Fallin' For Ya

by suga_spicess

Summary:

Atsumu watched the sweat drip from Sakusa’s temple down to his ear and wished they were soulmates. He watched the way Sakusa’s lips parted as he sucked in more air and wished he could taste them. Sakusa noticed his staring and turned to stare back. For a moment the world was on pause as he gazed deep into onyx eyes, shimmering in the bright lights of the gym.

In which Atsumu and Sakusa are in love, but also the dumbest people to grace this planet.

Notes:

• For steambao1.

hello!! this fic has been a long time in the making for the SakuAtsu Exchange!

for bao, I hope you enjoy it <3

 

“I am trying, not to tell you

But I want to, I'm scared of what you'll say

And so I'm hiding what I'm feeling”

-Colbie Caillat

The idea of being tied to somebody used to scare Atsumu. How was it that people just went about their lives, fully content in belonging to another person? Everyone was always so afraid to explore their feelings because they got caught up in the idea of saving themselves for ‘the one’ . It was fucking rubbish in his opinion. He was going to date and fuck whoever the hell he wanted, whenever he wanted to, without the worry of being strung to someone else. 

 

It definitely wasn’t because he hadn’t found his soulmate yet. There was nothing to mourn when he didn’t know what to mourn for. His parents had been attached at the hip, wholly infatuated with each other. His ma hung onto every word his father said, as if he had hung the stars himself. There was always that glimmer of fondness in her eyes when she was around them. Crinkled in concentration as she attended to his every need.

 

Atsumu was ten years old when he saw his father cheat for the first time. Osamu wanted snacks and demanded that ‘No, you go to the shop this time, I went last time’ . He roamed the shelves before spotting Samu’s favorite shrimp chips. Lifting the snack, he was greeted by the sight of his father holding hands with another woman in the opposite aisle. He’d dropped the chips like it’d burned him and ran all the way home to his mom, tearfullying explaining what he saw. 

 

The worst part hadn’t been his father being unfaithful. No, the worst part was the patient, yet pain-ridden, eyes of his Ma as she carefully explained to him that she already knew. It got even worse as his father became more open in his activities. They hit a new low when he left, leaving Atsumu, Osamu, and their Ma to fend for themselves.

 

So, fuck soulmates. Why would Atsumu want to be bonded to someone who could hold such little regard for him? It's not like he needed anyone to be happy. It’s not like he was lonely . 

 

Except…

 

He started noticing that maybe soulmates weren’t always bad in middle school. 

 

Atsumu had been sleeping peacefully, securely wrapped in a blanket cocoon when Osamu, rudely , ran into their room and all but dragged him off the top bunk to the floor.

 

“Get your ass up I have to show ya somethin’!” hand still wrapped around Atsumu’s ankle while the other was kicking at him.

 

Naturally, Atsumu was no longer in a blissful mood. “What the hell is so important that your draggin’ me out of bed this early, ya fuckin’ jerk!”

 

“Look.” He waited for Atsumu to collect himself from the floor before shoving up his shirt.

 

“I do not want t’ see your poor attempts at gettin’ abs for the fifteenth time ‘Samu.” he grumbled under his breath but paused when something tiny and black caught his attention.

“ Look , ya scrub. Not at my abs— which are getting more defined, fuck you— my ribs.” and Osamu was right. Below his left rib sat a tiny drawing, no, a tattoo Atsumu’s brain supplied. It couldn’t have been bigger than a 500 yen coin.

 

“Is that a butterfly ?” Atsumu asked incredulously. It was obviously not something Osamu had gotten on his own. The tattoo belonged to his soulmate.

 

Later, they found the owner of the tattoo: Suna Rintarou. 

 

Suna and Osamu made Atsumu question everything he knew about soulmates. They were obviously made for each other, a perfect match. Suna had the calm energy that Osamu needed but still gave him that familiar bite. Osamu in turn gave Sunarin the stability he needed while keeping him entertained. The two were sickenly attached at the hip. They moved together effortlessly, almost as in sync as the twins themselves. 

 

Atsumu had to seek out Suna and threaten him that if he ever thought about hurting his brother, nobody would find him. Suna had responded that he could tell him the places to hide his body. He didn’t think Suna would ever hurt his brother after that conversation.

 

Then, Atsumu continued to witness strong bonds that made his guts feel twisted and ugly. Aran and Kita resembled a married couple. There was no mistaking their love, it was never Aran or Kita, but Aran and Kita. They didn’t need the tattoo to know they were each other's fated. When Kita got his grandmother’s words tattooed on his wrist, nobody was surprised when Aran walked into the locker room with the same tattoo the next day. 

 

No, Atsumu wasn’t lonely .

 

It wasn’t like he craved affection, eternally touch-starved and wanting to be held. It wasn’t like he wanted someone to be around often, not needing words to find comfort, all to himself. It wasn’t like he wanted to be loved wholly, ugly and all.

 

No, absolutely not, right?

 

Somewhere, an inkling in the depths of his mind, he wanted to wait. Romance was dead until he found his one, not that he’d ever admit it aloud.

 

--

 

Joining MSBY was one of the best and worst things he’d ever done. Atsumu was fortunate enough to do what he loved as a job. He was finally a pro athlete, on a team with like-minded people who were just as dedicated as he was. While dedicated, his teammates were… interesting . A certain outside hitter attached himself to Atsumu like they’d known each other for years.

 

One one hand, Atsumu got to see Bokuto every day, all bubbling laughter and big hugs. In high school, he remembered hearing that the ace had been talented, yet extremely moody. He was pleased to see that Bokuto seemed to have grown into himself in the year he was on MSBY before Atsumu joined, and was now an extremely reliable hitter capable of keeping his cool. 

 

Every morning without fail, Bokuto would swing an arm around Atsumu’s shoulder, pulling him towards the gym while catching him up on all the gossip about his boyfriend. 

 

(“So then, they wouldn’t promote Akaashi, so he quit and guess what he did Tsum-Tsum?” “Oh my god, wha’d he do?” “He quit and then found a better job editing manga with twice the pay. He made a post about the new job and tagged his old boss!” “ He didn’t .” “He did . Now he’s going to make his way up to the literature department-”)

 

It was the most comfortable he’d been since leaving home. Bokuto wasn’t Osamu, but he made the ache hurt a little less.

 

Osamu .

 

That was the worst part. Atsumu has spent almost every minute of his life with Osamu since he popped out of the womb. Being near his twin was as simple as breathing. They might have clashed heads more than he wanted to admit, but they always came back together, effortlessly.

 

Or so he’d thought. Atsumu hasn’t been near or heard from his brother since he left for MSBY. The last thing he’d sneered at his brother was a petty remark on how he’d live the better life. It was impossible to guess how empty he’d feel, or how dull life was without him. 

 

Osamu was probably somewhere living it up with his soulmate, and Atsumu’s best friend , Suna. Happily forming rice balls and harassing Kita-san for fresh shipments. It was painful to admit, but at this rate, Atsumu was definitely going to be the loser.

 

It hurt, the feeling of being all on your own. It was starting to seem like he was destined to live a loveless life. Instead of spending his days moping, he saw that as a bigger reason to focus on the one thing he did have: volleyball. His first couple months on the team was spent on him learning, perfecting, and polishing everything and anything he could.

 

A year after he first joined MSBY found him waking up to a series of dings.

 

“Shu’ th’ fuck up.” Atsumu was half-tempted to throw his phone across the room, as he tried in vain to cover his ears with a pillow. 

 

The beeping stopped, and for a few moments of bliss, there was only silence. Then, there was pounding on his door and a voice that sounded suspiciously like Bokuto.

 

Atsumu cursed whatever gods were listening that they allowed morning people to exist before he dragged himself out of bed. He slowly made his way through his apartment— provided by MSBY— while scratching at his stomach. The door was answered with no socks, no shirt, and no sanity, Bokuto grinning at him from the other side. The menace didn’t even ask to come in, shouldering past Atsumu and plopping his ass on Atsumu’s counter like it was his own apartment. 

 

“For th’ love of everythin’ holy Bokkun, what're ya doin’ here at-” he realizes he doesn’t have his phone, so he grabs Bokuto’s instead. “ six in the mornin’? ” he hisses out.

 

“Tsum-Tsum you were going to have to get up anyways. Oh! Are these muffins? Sweet.” After Bokuto carries out his acts as a thief, evading Atsumu’s tired swats while stuffing his mouth full, he takes his phone back. He fumbles with it for a moment before shoving the screen towards Atsumu’s face.

 

Atsumu has to squint against the bright light for a moment until he realizes it’s a message from Meian-san.

 

“We’re getting two new players today Tsum-Tsum! And he said we probably know them, so I did some digging,” Bokuto started, taking the phone back before he even got a chance to process the messages on the screen.

 

“Ya mean ya went and stalked somebody.”

 

“Absolutely! And you’ll never guess what I found,” he said, leaning his body half-way off the counter.

 

Atsumu held back an amused smile and decided to humor him. “Hm, what’d ya find?”

 

“You remember Hinata right? His high school team Karasuno beat you in your second year-”

 

“ Then we crushed them in our third year-”

 

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I follow him on instagram and don’t you think it’s suspicious that he was in Brazil but is suddenly here in Osaka?”

 

Atsumu paused for a moment. He did want the chance to play with Hinata again, he’d made a promise after all. Having Hinata on the team meant he would possibly be dealing with two bundles of energy. On one hand, he would never be bored, maybe lots of free hugs? But, was it worth the headache in the morning?

 

He looked at Bokuto, swinging his legs happily and munching on another muffin he stole from Atsumu. Ugh. I couldn’t even hate him if I wanted to, how annoying.

 

That left his thoughts to focus on the other issue.

 

“So who’s th’ other one?” he yawned out, moving to sit on the counter next to Bokuto.

 

“That’s where my investigation stopped. I couldn’t find anyone else I followed that lived in the area… I guess it’ll be a surprise then?”

 

Atsumu nodded, humming his agreement and getting up to get ready for the day. He paid no mind to Bokuto who made himself comfy on his couch, his mind wandering to the different possibilities.

 

--

 

Bokuto was right. Twenty minutes into practice, Hinata Shoyo burst through the doors, excitedly greeting his new teammates. After Bokuto had stopped crushing him in a hug, he even went up to Atsumu to threaten him into giving his best sets.

 

What is up with these two, Bokuto’s a filthy thief and Hinata now has the muscle to back up his threats .

 

Atsumu assured him that all of his sets were perfect anyways, and just like that, Hinata was integrated into their team. 

 

“Hinata-kun, when the other new player gets back from the office, it’s your turn to get your keys and sign all the paperwork for the apartments. I want you two moved in by the end of the week, do you know how to get there?”

 

“Yep! It’s down the west hall to the left, right?”

 

“No, that’s the complete opposite direction,” Meian sighed. “Come here.” he beckoned Hinata over to show him the directions.

 

Atsumu would have seen what the fuss was about if the door didn’t open at that exact moment. Turning his head to get a good look at his new teammate, he felt his jaw drop slightly. 

 

“ Omi-kun?” Of all the people that could have joined, Sakusa Kiyoomi was the last person he’d expected. 

 

He was that prickly bastard he’d met in high school for the All-Japan Youth Camp. They’d barely interacted beyond Sakusa telling him his sets were shitty (they weren’t.) and Atsumu giving him a nickname that Sakusa absolutely loved (he didn’t.) 

 

Sakusa regarded him with a look of slight annoyance. Atsumu was glad to see the nickname still affected him the same way.

 

“Miya,” was all he was offered, eyes only slightly lingering before he let Meian introduce him. 

 

Throughout their first official practice, Hinata bounced from player to player, getting used to working with them all. Sakusa kept his distance when needed, but it was obvious he was just as crazy about volleyball as the rest of them.

 

The moment in their 3v3, when Inunaki perfectly received the ball, letting it arc beautifully for Atsumu to get his hands on it. This is the one, a perfect set. The ball touched his hands for only a few seconds but Atsumu saw the court with astonishing clarity. The timing of Sakusa’s jump was perfect, the ball fit snugly in his hand. His wrist twisted unnaturally, blasting the ball past Hinata, a devastating spin that Barnes couldn’t receive. They won the game.

 

If Atsumu felt a little weird watching his nasty, absolutely disgusting spike, well, what did he look like actually digging into his feelings?

 

--

 

Sakusa didn’t stay prickly for long, eventually choosing to voluntarily spend time with Hinata, Bokuto, and him. He grumpily agreed to grabbing lunch on their days off, or joint grocery runs. The four of them formed their own little friend group, naturally gravitating towards each other. Atsumu even found himself invading his space, and Sakusa actually allowed it.

 

Little by little, Atsumu got to know more about him. Just the basic information. Sakusa actually liked the horrid mix of neon colors from his high school jersey. R&B was his favorite music genre— something Atsumu would have never guessed, but fit surprisingly well. With that, he also learned that he was fluent in English, a language Atsumu struggled heavily with. Just the little things. 

 

By observation, he also took note of Sakusa’s quirks and adapted to them.

 

• If you see him surrounded by a crowd, get him out of there as quickly as possible.

• Don’t touch him after practice or matches until you’ve cleaned up.

• Don’t offer him food made with bare hands.

 

 

Hinata and Sakusa’s debut game had come with a lot of excitement from fans. He would take in how tense Sakusa was, and then swoop in to take him ‘to talk to the captain’ before he was too overwhelmed. 

 

Sweaty, sticky, and gross after a practice match, Atsumu had watched as Sakusa nearly had a panic attack when Hinata hugged him for making the winning spike. He made sure to tell the others to give Sakusa space after that incident.

 

Whenever he made onigiri for the team, Osamu was not the only talented Miya in the kitchen , he put on a fresh pair of gloves to form the rice over the fillings. There was a special box he’d put Sakusa’s in, neatly assembling the food and packing it up. 

 

In the back of his head, he wondered why he wanted to go the extra mile to make Sakusa feel safer with him. He tried to tell himself he was just being a good friend. That was all, really.

 

It’s not like he wanted to impress him, he just wanted to be closer to him.

 

In turn, he noticed that Sakusa seemed to adapt to him as well. He allowed Atsumu, horribly touch-starved and always hanging off his closest teammates, to sling an arm around his shoulder, or grab onto his elbow. 

 

He noticed when Atsumu had bad days, and wordlessly stayed after with him for extra practice, making sure he didn’t overwork himself.  He listened intently to Atsumu, caring about what he had to say.

 

In a perfect world, Atsumu thought they might’ve been soulmates. Then he thought about where he’d gotten his own tattoo, and laughed at the image of Sakusa with it, locking away fleeting thoughts.

 

About four months after Sakusa and Hinata joined the team, Bokuto proposed an idea. They’d all been hanging out regularly enough outside of practice anyways, so Atsumu wasn’t really surprised.

 

Bokuto was facing his locker, gelling his hair back up while looking in a ridiculously tiny mirror. Atsumu was laying on some bench, Hinata texting someone on his right. He tried not to look at Sakusa, who’d just got out of the showers with his towel low on his hips. They were usually the last four in the locker room due to Sakusa’s long showers. 

 

“You know what we should do?” Bokuto hummed, making an ugly face as he tried to focus on getting his hair perfect.

 

Hinata barely looked up from his phone. “Get ice cream covered by Atsumu?”

 

Atsumu was definitely offended as he swatted at Hinata. “ Stop hangin’ ‘round Bokuto so much, ya leeches! No!”

 

“I don’t know Miya, free ice cream sounds pretty good.”

 

“Omi! Free for who? Not me!” 

 

Bokuto laughed, finally turning around. “As tempting as it is to spend Tsum-Tsum’s money-”

 

“ Watch it!” Atsumu hissed out.

 

  “-I was going to say we should go clubbing!” Bokuto clapped his hands together.

 

Atsumu sensed Sakusa’s protest before he heard it. “Absolutely not. You three have fun without me.”

 

“Oh, come on Omi, just once? You have to let yourself get loose every now and then!” Bokuto was not above begging to get what he wanted.

 

Atsumu couldn’t stop the deep sigh and the slap of his palm to his face. “Bokkun, that is not the right saying. It’s loosen up .”

 

Hinata finally looked up from his phone, directly into Atsumu’s eyes. “Same difference,  Atsumu-san.” 

 

Suddenly, he felt the urge to choke Bokuto for creating a monster. Sakusa didn’t seem amused, pulling on the last of his clothes and holding his towel threateningly towards the smaller boy. 

 

“Nothing will be getting loose and I will not torture myself by being in a crowd of disgusting, drunk idiots.” He asserted, flicking Hinata on the head with his towel.

 

At once, Hinata and Bokuto pouted towards each other. Then a beat passed and they turned to Atsumu with twin evil grins.

 

Atsumu was confused at first before he inhaled sharply, realization hitting him in the face like a stray volleyball. 

 

“No. No, don’t even try- ”

 

Their faces started to shift, big pleading eyes, and pouting lips. Hinata, the bastard, even managed to make himself look close to tears.

 

“ Pleaseeee?” They whined in unison.

 

“Oh, damn you both ta’ hell.” He said, already feeling his resolve falter. He sighed, before mimicking their faces and walking over to Sakusa. He took the other’s hands into his, both to seal the deal and keep him from running.

 

“Miya.” Sakusa tried to avert his eyes.

 

“Omi-Omi,” he started, letting his voice drop. Sakusa’s eyes widened and turned quickly to him. Atsumu thought he noticed his skin pinkening, but decided it was just in his head.

 

“ Atsumu.” he hissed. Atsumu almost ran away himself, never expecting to hear his name fall from Sakusa’s mouth, but reacting to it every time. 

 

“Can ya pleaseee come with us tonight? I’ll stay with ya the entire time.” he pleaded. 

 

“Yeah Omi-san, he’ll stay with you the entire time!”

 

“ Shush Hinata, let Atsumu work his charm! ”

 

With great amusement, Atsumu watched as Sakusa’s eyebrow twitched. It was like he could see the thoughts expressed in Sakusa’s face. He would never force Omi to do anything, but deep down he wanted to get drunk off his ass with the other man. Can Omi dance? He thought to himself, almost forgetting what he was doing entirely.

 

“Fine.” Sakusa sighed. Atsumu saw the ghost of a smile on his face and counted it as a win. 

 

Hinata and Bokuto whooped happily in the background, clapping Atsumu on the back for his ‘good work’. Sakusa ended up chasing them, towel held threateningly, and then demanded that they wait for him to shower again (“ You made me work up a sweat in the first place.”)

 

--

 

The second the group entered the club, Atsumu saw Sakusa tense up. Just as the other had thought, it was packed with disgusting, drunk idiots. While Sakusa seemed tense, Hinata and Bokuto were having the time of their lives. They immediately ditched the other two, disappearing into the sea of people to dance. 

 

“We should get some drinks Omi, it’ll calm ya down!” Atsumu raised his voice so Sakusa could hear him over the blaring music. He blindly grabbed for his hand before taking him in the direction of the bar.

 

Leading him through the mass of people grabbing at and grinding on each other, Atsumu couldn’t help his smile. The place was popular enough to stay packed with long lines trailing out the front entrance. There was the stench of alcohol, must, and something rancid . This was the exact place Sakusa would normally avoid at all costs.

 

But he didn’t, because Atsumu asked him to come. 

 

Instead, Sakusa gripped his hand tightly, letting himself be led past the sea of people grabbing at and grinding on each other. He allowed Atsumu to order a round of shots for them. Let the blonde press a cool glass into his palm, whispering in his ear to down it. When they parted, Atsumu pretended that the redness on Sakusa’s face was from the shifting club lights above.

 

In return, Atsumu knew not to push him. He was well aware that Sakusa wasn’t planning to get drunk, and he planned to keep it that way. Atsumu let Sakusa down two shots and then took the rest for himself. Unlike Sakusa, he planned to get wasted.

 

Sakusa put a hand on his shoulder after the fifth shot.

 

“You need to slow down before you throw up or pass out. Neither of which I’ll help you with, by the way.” Sakusa said, waving away the bartender who was about to pour another.

 

Atsumu was starting to feel the warmth spread over his body, and his limbs getting heavier. “Omi, I was jus’ gettin’ started.” he slurred slightly.

 

Sakusa glared at him, sliding between him and the bar counter. “The next drink you put in your mouth is going to be water .” he hissed.

 

Atsumu could barely comprehend what he was saying. Their bodies were so close, that even completely sober, his brain would’ve stopped functioning. Sakusa had his strong hands gripped around his biceps and body close enough to Atsumu's to feel his heat. Every breath he took tickled at the other’s skin. Atsumu caught himself staring at his lips leaninging forward slightly before he shook himself out of the trance.

 

Instead, he offered a cocky smile. “Y’know wha’ gets th’ alcohol burned off? Dancin’, c’mon.” he only slurred a little, dragging Sakusa to the edge of the crowd. The two of them were close enough to be considered a part of the crowd, but far enough to keep anyone from grabbing at Sakusa. Atsumu only wanted Sakusa to have a bit of fun, not an anxiety attack. 

 

Dancing was always something Atsumu enjoyed. He loved the freedom to let loose, moving however he wanted. It filled him with so much energy and life, melting all of his stress away. Paired with the numbing of the alcohol and the vibrations of the music thrumming through his body— Atsumu felt alive. 

 

On the other hand, Sakusa didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Atsumu cursed him in his head, how could a person have so much flexibility but move stiff as a board? After observing him for a few moments, Atsumu concluded that it wasn’t because Sakusa didn’t like the music. Sakusa couldn’t dance. No rhythm, no passion. That wasn’t going to do.

 

“Omi-omiii, have ya never danced a day in your life?” Atsumu shuffled closer to him to say in his ear.

 

Sakusa was swaying side to side, off-beat and awkward, but he was clearly making an effort. Atsumu thought it was great that it was too dark for anyone to really judge him. 

 

Sakusa turned to speak into Atsumu’s ear next. “I’ve never gone anywhere where I needed to dance before, and when I’m alone… it doesn’t matter how good or bad I am.”

 

Atsumu nodded, it made sense, Sakusa wasn’t the party type. He decided that, if Sakusa was going to have fun tonight, he’d have to whip him into shape. He pressed their bodies together, hands planted on the taller’s waist. He leaned in to whisper one last time.

 

“Just follow my lead, yeah?”

 

Sakusa faltered for a second, before nodding and letting Atsumu take control.

 

Atsumu pushed on Sakusa’s hips, forcing them to rock in tangent with the flow of the music. Well, as best as he could in his current state. Sakusa seemed unsure about where to put his hands, before gently resting them on Atsumu’s waist. With every shift of tempo in the music, Atsumu found himself drawn closer and closer to Sakusa, pressing against him as if his life depended on it.

 

To his surprise Sakusa responded by gripping his waist, dragging him closer until they could feel the heave of the other’s chest and their thighs started to fit together. Atsumu snaked his hands up from Sakusa’s hips, feeling strong muscle beneath his thin shirt and then settling his arms around his neck. Every move made his body feel like it had been doused in ice, then lit on fire. It was filthy in the best way possible.

 

At some point, the temptation of being so close to Sakusa’s face became too much for him. He turned around, suppressing a gasp when Sakusa pulled them flush again. I said I’d show him a good time. Atsumu thought. Fuck it.

 

No longer holding back, Atsumu let himself fully grind back into Sakusa, relishing in the way he groaned in his ear. The way Sakusa’s fingers dug into his hips were bound to leave bruises in the morning but Atsumu wouldn’t mind one bit. He almost whined in protest when Sakusa let up the pressure, but was quickly satisfied when his hands crept up his chest. 

 

“ Omi ,” he breathed, grinding back harder when Sakusa’s fingers brushed against his nipples. Thick curls brushed against Atsumu’s cheek as Sakusa dropped his face into the crook of his shoulder. His lips brushed the skin connecting his neck and shoulder, panting hotly. All at once, Atsumu’s mind cleared enough for him to realize what he was doing with his teammate . 

 

There was no way in hell he wanted to move away. Hinata and Bokuto, those bastards, were nowhere to be seen. Atsumu let himself have a few more minutes before he gently pried Sakusa off him.

 

“I think I need more ta’ drink Omi.” he said, stumbling away but also making sure Sakusa was following him. He wasn’t planning on abandoning him after all.

 

--

 

It turned out that Atsumu didn’t need another drink. Three more shots and he was completely out of commission, slumping completely against Sakusa. Rain was pouring heavily from the sky by the time Sakusa dragged Atsumu out of the club.

 

The night before was one giant blur for Atsumu. He remembered being soaked to the bone, the sound of screeching tires when someone hailed a taxi, something warm and soft wiping him down, then he woke up.

 

First, he noticed that he was alone. Then, he noticed that this is not my bed . Atsumu wasn’t wearing any of the clothes he had on yesterday, except his underwear. Instead he was shirtless, his legs covered by cozy sweatpants just a bit too long for him.

 

After his clothing situation, he realized how much pain he was in. His head was pounding, trying to split itself open from the inside. How much did I drink? Fuck. He tried to ignore the pain for now and continue to look around.

 

His phone was on the bed stand next to him. Swiping it up to check the time, he also decided to send a quick text to Osamu. Maybe they hadn’t spoken for a year, but if he was at some strangers house he was still the first person he thought to contact.

 

To: Samu

Tsumu: goodbye, this may be the end. i might have been kidnapped :[

 

A text bubble appeared immediately, Atsumu locked his phone, slipping it in his pocket. There was a rapid series of buzzes that he chose to ignore in lieu of finding out where he was. He slipped out of the bed, swallowing down the nausea and dizziness. 

 

When he walked out of the bedroom, he instantly recognized the layout of the MSBY apartments. It wasn’t his, but at least he didn’t have to worry about the possibility of going home with some stranger. With that in mind he padded down the short hallway into the living area and kitchen.

 

Already there, fiddling with the coffee maker, was Sakusa.

 

“Omi,” Atsumu said in mild surprise. He didn’t remember Sakusa taking him back last night. Actually, he barely remembered anything from last night.

 

Sakusa turned slightly, acknowledging him silently before turning back to the coffeemaker. “Good morning, there’s a glass of water and pain meds on the coffee table. The coffee will be done in a few minutes.”

 

Atsumu nodded, scratching his stomach and making his way to the meds. He downed them and chugged the water, not realizing how dry his throat was. “Thanks, Omi. My head was killin’ me, what the hell did I do last night?”

 

Sakusa turned around fully this time, looking at him like he grew another set of arms. “You don’t remember?” he asked carefully.

 

Atsumu shook his head in response, wincing at the pain it caused. The meds definitely didn’t kick in yet.

 

Sakusa looked at him with a blank look on his face. It was slightly unnerving, Atsumu fought the urge to fidget in place. “Oh. Well, you took maybe eight shots, but you’re a lightweight.”

 

Atsumu felt himself heat up. “I’m not a lightweight! It’s just been a while...”

 

“Sure.” 

 

Atsumu pouted, laying face-first on the couch and hiding from the world. He muttered something about bullying into the cushions, knowing Sakusa wasn’t listening anyways. He heard something being placed on the coffee table and felt the dip of a weight on the couch.

 

“You should eat and drink that if you want the medicine to work,” Sakusa pointed out, busying himself with the television. 

 

A plate of toast and a hot mug of coffee greeted him when he sat up. He immediately stuffed the toast in his mouth, mentally laughing at Sakusa’s disgusted face. 

 

“Thanks,” he said, after chasing down his bite of toast with a large gulp of coffee. He sighed in relief as it soothed his throat. 

 

“Whatever Miya, get crumbs on my couch and nobody will find your body,” he said threateningly, but stole a piece of toast anyways.

 

“Hey! Aw, what th’ hell? Have you been around Bokkun too? Stop thievin’!” Atsumu swatted at his hand but let him take it anyway.

 

Sakusa looked him in the eye, arching a perfect eyebrow as he bit into the toast. “I bought this bread, so I will take whatever I want, thank you.”

 

He tried not to focus on his lips as he said it, turning away to look at whatever show Sakusa put on.

 

“Yeah, Yeah.”

 

They stayed like that for a while, only centimeters apart, watching different shows until Atsumu heard soft snores. Looking over, he saw Sakusa’s head leaning back against the couch, his eyes closed. Sakusa must have slept on the couch, giving Atsumu the bed. Something about the thought of that made Atsumu feel warm inside.

 

Sakusa, who hated anything he deemed unsanitary in his personal space, let a drunk Atsumu sleep in his bed . He was sure that if it were anyone else, they’d be on the couch, maybe even the floor, instead. 

 

Atsumu decided the least he could do was change the sheets and put him back in his own bed. He got to work, finding the spare sheets easily in Sakusa’s obnoxiously neon closet and changing the sheets out. He then folded the used ones, placing them on a small chair Sakusa had in the corner of his room.

 

Sakusa was still fast asleep by the time Atsumu finished. Without a second thought he gently picked him up, taking great care not to wake him up. His weight felt nice in his arms, Atsumu wondered if Sakusa ended up carrying him like this last night. Inexplicably flustered, he brought him to the bedroom and set him down on the bed, draping a blanket over his body. Sakusa barely stirred, just moving onto his side before his snoring continued.

 

He’s cute . Atsumu thought to himself. It was true, his face was completely relaxed. Wild hair sticking up in awkward directions from the pillow. He was cute, but Atsumu couldn’t let himself fall for him. Sakusa probably had a soulmate anyways.

 

He turned to leave, shutting the door quietly behind him. He washed his dirty dishes first and then made sure the living room was in order. After he clicked the television off and grabbed his stuff, Atsumu left the apartment, still shirtless and barefoot. It would be fine, his apartment was just a few steps away, next to Bokuto’s— which was across the hall from Sakusa’s.

 

Just as he was exiting, Bokuto’s door opened as well. Soon he was face to face with Akaashi Keiji, Bokuto’s assumed soulmate. Most times when his teammate gushed about his soulmate it sounded like Akaashi, but then he’d say something that didn’t make sense at all, leaving Atsumu reeling with confusion. Because of that, he had no idea if Akaashi was actually Bokuto’s fated. 

 

Atsumu may have been shirtless, but Akaashi definitely looked more indecent. His hair was sticking in several directions and Atsumu spotted multiple hickeys on his neck. Not that he gave a single shit what someone else did in private. He directed an easy smile at the man.

 

“Hey ‘Kaashi, have fun?” he couldn’t stop the tease before it left his mouth.

 

Akaashi took it in stride, nodding his hello. “Yeah, I did. Did you?”

 

Atsumu’s eyes widened at the insinuation, shaking his head violently. “No, no, no, we didn’t-”

 

“It’s okay Atsumu-san. Maybe next time then,” he said ominously, waving his hand goodbye and taking his leave. 

 

Unlocking his door, he made his way straight to his bed and flopped down. He felt his phone buzz again and took it out, completely forgetting about Osamu.

 

To Tsumu:

Samu: what the fuck

Samu: are you okay?????

Samu: where are you???

Samu: do I need to call the fucking police, answer the damn phone

Samu: atsumu?????

Samu: im calling bokuto

 

To Tsumu:

Sunarin: he’s gonna beat ur ass next time u see him lol

 

--

 

Ending up in Sakusa’s apartment becomes a habit. After practices (and showers), Sakusa wouldn’t even ask before dragging Atsumu all the way to his couch. Not that Atsumu minded, if he ever needed something, he’d make the quick run to his apartment and back. 

 

Sakusa’s apartment was quickly becoming the place he spent the most time at.

 

It was completely unintentional at first. Atsumu would simply accept Sakusa’s invitations, not realizing that he asked him over nearly every day. They would spend time together and Atsumu would enjoy himself, craving Sakusa’s presence more and more. Eventually, he was the one waiting at the exit of the locker room for Sakusa and leading them to the apartment. 

 

Eventually, Sakusa was curious enough to ask to see Atsumu’s apartment. Atsumu’s chest puffed up with pride, he knew Sakusa hated going to other people’s apartments. If he had to hang out with anyone he preferred it to be in his own apartment, where he had control of everything.

 

Mama Miya did not raise a slob though. Sakusa found that he didn’t need to worry because after an extensive inspection, he’d declared that Atsumu’s cleanliness was up to his standards. If Atsumu menatally celebrated upon hearing the praise, so what?

 

Everyday Atsumu felt himself feeling more drawn to Sakusa. He started to question if it was okay to feel this attached to him in the few months they’ve been teammates. Was it even okay to want to be this close to a teammate? What if he found himself craving more than thighs pressed together on the couch or fleeting touches to the arms, shoulders, and back? Would it be wrong if he started wondering what Sakusa’s lips would feel like, pressed against his own? 

 

Times like these, Atsumu wished he knew who his soulmate was. He wished they would just get a damn wrist tattoo or something easy to spot, so he could find them and fall in love.

 

Bullshit. Ma found her fated and still got her heart ripped out.

 

It drove him up a wall, having to question everything he did because of one stupid person. Was he really going to keep from Sakusa because there was a possibility someone could be out there for him? For fucks sake, he might not even have a soulmate.

 

What a sad thought.

 

Was it?

 

His mind drifted to his brother. Osamu and Suna were perfect for eachother. Years had gone by and if anything, their bond got stronger. There wasn’t a moment where either of them associated any type of negative emotion towards the other. Except annoying , but everyone you love is annoying, it comes hand in hand with the feeling of doing anything for that person.

 

Sakusa was annoying. Would he do anything for him?

 

Woah, reel yourself in there, Atsumu. It’s. Been. Months.

 

Today, Atsumu didn’t make any moves to clean up when practice was over. Instead he grabbed the nearest ball, let himself feel the weight of it in his hands, and served over and over. He slammed the ball onto the other side of the court until his palm stung and his fingers went numb. The sound of leather slapping against the PVC flooring soothed the conflicting thoughts in his head. He didn’t need to think about soulmates when he had volleyball.

 

Except.

 

Except…

 

Sakusa Kiyoomi also did not go shower. Instead, he stood to the side of the court, watching Atsumu jump serve with great skill. He listened to the repetitive hits of the ball on the court. Observed the emotions on Atsumu’s face as he worked through his emotions.

 

His presence sent a message. I am here to support you, even if I do not have the words to vocalize it. I am also here to make sure you don’t push yourself too far.

 

Sakusa stayed silent, but Atsumu got the message loud and clear. This only made him go full circle, and before he realized it the ball wasn’t the only thing hitting the court. Droplets of tears fell to the ground, louder than anything else. Atsumu didn’t know why he was crying, maybe his body decided that the feelings were too much.

 

“Atsumu,” Sakusa said softly.

 

Atsumu looked over at the use of his given name. He didn’t trust himself to speak, so he didn’t.

 

“Toss me some spikes?” Sakusa prompted, getting into position.

 

Atsumu nodded wordlessly, grabbing another ball from the bin. Sakusa started moving towards the net, jumping to his best potential. He jumped as high as he could, only wanting to give Atsumu his best effort.

 

In return, Atsumu sent a perfect set his way, the ball soaring up and fitting perfectly against Sakusa’s hand as he killed it. 

 

And then he did it again.

 

And again.

 

...and again.

 

Until they were both splayed on the floor, dirty and heaving for breaths. Atsumu watched the sweat drip from Sakusa’s temple down to his ear and wished they were soulmates. He watched the way Sakusa’s lips parted as he sucked in more air and wished he could taste them. Sakusa noticed his staring and turned to stare back. For a moment the world was on pause as he gazed deep into onyx eyes, shimmering in the bright lights of the gym.

 

Sakusa broke eye contact first, hauling himself up with a sigh. “Time to clean up.”

 

Atsumu nodded again, still not saying a single word. They worked in tandem grabbing the mops and going up the length of the court. After, they hit the showers. Steam filled the air and Atsumu tried not to think about how Sakusa was only two stalls away from him. Plunging his head under the spray of water, he hoped he could wash away his thoughts.

 

When they toweled off and redressed, Sakusa wordlessly grabbed his arm and led them back to his apartment. Atsumu settled on the couch, as usual, and Sakusa joined him a few moments later. He handed Atsumu a cup of hot tea.

 

They sat for a few moments in comfortable silence, enjoying their drinks. It was perfect, like always. He found an odd comfort in knowing that Sakusa knew exactly how he liked his tea. Sakusa didn’t make a move to switch the television on, sitting contently by his side.

 

“Want to talk about it?” Sakusa asked, cradling his empty cup in his hand and staring straight ahead.

 

Atsumu sighed, placing his own cup on the coffee table and leaning back into the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, then shifted to face Sakusa.

 

“Do ya have a soulmate?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Just like that, Atsumu felt his heart crack a little bit. He turned back away from Sakusa. “Oh.”

 

“I have a soulmate, but I haven’t met them yet,” Sakusa amended, placing a hand on Atsumu’s knee. Atsumu didn’t shake him off.

 

“I’ve never seen a tatt on you before, Omi.” 

 

“It’s not visible unless I get naked, want me to strip for you?”

 

At this point, Atsumu was no stranger to the blush that graced his cheeks.

 

“You want to know something more than that though, right?” Sakusa pushed.

 

“Do you believe in soulmates?” Atsumu turned back to him, determined to not get discouraged.

 

Sakusa seemed to take a moment to gather his thoughts. “Yes and no, I think. My sister found her soulmate and got married and had a bunch of kids. When I think about what it means to romantically be in love, I think of her and her husband.”

 

Atsumu nodded in agreement, knowing he thought similarly about Osamu and Suna.

 

“But,” Sakusa gripped his knee a little tighter. “My cousin, Komori, had a soulmate. He was completely devoted to her and one day she broke up with him. She said he was a waste of time and that she was going to find someone richer and better than him,” he finished through gritted teeth.

 

“From what I know of him, Motoya’s a great guy. He’s the one who ended up dodgin’ a bullet.” Atsumu muttered, sympathetic for the guy.

 

Sakusa nodded mirthlessly. “It still ruined him for a while. I had to work hard to make sure he realized he was worth being loved by someone. Now, he’s dating someone that isn’t his fated, and they’re really happy.” 

 

Atsumu took in everything he said. “Sometimes the universe is just wrong.”

 

He heard a hum of agreement before they fell silent again.

 

“Do ya think… that it’s bad t’ be with other people before your soulmate?” Atsumu asked hesitantly. 

 

Sakusa shrugged. “I don’t think it is. I mean, I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

 

“Never even kissed someone?”

 

Now it was Sakusa’s turn to blush. “No,” he admitted, slightly embarrassed.

 

“Oh my god! Seriously? I mean— it’s nothin’ to be embarrassed about, I’m just surprised. No offense, but you’re kinda a looker Omi.”

 

“Why would that be offensive?” Sakusa shook his head. “And I’ve thought about it! Just, never had anyone to kiss before.” he mumbled. Atsumu heard him loud and clear.

 

He shifted even closer to the dark haired man, smirking at how Sakusa gave him his full attention. “Wha’d’ya mean Omi? I’m right here in front of ya.” Atsumu said alluringly, never one to pass up the chance to tease Sakusa.

 

Hooded eyes gazed at him. “Don’t say things you don’t mean, Miya.” his fingers inched up Atsumu’s knee, closer to his thigh.

 

“Oh, back to Miya? I’m not teasin’ ya, I promise. Here— ” Atsumu pushed Sakusa’s hand away. Instead he slid his knee across Sakusa’s lap, completely straddling him, but staying mid thigh. He got close to Sakusa’s ear. “ — now ya see just how much I mean it.”

 

That was all it took for the other to break. Suddenly Atsumu was preening at the sensation of soft lips crashing against his own. Sakusa kissed him like he was starving and Atsumu was the last thing he’d ever eat. The same hand that rested on his knee earlier now slid to the back of his thigh. Sakusa was pulling him even closer until the space between them was nonexistent.

 

They kissed until Atsumu’s lungs were burning, begging for air. Atsumu pulled away to take a breath and Sakusa decided his neck was a good substitute. Atsumu fought every gasp that threatened to slip past his lips as Sakusa kissed his way down his throat. 

 

He wasn’t sure when his hands ended up tangled in Sakusa’s mass of curls, but he tugged hard when Sakusa’s tongue lapped at the hollow of his neck. Atsumu’s hips pressed down on their own, drawing delicious sounds from Sakusa.

 

“ Kiyoomi, please.” Atsumu didn’t know what he was begging for. All he knew was that every touch melted his brain until there was nothing but static. 

 

Sakusa looked at him, desperation deep set in his eyes before he dove back into his lips. Those strong hands that Atsumu loved so much were dragging him back down, leaving him to see sparks behind his eyelids. One of those hands moved up to his ass, gripping hard. Atsumu couldn’t hide his moan that time, Sakusa swallowed it up. 

 

When he felt the gentle push of a tongue, a forgotten memory flashed through his mind. The music, Sakusa’s horrible dancing, the grinding and hot pants against his neck. His mind swam with old memories and new sensations until he felt like a wire about to snap.

 

Kissing Sakusa was addictive . Atsumu lived for the way his tongue carefully explored his mouth, inexperienced but determined. Sakusa was a fast learner and damn he was a natural at kissing . 

 

It wasn’t just the kissing. Atsumu was hard as hell and Sakusa shamelessly took what he wanted from him, rolling their hips together in a way that left them both trembling. The soft sighs that left his mouth drove Atsumu crazy, wanting to hear more , needing him to be louder .

 

When Atsumu felt heat build in the pit of his stomach, he snapped back to reality. What the hell was he doing? Not only is Sakusa your teammate, he has a fucking soulmate. He pulled away quickly, scrambling away Sakusa.

 

Confusion flooded Sakusa’s features, and he had to swallow back the guilt he felt. Sorry Omi, I didn’t mean to lead you on .

 

“I- I gotta go, sorry Sakusa.” Atsumu stumbled away and out the door, pretending not to notice the displeasure on Sakusa’s face at his family name.

 

He had just shut the door, when Bokuto’s door opened. A short man he recognized as one of Hinata’s friends stepped out of the room, his two toned hair completely disheveled. Atsumu discreetly tried to adjust himself as they looked at each other with wide eyes. Immediately, the other man ducked his head down and left without a single word. Atsumu pretended he didn’t notice swollen lips, knowing his own looked the same. 

 

Instead he went into his apartment before Sakusa could try to follow him, and prayed to the universe that he didn’t just fuck everything up. 

 

--

 

A week. That’s how long Atsumu has been able to avoid the outside hitter. He may have been able to dance around him at practice, but there was no dancing around his own thoughts.

 

Every moment where he had to pretend Sakusa didn’t exist felt like torture. He tried to convince himself that it was for his own good. Someone like Sakusa wouldn’t want him . Dating a teammate is unprofessional. He shouldn’t betray his soulmate which he may or may not care about. Any excuse he found, he repeated to himself like a mantra.

 

Still, it didn’t stop him from wanting Sakusa. Embarrassingly enough, Atsumu could be sitting on the toilet and he’d remember what it felt like to sit on Sakusa’s lap. Browsing the convenience store isles suddenly became an issue when he caught a glimpse of the cleaning supplies, memories of Sakusa kissing the daylights out of him surfacing to the front of his mind. Even being around his other teammates became difficult when all he wanted was to be close to Sakusa .

 

Sakusa, Sakusa, Sakusa, fucking Sakusa .

 

One thing that didn’t change was his performance at practices and games. One thing Atsumu had always prided himself on was keeping outside shit off of the court. When he had the volleyball in his hands, the only thing that mattered was winning. Sakusa was obviously the same way, as the duo continued to devastate any team that challenged them.

 

Immediately after the practices and games? Atsumu was gone with the wind, slipping away before Sakusa could even think about sending furrowed brows his way.

 

The other issue, the one thought Atsumu despised entertaining, was the possibility of Sakusa liking him back. That opened a whole new can of worms, but the biggest problem was that he’d probably ruined any chance he had with the other by running away.

 

Fucking coward. Atsumu knew he was an asshole, he knew Sakusa knew he was an asshole, but damn if he’d be lucky if he was forgiven for running away and calling him by his family name.

 

He always called Sakusa by his nickname. Omi, Omi-Omi, Omi-kun, even Omi-sama once. At first it was simply a way to get on his nerves when they were teenagers. Eventually it began to sound completely wrong calling him anything else.

 

After a particularly stressful practice that involved Meian pairing them together for stretches with a pointed look of get your shit together , Atsumu decided he couldn’t suffer in silence. He underestimated how difficult it was to ignore someone while they kneeled over you, hands on your skin while twisting you into all kinds of positions.

 

Maybe it was because he was a drama queen at heart but he needed someone to tell him if he was doing the right thing.

 

Currently, he was sitting in front of his door, panting and attempting to catch his breath after booking it to his apartment. He tried his best to ignore Sakusa’s hands on him during those stretches. Once again, Atsumu was legally blind as he made sure to leave right as Sakusa opened his mouth to speak. 

 

“I need t’ call Samu. And Suna, fuck maybe I should call Suna first. But, also, Aran because I need good advice. And Kita just because- why not?” he muttered to his empty apartment, making his way to his room. He shed his clothes and found comfier ones before flopping on the bed. 

 

Sighing, turning on his back, he checked the time. 8:49pm. Okay, he didn’t have practice tomorrow so he prepared himself for a long night. Without much hesitation he scrolled through  his favorites and pressed the call button.

 

“Are my eyes deceiving me? This is Miya Atsumu? Brother of Miya Osamu? Setter for MSBY Black Jackals?” Suna Rintarou’s signature snark greeted him.

 

“Sunarin, ya asshole. I fucked up.”

 

“ What else is new?”  

 

--

 

“Why’d ya call Suna before me?”

 

“Oh right, I was just ‘posed t’ call ya and say, ‘I know we hate each other right now but, I need ya t’ give me datin’ advice’, ya fucking scrub,” Atsumu replied.

 

“...I don’t hate ya Tsumu.” 

 

“Well, that’s baggage t’ unpack later, Samu.”

 

--

 

“No.”

 

“Oh, c’mon Aran! I didn’t even say anythin’-”

 

“My god, I cannot escape Miyas botherin’ me no matter where they are.” Aran groaned.

 

“Hey, is Kita-san there with ya?” Atsumu asked.

 

“For the love of everything holy… yes. He is.” Aran sighed. “Hello Atsumu-kun.” Kita piped in, his voice slightly distant.

 

“Great! Saves me from makin’ another call!”

 

--

 

“-an’ then I got off his lap an’ ran away… oh! Right, I’ve been avoidin’ him since then too.” Atsumu concluded his retelling of the story to Suna.

 

“What is wrong with you?”

 

“Suna, do ya think I’m not askin’ myself th’ same question?” he groaned, a hand coming up to smack his face.

 

“So what? You did this because of soulmates?”

 

“Yeah, basically.”

 

--

 

“That’s fuckin’ stupid as hell Tsumu.” Osamu replied.

 

“Gee, thanks. I wish ya ate me in the womb, y’know?” 

 

“This ain’t 1874, ya don’t have t’ wait fer shit.” his accent thickened as he became more passionate about the discussion. 

 

“Ya say that, but ya met Sunarin when we were first years, jerk.”

 

--

 

“Aran and I didn’t have tattoos yet, but still knew we were soulmates. Are ya sure ya and Sakusa-san aren’t fated?” Kita asked.

 

Atsumu didn’t even want to consider the thought. “Hah? No way! Plus, he has a tattoo somewhere. I didn’t see it.”

 

--

 

“So do you.”

 

“I know, Suna.”

 

“On your ass.”

 

“I know, Suna.”

 

“Don’t ‘I know’ me. You and Samu were the ones who decided to get drunk matching ass tatts after graduation and now I have to suffer knowing there will always be a tiny onigiri on my right ass cheek. For all we know, poor Sakusa has to suffer with me too.”

 

Atsumu rolled his eyes. “We aren’t soulmates!”

 

--

 

Osamu sighed, seemingly considering the situation. “Do ya like him?”

 

It was a simple question, yet Atsumu couldn’t understand his heart pounding out of his chest.

 

“Am I allowed t’ like him?”

 

“Tsumu… Yer allowed t’ like whoever ya want. Sakusa-san included.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, what if I just want t’ get fucked by him.”

 

“I take it back, I do hate ya.”

 

“ Samu-nii-” Atsumu tried and failed to hold back a laugh.

 

“-NEVER call me that!”

 

--

 

“Sexual feelings aside man, ya need t’ look within ya and see if Sakusa is worth all the consequences that might happen. Ya whine ‘bout him often enough so maybe it’s worth givin’ a try, ” Aran said, not unkindly. 

 

“And if ya can’t pursue a relationship, then just talk to him. Find a middle ground where you’re both happy and ya aren’t ignorin’ each other,” Kita finished.

 

Atsumu smiled into the phone. “Thanks Aran, Kita-san.”

 

--

 

“Go get that dick lol.”

 

“Gonna ignore that ya just said ‘lol’ out loud, Sunarin.”

 

“Be honest, how helpful did you expect me to be when you picked up that phone?”

 

“Nah, you did help. I needed someone t’ lay it on harsh.”

 

“That’s what your brother is for, you better call him. I’m best friends with one helpless, stubborn, idiot and dating the other.” Suna complained.

 

“Love ya too, yeah I’ll ring him up.”

 

“Yeah, sure, love you too or whatever.”

 

--

 

“Well, thanks for t’ input, Samu.” Atsumu said, the awkward realization of their last conversation prior to this settling into his mind. The line was silent for a few moments, and his thumb hovered over the ‘end’ button until he heard a muttered curse.

 

“Look, Tsumu. I know we said some pretty nasty things last time we talked. I know it’s been months, hell, a year since we had a proper conversation. I just— I don’t want us to be like that, y’know?”

 

Tears stung at his eyes before he could stop them. He took comfort in knowing that, here in this room, nobody could ever see him.

 

“I know, me neither.” he choked out. He was aware that Samu definitely knew he was crying. He thought he heard some sniffles on the other line too.

 

“I don’t want us t’ ever argue like tha’ again. We were brought into this world together, something like tha’ ain’t gonna take us down. Whatever ya need Tsumu, I’m here fer ya. Always, ya scrub.”

 

Atsumu felt a weight lift from his shoulders that he didn’t know was there. “I love ya, ya jerk.”

 

“I love ya too, ya asshole.”

 

--

 

“Let us know if-” a cough sounded in the background. “Let me know if ya need anythin’ else, ‘kay?” Kita amended.

 

“Har, har, Aran. Yeah, I’ll let ya know Kita-san. Love y’all, thanks for listenin’ t’ me.”

 

“Love ya too,” they chorused.

 

Atsumu clicked the end button. They were his third and final call for the night. He checked the phone to see it was a quarter past midnight. Still unsure with how far he wanted to take their relationship, one thing was for certain: he needed to talk to Sakusa. He was over this game of cat and mouse they were playing.

 

“Fucked by Omi, huh?” he huffed a laugh to the ceiling.

 

There was nothing he could do to escape, the thoughts of Sakusa weren’t going away. If anything, the phone calls made him even more frustrated, putting the man he was trying to avoid at the forefront of his mind. 

 

Atsumu tossed his phone to the side, laying back and folding his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in the thought of speaking to Sakusa. Then, somehow his thoughts evolved to Sakusa having his way with him. He imagined the two of them pressed together, hands— Sakusa’s nice, big hands — exploring, teasing and grabbing at anything they could touch. He wondered what the stretch of Sakusa’s fingers would feel like, long enough to curl deep inside of him. 

 

Would Sakusa mark him up for everyone to see? Or would he be subtle with the placement, reserving the sight for their eyes only? Shit , he thought, his eyes cracking open.

 

Well, now he had more than one problem.

 

“Really, mini Miya?” he sighed, shifting his hand downwards. He palmed the front of his sweats lazily, sighing as his eye slipped closed again. Am I really going to do this? He thought.

 

Thinking about fucking Sakusa was one line crossed. Jerking off to the mental image of Sakusa fingering him open was more than just crossing a line, it was crossing a whole damn barrier. 

 

Yes, he decided, fuck it . Without a second thought he eased his hand under his sweats, gripping the base of his cock firmly. He set the pace, slowly stroking himself, letting the new image of  Sakusa’s lips stretched nicely around him take over his mind. The way his eyes fluttered every time he bobbed his head, the way he’d swallow around him, making Atsumu feel like he was floating.

 

“ Omi, ” he hissed, his other hand snaking under his shirt. His thumb brushed against his perked nipple, drawing a low moan out of him. 

 

Precum started to pool at his tip, Atsumu used his hand to spread it, relief blossoming from not jerking it dry. He pretended Sakusa was swirling his tongue in sinful ways, quickening his pace.

 

Every thought of Sakusa drove him further into madness. His hips bucked everytime his imaginary Sakusa gagged on his cock. His chest heaved, picturing Sakusa’s half-lidded eyes trained on him. He was driven over the edge at the image of Sakusa touching himself desperately, drool leaking down his chin as he moaned around him.

 

Atsumu came with Sakusa’s name on his lips, turning into his pillow to muffle his groans. 

 

God, I am fucked. Was the thought that accompanied him as he fell asleep, too mentally exhausted to even think about getting up.

 

--

 

Atsumu woke up the next morning feeling groggy and gross as hell. His dick was still out, crust on his hand and stomach, and bedsheets nowhere to be seen. He winced at the slight tug on his stomach as he got up, making his way to the shower. 

 

“You didn’t even clean up, jackass,” he mumbled to himself, stripping his clothes off. He couldn’t shake the overwhelming disgust he felt towards himself, wondering if he really did cross a line.

 

He hopped into the shower, getting rid of all traces from what he’d done last night. When he finished, he threw his bedsheets into a basket, pulled on some clothes, and carried the basket to the door. He got his keys, fully intent on going down to the laundromat. Within a few minutes he was out the door, laundry in hand.

 

The elevator ride down seemed to drag on, but it gave Atsumu time to think. He knew he couldn’t avoid Sakusa for much longer, so what should he do? What the hell was he going to say to him?

 

Confess.

 

Yeah, no. He wanted to take the advice he’d gotten from the phone calls, finding a middle ground where they could both be happy. But, could he actually be happy if Sakusa rejects him? There were a million things Atsumu would rather do than look Sakusa in the eyes after jacking one out to him. 

 

Like jumping into a pool filled with thumbtacks.

 

Or telling his Ma that it was him who broke her expensive plate set eight years ago.

 

Maybe even quitting volleyball— No, never that .

 

The elevator dinged sharply, pulling him out of his thoughts. He made his way to the laundry room, hoping it’d be empty.

 

Never in his life has Atsumu ever gotten what he’d wanted. Sitting on top of a washing machine, headphones in and legs swinging, was Hinata. He seemed to be in his own world, his eyes shut as he hummed along to whatever he was listening to.

 

Atsumu chose to let him be, making his way to the other side of the room and stuffing his sheets in before Hinata could notice. 

 

“Tsumu-san! I didn’t see you come in,” Hinata hopped down and rushed over to Atsumu, who closed the washing machine lid shut a little too hard before Hinata had a chance to be nosey. 

 

“Mhm, tha’ usually happens when ya have your eyes closed,” Atsumu smirked at him, moving to the shelf to get detergent.

 

Hinata beat him there, plucking the bottle off the shelf and into Atsumu’s hands. He muttered a thanks while Hinata let him finish up. When he looked back up, Hinata was staring at him with a weirdly intense look, almost like he was searching for something.

 

“Hinata…?”

 

“Are you okay Tsumu-san?”

 

Atsumu’s eyes widened slightly before he could catch himself. Still, he offered Hinata his signature smirk. “‘M doin’ just fine.”

 

“Right… Anyways, ignoring the lie, you seem a little down? Usually you’d be talking up a storm. Also, you wouldn’t have avoided me when you came in-”

 

“Woah, woah! What’s this? An interrogation? Psychoanalyze Atsumu Day?”

 

“-and now you’re deflecting,” Hinata finished. 

 

Atsumu sighed, climbing on top of the washer and gesturing for Hinata to join him. Hinata got up next to him without questioning it, waiting for an explanation. Atsumu looked at the entrance to make sure nobody was lingering around.

 

When he decided it was safe, he opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. How much detail was he going to give Hinata? Was he even going to mention Sakusa at all? Hinata may not be the most academically intelligent person, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d probably figure it was about Sakusa anyways.

 

Still, Atsumu chose to get advice in a roundabout way. 

 

“How’d you and Tobio-kun work?”

 

“Huh?” Hinata blinked, obviously not expecting that.

 

“Well, no offense to ya fated, but Tobio can be a little… dense sometimes. Or he’s angry, I just ain’t see y’all getting on so well, y’know?”

 

Hinata squinted his eyes at him and Atsumu once again got the feeling that he was being heavily scrutinized. He tried to focus on the shifting on the machine beneath him instead. 

 

“Uh huh, right,” he started. “Yama-yama and I have known we were soulmates for a long time, almost seven years I think? At first it was pretty horrible, not going to sugarcoat it,” he huffed out a laugh, bringing his legs up to sit pretzel style. 

 

“Y’all used t’ fight like cats an’ dogs, but always worked well together.”

 

Hinata looked down at his lap, smiling fondly. “Yeah, we didn’t always work the best together either, but we understood each other deep down. Probably since the beginning, I thought Yama-yama was a huge ass, but I understood how he thought about volleyball. The sport either brought us together, or fate decided we were made for each other because of how much we love playing.”

 

Atsumu hummed in response, letting the words sink in.

 

“I think,” Hinata continued. “As long as you try to develop an understanding for your partner, you can get through anything else that happens. And of course, it’s more than understanding, I love him a lot , more than anything , but understanding him is what makes it so easy to love him at this point in our relationship.” Hinata finished, looking up with a bright smile, completely confident in his words.

 

Atsumu thought back to the small, but significant ways he and Sakusa adapted to each other. The small intricacies that they just knew about the other. How Sakusa comforted him, that day after practice in the gym, so naturally. They already had a good understanding of the other, one that could get stronger with time. 

 

Seeing Atsumu lost in thought, Hinata hopped down from the machine, went to collect his clothes, and came back to pat the other’s knee.

 

“I really do hope things work out for you and Omi-san. I believe that you guys can be great for each other, Tsumu-san.” and with a knowing smile, he made his way out of the room and back to his dorm.

 

Atsumu sat there a while longer, considering everything he’s heard from his friends. By the time he had to bring his sheets to the dryer, he’d settled on one thing.

 

No more avoidance, I have to fix things as soon as possible.

 

--

 

Easier said than done. Atsumu used the rest of the weekend to build his confidence. Come Monday, he found himself scrambling to practice, somehow sleeping through three separate alarms . With a disappointed shake of the head from Coach Foster, he quickly busied himself with stretching.

 

He’d meant to talk to Sakusa before practice, but somewhere along the line his body must’ve subconsciously rejected the idea. During practice, he didn’t even intentionally try to ignore Sakusa. 

 

Meian set practice up so that Hinata was practicing spikes with Atsumu, Inunaki attempting to perfectly dig each ball. Sakusa was told to strengthen his blocks, practicing with Bokuto, Barnes, and Tomas. Eventually, Meian spiked with Atsumu, making Hinata work on blocking. 

 

By the end of it, sweaty, exhausted ( Meian made sure to punish him for being late ), and hungry as hell, he booked it to the nearest vending machine. Going to practice on an empty stomach was not something he ever wanted to do again.

 

 He took his time savouring the pre-packaged onigiri. It tasted like shit in comparison to Osamu’s, but right now Atsumu would gladly eat anything he was presented with. By the time he made it to the showers, most of the team was clearing out. He wasted no time scrubbing himself clean and wrapping a towel around his waist.

 

He was taken out of autopilot when he noticed the room was empty.

 

Empty except for the one person he’d been meaning to speak to. 

 

Rushing to his locker, he attempted to throw his clothes on so he could have a proper conversation. They would have had a proper conversation , if Sakusa hadn’t decided that was the perfect moment to confront Atsumu.

 

Before he was able to pull on a single article of clothing, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. Atsumu turned around instantly, just to be crowded against his locker by Sakusa. 

 

“Woah, Omi! Gettin’ a little close there aren’t ya?” Atsumu blushed, fully aware that the only thing giving him an ounce of decency was his flimsy towel.

 

Brows furrowed, Sakusa frowned as looked into the other’s eyes. “You’ve been avoiding me.” he stated, seriousness set in his face.

 

Atsumu averted his eyes, trying to not think about how close they were. Or how you pictured his lips around your dick-- No, Atsumu!  

 

He drummed his fingers against the locker behind him. “Well, I did kinda run out on ya, Omi,” he grimaced. This was not going how he planned at all. Except that there was no plan, but somehow the situation was still going off the rails.

 

Omi’s so close you can feel his breath on you. Ever thought about how it’d feel against your neck when you- Dear gods, Atsumu prayed to whoever was listening that he wouldn’t let himself get hot and bothered from simply standing close to Sakusa.

 

Who was in the process of stepping back. “Atsumu,” the man in question held his breath. Please don’t say my name right now Omi.  

 

“I didn’t mean to make you so uncomfortable. If you want me to keep my distance—”

 

“No!” Atsumu’s hand whipped out, grabbing Sakusa’s arm. Anything to make him stay.

 

He pulled him back, even closer than before, still avoiding Sakusa’s questioning gaze. 

 

“I mean- I was an asshole for runnin’ out on ya. I just, It was too much—”

 

“Overwhelming?” Sakusa said, bringing a hand up to Atsumu’s red cheeks. Atsumu was glad to see Sakusa’s face was a similar color when he finally looked up. But unlike him, Sakusa seemed mostly amused instead of flustered.

 

Atsumu was no blushing virgin, god damn it. He shouldn’t be reduced to a stammering mess just because of the other’s presence. 

 

“Are you overwhelmed right now?” Sakusa’s eyes were impossibly intense, contrasting the gentleness of the thumb brushing against Atsumu’s cheek. There was no way he could tear his eyes away. 

 

“Omi,” he muttered, mentally cursing his body’s inability to calm the fuck down. Sakusa decided to press even closer, enough so that Atsumu couldn’t even see his face anymore.

 

Lips brushed against his ear and he knew he was a goner. Every point of contact between them was sending him into a frenzy of more, more, more. Suddenly those lips were moving, and he had to force himself to focus on the sound of Sakusa’s voice.

 

“You don’t seem overwhelmed to me, just a bit frustrated. I can give you some time to cool off if you want.” Sakusa gave him an out. Hands hovered over his waist, as the other waited for an answer.

 

“If ya leave me blue balled right now Omi-Omi, I’m gonna kick your ass,” he gritted out, almost whining in relief as hands finally gripped his waist. 

 

Sakusa wasted no time, leaning down and pressing hot kisses against his neck. Atsumu suppressed a laugh as the hands on his waist almost instantly traveled down to his ass, pushing his towel to the floor. Instead he focused on getting Sakusa out of his shirt. Then he hooked his fingers under his shorts, yanking them down.

 

He was stopped from ripping his boxers off next when he felt himself being lifted slightly. “We’re moving to the stall,” Sakusa breathed into his ear. Atsumu understood what he wanted, wrapping his legs around Sakusa’s waist.

 

“Of course ya’d have some type of shower kink,” he teased, grinding against his stomach. 

 

Sakusa crossed over to a stall in mere seconds, yanking the curtain closed behind them. “No, you idiot. Privacy. ” He pressed Atsumu against the wall, hands shifting to his thighs and squeezing appreciatively. 

 

Those strong hands gripping his thighs did wonders to Atsumu’s brain. Pure desire surged through him, he was filled with the need to recreate his original fantasy. There was nothing that he needed more in that moment than Sakusa’s fingers taking him apart.

 

“Omi—” he whimpered, Sakusa mouthing against the crook of his neck. Shivers ran down his spine when he felt teeth graze the sensitive skin. “Omi-Omi, please, take it off,” he tugged at the fabric separating them. 

 

Sakusa shifted just enough to let the fabric drop to the floor. He stepped out of it, kicking it to the side of the stall, and immediately latching to his neck again. Teeth sunk down and Atsumu’s head flew back, a loud Fuck ringing through the locker room. They’d barely even started and Atsumu was already ready to burst.

 

Fingers brushed against his bottom lip and Atsumu opened his mouth obediently. He stared into the others eyes as he sucked on them, slowly swirling his tongue around them. “Quiet down Atsumu, do you want everyone to hear you?” Sakusa murmured, lidded eyes trained on the scene before him. 

 

Atsumu moaned around his fingers in lieu of a response, his hips twitching up in search of friction. Sakusa hissed in response, jerking their bodies together. 

 

“Looks like you’re the one who needs t’ shut up Omi,” he whispered, reaching a hand out and fumbling around. With a flick of his wrist, the showerhead came to life, drenching them both. Sakusa got the brunt of it, water spraying in his face, beading on his lashes. Atsumu was hit with the thought that damn, he’s beautiful.

 

Sakusa was focused on tracking the droplets of water cascading down the curves of Atsumu’s body. “Now nobody will hear us here.” Atsumu bit his lip as the words left his mouth, loving the other’s gaze on him.

 

He decided to not mention that he tended to be loud, instead he cupped Sakusa’s cheek, tilting his head back up. He was taken aback by the pure adoration in the other’s eyes. Sakusa looked at him as if he was the only thing that ever mattered to him, expression filled with warmth.

 

He also had a harsher glint in his eyes, a hunger . He looked ready to devour Atsumu whole, wrecking him thoroughly. Atsumu’s breath hitched with excitement, ready to push everything aside to be at the mercy of the other.

 

He surged forward, pressing their lips together. Hands roamed as Sakusa deepened the kiss, swiping his tongue against his bottom lip. He would never get enough of this feeling, being this connected to Sakusa had only been a fantasy. Sakusa drank up every sweet sigh and moan that slipped past the other’s lips until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

 

Sakusa pulled away, obvoiusly trying to convey just how much he needed Atsumu, panting softly.

 

“ Atsumu ,” and he’d be damned if he still didn't get shivers from hearing his given name uttered by him. “Tell me what you want.” 

 

“I-” he gasped, burying his fingers in thick, dark locks as Sakusa’s mouth had found his neck again, kissing a trail up to the base of his ear. The hot press of his tongue on smooth skin sent Atsumu reeling. “ Tell me,”  

 

It was like his brain short-circuited. His mind became the blue screen of death and suddenly, Atsumu couldn’t think, just filled with the burning want of Omi, Omi, Omi.  

 

“I need you , Omi, please-” he cut himself off with a moan as the other squeezed his ass in response.

 

“You want me to fuck you?” he asked lowly.

 

“No, Omi, yer hands, ” he begged, accent thickening in his desperation. Sakusa shifted his weight, sliding his hands down the slope of his ass, and Atsumu arched into it, tugging on Sakusa’s soaked locks.

 

Something swirled around his entrance, and Atsumu willed himself to relax. His lips were occupied by another searing kiss, relaxing him as the first finger pressed inside.

 

Atsumu brought their foreheads together, sighing in relief. “ Yes, that’s perfect.” He watched as the other flushed, pupils dilating slightly. 

 

The finger worked its way in and out slowly, dragging against his inner walls. He knew that he could’ve taken two at once, but part of him kept forgetting that Sakusa was inexperienced with other people. It was fine for now, he’d have plenty of time to teach the other how to pleasure him— later.

 

“You can add another, I won’t break y’know.” 

 

Sakusa did, curling his long fingers inwards, searching.

 

Sakusa seemed to take his comment as a sign to thrust his fingers in faster, shifting them every few moments, trying to find the spot that’d drive him wild.

 

Atsumu threw his head back, chest heaving. “You said you’ve never done this before,” his eyes slipped closed, breath escaping his lungs.

 

Sakusa leaned forward with him, watching every tremor, twitch, and heave of his body intently. He noted every expression on Atsumu’s face, the furrow of his brows, the way his lips parted, pink tongue poking out. 

 

“No, I said I’ve never had sex,” he drawled, filling Atsumu’s mind with images of Sakusa laid out, fingers sliding in and out of his ass. Moans started to tear their way from his throat when Sakusa finally found what he’d been searching for, barely concealed by the splatter of water against the tile. 

 

The mental image of Sakusa laid out, fingers sloppily buried in his own ass was enough to drive Atsumu closer to the edge, fucking himself down on Sakusa. The grinding of his hips were met with Sakusa’s deep thrusts upwards. His fingers milked Atsumu’s prostate greedily, pulling frantic whines from him, damn near delirious with ecstasy. 

 

Atsumu felt like he was spilling over the edge, Sakusa’s fingers, his eyes trained on him, and the steam clouding every part of his mind until all he could make out was mind-numbing pleasure. Sakusa’s grip with his other hand tightened as Atsumu’s thighs began to tremble. 

 

“ Omi, fuck I-”

 

“ Baby, you’re doing so good, you can do it, Atsumu, take it.” Sakusa twisted his fingers even deeper.

 

Climax slammed into him like a truck; his head swam with the praise, toes curling as he shouted out, only for the noise to be drowned in Sakusa catching him in another kiss. “ Kiyoomi,” he whimpered, hands fisted in the other’s hair, drawing a low groan from him.

 

They stayed there for a moment as he came down, Atsumu panting while Sakusa supported his weight. After he caught his breath, he smiled coyly at the other. “Your turn, Omi.” he teased, his feet splashing in the water as they hit the floor.

 

Satisfaction bloomed in Atsumu’s chest as he watched Sakusa’s adam's apple bob up and down, getting the sudden urge to bite it. So he did, pulling a hiss from the other. He licked his way down his body, nipping at all the sensitive areas he noticed, until he fell to his knees.

 

Sakusa’s cock was bigger than he expected. He was so preoccupied earlier, he hadn’t even chanced a glance down at it. His mouth watered at the sight, dripping and hard, waiting for him. Not wasting another moment, he licked his way up from the base to the tip, enjoying the way Sakusa squirmed.

 

Sakusa, who's never felt this before.

 

Oh, he was going to have fun.

 

He placed his hands on Sakusa’s hips, ready to take the tip into his mouth.

 

If not for the door to the locker room creaking open. Both Atsumu and Sakusa stilled, gazing at each other with wide eyes. Well, Sakusa , with wide eyes, and Atsumu with scheming ones.

 

“Omi-san?” Hinata’s voice rang out through the empty room. They heard footsteps coming closer.

 

Atsumu placed a slow kiss on the head, grinning up sleazily at the way Sakusa’s dick twitched. Sakusa’s lips were caught between his teeth, he met Atsumu’s eyes with a questioning look. 

 

He raised a brow in challenge, sliding his hands up the hard muscles of Sakusa’s abs.

 

Twin moles dipped on Sakusa’s forehead as his brows furrowed. “Yes, Hinata?” his voice sounded as bored as ever.

 

Atsumu’s eyes sparkled with glee, he leaned forward to take the leaking tip of Sakusa’s cock in his mouth to make sure he didn’t let out a noise of excitement. The muscles of Sakusa’s abs flexed deliciously under his hands, a barely-audible sigh sounding from above him.

 

“Oh! I didn’t think you’d still be here! I left my wallet in my locker…” there was the sound of metal creaking open as Hinata rustled things around. “Ah! Got it, Omi-san!”

 

Atsumu was working his tongue in swirls, savoring the taste of Sakusa’s arousal. He hummed inaudibly, moving a hand to wrap around the thick base of his cock. There was a sharp tug on his hair as Sakusa tried to compose himself. 

 

“Okay, Hinata,” Sakusa’s voice was clipped and to-the-point, an effort to get Hinata to take a hint . Atsumu’s hand was languidly moving up and down not giving nearly enough friction. Sakusa’s hips twitched with impaintience, Atsumu holding him down firmly with his free hand.

 

“Hey, isn’t that Tsumu-san’s bag? Is he in the showers too?” Footsteps pattered on the ceramic tiles of the locker room. “Hmm? None of the other showers are on, did he tell you where he was going? I just remembered I needed to get my charger back from him,” Hinata rambled, voice much closer than before.

 

Sakusa glanced down and Atsumu smiled, the best he could with his lips stretched around the head of his cock, his eyes crinkling adorably at the sides. Sakusa rolled his eyes at him.

 

Ah, being bratty now, huh? Let’s see where that gets you.

 

“I have no idea where At—” 

 

He chose that moment to fully envelop Sakusa fully into his mouth, swallowing down to the root. Satisfaction washed over him when Sakusa let a strangled noise of surprise slip past his lips. Atsumu knew he was damn good at giving head, the combination of a barely-there gag reflex and him generally being a little shit was a killer combination.

 

“ Hnngh, ‘sumu — i-is.” Sakusa pulled harshly on his hair, only to backfire when Atsumu silenced a moan around him.

 

“...Are you okay Omi-san?” Hinata questioned. 

 

Sakusa’s gaze was accusing, Atsumu blinked up innocently, swallowing around his length. Sakusa’s lips formed a pretty ‘o’ before he screwed his eyes shut. His head lolled back, hitting the wall as Atsumu worked his throat around him.

 

He closed his eyes, choosing to focus fully on Sakusa’s pleasure, the way his cock sat heavy in his mouth, twitching when it hit the back of his throat. The tension in his thighs as he held himself back from chasing his own pleasure with Atsumu’s mouth. 

 

Tears pooled at the corner of his eyes and his face was a slobbering mess, but Atsumu loved it. He loved the slight twinge as his jaw ached and the tight grip in his hair. He bobbed his head to swallow every inch of Sukusa, completely content.

 

“The water ran cold,” Sakusa deadpanned. Atsumu could hear the strain in his voice but it was normal enough to pass as the usual, touchy, Sakusa.

 

“I hate it when it does that!” Hinata, bless his soul, whined sympathetically. “It’s even worse when everyone rushes to the showers after practice, ugh Tomas-san uses up all the hot water when he showers! He doesn’t even mix in a drop of the cold water. It’s like he’s trying to burn his skin off,” Hinata went on and on, testing every ounce of Sakusa’s patience. 

 

Atsumu tried not to laugh, not wanting to accidentally out either of them. How could Hinata possibly be this oblivious?

 

Or maybe you’re just good at hiding.

 

He couldn’t deny that the sight of Sakusa struggling to stay quiet, squirming incessantly, turned him on. His own dick strained against his stomach, leaking every time he heard soft pants above him. Atsumu exhaled through his nose, humming as he pulled off all the way to the tip. Sakusa slapped a hand over his own mouth, biting into it to muffle a groan. 

 

Atsumu picked up the pace, noting how Sakusa trembled beneath him. His fingers tapped on one of his thighs, catching his attention. He fully relaxed his throat and lowered his hands to his sides, his eyes encouraging Sakusa to move. To use him.

 

Sakusa released his grip in Atsumu’s hair, moving it down to his cheek and caressing it for a moment, before settling it on the nape of his neck. With an experimental thrust of his hips, he tested the waters, making sure it wasn’t too much. Atsumu glimpsed up with half-lidded eyes and nodded his head slightly. 

 

“That’s why I either go before you all or wait long enough for the water heaters to warm the water again,” to Atsumu’s surprise, Sakusa entertained Hinata’s rambling instead of driving him away. 

 

The way he punctuated his words with a sharp thrust into the wet heat of Atsumu’s mouth only confirmed his thoughts. Sakusa was getting off to the looming possibility of being caught. Skin hit skin drowned out by the pelts of water on the tiles and Hinata’s constant babble of words.

 

Omi’s close , Atsumu relaxed his throat further, savoring the slide of the cock being rammed into him.

 

Atsumu’s dick was painfully hard, begging to be touched. He brought a hand down, fisting his cock in tandem with the snap of Sakusa’s hips. It was starting to become too much for him, his unconscious tears streaming mixing with the spray of water hitting his face. His free hand flew up to grip Sakusa’s thigh as a low whine built in the back of his throat. 

 

“I know,” Hinata sighed. “I try to wait to shower when you do but then Bokuto-san distracts me. I mean just today he distracted me, talking to me about Akaashi-san. Apparently Akaashi-san was feeling down the other day while we were at practice, so Bokuto went home to find him, Kenma, and Kuroo-san in a cuddle pile. They all fell asleep before he got there— he showed me pictures! It was adorable…”

 

Hinata’s words blurred in the background of Atsumu’s mind. He could only focus on how Sakusa was using him, fucking into his mouth with abandon. Pleasure pooled in his gut for the second time as he felt himself nearing the edge. He started to meet Sakusa halfway, hollowing his cheeks whenever he pulled off of him. It drove Sakusa mad, evident in how his chest heaved, rising and falling rapidly. The hand he stuffed in his mouth had cherry red bite marks littered all over it, contrasting prettily against his pale skin and dark moles. 

 

Then, Sakusa’s knees buckled. He let out a pitiful whimper as he came, nearly shoving his hand down his throat in an attempt to stifle his noises. A pleased sigh slipped from Astumu as he swallowed every drop of his release. 

 

A second later his own orgasm struck him, splattering all over his stomach. It wasn’t as strong as the first one but his head still swam nicely with ecstasy. He was so lost in his headspace that he barely registered as Sakusa slipped out of his mouth, crouching down in front of him. He swallowed the moan Atsumu was close to letting out with his mouth, exhaling deeply through his nose as he tasted himself on Atsumu’s tongue.

 

Atsumu was nice and compliant, wrapping his arms around the Sakusa’s neck as they kissed hotly in the comedown of their climaxes. Sakusa’s hands pulled him in by the waist and Atsumu completely forgot his own surroundings. 

 

“... and then Bokuto-san accidentally kicked Kuroo-san off the bed, the way he explained it was really funny. Anyways! Thanks for listening to me Omi-san, I’m going to stop by ‘Tsumu-san’s apartment for my charger, see you later!” Hinata’s bright voice cut through the moment. 

 

Sakusa muttered ‘good luck’, and Atsumu prayed Hinata couldn’t hear the breathiness of his voice.

 

The sound of the locker room door swinging open and then banging shut filled the silence left behind by Hinata. The two of them looked at each other, blinking slowly, before Sakusa got up (on shaky legs, Atsumu noted, extremely pleased).

 

He poked his head out of the curtains to confirm they were alone. “He’s gone,” he breathed.

 

Atsumu sighed in relief. “Oh god, finally.” Atsumu slumped against the wall, with his eyes closed.

 

He heard the accusation in Sakusa’s voice. “This was your fault. If he caught us it’s on you.”

 

Atsumu snorted his amusement. “If Shoyo noticed somethin’ he would’a left ages ago Omi.” he cracked an eye open, appreciating the body in front of him.

 

Sakusa huffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, whatever. Get out so I can actually shower, he’s looking for you anyways.” He kicked weakly at Atsumu with his foot.

 

Atsumu groaned as he got up, stretching his muscles. He flexed his jaw, fixing Sakusa with a smug smile. “Alright, Alright ‘m goin’,” he rinsed off under the water quickly and backed out of the shower stall.

 

He made it halfway to his bag, cringing at the clothes on the floor. Hinata had to be seriously oblivious to not notice the mess they left behind.

 

“Next time, we do this in our apartments like civil fucking people!” Sakusa called out.

 

“Such a party pooper Omi-omi, admit this was fun,” he trailed off, smiling at the grumble he got in response. 

 

It was only after he got dressed and left with the thought of his own hot shower waiting for him did Sakusa’s words process in his head.

 

Next time.

 

(When he gave Hinata his charger later that night, the other looked at him ominously. “Glad to hear things worked out between you and Omi-san.” Atsumu’s entire body flushed red in embarrassment as Hinata’s laughter rang out in his nightmares later.)

 

--

 

Life went on normally for Atsumu after they had sex. Sakusa sought him out again to discuss what was happening. They decided to stay as friends — something that pained Atsumu to no end, but if he was able to have even a moment of closeness with Sakusa, it was worth it. Messing around in their apartments over the past few weeks was something Atsumu started to look forward to.

 

Not just because of mind-numbing sex, but because every moment spent with Sakusa led them to becoming closer in some way or form.

 

Sakusa gave him head on Atsumu’s ridiculously tiny sofa? He learned afterwards that Sakusa preferred coffee to tea, as he raided Atsumu’s pantry in search of something warm to soothe his throat.

 

Atsumu jerked him off as they laid in Sakusa’s bed? Sakusa likes to shower in lukewarm water, he slapped Atsumu’s hand away when he’d tried to turn the nozzle hotter, claiming the hot water dried out his skin.

 

He fucked Atsumu in his genkan, against the door? Atsumu learned he goes to the gym every Sunday morning to work on his upper body strength. 

 

The point was, Atsumu lived and breathed for those moments of closeness between them, just getting to know who Sakusa was. It was a breath of fresh air to feel like they were connecting on a deeper level than before.

 

Everytime they explored each other physically, they found themselves lingering longer and longer after. 

 

Even now, as Atsumu swiveled his toothbrush in circles over his teeth. The noise of the shower faded into the background while he watched the steam fog up the mirror. The one sound that did register was the quiet humming coming from the shower— yet another thing he’d learned about Sakusa.

 

The man had a nice voice, deeper than his own and smoother, melodies sung with perfect pitch. It was an English song that Atsumu didn’t understand, but found himself swaying to it as his eyes slipped shut. Absentmindedly scrubbing his tongue, he lost himself in the thought of Sakusa singing to him, twirling him around and belting out shitty karaoke. 

 

He spat toothpaste into the sink, watching it swirl down the drain. The shower cut off behind him, there was the sound of the door opening and Sakusa rustling around for a towel. 

 

Sakusa was still humming when he reached over to stop the water flowing from the sink faucet, retracting his hand only to wrap both arms around Atsumu. He felt the weight of Sakusa’s chin on his shoulder and lifted his eyes, meeting onyx ones in their reflections.

 

“Are you feeling okay? I can make you some tea now,” Sakusa pressed his cheek against his. It felt like too much for the moment, too romantic . They were just supposed to be friends with benefits, not whatever this was.

 

“Stop overthinking,” Sakusa muttered when he took too long to respond. One of his hands idly trailed up and down Atsumu’s side, leaving goosebumps in its wake. 

 

Atsumu huffed out a laugh, “I was just enjoyin’ your tunes, Omi.”

 

“Mmm,” was all Sakusa said in response, turning to bury his face in Atsumu’s hair.

 

They stayed like that for a moment, rocking back and forth and Sakusa resumed his humming, Atsumu not wanting to disturb the peace. He had noticed long ago how clingy the other got after sex. Obviously, he didn’t mind being held by him, even if it made his heart pulse and yearn for something more. 

 

“I think I’ll take some of that tea now,” his voice rasped, gently touching one of Sakusa’s arms. “And ya need clothes.”

 

“You’re saying you wouldn’t want me to walk around the apartment with my ass out?”

 

A weird realization hits when he realizes he’s never even seen Sakusa’s ass. He hid his own to avoid questions about his tattoo, and the obligatory soulmate questions that would follow. Sakusa did say that his own tattoo was in an indecent place. He definitely didn’t see it when his dick was shoved down his throat, so maybe he was also hiding an ass tattoo.

 

That would be a fun coincidence, Atsumu humored. Imagine Omi with an ass tatt…

 

… wait, no. Not your ass tatt, dumbass.

 

“Ya little shit, stop gettin’ all sassy with me and put somethin’ on,” he grumbled. 

 

Sakusa simply snorted at him, disappearing towards Atsumu’s room in search of his clothes. 

 

Atsumu decided to make his way to the kitchen, debating what tea he wanted. Deciding on jasmine tea, he took out his kettle.

 

“Let me,” Sakusa appeared behind him, taking the kettle to the sink and filling it with water.

 

Atsumu blinked in surprise. Sakusa was in the same sweats he’d arrived in, but instead of the loose long sleeved shirt he wore before, he stood there in one of Atsumu’s oversized hoodies. 

 

It fit him normally, his height making it the perfect size for him. Atsumu didn’t know if he wanted to cry from how adorable it was, or laugh from knowing the hoodie’s origin.

 

Atsumu has never bought a damn hoodie in his life. All of his hoodies were stolen from various sources. He snatched a few from Bokuto during the first year they spent together on MSBY. Snagged some from Aran whenever he was invited after practice in high school. 

 

He was a repeat offender hoodie snatcher when it came to Osamu. Many fights started in which Atsumu would vehemently deny ever touching his clothes, whilst wearing them.

 

He was pretty sure the hoodie Sakusa took from him was one he’d stolen from Osamu, who’d stolen it from Suna. His brother had been fucking pissed when that one went missing, but Atsumu hid it away until he moved out. 

 

Regardless of the hoodie’s stupidly extensive history, it was his now. Sakusa was wearing his hoodie. The sight made his stomach flutter dangerously, a rush of pure serotonin hitting his brain at the idea of Sakusa wearing his clothes.

 

Of course, Atsumu couldn’t be a sap. “I wonder where ya got this from, heh?” He moved closer to tug at the drawstring a bit.

 

Sakusa stilled, as if caught doing something forbidden, and stiffly went to place the kettle on the stove. He turned on the flame, avoiding Atsumu’s gaze.

 

“Well, my shirt needs to be washed, and it was hanging there on your clothes rack. It was the only one that looked like it could fit…” he trailed off.

 

With great delight, Atsumu noticed the tips of his ears were pink. “It looks good on ya,” and— what the fuck? That was not what Atsumu wanted to come out of his mouth at all.

 

He meant to tease the other, maybe ‘ya have a crush on me? So embarrassing,’ or a ‘I never took ya to be a sweater swiper,’ but definitely not the lovey dovey bullshit he just said.

 

Sakusa turned to look at him with a weird expression Atsumu couldn’t figure out. “Thank you,” he turned back and finished up the tea.

 

Sakusa joined him at the table while Atsumu sipped on the tea, warmth spreading out throughout his body. The warmth felt nice on his throat, fixing up any irritation he’d felt right away. Sakusa didn’t say anything, but scrolled on his phone, keeping Atsumu company in comfortable silence.

 

When he finished his cup and placed it on the counter, he watched Sakusa look over at him hesitantly. Once again, they were at a standstill. Sakusa didn’t seem like he wanted to leave, and Atsumu didn’t want him to go either. 

 

Just as Sakusa sighed, shifting his weight to get up, Atsumu blurted out, “Do ya want t’ have dinner with me? Maybe watch a movie after?”

 

Sakusa slumped back into the chair as if he’d been waiting for an excuse to stay. “What are we having?”

 

“What’cha feelin’ like?” 

 

Sakusa set his chin in the sleeves covering his hands. “Noodles,” he said shortly.

 

Atsumu laughed in his face, “Just noodles? Nothin’ else?”

 

“Whatever noodles you have, stupid. I’m not picky,” Sakusa’s cheeks puffed out a bit as he pouted. Atsumu wanted to kiss the pout off his face.

 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see what we’re workin’ with,” he pushed away from the table, Sakusa following close behind with Atsumu’s discarded cup in his hand. 

 

Atsumu busied himself with rummaging through the fridge while Sakusa washed and dried the tea cup.

 

“It looks like we have the stuff to make yaki udon, sound good?”

 

The rumbling of Sakusa’s stomach was answer enough. Atsumu got out everything they needed, Sakusa taking the veggies from the counter. They fell in their own personal rhythm, Atsumu frying up the pork belly and Sakusa chopping away at various veggies. 

 

Sakusa started to hum again, and Atsumu had a sudden realization. The more he got to know Sakusa, the more he realized just how intimate he was. In everything . Atsumu never even asked the other to help him, Sakusa simply settled in next to him like he belonged. 

 

The sound of the food sizzling mixed in with Sakusa’s low voice felt like getting to his family  house after a long day of school to his mother’s hugs and Osamu dragging him to help with onigiri. It felt like home; warm, safe, and comforting.

 

Sakusa dumped the veggies into the pan, working on boiling the udon next. Atsumu watched him, the way his hair, tightly curled and still damp from the shower, fell in front of his face as he tilted his head down. The concentration on his face when he read the instructions on the udon package. Atsumu loved the slight crease between his brows and the way long eyelashes fanned out as his eyes flickered up and down.

 

Sakusa suddenly met his eyes, Atsumu blushed, caught staring. “You need to stir that.”

 

“Huh?” Atsumu blinked dumbly.

 

“It’s starting to char a little,” Sakusa pointed a finger at the pan.

 

Oh. Oh. The food was starting to smoke up more than it should’ve. “Shit, shit, shit,” Atsumu grabbed the handle of the pan, shaking it as he flipped and stirred around the food.

 

To the side, Atsumu heard the most gorgeous sound that’s ever graced his ears. He turned to look over at Sakusa and was greeted with a beautiful sight.

 

Sakusa laughing, no, giggling , lips curled up in an open mouthed smile. Pearly teeth on display and crinkles in the corner of his eyes. He was laughing at Atsumu’s misfortune but he didn’t care at all. He drank up the scene with his eyes, burning every detail into his memory.

 

“Sorry, sorry,” he wasn’t sorry, “It’s just, you looked so panicked for a moment,” Sakusa grinned at him.

 

“My sufferin’ brings ya happiness?” Atsumu hid the fact that he was willing to embarrass himself a thousand times over to hear that laugh, without complaint. 

 

“Mm, sure does,” Sakusa looked pleased as he transferred noodles to Atsumu’s pan. “I’m hungry,” he finished pointedly.

 

“Ya could’a went home an’ made your own damn food,” Atsumu bitched, mixing in the final sauces and seasoning anyways. 

 

“I seem to remember you being the one who begged me to stay,” Sakusa pressed into his side. It was still a surprise how touch-starved Sakusa seemed to be, Atsumu considered himself lucky that he was comfortable enough to be with him like this.

 

“Now your just bein’ a drama queen,” a soft smile formed from Atsumu’s lips, despite his words. “Make yourself useful an’ get some plates.”

 

Sakusa grumbled about how he was useful while cutting the vegetables, but compiles anyway. 

 

Dinner was amazing. The food was perfect, not due to Atsumu’s cooking skills, but because anything made with Sakusa would taste great to him. Atsumu rambled about anything and everything while they ate, and Sakusa listened patiently, sometimes interjecting with his own comments. 

 

Atsumu’s eyes lit up in wonder every time he drew a laugh from Sakusa. They sparkled even more when Sakusa started offering his own rambling and stories. Again, when they finished Sakusa immediately scooped up the dirty dishes and went to wash them.

 

“I could wash those, y’know?” Atsumu fussed over Sakusa being the guest.

 

“I like cleaning,” Sakusa replied simply. “You have to pick the movie we’re watching.”

 

“Hmm,” Atsumu settled onto the sofa, scrolling through the different titles on Netflix. “What genres do ya like Omi? Horror? Action? Comedy? Fantasy?”

 

“I like Fantasy,” he agreed. “Also romance.”

 

“Eh? Never would’ve taken you for likin’ sappy shit.” Atsumu was bullshitting through his teeth. He loved romance and sad stories, he regularly curled up in his bed and cried watching them in the midst of the night.

 

Sakusa joined him on the couch, close enough for Atsumu to ‘accidentally’ brush against him, but far enough that it was still casual.  

 

“Komori loves romance dramas, so through osmosis or whatever, his preferences got passed on to me.”

 

“Ya know, I can totally see that,” Atsumu found a movie labeled romantic fantasy. “How about this? Your Name ?”

 

“Never seen it before, put it on.” Sakusa leaned back into the cushions, making himself comfortable. 

 

About halfway into the movie, Atsumu was a sobbing mess. He’d grabbed a random sofa pillow and cried into it. “There’s- there no way! Mitsuha— three years? It can’t be, she has to be okay!”

 

Sakusa, for his part, had dry eyes. He looked over at Atsumu with amusement written on his face. “I didn’t take you for a crier, Miya,” he teased, using Atsumu’s earlier words against him. 

 

“So mean Omi-Omi! I’m havin’ the worst time of my life and ya go back to callin’ me Miya,” he whined.

 

Sakusa sighed, shifting so that their thighs pressed together. He took Atsumu’s face into his hands, and delicately wiped away the tears on his face. Atsumu left himself be dragged into the other’s arms. He rested his head against the firm chest beneath him, Sakusa ran a hand through his hair to calm him.

 

“I’m sure it’ll be okay Atsumu, There’s still about an hour left of the movie.”

 

Atsumu just hid his face further in his chest. He prayed to whatever god was listening that he could stay this way forever.

 

The movie continued with Atsumu cuddled into Sakusa’s side. Sakusa’s hand never left his hair, a stable, consistent source of comfort for him. Emotions out of whack, Atsumu continued to have outbursts during the movie, (“Why th’ hell is nobody listen’ to her Omi? Damn it!”, “Oh my god, please just look up or behind you! Y’all are right there!” “Finally! They found their way back to each other.... Where’s the sequel?”). 

 

By the time the end credits finished rolling, it was late at night. Sakusa looked like he was fighting the urge to fall asleep. Atsumu wasn’t faring much better, feeling his eyelids droop.

 

He was about to open his mouth to speak, a question on the tip of his tongue, when Sakusa beat him to it.

 

“Can I just… sleep here tonight?” it was spoken quietly, almost a whisper. As if Sakusa was afraid of what Atsumu’s answer would be.

 

Whatever it was, Atsumu decided he hated the way Sakusa sounded when he was unsure and insecure. He would do anything to help him feel completely confident around him. “Of course Omi, was just gonna ask ya,” he snuggled in closer, too comfortable to move.

 

After a few moments of listening to the other’s breathing, and feeling the rise and fall of his chest, Atsumu reluctantly got up.

 

“C’mon, the sofa will put all types of cricks an’ cramps in your body,” he grabbed Sakusa’s hand, helping him up. 

 

They made their way to Atsumu’s bed, flopping down and adjusting their bodies until they settled in each other’s arms. Atsumu wondered if this was something close friends did, probably not. Was he going to question it? Not tonight.

 

The ghost of lips brushed against Atsumu’s forehead and he hid away, smiling into Sakusa’s neck.

 

“G’night, Omi.”

 

“Night, Atsumu.”

 

--

 

Sakusa became his new normal. 

 

Atsumu started spending even more time with him, practically living with Sakusa now. They still continued their arrangement, yet Sakusa stopped leaving after that. He invaded Atsumu’s space, coming over randomly to cook, hang out, even just to take naps. Some days Atsumu would wake up in Sakusa’s arms. Other days Sakusa would greet him with warm beverages to start their day.

 

He started to feel guilty, like he was stringing Sakusa into something that would only result in disaster. There was no way to ensure that Sakusa wouldn’t meet his soulmate. If he found his fated, he would have to choose between destiny and choice. Would it be cruel to expect that from him?

 

Atsumu thought he would choose Sakusa over anyone. 

 

Today was one of the rare days where Sakusa hadn’t stayed over, and wow, what a change. He never would’ve thought that being apart from Sakusa would be unexpected. Sakusa warned him that he was visiting Komori for the weekend, which left Atsumu to his own devices.

 

Atsumu was currently lazing about on his couch, scrolling through his phone with one hand and munching on an onigiri in the other. Scrolling seemed pointless, the images just appeared on the screen without Atsumu actually being able to process what anything meant. A recurring theme: his mind was fixed solely on Sakusa.

 

He chewed on his lip, thinking about how close they’d gotten, so fast . He’d known he wouldn’t be able to fully separate his feelings for Sakusa when they started having sex. It was impossible, how could he when Sakusa handled him with so much care? Atsumu only had flings and hookups in the past and they all went the same way. They fucked him fast and dirty, only caring about their own release. They never touched him more than necessary and always left when they felt they were finished.

 

Sakusa was different. He kissed Atsumu until he was breathless. His hands touched his body with appreciative strokes and caresses. He looked Atsumu in the eyes like he was the only thing that mattered in the moment. Atsumu never had to rush to get himself off in a bathroom after, or clean up by himself. Sakusa would be there. Until he recovered, until everything was clean.

 

Until he was satisfied.

 

A sudden ding ripped through his thoughts, causing his phone to slip from his hand. It seemed to fall in slow motion, Atsumu counted the seconds as the phone descended closer and closer to his face. The gods must hate him, the phone rotated until the bottom corner was perfectly in line with his nose.

 

“Fuck! God fuckin’ damn it, shit!” Atsumu kept cursing as the phone smacked down on his face. It bounced off mockingly and fell to the floor— a crack forming as a special ‘fuck you’. 

 

He lay there staring at the ceiling, contemplating his life. At least his onigiri made it out alive. Atsumu shoved the last bit into his mouth before moving to reach for his damaged phone. 

 

To: Tsumu

Bokkun: HEY HEY TSUMUU HEYY, WYD??

 

Of course it was a text from Bokuto that would end up causing him so much pain. 

 

To: Bokkun

From: Tsumu: well, i was enjoying a nice snack until you disturbed my peace (ಥ⌣ಥ)

 

To: Tsumu

Bokkun: LOL!! COME OVER!

 

To: Bokkun

Tsumu: you just /ignored/ everything i just said.

Tsumu: *sighs* fine

 

Bokuto texted him something cheeky along the lines of ‘I knew you’d come!’ that Atsumu pointedly didn’t respond to. Instead he grabbed the nearest slippers and made his way out his door. As he was locking up behind him, he heard Bokuto’s door open behind him.

 

“Ya bastard, I’m gonna have a bruise on my nose ‘cause of your stupid text,” he decided he deserved to be a little dramatic after the incident. 

 

“Geeez, don’t give Bo too much of a hard time.”

 

That wasn’t Bokuto. Atsumu whirled around to see a man with really messy hair, all dressed up in a suit. The tie was too loose, the left side of his collar was popped while the right side was rumpled. His neck was covered in hickeys and a dopey smile settled on his face. Bokkun, you dog.

 

“I’m givin’ him hell for sure,” Atsumu raised his brows, not knowing who he was.

 

“Kuroo Tetsuro,” the man introduced himself. “You’re ‘Tsum-Tsum’, right? Bo is bored because I have to run to a meeting,”

 

The name rang in his head with some familiarity, funnily enough, from Hinata’s info dump when he was occupied with Sakusa in the locker room.

 

“Ah, that’s just a silly nickname, it’s Miya Atsumu, but just call me Atsumu,” he shook the hand the other extended to him.

 

“I’m sure we’ll see each other again at some point,” Kuroo replied cryptically before disappearing down the hallway, leaving the door open.

 

“Okay…” Atsumu entered Bokuto’s apartment and shut the door behind him. 

 

Within two seconds Bokuto appeared before him, “Tsum-Tsum! Just in time!”

 

“Yeah I can see,” he drawled in response. 

 

Bokuto had a nice apartment, decorated in neutral colors with splashes of sunny yellow. There was a corner of the main room sectioned off into a makeshift gym. Red yoga mats and various weights were piled neatly against the wall. It was right by a window, a nice view for the setup.

 

Instead of a couch, Bokuto had a kotatsu placed in front of a mounted television. Atsumu wiggled his way under the blanket, happy to find that the heater was already on.

 

“Say, Bokkun, jus’ how many boyfriends do ya have?” He asked, making himself comfortable.

 

Bokuto was fiddling around in the kitchen. “Three!”

 

“Three?!” Atsumu was actually shocked. Multiple soulmates were extremely rare, he’d learned about them in high school but never met anyone in one. Until now, he supposed.

 

He didn’t even want to think about the headache that would cause. There was technically no limit on the amount of soulmates a person could have. A person could be mateless, or have six for all they know. What type of stress did Bokuto have to go through wondering if he still had more fated wandering around or if he’d reached his soulmate cap.

 

The man in question rounded the kotatsu, setting down steaming mugs of tea. “Yeah, you know Akaashi,” he started.

 

“Obviously, ya don’t ever shut up ‘bout him!” Atsumu grinned, watching Bokuto get offended.

 

Bokuto gasped, “How could I? I love him so much, did you know he got picked to work directly with Udai-san? He’s a big manga artist and he wants Akaashi to write for his next project, I’m so proud of him,” Bokuto trailed off and Atsumu could have sworn he saw the hearts in his eyes.

 

“Oh? We’ll have to celebrate sometime then,” he smiled, genuinely happy to hear the good news.

 

“Yeah, of course! Anyways, ‘Kaashi and I met in high school. We knew each other for a little while before we met my other soulmates, Kenma and Kuroo. You’ve run into them before right?” he asked, leaning forward a bit and curling his hands around his mug.

 

Atsumu took a careful sip of his tea. “Yeah, ya could say that.”

 

Bokuto let out a bubbly laugh. “Ah! Kenma told me about the hallway thing— then ‘Kaashi said the same thing happened to him. Tetsu felt a little left out, so…”

 

Now it was Atsumu’s turn to gasp into his mug, “You bastard, you planned that?”

 

Bokuto grinned in response, making a show of zipping his lips. “Anyways, what was I saying? Right, we met Tetsu and Kenma at a practice match. We all became friends because ‘Kaashi really liked Kenma and Tetsu and I were captains. Tetsu is a bigger bastard than me by the way, we used to argue all the time, but just to be petty, not mean, you know?”

 

“Uh huh,” Atsumu nodded because he did know. It sounded awfully like how he used to bicker with Sakusa. 

 

“We actually didn’t know we were soulmates until ‘Kaashi got a tattoo in college,” Bokuto bunched his short sleeve at his shoulder to show Atsumu the tattoo. In his inner arm were tiny, cute doodles of two owls and two cats. 

 

“It started out with just one owl,” Bokuto continued. “Kuroo and I were so excited we sent pictures in our gc the moment it appeared on us. Kenma just responded the same and ‘Kaashi said he knew it was us. We all got our own tattoo to add onto it.”

 

“That’s really cute. I wish I could tell my soulmate a nice story like that,” Atsumu focused on Bokuto’s tattoo. It really was cute, but he was more fixated on the fact that they’d been friends for years without knowing for sure if they were soulmates.

 

“How’d you get yours?”

 

“Samu and I got drunk and got matching onigiri tattoos on our asses. It’s really tiny, but it’s there.”

 

Bokuto cackled, leaning down until he was on the floor with half his body under the blanket. 

 

“Don’t laugh at me, I was drunk!”

 

“Yeah, drunk and stupid!” Bokuto wheezed out, then took a few moments to collect himself.

 

Atsumu was still grumbling when Bokuto sat back up with the scheming smile that screamed ‘danger’ . “Speaking of soulmates, how long have you and Omi been together?”

 

He was glad he didn’t choose that moment to drink his tea, otherwise he would’ve spit it all over Bokuto’s face. “Together? Huh?” Atsumu shook his head with amazing force.

 

“No, Omi-Omi and I aren’t datin’, what th’ hell gave ya that idea?”

 

Bokuto leveled him with a look that asked ‘are you dumb?’ and raised a brow. “Are you really asking that Tsum?”

 

“I mean we’ve been messin’ around but nothin’ serious. I’m not even Omi’s soulmate so,” he sighed to himself.

 

“So? You love him right? I can see how Omi looks at you Tsum-Tsum. There’s no mistaking that you guys are a match for each other.” Bokuto frowned this time, his expression turned serious. “You know you should get hung up on the what ifs, what’s meant to happen will happen. I think you two are meant to be together,” he added gently.

 

Atsumu just sat still because did he love Sakusa? He already knew he liked him, was attracted to him, but was it okay to love Sakusa?

 

He thought of the moments they spent together outside of practice or their arrangement. How Sakusa took over his space like it was his own. The casual, non-sexual touches that were reserved for Atsumu only. The gentleness in his eyes when Atsumu talked on and on, like everything he said was worth his full attention.

 

Then he thought of how he felt around Sakusa. Red cheeks, jittery hands, twisting stomach. Sick with love . Atsumu would get the urge to just grab Sakusa’s hand while they walked together and never let go. At night, when they fell asleep in each other's arms, he wanted to flutter kisses all around Sakusa’s face. He wanted more than what they had now. A life together.

 

A future…

 

Shit.

 

“Oh my god,” Atsumu was still stuck in place.

 

“Tsumu? Tsum-Tsum? I didn’t mean to make you nervous, I’m sure everything will work out-”

 

“- I gatta go.”

 

“...Huh?”

 

“I need- I have to go, sorry Bokkun. Ya didn’t do anythin’ wrong, I just need…” Atsumu trailed off because what did he need?

 

Sakusa was with Komori.

 

Who did Atsumu go to whenever he had a major revelation to work through?

 

Your brother, his mind supplied.

 

“I need Samu.” he said with finality. 

 

Bokuto looked surprised, then proud as he gave him a thumbs up. “Good luck Tsum-Tsum!”

 

Atsumu managed a nod before he rushed out from under the kotatsu straight to his car.

 

--

 

The drive to Onigiri Miya took six hours. The train would have been much shorter, only two-and-a-half hours, but Atsumu needed the time to think. If he was being honest with himself, he could have taken the train to visit Osamu a long time ago. Really, Atsumu had no excuse for why he hadn’t visited all this time.

 

Part of him knew it was stubbornness. He didn’t want to seem weaker than Osamu by caving in. He wanted Osamu to turn up at his doorstep with an apology so he could pretend like he didn’t forgive him.

 

Fear. That was the main reason he didn’t visit. Atsumu went through the months before their phone call believing that Osamu hated him now, and wouldn’t want to see him again. He was afraid of being turned away by his own twin.

 

The argument had been nasty. Screaming in each other’s faces, flailing their hands around. Instead of fighting through it with punches and aggressive shoving, they ended it with icy coldness. 

 

It was so loud until it was completely silent. They walked without another word and never spoke again.

 

Night fell by the time he reached the shop, nearing closing time. Atsumu rested his forehead on the steering wheel, parked right outside the location of his soon to be reunion. Since the phone call, they’d texted a few times but things still didn’t just snap back to normal. There was still a weird tension between them, he just had to hope that it wasn’t negative.

 

He braced himself, stepping out of his car and entering the store with false bravado. He didn’t recognize any of the workers, for a moment he was worried that Osamu hadn’t even come into work today. Then, Suna came out from the back with a few to-go bags in his hands, took one look at Atsumu, placed the bags on the front counter, and immediately spun on his heels to go back.

 

There was the sound of something clattering to the floor and heavy footsteps before the door slammed open. Atsumu barely had time to cringe at the sound of metal denting the wall before Osamu started running at him.

 

One moment Osamu was across the room and the next he was in Atsumu’s arms. 

 

Emotions he didn’t even realize he had bubbled up, tears welling in his eyes. “Samu,” Atsumu didn’t know what to say. His voice was wobbly, his entire body shook. What was he feeling? Regret? Relief? 

 

Osamu understood, of course he did. They were half of a pair. “I missed ya s’ much,'' Osamu's voice sounded as wet as Atsumu’s face was. 

 

His brother tightened his arms around him, crying into his shoulder. Atsumu sobbed with him, always the more emotional one. 

 

Osamu pulled away, wiping his face off. “That’s not very foodsafe, Samu,” Atsumu huffed through his tears as he mirrored his twin.

 

“Fuck off jerk,” Osamu shoved at his shoulder. “What th’ hell took ya so long t’ visit?” 

 

Atsumu frowned at that, looking down as he shuffled on his feet. Osamu placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Tsumu, don’t worry ‘bout that right now,” he said as gently as possible, his voice rasping up.

 

Atsumu looked back up and noticed that not only was Osamu staring at him, everyone else in the restaurant was too. His face lit up with embarrassment from crying in front of a sea of strangers. 

 

One of the people staring was Suna. He walked over with a smile and an offer of his own hug for Atsumu. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said sincerely, patting Atsumu on the back.

 

By default, because Suna lived with Osamu, he ended up avoiding his friend just as long as his brother. Atsumu felt like shit for putting them both through that.

 

“No,” Suna said when they pulled away, reading his thoughts. “Osamu is a big boy too, you’re both idiots. Both of you had your heads in your asses, you could’ve seen each other a long time ago. So don’t blame yourself fully, you’re only half the blame.” he finished, fixing them both with an unimpressed look.

 

Osamu scratched the back of his neck, “Ya ain’t have t’ say it like that, Rin.”

 

“Yes I did. Anyways, you two go,” he shooed them towards the door. “Take Atsumu’s car back to the apartment. I’ll close up for today. Also, I’m going home to visit my sister tonight. You two look like you have a lot to talk about,” he got his point across with a jab to Osamu’s side. 

 

“Ow! Ya fuckin’ gremlin! I’m still in m’ apron an’ shit,” Osamu argued.

 

“Yeah, it’s fucking dirty from when the newbie spilled all that food on you earlier. Go home and wash it.” Suna didn’t stop swatting at them until they were out the front doors.

 

Atsumu didn’t fight him, it was what he wanted anyways. He needed his brother right now, and as much as he loved Suna, this was a 119-Twins-Only-Emergency. 

 

He got his brother in the car without much hassle. When they fully settled in, Atsumu behind the wheel, he realized he didn’t even know where Osamu lived. That deepset feeling of missing out on an important part of his twin’s life came back in full force. 

 

Osamu noticed his hand stilling when he put the key in the car. He opened his mouth to say something but Atsumu beat him to it.

 

“I really am sorry Samu,” he gripped the steering wheel tighter.

 

“It’s ‘kay Tsumu, I’m sorry too—”

 

“ No,” and once again, Atsumu felt like crying. Osamu hadn’t really done anything wrong had he? Sure, he was the one to spit out the competition of who’d live the better life, but he hadn’t started the argument. None of this would’ve happened if Atsumu didn’t let his stupid insecuritites get in the way of a bond they’d had since birth. And now, realizing how much he’s missed out on, regret is eating him from the inside out.

 

“It’s not just the fight, Samu. I’m sorry. I’m sorry ‘cause you’ve supported me and my hunger in this sport since we started. Ya…” Atsumu swallowed the lump in his throat. Osamu was silent to his left. 

 

“Ya needed someone t’ support you too. You needed me to support you, ” he hiccuped, tears streaming down his face. Atsumu chanced a look up at his brother and saw him trembling in place, eyes glossy. 

 

“I wasn’t there for you, and I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-” Osamu yanked him into a hug for the second time that day. 

 

Osamu held him as Atsumu muttered incoherent ‘I’m sorry’s’ over and over. Atsumu didn’t know what he would do in a world where Osamu hated him. He didn’t even realize how intensely he missed his brother this entire time, how much he’d repressed his need to have him around.

 

“ Please forgive me Samu,” he muttered into his shoulder.

 

“Hey now,” Osamu pushed him back, holding him by the shoulders. “Of course I forgive ya. I forgave ya a long, long , time ago Tsumu. Ya wanna know somethin’ Rin said t’ me?”

 

Atsumu didn’t trust his voice, so he nodded in response. “Rin told me that th’ only reason ya lost your shit was because ya love me. Right? Ya didn’t want our time together t’ end. An’ it made a lot of sense y’know. Whenever ya used t’ tell me ‘bout your dreams, ya always had me in them.”

 

Atsumu let out a shaky breath because, god, he was right. They were the Miya Twins, Atsumu and Osamu. It was never supposed to be just Atsumu in his mind. He fully expected to go pro with his brother by his side, as a team.

 

“So forgive me too, Tsumu. I didn’t mean t’ ruin your dreams or anythin’, I didn’t mean t’ become the reason we separated.” Osamu’s voice cracked and Atsumu’s heart broke.

 

He shook his head, denying Osamu’s entire statement, stressing his words carefully. “You didn’t ruin my dreams, Samu. You just wanted to have your own.”

 

And so, like always, they reached an understanding. This would never happen again, it might not always be Atsumu and Osamu, but they were still the Miya Twins.

 

When they both calmed down, and Osamu made sure Atsumu wasn’t going to get them into an accident, Osamu put his address in the GPS.  

 

The drive was quiet, both twins reflecting on the other’s words. Osamu’s apartment was easy to get to, only a few blocks away from Onigiri Miya. Parking was the only issue, Atsumu nearly hit the car behind him trying to parallel park in the tight spot.

 

“Ya still suck at driving, I see,” Osamu deadpanned when they finally got out of the car.

 

“No th’ fuck I don’t, I literally drove perfectly. That spot was not made for this car.” Atsumu crossed his arms, huffing as he followed Osamu up the stairs to his apartment. 

 

“Excuses,” Osamu shot back, fishing out his keys to unlock the door.

 

Osamu held the door open for him when they entered. They kicked off their shoes in the genkan before moving deeper into the apartment. Osamu set his keys in a ceramic dish and then headed off towards what Atsumu assumed was his bedroom. 

 

“Have a look ‘round, I need t’ shower and change. If you're hungry just eat Rin’s leftovers or somethin’,” and with that, he disappeared into the room.

 

Atsumu took survey of the apartment his brother and Suna lived in. There was a soft, worn looking couch covered in various blankets and pillows. In front of it was, in his opinion, a ridiculously large television mounted to the wall. He knew that had to be Suna’s idea, the man was obsessed with trashy reality shows and horror movies. He also knew Suna tended to get cold, which explained the mess of blankets.

 

 There were a few plants in various stages of life. Atsumu thumbed the withering leaf of a suffering houseplant. Deciding to have mercy, he made his way to the kitchen to water it. He ran the water over the plant until it spluttered out from the drainage hole. 

 

“Samu’s lettin’ ya die, that’s no good,” he muttered to himself mindlessly, placing the plant back. 

 

Overall, the apartment was nice, cozy. Atsumu held back a smile when he realized it smelled faintly of rice. Instead, he went to investigate what Suna’s leftovers were. He got to the fridge and paused in his steps. A laminated picture was tacked onto the fridge, right in front of his face. It’d be impossible to ignore it whenever you opened the fridge.

 

A picture of when Atsumu and Osamu were kids, smiling bright, arms slung over each other’s shoulders. 

 

Atsumu did not want to cry again. Yet, it hit him that the kitchen was like Osamu’s sacred space. His twin had a picture of them where he’d always look, multiple times a day. He ran his thumb over the picture, making a mental note to ask for a copy later.

 

He tugged the fridge open, taking his time going through it until Osamu got out of the shower. Suna had leftover maguro, which Atsumu promptly snatched up.

 

That’s how Osamu found him, curled up on his couch and stuffing his cheeks with maguro, when he finally came out from the bedroom. “Ya pig,” he wrinkled his nose in fake disgust.

 

“Oink.” Atsumu replied, mouth and chopsticks full. 

 

“I knew ya’d take it since it was tuna, Rin wasn’t gonna finish it anyways,” He threw a bunched up hoodie at Atsumu’s head. “I have clothes for ya if ya wanna change.”

 

Atsumu barely doged, sending Osamu the stank eye. He finished the rest of the food up and changed into the hoodie and sweats Osamu gave to him. When he was done, Osamu already had a movie queued for them. He flopped face-down on the couch, over Osamu’s legs, ignoring the swats at his head.

 

“What’re we watchin’?” He mumbled into the cushion. 

 

“Mindless violence, your favorite,” Osamu nudged him in the back.

 

Atsumu groaned and sat up, leaning against him. “That’s your favorite.”

 

“Well, I needed to put on somethin’ that didn’t have too much talkin’. It’s Mad Max.” Osamu grabbed one of the trillion blankets flung over the couch and tented it over them, covering the tops of their heads. 

 

It reminded Atsumu of how they used to watch horror movies as kids without their Ma’s permission. Atsumu would always get scared, so Osamu would put a ‘safety blanket’ over them, reassuring him that nothing could get them under there. The memory made him feel a different sense of comfort he hadn’t felt in a long time.

 

They watched the first twenty minutes of the movie in comfortable silence before Osamu spoke up. “So, what’s been botherin’ ya?”

 

Atsumu watched the sand fly into the air as patchwork vehicles chased each other on screen. “Right, I think I love Omi.” he sighed, slumping into himself.

 

“Yeah? Two plus two is four, so what?” Osamu bumped into his shoulder.

 

“Shut up,” Atsumu ran a hand over his face. “I knew I liked him a lot, but I ain’t know that I loved him until, well, today.”

 

“You dummy.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, can’t even argue with ya on that one. I like him a lot ‘Samu. It’s scary, I didn’t think it was going t’ go this far…” He frowned to himself.

 

Osamu hummed in response, seeming to think over what he was about to say. “Well, from what ya have told me of him, y’all basically spend every moment together anyways. I mean, ya basically live with him right now, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Atsumu nodded.

 

“Well then, I think there’s a good chance Sakusa likes ya, might even love a jerk like ya too.”

 

“Yeah, maybe,” Astumu’s voice wavered. Unless he meets his soulmate and throws you to the curb. The intrusive thought didn’t even sound like something Sakusa would do, yet he still found himself deep in the clutches of doubt.

 

Osamu shifted to face him directly. “You’re thinkin’ ‘bout the stupid soulmate shit again, aren’t ya?” 

 

Atsumu sputtered in response. “It’s not stupid! It’s somethin’ t’ actually worry ‘bout!”

 

“That’s a load of shit, and ya know it.” Atsumu almost shivered at the harsh glare Osamu directed towards him.

 

“It’s not, really. I just don’t want t’... love him and it ends up bein’ for nothin’,” he brought his knees up, resting his head on them. Atsumu hoped his brother could read between the lines so he didn’t have to say what he was really thinking.

 

“You’re afraid of him tossin’ ya out and breakin’ your heart.” Osamu spoke his thoughts out loud.

 

“Yeah, I mean. It’s me, why would he choose me over some perfect soulmate that’s made for him?” He looked over to see Osamu’s eyebrows furrowed.

 

“Firstly, any bastard is lucky to date my twin. Speak down on yourself again and I’m gonna have t’ beat your ass. Secondly… how do you know you aren’t his soulmate? ” 

 

Atsumu scoffed in denial. “Like th’ universe would fuck him over that bad― Hey!” Osamu carried through his promise, smacking him square on the shoulder.

 

“I said not t’ badmouth my twin, jackass!” Osamu kept smacking at him.

 

“Okay, Okay! Damn, you brute,” Atsumu laughed. “But like I was sayin’, I doubt we are. If somehow we’re fated, that’s amazing but if we aren’t then? Should I just ask him t’ show me his mark an’ get it over with?”

 

“Would ya only want him if he was your soulmate?” Osamu frowned.

 

Atsumu paused to think. No, was the immediate thought, though he’d be terrified out of his mind. Terrified of Sakusa not wanting him the way he wants him. 

 

“I feel like, there’s somethin’ I’m missin’ here. Like, y’all play for th’ same team, ya got drunk that one time and made out or whatever, and now y’all basically live together… but why? How’d ya even get t’ that point?” Osamu asked.

 

“Oh, ha ha. Well… it’s not a wholesome story, ya probably don’t wanna know.” Atsumu looked away, embarrassment flooding his face.

 

Osamu sat there for a second, processing Atsumu’s words. Then, he blurted out, “Y’all’ve been fuckin’?!”

 

Atsumu winced, hands flying to cover his face. “Ya don’t have t’ act so shocked!”

 

“I am shocked! Well now it’s extra fuckin’ obvious: you’re a dumbass!” Osamu pinched the bridge of his nose.

 

“Huh?!”

 

“Ya heard me! No offense to Sakusa, but from what I hear from ya and Bokuto, he is not the type of guy t’ have random hookups. He likes ya. He like-likes ya, stupid,” he finished.

 

“What’re we in? Grade school? And he’s human y’know, he could’ve done this with literally anyone… Wait.” Sakusa hadn’t done this with anyone before. 

 

But then, there he goes, doing everything under the sun with Atsumu, when he doesn’t even know his soulmate. That means, somehow, Atsumu was special, Sakusa trusted and liked him enough to constantly be intimate with him. During sex, outside of sex, it was like Sakusa flipped a switch around him. Atsumu could barely wrap his mind around the fact that Sakusa chose him, while he still has problems generally being close with most people.

 

“Oh, fuck.” Atsumu buried his head further into his hands at the realization. 

 

“Well, shit.” Osamu agreed. 

 

The sound of guns blaring and tires cutting through sand rang through the room from the television. Atsumu ignored it all, feeling completely numb. Not numb in a never-getting-out-of-bed way, but numb in a wow-i-am-stupid way. 

 

“Osamu. I’m dead serious, I think I want a life with Omi.” 

 

“Yeah, I want a brother-in-law, so hurry up and get to it.”

 

Atsumu and Osamu stared at each other with straight faces for a few beats. Then, Atsumu cracked first, laughter tearing through him until he couldn’t breathe. Osamu wasn’t faring much better, he somehow ended up on the floor, clutching his stomach in his laughing fit.

 

When they finally calmed down, Osamu settled on his previous spot on the couch and placed a hand on Atsumu’s shoulder.

 

“I seriously think ya have nothin’ t’ worry ‘bout. Just talk to him and tell him how ya feel, ‘kay?” Osamu offered a small smile of support.

 

“Okay,” Atsumu agreed, beaming back at him.

 

The rest of the movie was filled with laughter (“You should do your makeup like that ‘Samu, it fits your kinda emo vibes.” “What. the fuck. Are ya talkin’ ‘bout.”) and lots of shoves and smacks.

 

When Suna came home in the morning, the first thing he did was snap fifty pictures of the twins cuddled up, asleep on the couch.

 

--

 

The kitchen was a mess. Sakusa was coming over in ten minutes, and Atsumu was already pulling his hair out. Something on the stove was smoking and there was a mess of vegetable scraps all over his counters.

 

Atsumu could cook pretty well, taught by his chef brother. But, cooking under pressure to make sure everything was completely perfect and worrying about his confession was too much. He grabbed the pan that, thankfully, wasn't burnt, and set it off the heat. Then he took a few breaths to collect himself.

 

I’ve got this. Sakusa likes me, I love him. It will work out. He repeated it like a mantra in his head. If he didn’t have faith in himself, he had nothing.

 

Then, put into the zone, time became a blur, simultaneously finishing dinner and cleaning up until everything was spotless. By the time Sakusa knocked on his door, the table was set, his best wine poured, and dinner was ready to be served.

 

He stopped himself from running to the door, instead going over like a normal person to answer it. Atsumu was greeted with a tiny, but genuine, smile from Sakusa. 

 

“I brought dessert.” Sakusa offered a fabric shopping bag to him. Atsumu dug through its contents and snorted to himself.

 

“I doubt this umeboshi you brought is sweet Omi.” He let Sakusa in, and placed the dessert on the counter.

 

“Guilty as charged,” Sakusa said, too happy. “What’s this? A special occasion?” He gestured to the table.

 

Atsumu ushered him to sit down. “I told ya we were havin’ dinner, sit put. I’ll serve us.”

 

Sakusa obeyed his request, looking at Atsumu with questioning eyes. “Yeah, dinner is usually you bossing me around in the kitchen or ordering takeout. This is not that.” 

 

Atsumu smiled crookedly, parroting Sakusa’s earlier words. “Guilty as charged,” he drawled.

 

He set two steaming bowls of gyudon on the table. Sakusa looked over his serving appreciatively, pleased with the meal. “You can cook something other than noodles?” he teased as Atsumu sat down across from him.

 

“I literally cook for ya all the time,” Atsumu shot him an unimpressed look, before grinning again.

 

“Hm? I didn’t notice, itadakimasu.”

 

“Itadakimasu,” and then they dug in. Atsumu felt his heart swell with pride when Sakusa made a noise of appreciation with his first bite. 

 

“Good?” he asked, wanting to actually hear him say he liked it.

 

“Horrible,” Sakusa nodded, taking another large bite.

 

“Omiii,” Atsumu whined. “I broke my back and spent several grueling hours-”

 

“-Hours, really?” Sakusa interrupted, raising a brow.

 

“-Yes! Figurative hours! Just for ya t’ not give me any love.” Atsumu pouted.

 

Sakusa heaved a dramatic sigh, bastard. “Well Atsumu I love…” he trailed off and took a sip of wine, making Atsumu’s heart pound out of his chest.

 

He discreetly gripped the edge of the table because there was no way Sakusa was going to say it, right? He had to be messing with him.

 

“...How you seem to need my validation on a beef bowl.” Sakusa smirked at him, setting his wine glass down.

 

Atsumu gaped at him, “You are such an ass Omi-Omi.” Sakusa laughed in response, and Atsumu couldn’t help but join him. How could he not, that beautiful sound was infectious. 

 

He stared at Sakusa. The sparkle in his eyes, the way his lips curled up into a wide grin, one reserved for the people closest to him. The urge to round the table and just hold him hit Atsumu hard. To just cradle Sakusa in his arms and never let go, he wanted to see that gorgeous smile every day of his life.

 

Sakusa tilted his head at him, but didn’t stop smiling. Atsumu knew he was staring, his brain was screaming, smitten in pure awe. A thumb gently brushed the back of his hand and he looked down to see Sakusa had reached over.

 

“Atsumu,” he didn’t say anything else. Atsumu could see it in his eyes, the love he felt for Sakusa being reflected back at him. It took him so long to notice, but now he’d never forget the sight again. 

 

“You’re beautiful Omi,” Atsumu’s mouth ran before he even had a chance to think. Sakusa turned his head down, but Atsumu could see his smile getting wider. “Don’t hide,” he took Sakusa’s hand in his and squeezed softly.

 

Sakusa looked back up, pink blossoming over his cheeks. It was Atsumu’s favorite color on him. 

 

“Atsumu,” this time it sounded like a plea. 

 

He took a second deep breath that night. It was now or never, he wasn’t going to waste this moment. 

 

“Kiyoomi,” he started. Sakusa straightened up immediately at the use of his full name, tightening his hold on Atsumu. He squeezed it back, “Honestly, I have been a coward. I was scared of soulmates and th’ possibility of you not bein’ mine was too much for me. When ya offered t’ have our current thing goin’ on, I jumped at th’ chance to be close to ya in whatever way possible.” 

 

Atsumu considered his next words carefully, watching realization spread over Sakusa’s face. “I’m done worryin’ ‘bout th’ what ifs, Omi. I want to be with ya no matter what. I really, really, like ya, Omi.” He finished, the blood circulation in his hand being cut off from how hard Sakusa was gripping it.

 

Sakusa was frozen in place. Then, his face slowly turned several shades darker and his mouth twisted into a frown. “God, I am stupid. You’re dumb― god we’re idiots.”

 

Atsumu’s face scrunched in confusion, “Omi?”

 

Sakusa got up from the table, practically teleporting to Atsumu’s side. Large hands smooshed his cheeks together, tilting his head back to look Sakusa in the eyes. “You loveable idiot, I can’t believe… I mean, I thought I was obvious?”

 

“So you like me too?” Atsumu’s speech was garbled as he spoke between the force of Sakusa’s hands. It ended up sounding like ‘soo y’ ik m’ oo? ’

 

Sakusa smiled that dazzling smile again, “I have no idea what you just said, baby, but yes,” and then leaned down to press their lips together.

 

Atsumu stood up into the kiss, his hands finding Sakusa’s waist. Sakusa still held his face in his hands, peppering kisses everywhere he could. Between those kisses he kept muttering.

 

“I love you.”

 

“I want to be with you.”

 

“I choose you, Atsumu.”

 

He felt overwhelmed by the raw affection in his voice. To hear those three words, that was all he had wanted. When Sakusa pulled away, Atsumu’s eyes were misty. “I’m sorry Atsumu, I should have just said something earlier. I’ve liked you since before that night we went to the club. Now, at this point, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you,” he caressed Atsumu’s face.

 

“I’m in love with ya too Omi,” Atsumu pressed their foreheads together, taken away by how much he loved the way his lips shaped those words.

 

“Mmm,” Sakusa pressed another, slower kiss to his lips. “Say it again,” he whispered.

 

“I love ya, Kiyoomi,” Atsumu couldn’t rip his gaze away from the sudden heat in Sakusa’s eyes. Subconsciously, he pressed closer to him.

 

Another kiss, Sakusa’s fingers fluttered all over his face, over his eyelashes, against the curve of lips, and the sharp line of his jaw. Every inch of skin, like he was memorizing the sensation of Atsumu’s smooth skin. “One more time,” he pressed his lips against Atsumu’s temple, whispering the words like a prayer.

 

“Kiyoomi, I love ya. I love ya so much. ” 

 

That set Sakusa off, apparently, because Atsumu was now being ravished , like never before. Sakusa took and took and took, greedily kissing him until they were both breathless. Then, he went back in immediately, sliding his tongue into his mouth. Atsumu sighed into the kiss, letting Sakusa take full control.

 

When they pulled apart again, his vision tunneled on the supple lips that touched his just seconds ago. Those lips traveled to sear hot kisses against his jaw, then latched onto his neck. It felt so familiar yet so different. There was a different charge behind everything they did now, this wasn’t just something temporary, Sakusa was his now. And Atsumu would give his entire mind, body, and soul to him.

 

“We barely got through dinner,” Atsumu shivered as Sakusa sucked a bruise into his neck. 

 

“We’re skipping straight to dessert,” Sakusa’s hands grabbed at his waist, settling where they belonged. 

 

“Ah, the pickled plums,” Atsumu chuckled at the annoyed noise the other let out. It turned into a gasp as Sakusa nipped at the spot he was sucking. “Atsumu baby, darling, my love, please be quiet.”

 

The use of the pet names did indeed cause him to snap his mouth shut. They stumbled to the bedroom after that, Sakusa all but throwing Atsumu down on the bed. He climbed over Atsumu, straddling him, ripping his own shirt off. Atsumu never got tired of seeing Sakusa’s body, he was just so perfect to him in every way imaginable. A muscles sculpted by the gods, smooth, clear skin, dark moles dotting him, creating the perfect contrast. He truly was beautiful. 

 

“Omi, please, I need ya, ” He raised his arms for Sakusa to pull his shirt over his head. Sakusa’s hands roamed his bare chest, circling his nipples. 

 

“It's okay Atsumu, I’m going to take my time with you,” he said lovingly, pinching one of Atsumu’s  nipples between his fingers. Atsumu threw his head back, catching his bottom lip between his teeth.

 

Sakusa used one hand to unbutton Atsumu’s pants, leaning over to stare intently at his face. He rolled the bud between his fingers, “I want to hear you.” 

 

Atsumu let out a needy whine, throwing his head back into a pillow. “Omi, Omi, ” he begged for something. For Sakusa to touch him, kiss him, anything .

 

“I know Tsumu,” Sakusa murmured, bringing his lips back to Atsumu’s. It was a slow, tender kiss, contrasting the fierceness he kissed him with earlier. If before like a blazing fire, hot and desperate, this one was a lazy stream of water, fluid and gentle. Atsumu couldn’t help burying his hands in Sakusa’s hair, his mind suspended in tranquility, ready to stay like this forever.

 

True to his words, Sakusa did take his time with Atsumu, sliding his tongue in his mouth and savoring the most delicious noises that escaped Atsumu’s throat. His hands slid everywhere, cupping his chest, stroking his sides, going wherever he could. He only broke apart to help Atsumu shimmy his pants off, going back to capture his lips again.

 

“You’re gorgeous baby, do you know that?” Sakusa muttered against lips, voice filled with adoration. Atsumu didn’t even realize he’d closed his eyes until he cracked them open, just to meet Sakusa’s gaze. Sakusa, who was staring at Atsumu with the love a sunflower had to the bright morning sun. In that moment, in every moment they spent together, nothing else mattered more. 

 

Sakusa pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “I love your lips, how perfectly they fit against mine,” he whispered.

 

He kissed each cheek, then down his jaw, stopping the lap at his pulse point. Atsumu squirmed in place, letting out breathy moans of pleasure. “Mmn, I love how sensitive your neck is, how easy it is to draw those pretty little noises from you.” 

 

“Uhgn, you’re killin’ me here Omi,” Atsumu’s cock sat heavy on his stomach, twitching with every touch of Sakusa’s lips. Sakusa ignored it, kissing down his chest, nipping and sucking at the skin and leaving Atsumu breathless. He wrapped his lips around one of Atsumu’s erect nipples, sucking harshly on it. 

 

Atsumu took in a sharp breath, his hands jerking in Sakusa’s hair. “ Fuck,” he hissed, arching his back to get even closer. Sakusa pushed him back down, firmly holding him in place as Atsumu whimpered. “I love how needy you are for me baby,” he grazed his teeth over the bud and Atsumu nearly screamed. 

 

His mind was scrambled, reeling from the way Sakusa was working his mouth― both with his words and searing kisses. All he needed was Kiyoomi , his head a constant garble of Omi, Omi, Omi , rather than any intelligible thoughts. This wasn’t helped by Sakusa licking down his stomach, taking his time to appreciate the contours of his abs.

 

Atsumu held his breath as Sakusa got further down, he was already aching, leaking everywhere and ready for Sakusa to take care of him. Sakusa hovered over his dick, close enough for Atsumu to feel his breath against it, making it twitch with anticipation. Atsumu tracked the movement of Sakusa’s tongue poking out his mouth, swiping over his lips.

 

Strong hands ran up Atsumu’s thighs, squeezing appreciatively. Sakusa let out a soft hum, massaging the muscle under his hands. He leaned down, sucking every inch of his thighs. Atsumu threw an arm over his eyes, gasping every time Sakusa sunk his teeth down, marking him. 

 

“God, I fucking love your thighs,” Sakusa groaned, sucking hickey after hickey, leaving bite after bite. “I can’t, I don’t even have words Tsumu. You’re fucking perfect .” 

 

And, wow, if that didn’t make him preen in response. He pulled Sakusa back up, tugging at his hair, to peck his lips. He shifted his hands down to caress Sakusa’s face, watching Sakusa’s eyelashes flutter as he looked over Atsumu’s face. “Please fuck me.” His voice miraculously stayed even.

 

Sakusa’s eyes crinkled as he smiled down at him. “Anything for you baby,” he lifted himself off Atsumu, shushing the whines of protest. Sakusa got rid of his last articles of clothing and grabbed a condom and lube from the side table. Atsumu busied himself with flipping onto his stomach, presenting himself on his hands and knees for Sakusa. He’d never gotten in this position with him before, too weary of Sakusa seeing his tattoo. Now? He couldn’t find it in himself to care about anything but Sakusa inside him.

 

Atsumu felt the bed dip, and Sakusa’s hands running down his back, all the way down to his ass. Sakusa started to rub his hands in circles before he took in a sharp breath, followed by a stunned fuck .

 

“Omi?” Atsumu frowned, trying to crane his neck back to look at Sakusa. The man in question’s mouth was parted, staring at his ass. Was it that good looking?

 

“We’re idiots, I fear.” Sakusa said dryly. With a jolt, Atsumu realized Sakusa started to thumb the area where his tattoo was and his heart rate spiked dangerously. He couldn’t get any words, only scrunching his eyebrows in a silent question.

 

“I mean, fuck. Am I really surprised?” Sakusa continued to mutter to himself, then he met Atsumu’s questioning gaze. “You have my tattoo.”

 

Atsumu blinked at him dumbly. “ What? ”

 

“Baby,” he said soothingly, shifting to kiss his spine. “We’re soulmates.”

 

Fuck. Atsumu felt like the dumbest person alive, all of his troubles, his fears, could have been solved if they had just looked at each other’s marks . He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or to cry from frustration. 

 

Sakusa seemed to sense his distress, a frown tugging at his face as he tried to rub Atsumu’s sides comfortingly. “Hey Tsumu, none of that,” he said firmly. “I love that you’re my soulmate, I really do, but I loved you long before I even considered that we were fated. Don’t beat yourself up, marks can be private and I hid mine from you as much as you did from me baby, hey, look at me,” he urged softly.

 

Atsumu looked up, almost taken aback by the seriousness on his face. “I would have chosen you no matter what, Atsumu. We both know that just being soulmates means jack shit,” he hissed. “We didn’t need something to tell us we loved each other. This is real.”

 

Atsumu nodded, not trusting his voice as his eyes watered. Sakusa leaned into him, pressing a kiss on his forehead. 

 

“I really love ya Omi, I’m real lucky,” he smiled at him.

 

“No, Atsumu. I’m lucky. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want you,” he sighed. “I’m going to treat you so good,” Sakusa grinded on him, and Atsumu’s woes melted away. They were replaced with a need more intense than he’s ever felt before. Desire curled in his gut and lashed out to every part of body until he was overwhelmed with the raw craving of Sakusa taking him entirely. 

 

“ Take care o’ me, ” he extended his arms in front of him, grabbing at the sheets, grinding down to chase the friction he so desperately needed. 

 

“Damn,” Sakusa ate up the sight like he was starving for it. He leaned back, stilling Atsumu’s hips with his hands. “I’ll take care of you, don’t move okay?”

 

“Okay,” Atsumu fought the urge to drive his hips down into the sheets. Sakusa shifted back again, then, Atsumu couldn’t feel him at all. “Omi?”

 

“I’ve got you,” large hands spread his cheeks apart, exposing him even more than before. A wet heat pressed against his rim, making Atsumu’s head loll. 

 

“ Hngh, shit, ” Atsumu gasped, burying his face into the sheets. Sakusa’s tongue swirled around, dipping teasingly at his entrance. One of his hands was occupied kneading Atsumu’s ass, the other smearing something wet and warm across his entrance.

 

Atsumu was a dead man, Sakusa was seriously trying to kill him when his tongue slipped past the ring of muscle, opening him sloppily. He was reduced to a pile of whimpers and breathy curses, feeling the heat drag against his inner walls. He pushed back, needing him deeper , it was fucking amazing but not enough .

 

Sakusa pulled away completely, and Atsumu almost sobbed at the loss. “I’m pretty sure I asked you to not move,” Sakusa drawled.

 

“‘M sorry, ‘m sorry,” Atsumu tensed, he was trying .

 

“I know baby, you can’t help it hm? It’s okay, you’re doing so good,” Sakusa emphasized this by sinking a long finger into him.

 

A loud moan slipped from Atsumu’s lips, “ Yes, yes, Omi, please. ”

 

Sakusa obliged, taking his time to stretch Atsumu open. He watched as his fingers disappeared into Atsumu, watching how Atsumu fluttered around them. With every flick of Sakusa’s wrist, Atsumu sank deeper into the sheets, his ass tightening and hips yearning to push back and fuck himself on Sakusa’s fingers. His shoulders and neck were flushed in a brilliant shade of red, darkening with every twist. The sheets were barely able to muffle the wanton moans Atsumu all but screamed out whenever he brushed against the bundle of nerves deep inside of him.

 

Sakusa couldn’t help but reach with his other hand to pull Atsumu’s head back by his hair. His cock bobbed up at the sight. Atsumu looked completely and utterly debauched. Drool dripped down his chin, a long line connecting to the sheets below him. His face was flushed, hair falling into his heavy-lidded eyes. Atsumu was speaking, saying something , but it was gibberish to Sakusa’s ears.

 

 “Are you ready?” Sakusa pressed his fingers deeper, earning another groan from Atsumu. When he recovered, Atsumu nodded his head rapidly. Sakusa removed his fingers, reaching for the condom.

 

Atsumu shifted to his knees, turning around and grabbing Sakusa’s wrist. “Don’t,” he murmured.

 

Sakusa tilted his head in a silent question.

 

“We’re both clean, I want this if you’re okay with it.” he elaborated. Sakusa seemed to consider it before tossing it back to the side table.

 

“Only because I demanded your tests when we first started having sex,” he smirked at Atsumu, who rolled his eyes playfully.

 

“Yeah, yeah, safe fuckin’ is important, I wanna ride you, please ” He looked at Sakusa expectantly. Sakusa arranged them so he sat against the headboard, Atsumu’s legs on either side of him as he hovered over his lap. 

 

Atsumu reached behind him, stroking Sakusa’s precum down his length, drawing a low groan from him. “Here,” Sakusa handed him the bottle of lube, which Atsumu took and squirted into his hand, curling his fingers in to warm it up. His lips found Sakusa’s, licking into his mouth and swallowing another groan as he slicked him up. 

 

Strong thighs lowered him on Sakusa’s cock, taking him inch by inch until he sat fully on it. Atsumu broke away from the kiss, chest heaving as he gave himself time to adjust to the stretch. The pain was minimal, Sakusa did a good job preparing him, but the stretch was slightly uncomfortable. Sakusa distracted him with slow strokes of his neglected dick, pulling pleased sighs from him. 

 

“Omi, stop, don’t wanna come that way,” he swatted at the hand moving on his shaft. Sakusa’s hands traveled to the back of his thighs, stroking the skin there instead. He pressed his lips against Atsumu’s ear.

 

“ Yeah? You want to come with my cock buried deep in you? Want me to fill you up baby?” he whispered directly into his ear, sending sparks of excitement down Atsumu’s spine. He shivered in response, groaning at the thought of being split open on Sakusa’s dick.

 

“Tell me baby, I want to hear you say it.” 

 

A gasp filled the room, Sakusa started to nip at his ear, trailing his tongue around the skin on his neck behind it. “Please move Omi, I-I need you to take me,” he stuttered, tripping up when Sakusa flexed his hips. He moved his head to glare at the man, who simply raised his brow in response.

 

“How about this,” Sakusa replied lowly. “You ride me until your legs can’t move anymore,” his hands pulled him up slightly, Atsumu’s mouth falling open at the friction he’d wanted. “Then, I’ll fuck you until you can’t think straight anymore,” he finished, sinking Atsumu back down. 

 

A reaper, Omi is going to fucking destroy me. Atsumu had enough sense left to decide that before Sakusa wrecked him, he was going to take his breath away. He squeezed his eyes shut, breathing deeply through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth. Feeling more collected, he fixed Sakusa with his sleaziest grin. He took Sakusa’s earlobe between his teeth, and spoke directly in his ear, voice dropping a few octaves, “As you wish, baby. ”

 

Sakusa’s grip tightening was all Atsumu needed, bracing his arms on his lover’s shoulders. He fixed him with another grin before painstakingly lifting himself off Sakusa, all the way to the tip, before slamming himself back down. Sakusa choked out a moan, Atsumu repeating the motion, clenching around his length. He kept going until he angled himself perfectly for Sakusa to brush against that sweet spot.

 

He threw his head back, arms wrapped around Sakusa’s neck as he fucked himself on his cock. Sakusa was big , his cock stuffed him full, reaching deep inside him as if it was made to be there. The pleasure was almost too much, yet not enough at all, he knew he could take Sakusa even deeper. 

 

Sakusa, for his part, was a mess, snapping his hips to meet Atsumu, practically latching to his neck. He breathed a slew of praises onto his neck and used his grip on Atsumu’s thighs to help lift him.

 

“ Fuck- ah, you’re taking me so good Tsumu,”

 

Atsumu couldn’t help but cry out at the praise, grinding down on the cock splitting him open. His thighs started to tremble too much for him to lift himself back up, so he rocked back and forth, savoring the constant pressure against his prostate. 

 

“I can't, I can't,” he slurred, desperation lacing his voice as he tried to tell him his legs gave out . 

 

Sakusa reacted faster than he expected, pushing Atsumu until his back hit the sheets. He hooked his hands under Atsumu’s thighs, folding him in half like a fucking pretzel. Atsumu was a sight to behold, gaping hole, swollen lips, and a sheen of sweat that shimmered under the dim light of the room. Sakusa went feral .

 

Without another word he plunged into the tight heat, and Atsumu screamed with pleasure . With each thrust into Atsumu, the harsh slap of skin against skin filled the room. Atsumu was right, Sakusa could fuck him deeper. Sakusa wasn’t even going very fast, instead he took care to slam as deep as he could, making Atsumu’s mind turn into fuzz.

 

Atsumu could barely utter Sakusa’s name, every sound that came out of him becoming nothing more than a gurgle. It was everything he wanted, his mind pleasantly numb, blinded by the pleasure. He felt like he was floating in a cloud of his own contentment, meanwhile his body thrummed with stimulation. Heat coiled tightly in his stomach, threatening to spill over and explode at any moment. 

 

“ Haa….’mi...hmmn, ” Atsumu fell silent, mouth hanging open in a soundless moan. Sakusa looked down to him, fiery eyes shifting into something sweeter. He slung one of Atsumu’s legs over his shoulder and reached up to brush his thumb over his cheekbone.

 

“Let go Atsumu, it’s okay.” His voice was delicate. 

 

A sob ripped through him as the heat unfurled, spreading through his entire body. Thick ropes of cum splattered against his stomach and chest, and Atsumu swore his vision went white, toes curling tightly as Sakusa fucked him through his orgasm. Sakusa buried himself as far as he could, coming with Atsumu’s name of lips. His entire body tingled with overstimulation when Sakusa emptied himself in him, painting his insides with hot cum. 

 

His legs were suddenly shifted around Sakusa’s waist, his face was grabbed into a sloppy kiss. They pulled apart, Sakusa slumping on top of him. Sakusa brought a hand up to stroke absentmindedly at Atsumu’s hair, “You did so good baby,” he pressed a final kiss to Atsumu’s temple.

 

“Mmm,” Atsumu hummed in response, head slowly clearing from the high of his orgasm. “Where’d ya learn t’ fuck like that?”

 

Sakusa huffed out a laugh that turned into a yawn. “I seem to remember you being pretty set on teaching me how to fuck you,” Atsumu felt his smile against his head. Sakusa pulled out, rolling off of him, both of them wincing at the drag on over sensitive skin. Sakusa grabbed some discarded sheet to haphazardly wipe Atsumu off. 

 

“Yeah, no, you’re jus’ a natural I guess,” he turned to cuddle into him, eyes drooping.

 

“Mhm,” Sakusa sighed in agreement, hand still playing in Atsumu’s hair.

 

They stayed that way for a moment, exhausted and satisfied to the bone. Atsumu smiled into Sakusa’s chest, knowing that this was real . That Sakusa wasn’t going anywhere.

 

“We should probably clean up,” Sakusa drawled.

 

“Yeah,” Atsumu snuggled in closer.

 

Neither of them made a move to get up.

 

“This is disgusting,” Sakusa’s voice dripped repulsion, which only made Atsumu laugh at him.

 

“We can shower in your lukewarm water in the mornin’,” he teased. 

 

Sakusa made a face, but still didn’t move. Atsumu understood, he didn’t think he could move if he wanted to, he felt utterly boneless. Yet, soreness was going to pop up like a bitch in the morning.

 

Atsumu felt his eyes droop, content to deal with everything tomorrow, thank you very much.

 

“Hey,” Sakusa prompted.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Be my boyfriend?”

 

“Omi, I’m pretty sure that was implied in the million I love you’s. ”

 

“Yeah… say it oneee more time.”

 

“I love you Kiyoomi.”

 

“I love you too, Atsumu.”

--

 

Bonus One

 

“Are ya ready Omi?” The two of them stood in front of the entrance of the izakaya they were meeting Osamu and Suna at. His twin and best friend all but demanded mto meet Sakusa the moment he broke the news of them becoming official. 

 

Sakusa adjusted the mask on his face, shifting on his feet as he mentally prepared to enter the no doubt crowded pub. It was a Friday night, right after the average worker was clocking off. With a heavy sigh, Sakusa squared his shoulders. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

 

They meet each other’s gazes with determined nods, Atsumu holding the door for Sakusa, “Ladies first.”

 

“Oh, okay, I’ll hold this for you then,” Sakusa replied without missing a beat, using his height to his advantage and holding the door above Atsumu’s hand.

 

“You bastard— fine.” He walked in, looking over the sea of heads to spot his twin in the low light. Sakusa was pressed behind him, cringing slightly when someone would wobble past them. 

 

“We couldn’t have invited them over for dinner, could we?” Sakusa huffed, muffled under his mask.

 

“Ah, sorry Omi, ‘m pretty sure Samu wants ya t’ be as uncomfortable as possible, he’s a jerk like that,” Atsumu replied as if he’d just said the most normal thing in the world, chuckling at how Sakusa tensed slightly behind him.

 

“Oh god, it’s another you.” Sakusa groaned, looking like he might turn right back out the door.

 

“Oh! Hey Samu! Sunarin!” He waved over to the table across the room, prompting the men in question to look up and wave them over. “Don’t let ya nerves get to ya Omi-Omi, you’re gonna do just fine.”

 

Sakusa slipped his hand into Atsumu’s hand, running his thumb over his fingers anxiously as they walked over. 

 

They settled down across the table from Osamu and Suna, Atsumu being greeted enthusiastically while they completely ignored Sakusa. “‘Sup asshole, it’s been too long,” Osamu complained.

 

“I just saw ya like two weeks ago Samu,” Atsumu deadpanned.

 

“Yeah but ya ain't talk t’ me so long ‘fore that, ya need t’ atone.”

 

“Osamu, babe, you have no room to talk. Mr. I’ll go to Atsumu’s games in secret without talking to him when he’s five feet away, because apparently I’m a hard-headed bitch, hm?” Suna sent a grin to Atsumu, before fixing his boyfriend with the tilt of an unamused eyebrow.

 

“Hell yeah, Sunarin!” Atsumu reached over to high five him, to which Suna returned with slightly less enthusiasm. 

 

“How th’ hell are ya on his side, you’re my boyfriend.”

 

“Oh, you know what they say, babe. Bros before hoes and whatnot.”

 

“You traitor. ”

 

Through their squabble, Atsumu felt Sakusa’s questioning gaze. He frowned in response, realizing they hadn’t addressed his boyfriend at all.

 

Atsumu clapped his hands together, stopping their bickering and drawing their attention. “Anyways, onto the important matter at hand. This is my Omi, love of my life, apple of my eye-”

 

“Tsumu, do ya think ya can go order a round of drinks?” Osamu interrupted, staring at Sakusa with a dark gaze.

 

Oh, Suna is too, shit.

 

He looked over to Sakusa, knowing what was about to come the second he was out of earshot. Sakusa’s gaze didn’t falter, looking at him with his earlier determination. Sakusa gave him a tiny nod, Atsumu reached down to squeeze his hand in reassurance, before he stood up.

 

“Right, I’ll get snacks too,” his gaze lingered on Sakusa, who regarded the men in front of him with cool eyes, as he walked away.

 

Please gods, just don’t let them tear each other apart.

 

--

 

Sakusa watched Atsumu leave from the corner of his eye. An unseen frown marred his face, unseen by the men in front of him. He watched as the man who shared Atsumu’s face leaned back, crossing his arms behind the back of his head. Osamu tilted his chin up, glaring down at him.

 

To his side, Suna did the opposite, leaning forward on the table with his hands clasped in front of him. His face was carefully blank save for intense eyes. Sakusa refused to squirm in any way visible to them, instead settling on flexing his wrist back and forth under the table. He met their gazes with a bored head tilt.

 

On the outside, he couldn’t give less of a shit what they were attempting to do. But on the inside, he was panicked . Atsumu loved his twin and best friend, and regularly expressed his desire to have them in his life more often after he and Osamu made up. And Sakusa, well, he didn’t plan on ever leaving Atsumu’s side.

 

That meant they were going to see each other a lot.

 

He didn’t want to be cursed with future in-laws that hated his guts, and he definitely didn’t want to create tension for Atsumu.

 

“I’m assuming you wanted to talk?” Sakusa prompted when silence fell over them, biting the bullet.

 

Osamu frowned deeper at him, “What do ya want with Tsumu?”

 

“To love him.” Sakusa was startled by his own response, how it slipped out without him even having to think about it. “I want to give him as much love as I can, and then even more. Maybe it sounds early to say this, but I sincerely don’t want to go back to life before I met him.”

 

Osamu seemed to consider what Sakusa said carefully, Suna speaking up next to him.

 

“You know love isn’t always enough, right? People can have as much love as they want for each other, and still leave when things get hard.”

 

Sakusa thought back to Komori and his soulmate, of other countless stories of soulmates who were fated to fail. He slipped his mask off, letting the two see the severity of his expression. 

 

“I’m not leaving his side. Nothing in life is perfect, but if you truly cared enough for someone, you’d realize that certain things are worth struggling for.”

 

“Okay,” Osamu agreed, nodding his head. “But, and this will be ya only warnin’, if ya ever hurt my brother-”

 

“-and he’s innocent, ” Suna interjected.

 

Osamu shot him a withering look before continuing, “It’s not just gonna be me you’ll have t’ worry ‘bout. Aran, Kita, and Rin too.”

 

Sakusa felt oddly at ease, the knowledge that this would never happen anyways in the back of his mind.

 

“Good, I’m counting on you all, then.” Sakusa quirked his lips up into a small smile.

 

Osamu and Suna held his gaze, the latter cracking first. Suna let out a sigh of relief, slumping on the table, “ Are we done with this shit now? ”

 

Osamu cracked a wide smile, laughing at how his boyfriend all but deflated. “For such a gremlin, ya sure are a softie Rin. Welcome t’ th’ family Sakusa.”

 

He felt the tension in his shoulders drain, returning a larger smile of his own.

 

“I’m back! With beers an’ food!” Atsumu was right on time.

 

The rest of the evening was spent gulping down irresponsible amounts of beer and munching on takoyaki. Atsumu ended up halfway in his lap, face flushed as he spoke with his brother about a rice shipment excitedly. Sakusa watched amused, listening to the two of them plan for Atsumu to visit Onigiri Miya when, apparently, a shipment of fresh rice from Kita-san came in. 

 

Suna chose to occasionally show Sakusa random videos he had of the twins on his phone. 

 

“Oh? What’s that one?” He pointed at a video that had the thumbnail of the twins standing in front of a shop, the neon lettering blocked by the angle of the camera. 

 

Suna sent him a devilish smirk, tapping to play the video. The shop was actually a tattoo shop, A deep voice sounding from behind the camera that Sakusa didn’t recognize.

 

“This video is courtesy of Aran,” Suna explained.

 

Sakusa let out a hum of response, focusing his attention back to the scene playing out before him. The twins entered the shop, swaying on their feet slightly. They talked to someone at the front counter, their voices so slurred and accents so strong that Sakusa didn’t understand a single word that left their mouths. 

 

He watched as they were led to two chairs positioned side by side. Two artists flattened the chairs and instructed them to lay on their stomachs.

 

Sakusa sucked in a breath. “This isn’t…”

 

“Oh, it is. ” Suna snarked back.

 

Then, the twins' bare asses were on display, and Sakusa was tired. He wanted to lay down and sleep for a few years. To kindly be put in a voluntary coma. 

 

He watched, face twitching, as they got the same onigiri tattooed on the same spot on their asses .

 

The same one on Sakusa’s own right ass cheek.

 

He turned to Atsumu who was oblivious as ever. He couldn’t believe he shared a fucking ass tattoo with three people. He was never going to let this go.

 

“You idiots,” he said dryly, raising his voice to make sure Osamu heard him.

 

“What did we do this time?” Osamu asked.

 

“You put a fucking rice ball on my butt, permentaly might I add, because you were drunk off your asses.”

 

Aran seemed to agree with Sakusa in the video, calling a drunk set of laughing twins ‘ dumb as hell. ’

 

Atsumu's eyes lit up like candy, “Hey! Since the four of us are here, Omi-Omi has never gotten a tattoo, we should get another—”

 

“NO!” the other three chorused in unison.

 

--

 

Bonus Two

 

Atsumu lazed on Bokuto’s couch— one he apparently bought after one of his boyfriends complained that his legs were too long for the kotatsu— Kiyoomi out of town to visit family again . Hinata sat on the other end of the couch, resting his legs over Atsumu’s. He munched on a bag of shrimp chips, watching Mulan on the television. Every so often, he sang along in bad english, butchering the songs completely. 

 

Atsumu scrolled on his phone, careful to not have it directly over his face this time. They were waiting for Bokuto to join them, the usually lively man still holed up in his room. 

 

“Whooo is that girl i seeeee, staring straight, back at meeeeee?” The words were garbled around a mouth of chips. Atsumu kicked Hinata to get him to at least swallow first. Hinata kicked him back.

 

Before he could retaliate by beating his ass, the bedroom door shuddered open and shut, a tiny yawn sounding from that direction. Atsumu watched with wide eyes as one of Bokuto’s soulmates, (was his name Kenma?), came into the room, flopping down on top of Hinata. Hinata bubbled out his signature sunshine laugh in response, wrapping an arm around him to secure him in place.

 

“Shoyo, why are you singing this loud so early in the morning?” 

 

“It’s noon Kenma!”

 

Atsumu chuckled at their antics as Kenma argued that if he was still asleep, it was still morning.

 

The door opened again, this time revealing Akaashi in an oversized shirt that obviously belonged to Bokuto. He went to the kitchen first, making himself a mug of coffee. Upon sensing Atsumu looking, he grabbed another mug, tilting it as an offer. Atsumu shrugged and then nodded his agreement.

 

Akaashi settled himself on the floor in front of the couch, facing Atsumu. He handed him his mug of coffee, Atsumu feeling gratified that he mooched food out of Bokuto’s home.

 

“How’s Myaa-sam? Any new flavors going on the menu?”

 

When Akaashi realized his brother had a branch of Onigiri Miya so close, he started hounding Atsumu at every chance he got.

 

“Ya might as well request him t’ make ya a custom flavor, bein’ his number one customer an’ all.”

 

“Akaashi, no badgering people about onigiri this early in the morning,” Atsumu nearly jumped when Kuroo materialized from thin air, thanking the gods he didn’t spill piping hot coffee all over himself.

 

Kuroo leaned down to press a quick kiss to the top of Akaashi’s head.

 

“Ew, lovebirds.” Atsumu antagonized, missing Sakusa.  

 

“I know, right?” Hinata agreed, scrunching his nose, cuddling Kenma closer to him. Atsumu stifled a laugh at how Kenma was practically dead to the world, already snoring in Hinata’s arms.

 

Kuroo rolled his eyes in response, “Don’t be jealous just because boyfriends A and B aren’t here.” 

 

“GOOD MORNING MY FAVORITE PEOPLE MINUS OMI-KUN, AKINORI, AND TSUKKI-POO!” Bokuto burst into the room, sweeping Kuroo into his arms and attacking his face with rushed pecks. It would have been impressive, Kuroo is the tallest person in the room, but Bokuto was 99% muscle. He lifted this six foot something man off his feet like it was nothing .

 

Kenma slept through the entire exchange while Akaashi leaned back to observe the two with a small, but genuine smile. He got up, prying Kuroo out of Bokuto’s arms and smiling at Atsumu and Hinata. “Kuroo-san and I are going to make breakfast, do you two care to join us?”

 

“Yes! Oh my god Atsumu, we’re about to eat good this afternoon.” Hinata nodded excitedly. “Oh! You can make the smiley face congee from the movie!” 

 

“I’m sure we can figure that out,” Kuroo smirked, hooking an arm around Akaashi. “And you,” he pointed at Bokuto, “stay out of the kitchen! You can’t eat all the bacon and think we won’t notice, menace!”

 

Bokuto pouted, “But it’s so good, sigh, fine.”

 

“Bokkun, I can’t believe ya just said sigh out loud, dramatic ass.” Atsumu teased, sitting up to make room as Bokuto attempted to squeeze behind him.

 

Bokuto just swatted at him playfully, joining Hinata in singing the next song from the movie.

 

“Omi-san texted me saying that he’s coming back for dinner with Myaa-sam, Suna-san, Aran-san, and Kita-san! We can have a family movie night!”

 

A family. Looking around the room, Hinata and Kenma curled up together, Akaashi and Kuroo sharing tender smiles in the kitchen, Bokuto warm against his back, and five of the people he loved the most coming later, he felt content.

 

Soon he’d be in Sakusa’s arms, surrounded by his family, feeling nothing but warmth.

 

Notes:

oh wow, so this fic was a journey,, the longest fic i’ve ever written and my first time writing smut! i hope i did it justice! i also did a lot of detective work (read: scrolling through bao’s twt for hours, some very sneaky undercover cc) to add in some personalized details ✨ i’m just happy it’s finally out <3

a big thank you for all the mods of the Exchange, especially mod regan for all the help and putting up with all my tedious punctuation mistakes T-T

extra big thank you’s to my wonderful betas sha and fox for helping me through this entire process and keeping me sane <3

please check out bao’s amazing art i hope you enjoyed your gift!

thank you for reading! as always, kudos and comments are food for my soul <3

Find me on twt or my nsfw twt !