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“So,” Suga’s eyes followed Asahi’s movement across the court. “Should we do something about them?”
“What are you talking about?” Daichi looked up from his stretch. Suga slapped him on the shoulder, giving him a weighty look. “Ow! Seriously, what are you talking about?”
“Are you really that oblivious?” He gestured across the gym with his chin, “Asahi and Noya.”
“You mean how they’re nervous around each other?” he said, “I think they’re just getting back into the groove of playing together, again.”
“They’ve had a crush on each other since last year.” Suga rolled his eyes. “Their mutual pining is starting to suffocate me.”
“And what does this have to do with us?”
“What do you say about pushing them along?” He shook his shoulders back and forth, which was a sure sign of his scheming.
“Suga. They’re our friends.” Shaking his head in disbelief. “We’re not going to hold some kind of wild intervention for them.”
“Are you sure?”
“This is something they need to work out themselves.” Daichi knocked their shoulders together. “We can’t force them into something neither of them are ready for.”
“Fine, Captain,” he sighed.
Nishinoya bounced on the balls of his feet, making his way to the clubroom. It had been an extraordinarily great day. He had scored one point above the class average on his mathematics exam, was this close to perfecting his Rolling Thunder, and thought that he was finally ready to admit his feelings to Asahi.
His crush had started sometime last year, when they had been paired together over and over again for additional practice under Coach Ukai. At some point, he realized that his days weren’t complete without seeing the Ace.
And now, he had planned out the perfect way to ask Asahi out on a date. A way that wouldn’t cause Asahi to run away in nerves or paralyze him in fear. He was going to be subtle.
The clubroom was empty when he arrived, and he quickly changed into his practice clothes, racing for the gym, knowing that Asahi was always the first to arrive.
“Hey Asahi!” he shouted across the gym, where the other boy was rolling out the basket of volleyballs.
He stopped in place once he saw Noya walking over to him. “What’s up?” Noya shuffled back in forth, looking down at his feet. He felt a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright? You’re unusually quiet.” The genuine concern in Asahi’s voice was just another trait that made his heart beat a little faster.
“Just nervous, I guess.”
“Is it about the game? You were amazing. ” Noya didn’t know if he was imagining the awe in Asahi’s voice, which was ridiculous considering that he was their Ace. If anyone should be praised for their volleyball prowess, it should be Asahi.
“Thanks,” he hoped that he wasn’t blushing. “I was just wondering if you’d like to maybe get together this weekend? Uh, like the two of us?”
“That’s a great idea!”
“Really?”
Asahi turned back to the volleyball cart, continuing to push it across the gym. “Yeah, the extra practice will definitely come in handy.”
Noya opened and closed his mouth several times. “No, ah. That’s not—” Kageyama and Hinata burst into the gym, screaming about something.
The moment was lost.
Asahi shoved his hands into his pocket to stop them from shaking. He knew that he should get over his stupid crush on Nishinoya. There was something so addictive about the bright energy and excitement of the libero. Asahi’s nervous personality would only drag him down.
And, still, he couldn’t help but imagine what might be possible if he could find the courage to admit his feelings. Part of him knew that it would almost assuredly lead to awkward team practices, and, worst case scenario, force him to quit the team in shame.
On the other hand, what if the two of them could be something more? These were the thoughts that plagued him on his walk to school, so much so that he crashed into somebody.
“I’m so sorry,” he whipped around, putting his hands up in a placating manner.
“Asahi!” Noya jumped up and down in place. “It’s fine. I probably ran into you!”
“No, no, no,” he said, not wanting Noya to take a single ounce of blame. “I was just lost in my thoughts. I wasn’t paying attention.”
He slapped Asahi’s arm. “What were you thinking about?” Noya left his hand on Asahi’s arm, and he could feel the heat sinking through the layers of his clothes. It made him feel alive, as if he had just broken through a wall of blockers. He wondered if Noya could feel his heartbeat, as it thudded out of control.
“It was nothing, just caught up in my head.”
“Well,” he removed his hand, spinning on his heel toward the school. “If you ever need someone to talk to you, I always have an open ear.”
He had been presented with the perfect opportunity. It was now or never. “Hey, Noya?”
He turned around, flashing Asahi a bright smile. “Yeah?”
Transfixed by the other boy, Asahi shook his head, losing his nerve. “Um… I’ll see you later at practice.”
“Of course!”
“I know that I said that we needed to let the two of them work things out on their own,” Daichi looked at how Asahi and Noya were skirting around each other on the court. “But this is starting to affect the team.”
“Oh,” his vice captain smirked. “Is that why you’re all for getting involved?”
“They’re also just… hopeless, so,” He shrugged, trailing off.
Suga’s smile was frighteningly sharp. “Well, I thought that you’d never ask.”
He swallowed down his doubts, “I’m not going to regret this, am I?”
“Would I ever lead you astray, Daichi?” Suga replied with a facade of innocence, before walking away. He watched as Suga approached Asahi and began talking to him. There was still a mixture of feelings about the ethics of interfering with his friends’ relationship, but turned away from Suga in order to make sure that Kageyama and Hinata actually went home after practice.
After three attempts, he finally managed to wave the first year duo out the doors. He watched them until they reached the front gate, making sure they didn’t turn around and sneak back toward the gym.
He turned around, watching Suga spin the keys around his finger while whistling a jaunty tune. Asahi and Noya were nowhere in sight.
“And what’s got you looking like the cat that got the cream?”
“Oh,” Suga shrugged, “I just locked the two of them in the supply closet. It should be the answer to all of our problems.”
“You can’t just lock our teammates up!” Daichi glanced at the supply closet, ready to go and save his teammates from Suga’s schemes.
“They’ll be fine.” Suga swung an arm around his shoulders, tugging him out the door. “We’ll grab our stuff from the club room, and then swing back around to unlock the door. Hopefully by the time we’re back they’ll have worked things out.”
(And, they had. Daichi should have known to trust Suga).