Nishinoya's POV:
My alarm rang ten minutes ago, but still I lay motionless in my bed, staring at the ceiling with my blankets half off my body.
We had volleyball practice this morning, which meant there was no avoiding Asahi or anyone else; fortunately my bruises had sort of faded by then, and I no longer needed a bandage to protect my scrape, so I didn't have to hide those. Although I always enjoyed morning practices (it was like a wake-up call- it helped me get my day going), I just didn't feel like seeing anyone.
I looked at the clock. If I don't get up now, I'll be really late. Let's go...
I thought, kicking off the other half of my blankets and throwing my weight to the side, swinging my legs out onto the floor.
"Come on, man!! You gotta get yourself hyped up!" I looked at myself in the reflection of the full-length mirror that leaned against the wall, stretching my arms up.
Even if I did feel like shit still, I knew that it would be apparent to my teammates if I suddenly was out of energy. Besides, I thought while beginning to change into my school uniform, I need a bit more energy after two days of not practicing!!!
I left my room and walked straight to the kitchen to find something to eat for breakfast, quickly peeking out the window to check the current weather. I had also checked last night about the weather, and surprisingly there wasn't a high chance of precipitation. Of course I knew that it could still rain.
I sat myself down in a chair at the table to start to eat, but I couldn't help but have an odd feeling in my stomach. Of course, I ate anyway, trying to ignore the feeling- it didn't last long, though, until I finally realized what was wrong.
Usually by this time, Tanaka would have called me by now- it was basically routine at this point, it's been happening so long. I dug in my pocket and whipped out my phone, almost dropping it face down on the table.
Maybe I should call him? Or, no... maybe he wants to give me space for myself because of.. Asahi. But I don't think he'd do that. Oh, he probably is just waking up or something!
I knew Tanaka was the type to wake up late often, so I decided that I should stop worrying so much and just focus on getting ready for school. Leaving my phone on the table, and after cleaning and putting my dishes away, I quickly ran back to my room to get my textbooks, then put them into my backpack.
I was walking through the hallway, when suddenly I heard my phone buzz against the table, then the loud ringtone echo throughout the house. I ran into the kitchen, almost spilling the contents of my backpack as I turned the corner.
I picked up my phone, seeing Tanaka's name on the top of the screen, then pressed the answer button and held my phone up to my ear.
"NISHINOYA!!! Hey, man how are you feeling?!" He yelled enthusiastically.
It felt refreshing to hear him. "I'm alright. Are you excited for practice? It's been too long."
"Yeah, obviously! I'm worried I'm gonna be a little bit rusty though. A couple days wouldn't throw me off too much, would it...?" He asked, but I'm sure he subconsciously knew the answer. I mean, nobody except Coach Ukai would ever think that he's rusty from 2 days without practice- that is, unless he actually is rusty.
"Nah, you'll be fine," I checked the time on my phone and realized it was almost time to leave. "Tanaka, if we don't leave and meet up now then we'll both be late."
I could hear noise at the other end of the call- it sounded like he was far from the phone struggling. "Ok! I just gotta.. get. My. Homework. In. My. Backpack!" I could hear him trying to shove papers inside. I chuckled.
"Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes then!" Tanaka yelled. I hung up.
I hope Asahi has to walk with Suga and Daichi today. It'll be awkward. Although it wouldn't be horrible to see him... wait no! I don't want to see him. He rejected me! He doesn't like me like that! I hated when my thoughts became bipolar like that- where suddenly I would think that I wanted something even though I know I didn't. Or did I...?
I walked out the front door with my key in hand, then shut and locked the door. Turning around, I almost expected Asahi to be standing there, but of course I was only greeted with the walkway to the sidewalk through my yard. It was almost disappointing- almost. If not for the current circumstances, it would have been disappointing.
Another thought came to mind. Hopefully Takahashi got over himself and isn't stalking me anymore. Even if he was, Tanaka wouldn't let him do anything, since Takahashi has nothing against him. Of course, with the way he is, Takahashi would probably find something to hold against him. It'd be very difficult though.
I walked down the sidewalk to to the place where Tanaka and I usually met up. The more I thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed that Takahashi would show up. He's not petty enough to follow somebody around for two days, I'm sure. He'll just try to inconvenience me during class, probably. That I can handle. I mean, I have been for months, so I've kind of built up a tolerance to his bullshit.
Eventually, Tanaka and I met up and walked to school for practice. It was quieter than usual, but it was good. I had to focus all of my energy on avoiding Asahi as much as possible- without seeming suspicious, at least.
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At practice...
When we had entered the club room to change, Asahi, Sugawara, an Daichi had already arrived there. I grounded myself to the corner of the club room to face the wall as I changed. I didn't engage in the conversations that were occurring behind me, but I did listen to what I thought was interesting.
For example, I could hear Asahi nimbly trying to get the attention of Tanaka, talking in a low and quiet voice. Of course since his voice was the lowest of all of us, I could still hear it clearly. Tanaka obviously didn't, still trying to talk to me. Pretty soon Asahi gave up, but I didn't like his 'substitute' for talking.
"Hey, Nishinoya. How was your night?" He asked as I pulled my shirt over my head, still faced away from him.
"It was fine. You?" I replied dryly.
He paused. "It was pretty good. Are you excited for practice? I am. I need to keep practicing my serves- oh, you can receive them any time you like!"
Dammit. I didn't want to be a jerk to him and just give him dumb and simple replies. If you're going to do that, you might as well not answer at all. I reminded myself. Fine...
"Yeah, actually. Two days seems a little too long, and I need a challenge," I tried to sound enthusiastic enough for him not to suspect anything. It worked. We exchanged a smile.
We all walked out and into the gym, excited as ever to finally be back on our feet. Hinata and Kageyama were hardly bickering, and instead jumping around and getting themselves riled up. I looked around for Tanaka so that us two could join the others in their excitement, and I spotted him over by the door making small talk with Asahi.
I didn't want to talk to Asahi. Nope. That was the last thing I wanted. But...
I started towards them, hoping that I could get Tanaka away without actually needing to interact with Asahi, but I was suddenly grabbed by behind and spun around.
"Let's rally together before Coach Ukai comes here. Suga!!" He dragged me over to Sugawara, despite my intelligible protests.
"W- huh? Daichi where..?" I sputtered as he dragged both of us into a triangle shape. Suga had one of the volleyballs from the storage room.
I sighed quietly to myself and complied. We began passing the ball to each other- I would hit it to Suga, and sometimes he'd hit it to Daich and sometimes back to me. I started to forget about Tanaka and Asahi quickly, all my worries being pushed away with each impact of the volleyball against my arms.
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Tanaka's POV:
I swear I could have exploded as soon as Asahi told me what he did at practice that morning. He came up to me and came out as.. well it wasn't like an official thing so he didnt tell me specifically what he was, he only told me that he liked Nishinoya. I tried keeping my face calm and say supportive words so that he knows I'm totally supportive, but the excitement stirred inside me.
That would mean that Asahi and Nishinoya liked each other, and neither of them knew it! This got me thinking and wondering if Sugawara and Daichi knew, and if they were thinking the same fantastic thing I was: setting up Asahi and Nishinoya on a date.
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At lunch:
Daichi's POV:
Sugawara met up with me on the rooftop- we had told Asahi that we couldn't have lunch with him because of homework related things... I just hoped he wouldn't get too suspicious or think about it too much. We were also meeting up with Tanaka (actually, he was the one who told us he needed to urgently talk to us about something; we dont know what it is yet).
"Hey. Hear from Tanaka yet?" Sugawara sat down beside me on one of the many benches on the rooftop. There were a few other groups of kids there who were taking up some of the benches.
"No, not yet. He told us to meet here. Is there any chance he forgot?"
I shook my head. Of course, there was always a chance he actually forgot, but when it comes to something as important as he made it seem, he wouldn't. Actually... I think I know what it is he wants to talk about..." my voice trailed off at the end.
"Hey, guys!" We turned around and saw Tanaka finally arriving.
"Hey, Tanaka," Suga smiled. We all sat down on the bench and began munching down on our lunches while Tanaka started talking.
"So... uh... you should already know this, but... Asahi came to me today and told me he liked Nishinoya. He told you right?!"
I nodded, and Suga did the same. I knew where this was going.
"And we all already know that Nishinoya likes Asahi. This.. this is pretty big. They actually like each other. And they have no idea," he started pacing back and forth. "You know neither of them is going to make a move on the other- not without help. And, well, I'm thinking we give them a little... push towards each other. You know?"
Suga and I looked at each other, then back at Tanaka. I nodded. I mean obviously with how new this is to Asahi, he wouldn't try anything. Especially with his mother on his back about these things all the time, and also whilst thinking that Nishinoya had no interest in him.
"Yeah... but if we do help, we cant tell them or else they'll chicken out," Suga pointed out. I nodded.
"What if we just tell them that the other likes them?" I asked. They both looked at me.
"That wouldn't make this story very fun! Besides, with how Nishinoya is feeling, I highly doubt he'll believe me, or you for that matter." Tanaka argued back. True.
"What if we set them up on a date, but dont tell them that they're on a date..?" Suga suggested with a mouth full of rice.
"What would we do..? Maybe... maybe we could buy them movie tickets and send them to a movie together?" Tanaka stopped pacing and faced us.
"That could work.. but it would be obvious. How about after volleyball practice, we all say we're too busy to hang out with them, leaving their only option each other? We can all go to my house," I suggested, taking a bite of my own bento, as I haven't eating anything yet.
"Ooh, I like that better. Then we don't have to spend our money!"
Sugawara, his mouth once again full, nodded vigorously and put his thumb up.
"So its settled then. We set em up after school... then see how it went tomorrow," Tanaka concluded.
So then, now we just have to wait until after school... and make sure this works.
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Sugawara's POV:
We were just finished cleaning up after practice, and everyone was getting changed back into their regular uniforms. We were waiting for the right moment (preferably when we were no longer changing) to, well, technically abandon our friends for the sake of their relationship.
Tanaka was right. They would never have done it themselves; there was no way that Asahi, son of the church freak, would ask a guy out on a date, even if he did want to. I mean, that's one of the reasons. Asahi hadn't asked anyone, girl or boy or anyone in between, on a date, or anything like that. Hopefully this little push will help both him and Nishinoya get a little brave.
Daichi, Asahi and I walked out with Tanaka and Nishinoya, with the first years and other second years trailing behind us (Kageyama and Hinata were bickering, but surprisingly, Daichi paid no attention to them. They weren't being that loud anyway).
We all talked for a while as we walked down the road towards the convenience store just outside school grounds. I looked at Daichi. He shook his head. It's not time yet, just a little longer.
"I have so much homework today. Math is definitely... difficult," I sighed.
"Same here," Daichi replied.
After a few minutes, Nishinoya gave us the perfect opportunity to begin our plan.
"Tanaka, wanna come over to my house?" Nishinoya asked behind us.
"Ehh.. uh.. sorry, Noya, I'm busy today. Tons of homework," he stuttered.
Smooth, Tanaka, I thought.
"What about you, Sugawara?" Asahi broke me out of thought from the conversation behind me, to the conversation beside me. Asahi was walking in the middle of Daichi and I.
"Are you free to hang out?"
I shook my head vigorously. "I'm sorry, my parents said no friends over today. I need to study. Tests, am I right?" I replied. Asahi sighed. Alright..
"Weeell," Daichi started, "If both Nishinoya and Asahi are free, why dont you guys hang out? Might as well."
I nodded in a agreement. "Yeah!"
"Oh, b-but, uh..." Nishinoya sputtered in protest, but before he could refuse, I linked my arm with Daichi's and waved goodbye.
"Got to go now! See you, Asahi and Nishinoya!" I called, Tanaka trailing closely behind us.
Then, it was official. Our plan was in action.
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Asahi's POV:
Nishinoya and I, abandoned by our friends, stood awkwardly still, glancing at each other.
"So, uh..." I internally cussed out Daichi and Sugawara for leaving me here with Nishinoya. What were they thinking?! What was I supposed to do now?
"Want to come over to my place?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too hesitant. He smiled.
"Yeah, sure! I haven't been over since... well since you were sick, haha," he chuckled, and we started walking once more.
For a while, we strolled in silence, occasionally making up filler conversations that ended shortly after they were started. I looked over at the grass beside us, and found that flowers were blooming here and there, scattered throughout patches of grass. I noticed Nishinoya looking at them, then remembered that he said he liked flowers earlier (like yesterday or something, I wasnt sure).
Reaching down, I grabbed a yellow flower and plucked it from the ground, then turned to Nishinoya with my hand extended. Nishinoya stared at me for a second, then gave a half smile and took it from my hand.
His fingers brushed up against mine, and my heart suddenly jumped. I could feel my face get warm, but I tried my best to stop it.
"Thanks, Asahi," he said tenderly, not peeling his eyes off the flower that was held by the bottom of the stem.
"You... said you liked the flowers, right? You were looking at them," I told him casually. This was a big move. Was it romantic? Maybe. Did I mean to be romantic? Maybe. Did I get flustered because of this? Absolutely. I felt like I should've 'made a move' on Nishinoya, even if i wasnt still sure of my feelings. I don't know if that counted as a move, but underneath the shakiness I was feeling, I hoped it worked.
Speaking of making a move, I knew exactly what Suga, Daichi, and Tanaka were doing. It was no secret that right after I told all three of them that I may have feelings for Nishinoya they all had the same idea, and it wasnt like I had time to deflect it and go home alone. I still was doubtful about Nishinoya having mutual feelings towards me, but I started thinking there could be a chance he did if Sugawara, Daichi and Tanaka all wanted to set us up. That would make sense, right? I thought so, and my heart beat picked up. There was definitely a chance if they were trying to do this together.
But what if they weren't trying to hook us up? What if they all were honestly busy and just thought we'd wanna hang out?
No, that can't be. They know about me liking Nishinoya. They did this on purpose. I shook the sudden wave of doubtful thoughts that came flooding in at that moment, and tried to remain positive as Nishinoya and I strode side-by-side. Maybe I can tell him later, I thought positively, forcing my mood to lighten once more.
But even through those forced optimistic thoughts, the others remained lingering in the back of my head.
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Wow. It's been a hot minute. Boiling hot...
Thanks for all the support, honestly. If there werent so many people invested in this story I dont think I'd be motivated enough to write these chapters! Love you guys <3
-Pidgeon