Chapter Text
The twins were a special breed, there was no denying that. Each one of them had what seemed to be nearly unparalleled athleticism and competitive spirits that others typically found exhausting. Every aspect of their lives seemed to revolve around volleyball, and anything else that grabbed their attention was out of necessity so they could return to playing volleyball.
Well, Osamu tended to be distracted a little easier, there was an ounce of him that was drawn to other aspects of the world, unlike his blonde brother.
Still, they were each a force to be reckoned with, especially on the court. Practices ranged from exhilarating whenever their energy was focused on something productive, to draining whenever one or both of them allowed their emotions to cloud their judgment.
“Please tell me you’re joking?” Aran halted in the middle of the hallway, clutching his backpack with a look of betrayal in his dark eyes. “Please tell me you are messin’ with me.”
Kita turned his head to see his best friend frozen in the middle of the busy hallway, other students trying their best to make their way around him without causing a traffic jam. “When have you known me to joke about my schedule?” Kita asked, raising a brow.
It was true, Kita wasn’t exactly the type to joke around, especially when it came to his time commitments. It’s just, Aran had really been hoping his friend had suddenly developed a sense of humor.
“You can’t leave me alone with them. Not on the first practice of the week after a long weekend.” Aran was no longer occupied with feelings of betrayal; he was more concerned with his blatant fear.
Mondays were always bad for practice, the twins having an entire weekend to get riled up and make bets over who would do better at serving practice or some other dumb competition they had already set up. But the school was coming off a four-day weekend and the Coach had canceled their Friday practice at the principal’s request to make sure all clubs took a break and let their students have some time to relax before exams.
That meant today wouldn’t just be bad, it was going to be hell; and Kita wasn’t going to be there.
“I will admit it is less than ideal,” the silver haired captain shrugged, taking his pace again towards their next class. “But this was the only time Nana could schedule the appointment, and I promised I would go with her.”
Kita had been saying his grandmother was having some pain while eating, and it seemed that it was persistent enough that her grandson had finally persuaded her to visit a dentist to have it checked out. Aran was happy about that, the old woman was so kind, but she was also a work horse, so he didn’t know if Kita would be successful in getting her to slow down enough to get her tooth checked out.
“I’m glad Nana is seein’ somebody, and I get that ya got to go with her, but I just…” the ace sighed and ran a large hand across his face. “I’m just not lookin’ forward to the twins tryin’ to take advantage.”
“Just threaten to tan ‘em up front.” Kita shrugged as he opened the door to their classroom. They walked to their seats, which were thankfully next to each other and towards the back. “Tell ‘em if they try anythin’ they’ll go straight over yer knee, and if they earn a whooping’ from you then they are gettin’ another from me as a reminder to behave when one of us ain’t there.”
Aran couldn’t help but marvel at his friend’s blunt nature. There were two very pretty girls sitting just a row away that had started giggling at Kita’s words, but the captain didn’t even blink at it. That was so very Kita though. Aran knew his friend didn’t really concern himself about the eyes and the opinions of the gods, but sometimes he thought the philosophy might extend to the opinions of their peers too.
Kita had a solid work ethic; he was built from his routine and that had done wonders for him. He commanded respect without every really seeking it, and apparently, he was able to make the girls of their year whisper about ‘how manly’ he was without really even caring. Other guys in their grade would kill for that kind of reaction, yet Kita hardly blinked at it.
“Yeah okay,” Aran sighed, already exhausted and he hadn’t even seen the twins yet that day. “But the next time you and Nana make dango, I expect a plate just for me.”
A giggle that definitely didn’t belong to those girls caused Aran to perk up from his self-made arm prison, only to see an adorable smile spreading across his best friend’s face. He had only seen Kita look like that a handful of times, and it was always a blessing to witness someone that happy. It was even better when that someone was Kita, the stoic boy already captured Aran’s attention on a day to day but when he smiled like that…well Aran was simply helpless.
“I’ll make sure there is an entire batch just for you, don’t ya worry.” Kita said.
The assurance was nice, and Aran was not about to turn down a batch of dango that were for him and him alone, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t recognize a bribe.
This was Kita acknowledging that this practice would definitely not be easy…great.
*******
Osamu was itching to get some of his left-over energy out. The weekend had been so long, and he had been cooped up in the dorm with Atsumu the entire time without really any outlet. Sure, they had gone on a couple of jogs, but it wasn’t the same as actually getting to play their favorite sport until they were exhausted puddles on the floor of the gym. He missed the feeling of a good day’s work, lying on the floor with his brother as they stared up at the ceiling. Kita and Aran would always chuckle as they pretended the beams were stars and they tried to form constellations. Every once and a while, a tired Suna would join them and simply listen to their nonsense.
But they didn’t get any of that over the long weekend.
It also hadn’t helped that mom had told the twins not to come home for the short break. She had apparently picked up some extra shifts and didn’t think she would be able to see them very much if at all, so it was for the best they stayed at the school.
He understood the logic, their house was rather small and most of the twins’ stuff was at the school anyway. Their mom worked really hard to send them to such a nice school and to keep them in new gear every season, so he couldn’t really complain if she told them to stay in their fancy dorm for a weekend because she was busting her ass to pay for it all.
Osamu’s understanding of why he hadn’t been able to do much over the weekend, outside of playing Mario Cart for an amount of time that Kita would likely find unsavory, didn’t make him any less restless whenever he and Atsumu were entering the gymnasium ready to practice. Both of them were practically vibrating where they stood, and the only ounce of self-control they had left in them was what was keeping them from running over to the ball cart and starting without everyone else.
It took another five minutes for everyone else to start drifting in, but the twins couldn’t help but notice a very key absence. “Hey Aran-senpai!” Atsumu hollered, waving his left hand across the air in a wild fashion. “Where’s the Captain?”
From the way Aran’s shoulders immediately slumped at the squawked question, Osamu knew that he and Atsumu were not going to like the answer. “He had to take Nana to a dentist appointment today, so he isn’t comin’.” Aran said.
Osamu was right, he did not like that answer, and judging from the whine that was already escaping Atsumu’s lips, neither did his brother. “Why did it have ta be today? We haven’t seen each other or played in forever, couldn’t the appointment wait until tomorrow or at least after practice?”
“Miya Atsumu, stop yer whinin’ right now.” Aran chided. It was rare for their ace to scold Atsumu, normally that job was solely reserved for their captain but with Kita gone it only made sense that Aran was stepping up. “Kita-san tried his best to make it so the appointment wouldn’t interfere with our practice schedule, but he just couldn’t swing it. His Nana is in pain and she needs him to be there, so of course that’s where he’s gonna be. We will survive a practice without him, and both of you will be on yer best behavior for it. Understand?”
“Why am I bein’ threatened?” Osamu asked, an air of petulance ringing in his tone. “I wasn’t the one who insulted senpai’s Nana.”
“I didn’t insult her ‘Samu!” Atsumu shoved his brother’s shoulder with a huff, only to be shoved back in return.
Aran wanted to roll his eyes at the display, but he tried his best to put up the same front of imperturbableness that his best friend always managed to display when wrangling both of their troublesome kouhai. “Alright, that’s enough of that.” He said, stepping forward to push the two squabbling boys apart. He knew from experience that a minor push between the brothers that started out as play could turn into an all-out brawl within a matter of seconds, and he would like to avoid that if at all possible.
He leaned in a bit closer to both of them and lowered his voice, “that’s exactly what we are not gonna do for the rest of practice.” Kita might be one to just say what he was thinking without regard to who else on the team could hear him, but Aran did try his best to spare the pride of others. He was never quite as blunt as his best friend and could understand how others might get embarrassed at his monotone declarations. “I talked with Kita before he left today, and we agreed that if either of ya are naughty enough at practice to earn a spanking from me, then ya gettin’ another one from Kita whenever he gets back tonight.”
Osamu’s eyes widened at the threat. It wasn’t uncommon for the two of them to get preemptive warnings from their senpais, they did have a reputation for being rather rambunctious, but never before had they been told they would receive two separate punishments for the same offense.
Well at least Osamu hadn’t.
There had been a camp a few months back where Atsumu was carted away every night before lights out for the last three nights for what Osamu assumed was a spanking, given how Atsumu always returned rubbing his bottom with a sour pout, but that was because he had tried to sneak out to go see some movie premiere and kicked up a fuss when Kita had dragged him back. The only thing Osamu had been able to get out of his brother was that he had been whooped for the initial offense and then Kita insisted on having conversations each night for the rest of the camp to ‘remind’ Atsumu to be respectful of his senpai; and he’d only managed to get that much information after agreeing to share his bedroll with his twin for the camp, so Atsumu could use him as a human body pillow.
“That’s not fair.” Osamu said, drawing the attention of his brother and his favorite senpai. “One punishment for one offense, that’s how it always works.”
Aran sighed at the resistance, but he wasn’t entirely surprised by it. The twins were used to a certain amount of structure, but Osamu really was the one that didn’t appreciate changes or deviations from things he was used to. Atsumu would whine and complain along the way, but once he was told this is how a punishment was going to be, he would shut his trap and go along with it. Osamu was always a very different story. “Makin’ and exception, which is why yer both gettin’ a warning right now.”
Osamu’s nose scrunched at the explication, not finding it the least bit fair or satisfying. Still, there was a bit of common sense that was residing within him, telling him not to push his senpai any further. The last thing he wanted was to be on thin ice before their practice even started. “Fine,” he muttered as he crossed his arms, lip jutted in a small pout.
Aran did feel some sympathy for his kouhai, it wasn’t exactly secret that each of the captain’s had a soft spot for one of the twins. Aran bad know both of them since childhood, each of them following him around like adorable pups, but once they had entered their first year and met Kita, Atsumu had quickly found a new set of heels to follow behind. It was pretty cute really, and Aran did enjoy watching the look of utter astonishment that crossed Kita’s face whenever he had learned that their little blonde setter preferred him over the ace. If anything, it was actually convenient to have them split up in that way, it allowed for each of them to be looked after and not slip through the cracks.
Being Atsumu’s favorite meant that Kita was constantly dragging the boy away, or at the very least swatting him right where he stood a couple of times with a firm warning to start behaving. Aran on the other hand mostly bribed Osamu, saying that if he was good, they could go get a snack or something after practice. Although, that did prove to be a more expensive way of managing his kouhai and it wasn’t always successful. Aran wasn’t a stranger to giving a swat or two, even sometimes pulling Osamu to the side for a hushed lecture and a promise for a sterner reprimand after practice, but he preferred to keep those moments few and far between. Kita said it was because Aran had a ‘soft heart’, while Aran argued that it was just because Osamu was just a bit less bratty than his brother.
If only he knew how wrong he was about to be.
About twenty minutes into practice, Aran started to realize that something was off. Atsumu had pulled him aside after he finished his required jump serves and jump floats, asking him if he wanted to start doing some spiking drills, which the ace was perfectly happy to agree too. He was being touted as one of the best ace’s in all of Japan, a title that he didn’t take lightly, so it was never very difficult for one of his kouhai to pull him aside to work on his spikes.
“’Tsumu,” a panting voice came from the other side of the net. Aran looked over and saw a sweating Osamu blotting his face with a towel, having likely just finished his own set of service practice. “Schedule says I’m supposed to be settin’ for Aran-senpai today.”
“Captain isn’t here, so the schedule ain’t as important. I’m already settin’ for Aran-san, so why don’t ya just go set for Sunarin?” Atsumu shrugged, picking up another stray ball to roll over to Aran. “Haven’t ya been workin’ on some special attack with him anyway?”
Aran saw the way Osamu’s face contorted for a second, his brow furrowed, and nostrils slightly flared but after seeing his senpai’s eyes on him, the boy was quick to adjust his features. “Just because Kita-senpai isn’t here today doesn’t mean his schedule ain’t important.” The gray haired second year’s eyes grew a bit more frustrated when he noted that his brother wasn’t even paying him any attention, as if he had said nothing at all.
“Hey ‘Tsumu, ya deaf?” Osamu growled.
“Osamu,” Aran warned. His tone cut through both twins, their shoulders immediately tensing and the hairs on their arms stood up. The third year took a few steps forward and rested one of his large hands on his kouhai’s shoulders and gave him a gentle squeeze. “Why don’t ya go work with Suna for a little bit. Atsumu and I were just gettin’ some work in on that lag attack we’ve been practicin’ and we have a groove goin’. I promise after I’ve finished with him, you and I can get some sets in too.”
The soft bluish gray eyes before him grew in disappointment. “Coach already said we’re gonna do three on threes in a bit, so I doubt there will be time.” Osamu said as he turned his back to go walk over to Suna. Aran saw his kouhai’s shoulders were slumped as he explained the change of plans to his best friend on the team. The brunette boy looked more than a little put out himself, but Aran thanked the gods that he had not turned down Osamu as well.
“Someone’s in a mood.” Atsumu scoffed. The blonde bounced the volleyball in his possession against the floor a couple of times before pulling it back up to rest against his side. “He was so excited for practice today and now he’s all pouty; and before ya ask, I don’t know why. He may be my twin but that doesn’t mean I understand the reason for every stick up his ass.”
“Atsumu!” Aran scolded. The setter at least had the decency to look contrite, but Aran knew better. “Let’s just get back to work.” He had already made the judgment call; it wasn’t like he could go back on it at this point, so it was just best to throw themselves back into practice. Changing his mind now would only mean that Aran was exchanging one pouty Miya for the other.
Another few minutes went by without incident, and Aran was starting to believe he had made the correct choice. Laying low and allowing Osamu to work through his disappointment was a good call, the boy was old enough and mature enough now not to let that affect his performance at practice…
“Ow!” Atsumu yelled.
Aran threw his head in the direction of the cry, seeing Atsumu furiously rubbing the back of his skull and a volleyball now innocently skipping about on the floor not far away from the team’s setter. “What happened ‘Tsumu?” He said as he closed the distance between the two of them, turning the blonde head a bit so he could get a better look at the potential injury. “Ouch,” He hissed in sympathy as his fingers felt the beginnings of what was going to be a pretty nasty bump.
“Freakin’ ball hit me outta nowhere!” Atsumu complained, hissing himself whenever Aran’s fingers touched the sensitive skin. “Quit touchin’ it senpai, that hurts.” He whined.
Aran rolled his eyes and continued his inspection, then turning Atsumu to face him again so he could make sure his pupils weren’t showing the signs of a concussion. “Doesn’t look like yer head rattled much.” He sent the younger boy a reassuring smile. “I think yer gonna live.”
“Oh good,” Atsumu rolled his eyes. “I was really scared there for a moment.”
“No sassin’ me.” Aran chided, flicking the button nose in front of him. Atsumu ‘eeped’ at the contact, jumping back and covering his nose with both hands before breaking out into a hearty laugh. Aran wrapped a strong arm around the setter, pulling him close to his side. “Let’s get some ice on that, I don’t want Kita comin’ back sayin’ I broke his boy.”
His best friend could pretend all he wanted that he was even toned and calm at all moments of his life, but Aran knew better. If Kita returned tonight to find out that Atsumu was hurt, his eyes would grow ever so slightly, and they would darken with fear. Kita would likely spend the night in the twins’ dormitory just to make sure that Atsumu didn’t slip into a coma from a concussion or something.
“Yeah yeah,” Atsumu sighed, dragging himself along the gym at his senpai’s command. He hated being poked and prodded, because it always led to sitting out. The one good thing about his captain not being here right now is that he wasn’t immediately being sent to the infirmary with the instruction to not come back afterwards. “Can’t believe that stupid thing came from nowhere.”
The words did remind Aran that he did need to get to the bottom of something, so once he had his setter settled in the bench with an ice pack on his head, the ace rose and let his eyes scan the gym. Nearly everyone was going about their business, choosing to believe one of their star second years was in capable hands and did not require any more fussing over, but there was one pair that was still watching.
“Osamu!” Aran yelled, waving the other boy over.
The gray-haired boy had a weary look behind his eyes as he had what appeared to be a silent conversation with Suna before ultimately deciding to jog over to his senpai and brother. The boy’s body was still as tense as earlier, rigid with what frustration, and Aran could only assume he was about to deal with a very on edge Miya.
“Yes senpai.” Osamu said. His tone was dismissive, clearly only over here because he did not want to be accused of being uncooperative. His gaze was on the empty spot on the bleacher next to Atsumu, hands were behind his back fiddling with one another, and his nostrils seemed to be flaring. This was definitely not good.
Aran cursed the universe for giving Nana Kita that stupid toothache. “Osamu did ya happen to see who hit the ball that knocked yer brother in the head?”
Osamu’s cheeks puffed out slightly, tinting a slight red, so he looked like a miffed little chipmunk. The sight would have been rather adorable if it weren’t for the feeling Aran had that he was not about to be happy with his kouhai’s answer. “I spiked it.” The second year murmured.
A look of betrayal set behind Atsumu’s honey brown eyes. “The hell ‘Samu?”
“I didn’t mean to!” Osamu quickly defended. His hands fell from behind his back and tightened into fists, and his eyes were looking slightly desperate at this point. “Sunarin wanted to try and toss, said it would be good to know in case of an emergency, so I was teachin’ him. I didn’t think it’d be a big deal since we don’t apparently care about Kita-san’s schedule anymore.”
“Oh, will ya quit whinin’ about the stupid schedule?” Atsumu huffed, standing from his spot on the bleacher. The blonde didn’t look very intimidating in that moment, because even though he was rather tall and had a muscular build, the Hello Kitty ice back he was holding against his head dealt a fatal blow to the tough guy image. “I almost got my head snapped off my neck and the only thing you are talkin’ about is this training schedule.”
Aran put a hand out to halt Atsumu from advancing any further, gripping the boy’s t-shirt and taking him back to his seat. “Sit down ‘Tsumu.” He commanded, pushing the boy back into the place he had just occupied. “I will handle this, and you will behave, otherwise we will be having that talk and then another one with Kita later.”
“No fair,” Atsumu whined, lowering his head to rest for a moment on Aran’s stomach. It definitely wasn’t the most comfortable place to rest, toned muscles weren’t exactly known for their squishability, but it was better than nothing. Aran remembered Kita saying Atsumu was particularly tactile, and he marked it down as another thing that the brother’s actually had in common. “I’m the one that got hurt and yer threatenin’ me.” Atsumu did roll his head ever so slightly, that way he could at least get one eye on his brother and shoot Osamu a glare. “He should be the one in trouble.”
Aran took a small step back but caught onto Atsumu’s chin so his head wouldn’t be left suspended in midair or lulling about after just being hit with a flying projectile. “What’d I say about sass earlier?” He asked, cocking his eyebrow ever so slightly and showing off a small teasing smirk.
Atsumu smiled in return, happy to note that he wasn’t in any real trouble at this moment. The third year didn’t honestly think he could handle that right now, one moody Miya was more than enough at the moment. With that settled, he gave Atsumu another playful flick, happy to see that the boy giggled in response this time much like his twin always did when Aran would lightly admonish him too.
When he turned around to face Osamu, Aran felt a cold pang of reality hit him in the gut. There was most definitely something wrong and this was not going to end well. Osamu’s gray eyes were filled with angry tears that the boy was clearly trying his best to fight off, frustrated they were even there in the first place. Aran was also concerned about Osamu’s knuckles that were turning a pure white, clinched almost as tight as his jaw.
“’Samu?” Aran held up his hands as if he were approaching a cornered animal. “What’s wrong buddy?”
“I’m not yer buddy, so don’t call me that.” Osamu’s spat. “Go back to fussin’ over ‘Tsumu. He’s gone a whole minute without yer attention now, sure he’s missin’ it.”
Aran could tell Osamu was doing his best to keep his tone leveled, but the ace definitely heard the slight hitch whenever the opposite hitter said his brother’s name. His lips were trembling slightly too, as if he were fighting off a pout or trying to keep a strangled yell inside him. “You’ve been my buddy since ya were in fourth grade ‘Samu, that ain’t changin’ either.”
The ace took another step closer, slowly reaching out his large hand and setting it on one of Osamu’s stiff shoulders. There was nothing that could prepare Aran for the moment his kouhai pulled away from him, looking as if he had just been burned by the gentle touch. “Osamu what’s gotten into ya?” The concern was clear in Aran’s voice, he had never seen that kind of reaction from either of the Miya Twins before. Sure, they were a dramatic pair and frequently kicking up a fuss for little to no reason, but this was something else entirely.
The trembling lip finally gave way and the smallest, most heartbreaking sob burst forth and obliterated the older player’s ears. “Ju-just leave me be.” Osamu hunched his shoulders up to his ears as if he were trying to block out all aspects of the outside world. “I don’t want to listen to a stupid lecture anyway. I came over and told ya what happened, I didn’t mean to hit ‘Tsumu so just let me get back to practicin’!”
All movement in the gym came to a sudden halt and Aran could feel every pair of eyes on them. It wasn’t very often that Osamu caused a scene for his favorite senpai, so an air of anticipation descended upon them. “Watch yer tone, Osamu.” With everyone watching, Aran couldn’t afford to be the concerned senpai right now, he had to be stern.
That may have been the wrong call…
“Ya joke with Atsumu about sassin’ ya, but when I talk back then all the sudden it’s watch yer tone! I can’t believe this, ya can’t even see how unfair yer bein’!” Osamu was done backing away, his feet flew him in closer and without thinking he let his finger poke Aran hard in the chest. “Kita-san isn’t here and ya aren’t our vice-captain, so stop tellin’ me what ta do like yer in charge or somethin’.”
“’Samu.” Aran heard a disappointed whisper from just a few feet away. “Please stop ‘Samu.” He knew that voice. It was the same voice Aran heard whenever Atsumu pulled his brother close to him and reported that there was a bad storm in the forecast.
For a moment Osamu’s body language showed he briefly registered his twin’s request, he relaxed just a bit and his eyes softened to a less stormy blue, but the moment had passed whenever Aran too looked over to the blonde Miya with concern.
“I’ll stop when I want to.” The response was belligerent, and it was absolutely what brought Aran to bring about the end of this little public spectacle.
The ace marched forward and spun the younger twin around before landing two hard swats on the boy’s rear. “That is enough Osamu,” Aran scolded with another swat. “Go back to yer room, yer done for the day. Take some time to cool down, I’ll be up after practice and we can have a talk about what exactly has ya actin’ like a petulant brat.”
“N-no no.” The tears that had been held back for so long now were starting to spill over, as the crushing weight of immediate regret plummeted into Osamu’s stomach. “This ain’t…I didn’t…n-no.” He whined, looking around to see that his entire team was watching him. This was utterly humiliating. He had certainly been swatted before at practice, hell he had been taken over Kita’s knee and given the hairbrush in front of everyone, but that had always been with Atsumu by his side.
At this moment, he was all alone.
Before, when Aran had rejected Osamu’s request to set for him, all Osamu wanted was to not be forced to share with his brother; but right now, he wished for more than anything that Atsumu was by his side right. If they were both being given warning swats and being ejected from practice with the promise of more punishment, well then there was a bit of normalcy in there. Yeah, it wasn’t Kita that was doing it, but there would be just enough of usualness involved that Osamu would be pushed to his breaking point emotionally.
But this was too much.
All these eyes were on him, most of them carrying auras of disappointment, and he just couldn’t take it. Turning on his heels, Osamu took a shutteringly deep breath in the hopes that he could stay together and walked at an increased speed towards the exit. He knew that his pleading wouldn’t change anything, Aran would not be convinced, so he might as well walk out with his head held high. Or as high as it could be after being swatted like that without a partner in crime.
With each step Osamu held himself together with spite alone. His tears might be flowing, but he would not let the damn burst any further. His breathing was forced into a normal pace and his shaking fists were tucked away into pockets. He wouldn’t be able to keep this up forever, but he could manage a five-minute walk to his dorm room. After that though, he planned to throw himself on his bed and sob to his heart’s content. At least no one could take that from him.
*******
Thankfully the rest of practice went by rather fast. The assistant coach had come over to check on Atsumu’s head but once the boy got the clear to continue, he never left Aran’s side. He insisted on changing the three-on-three teams just so he could be close to the ace, tucked away at his side on water breaks and at the very least not separated by the net during the mini matches.
Atsumu always was clingy after a scolding. He would nearly always be hanging off Kita’s jacket if he was so much as snipped at by the team captain, but normally he didn’t get like this when it was Osamu catching grief. Then again, Osamu rarely got himself into trouble alone. The gray-haired twin was almost always accompanied by his brother or Suna whenever he ventured headfirst into misbehavior. Was this sympathy clinging?
“Alright boys, good practice!” Coach yelled as he clapped his hands together. “Clean up and I’ll see ya all bright and early.”
The gym erupted in varied cries of “yes sir!” while the team members scattered about to collect their designated cleaning supplies. That was one aspect of Kita’s schedule that everyone seemed to be sticking too today.
“Aran!” Omimi was approaching with two towels in his hands. His hair was looking as pristine as always, despite the intense workout he had just gone through. “Here ya go,” He said as he handed Aran and Atsumu a towel each. “Go on ahead and get out of here earlier Aran, I can handle supervising the clean up by myself.”
At Omimi’s words, Atsumu’s sulking gaze shot over to the ace. The blonde second year took a step closer, grasping his hand desperately on to Aran’s t-shirt, but was pulled away by the team’s vice and tucked under a strong arm. “I can take care ‘Tsumu for a bit to, that way you can have some privacy with Osamu. Just text me when yer good, okay?”
“But—” Atsumu began to protest, but a squeeze of his bicep and a warning look from Omimi was enough to clamp the boy’s mouth shut.
“Sounds good, I appreciate that.” Aran signed. He really didn’t want to have to punish his precious kouhai, but there really was no other option at this point. The disrespectful way he had been speaking was more than enough to earn the kid a sore bottom, but the little display he showed was inexcusable. Kita would have probably hauled the kid over his knee then and there, creating an example out of him for all the team about what happens to boys that decide to throw a tantrum during practice. Maybe Kita was right, maybe Aran was a soft touch.
Before he took his leave, Aran made sure to pull Atsumu in for a tight hug. “I ain’t gonna kill him, I promise.” He whispered into the setter’s ear.
Aran felt a pair of hands come up and clutch onto the back of his shirt, pulling him even closer to the second year. “H-he gets sensitive…don’t don’t be too mean.” Aran felt his face soften at the request; the twins really could be adorable whenever they wanted to be.
“Don’t cha worry that head of yours.” Aran said as he pulled away. “I’ll take good care of him.”
The ace made sure to change quickly, splashing some water on himself and quickly slapping on a layer of deodorant before running out of the locker room and towards the second-year’s dormitory. He didn’t want to waste any more time, knowing that at this point Osamu was likely a prisoner in his own head and fretting over his fate. The poor kid never handled being left in a corner very well, so being sent to his room without anyone there to keep him company was likely not putting the kid in a good spot.
“Osamu!” Aran called as he wrapped his fist against the boy’s door. “Open up please.”
A few moments later, Aran heard a soft click, but the door did not move. He waited for another few seconds, but the rustling about in the room did not lead to anything. “Alright ‘Samu,” the older boy said as he jiggled the handle to find that the click must have been his kouhai at the very least unlocking the door. “I’m comin’ in.”
The main light in the room was off and the curtains to the window were closed, but one of the desk lamps were casting a dull light within the small room filling the space with somber. It was a decent aesthetic for the coming conversation, but Aran moved to turn on the main light anyway. He did not like wallowing, and that is exactly what the current mood of the room was.
The third year was a bit surprised by the sight he was greeted with whenever the lights were turned on, there is the furthest corner of the room stood a shaking Osamu, wrapped in a bright blue fuzzy blanket that Aran had gifted him for the kid’s last birthday, with his back to the door.
“Osamu?” Aran shut the door behind him, locking it, and then making quick work of crossing the distance of the room so he could pull the crying twin into his arms. “Hey, hey, shh baby, yer alright. It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”
“I’m I’m I’m sorry!” Osamu clamped his eyes shut, though tears were still pouring out of them. He slammed his face into Aran’s collarbone with reckless abandon, hiccupping as he sobbed in his senpai’s arms. “I didn’t mean ta hit ‘Tsumu I swear. I wasn’t…I wasn’t tryin’ to be bad. I just, I just—”
The sobs were breaking Aran’s heart. He pulled the boy closer to him, resting his chin on the top of Osamu’s head, and he began to sway himself slowly to a soothing rhythm. “Shh, ‘Samu…you’re okay. We can talk about this in a minute, but I need ya to calm down for me first. Can ya try to match yer breathin’ to mine?” Aran started to take long and exaggerated breaths, letting his chest expand and deflate with an ease that lulled a hyperventilating Osamu. “There ya go!” Aran whispered with pride as he felt his kouhai’s breathing starting to regulate. “That’s such a good job.”
It took a little bit longer, but it seemed that Osamu had finally cried himself out and calmed down. His red tear-stained face looked up to his favorite senpai, shame clearly present in every feature. “I really am sorry.” He sniffed. “I didn’t mean ta be bad.”
“Ya weren’t bad Osamu.” Aran said as he ran his hand through gray hair. “What ya did was naughty, talking to me the way ya did and throwing that tantrum, but you’ve never been bad.” Aran cupped the boy’s face between his hands, forcing Osamu to look him in the eyes. “I need ya to tell me what happened back there. It wouldn’t be fair to punish ya without knowing why ya did what ya did.”
Osamu’s gaze drifted to the wall next to Aran, rather than looking his senpai in the eyes. His entire demeanor had changed dramatically from when he was in the gym. Anger was no longer holding his muscle taut, instead he was loose with shame and regret. “Yer gonna think I’m a baby.” The second year whispered, hating how small his voice sounded.
“I promise I won’t.” Aran let his thumbs rub small circles on the boy’s puffy cheeks. The Miya Twins, contrary to popular belief, were not identical. Their eyes were different shades, but Osamu also held on to a little more baby fat on his face than Atsumu did. It was something that was normally so very cute, and whenever Aran or Kita mentioned it, Osamu would turn this shade of red and immediately start sputtering out a denial while Atsumu giggled in the background. “How about we sit down for a bit? Seems to me like you’ve been doin’ a lot of standing.”
The boy’s cheeks tinted a similar shade of red to Aran’s memory, clearly a bit embarrassed at the reference to him putting himself in the corner. That was a feat that the ace was actually rather impressed with, Osamu always struggled with corner time. He found the punishment to be absolutely humiliating, insisting that he didn’t need to be standing in time out like a small child. Aran suspected the real reason was, Osamu was just as clingy as his brother whenever he was in trouble, and corner time always cut off physical contact.
Luckily, the twins had lofted bunkbeds, so Aran didn’t have to try and squeeze his large build into a tiny space like some comedic cartoon character. The second he was down though, Osamu was practically sitting on top of him, wrapping Aran’s arm around him himself and resting his face against the ace’s neck. “Comfy?” the third quipped, happy to feel Osamu nodding along. “So, ya gonna tell me what happened back there?”
“Like I said, Sunarin wanted to try and set so—” Osamu stopped whenever he felt a finger pressing against his lips.
“I don’t mean about hittin’ the ball. I believe that ya didn’t mean to hit ‘Tsumu like that. I was askin’ bout the way ya spoke to me and then yelled back there.”
“Oh,” Osamu deflated further into his senpai, his hushed voice carrying the disappointment he felt with himself. “I...I’m…I don’t like sharin’ ya.”
The second year squeezed his eyes shut with the confession. He despised that he sounded like a child. Everyone would always compliment him for being the ‘more mature twin’ and it made him feel grown up, distinguishable from Atsumu in some way. But in this moment, he wasn’t even close to mature…he was the childish one, and that was a realization that stung.
“What do ya mean by that? Ya share me with the team all the time?” Aran asked, confusion ringing in his voice.
“That’s not the same!” Osamu insisted, pulling away from the embrace so he could look his senpai in the eye. “Sharin’ ya with everyone is one thing, but I don’t like sharin’ ya with ‘Tsumu. I already have ta share everythin’ with him all the time, but never you! He always had Kita-senpai to hang off of, and I got you! Yer the one thing that actually got to be mine, but then this stupid appointment happened, and Kita wasn’t at practice, and all the sudden ‘Tsumu just invaded!” Osamu threw his face between his hands; his hair being forced in every direction by frantic fingers. “It was like the second his senpai was gone, he just up an took mine. And then ya started scolding me, and I…I felt like you were pickin’ him over me. Like it was him ya wanted in the first place but settled for me whenever Kita-san was here.”
Osamu’s words were like meat cleavers, slicing away at Aran until there was very little left of him. It hurt to hear that his precious kouhai believed that he was somehow inferior, like he could just be cast aside for his brother. Those words were what drove Aran to pull the boy across his lap and then separate the kid from the protective layer of his blanket. “I never settled for ya Osamu,” Aran said he adjust the boy a bit to make sure he was in the most comfortable position possible. He even moved the blanket so it was on the floor next to his kouhai’s hands, that way it could be plucked up and held for comfort.
“I’m about to show ya how much I care about ya,” Aran said as he raised his hand into the air.
“No wait!” Osamu yelled, but before he could even finish his plea, a solid hand connected with his bottom. A loud thunk reverberated across the walls, and the younger boy had to fight the urge to yell out. “Please stop! Ya don’t have to do this.”
“Clearly I do.” Aran raised his hand again and began to pepper the backside before him. “We seem to have a lot to talk about little boy. First and foremost, I am not a thing that needs to be shared. I’m not some toy of yours and neither is Kita. We are people, and ya need to look at us as such.”
“Okay senpai, I’m sorry! Please stop.” Osamu whined. “I won’t do it again!”
He had heard that promise before, many times and despite Osamu going for longer period of time between his punishments than his brother, the kid always did manage to find himself draped over someone’s knee again. “We aren’t even close to bein’ done here, so you might as well quit askin’ me ta stop. You’ll get up when I think yer good and ready.”
Aran heard the whimper following close behind his words, but the kid should honestly not be surprised by any of this. He earned his place across Aran’s knee, and he wasn’t getting up until he had answered for all of his actions today. “The second thing we need ta talk about is this jealousy of yours. I understand that ya were angry whenever I was spendin’ time with Atsumu and not you, but all the poutin’ and yellin’ were complete overreactions. Ya let yer own hurt feelin’s get the better of ya, and that’s absolutely unacceptable.”
This point was emphasized whenever Aran decided to pull down Osamu’s shorts, exposing his still present jockstrap to the empty room. “No! Please keep those up! I didn’t change yet!”
“To bad kiddo.” Aran said as he continued the spanking onslaught, only now the muffled grunts of pain were vocalized hisses and ows. “Even if ya had on yer normal underwear, they were gonna eventually come down too. Ya were far too naughty to avoid a bare bottom spankin’ anyway.”
“Speakin’ of ya bein’ naughty. How about ya tell me everythin’ ya did that got you here?” Aran asked, punctuating the order with two hard swats to the boy’s thighs.
“Ow!” Osamu hollered, pulling the blanket up to his face so it looked like he was smothering himself. “Was jealous and mouthed off.” The words were muffled by the blanket, but Aran could hear them just fine, so he decided to let it go. His kouhai was likely just trying to make sure that no one in the hall or in the rooms next door could hear his cries.
“That true,” Aran affirmed. He moved his hand back up to the fullest part of Osamu’s bottom and started smacking him there again. “Ya did a bit more than just mouth off though, didn’t ya?”
“Yes senpai!” Osamu cried as more heavy spanks fell on top of his now dark pink bottom. “Please I’m sorry! I won’t be disrespectful like that again! I’ll be good, I won’t cause another scene like that again!”
More swats fell down, igniting a painful sting in Osamu’s bottom. He had started to squirm at this point, wiggling his body in Aran’s lap as he attempted, and failed miserably, to dodge the spanks that were coming his way. “Hold yourself still ‘Samu.” Aran commanded as he lifted his knee a bit, exposing the sensitive skin of Osamu’s undercurve.
“No! Please!” the second year sobbed, his nails digging into the carpet of the floor as he tried to pull himself away from his senpai.
Aran quickly responded by pulling Osamu back into place by his hips and then landing five powerful spanks to the kid’s sit spots. “I told ya to stop yer squirmin’ little boy. Now are ya gonna behave for me or do I need to have ya hoisted up?”
“I’ll stay still, I swear!” Osamu sobbed in response, bringing the blue blanket just a little bit closer to his face. “Don’t pick me up, please! I don’t like my feet not touchin’ the ground.”
“This is yer last warnin’ then. Next time ya try to move away from a spank or crawl off my lap, I’m putting my foot on yer desk chair and yer gonna go over my knee that way. Ya understand?” Aran asked as he started the punishment back up.
Osamu simply nodded his head furiously, not trusting his words at the moment as he was rather busy wailing into his damp blanket.
Aran could make him give a verbal response, that Kita probably would have made him speak, but he wasn’t Kita, and he did feel bad for the poor kid. Insecurities were never easy to deal with and the long weekend definitely didn’t help anything. The kid had likely been simmering since Friday without even knowing, only to come to a boil at practice after a few small actions pushed him over the edge.
“If ya ever feel like I’m neglectin’ ya in the future, I expect ya to come to me. Sulkin’ and losin’ yer temper is never going to be okay and will always land with ya in this position.” A set of rapid-fire swats fell down, searing a sting impression into the upturned bottom. “I hate doin’ this Osamu, makin’ ya cry kills a bit of me but I cannot sit by while ya self-destruct. Did ya ever consider how ‘Tsumu was feelin’? His senpai wasn’t there today, and he probably was missin’ Kita just as much as you were missin’ me. Maybe he was just lookin’ for a little bit of comfort.”
The gray-haired boy choked on a sob at the image Aran was constructing for him. No, he hadn’t thought about how Atsumu was feeling in that moment. He had only seen the way Aran was flicking his brother’s nose and felt himself turning green with jealousy. That was something that Aran always did with him; it was their thing. Anger had begun coursing through his veins before he even had the time to stop and think about why all of this could be happening, why Aran might be trying to spend some extra time to joke around with Atsumu.
“No senpai! I didn’t think about it!” Osamu admitted, lowering the blanket slightly so he could turn his head and look up at Aran with large blue eyes that were seeping in sorrow. “I was…I let myself get angry and yelled without thinkin’.”
“Well, yer gonna be thinkin’ from now on aren’t ya?” Aran asked.
“Yes senpai!”
Aran nodded along, pausing the punishment for a moment as Osamu cried out a bit more. He let his hand rest between his kouhai’s shoulder blades and just gently begin to rub small smoothing circles in its place. “Yer doin’ good ‘Samu, we’re almost done now.” Aran heard a hiccup at that. Osamu wasn’t a dumb kid; he knew what those words meant. “Ya can catch yer breath, but after that I want ya to get me that ruler from yer desk.”
Osamu’s stomach dropped at his senpai’s words. He had been hoping and praying to the Gods that he would not be getting an implement with this spanking, but it seemed like the Gods had determined his behavior too abhorrent to ignore as well. Grace and mercy would not be smiling down upon him today. “But what about Kita-senpai?”
“What about him?” Aran asked, not quite understanding what the team captain had to do with anything.
“Isn’t he…isn’t he gonna spank me too?” Osamu gave his senpai a pitiful pout. “I don’t think I can…that I can take both of tho-those.”
“I’ll talk to Kita. The most you’ll have comin’ from him is a small spankin’ at bedtime.” Aran said. Looking down at the red bottom in front of him, he agreed that there was no way Osamu could take another full spanking tonight. Aran would just need to make sure that the worst that happened was that his kouhai’s bottom just got rewarmed before he was sent off to sleep. “No, go get that ruler so we can finish up and ya can get yourself a nap.”
Osamu huffed at the mention of the nap but had the common sense to push himself up from his snepai’s lap to retrieve the requested implement. When the boy meandered back, he was nervous to see that Aran had shifted so that his knees were closed, and he was pushed to the corner of the bed. That couldn’t be good.
“Bend over the bed here ‘Samu. I know ya did a good job about not wigglin’ after I told ya to keep still, but the ruler is gonna sting more than my hand and I want to make sure this ends as quickly as possible.” Aran explained, patting the area that Osamu was meant to lay on.
The second year wanted to protest, but it wasn’t lost on him that being taken over someone’s knee was a little kid punishment. Lying over a desk, chair, or bed was much more ‘adult’, even though the spanking itself was rather childish. After making such a big deal his entire life about being the more mature twin despite being a few minutes younger, he couldn’t exactly kick up a fuss about not being able to lie across Aran’s lap.
Hesitantly, Osamu lowered himself and bent over the bottom bunk. Before the ruler could rest on his bottom though, he reached out and pulled the blue blanket back up onto the bed and tuck it away in his arms under his chest. “How many?” He asked, blinking away any tears that he somehow still had remaining.
“Ten.” Aran said. “After each one, I want ya to promise not ta be a jealous brat again. Okay?” When he saw Osamu’s shoulders tense once again, but his head nod in confirmation, he let the ruler rise up and swing down.
“One.” Osamu counted. “I promise not ta be a jealous brat again senpai.”
A second blow came down, landing just above the first. “Two, I promise not ta be a jealous brat again senpai.”
The third came down in the space overlapping the first two strikes, causing Osamu to physically cringe and wiggle him bottom in pain. “Th-three,” he stuttered. “I-I promise not, not ta be a jealous brat again sen-senpai.”
After that, the spanks came down in a very similar manner. Aran laying down two strikes and then a third one in the overlap. Osamu whined and cried, but he was dutiful in counting each and every spank while reciting his required lines.
When it came time for the tenth and final spank, Aran angled the ruler so it would cross diagonally across Osamu’s entire bottom, eliciting a hiccup and sob from the boy across his lap. “Last one sweet boy.” Aran reported, taking a moment to make sure his boy was okay. “Yer doin’ so well kiddo, we are so close to bein’ done.”
“O-okay,” Osamu whispered into his blanket, his entire torso clinching in anticipation.
“I need ya to relax yer bottom ‘Samu. Clinchin’ like that only makes it worse.” Aran hated prolonging this, but he didn’t want Osamu to suffer any more than necessary. Finally, the kid decided to heed his words and relax his muscles. At the first sing of cooperation, Aran raised the ruler and brought it down before Osamu could even react to the piece of wood leaving its resting place.
“OW!” the boy hollered, kicking his feet about like a mad man at the burning sting. “Ten! I’m sorry senpai! I won’t, I won’t be a jealous brat ag-again!”
The second Osamu finished his sentence, Aran had pulled him into an embrace. He even managed to pry the tear-soaked blanket out of his kouhai’s claws and wrap the comforting fabric around the slim figure. “Shhh,” Aran soothed. “It’s over now, ya did very good.” He tucked the kid against himself and began to pet the gray locks were in front of him. “Just close yer eyes and get some rest sweet boy. I’ll be here when ya wake up.”
“What about ‘Tsumu?” Osamu muttered, looking up with eyes that were barely managing to blink themselves awake. “I gotta…gotta say sorry.”
“I’ll get him here while ya nap, don’t worry about that.” Aran bent over and placed a soft kiss on his kouhai’s forehead, hoping that it would act as a preventive shield for anymore jealous and sad thoughts. “Ya can apologize whenever ya wake up, but for now, I want ya to get some sleep. That poor brain of yers has been runnin’ around without a break today, and it needs some rest.”
“Okay,” Osamu sighed, his breath carrying relief and contentment now that he wasn’t under any more duress. “But ya gotta stay. Promise you’ll stay.”
“I already told ya that I would be here when ya woke up.” Aran chuckled. The angry hiss wasn’t lost on him whenever he pushed Osamu down to lay horizontally on the bed, but he let all of that go whenever he laid down next to the boy just to hear gentle coos from the now drifting second year.
Aran let out a hushed chuckle at the sight, taking a moment to readjust some of the hair that had fallen out of place during all of Osamu’s wiggling. “I never settled for ya ‘Samu.” Aran whispered. “You’ve always been my boy.”