Work Text:
The black swallows will return
to hang their nests on your balcony,
and once again will knock in play
against your window panes;
but those that stopped their flight and perched
to observe your beauty and my good luck,
those who learned to know our names...
those... will not return.
~•~
He woke up at 9 am, just as every day. The other side of the bed was empty and felt a little colder than it used to, but this wasn’t a surprise because Atsumu, his Atsumu, was known for being an early bird. He probably left for his morning jog was the first thing his sleepy mind thought.
Kiyoomi stretched and felt his joints and bones moving around, having hypermobility and being old wasn't a good match and he was paying the price for all that extra volleyball practice when he was young.
Standing up and walking to the kitchen to make breakfast for him and Atsumu he started to list all the things he had to do today, calling their daughter, asking how the kids were doing, watering his plants (god knows Atsumu never could take care of them, they always died so now he's the only one in charge), filling the bird feeder and sitting on the porch and talking with his husband.
He made two cups of coffee and some eggs for himself, he was going to wait until Atsumu came back to make him some toast so he just sat outside on the rocking chair sipping from his mug and watching the neighborhood, it was a quiet and sunny day, enough that the sky was blue and the grass looked bright green but not enough that it was hot and suffocating, just the perfect amount of windy and peaceful.
He sat there for a couple more minutes and felt a presence next to him, the two matching rocket chairs moved with the breeze and Kiyoomi left his mug on the little table between them. He breathed in the spring air a little bit more and started to speak, breaking the silence, "Atsu, Hiroko called today to tell us she's getting a promotion so I offered to bake her something to celebrate, she laughed and told me that I should buy something from the bakery instead because she knows I never learned how to cook" Kiyoomi smiled, remembering all the times he set the kitchen on fire and Atsumu had to turn it off and promise to teach him the next time "also, don't forget that it's the twins’ birthday soon, they're turning 10 and I think Akemi wants a skateboard, I just hope she doesn't break something learning how to skate. Akio is still into that movie you showed him a few years ago so you could probably buy him something related to that"
He stopped for a few seconds, feeling his heartbeat fluttering in his chest at the thought of the life he has built with Atsumu, the man he keeps loving after all these years together. They had their ups and downs but they never stopped being in love with each other.
"Atsu… they're growing up so quickly, our daughter is still so beautiful, I still remember carrying her home in my arms because you were too scared of holding her and accidentally breaking something, she looked so delicate, I still remember you calling her your princess and having tea parties together. We really raised a great woman and I wanted to thank you for all these beautiful years next to you," he raised his hand in a stop sign. "Now, I know what you're going to say, getting old has made me sappy and I will have to agree with you on that, but I'm just grateful for spending all these years together, I couldn't wish for someone better than you to be my life partner"
He sat back on the chair moving it slowly, watching the garden, the fence, the porch and the little rug saying "welcome", he noticed all the little stuff that made that regular house their home.
"Remember when we first moved here? It was when Hiroko was little and we wanted a house with a bigger yard so we could teach her volleyball" he laughed at the memory "she never liked it and even though I knew you were sad about it you still supported her when she wanted to become a dancer instead. We ended up turning the improvised court into a little treehouse and she loved it… We have a lot of good memories together"
He stretched his hand to the other chair wanting to hold Atsumu's hand but instead he found nothing, tears started to run down his face at the memory "... Right, you're still waiting for me over there" he thought about the cup of coffee getting cold on the kitchen counter and the toast he will never get to make again, about the cold side of the bed and the clothes still hanging there, the old Inarizaki shirt and the frame with a picture of their wedding.
Closing his eyes he tried to picture Atsumu smiling, tried to hear his laugh again, feel his lips again, his hugs, his whisper, his voice, soft and loud, he tried to picture him setting and playing the sport they love, tried to remember him again doing jokes and being playful, teasing him and making fun of Osamu when they visited, tried to remember him singing a soft lullaby to their daughter when she was a baby and asking Kiyoomi if she was going to be fine with tears on his eyes because he was worried about sending her to the outside world but the image wasn't vivid enough, just a far memory.
With his eyes still closed he felt his heart beating slowly, finally picturing Atsumu again smiling and waving at him, telling him how much he missed him, opening his arms and asking for a hug and Kiyoomi couldn't keep him waiting, he knew that it was time to feel those arms wrapped around his waist again, their daughter was an adult now and their grandkids are not longer babies, they can take care of themselves and it was time for Kiyoomi to kiss Atsumu again so he ran, he ran into those waiting arms and with a last breath of "Atsu…" he let himself go, he was never going to be alone again and it was fine, because they were together.
~•~
The honeysuckle will return,
to climb the walls in your garden,
and open once again at evening
their even more beautiful flowers,
but those blooms that were full of dew
where we saw the trembling drops
fall like tears of the day...
those... will not return.