Chapter Text
Nothing seemed nasty than moving away from your childhood home.
That’s what Tsukishima Kei kept on thinking as he sat through this dragging welcome ceremony for the freshmen. It was hard enough to leave everything behind, away from his friends (though he only had one friend - Yamaguchi), going to a new school, and moving across the country with a different dialect.
Hyogo region was a totally new world for him.
It all started when his architect of a father got a sudden transfer (in his opinion, stupid when his papa could just stay there and go back to Miyagi when he’s free) but no, he had to drag them - his family along.
But then again, who could blame his papa? The pay was unbelievably high and he’d get to be the head. So the moment their house got sold, their departure came.
A tired sigh escaped him as he finally heard the principal wrapping up his long-winded speech.
It was tiring.
He just wants to go home and sleep.
And maybe, eat his mom’s homemade strawberry shortcake.
-X-
It had been a week since classes officially started and Kei didn’t know what club he would be attending. He thought about volleyball but the thought of not playing along with Yamaguchi and going there alone didn’t sit well with him. He heard that Inarizaki’s volleyball team was strong - strong enough to be dubbed as challengers. He didn’t think he would be good enough to enter, much less make it to the starting roster.
But still, he was having second thoughts.
It’s because of what happened to your brother, the awful part of his mind jested.
Whisking away the thought, he just focused on his current PE class. With a twist of fate, they were playing volleyball.
Lady Fate is clearly mocking me.
The gym was packed, students clamouring all over. They just had to share the gym with a second-year class, who by the way, had a couple of loud students.
Another tired sigh escaped him as he focused on the mock game, ready to block.
But then again, maybe, it’s just his imagination but there was something - someone watching him as he played.
But Kei, being the passive person that he was, chose to ignore it.
-X-
It wasn’t until lunchtime came when he got cornered by the vending machine by someone. He had fake blonde hair, eyes mischievously glinting as he looked at him while leaning cozily by the vending machine.
“Strawberry milk? Wow, megane-kun , for a person with yer height, ya sure love sweets,” the guy spoke with his perfect Kansai-ben and Kei almost shivered. That voice - it was the same boisterous one earlier from the gym class.
This must be one of those awfully loud second years from earlier.
“My preference, as far as I can remember, is none of your business, sempai,” Kei scoffed as he poked the carton and took a sip.
“WAAAAAAH, SAMU HE CALLED ME A SEMPAI WAAAAAAAH!!!!!” the fake blonde suddenly yelled, obviously happy, making Kei jumped in surprise. He didn’t know that there were two more people hiding from behind another vending machine other than this one.
Samu - as the other called him, had fake ash hair while their other company was a brunette with lazy demeanour.
“Why would ya be happy only for that?” This Samu bit back as he sauntered in closer along with the third person.
“Well, megane-kun---,”
“It’s Tsukishima,” he corrected.
“Well, Tsukishima-kun, I’m Miya Atsumu and this guy is my twin, Miya Osamu and oh that lazy ass there is Suna Rintarou and we’re all second years,” this Miya Atsumu said confidently but his eyes were still looking at him - intensely.
“Okay? So what are three second years doing, ganging up on a first-year like me?”
“Oh?” Miya Atsumu grinned, “Didn’t know yer into the hardcore stuff, megane-kun .”
“It’s Tsukishima.”
“Too long.”
“Why not Tsukki then?” Osamu interjected and Kei just looked at him pointedly.
“No. What do you guys need from me?”
“You’re not from here? Ya don’t have the sexy Kansai-ben!!” Miya Atsumu or was it the other one question.
Now, Kei was utterly confused. He didn’t know what these three needed from him. He just wanted to have his lunch peacefully but hell no, he just had to get cornered like this.
“I’m sure you’re not here for a pep talk. What do you need from me?”
“Well, Tsukki—-,”
“Tsukishima,” he corrected the fake blonde guy but ignored him altogether.
“We saw ya playing earlier and we just need someone like ya in our team! Come and join us!!! Oi Rin! Gimme the form, will ya?”
Miya Atsumu waved the form in his face as soon as this Rin magically conjured a form. Kei frowned as he skimmed through it.
Fuck. Volleyball again.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Say, yes, Tsukki,” Miya Osamu talked, hand already peeling off the cover of his onigiri lazily, “it might do ya good. Even I can see yer potential. ‘Sides, Kita-san is really nice so you’ll be taken care of.”
What? Who is Kita-san? What care? I don’t need it!
“Still, a no.”
“You’re a middle blocker, too. I can teach ya some more tricks,” Suna lazily said as he tapped away on his phone.
“Yeah!! Also, we don’t have a blonde bombshell in our team yet and you fit the category!!!” Miya Atsumu yelled while checking his legs out, wiggling his eyebrow, and gaining the attention of passersby. Kei, well, his cheeks felt hot out of sheer anger.
“What the fuck?! Pervert!!!”
Slap.
….
Kei didn’t even wait for them to speak another word as he stomped away.
-X-
When Miya Atsumu showed up in the gym for practice, he could hear Suna and Osamu giggling like fucking girls on the side with Gin while Aran seemed like he's about to run out of breath as he held his laughter.
Heck! Even Kita had this weird twitching on his lips and it just ticked him.
“So? I take it that it didn’t go well,” Kita-san stated and before he could answer, the rest of them boomed into a burst of all-out laughter, echoing inside the gym.
Fucking slap mark.
“Hahaha, gods Tsumu how could ya be so stupid? Way to go about convincing him to join. You just have to drop the blonde bombshell act,” Aran teased, his eyes already tearing up from laughing too much.
“I can’t help it, ya’know?! He’s too…bright and pretty,” a sigh escaped Miya Atsumu. He knew that once this started, it wouldn’t ever stop until their practice would end.
“Ya could’ve asked him normally,” Osamu then appeared beside him with Rin.
“He’s snarky, I like him,” Suna supplied.
“Well, yeah, someone who could take Tsumu’s private jokes. Next time, just leave it to me, Tsumu. I’ll convince him. I really want him to be in the team,” Osamu said with finality, eyes glinting with dedication.
Miya Atsumu then looked at his twin with indignation. It seldom happened that Osamu would take an interest in someone - let alone a stranger in their circle.
“Just don’t go overboard with it,” Kita Shinsuke, their captain, reminded them, “but based on the clip that ya showed me earlier, he could be a strong player for us. His blocking needs some work but Suna can handle that.”
"What the fuck, Rin?! Ya took a video of that?"
"Well, yeah, of course!" Suna smirked and Atsumu felt like slapping that look off Rin face.
“But, of course, Kita-san,” Suna nodded.
“So?” Ginjima then asked, “how are ya going to convince him?”
“Leave it to me,” Osamu answered, “come with me later, Tsumu, we’ll do some grocery shopping before going home.”
Atsumu pouted but agreed nonetheless.
This was supposed to be a peaceful day but he didn't know this would be the day that he'd get slapped by someone, other than Samu.