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Atsumu and Osamu had always been really close to each other. They were twins, but their bond was even more than that. They were each other’s half.
As babies, when one would cry, the other would end up crying too. When Osamu was hungry, Atsumu was hungry. When Atsumu was playful, Osamu felt playful too. They even sucked each other’s thumb to sleep. Even though the adults around them thought that them being this close was very cute – they took and printed a lot of photos for everyone to remember and to show the twins when they would be older – they thought that they were just influenced by each other and that it wouldn’t last forever.
They were wrong.
Osamu and Atsumu grew up and their bond only got stronger, even if it was different from before. They were no longer as close physically – they could now go several hours without holding hands, something unimaginable when they were babies – but that bond was reflected in other ways. For instance, when one of them was getting scolded, the other always managed to get a reprimand too so that his brother would not feel lonely and sad. It was now clear for their parents that they only had to look at each other to understand each other. They always knew where the other was and how he felt.
Their own respective personalities became more and more pronounced. Atsumu was loud and passionate. In primary school they discovered volleyball and he immediately fell in love with the sport. That was the only thing he talked about and he was training as much as possible. He said he wanted to become a setter. Osamu liked the sport too, but it was more of a hobby for him than a real passion. He still trained hard not to be left behind by his brother. He wanted to play the games with him and not just watch him from the bench. His real thing though was food. He loved eating and cooking. He really felt in his element when he was looking for new recipes and preparing them for his family. He was the family’s little chef, and Atsumu loved to help him, to be his assistant. Yes, Osamu may have been quieter, but he was still as passionate as his brother.
Of course they bickered. And rather often in fact, especially for small matters. Quarrels with no real consequences, and they both knew it. But they were the only ones allowed to call the other names, because they knew that they didn’t really mean it. It wasn’t unusual for them to get into fights for each other’s honours in middle school. Soon enough, people learned that being in trouble with one of them meant being in trouble with the other.
It was just… the Miya twins. Osamu and Atsumu. Come in pairs, please do not separate.
But Osamu knew that things would soon change. They were in their second year of high school and in less than two years, their individual paths would diverge to pursue their own dreams. He wasn’t scared though. He knew that whatever happened, they would always be there for each other. Actually, he was rather curious to know what was going to happen.
“Do ya think there’ll be any cute guys at the training camp?” Atsumu asked, closing his suitcase.
Ah, Atsumu was a hopeless romantic, always thinking he would find the love of his life around the next corner.
“I don’t know, I mean, ya’ll be surrounded by probably tall, sweating dudes as crazy about volleyball as ya for a whole week,” he answered with a slight grin. “One of them might finally have a crush on ya.”
“Hey, I’ll have ya know that plenty of people have a crush on me!” his brother answered, as if he was offended.
Osamu decided to pull the string. “Hmm, that’s why yer still single.”
Atsumu didn’t even bother answering and threw a pillow to his face. He narrowly dodged it and the victim of the throw was one of Osamu's figurines. Luckily for his twin, it did not break.
“I heard that Sakusa would be there,” he muttered after a few minutes of silence.
“That tall, black haired guy with weird wrists from Itachiyama?” Osamu replied, trying to remember him.
“Yeah, him,” Atsumu said, fidgeting with his hands. Was he blushing?
“Heh, can’t say I’m surprised he’s gonna be there. He’s one hella outside hitter,” Osamu said.
“The best,” his brother quickly replied. “Apparently. I don’t know. Maybe he is.” He was fumbling for words. Weird. “Anyways, I can’t wait to toss to him. I mean, he’s a great hitter, right?” He looked at his twin as if he could confirm that the only reason he wanted to set for him was because Sakusa was, according to the magazines, the best spiker.
“Yeah, right,” Osamu obliged. He had no idea what else he could say.
Something felt off with Atsumu. He had always been passionate about volleyball, always hungry to improve. And this training camp was a great opportunity for him to do that. He would be with the best high school volleyball players of all Japan. But he could say whatever he wanted and try to convince himself, he seemed much more anxious than excited about going, and Osamu had no idea why. He was the best setter of his age after all.
“Atsumu, darling, it’s time,” they heard their mom say from the bottom of the stairs.
Osamu took the suitcase without asking his brother if he needed help with it. He wasn’t going to see him for a whole week and he knew that their room would feel empty without him. Once downstairs, he went to the kitchen and took the bento he prepared for his brother and gave it to him.
“Here, for the train,” he simply said. It was his way for him to show that he would miss Atsumu.
His twin thanked him and after a hug, Atsumu’s way of saying he would feel the same, he put the bento in his backpack.
They left the house and went to the train station. Atsumu hugged his parents and turned towards Osamu.
“Write a diary or take some notes or something because I want to know everything when ya get home,” Osamu said. He wasn’t going to this training camp, but there was no way he would get distanced by his own brother. And he was genuinely interested in how Atsumu would live this experience, how he would feel about it. Especially about that guy his brother seemed so nervous about. “Especially about Sakusa,” he added with a grin.
Atsumu definitely blushed and quickly nodded but didn’t say anything. They hugged one last time and he got on the train.
A few hours later, his brother sent a text message in the family group chat saying that he had arrived safely at the training camp, and then, another message but in their private conversation this time:
Tsumu 😑
he’s here
A few seconds later, he received a picture of a tall boy with curly black hair wearing a neon yellow and green jacket. Ugh, Itachiyama's colours were really ugly.
Tsumu 😑
see the attachment
that’s him
:)
Despite the clearly questionable fashion sense – the boy had chosen yellow sports shoes in addition to his imposed bright outfit –, Osamu started to figure out what was making his brother so nervous whenever he talked about Sakusa.
–
A week later, Atsumu (finally) came back from the training camp and the small family was complete again. They were all reunited for a meal, Osamu made his twin’s favourites, and everyone is listening to Atsumu’s stories. At one point, over dessert, he announced to his parents that he has made his decision: he will go pro right after high school. It was now clear to him that he did not want to wait until the end of his studies at university to pursue his dream of becoming a professional player. Osamu couldn’t be happier to see his brother as enthusiastic as he was.
However, he noticed that Atsumu didn’t mention Sakusa’s name. Not even once. Did something wrong happen with him? When they went to their room, Osamu asked the question that was on his mind.
“What? Nah, nothing’s wrong with Omi-kun!” his twin replied.
“Oh, oka- wait who?” Osamu quickly said.
Atsumu has always been the type to give nicknames to his friends, but Sakusa? This guy looked so uptight, it was strange to imagine him answering to the name ‘Omi-kun’.
The blonde handed him a notebook, the one he had been using for the past week, saying that he would surely want to read it to have a better understanding of the relationship between him and Sakusa.
And indeed, everything was great between them. More than that even, if what was written was to be believed. The harmonious and invincible duo they formed on the field, the glances exchanged, the meals spent next to each other, the discussions shared until late at night despite the curfew, everything seemed almost to come out of a teenage romance. Inarizaki's slogan was 'We don't need memories', but Atsumu surely wanted to remember that week.
“I like him,” Atsumu simply said when his brother finally looked up from the notebook. “And I think he likes me too. He gave me his phone number before he went home.”
“I’m happy for you ‘Tsumu,” Osamu replied with a soft smile. How could he not be happy for him, when his brother’s eyes were shining with fondness when he was talking about his crush.
After this day, ‘Omi-kun’ was the only thing Atsumu would talk about. They were face-timing at least once a week and every night, Osamu could hear little giggles coming from his brother’s bed. Atsumu had even printed out a calendar to see how many days they had left until the next national inter-high tournament (twelve days) and each day he would cross out a box. Osamu couldn't decide if his twin was more excited about the tournament or about seeing Sakusa again.
He got his answer not even two weeks later when their team arrived at the sports hall where the nationals were to be held. As soon as she arrived in the gymnasium, Atsumu started looking for someone, turning his head in all directions and standing on his toes to get a better view of the crowd of high school students from all over Japan surrounding them.
That’s when, from behind them, they heard someone call “Atsumu!”. His brother quickly turned around, and his face lightened up, a smile growing on his face. He didn’t have time to answer that Sakusa Kiyoomi was running towards him. When he reached them, he embraced Atsumu. Osamu couldn't fully see Sakusa's expression because of the mask that covered half of his face, but from the tears that threatened to fall down his cheeks, he knew that Kiyoomi had been looking forward to their reunion as much as Atsumu had. Everyone was looking at them, giggling and pointing them out to their friends, but they didn’t seem to notice, wrapped in their own bubble. They stood there for minutes, whispering sweet nothings in each other's ears and looking at each other as if they were looking at the 8th wonder of the world.
Looking at them, Osamu couldn't help but think that yes, he was happy for Atsumu. He was sure that his twin brother had found in the same person a teammate as crazy about volleyball as him and a caring lover. Together, they’d make a strong and passionate couple.