Akaashi's 18th (and the events that followed...)

23. Asahi - Results

Asahi sighed. Daichi and Suga hadn't let it drop that he was now dating Noya. Not even dating really - Nishinoya was departing for his grand adventure in just four months, so they had decided not to be serious about anything.

However, he couldn't help but feel a rush of happiness during the final point of the game. Karasuno wouldn't allow an inexperienced team of volleyball novices take the game past the 25-point mark, and the score was 19 - 24. It was fairly safe to assume that Karasuno would take the game, yet none of their team were becoming arrogant. They were playing as they always did, as if every point were match-point.

Kageyama started off with a killer serve, straight to their setter, who was forced to receive it due to the awkward rotation.

The setter, being relatively skilled, managed to dig it to their libero, who jumped into a set - albeit a slightly wobbly one. Their left - a tall, well-built titan of a second year - smashed the ball down onto the other side of the court-

-which was received by none other than Nishinoya. A spectacular dive, the ball bouncing off the back of his hand.

After that, Kageyama moved straight into a toss, which Hinata ran for, using his decoy skills to pave the way for one of the first years - Ejiro, a middle blocker - to get the last. Asahi thought that Kageyama's idea of surprising the other team by tossing to the unstable first year for their match-point was risky, yet it paid off. Although, as Suga and Daichi had pointed out with a snicker, Hinata seemed severely offput for a few moments, pouting at Kageyama when he realised the ball hadn't gone to him, but breaking out of it in the end to pat Ejiro on the back and congratulate him. The poor boy had been shaking with nerves.

As soon as the game ended, Nishinoya and Tanaka had yelled in triumph, and Asahi had run to the changing rooms of the stadium to have Noya jump on him and give him a large and enthusiastic hug. Asahi had pulled back and kissed him lightly on the cheek, and Tanaka, who hadn't seen them kiss before, whooped and cheered, removing his shirt and throwing it on them.

"Neh, Asahi, why did you come to this match today?" Nishinoya was still panting quite heavily. He took his water bottle and splashed some over himself, slicking his hair back up, which had fallen out from constantly diving around. Asahi turned his head and started to remove his jacket. It was suddenly growing rather hot. "Why didn't you come to a match later on, like when we play in the finals?"

Asahi ignored Noya's overconfident statement that he would reach the finals, and scratched the back of neck, ready to begin what he had rehearsed in his head on the train journey to the Tokyo stadium. "Your exams are in a few days, so I wanted to see you play before then. I actually..." he fumbled around in his pocket, fishing out what he had bought last weekend, "...have something for you." He held out a slightly shaking arm clutching a red charm, unsure as to how the libero would react to it.

"An omamori!"

"It's for academic success. Oh, and this is also for you."

Asahi caught Nishinoya's eyes widen as he handed him the second and final item in his bag. A jacket. Washed-out denim with pointed lapels and metal buttons, and an interesting fabric sewn neatly to the inside of the sleeves and body. Grey, with translucent triangles in greens, blues and oranges. "Was marked last week - got a hundred percent." Asahi smiled proudly, his face forming a squinty grin, waiting for Nishinoya's congratulations.

However, the praise never came. Asahi opened his eyes, his stomach turning. Did Noya hate the jacket?

"I-is this the fabric we chose?" Asahi stared in disbelief as he noticed the deep crimson of Nishinoya's cheeks. The only time he had ever seen Nishinoya blush was just after they kissed for the first time, and even then only out of lack of breath. "Thanks, 'Sahi." Nishinoya ran his fingers almost reverently over the collar, before he stepped onto the wooden slatted bench nailed to the changing room walls and leaned into Asahi, wrapping his lean, muscled arms around the taller's neck, eyes lidded as they drew closer to each other.

Asahi tugged him into the kiss, much to the apparent amusement of the volleyball team, if the teasing 'oohs' and wolf-whistles were anything to go by. However, with Noya in front of him, Asahi didn't have the conscience to be nervous or shy, parting Noya's lips and entwining their tongues for a split second before pulling away (he did, of course, have the conscience to behave himself in public, regardless of Noya's agitated huff).

"Aww, look at Asahi, growing some confidence!" Sugawara chopped him in the stomach and he doubled over. Yup, Sugawara's blows still packed a punch. Asahi raised his eyes to find Suga and Daichi chuckling above him.

"Looking fancy, Yuu!" Tanaka observed, and Asahi's gaze snapped to where Noya had thrown on the jacket and was parading zealously around the room, punching the air and turning around dramatically, as if he was in his own fashion show for hyperactive teenage boys. Asahi grinned. At least he knew Noya liked the jacket. Everyone else seemed to love it too, he mused proudly. Although, something felt off...

"Where's that dumbass?!" Kageyama yelled.

"He was with Suga and me just a few minutes ago," Daichi offered. Nobody in the room needed to think twice to guess who they were talking about.

"Think I saw him go to the bathroom," Tanaka brushed off with a wave of his hand. "He's smart enough not to get lost. Well, probably. If he isn't back in twenty, we'll send a search party."

But still, Asahi observed, Kageyama apparently wasn't satisfied with that answer, and the King stormed out of the room, slamming the door with a resounding bang.

(Word count: 1011)
(Total word count: 26,377)