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Proposal and Chill.

A loud booming sound echoed both in Asahi and Noya’s ears when Asahi pressed the ‘Netflix’ button on the remote while they were sitting on the sofa. Noya leaned on Asahi’s shoulder as he took the remote from Asahi’s hand and his eyes stared at the TV screen. He flicked through the different shows that were subscribed to Asahi’s Netflix subscription. Many genres were displayed: with the ominous title, Dark Rain, a thriller with the main lead actor gazing steely amidst the rain. Knife in,a cooking competition depicting a roundtable of chefs laying their knives on the dark table. Another rectangle depicted a colourful cartoon character posing fabulously with the title Magnus’ Bizarre Adventures.

“I am glad that we sneak into your apartment to watch TV uninterrupted…” Noya smiled calmly, laying the snacks and drinks on the table as he kept flicking through many rectangles, which some of the shows’ tagline caused him to frown, indecisive of what to watch next.

“Why?”

Noya’s scrolling stopped dead, displaying/bringing to the screen the image of the lead lady of a K-drama, sobbing loudly, covering her face in shame and with the awful title “The Howl” written on the left, as Asahi’s question kept echoing in his mind. “Believe it or not, I just recently became an uncle…”

Asahi raised an eyebrow. “Congratulations, I suppose. What does it have to do with you crashing into my house?” he asked as he stared at the cans of beer, small packets of avocado and cheddar cheese biscuits, dried squid and udon noodles, chewing his lip slightly. Surely Noya is too busy with his bohemian lifestyle if he took my…never mind, he thought before pushing his neurotic spiraling deep in his mind. 

“My sis just gave birth to my nephew, Keiichi, like a few weeks ago.” Matching his words with his actions, Noya took out his phone, scrolled through his picture app and showed a picture of a newborn, face scrunched up and wearing a onesie with the caption “Let’s go on an adventure”. “So her rule, not mine, is that I cannot have television whenever he is brought out of the baby room because of the electromagnetic waves that may affect the baby.”

Asahi frowned slightly as an answer to Noya’s words.

“So sadly no more late night binge watching,” Noya added with a cheerful grin, knowing well he’ll take advantage of this situation to spend more time with his boyfriend.

Noya helped himself with one of the snack packs as his eyes fell on the thumbnail of a man happily munching a sandwich, with the catchy title “Happy Hungry Man”. Noya lazily pressed Asahi’s remote control, reading through the synopsis of the show. “Now that looks interesting,” Noya chirped to himself, looking through the episodes with the names of the countries and particularly gazing at the episode title “Basque Country”.

I think you will like it…, Noya thought, nostalgia plucking at his heartstrings.

— — — — — —

Asahi stared at the slightly nostalgic smile on Noya's face. On the TV screen, a middle aged man tucked his hands, gazing over the swirling landscapes, with a romantic Spanish guitar playing softly in the background.

“People do not know that side of Spain…” Noya said in a low voice as he intertwined his fingers with Asahi’s, holding his hand perhaps a little too tightly, watching the host gazing at the rows.  “When they think of Spain, it is either Musee De Prado, the football matches, or perhaps Gaudi’s incomplete cathedral."

A shy smile tugged at his lips as Asahi recalled that time he went to Spain to attend a meeting with a Spanish client. Well, the language barrier was huge despite that he personally hired a translator, Sekine-san. For some odd reason, they did not click well, except for business matters.

“I did… Unfortunately, it was only for work…” Asahi uttered, gingerly helping himself to the instant udon, perfectly cooked by hot water, and quick satisfaction, secretly jealous of the host savouring the freshly steamed mussels, moping up the gravy with the bread.

“But Basque Country….” Noya grinned to himself. “First of all, the food is amazing. I think I gained 5 kgs every night from simply munching at the tapas, and the scenery… Damn! walking with my volleyball in hand… And….”

As Noya told his travel reminiscence with a dream-like voice, Asahi sulked that his snacks were not as appetising as the meals that his boyfriend had savoured.

“Am I going way off topic?” Noya asked as he leaned over the coffee table, helping himself to another round of beer. “I mean, if it bore you, I could….”

Asahi smiled faintly. “It sounds rather fun….” he said, slowly letting go of Noya’s hand. “You know what….” Asahi paused the show with the remote control. When he looked back at Noya, Noya was trying his best not to laugh at the bubbly host looking ‘derpy’, his eyes rolled to high heaven, and mouth agape when he ate that sandwich. That image of his boyfriend widened his smile, fondness curving its corners.

“I so badly need a pee break….” he blurted out, biting his tongue between his teeth. 

— — — — — 

Noya stood up, stretching his arms up, feeling the pins and needles spreading throughout his body.

“For once, I agree with you!”

A buzz echoed in Noya’s ear. It was the sound of a text message notification. I probably sat on that update, alas an update on the Keiichi show, Noya thought, an exasperated, but filled with love sigh stuck in his throat. At least he is cute. Noya opened his family chat group jokingly named ‘Journey to the West’. His sister, Chisaki, sent a picture of Keiichi making a bemused smile. Someday, if we are not so caught up with life itself, we would 10/10 adopt a kid to be Keiichi’s playmate, maybe he would not feel so lonely at all. And who knows, maybe he would be cool as Asahi spiking balls over the net.

— — — — 

Basque Country 2019-Summer

Noya sat at the bar, taking another shot. On his right, a mature woman stared at Noya scrolling through his phone, gazing over the photos of Asahi and him hanging out after college, either holding cups of bubble tea and fried chicken or Asahi sleeping on a desk, with Noya making a peace sign, teasing him how he was so exhausted from his anxiety of working with his thesis on the visual language of Alexander McQueen.

Noya languidly munched on Marmitako and took another round of Txakoli white wine to wash down the saltiness of the stew.

“Who is that?” The older lady asked him. She was holding a glass of rosé wine, decked in the finest pearls and furs, looking as if she came from an Old Hollywood film. “Based on your expression, you seem close to him.”

Noya gently let that lady come closer to him. “Yeah, we used to play volleyball together, now we simply message about my travels and him….” Noya paused in his words, memories of high school overwhelming his mind. He missed it all. Karasuno High School. Asahi's back moving fast to slap the ball across the net. His smile filled with confidence after months of mental breakdown. His laugh. His eyes burned with an exiting flame when he received the mail confirming he was accepted to his fashion design school. He missed it all. All the time he spent with Asahi. He missed him. So damn much.

Not even sparse texts could fill the Asahi filled void in Noya’s heart. Even that final hug, smelling the deodorant in his body- minty, and countless nights which Noya attempted to make Asahi’s favourite food-Tonkotsu Ramen- feeling his presence, even if so briefly 

“Do you like him?” The lady spoke kindly to him, sipping another round of wine, happy to take Bacalao al Pil-Pil from the counter.

I damn do, Noya thought, if that lady seems so philosophical- she might as well give me a palm reading on the spot, or take a bunch of strange cards from her jacquard purse to read my future. I might as well wish for Ennoshita-san to shout me in my ear to get shit done.

“Based on your expression, if you ever see your true love, you will be able to say what is true and sincere.” The lady crooned a little, separating the salted cod into small pieces. “In the most mundane moments…”

— — — — 

Asahi came back, his body thanking him for taking a break from the torture of being seating for too long, and carrying another round of snacks and drinks. Except that this time he brought a half-filled bottle of red wine and foreign brand chips.

Noya’s smile seemed so sincere, and unwavering that it melted Asahi’s heart. And soon the jovial commentary filled the room again. “Say….” Noya chirped quietly. “When I was travelling there….”

“Are you being sentimental? Thanks to your nephew….” Asahi suddenly stopped in his speech at the sight of Noya’s soft smile, which spoke volumes, and made him frown. “We are supposed to do a marathon and chill…”

“Perhaps…”

Noya’s soft smile turned into a smirk, and Asahi knew it was an omen. Not necessarily a bad one, but sometimes it wasn’t a good one either.

“I am thinking of marrying you right now.”

Asahi nearly spilled the food on the floor, but Noya’s lightning speed reflexes from catching receives, including Ushijima’s impossible left hand top-spin –that is still at work– clasped the snacks before they spilled onto the floor.

Asahi sighed in relief. “I guess, nice kill.” 

Noya laughed loudly at Asahi’s deadpan reaction. “Does it mean yes?”

Asahi chewed his lower lip slightly, withholding the tears in his eyes. Noya could have proposed in many different ways. It could have happened on one of his many trips where he would have accompanied him. It could have happened somewhere in Tokyo, in a secluded place where few people wandered. But it couldn't be as Noya as right now: so sudden and spontaneous, in the heat of the moment, without any prior thought, although Asahi was certain that Noya had been mulling this thought over for months.

Yes! A million times yes! That was what Asahi wanted to shout, to cry, to sing, to whisper, but his voice was stuck in his throat. So he just nodded his head, his lips starting to curve upwards.

“Can we finish this episode before I burst out crying?” Asahi managed to utter, his voice low and hoarse with emotion. 

Noya gingerly took a piece of tissue paper from the coffee table, wiping the tears from his eyes, the comical situation almost made him let out a soft laughter.

“Yes, of course!” Noya said as he pressed the play button back. “By the way, sorry if I made you cry,” he added as he guided them both to the sofa to sit back down.

Silence returning to the apartment, the host's voice and the music coming from the television covering their shoulders, Asahi and Noya watched the show together happily. This time both drooled at the seafood platter that the waiter served to the host.

Great, we are hungry right now.

///

Coda-Basque Country May 2022

Asahi sighed with joy over the tasty seafood meal as he chomped on the mussels, then exclaimed, ”You are right, it is so good!” 

Well it took a pandemic to actually visit this beautiful country again, Noya thought with a mixture of frustration and relief. He still felt the frustration of the two-year lockdown, of not being able to continue his world tour. And now his heart pounded with relief at being able to discover the wonders of the world again, at being able to take his husband to the places he had so longed to show him.

Noya happily helped himself to peel the prawns, dipping it in the vinaigrette.

“I know right!” Noya chirped slightly, gazing over to that fabulous old lady decked in pearls, but it was years ago. Today, she was decked with a leopard print cloth face mask.

She walked over to them when she finally recognized Noya, despite the fact that he lost the tan. She raised her glass to him and said in a dulcet voice, “It seems that you found the love of your life, and I am raising my glass to you.”

Staring at Asahi, who was forced to slurp the oyster, nearly choking, because of the embarrassment from the grand gesture, Noya clasped his hands and said, “Oops, I forgot…” Noya picked up his glass of wine, Asahi mirroring his gesture with a bemused smile. “We do have a secret instigator who knew our secret.”

To capture the memory of the past and the present meeting, of true love finally being fulfilled in space and time, Noya took out his phone and quickly took a selfie picture of the three of them.