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Sakusa Kiyoomi was a composed man. He was a rational man. He was the kind of man to direct panicked guests to the exit of a movie theatre while fire alarms screamed in the background. Sakusa Kiyoomi was the type of man who could set aside his pride when it came to losing volleyball matches and scrimmages. He was a team player who would work on his weaknesses to help the team. 

He had shoved his disgust and outrage when he had been placed into the MSBY Black Jackals’ dormitory. He held his tongue when his room assignment had been announced. Fought every ounce of his disapproval when he moved his belongings into the large four-bedroom apartment. Sakusa wasn’t overly warm and affectionate with his roommates, but he was amicable enough. 

Although living in the dorms would have never been his first choice, it had become somewhat tolerable. Atsumu never skipped his assigned chores and Bokuto was often reminded and reprimanded by his lover to complete his own tasks around their abode. Sakusa silently thanked Akaashi’s prompting by keeping Nonohana stocked in the fridge. 

The men kept to their private rooms for the most part but would partake in shared meals twice a day. Sakusa was the first to rise and first to excuse himself for the night. Every morning, Sakusa would run a brisk five kilometers, assemble breakfast, and be showered and dressed before his roommates even began to stir from their slumber. On the occasions Akaashi stayed over, he would share a cup of tea with the man on the balcony during the quiet mornings. Akaashi would type away on his laptop and Sakusa would silently rejoice in the shared amiable friendship. 

What had started as a painful nuisance to Sakusa turned into a bearable routine. That was, until Hinata Shouyou had joined the Black Jackals and subsequently moved into their one free bedroom. Bringing an annoyingly, seismic shift to his once tranquil routine. 

“Ya greedy little bastard,” Atsumu growled at their orange-headed teammate who was counting a large stack of multicolored bills. 

“It’s not my fault you keep landing on my properties, Atsumu-san,” Hinata batted his eyelashes at Atsumu and fanned himself with what had been Atsumu’s remaining money. Sakusa shifted on his knees, his face set in a tight line. It was well past his bedtime, but the men around the table weren’t letting up. He glanced at the clock above the couch, mentally subtracting the minutes he had until it would be absolutely too late for him to stay up. He had a routine and Hinata Shouyou would not continue to break it. 

“Oh, give him a deal, Shou-kun,” Bokuto looked up from Akaashi’s ear just long enough to put in his two cents before diving back into whatever grossly inappropriate things he was whispering to a blushing Akaashi. Sakusa shuddered at the thought and turned his attention back to the game at hand. He took a small sip of the beer Hinata had picked up after practice, the warmed, carbonated liquid washed down his throat and settled in his stomach like a rock. 

Friday nights, what used to be a quiet time for him, had turned into game nights. Hinata had plopped an overflowing box of games on their living room table the day he had moved in. Bokuto-san said you guys don’t do game nights, I’m here to change that! That had been well over three months ago and Sakusa was close to taking every single board and card game from their now cluttered entertainment center and building a bonfire. 

“Gimme your green properties and those two railroads and we’ll call it even,” Hinata’s lips curved into a wicked grin directed at Atsumu. 

“Then you’ll own most of the board!” 

“But you’ll have your money back and you won’t have to sell any other property,” Hinata’s voice oozed with a teasing undertone. 

“S’all I got left, ya thief!” Sakusa watched Atsumu’s face twist into a repulsed scowl. His blonde teammate had begun to crush the property cards in his trembling fists. Whether it was on purpose or out of pure rage, Sakusa did not know or particularly care. 

“Just go with it, Tsum-Tsum,” Bokuto’s voice was muffled from Akaashi’s neck. Sakusa rolled his eyes and looked at the clock, he really needed to go to bed. He picked up his beer and tipped it back, grimacing at the taste. 

“Yeah, go with it, Tsum-Tsum,” Hinata mocked Atsumu. 

“Yer a little monster, ain’t ya?” 

“That’s why you like me so much,” Hinata’s offhand statement wouldn’t have been a cause of concern for Sakusa. There had always been a light tension between the men. Who could finish the team’s warm-up run first or who could lift more or even, who could practice the longest before dropping from exhaustion. Their petty show of who was better trickled into their everyday conversations as well. Who could get the last word in. 

So, when Atsumu’s ears turned an almost inhuman shade of red, Sakusa noticed. In the time Sakusa had been teammates with Atsumu, he had not once seen the man flush with embarrassment. Hinata was still rifling through the bills in his hand, grouping the colored bills together and Bokuto was engrossed in a very distracted Akaashi. Sakusa had been the only one to witness Atsumu’s mortified reaction to Hinata’s words. 

“Well we’re going on to bed,” Bokuto broke the short silence, “Akaashi’s quite tired.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Atsumu muttered, “Keep it down tonight.” 

“Don’t be upset cause you lost and you’re not getting any,” Bokuto grinned down at his teammates, his arm was wrapped around Akaashi, “Goodnight gentleman.” 

“Goodnight Bokuto-san, Akaashi-san!” Hinata’s voice was filled with his usual sunny notes. Sakusa dipped his head in a bow as the men practically bolted to their end of the apartment. Atsumu let out an exasperated groan. His room was across the hall from Bokuto’s and more often than not when Akaashi stayed over, Atsumu would be grumbling for days after about thin walls. 

 “I do believe that is my cue as well,” Sakusa faked a yawn, hoping it would be enough to get him out of the remainder of the game. 

“Sorry, Omi-san,” Hinata looked up at him with pouting, brown eyes, “Just because Bokuto-san sucks at monopoly and fell out first, doesn’t mean I’m letting either one of you off easy. The game has to be finished.”

“I do believe you’ve won the game, Shouyou-kun.” 

Hinata raised an eyebrow, “I haven’t won until I’m the last one on the board.” 

“I can give Atsumu-san my-” 

“Absolutely not, I ain’t winning with yer help, Omi,” Atsumu snapped and pointed a finger at Hinata, “Gimme the money back and ya can have my shit.” 

Hinata let out a satisfied hum, “Pleasure doing business with ya, Atsumu-san.” The words rolled off his tongue like overly sweetened mochi. Sticky, sweet, and filled with something only known to the person biting into it. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for his setter being worked over by the newest member of the Jackals. Sakusa eyed the empty cans of beer stacked between the two men and sighed. 

“Let’s finish this quickly.” 

Sakusa had landed on two of Hinata’s properties back to back and forked over his money and properties. He exhaled a gust of relief and politely excused himself to his room. The bickering he had left at the table was quickly silenced as he clicked his door shut behind him. 

Only after his detailed skincare procedure, he slipped between his silken bed sheets. Sleep settled over him quickly. He entered his dreams, enjoying the fragments of what used to be peaceful Friday nights that rattled through his mind.

“Ah!” 

Sakusa blinked at the heavy fog of sleep and looked at his clock. It had been a few hours since he had gone to bed. He listened for a few moments, wondering if he had perhaps dreamed of the sound. When he didn’t hear anything, he settled back into his pillows, closing his eyes. 

“Ah! Ha!” 

Sakusa bolted up in his bed. That was definitely coming from somewhere in the department. He slid out of his bed and adjusted his pajama bottoms while he made his way to his door. With a soft click, he opened the door and looked down the dark hall. The apartment was pitch black, the faint whirring of the refrigerator the only sound he could make out. He looked across at Hinata’s closed door, but no light crept out from beneath it. Sakusa waited, patiently. He shook his head, turning back into his room, he must have been losing it. 

“A-Atsumu! Please… ah… there… yes!” 

Sakusa’s mouth dropped and he looked back at Hinata’s room. 

“A-Astumu!” 

“Hush, yer gonna wake someone up,” Atsumu’s voice, clear as day, followed the desperate whimpers that came from behind the closed door. 

“P-please… Atsumu… m-more,” Hinata’s keening was anything, but quiet. 

“I’ll give ya anything ya want baby, just hold out a little-” 

Sakusa closed the door, unable to allow his poor ears to be tortured any further. He reached into his nightstand, fumbling around in the dark for the noise cancelling earmuffs his mother had bought him as a housewarming gift. He slid the bulky things over his head and relaxed back into his pillows. The only sound in his ears was his own rapid heartbeat. 

Three Fridays later, Sakusa found himself wedged between Osamu Miya and Hinata. Normally, he would have been revolted to be in such close proximity to other people. But Hinata was the cleanest out of the roommates, after himself, of course. And Osamu. Sakusa sneaked a peak at Atsumu’s twin, he was perfect in every way. 

Across the table, Akaashi sat across from him with Bokuto on his left, facing Osamu, and Atsumu on his right, facing Hinata. They were two hours into an ongoing game of Uno that wouldn’t fucking die. Osamu let out of a twinkling laugh at whatever Akaashi had said and Sakusa’s breath hitched in his throat. The game might have been a little fun after all. 

“That’s plus four to you, Atsumu-san,” Hinata dropped the card on top of the deck and looked at Akaashi, “I choose blue.” 

“For fuck’s sake,” Atsumu shot Hinata a dirty look and picked up four cards from their dwindling deck. Sakusa watched the exchange, completely aware of the new eyes he looked at the two men with. 

Since he had overheard their… exchange, the men had quietly drifted apart in the last three weeks. No more competitions or sharp words swapped. It had become increasingly quiet in their apartment. Atsumu would stay cooped up in his room, no longer joining the other men for their normal shared meals. And, Sakusa clicked his tongue, he wasn’t doing his chores. 

“Omi-kun? Everything okay?” 

Sakusa’s neck went molten and he turned his head to look at Osamu. The man’s dark hair fluffed out from the side of his Miya Onigiri hat, giving him a much more youthful look. 

“Perfect,” Sakusa tried to keep a matter of fact tone, “I was just thinking of how the chores have been piling up. I’ll have to spend the day cleaning tomorrow.”

“Maybe if Atsumu-san left his room every once in a while,” Hinata mumbled next to him, a little too loud. 

“Whadja say?” Atsumu’s voice was cold.

“I said, maybe if you didn’t stay cooped up in your room all the time,” Hinata shot back. Sakusa wanted to glare at the smaller man next to him. Hinata had been no better. He would rather the chores not be done at all instead of half-assed. One too many times Sakusa had walked into the kitchen and found the dishes not done or the counter not wiped off, food still out, or vice versa. When Sakusa had done his weekly bathroom inspection he had found Hinata’s bathroom in an utter state of disarray, but his sink had been wiped spotlessly. 

“Oh right, sorry, I forgot the little ball of sunshine does no wrong,” Atsumu barked, slamming his cards down on the table before Sakusa could say something, “I’ve had enough of this shit. I’m going to bed. Samu, sleep where ya want or leave. I don’t care.” 

The men around the table watched in silence as Atsumu stormed to his room and slammed the door shut. Hinata let out a sigh and picked up the discarded cards. 

“I think we’re gonna go on to bed after that,” Bokuto was still staring towards the hall, “Actually, I think we might go stay at Akaashi’s tonight.”

“Okay,” Hinata shuffled the cards into the deck, not looking up from the cards in his hands. 

Sakusa exchanged a sympathetic smile with the couple and stood up, “I’ll walk you to the door.” He walked them to the door and bowed as they made their hasty retreat. Osamu was sitting by himself at the table when Sakusa walked back into the living room. 

“He went t’check on Tsumu,” Osamu huffed, “He’s been in a mood lately.” 

“Hinata-san?”

“Tsumu,” Osamu picked up the deck of cards, “I’m not sure where these need to go or I woulda put’em away.”

Sakusa took the deck out of Osamu’s hands, their fingers lightly brushing. The jolt that shot up Sakusa’s arm was enough to have him choke on his own breathing. He sucked in a gasp of air, trying to regain his composure when a large, warm hand started to rub between his shoulder blades. 

“Deep breath now,” Osamu’s voice was dangerously close to his ear, “Take a deep breath.” 

Sakusa pulled in ragged breaths as the man quietly urged him to breathe. The hand on his back was radiating heat through his thin tee shirt. Sakusa was trying to breathe, but all he could focus on were the long tender fingers stroking up and down his spine. When he finally calmed down, he turned his head, almost going into another fit when he found Osamu’s face inches from his own. 

“T-thank you,” Sakusa’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat, “We usually keep them in the entertainment center.” 

Osamu’s amber eyes were soft and warm, and they were staring into his own. Sakusa had spoken with the man a few times before, but they had never been alone together and never close enough to share the air between them. Osamu had a unique scent to him. Sakusa had been drawn to it the first time they had met. He smelled of the disinfectant soap he used at his restaurant and freshly cooked rice. Sakusa had been starstruck to find that not only was Osamu a chef, but he was always clean. There was never a drop of food on his clothes, he didn’t smell like the fryers that were tucked away in the back of his restaurant, and he was always washing his hands. 

“Ya’ve got the prettiest face, Omi-kun,” Osamu reached his hand out and Sakusa didn’t flinch away. Gentle fingers grazed his cheek and Sakusa all but melted into the fingertips.

“Fine! Fucking fine! I tried talking to you!” Hinata’s jarring voice had the two men jumping back from each other. They stood awkwardly apart as Hinata stormed through the living room and slammed his own door closed. The silence between them grew until Osamu cleared his throat and looked at the clock. 

“I guess I should be headin’ out.” 

“Oh, right,” Sakusa held the cards behind him in an attempt to keep from reaching out, “Thank you for coming tonight, I’m sorry it ended so abruptly.” 

“Ah, no big deal, Tsumu will get over whatever has him in a funk,” Osamu brushed his hand behind his neck, “I’ll try and make it next week.” 

“Sure,” Sakusa turned on his heel towards the door, “I’ll see you out.” 

“Just make sure ya lock up after me.” 

“Right,” Sakusa made it to the door, but not before he set the deck of cards on the counter. Osamu slipped on his shoes while Sakusa waited, shuffling from foot to foot nervously. 

“I’ll be off now,” Osamu looked back, the handle of the open door in his hand, “Do ya got a favorite food, Omi-kun?” 

Sakusa raised an eyebrow, “Umeboshi.” 

“Good t’know,” Osamu gave him a beaming smile, “I’ll be seein’ ya next time, Omi-kun.” 

“Have a good night, Osamu-san.” 

“Sweet dream, Omi-kun,” Osamu gave him another smile before shutting the door gently behind him. Sakusa waited a few moments before he locked the door and walked through the apartment, turning off the lights. 

When he had finished his nightly ritual, Sakusa found himself in the kitchen for a glass of water and one of the onigiri Osamu had brought with him for the group. Sakusa leaned over the counter, the only light coming from the one pendant light above the sink. He took small bites of the rice ball, pleased to find it was filled with Unagi. He savored the little ball until the very last bite, disappointment creasing his forehead as it came to an all too soon end. 

He ran his hands under the sink, washing them in a habitual trance when a sniffle came from behind him. Sakusa turned his head to find Hinata standing at the entrance of the kitchen, rubbing his red, puffy eyes. 

“O-omi-san,” Hinata hiccupped, “I-I’m sorry, just needed t’grab some tea.” Sakusa turned the sink off and wiped his hands on the fresh dish towel he had pulled from the drawer. 

“Are you okay, Shouyou-kun?”

The man looked at him and nodded, the dim light bounced off his glassy eyes. Sakusa cocked a head at him and folded his arms across his chest, “You don’t have to lie.” 

Shouyou let out a small sob, “I hurt Atsumu-san’s feelings, but I didn’t mean to.” 

“Did you tell him that?” 

“I-I,” Hinata was blubbering over his words, “Tried to. T-tonight. But h-he wouldn’t hear it.” 

Sakusa wanted to rub the bridge of his nose, “Tomorrow is a new day. Try again.” 

“O-okay, Omi-san.” 

“Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?” 

“I-is it too much t-to ask?” 

“No, go sit,” Sakusa pointed at the part of their island that housed four barstools, “I’ll make us some tea.” He pulled the kettle from the cabinet and filled it with water. He snuck a glance at Hinata and frowned. The man was staring, with a defeated pout stretched across his face, towards Atsumu’s room. Sakusa sighed, he really hoped this issue would resolve itself on its own. 

It had been three weeks since Sakusa had sat in the kitchen with Hinata after Atsumu’s outburst and things had only gotten worse. He bent over, hands on his knees, sweat beading down his neck and snarled at Atsumu, “Could you stop throwing impossible tosses? I’m not Shouyou-kun, I can’t be there in the blink of an eye.” 

“Any hitter that can’t hit my tosses is a just a-”
“If you call me a scrub, I will deck you right here,” Sakusa looked up at the setter, his face contorted into an irate scowl. They had been practicing spike drills and Atsumu was brutal with his tosses. 

“Omi-kun?” Bokuto popped into his view, “You doing okay?” 

“Yeah, fine,” He gestured at Atsumu with his sweat soaked curls, “Just need that one to stop being so pissy.” 

“I ain’t pissy.” 

“Shouyou-kun doesn’t show up to practice for the third day in a row because he’s got the flu, you don’t even bother checking on him at home, but you have the audacity to act like a bastard during practice,” Sakusa hurled the words out before he realized what he said. The gym went audibly silent after Sakusa raised his voice. 

“I-I,” Atsumu stuttered, apparently astonished at Sakusa’s outburst. Sakusa straightened his posture and turned towards the locker rooms. 

“I’m going home early. I’ll check on Shouyou-kun, I apologize Meian-san, Coach Foster” Sakusa bowed to the two men and strode out of the gym. They had cancelled Friday game nights since Atsumu and Shouyou refused to be in the same room outside of practice. Bokuto had been staying at Akaashi’s to avoid the tension that filled the apartment. Sakusa pulled on his jacket and shouldered his bag before making a haste exit. 

On his way home, he dropped into the local conbini and picked up a serving of Okayu with salted salmon. He grabbed an Umeboshi onigiri for himself, silently wishing Osamu would drop by with more Onigiri, and checked out with the cashier. He walked back to the dorms and found Shouyou on the couch when he stepped into their apartment. 

“Oh, Omi-san,” Shouyou’s voice was dulled by one of the masks Sakusa had provided him, “You’re back early.” 

“I…” He paused, “Had a disagreement with Atsumu-san and decided to come check on you.” He held up the plastic bag, “I brought you some food, stay there and I’ll warm it up for you.” 

“Thank you, Omi-san,” Hinata wrapped himself up tighter in the blanket that surrounded his small frame, “What did you and Atsumu-san fight about?” 

“His tosses,” Sakusa popped the little bowl into the microwave and unwrapped his Onigiri, grimacing at the first bite. He tossed it into the waste bin and pulled a banana from the fruit basket on the counter. 

“They’ve been pretty aggressive lately.” 

“Well, I’m not you,” Sakusa chomped into the sweet flesh, “I can’t just hit his crazy tosses the way you can.” 

“Oh.” 

The microwave beeped and Sakusa removed the bowl to stir the contents. He sprinkled the salmon over the top and tossed the green onions, now knowing Hinata didn’t care for the little round circles of flavor in his Okayu. He walked the food over to the Hinata and handed him the bowl and the spoon that had been included with it. 

“Thank you for the food,” Hinata bowed his head, his hands pressed lightly together. Sakusa took a seat on the floor and finished off the banana. Hinata took slow bites of the food until he finished the contents of the container. 

“He told me he likes me,” Hinata’s voice was quiet, so quiet that Sakusa didn’t think he had heard him correctly.
“Who?” 

“Atsumu-san,” Hinata closed his eyes and leaned his back on the sofa, “It was after that game of Monopoly.” 

“Oh,” Sakusa visibly shuddered remembering the noises that had been coming from Shouyou’s room that night, “What did you say?” 

“I said thanks.” 

“You said thanks?” 

“Yeah,” Hinata sighed, “I said thanks.” 

“Then what happened?” 

“He got mad.” 

“Why did you say thanks? Do you even like him?” 

Hinata’s head snapped up, his eyes wide, “I like him a lot! I just don’t have experience with this type of thing! I didn’t know what to say!” 

“You don’t need to yell. I can hear you perfectly fine.” 

“Oh,” Hinata’s face dropped, “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not a big deal,” Sakusa sat back on his hands, “So did you tell him that?” 

“I tried to. Well first I talked to Osamu about it and Atsumu-san got mad about that too and he hasn’t talked to me since.” 

“How come?”
“Something about Osamu always taking what he wanted when they were kids and old habits die hard,” Hinata stroked the blanket, “But Osamu likes someone. He was only trying to help.” 

Ouch. Sakusa chewed on his bottom lip, “And Atsumu doesn’t want to hear it?” 

“No,” Hinata let out another long breath, “I don’t know what to do, Omi-san, I really, really like him.” 

“Keep trying on him,” Sakusa suggested, “He’ll crack eventually.” 

“Thank you, Omi-san, for listening to me.” 

“Yup, I’m gonna go shower off and take a nap,” Sakusa stood and turned towards his room, “Atsumu-san isn’t the smartest tool in the shed, keep working on him and he’ll break.”

Two weeks later and Sakusa was on the verge of a mental break. He stood in the kitchen staring at days’ worth of dirtied dishes. The floor hadn’t been scrubbed in weeks and the bathrooms… an irritated hum vibrated his chest. Hinata and Atsumu wouldn’t leave their rooms and if they did it was for a fleeting moment. Bokuto’s room had stayed spotless since the man had practically moved in with Akaashi. 

Sakusa tapped on the counter and made the decision to clean after his run when Hinata walked in, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His curly orange mop was looking extra unruly from sleep. 

“Oh, Omi-san, are you going for your run?” 

Sakusa opened his mouth when Atsumu walked in from the other side of the apartment, his own bedhead was another eyesore in the kitchen. He watched as the two men saw each other, their bodies tensing up as they took small steps back towards their rooms. Hinata tripped over a pair of shoes that weren’t in their proper place and Sakusa snapped. 

“That’s it,” He glared at Atsumu, “Go sit on the couch.” He turned his anger towards Hinata, “You, go sit on the couch.” 

“B-but,” Hinata stuttered, looking up at him from the ground.

“Now,” The word came out of clenched teeth, “Don’t make me ask again.” 

Hinata scrambled to his feet and sat down on the couch, as far away from Atsumu as physically possible on the small sectional. They shared a brief look of confusion before turning their heads away in a scowl. 

“If the two of you don’t sit down and talk about this, I’m going to request the rooms be reassigned.” 

Atsumu scoffed, “Ya can’t do-” 

“I’ve already discussed it with Meian-san and Coach. If the two of you can’t figure this shit out, they’re going to switch everyone out,” Sakusa crossed his arms. He hadn’t actually talked to anyone about this, but he hoped the bluff would at least get the two of them to talk. 

When no one said anything, Sakusa looked at the clock, “I’m going for my run, but I’m going to double it. I should be back in an hour,” He looked back at the two men, “That should be plenty of time to talk and clean the goddamn apartment.” 

Atsumu whined, “It’s so early.” 

“Clean your shit up or pack your bags, Atsumu-san. I’m tired of you acting like a jackass and you,” He pointed at Shouyou, “I’m tired of you moping around like a ghost.” 

He turned towards the door, grabbing his phone and keys, “One hour. That’s all you get.” He closed the door behind him with a little more force than he had meant, jumping at the loud bang that echoed down the hall. 

When he stepped onto the street, he let out the breath he had been holding and prayed that they would talk. He was ready to get back to their normal routine and deep down, he was missing game night. 

The apartment was quiet when he strolled in almost two hours later. In the middle of his run he had stumbled across a small Onigiri shop and had a light lunch. While the Onigiri had been better than the conbini’s, it didn’t come close to Osamu’s Onigiri. With a full belly and only the slight taste of disappointment on his tongue, Sakusa had decided to run off his lunch and emotions. 

Disinfectant lingered in the air and a small smile touched Sakusa’s lips at the sight of the cleaned apartment. The kitchen almost sparkled under the recessed lighting. The living room had been tidied and the floors were spotless. Sakusa slipped out of his trainers and placed them on the shoe rack, pleasure curling his lips at all the shoes on the rack and not on the floor.

He walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge before leaning across the island to admire the handiwork of Atsumu and Hinata. When he walked back to his room, he was surprised to find Hinata’s door closed. He raised an eyebrow and groaned, maybe they hadn’t actually talked things out. A small noise that sounded too much like a sob came from behind the door.

Sakusa knocked once. No answer. 

He knocked again. No answer. 

On his third knock, Sakusa opened the door. 

“Omi-san!” 

Sakusa dropped his water bottle and slammed the door shut. He had barely made it the short distance to his door when Atsumu cracked the door open, his face red, sweat dripping from the ends of his hair. 

“Ah, Omi-kun,” The man’s voice was breathless, “We weren’t sure when ya’d be home.” 

“Lock the goddamn door next time!” Sakusa slammed his own door closed and collapsed on his bed. Giggles from Hinata’s room infiltrated his space and he grabbed the noise cancelling earmuffs. He buried his face into his comforter, ignoring the grin that tried to work its way onto his lips. At least game nights could begin again. 

Two Fridays later, Sakusa sat at their table, counting out the clay chips they would be using for their poker night. Bokuto and Akaashi were whispering softly to each other, their fingers drawing small shapes on the tops of each other’s hands. Hinata was mindlessly shuffling a deck of cards.

“Honey! I’m home!” Atsumu announced his arrival as he stepped through the door and Hinata bolted towards the door in an enthusiastic cheer. Sakusa rolled his eyes but smiled internally. The two had announced they were dating shortly after he had forced them to sit down and talk things out. The apartment stayed spotless. And practices were back to normal. Sakusa leaned over, trying to get a peek at the door. He pouted for all of a second when he didn’t see Osamu. 

Atsumu and Hinata walked in, hands laced together and took their seat at the table. Rather, Hinata sat in Atsumu’s lap with a sunny smile and Atsumu held onto him for dear life. The familiar Miya Onigiri box in Atsumu’s hands sent a wave of disappointment through Sakusa. He turned his attention back to the clay chips.
            “Oi, Omi-kun.” 

Sakusa looked up at Atsumu, he held out a smaller box with Omi-Omi scrawled on top in pretty penmanship. Sakusa furrowed his eyebrows as he took the box out of Atsumu’s hands. When he opened it, his face broke out into a smile. On the inside of the box, with the same hand, a note was written. 

Sorry I can’t be there tonight. I’ve been wanting to bring these to ya, but haven’t found the courage since I saw ya last. I hope you enjoy it. If ya have time tomorrow, let me buy ya some real food. -Samu (xxx-xxx-xxxx) 

Sakusa gingerly lifted one of the Onigiri from the box and bit into it. The sharp, salty tang of the Umeboshi exploded on his tongue. A low moan of approval escaped his lips as he finished the rice ball in three bites. He closed his eyes and smiled up at the ceiling, grateful for Hinata Shouyou moving into their dorm.