn't really thinking about him and he's not here anyway, but it's sweet of you to worry about him. I was thinking about volleyball though ! Have you filled your form yet ? Trials for the uni team start tomorrow. Wouldn't want you to miss your chance !"

Tadashi has been registered for a week but it doesn't make them any less nervous about it – what if they're not taken, what if they just fail miserably ? After fighting for three years, biting their way into a team of tall people and geniuses, being ignored would hurt like – like feeling worthless all over again when they thought they were past the self-doubt. Maybe that's why Kuroo is surprised, after all, to see them in a volleyball power school, and-

"Tadashi ? You're a bit pale, maybe we should. I don't know, walk a little ?"

"If that doesn't bother you, yeah, I'd like that."

"I asked, Tadashi. Here, let me show you around !"

Not good. Tadashi thought they had won over the anxiety, but getting to know a whole new school is obviously too much – they'll get used to it, eventually, get used to the people and the classes and the fact that the campus alone looks like a tiny city. There will be volleyball, if they can actually make it into the team. And apparently Kuroo, who will probably continue talking to them even if they don't play anymore. And without Tsukki to bring them together. Right ?

"Of course he will talk to you even if I'm not here, he's absolutely smitten with you, in case you hadn't noticed," Tsukki had said. Tadashi needs to stop replaying conversations in their head at inappropriate moments. Like, say, when their crush is walking right next to them and excitedly pointing at the place Bokuto asked Akaashi out like it's become some love shrine ever since. Tadashi should enjoy the moment, and if the moment is Kuroo being cute over a lame bench corner, two blades of grass and a tree, so be it.

Kuroo is smiling at them and yes, it does feel nice, and a little less threatening to walk through campus with someone that already knows where everything is and accidentally lets his hand brush against Tadashi's like they wont notice if it happens five times in a row. It's a nice distraction, though, from the whirlwind that is their head, and they don't listen to much of what Kuroo says until they're in front of the dorms – and damn, Tadashi had completely forgotten about the clock and Tsukki is going to be on skype soon, they have to hurry if they want to call.

"Thank you for walking with me, Kuroo. I'll see you for the trials ?"

"Hey, what do you say about eating lunch with me tomorrow ? I could show you around town a little or. I don't know. Have you been to the library yet ? There's a nice café."

"It's the third time today you've asked me if you could show me around. If I didn't know you were the least smooth person ever, I'd think you were trying to flirt with me."

"Ouch, Tadashi, mean !"

oo

Tsukki pretends to be proud when Tadashi tells him they managed to be snarky with Kuroo, even just a little. It's nothing compared to Oikawa, Tadashi discovers, who managed to sass his way into vice-captaincy and is now watching the newcomers spike toss after toss with glee. Too much glee, if you asked Tadashi, but no one does, so he waits on the sidelines with the other middle blockers, while the actual team members watch from the other side.

They're gossiping about you, a mean voice whispers in their ear, but Tadashi ignores it – not the right thing to listen to at the moment, at any time, actually. Their hands are clammy, the sound of their breathing fills their ears, their chest feels impossibly tight, and if they didn't know better, Tadashi would think they're about to have a panic attack. They aren't, though – their legs are itching to move and jump, their hands remember perfectly the press of a ball, their training that finally paid off all bottled up – something breathes on their shoulder and they jump.

"Wow, calm down, it's just me !"

As if this piece of information would calm Tadashi down. It kind of does, though, Kuroo's shitty grin is something they know and can deal with. Usually by not taking it into account, or blushing a lot, but still.

"I've been training you, so you should do ok, right ? I mean, you did train a lot with shrimpy too."

Yes, Tadashi should do well, good, even. Karasuno went to nationals twice while they were on the team, as a regular after their first year – most players here probably can't say the same and it makes Tadashi stand a bit straighter with pride.

The trials for blocking go in a blur. Tadashi is more than 180 centimetres tall now, and it does help a lot – no wonder Tsukki thought he'd have no effort to make, having always been a giant French fry. Reflexes and timing, that they trained under Ukai's piercing glare, and now that Oikawa is giving them an approving nod, every ball they took to the face seems worth it.

Kuroo is making ridiculous thumbs up from the sidelines and live texting everything to – probably Tsukki, the only person interested in knowing how it goes. It makes them smile, though, having someone cheering on them in the bleachers.

Receiving is another thing but Tadashi received Oikawa's serve once, Kageyama's serve several times, and it really puts everything into perspective. It's true that Karasuno severely lacked defensive power in their first year but they took care of that, and now Tadashi feels – at ease ? Oddly calm, at least, like this is just another practise and the sound of volleyballs bouncing everywhere is their life's background music. That would be cool.

"Ok, now, any pinch servers ?"

Oooh god this is it. Their turn. Trials are almost over now so lots of people are watching – oh god, oh god, what if they mess up ?

"The more people watching, the more people seeing you make a nice serve," Tsukki would say, and he'd pat on Tadashi's shoulder, and one time Kuroo was here and he cheered with Saeko – that made a lot of noise. That's a fond memory, Kuroo is still doing his stupid thumbs up, and yeah, Tadashi practised, they can do this.

Ten serves in a row and none was received. Oikawa looks annoyed, for a moment, before Ushijima reminds him that they're all on the same team now – ok, now he looks dangerous. Tadashi isn't sure it's a good thing but they'll think about that later because Kuroo just got on the court and leaped in front of Oikawa in a move so ridiculous Tadashi regrets not taking a picture. For Kenma and Tsukki, of course, who would love to laugh at his silly goofy grin.

"I told you, Tooru ! Tadashi is the best. They're… They're Gucci."

"Tetsu-chan, oh my god, you are so embarrassing !"

They start bickering about – car brands, apparently, while the captain tells them they'll most probably be on the team even if he can't promise anything just now. Kuroo hugs them hard for a minute and then blushes to the tip of his ears, but Tadashi isn't doing any better, probably.

- Kuroo thinks Gucci is a car brand. Oikawa is dead inside (wake me up inside) (can't wake up)
- Yamaguchi and Kenma don't like to see each other, because Yamaguchi is too stressed to stop talking and Kenma needs the quiet. But they text a lot, so they do end up becoming friends ! Plus, support team for non-binary people, stuff like that...
- The longest conversation they had was over the massive folder of Bad Pictures of Kuroo that Kenma not so secretly keeps with the Nekoma team (mostly Yaku, though, don't be fooled). It started as "let's make fun of Kuroo being a nerd" and ended up with Yams looking so smitten Kenma thought it was a bad idea after all. Yams used a picture of Kuroo, asleep, drooling, as a wallpaper until Tsukki found out and laughed so hard his glasses fell (now it's only the contact picture)
- Yamaguchi and Ushijima become friends, kind of like Sousuke and Ai from Free, you know, tol and smol friendship ! Though Yams isn't small. (they're smol in their heart ok)
- Also I like the idea of Yamaguchi being on the super volleyball uni, because they deserve so much. (Kageyama and Hinata are in another great volleyball uni and are super excited to play inter uni matches !)
- Yahaba is also in this university but when he saw Oikawa, he groaned, left the trials, and is now playing for the neighbourhood team. Oikawa tried not to feel offended. Makki and Mattsun copy pasted every single whining text from him into the Seijou group chat and Kunimi laughed for half an hour.
- Bokuto is here too, he even got a volleyball scolarship ! But he was with Akaashi during the trials (they're in different universities, so they try to see each other as much as possible during their free time). Oikawa isn't sure he likes Bokuto other until they practise so hard they actually fall asleep in the locker room (Iwaizumi scolds them for days, Kuroo is so done, Akaashi is tired of their shit) (Ushijima is sad he wasn't invited)

Thank you so much for reading !