day 3 of asanoya: foggy mornings (tags: established relationship au, post timeskip au, fluff, domestic au)
Nishinoya follows a strict morning routine - that’s what keeps his energy in control in, if he’s being honest. He likes to wake up at 6AM exactly, get out of his comfy bed, brush his teeth, start some coffee, and then open up the curtains so Asahi can wake up next.
“Already?” Asahi grumbles, his deep voice rougher around this time. He cracks an eye open and buries his head into the pillow. “A few more minutes.”
On a regular day, Noya would’ve opened the second set of curtains, letting the sunshine hit Asahi’s face. But today, he leaves with a kiss on Asahi’s cheek. Besides, this winter morning is foggier than usual. “Five more minutes, Asa-chan,” he says before closing the door behind him.
He changes into his running gear - shorts and a loose tank top. He takes out a loose headband for Asahi from the drawer of hair stuff they have, and returns to their room with a cup of coffee.
Asahi wakes up with the smell of coffee almost immediately. He reaches out for the cup, and Noya gently pushes his hand away. “You’re trying to quit, remember?”
“You’re so cruel,” Asahi grumbles. He flops back on the bed, pouting a little, then gets up again. “I’ll be out in a second. Have you warmed up?”
“Waiting for you.”
Asahi nods, and Noya leaves. He sits on the loveseat, starting with calf-raises for the warm up while he waits for his boyfriend to get ready.
Unlike any part of the day, the mornings in Azumane-Nishinoya household is the quietest. Asahi likes to stay quiet for the larger part of his mornings, it keeps him from buzzing away with nervousness about everything else. He gets restless if he spends too much energy too early. Noya is restless from the morning. He needs to have a good workout in the morning, one that leaves him craving a good nap afterwards. That is how he usually keeps himself in check.
Travelling the world has taught him a lot about him as a person. He’s even better at volleyball now.
“Let’s start the warm up,” Asahi says from the bedroom. He comes out in a similar outfit - but his t-shirt is form-fitting and shows off his pecs and arms well.
Noya whistles. “Good morning to me.”
Asahi blushes. Even after almost seven years of dating. Adorable.
They start warming up, Noya counting for them out loud. They grab their sweaters, ear mufflers, and jackets, and move outside for their dynamic stretches.
“Woah.” Noya pulls his ear mufflers closer to his ears, and breathes out more fog out of his mouth. It’s not freezing, it’ll definitely get better once they start running, but it’s cold.
He can’t see past 10 feet in front of him, and the sun is hiding behind thick, dark clouds.
“I’ll go get the headlights,” Asahi says.
They won’t need it - the fog will let up sooner or later. But his sweet, nervous Asahi likes to be prepared, and Noya can’t bring himself to deny him anything this morning.
“You’re such a boy scout,” Noya tells him when Asahi returns with the headlight. “I love you.”
Asahi, even if he’s woken up a second ago, even if he’s feeling his worst self, never denies Noya the privilege of hearing him say it back. Even if it’s a foggy morning, even if he’s scammed into waking up by his boyfriend, he will always say, “I love you too.”
day 4 of asanoya: jukebox (tags: pre-relationship, meet-cute, fluff)
The bar is kind of cosy. There’s a live jazz band playing something slow, several couples on the dance floor swaying to the music.
There are distinct areas that Asahi notices as he walks further into the room. Towards the backside of the large hall is the bar with neon signs that hurt Asahi’s eyes. The left side of the room has more tables with beige tablecloth, and the least number of people. The right side is the ‘dance’ floor, and pushed against the wall is the band’s stage. It’s actually just several upside down crates with a thin wooden board placed on top of it.
“Look, they even have a jukebox,” Suga says, nodding in the direction. Asahi follows his gaze and sure enough, next to the band is a jukebox. “I wonder if it works.”
Daichi sits next to Suga. Asahi doesn’t have to peek to know they’re holding hands under the table. Like teenagers. “They make the insides electronic these days, so maybe it does.”
“Let’s check it out, Asahi.” Suga stands up, excited. He ends up showcasing their entwined fingers, and Asahi grumbles. They always do this. They promise they won’t be lovey-dovey in front of him, and forget all about it. Suga grins, sheepish. “Sorry.”
“No, you guys shouldn’t apologise for being yourselves,” Asahi says, rolling his eyes. “Holding hands is fine. Just. Don’t strand me and make out in a corner like the last time, okay?”
“Of course not, Asahi,” Daichi says, his voice all serious. For a long moment, Asahi believes him. But he said the same thing last time and left Asahi anyway. It’s now his fault if these two lovebirds leave him - he needs to stop falling for their trap of ‘let’s hangout as friends for old time’s sake.’
“I’m going to check it out,” Asahi declares. He doesn’t care about the box, but he knows it’ll kill Suga to not go there first. And judging by the look on Daichi’s face, he’ll whine and pout but stay in his seat. Asahi grins as he stands up and Suga sits down. “I’ll report it’s conditions to you.”
“Okay,” Suga says, frowning.
The jukebox is electronic like Daichi guessed. Asahi squats in front of it, reading the little square’s scrolling messages. ‘Start’ is blinking on the screen. Asahi tries the buttons below the screen but they don’t make a difference. He clicks on the letters on the screen. The machine emits a loud coin-slotting noise. Asahi startles, cringes, and looks around.
Nobody is looking at him. He glances at the band, and thankfully they don’t seem to have noticed.
‘CHOOSE AN ERA’ is the next blinking message. Under it are different decades listed. Asahi considers clicking on any of them, just to see if it’ll list out the artists of the time, but he’s worried. What if a song starts playing? That’s so disrespectful to the band that’s playing-
Wait.
The only sound is the saxophone. It’s a sensuous melody, the kind that has several people groping each other on the dance floor. The kind that piques Asahi’s interest more than the electronic jukebox.
He turns towards the band and finds a short man - Asahi gasps - who is turned towards him, a single blonde streak on his hair. He’s looking at Asahi. Shit, shit, shit. Did he disrespect him?
“I’m sorry,” Asahi says quietly, making sure his lips are easier to read. He bows too, for good measure.
The short man’s left cheek lifts, and he shakes his head the slightest. Asahi hopes it translates to ‘don’t worry about it’ because he’ll die of embarrassment right now.
Suddenly, behind him the cello, drums, and piano picks up, and the short man’s saxophone withers up against those. He smirks when he lowers his saxophone, and jumps off the stage.
“So, you’re into jukeboxes?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrespect you.” Asahi bows deeper, his face all hot. “I was just testing my-”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m not offended.” The short man is next to him immediately, his hand on Asahi’s back in a comforting manner. “Not many people show interest in it, that’s all. It’s one of my best investments. It’s great for when I can’t get the band together.”
“Y-you’re the owner?”
Asahi realises a second late that they’re walking towards the bar. The man’s hand stays on his back as he leads him, and stays there when he leans his elbow against the bar counter. “My usual please. What will you like, handsome?”
“U-um,” Asahi sputters, squirms, his toes curling up a little at the nickname. When was the last time he flirted with someone? Gosh. This feels great. “Whiskey on the rocks please.”
The man gestures to the bartender, and then he points towards the band. “I’m the co-owner with the guy on the drums. That’s Tanaka. I’m Nishinoya Yuu.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Asahi says. “I’m Azumane Asahi.”
“Handsome name,” Nishinoya says. He compliments Asahi like he breathes - easy, slow, and with a weird charm. “Have you come here alone?”
“I’m with my friends, over there-” Asahi points at Suga and Daichi across the room, and waves back when they wave at him. “We’re just hanging out.”
“I won’t keep you then.” Nihisnoya grabs his drink - a margarita is his usual - and raises the glass to him. “I want to get to know you more though. Can you meet me before you leave?”
day 5: lighthouse (tags: canon divergence, emotional hurt/comfort, anxiousness)
The boulder in his stomach is familiar. Nishinoya stares into the darkness of his room, with intentional darkness, and the boulder becomes heavier.
It clicks like an instinct built up through several years of volleyball: fear. He can’t remember the last time he was excited to feel this fear.
He knows, rationally, that it was during their Date Tech match, soon after Hinata and Kageyama joined. He felt it when Aone pointed at Asahi before the match. But now, his body betrays him, betrays his training, continuing to feel fear, and continues to worry his brain.
Noya gets up from his corner and leaps towards the front door, his breathing uneven as he opens the door of his room to let in the light of the living room. The owners, still on their sofa and watching their Italian show, turn to him, and the woman says, “good?”
“Good.” Noya says. He’s come across the world, and he’s in a place with nobody, and he’s got money that’s gotten stolen several times. He needs to keep it on himself from now. He needs to be careful with the owner couple too. What if their kindness is only a facade? They must be struggling financially too, if they’re letting in a non-Italian, frugal foreigner who barely speaks their language, or even good enough English.
“Mr. Nishinoya?” She asks.
Shit, Noya thinks. He froze up again. He shakes his head and walks back into his room. He turns on all the switches, uncaring that it turns on the porch light of their house.
He takes a seat on his bed instead. He takes out his phone, and ignoring his instinct to open up Instagram and check everything, he dials to Asahi.
It’s too late for him, cut the call, Nishinoya thinks. But he shakes his head. There’s something wrong with him. He’s scared and freezing up and there’s no Grandpa with him right now. If he’s learnt anything from years of facing his fears, it’s to do something. To attack before the fear can solidify. He must work on this.
When the ringing stops, Asahi’s rough voice answers, “Hello?”
“Asahi-san, I’m afraid.” That’s the worst way to start a conversation, Noya thinks, but he must go on. “I’ve become afraid again.”
“Afraid of what?” Asahi sounds worried, but his voice stays calm, and for a second, Noya is proud of him. “Are you safe, Noya?”
“I am. I’m in the room,” Noya says. “I’ve become scared of everything again. I’m thinking. I’m thinking too much. I don’t know what to do. I hate feeling this. I don’t want to feel this. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.”
This is probably the longest he’s spoken when he’s feeling something bad. He’s not like this. He processes his emotions better than this. He’s Asahi’s rock, the fearless one.
“That’s okay, Noya.” Asahi’s voice changes something akin to his therapist’s. “Did something happen recently?”
“No.” Noya says, then pauses for a moment. He thinks. A pickpocket stole his wallet in the beginning of the week, that was the fourth time this month; Wednesday, he was held at knife-point with three strangers in the bathroom of a cafe; today, the owners raised his weekly rent to almost double, and said he’d have to leave tomorrow if he can’t pay it. He corrects himself, “yeah. A lot.”
“What happened, Noya?”
“You’ll worry,” Noya mumbles into the phone. He lays on his back, on his bed, and stares at the ceiling.
“More than now, when you’re calling... at 4am in the morning?”
Noya sighs. “Yeah.”
There’s silence on the otherside for a minute. Noya thinks maybe Asahi fell asleep again, until his rough voice startles him. “Come back to Japan. Stay with me for a few days.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to book a ticket, let alone fly again, Asahi-san.”
“Yuu.” Asahi takes a deep breath. “Nishinoya Yuu, it will be difficult in the beginning. It will be scary, but it will stop being scary the second time.”
“But it’s scary again, Asahi-san.” Noya bites his lower lip, grabbing his blanket until his fists turn white. “It’ll be scary again, and I don’t like it.”
The rapid heartbeat is back again, from when he was a kid, and so are the damn tears in his eyes. He hates crying because he’s scared. Grandpa said crying never solves anything. And here is, crying that he’s scared again to the love of his life.
“Noya? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” Noya says, and his body betrays him again. A sob escapes and he turns, bites his pillow to stop anymore from coming. He mumbles into the phone, “I’ll be okay.”
“Nishi, listen to me. This feeling won’t be forever. You won’t be scared forever, Noya.” Asahi’s therapist-voice is pretty assertive and it catches Noya’s attention for long enough. “Are you scared of riding a cycle again?”
Noya chuckles. “No.”
“Of a really strong server?”
“No,” Noya says, now smiling. The boulder in his stomach is lighter at the reminder. There’s a flicker of excitement, thinking of Oikawa’s serve, the burn his forearms felt, the cheers from his teammates. The cheer from Asahi, the ‘Good job, Noya!’ from Daichi.
“See? Some fears can come back, some won’t. You’ll be okay.” Asahi breathes out into the phone, and Noya realises what he’s doing. He’s breathing loud and clear for Noya to copy. “Do you believe me?”
“I do, now.”
“So you’ll come back to Japan for a few weeks, for me?”
Noya takes a deep breath too. He wipes his tears away, wipes the snot on the back of his hand, and breathes out carefully. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Asahi chuckles. “Should I book your tickets?”
“No, Asahi-san, I’ll do it myself.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Noya grins. “You know, Asahi-san, you’re like my lighthouse. Always guiding me towards you.”
“Noya,” Asahi whines, clearly missing the compliment Noya meant it as. “Are you feeling any better?”
day 6 of asanoya: bonfire (tags: established relationship au, fluff)
A lull falls among them. Asahi looks away from the cackling fire, he looks at the little huddles of people. Tanaka and Kiyoko are cuddling; Kuroo and Kenma are warming their hands with the fire; Suga is reading his book.
“Hey,” comes a whisper from behind him.
Asahi turns around to a piping hot mug near his face. He accepts it, and turns around to his left, waiting for Noya to sit next to him. He welcomes Noya’s body against him. Asahi sets down his mug to pull his boyfriend closer, squeezing him until Noya chuckles.
“Wow,” Kuroo says, breaking the perfect silence. “These two knuckleheads actually know to stay quiet?”
“What’ya mean?” Tanaka and Noya say simultaneously. They look at each other, the bonfire between them nothing compared to their presence, and laugh.
Somehow, they fall back into the silence.
It must be the time, Asahi thinks. It’s almost 3 in the morning. They all slept too much last evening.
“Asahi-san,” Noya says, voice just shy of being a whisper. “What was your best bonfire experience?”
Asahi’s eyebrows furrow as he thinks. “I think it has to be before my elementary school graduation.”
“Wow. That’s a long time ago.”
“Yeah. I almost kissed a boy that day. It was nice to think about it.”
“That’s it?”
Asahi nods. He looks at Noya hanging off his arm, grinning. Noya leans up and kisses him. “Now which one’s the best?”
day 6 of asanoya: bonfire (tags: established relationship au, fluff)
A lull falls among them. Asahi looks away from the cackling fire, he looks at the little huddles of people. Tanaka and Kiyoko are cuddling; Kuroo and Kenma are warming their hands with the fire; Suga is reading his book.
“Hey,” comes a whisper from behind him.
Asahi turns around to a piping hot mug near his face. He accepts it, and turns around to his left, waiting for Noya to sit next to him. He welcomes Noya’s body against him. Asahi sets down his mug to pull his boyfriend closer, squeezing him until Noya chuckles.
“Wow,” Kuroo says, breaking the perfect silence. “These two knuckleheads actually know to stay quiet?”
“What’ya mean?” Tanaka and Noya say simultaneously. They look at each other, the bonfire between them nothing compared to their presence, and laugh.
Somehow, they fall back into the silence.
It must be the time, Asahi thinks. It’s almost 3 in the morning. They all slept too much last evening.
“Asahi-san,” Noya says, voice just shy of being a whisper. “What was your best bonfire experience?”
Asahi’s eyebrows furrow as he thinks. “I think it has to be before my elementary school graduation.”
“Wow. That’s a long time ago.”
“Yeah. I almost kissed a boy that day. It was nice to think about it.”
“That’s it?”
Asahi nods. He looks at Noya hanging off his arm, grinning. Noya leans up and kisses him. “Now which one’s the best?”
day 5: lighthouse (tags: canon divergence, emotional hurt/comfort, anxiousness)
The boulder in his stomach is familiar. Nishinoya stares into the darkness of his room, with intentional darkness, and the boulder becomes heavier.
It clicks like an instinct built up through several years of volleyball: fear. He can’t remember the last time he was excited to feel this fear.
He knows, rationally, that it was during their Date Tech match, soon after Hinata and Kageyama joined. He felt it when Aone pointed at Asahi before the match. But now, his body betrays him, betrays his training, continuing to feel fear, and continues to worry his brain.
Noya gets up from his corner and leaps towards the front door, his breathing uneven as he opens the door of his room to let in the light of the living room. The owners, still on their sofa and watching their Italian show, turn to him, and the woman says, “good?”
“Good.” Noya says. He’s come across the world, and he’s in a place with nobody, and he’s got money that’s gotten stolen several times. He needs to keep it on himself from now. He needs to be careful with the owner couple too. What if their kindness is only a facade? They must be struggling financially too, if they’re letting in a non-Italian, frugal foreigner who barely speaks their language, or even good enough English.
“Mr. Nishinoya?” She asks.
Shit, Noya thinks. He froze up again. He shakes his head and walks back into his room. He turns on all the switches, uncaring that it turns on the porch light of their house.
He takes a seat on his bed instead. He takes out his phone, and ignoring his instinct to open up Instagram and check everything, he dials to Asahi.
It’s too late for him, cut the call, Nishinoya thinks. But he shakes his head. There’s something wrong with him. He’s scared and freezing up and there’s no Grandpa with him right now. If he’s learnt anything from years of facing his fears, it’s to do something. To attack before the fear can solidify. He must work on this.
When the ringing stops, Asahi’s rough voice answers, “Hello?”
“Asahi-san, I’m afraid.” That’s the worst way to start a conversation, Noya thinks, but he must go on. “I’ve become afraid again.”
“Afraid of what?” Asahi sounds worried, but his voice stays calm, and for a second, Noya is proud of him. “Are you safe, Noya?”
“I am. I’m in the room,” Noya says. “I’ve become scared of everything again. I’m thinking. I’m thinking too much. I don’t know what to do. I hate feeling this. I don’t want to feel this. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.”
This is probably the longest he’s spoken when he’s feeling something bad. He’s not like this. He processes his emotions better than this. He’s Asahi’s rock, the fearless one.
“That’s okay, Noya.” Asahi’s voice changes something akin to his therapist’s. “Did something happen recently?”
“No.” Noya says, then pauses for a moment. He thinks. A pickpocket stole his wallet in the beginning of the week, that was the fourth time this month; Wednesday, he was held at knife-point with three strangers in the bathroom of a cafe; today, the owners raised his weekly rent to almost double, and said he’d have to leave tomorrow if he can’t pay it. He corrects himself, “yeah. A lot.”
“What happened, Noya?”
“You’ll worry,” Noya mumbles into the phone. He lays on his back, on his bed, and stares at the ceiling.
“More than now, when you’re calling... at 4am in the morning?”
Noya sighs. “Yeah.”
There’s silence on the otherside for a minute. Noya thinks maybe Asahi fell asleep again, until his rough voice startles him. “Come back to Japan. Stay with me for a few days.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to book a ticket, let alone fly again, Asahi-san.”
“Yuu.” Asahi takes a deep breath. “Nishinoya Yuu, it will be difficult in the beginning. It will be scary, but it will stop being scary the second time.”
“But it’s scary again, Asahi-san.” Noya bites his lower lip, grabbing his blanket until his fists turn white. “It’ll be scary again, and I don’t like it.”
The rapid heartbeat is back again, from when he was a kid, and so are the damn tears in his eyes. He hates crying because he’s scared. Grandpa said crying never solves anything. And here is, crying that he’s scared again to the love of his life.
“Noya? Are you okay?”
“I’m okay,” Noya says, and his body betrays him again. A sob escapes and he turns, bites his pillow to stop anymore from coming. He mumbles into the phone, “I’ll be okay.”
“Nishi, listen to me. This feeling won’t be forever. You won’t be scared forever, Noya.” Asahi’s therapist-voice is pretty assertive and it catches Noya’s attention for long enough. “Are you scared of riding a cycle again?”
Noya chuckles. “No.”
“Of a really strong server?”
“No,” Noya says, now smiling. The boulder in his stomach is lighter at the reminder. There’s a flicker of excitement, thinking of Oikawa’s serve, the burn his forearms felt, the cheers from his teammates. The cheer from Asahi, the ‘Good job, Noya!’ from Daichi.
“See? Some fears can come back, some won’t. You’ll be okay.” Asahi breathes out into the phone, and Noya realises what he’s doing. He’s breathing loud and clear for Noya to copy. “Do you believe me?”
“I do, now.”
“So you’ll come back to Japan for a few weeks, for me?”
Noya takes a deep breath too. He wipes his tears away, wipes the snot on the back of his hand, and breathes out carefully. “Yeah.”
“Good.” Asahi chuckles. “Should I book your tickets?”
“No, Asahi-san, I’ll do it myself.”
“Okay, I’ll wait for you.”
Noya grins. “You know, Asahi-san, you’re like my lighthouse. Always guiding me towards you.”
“Noya,” Asahi whines, clearly missing the compliment Noya meant it as. “Are you feeling any better?”
day 4 of asanoya: jukebox (tags: pre-relationship, meet-cute, fluff)
The bar is kind of cosy. There’s a live jazz band playing something slow, several couples on the dance floor swaying to the music.
There are distinct areas that Asahi notices as he walks further into the room. Towards the backside of the large hall is the bar with neon signs that hurt Asahi’s eyes. The left side of the room has more tables with beige tablecloth, and the least number of people. The right side is the ‘dance’ floor, and pushed against the wall is the band’s stage. It’s actually just several upside down crates with a thin wooden board placed on top of it.
“Look, they even have a jukebox,” Suga says, nodding in the direction. Asahi follows his gaze and sure enough, next to the band is a jukebox. “I wonder if it works.”
Daichi sits next to Suga. Asahi doesn’t have to peek to know they’re holding hands under the table. Like teenagers. “They make the insides electronic these days, so maybe it does.”
“Let’s check it out, Asahi.” Suga stands up, excited. He ends up showcasing their entwined fingers, and Asahi grumbles. They always do this. They promise they won’t be lovey-dovey in front of him, and forget all about it. Suga grins, sheepish. “Sorry.”
“No, you guys shouldn’t apologise for being yourselves,” Asahi says, rolling his eyes. “Holding hands is fine. Just. Don’t strand me and make out in a corner like the last time, okay?”
“Of course not, Asahi,” Daichi says, his voice all serious. For a long moment, Asahi believes him. But he said the same thing last time and left Asahi anyway. It’s now his fault if these two lovebirds leave him - he needs to stop falling for their trap of ‘let’s hangout as friends for old time’s sake.’
“I’m going to check it out,” Asahi declares. He doesn’t care about the box, but he knows it’ll kill Suga to not go there first. And judging by the look on Daichi’s face, he’ll whine and pout but stay in his seat. Asahi grins as he stands up and Suga sits down. “I’ll report it’s conditions to you.”
“Okay,” Suga says, frowning.
The jukebox is electronic like Daichi guessed. Asahi squats in front of it, reading the little square’s scrolling messages. ‘Start’ is blinking on the screen. Asahi tries the buttons below the screen but they don’t make a difference. He clicks on the letters on the screen. The machine emits a loud coin-slotting noise. Asahi startles, cringes, and looks around.
Nobody is looking at him. He glances at the band, and thankfully they don’t seem to have noticed.
‘CHOOSE AN ERA’ is the next blinking message. Under it are different decades listed. Asahi considers clicking on any of them, just to see if it’ll list out the artists of the time, but he’s worried. What if a song starts playing? That’s so disrespectful to the band that’s playing-
Wait.
The only sound is the saxophone. It’s a sensuous melody, the kind that has several people groping each other on the dance floor. The kind that piques Asahi’s interest more than the electronic jukebox.
He turns towards the band and finds a short man - Asahi gasps - who is turned towards him, a single blonde streak on his hair. He’s looking at Asahi. Shit, shit, shit. Did he disrespect him?
“I’m sorry,” Asahi says quietly, making sure his lips are easier to read. He bows too, for good measure.
The short man’s left cheek lifts, and he shakes his head the slightest. Asahi hopes it translates to ‘don’t worry about it’ because he’ll die of embarrassment right now.
Suddenly, behind him the cello, drums, and piano picks up, and the short man’s saxophone withers up against those. He smirks when he lowers his saxophone, and jumps off the stage.
“So, you’re into jukeboxes?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disrespect you.” Asahi bows deeper, his face all hot. “I was just testing my-”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I’m not offended.” The short man is next to him immediately, his hand on Asahi’s back in a comforting manner. “Not many people show interest in it, that’s all. It’s one of my best investments. It’s great for when I can’t get the band together.”
“Y-you’re the owner?”
Asahi realises a second late that they’re walking towards the bar. The man’s hand stays on his back as he leads him, and stays there when he leans his elbow against the bar counter. “My usual please. What will you like, handsome?”
“U-um,” Asahi sputters, squirms, his toes curling up a little at the nickname. When was the last time he flirted with someone? Gosh. This feels great. “Whiskey on the rocks please.”
The man gestures to the bartender, and then he points towards the band. “I’m the co-owner with the guy on the drums. That’s Tanaka. I’m Nishinoya Yuu.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Asahi says. “I’m Azumane Asahi.”
“Handsome name,” Nishinoya says. He compliments Asahi like he breathes - easy, slow, and with a weird charm. “Have you come here alone?”
“I’m with my friends, over there-” Asahi points at Suga and Daichi across the room, and waves back when they wave at him. “We’re just hanging out.”
“I won’t keep you then.” Nihisnoya grabs his drink - a margarita is his usual - and raises the glass to him. “I want to get to know you more though. Can you meet me before you leave?”
day 3 of asanoya: foggy mornings (tags: established relationship au, post timeskip au, fluff, domestic au)
Nishinoya follows a strict morning routine - that’s what keeps his energy in control in, if he’s being honest. He likes to wake up at 6AM exactly, get out of his comfy bed, brush his teeth, start some coffee, and then open up the curtains so Asahi can wake up next.
“Already?” Asahi grumbles, his deep voice rougher around this time. He cracks an eye open and buries his head into the pillow. “A few more minutes.”
On a regular day, Noya would’ve opened the second set of curtains, letting the sunshine hit Asahi’s face. But today, he leaves with a kiss on Asahi’s cheek. Besides, this winter morning is foggier than usual. “Five more minutes, Asa-chan,” he says before closing the door behind him.
He changes into his running gear - shorts and a loose tank top. He takes out a loose headband for Asahi from the drawer of hair stuff they have, and returns to their room with a cup of coffee.
Asahi wakes up with the smell of coffee almost immediately. He reaches out for the cup, and Noya gently pushes his hand away. “You’re trying to quit, remember?”
“You’re so cruel,” Asahi grumbles. He flops back on the bed, pouting a little, then gets up again. “I’ll be out in a second. Have you warmed up?”
“Waiting for you.”
Asahi nods, and Noya leaves. He sits on the loveseat, starting with calf-raises for the warm up while he waits for his boyfriend to get ready.
Unlike any part of the day, the mornings in Azumane-Nishinoya household is the quietest. Asahi likes to stay quiet for the larger part of his mornings, it keeps him from buzzing away with nervousness about everything else. He gets restless if he spends too much energy too early. Noya is restless from the morning. He needs to have a good workout in the morning, one that leaves him craving a good nap afterwards. That is how he usually keeps himself in check.
Travelling the world has taught him a lot about him as a person. He’s even better at volleyball now.
“Let’s start the warm up,” Asahi says from the bedroom. He comes out in a similar outfit - but his t-shirt is form-fitting and shows off his pecs and arms well.
Noya whistles. “Good morning to me.”
Asahi blushes. Even after almost seven years of dating. Adorable.
They start warming up, Noya counting for them out loud. They grab their sweaters, ear mufflers, and jackets, and move outside for their dynamic stretches.
“Woah.” Noya pulls his ear mufflers closer to his ears, and breathes out more fog out of his mouth. It’s not freezing, it’ll definitely get better once they start running, but it’s cold.
He can’t see past 10 feet in front of him, and the sun is hiding behind thick, dark clouds.
“I’ll go get the headlights,” Asahi says.
They won’t need it - the fog will let up sooner or later. But his sweet, nervous Asahi likes to be prepared, and Noya can’t bring himself to deny him anything this morning.
“You’re such a boy scout,” Noya tells him when Asahi returns with the headlight. “I love you.”
Asahi, even if he’s woken up a second ago, even if he’s feeling his worst self, never denies Noya the privilege of hearing him say it back. Even if it’s a foggy morning, even if he’s scammed into waking up by his boyfriend, he will always say, “I love you too.”
day 2 of asanoya: horizon (tags: established relationship au, canon divergence au, fluff)
Asahi likes the USA right now. He’s complained a lot about how inconvenient everything is, compared to Japan, about the people being too friendly and trying to speak to him despite his broken English (he gets too anxious, okay?), and especially about the food’s taste, but he likes it right now.
He squeezes Yuu’s hand that he’s holding, and brings him closer. He wraps places his arm around Yuu’s shoulder, and sighs, content.
The ocean is calm, the waves lapping at the sand in an almost hypnotic rhythm, and his boyfriend is huddled close to him. It’s been a while since he’s seen Yuu this serene.
“You know, Asa-chan, we’re total opposites,” Yuu says.
Asahi hums. This is quite obvious to everyone and anyone that meets them. Asahi’s large physicality is in opposition to his personality, just like Yuu’s.
“But I think we have some similarities.”
“We do,” Asahi admits. Both of them like coffee first thing in the morning, and they make two cups even though Asahi always eats something before his coffee. Yuu re-heats the coffee every day. Both of them love volleyball. Both of them enjoy travelling. Both of them love beaches.
“I sometimes wonder if we’ll ever break up.”
Asahi pauses. His mind begins to make a lot of assumptions, but he reels it back in, somehow convinced this is not his boyfriend’s way of breaking up with him.
“Why?”
Yuu shrugs, and looks at him. His face serious, his eyes dark with concentration and focus - like when he plays any games, and he leans his back closer to Asahi’s chest, so they’re cuddling now. “I can’t think of a time when I’m not with you. It feels right that I’m with you. And I think I know why.”
“Why?”
“Because we’re everything together. You’ve got the morning horizon covered, and I’ve got the evening. That’s basically the whole day.”
Asahi considers his words, then laughs so abruptly a bunch of seabirds squawk and fly away. “You know what? I agree.”
“So I don’t think we’ll ever break up, even if we’re total opposites.”
“Yeah.” Asahi leans closer to his boyfriend, and kisses him. Another reason he likes the USA. He can do this without his stomach twisting and churning. “We’ve got the sky for our similarities, huh?”
“That’s cheesy, Asa-chan.”
“And what you said wasn’t?”
“No,” Yuu says, laughing when his boyfriend lets out a whine. He kisses him as an apology. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Asahi looks back at the beach in front of them. The sun is a deep purple now, ready to disappear into the ocean and become a dark blue.
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