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Miya Atsumu was a man on a mission.
And not a regular “how to steal Osamu’s shirt without him noticing” or “annoying Omi-Omi until he snaps part 175”, no, this was much more important than that. It was not to be taken lightly, nor looked down upon. In fact, his whole future might depend on this! The nagging voice inside his mind, which sounds unmistakably like his twin, disagrees with that statement but whatever. Osamu, now happily engaged to his high school sweetheart, wouldn’t be able to comprehend the uttermost importance of this investigation.
On this very quest, he’ll need to utilise the slyest of methods, gain aid from friends and foes alike, maybe even lose his dignity in the process. The groundwork was laid. His metaphorical horse had been saddled. The time for this Herculean task was now.
The blond had his tongue between his teeth as he jotted down the header on the brand-new notebook he had bought just for this occasion.
Hinata Shoyo’s Favorite Food: an Ongoing Investigation
(Now was the time for dramatic pauses or gasps of surprise. He had said it was important!)
A way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, right? So of course, finding out the answer was more important than anything right now (with the exception of winning the V-league, but that much was obvious). For the setter was gone bad for his teammate, and his heart couldn’t just take it anymore.
He absolutely had to make Shoyo aware of his feelings, else he might burst! But because he was devious like that (‘Coward’, the voice in his mind would say) he couldn’t just… Say it. Besides, that was so blasé, right? And thus, this mission was born.
Atsumu placed his (also new) pen down and held up the notebook that wasn’t empty anymore. Because of the header, that is. Otherwise, it was still very much empty, but no matter! It would be filled with clues soon enough, he was certain. And he just happened to know where to start!
Guess 1: Protein Smoothies
His investigation begun in their kitchen. Their shared kitchen! Gods had graciously smiled down upon him last year, when the end of his lease was nearing just when Shoyo mentioned he’d be on the lookout for a roommate.
Atsumu had never thought he’d get a roommate willingly. He had vowed against that, after his childhood of sharing everything he owned with his twin brother. Yet he jumped on the chance and immediately offered to join his teammate on a search for an apartment they could share. Shoyo had been excited. Atsumu had been ecstatic.
And now, thanks to his past self, he had a clear starting point for his mission.
Pros of living with Hinata Shoyo:
- Living with Hinata Shoyo
- Seeing what Hinata Shoyo stocked in the fridge and the pantry.
Genius plan, right! He would get all the clues he needed.
The fridge Atsumu was most familiar with: he opened its door multiple times a day to look inside and get something to eat. (Or, alternatively, look inside, close the door and leave the kitchen, only to come back a few minutes later to see if the contents of the fridge had changed. Spoiler alert: they never were.) And because of the obvious familiarity, he didn’t find anything ground-breaking inside. There were loads of colourful vegetables (properly stored, some already prepped), fish, chicken, dairy products, and condiments as well as, sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of all the healthy food, puddings. Atsumu’s favourite puddings, meant to be consumed on his cheat days.
Damn, he really wanted one right now. All the planning had mentally exhausted him, making him hungry. How did people plan their entire lives? He could never understand. Maybe if he’d reward himself with pudding after writing out daily plans… No, not even that would be enough to actually get him through that. And unfortunately, he could not eat puddings daily, only on cheat days.
Huh… Come to think of it… What was Shoyo’s cheat day treat? What did he buy when they went on their grocery runs together?
The blond closed the fridge door, his brows furrowing. He could recall Shoyo rambling about which were the most wholesome of foods and the importance of all the different nutrients. The outside hitter loved to talk about different dishes he’d try the following week, or ones he has tasted in the past but would be impossible to replicate even if he tried. Shoyo really talked a lot, but Atsumu loved to listen to him doing so. And he listened closely too! Or… watched closely, more like.
He could imagine, clear as a day, the way Shoyo's lips moved when he pronounced words such as 'mango', 'vitamin c' and 'poultry'. Whether they were in a supermarket or konbini, the bright white lights always made Shoyo's plump lips look even softer and – okay, time to step back. Sure, the ginger looked as gorgeous as always no matter where they were. That wasn't important (for this investigation at least). But what did Shoyo end up putting to the cart? That's the memory he was after now.
They always went for frozen stuff last, and those were the first items Atsumu would pack to the insulated, watermelon printed bag. Those he could recall pretty easily. So, if it wasn't in the fridge, nor in the freezer... Then it had to be somewhere in the pantry!
"Gotcha!" The setter grinned as he ceremoniously opened the cupboards, half expecting fanfares to start playing. Yet what awaited him was just... normal pantry stuff. There was nothing sticking out, nothing giving him any indication on what could be the meal Shoyo enjoyed the most. Just different flours, beans, protein powders, canned food, rice... Huh. Were various types and flavours of protein powder classified as 'normal pantry stuff'?
On Shoyo's 22nd birthday, he had received this fancy, top-of-the-market blender from that streamer, CEO, sponsor friend of his. Kenma. Atsumu's mood had momentarily darkened after seeing the content of the package, because seriously, that was such a perfect gift for Shoyo! Though upon seeing the ginger's sunny smile, he had felt much better again.
"Oh Kenma, you shouldn't have!"
"Course I should have. I saw you browsing some options earlier... Thought I might as well save you the trouble of choosing one."
"Gahh, thank you so much! I'm going to use this every day, no, twice a day even! I know I'm gonna love it!"
Kozume Kenma, ya may have won the gift-giving that year, but in the grand scheme of things, it meant victory to Atsumu.
Smoothies.
Protein smoothies, to be exact.
Shoyo made them every morning! He used different types of fruits, fresh or frozen, joined with some questionable items such as cucumber and spinach and cauliflower (what did those have to do in sweet drinks? Atsumu couldn't understand how they fit in.) He'd mix some protein powder in, too, and if the store they went in to do their weekly shopping had special offers or new flavours, those would more often than not find their way into their cart.
Of course Shoyo's favorite food was something he had every day! It was something healthy, could be enjoyed as a part of the day's most important meal or alternatively post-workout session. All the pieces were clicking together and the blond grinned like a madman as he reached for the notebook to write down his first (and most likely final, since he was a genius, and obviously got it right on the first try) guess. Then Atsumu picked up his phone, ready to Google what were the best smoothie recipes out there.
Tomorrow morning, Atsumu would make the greatest smoothie ever and sweep Shoyo off his feet with the taste! Had he ever tried making smoothies? No. But if the other could do it every day, surely it couldn't be that hard.
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
Wrong.
The blender should do all the work, right? It was the best or whatever, so why did Atsumu still have to wash and peel stuff? If the appliance Mr. Sponsor had bought Shoyo was so good, why didn't it do all that for him too, huh?? And why were there so many buttons too? If not for peeling and whatever, what were they for? Where did Shoyo keep the guide?
‘Probably recycled it away already, considerin' he does this every single day and most likely knows how to use it by heart, ya shit fer brains.”’
Osamu, or his inner voice, same difference, should fuck off.
It was safe to say that his plan wasn’t exactly going, well, according to the plan. And then, to top it all off, Shoyo walked in! Amidst the loud sound of the blender and the cursing inside his head, Atsumu didn't even notice his roommate before the man was right there next to him.
"Atsumu-san? What are you making, hmm?" Shoyo hummed softly, question. shining in those amber eyes.
He startled him! The blond yelped out loud in surprise and if he was being honest, he even jolted upwards, his finger leaving the button on the blender. Which made it all better, considering he could now hear the bubbling laughter of his wing spiker better.
"Geez, Shoyo-kun, warn a guy will ya!"
"Aaah, but I did! You just were too concentrated on your task to hear me calling out from the genkan."
Had he not heard that? Well shit.
"Oh."
"Mmm, 'oh' indeed. Now then! What do we have here? You didn't answer my question." Shoyo turned his back against the countertop, leaning against it, waiting earnestly for Atsumu's answer. There was no way out of this anymore, was there.
"Well, ya see, I'm... Makin' a post morning run smoothie for ya! As a surprise! Which is not that big of a surprise anymore, but, well, here it is anyways. It'll be done soon so you can go fer shower and enjoy it after."
That sounded plausible, right? Just a roommate and a teammate looking out for him. By making him his favourite meal. (And also by making an embarrassing mess in the kitchen for such a simple task, but let's not dwell on that now.)
"Ohhh – Sounds like a plan, be right back!" With that, Shoyo (and his ever so bright aura), left, and so Atsumu was once again the only one occupying the kitchen. The very messy kitchen. Ouch. If Osamu were to see it, he’d yell at him all about the importance of clean cooking space and health regulations and… whatever. It was just their own kitchen that had certainly been through even worse. And now, with the other gone, Atsumu could deal with this particular bump in his perfect plan to woo him.
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
If only the state of the kitchen had been the only mishap of his most important mission.
You see, the plan’s value of perfectness dropped significantly when he took a sip of his concoction.
Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.
Atsumu should’ve just followed the recipe and ignored his brother’s “follow your heart method”. Because clearly mixing different, flavoured protein powders, was not the way to go. The strangeness of that overpowered the taste of all the fresh fruits and berries he had used, overall making the first sip a very disappointing experience.
A very disappointing experience his sunshine of a roommate must be experiencing right now.
Atsumu lifted his gaze from his glass to Shoyo, who in all his post-shower glory, only towel wrapped around his waist and water droplets racing down his muscular chest and all that, was now raising his own glass of smoothie.
“Shit, wait-!” the blond called but it was too late. Hinata lowered his glass again, smacking his lips with a thoughtful expression. Probably trying to come up with a way to gently let Atsumu know that his smoothie experiment had been, well, a completely failed experiment. Yet what came out of his mouth was not a death verdict, but a question.
“Did you use the peach, mint chocolate and strawberry shortcake flavours?”
The blond groaned miserably but nodded. In hindsight, while those things might taste good, mixing them together most definitely was not a good idea.
“I thought so! I was trying to identify the third one, it wasn’t quite strawberry, but it was so close!
Atsumu blinked slowly.
“Uh…” He let out, eloquent as ever. His roommate turned his full attention on him, and that was more than enough to turn his brains into mush. Why must Shoyo shine so bright even after tasting the worst smoothie on Earth? Was he even real? He really wasn’t, Atsumu had been onto him from the start and this further proved it.
“Uh? Did you mean to say ‘Please teach me ta make smoothies, Shoyo-kun’, because that was exactly my thought as well!”
“Teach… me ta make smoothies, pretty please?” the setter repeated with a blush appearing on his cheeks. Shoyo was too adorable for his own good… and for Atsumu’s sanity.
The other grinned in a wild way, like the little gremlin he was, and clapped his hands together. “Exactly my thoughts, Atsumu-san! Let’s see where you went wrong-“
“Shoyo-kuuun, do we have to start with that? I fucked up, I know, let’s move on.” He whined and even gave him a pout for a good measure. Shoyo seemed immune though, chuckling a little before continuing.
“Ah! But hearing about your mistakes is an important step in learning! So, first, you really shouldn’t mix that many protein powders together, when their overall taste would clash with each other – No, don’t give me that look! This is important, remember! Now, what we should do instead…”
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
The first installment of his investigation hadn’t gone so well, Atsumu was ready to admit that. Apparently, his skills in smoothie-making were atrocious (so much so that Shoyo had gone and shared that with Osamu, that little snitch!) Now instead of the ginger making smoothies for them on his own, each morning they were to do it together.
And it was really nice. So nice, Atsumu had almost forgotten about his initial plan. But only almost!
The problem was, he didn’t really know what to do next. He had gone through each and every item in their kitchen, paid more attention (if even possible) to Shoyo on their grocery shopping, and still he was coming empty.
And so, it was time to consult on the advisors chosen for this guest: Bokkun.
However, he really should’ve chosen his timing for the consultation way better.
After the other didn’t pick up after few rings, Atsumu was about to end the call and just call in later (he was in a hurry, so later, in this case, would’ve meant after a couple of minutes. However, what he really should have done was call again much, much later.)
“Tsum-Tsum! Ah, what’s up?” The words on the other side of the line sounded rushed, had Bokuto ran for his phone? Wouldn’t surprise him.
“Eyy, Bokkun, look, I need your help. Give friend a hand will ya?”
“Sure, of course, of… mh, shit… sorry, I mean yeah, of course! What is it?”
Atsumu frowned slightly. Something was not adding up here. “Bokuto? Somethin’ the matter?”
“Noo, no, all is good, very good. Now! About the help?”
The blond was still dubious, but he shrugged of the feeling (bad choice) and went on: “I was wonderin’, do you have any idea what could be Shoyo-kun’s favourite food? I’m tryin’ ta surprise him an’-“ He was cut off with what sounded suspiciously like his friend moaning right into the phone. Not like he had hit his toe somewhere, no, this was actual moaning. What. The. Fuck?
“Haah… And? You going to continue? Mhh but I mean, Hinata-kun is my number one disciple so you… You, ohh, right there Tetsu, yesss… came to the right person!”
“Is… Is Kuroo there? Bokuto did ya seriously answer my phone while dickin’ with your boyfriend??” Atsumu thought he might be on his way to receiving some serious traumas here. Sure, he was all for being open with his friends but… He did not sign up for this.
“My apologies, Atsumu, that was my decision. However, it’s just kissing… Not at the ‘dicking’ part quite yet.” Atsumu hated Bokkun’s boyfriend, he really, really did. Maybe not really, but at least right now, he for sure did. “Mm, Kou, babe, were you going to answer Atsumu’s question?”
“Wha? Oh, yeaaah, yeah of course! Yakiniku!”
“Isn’t that yer favourite food?” He was not about to get scarred for a wrong answer like this.
“Well yes, but, hnng, who doesn’t like yakiniku! And I mean, you should’ve seen this one time… Mh Hinata was singing something about… about… Tetsuu, I can’t remember, what was iiiiit?”
A short chuckle could be heard and something that sounded like a slap of some sort, but Atsumu did not want to think about the details. If he concentrated too much he might start recognising the sounds better and that was something he reaaally did not want.
“Meat is god, or something like that, baby, does that ring a bell?”
“Ohhh, yeah, exactly that! So, clearly, he loves meat, and loves yakiniku! Obviously!”
Atsumu still wasn’t sure about that logic, but then again he didn’t have other ideas either, so might as well try. And it would be much easier to execute. He knew how to grill mean yakiniku and one of his favourite places wasn’t usually too crowded so they could be in peace… Yeah, that was it!
“Oh, okay. Thanks Bokkun!”
“Fuuuck… No problem! No problem at all!” As much as Atsumu appreciated his friend, he did not appreciate the fact that the next time he was to meet the man, he’d probably be imagining his moaning. Fucking hell.
“Oh, also, Atsumu? I suggest you ask about it from Kageyama, I mean they were teammates for 3 years and still are close friends,” that damn sleazy bastard commented. As if he’d ask for help from his mortal enemy! No way in hell!
“Yeah, thanks but no thanks.”
Kuroo chuckled on the other side of the line. “Well, your loss. Now, Koutarou, say bye to Atsumu so we can continue where we are, mm?”
“Y-yeah! Bye bye, Tsum-“
“Bye!” He ended the call before the other could even finish it. What… the fuck had he just witnessed? Well, through a call, but witnessed, nonetheless.
Just kissing, my ass…
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
During their next practice, Bokuto did apologise to him with a warm laugh and a (way too hard) slap to his back, so all was good. More than good, if you thought about the fact that at the end of the week Atsumu was taking Shoyo to eat yakiniku!
‘Yer takin’ him on a date, arentcha?’
He so wasn’t taking him on a date. It was just pals, going to eat food that just happened to be the other’s favourite, even though he had never mentioned it to him. It was a genius plan and something he very much looked forward to, resulting in him being on his game for the whole week of practices.
If this was how Atsumu was now, how would it be if him and Shoyo were dating?
Wait, no, he really shouldn’t go as far as to think about that!
Atsumu shook his head and checked himself out on the mirror.
Impeccably styled hair? Check.
Stylish yet location and occasion appropriate clothes? Check
Devilish smirk? Ready to be unleashed.
Confidence? Not even an ounce.
‘Get a grip. It’s just yakiniku, ya can do that much, just grill him some nice cuts of meat and you’ll be sorted.’
Oh but ‘Samu (he decided to just call the voice inside his head that) could never understand! It wasn’t just yakiniku, like his earlier try hadn’t been just making smoothies. His heart was on the line over here!
“Atsumu-san? Ready to go?”
That brought him back from his thoughts. The blond took a deep breath and with one last glance left his room. And oh… what a sight awaited him.
What was he even thinking… His heart wasn’t on the line here, it was already firmly in the grasp of the tangerine-haired man in front of him. Shoyo’s outfit was simple, much more casual than Atsumu’s, but his smile was the best and only accessory one would need. Even if he were to try, he could never match the brightness it emitted.
So he just settled with his Devilish Smirk™ and nodded, regarding the earlier question. “Yep! All sorted and ready to go. Shall we?”
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
Atsumu had called the restaurant in advance to ensure they’d get a nice, private spot at the back, and as they got in he was glad for his past self. The place was buzzing with customers, but then again the food was really good so it was no surprise.
Shoyo looked right at home even in between all the people, no surprises there either. The two were guided to their table, asked for their drink orders, and then left there with the menus. Atsumu was driving (being the one of them who owned a car, and had learned to drive one in Japan, instead of in the wild streets of Rio) so he settled with some sparkling water, a choice which Shoyo made as well even though there was no need. Then again neither of them was one to drink during the season, so Atsumu supposed it was to be expected.
“You know, I actually love busy restaurants like these,” Shoyo hummed and sipped on his drink, looking through the room.
“Oh? Care ta elaborate?” It might seem like a trivial tidbit to some, but to Atsumu, learning more about Shoyo, no matter what it was, was important.
“Well… I guess it reminds me of Brazil? People were much livelier, or maybe just more… rowdy back there. Louder, compared to Japanese. And it was completely normal and accepted. Cultural differences are so fascinating!”
The setter nodded along, his chin resting on his hand. In his humble opinion, the man in front of him was extremely fascinating, but cultural differences were too, sure. “Ohh, I see, I see… Yeah, I s’ppose we can seem more timid compared to people from other countries.”
“Yeah, exactly! Anyways, why yakiniku? Have you been craving it recently? Not that I’m complaining, not at all!”
Oh fuck. What was he supposed to say now? Atsumu didn’t want to lie, so maybe… just being honest… could work here? He hoped?
“Mm, well, I did hear about some… ‘Meat god’ incident from high school from Bokuto so…” He trailed off, letting his teammate connect the dots himself. And boy was he rewarded when Shoyo started laughing in that mesmerising way of his.
“Oh my god, that thing! I’m surprised Bokuto remembers that? Then again this is favourite food… But yeah, funny story actually-“
…
During that evening, Atsumu heard countless of stories from Shoyo’s training camps back in high school. He now knew more about the famous “bathroom encounters” and could recite Karasuno’s “Meat is God” song line to line. And he grilled his wing spiker perfect pieces of meat, if he were to say so himself. Their outing was filled with laughter, teasing, and good food, so what more could Atsumu ask for?
Well, for confirmation that he had been right. Or that Bokuto had been right. But no such thing came, and considering Shoyo had called yakiniku the other’s favourite food instead of theirs… Yeah. Seems like Atsumu was back on square one.
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
One must do all he can to pursue his love, even if it means contacting one's sworn enemy. Which Atsumu hadn't planned on doing, no, he had immediately shut out the possibility when Kuroo had brought it up.
But after the failed yakiniku incident, he didn't have any more leads, and hence why he had turned to the one and only Kageyama Tobio, that one person better than him in setting and serving (but only going by official records, of course! And it's not like the difference was that big, but who was counting. Certainly not him.)
He was really lame, wasn’t he?
And thus, he had to swallow his pride (twice! He had to go and ask for his twin's help as well). But after doing that and then going through the motion of wrapping and folding countless of times until he was happy with the result, he was ready to blow Shoyo's mind! This time he was certain he had the correct answer! Simply because Tobio was too dumb to give him the wrong one just to sabotage him.
The blond breathed in the crisp air and continued walking at a steady pace. He held the paper bag full of steaming treats with care: he wasn't about to waste all that effort it took to wrap and fold and all that by accidentally dropping the bag.
‘Wouldn’t be surprised if ya did that.’
Couldn’t his twin leave him alone for a second? He had just suffered through the mortification of having him help with the baking, like please, he needed some Osamu free time now. And while he knew it was just himself talking to, well, himself, inside his head, it was in Osamu’s voice so therefore it was Osamu’s fault!
Then again Osamu had indeed helped him but… Eh, that was just his duty as his twin!
Now, back to the scheduled programming of wooing his roommate.
Meeting at the nearby park had been Shoyo's idea. The forecast had predicted one of the last sunny days of autumn, and the ginger had wanted to take advantage of that. So there he was, an oversized scarf wrapped around his neck, sitting on one of the park benches and waving at Atsumu excitedly.
"Over here!"
Shoyo's cheeks were rosy from the already cooling air and it was simply too adorable sight for Atsumu to handle. He could feel heat rising up to his face as well, but from a completely different reason.
"Mm hi, brought ya a lil somethin',"The setter called out, holding up the bag. The other smiled as Atsumu placed it on his awaiting hands.
Then paper wrinkled and Shoyo's eyes widened when he discovered what was inside.
Tobio-kun
Meat buns. He used to eat those a lot.
It was such a short, curt message. Here Atsumu had been, agonising over asking help from Shoyo's ex-teammate, only to get the reply as if meant nothing to Tobio. It was Atsumu's greatest conquest (well, if you didn't count his main goal of getting a date with the sunshine incarnation in front of him), and to the Adlers' setter, it was just a random, useless piece of information.
One's trash is another one's treasure, that sure was true when he saw that soft smile blooming on the ginger's face.
"Oh... I haven't had these in a while..." he hummed, so quiet now. What was Shoyo thinking about now? Maybe he was reminiscing something? Atsumu would gladly pay to see what was going on inside his head, absolutely.
"Then why wait? Come on, dig in." He nudged the other on the side and then motioned him to sit down again. The ginger complied, cheeky grin making its way to his face.
"Well aren't you eager, Atsumu-san? Hungry much?"
For you, yes. Oh god even thinking about it felt so... cliche and stupid. What was up with him, seriously? When had he become such a sap? However, in this case, Atsumu merely wanted to see how... how the other one would feel. If he'd like the meat buns, or not.
Please like them...
Third time was supposed to be the charm, right?
Outwardly, he just joined the other's grin and nodded, chuckling out: "Ya caught me, Shoyo-kun. 'M starvin'."
The outside hitter laughed and offered him one of the buns.
"There ya go~" Shoyo tried to mimic the drawl of his kansai-ben, and it did things to his heart okay! If Atsumu wasn't holding the still warm meat bun, he'd be on the doors of death by now. Everything adorable that Shoyo did was such a critical hit to him, the setter immediately getting KOd.
"Mm thank ya, thank ya, now come on try it! What do ya think?" Atsumu would not take even the smallest of bites before the ginger would've had his. Shoyo rolled his eyes at the rush but finally bit in, a soft moan following the action. He really, really was aiming to kill Atsumu wasn't he.
"Oh my god... These are so good..."
Feeling victorious, the blond tried it and sure enough, it tasted amazing. The blend of flavours of the filling was balanced, and the bun had been perfectly steamed.
Thank you for the help, dipshit.
Whether the mental messaged reached his twin, he didn't know, nor care that much. How could he, when the subject of his affections was right there, engulfing down something he had prepared especially for him.
"Mhm... We used to get these every night, after practice. Daichi-san, you know our captain in the first year, he treated us to some every now and then. And then Ennoshita-san did that, and Yamaguchi too, it was like a tradition of captains. The new first years got blessed as part of the Karasuno volleyball team by having these in front of the konbini, under the stars..." Shoyo trailed off, looking down at the savoury bun in his hands.
"The taste must evoke a lot of memories, huh..."
A soft chuckle, and then a nod.
"Yep! It's kinda funky how taste is connected to your memory so closely. It's like I'm transferred back to my high school years just by having a bite of this- huh. Where did you even get these? They're fresh, come on Atsumu-san, tell me your secret!"
Flush creeped up to his face again, his eyes widening. "My.. my secret, ya say?" Had he caught on? Fuck?
Wait, but that had been the purpose of his investigation from the beginning, hadn’t it…
Shoyo nodded insistently. "Yeah! Which bakery did you get these from? I swear they're so good, I'm worried I'll be having them every week!"
Atsumu’s stomach was doing cartwheels, and he sincerely hoped that it wasn’t obvious from his exterior. This was embarrassing enough as it was, and if Shoyo knew how fast his heart was beating right now? The other would think he was way less cool than he actually was!
“Uh… I… made them?” With his brother’s help. But that was unnecessary information to give, right?
Shoyo’s mouth fell open in shock. “You made these??”
“Yes..?”
“Oh my god Atsumu-san! You really have been holding out on me huh?”
He scratched the back of his head, looking away from the suns (multiple suns, because Shoyo also was one.)
“Maybe… Osamu helped me… With the seasoning and the technique and… such.” There, now he went and admitted it (kinda).
‘What the heck was that maybe for???’
Atsumu half expected Shoyo to retract his compliment (on his skills, not on the meat buns. If anything that would mean they tasted better, considering Osamu was a professional and all that.)
“I mean, I sort of guessed, but even so! These are way better than any meat buns I’ve ever tasted! And the fact that you had a hand in making them is amazing!” Another critical hit straight to his heart. How could Shoyo be so bright and so, so sincere in his compliments? Atsumu couldn’t survive this, and he told the other as much.
“Shoyo-kun, yer killin’ me…”
The laughter he got as a response only proved the previous statement further.
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Had their meat bun (not) date gone perfectly? Yes, yes it had. And now Atsumu was required to make Shoyo meat buns once per week.
“It doesn’t matter if they don’t look as perfect! You made them, so of course they’re perfect!” Shoyo had said, contradicting himself in the process, and yet it made Atsumu all fuzzy inside. So now, he was Shoyo’s designated meat bun maker. How cool was that?
And still… Still… There wasn’t that… “something”, in the ginger’s expression. That “something” Atsumu was so desperately trying to reach. That “something” he had in his eyes when playing landing a good spike, or when receiving a particularly strong serve, or when managing to be a decoy for himself. That “something” was a glint in his eyes Atsumu was searching for, and again. he was out of ideas.
He had gone and demeaned himself for naught by asking for Tobio’s help, and even that hadn’t helped.
“Third time’s the charm, what a load of bullshit…” he crumbled and decided to put all his frustrations into his next serve. At least in that, those stupid feelings would be useful. The approach felt good, the serve toss was nice and high, with enough spin, and-
And then he went and slammed it with way too much force, the ball clearly flying out of bounds. Sakusa didn't even try to receive it from the other side of the net, instead giving him a condescending raise of brow.
"Out."
"Yeah, I saw that much!" Atsumu snapped back, huffing and reaching for another ball. At least it was just practice, and he didn't lose a point with that serve just now. But damn, it had felt so good too!!
The wing spiker just shrugged a little, getting back to his stance, ready to receive. "I was just worried you had hit your hard head or something, and couldn't tell where the boundaries were. Wouldn't be the first time."
"Hey!" The deadpan way the Itachiyama alumni spoke was so... infuriating, right now.
Narrowing his eyes, Atsumu readied himself for another serve. Which Sakusa then managed to pick up perfectly. Bastard.
Sakusa sighed (even from the other side of the net, it looked like a very heavy sigh.) Then he left his position and walked to their water bottles, the little nod of his head motioning Atsumu to follow.
"I know I'm on my game, but not by that much. Come on, something's up with you isn't it?"
He groaned and just shook his head, avoiding answering by drinking. The other didn't seem impressed by that.
"Ugh... 'S nothin' really, trust me."
"Nothing huh? Your serving has been shit today. In the earlier scrimmage, your tosses were off. Seems a lot like it's 'something', instead of just 'nothing'."
"Omi-Omi, why ya gotta be so rude? Okay, I admit, I've been havin' a kinda off day, but I'll do better tomorrow." Atsumu cringed inwardly at that, remembering all the times he had gone off on Osamu back in their Inarizaki days, for having "off days".
Had he really turned into a scrub just because his emotions were in a mess? Fuck, he really had, had he?
"Miya. We have a game coming up, so you better fix this... whatever it is that's going on. I bet it's something very stupid too."
"Oi! It's not stupid okay!"
The curly-haired man rolled his eyes in exasperation. "So it's not about this... investigation of yours, then?" Was Atsumu now regretting coming clean to Omi about it? Yes, yes he was. The other was way too observant and the moment of weakness he had had when he told Sakusa about it came back now to bite his ass.
"I... didn't say that."
Another deep sigh. Sakusa really did do his best to hide the fact that they were, indeed, friends, and not just mere acquaintances or teammates.
"Why can't you just let it go? Is it really that important to risk playing well?"
"Well... no. But I just gotta know, ya know?"
"I don't, Miya. I really do not know the reason why."
"Ughhh, obviously you wouldn't get it Omi-kun…"
The corner of the other’s eye twitched, and he let out a (yet another) deep and exasperated sigh.
"Well, why don't you try making him some Brazilian meal or something? He spent two years there, and I've heard the cuisine is delicious. Surely Hinata would've fallen in love with some of the dishes"
It was like a light went off in Atsumu's head. One of those old light bulbs hissing to life.
"Oh my god! That's it! You're a genius! I swear I could kiss you right now, Omi-Omi!"
Sakusa pulled a face. "Please don't. Don't even think about that, in fact. Miya, I’m warning you, don’t you dare to approach me- Miya!"
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
Maybe Sakusa had been godsent (or hell-sent, but with good intentions) because really, how could’ve Atsumu been so stupid?
‘Yeah, not surprisin’.’
He rolled his eyes at that thought and got to work.
It took more preparation than anything he had previously tried. First, there was research. Atsumu looked through different articles regarding Brazilian cuisine, even went to the library to look for some Brazilian cookbooks. He watched YouTube videos and Brazilian mukbangs.
He didn't really have a chance to ask for Shoyo's favorite meal from his time back in Brazil (without being suspicious and blowing his perfect plan, that is), so he just went with the most famous option: feijoada.
According to his research, the stew was often enjoyed during the slow days, for example as Saturday dinner or Sunday lunch... One article even mentioned watching sports on TV together while enjoying it! How true that was, Atsumu didn't know, but it did fit perfectly with his plan!
Next Sunday, they'd have a free day with the order to watch the VC Kanagawa vs Azuma Pharmacy Green Rockets match, either live or recorded. During that morning, Shoyo had planned to visit one of his friends who'd come in town, giving Atsumu time to prepare and cook without ruining the surprise.
He had to watch a ton of cooking videos too, and work on his English skills to understand everything. His roommate would've had no problems, of course, Shoyo was a perfect person capable of speaking four (4!!!) different languages.
The setter even had to find a specific Brazilian store, to get some extra ingredients not available in supermarkets. Like this flour used to make a topping or something for the stew? The sweet old lady who ran the store had given him some pointers, and even wrote down a recipe in Japanese for him to follow. Apparently, she had thought it sweet that he was trying to pursue someone who had spent time in her home country, and Atsumu wasn’t about to complain about the extra help
And so, with the power of YouTube, that lady's recipes, and Osamu being on fast-dial, he was ready to tackle on the fourth installment of his investigation.
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
“I’m home!” Shoyo called out from the genkan, his lifted spirits audible in his voice. While Atsumu had been previously somewhat confident in the result (like, he had used an authentic recipe, and followed it down to a T, surely that had to amount to something?) his worries had resurfaced.
If the whole idea had been shit or the food would taste bad, would Shoyo blame him for ruining his day that had clearly started well?
Wait… What if he didn’t even like feijoada to begin with?
This was the first time he hadn’t gotten a pointer for a specific dish, so the chances were 50-50? Or worse? The setter was about to take the pot from the stove and just pour it away and hide all the evidence, but (un)fortunately Shoyo had made his way to the kitchen so there was no time for that.
“Are we going to eat something while watching the game? You had set the table in the living room so I thought – Oh…” Shoyo dropped the plastic bag down to the kitchen floor, taking in the sight and the scent that filled the room. “How did you… When… Huh??”
“Ah, so, it was Omi-kun’s idea! Or like, he… wondered if you happened to miss any of the dishes you used to have back in Rio. I hadn’t even thought about that, but then… Then it sounded like that could be something you missed since you mentioned missing proper Japanese food back there and I know this is by no means proper fe.. feijo… feijoada? But this Brazilian lady gave me some tips when I went to buy cassava flour and… And I don’t know if it tastes how it should at all or if you even like it but… Surprise..?” Atsumu ended his rambling with that weak word and a sheepish smile on his face.
The expression on Shoyo’s face was unreadable, which didn’t happen outside of the volleyball court. So maybe the blond was already planning on distracting the other and escaping in the confusion, never showing his face at practice anymore, quitting at MSBY, and travelling to Europe. If Kageyama Tobio could be scouted, surely could he, right? And if not… Then he’ll just run away to France. Just because that would make Osamu jealous.
“You… even prepared farofa?”
“Ah… yes, or like, tried to at least. And with the stew, there’s not like… pig feet or whatever it was but I found a recipe that used some other stuff instead, so… I hope that it tastes at least a little bit li-“
He couldn’t finish his sentence. Shoyo darted forward and engulfed him in a tight hug, burying his face into his shoulder. Atsumu’s arms instinctively wrapped around him, grounding him even though his head was spinning.
“Sh-Shoyo-kun..?”
“Thank you thank you thank you! Atsumu-san, thank you!” The other giggled in between the litany of ‘thank yous’, and the setter felt tempted to spring the other one around. Was this it? This had to be it, right?
“Feijoada is really one of my favourite foods! Maan, I’ve missed it so much… And to enjoy it with farofa and a volleyball game… It really throws me back! So thank you! Thousand times thank you for doing this for me, Atsumu-san!”
And when Shoyo smiled at him, Atsumu really, really did his best in attempting to match the brightness of his smile. He had gotten so close, after all. Hell, Shoyo was clearly excited! He even hugged him as a thank you!
And yet… even this much of preparation hadn’t been enough to find out the truth about what indeed was Hinata Shoyo’s favourite food. Because “one of my favourites” was different from “favourite.
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Guess 5: TAMAGO KAKE GOHAN!!!
“’Tsumu, seriously. Just give it up will ya? It’s not like he will like ya any less just because you couldn’t reach the goal ya set up fer yerself.”
This time, it was the actual, in flesh Osamu talking to him, from the other side of the counter of Onigiri Miya. It was his usual place to go and bother his brother (aka whine to him about trivial things, except now the matter wasn’t trivial, it was dire!) And so he had arrived near the closing hours, which meant there was no need to keep in his sorrows (whining).
“Ya don’t understand! I ain’t no quitter, and even if I was, this is Shoyo-kun we’re talkin’ about! I can’t let him down!”
Osamu deadpanned at him, but it was no use. Atsumu wasn’t budging, not in this matter.
“He… isn’t even aware of this whole conquest so he wouldn’t feel let down, ya know?”
“I know!”
“Then… What’s the matter..?”
Atsumu groaned louder and hit his face on the squeaky-clean counter. “I… I just thought that… Maybe if I figured it out, and executed it well, it would make Shoyo understand… But all I seem ta be doing is relyin’ on others’ ideas and half-assing them and then Shoyo’s happy but not as happy as he could be and! It’s just… Makin’ me feel lika I failed ‘im. Like ‘m not proper for him and that he’d… be happier with someone else…” He went quiet, cheek pressed against the cold counter. Maybe Shoyo really would be better with someone else… The setter had never deserved him, so why did he feel like he had the chance now?
He was really being a scrub over here, but luckily Osamu was the only one to witness it. (Surely even he wouldn’t use his shitty love life (or lack of thereof) against him? Right?)
His natural-haired counterpart placed down the rag he had been wiping down the works stations on the other side, then crossed his arms and turned his gaze to his miserable twin.
“Okay, so it is important, yeh? I get that now. But have ya even tried all ya can to figure this investigation out?”
Atsumu frowned at that, now getting irritated. “Hah? Of course I have!” he snapped and raised his head again, glaring at his brother. “I interrupted Bokkun and his slimy boyfriend about ta be in action for this! I asked Tobio-kun! Seriously, Tobio-kun, and even he couldn’t help! And Omi-Omi’s great idea fell through too!” Not to mention his absolutely sucky first guess… Ugh… “Trust me, I’ve turned every possible stone!”
“Really?”
“Really! I just said so, didn’t I?”
“And what about Natsu-chan?”
Atsumu blinked slowly. The name… Sounded so familiar… Where had he heard it?
“…Natsu-chan?”
Now it was Osamu’s time to groan out loud. “Plays setter for the Niiyama girls? Last Spring Nationals' champions? Your dearest Shoyo’s, the man you fell for, his sister?? Rings any bells???”
Atsumu gasped and stood up abruptly. “Shit, yer right! I never even thought about his sister!! How could I forget?”
“Easy. It’s ‘cause yer an idiot, next question.” Osamu answered with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. Which, so uncalled for by the way! Sure it was a huge deal to slip through Atsumu’s mind but it didn’t mean that he was an idiot!
“Shut yer trap!” He stuck his tongue out at him and picked up his keys and phone. “Must dash, I have more investigation to do!”
“Oi! What ‘bout the onigiri I made for ya specifically after my shift had technically ended, because I’m too good of a brother for a shithead like ya?”
“Wrap it up for me please! And bring it to my car, I’ll go start it now. Thanks idiot!” Atsumu waived at him and opened the door with a smirk, not bothering to stay back there just to get an earful. The last thing he heard before closing the door went something like : “Hah?? ‘Tsumu, ya piece of shit, get yer shitty as back here right now or I-!” But he wasn’t too concerned with that.
Oh no, nothing could concern him now. Because now, he could finally continue with his plan to get to Shoyo’s heart!
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
Did this plan of the task involve stalking?
…Maybe. But only good-natured one, he swore!
At first, Atsumu had been unsure on how to contact Hinata Natsu, and then the answer had stared right at him with an added Instagram account on one of Shoyo’s pictures he had posted in the summer. There, smiling almost as brightly as his brother, was another ginger, posing in front of a field of sunflowers.
How fitting…
But more importantly, Shoyo had also written out his sister’s account’s tag into the picture. And by clicking on that, the setter was taken to the page that blessed him with previously unknown pictures of Shoyo. Oh… He’d have to look through them later (but not like a creep! Just, in a regular type of way!!)
Now, there were more important matters on hand.
tsumumiya.official
Hi! You’re Shoyo-kun’s little sis, right?
Natsunata
…and who are you?
tsumumiya.official
Nacchan, you wound me! I’m your brother’s setter! And his roommate, to top it off!
Natsunata
first of all, don’t call me that, and second, yeah, I guess I remember. Onigiri Miya’s twin brother?
tsumumiya.official
…. an here I thought you couldn’t hurt me more. But yes. Now, I have a favour to ask you…
Natsunata
and why on earth should I help you?
tsumumiya.official
Becuz!!! It’s a surprise for your brother!!
Natsunata
fine… shoot
· • —– ٠ ☆ ٠ —– • ·
And now, he had his answer!
Natsu had promised to tell him the truth on the he wouldn’t call him “Nacchan”, and really, that was a small price to pay for salvation. (Yes, he might be in his twenties but he still stayed on top of memes, please! He wasn’t that old! And his presence on social media was bigger than ever had been!)
The blond hummed softly as he checked the rice in the rice cooker, continuing the tune when he cleaned up some of the items he had used. It was such a simple dish, easy to make, hard to master, but luckily for him, he had learned all the dishes that had anything to do with rice ever since Osamu became obsessed with onigiri.
He hadn’t wanted to be left behind, so he had decided to learn various types of dishes! Though, Atsumu was mature enough to admit, that no matter how good he was in making, for example, what he was now preparing, tamago kake gohan, it could never beat Osamu’s onigiri. But there was no way in hell he’d ever admit that to the other.
It was Saturday, so today instead of Shoyo’s usual morning run, he spent more time meditating and doing his yoga. Which gave Atsumu the perfect amount of time to prepare the ultimate breakfast food for his lo- for his roommate and teammate. For his wing spiker, his dear decoy, his Shoyo-kun.
Tamago kake gohan. Traditional, hearty, sunny. Perfect for Shoyo.
He placed the rice into the serving bowls once it was done and mixed in the egg and other ingredients. Then, he topped it off with sprinkles of furikake and thinly sliced nori, made an indent in the middle of the rice, and as the final touched added in another egg yolk.
Et voilà, or whatever the fancy chefs in France say. It was done, and it was perfect.
Atsumu set the bowls on their kitchen table and went to knock on the door to Shoyo’s room.
“Shoyo-kun?” He called out gently, worried he might disturb his meditation. Then again according to the other’s schedule (which he had memorised only as a by-product of living with him, not for any other reasons!), he should be about done by now. His theory was confirmed when the ginger came to open the door.
“Mm, yeah?”
“Come to breakfast, will ya?” Atsumu sounded smooth to his own ears at least, and for a good measure, he held out his hand for Shoyo to take. He knew how to be a gentleman, no matter what his twin (or his teammates from Inarizaki… Or from MSBY for that matter…) might say.
Shoyo let out a cute giggle as he took hold of his hand, tilting his head a bit. “What’s the occasion? Did you finally manage to make a decent smoothie all by yourself, even though we agreed you wouldn’t trust my Vitamix on your own before I had deemed you decent enough of a smoothie maker?”
“Oi, I’m not that bad!” he contradicted with a snort, shaking his head. “But no. Today’s breakfast is somethin’ else, somethin’ special. Trust me. And close yer eyes”
“Ohhh? Well now I’m intrigued!” the other laughed and let Atsumu guide him to the table, eyes closed as per his request. The blond helped him sit down. “Mmm… I wonder what it is…”
“Well, no need to wonder anymore,” Atsumu hummed as he sat down in front of Shoyo. This time, there was no need for him to be nervous. He knew this was the correct answer, and he knew he had not fucked up at all, no. Those bowls in front of them were filled with the best tamago kake gohan he had ever made. So all those previous times, those previous guesses, where he had been uncertain? They were all a thing of the past now.
“Ya can open yer eyes now, Shoyo-kun.”
And he did. Atsumu had seen the other’s face light up on countless occasions, and compared to those (especially those of his previous tries) paled in comparison.
“Atsumu-san…”
“I… Heard it’s yer favourite. So I wanted to make it fer ya. All on my own. Well, using granny’s recipe, but still, that was the only help I used this time. I hope ya like it.”
Shoyo nodded slowly, then picked up his chopsticks. He took his first bite, then his second, then third. Eating in complete silence, with content, happy look on his face. It encouraged Atsumu to dig in as well.
So there really had been no reason to worry, he had been right… He had finally gotten it right!
“You know… My mom used to make this for me and Natsu, when we were kids. Well, when we were teenagers too. Sometimes when I had super early practices and she had had a late shift, she couldn’t obviously make it, so then it changed to weekend breakfast food. It became something even more special… And yet, on the mornings’ of my games, no matter how early I had to leave and how late she had come home the previous night, there was always fresh, just made tamago kake gohan waiting for me…”
Atsumu nodded along to the sweet story. “Yer mother must be one hell of a woman. And she obviously loves ya very much.”
The ginger nodded, his eyes shining with something. Were those… tears?
Shit, had he screwed up somehow? No, they were happy tears, right? Right?
“Yeah! She really is. And she does, obviously. So thank you, Atsumu, really! This was the best breakfast you could’ve ever served me. It really did use to be my favourite food ever…”
He nodded again, just happy to be able to bring out such memories from Shoyo and to have succeeded in making him the perfect breakfast and in finding his favourite-
Wait.
Wait.
Used to be???
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Guess 5: TAMAGO KAKE GOHAN!!!
Okay, maybe, just maybe Atsumu was a sore loser. Seriously, who wasn’t? (Kita-san, that’s who, but Atsumu wasn’t even sure was he a human so that didn’t count.)
And so he had maybe pretended to smile for the rest of the breakfast. And maybe he had gone outside for a killer run even though that differed from his routine. And maybe he had after that just locked himself in his room to sulk and mope for the rest of the day.
But seriously, it wasn’t fair!!! He had done his everything, his everything, and yet he had come empty-handed. He was nowhere near finishing up his stupid investigation or near confessing, which might have been the whole point of this mission. Shoyo was still an enigma to him in some cases.
Atsumu had hoped that maybe if he could figure this out… Then it meant he could figure out the rest of the things too. Or that Shoyo would share the answers with him.
And what did he get instead? Just a failure after a failure after a failure.
The blond screamed into his pillow before sitting up again. No, this wouldn’t do. He couldn’t let Shoyo know something was the matter, because then he could figure it out because Shoyo was /smart/ when it came to intuitive things, and that just wouldn’t do. So Atsumu slapped his own cheeks, to wake him up from this stupid self-pity, and then reached for the notebook.
Hinata Shoyo’s Favorite Food: an Ongoing Investigation
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Guess 5: TAMAGO KAKE GOHAN!!!
The header was clearly mocking him. Ongoing, my ass. It was fucking finished with no results that could be published or celebrated. And he wrote down as much.
Hinata Shoyo’s Favorite Food: an Ongoing Investigation
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Guess 5: TAMAGO KAKE GOHAN!!!
investigation: officially closed.
There! Now he could just.., move on and forget alllll about this stupid and useless ordeal.
‘Yeah, had all of it really been useless? Can’t ya use yer dumb brains at all?’
Atsumu could admit that sometimes the mean (rational) voice in his head was correct. But this time it was just so utterly wrong it was ridiculous!
Of course it had been useless, he hadn’t received his answer at all?
But then again… He had received… so much more than just one answer to a silly little question.
Now, he and Shoyo-kun made smoothies together almost each and every morning. Together. They laughed and had fun and danced or sang along to nostalgic songs playing on the radio. Shoyo let him experiment with what he thought might taste good, and no matter how bad the end result was, he always drank it.
”It’s still healthy! And a good learning experience!”
Back at the yakiniku restaurant, he had heard so many stories from Shoyo’s youth. About the climb to the top, how the different training camps (even the one where he had been “just” a ball boy!) had shaped him into the player he was when they had their first match against each other. And then there were all the training camps after that, which in the end resulted in Karasuno winning bronze on Shoyo’s last year of high school.
When they had been eating those meat buns together, Shoyo had dived deeper into the intricacies of his relationships with his teammates. Previously, Atsumu hadn’t known about the freckled face pinch-server becoming their captain. Nor had he known about the ways Shoyo and that tall, glasses-wearing middle blocker had finally become much closer friends, or how their manager had grown out of her shell, or how Tobio had learned to be less emotionally constipated and actually good help for his kouhais. (Though apparently, the ‘emotional constipation was still there.) Hell, he had known nothing about the kouhais that joined the team after he had already graduated.
And while enjoying the feijoada and watching the game? Well, Atsumu heard all kinds of stories from Shoyo’s time back in Brazil: how he and his roommate Pedro had finally found a common interest, how he worked as a delivery man, how he lost his wallet on the same day Argentinian Olympic team’s setter had joined him for dinner and games. The ginger had shown him different pictures, too, ranging from a selfie with this Tooru that had taken the Japanese volleyball scene by storm to pictures he had taken when his friends had visited him in Rio, to the last pictures he had taken there of his friends’ wedding.
The tamago kake gohan might have been a disappointing incident for Atsumu, since his hopes had been so high up but… But even during that breakfast, he had learned so much about Shoyo’s family. Sure, after the bomb of “used to be”, his spirits had been down bad, but he had still listened, because it was still Shoyo-kun who was talking.
All those stories… All those times spent with Shoyo… Of course they hadn’t been useless. Of course not? How could he have been so stupid to think so?
Because of this… “stupid investigation”, he now knew more about Shoyo he had never even hoped to get to learn at this point. And Atsumu wouldn’t trade those memories, those shared stories and sweet moments, for anything in the world, so why exactly was he even moping?
Fuck, he really was as stupid as his inner Osamu kept telling him.
‘Yeah, exactly. So get a fuckin’ grip and leave this room like ya should’ve hours ago, ya fuckin’ donkey.’
This time. Atsumu wasn’t even mad at the insults. (He was literally just insulting himself, but then again, who didn’t do that?) And fuck, it really had been hours already? The blonde glanced outside the window. The sun seemed to be already setting…
Now that he was reminded of the passed time (and now that he wasn’t in a depressed mood anymore) his stomach made itself known by protesting loudly at the lack of sustenance it had received today. Atsumu patted it sympathetically and finally left his room, planning on going to the kitchen to make some dinner for himself and for Shoyo, of course.
But once he made it to the kitchen, a surprise awaited him.
There was Shoyo, humming and swinging into the tune of the music playing softly on the radio. The setting sun filtered beautifully through the sheer curtains, illuminating the room in its golden light. Illuminating Shoyo. His hair seemed wilder, like flickering flames, and Atsumu could only imagine how the light would look on his face. From where he stood, he could only see his broad back, which was shielding whatever Shoyo was methodically doing with his hands.
The blond stood there, frozen and mesmerised by the sight in front of him, until the other turned around and gave him that one specific smile that made Atsumu’s heart flutter its way into cardiac arrest.
“Evening, Atsumu-san… Feeling better?” Shoyo asked, voice soft like pudding (his stomach let out another growl at the thought of one of his favourite foods) while continuing to do whatever it was that he was doing.
He could only nod dumbly in response, still too enthralled to form proper words. But his feet moved on their own (most likely powered and guided by his stomach), taking him near enough to see what exactly Shoyo was up to.
“Is that… Shoyo-kun, are you… making onigiri? Tuna onigiri, by any chance?”
The ginger laughed and nodded, wrapping another triangular shape in nori. “You guessed it! I figured that with how much you’ve done for me, the least I could do was make you these ones… Even if they’re not as good as the ones Osamu-san makes. Though! I did go and ask for some of the famous, Kita-san’s rice, so at least that ingredient is about authentic to the Onigiri Miya’s ‘Tsumu Special Number 13!”
Shoyo was… Making his favourite food… For him. Even after the setter had practically stormed outside the house and ignored his roommate until now.
“But…”
“Nuh-uh, no buts! Here, wash your hands and help me with these last ones, will you?”
And who was Atsumu, in his baffled state, to disobey. Considering he sometimes liked to help at Osamu’s restaurant, his onigiri-making skills were on point. So he joined with Shoyo’s efforts to finish the last pieces, still quiet, still very much confused.
“This is your favourite, isn’t it, Atsumu-san?” the wing spiker asked in a sing-song voice.
Atsumu nodded and reached for some of the nori, wrapping up the triangle he had just perfected.
“And you have been trying to figure out what’s mine, isn’t that correct?”
Another nod. Then…
“Ha? Ya knew ‘bout that? For how long?”
Shoyo shot him a teasing smirk. “Ever since you asked Bokuto about it! Like, the whole team knows. So not just Omi-san, like you probably thought. And then of course, Kageyama and Natsu both mentioned that and… Why are you looking at me like that?”
“But… But… But why didntcha-?” Atsumu somehow managed to sputter out, his whole face turning tomato red. “Ya didn’t say anythin’!”
The other nodded, sighing a little and placing the last onigiri down on the platter. “I know, I know, but it was so cute! And so, so sweet! I was being really selfish, wasn’t I…”
It became quiet for a while, only the soft tune from the radio filling out the silence.
It was Atsumu who spoke next. “Nah… Nah, ya weren’t. It was a dumb little investigation anyways. Besides, it’s not like I couldn’t have just asked ya directly, so really, it’s… It’s okay.”
Shoyo looked at him again, the smile on his face a little smaller, but filled with just as much emotion as ever. “Then why don’t you ask me? Directly, I mean? Like, right now?”
He raised his eyebrows in confusion, not quite understanding where Shoyo was getting at… But whatever. Why the hell not?
“Well, Shoyo-kun. What’s yer favourite food?”
Instead of answering immediately, the ginger reached for his hands and took them into his own. He gave them a little squeeze, before simply holding them firmly.
“If you… Had asked about that weeks ago, my answer would’ve been tamago kake gohan, like my sister told you.”
Fuck? Just weeks previous? Shit, if he had contacted Natsu immediately, instead of being a dithering idiot, he could’ve gotten it right on the first time!
“But then… It changed. First, it was that absolutely atrocious smoothie you made for me, the first one. Then, it was all the smoothies that came after that. It was the grilled pieces you placed on my plate at the yakiniku place we went to. It was the meat buns your twin helped you make but that still was mostly done by you. It was the far from perfect feijoada and farofa you served me on that beautiful Sunday. And then it indeed was that tamago kake gohan you made me this morning. But not all tamago kake gohans would be my favourites anymore… Which why I worded it the way I did.”
Was Atsumu even breathing at this point? Probably not. Fuck, scratch that, he really, most definitely was not.
“You see… Ever since that first smoothie, I found out that… Whatever you make for me, that will be my most favourite food in the entire world, right at that moment. Do you understand?” Shoyo seemed… Shy. Now his cheeks were glowing with pink too, his gorgeous eyes shimmering with that exact glint Atsumu had been after ever since the beginning of his investigation. The one he got in his eyes when playing volleyball. And apparently… one he got whenever eating something Atsumu had prepared for him.
“Shoyo-kun, I…”
“Yes, Atsumu-san?”
“If that’s the case, then… I’ll keep cookin’ for ya, alright? Whatever yer heart desires. Okay? For as long as ya want me to.”
“That sounds like quite the promise… Prepared to keep it?” Shoyo asked, but in his voice, Atsumu could now hear the adornment and happiness clear as day. He nodded earnestly.
“Absolutely! For ya… I’d cook, or eat, or… well, basically, do anythin’ for ya, so… yeah. And I kept my last promise of settin’ to ya one day, so of course I’ll keep this one as well.”
The other laughed, the melody of that much more beautiful to Atsumu’s ears than anything that could ever come out of their shared kitchen’s shared radio.
“Well then. It’s settled.” Shoyo reached his hands up to wrap them around the blond’s neck, making it possible for him to pull him down to his level. Up this close, Atsumu could count the golden speckles in Shoyo’s irises… And each of the barely visible freckles adorning his nose.
“Atsumu-san… This was an invitation for a kiss, you know…” He whispered tentatively; their lips were so close he could feel his breathing tingling on his own.
“I know… But Shoyo-kun… There’s somethin’ ya should know, before I do that…?”
“Mmm? What is it… Atsumu?”
“Ya see… Shoyo… I’m actually…” The blond began, his gaze falling down to his roommate’s lips. “Very… Very…” This time he pressed their lips finally together, and breathed out the last words right against them: “Very… bad at cookin’.”
The other burst into full-blown laughter. It made Atsumu grin as he placed his hands on his waist and spun them around a little.
“Oh, please… I knew it from the moment I tasted that smoothie… And trust me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Hey! The smoothie wasn’t that bad!”
“Oh yes… Yes it was.”
The pair of them continued laughing and bickering about the amount of “bad” that smoothie had in them, while slow dancing for the first time together, in their shared kitchen, with rice on their hands and sunlight in their hair. Atsumu’s stomach was still miserable. The onigiris were still on the table, and Osamu would likely yell at them about it if he knew. But none of that mattered now, because finally, they were on the same page…
Hinata Shoyo’s Favorite Food: an Ongoing Investigation
Guess 1: Protein smoothies
Guess 2: Yakiniku
Guess 3: Meat buns
Guess 4: Feijoada
Guess 5: TAMAGO KAKE GOHAN!!!
investigation: officially closed.
Officially finished, results better than expected