"Thank you so much for this, Kou," Shouyou says as he puts the last three boxes on the floor.

"No problem, Shou. You know you didn't even have to ask," says Bokuto as he ruffles his orange hair, his own couple of boxes on the ground too. "Do you need help unpacking?"

"Nah, I'll be alright. Go find Akaashi, you said he's waiting for you, isn't he?"

"Shit. You're right. There's left over in the fridge, by the way. We'll be back later, 'kay?"

"Go have fun, Koutarou," Shouyou laughs amused, a fond expression in his face as the other man says his goodbyes and gets out of the apartment.

When Bokuto found out Shouyou had been scouted for the Waseda Volleyball Team - the same team he's at - the spiker immediately told Hinata to come live with him and Akaashi. Their apartment, a graduation gift from Bokuto's loaded parents, has a second bedroom, and since the two previous occupants are dating, it's the one Shouyou has used many times during the past two years, and so he agrees to is rather easily.

Now, two days from starting his university days, Shouyou is unpacking all his stuff in his new room. His clothes have already been hanged on the closet, and his old Fukurodani uniform is folded with care, resting on the bottom drawer alongside the rest of his high school memories. It's mostly volleyball stuff, since volleyball has been his life since pretty much always, but there's also his high school certificate, so who knows.

The walls are painted a soft orange, like the sunset, with a few black touches. Shouyou chose how to paint the room two years ago, since both Bokuto and him knew who would be spending the most time there either way. The double sized bed is still bare, but Shouyou's black covers are somewhere in the boxes.

His books come first. There are a lot of textbooks he's required to have for class, mostly on human anatomy and sports, and some psychology. He is majoring in sports medicine, which pretty much guarantees him a life full of volleyball even after he stops playing.

Not that Shouyou intends to stop playing anytime soon, but Akaashi says he needs a plan for when that happens, since an athletic career lasts considerably less than most jobs. And Akaashi is always right, so there's no way Shouyou could ever ignore his advise.

Sighting, Shouyou looked at his half bare room. His parents hadn't been to keen on him moving - they're a bit overprotective sometimes - but after he told them he's moving with Bokuto, it didn't take much for them to agree. The two of them have been friends since elementary school, and they are neighbors, so it's no surprise they trust him with their son.

Shouyou has lived in Tokyo since he was four. They lived in Miyagi before that, but his mother got a promotion on her job, so they had to move. Not that Shouyou minds that much, since he can barely remember how it was to live in that traditional house in the mountain, and he got the best friend ever when they moved.

Bokuto, despite being two years older than him, took him in the second he saw him playing alone during recess. When they found out they were neighbours, it only got better. Bokuto was the one that taught him most of the basics for volleyball, and the two of them have trained to be wing spikers together since elementary school. When Hinata reached high school, it was only fitting he joined Fukurodani, where he met Akaashi, Komi, Konoha, Sarukui, Washio and Onega. The eight of them swapped around as the starting lineup for Hinata's first year, and they are some of his closest friends. He still sees most of them frequently, and he shared classes with Onega for three years, but it's mostly Bokuto and Akaashi he sees nowadays.

The ping on his phone distracts him, and Shouyou takes the device from his pocket. It's a message from Kuroo, telling him he and Bokuto roped Akaashi into setting for them, and that if he wants to swing by the gym, he can go whenever.

Hinata smiles at the text. Kuroo is also one of his closest friends, he and Kenma. Hinata met Kuroo during his last year of middle school, when Bokuto introduced the two. At first, the middle blocker teased all the time, and he still does, but now that Shouyou knows he's also a dork and a good person behind all that devious comments, he's become a close friend. He met Kenma at a joint practice between Fukurodani and Nekoma during his first year. The two of them became instant friends, and Kuroo is still amazed of 'how much Kenma reacts in his presence, he's like a miracle worker'. Shouyou thinks he's overreacting.

Shouyou answers with a quick text that he'll finish unpacking and go down to the court in half an hour. Then, he takes a look at his room, still full of boxes and things laying around, and sighs. There's no way he'll finish in half an hour.

(He goes down to the court anyways.)

Since Shouyou has a volleyball scholarship, the first thing he has to do on his first day of class is go report himself to his new volleyball coach. Bokuto, always helpful, guides him to where their coach's office is, wishing him good luck and promising they'll meet up for lunch later. Then, he rushes down the hall, because unlike Shouyou he doesn't have a note that will excuse him from arriving late for his first class, and he promised Akaashi he would try not to get into too much trouble so early in the year.

His best friend is completely smitten.

But, that's nothing that concerns to Shouyou right now, since he has to go talk to his coach and all that. It's merely a formality, since he was scouted and isn't trying out, so he already has a guaranteed spot on the team. But formalities are still important, and impressions are too, so Shouyou takes a small breath and knocks on the door. When he hears a voice telling him to come in, he hesitantly opens the door, entering the office and closing behind him.

There are two people in the room. One of his coach, his mind immediately supplies, and the other one… he's the starting setter of the team. Oikawa Tooru is one of the best setters Shouyou has ever seen, and one of the only players recognized as a potential member for the National Team that never made it to Nationals during high school. It's a known secret, after all, that the coaches take their time during Nationals to scout for future players, so most of the National team has made it at least once to Nationals during high school. Oikawa is one of those few exceptions. He was scouted by several different universities after he finished school, and he's rumored to be on the sight of a few Division 1 teams in the V League. Nothing has been confirmed though, since he's still attending university, but for all Shouyou knows, the man could simply be waiting to finish his studies before joining a team full time. That's what he's planning to do, anyways, even if he did receive his own share of offers.

And he is staring. Staring is unpolite, stop it Shouyou, put yourself together!

Shouyou bows and introduces himself, hoping he wasn't staring for as long as he thinks he was. His coach, who introduces himself as Juyode Wanai, tells him to sit down, and Oikawa immediately takes over.

"Yahoo, Shou-chan!" Shouyou sputters at the nickname, that is definitely too familiar for someone he has just met, but doesn't say anything about it. "Bo-chan and Tetsu-chan talk a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you!"

"A-Ah, likewise," he says, trying (and probably failing) not to sound too lame. "You must be Oikawa Tooru, right? The Captain?"

"Ohoho? You know who I am?" Oikawa's smile becomes a little bit more cocky, and his perfectly contoured brow raises elegantly. Shouyou would curse him if he hadn't looked so fucking hot.

"W-Well, Kou and Kuuro-san talk about you a lot, and you are an amazing setter, Oikawa-senpai," Shouyou says, praying his cheeks aren't as red as he feels them.

He feels the need to curl up in a ball, try to make himself as invisible as possible, as Oikawa's hazel colored eyes appraise him. It's a calculative gaze, long and intense. Their coach doesn't do anything, simply letting his team's Captain do his thing.

"Alright!" Oikawa claps, smile widening, and Shouyou suppresses a startled jump. "We have morning and afternoon practice every day except Mondays, on Saturdays we only do morning practice, and Sundays are free days so you can do whatever you want if you don't feel like practicing, though the gym will be open if you want to use it. If you have trouble with your class schedule, let me know and we'll try to do something about it, okay?" he says, and all Shouyou can do is nod numbly, looking back at his coach for a moment, trying to see if he has anything for him to work with. He finds nothing, since his coach is more busy checking his phone. Wow, how helpful. "I'll walk you to class now. If you have any questions, you can ask me in the way there. Bye-bye Coach, see you later!" and just like that, Oikawa is dragging him out of the room, and Shouyou barely has time to stutter out a farewell to his new coach before the door closes behind him.

All Shouyou can do is stare agape at his new Captain. He is energetic and cheerful, but even then still manages to look suave, talking about a variety of things of which Shouyou only manages to catch half. Instead, his attention is on their linked hands, and how Oikawa directs him across campus. He focuses on the blush on his cheeks that never really left, on his accelerating heartbeat, and the fluttery feeling growing on the pit of his stomach.

He is so gay. And, so, so screwed.

Shouyou is introduced to the rest of the team that same afternoon. Bokuto is kind enough to pick him up from his last class of the day - Anatomy I - and together the two run back to their apartment to grab their things, glad they have some time before practice, and then sprint back, figuring is a good way to warm up as any. The two take fun in racing each other, even if Shouyou wins most of the time. He specializes in fast attacks, and Bokuto has quite a lot more muscular mass than he does, so it's more often than not Bokuto is left pouting at the loss until Shouyou does something to cheer him up, which most of the time involves telling him how good of an Ace he is, or bringing in Akaashi, the absolute champion in the Cheering-Bokuto-Up contest.

This time is no different, and a breathless Shouyou slams the door of the changing room open, wide smile and laugh half out of his mouth as Bokuto complains about him cheating - Shouyou did not, how dares he - behind him.

And then he notices the pairs of eyes that are glued to him and his body stiffens like a woden stick.

Thankfully for him, Bokuto Koutarou only looks like he isn't able to read a room, and he drags Shouyou to a free spot so they can both change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and he busies the redhead with idle chat until they are both out of the changing room.

They find Kuroo when they get to the gym, and the middle blocker doesn't hesitate before ruffling Shouyou's hair, despite his many protests in the past against it. It is a lost battle, and they both know that, so nowadays Shouyou just resigns to his fate and sighs as he lets Kuroo do as he pleases.

Looking around the room, he sees the gym is divided in two. On their side, there are more players, older than him bar a couple of them, and the nets have already been put up. No one is doing anything yet, so Shouyou figures they are on time. To the other side of the room, there are a bunch of guys, first years like him, that look nervous, excited, scared, or a mixture in between. They must be the ones trying out for the team, the ones that didn't get scouted.

He sighs in relief at this, because while Shouyou loves volleyball and he knows he is good enough, he doesn't like tryouts. Too many people judging, no one pays him any attention because he is short, and there is normally lots of jabs thrown at him, though that always was mostly because he hung around Bokuto a lot, and people thought it gave him an unfair advantage on the picking sistem. Not that Bokuto would ever do that, mind you, and he has made sure Shouyou earned everything he has accomplished in volleyball.

As he looks around, he notices one more person in the tryouts' zone. He, like the others, is wearing knee pads - though one looks like a knee supporter - and he holds a list clipboard. Oikawa Tooru looks intimidating as he looks beautiful, with a hand on his waist and his weight held on the leg that doesn't have the knee supporter.

Shouyou's heart skips a beat.

"Shouyou, you okay there?" the redhead blinks a few times, bringing back his attention to his friends, who look at him in amusement and worry. When he hums in question, Bokuto rolls his eyes, smiling fondly as he drops an arm around his shoulders. "You were spacing out a little. What, does the grandeur of the gym amaze you or something?"

"Ha, ha, really funny," he mutters, swatting the arm away only for it to get back to where is was before. "I hate you."

"You love me," Bokuto refutes, still with a smile on his face.

'Yeah, I do.'

"Bastard."

"As much as it's fun to hear you two bicker, Vice-Captain is calling for us," Kuroo interrupts what would have been an eternal back and forth of not-really-meant insults between the two childhood friends, and the three make their way to the forming group of people.

Shouyou tries to hide behind Bokuto and Kuroo, which isn't very difficult since both of them are at least fifteen centimeters taller than him, and Bokuto's form alone is enough to hide him from view completely. But for some reason, he still feels eyes on him, and Shouyou fidgets as he tries to ignore it. It's probably just him being paranoid.

"Alright, listen up! For the ones who don't know me, I'm Yori Gushiken, you Vice Captain. Captain's Oikawa Tooru, he's over there doing tryouts," Yori Gushiken looks stern, but nice. Like Sawamura Daichi, Karasuno's Captain when Shouyou was still a first year. "Now, why don't we let the first years introduce themselves, then the rest of us go, and then we start with an ability assessment? State you name and position," even though it sounds like a question, it's clear it's not.

Still, Shouyou keeps quiet. Not because he is particularly shy, or anything, he is actually really outgoing, and he makes friends easily - too easily, in Kenma's opinion - but he did just storm in the changing room like he owned it, so… yes, it's safe to say, he is a bit embarrassed.

And all the players are so damn tall.

"I'm Kindaichi Yuutarou, middle blocker," one of the other two first years he spotted before says, looking like he's sweating bullets but pulling through.

"Kunimi Akira, opposite hitter," the other one looks almost bored, and Shouyou recognizes an insomniac when he sees one. Akaashi looks the same, after all, even if Bokuto has helped him make some progress.

There's a beat of silence, and with a startle - Kuroo's elbow on his ribs, ouch - Shouyou realises he's the only one left.

"I'm Hinata Shouyou, outside hitter!" he says, louder than he intends to, and he has to stop himself from bumping his head against Bokuto's chest, who laughs silently at his misery, that bastard. He punches him in the arm, and he punches back, and then it just becomes a back and forth of light and not-so-light punches between them.

He doesn't even notice the skeptic looks at first, because of it. But when he and Bokuto are done, grinning and looking like total monkeys, Shouyou takes a peek at the rest of the team, and comes face first with a bunch of raised eyebrows, crossed arms, and overall attitude of 'you've got to be kidding me'.

He's still not sure if it's because he said he's a wing spiker - and outside hitter at that - or because he was behaving like a five year old with Bokuto seconds ago.

Introductions are done quickly after that, every member stating their names and positions. Shouyou tries to commit them all to memory, but he knows he'll have to ask a few more times before he has them all down.

There are a few familiar faces though. There's Kuroo and Bokuto, of course, but he recognizes a few other from his various practice games, and some even from Nationals. No one he is really friends with though, so he sticks with Bokuto and Kuroo.

Yori has the three first years do a series of basic drills. Diving, receiving, serving, setting, blocking, and spiking. It's not a test per se, since the three of them are already on the team - unlike those unlucky souls at the other side of the court, who are being tested by Oikawa one by one - but it will be nice for the team to know exactly what they are dealing with.

Shouyou is a strong all-round player. He has been polishing his skills since he and Bokuto decided to pursue volleyball, and that was a long ass time ago. He is a spiker first and foremost, but he has a good jump serve - national rated - and his receives are sharp. Shouyou can play any other position without too much trouble, especially middle blocker.

When it's turn for spiking practice, he gets in line. Both Kunimi and Kindaichi are going first, and they have a very good spiking technique. Shouyou understands why they were scouted, everything from their stepping to their jumping is clean, and they both reach quite high.

He's sure he can go higher though.

He wishes he had Akaashi to set for him. Akaashi knows what set he likes best - high and fast, anywhere in the court is fine, he can get there in no time - but he has to do with what he has, and so he asks the setter, named… a name he does not remember, to do an A quick for him, as high as he can.

"Are you sure? I mean, you're… small."

"I may be small, but I can jump," Shouyou says confidently, and after a long, doubting look, the setter sighs and agrees.

Shouyou throws him the ball, and he starts running as the ball is setted. It's a little close to the net, so he runs, concentrating his momentum into the ball of his feet before jumping, and he can hear the choking sounds of his new team behind him as he spikes the ball as hard as he can, straight down.

Shouyou's feet touch the ground, and he can get the grin off his face. Ah, how he has missed spiking! He hasn't done any spiking in… three days? He has been a bit too busy unpacking, and Akaashi forbade him any practice until he was done, after he found out he left to play while more than half of his things were still in boxes.

"Wait, isn't he the Small Giant?"

"From Fukurodani?"

"I thought he had been scouted by the under-twenties…"

"That's a secured spot in the National Team in a couple of years, what is he doing here?"

Shouyou turns to his new teammates, sheepish smile in place, and rubs the back of his neck.

"Oh I was scouted, but a friend convinced me to get a degree before joining a professional team," he tells them, pouting as he remembers how Akaashi, always the voice of reason, sat him down and told him all the reasons why he would not let Shouyou take the offer until he had finished his schooling. And Akaashi is always right - pudding incident not counting - so Shouyou had no choice but to agree with him, and here he is now.

After this, no one doubts his spiking abilities again, especially after Bokuto goes and says he and Shouyou are childhood best friends, and that they learned how to play volleyball together. That, alongside all his achievements as the Small Giant, are more than enough to gain the team's approval.

(Through the whole ordeal, Shouyou never notices the awed look he receives when he spikes, not even when it lingers for a moment before going back to the clipboard it's meant to look at.)

Shouyou takes the chance to look at the other side of the gym to see how the tryouts are going while they are on break before starting practice for real. Oikawa is pondering, looking intently at the first year who is currently showing his receiving abilities. He's not a bad receiver, and any high school team would be glad to have him but… well, Shouyou isn't sure if it's university material.

More often than not though, Shouyou finds himself staring at Oikawa rather than the first years. He looks poised, almost regal with his demanding aura, even as he smiles at each and every one of the applicants. It's hypnotic, how he holds himself with such confidence, and Shouyou's breath is taken away by the beauty in it. He has to consciously make the effort to look away from him before the staring becomes too much, trying to focus on the volleyball in his hands.

(His friends notice anyway, and Shouyou has to bear with all of Kuroo's teasing. At least Bokuto isn't laughing at him this time.)

Later that day, in the safety of his shared apartment, Shouyou finds himself sitting in the living room with a cup of green tea and Akaashi in front of him, patiently hearing as Shouyou rambles on and on about Oikawa and how mesmerizing he is, and how beautiful he looks all the time.

"I swear Akaashi, it should be illegal to be that hot!" he whines, hiding his flushed face with his palms, and Akaashi sighs, hiding a smile behind his perfectioned poker face. "I mean, he was all gwua and pwau! And then he smiled and I died," he finishes, letting his head fall dramatically on the couch.

"This is the first time I see you get this excited about anything that isn't volleyball." though, Oikawa does, in a way, count as volleyball. But considering Shouyou has been on a constant state of being a gay disaster ever since he saw the guy for the first time, maybe the volleyball part it's just a complement, as austanding as that sounds.

Shouyou doesn't say anything for a moment, looking contemplatively at the cup of tea in his hand.

"I guess you're right. Though Oikawa's sets are certainly a bonus. I mean, have you seen them? I have only ever seen clips of them for his prefecture finals, but damn, they are good," then, he goes in on another rambling of Oikawa's awesomeness, and Akaashi can only stare amused as his friend blushes at his own words.

When Bokuto arrives half an hour later with the groceries they need for the week, he finds his best friend bright red in the face, laying half dead on the couch, while his boyfriend smiles fondly as he finishes his literature paper.

"What's up with him?"

"Oikawa."

"Oh, did he ramble about him again?"

"Wait, what do you mean again?"

He doesn't speak with Oikawa until the next day. The Captain had been busy with the tryouts, staying even after the team was done, but now that those are gone - the results will be posted at the end of the week - their Captain has rejoined practice as usual, and Shouyou couldn't be more excited.

He has only heard about Oikawa's outstanding sets. He has also seen some clips, but nothing compares to the way Shouyou's breath is taken away by the sets in front of him right now. From his feet's positioning to his fingers' placing, every movement is clean and flawless. The ball comes to his hand like a magnet, and Oikawa makes the set look easy, even though Shouyou knows for a fact it is not.

He doesn't even look at the spiker like he usually does. Shouyou's gaze is fixated on Oikawa, how he lands gracefully after the set, and smiles when he sees the spike is successful.

'Oh my God, I'm so gay, what the fuck.'

"Alright, get in two lines! We'll be doing spiking practice!" Oikawa calls as he and their reserve setter, who he still doesn't remember the name of, get in front of the two nets. Shouyou hurries to Oikawa's line, and he's heart is beating so fast in his ears due to excitement he doesn't even care about Kuroo's multiple jabs as he and Bokuto follow him.

Bokuto looks curious about Shouyou's fast developing crush. It's the first time Shouyou has ever shown this much interest in anything other than volleyball, so it is to be expected. Bokuto himself was like that before too, focused on volleyball and volleyball only, before he met Akaashi and his world turned upside down. Shouyou never understood what had happened to his friend back then, even if he was happy for him and Akaashi. Now he does, and he can't say he doesn't get why.

When Shouyou gets to the front, Oikawa sees him and his eyes shine with excitement.

"Shou-chan! It's nice to see you," he says, and Shouyou fights back the blush that wants to spread through his cheeks at the nickname.

"Oikawa-senpai," he greets back, blushing even further when Oikawa gives him one of his charming smiles that make him melt and turn into a puddle of rainbows and gay feelings.

"Any specifics for the toss?"

"High and quick?" he says, though it sounds like a question. Oikawa hums in understandment, and after a few seconds of staring, probably trying to figure out just how high, he nods.

"Alright! Tell me if it feels off, okay Shou-chan?" Shouyou doubts any toss from Oikawa could ever feel off, but he nods anyways.

He throws the ball and starts building his momentum, and when the ball reaches Oikawa's awaiting hands, he jumps.

There's a moment when it's just him soaring, not unlike a bird - and owl, his team liked to joke about - and Shouyou relishes in the feeling of the air against his face. He doesn't notice Oikawa's awed expression, of the excited grin that extends across his features. It's only Shouyou, the air, and then the ball.

It's a good set. The ball reaches his hand like it's meant to be there, and something just… clicks. It's a weird feeling, and Shouyou can only describe it as right. As if he were meant to spike Oikawa's tosses from the start. He has never felt like this with any other setter, and he has spiked tosses from a fair deal of different setters. He spikes hard on the other side of the net with an ease he seldom finds, and when his feet touch the floor, he turns to look at Oikawa with starts in his eyes.

It's one of the best sets he has ever spiked.

"And? Should I change something?" Shouyou gets out of his musings because of Oikawa's question. He doesn't know how to tell him that his toss was amazing, how it makes him feel butterflies even now that he has already spiked it. How can he tell Oikawa that his spike talks of hardwork and determination, of how it makes his heart skip a beat because that's just like Shouyou?

He can't. So instead, he says:

"No. It was good," his mouth is dry, his voice stuttering, and he licks his lips in an attempt to stop the drying feeling. He does not success. Oikawa looks at him with a pondering expression, and Shouyou feels himself getting warmer, especially when the setter smiles one of his teasing, killing smiles.

"I'm glad," he says, and for a moment Shouyou thinks that's it, but then Oikawa keeps talking. "Say, maybe we could stay later after practice, and you can show me that quick attack you did with your old setter. How does that sound?" Oikawa asks, hand on his hip, totally ignoring Kuroo's jab that they can go flirt somewhere else, come on we're here to spike, aren't we?

This time, Shouyou is completely sure his face is bright red, and he stammers out an affirmative answer before rushing back to the end of the line, passing by a teasing Kuroo and an amused Bokuto.

(Later that night, when he gets back to their shared apartment, his blush extends to the rut of his hair, and when Akaashi asks him about how things went, he collapses right there in the middle of the living room.)

(He shows up with Oikawa and officially presents him as his boyfriend a month later.)