Work Text:
Sakusa Kiyoomi had been a germophobe since he was young. It was a lot worse back then, but he still deeply despised anywhere that promised germs and too many handshakes he would have to dismiss respectfully and patiently - neither of those traits were his strong suit. Which was why many of his friends - especially his cousin, Komori Motoya, who had been there for majority of his issues as a kid - were shocked when Kiyoomi had gone into the piercing business, getting a job at a professional shop and quickly earning a good reputation.
It had been a fairly easy choice though. Kiyoomi had always been meticulous, routine-oriented, and - obviously - clean. Working at a piercing shop accounted for all of that. Every morning, set-up was the same. Setting out needles and Sharpies and piercing guns and studs. Cleaning after each person was thorough. All the tabletops wiped down, gloves and needles disposed of and replaced with new ones. Packing up in the afternoon, his appointment room filled with the familiar, relaxing scent of markers, disinfectant, and a little hint of pine from the incense his co-worker, Yachi Hitoka, insisted on having in each room of their little establishment.
So, yes, Kiyoomi loved his job. He had even come to be friendly with his four other co-workers, Yachi being his closest friend besides Motoya. The two of them had very quickly formed another routine for one another, Kiyoomi bringing her the coffee she liked - a vanilla cappuccino with extra chocolate on the top - in exchange for her taking care of any children who happened upon the store, because God knew that child would end up with a needle some place it should definitely not be if they fussed or cried in front of Kiyoomi.
Their manager was a gorgeous woman named Shimizu Kiyoko, and her husband often stopped by, keeping the vase of flowers at their reception desk fresh and bright. His two other co-workers were Suna Rintarou and Akaashi Keiji. Suna was, for the most part, laid-back and easy-going, also sharing Kiyoomi's disdain for piercing children's ears, but having the time of his life gossiping with teenagers who showed up, and Kiyoomi was sure Suna's piercings had often resulted in some very mad parents. Akaashi was mostly quiet and also enjoyed the routine of the job, alike Yachi in that he had endless patience for customers and a soothing demeanor that made him great at his job.
Today he was on shift with Yachi, the two of them chatting mindlessly at the reception desk as they waited for a customer to walk in. The happy little bell chimed from the door as it opened, Yachi perking up and Kiyoomi turning his head boredly.
His interest was only spiked a little when he thought he was hallucinating the two men who walked in since they both had an identical face. But after a quick shake of his head, Kiyoomi confirmed the sight was real, and the two were actually quite different despite the matching faces. The one of the left was dark-haired, face impassive, and broad all over, while the one on the right was pale blond with a dark undercut, face much more expressive, and though he also had broad shoulders, his waist thinned, unlike the other man. The blond was also looking incredibly nervous.
The brunette seemed to be ushering who could only be his twin brother into the shop, gentle but firm with his insistence. "C'mon, 'Tsumu, yer so dramatic,"
"Nuh-uh, Sunarin's a devil incarnate and 'm bein' subjected ta his torture," the blond grumbled. The mentioned name seemed familiar, but Kiyoomi didn't care enough to try and place it. He noted the Kansai-ben accent from the both of them, a surprising find in the middle of Tokyo.
"Hello," Kiyoomi spoke up from behind his black mask after the two finally stood in front of the reception desk and also after a quick mental conversation with Yachi as to who was going to serve them. "How can I help you two today?"
"Hi-" the brunette paused, glancing at his name tag. "Sakusa-san. There should be an appointment for my brother here, Miya Atsumu?"
A quick glance at the Excel sheet pulled up on the computer screen in front of Kiyoomi confirmed the appointment for Miya Atsumu, a simple lobe piercing on both ears by Kiyoomi. "Perfect, I'll be your piercer, Miya-san. I'm assuming you're the emotional support?"
The brunette snorted and the blond, Atsumu, glared at him. "You got it,"
"Follow me." He led the two a short way down a hall decorated with posters about piercings and some other tasteful art until he reached his own room second to last on the left. "Right in here."
The two filed in dutifully. "Miya-san, you can sit here." Kiyoomi gestured to the seat next to the wall for the brunette, but then the both of them moved at the same time and Kiyoomi realised there might be a slight issue here. "Ah-"
"Don't worry about it, Sakusa-san, Atsumu is fine for me," the blond said.
"I'm Osamu," the brunette added.
"Alright, then, Atsumu-san, you can sit on that seat there." he pointed to the paper lined recliner chair. Atsumu clambered up while Osamu remained standing next to his brother.
"D'you actually mind if I jus' stand here? This guy might look tough, but he's the biggest baby ever," Osamu explained at Kiyoomi's confused glance.
Atsumu squawked in indignation as Kiyoomi huffed a small laugh and let him stay.
"So, first of all, I'm just going to use a Sharpie to mark the place on your ear you want the piercing. Please don't be afraid to correct me if you would like to change it. We have enough of these pens to last several apocalypses," Kiyoomi began, uncapping a marker after sliding on a pair of black latex gloves.
Osamu chuckled good-naturedly, and Atsumu relaxed a little from the rigid position he was in, fiddling with the string of his hoodie and nodded. Kiyoomi took that as a sign to step forward and first wipe his ears with disinfectant and then gently pressed his fingers against the back of Atsumu's left earlobe and drew a little dot in the centre of the skin, replicating it on the other side.
He stepped back and let Atsumu look at the positioning in the mirror on the wall opposite him. He stood to get a better look, Osamu moving forward to do the same. "That looks pretty good. Maybe the right one a lil further down?"
Kiyoomi pulled out a new wipe and redid the dot, again stepping out of the way to let him observe. "Perfect,"
Capping the lid and placing it on the counter-top, Kiyoomi made a little small talk as he began to set up the gun that had been requested. "So, how come you're getting your ears pierced? You don't seem too excited."
Osamu snorted again, and Atsumu flicked him. "Because my friend and 'Samu's boyfriend is a menace and managed to bait me into makin' an appointment, and he'll never shut the fuck up about it if I don't get it done," Atsumu mumbled as his brother snickered next to him.
Kiyoomi huffed another laugh. "Very stubborn, I'm impressed." He was done with the first gun, the stud slotted in and was working his way through the second one, sanitising the whole earring before placing it into the machine.
Osamu sighed. "Ya have no idea."
"Yer one ta talk, yer whole relationship is built on stubbornness, ya scrub," Atsumu mumbled, earning a light swat.
Kiyoomi kept his face impassive, but it was sort of endearing watching the siblings back-and-forth, all bark and no bite. He almost didn't want to interrupt until he remembered he did have other appointments today, and Yachi could only man the reception for so long. He lifted the first gun and Atsumu went rigid when he turned around, immediately shutting up.
Osamu raised a smug eyebrow at his twin. Kiyoomi approached and tried to reassure Atsumu. "Don't worry, the pain is brief. I've done this enough times to know," he gestured to the many piercings littering his ears and also the hoop in his left nostril. "Just relax."
Although it was clear Atsumu was desperately trying to relax and stay still, he kept twitching and squirming away in minuscule motions as Kiyoomi neared his ear with the gun. Raising an eyebrow was usually enough for the customer to freeze and just take it, but Atsumu continued to wriggle out of Kiyoomi's grasp until he had a truly unflattering double-chin, a half-amused, half-annoyed brother, and an irritated piercer.
"Miya, stay still." The last name calling was a byproduct of Kiyoomi's annoyance, but Atsumu didn't really seem to care that much.
When Atsumu continued to refuse his orders, Kiyoomi let out a sigh and bit the inside of his cheek as he always did when agitated. He turned to the emotional support and said, "Osamu-san, can you hold him still?"
Osamu saluted and trudged forward, looking gleeful about holding down his brother, while Atsumu whined. "Why does he get to be Osamu but I'm back to Miya?"
"Because people who squirm lose first name privileges." Kiyoomi fought the urge to stick his tongue out under his mask. Atsumu's brother snickered again before lunging at him and capturing his face in two large hands to keep him from moving. Naturally, Atsumu began to wiggle around even more, his stubbornness made apparent and probably amplified by the fact it was his sibling.
After a bit more struggling and Kiyoomi getting progressively more pissed, Osamu made a decision in his head, because he let out a loud sigh, released Atsumu, and said, "Fine. If I make ya half a dozen onigiri, will ya sit yer ass down?"
It looked like it put Osamu in actual pain to say that, but Atsumu looked a mixture of smug and delighted. "A dozen."
"Seven,"
"Eleven,"
"Eight,"
"Ten, final offer, or 'm leavin' and telling Sunarin ya stabbed me,"
"Nine and I won't tell him I had to bribe you,"
Kiyoomi watched them bicker like one watches a tennis game, eyes swinging back and forth between the two until they finally settled on a number of onigiri.
"Why onigiri?" Kiyoomi asked, plagued by curiosity.
Osamu sighed again, still directed at his smirking twin. "I own an onigiri shop a couple blocks away, Onigiri Miya,"
The name rung a bell, maybe Komori or one of his co-workers had mentioned it before, or he had read the name in passing. "Gotcha. Miya, are you finally ready? I promise it doesn't hurt that much,"
At the look of trepidation still obvious on Atsumu's face, despite the bribe of however many onigiri, Kiyoomi felt obligated to sweeten the deal just a little. "I can ask my colleague if she has any spare lollipops she usually gives to kids," he attempted, adding the end simply to be petty.
Atsumu eyes brightened with child-like wonder, and he went stock still. Kiyoomi heard Osamu mutter something under his breath, the only word he caught being fatass, but he slowly returned to Atsumu's side like he was approaching a scared animal, moving the gun closer.
The blond's eyes squeezed shut, and he held out a grabby hand towards his brother, who offered his shoulder for him to clutch. Kiyoomi lined up the gun as precisely as he could over the pre-drawn Sharpie dot, and before he could give Atsumu any time to panic, he pressed the gun and the earring shot through his lobe. The man jolted slightly, and hissed a little, but had no further reaction except for a little red twinge of embarrassment on his cheeks.
"See? It doesn't hurt that bad at all." Kiyoomi grinned smugly under his mask, could feel his eyes wrinkling a little as Atsumu glared at the floor and mumbled to himself. "One more side to go."
He made quick work of the other side, then gave the twins a disinfectant spray for the piercings, gave them a quick talk of when he could do what, bullied Yachi into giving Atsumu a lollipop ("No, it has to be the pink one!"), made Atsumu pay, and let them leave, Osamu smacking Atsumu upside the head once they left the store. The raven head heard Atsumu's cry of protest from inside. Kiyoomi flopped onto one of the office chairs at the front desk and sagged into it.
"That bad, huh?" Yachi chuckled, unwrapping her own lollipop and sticking it in her mouth, offering Kiyoomi a lemonade flavoured one, which he took and slowly freed from its plastic prison.
"Like a kid in an adult's body," Kiyoomi sighed, shaking his head.
Yachi hummed, sucking thoughtfully on her candy for a minute before adding, "He was kinda hot, though,"
A pause. "What?" Yachi, the biggest lesbian Kiyoomi had ever bared witness to, calling a guy hot? Maybe this was all some kind of fever dream.
The woman rolled her eyes at Kiyoomi, and deadpanned, "Oh, yeah, for me. No, stupid. For you. You looked at him funny when he walked in, then looked like you were going to have a seizure when you saw there was two of them."
Yachi learning to be sarcastic and deadpan had been one of the funniest experiences of Kiyoomi's life, trying to help her separate sarcasm from honesty, but now she was scarily good at it. She probably spent to much time with him and Suna.
"I was not, it's just not every day you see two people with an identical face. I was just surprised," Kiyoomi argued, pulling his mask down to hook under his chin, shoving the lollipop in his mouth and turning his chair away from his best friend with finality. Yachi snickered, but dropped the subject.
The next time Kiyoomi saw Atsumu was not a week later. He and Suna were on shift together, but his friend was in his own room readying the space for the next customer, so he was left alone at the reception. See, Kiyoomi never really did appointments. Kiyoko or Yachi were the main two people to organise it, and then put it into the spreadsheet they all used. Kiyoomi would quickly scan it every morning he came into work just to see how many people and what kind of piercing they wanted, not glare at their names.
So he was truly a little shocked when the blond man walked in with all the confidence in the world for someone who had needed a lollipop to get his ears pierced at the ripe age of 27, so said his information.
"Miya. Back so soon?" Kiyoomi asked.
"Aw, I knew ya'd miss me, Sakusa," Atsumu chirped, skipping up to the desk. "No one can resist my charm."
"Whatever makes you happy," Kiyoomi hummed.
At that moment, Suna began to walk out of the hallway, calling out to Kiyoomi. "Oi, Omi-kun, do you have any spare-"
He froze mid-step when he saw Atsumu at the front desk. He looked at Kiyoomi, then turned on his heel and darted back down the hallway. Kiyoomi raised a confused eyebrow, looking back at Atsumu who wore a similar look. But then it transformed into mischievous glee, a little sparkle lighting in his eye that made Kiyoomi want to lean back an inch or two.
"Gettin' another piercin', Omi-kun," Atsumu teased, face still lit with that smirking smile. Kiyoomi swore to himself and buried his face in his hands.
"Do not call me that," he attempted.
"Omi-Omi,"
"Oh my fuck," Kiyoomi grumbled, pissed the stupid nickname had spread to Atsumu, who already was annoying enough. "Do you have an appointment, Miya?"
"Yes, I do, Omi-kun. For 2:30 Omi-Omi."
Kiyoomi knew Atsumu was just trying to get a rise out of him, but he just barely managed to tamper down the rage he felt for both this dumb blond and Suna for outing him. "Don't call me that. Seconds?"
"Yeppers, liked 'em so much I wanted to come back for more." Atsumu winked. Clearly, he was not back just for piercings.
"Sure," Kiyoomi said, returning his face back to his bored stare, leading Atsumu down the hallway and into his room for the second time in the last three days. "Sit."
Atsumu obediently did as he was told, and he sort of reminded Kiyoomi of a puppy, probably a golden retriever, and the resemblance to the mental image Kiyoomi pulled up of Akaashi and his boyfriend's dog was so uncanny he nearly laughed out loud.
The two once again went through the process of wiping Atsumu's ears with alcohol and then placing the Sharpie dot above his first piercing, and once the blond was satisfied, Kiyoomi went to his counter.
As Kiyoomi set his things up, Atsumu began to fidget, though his time he was without a hoodie and without a brother, so he pulled at a loose thread on his t-shirt.
"Don't pick at your clothes," Kiyoomi reprimanded, still facing his piercing equipment.
Atsumu looked up and huffed. "Sorry, Mum,"
Kiyoomi rolled his eyes. His dislike of this man was growing more and more. Atsumu did stop picking at his shirt, resorting instead to tapping his fingers on the leather armrests of the chair.
Finished inserting the earrings into the guns, Kiyoomi took one and moved to Atsumu's side. The man flinched a little and Kiyoomi could not resist the opportunity to insult him given on a silver platter.
"Need another lollipop bribe?"
"Shut up. I'll take a damn lollipop if I want one, not 'cause 'm scared or anythin'!"
"Mhm," Kiyoomi smirked beneath his mask, stepping closer to Atsumu to line up the gun. "Well, I'm sure Yachi won't mind."
Atsumu grumbled to himself, freezing a little when he felt the piece of equipment against his ear lining up to the dot.
"Ready?" Kiyoomi asked. As much as he liked the idea of toying with Atsumu and when he would actually fire the gun, Kiyoomi wasn't that much of a dick. He had his limits.
Atsumu nodded and Kiyoomi pulled the trigger, prepared for Atsumu to flinch away a little from the pain. He quickly moved to grab the next gun, lined it up efficiently, and fired away. Even if Atsumu had come to get his piercing both times for reasons other than actually wanting the earrings, Kiyoomi had to admit they suited him. Made him look less like a high school jock who bullied people for their lunch money from a shitty American coming of age film, the golden studs matching the little flecks in his eyes that illuminated when he laughed.
"I figure I don't have to walk you through the safety procedures again?" Kiyoomi asked, sitting down on the chairs usually reserved for guests of the person getting the piercing.
"I don't know, ya might hafta remind me. I don't have great memory, Omi-Omi," Atsumu remarked, leaning his chin on his palm, a taunting look on his face.
Kiyoomi couldn't help himself as he blurted, "Hm, just like Dory,"
The room went very quiet and very still all of a sudden, Atsumu's eyes wide. Then his face slowly split into a large beaming smile, eyebrows at his hairline and the aforementioned gold flecks in his eyes lighting. He let out a little shock of laughter, then another until it became continuous laughing, all at Kiyoomi's expense.
Kiyoomi was glad his mask was multi-functional as he felt heat blossom in his cheeks, quickly adjusting his curly hair so the tips of his ears were covered. "Miya, I have a multitude of sharp objects right next to me. I have no qualms when it comes to using them on you," he threatened, though he wasn't entirely sure Atsumu had heard him through his maniacal giggling.
"'M sorry, 'm sorry Omi. I jus' didn't expect a Findin' Nemo reference from ya of all people," he wheezed through chuckles.
"God forbid I've watched one of the biggest movies ever," Kiyoomi mumbled, feeling pissy.
"Don't worry, I get it, it was a great movie." Atsumu reached out, probably to pat Kiyoomi in reassurance, but he was quick to lose the colour in his cheeks and wheel his chair away in the span of a breath.
"Don't touch me." It had a lot more bite than his other half-assed commands to the blond, and Atsumu must have at least enough social intelligence to pick up on the sharp look and serious tone, raising his hands placatingly. Kiyoomi let out a breath. He was a lot better than as a kid, but he still had his boundaries.
At the curious but careful look Atsumu sent his way as Kiyoomi rifled through his draws for more disinfectant and an instruction sheet despite Atsumu already owning both simply to do something from his hands, he muttered, "Germophobe,"
Realisation dawned on the blond's face and he lowered his hands. "Oh. Is'at why ya got the mask on?"
Kiyoomi nodded, very ready to move on from this topic before he snapped at Atsumu for things he couldn't control. "Here's your stuff, come out and pay whenever you're ready,"
Kiyoomi stood, removing his gloves with the full intention on waiting for the man at the front desk, but turned as Atsumu spoke again. "About that lollipop…"
Kiyoomi rolled his eyes but couldn't help the little twitch of his lips as Atsumu grinned at him, clearly rid of any previous embarrassment about getting one as a bribe. "Pink again?"
Atsumu nodded eagerly. Kiyoomi sighed.
"Go wait at the front, I'll be out in a second,"
It registered to Kiyoomi as he stalked into Yachi's empty room to scavenge for her lollipops that he was in no way required to do this. For a kid, maybe, but Atsumu was a fully grown man. It would've been easier to just turn down his request. Yet, even as the thought hit him, Kiyoomi couldn't seem to stop himself from snagging the same pink lollipop from a jar, grabbing a red one as well for Suna who was surely at the reception now.
Shutting the door quietly behind him, Kiyoomi began to walk down the hallway, and heard the unmistakable voices of Suna and Atsumu talking to one another. Just as Kiyoomi was about to step into the front room, he heard Atsumu call Suna 'Sunarin'. Then everything clicked.
Suna's handle on all of his social media was Sunarin, and on occasion he would get called that on texts that Kiyoomi sometimes caught a glimpse of. Suna was the menace that had got Atsumu to get his ear pierced, and also Osamu's boyfriend.
The second Kiyoomi stepped into the front room, Suna went silent, looked between the two of them, stood up from his chair, and promptly left the room. Atsumu made a confused sound in the back of his throat, and Kiyoomi simply raised an eyebrow.
"Why's the stick up 'is ass so long today?" Atsumu asked, completely seriously. Kiyoomi almost snorted.
"I don't know. I also didn't know you two knew each other," Kiyoomi responded after composing himself.
Atsumu's jaw dropped, then his face fell into rage. "What the fuck, Sunarin?! Ya don't talk about me at work?" He sighed, looking back to Kiyoomi, but he had a smile on his face. "I've known that dickhead since we were in high school. Then I had to keep knowin' 'im 'cause he and my brother started dating in our third year."
"Knowing Suna that long must be…mentally taxing," Kiyoomi said, lips twitching up into a smirk Atsumu couldn't see.
"I heard that, Suckusa!" Suna called from down the hallway.
"So ya are listening!"
"Don't get lazy with your insults now,"
Atsumu snorted. Kiyoomi handed him the lollipop as he put in the payment charges for the piercing. Atsumu tapped his card, the money going through without interruption. "You're good to go,"
"Thanks, Omi-kun! I'll see ya later!" Atsumu practically skipped out the store after easily unwrapping the candy and putting it between his lips. Kiyoomi had little to no doubt that Atsumu was not lying.
"The sexual tension was palpable," Suna said by way of greeting.
Kiyoomi whipped his head to him where he leaned against the hallway's entrance. "You are sorely mistaken."
"Sure, Omi," he snorted.
"That was your fault," Kiyoomi glared. "It's already annoying enough when you call me that, now him too? Who is doubly annoying? Also, why did you run away earlier?"
Suna shrugged. "No reason, just forgot something,"
Kiyoomi gave him a flat look.
"Calm down, I just wanted to see how much he got under your skin without my presence as an interruption," he reasoned, snatching the lollipop Kiyoomi had dropped onto the desk as Suna flopped into the other chair. "Not as much as I thought. I'm impressed, Sakusa."
"Thanks so much," Kiyoomi sneered. "You're taking care of any kids who come in today."
Suna let out a groan and threw his candy wrapper at Kiyoomi's head, which he dodged easily.
It was as Kiyoomi was going through his usually night routine a month later that his phone buzzed on his night stand and he got a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He opted to not look at the notification until he slipped into bed.
Unknown Number | 11:21PM
hey omi omiiiiiiiiii
🤗
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:34PM
Who is this?
Unknown Number | 11:35PM
your fav customerrrrrrr
atsumu 😘
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:35PM
How did you get my number?
Miya 🍭 | 11:36PM
sunarin gave it to me
Kiyoomi mentally scolded Suna. Of course he would sell him out of both his stupid nickname and his phone number to the single most annoying person in existence.
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:36PM
What do you want with my number anyway?
Miya 🍭 | 11:36PM
maybe i just want to make a new friend
you look like type to need some more friends
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:37PM
I have the perfect amount of friends. You would never made the list
Miya 🍭 | 11:37PM
rude omi
im a great friend
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:37PM
Sure
It's late. Go to sleep.
Miya 🍭 | 11:38PM
dominant
kinky
Kiyoomi let out the loudest sigh known to man, possibly extracting air from all his blood cells in the process as he prayed to the gods for patience.
Miya 🍭 | 11:38PM
only if you do too
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 11:39PM
That was my full intention until you messaged me
Miya 🍭 | 11:39PM
incredibly sorry to keep you from your beauty rest omi
night night <3
read 11:39PM
The very next morning, as Kiyoomi scanned his list of scheduled customers that day - because he had, in fact, started to read the name for fear of Atsumu showing up again - that he saw the familiar name marked down for an appointment with him at midday. He was on shift with Akaashi and Suna this time. Maybe he could convince one of them to take Atsumu's helix piercing appointment instead.
Kiyoomi started trying to convince himself, only to realise it was futile. Akaashi had a booking at the same time with someone who was a regular for him, and he glanced over to Suna who gave him a big fat NO with his mouth. So he sat with his head in his hands, trying to mentally prepare for the storm that was Atsumu to place his eye on Kiyoomi once again.
His phone buzzed next to him and he lifted his head slowly.
Miya 🍭 | 9:12AM
sunarin just texted
he told me you looked like your puppy had just died
so im gonna assume that means you know whats happening today
Sakusa Kiyoomi | 9:13AM
Go fuck yourself.
Miya 🍭 | 9:12AM
but why would i do that when people are lining up to do it for me
including you omi-kun 😉
read 9:13AM
Kiyoomi wasn't entirely sure if the heat in his cheeks was from rage or embarrassment, but he decided it was the former and moved on, praying he would forget about the dumb blond that would once again be in his vicinity soon enough.
And if he ducked into Yachi's room while she was on break and stole a pink lollipop from the jar, it was only so he didn't bother the woman later when Atsumu inevitably decided to act naïve and bully Kiyoomi until he got one.
The appointment later didn't prove to be anything other than hair-pullingly aggravating, though Kiyoomi had got a kick out of reclining the chair very quickly without Atsumu's notice. The look on his face had almost made up for it. The piercing went well, another golden stud in his right ear that unfortunately suited him.
Akaashi gave him a glance that was filled with judgment as Atsumu left, but didn't say anything, and Suna simply sat there, looking weirdly gleeful.
It was another month later that Atsumu showed up on Kiyoomi's schedule again, this time for a forward helix on his left ear.
The blond showed up on time and they continued their little arguments like they did on text when Atsumu would ask some inane would you rather or send Kiyoomi Wikipedia links about conspiracy theories at hours of the morning so shocking that Kiyoomi sent his own link back about the benefits of sleep. And so what if he sent that link at two in the morning? He would sleep in the following morning to make up for it.
As they walked out Kiyoomi's room, he got the strange impression that he had heard someone scampering down the hall. But no one was in sight when they walked down to reception, save for Yachi at the front desk, so he passed it off as his imagination. He and Atsumu continued to yap between each other up until the minute the blond left the store with a wink.
"Kiyoomi, I thought you hated him,"
Kiyoomi turned to Yachi, whose brow was furrowed, a little mischief lighting her eyes, Suna, who had at some point appeared out of thin air in a very Suna-like fashion, displaying a similar expression. Yachi and Moyota had been the biggest subjects of his aggressive ranting about Atsumu over the last month.
"I do."
Yachi raised an eyebrow, and looked at Suna who caught Yachi's eye and outright cackled. "Does Atsumu know that?"
Kiyoomi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Obviously. He hates me, too."
Yachi looked seconds from spontaneous combustion while Suna howled with laughter. "Then why were you two flirting through the whole appointment and then some? Don't think I didn't notice a missing lollipop, either," Yachi said incredulously.
"We were not flirting!" Kiyoomi argued. "Were you listening through my door, you creep?"
"It's for science and love, Kiyoomi. It was worth it. Suna was right about that sexual tension a little while ago,"
"I knew my instincts were right, but it was also barely instinct because it was so obvious," Suna added, wiping his eyes. "I'm gonna tell Shimizu-san that I need the security footage in your room and make a compilation of all the times Atsumu love-sickly calls you Omi."
Yachi burst into laughter. "Please do it. I'll help persuade Kiyoko-san. Or we can get Tanaka-san to do it for us."
"You guys are insane," Kiyoomi scoffed, trying his best not to think back at the past thirty minutes, and to all their texts. But the harder he tried, the more he thought about it, and the more he realised that maybe his friends were right. But Atsumu just seemed like a flirty guy. Kiyoomi hadn't thought it meant anything. It was just some stupid banter.
That's exactly what he told Suna and Yachi as well.
Suna crossed his arms. "Nope, 'Tsumu's a flirt with new people he meets for a day, then he either goes back to normal if he doesn't find them worth flirting with, or he continues to flirt if he sees potential. He's always been that way."
Okay. Okay. So. Atsumu's been flirting with him. For real. Not just bullshit. Not just banter. Flirting. With Kiyoomi. And Kiyoomi had flirted back. Maybe it was a little unknowingly at the start, but over time texts from Atsumu had become synonymous with positive feelings as opposed to negative, and he always tried to get the biggest reaction possible from the blond when they talked.
Kiyoomi's mind flashed back to the time Atsumu had called him to desperately ask for advice on how to revive a plant he had been supposed to water from Osamu and realised that it was possible hate wasn't quite the emotion he was feeling for the man.
But it was Atsumu. It was probably simply because he was sort of attractive and a little bit Kiyoomi's type that he felt anything other than irritation, and it would surely wear off the more time he talked to Atsumu, whether in person or on text.
"You guys are imagining things. It's a mutual dislike. Nothing more,"
"Sure, Suckusa," Suna snickered, Yachi trying to hide a grin behind her hand.
The feelings didn't go away. Three months and two appointments later, the emotion that decisively was not hate, had expanded tenfold.
Kiyoomi caught himself trying to look for a message between the two that had made him laugh to look back on it, and found himself scrolling and scrolling and scrolling through the hundreds of messages they sent each other. Looking at his limited texts between his cousin and best friend, Kiyoomi began to worry.
But for some reason, he managed to keep his cool around Atsumu. It was the same as always, and he seemed to leach off of the blond's confidence and charisma, preventing him from becoming a stumbling, sputtering mess. But that also meant they never really got anywhere in their relationship, never moving past that childish bicker-flirting.
Well, until one day.
Until the day Atsumu decided he wanted a tongue piercing.
Kiyoomi had logged onto the computer on a Saturday morning, all of his colleagues working too, and Atsumu's name had caught his eye as he scanned through the appointments. He had been a little smug and a little excited (though he would never admit that), and then he got a glimpse at the type of piercing Atsumu wanted.
Usually, if someone wanted a tongue piercing, it would be left up to one of the others. Kiyoomi had improved a lot, but he would rather die than stick even a gloved hand into some strangers mouth, coating his fingers in their disgusting, germ-filled saliva. Atsumu knew this. But a hypothetical question - that had apparently been not so hypothetical - over FaceTime - because it had become a habit - had confirmed that Kiyoomi had gotten comfortable enough with Atsumu to give him a tongue piercing. Just because he never did them didn't mean he hadn't learned how to complete one.
Kiyoomi wasn't sure when the change had happened, when he had decided that he was comfortable with piercing Atsumu's tongue. He had expected himself to blanch in disgust at the day he finally had a tongue piercing appointment, but instead a different feeling swelled in his chest that was achingly similar to the one he felt when he thought about the blond on his own time.
The appointment was for midday once again, which gave Kiyoomi about two and a half hours to mentally and physically prepare himself for his fingers to be in Atsumu's mouth. Even the thought of it made Kiyoomi break out into a sweat with positive connotations.
Miya 🍭 | 9:18AM
cant wait to see ya today omi
The text came through on his phone and Kiyoomi was certain this whole thing was intentional. Maybe Atsumu was a little smarter than he looked and clocked Kiyoomi's apparent flirting and decided to do something about it.
The next few hours went by in a blur of needles and anxiety and excitement and Sharpie fumes. And when Atsumu finally walked into the shop, that happy little bell chiming as it had done all those months ago, Kiyoomi's breath got caught in his throat.
It wasn't that there was anything starkly different about the man. But it was sort of the first time Kiyoomi came to the realisation that all the new piercings that littered his ears were his doing. Atsumu had trusted him enough to allow him to shoot a needle through his ears, and now Kiyoomi was trusting Atsumu enough to give him a tongue piercing.
Atsumu swaggered in with his usual confidence, and instead of feeling disdain, Kiyoomi filled with affection. What was happening to him. He glanced over at Yachi to give her a desperate look for help.
She clearly noticed that Kiyoomi was finally coming to terms with everything, and looked delighted, most likely seconds away from screaming 'I TOLD YOU SO!'.
Kiyoomi's gaze returned to Atsumu, and he was instantly soothed by the aura of calm and confidence Atsumu exuded. It stopped his fingers from shaking as he dragged the mouse over the computer screen, stopped his voice from trembling.
"Miya,"
"Omi,"
Kiyoomi smiled behind his mask at the familiar nickname that no longer made him want to pry his eyeballs out of their sockets whenever Atsumu spoke it.
"Tongue piercing, right?"
"Mhm. I might die today. But at least I'll look hot," Atsumu said solemnly. Kiyoomi felt his eyes wrinkle a little with a grin.
"Got your priorities straight, I see,"
"C'mon, Omi-Omi, ya know me better than that! Nothin' straight 'bout me!"
It was true, Kiyoomi did know that from the many kiss, kill, marry questions Atsumu had asked, answering them himself too, until they had inevitably revealed their sexualities bluntly to one another, Kiyoomi being gay and Atsumu bisexual.
Obviously, Kiyoomi had not told Yachi that, so she seemed to choke on the coffee Kiyoomi had got her that she had unfortunately chosen to drink in that moment. But he refused to turn his head to appease her gaze Kiyoomi could feel burning into him.
"Alright, go ahead, I'll be right down." Atsumu knew well enough where Kiyoomi's room was, had known since his first visit. The raven head was shocked to remember the day he had bought himself a jar and a packet of lollipops, with spares stuffed in his cupboards in case of restock needs, because of Atsumu's insistent candy needs.
As the blond sauntered down the hallway, Kiyoomi found himself doing something that was incredibly rare for him. He pressed his palms together, and muttered a brief prayer. He couldn't really remember what he had prayed for, just felt like it was important.
Yachi eyed him and he whispered, "Pray for me, Yachi,"
After a quick salute, she whispered back, "You're gonna come back out here a taken man. Call it intuition."
Kiyoomi sent back his own brief salute to play along and then, as nonchalantly as possible, made his way to his room.
He found Atsumu already in the chair, eyeing the clamp that would go on his tongue in mere minutes.
"Look how much you've grown," Kiyoomi spoke as he entered. "Going from being terrified of a simple lobe piercing to getting a tongue piercing."
"I'm just such a mature man, Omi-Omi," Atsumu said, a hand going over his heart.
"Mhm. By the way you won't be able to have the lollipop today. You have other wait until it heals," Kiyoomi snorted.
Atsumu blanched. "What? That's the only reason I'm gettin' this damn thing!"
Kiyoomi chuckled, and Atsumu smiled too, very quickly over his lack-of-lollipop depression. "Are you ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess,"
Kiyoomi nodded, and moved to pull his regular black latex gloves over his hands. He re-sanitised the clamp as well as the needle that Kiyoomi would be using to pierce through his tongue, along with the titanium, long barbell piercing for the first eight weeks as the piercing swelled and healed.
Despite Kiyoomi's usual reluctance to touch people, he was incredibly comfortable as he got closer and closer to Atsumu, the clamp in his left hand and the needle in close proximity to his right. He hooked a gloved finger underneath Atsumu's jaw, and suddenly, looking down on Atsumu like this, felt himself grow bold.
They sort of just stared at each other for a moment, Kiyoomi trying his best to stop his eyes from wandering to the blond's plush lips that he was almost grazing with his thumb, which he skimmed lightly back and forth on Atsumu's chin.
Kiyoomi could feel Atsumu's breath on his face, could feel the bob of his throat as he swallowed, and was incredibly conscious of his racing heartbeat that the blond was most likely aware of.
"You know, Atsumu-" Kiyoomi could not believe his voice didn't break as he finally said that name after using his last name for the last months. "You can't kiss anyone until your piercing heals, which takes six to eight weeks." His voice was a hoarse whisper into his mask.
"Really? That's disappointing," Atsumu mumbled. "I had some things planned."
"Hm? What might those have involved?" Kiyoomi didn't know where this confidence was coming from, but he was incredibly grateful for it as he continued on smoothly, inching closer and closer to Atsumu. He was becoming increasingly aware of the separation between them.
"Well, he's a pretty guy. He's got this black, curly hair that looks super soft but he's never let me confirm, and I love FaceTimin' 'im because tha's the only time I get ta see the bottom of 'is face. He always wears this mask, and even though it's hot, what's underneath is even better." Atsumu manages to ramble but without it sounding like rambling, all of his admission coming out as a soft whisper, never too fast or too slow in his pacing, eyes softening bit by bit, and gaze oscillating between Kiyoomi's irises and the place his mouth pressed against the fabric.
"That so? Maybe you should go ahead and do it before you can't,"
"Ya think? He's not a big fan a touching," Atsumu hummed.
"Maybe he'll make an exception." How Kiyoomi had thought he hated Atsumu was so beyond him as the blond reached up a slow and steady hand at his own suggestion to the mask covering the lower part of Kiyoomi's face.
A breath caught in the raven head's throat as one of Atsumu's long, graceful fingers hooked into the elastic, eyes hooding even further than their default resting position as the mask caught on his chin and held there, exposing Kiyoomi's mouth and nose to Atsumu's soft breathing, his own breath making it's way to the blond's face.
They were so close. Tension filled the room, everything outside of the two of them background noise, barely perceptible. Kiyoomi wasn't quite certain who broke the tension, but it was pierced smooth and easy like a needle through an earlobe as they both leaned into one another, their lips meeting in hesitance.
They pulled apart, looked at each other, and surged forward again, most if not all signs of uncertainty dissipating as they got their hands on each other. Kiyoomi had to blink one eye open to free his left hand of the clamp, fingers coming to clutch at the nape of Atsumu's neck. The blond's right hand ran through the curls on the back of Kiyoomi's skull, fulfilling his wish, his other hand coming to rest on Kiyoomi's waist.
The angle couldn't be comfortable for Atsumu, head turned to the side to face Kiyoomi who stood next to the chair, but he didn't seem to care all that much, fairly content with his lips against the raven head's. Kiyoomi also had no complaints whatsoever.
Atsumu tasted like minty toothpaste and smelt vaguely of honey and whatever conditioner he used. His lips were plush and smooth, fitting easily against Kiyoomi's own, and the two moved like it was instinct, adjusting to each other's movements like they'd done it a million times before. The space between them as they broke apart to breathe felt like a chasm, even though it was only a few millimetres, both of them immediately moving back in for another. And another. And another.
Kiyoomi had forgotten just about everything other than Atsumu, up until a tentative tongue tried to coax his lips apart carefully. Which was when Kiyoomi came to his senses and remembered he was at work. Yachi would lose her shit.
He pulled back, and Atsumu straining his upper body from the chair to chase after his lips was almost enough for Kiyoomi to give in and just break into Kiyoko's office to delete the security footage. Which he would probably have to do anyway.
But he managed to keep himself away, trying not to pant, running his hands through surely messy hair that Atsumu had scrubbed his fingers through, regaining his thoughts.
"Okay. Wow," was just about all he could muster for the moment.
Atsumu snorted. "Thanks, Omi-kun. Wow ta ya, too." He sent Kiyoomi a finger heart.
The raven head rolled his eyes, then realised Atsumu could see the fond smile and quickly unhooked his mask from under his chin and pulled it back over his mouth and nose. The blond looked truly delighted to have caused such a reaction.
"So. What does this mean? I don't know what the hell I'm doing," Kiyoomi admitted, fidgeting with the finger tips of his gloves.
"Well, I can pick ya up at seven tonight and we can decide what it is," Atsumu suggested innocently.
Kiyoomi shot him a glare. "As if. You'll be writhing in pain from your piercing. That is, if you still actually want it."
Atsumu squinted in deliberation. "You could come and help me lick my wounds? Big emphasis on the lick."
"Yeah, no." Kiyoomi scrunched his nose in disgust. Then paused. "I can come over if you want me to."
"For real?"
"If that's okay. It's literally impossible for anything to go too far considering your piercing,"
"'M really happy ya keep mentioning just how annoyin' this's gonna be to heal," Atsumu deadpanned.
"I'm just preparing you for the inevitable. You're going to want lots of smoothies and soup." Kiyoomi shrugged, lips twitching.
"Ugh, jus' do it. The faster I get it done, the faster I can kiss ya again," Atsumu reasoned, completely seriously.
Kiyoomi was incredibly glad he had re-donned his mask to save him form his burning embarrassment. "Oh. Um, okay, sure,"
Pulling on a fresh pair of latex gloves, Kiyoomi snagged the clamp again and made sure the needle was in close proximity to his hand. Stepping back over, Kiyoomi grabbed is chin again, pulling his mouth open after Atsumu smirked at the same motion that had led to their first kiss.
Atsumu lolled his tongue out, at least saving Kiyoomi the displeasure of having to ask. The raven head made fast work of pressing the clamp lightly down, showing the blond in the mirror to confirm it was where he wanted it, and then grabbing the needle. Atsumu gave him an almost imperceptible nod, and he pushed the needle through the muscle as quickly and safely as possible.
The blond jerked a little in his seat, but for the most part stayed surprisingly still. Leaving the needle in his tongue and removing the clamp, Kiyoomi reached for the barbell, and quickly swapped it out with the needle and screwing the other end of the barbell on.
"Done," Kiyoomi said, peeling off his gloves.
"Holy shit, it looks awesome!" Atsumu admired the metal in the mirror, moving his tongue around his mouth and getting used to the new sensation. "It didn't hurt that bad."
Kiyoomi snorted to himself. "You may be saying different later today, but it's good to let yourself live in this piece for as long as you can,"
"So you will come over?" Atsumu asked in a quieter, more vulnerable voice Kiyoomi hadn't heard from him much.
"Of course." Kiyoomi moved forward, pulling his mask down for a second and cupping Atsumu's face with his other hand and kissing his forehead.
The blond went stock still, blush rising into his face and mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as Kiyoomi let go of his mask and it sprung back into place to hide his grin.
Kiyoomi walked Atsumu through the healing of a tongue piercing, the dos and don'ts, when he could return to normal routine, then took the blond to pay at the reception desk, Yachi's spine going incredibly straight when they both walked in.
It was obvious she was trying so hard not to make any comments about the appearances they hadn't really been bothered to fix and their kiss swollen lips, and Kiyoomi appreciated the effort.
The second the bell at the door chimed, signaling Atsumu's exit, Yachi turned to him, eyes gluing him to his chair.
"Well?"
Kiyoomi smiled. "We…might have done some kissing,"
Yachi squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement.
"And I might be going over to his place later tonight."
The squealing only got louder and higher in pitch, and Kiyoomi was ready for the windows to shatter or a dog to walk past and cover it's ears.
"I FREAKING TOLD YOU SO!"
The eight weeks of waiting were the longest and most worthwhile thing Kiyoomi had ever been put through when he once again got to finally, finally, put his lips back on Atsumu's. And there they stayed.
And if that tongue piercing ended up more useful than the two expected, that was their business.