Chapter Text
Pictures of friends and the team were set on her desk, the last touch of moving in.
She looked at each of them, smiling at the memories. It wasn’t like she was that far from home, but college made it feel that way.
Hitoka-chan.
She couldn’t lie, most of her memory pictures were of her. It wasn’t that she liked her more than everyone else, it was just… No, that was exactly it. She liked her more than everyone else.
“You’ll come home to see me, right, Kiyoko-san?”
“Every weekend, I’ll do my best!”
That was a promise she was dead set on keeping.
She left her room, still seeing no sign of her roommate. Kiyoko knew she was meant to have one, but she didn’t know who she was or if she planned on turning up. Her bedroom door was open, and she saw some stuff was in it. Weird.
There was supposed to be a bunch of events for the new students, so Kiyoko headed out to see what there was. She wasn’t exactly itching to socialize, but it was the right thing to do. She was going to need to meet new people.
Kiyoko looked at a bulletin board with loads of things on it, wondering what to do. There were bonfires, new clubs meeting, parties…
“I want to go to the party!” someone cheered from behind her. “Ooh, or the bonfire! I don’t know – Daichi, you choose!”
Daichi… It wasn’t exactly an uncommon name, but that wasn’t exactly a common voice.
“Suga, we can do whatever you’d like. Just pick something!”
“I want to do all the things!”
She turned around to see two familiar guys standing at the bulletin board next to hers. “Sugawara-kun? Sawamura-kun?”
They turned around.
“Kiyoko!” they both cried.
“I didn’t know you guys were going here,” she said, rubbing her neck anxiously. “Hey!”
“Hi!” Suga waved. “Oh, this is great! So great! I wonder who else is going here!” He gasped. “You should join us for lunch!”
“Oh, I don’t know…”
“It could be fun,” Daichi said, smiling kindly. “Beats the hell out of trying to talk to strangers, right?”
“Y-yeah. Yeah, it does. Okay,” I decided. “Let’s go.”
“Hey, do you know which activity you’re going to tonight?” Suga asked. “I can’t choose.”
“What if we all go to the party together?” she offered. “It’s in my building.”
“Oh, we’re a couple down,” Daichi said, “but that sounds great!”
“And if you’re too exhausted to walk home, you have a couch to crash on – um, if my roommate doesn’t care.”
“Does she seem like the type who would?” Suga asked.
Kiyoko shrugged. “I’ve never met her. She has some stuff in my room, but…”
“That’s weird.”
“What about you guys?”
“Oh, we’re roommates,” Daichi explained.
“Of course,” she replied.
“What’s that meant to mean?” Suga asked.
“Nothing, Sugawara-kun,” Kiyoko assured him. “You guys are best friends. I should have expected that.” Plus, they’re so obviously smitten…
“Too bad your best friend is still in high school, right?” Daichi sighed. “Hey, but when Yacchan starts university in two years!”
“I’ll never let her out of my sight again,” she joked.
Even though she was still nervous, it was nice to recognize some people. She was glad that graduation ended up not having to be the last time she saw these guys.
“It’s so hard not to constantly check on everyone,” Suga whined as they ate. “I had to delete Instagram off of my phone!”
“Oh my god, really?” Kiyoko asked.
“I did it, because he couldn’t bring himself to,” Daichi laughed. “He was getting depressed.”
Kiyoko pulled out her phone and opened the app. “Well, you just need to learn how to control yourself, so you don’t get lost in it. Here.” She showed him the first-years hanging out at a park.
“I miss them!” he sobbed.
“They’re doing great, though,” Daichi reminded him, patting his arm. “Are you going to finish that?”
“I’m too depressed to eat; take whatever you want!”
“Look what you’ve done now,” Daichi teased before taking Suga’s plate.
“What do you want to do until the party?” Kiyoko asked them, trying to change the subject so that Suga would stop sulking.
“We could go back to our place – or yours! But that might not be the best way to meet your roommate.”
“Yeah, your place is fine,” she agreed. She didn’t want her roommate to think she was going to have random guys over all the time, because she most certainly was not.
“This is going to be great,” Suga cheered. “We’re going to be the best friend group now that we’re in college!”
“It’s too bad Azumane-kun isn’t here,” she sighed. “I always did like him.”
“He doesn’t live too far,” Daichi told me. “We can probably get him here whenever – especially if you’re the one who asked.”
“Good to know!”
“Do you think we’re supposed to dress a certain way for the party?” Kiyoko asked them, feeling nervous. “I’m literally two doors down; I can change so fast.”
“I think we’re all okay,” Daichi said, looking at Suga more than her.
“Alright.” She didn’t want to admit that she was just scared to go inside.
Once they walked in, the anxiety hit her like a tidal wave. There was music blaring, people talking, and the energy was just too much. Shegrabbed Daichi’s arm without even thinking about it.
“H-huh?” He jumped.
“Grow up,” she whispered. “It’s loud and there’s a lot of people.”
“O-okay!” He took a firm hold of her hand, and her anxiety subdued as she got more annoyed that they were still like this, after three years of knowing her.
Suga looked over and saw, so he walked around them and grabbed her other hand. “We’ve both got you! You don’t have to be nervous!”
“What do we do?” Kiyoko asked, looking around.
“We could get punch?” Suga suggested, looking at the bowl. “Nope, that’s spiked.”
“We could talk to people?” Daichi pointed out.
“I-I dunno,” she said. “I hate when guys look at me, ugh.” Someone was checking her out across the room, and there was no way she’d give him the time of day. Guys could be such creeps.
“I’ll punch him,” Daichi offered, already starting to move.
“Sawamura-kun,” she hissed, pulling him back.
“Okay, fine! But if you need me to hit anyone, you have my number!”
“That’s- that’s great, Daichi.”
She let go of their hands, but stayed close. She didn’t want to interact with a bunch of strangers if she didn’t absolutely have to.
“Do you want anything?” Suga asked. “Food? Water? Punch? Alcohol? An engagement r-?”
“Sugawara-kun.”
“Sorry! Anything? I’m grabbing water for myself.”
“Uh, yeah, water would be nice,” she agreed.
“I’ll be right back!”
He returned a moment later with two cups of water.
“Thanks, Sugawara.”
She went to step back so he could walk past, but she bumped into someone.
“I’m so sorry!” she gasped, whipping around so fast her water splashed.
“Hey, hey, he- hey!” Before she could process the familiar guy in front of ger, the three of them were engulfed in a muscular hug. “Daichi!” The former captain got a second hug.
“Bokuto-san?” Kiyoko gasped.
“Yeah! Oh, you’ll never believe – Tetsurou! Get over here! Look who I found!”
“Daichi? Hey, man!” Kuroo had joined them, and Daichi got crushed for the third time.
“Hey, guys.”
“How awesome that you guys are going here too?!” Bokuto cheered.
“Yeah, pretty awesome,” Daichi said, scratching the back of his head.
It was funny how easily the two overwhelmed him when he used to have to micromanage ten volleyball members.
“I wonder who else we know here!” Kuroo said.
“Well, Yukie’s here,” Bokuto said happily. “She said I can crash with her if I’m too drunk to go home!”
“You’re drunk?” Daichi asked.
“Yeah, can’t you tell?”
“N-not really?”
Kiyoko had to agree with him. He was…the same. Maybe a little louder, but that was all. Daichi’s reaction was perfect, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
The four guys went silent and stared at her.
“What?”
“That sound,” Suga gasped.
“Do it again!” Kuroo begged.
“It was angelic!” Bokuto agreed.
“So cute!” Daichi blurted out.
“Get a grip,” she scolded.
“Yeah, Koutarou!” A feminine figure appeared behind Bokuto, hands on her hips and a grin on her face. “Get a fucking grip!”
“Yukie?”
“Kiyoko!” She pushed the guys aside with surprising ease and hugged her. “Amazing! I’ve been looking for a girl I knew! Let’s grab food!”
Yukie led Kiyoko away from them, and she felt a little relieved.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Sometimes they’re chill, but sometimes they’re creeps,” she sympathized.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “So, you’re in this building, too?”
“Yeah – wait, you are?”
“Yeah!”
“Awesome! We could hang out sometime, cry together over classes!”
“Yeah, that would be nice,” Kiyoko laughed.
“Yes, great, laughing, smiling, good!” Yukie cheered, shaking me. “Loosen up, Kiyoko! It’s a party! Is- is this water? Oh, no, no, no. Honey. Welcome to university. We’re getting you spiked punch and you’re going to have fun!”
“I don’t know-”
“Hey, I’m not going to let anyone near you or anything bad happen to you. Let’s have a fun time, Shimizu-chan!”
Once she was with Yukie, she started to have some fun. Yukie even pulled her into dancing, which was embarrassing but still enjoyable.
“See!” Yukie grabbed Kiyoko’s hips and moved her with her. “Fun! Okay, it’s a good thing we’re in the same building, because I’m going to have a lot of work to do on getting you to enjoy yourself.”
“I’m an introvert, Yukie,” Kiyoko said, turning to face her. “I have fun, just not at parties.”
“You’re smiling,” she sang. “I think you’re having fun now!”
“Maybe,” Kiyoko laughed, looking away.
“Shimizu-chan~!”
She turned to see Daichi and Suga, complete disasters with Bokuto and Kuroo.
“Ah, jeez,” she groaned.
“Come on, we aren’t their mothers,” Yukie whined. “Not anymore, at least.”
“I think we are,” Kiyoko sighed. “Sorry. Do you have my number from Nationals?”
“Yeah, yeah. Go on.”
“Alright. It was great seeing you again!”
“You too!”
“Alright, come on, you two.” Kiyoko put an arm around Daichi and Suga, pulling them towards the door.
“We’re leaving?” Suga cried.
“It’s late, and you’re both drunk. I mean, seriously, you two? Giving in to Bokuto-san and Kuroo-san. I expected our former team parents to be more responsible than that!”
“You drank with Yukie~!” Daichi pointed out, stumbling into the hallway.
“I had one drink, and I took an hour and a half to drink it.” She let go of them and grabbed her keys from her pocket. “Let’s get you two to sleep. Come on.”
They both collapsed onto the couch almost immediately, shamelessly laying on each other.
“Yep. You’re welcome. Good night.” She found an extra blanket in her room to put over them, then went to sleep.
Who knew going to school with her old friends would end up being such a chore?
The next morning, Kiyoko smelled coffee being made. Before she even left her room, she had decided that she was going to love her roommate.
“Okay, boys, extra strong coffee coming up!”
“Yukie?” she gasped, looking in the kitchen. Sure enough, there Yukie was, wearing an oversized Fukurodani shirt and pouring coffee for four hungover boys sitting at our table.
“Kiyoko! I had a feeling you might be my roommate when I saw these nerds crashed on the couch!”
“You drank twice as much as us,” Kuroo complained.
“How are you not hungover?” Bokuto finished.
She just smiled at all of them. “You’re going to drink coffee, and then you’re going to get out of my dorm!”
“Thanks,” Kiyoko whispered, grabbing a mug for herself. “Kind of glad it’s you and not someone who would’ve freaked at the guys on our couch.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, laughing. “Your old teammates sure are a cuddly pair.”
“I’m sure.”
“They living together?”
“Yeah.”
“Figures.”
“Kuroo and Bokuto?”
“You think those morons could ever be separated?”
“Fair point.”
“We can hear you,” Suga complained as they walked back to the table.
“Whatever, lightweights,” Yukie teased, sitting down with her coffee. Kiyoko sat between her and Daichi. “So, any of you nerds playing this year?”
“I am,” Daichi said.
“Me too,” Suga added.
“You know we are,” Bokuto answered.
“Nice.”
“Kiyoko!” Suga gasped.
“What?”
“You should go for being our manager!”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kiyoko said. “I mean, I enjoyed it in high school, but…”
“Oh, were you thinking of going back to track?” he asked. “I know you were really good at hurdles, right?”
“I’m not going back to track,” Kiyoko assured him. “I was thinking of joining new kinds of clubs, though. Not always hanging out with the same crowd…”
“Oh.” Both of them looked like she just threw their hearts at a wall.
“Oh, I don’t mean it like that!” she promised them. “I just mean I want to make new friends, too! Then, I can hang out with you guys, or other people. You know?”
“Yeah,” Daichi sighed. “I guess. It would have been cool to work with you, though.”
“Someone who already knows our strengths on the court…”
“Already knows the kinds of things we need to work on in order to improve…”
“Alright, alright. I’ll think about it.”
“Yes!”
Once they left, Yukie just shook her head at Kiyoko.
“What?”
“You’re so weak for them,” she criticized.
“I did enjoy managing them,” Kiyoko pointed out.
“You’re scared to try new things!”
“I’m not!”
“Good. Come on; get ready and then we’re going out.”
“Where?”
“You know. To do stuff. Get things for our shared home. Don’t look so nervous! We’re going to have fun together, Kiyoko!”
Kiyoko smiled. “Alright. I trust you, then, Yukie.”