Whatever it was that had Reon so bent out of shape, Noya could tell that he was getting really close to figuring out what it was. Both figuratively and literally – the two of them were sitting so close that there was barely any space left between them, and Reon was stammering his response in such a way so thoroughly unlike him, that for a moment, the libero almost worried.
But then the other reached up to cup his cheek, and the puzzle pieces suddenly all slotted into their allotted places, forming a clear, whole picture – why Reon had practically run away from their stupid game, why they both had felt so terrible about the whole thing, why his voice trembled like his life depended on Noya’s answer.
And – because life tends to be inconvenient that way – this was, of course, the moment, Noya felt his face go entirely red with shame, as Reon’s question properly penetrated his mind. Reon was putting him to shame – unwantingly, of course – with how courteous he was; as opposed to Noya who had completely skipped the part where he ought to have asked for Reon’s consent before kissing him earlier. The embarrassment he was suddenly feeling about it now was nearly enough for him to pull away – I don’t deserve this, don’t – but just nearly.
Reon’s hand was warm on his cheek. It was a ridiculous thing to make that difference, between acceptance and rejection, but it was still the thing that sealed the deal. The sheer sensation was so foreign that Noya froze into it a little bit; he scarcely ever met people who didn’t run colder than him, or if he did, he never got quite this close to them physically. Reon’s warmth was – something else entirely, and it felt as if it was coming from the inside, rather than just being a physical thing. And of course, by this point, Noya’s mind was in complete overdrive, because it was all so obvious now, that Reon had feelings for him, while Noya had just been fooling around, and how deeply he must have hurt him with that, and the question of whether it was okay to respond to this now affirmatively, before he could even give it proper thought – it wasn’t that there was no possibility that he could also have feelings, but he’d literally never thought about that; shouldn’t he have done that now, before they kissed each other again?
Ultimately, though, if there was one key characteristic of Nishinoya Yuu that always shone through, despite the fact that usually he did try to be thoughtful and considerate, it was his ‘act first, think afterwards’ tendency. So what if he wasn’t crazy in love right in this moment? They could figure it all out later. Reon wanted this now, and, if nothing else, he was attractive as hell, and there was no reason why Noya should have refused – which, in the end, was enough for him to let his features relax into a soft, near-apologetic smile, and say softly, “Yeah.”
