Invisible String

"I love you guys."

Twin grunts of understanding from both Kiyoomi and Barbeque cause Atsumu to giggle. Kiyoomi follows, and the vibrations of his laugh reverberate throughout Atsumu's whole body in a rhythm that Atsumu would love to have ingrained in his brain. Because it's Kiyoomi's.

Osaka, June 2021

It was another one of those days . Days where everything felt slow and hazy. Once a week, Atsumu joins Koutarou and Shouyou for some extra practice time. Today was one of those days, and he couldn't help but feel like he wasn't really there . He was physically, but his mind was in a different place.

That's been common recently. Atsumu can't go online without seeing slews of hateful comments, ranging from his body to skills to personality. And he knows that he can just delete it. With a simple click, he can remove the negativity from his life. But he can't. It's like a drug. Maybe he was a masochist.

He also knows that it's all nonsensical, and none of the comments are rooted in truth. He's a professional volleyball player for goodness sake. How bad could his body and skills be? Sure, maybe the shitty personality comments could be partly true, but also none of those anonymous people have met him in person.

The thing though, is that Atsumu revels in the attention. From a very young age, he and his twin were at the receiving end of plenty of attention, whether that be for volleyball, their looks, or even just the fact that they were a rarity in being twins. But it's never been so negative. Never like this. A few comments here and there, but they were just a measly grain of salt in the ocean of positivity. And he's curious. He's so curious, in fact, that he can't help but read all of the things said about him, no matter the negativity.

So, while he is getting changed out of his practice clothes, ready to go home, he avoids the mirrors. He avoids anything that reminds him that he does indeed exist and that some people don't like that fact. That some view him and can only muster disgusting thoughts. It's revolting.

He hops in his car, the one he only drove here because Kiyoomi and him drive separate on days he's planning on staying behind. He turns on the ignition, the rumbling of the engine vibrating his seat slightly. Looking at his rearview mirror, he sees his own honey brown eyes staring back at him accompanied by his blonde hair. He remembers the horde of comments all about his hair. Maybe he should do what Osamu did and just regrow it back to its natural brown.

The drive home is a blur, the lines of trees flying past his vision, creating seas of greens and browns along with the shimmering blue of the summer sky. It's a beautiful sight but he can't seem to care.

He pulls up his driveway, and the sight of Barbeque peeking out their front window makes his heart clench. Now that is something he can care about. Because no matter what those people may think about him, there's always his dog who will, without a doubt, love him despite everything. The sight of Kiyoomi approaching behind her to look out the window is another reminder that maybe he isn't as unlovable as he tends to think himself to be.

After pulling into the garage and turning off the ignition, he practically rushes to grab his bag and run inside. Upon entering, Barbeque jumps onto him, her tall stature attributed to her being an old English shepherd making her stand on her hind legs at around 3 feet tall. And right now, with her paws pressed against Atsumu's front side, she stands around half his height, her chestnut eyes wide with excitement.

"Who's my good girl? Yeah, that's you!" He places his bag down and reaches behind her ears, giving her gentle scratches, making sure not to ruin Kiyoomi's perfect little braids to keep her hair out of her eyes.