Work Text:
A year ago, this would have been unthinkable.
But then again, a year ago Asahi really thought he was done with volleyball for good.
A lot has changed in a year.
He’s come back to the team, faced the teammates he had left behind (the ones he had failed) and he’d been welcomed back with open arms and a bit of gentle ribbing.
He’s faced the iron wall (with a lot of help from his underclassmen) and emerged victorious.
He’s defeated Aoba Johsai and Shiratorizawa (again, mostly thanks to the rest of the team but he at least hadn’t dragged them down too much).
He’s gone to Nationals and they’ve won several games before being eliminated.
All of this too, would have been unthinkable last year.
So, Asahi will, just this once, try to push his luck a bit further.
He’s graduating anyway, he tells himself, he’s already graduated as of twenty minutes ago. He’s got his diploma and has already congratulated his fellow third years. If this goes terribly wrong, he’ll just run home and wait under the covers until it’s time to board his train to Tokyo. He won’t have to face the fallout so really, all that he’s risking is a broken heart.
But it’s really going to hurt. And maybe he’s being an idiot. Friendships are a lot easier to maintain long-distance than relationships. And that’s even assuming that his feelings aren’t one-sided which they probably are. What if he makes things awkward? He may not have to deal with the consequences but if he tarnishes this year’s memories for Noya he’ll never forgive himself. Really, isn’t he just being selfish right now?
“Yo, Asahi.” Noya arrives a second before Asahi can decide to chicken out. Of course he does, he’s always had a sixth sense when it comes to detecting Asahi half-assign things. “Why did you want to meet here? Shouldn’t we be with the others? Man, I can’t believe you are all leaving us!”
‘Here’ is the volleyball gym. Asahi had thought it was appropriate considering their history and it should be private enough as long as Suga keeps his promise to entertain the oddball duo for an hour. A tall ask, he knows, but the setter had assured him that he’d got it handled.
“I wanted to talk to you,” Asahi says, cutting Noya off. He has a feeling he’s about to declare how heartbroken he is to lose Kiyoko and hearing that won’t help Asahi’s resolve at all.
“Sure, man, what about?”
Noya doesn’t seem concerned or even too curious, he just smiles encouragingly and Asahi can’t help a stab of envy.
He used to think Noya was fearless. It was something he admired but wasn’t jealous of. After all, Noya had just been born different so Asahi would never be like him. No use in even trying.
But then Nationals happened and in that match against Inarazaki Noya had confessed the unthinkable: Noya used to be just like him. Afraid of dogs, cats, bugs, birds, heights… Afraid of everything.
And yet.
And yet Noya had faced those fears and he had prevailed. He’d chosen to do the scary things and found joy in things that previously had only brought him tears. That’s what Asahi is jealous of.
Noya’s not fearless, Noya’s brave . And while Asahi will never be as courageous as him, he can at least try.
Or well, that’s what he tells himself, but the words keep getting stuck in his throat.
How do you tell the coolest guy you know that you like him?
What does Asahi even have to offer?
Which words will actually convey what he feels? What if he messes it up? Stutters too much?
Asahi takes a deep breath. If words aren’t working then he’ll try another way.
Before he can think twice about it, he grabs the second button of his uniform and rips it out.
“Here,” he says, handing it to Noya. His face feels like it’s on fire and he can’t look at his friend but at least his voice is steady. “I wanted to give you this.”
There’s a couple of seconds of silence where Asahi feels like dying but quickly enough Noya takes the button. Thank god he does because it had started to feel like it weighed a ton in Asahi’s hand!
“Is this a confession?”
Usually, Asahi likes how direct Noya is. How clear he makes everything to ensure there are no misunderstandings. Today, however, Asahi would really like it if the boy just learned to read between the lines.
“It is my second button,” Asahi answers, which is a cop out, he knows, but he can only be so brave, okay?
“Huh,” Noya says and starts turning the button around in his hand.
He isn’t saying anything.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
He’s just playing with the damn thing without even looking at Asahi.
Is this a rejection?
Should Asahi ask for a response?
But he hadn’t really asked a question, had he?
Suddenly, Noya raises his head, fixing Asahi with a fierce stare.
“I’ve always liked girls,” he starts, and okay this is a rejection. “To be honest, I’ve never even considered guys because girls are great, right?”
“I guess.” Asahi’s gay, he doesn’t really like girls that way. Should he pretend he does? Play this off as a joke or something?
“But you are super cute too,” Noya continues and Asahi’s brain goes completely blank. “You are a scaredy-cat and a wimp but always pull through and you can be really cool sometimes.”
Asahi wants to think, wants to try to make sense of what Noya is saying but his brain can only replay ‘you are super cute’ to him which, to be fair, is a lot nicer than what it usually tells him.
“When you quit the team, I was devastated,” Noya continues. “Ryu told me that if I took it that hard, then I’d be a complete mess when a girl actually broke my heart. But I think that’s what you did, I think I really was heartbroken. I hated that you had left me, I hated that I wasn’t enough to keep you around, that you would give up the only thing that tied us together so easily.”
Asahi hadn’t even considered that Noya could have been hurt by his actions back then. Angry, yes. He’d make that extremely clear. But he’d thought it was just Noya being disgusted by how cowardly he was being. That he’d be glad, in the end, to have Asahi out of his life. He hadn’t realized he’d screwed up so massively.
“So,” Noya finishes, seemingly not realizing that he’s been taking Asahi through a rollercoaster of emotions. “I think I like you too. Want to try dating? I know you are going to Tokyo but really, that’s just a train ride away. And there’s still time before you leave. I’ve never dated a guy but then again, I’ve never dated a girl either. I guess we’ll have to figure it out as we go.”
“I… sure,” Asahi nods. And then he realizes what he just agreed to. “Wait, you’ll date me?”
“Yeah,” Noya nods. “I’ll date you.”
He pockets the button Asahi had given him and pulls him down by the lapels of his unbuttoned jacket, planting a kiss on his lips.
“Yep, I’ll definitely date you,” Noya repeats, looking extremely pleased with himself. “But I think we should go back to the others now, I have to congratulate the rest of the third years and Ryu’ll be heartbroken that Kyoko is leaving. Gotta be there for my man. And I get it, you know? Yacchi is great but she’s no Kyoko. Can I tell the guys we are dating? I’m sure they’ll be cool and I want to brag.”
“I guess?” Asahi is feeling a bit lightheaded. He’s still reeling from the kiss (Nishinoya has kissed him!) and now he’s been dragged along by the human embodiment of a hurricane. “Suga, Dachi and Kyoko already know I like you.”
“They do, don’t they? I wonder what else they know. I’ll have to ask them what you’ve been telling them about me.”
And with those foreboding words his boyfriend (!) tugs him out of the gym and towards their friends.