Chapter Text
Unopened
Atsumu looked outside from the window in her bedroom. The night-sky was filled with colors and the echoes of firework welcomed the new year. The smoky scent of the powder was all around her and blurred the streets like if a layer of mist had settled above it.
She turned her head when the doorbell went. Who can that be? she thought as she made her way downstairs, frowning in confusion.
When she opened the front door, she got met with a sea of noise; people laughing, the firework and children shouting enthusiastically at the colors of the fireworks arrows that they shot in the air.
Atsumu smiled when it was Kita that stood on the doorstep. He held two sparklers in his hand. ‘’Happy New Year! Are you going to join the others? The whole street is enjoying the fireworks Suna has bought for this year.’’
‘’Sure. Just hold on, I’ll put on my jacket.’’ When she was ready, Atsumu stepped outside and closed the door behind her, locking it, since her parents were at her grandparents to celebrate the New Year. She quickly followed Kita and wrapped her arms around her chest against the cold. ‘’Sure is a lot more windy than last year!’’ she shouted of the fireworks.
Kita nodded in agreement and lit the two sparklers. He handed one to Atsumu with a smile. ‘’I don’t really like fireworks, but this is fun enough, right?’’
‘’I don’t like it so much, either,’’ Atsumu admitted as she looked at the sparkler. ‘’But this is okay. How was your Christmas?’’
Huffing out a laugh, Kita lowered his head. ‘’Could be worse. My mother and I accidentally bought the same present for my father. And my aunt was stuck in traffic, so she arrived at eleven instead of ten in the morning. You?’’
‘’Hasn’t Osamu told you already?’’ Atsumu asked and nudged her head to her brother. ‘’I saw you talk on the street from my bedroom window.’’
‘’That’s not what I meant,’’ Kita said. ‘’Osamu said to me that you met someone at the All-Japan training camp last year. Sakusa Kiyoomi from Itachiyama, he said? The, uh, team we were supposed to play against if we had won from Karasuno.’’
‘’Oh, him.’’ Atsumu looked down at her feet. ‘’Yes, we talked at the camp and exchanged numbers, but nothing special or something. He only sends the basic messages. Birthdays and Holidays and stuff. It’s not like we are stuck to our phone.’’
Kita nodded slowly. ‘’He is from Tokyo, correct?’’
‘’M-hm.’’
‘’Long way from here.’’
‘’Yup…’’
The two stood in silence as the sparklers slowly died down.
Atsumu took a deep breath and put the rest at the foot of a heap of used fireworks. When she passed Kita again, she wished him the best before going back inside her house. She closed the door behind her and took off her jacket.
Kaya, the family cat, approached her from underneath the table and her head against Atsumu’s clearly asking for food or cuddles.
‘’All right, all right,’’ Atsumu chuckled and rubbed the cat under the chin. ‘’I’m coming.’’ She followed the animal to the scullery where Kaya had her food bowl, it was indeed empty and Atsumu quickly filled it up, Kaya rewarding her with purring as the cat began eating.
Now that she had taken care of Kaya, Atsumu sat down in front of the television and put on some highlights from the past volleyball Nations League. But halfway in the video, she grabbed her phone, silently hoping that Sakusa had send something, but she had no messages beside from family. She put her phone away and looked up at the ceiling. It’s not like we’re stuck to our phone or something…
Letting out a sigh, Atsumu closed her eyes. Perhaps he isn’t. But I fear that maybe I am…
A loud crash from the scullery made her jump. Kaya sprinted into the living room, fur completely fluffed up and eyes wide in shock. She snuck under the couch as Atsumu walked to back to investigate.
The first thing she saw, was a rectangular object wrapped in red and golden paper, a green Christmas sticker on the front. She knelt down and carefully picked it up. Her curiosity grew when she read her name on the sticker.
‘’From who could this be?’’ she mumbled to herself and brought the mysterious present to the living room. And why was it hidden in the scullery? Some kind of prank from Samu?
Deciding to just open it, Atsumu ripped the paper off and was met with a surprise; she held a photo frame with a picture of her and Sakusa. He wore his facemask, though there was a happy spark in his eyes. Atsumu, on the other hand, was making a weird face.
Atsumu hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. She’d completely forgotten she’d taken this photo at the end of the training camp. When she looked again at the photo, she saw a piece of paper stick out from the back of the frame.
She took off the back and watched how a train ticket and a note fell out. Atsumu put the frame aside and picked up the note and ticket.
‘’Dear Atsu, it took me quite some time to find the right words to write this. I’m not someone who’s a master in poets. But I didn’t want to ask via the phone. I bought a ticket for you to Tokyo. Would you like to enter the new year at my place?’’ When Atsumu was done reading, she was left speechless. She understood why he didn’t say anything. She get it why he left her on read.
He thinks my heart is closed to his feelings…
Atsumu grabbed her phone and dialed Sakusa’s number. It went three times before he picked up. There were muted voices around him, signing that he was with friends or family.
‘’What?’’ came his brisk answer.
Atsumu immediately felt bad as she could hear the hurt hidden in his voice. ‘’I got your gift.’’
‘’Did you?’’
‘’Just. Kaya accidentally threw it off the windowsill in the scullery. Don’t worry, the glass is still in one part.’’ Atsumu tried to lighten the mood a bit, but listening to the silence on the other side, her anxiety began to grow. ‘’Really. Someone must have hidden it and forgotten about it.’’
‘’That’s really convenient,’’ said Sakusa dryly. ‘’Didn’t you notice how I put it in your volleyball bag this winter training camp? Do you ever clean your sports clothes after training?’’
Atsumu frowned. ‘’What? Yes, of course! It must have gotten under the floor fabric of the bag. Then my mother must have gotten hold of it and forgotten about it. Leaving it in the scullery.’’
‘’Not buying it.’’
‘’But it’s true!’’ Atsumu was desperate at this moment. ''Please, you must believe me!''
‘’Don’t even try it, Miya. I do wish you a happy new year, and lots of luck in whatever you’re going to do. And do whatever you like with the photo, I don’t care anymore.’’
Atsumu closed her eyes when she heard the click of Sakusa ending the call. Him calling her Miya hurt her the most. She looked at the photo frame, and as a tear slid down her cheek, she thought: I wish I’d never opened that gift…