#his mother has a native residence in taiwan and japan so she travels to both with her having a small company there

[flyhighest]

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 5:   “i’m sorry, kiyo, dear. i need to visit your father at tokyo station.  surely you can wait until tomorrow, can’t you?” she doesn’t even wait for a response before saying, “good boy.”   their mother says while placing a red stain lipstick upon her lips. a doll rests in his palms, dangling low enough to touch the ground as an impassive look was drowned from daring optimism.

“oh, don’t give me that look.  go see if one of your siblings is free.”

they weren’t and she knew that. not to mention they wouldn’t even look in his general direction, claiming to be too distracted with extra curricular activities or school.  his sister,  yui,  is already in college with a major in business administration management and his brother, izumi, is studying heavily for his own college exams to the university of kyoto.  he hasn’t answered what he wants to do.  his parents are impatiently waiting for an answer.

“well, i have to go.  — shit, i’m already late.  find something for dinner. i’ll also have yui bring you to school tomorrow.”  and she even spares no look when she grabs her purse and leaves, leaving kiyoomi standing behind, stuffed animal barely dangling from his fingertips.

in the middle of summer, this large traditional home feels so empty and he feels largely alone.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 7:   “i’ll be leaving for a week, so you’ll be staying at your aunt mayumi’s house. you remember her, don’t you? of course you do, she has a son that’s the same age as you. i believe you both go to the same school. be on your best behavior, understand?” were the last words his mother has said before she dropped him off at this home with a backpack on his shoulders and suitcase loosely held in his palm. he’s welcomed so sweetly by mayumi with a soft “kiyoomi - kun” and a curious, wildly smiling motoya.

it’s not long before they’re both left alone in his room, a flat (almost bored) expression on his face. motoya even has to wonder if he’s actually seven - years - old and not a sixty - something - year - old jaded man in disguise. although it seems like that, kiyoomi just does whatever motoya suggests with no objection nor a suggestion to do something else entirely. he thinks kiyoomi is strange and doesn’t act like a child should. although, he does bring up something, even digging into his closet to bring out a dirty, white volleyball.

“have you ever played volleyball before?”

“no.”

“...  do you want to try it?”

“okay.”

and so they do, with kiyoomi unsuccessfully receiving or tossing it at an angle that’s proper for motoya to catch, still not sharing an expression that’s mad or excited.

five days of staying at mayumi’s residence and he’s up by eight am, practicing to balance the (now polished and cleaned) ball along the outside of his wrists and dribbling it against the wall. motoyoa meets with him outside thirty minutes later, with a brief thought if he was actually an alien instead.

“wow! if you really like playing it, you can keep it.”

“okay.”

he stays at his house every weekend after that.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 9:   it’s no secret he’s not liked among his classmates, even not so subtly whispering things to one another, snickering when he walks by, but generally avoided. except motoya, who’s attached to his hip upon entering and exiting class. 

unfortunately, kiyoomi’s become a prime target of three particular classmates who pride themselves in being larger and louder than he is. they notice the dagger - like glares they receive when they don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom or not washing the dirt off their hands when they come back inside or how they’re messy when they eat with food stains on their shirts and faces. these kids were disgusting, kiyoomi thought.

they’re not shy when they try to convince him to come outside with them. he says no and walks away. until one grabs his arm and keeps a firm grip. the other friend joins in the hold while the third, and seemingly the ring leader, takes out a pocket of dirt sloshed with mud, live worms, and who knows what. “germ freak! i wonder what you’ll do when we shove this in your mouth. huh? are you gonna’ cry? call for your mommy? haha!” they all laugh and for the first time, fear rises in his eyes.

seems that motoya found him at the right time, because it’s hard to believe kiyoomi, who doesn’t do much at all outside of the norm, is in a fight with these three boys. teeth is clenched down on ones arms and sweaty fingers pull tightly at anothers hair, brows pinched in anger and his voice raised but muffled until motoya has to pry him off.

this is the first and last time motoya witnesses him truly angry.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 12:   mayumi, motoya, and kiyoomi sit at the dinner table with lots of topics of both of them, once again, attending the same middle school, to being on the same volleyball team. it was in mutual agreement but kiyoomi letting motoya do what he wanted if he wanted to attend somewhere else but was secretly glad since motoya was his only friend anyways. until the topic of kiyoomi’s parents popped up.

“kiyoomi - kun, i’m glad you could stay with us! you know your mother is often more busy than not, and there’s no one to really take care of you,” says mayumi. “do you get along with your elder siblings?”

“i don’t see them.”

“that’s right, i remember her saying something about being a university graduate! they moved out the house, right?”

“i don’t know and i don’t care.”

“that’s a little sad, isn’t it? but it’s hard to form a connection when you don’t see them in the first place. you poor thing, kiyoomi - kun. i can’t help but pity you in your situation.”

the chopsticks still, lips pressing together. the last thing he wants is to hear is that someone says he pities him. makes feel little, like an insect, those feelings on wasted that has nothing to do with them. even so, he doesn’t say anything afterwards and continues to eat.

motoya gives a worried look but doesn’t say anything either.

since that day, he has truly hated the saying i pity you.

don’t feel sorry for me, it’s makes me feel less than what i am.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 13:   it’s middle school practice and the coach, with a wide smile, talks about how he’s going to switch the line up of players and their positions.  the first he brings up is kiyoomi, moving from outside hitter to setter.  this has brows raised because it’s no secret he has freaky wrists and even freakier fingers.  the coach brings up while the outside hitter position is what’s kiyoomi’s best as, he wanted to see if he could bring the potential to being a setter.  to his surprise, kiyoomi adapts really well as if he was always a natural born setter but seems extremely bored while doing it.  this goes on for a game or two, losing one and winning the other.

kiyoomi explains that observing the court, his teammates feelings and how they are physically, the enemy and to take account of which person to set it to at the right time, doesn’t interest him in the slightest.  the feeling of a successful spike, or receiving is what is more his style.  he also says he knows his strengths and it would be a waste of a skill to not use his spins as an advantage.

a lot to say from a 13 - year - old.

he goes back to the outside hitter position and is set as a temporary setter all through middle school.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 14:   is when he meets ushijima wakatoshi as a passerby in the bathroom at the all - japan middle school athletics tournament.  he doesn’t make it a habit to glance at people while they’re washing their hands but something ushijima does makes him stop in his track with slightly wide eyes.  he had a handkerchief and dried his hands with it, while folding the wet part on the inside!  that alone earns his respect.

he doesn’t think much more about that interaction other than the fact that he’s part of the team they’re currently going against.  this is their first interactions on the court and it throws him off with a southpaw serve all the way to spikes.  kiyoomi prided himself as an all around player but this is the first time where he felt unstable on the court.

they lose the set with 2 to 1.

since then, kiyoomi has practiced his service receives and since then, he has encountered ushijima in almost every game.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 15:   “i’m gay,” is what kiyoomi says, unprovoked, to motoya.

this makes him stop, blinking almost stupidly and honestly, he doesn’t have much to say, if at all.  so he looks and squints.

“... stop staring.  it’s rude.”

“are you serious, dude?  why are you telling me this?”

his shoulders stiffen, suddenly defensive.  maybe this was the wrong move to tell someone, maybe he should’ve kept it to himself.

there’s an awkward chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck to push off the unease.  “well, i kinda’ knew that.”

“what?”

“i had my ideas!  you never looked at another girl!  i tried to bring up a couple of them, saying they were cute but you didn’t even care!”

a unimpressed look.  “and that this is what convinced you?”

“if i were to be honest, i thought you were disinterested all together.  of, you know, everyone.  and listen, i support you one hundred percent, i hope you know this!  i just...  you caught me off guard, i almost didn’t know what to say.”

so he hums, “no point in beating around the bush.  better to get straight to the point.”

motoya smiles, placing a hand on his shoulder, which causes him to grimace. “i’m glad you trusted me with this.  your secret is safe with me——”

“i’m not trying to keep it a secret.”

“——  and if you ever find someone,  i got your back!”  then he offers a thumbs up and a beaming smile, like it’ll help him.

if you ever find someone...  he thought it was his mothers influence at first to not get distracted by something as ‘ romance ’ and continue your schoolwork as you have been.  even if it weren’t a thing, he’s just largely not interested in it as a whole.  in fact, he was completely content with not being with anyone.  being in a home, by himself, is what’s ideal.  the image in sharing a home with someone else...  it’s not something he’s ecstatic about.  besides, sharing a life with someone else romantically sounds like a pain.

“yeah, thanks.”

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 16:   in his second year of high school is when he gets invited to the all - japan youth training camp, along with motoya.  he has heard,  upon his invitation,  that shiratorizawa will not be advancing to nationals which makes him still and question exactly who tore them from being able to face each other one last time before ushijima graduates.  he goes there anticipating more than what he got upon staying there for a week.

looking disinterested,  he has taken a mental note of several new faces and stays by to observe those that could be deemed as a threat in possible future games.

tobio kageyama.  someone from karasuno high school that beat shiratorizawa but it doesn’t look like the one who brought ushijima down singlehandedly.  a quiet guy and a weirdo.  still irked that he called him ‘normal’.  thought his sets were extremely comfortable to spike and ultimately knew what fit him before having to say it to him beforehand.  it’s impressive.  not much after that but does see him as a acquaintance.  he would like to face against him in a real game before he graduates.

korai hoshiumi.  the biggest weirdo out of all three of these guys.  his small stature is also impressive for how high he can jump, but it’s not he hasn’t seen it before.  doesn’t see the point in him freaking out over people not finding him intimidating.  how could he be when he looks like a seagull?  finds him far too loud but less annoying than atsumu.  even though he’s a spiker, he was originally a little hesitant to hit his spikes but not as nice as kageyamas.

atsumu miya.  nothing really note worthy to keep an eye on.  he briefly remembers going against him in their first year in nationals,  winning the set 3 to 1.  he also briefly remembers the miya twins but thought nothing of it.  kiyoomi thinks his sets are very fair and are brimming with potential for his spiker to hit. notices he’s definitely not shy in letting people know you’re not worth his time if you can’t hit his sets and the type of guy to incorporate himself in the spikers point. although, he does have to thank for getting rid of the cockroach in his room. their personalities don’t mesh well at all and not only that, he has an absolute trash attitude.  another weirdo.

he leaves, expecting to see them all in a fierce match.

he loses to inubushi higashi high 1 to 2.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 18:   in his very last match of nationals, he wins against karasuno 3 to 2.  it has been awhile since he’s seen kageyama in action and finds him to not to be the same person then.  in those rare moments, he found a challenge aside from shiratorizawa.

after nationals, he studies hard and enters tokyo university (under his fathers demand) majoring in economics and becomes a member of the universities volleyball team.

so far, there’s no intention to ascend to the professional scene.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 21:   he becomes tokyo universities volleyball mvp while being the top of his class.  it’s an extremely rare case but unbeknownst to him, there are several volleyball teams looking at him, even being caught after a game playing against kansai volleyball university federation, by a scouter from the msby black jackals.  he’s almost done with university and he has ideas to go into his fathers business and rise up the ranks but something stills him from the decline of the invitation.

instead, he accepts, starting the month after he graduates from college.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 22:   it’s when he graduates college when he meets his father for dinner in an expectant congratulations for being among the top percent of his class.  motoya and mayumi were the only ones there in attendance.

“as i understand, i heard you excelled highly in your classes, kiyoomi.”

his chopsticks still, looking at his father in the eye, “yes.”

“as i predicted of my son.  and i also expect you to do as i planned of you, since you never gave me an answer on what you wanted to do after high school.  i allowed you to play volleyball in your university as an extracurricular activity but i do not want you to go any higher than that.  you would be a heavy stain in that career.  just what do you think to accomplish?”  he states as a matter of fact, eyes weighing heavy with a control on the room.  his mother is not present.  “i already secured you a position at sakusa pharmaceuticals.  you are to start next week, do you understand me?  yui is already at the top of the company and i want you to follow her footsteps, just as izumi has.”

silence is blanketed over kiyoomi, swallowing a lump in his throat.  for the first time, he looks nervous but the grip on his utensils are firm and his own gaze is harsh.  i’ve done everything you wanted me to do and yet you’re still not happy.  well, it’s now or never, isn’t it?  motoya is on esp raijin as their libero but what is kiyoomi doing?  going into business, something he doesn’t even want to do.  why has he worked hard for this?  for his father and mothers notice?  he was nothing to them when he was a child but now that he’s finally able to prove his worth,  it’s now that they suddenly care about his future?

what a joke.

“i will not be working at your company.”

he’s adjusting his watch before there’s an angry glower on his face, voice heavy.  “what did you say to me?”

“i was scouted for an opportunity to be on a professional team in my third year of university.  i said yes.”

hands slam on the table, “i forbid you!  no son of mine will be participating in a dead end and hopeless career such as sports.  you will work under my name.  do you think you have a choice in the matter?”

so it’s just like that, huh?  he feels sorry for his sister and brother, having to fall into the trap such as the sakusa family but he will not endure the same as they have.  his siblings were just distant relatives in his eyes, his father previously having been far too busy to even take care of kiyoomi nor even look in his direction, and his mother thriving in her own way to even really notice as well.  he doesn’t hate them but there’s no heart... no attachment.

“i want to be a volleyball player.  you will not cage me down.  not even you have the power to stop that.”

“if you do, i will strip you of all supporting funds.  is that what you want, kiyoomi?”

“fine, i never used them anyway.”  he already was the black sheep.  what more could he do?

his fathers face is red,  jaw clenched.   “then you are no son of mine.  get out of my sight.”

hm,  he expected this to go to a different route.  he was certainly into dramatics, wasn’t he?  without sparing another glance, he abruptly stands to pluck the jacket off the back of his chair to give a half bow.

from then on, he does not see his father but his mother requests visits every so often.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 23:   it’s his first game on the msby black jackals against the tachibana red falcons.  what a start.  his introductory game goes as one expects.  the announcers hype him up to making it national all three years, winning two of them while being a collegiate mvp.  while the match was close, they win the set 2 to 1.  atsumu gives him a ‘nice job, sakusa - kun!’ and a high five while bokuto nearly pulls him into a tight embrace of ‘that was awesome, omi - omi! you’ve gotta’ show me how you do that!’ not until he was pulled aside by an eager interviewer.

“wow, sakusa-san, that was impressive!  i’ve never seen anything quite like that! the spin you put on the ball is monstruous. just how do you do it?”  the microphone is pushed to his face.

he’s dealt with interviewers in the past, and the all ask the same question.  might as well indulge, “i have flexible wrists and fingers.  it’s advantageous against opponents with a weak backline.”

“yikes!  are you saying the red falcons have a weak defense?”  the interviewer laughs, looking at their clipboard. “so, from what i’ve read, your father, naoto sakusa - san, is the owner of sakusa pharmaceuticals.  a great businessman!  has he had any influence for you getting on the msby black jackals?”  the microphone is placed to his face again, too close to be considered sanitary, this time with more of an intent to get the insiders scoop for their newest member.  unfortunately, for them, he’s not willing to indulge.

however, the blacks of his eyes harden, which makes them falter a bit.  “if you’re insinuating that he flexed his money to coax me onto the black jackals, then you’re wrong.”  he wants to settle the truth, how he was disowned and how his father never wanted him to pursue being a volleyball player.  “by saying that, you’re dissuading my talent as a player to push your agenda that i’m the rich mans son and nothing more than that.  if your intention from this interview is get inside of his business practices rather than the game itself or me as an individual, then i will no longer be answering any more questions.  find someone else.”

to prevent anything else from slipping,  he turns away while taking the mask from his jacket pocket to his face,  sliding it on.  without waiting for his teammates, he’s already sliding through the crowd, bumping away other interviewers and athletes alike on a solid congratulations.  he needs to get out of here, he can’t breathe.  too many people.  far too many people.

and so, he hides in a secluded part of the building, hyperventilating, until it’s time to go.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 25:   he makes it on the japan national volleyball team and heads to the olympics.  they take home the bronze medal, losing to argentina.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 26:   “hey, omi - omi, are you goin’ home?”  it’s atsumu, jogging right to his side as if they were long friends.  well, considering he’s been on msby for three years, they might as well be. although, he did have plans to go straight home and relax.  so he squints, hesitantly taking the bait.

“... i’m assuming you want to rope me in to something.”

and he smiles, triumphantly as he gives a playful shove. “how’d ya’ know?!  anyways, bokkun and i are goin’ drinkin’. do you wanna’ come?  i know how feel about it an’ all, just thought i’d ask.”

he takes a second to contemplate.  bars are filthy, hardly clean.  who knows how many people have done things on those poorly cleaned countertops.  he’d much rather not but it’s hard to ignore the way atsumu’s eyes sparkle in this lighting, practically begging him to say yes.

was he always this attractive?  wait, hold on, let’s push that thought back before it starts to infect his brain.

so he stares, keeping atsumu on his toes until he says to the point where he gets fidgety, “okay.”

“hell yeah!  c’mon,  bokkun is waitin’ in his car!”

by the time they get to the bar, it doesn’t take long before kiyoomi is tipsy, cheeks flushed but he still has a solid ground of his surroundings and the conversations at hand.  his head is floating so high, he’s a little too comfortable in this corner of the bar.  he doesn’t mind being an observer, drink kept close as eyes idly watch atsumu’s and bokuto’s enthusiastic chatter that’s almost too loud for how quiet its gotten.  just what time is it anyways?

“are ya’ listenin’, omi - kun?”  an elbow nudges his own, which causes him to frown behind the mask.

“no, i’m not.”  well, at least he’s honest.  “no one with a high intellect can possibly comprehend what the both of you are yelling about.”

“ouch!  ya’ wound me!”

not like he cares anyways, just looking at the way atsumu grips his glass and the smoothness of his arms to his shoulders and that smile and the way his hair frames his face and...  and...  eyes zero in on his lips as, at least he thinks, atsumu is trying to catch him up with the conversation but he’s just not listening.  his lips are a distraction, staring unabashedly with half - lidded eyes and it takes him nearly a second or two to realize that atsumu has stopped talking all together.

the look on atsumu’s face is too smug, however.  “yer starin’ again.”

“no, i’m not.”

then he leans in dangerously close, alcohol making him all too daring and it’s like bokuto is no longer there.  atsumu is far too close but kiyoomi doesn’t pull away, and looks extremely unimpressed.  “mm’hm, see somethin’ ya’ like?”

and it’s pulled from unimpressed to repulsed in only a moment.  “you’re not talking about yourself, are you?”

“wah——   o’ course i am!  don’t try ta’ act all shy on me, omi - omi,”  atsumu practically sing - songs, taking his chance to lean even closer where their breaths would mingle if kiyoomi didn’t have the mask on.  “ya’ want ta’ kiss me?”

“... you’re disgusting.”

“an’ now yer flirtin’ with me.  yer not backin’ up.  that must mean somethin’, right?  mm, we’re both drunk, ya’ should do somethin’ on impulse for once.”

well, he’s not wrong.  atsumu is unattractive when his personality comes into play but everything else about him is so enticing, sometimes he can’t help but stare to appreciate certain assets.  can you blame him?  he’s only human, after all.  he’s almost absorbed in the way atsumu is looking at him, nearly lured in until bokuto leans dramatically against atsumu’s back.

“ugh, let’s go home, tsum - tsum!  the bathroom is packed and i need to pee!”

and just like that, the spell was broken.

this never happened.  or, that’s what kiyoomi tries to tell himself.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 27:   since when was romance coming into play?  he was just perfectly fine with pursing this career until old age and then live with several hairless cats, maybe a turtle in his retirement but he can’t stop being around atsumu and vice versa.  the rest of msby seemed to notice as well because where one was, the other right there in some way, shape, or form.  some even questioned if they were dating but kiyoomi would abruptly say, “absolutely not.”  even if he was...  interested.

but was atsumu interested as well?  maybe he was a replacement for his brother while he wasn’t visiting.  maybe it was a plethora of other things but he never thought about it more than he needed to.  besides, it wasn’t a good idea.  they were teammates who worked like a dream together, an unstoppable duo.  what if things didn’t work out?  it would ruin the dynamic completely and would break the flow.  it’s not only of himself he has to think about but the team as well.  being so selfish as romantic desires are held close and tight to his chest.

there were other things that were more important, so for now, he will play like his heart doesn’t beat a little faster when atsumu calls his nickname for a spike or engage in conversation like his stomach doesn’t flutter when atsumu only gives a look that’s meant for him.

he’ll pretend and maybe it’ll go away.

KIYOOMI SAKUSA,  age 28:   he gets approached by kuroo to participate in something he’s been ‘cooking up’, something about the monster generation: an all - star special match.   seems like he wasn’t the only one, the entirety of msby was invited, save for tomas and meian, and even their newest member, alexender yoffe.  he’s intrigued but says yes.  not like he has anything else going on.

when he gets there, atsumu is already picking a fight with oikawa, someone they’ve come across in the olympics, and lost to.  his presence doesn’t bother him but it sure does for atsumu.  intervening isn’t his style so he watches, unamused in the background to see how long atsumu will make a fool of himself.  what he doesn’t notice, either, is the way suna is taking a picture and posting it to instagram, possibly to make fun of him and his facial expressions.

it’s until iwaizumi is involved that gets them both straight in line,  striking fear into the stiffness of their spines.  suits them right.  just how old were they and why were they acting like teenagers?

when oikawa goes to follow behind iwaizumi, it’s not long before he hears an, “omi - kun, wait up!”

with atsumu at his side, it’s a coincidence when their fingers brush against one anothers.  it makes his skin tingle.  by instinct, he shoves his hands deep into his jacket pockets.  a habit he has never changed.

“ugh, can ya’ believe that guy?!  he thinks he’s all that since he beat us in the olympics and now we’re stuck on th’ same team as him!  can ya’ believe that?!”  he sounds exasperated, looking straight forward.

“mm.  don’t include me in your feud.  you’re the one who’s stuck on the same team as him.  it doesn’t bother me.”

“o’ course it doesn’t,” he mutters.

thirty minutes later, they play nearly five absolutely grueling sets, both teams on par and constant back and forth but ultimately, team a takes the victor with a 3 to 2 set and a 35 to 33 point difference for an explosive last match.  everyone cheers in victory and kiyoomi is the first one he approaches, all sweaty and through the adrenaline and pulls him into an embrace and kisses him.  “we did it, omi - kun, we did it!”

kiyoomi is nearly dizzy and can’t even properly respond when atsumu pulls away and does a little taunt at a grumbly, pouting bokuto from across the net.  that was....

okay, maybe there were some things they needed to talk about when they get back.  lots of it.