Tsukishima spent a solid two seconds thinking about the situation before going to speak to some of the more normal members of the team. Despite not minding Lev too much (he was excitable, and somewhat annoying, but seemed to be a friendly person), he didn't know how well they would get along and was a little hesitant to try and talk to him when he was busy talking to Yaku. There were two other first years aside from him and Lev; their names were Inuoka and Shibayama.

The two of them were nice, and they were quiet enough (thank goodness for that), but as they began to discuss their positions it soon became clear that they were going to have a few problems when it came to who would play in the line up, even if it wasn't their choice to make. Lev, well, he was extremely tall, and he seemed to be quite suited for a middle blocker role. Perhaps a wing spiker, but the defensive advantages of having him play middle blocker was too good, especially with his body type which was more lean than broad shouldered and beefy.

Inuoka also expressed his interest in being a middle blocker, and though he could probably become a great wing spiker with a little more work, he seemed to be extremely passionate about the position and Kei wasn't going to try and convince him to change. He knew that he certainly wouldn't want to suddenly switch and stop being a middle blocker and suddenly become a spiker or setter, it just wasn't him. It was certainly hypocritical for him to expect someone else to do something which he wouldn't be willing to do himself. Add in the fact that Nekoma was bound to already have at least one middle blocker — then there were at least four people who could be middle blockers on the team. There were going to have to be at least two of them on the bench if that was the case; Lev likely wouldn't be playing for a while anyway because he was new, but when he got up to a good enough standard Kei was sure he would be very good at what he did.

Not for the first time, Tsukishima wished he was at Karasuno, because he doubted that they would have a similar problem after seeing who was currently on the team excluding new first years. He'd watched some of their games from the previous years, and they had a few middle blockers in this years second year, but the team wasn't really focused on defence and he would have had a place and a chance to fight for his turn on the court there.

Shibayama, the other Nekoma first year, was aiming for the libero position, yet he didn't have any intention of pushing Yaku out of the starting line up position this year. Instead he had said he was wanting to learn as much as he could before the next year so he was prepared for when Yaku would no longer be a part of the team, or in case the regular libero was injured and he needed to fill in for him in a game.

After finishing with putting on his knee pads and making sure his shoes were tied up properly, their conversation on positions was over. He looked around the room as the mohawk guy, Taketora, was complaining that they didn't have a manager, let alone a cute female one, and Kuroo was snickering at something Kenma said whilst feigning a hurt look. It was one of those 'you wound me' situations, from the looks of it, and though it got on Kei's nerves he kind of wished that it was him Kuroo was talking to and him he was bugging. Shaking his head he spoke up, rolling his eyes as their captain once again burst out into his wheezing laughter when Taketora dragged Kenma over so he could do spiking practice.  "I know we haven't even played yet, but this is going to be one hell of a year," he told the pair in exasperation, standing up and beginning on his stretches. "I swear, you two are the only normal people on the team."

Inuoka laughed and glanced to Kenma, and then to another third year. "Those two seem pretty normal too. I'm sure it won't be as bad as you think, Tsukishima. I think it's exciting how different everyone is," the brown haired male said, beginning his stretches as well. "Besides, even if the team isn't what you expected, that's half of the fun. You get to know everyone and learn from them, because they're all so different and have different ways of playing and experiencing volleyball."

Shibayama smiled and nodded in agreement, glancing around the room. "I'm not the best when it comes to this sort of thing, since I'm not nearly as outgoing as most of the people here. How I see it, is that in the end, we all share the same love for volleyball. We're here to play, and somewhere along the line it'll all work out, because how else can we play but together?"

It made sense, and they did have a fair point, but at the same time it just seemed wrong to him. This wasn't right, this wasn't what was going to happen, he should have been back home in Miyagi. "Maybe for you guys," Kei muttered, "but it's going to take me a whole lot longer to be convinced."

As far as he was concerned, Nekoma and Tokyo wasn't his home, and it wouldn't replace Miyagi. He just wasn't willing to accept that this was his reality now, and there was nothing he could do to change it.

x-X-x

Try outs — if they could even be called that, since they had all given in their forms and so were technically part of the team — consisted of both some basic drills to see how well they were and to warm up, as well as a three on three match (which Lev sat out on, instead beginning to work on receives with Yaku).

On one side of the net was Inuoka, Shibayama and none other than the provocation master and captain himself, Kuroo. To Kei's dismay, the male was a middle blocker, and a damn good one at that. He had solid receives as well as excellent blocks, which the blond recognised used read blocking, as well as the uncanny ability to get on his nerves with a single glance.

Kei was playing alongside Kenma and the last third year Inuoka had pointed out, who's name was Kai. The match didn't go horribly, per say, but Tsukishima could almost always feel those hazel eyes on him, watching his every move, and that fucking smirk never once left Kuroo's lips. It didn't help that now that they were in the sports uniform he could see those tanned thighs and sometimes caught a glimpse of his toned abdomen when his shirt rode up a bit. Whether or not the dark haired male caught him looking, Kei wasn't sure. He didn't mention anything about it, but there was a mischievous glint in the other male's eyes, so there was no way to be certain.

Kei had absolutely no clue about how to handle these feelings though, which was the bigger problem. He'd never had a crush before, never even thought that he might find one, and therefore had no clue how he should interact. Yamaguchi wasn't there to support him through it either, so he supposed the only option was to attempt to act normal.

How he managed to make it through the practise match in one piece, let alone managed to play decently, he didn't quite know, but it was probably because Kuroo seemed more interested in getting a gauge on his abilities than dishing out advice. He didn't even really talk to the guy, either, wanting to avoid all conversation in the hopes that it would make dealing with these feelings easier. The older teen didn't force him to talk, but every time Kei saw him it seemed like he wanted to say something but didn't. It made it harder to understand his own feelings and what was going on, since if he was actually trying to stay away like he'd told Kuroo too, then that kind of hurt.

Lev on the other hand, well, it was pretty obvious to everyone aside from the libero himself, but Yaku had become the object of his affections. He was taking the opposite approach, taking every opportunity it was to talk to his crush. On one hand it was comforting seeing that the team didn't have a problem, or if they did have one didn't call him out on it, but on the other hand it made him paranoid that someone would figure out his feelings as well. It wasn't like he had anyone he could trust to ask about if he was being obvious or not, but to him it felt like he couldn't get away from Kuroo. And so, as soon as he got the chance to leave he took it, wanting to avoid walking home near or around Kenma and Kuroo.

As he walked out the gates, he turned left, and Lev did as well. He glanced at the half-Russian with a raised eyebrow, pursing his lips and considering starting a conversation with him. Would he regret this? Probably. But Tadashi would get on his case if he didn't make at least one friend, and Lev certainly wasn't the worst person in the school, even despite seeming too enthusiastic. "So, you're headed this way too?"

"Yeah! I live in an apartment about fifteen minutes away from here, perhaps we live close," the silver haired teen said excitedly, positively beaming when he realised that Tsukishima was talking to him. "Did you enjoy practice, Tsukki? I have to admit that you were right about what you said about volleyball, by the way. It was hard to do the receives and stuff, but I got to spend time with Yaku-chan so it was fun!"

Kei shrugged and paused his music, leaving his headphones to rest around his neck. "It was alright, I suppose. Kenma, Kai, Inuoka and Shibayama seem nice," he said, thinking for a moment and letting out a heavy sigh. "It's not what I envisioned, if that makes sense. Nobody in the team seems to be a bad person, and they're not rude, but they're not really the people I would usually hang out with."

Lev hummed in thought, before he smiled more softly and nodded. "I can understand that, but I think that's why it's good, since you get to meet new people from different grades. To be honest, you seem like you would get along well with Kuroo-san, but I can see how you wouldn't be so sure about hanging out with some of the other people. I'm serious though, he was looking at you a lot, which I get since you're kind of hard to figure out, and you looked like you were really good at volleyball," he said, giving Tsukishima a thumbs up to show that he was giving him a compliment, but also since he seemed to express his words using gestures a lot. "But you didn't seem to want to hang out with him even though he looked like he wanted your attention, which you were giving to him. You're confusing like that, I can't really tell what you're thinking."

Tsukishima's cheeks heated up when he mentioned Kuroo wanting his attention and he looked away, rolling his eyes. He hadn't thought the silver haired male had even seen him, seeming as he was so enamoured with Yaku. "Whatever, Lev. Whatever it is you're thinking, I don't think that's the case, because I doubt Kuroo-san actually wants to bother with someone like me. I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with, and i was somewhat rude to him this morning, so. Anyway, enough about me, what about you and Yaku? Like you can talk about giving people attention when you were all over him the entire practice and wouldn't stop leaving him alone. You're really lucky that he's dense, because everyone on the team knows you like him."

Lev blushed at the mention of Yaku, but soon regained his composure and put a hand on the blond's shoulder. "Firstly, Tsukki, don't sell yourself short, because you're really pretty. Not as cute as Yaku, but definitely attractive. And if you're taking the time to talk to me, which not many people do, then I don't think you're that bad." Kei blushed a bit more at those words, his ears a deep red, not used to people aside from Tadashi and Akiteru complimenting him with such sincerity. He didn't bother trying to correct him with the name, since he didn't imagine Lev would stop calling him that, and it was kind of nice to have someone want to call him by a nickname. "Also, I wasn't exactly trying to hide the fact that I like him. I was always teased a lot because I'm half-Russian, I'm too tall and I look weird or something. But then my sister, her name is Alisa, she taught me that it's best to just be myself and that the people who really care will stick around even if I don't quite fit in. I'm gay, it's just a part of who I am, and I like Yaku. I'm not going to change myself for someone else's sake."

"I, uh, okay..." After the compliments, and now hearing the genuine things Lev was telling him, Tsukishima didn't quite know how to respond, biting his lip gently and trying to think of what to say. He sighed shakily, glancing up at the sky and thinking about what Yamaguchi would tell him to do in this situation, since he was unsure how to go about it. Probably something about honesty or trying to open up, which he decided to give a go even if he wasn't great at it. "I'm not going to lie, I only talked to you since my friend would bug me if I hadn't made any new friends here. Naturally I assumed you were going to be yet another person that was going to get on my nerves, because pretty much everyone that seems to hang around me is. I'll only say it once, and I'll probably take it back later, but, you're not so bad Lev. If you like Yaku-san, then go for it, it's more than I could say I've done. Up until this morning I was convinced that I was going to be forever alone, yet here I am, trying to pretend I don't have these feelings."

"Well, I kind of assumed that you were going to be a prick with a stick up your ass after our first meeting. I'm glad that you're not, by the way, but I guess it makes us even. I'm not always going to be able to read you, though, so if you're going to be my first friend at Nekoma then we're going to have to talk." Lev's voice was quieter than usual, and surprisingly understanding, and though a part of him feared he would regret opening up to someone this fast, another part of himself — the one desperate for friendship and someone to help get rid of the loneliness and disconnect he felt here in Tokyo — was proud that he was able to make a friend, even if it was Lev. Kei hadn't given the guy enough credit, he'd written him off as just an annoying and airheaded person, but he was actually kind of nice to hang around and could be serious enough if he needed. "So, you like someone? Do you want to talk about it, or would you prefer not to? I don't know how much help I'll be, but since we're friends now I want to help if I can."

Kei shrugged and crossed his arms as they continued to walk, the both of them still going in the same direction, quickly considering the pros and cons of telling him before deciding to fuck it and just tell him anyway because he felt the other deserved to know after being so open with him. "I'm not going to say who it is, because frankly I don't know how well you are at keeping your mouth shut, nor will I confirm or deny his identity if you ask about it. But... you can call him Shiro. Yes, he's a guy. Seeming as you came out to me, I'll have you know that I'm also extremely gay, but I don't think we have a problem with that. He's older than I am, and though I've not said too much to him, I can't get him out of my mind. I don't know him well enough to judge his character yet, though, but he was kind of nice to me and I don't know if that was him being genuinely nice or just wanting to annoy me."

Lev only smiled knowingly and leaned into whisper in his ear so that nobody around them could hear, if anyone else was even out that late at night. "So you like Kuroo? I won't tell anyone, I promise. It's not obvious, I don't think so anyways, but I can't really imagine it being anyone else."

Kei didn't respond, but a soft blush once again made its way to his cheeks. Lev grinned, nudging him with his elbow and laughing a little, before nodding in understanding. Despite what Tsukishima had initially thought, they got along quite well with each other. Perhaps, if this friendship lasted, it wouldn't be too bad at Nekoma after all.

The pair continued to talk as they walked back to their apartments, just about normal stuff. Lev was interested in how long he had been playing volleyball, and seemed extremely impressed when he heard that Kei was in the top class. He told Tsukishima about his cats, and that he was probably going to do something in photography and modeling unless he got somewhere with volleyball.

As they arrived at Kei's apartment building, the blond was a little surprised to find Lev making his way inside the gates too, and raised an eyebrow. "You live here? What, is half of the team living in the one apartment building?"

"Wait, more people in the team live here? I'm on the second floor, by the way." Lev tilted his head, and a realisation slowly dawned on them both as they looked into each other's eyes, and the half-Russian began to grin. "Someone just moved in yesterday, but the movers had brought everything in before the person actually got there. I'm not sure, since I haven't seen anyone else in the team here, but does this mean you're the person who moved in?"

Kei didn't know whether to be surprised, happy, or frustrated by this occurrence. "Indeed it does, Lev. We're neighbours."

The silver haired male beamed and clapped a little. "Sweet! My first friend here, and we live right next to each other. We can walk to and from school, and it'll be so much fun," he told Kei, a true smile on Lev's face. It was nice, seeing someone so excited at the thought of getting to walk to school with him of all people.

"I guess we can, if you want to. I wouldn't mind, just don't expect me to be dragging you out of bed. If you don't get up, I'm leaving without you, got it?"

Lev nodded happily as they got on the elevator and made their way to their own apartments. Before Kei could enter, Lev stopped him and pulled out his phone for Kei to put in his LINE contact. "I'll meet you outside here at seven, okay?"

Kei felt a small smile appear on his lips, and he nodded. "Yeah, don't be late."