Work Text:
Loud.
Loud.
Loud.
Why is everything so loud?
Kiyoomi’s heartbeat races as the world rushes around him. He’s stuck in his place. He’s trapped. He can’t move.
He can’t breathe.
Every surrounding breath causes a tingle up his spine, every shuffle feels like something grinding in his head. He can’t tell them to shut up.
Why can’t they shut up?
His nails press into his palm as he tries to calm down. They press and they dig and they dig and they dig–
But nothing changes.
The tingles, the grinding, the noises.
He tries to take a deep breath. The exhale is an attempt to expel the torture. It’s useless.
They’re just being normal. He tells himself. They’re human.
You’re the problem, Kiyoomi.
Get it together.
He squeezes his eyes shut. Maybe he can fall asleep. Maybe the noises will stop if he falls asleep. But he can’t. Not with the noises. Not with the tingles and grinding and fucking torture of all these fucking noises—
“--yoomi. Kiyoomi.”
He looks up.
His eyes meet amber. “Geez Omi, thought I lost ya there,” Atsumu says, a small smile on his face. Kiyoomi looks around. He’s still on the bus. Atsumu is his seatmate. It’s still so /loud/.
Atsumu’s expression tilts to worry. “I’ve been callin’ ya for a bit, are ya okay?”
Kiyoomi mumbles a response, it goes unregistered.
Atsumu tilts his head. “What?”
“...loud.” Kiyoomi reiterates, his tone aggressive. He runs a hand roughly through his hair. Another forceful expel of breath.
He closes his eyes, his nails begin to dig again. “…sorry it’s… a lot.”
There’s a pause before Atsumu speaks. “What’s a lot?”
Kiyoomi fails to conceal the urge to scoff. “Everything. The— all the noises they’re so loud.” Don’t you hear it too? he wants to ask. Don’t they drive you crazy like they do to me?
But he knows they don’t.
Of course they don’t.
Because Kiyoomi’s the problem.
“Ah.” Atsumu replies. Kiyoomi expels another breath and turns his head to the window. Maybe if he tries to close his eyes again—
They stop.
Kiyoomi looks back to Atsumu. The blonde wears a smile on his face, removing his hands from the headphones that sit onKiyoomi’s head. “Better?” He asks. His voice is muted, as are the sounds around him. Kiyoomi lets out a breath.
Not to expel the frustration. One of relief.
“I… yes thank you.” Kiyoomi nods. Atsumu nods back, returning to whatever task held his attention beforehand. Kiyoomi was taken aback. Atsumu didn’t pry. He didn’t ask why they made Kiyoomi feel that way. He didn’t have to prove why they drove him mad.
Atsumu just… did it.
Kiyoomi turns to the window to hide his face. It was impossible to hide the small smile that had formed there.
It felt like he could breathe again.