Chapter Text
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦'𝘴 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥. 𝘈𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘧𝘢𝘳, 𝘐 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, "𝘐𝘧 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴."
"Osamu, what's up?" Atsumu greeted, walking towards his brother, who was sitting alone on the old playground bench. Osamu replied with a sneer, signaling that he was fine on his own.
"I felt bad leaving you here alone after Suna and the others left. I was stuck trying to impress the ladies about how cool I am," Atsumu explained, frowning. "You're so rude to them when it comes to volleyball. You only focus on the game," Osamu teased, hinting at a deeper truth that Atsumu struggled with. "I know I'm daft about it, but trust me, I'm good with the ladies," Atsumu remarked with a wink.
"Whatever." Osamu rolled his eyes and stood up. "Let's go home before it gets dark. If Mom doesn't come home today, I'll cook for us." Atsumu stood and followed his twin out of the playground.
"Do you ever get this weird feeling, Atsumu?" Osamu murmured. Atsumu heard him and turned his ear toward his brother, curious. "That we're supposed to be one?"
"What do you mean, Osamu?" Atsumu stopped walking, his expression terrified and confused. Osamu stopped as well, turning to face his brother. "Do you ever wonder why we were born twins?"
Atsumu was even more unsettled. He looked down, searching for an answer. Suddenly, Osamu laughed. Atsumu looked up, startled. "I'm sorry, 'Tsumu. That was just a silly thought in my head," Osamu said, turning to continue walking.
"You shouldn't talk like that. It's like wishing one of us didn't exist," Atsumu mumbled under his breath, following Osamu home.
•°•°•°•°
Practice was over, but the Inarizaki volleyball club was still at school, the night dark outside. The full moon illuminated their clubroom alongside the bright light bulbs.
"Let's head to the gym and pick up your sleeping gear. Leave your other stuff here," Kita instructed, carrying his futon with Aran behind him. "Kita, what's your type?" Suna asked, pressing an empty water bottle to Kita's face like a microphone. "Hmm... someone who cares about their future."
"That's so serious, Kita-san!" Atsumu remarked, snatching the bottle from Suna and clearing his throat. "Well, my type is Latina girls! Blondes with a big heart." "We didn't ask for your turn yet," Suna retorted, taking the bottle back.
"Since Atsumu's done, it's Osamu's turn," Ginjima said. Suna pressed the bottle to Osamu. "What's your type, Osamu?" Atsumu smirked.
"My type?" Osamu paused, clenching his right fist to his lips, deep in thought. He glanced at his twin, who was watching him closely. "Someone who loves my cooking, is athletic, and who I've known since childhood," he said, staring at the floor.
"Oh, Samu! I didn't know you had a crush on one of our childhood friends!" Atsumu teased, bumping his shoulder. "Yeah," Osamu replied weakly.
Kita yawned widely, covering his mouth. "Let's go to the gym, guys," he said, leaving the clubroom.
•°•°•°•°
Everyone was asleep in the gym. Kita lay peacefully with his arms on his chest. Aran cuddled himself. Suna slept with his earphones on, music playing softly. The others were covered with their blankets.
Osamu sat on his futon, trying to read a book to fall asleep, but it was pointless.
"Samu?" Atsumu, lying beside him, sat up, rubbing his eyes. "You didn't sleep yet?"
"I can't sleep."
"Well, you should. Tomorrow's practice match will be tough," Atsumu yawned. "I'm not tired and I'm fine with sleeping late," Osamu explained. "Well, I won't sleep if you don't. And I'll be mad if you mess up tomorrow," Atsumu complained, trying to make his brother sleep.
Osamu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine..."
He lay down, and Atsumu did too. "Just close your eyes, dumbass, and you'll sleep," Atsumu demonstrated.
Osamu watched Atsumu fall asleep instantly and sighed, staring at the dark ceiling. "You're dumber than me, 'Tsumu," he muttered, finally closing his eyes.
•°•°•°•°
Birds chirped, the sun shone through the gym windows, and a cold breeze wafted in.
Osamu opened his eyes, blurry at first. He saw a hint of yellow and Atsumu?
Osamu blinked and came to his senses. "Dumbass! You're late!" Atsumu laughed.
Everyone else was in their jerseys while Osamu was still in his pajamas. "You idiot, Tsumu! You didn't wake me up!" Osamu complained, grabbing his stuff. "You slept like Sleeping Beauty, so I found it hard to wake you," Atsumu teased. Osamu rolled his eyes and left the gym.
•°•°•°•°
"Stupid Atsumu!" Osamu cursed, even though he was already in the gym's bathroom, showering. "Don't worry about being late, Osamu," Kita said, entering the stall next to him and turning on the shower. "I woke up early, but here I am, late to shower," he added.
"Oh... I just wanted to blame Atsumu for not waking me up early," Osamu said, trying to lighten the mood. "I see..." Kita remarked.
"Speaking of Atsumu..." Kita began, changing the topic.
"Last night, when you talked about your type—someone who loves your cooking, is athletic, and you've known since childhood—I thought of Atsumu."
Osamu was silent.
"But what the heck... You're twins, so I made a mistake," Kita laughed. Osamu forced a laugh to make Kita feel better.
"So, do the others think I was talking about Atsumu last night?" Osamu wondered.
As Osamu finished his shower, his mind kept replaying Kita's words. He dried off quickly, got dressed in his jersey, and headed to the gym where the rest of the team was already warming up. Atsumu, ever the energetic one, was already rallying the team, his laughter echoing through the space.
Osamu couldn't help but watch him. Despite everything, Atsumu always managed to lighten the mood and bring everyone together. It was one of the things Osamu admired most about his brother, even if he would never admit it out loud.
"Hey, Osamu! Ready to crush it today?" Atsumu called out, flashing a grin.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with," Osamu replied, though a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Practice went by in a blur of drills and matches. Osamu and Atsumu played in perfect sync, as they always did, their twin bond giving them an edge on the court. They were unstoppable together, and the team fed off their energy.
After practice, the team gathered around, exhausted but satisfied. Kita went over some final points for the upcoming match, then dismissed everyone. As they packed up, Atsumu nudged Osamu.
"Hey, wanna grab something to eat on the way home? I heard there's a new ramen place nearby."
Osamu hesitated for a moment, the weight of his thoughts from earlier still pressing on him. But he nodded. "Sure, why not?"
They walked in comfortable silence to the ramen shop. Once they were seated and had ordered, Atsumu leaned back in his chair, looking thoughtful.
"Hey, Samu," he started, his tone uncharacteristically serious.
"Yeah?" Osamu prompted, sensing something different.
"About what you said last night, about feeling like we're supposed to be one... Do you really feel that way?"
Osamu looked down at his hands, trying to find the right words. "Sometimes, yeah. It's weird, you know? Being so close but feeling like there's something missing."
Atsumu nodded slowly. "I get it. I guess I feel that way too, sometimes."
They sat in silence for a while, the weight of their unspoken thoughts hanging between them. Then Atsumu broke the silence with a grin.
"But hey, at least we have each other, right? And who knows, maybe we'll figure it out together."
Osamu couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah. Together."
The rest of the meal was filled with their usual banter, the earlier tension forgotten. As they walked home, Osamu felt a sense of peace. Whatever the future held, he knew he wouldn't have to face it alone.
And maybe, just maybe, that was enough.