Archive of Our Own

Noya was not a patient man. He knew it, his family knew it, his friends knew it, and of course his boyfriend did as well. Yet he kept putting himself in situations that required him to be one. Perhaps a small part of him had hoped that Asahi’s last class would end early, allowing him to also return to the dorm much sooner.

Spread out on the couch like a seastar on his back, limbs in all directions, Noya cast a glance at the clock ticking away on the wall. Probably for the umpteenth time. Aesthetics aside, which that old thing didn’t exactly provide, Noya had wondered what even was the purpose of it when he walked around with a phone at all times anyways. Not that it mattered since this wasn’t Noya’s room, but Asahi’s.

Noya could still recall when Asahi had offered a spare key to him many months ago. He had argued that Noya spent so much time there anyways, it was just more convenient. As if Asahi’s whole being wasn’t telling him that he just wanted Noya there. How could Noya deny his wonderful boyfriend the pleasure of going back home to someone already there waiting for him?

Every single time it happened, Asahi’s brown eyes would light up so beautifully.

Noya could barely remember a time without the other in his life. Or rather he didn’t really want to.

Honestly they hadn’t met all that long ago.

College was not where Noya had imagined himself ending up, but here he was. He probably wouldn’t have gone if it wasn’t for the scholarship he received. So, without having to worry about the expenses, too much at least, he thought it sounded fun. If it wasn’t, he would just drop out.

Just over a year ago, on Noya’s first day, he met Asahi for the first time. All big and tall but with no spine to speak of. Still, he was a senior, so Noya behaved.

They ran into each other a surprising amount the first week. So much so that Noya found it rather suspicious. He didn’t mind at all of course, if anything he enjoyed it. Asahi was shy and reserved, so any smiles or laughs Noya could get out of him felt like victories.

Now, there were two main reasons Noya could see why someone like Asahi would approach him:

One, Asahi was into him. Noya considered himself an attractive and desirable person so it wasn’t a stretch in his head.

Two, Asahi was his peer mentor.

See, this faculty they both belonged to had some sort of tradition of assigning older students their own peer mentee to look after. It was kind of neat, allowing new students to have someone more experienced to ask questions to and help them navigate this new environment.
The catch? The peer mentor wasn’t allowed to reveal who they were until a few weeks into the semester. Hence, Noya didn’t know if Asahi was his peer mentor. It would add up. But a part of him also hoped it wasn’t the case and Asahi was just genuinely interested in him.

Even if Noya asked if Asahi indeed was his peer mentor, he wouldn’t be allowed to say. So it would just mean Noya would put him in a tough spot and potentially force him to lie. It didn’t sit right with him, so he decided to just wait.

So what turned out to be the truth? Was he into Noya or just his peer mentor? Turns out… both, in fact.

Turns out Asahi just needed a tiny bit of alcohol in his body to make him slip up and call Noya handsome in such a sincere way that Noya was sure it wasn’t some kind of joke. He had considered being subtle, slowly wooing Asahi and winning his heart. Turns out, Noya wasn’t good at being subtle. At all.

One evening when Noya had given one of his casually flirtatious (though no homo bro) comments, Asahi had paused and stared at him. Then he looked away, before returning his gaze to Noya just moments later. He was thinking, Noya could tell by the frown and something akin to desperation in his eyes.

Noya could still remember the exact words they exchanged.

“Asahi-senpai, is-”

“Noya.” Asahi had interrupted him then, before Noya could finish. Noya had been able to spot hints of red and tears at the corner of Asahi’s eyes. “I-I… I know you and I are kinda… different. You are very affectionate with your friends. Which.. which is good of course, I just… I can’t. Could you maybe… tone it down a little bit? It’s hard to convince myself that you don’t want something more.”

“I do though.”

“Noya, I’m serious I-”

“So am I.”

In hindsight, now knowing that day had ended in Asahi agreeing to go on a date with him, it was easy for Noya to laugh at the memory. The surprise and disbelief on Asahi's face, like he couldn’t believe Noya. He didn’t in the beginning actually.

The memory was nice, but it also just cemented the fact that Noya was terribly bored and missed his boyfriend.

As if on cue, he heard movement outside the door, and soon enough it swung open to reveal the most gorgeous man in existence. According to Noya at least.

“Welcome home, sunshine!”

The change in Asahi was immediate. One second ago he had been slightly hunched over, shoulders seemingly carrying every worry in the world. Asahi’s entire body language exuded a kind of weariness. Which, after a long day in class, wasn't too surprising. A frown, and the corners of his eyes tipped slightly downwards. The next second, though, as he turned to look at Noya on the couch, meeting his eyes, his whole being lit up. Smiling, eyes bright. Perhaps he still looked a bit tired, but he was no longer carrying the world on his shoulders.

“I’m back. Have you been waiting for me?” There was a shy smile on Asahi’s lips as he toed out of his shoes before placing them neatly in the shoe rack.

“Bet! I’m so bored!” Noya exclaimed, slowly crawling up to sit on the couch like a normal person, though with his arms spread out as an invitation for a hug. Asahi laughed before bending down and granting the silent request.

“Poor you. What can I do to help?”

God, Noya loved him so much.

“Kiss it better?”

With Asahi so much closer, it was easy to spot the surprise in his eyes and the way his cheeks blushed beautifully. Noya had thought that perhaps the other would grow more resistant to his flirtation, but to Noya’s delight, that hadn’t been the case.

Just as with Noya’s previous request, Asahi granted this one as well. It was a terrible angle, with Noya sitting and Asahi standing. But Asahi did lean down, planting a tender but light kiss against Noya’s lips.

It was good. So good. It made Noya feel so loved. But it also left him wanting more.

Before allowing his lovely boyfriend a chance to lean away again, Noya wrapped his arms around the other’s chest. There was a brief moment where Noya could spot the confusion in Asahi’s eyes. Next, Noya used all the force he could muster to pull himself down, back first on the couch and also therefore pulling Asahi with him.

Perhaps Asahi had grown a bit resistant after all. Somehow he managed to react quickly enough to put down a hand beside Noya’s head, stopping himself from literally landing on Noya.

“Yuu- what… I could have hurt you!?”

Noya couldn’t help but find it adorable that Asahi worried so much about him. Like he wouldn't accept the consequences, like Asahi wasn’t worth it.

“And you didn’t. Kiss me again.”

Of course, Noya also wished he was able to help Asahi more with getting rid of some of his worries. Help him soothe those thoughts that had Asahi overthinking way too frequently. Sometimes Asahi needed distractions, and Noya was good at those. Sometimes he needed to talk through them with someone. Noya was arguably a bit worse at that, but he tried.

Now though, the smile on Asahi’s lips told him that neither was necessary.

As if he needed confirmation, Asahi’s lips were soon on Noya’s again. Asahi’s kisses were always filled with so much love and tenderness. Like Noya was something precious and someone he wanted to cherish.

When Noya kissed, he did so with need and want. A hunger so primal. At first he had worried that maybe coming on too strongly would scare Asahi away. He couldn’t have been more wrong. It “made him feel like he was wanted”, was how Asahi had put it. Noya knew his boyfriend had a serious lack of self confidence, so perhaps he should have realized that before being told.

With two hands behind Asahi’s head he deepened the kiss, teasing Asahi’s bottom lip to request entrance. While he couldn’t see Asahi’s reaction, he did hear the pleased hum the other let out in response.

“Yuu-” Noya only hummed absentmindedly when he heard his name, trying to get Asahi to continue kissing him.

“Yuu, please. Hold… hold up.”

Reluctantly, Noya did indeed ‘hold up’. He paused, loosening the grip his fingers had on Asahi’s long brown locks. There was an apologetic smile on Asahi’s lips, slightly mismatched to how clearly kiss-swollen they were.

“I need to make a phone call. I promised my mom.” The way Asahi bit his lip shyly was absolutely adorable but also incredibly frustrating to Noya.

“Do you really?”

“Either that or she will while we…” Asahi’s voice trailed off before he could finish the sentence. “I’ll be right back.”

Noya couldn’t help but chuckle softly, wondering what exactly it was that Asahi had expected them to be doing. While he appeared all shy and prude Noya knew that some dirty thoughts sometimes ran amok inside that beautiful head. “Alright. Say hi to your mom from me, yeah?”

“I will.” Asahi got up quickly, almost stumbling over his own feet as he went towards his bag to find his phone. Quickly after, he disappeared into his small bedroom.

Noya watched him leave with a fond smile on his lips. What else was he to do?

It did, however, mean that Noya was once again alone and once again terribly bored.

While Asahi said he would be right back, Noya knew his mother. He had even met her, in fact. She was an adorable woman, but she was a talker. Asahi would not get out of that phone call any time soon. Especially considering he was too polite to try and end it early.

Not wanting to wallow in his own sorrows again, Noya decided to look around the dorm room. He already knew the place inside and out, and very few of the decorations had changed since the first time he was here over a year ago.

The bookshelf was filled with photo frames. A mixture of group portraits and nature shots. A lot of the people Noya recognised, and most people he had met. There were also plants. Both in the bookshelf, but also everywhere else in the dorm. Unlike the ones in Noya’s dorm, these ones were actually real and not plastic.

There was also his desk, much neater than Noya’s own, but still just as decorated with memorabilia and other cute objects. Noya knew for a fact that the puppy plushie beside his monitor was something Asahi liked to pick up and hug when he felt frustrated while studying.

Noya supposed there was one place he hadn't looked too much at. Asahi had a big wardrobe in the main room, his bedroom too small for it. It contained clothes, mostly. Noya knew the other had a time at the washing machine downstairs tomorrow. Logically, that would mean he had a lot of dirty clothes, and not as many clean ones left in the wardrobe.

Curious as ever, he opened it. It was definitely emptier than normal. But that was not what surprised him. No. He had never seen this thing before because the hangers with trousers were covering it, but there was a case hidden furthest in the left corner. A guitar case, to be specific.

He had no idea Asahi even played guitar. Maybe he was holding onto it for someone?

Taking it out from the wardrobe, Noya brought it to the couch. The guitar inside the case was nice, clearly well-taken care of. Running his hand over its neck and body, the wood felt nice beneath his fingertips.

His grandpa played guitar and used to show Noya when he was younger, but that was so long ago that Noya couldn’t really recall much. A chord or two maybe, and that was it.

Still, he made an attempt. Fingers moved awkwardly into position before strumming. It didn’t sound good. Not at all. Quickly, Noya realized that of course it wouldn’t since the guitar wasn’t tuned.

He huffed a small laugh at himself.

He was reaching into the case to see if there was any kind of tuner he could usewhen the bedroom door opened.

The smile on his lips disappeared immediately when he met Asahi's eyes.

Never had Noya seen that expression on Asahi’s face before. A mixture of fear and mortification. As if Noya had stumbled upon one of his deepest and darkest secrets and- oh. That would explain why the guitar was so well hidden, wouldn’t it?

“That uhm… where. I…”

“In the wardrobe, duh. I had no idea you had it. Do you play?”

Asahi seemed hesitant, still remaining at the door, clutching the handle like he was holding on for dear life. Which he might as well have been with that look on his face.

It was confusing. It really was. Noya couldn’t comprehend why Asahi would be scared of Noya knowing he could play guitar. It was super cool! Like Asahi wasn’t already hot enough, now he has another card hidden up his sleeve. It was unfair, really.

Asahi still didn’t answer. He was still frozen.

“Asahiiii. Answer me. Sunshine. Please.” Noya got up from the couch as he spoke, gently putting down the guitar before approaching the other man.

On closer inspection, Asahi seemed more nervous than straight up in a panic. So Noya did what he usually did when the other man locked himself in: He just pried the door open again. Noya wasn’t good at being gentle or patient, but he knew how to push Asahi in the right way.

He started with prying Asahi’s hand loose from the door handle. One finger at a time.

“You are seriously telling me you think I would dislike you if I knew you played? Fucking hell. Me?” When the hand finally came loose, Noya intertwined his fingers with Asahi’s. Partially to stop Asahi from grabbing the handle again, but also partially because he liked holding Asahi’s hand. Sue him. Then he continued. “You know me, Asahi. You could tell me you enjoy ketchup on your ice cream and I would still love you. Even with how sacrilegious that combination is.”

That seemed to work, as Asahi appeared to try but ultimately failed to hold back a smile. When Noya led him to the couch, Asahi readily followed, which was also a good sign. Moving the guitar to the side, Noya motioned for Asahi to sit down. “You know I’m a bit stupid so you’ll have to explain this one to me.”

“I play…” Noya was relieved that Asahi was speaking now, and he continued to stare at his boyfriend, hoping that he would continue. “I like to play.. a lot. I have for a long time. I just… It’s silly.”

“What’s silly is you think I find you playing guitar to be silly,” Noya quickly corrected him.

“It’s not just that. It’s kind of been a silly dream of mine to… play, and sing, and create music and.. and such.” Asahi was stumbling slightly over his words. When he spoke, there was also a hopeful look in eyes that made them sparkle. Yet when he finished talking and reality hit him again, it was immediately gone. His eyes, once again, looked worried and uncertain.

“Holy shit, that’s so cool!”

Noya’s sudden outburst made Asahi jump slightly in surprise.

“You think? You don’t think it’s weird? It’s not exactly a… a reliable career path. And I’m not even that good.”

“Play for me.”

“Huh? No, why… you didn’t answer my questions. Are you just ignoring them?” Asahi’s brows furrowed again in confusion, but Noya could tell he was no longer as distressed as he was before.

“Obviously I think it’s cool. And obviously it’s not weird. But how will I know if you are any good if I haven’t heard you play? Come on.”

“Oh-”

Asahi still seemed hesitant, but he glanced over at the guitar, and Noya was quick to offer it to him. Before Asahi accepted it, he also took out a pick from the case by his feet. It was a solid mint green color; it looked like there had been some sort of text written on it, but it was too faded to make out what it said.

Asahi took some time to tune the guitar. He watched in silence as Asahi did his thing, preparing himself both mentally and physically. Probably more of the former than the latter.

There was a brief moment when Asahi looked up at him, uncertainty in his face and a look in his eyes that told Noya he was searching for reassurance. Noya smiled back automatically.

Then Asahi started to play. The guitar sounded so much better when someone that actually knew how to play used it. He couldn’t say he recognised the song, but it sounded good nonetheless. Not that he had expected anything else.

For a while, he just basked in the moment. And with Asahi’s eyes on the guitar instead of on Noya, it meant Noya could look at his boyfriend as infatuatedly and in love as he felt.

When Asahi suddenly started singing, Noya swore he stopped breathing. He always liked Asahi’s voice, but he had never heard him sing before. And it was amazing. His voice was soft and gentle, and he held the notes flawlessly, as far as Noya could tell at least. There weren’t any crazy vibratos or high pitched notes. But it was comforting, and full of depth.

Noya was completely entranced.

The lyrics spoke of love and affection. About putting your heart in the hands of someone else, and being able to trust that they would cherish it. The lyrics also spoke of hesitation, and worries.

Somewhere during the bridge to the first chorus, Asahi looked up, his playing not faltering in the least. Noya had a sudden urge to reach out. So he did.

He placed a hand gently on Asahi’s cheek, cupping it gently as his thumb brushed over the blush that now bloomed on Asahi’s skin. Asahi continued to sing, and he smiled. There was still some worry causing his eyebrows to furrow, but he looked happy.

Asahi seemed to trail off during the second verse. His hands were still playing flawlessly but his mind seemed to struggle with the rest of the lyrics.

When the playing stopped, Noya couldn't help but applaud.

“That was amazing!!! You are amazing. You could absolutely pull it off.”

“Would you still say that if I didn’t play as well as I did?”

“Of course I would. If you want something, you just have to work for it! If it’s your dream, go for it! I’ll even be your first fan.”

The smile Asahi gave him was so blinding and stunning it made Noya’s chest swell and ache at the same time.

Noya could tell that that took a lot out of Asahi mentally, though, so while he would have loved to hear more, he knew his boyfriend needed to relax. He still asked a lot of questions. It was a new part of Asahi he had never seen before, so of course he was curious.

“When and where did you learn to play?”

“I took classes when I was younger.”

“What about singing? Did you take classes for that too?”

“Oh… no, I’m self taught. I want to take classes, though.”

“Will you play again for me sometime?”

“Ah… well, I suppose so. Yes.”

“Yeah! You better not disappoint your first fan! And sing too, yeah?”

“Mm… If you want me to.”

“Of course! Babe, you have no idea how much I want that. You playing and singing for me? Hot as-”

“Yuu!!”

Asahi did indeed play for Noya after that. He also sang. As time went by Noya could tell that he was growing more and more comfortable doing it too. At some point, he could even tell how Asahi’s eyes secretly sparkled a little brighter when Noya requested a song from him.

It was a wonderful thing to watch Asahi gain confidence. The guitar was moved and no longer lived in the deepest corner of the wardrobe.

One evening, just a few months later, they were both resting on the couch in Asahi’s apartment. It was Noya’s birthday and earlier they had been out with both of their friend groups celebrating. They were both completely beat and exhausted. Though still happy, of course.

Noya’s heart felt full, buzzing with delight. Perhaps he didn’t own much in terms of monetary and material value, but when it came to close friends and feeling loved? Yeah, then he was a rich man.

“Yuu. Did you have a good birthday?”

With how long Asahi had been silent and with how slowly he was breathing, Noya had thought he might have fallen asleep already. Apparently he had been wrong.

“I had an amazing birthday. Thank you for being such an awesome boyfriend.”

“Ah… that…”

Asahi always blushed so wonderfully anytime Noya called him that. So Noya couldn’t help but shift and lift his head from Asahi’s shoulder to look at his face.

“Nooo, what do we say when someone thanks you?” Noya asked teasingly, his fingers coming up to pinch Asahi’s cheek. Not enough to be actually painful though.

It earned him a laugh from Asahi, though he still sounded a bit tired.

“You’re welcome.” After a moment, Asahi removed Noya’s hand from his face and leaned in to place a quick peck on Noya’s cheek. It was brief, barely a brush of his lips against Noya’s skin. “I… I actually have another gift for you.”

“No way, are you wearing lingerie under your clothes!?”

“Wha- no! Yuu!”

Noya just smirked in response. He was well aware his boyfriend would never actually even consider leaving his dorm wearing something like that. He also would never dare call it a gift for Noya. Even if Noya absolutely would take it as such.

After Asahi managed to calm down from Noya’s teasing joke, he left the couch to fetch the guitar as well as one of his picks. Specifically he fetched one that had a black background with a big red flower on it. Though Noya was not knowledgeable enough to tell exactly what kind of flower it was, it looked pretty. He was sure Asahi knew what flower it was, though. Noya had bought it for him a while back, and ever since, Asahi always used it when he played for Noya.

It made Noya curious, of course. Though tempted as he was to ask what he was going to do, Noya decided to let Asahi take his time with whatever he had planned.

“I actually wrote something for you. I worked on it for a while, but I wasn’t sure if… if it was good enough.”

“You wrote a song for me?” Noya was completely dumbfounded, staring at Asahi with wide eyes.

“I did. Do you want to hear?”

“Yes! Of course! Oh- hold up!” Noya could hear the way Asahi chuckled slightly when Noya suddenly scrambled up from the couch. Instead of slouching against the back of it, he instead chose to sit cross legged, facing Asahi with his hands in his lap, and face full of anticipation. “Now. Go.”

Asahi didn’t say anything else. He simply gave Noya a small, and somewhat shy, nod before he began playing.

It took a moment for Noya to realize that he recognised the chords. To be fair, it could just have been another song with the same chord progression. But the moment Asahi started to sing again, he was sure. It was the same song he sang the first time he ever performed for Noya. The song he never finished.

Noya had thought Asahi hadn’t finished it then because he didn’t know the rest of the song. But no, he hadn’t finished it because that part of the song wasn’t even written yet.

This time around, instead of just enjoying how wonderfully Asahi was playing and singing, he also made sure to focus on the lyrics. They were written for him, after all. Even if he hadn’t realized that before.

So he listened, taking in every word Asahi sang and storing them deep inside his heart. To keep and to cherish, just as he would Asahi.