osamu, fearing middle school, asked the team why they never talked to atsumu or tried to invite him to hangouts after practice.

the other boys exchanged weird glances and osamu was ready to snap and defend his twin when aran said, "what are ya talking about, samu? who's atsumu?"

his blood ran cold and osamu holds his breath. what did aran mean by that? how could he not have known who atsumu is? they're childhood friends! best friends even! atsumu openly clung to aran for as long as they've known each other.

"osamu, do you want to go home and rest now?"

kita's palm pressed against his forehead and osamu pulled away, almost stumbling in his steps.

"if this is some kind of sick joke, please stop it. it's not funny," he said with a shaky voice. "atsumu is right there—"

but when he turned, there was no one sitting on the bench.

where is he? osamu scrambled away. atsumu always sat on this bench when he's resting. atsumu should be here—filing his nails, drinking water, or leisurely chatting with someone.

atsumu should be here—why is he not here?

"osamu?" suna' voice rang in his ears. "samu, breathe."

"no, no," he shakes his head. "rin, he should be here."

"okay, okay. we'll find him then," strong hands hold osamu by the arms, keeping him in place and stopping him from falling. "what does he look like, samu? maybe we can ask around."

that only made osamu break even more.

what does atsumu look like? a pained laugh breaks out of his throat and suna's grip tightens. when osamu looks up, his eyes are glassy with tears.

"do you really not know atsumu?"

there was silence until ginjima finally sighs and shakes his head. "no, samu. are we supposed to?"

osamu was never the crybaby—it was always atsumu. but now with his brother suddenly gone and erased from everyone's memories, he can't help but drop to the floor and let the broken sobs wrack his body.

what in the world happened? where the hell is atsumu? why did he disappear?

when he finally comes home, it's to his parents' warm welcome and the smell of his favorite food in the kitchen.

"hi sweetheart. how was your day?"

neither of them ask about atsumu.

osamu fakes a smile. "it was fine."

it was not.

it was undoubtedly the worst day of his life.

osamu suddenly remembers how they always used to complain about having to share a room and laughs because right now, all he wants is to be in that room—cramped with a huge bunk bed, two study tables pushed together, and a big closet full of clothes no one knows who owns anymore.

this isn't it—because this room is spacious with a single bed by the wall, one study table pushed on one corner, and a half-empty messy closet.

there is not a single sign of atsumu. not in the gym. not at home. not in their room either.

it was as if he never existed at all.

no social media. no pictures. not a single record anywhere.

osamu tries whatever he can to spark even the faintest memory of his twin. he tries going blond but kita scolds him. it's against the school rules and there's no reason for osamu to be blond in the first place, he said.

in their next match, when it was his turn to serve, osamu tries making the inarizaki band go quiet with a closed fist. it didn't work. akagi looks at him weirdly.

later, he steps things and sets a ball to aran at match point.

"as expected from our two-in-one setter and spiker!"

it was weird—terrifying even—to see just how wrong everything is in a world without atsumu.

just when did osamu become inarizaki's setter? atsumu would definitely throttle him if he finds out.

the games ends. they win. no one is screaming about getting the most service aces.

their coach hands them food in the bus and osamu opens the bag to see umeboshi and fatty tuna onigiri. he chokes back a sob, carefully unwraps each one and eats without a word.

fuck, osamu thinks with every bite, he really needs to figure this out before he loses his mind.

however, things are never easy. they are only ever bound to get worse.

weeks after several of osamu's failed attempts, he finally decides to take a break for a few days. he feels the burnout—drained and out of ideas on what to do.

slowly, osamu is beginning to feel hopeless.

it didn't hit osamu just how bad the situation is until suna sits down next to him at lunch break.

"hey, samu," he nudges osamu's rib. "did you ever find that person you're looking for? the atsumu guy?"

osamu turns to him, furrows his brows, and then asks, "huh? who's atsumu?"

it takes him a full minute before his own question sinks in and then osamu is breathless, shooting out of his seat to run away and ignoring suna's calls.

who's atsumu? atsumu is his brother. his twin. he runs and runs and runs. atsumu is his best friend. his family. atsumu is—

atsumu is gone. he's missing. he disappeared. vanished out of thin air. none of their friends remember him. not even their parents. osamu was the only one left. he was the only one who can prove that miya atsumu once existed—and yet he's starting to forget about him too.

osamu's feet take him to the gym and he stops. he's panting, hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath.

the place is strangely empty and so osamu lets himself slump to the floor, heaving.

"it's okay now, samu. you did your best."

his world comes to screeching halt.

"you fought really well but i think it's time to give up."

osamu looks up and immediately feels all the air get punched out of his lungs.

right in front of him is miya atsumu. in the full glory of the badly dyed blond hair and wearing his inarizaki jersey—he's smiling brightly.

"what the fuck, tsumu? where have you been?" osamu struggles to stand up, resorting to crawling on the floor to grab ahold of his brother's legs. "what the hell happened? why does no one remember you? what's happening?"

tears once again prickle at the corners of osamu's eyes.

atsumu sighs and crouches down to level with osamu. he flicks his brother's forehead and wipes the tears away with his thumb.

"stop cryin', idiot," he says, but there was no bite to his words. "i don't know what exactly happened either but i can only guess that it's my fault."

"your fault?" osamu repeats, suspicious. "what did you do?"

atsumu sucks air through his teeth. "i may or may not have visited the temple a while back and then wished i was never born."

"you what?!" osamu grabs his brother by the collar and shakes him. "are you crazy?!"

"in my defense, i did in in the spur of the moment."

"i will kick your ass right now and then you can blame it on the spur of the moment too."

"now, now, samu. why would you be mean to a person who's about to be non-existent?"

osamu stills, shoulders tensing. "can we stop it?"

atsumu offers him a half-hearted shrug. "i don't know. i guess the prayer worked too well because the people around us wanted the same thing."

"what are you talking about?" osamu narrows his eyes.

"i'm saying the wish would have never worked if people liked me enough, samu."

"what kind of logic is that—"

"did you never wonder?" atsumu cuts him off. "why it was only you who remembered me? why the world changed but no one noticed except you?"

"i—"

"it was because we were bound together, osamu," he says with another smile. "it's because we're twins."

osamu is left speechless and he trembles while he listens to his brother speak.

"if i was never born, then you shouldn't be either," atsumu explains, plopping on the floor and crossing his legs. "but you never wanted to disappear—so my wish affected you differently at first."

"at first?"

atsumu nods. "it took a while but it hit you too. i mean, didn't you forget me just now?"

hearing those words from his brother is like having a bucket of freezing water dumped on osamu without warning. he stills and opens his mouth to speak but finds no words.

osamu wants to protest—to prove atsumu wrong and make him take back his wish. he wants to let him know that he is well loved and that everyone wants him back.

osamu wants to speak but atsumu is standing up and slowly backing away from him.

"you'll forget me by morning, samu."

"i won't," osamu snaps. "i won't forget you and i'll make everyone else remember you."

atsumu chuckles and he turns to his back. "you don't have to fight anymore. things are better this way, samu—"

"it's not!" exclaims osamu. "a world without you is shit so watch me change it."

if there's one thing osamu hates—then that would be losing to atsumu without putting up a fight. for academics, volleyball, and literally everything else, the two of them always compete and try to outdo each other with the best of their abilities.

this situation is no different.

if atsumu was so sure that osamu will forget him by morning, then all osamu needs to do is to shake the world to its very core before the sun sets.

he starts his plan with suna.

"samu! you missed a class, where have you been?" suna asks as soon as he drops back to his seat.

"i was just talking to atsumu," osamu replies, voicr careful.

"atsumu?" suna perks up at the sound of the name. "so you found him?"

"yeah," he couldn't help his sigh of relief. "but he made me so angry and i wanted to kick his ass."

a snort. "i would love to see that."

"you could," osamu props his elbow on the desk and rests his chin on his palm. he grins. "maybe pull out your phone and record it too."

it was subtle but osamu swears suna's eye twitched at his words.

"my phone does kinda seem weirdly empty lately," he says. "maybe i should."

the next part comes easier and faster.

practice is a staple part of osamu's day but whether he likes to admit it or not, atsumu works harder than him in this area—he breaks his back with his sets, whoops every time akagi fails to bump a serve, and loses his mind on the court.

volleyball is atsumu's life and everyone who knows him should be aware of it—they just need a little nudge to remember.

"hello kita-san," osamu clears his throat and sits on the opposite end of the bench beside his captain. "do you remember the guy i mentioned before? atsumu?"

"yes," kita nods. "you were looking for him before, right? have you found him?"

"yeah, turns out he was just sick," osamu replies. "caught a cold or something."

"oh, is he feeling better now?"

"mhm. i got him a care package," osamu turns to kita. "with a note and everything."

"a care package," kita slowly repeats, each syllable leaving his tongue with question. osamu sees the way his forehead slightly creases before he shakes his head and smiles like nothing happened. he says, "that's very sweet of you, samu. i think i would've done the same thing."

approaching aran next takes time because despite being well put together, he's still much similar to atsumu when it comes to volleyball—when he gets his head in the game, it's hard to pull him back out. that's why the two of them shared a different kind of connection as well.

if there's anyone else that atsumu can call a best friend aside from osamu, then it would be aran. that's why osamu had his hopes up.

"yo, aran-kun," osamu says as he hands him a bottle of water. "that was a great shot."

"thanks, samu," he says. "gotta match your perfect sets."

"my sets aren't that good," osamu scrunches his nose. "i can name someone better."

"hey, don't say that. you're an amazing setter, samu!"

a deep intake of breath. "but aran-kun, you know that guy i mentioned the other day?"

"atsumu? the one you were looking for?"

"yeah."

"what about him?" aran blinks then gasps. "did you find him yet?"

"yes, i did," osamu smiles and nods. "saw him alone wearing his volleyball jersey inside a gym."

"he plays volleyball too?"

osamu's heart breaks at aran's question. "yes and he's the best damn setter i know."

"he must be really good if you're praising him like that."

"trust me," osamu swallows the lump in his throat. "you'd say the same thing when you see him play."

"oh. i hope i get to meet him soon then."

"i hope so too," and osamu does. desperately.

but it's simply not enough.

he talks to all of them one by one—tells them about atsumu and tries to scratch the surface of their memories with the best he can. osamu reminds them of the smiles they shared and tears they shed.

osamu doesn't stop—he wont let them forget. he won't let himself forget.

at home, he prattles about how his grandma prepared two names when his mom was pregnant. he chatters about the twins in the inarizaki fanclub, and comments about how his teammates are like his brothers.

"that's nice, samu," is what his mother says.

she never remembers atsumu.

it was late at night, just as when hopelessness is about to shroud osamu, when atsumu appears again.

"oh, this room looks big when i'm not here," he says as he materializes on osamu's bed. he's smiling but it doesn't reach his eyes. "you always did want a room for yourself, no?"

and osamu feels tired—so, so tired of everything. he needs atsumu to know that he would give all of this up in a heartbeat if that means things would go back to the way they were. osamu wants his brother to realize that it's always going to be both of them or simply none at all.

"seems like your plan failed huh, samu?" atsumu says but there no mocking laced in his voice. if anything, he just sounds sad.

"i didn't fail. i still have time before morning."

"you already tried everything you can," atsumu sighs. "it's time to accept that this is it for me."

"no, no. more time," osamu shakes his brother. "just give me more time. just one more day, tsumu. i can do it. i swear. i'll do it."

atsumu covers osamu's hand with his own and holds it tight. "even if i do that, nothing's going to change. this world doesn't need me, samu."

"you're so fucking selfish!" osamu groans, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his sweater. "how dare you decide this crap on your own? praying that you were never born? that's so goddamn unfair, tsumu!"

"it's not like you'll remember me after this."

"that's exactly why!"

"wha—"

"you're going to disappear like that and leave us here as if you didn't just fuck with our whole lives," osamu pulls his hand away from atsumu and angrily jabs a finger to his chest. "you're just going to make us forget all about you and face no consequences."

"it's not like i wanted to make all of you forget me," atsumu retorts, voice breaking. osamu has never seen his brother this vulnerable. "if it were up to me, i honestly hope none of you would forget me at all. yes, i wanted to disappear but i also wanted you all to look for me."

atsumu's words are below a whisper when he continues. "i wanted you to remember me but unfortunately for us, that's now what happened at all."

"then help me stop this," osamu begs. "help me make everyone remember you and let's bring this world back to the way it used to."

"i can't, samu," a defeated sigh. "like i told you before, this doesn't work like that. the wish worked because no one loved me enough—no one needed me enough to weigh me down and keep me here. there's no way to turn that back around now. it's too late."

"then i will."

"huh?"

"i will love you enough for the rest of the world," osamu grits his teeth. "i will need you enough to make sure you're going to be anchored down with me for as long as you live."

"samu, that's crazy—"

"it's not, tsumu. i'm your twin," osamu says. "we're bound together."

"osamu—"

"atsumu," he cuts him off with the same tone, low and quiet. "i'm tired and i know you are too so let's just end this, okay? come back. we need you."

identical amber eyes meet each other and in that moment, something heavy shifts. atsumu sighs and osamu feels relief.

sleep slowly begins consuming osamu, embracing him in great warmth and comfort. he tries to fight it but its tight grip remains.

"okay. alright," he hears atsumu whisper as fingers thread through his hair. "go to sleep and rest, samu. everything's going to be fine now."

when osamu opens his eyes, the first thing he feels is the immense exhaustion. his body his aching and his head is thrumming loudly. he groans and throws his legs over the bed only to find his feet touching air instead of ground. he blinks.

"what the—"

"yo, good mornin', samu."

osamu gasps and it dawns on him that he's on the top bunk like usual. he looks around the room and almost cries in joy when he sees the two study tables and the big closet placed exactly where they should be.

and atsumu—atsumu is looking at him with the biggest grin on his face.

he jumps off the bed and tackles atsumu to the ground, thoughtless of the exhaustion his body is under. he grabs him by the collar and aggressively shakes him.

"you fucker, i still remember who you are."

"yeah, i can see that."

"the room is back to normal too."

"obviously."

"everything's fine now," osamu mutters unders his breath. "right?"

"yes, it is," atsumu assures him with a smile and a pat on the head. "it's all good now thanks to you. i'm back, samu."

osamu is not a crybaby but sometimes, he just can't help it.

"welcome home, you dumbass."

(hi, i'm sorry but i'm ending this here now! this was another thread that got a little too out of hand and tbh i had no idea what i was doing the entire time but i'm so happy to read the nice comments and feedbacks from all of you AAAA thank you so much!!!)