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KIYOOMI
Atsumu has his tongue shoved halfway down Kiyoomi’s throat when the door to the Student Council room swings open. Kiyoomi pushes Atsumu away from him, sending his boyfriend tumbling ungracefully off his desk, landing on the floor with a loud thud.
Whipping his head to the door in a panic, Kiyoomi attempts to conjure up some pathetic excuse as to why he, the student council president, was just sucking face with the infamous school delinquent, Miya Atsumu.
To his relief (and dismay), it’s just Suna and Osamu standing by the door with both their hands... laced together?
Kiyoomi stares at them in shocked silence, head cocking slightly to the side as he tries to wrap his head around this new development. He didn’t know Suna was even interested in anyone, let alone the fact that he was dating Atsumu’s brother. In hindsight, he figures that explains Suna’s weird fascination with Osamu and all the times he disappeared during council meetings without an explanation.
Does this mean that he has the same type as Suna since they both like the same face? No, no, it doesn't. Wait, does it, though? Kiyoomi doesn’t want to think about it.
“Hey, why’d ya push me off– Oh, hey ‘Samu, hey Suna,” Atsumu says when he sees who interrupted them. He glances down at their interlaced hands, and his jaw drops.
“Wha– Ya never told me ya got together with Suna!” Atsumu shouts as he points at Osamu.
Atsumu’s accusation seems to fall on deaf ears, though, as Osamu looks at him with a similar look of shock on his face. “I knew there was somethin’ goin’ on between you and Sakusa! Ya never fuckin’ told me the two of ya were datin’ either!”
As the twins break off into a spiel of pointless banter, Suna lets go of Osamu’s hand and walks toward Kiyoomi.
“You too, huh, Sakusa,” Suna says as he jerks his head towards the arguing objects of their affections.
“Unfortunately,” Kiyoomi sighs.
“I won’t tell anyone if you won’t tell anyone,” Suna proposes.
“Deal.”
They both look at the Miya twins wrestling on the floor in silence before Kiyoomi gives another long-suffering sigh. Suna looks to be less bothered by his boyfriend’s antics, watching the scene with a smirk on his face.
“So, Miya Atsumu?” Suna asks.
“Please don’t,” Kiyoomi replies, burying his face in his hand.
“But I’m curious,” Suna continues as he grabs a chair from his desk and drags it over, so he’s seated right across from Kiyoomi. “Tell me everything. ”
Kiyoomi sighs as he glares at the still-smirking Suna. This was going to be a long day.
✦
KIYOOMI
“Give me a second,” Suna says as he digs through the front pocket of his backpack. It takes a few seconds of rifling before he pulls out a set of keys and tosses it over to Osamu. Like second nature, Osamu catches the keys and jams one into the lock, twisting it until a loud click sounds.
“How do you have the keys to the roof?” Kiyoomi asks as he squints at Suna.
“Stole it,” Suna answers with a nonchalant shrug. He ignores the way Kiyoomi gawks at him in favour of slipping an arm around Osamu’s waist. “Come on, babe. I need a smoke.”
Before Kiyoomi can process everything Suna just said, Atsumu grabs his hand and leads him through the door onto the rooftop.
“This is so cool! I’ve never been up here before!” Atsumu marvels as he drags Kiyoomi further until they’re leaning against the metal railings.
From their vantage point, a few stories up, Kiyoomi is met with a sea of colourful backpacks as students flood out of the gates, all eager to head back home.
Even though the act of breaking into and being on the roof already violates quite a few school rules, Kiyoomi has to admit that the view from up here is pretty sweet (as Atsumu would call it). He can see the entire school compound from here and more — His and Atsumu’s favourite ice cream shop, the convenience store a few blocks away, and even the karaoke place that Atsumu got them banned from — It feels like the entire neighbourhood is right beneath Kiyoomi’s feet.
The illusion of peace is broken, however, when Kiyoomi catches a whiff of smoke in the air. He quickly turns around and sees Suna and Osamu standing at the other end of the roof, sharing a cigarette as they engage in whispered conversation.
Their secrets aren’t carried by the wind, but the smoke sure is, and Kiyoomi would rather be murdered on the spot in the most violent way possible than go home smelling like smoke. His parents would kill him outright, so it’s not like he’d be escaping death in either scenario anyway.
Before he can start to panic in earnest, Atsumu rests a hand on the small of his back and leads him away to the other end of the roof, right around the corner. No questions asked, no directions needed; Atsumu always seems to know what Kiyoomi needs.
“Thank you,” Kiyoomi says.
“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Omi,” Atsumu replies as he tilts his head up to plant a kiss on Kiyoomi’s cheek. “So, ya never tried smokin’ before?”
“Of course not.” Kiyoomi rolls his eyes and pretends the gesture doesn’t hold the smallest fraction of fondness. “My parents would skin me alive if I walked through the front door smelling like smoke.”
“Mmhm,” Atsumu hums in acknowledgment as he digs through his pocket. He pulls out a blue disposable vape pen and holds it out to Kiyoomi. “Ya could try this instead, if ya want.”
“What? Why do you have that?”
“Just because. Anyway, it doesn’t leave a smell on yer clothes, plus it tastes like blueberries.”
“Is there nicotine in it?” Kiyoomi asks warily, eyes narrowing as he surveys his boyfriend.
“Uhhh, a little bit,” Atsumu says in a way that tells Kiyoomi that there’s more than a little bit of nicotine in this stupid neon blue stick.
“Oh god.”
“Wanna give it a try? It won’t kill ya, I promise.”
Kiyoomi knows there’s no pressure to say yes. Atsumu will respect whatever choice he makes. But the past few months of dating Atsumu has sparked a flame of rebellion in Kiyoomi’s chest, and he figures that one small puff won’t kill him.
Cautiously, Kiyoomi takes the vape pen from Atsumu’s hand and examines the mouthpiece.
“Did you clean this?” He asks.
“What’s the problem? Afraid of a little spit?” Atsumu teases.
Immediately, Kiyoomi goes red. From across the roof, Kiyoomi can hear Osamu groaning and Suna calling out for them to get a room . Atsumu yells back at them to shut up and stop fucking listening before turning back to Kiyoomi.
“Here’s how ya do it, Omi.”
The next few minutes are spent on Atsumu teaching Kiyoomi how to use the vape and Kiyoomi trying his best not to embarrass himself by choking. When he does figure out how to properly get a hit, though, the headrush comes strong. Kiyoomi can only be grateful that he’s leaning against a wall for support as it washes over him in one massive tidal wave. Atsumu laughs at his reaction, and Kiyoomi blows blueberry-scented smoke right into his face to shut him up.
Kiyoomi probably won’t ever smoke again. These few puffs are enough to satiate his curiosity. But right now, there’s sweet vapour in his lungs and burning love in his chest. Everything feels floaty, and all Kiyoomi can think about is how badly he wants this moment to last forever.
He’s in the middle of blowing another cloud of smoke into Atsumu’s face when he sees Osamu walking up behind his brother to tap him on the shoulder.
“Rin and I are gonna break into the auditorium and use the speakers for a round of karaoke. Do you and Sakusa wanna come?”
“Hell yeah, we do!” Atsumu nods. Kiyoomi looks at him with wide eyes, trying to tell him that we didn’t agree to anything.
Before he has the chance to voice his concerns, Atsumu pulls a face mask and a baseball cap out from his bag. He places the mask over Kiyoomi’s face and tucks the loops behind his ears before slapping the baseball cap over Kiyoomi’s curls.
“There, all hidden. Ya don’t have ta worry ‘bout gettin’ caught now.”
One look at Atsumu’s cheeky grin and Kiyoomi caves, letting himself be dragged along yet again.
He’s changed a lot over the past few months, morals shifting from one extreme end of the spectrum to somewhere in the muddy grey middle. If his past self could see him now, he’d be absolutely mortified.
But hey, it’s his final year of high school. He can let himself live a little, especially if Atsumu’s by his side every step of the way.
✦
OSAMU
Osamu hates studying with a passion, but if studying means spending more time with Rintarou, he can tolerate it.
They’re sitting in Osamu’s classroom, just the two of them, shoulder to shoulder as they work on their assignments. Rintarou is almost done with his history essay, and Osamu is attempting to finish his maths practice paper. The key word being “attempting” , because half of his time “ studying ” is simply spent staring at Rintarou’s side profile and resisting the urge to jump his boyfriend then and there.
It’s almost 5 pm now, and the sun has started making her slow descent below the horizon. The light bathes them in golden-orange hues, and Osamu can’t help but notice the way it alters the colours of Rintarou’s eyes. Greyish-yellow glows gold in the dying light, befitting of a gaze that sets Osamu’s chest alight.
All at once, Osamu doesn’t just wanna make out with Rintarou. He also wants to hold him and tell him all kinds of sappy things. It’s absolutely sickening, and he hates it (no, he doesn’t).
Which is bad, because they don’t do sappy. Aside from that one time when they confessed to each other in the confines of Rintarou’s house, both of them are pretty stubborn when it comes to talking about their feelings. If Osamu is being completely honest, he thinks the confession in and of itself was a fluke. Not that he’s complaining about that, though.
Osamu really, really wants to tell Rintarou he loves him right now. He wants to say it like it's a passing thought—easy, and safe, and normal. The only problem? Osamu still hasn’t told Rintarou that he loves him yet. He has told Rintarou that he likes him on several occasions, but like is very different from love.
“What are you looking at?” Rintarou asks like he’s known Osamu has been staring this entire time. He turns his head to look at Osamu, and he looks so stupidly pretty, it’s unfair.
“You,” Osamu answers after a beat, a little breathless.
The honest reply draws a tiny smirk out of Rintarou, fond but still sharp at the edges. He opens his mouth to say something, probably a teasing remark, but he’s interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Fishing it out from his pocket, Rintarou glances down at the screen.
“I gotta be home in twenty minutes, my dad’s cooking dinner.”
“What’s he makin’?”
“Hamburger steak.” Osamu’s favourite.
“That’s my favourite,” Osamu says.
“I know. Wanna come over for dinner?” Rintarou asks.
Osamu perks up at the sound of dinner with Rintarou, but frowns in confusion when he remembers one very important detail.
“If yer dad’s cookin’ dinner, doesn’t that mean he’s home?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
Maybe it’s the way Rintarou answers so casually, or perhaps it’s the way Rintarou pretends to look unaffected, but Osamu can tell he’s nervous to hear his answer. Either way, it’s quiet for a second as Osamu lets the gravity of Rintarou’s one-worded response set in.
“Ya want me to meet yer dad?” His eyes are wide in disbelief, and his voice sounds embarrassingly hopeful. But he just can’t help it (sue him).
As much as Rintarou has reassured Osamu that he was serious about their relationship, a part of Osamu is still convinced that he could never be anyone’s first priority. He’s always been a fleeting thought or a fling at best, never the person you’d want to take home to meet the parents. So the implications of Rintarou wanting him to meet his dad floods his chest with warmth.
“I get it if you’re not ready to meet him, though. I just—” Rintarou is cut off mid-sentence as Osamu leans forward to plant a kiss on his lips.
“I take that as a yes, then?” Rintarou asks when Osamu pulls away, the same smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth again.
“No shit.” Osamu shoves his still uncompleted maths practice paper into his bag and gets up from his seat. “Let’s go.”
But before he can leave, Rintarou pulls Osamu back down and wraps his arms around Osamu’s neck.
“Five more minutes. My dad can wait.”
And because Osamu is in love, he obliges.
✦
ATSUMU
Usually, Atsumu dreads parent-teacher conference day. Given his and Osamu’s track record of being “stellar” students, the meeting always ends up being a session where the teachers complain about the twins to their mother.
This year though, Atsumu is feeling pretty good about it. With Kiyoomi and Suna’s help, the twins have gone from being horrible students to slightly more tolerable students, and Atsumu is pretty certain his mother will finally get to hear some praise for her two sons this time.
He’s on his way to the gate to pick his mother up when he sees a middle-aged couple standing in the hallway, looking very visibly lost. They’re dressed to the nines, with the man in a fitted suit and the woman in a long navy blue dress; It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they’re somebody’s parents.
What kind of asshole leaves their parents alone to navigate through the school? Atsumu wonders.
But because he’s in a good mood today, he decides that he can spare a few minutes to help the lost couple. He sends a quick text to Osamu telling him to pick their mother up without him and slips his phone back in his pocket without waiting for a response.
“Hi, do y’all need any help?” Atsumu asks as he walks up to them.
“Yes, please, we seem to be a little lost,” the woman answers as she looks around the corridor.
“Where are ya headed?”
The man pulls his phone out from his jacket pocket and frowns as he looks at a message, presumably from his child. “According to my son, our parent-teacher conference will be held in classroom 3-A.”
“Third-year classrooms are in the block on the other side of campus. I could take y’all there if you’d like,” Atsumu offers.
“Thank you, that would be really helpful,” the woman says with a grin that doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
Atsumu can see her eyeing his piercings and dyed hair with concealed disapproval, but it doesn’t really bother him. A little judgement is nothing compared to the months of enduring Kiyoomi’s lectures about “breaking the school rules”. That was way before they got together, though. Kiyoomi has given up on trying to fix him, and Atsumu likes to think his boyfriend finds his defiance a little hot by now.
“No problem! Just follow me.”
As Atsumu leads them through campus, he can’t help but find their appearances rather familiar. Their curly hair and the overly serious expression on their faces already seem to have a space carved out in the back of his mind. Atsumu wracks his brain, trying to figure out who they remind him of, but he just can’t seem to put a finger on it.
“Are you a third-year student as well?” The man asks after a few painful minutes of walking in silence.
“Yep. I’m in class 3-B.”
“Have you been coping well with everything?” he asks.
It seems like they’re going for small talk now. But that’s fine. It's nothing Atsumu can’t handle. His years of working at the diner have equipped him with the skill of chatting with all kinds of customers, no matter their backgrounds.
“I’d say I’m doing pretty alright, but that’s prolly ‘cause I’m not part of any clubs.”
The man nods his head in understanding. “That makes sense. Our son is actually a part of the student council, and he’s been having a difficult time these past few weeks.
“That’s ‘cause of the cultural festival coming up next month. My boy—” Atsumu feels his heart fall into his ass as he tries to cover up his slip of the tongue— “Friend! My friend has been really busy with that too.”
The woman quirks her eyebrows up, and the barest hint of a curious smile spreads across her lips. “Oh, is your friend also a part of the student council?”
“Yeah, he is!” Immediately, the both of them seem to perk up. Their prior apprehension bleeds away, replaced with renewed interest, that would probably unnerve Atsumu if he were paying more attention.
They spent the next few minutes asking Atsumu all kinds of oddly specific questions about the student council, complaining about how their son never tells them anything. If they had met Atsumu a few months prior, he would have had nothing good to say about the student council. But now that he’s spending most of his time with Kiyoomi, and by extension, the other council members, he can vouch for all the hard work they put into running the school.
Before Atsumu knows it, they’ve arrived outside of classroom 3-A.
“We’re here,” Atsumu says as he gestures to the door. “When it’s yer turn, yer son’s teacher will call for y’all.”
He’s just about to take his leave when he hears hurried footsteps behind him, followed by the sound of a very, very familiar voice.
“I’m sorry I’m late. I was in a meeting with the council and I didn’t notice what time it was.”
Atsumu feels his stomach drop right to his feet. No, it can’t be.
Slowly, he turns his head around to find Kiyoomi standing behind him, still panting from running all the way here from the council room. They lock eyes and Atsumu watches as all the colour drains from Kiyoomi’s already pale face.
Kiyoomi’s panicked gaze darts between his parents and Atsumu, as if to ask what the fuck are you doing with my parents?
Atsumu shakes his head as subtly as he can, in a way that hopefully screams I don’t know what’s going on, I had no idea they were your parents.
“Are you alright Kiyoomi?” His father asks, interrupting their silent conversation.
“Yeah- Yes. I’m fine,” Kiyoomi answers, stumbling over his words.
“We got a little lost on the way here, but this lovely young man helped us,” Kiyoomi’s mother tells him with a smile before turning back to Atsumu. “By the way, I don’t think we caught your name earlier.”
Kiyoomi’s eyes get even wider as he stares at Atsumu, silently mouthing the word “ NO ”. But Atsumu can’t just run off and leave Kiyoomi’s mom hanging like that, so he gives Kiyoomi a small shrug and throws all caution to the wind as he hopes for the best.
“I’m Atsumu.”
“Thank you for your help Atsumu. I don’t know if you two have met before, but this is our son,” Kiyoomi’s mom says as she gestures for Kiyoomi to introduce himself.
Kiyoomi looks like he wants to end himself as he raises his hand for a handshake, wincing like it’s causing him physical pain. “I’m Sakusa Kiyoomi. Nice to meet you, Atsumu.”
Atsumu reaches out to return the handshake and almost bursts out laughing when he notices how clammy Kiyoomi’s palm is.
“Nice to meet ya too,” he greets with a smirk.
“Atsumu’s good friend is also in the student council, so the two of you may get along quite well,” his dad comments.
“Oh, I’m sure we will,” Atsumu answers, delighting in the way Kiyoomi’s eye twitches at the comment.
Before this disaster of an interaction can be dragged out any further, Kiyoomi’s teacher saves them by sticking her head out of the classroom door and calling for his parents.
“It was nice meeting you Atsumu,” Kiyoomi’s father says. Both his parents have friendly smiles on their faces, a stark contrast to their expressions when they first laid eyes on Atsumu.
“Glad I could help!” Atsumu replies. He turns to Kiyoomi and flashes a secretive smile. “I’ll see ya ‘round, Sakusa .”
With a final wave, Atsumu bids farewell to Kiyoomi and his family. He manages to make it down the hallway and around the corner before doubling over in laughter.
God, he can’t wait to tease Kiyoomi about this later.
✦
RINTAROU
It’s Valentine's Day and the last person Rintarou wants to see is Osamu. Look, he isn’t proud of the way he’s spent the entire day avoiding his boyfriend, but he’s doing it for a good reason.
Right now, he’s hiding in a random bathroom stall because he caught a glimpse of Osamu’s grey hair in the hallway and panicked. Staring at the dirty bathroom floors, Rintarou can’t help but feel like this is karma for all the weeks he spent stalking Osamu around school to bother him before they started dating. Now, their roles are reversed and Rintarou’s the one running from Osamu instead.
Checking the time on his phone, Rintarou curses when he realises that he’s late for the student council meeting. He would skip it, but it’s about next week's festival and Sakusa would actually murder him if he didn’t show up.
Sticking his head out from the bathroom, he checks to see if the coast is clear. When he’s sure that his surroundings are Osamu-free, he slinks out of the bathroom and makes a beeline for the council room. Thankfully, he reaches his destination successfully without any fanfare.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he slides the door open and prepares to apologise for being late. What he doesn’t expect to see, however, is Sakusa staring straight at him with a smirk on his face. Komori, on the other hand, looks at him with wide eyes as he mouths the word run.
Confused, Rintarou’s eyes stray to the couch and immediately, his blood runs cold. Osamu is sitting there, slouching against the backrest with his arms crossed at his chest. His lips are drawn in a tight line and he looks like he’ll explode if anyone touches him with a ten-foot pole. Osamu looks thoroughly pissed, to say the least.
Rintarou didn’t need Komori to tell him to run; He knows that he’s fucked.
Osamu stands up and slings his bag haphazardly over his shoulder before stalking over. Before Rintarou has the chance to make a run for it, Osamu grabs onto the collar of his shirt, fabric bunching against his fists as he drags Rintarou ungracefully out of the room.
“I’ll give you guys ten minutes to sort this out,” Rintarou hears Sakusa calling out as Osamu drags him further and further away.
Osamu pulls him down the hallway, into the closest empty classroom and shuts the door behind them before finally letting go of his collar.
“Wanna explain why you’ve been avoidin’ me?” He demands.
“I haven’t been avoiding you.” By the looks of the deadpan expression on Osamu’s face, Rintarou knows that he’s not buying his bullshit today.
“Is it ‘cause it’s Valentine’s day? Did I do anything?” Osamu asks, tone getting more distraught by the second. It feels like a slap to the face and Rintarou feels like a dick. He knows that it’s time to stop playing around.
“No and no,” he clarifies. “I’m just… I’m avoiding you because I forgot to make chocolates for you, alright?”
Osamu doesn’t grace Rintarou’s explanation with a response and he doesn’t know what to do, so he babbles on.
“Sorry, that’s another lie. I did make chocolates for you, but I don’t have them with me because I didn’t know that chocolate could burn until yesterday, and I may have accidentally burnt them all.”
Osamu doesn’t budge and Rintarou has nothing else to say at this point. Should he get down on his knees and grovel? Is that too dramatic? Does Osamu like dramatic? Rintarou is this close to getting on his knees when he notices Osamu’s expression soften. His anger fizzles out gradually, shoulders dropping and arms uncrossing to fall by his side. A small relieved smile finds it’s way onto his features and Rintarou feels the knot in his chest unravel.
“Fuck you Rin. I spent the whole day worrying that I did something wrong, ya bastard,” Osamu swears as he socks Rintarou in the arm.
“I’m sorry babe,” Rintarou says as he places a hand on Osamu’s cheek in an attempt to make amends. (He thinks it works pretty well.)
“Next time, try talking to me instead of avoidin’ me the whole day, dumbass.”
“I will, I will. I was just afraid you’d leave me if you found out what a shit cook I am,” Rintarou jokes.
“We took home econs class together. I already know how much of a shit cook ya are,” Osamu fires back.
Osamu leans away and reaches an arm back to dig through his backpack. He pulls out a small, light-purple coloured box, wrapped delicately in a thick strand of white ribbon.
“Happy Valentine’s Day Rin,” Osamu says as he shoves the box into Rintarou’s waiting palms. “A box of chocolate for ya because I actually know how to use the stove without causing a fire hazard.
A loose bow rests on top of the box and a small card is carefully tucked underneath. ‘For: Rintarou’ is scrawled messily onto the paper and the tiniest of hearts rests beside his name. The heart is drawn with a different coloured pen compared to the one used to write Rintarou’s name, as if Osamu debated whether or not it was too cheesy to add it in. He still did though, and that knowledge alone is enough to remind Rintarou about how incredibly lucky of a man he is.
“Thank you, Osamu. I can’t wait to finish them all today, I’ll even lick up the crumbs,” Rintarou declares.
“Yer gonna get sick from all that chocolate,” Osamu laughs.
“Worth it.”
Starting from today, Rintarou has exactly one month to white day. That’s thirty more days to try to make a box of chocolates for Osamu without almost burning his kitchen down. Rintarou really can’t cook for shit, but for Osamu, he figures he can learn.
✦
OSAMU
It’s the day of the anticipated cultural festival and technically, Osamu is supposed to be with his classmates now.
They’re operating a little cafe in their classroom and like all the other boys, Osamu is tasked with being a waiter. But from the looks of it, they’re handling things pretty well on their own. So when no one is looking, Osamu slips away to take a walk around campus.
He isn’t interested in the cultural festival per se. Rather, his goal is to have a peek of the carnival booths that the student council is in charge of running this year. He strolls past the balloon darts and the rubber duck fishing pond before he finally spots Rintarou behind the ring toss booth.
Osamu came here with the intention of catching a glimpse of Rintarou and nothing more, but before he can walk back to his classroom, Rintarou spots him. Their eyes lock and Rintarou’s face brightens as he gives a big wave.
“Osamu! Come over here!” he calls out with his hands cupped around his mouth.
Unlike Sakusa who’s adamant on keeping his relationship with Atsumu a secret (for valid reason), Rintarou is the complete opposite. He’ll take any chance he gets to show Osamu off to anyone and everyone, in the most obnoxious way possible. Not that Osamu is complaining about that. Ignoring all curious stares pointed in his direction, Osamu waves back to Rintarou as he approaches the ring toss booth.
“Could you help me tend to the family over there? Thanks,” Rintarou says to Komori, who’s also working the booth, before giving his full attention to Osamu.
“Hi Rin,” Osamu greets.
“Hey hot stuff,” Rintarou replies, leaning his hip casually against the side of the counter. “Wanna play?”
“No thanks. Ya know I have a horrible aim.”
“Come on, you can’t be that bad. Here I’ll give you three rings for free,” Rintarou says as he grabs three plastic rings from the basket and hands them to Osamu.
Osamu shakes his head again, but Rintarou cocks an eyebrow and shakes the rings right in front of Osamu’s face like fish bait.
“Fine,” Osamu sighs as he bites the hook and reluctantly grabs the rings.
“All you have to do is toss the rings at the bottles and try to land as many as possible. Red bottles are worth one point, blue bottles are worth two and black bottles are worth five,” Rintarou explains.
Osamu nods in understanding and Rintarou walks back to his post beside the rows of painted glass bottles. After some quick organising of the bottles, Rintarou flashes a thumbs up, signalling for Osamu to start.
The bottles are too far and the rings are way too tiny; Osamu already knows he’s going to embarrass himself. Still, he has the rings in hand and it’s too late to back out now. Taking a breath, he tosses the first ring. It collides with the side of a red bottle with a soft clink before bouncing off onto the ground.
“See? You almost landed one. Try throwing the next ring a little further,” Rintarou encourages.
So Osamu takes his advice and tosses the second ring with a little more force. This time, it soars right past the bottles and smacks against the back of the tent with a sad sound.
“Wow, that was close, ” Suna teases sarcastically.
“Shut up Rin,” Osamu snaps as he tosses the third ring.
The second the ring leaves his hand, Osamu knows it’s not going to make it. He watches in horror as the ring veers completely off course and flies straight towards Rintarou instead. Standing there in utter mortification, Osamu winces as the ring smacks right into the center of Rintarou’s forehead with a muted thud that has to be as painful as it sounds.
“Fuck! Are ya alright Rin? Shit, I’m so sorry-” the apology dies on his tongue though, when he hears Rintarou’s laughter ringing through the air. Rintarou looks at Osamu with so much happiness and adoration that all Osamu can do is lapse into flustered silence.
With a newly formed red mark on his forehead — oh god, it’s definitely going to bruise — Rintarou walks back over so he’s leaning against the counter once again.
“Congratulations babe, you scored a whopping total of zero points. A record low. That earns you the prize of going on a date with me tomorrow night. Do you accept?”
The smirk on Rintarou’s face has shifted into one of his rare, genuine smiles. It’s one that Osamu can’t say no to, hard as he tries, and god, has he tried. Osamu sighs as he grins back at his stupid, sneaky bastard of a boyfriend.
"Well," Osamu muses as he reaches forward to gently rub Rintarou’s forehead, "I guess I’ll see ya tomorrow, then."
Rintarou snorts as he leans into Osamu’s touch, even though the pressure against his bruise must ache. "Will you be touching my head like this, too?" he jokes.
Osamu simply hums. "I'll touch ya anywhere you want."
And although Osamu was defeated by a ridiculous ring toss game that set him up from the start, seeing Rintarou’s grin morph into flustered shock tells him that maybe, he did win a jackpot after all.
✦
ATSUMU
“Why’d ya text me to come? Is everything alright?” Atsumu asks as he walks into the council room, making sure to close the door behind him.
Although the cultural festival ended half an hour ago, there are still plenty of students lingering around. He wouldn't wanna risk getting him and Kiyoomi caught.
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just been a long day and I wanted to see you.”
Kiyoomi’s honesty and bluntness is something that Atsumu will never get tired of. He probably isn’t aware of it, but he says the sweetest things so matter-of-factly, and Atsumu doesn’t exactly know why, but that does all kinds of things to his heart.
“Aw, I didn’t know ya missed me that much,” Atsumu teases.
He hops onto his usual seat on Kiyoomi’s desk and reaches out to mess with Kiyoomi’s hair, laughing when his boyfriend clicks his tongue in annoyance. Suddenly, he remembers a prize he won earlier today and a brilliant idea pops into his head.
“Look what I won at the water gun booth Omi,” he says as he pulls out a box of pocky from his bag. It’s strawberry flavoured — his favourite — and the pocky sticks are shaped like little hearts.
“That’s nice,” Kiyoomi replies, a little confused as to where Atsumu is going with this.
“Wanna play the pocky game?”
“What’s that?”
Atsumu holds back a smile. Sometimes, Kiyoomi’s ignorance comes in real handy.
“I’ll show ya.” He opens the box and rips the end of the packet, pulling a stick of pocky out. “So, I’ll hold one end of the pocky between my teeth and you’ll hold onto the other end. The only rule of the game is if ya let go, ya lose.”
“So we just… hold onto it?”
“Yeah!”
“I don’t really see the point of this game, but sure. I’ll give it a try.”
Atsumu stands up and places the pocky between his lips before resting both hands on the desk. He leans forwards so he’s hovering over a still-seated Kiyoomi and smirks as Kiyoomi leans forward tentatively to bite onto the other end.
Slowly, Atsumu starts biting off his end of the pocky. He revels in the way Kiyoomi’s eyes widen in realisation as he inches closer and closer. Kiyoomi looks like he wants to pull away, but Atsumu is certain that he won’t. Kiyoomi’s competitiveness has always been one of his greatest strengths, but Atsumu loves the challenge of turning a strength into a weakness.
And true enough, Kiyoomi curls his fists and shuts his eyes, steeling himself as he waits for the inevitable. God, he’s so fucking cute.
With one final chomp, Atsumu bites off the last of the pocky. He raises a hand to gently cup Kiyoomi’s cheek as he closes that final centimetre to press their lips together.
Kiyoomi, as square as he is, becomes so pliable under Atsumu’s touch. He’s soft and sweet and Atsumu knows that from this moment on, he’ll forever associate Kiyoomi with strawberries and secret, stolen kisses.
When they pull away, he sees Kiyoomi glaring at him with no real heat in his eyes. There’s a tiny bit of strawberry chocolate by the corner of Kiyoomi’s lips, so Atsumu swipes it away with his thumb before bringing it up to his mouth to lick it off.
“You lied to me about the rules of the game,” Kiyoomi accuses with adorably red cheeks.
“No I didn’t.”
“Yes you did.”
“Well, ya fell for it.”
“I hate you.”
“No ya don’t.”
And Kiyoomi looks away, because it's true. He’s as enamoured as Atsumu is and they both know it.
“Who won?” Kiyoomi asks, opting for a topic change.
“Hmm, I don’t think I remember. Wanna play again and find out?” Atsumu asks as he shakes the packet of pocky at Kiyoomi.
Kiyoomi doesn’t say yes. But he does roll his eyes and reach out to pull another pocky stick out from the packet. By all definitions in Atsumu’s books, that’s a solid win.
✦
RINTAROU
“Okay, I’m ready. Quiz me,” Rintarou says.
“What’s her name?” Sakusa asks.
“Miya Aiko.”
“What is her favourite food?”
“Okonomiyaki.”
“What does she do for a living?”
“She works as a full-time nurse and a part time tutor.” Rintarou can feel the cogs of his brain running on maximum overdrive, sweat forming on his forehead as he tries to remember every single detail.
“What should we never bring up around her?” Sakusa asks, looking at Rintarou intently.
“Her scumbag of an ex-husband and her recently deceased pet hamster.”
Sakusa nods his head in approval. “You’re ready.”
Rintarou and Sakusa are currently standing outside the front door of the Miya household with fruit baskets full of tropical fruits in hand. It’s finally their turn to meet the twins’ mother.
Problem is, they’ve been standing outside for the past fifteen minutes. The doorbell didn’t work and neither of them had enough courage to knock on the door. Rintarou’s arms are starting to ache under the weight of the fruit basket he’s carrying, but there’s no way in hell he’s giving in first.
“Sakusa, do you think Aiko-san actually likes tropical fruit, or did Osamu and Atsumu just tell us that so they get to eat the fruit?” Rintarou asks.
“I’m not sure, but knowing the twins? Probably,” Sakusa answers with a sigh.
“Fuck. I spent way too much money on the rambutans and jackfruit,” Rintarou laments, glaring down at the fruit basket.
“Same. When Atsumu comes over to meet my family, I’ll tell him they like truffles and caviar,” Sakusa huffs.
“ When he comes over?” Rintarou asks, the surprise evident in his tone.
Unlike his own dad, he knows that Sakusa’s parents are really strict. Rintarou is pretty sure they’d lose their minds if they found out Sakusa was in a relationship, let alone a relationship with the student who holds the record for most number of suspensions.
“It’s a long story, but they bumped into him during parent-teacher conference day and he apparently made a good impression on them,” Sakusa explains.
“Atsumu making a good impression? Must have been his lucky day,” Rintarou jokes.
“Thank god it was.”
They lapse into another moment of awkward silence as they stare at the front door.
“I’m going to drop this basket if I have to hold onto it any longer,” Rintarou complains.
Although he wishes he was a jock on the volleyball team or something, he’s unfortunately a nerd in the student council, a nerd with arms that are really starting to burn. A quick glance at Sakusa and Rintarou can tell that he too is not doing any better.
“Okay. We should knock together,” Sakusa suggests.
“What are we, children?”
“Fine. You can do the knocking.”
“...Let’s knock on three.”
Taking a deep breath, Rintarou raises a fist and waits for Sakusa to count to three before they both give a few loud knocks.
Rintarou hears some clamouring and yelling from behind the door before it swings wide open, revealing Miya Aiko. Just as Osamu described, she’s a petite woman with brown hair, a round face and a striking gaze. Although she doesn’t look like a splitting image of the twins, Rintarou can see the resemblance in her button nose and almond eyes.
“So these are the boys who stole my sons’ hearts,” she says with a friendly smile. “I would’ve liked to meet y’all sooner but Atsumu and Osamu were too shy.”
“Shut up ma!” Both twins exclaim in sync. Aiko turns around and whacks them both on the head before looking back at Rintarou and Sakusa.
“Anyway, it’s so nice to finally meet you both! Come on in,” she says as she pulls the both of them into the house.
Standing behind his mother, Osamu grins excitedly as he waves to Rintarou. His eyes dip down to the basket of fruit and Rintarou swears he can see Osamu’s mouth watering. That bastard.
All the apprehension Rintarou felt just a minute earlier bleeds out from his chest as walks into the house he knows will soon become his second home. He takes in the scene of Aiko, the twins and Sakusa under warm yellow light and realises that there was nothing to be afraid of after all.
✦
MIYA FOUR
Seated in the middle of row seven, Atsumu and Osamu fidget with the neck of their uniforms. Their ties wrap uncomfortably tight around their throat and their blazers feel scratchy against their skin. Still, Kiyoomi and Rintarou had insisted they dress properly for the occasion, and neither of them had the guts to go against their boyfriends’ wishes.
It is their graduation ceremony after all.
Holy shit, they’re graduating.
A part of them still can’t believe that they actually made it here. They’re not graduating with perfect grades or anything, but they made it past all three years of high school without being expelled — A feat even they didn’t think they’d accomplish.
Leaning forward in his seat, Atsumu not so subtly cranes his neck forward, trying to sneak a peek at Kiyoomi who’s sitting a few rows ahead. Osamu tilts his head to the left, trying to find Rintarou who’s seated at the end of their row.
Despite the way the twins’ stares burn holes into the back of their heads, both Kiyoomi and Rintarou remain fully focused on the ceremony. Expectedly so, given their status as council president and vice president. It’s expected that they keep up appearances under the scrutiny of the student body, teachers and parents.
Dejected and ignored, Atsumu and Osamu slump back into their seats with a sigh.
“Do ya think ma came?” Atsumu whispers to Osamu.
“Probably. She said she’d take a day off work didn’t she?” Osamu replies.
“Yeah, but I can’t see her anywhere,” Atsumu laments as he turns around to scour the back of the auditorium where all the parents are seated.
Osamu hums in agreement as he joins Atsumu in their futile search for their mother. It’s not long though, before they’re interrupted by the discipline master glaring daggers at them. Immediately, they whip their heads forward and straighten up in their seats.
“I’ll text her,” Osamu whispers.
“Yer gonna get yer phone taken away,” Atsumu warns.
“We’re literally graduating. The worst they can do is take it away for an hour ‘fore they have to give it back,” Osamu reasons.
“Good point- Oh! Look ‘Samu, they’re finally handing out the diplomas!”
On cue, the students of class 3A get up from their seats and move to queue by the side of the stage in an orderly line. The thought of texting their mother is temporarily shelved in favour of witnessing the part of the ceremony they’ve been waiting for.
Osamu watches as Atsumu leans forward in his seat like an excited puppy, eyes wide with anticipation as he waits for Kiyoomi’s name to be called.
Honestly, Osamu was worried when he first found out Atsumu was dating Kiyoomi. Justifiably so, given Kiyoomi’s rigid personality and cold demeanour. Osamu wasn’t sure if Atsumu’s free spirit could cope with the burden of being tied down to someone with so many responsibilities, someone so different from him.
But then months passed, and not only have Atsumu and Kiyoomi stayed together, but Atsumu looks happier than ever. He stopped getting into pointless fights — to the relief of their mother — and he stopped cutting classes. Though Osamu doesn’t know Kiyoomi as well, he can also see how much livelier Kiyoomi is when Atsumu is around.
They’ve mastered the art of compromising and adapting; perfected the balance of affection and banter. So Osamu figures that his worries were unwarranted.
“Sakusa Kiyoomi.”
Kiyoomi walks up the stairs as his name rings loud and clear through the speakers. His every step is punctuated with thunderous applause from the student body. Atsumu cups his hands around his mouth and gives a few loud whoops, drawing scattered laughter from the student body. Even from his seat, Atsumu can see the way Kiyoomi’s cheeks start glowing a light pink.
Osamu’s just about to tease his brother when he hears Rintarou’s class being called next. Now it’s his turn to crane his neck forward in an attempt to catch a clearer glimpse of his boyfriend.
“Suna Rintarou.”
For once, Rintarou isn’t slouching as he walks up onto the stage. He’s standing tall and proud, steps followed by loud applause too. Osamu doesn’t holler like Atsumu — he’s not embarrassing like that — but he does clap until his palms are red and stinging from the impact.
From the stage, Osamu sees Rintarou’s eyes raking across the crowd before landing on him. He flashes his signature lopsided grin and Osamu feels his heart plunge into a free fall.
“Y’all are so embarrassing,” Atsumu says with a playful jab to Osamu’s side.
“Says you, ” Osamu retorts in disbelief.
In no time at all, it’s the twins’ turn to receive their diplomas. As they stand in line, fidgeting with nerves, they spot their mother crouching in front of the stage, holding her phone up to capture the moment. Relieved at the sight of her, they wave in her direction, smiling as she waves back.
“Miya Atsumu.”
The thing about graduations — everything passes by painfully slowly until your name is the one being called.
Atsumu barely registers the way his shoes squeak against the hardwood floor as he walks up on stage, headed straight for the small ‘x’ marked out with black tape. In a blur, he shakes someone’s hand, receives his diploma and smiles for a picture. The cameras flash bright and blinding, signifying the end of an era.
As Atsumu waits beside the stage for Osamu, he spots Kiyoomi in the crowd and flashes a toothy smile at him, pointing proudly at his diploma. The look of pride on Kiyoomi’s face as he smiles back almost feels more rewarding than graduating itself.
The ceremony concludes with a principal’s address and a series of tributes. Kiyoomi is invited up to give a speech too, which he thankfully finishes in under five minutes. It seems that even the student council president himself can’t wait for this ceremony to be over.
After Kiyoomi’s speech, the discipline master walks up onto the podium to dismiss the third year students. He instructs everyone to leave in an orderly fashion, row by row, but his words fall on deaf ears as the students rush out all at once to the courtyard to take pictures. He doesn’t reprimand them today though, he just turns the microphone off and leans against the podium, watching as they flood out the auditorium for the last time.
Joining the crowd, Atsumu and Osamu slowly weave their way towards the exit. According to the messages from Kiyoomi and Rintarou in their shared group chat, they’ll all meet near the school gardens to take graduation pictures. But before they reach the exit, they’re grabbed by the arm and pulled towards the back door of the auditorium.
“Wha-” they both exclaim in unison, only to be met with twin shushes by Rintarou and Kiyoomi. The four of them end up in an empty stairwell not far from the auditorium before the twins are released from their boyfriends’ death grips.
“What are we doin’ here?”
“Yeah, why’d y’all drag us here? I thought y’all wanted us to meet near the garden?”
Kiyoomi purses his lips nervously while Rintarou keeps both his hands hidden in his pockets, neither of them answering Atsumu or Osamu. They just stand there looking awkwardly at each other, as if they’d rather be anywhere but here.
“Can you do it first?” Rintarou half-whispers to Kiyoomi.
“This was your idea, you should do it first,” Kiyoomi presses.
Rintarou shakes his head. “But you have the scissors.”
There’s a silent staring contest between the, before Kiyoomi concedes with a sigh. “Fine.”
The twins pin their boyfriends with equally confused looks, looks that quickly morph into ones of concern when Kiyoomi pulls a pair of silver scissors from his pocket. He raises the scissors up to his chest and snips the second button of his blazer off clean, catching it in his other hand. Kiyoomi then hands the scissors over to Rintarou who does the same.
As if rehearsed, they extend their palms out in sync to Atsumu and Osamu. Under the spring sunlight spilling through the windows, the gold buttons shine, presented to the twins like a gift and a promise.
“That was so fucking shoujo of y’all,” Atsumu says as a wobbly grin spreads across his face.
“Do you want it or not?” Kiyoomi asks, the scowl on his face doing a poor job to conceal his embarrassment.
“Of course I do!” Atsumu blurts out as he grabs the button and launches himself at Kiyoomi for a bear hug.
Osamu, on the other hand, stands there dumbfounded. He looks at the button, then at Rintarou’s face, then back at the button. Every time he thinks he’s seen all the tricks Rintarou has in his book, Rintarou surprises him again.
Rintarou shakes his head when he sees Osamu’s expression, laughing softly to himself. He pulls Osamu in by the waist and slips the button into the breast-pocket of Osamu’s blazer.
“Keep it safe for me, yeah?” Rintarou says, as he places his palm over the pocket, right where Osamu’s heart is.
And what is Osamu supposed to do, but to lean into the touch, heart in Rintarou’s hands as Osamu whispers a soft “thank you” against his lips.
Atsumu had always worried about the walls Osamu put up around himself. Yes, Osamu had plenty of friends, but aside from Atsumu, no one ever truly saw him. So it’s no surprise that relationships were always superficial with him; Osamu never allowed himself the vulnerability of getting emotionally attached.
So when Atsumu found out Osamu was dating Rintarou, he honestly didn’t expect it to last.
But then he caught a glimpse of the calendar on Osamu’s desk and saw that Osamu had drawn little red circles around their monthsary dates. Atsumu witnessed Osamu spending an entire weekend making Valentines day chocolates, which is a big fucking deal because Osamu rarely makes food for anyone. And when Osamu came home telling Atsumu about how Rintarou invited him home to have dinner with his dad, Atsumu knew that his brother had found his person. The one who saw all of him and loved him for it.
Still, Atsumu doesn’t need to see them kissing in the stairwell.
He points a finger at his mouth as he pretends to gag. “Eww. look at them Omi! They’re so sappy-”
He doesn’t get to finish though, because Kiyoomi grabs him by the tie and pulls him in, planting a quick kiss on his lips. It’s broad daylight, the window giving a clear view to anyone who walks past. But today, Kiyoomi doesn’t care. He finally doesn’t need to keep Atsumu a secret anymore.
“Come on,’ Kiyoomi says when he pulls away, “our parents will be looking for us.”
Rintarou, now separated from Osamu, hums in agreement. On cue, his phone buzzes and he pulls it out from his back pocket.
“It’s my dad,” Rintarou reads. “He’s waiting for us near the garden and oh, he brought his camera along, apparently.”
“Last one there treats everyone to dinner tonight!” Atsumu cries out before he breaks off into a sprint with Kiyoomi in tow.
“Y’all got a head start, that’s cheating!” Osamu calls out as he grabs onto Rintarou’s hand and starts chasing after his brother and Kiyoomi.
And they take off down the stairs, dashing through the hallway of their youth, smiles on their faces as they race each other to the end.
[image: Atsumu and Osamu stand in the center of the frame, bracketed by Kiyoomi and Rintarou who stand beside them. The twins have their arms linked together while Kiyoomi and Rintarou have their arms wrapped around their respective boyfriend’s waist. All of them hold onto their diplomas, showing them off to the camera.
If one were to squint, they’d notice that Kiyoomi and Rintarou have loose threads in place of where their second buttons would usually. For the first — and last — time, the twins are the ones in proper uniform instead.
In the background, sakura trees can be seen in full bloom. The sky is the perfect shade of blue and the sun burns bright, illuminating all four of their matching grins and crescent eyes.]
“and I smiled at your gaze, ready to play with fire.”