When Asahi opened his eyes on sunday morning, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, tinting his room a soft pink. He sat up and yawned, looking out the window next to his bed. He shook his head a bit, eyes drawn to his window as he blinked slowly, wondering why he had woken up before his alarm.

The door to the room beside his slammed closed and he hummed, hearing the familiar footsteps of Suga and Daichi in the hall, weighted down by the gym bags he assumed were slung over their shoulders. Asahi yawned again, sinking back into bed after picking up his phone from where it was charging on the beaten up bedside table. He watched the black lines of his eyelids droop over his vision as he looked at the dim screen of his phone. The clock at the tops right corner of his phone told him it was just past five am, and Asahi wondered how his roommates managed to both get up before dawn consistently.

They probably wake each other up, he thought, smiling a little and checking his calendar. The last vestiges of sleepiness vanished as he remembered that he had agreed to meet with Noya.

"Oh god." He groaned, pulling a pillow over his face to try and calm the sudden flush that threatened to take over his entire head. He spent some time cursing his roommates for waking him and giving him so much time to agonize over the coming hours between the lunch date and quarter after five in the morning.

Asahi spent some time debating whether or not it was too early to text Noya about meeting, before deciding that yes, any time before eight am was probably too early. He dragged himself out of bed, padding to the bathroom then to the kitchen. It was as Asahi stared contemplatively into a bowl of oatmeal that Suga burst back into the apartment, grinning and looking like he jogged back from the gym.

"Asahi! Good morning!" Suga practically sang, kicking the door shut with an ominous thud.

"Good morning, Suga..."

"Did you make extra oatmeal? I'm starving." Asahi nodded and gestured to the stove as he took a bite of his own meal. Suga helped himself and slid into the chair across from Asahi, eyes bright.

"So, now that you've gotten some sleep, who was that on friday?"

Asahi regarded his roommate and long time friend with eyes narrowed a few degrees, "A new friend, I suppose."

"Pretty close, pretty fast if you invited him over already!"

"Well… we met because we were both locked into Ukai's grocery after close together, and because it was so late it seemed like the right thing to do… letting him sleep over. He lives far away so..."

"Wow, they're really bad for that at that grocery store, huh." Asahi nodded as Suga rubbed his chin, stirring brown sugar into his oatmeal, "In any case, are we ever going to see him again?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I mean, we moved into this apartment together like a so long ago and you've literally never brought anyone over to hang, soooo…"

"So?" Asahi said, leaning forward a little so his long hair obscured his face.

"So, I'm saying your social life is lacking."

"Well… I am going… to see him today before seeing his volleyball practice." Asahi felt his nose wrinkle as he frowned, poking at his food. Suga perked up, grinning widely and leaning in to see Asahi's face a little better.

"Oh yeah, he was talking about that wasn't he. What was his name again? I wanna look him up on facebook."

Asahi sputtered, looking up as his silver haired roommate, "Suga, is that really necessary?" Amber eyes met Asahi's brown over the phone Suga had produced from a pocket, poised to search Noya's name on every social media outlet he could find.

"Yes."

The taller man hid his face in his hands and relented, spelling out Noya's name for Suga. He hummed happily, shoving another spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth and staring at his phone as Asahi coaxed himself out of his hands to eat.

"Hmm, he seems chill but I want to meet him again before you get my blessing."

"Suga, I thought you just said my social life was lacking? why do I need your blessing?" Asahi said, raising his eyebrows a little.

"Just because your social life is sad doesn't mean you should fill it with bad friends!" A glint in Suga's eyes made the taller man squirm, but he tilted his head slightly, raising a sardonic eyebrow.

"Maybe I should start with getting rid of that Suga character then."

Suga blinked and grinned, "Asahi, I'm offended. Daichi should clearly be the first one to go."

They both laughed a bit and lapsed into a companionable silence as they both worked on finishing their food and Suga stared hard at his phone. It occurred to Asahi that he hadn't even looked up Noya on facebook. He nibbled his lip a bit, looking up at Suga's face.

"So… he's on facebook?"

"Mhmm…" Suga glanced at him for a moment before returning his gaze to his phone, an unreadable smile on his face. Asahi wrinkled his nose and glanced at the stove's clock, relieved to see it was edging into reasonable texting time.

He sent off a quick message to Noya, saying "Hey, where did you want to meet for lunch? Campus at noon, right?" and pocketed his phone to get up and do the dishes from his meal. Suga slipped his bowl into the sink and grinned as he bolted from the room, throwing a "Thank you, Asahi!" over his shoulder and retreating to his bedroom.

Dishes done, Asahi went to his room and stared into his closet, swallowing. He pulled out his phone to check what the weather was going to be like, blinking when he saw that he had a text message from Noya waiting for him.

"Theres a pub real close to campus! lets go there. can u meet me at the bus stop so we can walk there together?" Asahi nearly dropped the phone when he read what Noya had said fumbling with the phone and feeling himself sweat a little bit.

He licked his lips and carefully typed out, "No problem. you'll be there by noon?" Asahi spent a few moments considering whether or not to add another smiling emote, but decided against it and sent the message. He re-read the text another three times after hitting send and pocketed his phone, deciding that it was fine, and turning back to his closet.

With great care, Asahi laid out a pair of jeans and a button down, deciding that it was best to keep it simple. He hummed a bit, looking at the outfit he'd put on the bed. After a moment he snapped his fingers, turning back to his closet and retrieving a green pullover. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out, seeing the affirmative text from Noya and nodding to himself, grabbing a towel and heading to shower and finish getting ready.

The rest of the morning crawled by until it was finally time for Asahi to leave, and he tried to tiptoe past Suga's room. The floorboards threatened to creak with each step he took, but Asahi moved as if through water, weighed down by the fear of seeing silver hair before he made it out of the apartment. He made it to the front door before Suga's bedroom door swung open and the grinning man stuck his head out.

"Headin' out Asahi?"

"Y-yeah! I'll be back later today." He blurted, immediately ringing his hands as his roommate slinked out of his room.

"Have fun!" Suga grinned as he spoke, making Asahi worry he was missing something fundamental.

"I will…"

"Oh and invite him back over after. I want to meet him when you're not an insomniac mess." Asahi flushed a bit and nodded, hurrying through the door and locking it behind him in the hopes of keeping Suga contained. He shivered a little, wondering how Suga managed to be so cheerful and terrifying.

Pushing the building door open and stepping into the autumn air made his lips quirk up at the corners and he paused to inhale deeply before walking toward the hill that stood between him and the main campus. Leaves were starting to decay into bright splashes of orange and red and Asahi pulled his jacket a little tighter around himself.

The street gave from residential to academic in the span of one intersection, and the lifeless aura of a school on sunday took over as Asahi walked past the parking garage. He heaved a sigh, turning down an empty pedestrian walkway and glancing at the apartment style dorm windows. A few smiling cardboard cutouts of celebrities stood sentry behind the glass, smiling out at the nearly empty path. Asahi shook his head and turned again, approaching the campus bus station.

It occurred to him that he had no idea which direction Noya would be coming from, so he elected to hang back by the buildings, pulling his phone from his pocket. Asahi nibbled on his bottom lip, looking from the time to his empty notification tray and up at the bus stop. The wind kicked up for a moment and Asahi sighed, leaning against a wall and checking his phone again.

A bus passed on the other side of the street, making Asahi perk up a bit. It took a moment before pulling away to reveal two people- a tall blond and a dark haired companion. Neither were Noya. Asahi sighed, checking his phone to remind himself that it was still five minutes before the younger man was to arrive. Another bus growled to a stop on the other side of the street and Asahi swallowed when it pulled away and Noya was still no where is sight.

He nibbled on his thumb nail, checking his phone once again and wondering if he'd gotten the time or day wrong. Asahi pulled up Noya's text thread, glancing up as a bus pulled up on his side of the road before reading the texts made to decide on where to meet. He checked the date, relieved to see that it seemed accurate enough. It didn't seem reasonable for Noya to invite him out too far in advance, he reasoned, still chewing his nail and he double checked the day again.

"Morning!" Asahi nearly leapt out of his skin, looking up to see a grinning noya standing before him, hands shoved in his jacket pockets.

"O-oh, I'm sorry. Good morning."

"Ready to grab some food?"

Asahi nodded, a bit flushed as he tucked his phone back into his jacket pocket, "Yes…" Noya started off at the response, retracing part of Asahi's path before turning to follow another street.

"So, do you eat out around here a lot?" Noya said, looking up at Asahi.

"U-um, not a lot, really. My roommates and I do go out once a week together, though."

"They seemed like cool guys!"

"Yeah, when they're not being menaces." He grumbled out, making Noya laugh. Asahi smiled at him, glancing down as the shorter shook his head.

"Well at least you've got good roommates. A friend of mine got a really horrible one and they fight all the time. Its just dorms though, so he's just suckin' it up until the end of the semester."

"Ah… Yes, I was lucky because the three of us actually knew each other beforehand and moved here together so I never had to worry about dorms or people I didn't know."

"Dude, I'd be jealous if I didn't basically do the same thing." Noya said, drawing a curious glance from the taller man, "My friend Ryu and I moved into dorms together because we knew each other online beforehand. it was so sick."

"Oh wow! That would be um, very ill."

Noya threw his head back and laughed as they got to the pub, taking a minute to recompose himself as Asahi felt his cheeks heat up. Noya shook his head and exhaled with only a little chuckle, turning to the long haired man.

"Very ill." He repeated, breaking into another fit of giggles as he lead Asahi into the rustic style bar.

Asahi glanced around as Noya greeted the hostess, taking in the rustic decor of the pub. It was clearly well worn by the thousands of students that had passed through its rooms over the years. Asahi looked at Noya as he turned, motioning for Asahi to follow. They sat at a table tucked up against a stained glass window and the hostess passed them their menus and cutlery before vanishing towards the front of the house again.

"I can't believe I haven't been here before. It's so close to campus." Asahi said softly, dropping eyes to the menu to avoid Noya's golden stare.

"Eh, happens." Noya said, waving hand dismissively as he browsed the menu he was clearly familiar with, "I come here with Ryu a lot."

"Yeah?"

"We… both aren't huge fans of cooking." He admitted with a sheepish grin, making Asahi chuckle.

"Lots of ramen and canned soup?"

"Yeeep." They both laughed a little, smiling at each other over the menus before Asahi dropped his eyes back to it shyly.

They lapsed into a companionable silence until the server took their orders with a probably illegal amount of pep. Asahi glanced up after looking at the table for a moment, accidentally meeting Noya's eyes and averting his gaze with a nervous smile.

"So you said you and your roommate met online?"

"Oh, yeah! Me 'n Ryu go way back. We've been gaming together for a long time, like… I guess early high school? And we both decided and applied to this school without even mentioning it. Then we both got accepted and told each other and went like "gwoooah!" and we decided to be roommates." Noya nodded twice, eyes serious.

"That worked out unbelievably well."

"Hell yeah it did. What about Daichi and Suga?"

Asahi blinked a bit, "What about them?"

"How come you three ended up here?" Noya tilted his head, bangs flopping into his eyes a little before being brushed away.

"Oh! Well… we were lucky it worked out that way too I guess. We… Well, we all came here to join the volleyball team, but I didn't stick with it." Asahi looked down, picking a bit at the napkin wrapped around his utensils.

"Mn, well, happens! You're almost done the school thing at least and you can get back to stuff once things chill out."

Asahi looked up at Noya, a little surprised, "Y-yeah… once things chill out."

He smiled after a moment, glancing at the bright stained glass and nodding half an inch. He rubbed the scruff on his jaw before looking back up and Noya, who had turned to the server as she put their plates on the table, thanking her graciously.

"Man! The food here looks great as always!" Noya exclaimed, digging right into his burger as Asahi started on his pasta dish. The taller man tried to keep his hand from shaking slightly as they ate, carefully avoiding Noya's eyes and failing a little. There was something that drew Asahi in, making him watch to watch the way Noya's eyes crinkled when he smiled.

"Are you excited to check out the intramural league today?" Noya asked around a mouthful of sweet potato fries, jolting Asahi from his thoughts.

He considered the question for a long moment, rubbing his jaw again, "Yes, I think so. A bit nervous." He confessed, feeling as if nervous was a little too gentle of a word for the uproarious anxiety pounding at the back of his head.

"Worried about getting back into it after a while?"

"I… W-Well, yes, but… yeah, that's mostly it, I think." Asahi stammered, forcing out his words and promptly shutting his mouth as his cheeks burned.

"Try not to! it's like riding a bike. No one can forget how to volleyball." Noya said firmly, then paused, trying to figure out his own sentence before nodding in acceptance.

"I sure hope so." Asahi said with a soft chuckle, pushing a noodle around his plate and leaning his chin on his hand, "What is the rest of the team like?"

"Loud! and mostly younger for some reason? I guess because its new, mostly first years latched onto my team at least."

"You're the captain?"

Noya blanched a little, "Well… Kind of but not at the same time? There's a cocky first year setter who yells a lot so I guess he kind of is? But also he definitely isn't because he's got a head the size of uranus. And by that I mean his head is shoved up his OWN anus."

Asahi snorted the drink of water he was taking, pulling it away and covering his mouth as he tried to laugh and swallow at the same time. Noya looked both alarmed and smug about his joke causing the reaction.

"I-I'm sorry, I just… I know the type you mean exactly." Asahi said as soon as he got the situation under control, laughing a little again.

"Heh, no problem, no problem. But yeah! he's all bark and no bite anyway, and mostly yells at one of the other first years." Asahi nodded thoughtfully, wondering what exactly he was getting into.

"Well… perhaps I could ask Daichi and Suga to come some time and give them some pointers?" The huge man jumped as Noya slammed his hands on the table, leaning forward and looking at Asahi with starry eyes.

"That would be amazing! You should definitely ask! Wait, you wanted me to come back to your place after right? or was that invitation for another time? either way, I want to ask soon! there's a tournament with the other schools in the area and I want to kick some ass!"

Asahi blinked a little, then smiled, mentally noting that Noya had more enthusiasm than anyone he had ever met before. He nodded, swallowing thickly and working on getting a couple words out.

"Y-Yeah, I'll definitely ask."

"You're the best, Asahi!" Noya gushed, leaning back in his chair and clenching his fist, grinning as he thought about the possibility, "Hey, if they want to play with us even they'd be welcome."

"W-well, they are on the volleyball team so I'm not sure they'd want to, but I will ask." Asahi rubbed the back of his neck, smiling a little as he looked away.

"Right, Right, Of course, of course." Noya nodded, solemn and thoughtful in the blink of an eye.

"So… are we ready for the bills now? how far is the gym from here?" Asahi asked and Noya smiled slyly.

"It's only about a fifteen minute walk, if you want to do that rather than ride the bus."

"That sounds great." a gush of air came out of Asahi's chest in relief of the idea of walking. Noya grinned wider, jumping up from the dark wood chair.

"Great! I'm poppin' into the bathroom, I'll be right back!" He called, vanishing around a corner with a short wave. Asahi fiddled with his glass of water, biting his lip and worrying that Noya was going to not return from the bathroom. He looked up as the bus boy cleared away the plates with a nod which Asahi returned, muttering a thank you before sipping his water again. He felt his shoulders relax a little as Noya came around the corner again, before immediately tensing up again at the sight of his mischievous smile.

"Alright, we're all squared up so lets bounce!" He announced, grabbing his jacket and pulling it on as Asahi blinked at him in confusion.

"But… I didn't pay? I'll just need a minute to do so." Noya grinned wider and shook his head.

"I gotcha covered." He said with a wink, and Asahi must have looked to be in a genuine state of confusion, prompting Noya to continue, "I paid for both of us."

"Oh! You…Th-thank you, um, I can, um, pay you back…? You didn't need to…"

Noya laughed again, making Asahi snap his mouth shut and feel his cheeks catch fire, "It's fine, Asahi. Really! Think of it as a thank you."

"A thank you?" Asahi said as Noya nodded, feeling his eyebrows knit together, "For what?"

"I 'unno, its cool. Anyway, lets get walking?"

Asahi nodded a bit dumbly, pushing himself up and pulling on his coat as he followed the speedwalking Noya out of the pub. He felt his heart beat faster, wondering if he'd imagined the light flush on Noya's cheeks before he'd turned away. Long legs allowed for Asahi to catch up with his companion easily enough, and Noya glanced up as they fell into stride.

"Thank you." Asahi said after a moment, tucking his hands into his pockets again.

Noya looked at him again and flashed a half grin at the taller man, "You're welcome." He looked down, bangs flopping into his eyes again before he brushed them away, still smiling when he lifted his head again.

A few long moments of silence settled over them, and Asahi felt his mind whirling as if it were one of the orange leaves being pushed along by the October breeze. He swallowed a bit and glanced down at Noya who seemed at ease. Asahi relaxed slightly, looking up and adjusting the strap of his gym bag as they headed back the way they'd come. They gym was still on the other side of campus, but Asahi found he didn't mind the silent streets so much when Noya was beside him. They made it to the sleek, modern building and headed immediately for the change rooms. Asahi checked his watch, a little surprised to see it was still only two.

"Oh, we're quite a bit early, aren't we?"

"Yep!" Noya chirped, putting the combination into his locker, "I usually come a little early to help throw up the nets, plus you probably want to warm up a little bit first, right?"

"Oh, that is a good idea…" Asahi said thoughtfully, a bit surprised at himself for not thinking of that.

"Do you have a locker here? you can just throw your stuff in mine if not."

"Oh! yes, thank you. I appreciate it." Noya flashed another half smile as he hung up his coat in the locker, then they both changed quickly. Asahi found himself having more trouble than usual resisting the urge to glance at the shorter man. Asahi tucked his clothes into his Gym bag then neatly slid it onto the top shelf of the locker, as Noya's bag hung crookedly from one of the hooks beside his coat.

"All ready?" Noya asked, stretching his arms over his head. He smiled when Asahi nodded, "Alright lets hit the court!" He said, trotting out of the locker room with Asahi lumbering along behind him.

Asahi tugged his shirt down by the bottom a little, wondering how long it had been since he'd been on a genuine volleyball court and feeling his heart race. Noya pushed the door open, holding it open for Asahi who swallowed thickly and stepped through, feeling a rush of nostalgia run through him as his feet hit the floor. Noya followed him in, making a surprised sound in the back of his throat.

"Oh hey, someone already put the nets up. Gimme a second and let me grab the ball bin and we can do a couple rallies!"

"You don't need any help?" Asahi asked worriedly, and Noya shook his head as he trotted to the small equipment room. Asahi took a moment to just look out at the empty court, closing his eyes and inhaling before letting a smile grace his features. They opened again as the rumble of a cart reached his ears, and Noya parked the bin of volleyballs beside the court, grabbing a red and green one off the top.

"Think fast!" He yelled, serving the ball to Asahi who felt his body glide into position and receive it, sending it up into the air. Noya whooped, running to hit it back, not noticing Asahi's look of surprise at himself.

"Nice recieve!" Noya called as he sent the ball heading back towards Asahi.

"Likewise!" Asahi said a bit breathlessly, lobbing the ball back and following their back and forth.

"Hey you're a spiker right?" Noya said as he sent the ball back towards Asahi after several minutes of rallying. Asahi nodded and sent the ball back, seeing Noya get under it with his hands up, ready to set. The second he saw the shift in Noya's pose, he headed for the net, eye glued to the ball and jumping up as Noya sent it sailing towards him.

Faintly, he heard the gym door swing open as he hit the peak of his jump, palm connecting with the ball and sending it forcefully towards the opposite side of the net.