Chapter Text
Three more days and the tension began to sharpen up, colliding with the monotony. Atsumu wouldn’t shut his mouth and Kiyoomi would avoid him every time he could. But as time went by, he lost his nerves and harsh responses began to show.
“Hey, Omi-Omi!” called out Atsumu, surrounded by Shion and Hinata, talking and laughing “Ya’ sure ya’ don’t wanna join the fun? Or are you too busy planning your next germ-free strategy?”
“For the last time, it’s Sakusa. I’m not interested in your childish antics” he glared
“Oh, come on! Lighten up, Omi! Yer’ like a walkin’ storm cloud, how d’ya even function?” grinned the blonde watching the other roll his eyes.
Practice went by, pushing minute by minute, hour by hour. It was almost time to leave and Atsumu kept provoking from the other side of the court, shouting, babbling and annoying Sakusa. He thought it had been his main concern from the first day he got in the MSBY: annoying him, provoking him… getting his attention. “Am I really doing this for revenge?” he asked himself. A wave of chills crawled up his spine, making him lose concentration for a second and making a bad toss.
“You know, Miya, maybe if you weren’t so busy fucking around, you could actually play” Kiyoomi exclaimed from across the gym, not actually caring, just wanting to let him know he messed up. But Atsumu laughed, undeterred.
“But where’s the fun in that? Besides, I’m just trying to help you. You look like you need a friend (urgently) - unless you prefer moral isolation over actual human interaction, Omi.” Sakusa’s expression hardened as he took a step back, clearly annoyed.
“I do not need ‘friends’” he scolded, accentuating the word “I need you to keep your distance”. Atsumu, clearly unaffected, changed positions with people until getting closer to him, then lowered his tone:
“I think you’re just scared of getting too close to someone who might actually make you smile~” he added, with a soft, teasing voice. That’s the moment when the dark-haired snapped.
“I’d rather smile at a pile of dirty laundry than at you” he answered, with a cold look, frowning. His tone was harsh and irritated, giving hints of his patience’s loss. Atsumu smirked, enjoying the back and forth of the situation.
“Ya know, ya’ should really work on your social skills, you’re about as approachable as a cactus.”
“Better a cactus than a clown Miya. At least cacti have a purpose” he backed. Atsumu stepped closer, undeterred by Sakusa’s insults.
“For someone who hates germs so much, you sure are touchy, Omi-kun. Maybe yer’ just scared I’ll steal the spotlight from you.”
“Spotlight? You think you’re the star here? The only thing you’re good at is making a fool of yourself.” Sakusa continued. Atsumu feigned offense, placing a hand dramatically on his chest.
“Oh, please, you think you’re so superior just because ya’ keep your distance. Spoiler alert: it’s not impressive. It’s sad.” Sakusa tilted his head lightly, clearly annoyed. None of them actually noticed how close they had got at this moment.
“Sad is thinking you can actually get under my skin. You’re not even worth my effort.” He finished as he stormed out of the gym, realizing that training had finished minutes ago, leaving Miya alone with his chaotic thoughts. “What the heck is wrong with him?? He actually got mad this time, you can tell, but I never expected him to bark back…”
He kept on like this on his way home, overthinking why he didn’t just ignore him like usual. “You wanted to provoke him, right? Then you got what you wanted, Atsumu! Why keep pushing?” But something in him kept insisting, into keep addressing to Kiyoomi, to keep annoying him, to keep… getting his attention? “No, no, no!” He thought, adding it to the pile of bursting thoughts he already had in his mind, under the soft moonlight accompanied by the stars.