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Sakusa feels exposed. The wind from the air conditioner chips at his skin and the crowd exposure slowly starts to suffocate him. Komori is currently with their team and Sakusa regrets being brave for a moment.
A hand waves in front of his face and he sees a rather familiar face.
"Hey," the other boy blinks at him, "y'okay? Yer kinda pale there, buddy."
Sakusa scowls behind his mask. He doesn't want to deal with another person in close proximity right at this moment. "I don't like crowds. And I'm exposed to all these skin because I don't have my jacket."
The boy tilts his head. The action brings Sakusa to notice his dyed blond hair. He has a black uniform which in Sakusa's mild panicking state can't remember where from.
The boy hums thoughtfully before stepping back a bit. Sakusa breaths a little easier but inhales it back in one huge gulp when a stranger accidentally brushes past him. The boy notices and digs into a shopping bag Sakusa did not notice him holding.
He takes out something covered in plastic and holds it out for Sakusa. Seeing Sakusa's apprehensive expression, he explains, "This is a jacket. It's brand new. Just bought it from the merch store. Wear it."
Sakusa stares at his hand. Another brush past him made him reach for the jacket and quickly discard the plastic wrapping. When he feels the jacket securely around him, he breaths a little easier.
"Ya better?" The boy asks. Sakusa gives him a nod and receives one in return. The boy gestures to Sakusa's hand. "I'll be going past the crowd so if yer planning to get out of here this's yer chance. You don't hafta if ya don't want but if ya do I need to hold yer hand."
Sakusa guesses he must have looked horrified because the boy quickly rushes, "I'll hold yer hand over the jacket sleeve, don't worry. We'll go through real fast dontcha worry."
The boy waits patiently as Sakusa stares at him some more. With a sigh, Sakusa nods and holds out his hand. The boy, as he promised, holds tight over the jacket sleeve.
"Ready?" At Sakusa's nod, he stands next to him and pushes them through the crowd.
Sakusa keeps his head down, shoulders hunched, and body curling to the boy next to him to avoid unnecessary touching with strangers. He idly muses that he hasn't been this close to anyone besides his family.
After much struggle, they break out into the deserted hallway. Sakusa inhales quietly, hands clutching at the jacket. He tightens his grip before moving to remove it.
"Ya don't need to return it!" The boy says quickly, hands moving to stop him before hovering awkwardly. "Jus' keep it."
He turns around and starts to walk away, "See ya next time, Sakusa!" He waves once before darting out into another hallway.
Sakusa realizes he never asked for his name.
Komori was showing him the new volleyball magazine when he saw him again.
The boy from last year was smirking lazily back at him from the glossy paper. His stats are written to the side along with a brief description of his playstyle and school origin.
Miya Atsumu. Half of the Miya twins of Inarizaki High School Boys Volleyball Club. The upcoming setter is known for his flashy and risky sets. A force to be reckoned with in court. Definitely one of the monsters of this generation.
Miya Atsumu. Sakusa rolls his tongue around the syllables, repeating them until they sound natural. When Komori asks if he knew him, he answers no and leaves it at that.
Later, he stands in front of his closet. The jacket Miya had given him is separated from the rest. Sakusa reasons it for hygienic purposes and resolutely denies to himself that it's because it's special. The purple jacket is a stark contrast compared to his monotone and neon closet.
Miya. Atsumu. A sanctuary with a man of thirst for victory.
The Tokyo Volleyball Camp excites and annoys Sakusa at the same time. Komori is just ecstatic and chats animatedly all the way to the gymnasium. What a pair they must look.
Sakusa hears through the grapevine that Shiratorizawa will not be able to attend Nationals. What's more, Ushijima is not invited to the Tokyo Volleyball Camp and instead is at another camp in Sendai. All of these factors make a sullen Sakusa which might explain why he ignores the bright-eyed player who he received a sincere greeting earlier.
There is one thing he is looking forward to though. Miya Atsumu is here.
After finding out who he is, Sakusa spends his free time researching his plays. He finds out that Inarizaki was last year's runner-up and this year's favored contender. He must have been really shaken if he couldn't remember how it was to go against Miya because there is no way he would forget anyone who plays like that.
Atsumu plays like he's in a warzone. He gives his all and does completely bizarre sets out of nowhere. An overhand, an underhand, whatever form his toss is looks easy to hit. He moves around as much as his spikers and his spikes as hard as they do. Not to mention, his double serves are most likely frightening to receive.
Not that he'll ever admit it but Sakusa is a bit interested in Miya Atsumu.
According to the gossiping players around him, Miya Atsumu is an asshole.
He's an incredible player in court and an obnoxious person off the court. He taunts people, points out their weakness, and doesn't give a shit if he's disliked or not. Some even say his teammates ostracize him.
Sakusa looks at Miya Atsumu and can only see a player who keeps his eyes firmly forward, demanding the same to the players who want to stay on the court. Sakusa can't fault him for that.
(That doesn't erase the fact that he's an asshole though. And that he's still the one who gave a jacket to a stranger.)
Sakusa couldn't sleep. Even after he disinfected the area three times and threw out the Salonpas the cockroach had landed on, his mind still screamed wrongness. Sakusa looked over to Komori's form across the room and decided to solve the problem himself. Covers pushed back and slippers slipped on, he exited their shared room.
The Tokyo Gymnasium is huge. It had amazing facilities like [insert from Wikipedia] and most importantly, a well-equipped pantry. On the way, he passed by Miya's room and for a second wondered how the room looked inside. After Miya's admission about rooming with cockroaches, Sakusa had low hopes.
(This doesn't stop his curiosity about the setter though).
To his surprise, the lights of the pantry were already on and Miya was almost done preparing his drink. Based on the paper label that rests on the rim, he made chamomile tea.
Miya grinned at him when he noticed Sakusa standing on the door. "Sakusa-kun, how ya doin'?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Sakusa moved to the cabinet, took out a teabag, and stood next to Atsumu. Weirdly enough, the proximity didn't bother him. "Give me the kettle."
"Aw, no please?" Atsumu teased, doing as he asked. He also passed him a plastic cup which Sakusa inspected before deeming it clean. "Where're yer manners, Sakusa-kun?"
"Dead, like the night," Sakusa deadpanned. The scent of chamomile calmed him a bit. He sat at one of the high seats, hunching into himself a bit when Miya sat next to him.
Sakusa realized a bit too late that it was only them in the kitchen. For the first time, Sakusa is truly alone with Miya Atsumu. He should bring up the jacket so he could return it. Before he could open his mouth, Atsumu beat him to it.
"Ah, Sakusa-kun," Atsumu sighed. "Yer spikes are as disgusting as ever."
Sakusa blinked and stared down at his tea. What should he reply to that?
"How is it disgusting it's just a spike," Sakusa grumbled lowly. "Miya, about your-"
"Tomorrow, I'll toss t'ya again," Atsumu continued, "and you'll spike it without hesitation unlike Hoshiumi-kun's. I'll be the one to control you monsters."
Atsumu turned and gave him a sly fox grin. "I'll make sure of it."
Before he could reply, Atsumu stood and discarded his cup. When he passed by him, he felt a solid pat on his shoulder. Sakusa watched him leave. He continued staring even after the setter left. The buzz on his shoulder seemed to settle down to his skin instead of irritating it.
He went to sleep calmer and a bit frazzled.
The next day, true to his promise, Atsumu made Sakusa spike his set without any hesitation. Hoshiumi threw a fit but the spiker decided to ignore him. Atsumu grinned at him, satisfied.
Sakusa walked away without a word, ignoring Komori's raised brow across the net.
When Inarizaki lost early in Nationals, Sakusa found Atsumu near the vending machines. He was absently sipping on a juice box and staring blankly. His face reminded Sakusa of a sunken skull head.
Sakusa purchased a green tea and startled when Atsumu spoke, "Y'know, somehow, I'm not really that upset. I mean, I'm kinda upset 'cause Kita-san's not able to play anymore. We only managed to play one game and then poof, we're outta the competition."
Sakusa stayed where he stood, listening. Atsumu seemed fine with this and continued, "But seeing a monster in front of ya and knowing that the next time you'll see each other they're different. That feeling is really one of the best."
Sakusa stared at him. "So you're saying you're a masochist, Miya."
Atsumu spun around and gave him a look. "That's not what I mean by that, Sakusa-kun! And don't call me Miya, 'Samu's here too."
"What should I call you if not your name?"
"My first name. Atsumu, duh."
Sakusa uncapped his bottle. "I'll politely decline. What's the use when your brother's not here?"
"Jus' get into the habit, won't ya?" Atsumu grumbled. "Because next time, I'll definitely go face you in court again and I dun' wanna be mistaken for 'Samu!"
Sakusa finished his drink and threw it to the recycling bin. "Bold words from someone who just lost." At Atsumu's indignant squeak, he gave out a chuckle. "But I'll be looking forward to it, Atsumu."
(He left coolly but his mind had screamed at him the whole time on how easy it was to call him Atsumu by his first name.)
(In next year's Nationals, Sakusa looked Atsumu straight in the eye as he delivered the last spike. He let himself grin back at Atsumu's frustrated one when he shook the setter's hand.)
When Sakusa joins MSBY Black Jackals, Komori corners him.
"Why did you choose MSBY, Kiyoomi?" Komor's voice drips feigned innocent curiosity. "Is there perhaps a specific reason why you decided to go there and not anywhere else, dear cousin?"
Sakusa's thankful he's still wearing his mask. Komori is relentless when he hones in on something. "Their team is good. The facilities are also one of the best in the V.League. Of course, I'll go there."
Komori raises a brow in reply. "My team is also good and has nice facilities too. So does Schweiden Adlers. Ushijima is there too. You know, the guy you used to have a crush on?"
Sakusa glares at his cousin. It's a memory they tacitly agreed to hide forever. Not because he was rejected but because Komori did not know what Ushijima said to him after.
You already like someone else. Your words are professing affection for me but your eyes are dull when they meet mine. Sakusa-san, who are you running from?
Sakusa hated him a bit after that. If he kept on targeting Ushijima back at the collegiate tournaments it was by pure accident.
"Are you insinuating something, Komori?" Sakusa finally asks. "If not, please let me through. I need to be at the team dorms before evening."
Komori sighs and steps aside to let him load his luggage. His cousin will be driving Sakusa to the dorms. Apparently, MSBY Jackals not only provide excellent facilities but housing as well. Some people opt-out of this option but since Sakusa would rather save money if he could, he obliges.
Komori keeps up his interrogation which Sakusa narrowly dodges. When the car finally stops, he couldn't move fast enough to leave. Of course, his cousin notices because the jerk laughs at him and decides to give mercy by leaving. The prick.
Sakusa spends the rest of the day sanitizing and arranging his new apartment. It's a generous fully furnished 1LDK. It comes with a flat-screen TV, a comfy couch, a 4-seat dining table, and a low coffee table in the living room. It's actually better than any apartment he would rent for himself.
While vacuuming, he fails to hear the knock on his door. After a few moments, the knocking turns to banging and Sakusa finally turns off the vacuum and answers it. Immediately, he contemplates closing it.
"Omi-kun!" Atsumu beams to which Sakusa scrunches his face. The MSBY setter laughs at this. "Omi, if you keep that up you'll have wrinkles."
Sakusa schools his face. "Miya, what are you doing here."
"Greeting my neighbor welcome, duh!" Atsumu tries to look over Sakusa's shoulder to his apartment. "Yer decorating, Omi?"
"Cleaning," Sakusa corrects, "and what's with calling me 'Omi', that's not my name."
"Omi-kun, it's a nickname." Atsumu crosses his arms and shakes his head sadly. "Yer still as prickly as ever since high school."
Sakusa decides he will not be dealing with this. "If that is all, I will be going back now."
Atsumu starts to say something before stepping back and shrugging. "Fine. See ya later, Omi-Omi!"
"That's not my name!" Sakusa yells after him.
(The following practices, Atsumu calls him the nefarious nickname until everyone else catches up to it. Resigning to his fate, he directs glares at Atsumu whenever he has the chance for retaliation. He doesn’t tell him to stop. He tells himself it’s too much work stopping Atsumu anyway.)
Atsumu starts hanging out at Sakusa's apartment. It starts when Atsumu runs out of ingredients.
"You can cook?" Sakusa asks, dubious. Atsumu 'hmps!' indignantly to this. "I always see you ordering take-out, Miya."
"That's 'cause that's easier but today is our free day so I thought I'll cook myself up some good meals." Atsumu rummages in his fridge (Sakusa regrets giving him permission a bit). "If ya want, I'll cook for ya something too."
That piques Sakusa's interest. "Oh? What will you be cooking?"
"Just some simple yakisoba noodles." Atsumu glances at him, "Y'okay with that?"
At Sakusa's nod, he gestures to the stove, "Can I cook here? My exhaust fan is broken, anyway."
A lightbulb lights inside Sakusa's head. "Ah, so that was your original intention."
Atsumu snorts, "Well, yeah, but whatever. I'll come back with the ingredients just hol' on for a sec."
(Sakusa ends up standing next to Atsumu side by side throughout cooking the yakisoba. Atsumu makes him help after Sakusa's close scrutiny of him cleaning the vegetables. If Atsumu's shoulder brushing his own makes his cheeks warm a bit, he'll blame it on the steam.)
Since then, Atsumu comes over uninvited. He will show up freshly clean from a shower and sanitizes his hands. At that point, Sakusa just sighs resigned and lets him in without a word. Every time he does, Atsumu shoots him a victorious grin. It pisses and appeases Sakusa in the same breath.
They will curl up on the super comfy sofa and watch matches or movies. Sakusa keeps his distance but shares a blanket with Atsumu. At Atsumu's insistence, they always snack on popcorn. For some reason, he doesn't mind vacuuming the stray popcorns after Atsumu leaves.
Sakusa Kiyoomi then realizes that maybe Atsumu is one of his friends now.
They were stretching after a practice match. Somehow, the fact that they were all acquainted through Spring Nationals in high school became the topic. Oliver was very interested in how they could have been friends back then.
"Well, Hinata is my disciple so I already know him!" Bokuto says, patting the energetic wing spiker, "Tsum-Tsum and Sakusa-san I never got close to, though. The only time I saw Sakusa-san was when we played against them!"
"You played against Omi-san in high school, Bokuto-san?" Hinata asks, excited, "How was it?"
Bokuto makes a face. "His spikes were really a pain in the a-" At Meian's glare he immediately held his tongue "-butt. We lost to them really badly every time. Outside of games, we really didn't interact though."
Atsumu perks up at that. "Then, that means out of all of us I'm the closest to Omi-Omi!"
That is essentially true but Sakusa refuses to give him the satisfaction. "Why do you think so, Miya?"
Atsumu flicks a finger for every point, "I hang out with you, watch movies with you,
play the most games with you back in high school, and most importantly tolerate your awful neon clothes!"
Inunaki and Thomas share a look. Meian sighs quietly while Barnes shakes his head. Bokuto and Hinata blink and tilt their heads to the side, eyes wide.
(Suddenly, Sakusa remembers when Komori laughed at him during their weekly calls. Atsumu had come over earlier and when he explained to his cousin the reason why he's currently vacuuming the floor, Komori had choked.
"Atsumu hangs out at your house?" Komori says through his giggles. "Atsumu, the guy who lived with cockroaches back in high school?"
Sakusa shivers. "Yes, but he sanitizes himself whenever he comes over. As if I'll settle for anything else."
Komori had just hummed and decided to move on from the topic. Looking back now, Sakusa realizes that whenever he brings up Atsumu, Komori chokes through his giggles.)
"No," Sakusa denies. To himself or to Atsumu, he's not sure. "Definitely not."
"Speaking of clothes," Bokuto says, interrupting Atsumu's fake crying, "I once saw Sakusa-san wearing a purple jacket than his school one. I actually thought Itachiyama had a purple motif."
Sakusa freezes. He actually forgot about the jacket. For some reason, he wonders why Bokuto's sharp memory is so selective to bothersome facts.
"Purple?" Atsumu wonders out loud. He turns to Sakusa who had reached forward to avoid his eyes. "Yer actually capable of wearing other colors, Omi-kun?"
Sakusa glares at him. "I don't wear neon colors all the time, Miya."
"I know, but that's only 'cause ya only wear sensible ones at home."
"I'm throwing out your slippers when I get home. You're not allowed to my house when you insult me."
"Omi-kun no! Those slippers are really soft, they're also anti-bacterial, y'know! I had that in mind when I bought them!"
Hinata looks at Bokuto and mouths "Slippers?"
Sakusa did not know that. "Thank you for the consideration, Miya. But I'm still throwing them away."
Atsumu shouts in outrage. He stands up and points at Sakusa. "Fine! Throw 'em out and let's see if ya can survive without DeeDee!"
"DeeDee?" Meian repeats. They turn to Sakusa who glares fiercely at Atsumu, lips actually pulled to a snarl.
"You try taking DeeDee from me and I'll kill you, Miya," Sakusa snarls, voice low. "DeeDee lives in my apartment now, you can't have her."
Atsumu smirks, laughing haughtily. "Omi-kun, I think you forgot. I'm DeeDee's actual father. I brought DeeDee and assembled her with my own hands. I created her. I own her."
"DeeDee...," Bokuto looks up at Atsumu. "You mean the Roomba you ordered from Korea, Tsum-Tsum?"
"That's right, Bo-kun," Atsumu laughs sardonically down at Sakusa, "DeeDee is my Roomba I bought from Korea. It not only cleans floors but it also sanitizes with an antimicrobial brush before heating it up with germicidal UV. To add to those magical abilities, it can clean bathroom floors too! A truly magnificent specimen, a beautiful cleaning machine!"
All of what he said is true. Sakusa comes home to completely clean floors every night and relaxes a bit. Hearing DeeDee's beep in the background actually grounds him when he's feeling suffocated even in his own home. DeeDee is important in his apartment; a total necessity that made him a bit lax in his cleaning.
"That's wonderful and all but Sakusa can just buy another one, right?" Inunaki asks, wryly.
Sakusa's snarl turns aggravated and grits out, "I can't."
"Why not?" Thomas asks.
"Yeah, Omi-Omi," Atsumu leers, "why can't ya just buy a new one?"
Sakusa sits up properly and grumbles, "It was a custom Roomba commissioned by Atsumu. Apparently, he has a friend that specializes in robotic modification."
And he's a bit attached to DeeDee at this point. Sue him.
"I'm surprised you asked for something like that, Atsumu," Barnes says, "isn't that out of character for you?"
Atsumu hums, considering. "Well, it was a real pain when I gotta clean my apartment when I'm dead tired from practice so I thought, why not pull in a favor? Then Sakusa fell in love with DeeDee when I brought her around 'cause Sakusa ran out of floor cleaner. So I just left it at there and DeeDee ended up bein' useful to another house."
"But," he grins down at Sakusa, "guess DeeDee's comin' home to his true daddy, huh?"
(Atsumu's slippers stay out of the garbage. DeeDee is now agreed to be both Atsumu and Sakusa's. Atsumu is now a co-guardian. The jacket is still not returned.)
The EJP Raijins and MSBY Black Jackals have a practice match in their home court. Komori comes in all smiles and promises to be the savior who receives all of Sakusa's spikes. He also comes in interrogating Sakusa's change in the wardrobe after the game, looming over him despite his shorter stature.
"Oh? What's this? You're not blinding everyone, Kiyoomi?" Komori backs him to a bench. Sakusa reaches for his sports back and rummages around to look busy. "Is there a special occasion, hm?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He does know but denial is a strong weapon when Sakusa uses it with all his might. "I dress up like how I normally do."
Komori looks down pointedly at the earrings that line Sakusa's ears. He only wears them when he plans to look attractive after a fan tells him the effect it has on her heart. Apparently, threader earrings and studs raise his 'handsome stats' by a ridiculous amount. He regrets telling Komori this fact.
He's also wearing the 'date outfit' Komori assembled for him back as a joke. To spite him, Sakusa wore it on a grocery run the next day. The hashtag #Sakusagrocerydate gave the PR team an eventful day. According to his fans, his outfit reminds them of a K-Drama male protagonist.
Okay. Maybe Komori does have the right to be suspicious. He would be suspicious of himself too.
"Suna, stop yammerin' shit and go home," a whine makes them turn. At the entrance of the MSBY Black Jackals locker stands Atsumu and Suna Rintarou, the latter blocking Atsumu from leaving.
Sakusa could not hear what Suna's reply was but he did hear Atsumu's offended gasp. Atsumu talks rapidly and waves his arms around, then points somewhere behind Suna. Suna finally lets him pass but not before tailing him to his friend's exasperation.
Atsumu stops in front of Sakusa, Suna stops behind him before standing next to him. Komori's eyes switch between them before his brows rise dramatically. Sakusa's brain short-circuits.
"Omi-kun, ya ready to go?"
No, he is not ready to go. He would like to sit down a bit more so he can observe Atsumu because he is not blind and he can appreciate a visually stunning man. Platonically, of course.
Under Coach Foster's orders, the MSBY Black Jackal athletes undergo harsh regimens in order to condition their bodies. This results in increased agility, flexibility, and stamina. Another favorable result is a muscular body.
Atsumu knows how to dress to accentuate his best features. Right now, the simple all-black outfit is doing wonders to his legs and waistline. His legs look like they're bulging out of the seams. His waist is ridiculously making Sakusa wish for a real-life zoom feature. The hand emoji meme on pictures is suddenly making a lot of sense now.
"Omi-Omi." Atsumu snaps his fingers in front of the spiker. "Hey, are y'okay?"
Sakusa shakes his head. He wears his mask in case his cheeks are heating up. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"Yeah, bet it was really intellectual," Komori mutters under his breath. He winces when a foot slams on his.
Sakusa stands up and mentally revels that Atsumu has to look up to him. He almost chokes when he realizes Atsumu not just has a muscular body to die for but a pretty face. He's thankful his mask is on otherwise Komori will have a laughing fit at how his mouth falls open.
Atsumu has lip balm on, making his lips glow under the fluorescent lights of the court. His lashes, from this angle, look ridiculously long. The way his hooded eyes look up at him is making him want to clench his fist and scream to the void.
Miya Atsumu is pretty pretty pretty and Sakusa Kiyoomi is stupid stupid stupid for wanting to suddenly hold Atsumu's cheeks and squishing him. It's not fair for someone to look both hot and cute. What kind of god had looked down at Miya Atsumu at birth and decided to bless him with that ability too?
Even when Atsumu comes over at his apartment and he has seen him in literal ugly shirts and old shorts revealing skin, he never has the thought crossing his mind. There's something about the way that Atsumu makes an effort to look more presentable than usual that is firing the synapses in his brain.
It looks like they're about to go on a date.
Suna seems to come to the same conclusion because he smirks at Sakusa. "Are the both of you going somewhere important, Sakusa-san?"
It seemed that Inarizaki alumni nailed the condescending talk.
"Just a trip to the mall," Sakusa replies, stepping back a bit. Something flashes in Atsumu's eyes. He decides to decipher it later. Right now... "Speaking of, we should probably get going."
"Oh, right!" Atsumu turns to Suna. "Tell Osamu I can't 'cause I refuse to be a third wheel. 'Sides, I know a trap when I see one."
"Well," Suna's eyes flit to Sakusa's briefly, "it seems like being the third wheel will not be an issue in the near future." He gives Atsumu a solid pat on the shoulder, spares Sakusa a look, and nudges Komori. "Well then, we'll now take our leave."
Atsumu watches them walk away before turning to Sakusa. "Omi-kun, should we go home first? We still have our duffel bags and it'll be heavy bringin' it to the mall."
Sakusa shakes his head and fishes out a keychain. "I brought my car today. We'll just leave the bags in the trunk. Easier that way when we get home."
Atsumu's eyes shine. "Omi-kun, are ya drivin' me home? Aw, what a gentleman."
"We live next to each other," Sakusa deadpans.
Atsumu laughs and hands him his duffel bag. Together, they walk to the parking lot to Sakusa's car. They bicker about whose playlist to play before Sakusa pulls the owner card. Atsumu sulks and insults his car for lacking any decoration. Sakusa slams the brake and grins at Atsumu's yells.
The trip to the mall was decided when DeeDee's charging dock malfunctioned and stopped working. Since they both agreed to be DeeDee's guardian, they took the responsibility of fixing her up. Well, this was Atsumu's reason anyway and Sakusa's looking forward to getting DeeDee working again. Even if he dislikes going to the mall (Why go when online shopping exists?), he has to take care of DeeDee.
After dropping DeeDee off at the repair center, Atsumu drags him to a sports store. They separate a while later when Atsumu takes too long choosing a jumping rope. After a while, a notification from the repair center comes on Sakusa’s home screen. He decides he should probably collect Atsumu. Following Atsumu’s blond hair over the aisles, he finds him chatting with two women who appear to be his fans.
See, Sakusa knows Atsumu is attractive. If the setter's magazine, billboard, and endorsement deals do not speak for themselves, then seeing him in person will. Atsumu has the kind of cocky charm that would irritate but at the same time admit he deserves his vanity. He's sociable, open, and a prominent figure in the volleyball scene. With his hooded eyes and cocksure grin, he sure plays the playboy persona perfectly.
Sakusa can understand when people stare at attractive people. It’s human nature to do so, he himself does it. What he cannot understand is excessive touches during a normal conversation in public.
One of the women puts her hand on Atsumu’s arm and laughs daintily. Atsumu either does not notice or he ignores it because he carries on talking to the other woman who seems actually interested in volleyball. Sakusa watches with raised brows as the hand climbs up high until it reaches Atsumu’s shoulder. Atsumu notices and laughs a bit awkwardly, moving back subtly so her hand rests back on his arm. Sakusa decides it’s time to interrupt.
“Miya.” Sakusa tries not to but he stares hard at the hand on Atsumu’s arm. “We need to get going.”
“Oh, already Omi-kun?” Atsumu steps back and the hand falls away. Sakusa steps next to him.
“If you’ll excuse us,” Sakusa bows and goes past them, slowing down near the entrance to let Atsumu catch up. Atsumu is giving him an odd look.
“What?” Atsumu shakes his head and Sakusa feels a bit irritated for some reason. “Out with it, Miya.”
“Nothin’, it’s nothin’.” Atsumu looks back to the store and rubs his arm. It’s the place where the woman’s hand had been. Sakusa hands him his hand sanitizer which Atsumu takes without question. “Jus’ thinkin’ about stuff.”
Sakusa snorts. “Well, that’s dangerous.”
Atsumu glares at him with no heat before sighing. His hands are clean now. “Guess I’ll have to buy the jump ropes later. Are we goin’ to get DeeDee?”
“Yes, they said the repair is almost done.” Sakusa checks his watch. He refuses the hand sanitizer and gestures for him to keep it. “Hm. We have a bit of a time. Is there anywhere else you want to go?”
Atsumu gasps at him, hand laying over his heart dramatically. “Omi, ya wanna spend more time with me?”
Sakusa scoffs. “Do you not want me to?”
A beat of silence before Atsumu coos at him. “Aw, Omi. No need to be shy. Jus’ say ya wanna go on a date with me.”
Sakusa turns and walks away. “I’m leaving.”
Atsumu laughs and catches up to him quickly, leaning into his face on his tiptoes. Sakusa feels a bit smug about his taller stature. When Atsumu’s lips curl to a satisfied smirk, he somehow feels defeated.
“Omi-kun,” Atsumu sings, “are ya blushin’?”
Sakusa hesitates before flicking him on the nose. He ignores Atsumu’s squawk. “If you have nowhere you want to go I’ll decide where.”
Atsumu steps back and falls in step with him. “‘S long as it’s with Omi-Omi I’ll go anywhere~”
Sakusa walks faster and ignores Atsumu’s loud cackles. If his ears turned red, it’s because of the faulty air conditioners of the mall.
Sakusa finally returns Atsumu's jacket when they go on a team vacation.
As a treat for the steady wins this season, the MSBY Electronics gives them a fully-paid trip to the Izu Peninsula. 62 miles southwest of Tokyo, it is a small heaven getaway for city people. Everyone is excited while Sakusa looks like he swallowed sewer water. He dreads the bacteria and the germs running wild because of the crowds of tourists.
Somehow, when he packs his bag, Atsumu winds up helping. The setter had brought some tools to fix DeeDee's filter. After seeing Sakusa frown at his bag, he offers his help. After a thorough hand cleaning and sanitizing, Sakusa lets him have free reign.
Atsumu plugs in his music at a low volume while he takes some clothes from Sakusa's closet. Sakusa, on the other hand, is packing spare bed sheets and blankets. DeeDee beeps in the background as she does her best to clean the floors. Sakusa feels the most ease he has been in months.
"Y'know, Omi, yer clothes can really blind people," Atsumu muses as he digs through Sakusa's closet. Apparently, his beachwear is hidden in the depths of it because he dislikes the beach. "Look at all these neons you'd think it's a graffiti- oh."
Sakusa hears rustling and then, "Oh, so this is the purple jacket?"
Sakusa turns around so fast Atsumu drops the jacket in shock. They stare at the lump of cloth on the floor before Atsumu awkwardly picks it up. He holds it up before folding it neatly. He raises a brow at Sakusa.
"It's just a jacket," Sakusa mumbles before turning back to his bedsheet. He can feel Atsumu staring at the back of his head.
The thing about Atsumu is that he's loud. He laughs too loud, talks too fast, and cries without abandon (during movies). The other thing about Atsumu is that whenever he stays quiet, there's a pressure for the other person to fill the silence. He has already returned to folding clothes but Sakusa can still feel eyes on his back.
"Someone gave it to me." Sakusa curses himself. Stupid Atsumu and his stupid silence making him break it. "So I will keep it until I can give it back."
Atsumu hums. Sakusa sweats a bit. "He, um, I mean. I was in a really bad, I mean, suffocating...? Situation and they just gave it to me."
Another pointed silence amidst the folding of clothes.
"It's just... really importanttomesoIkeptit." The last part was rushed because if he keeps on talking he'll combust. To admit that Atsumu's jacket is important to him feels like defeat to him. Oddly enough, it doesn't really feel like defeat but more like. He doesn't really know how to describe what he feels. He graduated from sports medicine in college, not literature.
And the jacket is really important. When he went home that day without his skin itching from the fabric and how he only showered once, Sakusa had thought that maybe he could push himself out of his comfort zone. He didn't stop being a germaphobe but he did start to connect with other people more. More slaps to the back every nice spike (still no skin contact, always over the fabric), conversations with his teammates flowed more freely, and his affections were given a bit more freely (still limited to close friends and family but still. It was progress.)
When he shook hands with opposing players after every match, his skin didn't scream wrong! wrong! wrong! When he shook Atsumu's hand on their last year, Sakusa had gripped it extra tight in silent gratitude.
And Atsumu... Atsumu himself has become important to Sakusa. His humming in the background whenever Sakusa sits down to do puzzles, his playlist of anime openings, and foreign songs, his wide smile whenever he eats messily has become endearing. Turning his head to Omi-kun! and slowing his steps so Atsumu can catch up becomes a reflex. Heck, Sakusa even finds himself looking forward to Atsumu ringing his doorbell.
The revelation that Atsumu is important made Sakusa realize he likes Atsumu. He has a crush on Atsumu!
"Is that so." Sakusa turns around to see Atsumu grinning at him. It looks wrong. One side is a bit slanted downwards and his eyes look cloudy. Atsumu's eyes are always loud and clear to Sakusa.
Something feels wrong.
Atsumu turns around and resumes folding clothes. Sakusa quietly stuffs the blanket to the bag. After a while, Atsumu leaves with the wrong smile, and Sakusa's apartment door closes in a deafening silence.
Miya Atsumu is loud. He barges to Sakusa's apartment, laughs haughtily at their opponents, and pesters Sakusa with no consideration for his peace. He invades and demands a space; a most likely result from growing up with a twin. Next to his twin, he's the storm. That is who Miya Atsumu is.
This Miya Atsumu is muted. He still laughs and taunts in his Kansai dialect. But his volume is lowered with his averting eyes and fidgeting hands.
On this trip, they were allowed to bring two extra guests. Atsumu chose Suna Rintarou and Miya Osamu. He sat between Osamu and Suna, heads lowered and whispering. With the loud chatter in the bus, Sakusa can't hear their conversation even when he sits behind the trio. After the fifth time Suna snuck a glance back at them, Komori gave Sakusa a long look.
“I don’t know.” He’s so confused. Why is Atsumu avoiding him? The drive to the meet-up place had been stuffy. For the first time in his life, Sakusa felt like he could choke in silence. Atsumu’s answers to his attempt at small talk were stilted and short. His music was playing through a pair of earphones instead of the car speakers. Atsumu has been a brat about using the sound system until Sakusa relented. Why would he give up his hard-earned privilege?
After the realization of his feelings of Atsumu, Sakusa had panicked and deep-cleaned his house to cope. He thought back to the beginning. Staring at Atsumu’s back when they stepped off court. Keeping up with Atsumu’s matches despite his busy college schedule. Buying Atsumu’s favorite Calbee chips in bulk. Adding hand cream to his cart because he remembered Atsumu’s fingertips dry easily all-year. Doing all these things, wasn’t it already obvious he was crushing hard? It’s honestly a miracle no one called him out on it. With how close Atsumu had been with him the past months, you’d think he would have noticed.
Maybe... It was that?
Sakusa stared at Komori, horrified. “Do you think… it was because he found out?”
“Found out what?”
After a pinch to his side for his late recount of yesterday, Komori told him, “I don’t think that’s why. Miya might be an asshole but we know he’s not that kind of asshole. As far as I know, he’s not a homophobe. And he’s your friend, I’m sure he would have talked to you about it if he was uncomfortable.”
“Then why?”
“I think you should ask him yourself,” Komori advised. “Moping around in silence won’t do anything. Just corner him and ask him. Live up to your name earnestly.”
“My name?”
“Sakusa-Too-Blunt-Jerk-Kiyoomi-san.”
“I will choke you.”
That’s right. He just needs to talk to Atsumu and clear the air. They’re all staying in one hotel, how hard can it be?
Once during an interview, Sakusa had been asked what one skill outside of volleyball he was proud of. Without hesitation, he said, “Escaping crowds.” The interviewer had laughed as his teammates snickered along. Atsumu’s had been, “Attracting attention and bein’ easily found.” Apparently, in the past hour, they have traded skills without Sakusa’s knowledge. From getting down the bus to checking into their rooms, Sakusa had no opportunity to talk to Atsumu.
Osamu and Suna seemed to be helping Atsumu. They made Atsumu sit between them at all times, within their sights at all times, and stayed with him at all times. Sakusa is by no means a coward but if he confronted Atsumu under his twin and friend’s watch, he would combust.
His chance finally comes during a mini-mart run. He lost a game of rock-paper-scissors to Komori and was ordered to buy snacks. Komori’s remedy to his ‘sulking’ are movie marathons and binge eating. He nods hello to the cashier, sanitizes the handle of the basket, and makes his way to the snacks section. When he turns to the drinks section, he sees Atsumu bending over to grab a bottle.
“Atsumu,” he breathes out. Atsumu startles and smacks himself on the fridge door. He hurries over to him. “Hey, are you okay?”
“Omi-kun?” Atsumu gapes at him before backing up a bit. “I mean, hahaha. Fancy seein’ ya here Omi. I’ll be goin’ now. Bye!”
Sakusa watches him run before realizing he’s getting away again. He drops the basket and goes after Atsumu. He shouts an apology to the confused cashier and halts at the entrance. He whips his head around to find Atsumu and chases after him once he sees him. It’s not really hard to spot dyed blond hair in a street full of natural dark hairs.
Atsumu looks back and when he sees Sakusa gaining speed, yells back at him, “Omi! Why the hell are ya chasin’ me?! Stop it! Yer scarin’ me!”
“I won’t be chasing you if you didn’t run away in the first place!” Sakusa snaps back. “Atsumu, damn it, STOP RUNNING!”
“OMI-KUN PLEASE STOP CHASING MEEEEE!”
Heads turn as they watch two six-foot-tall men run down the streets at frightening speed. Their feet thunder down the concrete while their voices rise higher and higher with each word. Some take out their phones and start recording. They disappear down the corner and to the beach walk.
Sakusa is fastidious. He takes great care of his body and health by keeping his cleaning standards high. His home is a testament to this, so are his habits of cleaning anything he touches. With this, he avoids dirtying himself or letting anything even with a hint of dirt near him. He decides to throw his inhibitions by tackling Atsumu to the beach sand. He grimaces as he feels the grains of sand stick dig to his clothes. All sensation is forgotten however when he stares down Atsumu’s flushed face.
Atsumu’s eyes are wide, lips parted, and cheeks visibly red. Sakusa studies the way Atsumu’s eyes and lips shine a bit with the moon’s light. Ah. He’s wearing lip balm. His hair needs to be retouched soon; the roots of his dye are showing. A light sheen of sweat is on his neck. What a strange place to sweat first.
Atsumu clears his throat. Sakusa continues staring him in the eye. He coughs again before saying, “Omi-kun, y- y’gotta let up. I don’t think I can breathe.”
Sakusa realizes that he’s put all his weight unconsciously. He sits up slowly, intently staring at Atsumu who awkwardly follows suit. They watch each other for a moment. Sakusa wants to look away, feeling unsure all of a sudden before remembering that Atsumu ran away from him earlier. He then glares at Atsumu for making him get tired. And for making him hesitate in being blunt for the first time in his life.
He decides to go for it anyway. “Why are you avoiding me, Miya?”
Atsumu scoffs weakly. “I wasn’t avoiding you!”
“You’re lying,” Sakusa accuses, “just tell me what I did wrong. You didn’t wait for me when we left the building, you haven’t talked to me all day, and you just ran away from me! Who runs away like that!”
“Omi-kun wait-”
“Is it because you’re disgusted?” Sakusa is on a roll now. His anxiety has been skyrocketing with the thought of Atsumu’s repulsion to his crush. “Is it because I’m a guy? No, no, Komori said you wouldn’t be but he didn’t say why. Oh God, did he just say that so I wouldn’t panic? Is that why?”
“Omi-kun, slow down. I don’t know what you’re sayin’-”
“I’m asking if the reason why you’re avoiding me is because you’re disgusted that I have a crush on you,” Sakusa snaps harshly, anxiety making way for defense. “Seriously, Atsumu if you’re that repulsed by it then just tell me I’ll keep my distance-”
“You have a crush on me?”
“Yes?” Sakusa answers snappishly. “As I was saying just tell me honestly, Atsumu. Don’t be an asshole and pull away so suddenly-”
“But,” Atsumu falters under Sakusa’s glare, “I thought you uh, you like someone else…?”
Sakusa stops and stares at him. Is he playing dumb? No, he looks genuinely confused. Now Sakusa’s also confused. Isn’t the reason why he’s pulling the disappearing act is because of his disgust? The only other reason is so ridiculous that he will cry if it’s the actual cause. He will probably smack Atsumu if he’s that stupid.
“Atsumu,” Sakusa speaks slowly, “do you know who the jacket belongs to?”
Atsumu huffs and looks to the side, crossing his arms. “The person ya like? Omi-kun, why are you rubbing it in my face?”
He really is that dumb.
Sakusa stares at him in disbelief. All the stress in the past hours is because Atsumu doesn’t recognize his own jacket? Suddenly, he can’t take it anymore. He slams his hands to the sand and laughs uncontrollably. He hangs his head and tries to hide his face. He’s sure he’s crying a bit from the frustration.
“Omi-kun?” Atsumu asks, worried. “Omi, have you lost it....?”
Sakusa raises his head and reaches out a hand to smack Atsumu’s shoulder. He predictably yells in outrage but he doesn’t stop. He keeps on hitting him until Atsumu holds him by his wrist to stop him. Over the jacket sleeve, never on his skin. He wonders if it’s because he never gives Atsumu permission to do so. Always testing his boundaries but never crossing it. Sakusa wonders what would happen if he does.
He’s an idiot but he’s incredible like this.
Sakusa sits up properly, chest suddenly light. The moon seems to be making everything brighter somehow, even to this late of the night. All his frustration and apprehension take a backseat to his hope. For the first time, he’s letting go of his reservations and decides to take the plunge, consequences be damned. He pats the space next to him, patiently waiting for Atsumu to move next to him.
“When I felt suffocated in a crowded room, someone gave me that jacket,” Sakusa says, closing his eyes to the memory, “he led me through the crowd with a hand on my wrist, over the cloth. It was really random and he seemed to know me but the next time we met, he acted as if nothing happened. From what I heard about him, I thought he would run my ears off as how he became my knight in shining armor.” He can totally see Atsumu do that, a smug grin and all. “But he didn’t. I didn’t get a chance to give it back to him until I just forgot all about it.”
“Or maybe I didn’t forget about it,” Sakusa muses, “maybe I really just want to keep the jacket. I don’t know myself. But it stayed in my closet from my hometown to the apartment, always cleaned along with my other clothes. I kept myself updated about him, from high school to today. He interested me, made me curious. He was totally different from how I met him first and how I met him again. He was cocky, arrogant, a true pain in the ass. But he’s hardworking, a perfectionist to a fault, but a great player all the same. I made myself be able to stand on the same court as him.”
He looks Atsumu in the eye. “The same side of the court.”
“I realized as of late I liked him more than a friend,” Sakusa continues to look at Atsumu. He moves closer, Atsumu’s face shifts to awe. “He’s annoying at times, a brat even when he’s supposed to be a bit older than me. But he’s kind to me. He gave me space until I allowed him inside my bubble. He pushed at my boundaries but never crossed it. He keeps a box of face masks on his glove compartment. A mini bottle of hand sanitizer is always on him. He learned basic repairs for the Roomba he let me ‘borrow.’ He bought an antibacterial slipper to conform to my standards of cleanliness. He’s someone who became an ‘interesting person’ to ‘the person I want to stand by my side’.”
He cups Atsumu’s cheek and leans his forehead against his. “So, answer me Atsumu. Do you know who the jacket belongs to?”
“Me,” Atsumu answers breathlessly.
Sakusa’s heart thunders inside his ribcage. “Then, do you know who the person I want to stand by my side is?”
“Me,” Atsumu repeats, “me, me, me!”
Sakusa grins as Atsumu laughs, joy vividly colored in it. He basks in it as Atsumu wraps his arms around him and pulls him close. He startles and Atsumu loses his balance, falling back to the sand as Sakusa goes with him. They quiet for a few seconds before giggling like children. Sakusa rests his chin on Atsumu’s chest as Atsumu stares back at him. His hands are warm on Sakusa’s lower back.
“Will you?”
“Hm?” Atsumu raises a hand to run through Sakusa’s curls. Sakusa closes his eyes contentedly at the feeling. He opens an eye expectantly when the hand stops. Atsumu’s looking at him with a soft smile. Sakusa’s heart clenches until he feels a bit dizzy.
“Will you stand by my side for a long time?”
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Atsumu asks, amused. “I thought I was the one chasin’ ya all these years, Omi.”
Speaking of chasing… “Did you seriously avoid me because you thought I had a crush on someone else?”
Atsumu chuckles, embarrassed. “To be fair, I thought we were on the same page of liking each other so when I learned you liked someone that much I just. I was really heartbroken, I guess.”
Sakusa snorts. “And to learn that that person was you all along.” He shakes his head. “You’re so stupid how can you forget you own the jacket. Why did I like you again?”
“Hey, no take backs!” Atsumu wraps his arms around him again. “Ya already confessed, Omi! Don’t go taking it back now!” He then grimaces. “Not that I dun’ like this really sweet position, Omi, but I think we need to go back. It’s past 12 AM n’ I really have a feelin’ we’ll get scolded a lot when we come back.”
Oh, God. Motoya. “Ugh. I don’t wanna deal with them.”
Atsumu pats his back. “C’mon, Omi. Get up, let’s go. We gotta face them and say sorry for our stupidity.”
Sakusa begrudgingly complies and stands up before giving him a look. “You mean your stupidity. You’re the one who forgot about his own jacket.”
Atsumu whines. He takes the hand Sakusa offers him. “Omi-kun, what happened to yer sweet words earlier?”
Sakusa doesn’t let go of his hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Well,” Atsumu squeezes his hand, “guess I’ll just have to earn more then.”
After a harsh scolding from Osamu for waking him up (they lost their keycards), he laughs at Atsumu and gives a solid pat to Sakusa’s back. Suna watches on from the armchair, eyes barely open but his lazy smirk wide. Komori shakes his head at their intertwined fingers.
They say goodnights to each other softly before they retreat to their rooms. (Osamu is too tired to switch around the sleeping arrangements and tells them to deal with it tomorrow).
Sakusa takes a shower and flops down on his bed. He stares at the ceiling for a long time, mind strangely muted. He feels floaty, like his body tensed so tight that when it relaxes he feels sleepy. He clenches the hand Atsumu held earlier and comforts himself that he can hold it tomorrow. He goes to sleep giddy, unaware of Komori stifling his laugh at his behavior.
When Atsumu holds the purple jacket again, Sakusa adds 'boyfriend' to his mental list of Miya Atsumu. And just maybe, his partner for a very long time.
