Archive of Our Own ^beta

It was pouring rain when Nishinoya walked to school for the first time. To say she didn’t have a perfect morning would be an understatement; she didn’t have time to comb her long blonde-streaked hair, so it was in a messy bun. Her uniform was a hand-me-down from one of her older sisters, and she didn’t have time to iron it so it was crumpled. She hardly had anything to eat today, either.

At least it’s clean.

Her tanuki umbrella was much too big for her small frame, so she just looked like an ominous shadow in a girls’ uniform. Her shoes were also beaten up from her previous year in middle school. She would ask for new shoes, but her family wasn’t financially secure.

Hey, at least this isn’t one of the fancy schools.

She took in a shaky inhale as she walked into the building that would shape the next three years of her life.

She stood in front of the door to her first class awkwardly, anxious to open it to see her classmates staring back at her. The thought of them making eye contact with her made her want to unfurl her thick locks and cover her face with them.

“Shiiiit, I’m so late! I’m so late, the teacher’s gonna murder meeee!” A girl with a badass blonde pixie cut sang to herself as she skipped to the door Noya was standing in front of.

The girl raised an eyebrow when she saw how shaken the ombré-headed teen was. She touched her shoulder and asked, “Are you okay, man? You look a little shaken there.”

 “I-I’m fine. Just nervous.”

“Why don’t we walk in together, huh? It’ll give you a boost of confidence! My name’s Tanaka, by the way.”

“No, I’ll be fi—” Before she could even finish her sentence, Tanaka took her hand and opened the door. With a grand entrance, Tanaka pointed to herself and exclaimed, “My name’s Ryunnosuke Tanaka, pleasure to meet you all!”

Noya tried to avoid saying her name by bowing, but her companion nudged her and said, “Come on.”

But, she heard the snickers and saw the smirks when Tanaka revealed her name. What if they do the same thing to her? What if they judge her for the rest of her school year just based on her name? Will they assume she’s a guy in transition?

Steam began to emit from Nishinoya as Tanaka and the class began to question why it was taking her so long to simply say her name.

More thoughts concerning her name ran through her head and she began to fall limp. She began to stumble backward, but Tanaka caught her before she could collapse.

“Someone get a teacher!”

When Nishinoya opened her eyes, she was welcomed by a white curtain that was pulled shut on her right, and an open nurse's office on her left. Someone at the desk in front of her was writing something down, so loud that she could hear the pen.

“Nngh…” The ombre sat up and the woman at the desk turned around. At that moment, she fell in love.

The woman looked about twenty. Her brown hair was tied back in a loose low-hanging bun, and the color of her hair matched her eyes and skin tone. She wore the school uniform, and it looked stunning on her magnificent frame.

“You’re awake, I’m glad.”

Wow, even her voice is amazing! She’s so pretty too, oh god.

Noya untangled her (already falling apart) bun and swooped her hair over her face. The woman got nervous and said, “Um, are you feeling better?”

“Mhm.”

“Hey, um, would you like a hairbrush? I have one in my bag.”

“Please,.” Noya mumbled.

She took out the brush and handed it to her. “It’s clear of my hair, don’t worry.”

Nishinoya’s delicate hands admired the black brush. It had a gold dragon on the back.

This brush combs easily. she thought as she brushed through the layers.

“Are you feeling better?”

Noya silently nodded. She figured that if she kept silent, she wouldn’t run out of the room out of embarrassment.

She’s awkward like me. At least she’s pretty.

“Um, what’s your name?” That was the first time Noya had spoken up since she got there, and the brunette was a little stunned by the quiet first-year.

“Ah, my name’s Asahi Azumane. I’m a second-year.”

Noya’s face darkened as she mumbled, “Um, m-my name’s Nishinoya Yuu. First year.”

“That’s a nice name, Nishinoya.”

If she was in the classroom, I wouldn’t have had a problem. Her gentle gaze had Nishinoya’s heart settle down from earlier. The ombré-headed teen could sense a crush coming up, but she wasn’t embarrassed like all those other times.

They sat in silence again, but it was a little less strained than before. Asahi felt safe with her, and she too was intrigued by how pretty she was.

So shy, yet so beautiful.

The bell rang, and Asahi’s delicate gaze upon Nishinoya turned into panic. “I have to go to class, but I’ll see you around?”

Noya nodded and handed the brush back to Asahi. She stuffed it into her bag and bowed before leaving.

When Asahi showed up to volleyball practice later that day, there was hardly anyone there. She only spotted Daichi when she stepped into the changing room that evening.

Maybe some people don’t know where the building is, she thought as she walked to the gym.

As she walked inside, she turned to her left and noticed two of the first-years in those classic sweatsuits. Then, she turned around to see if anyone else was showing up. She heard meek whimpering close by, but she wasn’t sure where it was coming from.

What is that?

Curiosity made her peek her head through the door, and she checked the left and right. Down below on her left, Noya was curled up in a ball, waiting.

“Nishinoya?”

The ombre-headed teen looked up at her, and her gentle gaze was enough to make the younger blush. “A-Asahi-san!”

“What’re you doing out here? Practice is inside.”

“O-Oh! Figured.” The warm-hearted second-year offered her hand. Noya blushed as she took it.

“By the way, you don't have to say ‘Asahi-san’. Asahi is fine.”

“Oh, o-okay.”

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Not particularly. I-I thought we had to wait out here.” Asahi giggled and Noya returned it with a gentle smile.

They jumped when they heard a high-pitched gasp, which came from Asahi’s classmate Sugawara. Nishinoya’s face darkened to a cherry red as they made eye contact.

Oh my god, she’s so pretty! Why are there so many pretty girls at this school?! Noya thought as she looped her arm around Asahi’s.

“You are so cute! What’s your name, new recruit?”

Nishinoya struggled to make words come out as Sugawara stared intently.

It’s like she can see right through me, oh god—

Asahi sighed softly and spoke up. “This is Nishinoya Yuu. She’s interested in joining the team.”

“Really cool! Come on, Daichi will yell at us if we’re late.” Sugawara skipped past Asahi and Nishinoya. The timid first-year stayed close to Asahi when practice started, which made the second-year blush.

Tanaka arrived late, but just in time before Daichi began to yell at her.

Thus, Nishinoya stuck to Asahi and Tanaka since that first day. Although Nishinoya wanted to hang out with Asahi more outside of class and club, she could never gather the confidence to ask.

Over the coming months, though, Nishinoya became more confident; more sure of herself. She learned how to do cute hairstyles from her classmates with long hair, but she didn’t feel cute. She didn’t feel like she was in control; and so, she cut her hair. And luckily for her, her haircut wasn’t the hot topic when she went to school that day.

”Homecoming?”

”Yeah, it’s next week,” Tanaka said as she put up a poster on the wall. Noya took a glance at the poster until Tanaka nudged her shoulder with her arm.

”You thinkin’ of going?”

”I only wanna go if Asahi’s going.”

”How about you just ask her?”

Noya slapped Tanaka’s mouth in an attempt to cover it. With a red face she stammered, “D-Don’t just say that out loud! People are watching!”

The ombre-headed first-year crossed her arms as Tanaka tried not to cry from the pain. Nishinoya also adopted Tanaka’s slightly rash behavior, causing her to do questionable things at times.

“Jesus dude, are you trying to make my mouth bleed?”

”I will if you don’t stop saying dumb stuff!”

”It’s not that serious. I can already tell there’s tension between you two, if ya know what I mean,” Tanaka implied, earning herself a light punch from her friend.

“There’s no tension between us! I wish she looked at me the way I look at her.”

Tanaka began to move on to the next hallway to put posters onto. “Nah bro, you don’t see the tension because you ARE the tension. I see the way you look at her sometimes.”

”Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!” Noya whimpered into Tanaka’s shirt as her face and ears brightened to a red color.

”Alright, I’ll stop. But Noya, you gotta ask her soon before someone else does.”

The short ombre wiped her tears away and nodded in agreement, but her hands were shaking just thinking about it.

 Tanaka thought to herself as she plastered the posters on the walls and pillars. Then, a thought hit her.

“Noya, you know what will win her over? A grand gesture!”

“A grand gesture?”

“Yeah! Like we could, uh, write cute things on signs and have her read them.”

“Then we can throw rocks at her bedroom window until we get her attention!”

They high-fived in celebration of their genius. Tanaka ruffled her hair and said, “And with this fresh cut, you're bound to win her heart! She hasn't seen it yet, has she?”

“No.”

“Perfect! Okay, do you wanna work on the posters today? After school?”

“Yeah!” Tanaka admired the sparkle in Nishinoya's eye; she hadn't seen such a thing in her ever since she met her.

The teen with the pixie smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Then, she raised a brow when the class bell rang.

“Yuu.”

“Ryuu.” Noya bit her lip as the students began to flood out of the doors, and before Tanaka could say anything, she was gone.

Unwittingly, the ombre-haired teen's hand got pulled, taking her to another hallway where there were no students nearby.

A girl had pulled her aside. Her blonde hair was bound with tight ringlets, and her eyes were as blue as the midnight sea.

Cinderella, Noya thought as she looked at her.

“Uh, hey.”

“Hi. Er, do you remember me? I'm in your math class. I sit next to you.”

“Um, sorry. I really only talk to Tanaka in my math class.”

“Erm, anyways, Noya, do you think I'm pretty?”

The first-year bit her cheek as her eyes scanned her classmate. “Yeah, I'd say you are.”

“Then, would you—” She cut herself off as she looked at the sudden appearance of their senpai.

“Hey, Asahi!” Noya greeted cheerfully, and the Cinderella look-alike grit her teeth as she stared at Asahi.

Asahi's bangs fell in her face as her head drooped downward. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted. I’ll see you after school, okay?”

She turned back to the hallway she came from, jogging her way to her designated lunch spot.

“Asahi, wait!” Nishinoya began to go after her before the blonde grabbed her wrist.

“Wait, Noya. I have a question.”

“Okay…”

All Nishinoya could think about was the grief-stricken smile that was on Asahi’s face before she left. She looked so upset…

“You're very pretty too, and I think we should go to the dance together. We would look stellar together, don't you agree?”

This girl is more full of herself than I thought, Noya thought as the girl rambled about how good they would look together.

“Listen, I like someone else. I can't go with you, I'm sorry.”

The girl stood there shell-shocked and didn't move as Nishinoya jogged away to chase Asahi. She saw red.

Nishinoya chased after the brunette, but she couldn’t find her; she figured Asahi just turned into vapor. Luckily she was at the clubroom when it was time, but Nishinoya was hesitant to ask her where she went.

She noticed that the ace was happier than usual; she was smiling more, patting Noya on the back more. Her energy was all around comforting rather than anxious.

What is up with her? Noya thought as she wandered around Sakanoshita, a bag of snacks in hand as she waited on Tanaka at check-out.

The blonde grabbed her things and took a glance at Nishinoya. When they walked out she said, “You look deep in thought. Thinkin’ about Asahi again~?”

The ombre blushed, but she didn’t rebutter with a punch this time. Instead, she just pushed her hands deeper into her coat pockets.

“She seemed… happier, don’t you think? You don’t think someone asked her out, right?”

Tanaka smiled and smacked the back of Noya’s head. “Ow!”

“You’re being overly anxious again, Noya. We talked about this.”

“I think I’m right this time, you know!”

“I think you’re just falling more in love with her. Anyway, let’s work on those posters!” Tanaka grabbed Nishinoya’s hand as they ran down Tanaka’s way of getting home.

Even though the first-year was ecstatic to make the signs, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, even as they approached Asahi’s bedroom window with six or seven signs in each of their hands.

Asahi’s window was blocked by blinds and on the second floor, but they could see a dim light peeking through the lips of the shutter.

“Quick, find some rocks.”

“What if we wake up her parents?”

“We’ll run! Alright, are you ready?” The anxious first-year rubbed her hands together and picked up a rock. They threw their respective rocks simultaneously, landing their target.

Asahi, who was studying, jumped at the sudden noise. Her eyes were drowsy to begin with, so regardless it made her heart race.

She flicked one of the blinds to see her two underclassmen looking up at her. She checked the time: 12:27 AM.

What the hell are they doing this late at night? she thought.

Tanaka began to wave around the sign that said her name on it, and her intrigue piqued. She pulled up her blinds and window and leaned against the windowsill as the April wind gently made her long brown locks sway.

Nishinoya was stunned by her. She swore she saw the stars decrease their sparkle just to make room for the true beauty that is Asahi Azumane.

“Come on man, pull it together!” Tanaka nudged Nishinoya’s shoulder and the ombre snapped out of it. Tanaka threw down the name sign and nodded to her first-year classmate.

The libero threw up a series of signs that formed a sentence.

Asahi Azumane, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, without question. I never thought you would talk to someone like me, and I never thought we would be in the same area as each other. So I was thinking…

Nishinoya got nervous as she kept the last sign facing toward her. Her hands began to shake, and she lost eye contact with the fair Asahi gazing down upon her.

“Come on, this is the kicker!”

“I-I don’t think I can do it. Oh god, I’m feeling dizzy…”

Asahi’s face of solace quickly turned into an expression of concern. She whisper-yelled, “Is she okay? Do I have to come down there?”

“No no no! That’ll make it worse!” Tanaka said. “Nishinoya Yuu, get it together!”

“S-Sorry.” She took a deep breath and flipped the sign, almost hitting herself in the face in the process.

Asahi, will you go to homecoming with me?

The brunette gulped as she bit her lip. The moonlight shone on her delicate features as the moon shifted its position.

“I-I’m sorry, I have a date already.”

Asahi’s heart felt sore as she spoke, and it began to burn when she made eye contact with Nishinoya again. She had never seen her so… upset before.

Tanaka grabbed her teammate’s hand as she dropped the last sign. 

“Can I ask who it is?” Nishinoya’s voice was shaky, broken. The brunette up in the window could barely hear her through her whisper.

“It’s another second-year. You wouldn’t know him.”

Nishinoya remained silent and lowered her head to stare at the ground. She felt like she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t.

However, Asahi could feel the tears burn the side of her eyes. She apologized again and closed the window, quickly shutting the blinds. She concealed her face and sat down on her bed, trying to breathe methodically to calm her heart rate.

Did I make the wrong choice here?

Nishinoya remained silent on the walk home and gave her sisters and grandfather the silent treatment when she got there. Her older sister was awake, drinking some tea in the rundown kitchen.

“Yuu? What’re you doin’ this late at night?”

She looked at her and slowly walked upstairs. Her brunette counterpart shrugged and continued to sip her tea.

The floorboards creaked under Nishinoya’s every step as she progressed to her bedroom, even as she approached her door. Her ombre bangs fell over her eyes as she undid her ponytail. She crawled into bed after changing into her pajamas and stared at the wall until she fell asleep.

She felt hollow, and that hollow feeling wouldn’t go away over the weekend either. She lingered in bed for the first half of her Saturday morning, until her grandfather came in to check on her.

He knocked before walking inside. She pulled the blankets over her head. 

“You aren’t downstairs like you usually are. What’re you doing up here?” he asked as he sat in her chair.

“I’m tired. Please go away.”

Concern formed on Mineo’s face. He moved to her bed and sat beside her small frame. “Come on now Yuu, what’s wrong?”

Nishinoya’s lip began to tremble, and she couldn’t help but hug him and cry into his side. He caressed her hair and waited for her to speak.

She was a swift crier, but she was still hiccuping when she was done. Mineo looked at her and ruffled her hair.

“Heartbreak?”

“How… did you know?”

“Michiya reacted the same way not too long ago. So, who’s the boy I have to beat up?”

“Don’t worry about it, grandpa. It was… over something stupid, so don’t stress.”

Mineo raised an eyebrow and stood up. “I’ll leave some breakfast for you.”

She nodded and laid back down. Her tears swelled again as her mind wandered to her painful comfort: Asahi.

She’s so pretty, of course someone asked her already. If only that girl didn’t stop me, I would actually have an opportunity to show up without being embarrassed.

The first-year gritted her teeth when someone knocked on her door. “Go away! I’ll get breakfast in a minute!”

Tanaka laughed as she walked in with a plate in her hand. “Wow, the rejection hurt you that bad, huh?”

The ombre turned around and lifted the strap on her spaghetti strap top. “Ryuu? What’re you doing here?”

“Came to check on ya. You realize that you ran away, right?”

She paused for a moment as she tried to remember. “Did I?”

“Yeah, I couldn’t catch up with you. I just went home, and I was going to hunt you down if you weren’t here this morning,” Tanaka sat on an empty space in the libero’s bed and gave her the plate.

“Eat.”

Nishinoya gazed at the plate of food on her lap and ate a piece of the grilled fish.

“So, are you still going to homecoming?” Tanaka asked.

“I don’t think so, not at this point. I’ll just get even sadder when I see Asahi dancing with that second-year.”

“I still think you should go. I mean, don’t you want to see Asahi in a dress?”

Nishinoya’s eyes widened when the image of Asahi possibly being in a ball gown appeared in her mind; she blushed just thinking about it.

Tanaka smirked when she saw the pink spray grow on Nishinoya’s face. The timid first-year said, “Th-That is a good reason.”

“Exactly! So, do you have a dress?”

“Definitely not. I haven’t even told my sisters that it’s homecoming season.”

“Then it’s decided.” Tanaka stood up and ripped the blankets off of her friend, almost causing her food to get everywhere. “We’re going dress shopping today!”

Though she was still depressed from Asahi’s rejection, she was still joyous enough to follow through with her friend’s spontaneous plans. They really only had one shop to go to since it was the only one in Miyagi, however, which was appropriately called ‘Miyagi Dress Shop’.

“Tanaka, what if Asahi is here? I don’t know if I can face her,” the ombre said as they walked in, jumping slightly from the bell that rang.

”You’ll be fine. You can hide in the dressing room if she’s here,” Tanaka said after greeting the shopkeeper.

The shop wasn’t as large as they thought it was; there were rows and rows of dresses enveloped in plastic bags, as well as dresses that were left out of the bag in the clearance section.

Nishinoya wandered over to said section but sighed when she saw no dresses that appealed to her. “We might have to go to Saitama or something for dresses, Tanaka. Nothing looks good to me here.”

“That’s because you’re looking at the poor section, Noya. Look at this!” The blonde pulled out a simple red dress with spaghetti straps. It would’ve reached past Nishinoya’s thighs if she put it on.

She sighed when she looked at the price tag. “It’s pretty, but it’s out of my price range. If I spend too much it’ll cut into my food money…”

Tanaka raised an eyebrow, and remembered something. “I have a lot of birthday money left. Let me help.”

The ombre-haired libero looked up with a gleam in her eyes. “Really?”

”Yes, really! I got my brother to pay for my dress, so let me pay for yours!”

Noya hugged her tight as tears brimmed her eyes. “You’re the best, Ryuu! I love you!”

Tanaka laughed and hugged her right back. “I love you too. Now come on, let’s pick your dress.”

They spent a couple of hours at the shop, most of that time spent alternating between dresses and suits to find the right one. But once Nishinoya had tried on the eighth dress that afternoon, she felt the best in this one.

It was a Midi length dress that had pink shorts sewn into it, which were hidden by the watercolor-esque flowers and pink foreground on the dress. Its straps  had bows at the top and shoulder ties that fell beautifully at the back. The neckline was square, and the skirt was flowy and freeing.

This is perfect for dancing.

”Tanaka, I think I found it,” Nishinoya said before coming out of the dressing room. She opened the door a little bit, then the door pushed back and Tanaka ran inside, slamming the door.

”Ryuu?”

”Don’t come out. Asahi is here.”

The glee she felt beforehand quickly changed to anxiety. “What do you mean Asahi’s here? How are we gonna check out?!”

The blonde pulled out her wallet and gave Nishinoya her debit card. “I'll distract her while you check out. I’ll meet you at your house, deal?”

“Deal! Also, what do you think of this one?” The ombre did a spin, and her peer nodded in approval.

“That is the dress. Now, I’ll go talk to her, you move!” Tanaka left the dressing room first and approached Asahi and the guy accompanying her nonchalantly.

The short teenager rushed to the check-out counter and put the dress and card on the counter. The old woman took her time, unfortunate for the nervous Nishinoya who was just trying to leave.

She turned to look at the trio and gasped when she caught sight of the guy next to Asahi. His brown hair was swept over his face, but his jawline could cut someone.

Why is her date so much cuter than me?!

“Thank you for shopping with us. Please come again,” the cashier said with a smile and a bow. 

Nishinoya grabbed the plastic bag that held the dress and rushed out. Tanaka met up with her soon after as she walked down a street that was 3-4 blocks away from the shop.

”Good news, that wasn’t her date. Just her brother,” the blonde said as she caught her breath.

”Oh man, if that’s her brother what will her date look like?! I’ll never have a chance with Asahi.”

“You absolutely will with the dress you have! I’ll do your makeup too, you’ll look amazing.”

“HELL YEAH!” Noya exclaimed with all her might, shocking Tanaka a little bit. But at the same time, it gave her relief.

“Hey Ryuu, did you happen to see a dress in Asahi’s hands?”

“Uh, yeah. It was pink or something.”

Noya smiled and said, “Sick. Should I get shoes, too?”

“I’ll get you shoes.”

After spending the weekend with her family and hanging out with Tanaka during her school week, it was homecoming night. Tanaka was hard at work getting Nishinoya’s makeup done, with only minutes before the Karasuno carpool showed up.

“You’re not going over the top, are you?”

“Nope. Just a little bit of eyeliner, which I am done with. Hold still a little more.” Tanaka capped the eyeliner pen and spritzed setting spray onto her face. Her face was moist until she fanned it.

Tanaka looked down at her feet and noticed Noya’s. “God Noya, you don’t have your shoes on?! Daichi is gonna be here any second!”

“I can put them on on the way down, chill!” The ombre’s heart was pounding as she gathered some essentials and threw them into a purse that looked similar to her dress. Tanaka picked up the black leather tote that matched her dress off of her bed and checked her phone when it dinged.

“They’re here! Grab your shoes!”

The blonde ran out of the room and skipped down the stairs, her black heels clashing and almost making her trip as she opened the front door. Nishinoya followed suit but was careful to not fall down and hurt herself.

Why is being a girl during homecoming season so stressful?

She rubbed her hot pink stained lips together as she left her house. The car was there when she stepped out, and Tanaka basically dragged her out and pushed her inside. The interior was spacious enough to fit twenty people.

Wow.

She was sitting in between Tanaka and Suga, who was talking to her partner Daichi on her right. As they picked up more members of the team, she could feel her face get more red as more gorgeous women surrounded her.

“Keep it in your pants Noya.” the blonde jokes, which was received by a punch to the arm.

God, I wish I had my bangs right now.

Tanaka couldn’t help but pull her bangs back into two ponytails pushed backward. Her forehead was exposed, and she felt naked.

“Your hair is really cute, Noya,” Daichi commented, which made Suga turn around. Her hair was a tall and curly bush of white locks, which matched her strapless, mermaid-length silver dress.

“You are so adorable, Noya! Maybe you’ll get Asahi’s attention with that dress,” she joked with a wink. Nishinoya was tempted to facepalm and cover her blush, but she didn’t want to ruin Tanaka’s hard work.

She was too busy trying to conceal her embarrassment that she zoned out. She couldn’t listen to what the other eleven girls were talking about; she was too nervous that she was being talked about. The ombre teen simply stared down at the carpet, trying to blink away the tears.

The blonde became sympathetic for her, and tugged one of her ponytails until she reacted. “Owww! What was that for?”

“What’s with you? You’re more pale than a ghost.”

“Um… where’s Asahi?”

Why would she avoid the subject?

“She’ll meet us at Kinoshita’s stop. She woke up late.”

Noya’s eyebrows furrowed, and as Narita hopped in, she wondered, Woke up late? Did she take a nap?

Nishinoya’s feet shuffled on top of each other as her fingers (which had flowers painted on them) twiddled with one another. She was tempted to text Asahi, but she wasn’t sure if it was okay to talk to her yet.

“Yo, I’m gonna call Asahi. Do you wanna talk to her?” Tanaka asked as she tapped on Asahi’s contact on her phone.

“Um, s-sure.”

“Keep your composure, please.”

Asahi was tying the lace on the back of her dress into a bow, getting it done quickly as she rushed to her vibrating cell. She said hello before even reading the cell ID.

The guy on the other end coughed before he spoke. “Hey, I caught the flu so I can’t come. Sorry.”

“O-Oh. Are you feeling okay? Do I need to bring some soup?”

“Nah. I’ll see you at school, okay?” 

“O-Okay. But who–” He hung up before she could say anything more. She took a glance at the call time. It lasted 15 seconds.

She sighed and sat on her bed.

I mean, I can’t give up now. My hair and makeup combined took two hours, I can’t let it go to waste.

Tanaka suddenly called, and she said hello with sadness in her voice. “Asahi! You didn’t fall back asleep, did you?”

“No! I-I’m on my way to Kinoshita’s now. You guys didn’t tell me it was gonna rain!”

“Shit, it wasn’t raining when we left. Do you have an umbrella?”

Asahi grabbed the lavender umbrella from the holder next to the door. “Luckily, my mom bought a matching one for my dress. Who doesn’t have one?”

Tanaka separated her phone from her ear and exclaimed, “Who doesn’t have an umbrella?”

No one raised their hands, except for Nishinoya.

Sugawara laughed and so did three of their other upperclassmen. Tanaka sighed and returned her phone to her ear.

“Just Noya and me, Asahi.”

The rain was muffled by Asahi’s umbrella, who could spot her neighbor standing outside, also possessing an umbrella. “I see you guys!”

Tanaka hung up when the car stopped, and Nishinoya’s breathing paused when Asahi stepped inside. She sat two seats away from Noya and blushed when they made eye contact. 

Why am I feeling like this? Calm down, heart!

Wow, she's even prettier than I imagined, Noya thought with a lovestruck grin on her face.

They immediately looked away from each other, but their hearts were playing the same beat.

They separated from the group once they arrived, and many eyes were drawn to Asahi immediately. Everyone was jealous and scared of her; they never knew her personally, but she was beautiful, and that alone scared them.

Her lavender dress had sleeves and a tulle skirt that flowed close enough to the floor to where it wouldn’t drag. The neckline was heart-shaped, and her rhinestone necklace bejeweled her collarbones. Her earrings embellished the look.

The entrance of the dance hall looked cheap compared to how fancy the space was.

They have a balcony?! Awesome, Nishinoya thought as she spotted the attraction above her. However, she was disappointed when she stepped inside; the only colors they chose for the decor were a green that looked like a highlighter yellow and a dark, dark blue that completely ruined the vibe for Nishinoya. But she remained polite and walked in with a smile.

The music was monotonous and repetitive; they must have hired a student for a DJ.

Nishinoya lost sight of her friends, but she decided that her new friend would be the cocktail bar. She sat on a stool and ordered her first love.

Ginger ale, my beloved! She kicked her feet giddily, taking a sip as she watched her classmates and upperclassmen talk and dance amongst themselves.

She caught the eye of Asahi in the weird lighting, who was standing awkwardly a few meters away from the dancefloor. The ombre was captivated by her long enough for Sugawara to appear.

“Are you staring at Asahi again?” she shouted, her words accompanied by a touch of the first-year’s shoulder. Noya almost spilled her ale.

“N-No!”

“Uh huh, sure. Why don’t you ask her to dance?”

“I can’t dance, really. I only took one dance class and that sucked.”

“So what? Just copy what everyone else is doing,” Suga said. She took Nishinoya’s cup of ginger ale and downed it as she took the libero’s hand and shoved her to where Asahi was.

“You’ll get one on me if you dance with her!” the silver-haired setter exclaimed in the distance.

Nishinoya was pouting until she looked up at Asahi, who was smiling down at her. The ombre in the floral dress smacked her lips when she realized how beautiful the brunette truly was up close.

“Asahi, you look… amazing.”

She looks so much better than me.

“Oh, th-thanks Nishinoya. You look great, too.”

Noya’s face flushed as she asked the next question. “Do you have a date?”

“I did, but he called sick. So, I’m stuck here until the carpool arrives.”

Nishinoya’s blood vessels in her head popped from anger. How could someone abandon such a beauty that is Asahi Azumane?

“WHAT?! That’s insane! Who would abandon you like that?!” The ‘what’ was exaggerated to emphasize Noya’s offense. Asahi chuckled softly and combed back a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Him, I guess. It’s okay though, I understand not wanting to dance with someone like me.”

Nishinoya took a deep breath as she gained the courage to ask her something bold. The lighting began to fade into a deep pink, a slow song began to play its beginning of a subtle horn, and the dancefloor cleared a space for them to dance.

The ombre-headed teen accidentally slammed her hand into the brunette’s hand, making both of their faces flush to a crimson color.

“U-Um, can I dance with you?” Noya blurted out. Both of their eyes were averted away from each other.

That was not smooth AT ALL! I’m such an idiot, Noya thought, mentally facepalming herself.

“Sure, b-but how would it work?”

“I-I took a dance class or two. I’ll take the lead.” Noya delicately took her into the free space on the dancefloor and placed her hand on Asahi’s waist.

“Just sway side to side, nothing too crazy. Remember, it’s slow.”

“R-Right.” Asahi’s face was still flushed, but not as deep as it was a few moments ago. Her heart was thumping out of her chest, and she couldn't understand why. Perhaps it was because she thought that Nishinoya was WAY out of her league. She was popular with the other boys and girls, so why her?

“D-Don’t you have a date as well, Nishinoya? Everyone is looking at us.”

“You look amazing, that’s why! You’re the best-looking girl here.”

Asahi felt like she crossed a border with her underclassman, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The gentle soul smiled in relief as ‘False God’ played in the background.

“H-Have I ever told you that I like your new haircut? It looks great on you.” Noya’s awkward smirk formed into a natural toothy grin.

“Thanks, Asahi. I really like what you did with your hair, I could never learn how to do that with my long hair.”

“I can show you with a wig I have. Would you wanna come over so I can show you?”

Suddenly, the angry Cinderella from last week huffed loudly as she stood next to them. She was glaring daggers at Nishinoya.

Noya raised an eyebrow as she stared at them down. They split up when the song ended and the ombré folded her arms and said, “Can we help you?”

“Now this is not fair! You didn’t even give me a chance when I confessed to you, and now you’re going after some tall freak. She’s associated with a gang, I hope you know! She’s… she’s just the bimbo of a mafia boss!”

Asahi’s feelings were obliterated into a million pieces as the fake rumors spewed out of her mouth. “Noya, i-it’s not true!”

For the first time in her 16 years of living, Nishinoya became so angry that she punched the girl as hard as she could in the face. A couple of teeth came out from the impact, and she flew and crashed into a table due to it.

Nishinoya, meanwhile, was seeing red. She glared at the collapsed mess she made as she breathed heavily.

“N-Nishinoya?” Asahi was about to tap Nishinoya’s shoulder until teachers began to parade around the both of them. One of them pulled Asahi away from the crowd that had already dissipated.

“What was that about” and “Get out of this gymnasium now” were repeated over and over to Noya, but she couldn’t hear anything. Instead, she walked towards the girl to finish what she started, but two adults picked her up by her arms and threw her out of the building.

Asahi was frozen in place. She was in awe, fear, and oddly enough… amazed?

Tanaka had been wandering around the gymnasium looking for one of her team members and was relieved when she found the stiff Asahi standing against the wall.

“Asahi, did you see that?! I didn’t get a good angle.”

“Y-Yeah, it was, um, right in front of me, actually.” 

 “Oh shit, are you okay?”

“Yeah. Um, I’m gonna go check on Noya.” Asahi abandoned Tanaka before she could ask any more questions. The music turned back on and the crowd began to return to normal as she reached the entrance.

She passed the entrance decorated with balloons and through the glass push-open doors, she saw Nishinoya out in the rain. She was… dancing?

Asahi opened the door and said, “Nishinoya, what was that? You look… so unbothered.”

Noya turned back and smiled at Asahi. “You can still hear the music out here!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Come dance with me!”

“Noya, you should apologize. You hurt her really bad.”

She stopped jumping and intertwined her fingers. “I can’t really apologize to someone who insulted someone I care about. You get that, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t resort to violence.”

“I didn’t think that I would either, but… it pissed me off so bad that I could only see red. I don’t know what came over me.”

Asahi unbuckled her shoes and stood next to Nishinoya. The ombre was a little surprised when the brunette appeared, but she was happy.

“You're right, you can hear the music out here,” she thought as she unclipped the tight braids in her hair, letting it flow loosely with the rest of the curls.

Nishinoya was stunned as she stared up at her. She was still tense due to what the ombre did, but she had a small smile adorned on her perfect face.

She looked down at the cement with a pink face. It was slightly darkened from the drizzle.

“I’m sorry. But I’m not going to apologize. I mean what I said when I said I care about you.”

Asahi’s complexion darkened as she toyed with the ends of her curls.

They stood awkwardly until the brunette heard a familiar piano from inside. She bit her lip and held her hand out weakly. 

If I could begin to be

Half of what you think of me

I could do about anything

Noya noticed her intention and immediately pulled her into her embrace. Her head was pressed against Asahi’s abs, but she found warmth in it.

I could even learn how to love

They swayed side to side as that was all they could do. But, Asahi wanted to try something.

“C-Can I spin you?”

“If you do it slowly.” Asahi twisted her wrist and spun Noya around. It was a simple spin, nothing too dramatic.

Nishinoya admired how simple the brunette’s makeup was, and she was a little appalled by how it wasn’t ruined by the rain. Her face maintained the same smooth, brown complexion no matter the amount of powder on her skin. Her cheeks were also flushed a soft pink. Her long eyelashes blinked back at the shorter girl; the mascara wasn’t coming off. Waterproof, perhaps?

Asahi wasn’t locking down on just one aspect of Nishinoya, either. Her colorfully floral dress was swaying beautifully as she moved. The brunette could tell she hardly had any makeup on, it was only a pink lip and a little bit of eyeliner peeking through the corners of her eyes to make them sharper. Her skin is just naturally flawless, Asahi thought.

The dress hugged Noya’s curvy frame well, and it was a little embarrassing when they made eye contact. Asahi turned her head away from Noya, and they paused as the music faded from ‘Love Like You’.

Nishinoya cupped her face, and they connected eyes again. 

“Noya?” Just like before, she had lost control. She stood on her toes and tried to kiss her, but she was just barely out of reach.

Asahi’s heart began to beat out of her chest. She wanted to bend down ever so slightly to kiss her… but she couldn’t.

“I-I’m sorry, I can’t.” The taller brunette ran away and grabbed her shoes, dashing through the doors and running down the hallway.

Nishinoya stood normally and furrowed her eyebrows confusedly. The doors were still swinging as she stared at Asahi’s silhouette darting through the door on the other side.

She looked down at her hands and sat down on the bench in the middle of the downpour. Her hands and legs began to shake from the influx of emotions affecting Noya’s small body. Tears welled up in her ducts as they streamed like a river.

She hiccuped and muted herself by covering her ears. The ache in her chest told her she was always going to be alone.

“Noya! Noya, are you okay?” She could vaguely hear Tanaka calling for her amidst her screaming and crying.

The wet blonde sat beside her and soothed her back as the ombre sobbed her heart out. A mournful feeling fell over both of them as they swallowed their choking sobs in the rain.

Meanwhile, Sugawara was sprinting after the one that got away since she was with Tanaka.

“ASAHI! YOU GET BACK HERE!” she screamed as she chased the exhausted Asahi who was almost at the exit of the college campus.

The brunette turned and almost trampled over her feet when Suga stopped dead in her tracks, standing two feet away from her.

“S-Suga. I didn't think you'd be here.”

“I ruined my dress for you, so you better give me an answer for what the FUCK happened back there.”

‘Oh god, she's mad. More than mad it looks like.’

Suga's cerulean blue dress was tattered at the hem of the dress, giving it more of a pirate princess vibe than a mermaid vibe.

“Y-You saw that?”

“Tanaka and I saw everything! Tell me why you didn't kiss that girl or I swear to GOD I will tell Daichi.”

Asahi gulped and fiddled with the heel strap on her shoe. “I-I just couldn't, okay? It's against my morals.”

“To kiss a girl? Seriously?”

“N-No! To kiss someone else's date, that's evil!”

Suga stared at Asahi for a moment, then began to laugh. She laughed and laughed, then she stopped to look at Asahi.

“Listen, you. Would she dance with you if she had a date? Would she try to kiss you?”

“Well, I-I wasn't sure. I saw her getting asked out at school so I figured she was going with her.”

“You've been proven wrong. Now, do you like Nishinoya, or not?”

Asahi gulped.

It was early in the morning (8 AM) when Asahi woke up the next day, and she woke up with a strong determination to make it right with Nishinoya. The sun was bright enough to shine through her blinds and the dark clouds outside, so she took it as a sign.

As she tried to find the right hairstyle to go running in, she muttered four words on repeat: I like you, Noya.

She settled on a ponytail with a black headband as an accessory. The brunette jogged down the stairs and grabbed a peach before she left the house. As she ate, she opened her conversation with Daichi, which contained a link that would direct her to Nishinoya’s house.

It was a couple of hours later when the voice on Asahi’s phone said, “You have arrived.”

The second-year paused and looked at the front of a rickety two-story house. The bright yellow shade it used to be was degrading and chipped. She checked the rest of the neighborhood and realized all of the houses looked like this one.

She checked the address on her phone again before knocking on the door. Her anxiety began to rise when she heard suspicious scrambling and a brief hissing sound before Mineo opened the door.

“Oh, hey there! Are you the friend who’s late?”

“W-What? No, I-I’m here for Noya. Is she here?” 

She facepalmed herself mentally when she realized what she said. They’re all Nishinoyas, dummy.

“I-I mean Yuu, sorry.”

“Let me take you to her room. She’ll need some cheering up after that dance.”

Asahi walked inside and followed him upstairs. She was still nervous to face Nishinoya, but she knew that this was the right call; she hated the feeling that she was leading her on.

By how loud the floorboards are, Yuu could hear two people coming to her room. She heard whispers by her door before Asahi came inside.

Noya’s eyes widened when she locked gazes with the brunette and immediately concealed her small frame with her thick blankets.

“W-What’re you doing here?”

Asahi gulped and said, “Um, I just wanted to check on you. Can I sit next to you?”

“S-Sure.”

She did and noticed that Noya was hiding behind her bangs. Her hair was beautifully wavy and framed her head perfectly.

“Noya… I like you,” Asahi murmured, which made the ombre’s mind completely blank. She slowly turned her head and combed her bangs back.

“If you did you would have kissed me yesterda–” She got cut off with a passionate kiss that crashed her head back onto a pillow. The libero was frozen, as she had never been kissed before.

Asahi parted from her but got pulled back down before she could say something. They closed their eyes as their lips and bodies moved. 

They pulled apart for breath and bumped their foreheads together. As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Asahi noticed that the ombre was blinking back tears.

“What’s wrong Noya?”

“Sorry… it’s just that I wanted this for so long.” Asahi moved to lie down next to her and wiped her tears away with her thumb.

“Yuu, could we… um…” She wasn’t sure how the words would come out smoothly. 

But Nishinoya kissed her again and said, “We should be more than homecoming dates Asahi. Like, for example, girlfriends?”

“G-Girlfriends? Like, dating girlfriends?”

Nishinoya laughed before nodding. Asahi smiled and connected the libero’s calloused hands with hers.

“Sure.”

They spent that weekend together, though Sunday night was spent at Asahi’s. Nishinoya was somber when she left that evening, but she knew they would reunite on Monday. 

The new couple figured they should keep it a secret, but Nishinoya couldn’t help but hold her hand as they approached the gates together.