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Atsumu hates rejection. He doesn’t like, nor want being rejected. The thought of being rejected makes him nauseous.
He got the idea way back when he and his brother Osamu were kids.
It was a sunny day and the miya brothers are playing volleyball outside with some kids in their neighborhood. Atsumu was doing fine, not until this one kid told osamu to come team up with them so he can be separated with his twin. Atsumu doesn’t like the idea having his twin on the enemy side so he complained.
“No! Samu is gonna be on my team! not yers!” Atsumu pulled osamu close to him, the kid argues back. “Yer always with osamu! Its no fair! Ya always win together!” The kid pulled osamu out of atsumus side “We’re twins ya scrub! Of course we’re always gonna be together!” Atsumu pulled osamu again to his side, they keep bickering and pulling osamu to the point that they didn’t notice the strong grip they put in both osamus arms.
“STOP!” Osamu winced at the pain and pulled his arm out of their grips “Yer hurting me! We’re never going to start play with yer useless bickering!” Atsumu gives a tongue to the kid making the kid more irritated. “Samu’s going to be on my team” Atsumu hold osamus hand ready to drag his twin on the other side of the net “Let’s go samu!” He stopped when osamu yanks his hand away from him, he looked at osamu with confusion clear in his face “Sorry tsumu but im going to team up with them” osamu pointed at the kid “they’re right tsumu we cant always be together ya know”. Thats the day he found out he hates being rejected.
He ran away crying that day and it was embarrassing for him. He told his mother that osamu hates him and doesn’t want him as his twin anymore. “I didn’t say that ma! I just told him that we won’t always be together!” That made atsumu cry harder. Osamu explained to his ma what really happened. Their ma said that their love for each other as brothers were unconditional and told them to apologize to each other.
“Tsumu” osamu sighs at his brother who were sulking at the corner of their shared room “Tsumu im sorry. I didn’t mean what i said ya know we’ll always be together” atsumu turned his head to osamu “ya promise?” Osamu looked at his brothers puffy red eyes and his snotty nose then gave him a smile “I promise ya scrub” atsumu stood up and ran towards his brother and hugged him. They both fell asleep afterwards.
His worse memory and worse fight with his twin was when osamu told him that he won’t be continuing volleyball after high school. That made his hatred for rejection deepened. “Tsumu i got to tell ya something..” they were in their house, sitting at their couch. “Samu I already told ya it will work” atsumu was not even looking at osamu he was busy with his phone watching volleyball matches. “It will?” “Of course it will” “wait, what will?” Atsumu looked at osamu with a raised brow “Our new quick technique, we already did it once ya know” osamu frowned “no tsumu thats not it” “God samu can ya stop worrying? Ya have the number 1 setter here in japan you have noth-“ “Can ya stop thinking about volleyball for a minute!” Atsumu frowned at his twin “I didn’t know that ya were dumber than me” osamu gritted his teeth ready to fight atsumu “Osamu we’re going pro remember? We obviously need to think about volleyball ya dumbass” atsumu was already standing up walking towards the stairs to his bed “I’m not playing volleyball anymore” atsumu stopped, both of their backs were facing each other. Osamu sighed at his twin silence and continued “Im going to a culinary school in tokyo after we graduate. I was already accepted” they both fell into complete silence, osamu waiting for atsumu to say something “Yer doing this again.” Atsumu whispered but osamu heard it “Doing what again?” Osamu stood up facing atsumu’s back “Yer rejecting me again...” atsumu finally faced his brother tears already in his face “Tsumu im not-“ “LIAR!” Atsumu walked towards his brother and pulled his collar “What happened to we’ll always be together huh?!” Osamu pushed himself away from atsumu’s grip “Atsumu grow up already! We wont always be together!” Atsumu looked at osamu in disbelief “We have our own paths and dreams ya idiot! Im not always gonna be there for-“ osamu was stopped when a fist collided with his face “Yer a liar! A fucking liar! Ya will never succeed in culinary school!” Osamu returned a punch. They started punching each other saying things they didn’t really mean, they were stopped by suna and their parents.
After their fist fight they didn’t really talk with each other for months, only conveying in small to minimum reasonable conversations, well not until they graduated high school. Atsumu was the first one who needs to leave going to osaka for try outs in the Msby Black Jackals. Together with sunarin going to tokyo for try outs in EJP Raijin.
They were in the train station, their parents were there also osamu. “Ya should call us ok? Atleast twice a week” his ma was already sobbing unable to get out clear words “I will pa” his pa gave him a proud smile “Tsumu my baby” his mother hugged him “Please fix yer problems with yer brother or ya both will regret it” his ma stated pulling out of hug, kissing his cheek before returning to his husband. Atsumu looked at his brother who was hugging sunarin. Osamu kissed suna in the lips and then let go after whispering something to suna, atsumu cant hear. Both osamu and suna looked at atsumu who was already walking towards them. Suna looked at osamu and placed his last kiss “I’ll wait for you there samu” then left to go to his parents.
Osamu and atsumu was just looking at each other in silence, waiting for each other to say or do something. “Samu” “Tsumu” they looked at each other waiting for one to continue. “I-“ atsumu choked, his eyes watering. Osamu looked at his brother, his eyes also watering. “I-I’m gonna prove that i’ll be the happier twin in our deathbed!” atsumu said while pointing at his brother, tears already pouring. It was silent, only atsumu’s and their mother’s sniffling can be heard. Osamu was stunned, but then he genuinely smiled “not if I live happier than ya, ya crybaby”, atsumu then jumped towards osamu, his brother already opening his arm like he expected it, then they embraced each other, they cried, sobbed, also insulting one another, “im not a crybaby! ya are!!” “yeah yeah whatever ya say tsumu”. soon they let go at each other, “I’ll miss you samu”, Osamu rolled his eyes fondly “It’s not like i’m dying ya dramatic bitch”, Atsumu then slapped osamu’s shoulder “say it back ya ass!”, his brother sighed then said “I’ll miss you tsumu” the twins smiled at each other, Osamu kissed atsumu’s forehead and bid “I will never reject ya, ya scrub” which resulted into atsumu sobbing again. After suna pulling atsumu out of osamu to kiss his boyfriend once again, they entered the train and waved at their love ones.
Once the train left they both sat, Rin rested his head on the back of the chair while Atsumu sighed contentedly. “Seems like everything worked out huh” rin whispered, Atsumu looked at the window and said “Of course it did, He never rejected me at the first place” suna snorted at the response, then they settled in a comfortable silence. Thoughts running through their minds, expecting for a new journey in life.