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“You know, Samu,” Atsumu asks as he lounges on the top bunk of the bunk bed, his fingers tracing circles in the air. Below him, his brother was busy sharpening a dagger, the sound of metal hitting rock filling the air as Osamu groans, “What now, Tsumu?”
“You know the whole thing about the gods being related to each other?”
“Don’t you dare start…”
“If I were to date a son of Hades, who is technically our uncle due to Dad being his nephew, wouldn’t that mean we would be dating our cousin-once-removed?” Atsumu lets out a yelp as Osamu kicks the bed from underneath, the foundations of the wooden structure creaking as Osamu shouts, “For goodness sakes, that’s not how it works among demigods! If that’s the case…” Osamu doesn’t even want to say the words as Atsumu chuckles, ducking to see what his younger twin was doing. He swings down with ease to drop next to his brother, smirking as he saw the initials carved onto the blade as he grins.
“Oh, so romantic. Who knew trying to court someone involves literally stabbing them through the heart?”
“Oh shut up! Rin likes… pointy things..” Osamu turns a bright red as Atsumu laughs. Osamu had been seeing a certain Son of Poseidon recently and it was no surprise that they got together at the end of last summer. Atsumu had to deal with the million and one embarrassing calls the two often had with each other, often having to escape to the living room when things got too heated even online as he curses having introduced the two of them in the first place as a practical joke.
“Speaking of which, have you finally asked your oh so beautiful king of the dead out yet?”
“Oh puh-lease! I’m working on it!”
“The great Miya Atsumu who used to change guys and girls like clothing back in school is saying he needs time?” Osamu chuckles as Atsumu blushes. The Son of Hades can be a bit tricky to court… in fact, he never thought someone would be that immune to his advances! Atsumu already had the reputation of being the golden boy of Camp Half-Blood and had literally tried to flirt with everyone in camp, most of them falling for his beauty (more for his stupidity, according to Osamu).
All except for one Sakusa Kiyoomi.
“Don’t worry! It will be fine!” Atsumu grins.
Step 1: Don’t try to play bongos in the middle of the night
Sakusa Kiyoomi enjoys his sleep. It was about the one time in the day he could be all alone in his dorm, enjoying the quiet of the night.
That was until a certain son of Apollo decided to play bongos at three freaking am.
Even as Sakusa tried to smash the pillows over his ears, he could hear Atsumu’s horrible voice floating through the air, almost shattering the windows of the Hades Dorm as he beat away at the bongos.
“I am playing my bongos. Come on and play bongos with me! I am playing my bongos. Oh wouldn’t you like to play with my bongos.” Sakusa could almost see Atsumu smirking as he sang, the sound of the bongos already making his anger rise as he growls, “Oh shut up.”
There was a yell and a loud crack as Atsumu was chased away by the undead, the son of Apollo screaming for help as he ran off into the night. Sakusa let them remain outside to guard him just in case a certain idiot tried to step into his dorm that night, dreaming of how he wanted to smash the bongos against Atsumu’s head and send him to the Underworld.
Step 2 : Do not create a haiku for him during campfire night
Sakusa sat far away from the group, finding shelter in the darkness of the trees. The rest of Camp Half-blood were merrily dancing and singing around the large bonfire, their faces lighted up by the light as he shivered. Sometimes he wished he could just be with them but knowing his reputation as the son of the God of the Dead made many people stay away from him. He knew he could be imposing…
But that didn’t mean he didn’t want a friend.
Oh my beloved Sakusa Kiyoomi
Your dark brooding face shines in the night
Be by my side now.
Sakusa didn’t have to look up to see Atsumu sitting on the branch above him, having the gale to play a harp as he began regaling his horrible poetry skills.
Dark hair black as night
Twin moles kissing the top of your brow
Lips plush as cherry blossoms.
Oh woe the beautiful darkness
Your eyes send my heart into happiness
Now come, I embrace you!
Sakusa flicks his arm as he tosses a rock upwards, nearly hitting Atsumu’s butt as it cuts through the branch. He steps out of the way just in time for Atsumu to come crashing to the ground in an almighty crash, the son of Apollo screaming bloody murder as Osamu and Suna laughed from afar.
“Hey come on! Can’t you give a guy a chance?!” Atsumu squawked as Sakusa moved away, not wanting to have to deal with the idiot for as long as he lived.
Step 3 : Don’t try to bring Sakusa for a late night swimming session
“What the hell are you even trying to do now, Miya?” Sakusa groans as they walked through the camp, trying to avoid being seen by the harpies as they floated above. Sakusa didn’t know what the hell possessed him to even want to follow the son of Apollo down to the lake for a little adventure as he called it.
“Don’t worry, it will be fun!” Atsumu grins as he walks ahead. Sakusa rolls his eyes as he follows him down to the sandy beach, the son of Apollo already making quick work to strip down into nothing at all as he yells, “Geronimo!” He leaps into the water, spraying Sakusa as he gasps, cold sticking to him as he grins, “Bazinga!” He splashes water at Sakusa’s face as Sakusa almost murders him, anger already radiating off him as he growls, “You told me we would be able to see an eclipse that happened once a century.”
“And you didn’t even think of reading that up?” Atsumu laughs just as he was surrounded by a whirlpool, sending him sky high before he could even let out a yell as Sakusa gawked.
“Sorry, he was interrupting us,” Suna murmurs as he and Osamu stepped out of the water. Both weren’t wearing anything either and Sakusa all but ran back to the Hades dorm as Suna wondered out loud, “Oh come on! As if no one has gone skinny dipping here before!”
Step 4 : Don’t ever be on the opposing volleyball team as Sakusa
Atsumu swears that Sakusa was out to get his throat. Every single spike was aimed directly at his face and at certain times, where the sun doesn’t shine. He found himself having to dodge more than set as he rolled in the sand, the sound of his fellow campers cheering in the air.
“Atsumu-san!” Hinata called as he brought the ball back up. Atsumu barely managed to scramble to his feet to set it up in the air, Osamu rising to spike it as Kita, son of Demeter brought the rear for the opposing team. Suna got ready to block as Sakusa all but grinned at Atsumu, making the setter blanch as he growled, “Oh you wanna play rough, Omiomi?”
As the game got more brutal, some of the campers had to clear the way when stray volleyball all but blew holes into the sand. The team had already gone through ten volleyballs with no signs of stopping, Atsumu setting until his fingers had blisters while Sakusa spiked hard enough to leave indentations in the sand.
“Holy, would you just quit it!” Atsumu yells as he sets the ball once more, the ball wobbling slightly out of position as Hinata manages to spike it. Kita brings up the ball once more, high enough for Sakusa to spike it immediately as his hand whips back to smash down onto the ball, directly at Atsumu.
The son of Apollo didn’t have time to register as he collapses to the ground, his lower areas feeling surprisingly none existent at the moment as he squeaks out.
“There goes my son.”
Step 5 : Don’t ever try to sing love songs in the middle of the night
“You know he’s going to kill you right?” Osamu whisper-shouts as Atsumu crept out of bed and into the night. He had his trusty harp with him, his ballad already in mind as he sneaks off to the Hades dorm. Once he was outside, he clears his throat as he begins to play, his voice floating into the night sky as he sings.
Take my hand
Take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you.
Like a river flows
Surely to the sea
Darling, so it goes
Some things are meant to be.
Next thing he knew, Atsumu was literally being dragged into the underworld and had to get help from the Harpies of all people before he got pulled to his death.
“When are you ever going to learn?” Osamu grins from behind his hand as Atsumu, his face all scratched up from having to fight of the dead and harpies the entire night as the older Miya groaned.
“Why the hell is he not accepting me? I’m just trying to court him like a normal person!” he whined as he tried to stab at his sausage. The other children of Apollo were keeping a safe distance from the twins as several sausages went flying from the sheer stabbing force from Atsumu’s knife. Osamu merely sipped on his cup of apple juice, eying his twin as he groans.
“Why don’t you just court him like a normal person?”
“Define normal!”
“Are ya serious? Dumbass…. As if anyone wants to hear about playing bongos or singing ballads in the middle of the night!”
“You did it with Rin!”
“Well Rin is different! Sakusa is way more moody and plus, being the son of the King of the Dead and all might hardwire your mind a little bit!”
“Fine,” Atsumu grunted, stabbing into his plate hard enough to crack the thing in half.
Final step : Talk to him like a normal person
“Sakusa Kiyoomi. Sorry for being an idiot for the past few days but I have been madly falling for you the entire year and only have this summer to court you so will you freaking please just date me already? No no, he wouldn’t like that, he would probably just send me to my grave,” Atsumu mutters under his breath as he hikes up Half blood hill. What better way to brain storm than to go hiking in the middle of the night, the moon shining high above his head?
Before he could take a step further, he noticed a single figure seated underneath Thalia’s tree, the boy cooing at a tiny little creature in his lap as Atsumu’s eyes widened. Sakusa was playing with a puppy of all things, the tiny creature yipping and licking at him as he let out a tiny laugh.
“That’s a good boy. Aren’t you a good little boy, Titan?” he cooed as Atsumu gawked at the spectacle. This was the first and only time he ever saw Sakusa even remotely smiling. The son of Hades had the most beautiful smile, curving to make dimples on his cheeks as his hand ran through the silky fur of the dog in his hands. This was the most relaxed he had ever seen him; Sakusa always seemed to put up a wall around him at all times, as though afraid of getting hurt.
Before Atsumu could step forward, Titan let out a growl as he leaped off from Sakusa’s lap. The demigod calls for him to stop as Titan bounded towards Atsumu, barking as Atsumu tried to stop him.
“Good doggie! Nice little doggie!” Atsumu called as the dog leaped into the air, teeth bared as Sakusa snapped his fingers. The dog disappeared into a puff of smoke before snaking away into a tiny crack into the Underworld when it hit Atsumu on what was going on.
Children of Hades weren’t liked by animals at all, meaning the only types that would interact with Sakusa would be the dead. Atsumu nearly felt his heart drop from sadness from the revelation that Sakusa couldn’t even hold a live puppy in his arms without startling it, the other demigod slumping against the tree as he grunted, “If this is another one of your stupid courting rituals, leave me alone.”
“Come on Omiomi! I just wanted to talk!”
“Why do you even want to associate yourself with me?” Sakusa snapped as Atsumu bit his tongue. He wanted to sing ballads of his beauty and of his bravery, of his skills in volleyball and with the sword.
He wanted to tell him how he was much better than that stupid father of his, King of the Underworld or not.
“I am the son of the King of the Dead. I won’t ever be able to have children because of my blood. I won’t ever be able to give anyone happiness with my ties to the dead. I will never make anyone happy. So why do you, the son of the God of the Sun of all people want to be with someone as glum as me?” Sakusa’s black eyes seemed to pierce straight into Atsumu’s soul, searching for why the demigod would even like him. Sakusa made it a point he didn’t want to be near people. Even his fellow brothers in arms from the Big Three stayed clear from him, save Suna who sometimes came over to tell him to give Atsumu a bit of a chance.
Atsumu stepped forward before getting down into a geiza position. His jeans scrapped against the ground, the moonlight highlighting his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt as his blonde hair shone in the darkness. It was that moronic smile and hair that made Sakusa think twice about not wanting to associate with anyone from camp; Atsumu brought more life to him ever since he joined the camp, being the one and only person to not treat him like the plague and treated him like a proper human.
“Omi, I think you’re the coolest person I ever met. You’re good in volleyball, even good enough to go pro. You’re an amazing leader and you don’t ever leave anyone behind on missions. And you’re just so beautiful.” Atsumu blushes in the moonlight as Sakusa nearly chuckles, glad he had his face mask on to prevent him from seeing his blush.
“Even if it is just until the end of this summer, let me get to know you better. I promise you, I will be with you even if the world falls apart and if you get fed up with me and want to kick me into the Underworld, go ahead.” Sakusa shudders at the thought considering he had the power to do so, Atsumu’s golden eyes raising as he grinned a lopsided smile.
“So, let us start over. My name is Miya Atsumu, cabin leader and son of Apollo. I would like to ask you for a date.”
...
The next day everyone in camp was staring as Atsumu attempted to feed Sakusa some sausages, the son of Hades barely even flinching as he opened his mouth to accept the food. Even Suna had a dumbfounded look on his face as the two continued to feed each other, Atsumu’s face red with happiness while Sakusa had what looked like a combination between happiness and despair.
“Hey, what the hell did you get him to do to end up like this?” Suna hissed as Osamu shrugged.
“Not to ask Sakusa to play his bongos?”
“What?! He used the same move as you did with me?”
“Guess he’s not an idiot like you, Rin.” Osamu shuts him up with a quick kiss so he could get back to eating breakfast, tuning out his brother and Sakusa as he smiled to himself.
Sometimes, normal was the best way to get a guy after all.