Chapter Text
Atsumu felt sore. Not just on the outside, but also on the inside. His body was trembling with the exhaustion he felt as he nearly fell down and crumbled; in which he wanted to do. He wanted to break down, to fail, to die, just so this feeling no longer had to linger.
They didn’t win. They lost against the ‘fallen crows.’ Oh how much his hands trembled… but it wasn't in anger or disappointment. It was more like… in a hidden acceptance clawing in on his insides making it harder and harder to understand.
Atsumu’s worries didn’t save him. His worries only worsened him. He really couldn’t stop mulling about the power in his sets which made his accuracy a bit off. And when he started to fret more about the accuracy of said sets, the power went haywire. There was no way to be correct. Nor was there no way to be like what the coach wanted him to be.
His coach was taken aback by his performance. He didn’t set fast enough, strong enough, accurately enough.
His mind was racing in a circle, drifting through the different parts of what went wrong as he sat down with fear clinging to his eyes.
Then, Osamu’s concrete eyes met his, and faster than the beating of the clock, Atsumu became normal again.
“Sorry, Samu, ‘s my fault. I need ta practice more!” He added in a chuckle and a smirk.
“I want ta set for that tangerine haired boy someday. Maybe ‘ll talk ta ‘m when we go over there.”
Osamu growled. “Yer just jealous of Kageyama-kun.”
Atsumu shook his head, and pouted. “No, ‘m not.”
“Keep lyin’ to yourself, Tsumu-”
The whistle rang, earning a flinch out of both Atsumu and Osamu. Atsumu’s eyes glistened over at the sight of all the sets that were on the gym floor. Atsumu wanted to go home, he wanted to go to his room and listen to Marina and the Diamonds and let water cascade down from his eyes as if it was raining, which it thankfully wasn't.
Suna glanced into his eyes, giving him a quick look; analyzing his every move . It was almost as if he was just something to observe, something to take in. And it wasn't unusual either. Suna liked to observe people. He liked to see what their conversations were. He liked keeping the memories.
Atsumu wished he himself would stop keeping the memories, but they were the reason why he imagined himself slicing his skin open with one of his parent’s knives that they use to cut sushi for the restaurant.
He hadn’t done it yet, but he was so close.
Maybe he could cut off some of the fat on his thighs, and on his calves. Maybe cut himself so much, that he just passed out and was as dead as he felt on the inside.
Atsumu wasn’t suicidal. He wasn’t, these were just longings. Longings of things to do that he would never do. Atsumu was a strong athlete. He was the best setter in Japan! And heck, if he wasn’t proud about it. So he would never do that to himself.
He wasn’t just in the higher classes like Osamu or the other second years. He was in a higher class than even Kosaku, who was the smartest beside himself, despite not being a starter on the team. Well, he would probably replace Kita’s position next year. Being an extra wing spiker like his former captain, and a leader. Atsumu couldn’t lead, he knew it. He knew it too well. He was too much of a jerk. Everyone hated him. His fangirls probably hated him. He hated-
No, he didn’t. Atsumu didn’t hate himself. Atsumu was a perfectly sane human being. He was just fine.
Atsumu let his breathing steady yet again. And then come back, in a cycle. It was almost as if he was a circle. A circle that will eventually meet its end in a roundabout method. That’s how Atsumu felt.
Atsumu was going to make use to keep lasting for as long as possible…. He was going to make sure that he would keep turning at the right time while adjusting as much as possible. Enough to keep himself in check. And just enough to make sure he doesn’t do anything that he’ll regret.
____
“’m back,” he muttered into the walls of his apartment. His parents barely made a penny, his brother and him were only at Inarizaki because they got sports scholarships.
Rather than following the conventional method, their parents liked to get high in different ways. Their mom not-so-slyly took her alcohol bottles to work and would get drunk before passing out on her desk. His father loved to play video games on his phone… Plus, he couldn’t cut down on sweets. His father wasn’t just overweight, but medically obese in size. Because of that, Atsumu sometimes just couldn’t eat without feeling sick to his stomach sometimes.
“’m sorry, Mika, I didn’t know ya-” His dad smelled of smoke, which meant that he probably had a cig outside. Atsumu was grateful that he was at least considerate enough to take his smokes outside of the house, and not inside the house. However, since his mom drank a lot the house still smelled of sake all the time.
“Ya lazy ass, ya never get anythin’ done at home! The least ya could do is the dishes, but no. Ya just have to sit at home all the time, playin’ games on your iPhone!” His mom screamed back. She was growling, sitting in the kitchen with nothing but anger written on her face. She looked like Rapunzel’s stepmother in the Disney Movie, or Snow White’s witch; trying to brew some kind of concoction on the stove. Atsumu didn’t even want to know what was in it, but it was most likely for some kind of drink she was making for herself.
Just because his parents owned a restaurant business did not mean that they cooked food for their kids. Atsumu had to learn to understand this a lot when growing up.
“At least I don’t drink so much that I pass out at work like ya, Mika!” his dad retorted in response. He was standing up, and looked like he had something in his hand… how high was his dad right now?
Atsumu ran into his and his brother’s shared bedroom. His brother wasn’t home yet… he must’ve been hanging around the other members of the volleyball team. Atsumu may not like his mom very much, but he wasn’t eager to see his father beat her with a whip either. Atsumu was still traumatized from his early parts of childhood when he was the victim of said whip.
Osamu wasn’t like Atsumu, and was easily able to talk to people he was close to without worrying that he was accidentally going to hurt them, make him hate him or make them shame him for all the eyes to see. So, he was able to avoid going home more often. His parents also tended to cool down when Osamu was around, because they knew that he was their only hope for their business to continue and for them to be able to retire.
Sometimes, Atsumu wished that he was straight, like a line. But neither was his pondering nor was he himself straight… his thoughts twisted and turned and then repeated on itself. His mind often wandered to his intrusive feelings. Thinking about the what-ifs. The terrifying what-ifs.
He always had to make sure to spray that fragrance which smelled of detergent all over the residence just in case someone who hated foul odours ever went into his house. He consistently felt the need to put the pencils in one part of his pencil bag specifically, and it had to stay there or he would lose all of his belongings, since he wouldn’t know where they were.
No one could adjust that or Atsumu’s mind would race with unwanted thoughts of worry, worry and more worry… He needed to go to his teacher’s office hours if he ever scored lower than a B+, or the teacher would hate him for not wanting to learn. His teachers would gossip about him if he wasn’t perfect, so he studied until his mind felt like jello.
When things got particularly bad, Atsumu was always be found at the sea. The tide was always too high, rocking him back and forth like a soothing lullaby. He would then lock himself in his room after he got home from school, and let his feelings pour out. After he locked himself away he would then write and, almost always, delete his writing because it was horrifying… His mind was horrifying.
He wasn’t straight with his sexuality, either. He was a bisexual, someone who liked both boys and girls. He never told anyone, though. He kept it hidden from the eyes of the many people who followed him on the court. People didn’t like bisexuals, so Atsumu made sure to not be one for them. And plus, his brother didn’t know either.
Atsumu was cursed. He was a curse. There was only supposed to be one child. Not two. His parents were only hoping for one. Osamu. Atsumu was too hot for them. He burned too much… he was a crybaby and a snob and a teacher's pet. Osamu wasn’t as smart.. but he could cook. And his parents were restaurant owners. They needed someone who could help them there.
And then there was Atsumu….
Atsumu was good at school, and he liked to sing. He sang to vent out his emotions whenever his parents weren’t around. It stopped him from wanting to hurt himself, or binge eat and then throw it all up. When he didn't confide in his only remedy, Atsumu would feel nauseous whenever he ate too much; realizing how much food he had wasted that could have possibly gone to homeless people who actually needed it… He would then go back to his room and let his tears flow again. He did so until he was somewhat presentable to his parents. He didn't want them to know that he was crying.
The main reason as to why he was good at school was because he was worried about the consequences of not being good academically. He had to enjoy learning things, or he was destined to fail because all he was good at was volleyball. Volleyball players don’t play forever. Volleyball players don’t make enough money to survive after they are done.
Whenever Atsumu merely glanced at the mirror, he wanted to hide himself. His thighs were too big… he wanted no need to exercise more… but he couldn’t. Instead, he needed to try to grill barbecue for his family so that they could have what they wanted. And no, he didn’t get to have any. His parents just wanted him to learn how to cook. Osamu was really good at making onigiri, cutting sushi, and making the perfect Temaki. Atsumu could barely grill the food. He knew his father wanted him to be better and so, he tried.
Atsumu was lost.Atsumu was going to be gone… He would die one day…
Death scared him to no bounds. A wise person would tell him it’s a natural feeling, and that it was a normal thing to be afraid of. But it literally affected Atsumu throughout the day.
What if he had to go traveling somewhere on an airplane and one of the gears wasn’t checked thoroughly enough, so the plane exploded and crashed? What if a strike of lightning hit him randomly on a really hot day?
Whenever Atsumu had to travel for volleyball, he always had to pretend he wasn’t trembling due to anxiety because of the fear he would die because the bus crashed into something, and whenever it stormed Atsumu tried to stay inside, not even wanting to go out with an umbrella if he had the choice. If he was at home alone, he would bury his head into the blankets and sob because there was no force holding back, nothing stopping him from being Atsumu.
But Atsumu’s what-ifs weren’t just about death. It was about literally everything. What if he got to school tomorrow, thinking, “I’m late to class and the teacher was talking about how she had an affair with my father?” The teacher will then giggle maniacally when Atsumu questions her to then state that she was just joking.
“What if we get in the line too early for lunch, will we get expelled?” Atsumu was a huge rule follower, and people blamed it on him being a ‘teachers pet’ every single time!
What if…. What if he was late… he let someone else down?
What if he didn’t show up for someone he needed to show up for. He broke their trust completely in just a few actions. That was what truly broke Atsumu. The thought of letting someone who he trusted down, and made them hate him. Because that had happened to him. So many times. He remembered the times where he and Ginjima were close. He remembered the times when he was able to talk to Suna without worrying that Suna might hate him. He remembered the times… he remembered the times he used to play with Aki-senpai before…
Before the incident….
____
“Dive!” Osamu yelled out. Atsumu saw the volleyball, the red and black colors blending together in his eyes.
“AKI-SAN!”
Atsumu ran as fast as he could to his teammate’s side, not paying attention to the volleyball accelerating onto the other side of the net. The other team was hardly paying attention, either. The ball went over the net, and fell down on the other team’s side and Aki hit the floor.
Tears entered Atsumu’s eyes. No, no, no… I didn’t just do that….
He shakes Aki over and over again, but it was no use. He wasn’t waking up… and it was all Atsumu’s fault.
“Atsumu.”
Atsumu felt his brother’s arms around him, before he started to cry even more…
And then there were the nurses in the stands and doctors coming over, and then the world was fading away, it was so black and red and black and red and black and-
It was a big deal! And it was Atsumu’s fault… and…
Osamu ALWAYS told him not to blame himself. To worry about his own feelings, and not the feelings of others. To focus on his breathing. So on and so forth.
But there was only so much Osamu could do. Soon, he got too scared to even let Osamu’s in his bed, worrying that he would accidentally crush his twin. Even though he got more and more nightmares and kept waking him up.
Eventually, Atsumu pretended to fall asleep until his twin fell asleep. After his twin was asleep, he would go about doing activities that would keep him awake throughout the night. He pretended that he woke up early each morning to go on a run, which his twin believed. Osamu had no idea that Atsumu only ran on sleep when he passed out during English, because Atsumu had decided to go all-out in Middle School and was fluent in English; and therefore didn’t see a point in participating in said class.
Of course, Atsumu only had the class every other weekday; and those were the days he got sleep. Two hours of sleep was enough for Atsumu to get on with his day…
Sometimes, Atsumu would also pass out in exhaustion and be unable to pretend to sleep, since he was actually sleeping, and not pretending to. That happens maybe every other week. It made it more believable that he did go to sleep, though, since Osamu would have evidence that he was sleeping and not pretending if he awoke from a nightmare. Osamu wouldn’t think that he wasn’t sleeping if he had nightmares… right?
Atsumu let his faults crumble his being as he watched his clock. There wasn’t too much time left that he needed to wait for. He could go to sleep. He could sleep for a long time. A very, very long time.
His brother had texted him saying that he was staying at Suna’s. Atsumu wasn’t jealous at all. He wasn’t.
___
Atsumu hated being late…
So here he sat.
The dark black brick walls of Inarizaki’s front building watched him from behind, and the sun was saddened by the sight of him as it awoke sharply behind the clouds clinging to the sky…
So what if he was an hour early to school… he would be fine.
Atsumu wanted to throw up. He couldn’t stop himself from going to school early, how stupid, how dumb of him to walk earlier than he needed to…
Atsumu was such an idiot. He couldn’t even keep track of the time correctly. He let his thoughts make him go early. How stupid. He didn’t have any classes this early in the morning, so why was he here?
As soon as the gates unlocked 30 minutes later, Atsumu ran to the bathroom, and emptied his stomach to get rid of his anxiety that haunted him.
No, Atsumu. Why did you throw up again? You could’ve spent that 500 yen granola bar on something for Osamu. Or mom. Or dad. You’re such an idiot. You need to hurt yourself…
Atsumu itched at his skin, causing his skin to redden more. His strawberry-red skin was even more noticeable by now…
How stupid. Atsumu pulled up his socks as much as possible to cover his ankles, and put on his blazer to cover his arms. Another long day to go.
___
“Atsumuuu!” A voice chirped.
“Oh, if it isn’t the teacher’s pet.” Another one said at the sight of him.
“Did you guys hear? The volleyball team lost their game, and it was his fault!” The voices haphazardly ushered, not caring if he heard or not.
The girls giggled in the background, as well as the popular boys in his grade. Atsumu saw that Suna was annoyed by them… but Suna didn’t say anything. He sat down in his only class that he shared with the middle blocker: which was a class dedicated to both writing and photography.
But, before he could settle much, he was given a pasty white note from his teacher.
“Please go to Room 305 in Building D,” she told him, and he nodded before standing up and running to said building.
For some reason, his captain wanted to see him? He wasn’t quite sure why… he should’ve hated Atsumu. Atsumu ended Kita’s season with his own two hands, didn’t he? But asking to see him.. What on earth could it be about… was he relaying a message from his coach that he was being kicked off of the team? What was it, what was it, what WAS it?
Kita was in his study hall, so the room was pretty empty. “Take a seat,” Kita told him, and Atsumu nodded before sitting next to the upperclassman.
He was still. He dared not say a word to make Kita mad. There was one person that Atsumu respected above the others… and that was Kita, despite how stupid it may sound. He really had appreciation for his captain, and all that he did last year.
“Atsumu.” The upperclassman spoke.
Atsumu’s eyes locked into Kita’s black eyes, a small glisten on his golden irises. Most people didn’t know it, but Atsumu’s eyes weren’t as grey as Osamu’s, and were actually a brighter color. Even if Atsumu’s life wasn’t as bright as Osamu’s. Perhaps it was because he was way too warm…
Snapping back to reality, Atsumu was really scared, but at the same time, he admired his captain from afar. He had a phase where he was all about Kita, since the captain was attractive. His views have changed, though, and Atsumu remains a lifelong single. He was glad, because he knew he would be rejected. And rejection was something that always plagued Atsumu’s mind.
“Can ya be the captain?” Kita’s voice suddenly echoed loudly; pulling him out of his thoughts.
Atsumu’s vision blurred.
Kita… Kita had to retire now… he was so dumb… he forgot.. how had his thoughts not reminded him of this…
“I- ya know ‘m a jerk, Kita. I probably’ll scare the first years away. Ya should pick Gin or Samu…” Atsumu lamented.
“Hm.” Kita gave him a neutral expression, and lightly touched his hair.
Atsumu instantly melted into his touch. He really liked affection… but he never told anyone.. A 17 year old who likes hugs? Psh. No way. Either he was a child in an adult’s body, or he was a creep.
“Yer going to be the captain next year. My decision ‘s final.” With that, Kita had left no room for any arguments. That was the final call. Atsumu was going to be captain.
Despite being the stubborn guy he is, Atsumu couldn’t reply back. His voice was gone.
What kind captain is living a life they don’t even feel like they are in? What kind of captain was really bad at their sport.. enough to make a mistake that injured another player in junior high…. What kind of captain doesn’t feel alive, but like a soulless shell hidden in a forest waiting to be found?
Atsumu couldn’t be the captain.
Everyone hates Atsumu.
How was he supposed to do well?
Ginjima has hated Atsumu for a long time, and someone decided that the two of you had to be partners for the year-long science research project. Atsumu wondered why the school had to insist that all classes should combine for this project. He was in Class 7, and had to be paired with someone in Class 1? Why?
Suna probably hates him, like everyone else. He probably just hangs out with Atsumu because he feels pity for him. Knows that he’s the only one outside of Osamu who is willing to hang out with him. Suna is nice to him sometimes, at the very least. The two of them send each other Bleach memes sometimes while on long bus rides, and Suna seems to genuinely care about Atsumu’s interests.
Kosaku is extremely competitive, as competitive as Atsumu even. He hated that they lost, and probably blamed Atsumu for it. He hung out with Ginjima all of the time. They were like best friends. So he hated Atsumu by default.
And Riseki Heisuke couldn’t like him, since he looked up to Kosaku the most out of all of the upperclassmen. There was no way that Atsumu would be able to get him to trust Atsumu… Atsumu was a blunt, annoying jerk. And Atsumu knew that… so he tried to act like he was. Even though he really wasn’t.
Kita put a hand on Atsumu’s shoulder. “Hey, listen ta me. There are some things I need ta tell ya, okay? I need ya to hear me out. Why I picked ya as the captain, and not anyone else… all a that’ll come ta light…” Kita continued on, sensing Atsumu’s silence.
But before he could utter another word, Atsumu replied: “‘S okay, Kita-san. If I really have ta take the role, then I will. I’ll be goin’, now, okay?”
“Atsumu, wait-”
Atsumu let his legs carry him away from his captain, far and far away. He didn’t know where he was heading, but he wanted it to be somewhere other than here. Somewhere other than an empty classroom with his captain who didn’t understand. Who probably hated him too. Just like everyone else hated him.
___
Atsumu stood in front of all of his fellow volleyball players after practice that day. Their first practice without the 3rd Years. Atsumu agreed to being a captain… on the condition that Kita not pester him about it further.
“Everybody, ‘ve been asked ta take the captain role and ‘ve accepted it, so I’ll be da captain of the team from now on. I don’t think there ‘s much more ta say, other than I hope not to disappoint y’all and hope to be able to lead with vigilance.”
Almost everybody was clapping, except Ginjima, who was glaring at him, Kosaku, who was whispering something to Riseki, and Riseki who was whispering back to Kosaku.
“Next week, I’ll be tellin’ ya all about Kita and I’s decision on who becomes the vice-captain next year. If ya guys have an opinion ‘bout it, lemme know. Kita is setting a requirement that it not be my brother, so yeah it won’t be Osamu.”
“‘S okay, Tsumu,” Osamu replied.
“A reminder that the first years will be allowed to join us startin’ on the third day of school, which is in five weeks. Exams week is in three weeks, and graduation ‘s the Sunday after exams week. We also ‘ll only have lunch practices during finals week per usual, which is most likely jus’ going to consist of a few quicks. However, if yer feeling antsy the gym’ll be unlocked all day. Stay safe ta everybody who is goin’ to be traveling, ’ll be goin’ abroad as well fer the Chem test in Tokyo.”
Suna nodded. He was going to a photography examination to see if he would decide to get a degree in college before going pro, having already made that decision.
Osamu hadn’t decided if he was going pro or not yet, which slightly worried Atsumu. He pretended it didn’t, though. Atsumu was going to probably get a science degree of some sort before going pro, since he knew to be in anticipation of the future yet.
“Durin’ da week off after exams, we’ll host practices on Monday and Tuesday before goin’ to Tokyo and joinin’ the training camp with Karasuno, Itachiyama, Fukurodani, Nekoma, and Kamomedai. The third years of all teams ‘ll be joinin’ us for this training camp on the last day, where we plan to have a tournament by splittin’ all our players up inta da different teams ta connect more with da volleyball community.” He paused momentarily, letting the others absorb the information in.
Atsumu continued, “Make sure not to be late ta any of our last morning and afternoon practice days these next two weeks, and yeah.. If anyone was wonderin’ if we could get Shiratorizawa to go, they haven’t replied yet. Karsuno said that they wanted ta invite more teams from Miyagi if they go to be fair, so they may bring two other teams with ‘em. Fukurodani also mentioned that Osaka Kiryu may be interested in joining as well. If you have any questions, please ask the coach or myself. And yeah. All this information ‘s also on the old group chat, which ‘ll use until the 1st years join before creating a new one. Thank you very much.”
Atsumu nodded before letting his coach talk about line-ups and all the other stuff, his brother giving him a nod when he sat down. Atsumu faked a smile and nodded back, satisfying his brother.
___
Atsumu decided to stay behind after practice. He needed his serves to get even better than they were now, and the only way was extra practice. Right? He couldn’t fail his teammates again, and he would need to be perfect in all areas on the court. He wanted to get a third serve, but his coach was unsure if that would ruin his form because he was still somewhat young; and so he wasn’t allowed too.
When Atsumu served the ball, he could feel like he was flying sometimes. Secretly, Atsumu really enjoyed spiking sometimes because he felt the same feeling for just a few moments. Like he was free, and his emotions were not taking over.
So when he served the ball to the other side of the court, and heard the sound of somebody bumping it back, he mentally and physically jumped in response.
The Fox-like hair only answered all the questions in his mind.
“Rin.”Atsumu confronted.
“I knew you would be here, Atsumu,” he replied.
Atsumu sighed. “Ya know me too well.”
Suna looked down at the floor, his hands slightly trembling. “I just got some… news. I come with a warning. Sanada-san’s no longer in suspension. He’s going to look for more people to play around with.”
Sanada was a high-class jock on the soccer team, and is known for doing… things that Atsumu doesn’t dare dream about. One of his victims was Suna’s younger sister… so Suna was very sensitive about it. It was the reason that Suna no longer hung out with the popular kids friend group like he did when he was a first year. Why he was wary about trusting pretty much anybody.
Atsumu then took a closer look at Suna. Suna was definitely trusted more by him than Kosaku or Ginjima… and Atsumu needed to make his decision now, or Kita would make it for him. He knew that.
So, looking at the boy who’s sharp eyes could spot anything weird and was very analytical, the boy who obviously liked his brother and maybe actually.. Maybe would actually be able to work with Atsumu, not against him.
Looking at Suna Rintarou, Atsumu took a deep breath.
“Rin?”
“Yeah?” The other responded back.
“Can ya… can ya be my vice captain?”
“Of course, Tsumu, if that’s what you want…”
A smile donned Atsumu’s face. A real genuine smile.
“Thank ya…”
Suna shook his head. For some reason, he took a look at Atsumu’s face before settling out of the moment.
“Let’s start taking down the gym. It’s getting late,” Suna stated, slapping Atsumu with the tips of his fingers before starting to pick up stray volleyballs from the ground.
Atsumu never felt like Suna could even… he felt his heart pounding as he looked at a… different Suna. But he needed to focus on what was important right now, which is helping Suna clean up Atsumu’s own mess of emotions that he vented out with just his muscles.
Atsumu doubted that Atsumu cared, even now. He didn’t doubt that he most likely was just doing this to have the title of vice-captain, and to use Atsumu to get closer to Osamu.
But if the tiny shimmer in Atsumu’s eyes wasn’t hope, hope that Suna Rintarou may see him as more than the brother of the boy he was in love with, seeing him as an actual friend… than they must have been glimmering because of how much of a fool Atsumu was.
Atsumu himself didn’t know which feeling was stronger.
___
After both Suna and him finished cleaning up the gym, the former left to go home because he heard from his parents that they had a business emergency and weren’t at home. Atsumu was left to his own thoughts in the showers; feeling himself burning more as the hot temperature of the water scalds his skin as it cascades down his sides.
When he was finished, and had draped his school uniform over his body that he had slightly reddened, he locked the gym and the locker rooms in solace. For some reason, after showering in burning hot water, Atsumu felt more calm than he did before. He felt like he was yielding, just like water. Which was what he needed to be, submissive in his thoughts yet active in his actions.
Atsumu proceeded to walk through the endless sidewalks that led to his home, lost in his own world and thoughts without paying much attention to what was around him. While he understood that Suna wanted him to be cautious, Atsumu didn’t care enough to be careful.
“If it isn’t Miya Atsumu.”
Atsumu stopped moving, recognizing the voice immediately, before starting to run. No, no, no, no- Suna was right, Suna was absolutely right, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…
“Ah, you think you can run from me?” the man smirked, pushing Atsumu down onto the ground, spitting in his face before resting his dirty black foot on Atsumu. If Atsumu got home, he would be pounding his face in with soap… not that he was mysophobic, but the thought of being marked by this guy…
“Sanada-san, please get off of me-”
“Why should I, Miya? Oh, you look quite cute right now,” and to Atsumu’s horror, he took a picture of the nearly-tearing up Atsumu under his foot. “Now, if you don’t want me to take more photos of you, I suggest you behave yourself. Okay, Miya~?”
Atsumu stilled, his eyes a void of unshed feelings.
“Good. Now, Miya Atsumu, let’s play a little game, all right? Every day, you do the homework for me, since you’re smarter than you actually act. And if so, I don’t do anything worse. And that’s all I'll require of you. And you can’t tell anyone about this deal of ours.?”
Atsumu froze. “O-okay…”
“Great! Here’s my math homework for tomorrow. Bye for now, Miya!”
And then Atsumu was left processing his unwanted thoughts yet again.
Before he went on the disgusting, disgusting sidewalk that had been touched by the man that had just left him.