Chapter Text
Kiyoomi was very disconnected from pop culture. He didn’t care much for the shiny new drama or things that were trending. Don’t even get him started on knowing any singers' faces. He could listen to a song and end up liking a few things from their discography without even knowing the name of the artist, let alone the way they looked.
Whenever someone asked him what kind of music he liked he would simply shrug and say some band that he started listening to when he was younger–any band that his parents would buy CD’s from. Most of the time no one would really be that into them so he would return the question despite not really caring for their answer, it was a courtesy question.
He did have interests; volleyball, movies, reading… Well, those are mostly the extent. That’s also not to say he knew actors or anything, he barely paid enough attention to the faces behind the characters they played. He was a professional volleyball player so he dismissed his disconnect from anything else as a result from his busy schedule. However, he knew this was a bad excuse because his fellow teammates seemed much more in touch with what was going on with famous people and that field.
Whenever the team would start going on about the drama in pop culture he found himself zoning out. He didn’t really care for the petty cancel culture or what famous people started dating. He would hear some names being thrown around but he never cared to look them up to put a face to the name or anything.
Lately the team was obsessed with some singer that goes by the stage name “Toro Toshiro”. He thought the stage name was strange, that’s probably the reason it stuck out. He still had no desire to look the singer up though. He was vaguely aware of a few things about the singer. Some things were superficial–the kinds of things his teammates thought was attractive about his appearance and charm and that he was rising to the top of the charts rapidly. He wasn’t new in terms of being a singer and releasing music but one hit single was over used in an internet trend that blew him up.
The rest of what he was learning through osmosis–against his will.
“Oh my god, guys did you see his new interview?” Hinata brought up one day in the dressing room. Kiyoomi sighed in disinterest when the team started talking about the artist once again.
“No! What happened?” Bokuto asked excitedly.
“He likes watching volleyball! He said he’s a big fan of–get this… US!”
The team started all talking above each other, the volume of the dressing room was reaching Kiyoomi’s limit so he left quickly. A lot of people were fans of them, he wasn’t that surprised that the guy liked them, they were awesome.
The team was buzzing with glee throughout the practice, Kiyoomi really didn’t understand why this was so exciting to them. It was just some random guy who was open about liking watching them play. He is just some guy who happens to have a following for doing something he likes. They literally do the same thing as him basically–do something they love publicly that gains people’s attention.
Whatever, Kiyoomi couldn’t care less honestly. This wouldn’t change the way he played or how he would go through his life so why should he care? It did end up getting him a few more followers on his social media accounts which he only uses for his public image or to promote things that brands ask him to for some extra cash. He never cared to read comments or interact with fans. They all knew he was disconnected from all that shit.
Kiyoomi hated going on dates with men who were obsessed with pop culture. Obviously he understood other people knew more than him but when they made it their whole personality he got bored. He couldn’t keep up with anything the men would talk about and he was disinterested when they started talking about the drama.
That being said, when he found a man who would dismiss the topic he started to fall. It was exciting talking to someone who could talk forever, fill the silences Kiyoomi couldn’t but didn’t bring everything back to what was going on with artists or actors. It was a huge bonus that this man he sat with was gorgeous, hair always seemed styled perfectly, his teeth were imperfectly perfect and a smile that reached his eyes so beautifully it made his heart stutter.
He could keep up with the witty quips and wasn’t afraid to banter back and forth. He had a strong resolve, taking teasing insults in stride and throwing them back with a charmingly mischievous smirk. It was almost immediately confirmed that Kiyoomi would ask him on a second date after the first.
They went on several dates before they made it official. Kiyoomi was over the moon, not like he would admit that so openly, but it was the first time in what felt like forever that he found someone he felt he could be himself unabashedly and not fear he would scare someone off with his authenticity. He knew his flaws, his ‘redflags’ that others would point out or be turned off by. But Atsumu was different. He embraced his shaky foundation and was straight forward in the things that he thought were frustrating or annoying but it never scared him off. He understood Kiyoomi was imperfect and he always tried finding ways to overcome the issues. It strengthened their relationship and made Kiyoomi feel as if he was becoming a better version of himself.
They’ve been together for 6 months and his team had been suspicious about the change in his demeanour. He’s more confident, smiled more and was more tolerable towards his team's antics. The team finally brought up the change one night when they were out at a restaurant in Argentina. They were in the middle of a tournament and were travelling overseas for a week.
“So, Kiyoomi, have you been seeing anyone lately?”
Kiyoomi looked up from the food in front of him with a raised brow, “Huh? Why do you ask?” The team all looked around at each other, thinking the answer was obvious.
“Well,” Inunaki started, “You’ve been checking your phone very often, you seem happier and less tense…” He trailed off with a questioning look.
Kiyoomi chuckled lightly, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’ve always been this way,”
The team exchanged a few looks before all laughing, “Kiyoomi, if this is just how you are now I’m not saying anything bad but you just seem… Like you’ve realized you’re loved? If that makes sense. I know when I was in the honeymoon stage I felt like the world was so much better because I felt loved and needed… Wanted. It was a great feeling, I can feel that confidence from you,” Meian spoke with a knowing smile.
Kiyoomi felt his cheeks heating up as he thought about his words. He did feel lighter. He did feel a rush of happiness and giddiness whenever he thought about Atsumu or saw a text from the man. He didn’t know it would be so obvious from bystanders.
“I… I don’t know,” He looked away with a small smile on his face, a fondness spreading through his chest.
Bokuto sighed contently, “Whether you found someone or not you have no obligation to tell us obviously, but we’re just glad to see you happy!” He looked excited for Kiyoomi, curious but not willing to push the man’s boundaries, respectfully.
Kiyoomi cleared his throat, putting his utensils down and standing up from the table, “I’m headed to the washroom,” He walked away and pulled out his phone. It was just after 7pm in Argentina so it would be just after 7am where Atsumu was. He knew the man was awake because he got a text not too long ago in response to him letting the blonde know he was heading out to dinner with the team.
After a couple rings Atsumu picked up, “Hey Omi-omi!” A cheerful voice picked up the other line.
“Hi, what are you doing?”
“Just out for a mornin’ stroll, the weather is beautiful. I was just thinking about ya,” Atsumu said. Kiyoomi could hear the smile.
“I was thinking about you too,” He said with a slight shy tone, “I’m out at dinner with the team,”
“Why’re ya calling me then? Get back out there with ‘em, socialize!” he said encouragingly. He had heard Kiyoomi talk about how he wishes he could be closer to the team–feel as if he was really a part of the family the team always insisted they are.
“I wanted to hear your voice,” He whined jokingly.
“Yer too cute, baby. Get back out there and I’ll call ya when you get back to yer hotel, yeah?”
Kiyoomi smiled as he agreed and headed back out to the table. If the team noticed the residual smile on the man’s face they chose not to say anything, letting the man keep his secrets.
When Kiyoomi got back to Japan, he came back with a shiny gold medal. He was a little upset that Atsumu didn’t surprise him at the airport but he was glad he didn’t have to explain to the team who this man was and why he was hugging the life out of him.
He opened the door to his apartment, turned on the light with a sigh only to be met with the man he missed to death with little balloons and streamers in the house.
“Welcome back!” Atsumu sang happily as Kiyoomi took in the scene and flushed red. He chuckled and shook his head, “You played so well, Omi! God, I missed ya!” He walked over to the man who was processing this silly little surprise party and brought him into his arms for a big hug and small kiss.
“You’re stupid,” Kiyoomi mumbled fondly into his shoulder, holding onto him tightly, inhaling in his scent which he missed.
“Come on, I got you yer favourite treat!” He taunted as he led him into the kitchen. They caught up as they ate the dessert. It was 9am but because of the time difference Kiyoomi was exhausted. After they finished up eating the dessert Atsumu cheekily led him to the bedroom and gave him a simple blowjob, asking for nothing in return as he left the apartment to get some sleep. He knew how Kiyoomi hated flying and how difficult the flight from Argentina to Japan was.
It took a couple days to get Kiyoomi’s sleep schedule back on track. Atsumu gave him tips and help trying to fix his jet lag which Kiyoomi took gratefully, not second guessing why he was so good at fixing such a thing.
The two of them have been hanging out at each other's places the past few days, seamlessly falling into a couple weeks, the domesticity and ease comforted Kiyoomi as he just got the news of his grandfather falling ill. The future was not looking too promising for him.
“I want you to meet him,” Kiyoomi spoke softly from under the blankets draped over him on the couch.
“What’s that?” Atsumu asked softly as he returned to the living room with a hot cup of tea.
“My grandfather, I want you to meet him before he…” He trailed off, a rush of sadness rolled over him as he realized what it all meant.
“Oh, baby,” Atsumu sat down on the couch where there was a space before the edge of the couch and Kiyoomi’s waist. He ran his fingers through the dark hair, frowning at the sad expression on his face, “Of course we can go see ‘im. I know how much ya look up to him. I would be honoured to meet him,” He rested a hand on Kiyoomi’s flank over the blanket.
“I can drive us down tomorrow? If you’re okay with that, obviously. I know you’ve been working hard on your project for work the past while… I don’t want to take you away from that,” Kiyoomi mumbled. He knew a bit about what Atsumu did. He was a bit vague whenever he talked about it but Kiyoomi didn’t press too much. If he wanted to be fully transparent about his job he would. He wasn’t worried or overthought the reason.
He knew a couple things Atsumu did, one being a side hustle as a model, promoting brand clothing or whatever. It didn’t come as a shock as he knew how fucking hot his boyfriend was. He never chose to look him up to see the kind of stuff he modelled since the blonde would offer to show him some of his favourite photos from the shoot.
He also knew that Atsumu was into music. Atsumu never talked about it much, sometimes he would make up a beat on his laptop and have to show Kiyoomi to get his opinion, other times he would stop mid sentence to write down lyrics. He said he wrote music for other singers and sold the ideas or samples. He knew Kiyoomi didn’t care much for music so he didn’t bring it up often, opting to keep that more to himself.
“Of course I’ll go with you. I wouldn’t miss it, darlin’,” He said reassuringly.
“Thank you. I love you,” He said with a warmth in his chest.
Atsumu smiled softly at him, “I love you too, Omi. I love ya so much,” He leaned down to press a small kiss on his forehead. Kiyoomi closed his eyes, tired from the tears he shed earlier thinking about his grandfather not meeting the love of his life before he passed.
The next morning Kiyoomi went back to his apartment to pack up. They were going to stay at his mother’s house when they visited his grandfather. He knew how difficult this was for the whole family so he wanted to be with them during this difficult time.
The drive wasn’t too bad, luckily. Atsumu ended up driving, his car had tinted windows and was much better than Kiyoomi’s. The seat warmers were his favourite part of the car.
As they were getting closer to Kiyoomi’s childhood home his ears perked up at what the radio was saying, “The singer Toro Toshiro had announced a hiatus. There had been talk about some people trying to find his real name, breaching the singer's privacy–” Atsumu reached over and turned the radio station with a grimace on his face. The radio he turned it to was playing a song Kiyoomi vaguely recognized as the singer that was previously mentioned. The team played it often in the room, it was hard not to know who it was by.
Atsumu clicked his tongue in disdain and turned the radio station again, it was the same song, though a different verse. The blonde turned off the radio completely, “We’re almost there anyway, we don’t need the radio on,” he mumbled mostly to himself. Kiyoomi said nothing as Atsumu filled the silence with some story about his brother.
“–he didn’t even recognize ‘er! I had to tell ‘Samu who the singer was, it was so embarrassing,” Atsumu babbled. Osamu was Atsumu’s twin brother, he’s seen pictures but has yet to meet him in person. He learned that Osamu helped with writing and composing music but was disengaged from the pop culture scene, much like Kiyoomi, but not to the same extreme. He didn’t know the faces of popular singers even though he would write and sell his writing to them. Atsumu was telling Kiyoomi a story when they went to meet up with one of the singers who they wrote for but Osamu thought it was a random girl Atsumu was friend’s with. It led the woman to be offended and storm off. Atsumu thought it was funny.
It was one of the stories that Atsumu liked to tell when he knew Kiyoomi wasn’t fully paying attention. He knew just how disconnected the man was from the scene so he would use those stories to fill the silence and not expect follow up questions or anything of the sort.
When Kiyoomi started seeing the familiar scenes of his hometown he sat up straighter and took the talking stick, pointing out some places he would play as a child and showed Atsumu his Elementary and High School. When they arrived to Kiyoomi’s house the taller of the two breathed in deeply, “Here’s the house I grew up in,” He said with a small sigh.
“It looks very homey,” Atsumu offered as he unbuckled his seatbelt, “Let’s go see yer family, yeah?”
Kiyoomi nodded, turning to him with a grateful smile. They both approached the front door with their overnight bags and were ushered into the house with a warm, yet sorrowful welcome. Kiyoomi introduced Atsumu to his parents and older siblings who also decided to stop by. They all hugged him, welcoming him into the family.
Kiyoomi couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of emotion as his parents offered the blonde food or water and seeing his boyfriend crack the hard outer shell of his siblings causing a slight smile. When they dismissed themselves to go upstairs and put their bags in Kiyoomi’s old room Atsumu brought him into a big comforting hug which ended in Kiyoomi crying into his shoulder. Atsumu rubbed his back, guiding them to sit on his childhood bed as he let the other empty his tear ducts.
“I’m sorry I’m meeting your family under such circumstances but I’m just glad to be here with you, darlin’,” Atsumu whispered as Kiyoomi’s tears were slowing.
“Thank you for coming with me, I don’t… I’m not good with this kind of stuff,” Kiyoomi pulled back and looked down sadly. Atsumu caressed his face gently, a sad but reassuring smile bloomed on his face and Kiyoomi felt the comforting aura. He leaned over, pressing a sweet smile to the blonde’s lips, “I really do love you,” Kiyoomi said softly.
Atsumu brought him down to lie next to him and brought him into his arms, “I know, I love you too. I’m so thankful ya came into my life, Omi-omi. You showed me so much, taught me what it feels to feel loved for who I am rather than how other people see me,” he mumbled.
They laid there for a while before Kiyoomi’s parents called them down for dinner. They ate and ended up watching a classic family movie before going to bed. They were going to visit their grandfather tomorrow afternoon.
As they got ready for bed Kiyoomi was starting to feel anxious about everything, “I never came out to my grandfather,” He sighed as he pulled on a sleep shirt. Atsumu wore his pyjama bottoms and no shirt as he said he hated how it felt when he slept.
Atsumu frowned, “Your family seems very understanding. Do you think he’ll not accept us?”
Kiyoomi sat on the edge of his bed, “I… I don’t know. I always thought he would be welcoming to whoever I brought home… I think I’m just overthinking it all,”
Atsumu sat down next to him, pulling him into his side, “What are you worried about?”
“I’m scared that he’ll be… disgusted by us or something… I don’t want him to think poorly about us before he…”
“Hey… If you would rather not tell him about us you can tell him I’m a friend. I understand that it’s scary. If ya don’t want me to meet him at all then I can wait for you to be done seeing him, that’s okay too. I just want ya to feel comfortable,”
Kiyoomi sniffed, holding back his tears, “I don’t want him to die without having known the real me… I don’t want him to die thinking I’m alone, that no one loves me. I also want you to meet him. He’s so… I look up to him, the things he’s been through… He’s an inspiration, I want to share that with you,”
Atsumu nodded, he knew the relationship Kiyoomi had with his grandfather, how much he helped the family when shit hit the fan in the earlier years of Kiyoomi’s life. He knew how high Kiyoomi held him, how important this was for him.
“I would love to meet him. He knows you’re loved, Omi. You don’t need to prove that to him, darlin’. How about ya think about it during breakfast? Don’t overthink tonight, you can think about the next step tomorrow morning…”
They went to sleep and woke up early the next morning. Atsumu woke up first, kissing the man on the cheek as he snuck out to use the washroom. There he bumped into Kiyoomi’s older sister. He was glad he put on a shirt beforehand.
“Good morning Atsumu,” She greeted kindly. He bowed politely and responded respectfully, “I take it he doesn’t know?” She asked with a slight smirk.
Atsumu’s eyebrows shot up, “I’m sorry?” He asked.
“Kiyoomi doesn’t know who you are,” She said simply, “How did you manage that?”
Atsumu quickly looked back to the closed bedroom door before looking back at her with wide eyes, “How do you know?”