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“Asahi!” Nishinoya called over his shoulder excitedly, his feet pounding the wooden planks of the pier beneath them. “C’mon!” His wide steps more than made up for his short height, and Asahi was unsurprised to find that - as was typical - he was the one struggling to keep up with his partner.
Asahi’s gait was a little more nerve-tinged than usual today. Instinctively his hand flew to the small satchel he carried with him, a brief wave of anxiety seizing him when he didn’t immediately feel the box.
He dipped his hand into the bag and released a relieved breath as his fingers brushed the small velvet box - still tucked safely into the very bottom of the bag where he’d hidden it this morning while Nishinoya was in the bathroom.
There it is.
He noticed that Nishinoya had paused now and was looking at him with a curious tilt of his head. Not wanting to tip his hand too early, Asahi disguised his rifling by pulling out the map of Brighton Pier. With a smile, he unfolded it as he walked over to Nishinoya.
“Let’s take a look and decide what we want to do first.”
Asahi had a plan; he’d been thinking about it for weeks now. Months, really, since Nishinoya had declared that he wanted to take a world tour and that he wanted Asahi to join him. And it involved getting Nishinoya onto the carousel.
It was going to be perfect: they’d ride the carousel side by side, just enjoying each others’ company. Nishinoya would probably ride on the outside ring because he liked being close to the action of the park, and Asahi would ride on the inside ring. They’d go around a few times, and when the carousel started to slow, Asahi would reach into his bag and withdraw the all-important box. And then -
“Woah! Look at the Turbo Coaster!”
Asahi was jerked from his thoughts when Nishinoya’s finger jabbed the center of the map. He quickly looked up from the map, and was immediately sure that he’d found the Turbo Coaster. The sky blue metal track twisted and turned, two precariously steep drops leading into an all-too-large loop. Yellow cars screamed by onlookers - or were the people screaming? It was hard to tell, and a bead of sweat rolled down Asahi’s temple.
His stomach clenched. He knew what was coming. He quickly tried to summon his voice, to suggest that they do the carousel first, but by the time the words made it to his mouth they died on his tongue at Nishinoya’s brilliant smile up at him.
“Let’s get on that first! Get the adrenaline pumping for the rest of the day!” Asahi’s will to counter began to wilt in the face of his boyfriend’s exuberance - especially when he looked up at Asahi with so much excitement on his face.
Maybe we can ride the carousel after, Asahi thought even as he agreed with a smile: “Sure. Lead the way, Nishinoya.”
***
The worst of it all was that after the time spent waiting in line (giving his nerves a chance to bloom and spread like weeds) and actually riding the coaster (a torturously long experience that somehow was also over in the blink of an eye), Asahi felt far too queasy to move from a nearby bench afterwards, his head between his knees as he tried to take slow breaths.
“I’m sorry, Asahi.” Nishnoya rubbed small circles across Asahi’s back. “But hey! You rode that like a champ! Honestly? That was pretty brave of you. Imagine if Daichi and Suga could see you now.”
Asahi privately thought that they would both be howling laughing at his current sorry state. “Thanks,” he managed weakly from somewhere around his kneecaps.
“Why don’t we ride something easier after that? Thought I saw a carousel on the way over!”
Asahi didn’t know if he wanted to laugh or cry. There was absolutely no way he could follow through with his plan with how miserable he currently felt. He took a deeper breath instead, letting the sea breeze sting his lungs to give him something else to focus on other than the nausea.
“Actually, Nishinoya...I think I’m ready to just go to Penny Arcade.”
----------
In the few weeks it took them to make their way to Lake Nakuru National Park, Asahi had time to formulate another plan. Okay...so his proposal at Brighton Pier had been a bust. But when he started to look ahead at their itinerary, he was able to carefully lay out exactly how this attempt would look.
They’d rent a jeep to drive through the park, enjoying the sights of all the different animals in their natural habitats. Asahi would get them to one particular spot that he’d been thinking of for weeks: the actual lake, with its thousands of flamingos peppering the surface to the point that the water could barely be seen. From the pictures he’d seen, it was absolutely magical to behold the sea of pink against the blue sky. The majestic birds would provide the perfect backdrop for his proposal to Nishinoya, and it would be such a memorable day for them.
Asahi took charge of driving in order to keep a moderate pace that would let them explore the park and thoroughly get to enjoy the sights of all the creatures, the greens and browns of nature, and the blue skies above. Taking his time also let him rehearse everything that he planned to say - how to explain just how much Nishinoya meant to him, and how to ask him to marry him.
“Check out all the zebras!”
You’ve always been there for me.
“Asahi - do you think zebras are black with white stripes, or white with black stripes?”
You always know how to make me laugh.
“Wooaaahh, look! Rhinos! Aren’t they awesome?! That horn looks sharp!”
There isn’t a moment that I don’t want you by my side.
“Stop the car!”
Asahi’s heart leapt into his throat as he slammed on the brakes, looking to Nishinoya with thoughts forgotten and panic evident in his wide eyes. “Are you okay?!”
“Better than okay! Look!”
His eyes followed Nishinoya’s eagerly pointing finger, and Asahi’s heart pounded as he realized that they were here. Just beyond their window was Lake Nakuru, and the flamingos perched there in all their beauteous glory. The skyline was awash in rippling pink, the sea of birds bobbing gently as a few dozen would tuck their heads down to preen their feathers before straightening up.
Asahi took a sharp, deep breath. It’s time, Azumane. Let’s do this.
He slid his hand down into his bag, fingers shaking slightly as they fumbled to reach the velvet box buried securely beneath their sunscreen and Nishinoya’s discarded sun hat. His hand closed around it and he tried to gather his thoughts and his courage.
“Nishinoya, I - ”
But Nishinoya didn’t hear him, scrambling across the center console of the jeep for a better view and accidentally placing the entirety of his weight on the horn.
An obnoxious, elongated BEEP filled the air, startling the words out of Asahi’s head. Nishinoya realized his mistake and quickly sat back with a laugh, his lips moving as he said something.
Except...Asahi couldn’t hear him. He couldn’t hear a thing over the deafening sound of flapping outside the window as all of the flamingos, frightened by Nishinoya’s inadvertent use of the horn, quickly took flight. Frantic honking assaulted them from all sides, feathers flying everywhere and dusting the ground below. The heavy wingbeats of thousands of terrified flamingos launching themselves into the air thrummed through Asahi’s body to the point he swore he could feel them trying to get away from the source of the noise.
By the time the noise died down, the view was now barren and empty. The lake beneath was still pretty enough, of course...but it wasn’t what Asahi had imagined for what was supposed to be a perfect moment. Silently, he released the velvet box and tucked it back under the sun hat. He straightened back up and placed his hands on the wheel with a smile at Nishinoya.
“Well...I’m sorry we couldn’t get a picture of the flamingos,” Asahi said. He was quietly proud that he managed to keep the disappointment out of his voice as he started the vehicle again and began to follow the road towards the park’s entrance.
Nishinoya threw his head back with a laugh. “Are you kidding?! That was amazing! How many people can say they got to watch the flamingos of Lake Nakuru takin’ off?”
While Asahi was discouraged to have failed in his second attempt to propose, Nishinoya’s infectious spirit was beginning to get to him in the best way. A tiny smile curled his lips and he found that it was difficult to stay downtrodden. “I guess not many,” he agreed.
When he looked at Nishinoya, Asahi’s breath caught at the sight of the pink flush to his cheeks. Nishinoya’s smile hadn’t faded even as he relaxed back into the passenger seat. Again Asahi was quietly enamored with how unbothered Nishinoya could be by any sort of setback.
“That’s gonna be an awesome story,” Nishinoya said, lacing his fingers together behind his head.
Asahi smiled to himself. It won’t be the story I thought it would be...but I guess it is pretty neat.
----------
Days later, the box was still in Asahi’s bag. And despite the amazing cities they’d visited and the memories they’d made on their way to Egypt, there hadn’t been a moment that felt right to bring it out.
His mind worked overtime to try and identify that perfect time: Maybe at this restaurant? Or no, what if I do it after this tour? Ahh, but would he like it better if it was at a special event in the city…?
The how continued to bounce around his head as they walked through the shifting sands of Egypt on their way to the Great Pyramid. It was one of the key photo opportunities that Nishinoya had been looking forward to, so Asahi led them along at a brisk pace.
The sands shifted beneath them as they walked; it took time for Asahi to adjust his gait to move with the sand. He had just managed to get himself situated when Nishinoya grabbed his arm.
“Asahi! Look!” He broke into laughter and Asahi stopped short as he turned around. Nishinoya was practically eye-to-eye with a camel, who currently seemed quite interested in the shock of dark hair right in front of its face. It leaned closer, snuffling and huffing out a breath that ruffled Nishinoya’s hair.
“I think you made a friend,” Asahi chuckled.
The camel’s rider laughed as well. “Please don’t mind her,” they called. “She’s quite friendly.”
“She seems it!” Nishinoya reached up to stroke her snout. “Hey, can we take a picture with her?”
The rider’s affirmative answer permitted Nishinoya to dig out his phone and hand it to Asahi. (“You’ve got longer arms; you get it.”) Asahi snapped the picture, and they both thanked the camel’s departing owner before leaning in to examine the screen.
The first thing that jumped out to Asahi, as always, was Nishinoya’s smile. His energy radiated through the screen, as vibrant as the day Asahi had met him. Nishinoya’s cool factor was definitely amplified by his sunglasses, as well as the camel hanging out just over his shoulder and the pyramid behind him.
But the next thing that drew Asahi’s eye was himself. His lips pursed in a goofy expression that he never would have dreamed of making as a teenager, and his thumb pointed at Nishinoya. For once, there was no trace of worry on his face, no furrowed brow from overthinking. It was clear that there was nowhere else that he would rather be than right here, beside his partner - no matter where they were or what they were doing.
...oh!
Suddenly, Asahi understood. He knew what he’d been missing this whole trip. He took a long, deep breath and spoke.
“Nishinoya…I’ve been trying to do this for weeks - ” Nishinoya looked up in curiosity from sending the photo to their friends. Asahi laughed to himself at the memories of his previous failed attempts and rubbed the back of his neck. “I did all this planning, trying to pick the best place to do this, choosing the perfect moment - and I never realized that the right moment was any moment, because it was a moment I was spending with you.”
Nishinoya remained silent, though he clearly wondered what was happening. His brows drew in and his head tilted slightly to the side as if to ask what Asahi had been attempting to do.
Asahi decided with a little smile that it was time to clue Nishinoya in. He reached into his bag, fingers closing around the box as he finally, finally withdrew it from its hiding place. His hand remained tight around it as he built to the zenith of his thoughts.
“Nishinoya...I love you. And I want to have the ‘right moments’ for the rest of my life with you. If you’ll have me.” His fingers trembled minutely as they opened to reveal the velvet box, and then fumbled to open it. “Will you marry me?”
“Are you kidding me?!” Nishinoya’s outburst was immediate and so filled with joy that his answer was clear before it came out. “Yes! Of course I will, Asahi! Yes!”
Asahi barely had enough time to brace before he found himself with an armful of Nishinoya. He laughed, tightening his arms around Nishinoya and letting the momentum swing them in a little circle. He felt tears threatening to spill, and he chuckled wetly as he slowed to a stop before setting Nishinoya down on the ground.
Nishinoya offered his hand and Asahi gently slid the ring onto his finger. The titanium band gleamed in the light and made the topaz stripe practically glow. Nishinoya’s eyes lit up the same color as he examined the ring, and he looked just as perfect with it on his finger as Asahi could ever have imagined.
“It’s amazing, Asahi,” Nishinoya said before snapping a picture of his newly-adorned hand. “I’ve gotta send this one to Ryuu, too. He’s gonna flip!”
Considering Asahi had kept this little proposal idea to himself, he wouldn’t be surprised if Tanaka did, indeed, flip. “I’m glad you like it,” he said warmly.
“You picked the perfect one! Hey, speaking of ‘perfect’...” Nishinoya sent the photo and tucked away his phone before taking Asahi’s hand in his own to continue their trek to the pyramid. “You said you’ve been tryin’ to find a ‘perfect moment’ for weeks?”
As they began to walk once more, Asahi laughed and recounted his previous failed attempts - which, in hindsight, were actually perfect moments. After all, he was with Nishinoya - and that was what mattered.