a/n: so... basically from here on out the timeline is gonna be moving pretty quick and imma be jumping around a lot, so don't mind that, i just didn't wanna have a hundred chapters of filler for all of college when i don't have that much planned out for this time
.nishinoya.
my first year of college, halfway over already. it was summer once again, and i had a plan.
asahi and i had been texting a bit more recently, and we had arranged for me to stay the weekend with him. now that he was a second year, he had an apartment off campus, and luckily his roommates were out on some camping trip, so it would just be the two of us.
as i approached the door, i was nervous, which was rather uncharacteristic for me. i checked his text one more time to make sure i had the right apartment, then knocked.
i stuck my hands in my pockets and tried to appear as casual as possible while i waited, although i might've jumped a bit when the door finally opened.
i'm not sure why i was so on edge- maybe it's just because we haven't seen each other in person for so long, and what if things are too different now?
"noya, hey! you made it safely, come on in."
he stepped aside to let me in, and my brain tried to process all the new things it was experiencing.
first of all- asahi had his hair down, and he didn't wear it down much in high school. he was also wearing glasses. when did he get glasses?
and the smell in the apartment. it wasn't overwhelmingly familiar, and it was obvious that other people lived here, but there was still an underlying hint of asahi's smell.
i took about five seconds to take in all of this information while i took off my shoes in the entryway.
"so, how was the journey here? everything go smoothly?"
"yep, everything was great! i'm here safe and sound, and in one piece!"
he chuckled.
"that's a first."
"pfft, what?! what are you talking about?"
"please, there was never a time in high school when i didn't see you with at least one bruise. i wouldn't be surprised if you had some now, you're like a piece of fruit!"
"i'm not like a piece of-! wait a minute..." my gaze drifted to a fresh bruise on my arm, and i quickly covered it with my hand. "okay, so you may be right, but that doesn't mean you're right!"
he laughed.
"that doesn't make any kind of sense."
"do i ever make sense?"
he shrugged.
"there are rare occasions."
"well... thanks?"
"you sound unsure."
"i'm just not entirely sure if that was a compliment or an insult."
"it was a compliment. do you want anything to drink?"
i sat at the table while he went to the fridge.
"yes, please! do you have any apple juice?"
"apple juice?" he chuckled.
"what? i gotta keep up my vitamin c intake so i can keep my immune system strong!"
"well, honestly, orange juice would be best for that, but i know you don't like orange juice that much, so i'll get you some apple juice instead."
he remembered my dislike of orange juice?
wait, dummy, don't get your hopes up, of course he remembered.
but then again... it was such an offhand thing i mentioned maybe once... and he remembered.
"here you go."
he set a glass of apple juice in front of me, with just some water for himself.
"thanks."
"hey, are you alright? you seem a bit spaced out."
"huh? oh, yeah, it's really hot outside, i'm probably just a little dehydrated."
i drank some juice to prove my point.
he nodded.
"makes sense. it gets so hot in the summer, especially in the city with all the concrete."
"well luckily i don't have to deal with that, because i'm a country boy!"
i struck a pose and asahi snorted.
"oh my god, yuu, you're too much sometimes."
i pointed finger guns at him, trying to ignore my racing heart from him calling me by my first name after such a long time.
"in the best way possible though."
he smiled softly.
"yes, yes, of course."
"oh, hey, i meant to ask earlier, but what's with the glasses?"
"oh these? they're just reading glasses, but i forgot to take them off earlier. although with the way my eyesight seems to be going, i might need glasses all the time soon."
"that's rough, buddy. but you could be twins with tsukki!"
"yeah, i guess so."
we continued our casual conversation, and i was glad everything felt so natural.
i was worried that things would be stiff and awkward, but seeing each other again was like falling back into a pattern that we both knew well.
like doing a dance we knew by heart, and even when we stumbled a bit, the muscle memory kicked in and we recovered.
i smiled. i'm not sure what i was so worried about earlier.
///
a while later we were just sitting on the couch watching some show, and the heat was getting to me, and apparently asahi.
"it really is hot outside, huh?" he asked, fanning his face slightly.
"yeah. it's making me kinda sleepy."
"me too."
"i wonder if having the window open is making it hotter?"
he glanced over at the window.
"probably. i'll close it and get the fan."
"you had a fan this whole time?!"
"well... technically it's my roommate's, but since she's gone right now, i don't think she'd mind."
he got up, closed the window, and disappeared down a small hallway for a minute before coming back with a fan.
he plugged it in, and before long, the glorious, cool air was blowing upon us.
"now that's more like it," i sighed, relaxing back on the couch. "so what are your roommates like?"
"there's kobayashi emiko, she's the one i borrowed the fan from. she's really positive and energetic like you, and she's studying ecology. she's really passionate about the environment, and protecting people's rights, and always complains about wanting a girlfriend. then there's watanabe masumi, who's nonbinary. they're also an enthusiastic activist, but definitely more calm than emiko. they're studying law, and they also complain about wanting a girlfriend, but not as often as emiko."
"ooh, interesting. so do they know you're gay yet?"
he laughed.
"ohh yeah, i may or may not have accidentally blurted it out after like, a week of living here when we all watched love, victor together."
i snorted.
"that's amazing, oh my god."
"yeah, it was kind of embarrassing, but at least they accepted me, which is good."
"yep."
"so how've you been doing? anything interesting happen recently?"
"ooh, well this wasn't recent, but last summer i gave ryū the sex talk!"
he made a slight choking sound.
"what?! why?!"
"well, you see, he and chikara... chikara wanted to have... fun time, but since ryū's never been with a guy before, he was kind of nervous."
"at least you're a good friend? but since when have him and ennoshita been together?"
"are you serious?! since like... the end of our second year?!"
"wait, you're joking, right?"
i laughed incredulously.
"no! you seriously didn't know?!"
he shook his head.
"honest to god, i had no clue."
"well you should be honest to your father."
"what- i'm not jesus!"
i laughed.
"yeah, sure, i'll buy that when you can provide substantial proof."
he rolled his eyes and twirled a strand of hair between his fingers.
"maybe i should cut my hair, then you can't say i look like jesus anymore."
"no, you can't!"
i lunged at him, grabbing his hair slightly away from him, before realizing i was kind of sitting on his lap.
we both blushed.
i knew i probably shouldn't, but it was like all my self control had disappeared being this close to him, so i leaned in and kissed him.
suddenly, the spell was broken, and i quickly scrambled away.
"i'm so sorry, i didn't mean to do that! i'll see myself out, nice visit, bye!"
i was a little disappointed when he didn't stop me from leaving, but why should i be? he's probably moved on already, while i'm still a sad loser that's still clinging onto my feelings for him.
once i got my shoes on, i couldn't get out of there fast enough.
.azumane.
i barely registered nishinoya saying he was going to leave- i was too surprised.
i gently touched my lips as i heard the door slam shut, and felt faintly disappointed that he had left.
honestly, i had recently been really confused about all my feelings.
i didn't think i still had feelings for noya, but now?
and with suga and daichi... we had recently broken up. can you even call it breaking up if we had never dated? or were we dating?
it was hard to tell, since we had never really made anything 'official.' it was more of a casual fling.
i wasn't too upset over that though, because while i was attracted to them, i think i really just love them more as my friends. but i did miss being in a relationship.
maybe that's why i didn't mind so much that noya had kissed me.
or maybe...?
no. i'm too tired to go there right now. i would rather just pretend like nothing happened, and try to go back to how things were Before.
but that was a little difficult when everything reminded me of him, starting with the empty cup on the table that had held apple juice not long ago.