the sun and his moon

the moon

the next day was a plain Monday, it didn't feel like anything special. at least not to Kiyoomi. his roommate on the other hand, seemed to be on edge for most of the day, which was abnormal.

the two were sitting across the room on their respective beds. a deafening silence hung between them, making the curly head anxious.

it wasn't very Atsumu like to be this quiet; they had barely spoken today. and even when they did talk, Kiyoomi was the one to initiate a conversation. ever since they had met with the wing spiker's cousin, there had been an unspoken tension between them.

had Motoya said something?

the black haired one opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but closed it due to not coming up with anything. luckily for him, he didn't have to endure the ominous quietness for much longer.

"Omi", the blonde looked up from his hands and straight into the black eyes, "do ya wanna take a walk? it's beautiful outside tonight."

Atsumu was right; the sky was clear and the air was warm, but not hot like it was during the day.

"I'd love to, Atsu."

the boys got up and made their way out of the institution, taking a familiar route along the river that flowed through town.

countless times they had sat on the same bench they settled onto now, but there was something different about this time... something made it special.

Kiyoomi looked at the blonde beside him. he was holding his hands together tightly, as if trying to keep them in place. what had Atsumu so worked up?

the boy turned his gaze to the water, admiring how peaceful the surface was. only a few bugs could be seen triggering circles of the the tiniest waves as they moved.

he saw the stars and moon reflected on the water, eventually tilting his head back to look up at the sky.

a shaky sigh was heard from his left side.

"Kiyoomi..."

hearing his first name coming from those soft lips sent shivers down his spine and formed an uneasy feeling in his chest. Atsumu always called him by a nickname, so this had to be something serious. his gaze shifted to his companion, who wasn't even facing him.

"I don't know how to say this, so I hope ya can endure my ramblin' for a bit", the nervous voice kept going before the hazel eyes looked at the black haired boy.

"yer curls are like the waves that form somewhere far away, in the middle of the ocean. they're soft, yet strong 'cause they never slam against the coast. yer eyes are like the galaxy, dark with plenty of wonder 'n secrets hidden in them, that only the ones who put in the effort could ever explore", the boy kept going, relaxing a little with every word that escaped his lips.

"the moon reminds me of ya; shinin' with this light that's a perfect balance of cool and warm... yer touch is gentle, yet it's firm and protective. yer presence is calm and collected, it's the most comfortin' I've ever felt. yer hugs are my favorite thing on Earth..."

the glistening hazel eyes drifted away from the pale face.

"what I'm tryna say is... ya make my days better, ya bring me happiness, 'n ya make me feel complete. 'n I..."

Kiyoomi was blushing at this point. he hadn't realized just how much he meant to the boy who'd been in his life for the past two and a half years.

"I'm in love with ya", the blonde whispered as he gave his crush a wishful look, "I'd like to be yer boyfriend, Sakusa Kiyoomi."

the shock on Kiyoomi's face was shattering. Atsumu's anxiety settled back in, in the matter of mere seconds.

Kiyoomi wasn't saying anything, he didn't know what he could say. he didn't know what he felt.

after what felt like fifteen minutes, not being even one, he cleared his throat: "I'm flattered, Atsumu, but I'll need a while to process this..."

the fast beating heart sunk deep inside the boy who had poured out all of his overwhelming feelings.

"I don't know how I feel about this... I hope you can understand it came as a shock to me-"

only half of what Kiyoomi said actually registered to the heartbroken boy. he had convinced himself that the feeling was mutual. were all of those subtle acts of affection really nothing more than platonic compassion..?

"yea, no, I get it. it's fine. ya don't feel the same, 'n that's that."

"no, that's not what I-"

a sad gaze was thrown at Kiyoomi. he was startled by how visible the heartache he had caused was on Atsumu's face. he wanted to explain the storm inside his head, but it was difficult putting it into words.

he had always struggled with communicating and voicing his thoughts and feelings, but the teary-eyed boy in front of him was the one who had pushed him to be better.

"if ya got nothin' else to say, I'd rather be alone for a bit."

suddenly coldness replaced the typical cheery tone, the words piercing through the black haired boy's chest.

"no! Atsumu, give me a second, please", Kiyoomi said as he grabbed the other's hands and squeezed them tightly.

he struggled to find words to say out loud. he didn't want to mess this up. tears started building up in the black eyes as well, but it was unknown whether it was out of frustration, fear, or something else.

"I'm asking that you give me a little bit of time. I know you're special to me, I know you make me feel things no one else has before... but that's exactly why I can't quite recognize these feelings... and with you, I want to be sure. I couldn't bare trying things out and fucking it up because of uncertainty. so please, Atsu, wait for me. I promise I'll come around."

by now they both had a few tears rolling down their red cheeks.

the blonde nodded, smiling through the tears. the smile wasn't the bright one Kiyoomi always saw, it was small, but genuine, cleary out of relief.

"can I hug you?" the taller boy asked, wanting to make sure the shorter one wasn't uncomfortable.

"yes... please."

as he was pulled against the other's chest, Atsumu felt okay again. he buried his face in the shoulder covered by the same hoodie he nuzzled into when they hugged for the first time that one night...

a hand stroke the blonde hair slowly. Kiyoomi felt bad for forcing the boy who had confessed to suppress his feelings for a while longer. he would need to do a lot of research and reflect on himself, so that he could be certain, for the one he loved back.