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The MSBY team building exercises were getting more and more ridiculous. Kiyoomi was starting to expect that Inunaki was just suggesting random things in order to get the team out for drinking nights that he didn’t have to pay for. His current suggestion was even more ridiculous than all of the others.
But it was exactly the kind of thing Motoya had told him to watch out for. The perfect kind of event where Kiyoomi could confess his feelings to a certain setter.
Or at least, Motoya had told him the event was perfect, and Kiyoomi hadn’t believed him until they’d formulated a plan together. After all, who confessed to their crush during a plant gift exchange? What even was a plant gift exchange?
Kiyoomi had never heard of one, but he’d been lucky enough to draw Atsumu’s name, so he and Motoya had put their plan into motion.
And it seemed, Atsumu had drawn his name as well.
“What is it?”
“It's a cactus! Ya know, ‘cause yer so prickly Omi-kun,” Atsumu said with a laugh, enjoying his own little joke before he sobered up with a smile. “But really, I figured it would be a good plant fer ya. Cacti are low maintenance ya see. I figured with any other plant ya’d have to touch it more and get yer hands all dirty. But with a cactus ya just dunk it in water every few weeks and yer set! The perfect plant fer, Omi-kun!”
“Well what did ya get me, Omi!” Atsumu said excitedly as he opened the envelope. “ I didn’t know they made plants this small!”
“They don’t,” Sakusa said, his eyes downcast
Meian gave him a frown, bending over a little to whisper, “Everyone was supposed to buy a plant, Sakusa-san.”
“I am aware,” Kiyoomi said through gritted teeth, just in time for Atsumu to finally get the envelope open.
“Uh, Omi-kun, ya know I don’ have time to grow a whole plant, right?” Atsumu asked with a raised eyebrow as he held up the seed packet. His smirk was teasing, but his voice sounded slightly disappointed. He felt a little bad hearing that. Maybe Atsumu had been looking forward to this little plant exchange, but Kiyoomi knew this was the more practical gift.
“I know you don’t have time, and you don’t have time to take care of a plant either. Volleyball, traveling to visit Osamu-san and your mother, all of the little hobbies you keep picking up. You’d kill a plant within days, Miya,” Kiyoomi said, glancing away from Atsumu.
“Well then why did you get them for me?” Atsumu asked, sounding frustrated. Kiyoomi could hear the packet of seeds crinkling in his hand, his grip probably tightening in frustration.
Kiyoomi took a deep breath before he faced Atsumu again, reaching a hand out to slowly ease Atsumu’s hand back open, blushing when he heard the other man gasp. Kiyoomi didn’t usually touch people, especially not their filthy hands. He was glad Atsumu understood the depth of him doing this.
The gravity of it.
Once his friend’s hand was open and the packet of crumbled seeds rested in his palm, Kiyoomi placed a gentle finger on the picture of the flower.
“These are s-sunflower seeds,” Kiyoomi said, his face going red when his voice cracked. Gosh he wished they didn’t have an audience for this. “B-because, well, y-you’re my sunshine.”
There was complete silence for a moment, everyone in the room not even taking a breath as they processed what he’d just said.
Why had he decided to do this with an audience again?
“I-I’m your sunshine?” Atsumu whispered. His face was completely unguarded, his expression open and shocked as he glanced between the seed packet and Kiyoomi’s face.
He looked beautiful.
“Yes,” Kiyoomi replied with a nod, his face going impossibly redder. Why did Atsumu have to make him reaffirm it? Wasn’t saying it enough? Again, why the hell had he decided to do this? Even if he had been dying to find the perfect moment, this probably wasn’t it.
But this was the last time he took any of Motoya’s damn advice.
Before Kiyoomi could turn tail and run, and find a nice hole to bury himself in just like he was one of those seeds, he felt a hand rest in one of his, and he didn’t pull away. He looked up to find Atsumu staring at him in wonder before he glanced down at their hands, intertwining their fingers before giving them a gentle squeeze.
Kiyoomi squeezed back.
“Is this yer way of sayin’ ya like me, Omi-kun?” Atsumu asked, a little grin now decorating his adorably handsome face. “Like, do ya like-like me?”
Kiyoomi grimaced at that childish description, but he gave a short nod regardless. He’d already made a fool of himself. As long as he got Atsumu out of the deal, he didn’t care anymore.
“Yes, Atsumu. I do indeed, like-like you.”
“Is this really happening or did I hit my head again?” he heard Bokuto whisper in that loud way he had, only for several different voices to immediately shush him.
Good.
“Wow,” Atsumu said, staring down at the seeds in his hand, his grip on Kiyoomi’s own hand tightening. “And here I thought my love was unrequited and that ya hated my guts. Ya sure have a funny way of treatin’ the guy ya like Omi.”
Kiyoomi wilted a bit at that. Motoya had told him the same thing several times, but it wasn’t Kiyoomi’s fault. He found Atsumu endlessly frustrating, but also beautiful and funny and safe. Just being around him made Kiyoomi so, so happy, even if he hardly allowed himself to show that.
He just needed to learn to show all of those emotions better, to be more open with his feelings, and if Atsumu gave him the chance, he definitely would.
“Give ya a chance, huh?” Atsumu said, and Kiyoomi internally groaned as he realized he’d said all of those things out loud. He cursed Inunaki for making him take those shots before they’d started all of this. But he’d definitely needed the liquid courage.
He was sort of wishing he’d done a few more.
“Well, it’s a real good thing that I like ya just as much, Omi-Omi,” Atsumu said, suddenly crowding his space, his hand slipping out of Kiyoomi’s to find its place on his shoulder instead. He leaned down and brought his face closer to Kiyoomi’s, his breath ghosting over Kiyoomi’s lips before he leaned back again with a laugh.
“Though I wouldn’t call ya my sunshine. Like I said earlier, yer prickly like a cactus, but you’re as beautiful and unique as one too.”
Kiyoomi could agree with the prickly part, but he wasn’t so sure about beautiful. After all, how could he call himself that when the beauty of the sun was currently shining down at him.
Warming his whole heart.