It starts out like it so often does. Asahi's in need of a caffeine fix (and a study partner), and you happen to serve both, since you happen to work part-time in the coffee shop down the road.
He prefers the way you make his coffee over anyone else, blushes at the latte art you leave for him to find - it's always something heart-shaped - and loves the little doodles he finds in the margins of your notes.
In the end, no one really knows who took the first step and who drew the last line on the drawing that sealed their fate. But in front of them sits a different version of themselves, drawn with crude lines and cheap ink, him and you, on a coffee date.
"Prophetic," you add below, and he can't help but smile. "Are you free after this?"
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Summary: Hell Day is here, but Asahi swore he found heaven.
Word Count: 4.8K
Warnings: Spoilers from the manga series. FLUFF! Obvious slowwww burnnnnn. I don’t own anything. Haikyu belongs to Furudate Haruichi!
A/N: I don’t want to even discuss the sudden hiatus. But let it be clear that Haikyu has and will always have a special place in my heart. It’s my happy place.
It never gets easier walking through the doors of the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. If Asahi was being honest, there was more tension in the air now than there was on Day One. It was already nerve-wracking just being here with other powerhouse schools who have more experience competing in Nationals.
Now, Asahi can confidently say that Day Three of Nationals was unlike anything he’s been through. Normally, his anxiety would surely be at its max. His palms would be sweating like crazy, his stomach would be churning his breakfast like a hurricane, and his mind would no doubt be imagining every worst case scenario.
But his hands felt fine, cold from the January air, but fine. His stomach didn’t need any medicine as he didn’t feel any danger of losing his breakfast. And for once since Nationals has started, his mind isn’t wrapped with the strangling vines of anxiety that controlled every nerve in his body.
In fact, he’s looking forward to playing on the orange court once more. Asahi knew the match with Nekoma was a goal the moment they entered Nationals. The famous battle of the garbage dump between crows and cats is going to happen today. A real match between the two teams where one victor will be able to advance.
For once, since Nationals have started, he’s excited to play in a match. He wants to show off the hard work he has put in for the last couple of months through his skills on the court. Everyone worked hard to get to this point. There was no way he was going to disappoint his team by letting his nerves get in the way.
So here he was in the same gymnasium he was in yesterday where his team will battle against Nekoma in a few minutes. His heart was racing so hard, beating like crazy against his chest. It was a similar feeling from last night when he was with (Y/N), the Inarizaki manager. Minus the part where there were several hundred screaming fans in the stands, announcers commentating through the microphones, or thundersticks creating the usual loud, crackling noises that made the gym sound like a storm cloud.
But Asahi didn’t care about that. He had to focus on calming down his nerves before the match started. Usually, he would be recalling the scariest moments of his life right now. But he wasn’t thinking about the time Date Tech’s iron wall shut him down or anything of the sort. Instead, all his brain could think about was the moment he talked to (Y/N) for the first time. It was definitely a scary moment. But not a bad scary moment. More like a once-in-a-lifetime moment where she became a person he could trust.
It was so difficult to explain how he felt towards the Inarizaki manager. He would get so nervous around her but it didn’t take long for those initial nerves to go away. He didn’t know how (Y/N) did it, how she was able to take away his nerves so easily. Like last night, he was a wreck. He kept second-guessing himself on how he should talk and act around her. But the moment he saw her walking with her team, laughing along with them, his mind went blank. All he could think about was how happy she looked, how her eyes looked so lively, how her carefree smile (in his opinion) was the prettiest smile he has ever seen.
With the image of (Y/N)’s smile still in his mind, Asahi exhaled one last time before he opened his eyes. He brought out his hand, palm out. He stared at his hand, already imagining how many times he’ll be feeling the ball before spiking it. Then the image shifted. His large hand holding her hand, fingers intertwined-
Asahi shook his head, already feeling flustered at the very thought of holding hands with his crush. He couldn’t let his imagination run crazy on impossible goals. No matter how much he wished it to be real.
“Yo, Asahi!”
He flinched when he heard Daichi’s commanding voice calling him out. It was like the guy knew the perfect moments to scare the living daylights out of him.
“Y-Yeah.”
Daichi placed his hands on his hips. With a mischievous smirk and a determined glint in his eyes, Asahi could tell his friend was ready to get on the court to prove Karasuno’s worth. He was the very image of a confident player. Asahi wished he could borrow some of that confidence that Daichi seemed to be brimming with.
“How are you feeling?” His captain asked.
He furrowed his brow, not expecting his friend to even ask such a question, especially at a time like this.
“Uhh no offence, Diachi, but when do you care how I feel?” Asahi questioned as he took a sip of water, feeling relief as the water quenched his thirst.
Daichi looked taken aback but it was only a second later that he started laughing. “Well, you caught me there.” He chuckled to himself a bit more before he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I had to make sure your head was in the game and not-”
A fist slammed its way into Daichi’s ribs, effectively cutting off the captain’s next words. Asahi wasn’t even surprised to see Suga coming up from behind the hunched over captain.
“Now, now, Daichi. Don’t make our dear ace more nervous than he already is. He does a good job doing that all by himself.” Suga commented with a knowing smirk on his lips. However, the smirk vanished when the vice captain noticed the lack of rituals the ace usually does before a big match. “Huh… You actually look dependable right now, Asahi.”
“Ha ha, Suga, that’s hilarious.” Asahi deadpans but still managed to smile at his friends. “And to answer your question Daichi, I feel fine. My head is in the game-”
“Is that (Y/N)?” Suga asked, his eyes squinting at the crowd
“Where?!” Asahi whipped around, his eyes desperately looking around for the Inarizaki manager.
“So much for your head being focused on the game.” Daichi commented from behind as Suga snickered at the ace’s reaction.
“At least, we know how to motivate him if things go downhill.” Suga murmured to the captain who hummed in agreement.
“Still,” Daichi began, his eyes looking at the hundreds of fans in the stands. “It’s too bad (Y/N) can’t be here. She’s a good luck charm.”
“You mean, Asahi’s good luck charm.”
The two looked back at their friend of many years when they noticed his slumped shoulders. It almost made Suga regret playing the prank on the ace. Almost.
“And Achilles heel.” Suga added when Asahi turned around to face them. The disappointment on his face was not hard to miss.
“You sure you saw (Y/N), Suga? I didn’t see her anywhere.” Asahi complained with a pout.
“Oops, my bad. I guess it was someone else.” Suga explained, rather smug. “Hard to tell from here, you know?”
Asahi narrowed his eyes at his friend. He couldn’t tell if Suga was being genuine in his apology. Maybe it was just a mistake. Though, Asahi couldn’t imagine how anyone could mistake (Y/N) with anyone else. He certainly wouldn’t.
“Very funny, Suga.” He said flatly
“Oh, come on, Asahi! It was funny!” Suga defended. “The way you perked up when I mentioned her name. You're down bad for her.”
“So what if I am?” Asahi retorted, the tips of his ears turning a faint shade of red. “Is it so bad to want to see her again?”
Before Suga could answer, Daichi intervened.“We’re not saying anything like that, Asahi. We know that you like her-”
“And that she likes you.” Suga interrupted.
“But we need you to focus on what's actually in front of us. I know you want (Y/N) to be here. I wish (Y/N) was here too because I think we all know you play harder when she’s watching. Still, we worked hard to get here. I’m sure if (Y/N) was here right now she would say the same thing.”
“Yeah, she would.” Asahi agreed before he remembered one important fact. “But she would say it nicer.”
Daichi rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, glad to see some fight back in Asahi. Even if it was just a little.
“Come on, ace. Let’s go win this match.”
As the trio of third-years made their way to the rest of the team, they noticed how loud Nekoma’s cheering section suddenly became, so much so that they could hear each individual's cheers.
“HEY, YAMAMOTO!” A Nekoma alumni shouted from the crowd. “GIVE IT YOUR BEST, DUDE!”
Asahi’s eyes traveled towards Nekoma’s starting players, where their ace accepted the fan’s encouragement with ease. From the corner of his eyes, Asahi saw how Tanaka was glaring daggers at Yamamoto.
“Stupid lucky locals!” Tanaka growled with envy in his eyes.
“Well, they are from here. It’s no wonder they’ve got a big cheering section.” Asahi told his jealous junior.
“Yeah, I know, but it still doesn’t make me feel better!” Tanaka complained. “And it’s not fair how they have girls personally cheering them on. I want that too!”
“You have your sister.” Asahi pointed out.
“She doesn’t count! I want a girl that’s not related to me to cheer me on! You know? To yell out my name every time I make a super cool point! Or when I do make an awesome point, I look for her in the crowd and dedicate that point to her!” Tanaka then sighed with slumped shoulders. “Man, that would be great.”
Asahi didn’t miss the way Tanaka's eyes glanced at Kiyoko, who was busy making sure everything was in order. It was routine for her to set the towels and water bottles on the bench but Asahi reckoned that Tanaka is thinking how she’s a goddess that crafted the night sky with each beautiful star. To be fair, it wasn’t that long ago when he shared his friend’s line of thinking about their manager, but after meeting (Y/N) and getting to know her, Asahi can argue she’s as much of a goddess as Kiyoko.
But his junior did have a good point about one thing: it would be nice to have a girl cheering for him.
Asahi patted his junior’s shoulder. “Be grateful for the fans we do have. Give them something worth cheering for.”
Tanaka raised his head and Asahi was relieved to see the motivational fire burn brightly in his eyes. The shadow ace made a fist, “You’re right, Asahi! We gotta do our part! We can’t let our fans down!”
He watched how Tanaka puffed out his chest before running off and greeted their own fans with invigorating passion to which their cheering section returned tenfold. Relieved to see his junior back to his energetic self, Asahi took the chance to look over his shoulder.
From the sidelines, he can easily spot Bokuto and Akaashi in their Fukurōdani Academy jackets. The Fukurōdani setter waved his hand in greeting while the ace next to him made sure to wave his arms in excitement.
“YO! ASAHI!” Bokuto hollered. “BE KARASUNO’S CANNON AND WIN!”
Asahi smiled and gave the ace a thumbs-up, hoping it was enough to show some amount of confidence. Because between every team that was in the training camp, everyone knew that Karasuno had not been able to win a set against Nekoma. Asahi remembered with a grimace how much diving and running drills they had to do with each losing set. The burning ache of his arms and legs were constant each day.
His eyes then traveled where Yachi innocently stood next to the scoreboard. No. Wait. It looked like she was talking to someone from behind the scoreboard. It had to be someone she knows because he knew how shy the first-year manager was to new people. So who was she talking to?
Just as he took a step to the side to get a better angle at the mystery person, he felt a hand grab his arm and turn him completely around.
“Hey, Asahi!” He didn’t have to look who was talking, he could tell by voice that it was Nishinoya. “You ready?! Battle of the Garbage Dump is finally here!”
“Yeah… It’s been a long time coming, huh?”
Asahi furrowed his brow at how the libero seemed distracted as he kept taking quick glances behind his back, the same direction Yachi was in. “Uhh, Nishinoya? You okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah. You have nothing to worry about. I got your back, remember?” Nishinoya laughed loudly, though Asahi can tell it was by force.
“Uhh, thanks? Are you really okay? You’re acting weird, Nishinoya.”
“Don’t worry about me, Asahi. I’m fine. Just have to make sure you’re good. We can’t have you all depressed right before the match.”
“Ha-ha. I’m focused. I talked to (Y/N) this morning-”
“Wait, you did? What did she say?”
Asahi gave his friend the short version of the phone call he had with (Y/N) this morning. He made sure to mention the part where she actually compiled notes for their match against Nekoma.
“She did that?”
This time, Asahi had the libero’s undivided attention. Huh… Should it bother him that Nishinoya is finally paying attention to what he was saying only because he mentioned (Y/N)? Does he… like her too?
For some reason the thought of his close friend and (Y/N) possibly liking each other didn’t sit right with him. He swallowed hard before pushing away the mental picture to the back of his mind, hoping it won’t come back any time soon.
He continued, “Yeah… She wanted me to tell you to be considerate of the spiker’s running approach when you make a receive. And to watch out for setter dumps.”
Nishinoya grinned brightly before laughing. “You really know how to pick’em, Asahi!”
“What- Don’t say it like that. (Y/N) is a person.”
“Of course, I know that. I just meant, don’t let your chance slip away. Because from what I can tell these past few days, (Y/N) is the best thing that has ever happened to you.”
Asahi smiled at his friend though he couldn’t help but ask, “How can you tell?”
“Because even when she’s not here, she’s on your mind. And ever since you met her, you’ve been different- confident even. Which by the way is what I’ve been telling you for years and I think it suits you great. Don’t you agree, (Y/N)-san?”
Asahi felt his neck snap at how fast he turned to look over his shoulder. His eyes met her familiar warm ones, a beautiful shade of (E/C) that he’s grown to admire. Her smile, so naturally kind, made his heart thrash all around his chest. He felt his stomach flip flop this way and that but it didn’t stop him from smiling back.
“I think he’s already great.”
Just hearing her voice again in the form of a compliment made him feel like he could do anything. His own voice seemed to be lost until he felt Nishinoya patted his back and brought him back to reality- a reality where his crush is right next to him.
“It’s nice to see you again, (Y/N)-san.” Nishinoya greeted her with a wide smile. “You look great!” The libero turned in his direction and asked, “I thought you said her team left this morning?”
Asahi took a chance to look at (Y/N) and once again he felt all the warm emotions just flood every single cell in his body. She didn’t have to do anything remotely amazing and yet she took his breath away every single time.
“I- Well- That’s what I thought.” He turned to look at his crush, worry in his eyes. “Did something happen? Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine! I promise!” (Y/N) responded and Asahi could tell by the excitement in her eyes that she was telling the truth. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“A surprise?”
She smiled. “Turns out the principal called Coach Kurosu this morning and he gave us permission to extend our stay here in Tokyo! Said we deserved it for the exciting match yesterday but I’m pretty sure he wanted us third-years to enjoy the tournament one last time. He’s the sentimental sort.”
Asahi couldn’t help but smile like a fool as hope filled his heart. “So you’re here to watch? Really?”
(Y/N) nodded in excitement. “For at least one more day, but yeah! I was going to watch your match on my phone, but when I heard the news I just knew I had to surprise you in person!” There was a moment of realization in her eyes as she became self-conscious. Her arms crossed over her chest, as if readying herself from some kind of blow. “Is… Is that okay?”
He can tell just by looking into her eyes that (Y/N) looked nervous. Was she afraid of his answer? Huh… The girl he admired, who he thought had confidence to spare, looked the same way he would be if the roles were reversed.
“Yeah! More than okay!” For the first time today, his palms started to sweat. He discretely wiped his hands against his shorts and he can tell Nishinoya was trying hard not to laugh. “I’m happy you’re here.”
(Y/N) relaxed her tense shoulders and smiled once more. She took a quick glance at the roaring crowd. “Me, too. Though, it looks like I’m not the only one excited to see this match.” She turned to Nishinoya. “I hope to see those great saves like the ones in the ‘I’m Awesome’ videos.”
“Ha! Just watch me, (Y/N)-san! You haven’t seen anything yet! Wait till you see my Rolling Thunder! In fact,” The libero held out his fist towards her. “I’ll dedicate my first Rolling Thunder to you, our newest fan!”
Asahi wanted to laugh at how (Y/N) shot him a confused look and mouthed, “Rolling Thunder?”
“You’ll see it soon enough.” He told her, not wanting to spoil his friend’s moment.
“Oh well,” She looked back at Nishinoya, her own fist connecting with his. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing it.”
“You won’t be disappointed! But don’t worry, I’ll let Asahi here have some room to impress you.” He nudged the wing spiker with his elbow, a huge grin on his face paired with mischievous eyes. “Right, ace?”
When her eyes met his, Asahi could feel his mind become a scrambled mess. Luckily, he found his voice in time and replied confidently, “It’s a promise.”
~
(Y/N) felt her heart racing like never before. She hoped the guys didn’t notice how flushed she was because she could certainly feel how warm her face felt. But perhaps she didn’t mind if it was with Asahi. Hopefully, he would like the small gift she had for him. Her katsumori, her own victory charm that was given to her back when she was a first-year, felt heavy in her jacket pocket. The words she practiced repeatedly in her head on the way here seemed to just disappear on the tip of her tongue. In all honesty, she’s been lucky to form complete sentences this whole time.
Meeting Asahi’s kind, warm, brown like melted chocolate eyes, (Y/N) found her voice again (just barely). Her hand made its way inside her jacket, her fingers nervously tracing around the worn fabric of her katsumori. “Wow, I’m a lucky girl.”
“It’s the least we could do.” Asahi assured her. “You went through the trouble to come to our match when you didn’t have to. We’re the lucky ones.”
(Y/N) could feel herself grinning like a fool but she didn’t care because all that mattered was that Asahi appreciated her efforts. Just seeing his cute smile was enough to find the confidence she needed. She could only hope it wasn’t too much.
“Speaking of luck,” Her fingers wrapped around the charm, slowly bringing it out of her pocket. “I wanted-”
“Excuse me, Miss?”
Her hand stilled inside her pocket as she turned around to face the unknown voice. It was the referee, the very same referee from yesterday’s match. He looked quite annoyed, as if he has better things to do than confronting her. And (Y/N) knew exactly why he was here.
“Yes?” She asked innocently, hoping the innocent act would help her in this situationship.
However, the referee kept his stare indifferent. “I don’t see your badge on you and according to your jacket you're from Inarizaki High, the very same school who lost their place in the tournament yesterday. Do you have any official business on this court?”
“Well, um…” Her throat seemed to constrict so much so that her words were stuck. She could feel the stares from Nishinoya and Asahi on her back. The back of her neck began to heat up in embarrassment. “I just wanted to visit-”
“Because if you don’t have official business,” The referee interrupted her. “Then I must ask you to step off the court-”
Her shoulder was enveloped in warmth, a familiar one, that was able to calm her heart into a normal rhythm.
“She’s my friend-”
“Girlfriend!” Nishinoya interrupted as he stepped in front of her, acting like a human shield against the referee. “He meant girlfriend.”
(Y/N) might have just met the libero the other day but she couldn’t help trusting him. Perhaps, that was something liberos had in common- whatever the situation, you can count on them to have your back.
Nishinoya looked over his shoulder and winked at her and Asahi. She didn’t have to read his mind to follow in step with his go-with-the-flow plan. Luckily, this wasn’t the first time she had to be in a role for a grand performance. The Miya twins gave her enough practice for that.
With that in mind, (Y/N) steeled her nerves and put on her best apologetic smile. Her hand went up to her shoulder where her palm sat on top of Asahi’s hand. She could feel his eyes on her but she didn’t dare look into those warm, caring eyes. Hopefully, Asahi will understand and go along with the plan but deep down she knew she could trust him.
With Asahi’s hand in hers, (Y/N) stepped forward and bowed down in respect. “I’m so sorry, sir, for causing trouble.” She stood back up and held Asahi’s hand firmly. “I was on my way to grab a seat when I realized I forgot to give my boyfriend his good luck charm.”
The referee raised a brow in suspicion, his eyes darting between her and her ‘boyfriend’. He has seen the two together before the past couple of days but he always thought the two were friends. On the other hand, they reminded him of the time when he first met his wife in this very gym over ten years ago. The memory will forever be treasured in his heart even after a decade later. Now, the rules don’t matter as much anymore… Perhaps he had a soft spot for young love. It didn’t help that the man bun guy was looking at her like she was an angel of some kind.
The adult internally sighed, weighing his options on either side. However, just as he was about to reason with the young couple, the tall #3 player stepped forward, his hand still linked with the girl’s.
“Five minutes, sir. Please. We- I-I need five minutes with her.”
This time the referee let out a loud sigh as he could feel the sentimental side of himself win over the logical side.
“Alright. But only for five minutes. That’s it. The moment I blow this whistle your girlfriend needs to be off the court. Understood? Both of you?”
(Y/N) was at a loss for words by the referee’s sudden generosity. It wasn’t until she felt Asahi shift beside her that she found her voice again.
“You okay?” He asked, concern laced in his voice. His hand not showing any signs of letting go despite the fact that the referee was long gone.
“Of course she’s okay!” Nishinoya laughed. “The plan worked great! The ref didn’t suspect a thing. You did a great job playing along, (Y/N)-san!”
She smiled at the compliment. “It’s easy when you have enough practice. Trust me, this was child’s play compared to what the Miya twins do on a weekly basis. But thanks, both of you, for covering for me.” Her eyes met Asahi’s. “Seems like you’re always saving me one way or another.”
Asahi let out a nervous laugh before finally releasing her hand as he rubbed his neck. “I think it was just the right time and right place.”
“Then I suppose meeting you is almost like fate. Maybe getting defeated by your team could be a blessing in disguise. But don’t tell my team that. They’re still sore from yesterday.”
“Physically or emotionally?” Nishnoya asked.
“Both.” She replied. “But you didn’t hear it from me. What about you guys? How are you guys holding up?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle!” Nishinoya declared. “But I think I should leave you guys alone, I have to practice some receives with Tanaka. Make sure to cheer for me, (Y/N)-san!”
The two third-years looked at the libero with identical expressions of disbelief but decided not to comment on it. With the new found sense of privacy, (Y/N) nervously looked up at her crush.
“So, um, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable about me calling you my boyfriend. I know that ref and he takes his job seriously, like unbelievably serious, and I didn’t want you to get on his bad side before your match. Trust me on that.”
Asahi took a quick glance over his shoulder and sure enough the ref was staring in their direction. Almost as if he was expecting something…
“I’ll take your word for it. He’s still staring at us. Well, more like glaring at me.”
“And I’m sure he’s counting the seconds before he blows that whistle. So I shouldn’t waste anymore time,” She took out her katsumori and offered it to him. “Here, this is for you. Take it.”
Asahi looked at her with those eyes, asking if she was sure. He was about to protest but she spoke first.
“I’m sure, Asahi. Please take it.” She took hold of his hand and gently placed the charm on his open palm. “It would mean a lot to me.”
The uncertainty in his eyes faded away and the smile that she’s been hoping to see became a wish come true.
“Thank you, (Y/N). I promise to keep it safe.” He carefully closed her katsumori in a fist and held it over his chest.
It made her heart melt inside her rib cage. All the butterflies in her stomach that were frolicking about were now flapping their little wings into a cyclone. She thanked her lucky stars that she had a light breakfast.
“Well,” She took a step forward, casually brushing her shoulder with his. “I should go and find a good seat before they’re all gone.”
“Oh, um, no, yeah.” Asahi agreed. “Of course. So, I’ll… See you later… Hopefully? After the match?”
(Y/N) internally cooed at how earnest Asahi was being. How is it possible for him to be this cute yet attractive at the same time? Does he even know?
“I’ll be here, waiting to congratulate your team for a great match.”
Asahi let out a nervous chuckle. “And if we lose?”
“It’s still going to be a great match. I just know it.”
Before he could say another word, the shrill sound of the whistle filled the air. It was time to go. (Y/N) sighed as she dreaded this moment to leave the court. All the while, Asahi wished he had more time with her. In fact, he wished time stopped all together, capturing the moment-
“Asahi!”
“Huh?” The ace blinked when he heard his name. He looked back at (Y/N) where he was met with her worried gaze.
“I said I have to go now, like for real this time. So um… Yeah… Good luck.”
“Yeah, ok, yeah. I got your katsumori. You’re here. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’m all set.”
(Y/N) smiled bashfully at his words. “See you later.”
She raised her fist towards him and to her surprise Asahi didn’t hesitate to connect his fist with hers.
genre: fluff, slice of life, pining, a minuscule amount of steam
warning: spoilers, quick mentions of body insecurity
request: fluffy-spicy, fake dating with crush
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]
"Buongiorno, amico mio!", Nishinoya waved into the camera when he picked up the call, "That’s how they say Good morning, my friend here in Italy.” He panned his camera around so Asahi could see. Nishinoya was just having breakfast at a café, as it seemed, the sun already warm and bright, blinding the many sunburnt tourists wandering the streets behind him, pointing at this and that through squinty eyes.
It did not take long at all before Nishinoya turned the conversation to you. "Sooo, I looked at your socials and I think you really held back with just how pretty your not really fake girlfriend is."
Asahi cleared his throat and looked around the studio. He was on a late lunch break, and no one else was around, but he feared his nosy coworkers would pop out of the overstuffed wardrobes and bombard him with questions if they heard.
"You're quite literally in Pisa right now. I can actually see the tower behind you. And that's what you wanna talk about?"
"Don't change the subject.", the other waved it off with an air of dramatized neglect. Under his stern stare, Asahi gave in and recounted the most recent events, including the accidental kiss from two weeks ago.
"So, let me get this straight." Nishinoya's voice hummed impatiently over the speaker, getting louder and more agitated by the second, "You have this soft little dolcezza right there. You talk every day, you laugh, you go on dates which apparently aren't "real dates", but let's cut the crap, they're very real. You kissed her and now you're telling me that after weeks of all of this, months even, you still haven't asked her to be your girlfriend?"
Asahi saw some curious café patrons in the background who tried to figure out what the short Japanese man was yelling about.
"I have not.", he confessed, with a resigned sigh.
"Mamma mia…", Nishinoya muttered and raised his hand to order a second, larger, iced coffee from some off-camera waiter, "Please just make your move, Asa! It's an actual crime that you haven't sealed the deal by now."
"I'm working on it.", Asahi promised and absently began to smile when a notification appeared at the top of the screen announcing the latest chapter of your webtoon.
"Are you, though?"
"Yup, right now, can't you tell?" He lifted a bite of noodles to his lips, holding deliberate, unimpressed eye contact with his friend as he slurped them up.
Nishinoya's eyes narrowed. "You have until the end of the week.", he announced in a low, threatening voice.
"Uh-huh. And then what?", Asahi asked flatly.
"If you don't make your move until then", his friend said slowly, "imma DM her and tell her aaall about your pining. I'll send her screenshots of your texts to me, maybe I'll even send her that voice message where you told me about the dream you had about her."
Asahi's face drained of color.
"You wouldn't.", he rasped.
"Try me."
You had an extra spring in your step as you walked down the sidewalk towards the studio. The prospect of seeing Asahi had you lengthen your strides at every corner you rounded since getting off the bus, so that by the time you reached the address, you were slightly out of breath. A few meters before the entrance, you came to a halt to calm your heart as well as fix any unwanted crinkle in your clothes and stray strands of your hair. A smile stole itself onto your lips when you remembered his texts from earlier this week, reacting to your latest update in the webtoon.
"The folds!", he had messaged first and foremost alongside a screenshot of a detailed panel. And that, coming from him, not just as a crush but as a designer, had you spin around and giggle in your office chair, before you remembered you weren't alone and cleared your throat, going back to work.
Yeah, after the kiss, you had to admit to yourself that you had a crush on him. You had found him attractive from the start, an endearing mixture between cute and handsome, but you weren't thinking of a relationship when you proposed your plan. Too many losers had made you numb to the idea that there was someone who would treat you with respect and honesty and love and kindness, and, granted, you didn't know if Asahi would, but the proof was in the pudding, and maybe you should just give it a try.
Originally, you had thought about talking to him about possibly dating properly the last time you met. But when he looked at you all soft and expectant, actually intending to listen, you chickened out. Although you had your suspicions. Just the other day, hadn't he blushed like crazy when his fingers brushed yours as you reached for something? And didn't he almost drop his iced coffee because you called him "babe" once to test the waters? You enjoyed teasing him immensely and thus decided today was the day. No turning back.
Now, to release some nervous energy, you settled on making a big entrance and struck a pose when opening the large glass front door of the atelier. Two walls of the studio were made of floor-to-ceiling windows; the others had an expensive-looking grey concrete wash to them and were hung with framed sketches and close-ups of fashion. An empty reception desk was to the left, and a spacious showroom with well-dressed mannequins to the right. In the middle of the room, there was a long wooden table that, as of this moment, was littered with fabrics and oddly shaped paper cutouts.
"I have arrived.", you announced importantly and cringed inwardly as not only Asahi but two young women your age looked up from poring over the sewing pattern on the table. His face brightened, and he straightened his back, waving you over. The swift introduction was followed by an immediate dismissal of his coworkers, who grinned at him knowingly but began packing up. They deliberately slowed each movement so they could eavesdrop, but one cocked brow from Asahi, and they eventually hurried out the door, giggling to one another.
"So.", he said, and his shoulders visibly relaxed when he gestured to an elegant black sofa behind him, "Have a seat."
"Thanks, boss man.", you teased. He rubbed the back of his neck, appearing a little embarrassed about being in charge at first, but returned to normal when you shot him some finger guns. Another gesture born out of flustered fidgeting. He asked about your work day, and you told him all about the audacity of a colleague you had to deal with, and once his work day was also covered, you moved on to much more interesting topics.
"I loved the last chapter.", he said when he handed you a cup of water from a tray on the table.
"You already said that in your texts, but please, do keep going." With a mischievously innocent smile, you took an intentionally loud sip and looked at him, brazenly waiting for more compliments. He chuckled and went on in detail about the story, about how you should definitely consider writing to a proper publisher, and how he still couldn't believe the main character went with the king when the captain of the guard was right there! How much he loved the clothes you drew, and how he couldn't wait for the next scene because the main character had been invited to a royal ceremony.
At those words, you threw your head back and let out a loud groan.
"Don't remind me.", you said miserably, "I have to design a killer dress for her to wear and I-"
Your head snapped forward again, your eyes zeroing in on him as he leaned against the table with his arms crossed, regarding you curiously.
"Would it be plagiarism if I look at your sketchbook for heavy inspiration? Please, pretty please? - I can pay you handsomely in never-ending praise? And full credit, of course."
He laughed. "You had me at full credit." Pushing off the table, he went over to a bookshelf filled with fashion magazines and books the size of his torso. From the very top shelf, after little consideration, he pulled a red sketchbook from the very end and handed it to you.
"It's my most recent one, ergo", he leaned a bit forward as if telling a secret, "my best work."
You nodded eagerly and carefully accepted the book as if it were made of gold. "I'll be appropriately impressed, I promise."
Asahi's ears turned pink. "I'm gonna get rid of this stuff in the meantime, alright?"
With a salute to agree, you opened the book and turned the pages, genuinely awestruck by each pen stroke.
"Oh my god, look at those folds!", you exclaimed half earnestly, half private joke, and were happy when he let out a belly laugh as he gathered the swiftly folded fabrics in his arms to carry to the back.
Every page you studied with interest, thinking about picking maybe those sleeves and maybe combining them with that bodice, torn between a simple shoes design or something a little extra. Speech bubbles and reaction panels sparked in your mind, and this was the most creative you've felt in weeks. You'd ask Asahi for a pen and some paper when he was back, not to lose your ideas, you thought, and flipped to the next page. Your heart sputtered as if it, too, was choking on a sip of water. Suppressing further coughing, you dabbed your mouth with the sleeve of your jacket and let your eyes roam over the double page. Unlike the many sketches before, this model's facial features were as detailed as the clothes themselves. In one, she seemed to dance carefree in a 20s-inspired flapper dress complete with feathery headpiece and elbow-length gloves, in another, she stood confidently with her hands on wide hips in a kick-ass pantsuit with an elegant neckline, in a third, she twirled in a soft summer dress, a small bouquet of flowers indicated in her right hand. The fourth wasn't even focused on the clothes. The model - the one that looked suspiciously similar to you - was just smiling up at you from the page in a close-up. The sketch ended just past your shoulders and seemed to have been doodled rather than designed with confident strokes. The soft lines of your body, that were carefully traced over and over in black ink, made you seem delicate. This page wasn't dated like the others, but checking the previous and next designs, you could gather that these sketches must have been done shortly after your kiss. If there was ever a last sliver of doubt, these pages flicked it away entirely. Footsteps to your right told you Asahi was returning, and so you quickly switched to a page near the end, lowering your head for a moment so he couldn't see you, suppressing a victorious face scrunch.
"These are really gorgeous.", you then said with a dreamy sigh, lifting the book to show him which page you were on.
"Thanks! I think the next one is my favorite."
You gasped when you saw the dress. It was even painted with watercolor, which made the paper warp in places. Carefully, you let your fingers brush over it.
"This is stunning.", you breathed.
"Thank you.", he said again, and his chest swelled with pride.
"This- it's exactly the kind of dress I'd love for the next scene! Look at those details on the sleeves.", you let out a small breath of awe, "What it would be like to wear a dress like this just once..."
You had said it absentmindedly and looked up in a happy daze when he cleared his throat. It took you a few seconds to realize he was pointing at the lanyard around his neck.
"What does this say?", he asked with a winning smile.
"I dunno, I'm not wearing my reading glasses.", you teased.
He scoffed and stepped closer to the couch, holding out the badge and leaning down a bit for good measure, looming over you while doing so.
"Is this a bad time to tell you I can't read?"
"I can't with you.", he chuckled and straightened, "What I'm saying is, I'm a designer. I can make you that dress, no problem."
"You're kidding."
"Nope." An almost cocky smirk was now on his lips, "It's quite literally my job, you know."
"I mean…", you began slowly and shrugged, trying not to sound too excited, "who am I to say no to a free dress? - It is free, right?"
He just laughed loudly instead of an answer and pulled you off the couch, telling you to follow him.
"If you please." Asahi gestured for you to climb onto a small pedestal in front of a desk. He had led you to one of the backrooms, this one was overflowing with fabrics and other supplies, with a large selection of colorful yarn displayed above one of two sewing machines in the corner.
You looked at him questioningly while he walked to a side table and reached for something hidden by a neat stack of seamstressing books. When he turned back around, he held up a small coil in his large hand and explained, "Gotta take your measurements."
"Oh, w-we're doing this right now?"
"Why not?"
"Uhm. Yeah, you know what? You're right. Why not now. Okay, let's go."
He grabbed the pole of a nearby tailor's dummy and pulled it closer to the desk before he took your jacket from you and laid it over the vacant stool next to it.
"So, not to burst your bubble, but…", you pointed between your protruding, plush tummy and thighs to the slim tailor's dummy. Asahi followed your finger and understood your qualm, and with practiced ease reached for a black dial on the back of it. As he twisted it, the dummy widened, and you nodded in realization.
"Ohhhh, never mind, carry on."
He grinned and got to work.
The nonchalant professionalism with which he touched you took you by surprise. The man who blushed at prolonged eye contact and an accidental brush of hands was now only focused on the tape that first gently wrapped around your neck, then ran from neck to shoulder and from shoulder to wrist. Each new number was jotted down in an open notebook.
As he worked, he happily explained what he was doing to prevent any awkward silence.
"Alright, as a heads up, I'll need your bust measurements, so, if you want, you can lay the tape yourself. Just make sure it's at the fullest part of the bust and parallel to the ground."
"Oh nonono, I don't wanna mess up your stats. You can do it, all good."
There was that hint of blush again on the tip of his ears, but he quietly cleared his throat and nodded. Standing on the pedestal, you were almost at his eye level, and since he was about to touch your boobs anyway, you decided to go for it.
"Do you ever think about the kiss?"
With quiet amusement, you watched his Adam's apple bob up and down at your question, his hands halted mid-air. He met your eyes and his brow furrowed a little, seemingly trying to figure out the intent of your question. For a split second, his gaze dropped to your lips, then he lowered his eyes again to his work and said, "Maybe. Why? Do you?"
You shrugged in an attempt to come off cool, but it made the tape move, so you apologized when he had to start again.
"Even though", he added with a slight click of his tongue, "it wasn't really a kiss. More of a peck, don't you think?"
His casual low tone was unexpected. You had noticed early on that Tokyo and especially his work changed him. While in Miyagi, he was soft and a little shy; here, surrounded by his work and wearing clothes that would earn judgmental looks from the grandmothers of the rural area, he was more confident. Without lingering, he took your bust measurement, but the inescapable touch of his fingers made you shudder nonetheless.
Asahi took down the number and moved the tape to your waist. Through your summery blouse, you felt it slide between the rolls on your back and winced inwardly. As much as you accepted and loved your body by now, there were one or two things still that you preferred to keep hidden. You tried to stretch a little upward, hoping the movement was subtle enough for him not to notice and the rolls to minimize.
"If you do that, you're gonna throw off my measurements.", he said, still in that casual voice that now carried a gentle scolding, "Be as you are. - And the dress will only accentuate your beauty."
Either he had felt the heat radiating off your face or heard the pounding of your heart - whichever it was, he met your eyes.
You couldn't help it. You leaned in and kissed him, only for a moment, and now, you waited. Asahi looked at you, at your lips, and closed the gap between you again. He took his time at first, but when your hands entwined behind his neck, you felt the swipe of his tongue against your bottom lip and let him in. You gasped when you felt pressure on your back. The measuring tape - he had used it to pull you close and hold you in place, your hips against his while he deepened the kiss more and more. Your hands grabbed at the back of his neck, at his shoulders, his arms, anything to feel more of him. But as quickly as it had begun, it stopped. Panting slightly and with reddened lips, he rested his forehead against yours. Another kiss, softer this time. And another. Then you felt the measuring tape slacken, and he stepped back. Only very reluctantly did you let go of him as well.
"I'd suggest", he said and cleared his throat when his voice broke, "we finish up here and then… we have a real date."
You beamed at him and nodded, "Sounds like a plan."
Epilogue-ish
He didn't end up making the dress for you straight away. Over dinner that night, you had convinced him it would be too much of his time wasted on a dress you would have no occasion to wear. But he never forgot about it. He kept the sketch in his desk, and once he proposed to you a few years later, he knew he had made the right choice when you asked him to design your wedding gown.
a/n: the biggest thank you to @haikyu-mp4 for listening to me continously losing it over writing this whole story as well as letting me brainstorm even if nothing made sense.
Also a huge thank you to the very patient and sweet people who commented and asked to be tagged. It means so much to me and I hope you enjoyed the ending
warning: spoilers, quick mentions of body insecurity
request: fluffy-spicy, fake dating with crush
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]
"Okay, about the kiss.", you said on the way back, "I was thinking we can do it after dinner and I'll signal you with a codeword."
"A codeword."
"Yeah. Didn't you ever pretend to be spies as a kid?"
"I think, I was more of a pirate boy."
Twisting a little in your seat, you leaned your shoulder against the window, making a show of looking at him squintily, "I see it. - We can totally make the codeword pirate-themed."
"How are you going to bring it up naturally in conversation, then?"
"I think you underestimate my skills there, kind sir."
"My apologies."
"You are forgiven. So. Hm.", you took a deep sigh in thought, "How about… ah, a classic. Ahoy?"
"How are you gonna use that casually after we already spent the whole meal with them?"
"You're right. That's more of a Goodbye thing.", you muttered.
Asahi grinned and turned on the long dirt road back to your house, slowing down ever so slightly so you would have more time to brainstorm.
"Booty would also be kinda hard to implement, I fear. - Shiver me timbers? Wait, no, I use that too frequently."
Asahi snorted.
"Oh! How about all hands on deck? I can say that when we've finished eating and are getting ready to clear the table or something."
With a solid plan in mind, you rolled into the driveway and began to unload the bounty.
It was quite the sight to watch Asahi expertly lug a large bag of charcoal off the bed of the truck onto the front porch, and you didn't even think twice before helping him pat off the soot from his shirt. Apparently, this appeased your mother, who grabbed a basket of veggies you brought and carried them inside with a smile.
"Shall we?", you asked under your breath and brushed your fingers against his, expecting him to blush again, but he all too readily laced his fingers with yours and used his free hand to lift the heavy cooler with all the BBQ goods.
Lunch was uneventful, and you were cautious about being too satisfied with how the dinner went on, but in your opinion, it couldn't have gone better. Asahi had helped your dad flip meat and fish, and veggies on the grill, making small talk over an ice-cold can of beer as if this was nothing but a normal Saturday. As your parents were talking about a vacation they were planning, you very naturally had picked up Asahi's hand off the table to play with his fingers just like you practiced, sure you must look like a cute couple comfortable with each other's touch. Everything was right with the world. Any minute now, you would give Asahi the signal.
Your dad drummed on his full belly with a happy sigh, "Alright, time to clean up. I'm sure those two want some alone time." He unnecessarily waved his hand at you and your fake boyfriend.
"That's right, you two go ahead, we'll finish up here.", your mom added cheerfully.
The perfect setup, you thought. "Oh, don't worry, mom, all hands on deck, right?"
You looked at Asahi. Asahi looked at you. And in that moment, you realized that in all your careful, brilliant, fool-proof planning, you never actually discussed who was supposed to be the kisser and who the kissee.
With wide eyes, you tried to silently communicate with him, awkwardly staying seated while your parents already busied themselves with stacking empty plates and platters, their movements quick and efficient from the years at the restaurant. Would they even notice a kiss anymore? Your mother probably would. You watched with a pounding heart as she scraped crumbs into a bowl.
"Well, babe, let's go!", you announced a little too loudly to get your parents' attention, and as you turned to kiss him, Asahi apparently thought that was a signal for him to kiss you. The moment seemed to last forever. You saw him coming towards you in slow-motion, but couldn't change course anymore - your parents would get suspicious. Asahi seemed to have a similar thought. With a slightly furrowed brow as if to say "what are you doing?" did he move closer.
Noticing your wavering, he reached out to steady you, brushing his thumb over your jaw while the rest of his hand securely cradled the side of your neck. He didn't have time to overthink it and just went for it. The kiss wasn't long or deep, probably nothing more than a swift peck, really, but the soft heat of your lips still burned on his until getting ready for bed.
He was needlessly plumping up his pillow when you returned from the bathroom, looking invitingly comfortable in your pyjamas. If you were his, he would have lain you on his futon to kiss and admire you. His lips were tingling again.
"Sooo…", you began and awkwardly bounced back and forth on the balls of your feet, "That went well."
"I agree.", he nodded.
"Maybe I should have been clearer about the plan, huh? Totally my bad."
"Don't worry about it."
"But you're good, right?"
"Oh, totally. You?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
He smiled to himself at the slight blush on your cheeks when you looked at a random spot on the floor. Perhaps it was worth a shot to ask you out properly again. As he laid out how he wanted to phrase his question without coming off too desperate - years of watching Nishinoya and Tanaka fail had taught him well - you said, "I mean, what's a kiss between two adults, right?"
"You don't… have to keep talking about it if you're uncomfortable.", he chuckled.
"What, who me? Uncomfortable?", you let out a nervous chuckle and put your hands on your hips to show just how definitely not uncomfortable you were, "Arg, matey, yer talkin' more gibberish than a dolphin singin' a shanty."
Asahi regarded you with an amused frown, then casually nodded to your bookshelf, deciding to steer the conversation back to your domain, "Anyway. Mind, if I look at more of your art?"
Your shoulders relaxed when you followed his eyes, glad to have something else to focus on, "Knock yourself out, but I'm pretty sure you looked at all of it already. I have all my recent ones at my apartment."
"I don't mind.", he smiled and stretched to grab the sketchbooks from the lower shelf where he had left them yesterday.
"How long did it even take you to draw this one?", he asked, pointing at a very detailed full-page picture a minute or so later.
"Hmm, I think about a week?", you plopped down across from him, "But nowadays it takes about 3-4 hours. Most sketches, though, I can do in a few minutes. Here, I'll show you."
Taking the book from his hand you crawled to your desk to get an old pencil case from a middle drawer and returned to sit cross-cross applesauce, looking from him to an empty page.
"Wait, you're drawing me?"
"Yuh. Gimme a second."
Asahi sat very still and tried to focus on your hand flying across the page and not the tip of your tongue tucked between your lips in concentration.
"Anyone ever tell you, you have a really handsome nose?"
"I… don't think so."
You grabbed the sketchbook a bit tighter to get to the hair streaks, "They really should. And your eyes, too. - They're really symmetrical."
"Uhm, don't make me blush?"
You laughed and, after a few final scribbles, presented the result. "Tada!"
"Wow, that's amazing! And so quickly, too!"
Not wanting to let his praise go to your head, you humbled yourself really quickly, "Note, how I didn't draw further than your neck. It takes me ages to get clothes right. All the folds drive me insane." With an over the top whine you lamented, "It's even worse when my characters are moving."
Asahi pulled his eyes off the page and laughed, "It's really not that bad if you know what to look out for. Could I get the pencil?"
With a perplexed expression that turned quickly to excitement did you hand him your whole pencil case and watched in awe as he turned to a new page and began to work.
When he was finished you stared at the drawing for a second. It had taken you quite a while to accept your much rounder figure, especially in school in Japan where most girls seemed naturally slim and were called chubby or fat if they even had the slightest bit of a tummy pouch. Once you became comfortable in your own skin and gained much more confidence in university, you brushed off the countless childhood comments from people around you and carried yourself differently, even proud to show off your figure. Seeing him sketch you immediately so beautiful and carefree somehow took you by surprise.
"I look so pretty!", you breathed out, taking in every detail of the flaring skirt and the puffy blouse he had drawn you in.
"Well, you are.", he said, quietly. You felt your cheeks heat up under his eyes. "What?", he asked when you didn't say anything, "Can dish it out, but can't take it?"
With a snort, you changed the subject, "So, about these folds."
After an unnecessarily tearful goodbye the next morning after breakfast you called a taxi to take you to the train station and once your parents' home was out of the rearview mirror both you and Asahi let out a relieved sigh.
On the way back you were hunched over a notebook you had purchased at a kiosk before the train arrived, practicing the many helpful pointers that Asahi had shared the previous night. Meanwhile, he was very focused on his phone and only about half an hour into your journey did you realize what his occasional gasps and under breath chuckles meant.
"I was gonna read it anyway!", he laughed, "What's the harm in getting a jump on things?"
"I am the author and I demand you to please seize the reading posthaste!", you said, imitating one of your characters as your tried to reach for the phone he held far away from you.
"Alright, alright.", he conceded before adding, "One more chapter, though."
There was no use. He had the height advantage. So you sat back and pretended not to be invested in his reactions by looking out the window.
a/n: I think one or two more chapters and I’m done. So chances are I’ll still finish it this year 😬
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The first dinner that night went exceptionally well in your humble opinion. You successfully diverted most of the attention off of Asahi by catching up your mom on work gossip and asked your dad to explain in detail lengthy recipes he was all too eager to recite. Besides questions about his job, his hobbies, and only one slightly uncomfortable one about your future plans together he stayed off their radar, and by the time you were ready to turn in for the night, you were pretty smug about how well you maneuvered it all.
Your childhood bedroom had since been used for a weird storage/office hybrid. Your mom‘s laptop and askew stacks of papers littered the desk in one corner while boxes occupied the rest. A generous rectangle was created in the center to put two futons down side-by-side. Obviously, you couldn’t ask your parents for a separate sleeping arrangement so this would have to do for the next two nights. By the time that he returned from his shower, your hair was already dry again, and you had changed into a rather modest sleep attire of sweats and a T-shirt. He seemed a little hesitant to settle into bed so close next to you so instead, he stood in the doorway, the top of his head almost brushing against the frame if he hadn’t ducked on his way in. His eyes wandered around the room. Well, most of your things, such as your bed, your fuzzy rug, and the alarming number of plushies were gone - the pictures on your wall had stayed. Also, he leaned in to study a snapshot of you and your friends on your first week of senior year before moving on to browsing the titles on your small bookshelf, one of the few survivors of the room's reuse. For a heart-pounding moment, you were worried he’d question your manga choices, but he pointed at a whole section of tattered sketchbook instead. He turned to look at you sitting legs crossed on your futon and asked, “May I?”
Mentally, you rifled through those sketchbooks and only when you were fairly certain that you had taken all those containing questionable drawings with you to Tokyo, did you agree.
“Wow, how old were you when you drew these?”
You stood up to have a look at which page he was on.
“Hmm, 13, maybe? Possibly 14.”
“That’s amazing.”, he said under his breath, flipping through the next page.
While settling back down on your futon you said in your nervousness, “Please feel very free to keep the compliments coming.”
He chuckled and, grabbing a few more books with his free hand, he sat down across from you.
“This one I started when I was 16.”, you explained as he opened a black linen-bound sketchbook that, in an attempt to be extra artsy, you had glued scraps from the monthly Shonen Jump magazine to.
“Who are these characters? I’ve never seen them before.”
Asahi pointed to a page of sketches of one of your very first designs.
“That’s an OC.”
“Meaning…”
“I came up with her.”
“Amazing…”, he said once again and your heart swelled.
As he kept on going through the book more of your own designs appeared until they were all you were drawing. Towards the end of the sketchpad, you had even made your first attempts at short stories in panel form.
“These are so good.”, Asahi ran his fingers over the - in your opinion - clumsy lines in complete awe.
“Do you still draw? Because you should. These are incredible and funny and I’m sure a lot of people would agree!”
“Uhm… I do, actually.”
His head snapped up to meet your eyes. “As in publishing?”
“I mean, not physically, no. But there is a website where I upload some stuff, yeah.”
“Can I see?”, he asked excitedly.
“Weeell, if you insist.”
The app was on your homescreen, of course, so it didn’t take long until you handed your phone to him.
“Oh wow. You did this all yourself? The coloring, the backgrounds, the storyline?”
You nodded with a wide grin, only half-humble.
“I’m gonna download the app right now. I want to read it before bed.”
“Oh no nonono. Hold your horses there, partner.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to read it in front of me. What if you hate it?”
“Ehhh, highly unlikely.”
“But not impossible.”, you noted.
He raised a brow but couldn’t keep up the sass for long and started laughing.
“Fine. I’ll wait."
Putting his phone away, he slipped under the covers as you turned off the lights and with practiced steps found your way easily back to your futon.
"I think today went really well.", you whispered into the darkness.
"Yeah, I agree. Your parents are really nice."
"So far."
You both laughed quietly. Your eyes quickly adjusted and now you could make out shapes of boxes and Asahi's form next to you in the moonlight streaming past the wide open curtains.
"To another successful day tomorrow." And sharing a celebratory fist bump, you bid each other Goodnight.
With the ruckus the cicadas were making outside, sleeping in wasn't really an option. You stirred and blindly grabbed for your phone next to the futon to check the time. It wasn't even seven yet. You tried to close your eyes again but it was no use - you heard your mom rummaging in the kitchen already. Stifling a long yawn you rolled over and sat up. Asahi was still fast asleep, but you heard him mumble something when you reached the door. It took you a second to realize he was talking to you.
"Hm?"
"What time is it?"
"You can sleep a bit more, I'll come wake you for breakfast."
"No, I'm up. I'm-" He yawned. "Up."
"Clearly."
Smiling, you slipped out of your bedroom and made your way to the kitchen in an attempt to earn some daughter points by helping your mom make food.
"Good morning.", you greeted, making sure to sound extra bright and guilt-free.
"Good morning, sleepyhead."
One hug later you fell back into routine, getting the eggs from the fridge and the bread out of the box on the counter, setting up a cutting board to start slicing whatever your mom would hand you.
"Honey?", she began tentatively after a while as you were lining up pieces of apple and peach on a plate.
"Hm?"
"There is something I wanted to ask you about last night. About you and Asahi."
Your blood ran cold but you pretended to be simply curious. "What is it?"
"Maybe I'm just imagining things.", your mom shook her head to herself while she measured coffee into the machine, "But your dad and I are a bit concerned that you and Asahi…"
Oh God. She knew.
"Did you have a fight before you came here?"
"I- what? What gave you that idea?"
"You were just so… mechanical with each other. There was no affection between you two.", your mom now sounded genuinely troubled, "No kissing, no hugging, or anything. Are you sure you're-"
"Mom, no! It's nothing like that.", you interrupted with a nervous chuckle, "We just, uhm, didn't feel like kissing in front of you guys."
Setting down the knife you turned to her, leaning your hip against the counter and crossing your arms in what you hoped looked like honest reassurance. You could feel the overcompensation rise in your throat and weren't strong enough to stop it, "Once we were in my room there was plenty of kissing, don't worry." Luckily your mom was still busy with the coffee machine, her lips pursed in parental concern, so she didn't see you cringing to yourself.
"You know, your dad and I don't mind!", she grinned, finally looking at you, "We know how important it is to be intimate with each other, especially in the beginning of a relationship-"
You croaked out a "Mom.", in hopes she would stop her sentence there. She did. Although not without a wistful giggle. "Just, tell Asahi it's fine with us."
"Uh-huh."
"Of course!" You called out as soon as your dad's truck hit the dirt road. Mortified at the thought of further conversations like the one first thing this morning, you had volunteered to run an errand with Asahi as soon as breakfast was over. Since he knew the area just as well as you, he offered to drive, leaving your mom swoony at his helpfulness. (It kind of made you rethink the sort of guys you had brought home so far, if she was impressed by this gesture.)
"Of course she would think something is wrong just because we don't make out right in front of her! "Your dad and I are concerned" - as if this is not 100% coming from her. Well, that's my mom for ya." With a huff, you slumped back into the seat.
"What do you want to do?", Asahi asked with a frown, his ears distinctly pink.
"I don't know what we can do. Pretend I have a cold? Unless we wanna kiss in front of them, we'll just have to let them think that we're mad at each other." For a moment you looked outside at the luscious green rice paddies steadily waving in the breeze as you trundled past. Then you suggested, "I guess if you're comfortable with it we can kiss on the cheek maybe?" This was still Japan after all and you didn't want to overwhelm him with a bolder proposal.
"Yeah, uhm, that should be fine."
You glanced at him from the side and he caught your gaze, then you offered a small smile and a nod and went back to looking out the window.
Once you hit the dairy section, you got a second wind.
"And what are they doing observing us anyway? Like we’re animals at the zoo. We could have kissed while they weren't looking, they don't know. Now, I know for a fact my brother brought home girls before that he didn't even hold hands with around our parents. Let alone kissed. And they didn't bring anything up with him as far as I know. It would be awkward anyway! I can't remember a single instance in which I ever brought a guy home and just stuck my tongue down his throat at the dinner table. What do they expect?"
In your heat, you chucked a net of babybel over your shoulder, sure you would hit the shopping cart but it flew over it and landed on the floor.
"Sorry.", you mumbled and walked around to pick it up, dropping it on top of the shopping, then grabbed the side of the cart to calm down. "I'm just… I now remember why I moved out as quickly as I could."
Asahi had listened the whole time, ever since the cereal aisle when a box of cornflakes started your new rant. He held the grocery list your mom had written in one hand and the other now reached out to you. His warm palm engulfed your hand almost completely and just like he had on the train the evening before, he used his thumb to rub gentle circles. You let out a long breath. "Thank you. Maybe… maybe we should hold hands when we get back. To plant the seed."
He nodded in agreement and let go. Your hand felt cold.
a/n: this chapter got so out of hand I had to split it in two. Massive thank you for the editing help from the one and only @haikyu-mp4
Your old desk chair creaked as you leaned back, stretching, and a long yawn, the fourth one in the past ten minutes, brought tired tears to your eyes.
You clicked save and scrolled through your latest panels one more time. As a rule, you liked being a few chapters ahead of your posting schedule, just in case something went wrong and you couldn’t draw for a while, but recently your job had thrown a spanner in the works and you had used up all of your carefully kept buffer. You fixed a typo in a speech bubble, squinted, then rewrote the line so many times that it stopped making sense. With a sigh, you hit the reverse button to get back to the initial sentence, saved twice more for safety, and finally switched off your drawing pad. It was way past midnight, and you should have been in bed hours ago to rest up for the next workday, but… you glanced down at your phone’s wallpaper and smiled when one of your main characters looked up at you with a challenging grin. Never in a million years would you have thought that the story you had started as a slightly tipsy, self-indulgent joke would gain so much traction. It was basically just an otome game in a historical setting, but with every new upload, the readers seemed to melt under the (sometimes downright scandalous) dialogue, and while you were quite embarrassed at first to write it you now had grown more confident and chuckled evilly whenever posting a particularly saucy or dramatic chapter. Considering that your previous works included slice of life, spooky shorts for Halloween, and comedic fantasy, you figured you were long overdue for a romance story.
After crawling into bed with a steadily growing throb in your temple from not hydrating at all since your morning tea, you happily scrolled through the comments on the previous chapter for a little while, loving the readers’ reactions and speculations.
Tender smile still on your lips, you put your phone onto the nightstand to charge and fell asleep moments later.
On the next afternoon then you were waiting in front of a fountain at a nearby park, trying to fix your hair in the reflection of your phone from the day’s dishevelment and smoothed out your top. Asahi would be here any minute - you had plans to call your parents to officially start your scheme. Looking around, you spotted many couples and small families enjoying a stroll before dinner, and a dog barked happily as it chased after a ball. As you shifted from one foot to the other, you were trying to lay out a few sentences for your parents and were just deciding to wing it when Asahi called your name.
He stepped out of a taxi with a wave, dark green sport’s jacket perfectly framing his broad shoulders and hair effortlessly gorgeous in a way that left you speechless with quiet jealousy. You made a mental note to ask for his routine one of these days.
His leg bounced up and down under the small plastic table of the park’s ice cream shop, making the spoon in your sundae clink and clank against the glass.
“I’m getting the feeling you’re a tad nervous?”, you observed astutely, but gave him an all too understanding smile.
“I’m trying to remember the last time I lied to my parents.”, he said, and as he focused on a spot on the menu behind you, slightly missed his mouth with his spoon. With a pitying laugh, you handed him a napkin.
“Must have probably been some time before uni when I told them I’d absolutely consider being an accountant.”
You snorted and cocked a brow, seemingly trying to picture him with a more drab outfit.
“Nah.”, you said after a moment, “I think you’re right where you should be.”
Asahi smiled, and his leg became still.
“So.”, he began after a moment’s silence, “Do you wanna start or should I? Or we do rock, paper, scissors.”
“I think I wanna go first. Then it’s behind me.”
“Great, cause I wanted to go last.”, he sighed in relief, making both of you laugh restlessly.
“Alright then.”, you said, and with great admiration for your bravery, Asahi watched you fish out your phone and dial the number.
“Hey dad.”, you greeted happily, your voice sounding casual, but Asahi noticed you pushing whipped cream in your sundae from A to B.
He couldn’t hear your father's side of the conversation, so he waited for context clues.
“Hey, is mom there? - Uh huh. Could you put me on speaker, please? - Right. - Hi, mom! Look, I'm gonna make this quick.” You took a deep breath, speared your spoon into the ice cream, so it stood up straight, and squared your shoulders, “I’m dating someone. - Asahi? The guy from the restaurant? - Yes, that one. - Yeah, dad, all thanks to you.”
At this point, you rolled your eyes at Asahi.
“It’s still pretty new, but - hm? - Yeah. - Oh, sure, I can bring him to your birthday. - Uh huh. - I… don’t think we can stay the whole week, mom, we both have jobs. - I know, crazy, right? - Alright, that’s all I wanted to say. Have a good dinner and don’t close up too late, okay? - Yeah, love ya, too. Bye!”
You hung up, letting out a long breath, and dug up a cherry from the bottom of your glass.
“That was so fast.”, Asahi blinked, “You made it look so easy.”
“Yuh.”, you beamed between spoonfuls of Cookies&Cream, “They said hi, by the way.”
A small balloon of confidence expanded in his chest, and upon an encouraging nod from you, he scrolled through his contacts for his mom‘s phone number. Soon, the dialing tone rang in his ear. He leaned back in his chair, convinced it would be a piece of cake.
It all backfired so quickly and so spectacularly that Asahi could only resort to incredulous laughter in the days that followed.
While your parents were content with knowing their daughter was in a happy relationship with a man they knew would never try anything shifty, his parents grew from concerned about his relationship status to nosy. Their calls were doubling in frequency, and they only had one objective any time he picked up the phone: how was y/n? Was he taking her on nice dates? Did they discuss marriage yet?
Asahi rubbed his palm over his face as his mom and dad went on and on and on to the point where he wondered if he shouldn’t just tell them this was all a hoax. But he didn’t. Because he didn’t want it to be one. He tried his hardest not to go into the “relationship” with an ulterior motive, and it wasn’t even so much a motive as more of a wish.
His mind was definitely nowhere near the sketch he was currently working on, and his eyes wandered to the small desk calendar next to his laptop. The third weekend of June, circled twice, was only days away. Even though he had met your parents on many occasions around town and in their restaurant before, he began feeling tense in anticipation.
You had genuinely tried to convince your parents that arriving on Saturday at noon would be good enough, but your mom was a master at the subtle guilt-tripping sigh, and so you met Asahi at the train station on Friday afternoon with a small carry-on. Inwardly, you gave an appreciative nod at his neat bun and clean grey shirt over dark jeans. He could have stepped right out of a romance manga, you thought, and wondered if you could ask him to sit for a portrait sometime. Before you could stop yourself, your brain began constructing panels and speech bubbles, thinking of a dramatic backstory for a new character you’d base on him. At this point, you two were talking daily and met up often during your lunch breaks, sometimes at the studio he worked at, sometimes at a restaurant he recommended that quickly became your favorite. All this time spent together had made him more relaxed around you, joking and smiling at you while he listened intently as you recounted current work drama. His calm and pleasant energy had now made yours shift to a nervous one. Flustered even.
It took a little while for the many people piling into the train to be distributed among the first stops in the outskirts of Tokyo, but soon enough, you and Asahi found a pair of seats and plopped down, thighs pressed against one another.
The cart was mostly empty now, only a girl a little younger than you was sitting off in a back row with some knitting in her lap. The short bench you had chosen was facing the aisle of the train, as well as another empty bench was on the other side in front of a big window. You squirmed ever so slightly.
Over the last week, you had decided via text to use the train ride for “PDA practice”, and now you were looking down at the very large hand lying open on his knee. To downplay your own nerves, you made a big show of wiping not-so-imaginary sweat off your palm before slotting your chubby fingers in between his long ones.
You stared straight ahead at the increasingly sparser towns and villages flying by. Was it your hand that was so warm or his? Out of the corner of your eye, you peered to your right where Asahi had turned his face away as if inspecting a travel map mounted to the wall, but the tips of his ears were bright red. You let go again, and he snapped his head back to check if something was wrong. His cheeks matched his ears.
“No, no, I just wanted to give us a break. You know? Not overdo it straight away.”
He kindly pretended to agree, and you noticed his fingers twitch, hand still on his knee, where you left it.
To give yourself something to do you pulled your water bottle from your bag and took one tiny sip. You weren’t actually thirsty but as if wanting to confirm your alibi you took another one.
“You ready?”, you asked unnecessarily after slowly putting your bottle away again.
Asahi smiled and nodded, and when your fingers intertwined this time, he closed them around yours, holding you gently in place. Then he once again turned to look at the map.
You chewed your lip in thought, looking around for inspiration on what to say.
“You know,”, you began and once again let go of his hand, “if-if we were in a relationship, I’d probably do something like this.”
With your thumb and index finger, you lightly squeezed each of his fingertips, then felt stupid for pointing that out. But Asahi, who had studied what you were doing with great interest, cleared his throat and nodded.
“Just so you’re not alarmed if I do it at the barbecue.”, you added.
“Alright.”, he said, “Then, I would… if we were in a relationship, I mean, do something like this.”
He grabbed your hand and turned it over so it now lay open on his thigh.
Starting from the middle of your palm, he gradually let his fingertips bloom, then brought his fingertips back together and brushed them over your sensitive skin again. Your breathing was shallower now.
When his fingers spread a second time, he interlaced them with yours again and turned your hands to sit comfortably on their sides, his thumb rubbing soothingly along your knuckles and the soft skin below. Your whole hand was tingling from his touch, and you were almost disappointed when a pleasant voice announced over the speakers that you were nearing your destination.
a/n: huge thank you once again for the amazing brainstorming and help in editing @haikyu-mp4
Asahi repeatedly flopped his head into the pillow of his childhood bed he had long since outgrown.
How difficult was it to say, “No, actually, I think you’re really beautiful and I’d love to have some coffee with you. Very much as a date!” Maybe he should text you. To clear the air. But then again, what if you really only wanted to be friends, and he’d ruin his chance of even just talking to you.
Stupid stupid stupid.
While he marinated a little more in his self-pity, his phone buzzed, and for a ridiculous second, he thought it was you until he realized you didn’t have his number yet. Craning his neck to the side, he grabbed his phone and squinted at the screen in the darkness. It was a new picture from Nishinoya, lounging on a beach somewhere. Asahi gave the picture a thumbs up and wanted to put his phone back onto the nightstand when it buzzed again.
The new text said “Hey, I wanna show you something, pick up when I call!” and Asahi had barely time to finish reading when his friend’s call ID filled the screen. Tired and only about an eighth of the way through his wallowing, Asahi picked up and was met with the bright, tan smile of Nishinoya.
“Buenos tardes, mi amigo!”, he called, “That’s how they say Good afternoon, my friend here in Peru.”
The small window in the bottom corner of his phone showed that only one of Asahi’s eyes was visible. The other was still hidden in his pillow.
“Hey.”, he said, muffled, “What’s up?”
“What’s up with me? What’s up with you! Were you sleeping or something?”
“It’s 3 a.m.”
“So?”
“Nevermind. What did you wanna show me?”
Nishinoya tapped the screen and turned the camera, doing a slow swipe of the landscape.
“Look at this!”
Finally turning his whole face to the phone, Asahi only vaguely made out the stunning white beach with the strikingly blue water that sparkled invitingly in the midday sun - his glasses still sat on the side of the sink in the bathroom, if he remembered correctly - but he got the gist. Maybe he should ask him for advice. Nishinoya had always been self-assured and strangely wise in his own way.
“Nishi,”, he began while the other was still very busy panning the camera around, “I met this girl today and-“
There was a commotion on the other side and the video began to shake violently as if someone was fumbling to catch the phone. The microphone cracked a few times and in between he heard a curse, then finally Nishinoya’s face filled the screen again.
“Proceed.”, he said calmly, and Asahi dropped his head back onto the pillow, half of his face once again hidden in embarrassment.
As he recounted the events of the evening, Nishinoya reacted as Asahi expected - with snorts of laughter and knowing eyebrow wiggling.
“Did you text her already?”
“No, not yet.”
“Well, don’t do that waiting three-day thing. I have come to learn women don’t actually like that.” He absentmindedly rubbed his left cheek as if remembering a slap, then snapped out of it with a small shake of his head and said, “Text her now.”
“It’s 3 a.m.”, Asahi reminded him.
“So?”
“What would I even write?”
“Something like, “Hey, beautiful, this is Asahi, the guy from earlier. Just wanted to tell you that I don’t think we should fake date. How does marriage sound to you?” But you can paraphrase.”
He did paraphrase, then hovered over the send button for a few seconds before pressing it.
Nishinoya, who saw him typing in silence, asked excitedly, “What did you write?”
“Hello, this is Asahi, the guy from earlier, and here is my number.”
“Ugh, come on! I gave you a foolproof template! Fine. Once she texts back, you’re gonna tell her.”, seemingly content with having gotten his point across, he switched topics, “How is Miyagi? Did you see the coach?”
“I did. He says Hello and Thank You for the postcard you sent from Norway.”
“Awesome. Man, I could really go for those yakisoba buns right now… do you think Sakanoshita Market ships internationally?”
Asahi sat up straight, staring at a pop-up window at the top of his screen.
“She texted back.”, he said quietly in disbelief.
“She texted back?!?”
“She texted back!”
Quickly turning down the volume on his phone as Nishinoya’s voice echoed through the completely silent Azumane home, Asahi popped in his earphones for good measure.
“What did she say?”, Nishinoya asked urgently.
“Hey there, perfect timing. Just got back from the restaurant and am getting ready for bed. It was nice to meet you. When will you be back in Tokyo?”
“Tell her now. Tell her that you don’t wanna fake date. Tell her, you wanna have her babies! Seahorse style.”
“I gotta ask, do these lines ever work on anyone?”
“It’s all about confidence, my friend.”
Asahi took that as a No.
For a little while longer, he texted back and forth with you about a date to meet - a calendar date, he had to clarify to Nishinoya, before finally saying good night.
Nishinoya was very disappointed that he, Asahi, hadn’t straightened out the situation yet and made him promise to do so in a few hours once the sun was up.
Mumbling something noncommittal, Asahi waved goodbye and ended the call as well. He rolled over onto his back and tucked a hand behind his head, staring at the dark ceiling.
He would tell you. Eventually, he thought.
You opened the door to the busy café a few days later and looked around. Just as expected, Asahi was easy to spot - you already knew he was taller than everyone else around him, but there was something different in the way he held himself as compared to a few days ago in the restaurant. The city air seemed to relax him as if he was back in his element in his well-fitted sports coat and bold colors. His hair was tied back as it had been that night, and black-rimmed glasses and white loafers completed the outfit. You felt slightly underdressed.
“Hey, I hope you didn’t wait long.”, you said as you put your bag on the empty chair next to you and sat down.
Asahi smiled and shook his head, pouring you a glass of water from a pitcher on the table. After ordering your coffees and each a slice of cake, you got down to business, a new page in your notepad at the ready in front of you.
“Alright. If we want to pull this off, I think time management is gonna be important, so we should both know when we’re needed for the other one. How often are you back in Miyagi?”
“At least once a month, usually it’s every two weeks for a weekend. My dad has a carpentry business so I also help him deliver big projects sometimes like a wardrobe or a kitchen. Plus, they lend a hand around the village so much that they promise people my help. And I’m not even there.”, he rubbed the back of his neck.
You frowned a little and matched his awkward smile.
“You’d think your dad has an employee to help him.”
“Yeah… you would think that. But he isn’t exactly… logical like that.”
Turning your pen in your hand to have something to do, you said, “It’s always like that, right? With parents that own their own businesses, I mean.”
“Yeah, it’s as if they’re only waiting for their children to be old enough and then-”
“Free labor.”, you said in unison and laughed.
“My parents do that, too. Whenever I go to visit for a bit I am being put right back to work. Exhibit A, last weekend.”
“Oh yeah, that one time I went over for New Year’s and my exams had just finished and I remember, I had this really nasty cold.”, Asahi said, fixing his glasses, “And as soon as my temperature dropped below near-death my dad told me to help him in his workshop.”
“You’re kidding!”
He shook his head and gave a pained sort of grin with a shrug.
As you leaned back in your chair you scoffed lovingly, “Now, see, and those are the same people that call at 11 pm panicking because they think we hate them because they can’t log into our Netflix anymore.”
Asahi snorted into his water glass and apologized a second later when the waiter stepped to your table to set down a tray with your drinks and food.
A short comfortable silence followed in which you took your first bites of cake, then pushed the plates into the center of the table with encouraging smiles, silently offering the other a forkful to try. When you pulled your plate back to you it almost pushed the notepad into your lap. Right! You’d already forgotten about it.
“Okay.”, you began after taking a sip of your drink and he sat a little straighter when he caught on, “Let’s say you have to go back twice a month.”
He nodded but interjected, “I think in those times we can mostly get away with FaceTime or even just texts if needed. My parents would understand if I don’t bring you back every time my dad has a big delivery.”
Humming in understanding you wrote it down.
“What about family functions? Anything coming up?”
The calendar on his phone was consulted.
“Nothing major.”, he said as he scrolled.
“Alright, then I’d just come with on random visits? - Okay. Let me see. My dad’s birthday is next month. We’re gonna have a BBQ, sooo… I’d bring you along then? That should also give us enough time to tell them that we’re dating and set up a whole narrative. I don’t know how involved your parents would be-“, you paused for a moment and he shrugged.
“I never introduced anyone to them.”
“Never?!”, you asked a bit too loudly.
He ducked his head a little and his cheeks turned pink.
“Nope, it never… uhm… lasted long enough to introduce anyone.”
When you cocked your brow, he turned the question around, obviously awkward about being the center of attention on this particular subject, “What about your parents?”
“They’ll wanna know everything about our first date but afterward they’re gonna be chill. They might ask how you’re doing every so often but they usually lose interest in my boyfriends pretty quickly.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, they… they don’t last long usually either. Or are just kind of… jerks? So my parents don’t really wanna invest energy into them.”, before the mood could dip completely, you brightened your voice again, ”Meaning they’re gonna be absolutely thrilled about you. They couldn’t ask for a better fake boyfriend.” You chuckled a bit. “The birthday is on the third June weekend. We can have our stories straight until then, right?”
Asahi looked at you and his mouth opened slightly as if he wanted to say something but then thought better of it. After another short pause, he said, “Yes. Sounds good.”
a/n: request for @sillytoya
@haikyu-mp4 has been forced to listen to me ramble about this for days and helped me editing like the champ she is ✨
