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Asahi was back for good. After the agonizing weeks without him after the game against Date Tech, Asahi was finally back. And he was smiling again, freely and wide after a good spike. Oh, how Noya had missed this. As he saw the confidence growing in Asahi’s eyes everyday, a warm feeling took hold of his chest.
It made him truly happy and proud.
After the broom incident, he wasn’t sure of how his relationship with Asahi would evolve. Sure, it took some time for them both to get over what had happened, but with every look they shared, the feelings that had Noya’s heart fluttering came back.
Things needed a few weeks to completely get back to normal. Noya stayed a bit distant at first, scared Asahi would change his mind and leave again. They still joked around, played together and spent time with each other, but there was always this restraint, this thin veil between them.
Winning against Date Tech put the last piece of the puzzle back in place. The trust they shared had never been stronger. They had each other’s backs, on and off the court.
As they walked back home from practice, Asahi’s hand completely swallowed Noya’s, the warmth that emanated from it spreading up his arm to his whole body.
Asahi had insisted on walking him home, something they had done plenty of times in the past. Holding hands was a first, though. Both boys were beet red at first as they talked about anything that came to mind to distract their minds of the new feeling. Volleyball was the subject of choice. Common to the both of them, easy to talk about. Way easier than emotions and butterflies in your stomach.
Once they realized they both liked having their fingers intertwined, they laughed and smiled at each other countless times. It was nice. Easy and comfortable. Both knew they could basically say anything and be understood, be heard and listened to.
Asahi talked about his older sister and how he missed having her home. As the youngest of their respective families, Noya understood that and talked of how it was when his last sibling went away for college. How the house had seemed more empty than ever, how, despite the recurrent bickering and annoyment, he loved them and missed them.
They then moved on to happier subjects, like countries they’d like to visit one day and Suga’s sometimes questionable clothing choices, like that ‘Potato’ shirt Asahi had tried getting rid of time and time again, only for Suga to wear it the next time they saw each other.
As the conversation flowed, Noya thought it might be a good time to tell Asahi something he’d never openly told anyone before, not even Tanaka (although he did talk about a hypothetical situation similar to his own). He thought about it for some time, staring at Asahi who was telling him about some teacher who had way too much fun assigning them a ton of homework. Not wanting to interrupt, he only squeezed his hand as an answer and hummed to signal ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘what an asshole’.
Those late-night walks and discussions were something between Asahi and him and he loved it. He didn’t have that type of relationship with anyone; one where he felt so good, so understood, so warm inside. It came so easily.
That kind of intimacy was something he'd never experienced before. It meant deep foundations. It was comfort and trust and… something more. So much more. Most of it unsaid and lingering between them for months now.
He could only hope Asahi felt it too (he had been holding his hand for a significant amount of time, which Noya wanted to assume wasn't in a platonic manner). If not, he was about to make a huge fool out of himself.
When they reached the front of Noya’s house, the sky was dark and stars were beginning to peek through the clouds. It was the perfect setting for what he intended to do.
When they met for the first time, Noya had blamed the long hair for the undeniable attraction he felt towards the taller boy. He thought, “long luscious hair is confusing me, that’s all”. But with time and thinking about it for more than twenty seconds, he came to realize it was so much more. His suspicions were confirmed when he stared at Asahi’s back in the changing room. He watched as his muscles rolled under his skin when he pulled his shirt over his head.
And that, he realized, was not very “just long hair”. After that, he made sure never to look at Asahi for too long, scared he’d end up drooling on the floor. As the year went on, it became increasingly difficult for Noya to keep it together. When the attraction reached a peak, Noya decided to do something about it. He’d spent hours in front of the mirror, practicing his speech, trying to make it as coherent and not cheesy as possible. After all, Asahi deserved only the best.
Then came the game against Date Tech, which pretty much ruined all of his plans.
But now, some weeks later, the pair had reconciled, shared more smiles and stories than ever and were walking under the stars with their hands entangled. Even if Noya hadn’t practiced his confession speech in a while, he remembered enough of it to feel mostly confident in his ability to deliver a moving and emotional performance.
He tried desperately to tell himself he wasn’t nervous, scared his palm would grow wet and disgusting and Asahi wouldn’t want to hold his hand anymore.
But when he was about to bare his soul to Asahi, when he was about to explain all he’d been feeling since the pair met, everything their relationship meant to him, Asahi cut him off. Not with words, not with a hand over his mouth, not by leaving.
With a kiss.
A real kiss on the lips.
Uncertain and surprising.
Before Noya could make sense of what was happening, Asahi pulled away, blinked twice and walked off. Noya stood in place for what might have been three seconds or three hours. His eyes were stuck open and his mouth agape.
Asahi had kissed him. Well, it lasted less than half a second and was barely a brush of lips, but still! He’d just had his first kiss with the boy he’d been crushing on for the past year and Asahi had just run off.
It took about ten seconds for his brain to completely register and rewire itself what had happened and for Noya to start moving again.
He rushed after Asahi who was already about to turn the corner of the street, damned be his long legs.
"Hey!" Noya said as loud as he could without annoying the quiet neighborhood, which actually wasn't really loud.
"Asahi! Stop right now!" he exclaimed.
Asahi stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. Instead he crouched in a ball on the ground and put his head in his hands.
He mumbled something in a very incoherent manner, making it impossible for Noya to understand. Noya bent down next to Asahi and shook his shoulder lightly. Then a little more vigorously.
"I shouldn't have done that. Sorry. I… sorry," Asahi repeated.
"Asahi, what a-"
"You sound angry," he cut him off.
"Look at me," Noya whispered, slowly pulling Asahi's hands away from his reddened face. "Asahi, I'm not angry."
Asahi grunted and pulled his hands back to hide his face.
"Alright I'm a little pissed, but not angry."
Asahi's shoulders hunched even more. The night's cold air made both boys shiver. It was like the temperature had dropped several degrees in the last few minutes.
"Sorry I kissed you. I won't do it again."
Noya puffed loudly.
"Okay now I'm angry."
That finally made Asahi look at him. Fully, eyes locked and confused look. He looked like a kid, balled up on the side of the street, having a breakdown in the cold.
"Why won't you kiss me again? Did you hate it that much?"
If it's possible, Asahi looked even more confused at that.
"What, you're not mad because I kissed you?"
"No! Of course not! I'm mad because you barely pecked my lips and then ran off," Noya explains as calmly as possible. "I really like you, Asahi. How could I be angry because you kissed me? I've been waiting for this moment for ages. "
"You… wanted to kiss me?"
"Didn't think I hid it that well, but yeah. Pretty much since I met you."
Noya could feel the blush igniting his cheeks. He thought he might be more scared of admitting his desire to kiss, but all he felt was the anticipation he got before a volleyball game. The excitement mixed with adrenaline. He liked it.
"And I'd really like it if you became my boyfriend," he added, feeling a strange boost of confidence.
"Would that mean I get to kiss you again?"
"Absolutely. Whenever you'd like. But only if you don't run off after again.
Laughing, he promised he wouldn't.
Asahi finally stood up. He looked at Noya, at his lips curled in a smile, at his beautiful eyes that stared back.
He placed his hands on Noya's hips and asked, "Can I try again?"
Noya only nodded, eyes dropping to his boyfriend's mouth.
The kiss lasted at least ten times longer than their first. It was a press of lips, one on his tiptoes and the other bent down. It was their moment, slow and warm and the promise of a future full of more. So much more.
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