Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Ya can’t do this forever, ya know,”

And Gods above, Atsumu has heard his brother say that enough times to know when to expect it. It comes up every time he asked about Shoyo-kun, and when his brother will be so unhelpful and oblivious to his woes to ‘advise’ him to talk to Shoyo-kun, he will always default to his response of “It’s more complicated than that” and Samu would either leave him or grumble louder and that’d escalate to a fight. Great exercise, if he did say so himself. 

“Then tell me,” his brother cocked his brow, “how complicated can it be?”

“Well, fer starters, our relationship is rocky as hell right now,” 

Osamu’s brow raised higher, the silence prompting Atsumu to continue talking.

“Ya know we got into that argument back in middle school…” Atsumu’s sentence gradually fell, his sight falling from eye contact with Osamu to wander around their shared room. 

“Then apologise, ya twat.”

Osamu couldn't help but wish Atsumu did snap his neck when he twisted it so fast, maybe then Shoyo-kun would visit him in the hospital while Atsumu looked pathetic with the neck cast and they’d finally make up.

“Hell no! Why should I apologise?!”

“Then I don't know what to say to ya, idiot .” Atsumu wanted to snap back, but Osamu sounded intense. Like he was going to shove his head in the toilet or shake him like a snowglobe by the collar. And yeah, Osamu was this close. He was fed up and exhausted and tired of this song and dance that should've ended much, much earlier. Not drag on for years. Fuck his brother for being stubborn. Shoyo-kun too. 

“Ya could have told Shoyo-kun ya wanted to widen yer experience and skillsets, or wanted to make sure ya weren't too used to his style; but no . Ya told Shoyo-kun ya were gonna be busy then get caught like a fool. Then ya go and not confess and fucking blow it over.”

“What was I supposed to say back then?!”

“THE TRUTH!” 

A knock sounds from their dorm door, it was 9 o’ clock after all.

“Sorry!” Osamu hollered towards the general direction of the door, turning back to face his brother. Neither of them blinked, maintaining tense eye contact. 

“Yer infuriating, ya know? Pining fer Shoyo-kun, but ya can't even talk to him normally because of something that happened years ago.”

Atsumu was turned away from him, glaring at the ground to ignore his twin’s intense stare. 

Osamu was the one to relent first (as he always did), sighing to feel all the tension bleed out with his breath as his shoulders dropped slightly, muscles relaxing. He turned around to make his way to the electrical switches, looking at Atsumu in the eye one more time with his expression and voice deadpan, “Lights out.”

“Wait-!” “Goodnight, sweet dreams, and let the Shoyos spike.”

“Argh…. Suna-senpai……” 

“If it’s Atsumu, it better be something new.”

Then it's silence. 

It’s hanging in the air, and very much bothering Suna. And the sound of Hinata swinging his legs got more frequent, more frantic, and rain loudly hitting the window, Suna relented.

“What did you and the idiot do this time?”

“Just… jealousy.” 

“His fangirls?” 

“Yeah.” 

Shoyo seemed to have successfully got it off his chest, shoulders hunching, but he raised his knees and curled in on himself. To Suna, he looked pathetic. But the fact this was his kouhai- a very earnest kouhai, he would have to admit it looked ever so slightly adorable. Still pathetic, but with a sprinkle of cuteness. Adorably pathetic is still pathetic after all. 

“I really don't know what you see in him.” 

“I DON’T KNOW EITHER!” 

He narrowed his eyes, zeroing on his kouhai. And said boy curled even more into himself, subtly facing his body away from his senpai and boring into the default gray of dorm bed sheets. 

“You know very well what you saw in him,” 

He could see Shoyo’s lips turning into a pout.

He breathed out loudly, shaking his head.

“Sure Atsumu shouldn’t have lied, and you’re not obliged to give him a chance, but it wouldn’t be wrong for you to search him out first.”

He heard Shoyo mumble, cocking his brow, “What cha say?”

“I don’t wanna admit defeat.”

“You’re not.” “I know.”

Chapter Text

Shoyo could feel Atsumu’s anger rolling off him in waves, unlike a tsunami, but more like a particularly big wave in relatively calm waters. Then again, it wasn’t really anger, at least not to Shoyo, more like extreme frustration nearly to the point of fury. 

Had it been before then, he’d be running up to distract him and cheer him up. But right now, he really didn’t want to see that boy’s face. 

Should tell his fangirls, pretty sure they could cheer him up.

He was mesmerised by the spin of the ball in his palm, only when the footsteps got louder- closer, and the background noise seemed to lessen did he realise Atsumu was headed for him at a pace.

Some didn’t stop their conversations, either uninterested in the development or not noticing. But the conversation between Suna and Osamu did go out like an extinguished flame. So did Kita’s voice explaining the day’s plans, gaze trained to spot and prevent a fight from breaking out between Atsumu and Shoyo. Shoyo didn’t really blame him; he and Atsumu fought too much to be left alone or overlooked. (Though Shoyo was better than Atsumu in which he would drop off gifts for his senpai for putting up with them every time and not kicking them out of the club. It was a personal triumph over the blond!)

“Atsumu-san?”, his voice flat when Atsumu stopped behind him. 

“Shoyo-kun”. His voice didn’t sound like usual. Shoyo wondered why.

Regardless of his curiosity, Shoyo continued to twist the ball in his hands, watching the yellows and blues spin and blur, spinning it again when the ball slowed.

“I… saw ya talking to Tobio-kun back at the training camp.”

“He and I got along pretty well, yeah.”

“The two of ya seemed pretty chummy together.”

And despite the way Atsumu walked over seemed even- like usual, normal, Osamu knew better. Atsumu was an insecure bastard when it came to certain people. (Who was he kidding? It’s fucking Shoyo-kun, and in such a way- for such a reason, only ever Shoyo-kun .) Atsumu’s voice betrayed him, and he supposed most in their closer circle of friends caught on to it. ‘But does Shoyo know?’

“We are in the same year, and we both like meat buns. He shared some during break, so we got close.” 

“Just that?”

Maybe it’d sound innocent to others, just a double check or something casual or performative in the art of conversation; but to Shoyo it sounded gritting, unpleasant on his heart and ears.

He turned, eyes mocking, “Atsumu-san, you’re sounding an awful lot like a jealous and possessive boyfriend. And we’re nothing like that”

To the shock of the audience in the gym, Atsumu didn’t take the bait, instead his shoulders slumped in resignation, head lowering before he raised it- not as high as he did at first, but enough to look at Shoyo. “Can we talk? In private.”

In all honesty, he didn’t want to say yes; his heart likely wouldn’t be able to take spending time in such an intimate setting with its holder. Despite his thoughts, he displayed an air of nonchalance, eyeing the gym doors to signal his agreement. Atsumu tailed him, making their way out of the gym and out of the sights of their club members.

 Shoyo knew Kita-senpai would inform coach and teach if he and Atsumu took too long. 

(“Are we in a multiverse or something?! Isn’t it usually Atsumu-senpai that goes for Hinata-san and Hinata-san retaliates?! Why’s Hinata-san the one shooting first?!”

“Told ya Hinata-san isn’t a saint like ya kept saying he was, and it ain’t multiverse, it’s parallel universe”)

“So,” was what Shoyo said the moment they found their spot for their impromptu private discussion behind the gym.

Atsumu took in deep breath, which Shoyo found very dramatic, but he surmises that it’s another one of the blond’s charms.

“I’m sorry.”

Shoyo choked and sputtered, cartoonish enough that Atsumu thought it was just theatrics to mock him, but when he saw the motions of Shoyo trying to force down the saliva lodged on his throat, he stepped forward to firmly pat the boy on his back.

“Ya don’t have to react that way…”

“I have to!! It’s not everyday I hear Tsumu apologise so sincerely!!”

“Hah?! I’m humble enough to apologise every now and then!”

“No you’re not! You sometimes act so high and mighty, and you only apologise when it’s in a match!! You haven’t apologised to me before!”

“Didn’t I apologise to ya back in kindergarten when I accidentally spilled ya juice cup?!”

“You said so yourself, kindergarten! That doesn’t count!”

“It sure as hell does! Who ya trying to fool, huh?!”

He found it beautifully ethereal, the way Shoyo looked up to him with his lips pursed and eyes fiery not with anger, but the same way they lit up back when they were children running around the parks when the volleyballs they had in two hands were too big to be held easily. When Shoyo would call out “Tsumu!” and he would reply with a “Sho-kun wait up!”. When he would wait outside the doors of Shoyo’s class or Shoyo would wait outside his so they could walk home together from kindergarten, then middle school. When sometimes he would ditch Osamu and practise volleyball with the boy, or run to his house complaining about something or another Osamu did.

All that time passed, then they had their argument, and neither of them wanted to admit defeat so they were just in a cold war for God knows how long.

He doesn’t know how it happened amidst the sea of memories he was floating upon, but not long later he found his lips on Shoyo’s and they were pretty soft. The only thing in his mind was the fact he didn’t want this to be the last.

“You’re moving along really fast Atsumu-san”

He looked down, Shoyo clutching his shirt in his fist with his face buried and voice muffled by the cloth, but despite that Atsumu could see Shoyo’s ear red as cherries and well, cherries were sweet, and he did like sweet things.

A squeak came from the other boy when Atsumu pinched his reddened ears.

“Why’s it back to Atsumu and honourifics, Sho-kun. See! I’m already calling you Sho-kun again!”, he pouted. 

The blond could feel Shoyo shaking with laughter that he could hear muffled by the shirt when he wrapped his arms around him. And Gods, did it feel nice to have him like this.

Shoyo peeked up with red dusting his cheek and lighter hues on his forehead, chin pressed against Atsumu’s chest, “That’s whatcha worried about? Not the fact I may have hated the kiss?”

“Ya coulda pushed me away, but ya didn’t. And you seem pretty comfy in my arms right now. Pretty sure this ain’t the reaction of someone hating the affection they were shown, Sho—-kun.”

“You’re being too full of yourself.” “Who wouldn’t be with the love of their life in their arms?”

“Oh my God you’re already doing this. Nope I’m out.”

Shoyo released the fabric from his hands, pushing himself away to walk back to the gym.

Shoyo sincerely believed that Atsumu should have joined the volleyball club for sports and the theatre club for a secondary club, because the theatrics with the gasp he released was spot on that Kagehira-senpai would absolutely drag him to join, “Sho-kun are you breaking up with me just a few minutes after we confessed?”

“We didn’t confess ya know,” he turned around, hands behind his back with a smile wide on his face, “you kissed me and that was about it.”

He took the first step to run to Shoyo, merrily announcing: “Well, I love ya, Hinata Shoyo, will you be my future fiance?”

Shoyo sputtered again, turning around to ignore him and picking up pace to get back to the gym.

“Eh—- Don’t ignore me Sho-kun!”

“It’s a yes, dummy!”

(“Fuck yea we don’t need to hear them pine anymore.”

“Bingo but no bing, we’re just gonna have to listen to them pine.”

“Well I take my ‘yea’ back.”)