hello, my old heart

     when he received a weird message from konoha in the middle of the night, arata admittedly was a lot a little confused. but a few more messages managed to clear up the situation, revealing his pal had a little too much fun and wouldn’t actually be fighting any bears or police officers. instead arata would make sure he got home safely, and the only thing he’d have to fight would be the hangover he’d have in the morning. 

     well, that and maybe arata himself because he’s about to be a little menace.

     “ konohaaaaa, ” arata mimics, the amusement clear in the whiny tone. " maybe i just wanna carry ya, or maybe--- ” arata turns his head slightly to look at his drunken friend with a pointed gaze. “ i'm worried ya might try to fight some innocent, two-headed polar bear. they have twice the mouths, which means twice the chances to bite your head off, ya know. ” it’s clearly a joke, just a little, deserved teasing, but arata does wonder if konoha can take it at the moment. what if he thinks arata’s being serious? 

     eh, maybe that’ll be funny, actually. so he contorts his face into one of fright and turns immediately to look forward before breaking into a run... which he kind of regrets immediately with the weight of his friend on his back. but he commits to the bit, speeding down the mostly empty sidewalk and somehow sounding genuinely scared.

     " there’s one right behind us, konoha! hold on tight -- he looked hungry! ”

     konoha’s arms tighten around his neck, and in the next second, he feels konoha smacking him for playing a trick. arata just laughs between breaths, slowing down to a walk. when he glances at his friend this time, he’s got a big, cheeky grin on his face ( the kind that makes you wanna fight him, or so akane has told him ).

That is not part of the plan. The plan usually means, he provokes her, she fights back, they bicker for hours on end and get a good laugh out of the whole ordeal (or at least do when they reconcile after some sulking each in their respective corner). The plan usually doesn’t involve Chiyo clinging to his arm and looking up at him with those big brown eyes of hers, and the plan certainly doesn’t involve his heart skipping three consecutive beats like it just tripped on a damn root. And what the hell’s with the adorable whiny voice? 

“… ye’re the worst, y’know that?” At last the stubborn fox relents, too tired (or so he tells himself) and hot (that’s why the back of his neck is burning up, riiiight?) to try and rile her up any further, free arm lowering to hand her the glass of water. Oh, if Samu could see this, the hell he’d give him - when’s the last time someone has ever seen Atsumu Miya so compliant and considerate, eh? Never, that’s when. And yet, here he is, Inarizaki’s own resident tyrant; still and careful, as though as rare sparrow had landed on his shoulder, and the slightest brusque move might scare it away. Except it’s not a sparrow, it’s his best friend who he’s known for ten whole years.

Droopy hazel eyes remain on her for a moment; before his hand moves up, the back of his fingers brushing past her bangs to connect with her forehead. “Aish. Summer heat got ya too, huh.” His hand drops back down, and he sighs; they can’t really stay here forever, what if Osamu wakes up - or worse, grandma… but she’s right. He doesn’t want to move that much either. Jsus, what a lost cause he is. “… y’wanna go sit outside for a bit?” He asks - mutters under his breath, really. “Y’know, just under the porch. Don’t need to go far if ye’re about to collapse on me.” Excuses excuses - but at least they’re good ones, aren’t they?

     chiyo merely smiles in response, humming her agreement as she sips at her prize. how can she argue with atsumu now? she just whined to get her way, and he actually let her get away with it. it’s in her nature to read into every action, but chiyo tells herself to be content with her glass of water, to not read into things done at two in the morning because even the most boisterous person has to run out of steam. then atsumu takes her by surprise, touching her forehead just for a brief moment and commenting on the summer heat.

     well, she was going to blame the heat for her flushed complexion anyway. she just didn’t expect atsumu to actually notice it. 

     it’s such a simple, gentle touch, yet chiyo’s heart swells and stutters. she feels ridiculous to be so affected by a small gesture of concern, to be so nervous over his attention. it’s silly. it’s nice. it makes her want to run away and never leave all at once, which is... different. her legs are so very used to retreating at the first sign of something more profound, and the familiar itch is there, but there’s the gentle reassurance of a childhood promise that rests in the back of chiyo’s mind. the memory is warm, comforting, constant -- it reminds her that as much as she and the twins might get under each other’s skin, the bond they share is stronger than their petty arguments. and she’s willing to bet it’s stronger than a one-sided crush, too.

     “ hey, hey -- don’t worry about me! i’ll be fine. ”

     it isn’t as if arata’s never dealt with a sprained ankle before ( granted, it was akane’s sprained ankle ). konoha has already been such a huge help in getting him home and settled on the couch, so why continue to be a bother? of course arata tries to shoo him away, grinning and making it out to be no big deal -- because it isn’t a big deal. arata can handle it from here, really. but words that are meant to dismiss any worry and alleviate any sense of responsibility for arata’s wellbeing somehow incite a very different reaction than what he’d expected. there’s frustration in konoha’s expression, and his reply takes arata completely by surprise. all he can do for a good minute is open and shut his mouth, unable to think of anything to say. 

     what is he supposed to say? there’s only one response that konoha will accept, but arata doesn’t want to give it to him so easily. he doesn’t want to give it to konoha at all, which might be the point.

     “ ...okay, ” he quietly agrees, leaning back into the sofa. he hates how weak it sounds.

     arata feels like a deflated balloon as he watches konoha rummage around the apartment for different items, calling out occasionally to ask where something is. he must intend to wrap arata’s ankle, and that only worsens the tight, heavy feeling in arata’s chest. the bassist allows himself to sink further into the cushions.

     he doesn’t like it. in fact, he hates it. arata hates being taken care of because that’s his job, and he likes keeping it that way. he knows exactly where he stands then, that he has a place in his friends’ lives because he’s the one they can go to when they need someone. is that bad, preferring to be the one others lean on? is it annoying? god, he hopes it isn’t, hopes konoha isn’t growing tired of his behavior like akane did. arata purses his lips. that’d really suck.

     when konoha comes back, ice pack, painkillers, and cloth bandage in hand, arata thanks him with a smile that lacks the shine it typically has. he doesn’t fuss or talk much at all while konoha wraps his ankle. he doesn’t have the courage to find the words at first. it isn’t until his friend has him properly situated with his ankle resting on a pillow and the icepack pressed against the bandage, that arata finally gets his voice back.

can i just say that if someone were to tell arata that he needs to stop putting others before himself he’d be so genuinely confused. he doesn’t realize he does it, he doesn’t realize that he doesn’t put the same effort into his care as he does for others. doesn’t cross his mind once, and i don’t think he realizes the mindset he has isn’t good! he just wants to be useful, important to someone. i don’t think he’d ever allow himself to be put into a bad situation, but i can definitely see his giving/caretaker nature being taken advantage of.

more arata headcanons bc he’s taken over!!

pls don’t hide why you’re mad at arata bc sometimes he knows exactly what he did and other times he’s completely clueless!! he’ll just get mad at you for hiding why you’re upset or get very sad and puppy-eyed : (

is actually kind of clumsy! there’s a reason he never picked up sports, folks

the only reason he’s in any kind of shape is bc akane forces him to run with her ( and he can’t stand losing to others, so naturally he’s always trying to outrun her )

probably takes better care of himself as an adult vs when he’s in high school, mainly bc he’s more concerned with his music and those around him. but also “ ...what’s a skincare routine?? what do you mean i can’t survive off of takeout?? ”

but this is also the boy that will force akane to go sit down and chill while he cooks her something!! he knows how to cook bc he did it ( to a lesser, safer extent for kiddos ) when they were younger all the time!! he’s just? unmotivated to do it for himself, and his dad is kinda hopeless in the kitchen

love how this is once again related to arata putting others above himself... placing his value below others......... i wanna scream 

OKAY BUT arata’s dad taking him and his mom taking akane bc “ boys should be with their fathers and vice versa ” and arata standing there like hey uhhh that’s stupid my guy i miss my mom and sister!! but nah, you’re just a kid -- the grown ups know best

once again i think that’s something to unpack in another post but HMMMMM arata has a lot of thoughts and feelings, and it’s the one area of his life where he won’t necessarily address what’s bugging him. and that makes him really frustrated 

seems like the type to enjoy games of the shooter variety and the like, but he’s actually big on rpgs! the other stuff is cool, too, and it’s most fun if it’s co-op, but a nice story and fun characters are more his cup of tea

attends every one of akane’s soccer games with this obnoxiously large banner that he has to have help holding up :’ )) she says it embarrasses her, but arata knows she’s just saying that -- the one time he was late and finally showed up with the banner, he saw her smile all big!!

here’s some arata heacanons bc i’ve been neglecting my baby!!

the first time arata met fans of the band, he was on cloud nine!!! wouldn’t shut up about it and told everyone who would listen bc oh my gosh people actually know his band!!!!

his best friend yasushi is the face of the band since he’s the lead singer, but arata is the one who talks the most during interviews bc he’s very good at things like that ( even if he has to be reminded not to spoil upcoming songs )!

now that i’m thinking about it, everyone in the band but arata ( and akane, but she’s behind the scenes ) is actually kind of introverted, so they’re probably happy to let him take the reins during interviews and the like

i’d like to make a separate post to really delve into this, but arata really idolized his mom as a kid. after the divorce, though, he’s kind of grown?? a little resentful. towards his dad, too, but considering he was so close to his mom, his anger got directed at her more. kinda felt like she was abandoning him 

in general has many feelings about the divorce -- bc he’s very much the sort to face problems head on and openly discuss feelings, he doesn’t understand the fall out that happened between his parents and gets upset thinking about how it affected him and akane

can’t remember if i mentioned this before, but he and akane used to take piano lessons together! they stopped when things went sour with their parents, and a couple years later, arata picked up the guitar

music has definitely always been a comfort and an outlet to arata! doesn’t matter if he’s happy, angry, sad, in love, heartbroken -- whatever the occasion, there’s a song to help him through it :’ )

really loves feeling needed and having people depend on him!! equates it a little to his self worth which isn’t great tho ;n;

“ i’m not CUTE i’m handsome!! manly!! a total stud!!! ” cue all of the band’s fandom calling him baby meanwhile thirsting over his best friend : )

but!! that does make room for new babies, including an idea i’ve had in my brain for? at least a year since that’s how long i’ve had yu :’ ) yu is a guardian of a smaller river that is pretty close!! to a larger river -- the ishikari river! and i’ve had it in my head for ages that the guardian of that river is his sister who likely remembers more about their youth than yu does. bc yu at this moment is just?? very foggy on his origin and tries not to think too hard about it. all he knows is that he’s responsible for the people and the region surrounding his river, and that’s all he tries to concern himself with.

whereas ishikari is much more outgoing, much more prone to fraternizing with humans. she desires connections with others even if they’re fleeting bc to live in seclusion like yubari does would just be much too lonely in her eyes. possibly?? shirks her responsibilities a bit bc she’s out ~making memories~ but i’m also gonna look into other japanese mythological creatures bc i like to think river deities have lil helpers like sprites or spirits or something. like rivers and the regions surrounding them can be huge!! how is one dragon supposed to constantly monitor all of that if they don’t have some kinda help??