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It’s a well known fact that despite his larger than life stature, Asahi Azumane had a glass heart. He was often teased about it by his classmates. While girls found his outward appearance intimidating, one gentle conversation caused many to flock to his side in admiration. The guys of the Karasuno volleyball team were always teasing him about his contradicting nature. He was a monster on the court, but was brought to tears if he hurt a friend in practice. Daichi tended to lay the comments on thick, while his other teammates kept the teasing light.
And then there was Nishinoya Yuu.
“Come one, come all!” Noya’s loud voice caught the attention of many who passed, and the fact that he was standing proudly on a chair he had forgotten was made for sitting must have raised more than a few eyebrows. When a group of girls passing by stopped in curiosity, Noya gave a charming smile that shined with confidence. “Ah! I think these are the prettiest girls who had stopped yet.”
“Noya,” Asahi whispered, tugging on his friend’s pant leg to get him off the chair. At this point, he could already feel the blush rising to his cheeks when the girls started to giggle. Noya ignored the plea of his friend to jump off the chair, leaning his arms on the booth and peering up at the girl in the middle of the group. While her friends seemed eager to engage, the smaller brunette nervously played with a curl of her hair and blushed.
“What’s your name?” Noya’s chipper voice made the girl jump, and when she didn’t answer right away, Noya nodded in understanding. “You’re shy like this giant over here, huh?”
“Don’t tease her!” Asahi chastised, his voice instantly lowering when feeling a few pairs of eyes fall on him in interest. Quickly the tall ace hunched his shoulders closer to himself at the inquisitive stares. Asahi didn’t do well in the spotlight if he wasn’t on the court, and he was thankful that Noya dragged the attention back to him.
“I kind of have a thing for the shy ones. They’re really cute!” His smile only increased when deepening the blush on his target’s face, Noya waving to the sign above their heads. “You and your friends should buy a kiss; it’s a chance of a lifetime, you know.”
“Oh? And why is that?” A taller blonde from the group asked, and Noya wasted no time slinging his arm around Asahi’s shoulders.
“It’s not everyday you get to kiss Karasuno’s ace.” Boasting of Asahi’s position, Noya ignored the dark flush on his friend’s face to continue. “He’s going to be a pretty big deal after we win the spring tournament, and you’ll be able to tell everyone that you got to kiss him. And if this giant ain’t your style, there’s always the awesome option of me.”
“And what’s special about you?” Even as the girls teased, it was obvious they were interested as they started to search through their purses.
“What’s not special about me?! I’m the best; being the only libero, I’m basically the backbone of the team. Without me, they’d never be able to function! Plus, I’ve been told I’m pretty good with my mouth.”
Noya’s blunt bragging was abrasive, but it was said with the best intentions. His extraverted personality made the confidence sound less cocky than most, and it was a sales pitch that had been working well throughout their time at the kissing booth. While Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had said the booth had been dead during their time spent there, the same could not be said for now. In the past hour, Asahi had been overwhelmed by the amount of kisses he and Noya had been given. While the whole ordeal had left the ace two seconds away from passing out, Noya was soaking up the affection like a sponge. Even now, as he pointed toward Yachi and Kiyoko for the girls to buy their tickets, the libero’s smile was broad over his cheeks. Asahi’s brown gaze flickered down to the piles of tickets in front of them. Did Daichi know what he was doing pairing him with the shortest member of their team? It only took Asahi a second to conclude that he did. Noya did everything with 100% effort, and this task was no exception. He on the other hand...
“Man, you sure do get embarrassed!” Noya laughed loudly as Asahi barely mumbled a ‘thank you’ to the blond girl from before. A smear of red had been left on his cheek, though it practically blended into Asahi’s blush. Asahi glanced over to his partner to deny the accusation, pausing as Noya leaned forward and kissed the shy girl he had focused on earlier. In these few seconds, Noya allowed his personality to deflate, and his mouth was quiet as it appreciated the feel of her lips on his. In moments like these, Noya resembled the guy many had faced on the court. It didn’t last long, but Noya made sure to make the trembling girl feel special. Despite his loud claims and teasing nature, he took every contribution seriously. He pulled away from his latest customer, his smile a little dimmer than normal as he thanked her. There was no regret or embarrassment in Noya’s gaze as he waved bye to the group, waiting until they were gone to turn his attention back to Asahi and increase the watts of his grin.
“Is there nothing that embarsses you?” Asahi asked his energetic teammate, Noya blinking once before he shrugged and stretched his arms over his head.
“Why would kissing embarrass me?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“Not all of us are so sensitive,” Noya teased, smirking when Asahi glanced away and scowled. “Besides, I’ve never really been shy about stuff like this. Why, you want me to teach you how to flirt?”
“Fli-Flir--” Asahi couldn’t even finish the words through his stammer, Noya’s face filling with devious intention as he leaned closer. Noya’s hand slid up the side of Asahi’s thigh, his knees meeting the padding of the seat as he pushed up to get closer to the ace. Now frozen in his seat, Asahi could only stare with wide eyes as Noya’s arm dropped onto his shoulder, fingers brushing just under his bun and over the sensitive skin of his neck. His other hand, still enjoying the firm muscle of the ace’s thigh, squeezed while sharp eyes gazed up at Asahi with confidence and something Asahi couldn’t label.
“You’d probably have no problem getting a girlfriend if your mental strength matched your physical strength. You’re not bad looking, you know?”
“No-Noya!” Asahi squeaked out, hands gripping onto the side of the chair with enough force to make the metal squeak in protest. Noya leaned closer, his eyes refusing to leave the panicked gaze above him.
“You’re pretty nice too, even if you’re a scaredy cat. Yup, you’d be good boyfriend material, even with your weak lion heart.” Noya tapped Asahi's chest before he finally pulled away, his eyes darting out to find their next set of clients. Asahi let out a weak whine as he flopped back down in his chair, hoping the heavy beat of his nervous heart would slow soon.
By now, Asahi should have been used to Noya’s flirty nature. It was no secret that Noya was not biased; he enjoyed to flirt with either gender. Even during their time in the booth, Noya would offer his kisses to both girls and guys. Most of the men refused quickly, yet Noya never took the rejection to heart. Being bi-sexual was still something new to their town last year, but Noya never hid his sexuality. He was proud of his heart, and wanted to share his feelings with whoever made him feel that way. And Asahi liked to believe that because of the libero’s open talk of acceptance, others felt safe enough to follow suit. In the past year, Asahi had noticed a surge of their classmates coming out, Noya supporting each one with the same passion he had when getting a nice receive. The volleyball team had been more than accepting of Noya’s sexuality, and none had shied away from his hugs and tendency to jump into their personal space. Tanaka still played along with Noya’s obsession with Kiyoko, Kageyama never refused to serve to the energetic libero (he was probably used to the behavior), and Hinata still looked up to Noya as his senpai. Their bonds wouldn’t be severed by something as little as Noya’s big heart.
Asahi had never really thought about the possibility of liking anything but girls before meeting Noya. His family wasn’t narrow minded, per say, but he was never really exposed to other thought processes. So when Noya had first told Asahi about his attraction to a fellow classmate, Asahi had just assumed it was a girl. It came as quite a shock when the ace had walked in on Noya swapping spit with a guy just outside of the gymnasium. He hadn’t meant to stare; his brain had taken some time to process the situation. After that (and about one hundred ‘I’m sorry’s from the older guy), Noya explained his bi-sexuality. And then when Asahi gave him a look of blank confusion, Noya laughed and took the time to outline what that meant. Because he couldn’t see the reason in disliking someone for something they couldn’t control, Asahi accepted the information.
But after that, Asahi had felt something small shift inside him. He couldn’t understand what it was, or how it would affect him. It wasn’t physical; he was still the same awkward teen who couldn’t seem to get out of his own way. It felt internal, but no matter how long Asahi tried to figure out what it was, it eluded him. So he simply ignored it, focusing on helping his team and his growing friendship with the new teammate. Noya and Asahi became close throughout the year, and the ace sometimes forgot there was a time they weren’t best friends.
The two exchanged small banter as a few more customers came through, Noya continuing to promote Asahi in order to bring in money for the team. Some of the girls only rolled their eyes at Noya’s boisterous claims, while others caved in and spent the money on a ticket. The time was starting to dwindle down along with the sun, which was well past sunset. The lanterns that lined the dirt paths of the festival lit up, seeming to change the mood of scenery around them. Noya’s eyes were full of childish excitement as he tossed his arms around Asahi’s neck, yanking the taller man down to his level.
“Look, Asahi! Ain’t it pretty?”
Ignoring the slight strain on his back from the uncomfortable position, Asahi glanced over to the libero in silent observation. The glow of the lantern rolled over Noya’s face, highlighting the specks of gold in his normally brown gaze. His arms tightened around Asahi’s neck as he glanced back to him, and the ace felt his own weak smile appear when seeing the innocent excitement in Noya’s face. Despite his moments of maturity, Noya was still a kid at heart and tended to wear that very organ on his sleeve. It was something that many saw as a flaw; his bursts of anger or self-doubt could sweep in like a tsunami. They were dangerous if not kept in check. But Asahi never felt Noya’s big heart was bad. It made the second year compassionate, and easy to approach with problems.
“It’s very pretty,” Asahi answered, which made Noya’s eyes warm with joy.
“After the fireworks, you should go ride the ferris wheel with me!”
“You know I don’t like heights,” Asahi mumbled, Noya’s teasing smile making the ace flush.
“And the glass heart strikes again.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“Don’t worry! If you get scared, I’ll protect you.” The hands that were linked around his neck tightened a bit at the claim, and Asahi wondered if Daichi would have scolded him for letting a second year offer to protect the giant. But the thoughts of the captain flew from his frazzled mind when he realized Noya was staring at him at a much closer proximity than before. They were sharing the same air at this point, though Asahi couldn’t bring himself to feel uncomfortable with that. The mega-watt smile he was used to seeing had dimmed slightly, and even Noya’s voice took a softened tone. “I’d never let something hurt you.”
Asahi blinked once, then he felt that shift he couldn’t identify twisting his stomach. It had been more frequent lately, and it only seemed to happen when Noya was around. Sometimes it was while they were walking home from practice or when he heard the small guy calling his name in the hallway to say hello. The feeling wasn’t painful or troubling, so Asahi simply accepted it and adapted. But here, in this moment, it felt a little different. Stronger, maybe, and more centralized in his stomach and heart. He wanted to accept it, as he had done so many times before, and move on. But just like the stare that Noya and Asahi were sharing, the feeling was strong. And for the first time since this shift arrived, Asahi felt nervous.
But it felt...kind of nice.
“That’s so weird.” A voice neither recognized made the two break their eye contact, Asahi taking in the appearance of another small group of girls. They were from Karasuno, but Asahi couldn’t say he knew them personally. There were three of them, but only the girl to the left caught Asahi’s attention. It was obvious why; her eyes were lined with annoyance as she stared at the libero now tilting his head at her.
“Eh?” Was Noya’s intelligent answer, his lips pulling into a scowl when she scoffed at him.
“Shouldn’t you be a little more ashamed of yourself?” He had never met this girl in his life, and Asahi was the last person in the world to judge a book by it’s cover. But in this moment, despite his kind nature, the ace felt anxiety and displeasure wind through his spine. He felt Noya’s arms tense around his neck, and it only took a side glance to realize it was from anger.
“Want to be a bit more specific?” Noya’s face was calm, but the rage that swelled in his sharp gaze warned most to back away from the loaded question. If there was one thing that the libero disliked in this world, it was people who looked down on others. And that didn’t just come from his lacking height. Noya loved everyone, and rivaled Hinata for his range of friends. He was a people person, and treated everyone equally no matter who they were. But the welcoming aura quickly dissolved in the face of prejudice and discrimination. And with the way this girl (despite her friends looking more than uncomfortable) spoke to Noya, it was obvious just what her problem was with him.
“You shouldn’t be throwing yourself at men in public. It’s not normal, and the kissing booth wasn’t meant for that kind of display.”
“Who died and made you queen?” The words were hot with disdain, Noya’s normal smile replaced with a unpleasant snarl. Without reason Asahi moved his hand to rest on Noya’s knee, hoping the soft pat would help calm his teammate down. He felt some of the tension in the smaller boy’s body loosen, but he had yet to lose the edge in his eyes while he stared the girl down. Asahi could see one of the girl’s friends had taken her arm, trying to pull her away from the booth when noticing some disappointed stares sent their way. The girl, however, ignored the murmurs from the crowd to continue her attack.
“Don’t you think that straight boys get freaked out when you flirt with them?”
“It’s the same thing as when a guy flirts with a girl who isn’t interested!” Noya shouted back, though it took Noya a second to come up with his rebuttal. If Asahi wasn’t watching the libero latched to his neck, he would have missed the slight wince in Noya’s features. The look made Asahi glance back toward the group, noticing that one of the girl’s friends had started to walk away. It seemed that she realized that her friend was overstepping the line and wanted no part in her company. Hoping to help end the awkward conversation, Asahi turned his attention back to Noya and gave him a weak smile.
“It’s almost eight; Noya, we should start cleaning up.” He had hoped to end the tense air, but he only seemed to bring attention to himself by both parties. The girl recovered first, her finger now pointed at Asahi.
“You don’t even think about how Asahi-san feels when you push yourself all over him, do you?” The words echoed in the air around them, like it had been shouted in a canyon and not at a seemingly innocent festival. This time, the ace felt the visible flinch in Noya’s body, as if the girl had physically struck him.
“Oh, um, I don’t mind,” Asahi supplied quickly, his anxiety winding when the girl gave a laugh filled with ill intention.
“Asahi-san is too nice to tell you the truth. I bet it grosses him out, but since you’re his teammate, he can’t actually tell you that. Did you ever think about that?” The arms that had found a home around Asahi’s neck snapped away, Noya falling back to his seat with fists balled by his sides. Noya looked ready to deck the next person who spoke to him. But despite the way his body vibrated in rage, Asahi could tell the girl’s words had wounded Noya far more than anger. It was a sight that the ace had never seen outside of a hard loss or their one fight. Noya was fierce and proud of himself. He was confidence personified, and always held himself like nothing in this world could stop him. But here in this moment, Asahi could see the way Noya’s eyes started to shine with tears he refused to shed. For some reason, the girl’s last attempt to get to the second year struck the right nerve. Noya, the backbone of Karasuno, the guardian of the court, was hurt.
And the weird shift inside of Asahi finally exploded.
Asahi caught both the girl and Noya by storm when he reached forward to grasp Noya’s chin. It wasn’t rough, but had enough command to keep Noya from resisting. For a second, Asahi wavered in his resolution when seeing the wide eyed gaze of his friend staring up at him. It was rare to see such a confused yet innocent look on the second year, but he hadn’t pulled away yet. The air had chilled around them, emphasising the warmth of the cheeks he now slid his large hands up to cradle. Despite his tough shell, Noya’s skin was soft, and it lured Asahi in. Before his mind could catch up to his quivering heart, Asahi leaned down and pressed his lips against Noya’s.
It was by no means the soul-stealing kiss that women gossiped about in class. Asahi wasn’t a casanova, and wondered if Noya would later laugh at him while he gently kissed his teammate. He was sure his lips were too dry, too big for Noya to really enjoy the kiss like Asahi wanted him to. Still, the ace stood his shaky ground and pressed forward, letting his gut lead. He took a moment to appreciate the sweetness of the lips against his, which were tinted with a flavor he couldn’t quite place his finger on. Still he enjoyed it, and barely parted his lips to get another taste. The motion instantly turned to panic when he felt Noya tense, and Asahi was quick to separate from the kiss. His eyes flickered away from the libero to face the two girls watching them, his stare calm despite the storm raging in his sensitive heart.
“Noya is fine the way he is. I’ve never been grossed out or bothered by him. I like Noya, and I wouldn’t want him to change because of the opinions of others.”
The tone was solid, showing that Asahi wasn’t looking for a debate. He was making a statement, and for once, the large stature he possessed worked in his benefit. The girl cowered in front of him, and when the girl’s friend tugged on her arm again, she didn’t resist. Asahi watched the pair rush away from the booth, only letting his shoulders crumble into their normal pose once they were out of sight. His hand was pressed to his heart, assuring himself that it wasn’t really made of glass and that he would be just fine. Letting out a slow breath of gratitude, Asahi returned his gaze to the unusually quiet libero next to him. Asahi’s mind raced when seeing the way Noya’s eyes stared down at the booth counter, the ace throwing his hands up in a surrendering position.
“I’m sorry, Noya!” At the call of his name, the second year blinked and tilted his head up to look at Asahi. Too nervous to meet his gaze, Asahi let his eyes lift to watch the gentle sway of the lantern next to their booth. “I shouldn’t have gotten involved; it’s not like I think you couldn’t handle it! And I probably gave them a heart attack at the end-”
“Don’t apologize.” The heavy tone of Noya’s voice drew Asahi’s eyes down instantly, but if there was a serious tint before, it had evaporated when Noya laughed and slapped Asahi’s back. “You were pretty brave there, buddy!”
“I was?”
“Yeah, I’ll have to tell Daichi how cool you looked laying it in on those girls.” Instantly Asahi tensed at the mention of the captain, quick to shake his head and groan. Noya’s laugh entered the air again, before the younger teammate brought their attention to cleaning up the booth. Asahi was quick to agree, and the two started the task without much conversation.
The ace wanted to believe that the mood was back to normal, and that Noya’s quiet hum was simply because he was focused on his task. If he was anyone but Asahi, he probably would have made that assumption. But he had spent the past year learning the libero. He could tell when Noya’s voice didn’t reach its normal level of excitement when Tanaka came by to snag his best friend. The laughter bubbling from Noya’s mouth when they (along with Yachi and Kiyoko) walked toward the meeting spot wasn’t the right tone. Even when grinning toward Hinata and teasing Kageyama (is that a bug bite on your neck, Kageyama?), Noya felt off. Asahi glanced to the other members of the volleyball team, wondering if anyone else could pick up on the same distinctions as him. Suga and Daichi were too occupied making sure the four first years didn’t kill each other when trying to find ‘the best spot to see the fireworks’. Tanaka was doing his best to flirt with Kiyoko, Ennoshita only rolling his eyes and Yachi laughing when Tanaka was shut down yet again.
“Are you going to sit down?” Asahi blinked as he glanced down next to him, Noya patting the blanket Suga (being the team mom) had given them to sit on for the fireworks. “If you don’t you may block everyone else’s view from the show.”
“I’m not that tall,” Asahi argued, but accepted the invitation and sat down. The shorter teen let out a loud yawn before he leaned back on his arms, his head tilted up to the sky.
“Do you think this year will be better than last time? Maybe they’ll use more of those really loud fireworks I like! Which ones do you like, Asahi?” Noya was chatty like usual, but Asahi couldn’t feel the same energy he was used to with the libero. There was a big space between them on the blanket, like Noya was trying to make room for an invisible third person.
The thought made the lightbulb in Asahi’s head shine with clarity, realizing why he had felt so off. After leaving the kissing booth, Noya had not touched him once. It wouldn’t have concerned him if it was Tanaka, Daichi, or anyone else (except Hinata, though he tended to hang all over their first year setter) from the team. But Noya was a creature of habit, and touching Asahi was something he did without thinking. Whether it was jumping on his back, tugging on his wrist to show him something cool, or simply leaning against him on the bus ride back from a tournament, Noya was always touching him. But even now, where it would be prime time for the younger teen to press up again Asahi, he kept his distance.
And though he didn’t want to think about it, there was only one thing that could had caused the shift between them.
“Ah, it’s about to start! Look, Asahi, it-”
“I’m sorry!” The words were blurted out just before the first firework disappeared in the sky. Noya’s head jerked away from the bright spectacle to look at Asahi, seeming surprised at his bowed head before he gave an automatic laugh.
“About the firework?”
“About my actions at the kissing booth.” Keeping his head low, Asahi couldn’t see the face Noya was making while he continued. “Even if I was acting in your best interests, I shouldn’t have...ki-kissed you without your consent. You may like guys as well as women, but that doesn’t mean you would feel comfortable kissing me. We’re supposed to be teammates, and yet I acted without even thinking about how it would make you feel. So I’m sorry. If you need to tell the captain about my actions-”
“You idiot.” Asahi yelped when another firework synced up with Noya’s tackle, the spry libero straddling his body within seconds of the next boom. The flash of red light illuminated the small frame resting over him, Noya’s eyes seeming to glow with too many emotions to count. As the sparkles of the firework disintegrated into the sky, Noya punched Asahi’s shoulder with enough force to make the ace wince. “You big, glass-hearted idiot!”
“I’m...sorry?” Asahi only received another punch at his apology, the third year managing to grab his fist from delivering a third blow. “If you keep doing that, you could get suspended again!”
“You think I’m mad at you?” Noya’s question took Asahi a moment to process, and the brunette’s silence made Noya rush to speak again. “I wasn’t mad at all! Well, I mean, I was pissed off at that girl, and a little mad at myself, but not about you kissing me. That was really good!”
“It w-was?” Asahi asked, flushed at the thought of Noya actually enjoying the kiss. When Noya nodded with enough force for worry the ace, Asahi squirmed under his teammate. “But afterwards, weren’t you avoiding me?”
“I was.” Noya nearly fell off Asahi when the taller teen sat up, the libero falling into his lap and securing his hands onto Asahi’s shoulders.
“Why?” There was a lull between them, the only noise being the cheers of the crowd from the firework display. So caught up in the moment, Asahi almost forgot about why they had originally came to the grassy hill. But when a burst of gold shimmered behind Noya’s spiky hair, Asahi was thankful for the moment of light. Because there, in the few seconds of light, Asahi saw the rare blush spreading across Noya’s cheeks. His hands were fisted in the fabric of Asahi’s shirt, his teeth capturing his lower lip in obvious frustration.
“Because I...really liked kissing you. Like, more so than I thought I would. And then you just pulled away right when it was getting good! I knew if I was near you, I was going to jump you and kiss you right in the middle of the festival!” Noya’s blunt personality was just as impossible to handle as ever, and Asahi was sure his cheeks were going to burst from embarrassment.
“But you tensed,” Asahi argued, amazed that his voice didn’t squeak or stutter.
“Did you want me to crawl into your lap in front of that annoying girl?” Noya’s arched eyebrow made Asahi groan and cover his face with his hands, unsure of how to answer. He could hear Noya laughing, but refused to pull his hands away from his face until Noya was yanking at his wrists. With a pained sigh Asahi glanced at Noya, expecting a grin or a teasing comment. What he was given was a hesitant smile and a slows brush of the libero’s thumb over his calloused palm. “Plus, I wasn’t really sure if you…”
“Noya?” Noya’s mouth formed into a scowl at the sound of his own name, his hands tightening on Asahi’s wrist before he let out a huff of hot air.
“I like you.” Their stare met again, Noya’s filled with determination while Asahi’s leaned toward confusion.
“What?”
“I like you, Asahi. So I’m going to kiss you, for real this time, okay?”
It didn’t take a genius to realize what he meant. Noya was never shy with his heart, and this was no exception. He left it bare to Asahi, and the longer the ace stared down at the self-assured Noya, the more his stomach quivered. He wasn’t the bravest or most confident guy in the world. Maybe that was why he had always been so quick to ignore or pass over the shifts in his heart. It was easier to hide from his feelings. The glass in his heart could break if he pushed it too hard. Even now, as his hands shook and his eyes drifted to look at the lips he had claimed earlier, he wasn’t sure how to face the emotion hitting into him.
“Okay.” But feeling fear and anxiety was okay. Wasn’t Noya always there to support him in times of weakness? As if reading his mind, Noya gave his ace a confident smile before he pushed up on his knees, letting their hands drop to their sides. Asahi closed his eyes at the first brush of their lips before Noya let out a weird noise from his throat and completely captured Asahi’s mouth. The second year was more than willing to take the lead this time, and Asahi could only lean forward to accommodate the shorter guy. Noya’s mouth parted slowly, and the speed of the energy between them slowed to a pleasurable pace. It had been one thing to see Noya kiss someone; being the one kissed was completely different. His mouth was pliant, trailing his tongue along Asahi’s lips before pulling back and deepening the kiss.
By now Noya’s hands had returned to Asahi’s shoulders, and Asahi found his own grasp pulling the libero’s hips closer. Their mouths still moved together slowly, but with purpose, as if trying to memorize the new territory. Noya made his distinct noise again before pulling at Asahi’s shoulders and licking the roof of his mouth. The motion sent a shiver through Asahi’s spine, and his fingers spazzed against the squirming hips under him. Every shift that had confused and worried Asahi melted away, now leaving him with one thought.
He liked kissing Noya, and he had no intention of stopping.
“Whoo-hoo! You get that kiss, Noya!” Tanaka, however, had other plans for them. And he wasn’t the only one who seemed to notice their not-so-discrete kiss.
“Do you think we should tell them they’re going to miss the finale?”
“Suga, I think they know. But I’ll be dealing with Mr.Sensitive later.”
“So that’s how you kiss guys way taller than you...Awesome, senpai!”
“Hinata, shut up.”
“Ow! Kageyama, you idiot!”
“They should have just stayed at the booth if they were going to slobber all over each other.”
“Nice one, Tsukki!”
The snicker from Yamaguchi was enough for Asahi to pull away, his head snapping back to look at his team. Yachi’s face matched a tomato, while Kiyoko’s eyes hadn’t strayed from the night sky above them. Tsukishima was smirking next to his giggling best friend, their hands entwined discreetly on their blanket. Suga was holding a sympathetic smile that was definitely aimed for Asahi, if Daichi’s serious stare had anything to do with it. The ace was sure their captain would already be over there to lecture him if not for Suga’s head on his shoulder and Daichi’s arm around his back. Hinata was trying to get away from the hand in his hair, though it was hard to dislodge Kageyama when the setter was sitting behind him. Caged between the taller boy’s legs, Hinata’s back leaned against number 9’s chest while he looked behind him and scowled. And in normal Tanaka fashion, the teen had lost his shirt and was twirling it around his head while he hollered for his best friend.
“You make it official, my smooth-as-silk best friend?” Asahi’s cheeks were lava when he looked down to Noya, who was sending a thumbs up to his friend with no sense of humility.
“Of course!” Then a side glance from Noya was aimed to the ace. “It’s okay to call you my boyfriend now that I’ve had my tongue in your mouth, right?”
Asahi nearly choked on air at the statement, Noya laughing before he buried his face into his chest. The fireworks were ringing through Asahi’s ears as the finale continued, though the tall teen couldn’t seem to pull his eyes off of the libero snuggling into his lap. Little arms wrapped around his torso, Noya’s eyes closing while he relaxed into Asahi’s warmth.
“Way better than last year’s show.”
“But you barely watched them,” Asahi argued, finding his own arms wrapping around Noya’s waist. It was okay to hug him since they were kind of dating, right? Noya hummed at the action, then peeked an eye up at Asahi.
“If you come with me next year, it’ll probably be even better.” Then the libero flashed his grin, which nearly matched the brightness of the show above them. Ashai could only nod, Noya squeezing his torso before lifting his head to catch the tail end of the show. The third year felt his body warm as he watched Noya’s animated face. When he was around Noya, his heart didn’t feel like glass. It felt strong, supported by someone who would never let it shatter. He felt like he could do anything.
It Asahi who dragged Noya to the ferris wheel later that night, and he only half regretted the irrational decision afterwards.