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In hindsight, Asahi should’ve known something was up when Nishinoya practically crashed into his classroom during lunch break. He watched as Nishinoya approached his desk and slammed his hands down.
“Asahi-san!” He exclaimed, his voice a little too loud for the sleepy after-lunch crowd. “What are you doing tomorrow?”
“Nothing?” Asahi hesitantly replied, a little bit wary. “Why?” He hadn’t made any plans, not that he expected to. All he had planned was to binge his current favorite series.
“Perfect!” Noya clapped his hands together. “We’re going on a date.”
Asahi coughed. “W-What??”
“A friendly date.” He clarified as if that did anything to soothe Asahi’s beating heart. “Y’know. Just some buddies hanging out at the arcade then going out for some ramen after, a good time. Totally chill.”
“But tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day?”
Noya tilted his head in confusion. “And? What’s wrong with that?”
The way he said it so casually had Asahi staring at him.
“Wait, don’t tell me you have a real date planned?”
“No, that’s not-”
“Great!” Nishinoya beamed, clapping a hand over Asahi’s shoulder. “Meet me outside the arcade at 5:00! Don’t be late, I wouldn't wanna waste a second without my favorite senior!”
And just like that, Nishinoya was gone, leaving Asahi to stew in his thoughts. Leaving him frozen and still reeling from what just happened.
He knew it was a bad idea. He knew that going on a friendly date while harboring not-so-friendly feelings with Noya was a bad idea, a stupid idea even. But he figured it wouldn’t be too bad.
Right?
Not right. Asahi was rightfully panicking.
“Why did you agree to it, then?” Suga asked as he munched on his chips on Asahi’s bed, looking amused as he watched Asahi scour through his closet before pulling out a shirt and a jacket.
“I don’t know!” Asahi replied, hastily pulling on the shirt followed by his jeans.
“You don’t know or you don’t know how to say no?” Daichi chipped in, also sitting on Asahi’s bed and reaching over to Suga’s chips, pouting when his hand was swatted away.
“He said it was a friendly date. He just looked so excited, I couldn’t say no.” He smoothed out his shirt. “More like I didn't get a chance to properly say no.” he mumbled, now looking at his face in the mirror and fiddling with his hair. “Hair up or hair down?”
“Hair up, you don’t want those locks bothering you in the arcade,” Suga replied, wiping his chip dust-coated fingers mercilessly on Asahi’s towel. “And just because he said it was a friendly date, doesn’t mean it is a friendly date. Ask Captain Been-There-Done-That over here.” Suga gestured to Daichi.
“Hey! You still agreed to date me, we’re approaching our one-year-”
“Did I really? Maybe you’re reading the entire situation wrong and-”
“Okay.” Asahi interrupted the bickering couple. “How do I look?” He turned towards them, hair tidy and kept in his usual bun, a plain tee, pants, and his bomber jacket worn over it.
“A bit plain for a first date-”
“I think you look great.”
Asahi rolled his eyes. Some friends he has, but he’s grateful that they’re here in his room (eating on his bed, to his dismay), trying to keep him from freaking out too much. Adding a few finishing touches like his necklace and a cross-body bag, he huffs out a breath of air before opening his bedroom door.
“I’m off!” He waves his friends goodbye as he exits his room. “Don’t get any crumbs on my sheets!”
“Good luck on your date, Asahi! We’ll save you some of the food Auntie will make when she gets home!”
Yup, some friends he has.
“Asahi-san!” The ever-so-familiar voice of Noya was heard among the crowd. Asahi turns to look in the direction of the voice and finds Noya at the entrance of the arcade, looking stupidly adorable in his flannel-shorts-and-high-tops combo. His hair was even looking more kept than usual.
“Let’s go! I hope you brought enough money because we’re gonna get a bunch of tokens! We aren’t leaving until we play every last two-player game.”
The boy then drags his senior into the neon-lit arcade, excitedly weaving through the crowd with a grin plastered on his face. Asahi, even if he suddenly feels a weird concoction of nerves and amusement brew in his stomach nearly threatening him to throw up, follows along.
This “friendly” date was going to be the death of him.
Their first stop was air hockey.
‘I’m totally gonna beat you, Asahi-san! Between me and Gramps, I’ve got a lot more wins under my belt.’ Asahi recalls him saying, but it’s almost comedic the way Noya is terribly losing against him.
“What?!” Noya exclaims as the small scoreboard reads 3-7. “I thought you said you haven’t played this game?”
“I haven't!” Asahi laughs, despite his junior glaring at him in disbelief and suspicion.
“This calls for a rematch, Asahi-san.” He dropped a few coins into the slot, already in position as the game prepared itself.
“Whatever you say, Noya,” Asahi smirks back, already going on the offensive and scoring a point just 10 seconds into the game.
The cycle goes on for about three more times. Asahi wins, Noya demands a rematch that Asahi still wins, then Noya demands another rematch, all until Noya gives up.
“I’m just not feeling air hockey today, I guess.” Noya shrugs in fake nonchalance, leaving the mallet and puck for the next players.
The pair walk around for a bit, looking for another game to play when Nishinoya laughs in triumph.
“I’ll definitely beat you at that game, Asahi-san!” Asahi follows where Noya’s fingers are pointing.
His eyes land on a basketball shootout game. It was emptier than they expected, usually it were those types of games that got the most attention.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Surer than I’ve ever been, let’s go!” Once again Asahi was taken by the hand, and the weird bubbly feeling took over his stomach before disappearing when Noya released his hand.
“The highest score wins!” Coins were dropped into the slot of their respective shootout game, the balls rolled out, and the game began.
Noya grunts at each ball he throws, some barely making it into the net. His feet couldn’t help but hop slightly so he could get just a little bit closer to the hoop, he found it a little inconvenient. He looks over to Asahi, wishing that he was struggling with the game too, but nooo.
All six feet of him were having a breeze at shooting. His long arms casually make every shot, causing his score to grow higher and higher until finally, it surpasses Noya’s points. He grumbles in frustration, not because he's losing, but because he finds it kind of hot that Asahi
can effortlessly make the shot, it was distracting.
In the end, Asahi wins the game.
Noya still glares at him. “Alright, new rule. No more tall people games.”
Asahi just laughs, fixing up his cross-body bag that went crooked halfway through his shooting.
Both their eyes scanned the arcade, looking for a few more games to play before they left for dinner. Asahi spots an empty one, a big one fit for two players. The lights and sounds of the game were a little too bright, and the music it played was a little too annoying, but he thought Noya would love it.
“What about that one?” Asahi points to the rhythm game, the screen displayed songs and the platform had its iconic neon arrows.
Noya merely grins at the sight. “Now we’re talking.”
On second thought, Asahi never should have chosen this game. He tackled the rhythm game with the grace and coordination of a baby deer, his feet couldn’t seem to do what he wanted them to do. He tripped, stumbled, and at one point rolled his ankle slightly.
But Noya? Noya was amazing at it. His compact frame and light feet allowed him to hit the fast arrows with perfect timing, barely even missing a beat.
“Better keep up, Asahi-san! Wouldn’t want to break your win streak for this evening!” Noya teased with a smug look, laughing as Asahi had once again missed three consecutive arrows.
Asahi grunted. “I’m trying- damn it!” He cursed when he missed about 100% of the ending combo, the last few steps had him tripping over his feet and falling off the neon platform onto his bottom. He groaned in frustration and just flopped over onto his back, uncaring of any weird stares.
“Asahi-san!” Noya laughed, though there was an undertone of concern. “Are you alright? You took quite the fall.” The boy stepped off the platform and bent over his senior on the floor,
examining him as he lay helplessly.
Asahi’s eyes looked up at where Nishinoya was hovering over him, and couldn’t help but think that he surely must’ve died and gone to heaven. Noya looked absolutely charming, especially with his boyishly handsome grin. He was covered with a thin layer of sweat, his hair was a bit messed up and he was panting with exertion, but Asahi thinks he never looked better.
Though he may have been unresponsive for a while as he noticed Noya’s joyful expression turn into one of concern. “Asahi-san?”
“I’m up, I’m up,” Asahi mumbled, proceeding to stand up and dust himself off, once again adjusting his cross-body bag and starting to walk away. “I’m not stepping on that again.”
Noya laughs once again and quickly follows Asahi. “At least we know what game you’re bad at, Asahi-san.” He teased, poking Asahi’s side.
“Look at that!” Asahi’s eyes followed to where Noya was looking and found a big claw machine with big prizes and plushies settled inside.
“I want to win something for you,” Noya says, once again pulling poor Asahi to the claw machines.
“Watch how the master does it.” Noya rubs his hands together before dropping a token in the slot and starting the game.
Asahi watched in amusement as Noya carefully maneuvered the claw to where a light blue stuffed dog sat. It looked comical, with its big beady eyes, white patches, and big checkered bow, but Noya seemed determined to get it. He held back a laugh when the tip of his tongue peeked out as he made minor adjustments to the claw before letting go of the joystick.
“And this is how you win claw machines, Asahi-san.” Noya smugly said, pressing the big red button and watching as the claw descends, grabs the dog, and-
And it doesn’t pick it up?
“What?” Noya looked in disbelief as the empty claw opened over the chute. “Let me try again.”
Asahi watched as Noya tried and failed to grab the big dog plush he set his eyes on. At one point, he tried a smaller prize to see if it would change his fate, but still to no avail. Noya was getting agitated, haphazardly shoving more coins into the slot, Asahi was concerned he’d break
it.
Another failed attempt had Noya clenching his fists in frustration. He opened his little coin purse and saw that he had about three more tokens left. Asahi felt the need to intervene.
“Noya-”
“I want to win it for you, Asahi-san,” Noya mumbled, dropping another token and aiming for the dog. “Let me try one more time.”
Asahi’s heart stuttered in his chest. He didn’t know if the implications were platonic or romantic, but all he knew was that he had never felt so touched that a person would be this dedicated to winning him a plushie they could buy for a cheap price at any store.
He watched as Noya’s recent attempt failed once again. Noya rested his head against the glass, pouting at the dog who seemed to stare at him mockingly. With a sigh, he pulled away and began trudging towards the exit.
“Stupid claw machines. Money-sucking machines, that’s what they are. The dog looked stupid anyway.”
Asahi hesitated for only a second before stepping up to the claw machine game. “Let me have a go.” He fished around his pocket for a while, before pulling out his last token and feeding it to the machine.
Noya whips around, rushing back to Asahi’s side. “Asahi-san! You think you can get it?”
Asahi merely gives him a small, unsure smile. “I’m not sure, but I’ll try.”
Nishinoya nodded enthusiastically, watching with intense focus as Asahi maneuvered the claw over the blue dog. The pressure felt ridiculous, all of a sudden his hands were clammy, and his heart pounded way too hard in his chest he feared that it might pop out at any second, though that had nothing to do with the game and everything to do with Nishinoya pressed up to his side.
Nevertheless, he handled the stick with ease until it was positioned perfectly over the dog, taking in a slow breath before pressing the button.
It seemed like time slowed down as the claw descended, clamping around the dog’s head.
Asahi closed his eyes, fearing that he wasted his last token on an unfortunate-
Thump
The dog had fallen into the prize chute.
Asahi’s eyes blinked open.
Noya’s jaw dropped, stunned until-
“No freaking way!” Asahi barely had the time to bend down and grab the prize before Noya gripped his shoulders and shook him like a maraca.
“I spent all my tokens! All of them and you just- just-!” Noya rambled on and let go of Asahi’s shoulders to gesture wildly at the machine beside them.
“Lucky token?” Asahi chuckled, holding up the plush and waving it.
Noya huffed and crossed his arms with a pout. “Fine. Since I technically won it for you, I’ll let this one slide, Asahi-san. I’ll allow you victory one last time.”
Asahi, feeling a rush of boldness, gently nudged the toy into Noya’s arms. “Keep it.”
“What?”
“After all those tries, I think you deserve it more than I do.” He said softly, hoping and praying that the warmth he felt spreading across his cheeks was the humidity of the arcade and not a blush.
Noya stared at him for a second, then at the plush. Slowly, his surprised expression melted into his usual easy-going grin, albeit a little softer, something Asahi didn’t know could make his heart do terrible things.
“Okay..” He murmured, taking the plush and pulling it close. Within a second, his usual mischievous self returned. “But! Since now you technically won it, that means you owe me another round of air hockey to even things out.”
“Not a basketball shootout?” Asahi smirked, laughing at Noya’s frown.
“I said no tall people games! Now let’s get dinner, I’m starving.”
Noya bounced ahead toward the exit, leaving Asahi to shake his head fondly and follow him after, trying very hard to ignore how he momentarily felt the urge to kiss him.
They chose a little ramen shop nearby, one that had big servings for an affordable price.
Considering that they spent nearly two hours at the arcade without snack breaks, they figured this was the best place to eat.
The shop was warm and cozy, the air was filled with the comforting scent of savory broth and cooked noodles, with a hint of chashu and fried dumplings. They slid into the booth by the window after ordering and paying, (Noya making sure that the dog was comfortable beside him), and as soon as their order came in, Noya mumbled a quick thanks for the food before breaking his chopsticks and digging in.
Asahi also mumbled a quick thanks but barely had the time to grab his chopsticks before one of his chashu slices was stolen by no one other than Noya.
“Hey!” He protested, though there wasn’t any real heat to it.
The boy across from him just grinned, biting into the pork. “Your food looks better than mine.”
“That’s because you ordered the first bowl you saw.”
“Details, details.” Nishinoya waved him off, going back to slurping his noodles.
Asahi shook his head, finally taking his first bite of his own bowl.
The pair talked and ate, their topics ranging from simple to outright ridiculous. Asahi didn’t think he could laugh as hard as he did, but the way Noya told stories about Tanaka’s mishaps and Ennoshita’s discipline tactics during their group study had him clutching his stomach.
In the middle of Noya telling yet another anecdote from his classroom, Asahi watched him, amused and utterly doomed. It wasn’t fair how easy it was for Nishinoya to make his heart flip flop in his chest. The warm glow of the shop’s lights made his features look softer, his hair was messier than it was a few hours ago because of all the playing, and the way he smiled and laughed like everything in the universe was just one big exciting adventure–
Asahi was in deep, too deep.
Noya paused to take in another bite of his noodles, and before Asahi could stop himself, the words slipped out of his mouth. Soft, quiet, but still there.
“I like you, Noya.”
For the first time all night, Nishinoya looked genuinely caught off-guard. His hands froze mid-way and mid-bite, his noodles dangled off his chopsticks, and his wide eyes looked right into Asahi’s.
Maybe Asahi’s brain had finally caught up with his mouth because all he wanted to do was flee.
But, he waited, braced himself for rejection, for mocking laughter, but Noya was still frozen. And it was making him nervous.
“Noya-”
“You beat me to it!” The boy groaned, dropping his chopsticks and sending droplets of broth all over the table.
“I’m sorry?” Asahi blinked.
“I had a plan! I was gonna say this really cool confession that would’ve knocked your socks off.” Noya huffed, leaning back into his seat with a pout. “And you’ve gone and ruined it.”
Asahi just stared. Right at him.
Then it hit him.
Noya was going to confess first??
He choked out a laugh, part disbelief, part relief, and overall warm and overwhelming affection.
“W-wait, so you-?”
“Of course, I like you! You’re so–” Noya gestured towards Asahi’s overall presence. “Why do you think I dragged you out to the arcade on Valentine’s Day?”
"You told me it was a friendly date! I didn't know what else to expect!" Asahi let out a breathless chuckle, still not quite believing that his feelings were reciprocated, and then he realized, “Oh my god, Daichi and Suga were right.” He said to himself.
“Right about what?”
“That the whole point of your ‘friendly’ date was just a ploy and that you wanted to confess to me.”
“A great ploy, I must say. Until you had to run your mouth and do it first.” Noya was still pouting, but the joy in his eyes gave his true feelings away.
“Wow.”
“Yeah, wow,” He grumbled. “I guess I’ll have to confess again next time, Asahi-san. You know, properly , on a real date.”
Asahi smiled, something soft and utterly fond. “I’d like that.”
Noya perked up, grinning his boyish grin once again. “Good! ‘Cause this time I’ll make it super dramatic. Maybe I’ll even rent a spotlight and have Tanaka handle it, I don’t know.”
The senior rolled his eyes, but before he could reply, he felt a soft pressure land on his cheek. It took him a few seconds to realize that Noya had leaned over to press a kiss on him.
Noya leaned back, smirking like he had just won the biggest jackpot at the arcade. “That’s for stealing my moment.” He declared smugly.
Barely recovering from a cheek kiss, he swallowed hard. Gathering whatever courage he had left, he leaned over and pressed his own kiss, this time landing it right on the forehead.
Noya squeaked in surprise. His smug facade cracked as his eyes grew wide, his ears turning a darker shade of red, and Asahi had never laughed so hard.
“And that’s for agreeing to a second date.”
Noya was speechless, but only for a moment before he let out a groan. “Now I really have to outdo you and this date next time.”
Asahi chuckled, resting his chin on his hand as he watched Noya flail adorably. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”
BONUS: Nishinoya’s “Proper” Confession
Their second date, an official one, ended at the same ramen shop as their first “date”.
Except this time, there weren’t any easy-going conversations or silly stories from Nishinoya. No, said the man was, from the looks of it, scheming .
Asahi could tell something was up the moment Nishinoya sat down and acted more polite than Kageyama and Tsukishima combined. Within the five minutes they’ve gotten their order, he hadn’t tried stealing chashu off of Asahi’s bowl or a dumpling off his plate, he hadn’t initiated some sort of eating contest, and worst of all-
He was sitting still, proper even.
Asahi set his chopsticks down and gave him a knowing look. “Alright, what’s up with you?”
Noya took a deep breath and suddenly stood up on his seat.
The restaurant went dead silent, and Asahi just about died.
“Asahi-san!” He started, looking directly at Asahi. “I have something important to tell you!” He nearly yelled, no doubt catching the attention of everyone in the small shop, including the line cooks.
Asahi tried in vain to shrink back in his seat, hoping that the ground would somehow open up and swallow him whole. Noya just grinned, thriving in the chaos.
“You totally ruined my first confession, so now I’m doing it right- Noya style. ” He cleared his throat, dramatically placing a hand over his chest like he was about to recite a passage from Shakespeare.
“Azumane Asahi.” He started, and Asahi’s soul had left him. “From the moment you spiked a ball into my face-” (Asahi cringed at the memory) - “I knew you were the coolest, kindest, and most amazing guy I’ve ever known!”
Noya pauses to take a breath, his eyes never leaving Asahi. “You put up with my nonsense, you’re secretly super competitive, and honestly, that’s so hot. You even laugh at my dumb jokes, which is the biggest green flag, for me anyways.”
At this point, Asahi’s face was buried in his hands, and Noya wasn’t even close to finished.
“I like you!” He exclaimed a little too loudly that it startled the nearby waiter. “I like you so much that I even let you win at air hockey on our first date!”
Asahi looked up and peeked between his fingers, looking the slightest bit offensive “You did not!”
Noya just shrugged, “We’ll never know, Asahi-san.”
A random customer coughed, focusing Nishinoya back on his task and Asahi tried to ignore how one of the line cooks looked way too invested in the situation.
“And now, Asahi-san,” The boy continued dramatically. “I must formally ask you, do you accept this confession?
Asahi, now terribly red and feeling hot all over, just laughed- helplessly, fondly, completely and utterly in like.
He sighed, shaking his head before looking up to the expecting boy with the softest smile. “Of course, I do.”
The ramen shop erupts in quiet cheers and clapping, happy for the young couple.
Noya fist-pumps the air, grinning like a maniac. “Yes! Totally nailed that one!”
“Yes, yes, you did. Please sit back down before you hurt yourself.” Asahi tugged him down, half concerned that he might fall, half making sure that he didn’t try anything else.
Noya settles back down, reaching out for one of Asahi’s hands and lacing their fingers together. “So? Better than yours?”
He lets out a laugh, squeezing the hand he was holding. “Much better.”
The boy beams, looking proud and pleased with himself. “Good. Does this mean we’re boyfriends now?”
Asahi smiles, shaking his head before pressing an innocent kiss to Noya’s knuckles. “Yes, Noya. It means we’re boyfriends now.”