"Crap, crap, crap!" Hinata swore aloud as he struggled to pedal faster on his bike, his cheeks red and lungs ablaze. The crisp morning air bit at his face like a cold wakeup call as he forced his feet up and down with as much effort as he could muster, standing up on the pedals to get more leverage. The popsicle he had quickly grabbed as a last resort attempt at breakfast hang precariously from his hand as he simultaneously gripped the handlebars in front of him, fingers digging into the cold rubber to keep him stable.

The dwindling colour from the end of the morning's sunrise shone against his skin, the now overwhelmingly bright rays only serving to remind him of how much faster he needed to go.

He'd slept late that morning, wiping drool from his mouth and crust from his eyes after having forgotten to set an alarm, being too exhausted from all the travelling he'd done in the few days prior.

Today marked the day of his first day at university.

He had woken up in a panic, toothbrush jutting out of the side of his mouth and toothpaste dribbling down his chin while he quickly pulled jeans on and shoved a brown jumper over his head. He wasn't even sure he remembered to pack everything he needed from the hotel room as he shoved articles of clothing and school supplies into his bag haphazardly before dashing out the door, unruly orange hair standing out every which way.

It wasn't his first time in the city, not by any means, but it was the first time he'd moved from his childhood home, and the first time he would be away from his family for such an extended period of time. Leaving all of his family and friends behind had been incredibly hard, but it was something he knew he needed to do- plus, he wouldn't be entirely alone, as he opted in to living in the on-campus dormitories, which meant that he would (hopefully) be surrounded by many other students all in the same boat.

Up until this point, he had been lucky enough to have an incredible group of friends that he'd basically grown up with, and while there was a tiny piece inside of him that made him wonder if he'd be alone here, he did have quite the knack of making friends, and this was at least enough to comfort him during his travels while he'd been alone with his thoughts.

He took one deep, calming breath as he turned the corner to the university's entrance gate, heart hammering in his chest not only from all the energy he'd put into rushing to school, but also from seeing the insane mass of students pouring in and out of all the buildings. It sent a rush of excitement through his veins- seeing all the smiling faces of new and returning students, all discussing their plans for the year ahead.

Wow… he thought to himself as a wide smile worked its way across his face. I can't believe I'm finally here!

He came to a quick stop at the first set of bike racks he could find, hopping off his still-moving bike and pulling it hurriedly into a stand. As he bent to lock his bike up, though, he felt more than saw the rest of his popsicle sliding off of the wooden sticks, and only had time to watch in dismay as it slid off and onto the ground in front of him with a soft 'plop'.

"Arghh! Are you kidding me?" He shrieked loudly into the open air, stomping his foot on the ground in a tantrum as he bent to try to clean the mess, his heavy backpack weighing down on him as he reached forward, oblivious to the handful of stares he received from surprised students at his sudden outburst. He had no time to even think about how to clean it up before, out of the corner of his peripheral vision, he saw someone's feet heading directly towards his fallen popsicle.

"Hey, watch out!" He called from the ground, voice feeble and a bit muffled by his position as he made to stand up, but the feet didn't stop.

Eyes darting between the fallen popsicle and the oncoming feet, and without much time to react before this person stepped in his mess and caused more trouble than he'd already gotten himself into, Hinata closed his eyes and braced himself, hands shooting forward as he shoved the person to the side at the very last second.

He flinched as he felt muscles tense in surprise underneath this person's shirt- the shove had been a bit harder than he'd intended, but at least it got the job done.

He heard the stranger grunt in surprise as they stumbled, and Hinata winced openly at the sound, preparing to apologize.

"I'm sor-" He started to say, before quieting as he heard the stranger exhale and yell loudly.

"Oi, dumbass," Came the thundering voice from above him, sounding absolutely irate. "What the hell do you think you're doing? That hurt!"

Hinata grimaced, and as he finally looked up, he was greeted by the sight of a tall, black-haired student with one headphone pulled from his ear now dangling in his hand, and boy- was he angry. The fuming look on the stranger's face sent a chill down his spine, intense blue eyes only accentuating his emotion.

Hinata sputtered awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say as he watched the stranger in front of him, slender build and defined facial features etched with annoyance as he stared down at the orange haired male with blatant irritation.

"H-Hey, I was just trying to stop you from stepping in my popsicle," Hinata stuttered out, resting one hand defiantly on his hip and pointing down towards his mess with the other. "but if you wanna be an ass about it, you can go right ahead for all I care!" He finished with an angry huff, all of the emotions and stress from his rushed morning finally bubbling to the surface.

Who the hell did this guy think he was?

The stranger looked at him briefly with widened eyes- almost as if he was surprised Hinata had the guts to yell back at him, before muttering an angry "idiot" under his breath and quickly walking away, shoving the headphone back into his ear without a look back at Hinata.

Hinata stood, dumbfounded, as he watched the black-haired male leave. Before he could even begin to process the situation and the absolute audacity of this stranger, though, he was almost scared out of his skin at the feeling of his phone vibrating in his pocket.

Resting a hand on his heart and giving a shaky exhale to calm himself down, he pulled the offending object from his pocket.

Kenma.

Hinata's tension left him almost immediately as he smiled down at his phone. He hadn't seen Kenma since the end of high school, and with all of the change he had gone through in the past few days with travelling, moving, and all the new people, Hinata yearned to just see something familiar.

PermanentlyExhausted: Where are you?

Tangerine: running late, be there soon! dropped my popsicle and met some rude guy and I literally just got here (ಥ﹏ಥ)

He typed back, not bothering to wait for a response as he started running towards the entrance hall, taking one last longing look at his lost popsicle as his stomach rumbled, dissatisfied.

Most of the buildings on campus were big, many of them bigger than Hinata's whole high school, but the entrance hall was truly something else. It was huge, with a towering glass ceiling that lit up every corner. Students crowded the hallways, flooding the large building with noise and conversation. It was simultaneously overwhelming and incredible at the same time, and all he could do was stare and take it all in.

His mouth hung open in awe as he ran through the corridors looking for Kenma, relief flooding him when he eventually spotted the all-familiar dual-toned hair from across the hall.

"I am SO happy to see you…" Hinata breathed out as he ran up to him, panting as he rested his sweaty palms against his thighs, trying to catch his breath. Kenma simply glanced up from his phone as he leant against the wall, looking just as indifferent as usual save for the small, sympathetic smile he offered at Hinata's state. "Have you seen this building? Isn't it insane?! I have no idea how I'm going to find any of the other buildings for my classes let alone the classrooms!" He continued, a pained look on his face as he imagined himself running late to all of his classes because he went the wrong direction (which in reality, really wasn't all that unlikely).

He always was bad with directions; it was a miracle itself that he'd even managed to make it to the entrance hall without so much as a missed turn. It was like all the exhaustion and adrenaline combined had put his brain on autopilot, like a weird sixth sense.

"It's good to see you too, Shouyou." Kenma replied calmly, snickering a little at the sheepish smile Hinata gave him.

The entrance ceremony went about as expected, they'd spent the entire thing barely paying attention to anything being said to them. Kenma busied himself with playing the new game he'd gotten a few days ago, while Hinata spent the ceremony entirely entranced by all of the students around him.

It amazed him to see how different everyone was- some people were listening intently to the welcoming speeches put on by the administration, others were immersed in bored chatter with their companions, but the thing that impressed Hinata the most was the energy in the room. It was like he could feel all of the excitement and nervousness, like the air itself was vibrating in preparation for the school term ahead.

Hinata inhaled happily and closed his eyes, listening to all of the sounds around him as he let his own excitement take over.

After he had said his goodbyes to Kenma with the promise that they'd meet again up later that evening for dinner, Hinata started off in a sprint towards the dormitories, the sound of his feet against the pavement only serving to make him more excited. It was finally time for him to get his stuff moved in and to officially meet his dorm mates.

And my roommate! Hinata thought excitedly, the warm sun soothing his skin as he slowed down to a walk.

Since he had never lived with anyone other than his family, the thought of having to share his year with someone new who was presumably also in the same situation actually helped to calm his nerves- plus, they would be the one person Hinata would undoubtedly be spending most of his time with during the schoolyear (whether by choice or not).

He'd spent most of his travel time wondering what kind of person they might be- if they were loud or quiet, what major they would have, if they'd be friends or if they would even get along. He hoped they'd get along, at the very least.

He was torn out of his thoughts, though, as he entered the dormitory building, surprised yet again at how large it actually was. It was far less appealing to the eyes than the entrance hall, brown brick walls and chipped paint showing years of use. After climbing up the sketchy metal staircase to his floor, he stopped to look around the common area. Two large couches faced a TV and a big window, some smaller beanbag chairs and a patch sofa haphazardly scattered around.

It was hilariously unsophisticated, but it looked cozy.

A loud "Welcome!" suddenly echoed throughout the spacious lounge area, causing Hinata to jump. He was startled out of his thoughts for the second time that day, whipping around to see a silver headed male jogging over to him from one of the hallways, a big grin on his face as he waved at Hinata.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Suga! I'm going to be one of your RA's this year." He stated simply, outstretching his hand for Hinata to shake. Hinata took it, a bright grin making its way across his face as he rubbed the back of his head. Suga's own smile radiated warmth and friendliness, it didn't surprise Hinata at all that he was an RA. "This guy over here is Daichi. He's going to be your other RA! We're both third years. I'm taking education and Daichi here is in criminal justice!" He finished with a breath, gesturing towards a short-haired male who was lounging on one of the couches, laptop resting against his thighs.

"Yo!" Daichi replied, looking up from his laptop and offering Hinata a wave. "If you break any of the rules, I'll know." He finished in a serious tone, but his eyes were joking as he pointed back and forth between Hinata's and his own.

"I'm Hinata, Hinata Shouyou! It's great to meet you!" Hinata responded loudly, flashing them both another bright smile. Suga laughed at this before looking down and biting on his bottom lip as he flipped through the sheets he had on his clipboard, presumably looking for which room was going to be his.

"I bet you're excited to see your room, right? It's going to be the third door on the left!" Suga finished excitedly, gesturing towards the corridor on the right and handing Hinata his set of keys as he listed off the different areas and services in the building.

The dormitory building was a multi-floor tower with two corridors, connected by a communal living area and small kitchen in the middle. This dorm building was co-ed, meaning one of the corridors would be for female students to live in, and the other would be for male students to live. There was also a cafeteria and communal study space on the first floor for all students and staff of the dorms to use.

Hinata grabbed the keys with excitement, muttering a quick "thank you!" to Suga as he practically sprinted towards his new room, skipping with each step. The information Suga had given him had gone in one ear and right out the other after the hectic day he'd had.

Oh well, he mused, I'll figure it out eventually.

He came to a stop at the door, halting when he saw his name plastered on the door in bright red paper lettering, the name 'Kageyama Tobio' written beside his in blue.

That must be my roommate! He thought excitedly to himself, heart racing at the thought of finally meeting his new dorm mate. He took a shaky break before knocking on the door and waiting for a few seconds, but there was no answer.

"Oh, Hinata, your roommate already moved his stuff in yesterday! I know you're arriving later than most of the other students, so I should let you know that many of them have already settled in for a day or two." Suga said from the edge of the corridor, leaning on the archway. He gave a sympathetic smile at seeing Hinata's disappointed face. "He left a little while ago, but you'll have a lot of time to get to know each other later, so don't worry!" He finished, flashing Hinata a thumbs-up and another one of those big, warm grins before walking back to the living area.

"Ah…" Hinata huffed, letting out a disappointed breath. Oh well, I guess I'll just save the excitement for later. He thought to himself, before grasping the doorknob and turning his key, opening the door.

He was greeted by the sight of two beds and two desks, one on each side of the small room, with a window in the centre, doing its best to separate the two halves. Hinata had also been lucky enough to be placed on the third floor, one of the only floors that had private bathrooms for each room with a toilet, sink, and shower, which from what he could understand was as close to elite living at university as one could get.

The walls were a light beige, and the floor was a grey-purple carpet that looked like it hadn't been washed in years. He grimaced outwardly and shuddered at the thought- he'd heard numerous horror stories from back home of students finding god-knows-what in their carpets.

Glancing towards the left side of the room, he let out an openly relieved sigh at the sight of his moving boxes, all stacked haphazardly in the corner.

Hinata's mother had organized the move, letting him have the freedom to travel on his own without having to worry about dealing with moving all of his physical items as well as himself, and this had taken a massive weight off of his back. He had never been more grateful for his mother's thoughtfulness, especially considering what a mess it was for him to even get to the entrance ceremony that morning. Who knows what would have happened had he been left to deal with all of his stuff on his own.

Hinata smiled to himself, flushing as he thought about his chaotic energy. He'd promised his mother that if he learnt anything while he was here, he would come back at least a little more organized, for her sake.

He glanced towards the right side of the room, which, had he not been told that someone had moved in already, he might have guessed that nobody was there at all. It was surprisingly desolate, the bed was made neatly with a white duvet and a navy-blue blanket, and the only signs of someone's personal items were a laptop in the centre of the desk and a volleyball sitting beside it.

At this, Hinata's eyes widened as his interest piqued, excitement coursing through his veins as he wandered over to look at the volleyball sitting gently on the desk, worn from use.

Noooo way, I have to ask about that later. He thought to himself, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

He had played volleyball all throughout high school, and it remained his absolute favourite activity when he had free time. He couldn't count the amount of time he'd spent in his backyard, tossing to himself to de-stress from exams and homework. And, it had been through volleyball that he'd met Kenma as well.

This is it, maybe this is my opportunity to connect with my mysterious roommate! He thought to himself, before turning toward his boxes and breaking his gaze with the volleyball as he rolled up the sleeves on his jumper.

"Alright, let's get to work!"

It had taken him a little over an hour to finish unpacking, but Hinata didn't really mind at all. As soon as he saw the drab, empty room, he had been so excited to fill it with life and memories. He ended up pasting dozens of pictures on the wall of him and his mother, his little sister Natsu, and his old school friends.

He felt a smile make its way onto his face as he taped up the pictures of him, Izumi, and Kouji all playing soccer together in middle school. It had been ages since he'd seen the two of them, but looking at their pictures together always put a smile on his face. He even had a couple polaroids of him and Kenma, from when they went to the beach a year prior.

Kenma had sat outside for hours playing his game and hadn't realized how hot it was until he and Hinata went for a swim, and he burst out laughing while pointing at Kenma's neck. He'd burnt all the way from his shoulders to his ears, the bright red standing out starkly against his pale skin. Kenma had complained for weeks, vowing to never go outside again.

Hinata laughed out loud at the memory. They had met when Kenma's team had visited his own for a practice match in their second year. Hinata, amazed at Kenma's dual-toned hair and skills as a setter, immediately bombarded Kenma with questions and compliments. Kenma had only looked at him in surprise before chuckling softly, and that was the start of their blossoming friendship.

They got on easily, Hinata like an exciting spark to Kenma's toned down personality, whereas Kenma seemed to have a perfect knack for calming down Hinata's rampaging energy.

He never got to verse their team again before they graduated, but he and Kenma often practiced together along with Kenma's best friend and team-captain, Kuroo, when the other man was available. It was thanks to them that Hinata was able to really develop his skills in volleyball.

He sighed satisfactorily with a hand on his hip, wiping some sweat from his brow as he gazed at his masterpiece with pride shining in his eyes. His bright red blanket and pillow contrasted with the beige on the walls, but having all of his pictures up made his side of the room feel more like home.

As if on cue, he glanced towards his phone, seeing the screen light up with a text.

PermanentlyExhausted: Are you ready? We're going to go for dinner now. Kuroo said he'll introduce us to some of his third-year friends, and you'd better be with me because I don't feel like talking to any of them.

Tangerine: coming! don't worry kenma, i'll save you from having to use your words. (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*･ﾟ✧

All that Kenma texted back was an emoji rolling its eyes.

Kenma and Hinata met Kuroo at the doors of the restaurant. He looked about the same as the last time they'd hung out, his black hair standing up in all directions. Normally people's hair calmed down with age, but every time Hinata saw Kuroo it was as if his hair got worse in defiance. It was impressive, really.

"Hey little guy! Long time no see!" Kuroo's booming spoke as he hit him on the shoulder playfully, sending him forward a few steps from the force.

Hinata turned to him in faux anger, balling his hands into fists as he pointed towards the taller male, pursing his lips and squinting at Kuroo as he spoke.

"Hey, I grew a whole half an inch this summer!" He stated proudly, raising his shoulders to appear as tall as he possibly could, but even he knew it was a feeble attempt. Kuroo only responded with a loud laugh, Kenma snickering beside him.

His height had never really bothered him, but he'd be lying if he said he'd never briefly hoped to come back from a summer break with a few new inches to his name.

All three turned around at the "Hey, hey, hey!" that came from behind them, Kuroo rolling his eyes as he shot the two now approaching strangers a smile.

The taller male, the one who had yelled, had wildly spiked black and grey hair, his amber eyes shining as he flashed a radiating grin, it was weirdly enticing. The other male, with short curly hair and dark blue eyes, stayed quiet but offered the three of them a polite smile.

"Kenma, Hinata," Kuroo spoke between them, gesturing to the two smaller males, "this is Bokuto and Akaashi!" he said with a grin before turning towards his older friends. "Bokuto, Akaashi," He repeated, twisting back to the two younger males, "this is Kenma, and Hinata!" He finished with a proud smile, now gesturing grandly between the four of them.

Kenma just rolled his eyes and muttered a "Nice to meet you" before jabbing Kuroo in the side with his elbow. "Thanks for the double introduction." He added quietly, as Kuroo feigned hurt at the jab.

"Hi!" Hinata said excitedly, offering his hand out for the two men to shake. Bokuto stepped forward and shook his hand vigorously, patting him on the shoulder and offering him a wide grin. Bokuto's grip was like a vice, solid and confident.

"I like the enthusiasm, kid! What're you in? Akaashi and I are both in Kinesiology. I want to be a personal trainer, and Akaashi here wants to work in rehab!" Bokuto spoke as the group stepped inside and moved to sit down at their table.

"I uh… I'm actually just in general studies right now, I don't know what I want to go into, but I know I want to be here, at the very least!" He replied excitedly, offering a sheepish smile.

In reality, he had simply followed Kenma because he really didn't know what he wanted to pursue, but that was a problem for Future Hinata to deal with.

"Don't worry about it!" Bokuto said simply before Akaashi cut in, placing a comforting hand on Hinata's shoulder as he spoke.

"Honestly, you have more time than you think. Bokuto took up until the beginning of this year to decide."

Bokuto flushed a little at that, nodding towards Hinata. "Yeah, I originally started in Chemistry. That's actually how Kuroo and I met!" He added.

"Yeah, and the only reason you passed that class is because I let you use my notes the entire term." Kuroo spoke from behind his menu, smirking.

"You're damn right! C's get degrees!" Bokuto laughed, before his eyes widened a bit as he turned towards Hinata and Kenma, thrusting his arms out in front of him. "I mean- always try your best! Be studious and always make school your top priority!" He laughed, flashing them both a thumbs up.

Akaashi just rolled his eyes and smiled beside him.

"So, Kenma, what are you taking?" Akaashi asked, glancing at Kenma as the blond looked up from his phone.

"Business".

Dinner came and went fast, and before Hinata knew it he was waving goodbye to his friends as he set out once again towards the dormitories with a full stomach and a warm heart. He had shovelled food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow, so hungry from the day's events. The food was good, the company even better.

The sun had set but the sky was still alight, casting warm golden light on the buildings and trees. This was Hinata's favourite time of day, when the sky is winding down, but the world is still so alive and full of energy.

After inhaling one last big breath of the warm evening air, Hinata stepped into the stairwell and made his way up. It was only his first day and he'd already had so many new experiences and met so many awesome people that he couldn't help but think about how great the year ahead was going to be if things continued on the way they had been.

Opening the door to his floor, thought, he was immediately met with a few stares from new faces he had yet to meet.

"Hello!" He said excitedly, offering the group a big wave as he walked further into the common room.

On one of the couches sat two males, one with dark green hair that stuck up at odd places and freckles that covered his whole face, the other a taller male with short blond hair and glasses, who seemed interested in anything but Hinata standing in front of him.

"My name is Hinata! Hinata Shouyou. What're yours?" He questioned, smiling towards the two of them.

"My name is Yamaguchi, and this is Tsukishima." Came a soft reply from the green haired male as he gestured between the two of them. Tsukishima only nodded in response, not looking up from the book he was reading. "It's nice to meet you!" Yamaguchi added afterwards, flashing a small smile towards Hinata.

Hinata smiled back, a little put off by the blond blatantly ignoring him. Okay, we're off to a good start…

"U-uhm…" Came a quiet voice from behind him, nearly startling Hinata out of his skin. He whirled around at the sound to see a girl about his height with blonde hair, blushing furiously as she nervously tried to continue her sentence, embarrassed both at startling Hinata and the stutter in her voice.

"M-my name is Yachi! It's a pleasure to meet you!" She squeaked out, bowing slightly in front of him.

"A-ah… it's nice to meet you, too!" Hinata responded, dropping his hand out for her to shake and offering her a warm smile. He chuckled and shook her hand once she straightened up, his ease seeming to reassure her as she relaxed and gave him a sheepish smile.

He felt lucky that most of the people he'd met so far had been so kind and welcoming, smiling to himself as he glanced towards the quiet blond. It was the best he could ask for to start off the year, especially considering how anxious he'd been feeling about whether or not he'd be able to make friends so far from his hometown.

He was torn from his thoughts at the sound of the stairwell door opening, but by the time he'd turned to look at it, whoever had entered was already gone. Scanning quickly towards the corridor, he saw a door close out of the corner of his eye. That was his room, which meant that his roommate must finally be home!

"I'm sorry, but I think that was my roommate, I should go and meet him! See you soon!" He said to the three of them, a wide smile crossing his features as he excitedly walked towards his room, schoolbag slung over his shoulder half-heartedly.

"Best of luck." Tsukishima finally spoke up in a sarcastic tone, calling out after him with a small smirk on his face as he continued to read.

"Tsukki , don't be rude." Yamaguchi warned, flashing Hinata a sympathetic smile and a small parting wave.

Hinata glanced back, confused, but decided not to push the topic. All that he could feel in that moment were his excitement and ever-increasing nerves as he knocked on the door a few times before opening it slowly, exhaling to calm himself as he pushed his way inside.

The sight that greeted him made his jaw drop, his hand hanging limply on the doorknob as he stared inside the room, eyes wide.

No way…

In the centre of the room, like some sort of looming figure, stood the tall, black-haired stranger from earlier that morning, a surprised look crossing his face as he turned towards Hinata, brows almost immediately piercing in annoyance.

"It's you!" Hinata said stupidly, pointing an accusatory finger towards the slender man, unable to get his words out properly as he processed the situation in front of him. No way… there's no way this is happening.

He saw confusion replacing the stranger's irritated scowl, mirroring Hinata's own as they stared at each other in silence.

"Huh?" the stranger- no, his roommate, said suddenly, anger seeping into his words as he clenched his fists, staring at Hinata with daggers in his stupid blue eyes.

"You're the rude guy that almost stepped in my popsicle!" Hinata squeaked out, heart hammering in his chest.

He could not believe his eyes.

So, this was his roommate, Kageyama Tobio.