Archive of Our Own ^beta

Paris wasn't supposed to get incredibly hot.

Paris in mid-August was supposed to range from 23- 25° celsius which is all well and good in Atsumu's book, yet here he was, freshly showered from morning practice already a bit clammy.

Atsumu bit his lip as he merged into the city foot traffic, letting himself begin to fester. Google had said 26℃ last night and instead it was already 32℃! It was just Atsumu's luck.

In general, Atsumu was finally finding himself in his new home. His French, although nowhere near perfect, could get him around most places relatively easily. He could also tell any parisian all they could ever want to know about volleyball— not that it was particularly helpful when exploring the city— but he was pretty proud of his new language knowledge. 

His Japanese was as impeccable as ever, if he did say so himself. He called and texted his brother everyday and was pleasantly surprised of his continued connections to people back in Japan. His old captains and teammates made it their personal mision to stay in touch at least once a week. 

His connection with his new team was nothing to sneeze at either — he’d even made some friends. He was not new to being a professional athlete but because of his foreign status and language skills— or lack thereof— the team had taken him under their wings so to speak. He might have been a bit babied, but Atsumu lived for the loving attention. His captain even set a plate out for him at his family's table every Wednesday night at his home just outside the city. 

Though his continued invitation to his captain's house might have had less to do with himself exactly, and more to do with his chocolatier best friend.

The second time he'd been invited to his captain's house he'd asked if Satori could come. It took only the mention of Chokorēto Satori to get an immediate extended invitation. When Satori had brought over some of the leftover chocolate that hadn't sold that day, the entire Martin family had jumped to taste test as many as they could. It was an immediate success to say the least.

The next Wednesday when he and Satori arrived Captain Martin hid half of the chocolate, citing the trouble he'd gotten into when his daughters went into a mad sugar high the week prior. That same night, when Satori snuck a few pieces of candy to the girls, Atsumu had to play off his snort. He watched Satori drop more mint chocolate into impatient hands under the nose of his buzzed captain and grinned when he and Satori made eye contact.

He had fun with Satori.

Atsumu had been living in Paris for a couple months and though many things attributed to his comfort and happiness in the city, the greatest impact — by far — had been the guess monster himself. Every shared smile and laugh, every movie night and marathon hosted when he felt a bit down, and the special chocolates left for him at his apartment or after practice that had helped Atsumu to feel less alone. 

Satori had become a huge part of Atsumu's life. They didn't see eachother everyday because of their busy schedules but when they could manage it — when Atsumu could manage it — he spent as much of his free time with the redhead as possible. 

So the fact that it was overly hot out on a day he’d deliberately blocked off to spend time with his best friend made Atsumu frustrated. 

Satori had been ‘out of commission’ for a few days going through his annual summer heat. Atsumu had been anxious all four days it took his best friend, even despite the texts he'd received in moments of clarity from the other.

The redhead’s heat had ended two days ago and they had made plans to visit the eiffel tower but Atsumu was second guessing the idea now as sweat rolled down his temple. There was no way they could climb any of those steps in comfort. 

By the time his feet had brought him to the front of Chokorēto Satori it felt almost unbearable to be in the direct sun. The thirty minute walk from the gym to the shop wasn’t normally this hard but the humid heat was not his friend and he’d definitely worn the wrong top. Atsumu moved as fast as he could to get into the shop, desperate for some cool air and maybe water. 

He was greeted by one of Satori’s managers, Emma, and immediately whisked to the back of the shop where the coolers were located. He was thankful when a minute later she brought a glass of water over.

“Satori will be down in a minute!” She smiled and patted the chair. “Sit! I won’t let my boss's boyfriend die of heat exhaustion.” Her smile morphed into a smirk as he tried to counter her in french which they both knew was useless. He swore in Japanese and stuck his tongue out as she left him by the freezer. He liked Emma though, he just didn’t understand why everyone thought that they— Satori and him— were dating. 

He gulped down some water and flipped his tshirt up to pat at his temples. He truly was too sweaty from just walking, and if he was tired he wouldn’t want to push Satori after he’d just been out for a heat break — granted Atsumu did not know many male omegas and therefore didn’t really know much about what it was like. 

His inner dialogue was interrupted as he dropped his shirt to spot Satori in the door staring at him. Before he could say anything snarky the other man was wrapping his gangly limbs around him speaking in a mix of excited french and japanese. Atsumu could barely understand the rapid fire but he wrapped his own arms around Satori’s waist and tucked the older man's head into his own neck almost automatically before realizing what he was doing.

Satori smelt of cinnamon with hints of caramelized sugar. Atsumu had smelt it in passing, but it had never been this strong considering him and Satori had never hugged before. He shamefully hoped the scent would linger on his own scent glands. It was an odd feeling, wanting to be covered in the scent, but Atsumu wasn't going to dig into those thoughts now. Satori pulled away and Atsumu smiled as he met his best friend’s eyes.

“Are you ready to see the most famous tower in the world?” The redhead grinned toothily.

“Ya know I have seen it before.”

“Well you're gonna see it again — and you’re gonna like it! ” Satori put his most faux serious expression on. 

Atsumu snorted and then paused. “Ya sure yer up for goin’ out in the heat like this?”

Satori hummed as he turned to move towards the door, and Atsumu only then realized how close they had been. His chest felt tight.

“Is my favorite Miya twin worried about lil’ old me?” he teased. “Anyway, are you sure you’re up for going outside? Seem a little sweaty to me.” He winked and bounced out towards the entrance.

“I’m gonna tell everyone ya said I’m yer favorite!” He shouted back — his feet already moving to follow. 

“Everyone knows that anyway, silly!” 

For how hot it was outside, Atsumu did not expect so many tourists, but really, he should have known better. Satori wasn’t phased though as they weaved in and out of crowded areas. Atsumu followed along, happy to let Satori direct them to the spot he’d wanted to bring Atsumu. He had said it was the best view on a hot day like today and Atsumu believed him.

They stopped and Atsumu took the time to take in his surroundings. They were just across the river while still facing the tower. Satori had them standing on top of a grassy hill situated alongside a very large and very long water fountain— the jets bursting forth with energy. The breeze carried a bit of the mist towards them and Atsumu sighed at the welcome coolness. Below them a handful of children were prancing around in the shallow rectangular pool and Atsumu could only smile at the playfulness.

Atsumu startled as Satori seized his hand and tugged him forward. 

“Come then! You were the one complaining about the heat.”  The redheaded omega let go of his hand and made his way down the hill. “Last one in is a rotten egg!”

“What is that even supposed to mean?” Atsumu whined but chased after him all the same.

Satori was already knee deep in the pool looking back at him by the time he had taken his own shoes off. He gathered the random bits and bobs Satori had thrown — very flamboyantly— and piled them away from the edge of the fountain.

“Ye better thank me for takin’ care of yer shit.” He mumbled. 

The water wasn’t cold, but it felt heavenly nonetheless. He moved to follow Satori but the other, who apparently was feeling rather playful, sidestepped him and moved towards one of the jets to the side. Satori giggled and kept moving using the spray to deter Atsumu from following him directly.

Atsumu only grinned.

They kept that up for a while dodging children and other folks enjoying the water until finally Atsumu found an opening and charged through the thick spray to wrap his arms around the other’s waist. 

“Gotcha!” He laughed before letting go with a smirk. His shirt was now plastered to his chest and he was sure that his hair was sticking out in all sorts of directions but he was pleased. 

Satori reached out to comb his hand through Atsumu’s blonde locks and smiled. “Yeah you did.”

Atsumu felt his heart rate pick up and fumbled to come up with a diversion. “When was the last time ya put on sunscreen huh?” 

Satori immediately laughed — tilting his head back and laying a hand over his chest. Atsumu couldn’t look away — it was an incredible view. “I’ll put some on just for you — who knew you were such a worrywart hmm?” 

By the time they were ready to leave, the sun was low— no longer beating down on their heads. They shared a taxi back to Chokorēto Satori. Despite them both being relatively damp, the cab driver did not bother them, quick to shoo them out with a knowing smile that Atsumu couldn’t place. 

Satori had him wait downstairs in the shop as he grabbed a change of clothes for them both.

Atsumu couldn’t stop smiling.

On his way home, after taste testing some new chocolates and bullshitting an extra hour with Satori, he brought the edge of his borrowed shirt to his nose. He would die before telling anyone, but he’d never felt more comforted by a scent in his life. 

His feet brought him all the way home when he realized it.

It was home. 

Home.

The street. His apartment. The chocolate shop. His captain’s house. Satori. It was all his home. He hadn’t realized when it exactly happened but the thought persisted. He smiled to himself and hugged the cotton shirt closer while leaning against his apartment door.

It was good to be home.