3 points. He just needed 3 more points to pass and he couldn't even do that. His hands shook as he gripped the red mark piece of paper, stuffing it into his bag.

Lunch was quiet. He sat alone outside, letting the sun try and warm his still cold hands.

Club was just miserable. He kept missing receives left and right. He snapped at his teammates for worrying. He was sent home early to cool down.

He flopped onto his bed, exhausted. The whole day seemed to pass by in a blur, yet he could remember the small details. He didn't understand. He was always centimetres away from failure, why was it getting to him now?

He cried that night.

Yuu… you're such a failure.

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response.

ASMR for short.

Nishinoya had absolutely no idea what any of that meant, but if what he overheard in class was true, then it could help him settle down and maybe get some sleep. He looked at the time on his lock screen. 02:43. Great, another late night.

He tried not to let it show, but lately, he just wasn't sleeping well. He knew it was a number of things mixed together, not just the failed test, but the fact of the matter was he couldn't sleep and he was fed up with it. So, not knowing what to expect, he typed in those 4 letters and let the internet decide his fate.

Wow.

There was a lot.

Like. A lot.

He hadn't realized that this wasn't just some niche thing a couple girls in his class were into, but it was a whole genre of videos ranging in anything and everything! That in itself was almost overwhelming enough to make him turn off his phone. But he kept looking, scrolling through the results, determined to at least try before completely giving up-

His thumb stopped just above a thumbnail of a pretty guy holding a brush of some sort, gazing at him in an almost loving way.

"...Suga?"

He had to look again. It couldn't be him, there was no way. But the guy looked just like him! He even had the beauty mark and everything!

His eyes darted to the channel name.

SugaAndSpiceASMR

He couldn't help but snicker quietly at the pun.

Well. That just confirmed it. His upperclassman and vice-captain was a part of this ASMR thing. And he just happened to stumble upon it. He moved onto his side from his stomach, still smiling. He had to admit, the name suited him well, what with his good intentions towards the team and his supportive nature while also being a bit mischievous at times.

Well, if he was gonna dive into this vast unknown sea, it wouldn't hurt to start with someone he knew. So he clicked the video and waited for it to load.

At this point, Nishinoya realized he didn't actually know what he was in for. From what he recalled there was a lot of whispering and maybe some tapping? And a bunch of other possible things that he didn't quite catch. Whatever it was, he hoped he didn't accidentally search up some weird fetish thing. That'd make things awkward, especially if that meant he'd been listening in on some girls' conversation about it.

That feeling melted away instantly once the video began to play. The walls of his room were decorated with gold and pink fairy lights that made everything else look so warm. Suga himself looked like he was glowing. He was dressed in a white knit sweater that looked oh so cozy, and his smile was the icing on the cake.

"Hello everyone. Welcome back, it's so nice to see you again."

Nishinoya wasn't sure why he was speaking as if he was in the room, but he didn't want to think about it too hard.

"Today, I thought I'd show you these makeup brushes I got, and I'll be brushing your face." Suddenly his voice was in Nishinoya left ear as he leaned to the side, whispering "brush" over and over again, and then moving to his right.

Whoa. That's kinda cool. How'd he do that?

Suga picked up a brush, presumably the one he saw in the thumbnail, and proceeded to brush it across his hand. He could hear the sound of the fibres moving across his skin, which sent a tingle down his back.

Weird. Is that supposed to happen? Maybe it's the meridian thing or whatever.

What did meridian even mean?

"First up, is this powder brush. It's incredibly soft and fluffy, which you probably already noticed." He giggled softly, his eyes scrunching up in that cute Suga way of his.

Nishinoya felt himself sinking into his bed, more at ease with his friend at his side even if it was pre-recorded through a screen.

He began at the top of Nishinoya's forehead and slowly worked his way down, over his eyes, along the bridge of his nose, lightly tapping each of his cheeks, tickling his lips, caressing his jawline, all while continuing to talk ever so soft and slowly.

"You've done so much good today. I'm so, so proud of you. I'm sorry that you're not feeling well, but I know that you are going to get through this. You are so strong."

It was almost like he knew exactly what to say to make him feel even the tiniest bit better. He smiled, feeling his eyelids getting heavy.

Thanks, Suga.

The buzzing of his alarm jolted Nishinoya awake that morning. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up. It'd only been about 4 hours since he crashed, but he'd crashed hard. Now instead of feeling tired and restless like he usually did, he just felt... tired. His phone was laying beside him, and at some point in the night his earbuds had gotten tangled up around his neck. Whoops. As he carefully unwound them, trying not to choke himself, he unlocked his phone. It must have fallen asleep once the video finished. He didn't really remember much after the second brush-

He noticed the time stamp.

54 MINUTES?!

Did Suga actually spend almost an hour sitting in his room, filming himself brushing a camera and whisper talking into a mic? Damn, that was some dedication. On top of the club and studying for exams, Suga was a real trooper to get this out as well.

He clicked on his channel name and browsed through some more of his uploads before tossing his sheets aside. Seemed like he uploaded every 2 weeks or so. And his sub count was pretty impressive too. He smiled.

Nishinoya wasn't exactly sure what Suga was doing, but whatever it was, he was good at it. And he seemed to be enjoying himself too.

He didn't bring it up when he saw Suga that morning, just giving his usual smile and a quick greeting before waving and heading off to class. He didn't notice the look Suga gave him as he left.

He didn't bring it up when they saw each other at club either. He didn't think he was ever going to, but seeing the way Suga leaned in towards Hinata as they quietly made plans for the upcoming practice game, he couldn't help but think back to the warmth he felt as Suga's voice went back and forth from ear to ear. He wanted to ask him about it, he wanted to know how he even started this whole thing, what the heck ASMR even was and why he liked it. But he didn't. He figured there was a reason he hadn't mentioned it before. Instead, he waited not-so-patiently for club to end, and then rushed all the way home so he could finish his homework and start another video.

Suga was the one to bring it up- or at least he was the one who accidentally instigated the process of it being brought up.

"You seem much livelier today, Nishinoya."

He turned to see Suga stood beside him, having also just finished their diving drills.

"What do ya mean? I'm always lively Suga!"

"Well, I kinda noticed you seemed a bit sluggish during practice since second term started. And the other day... I was honestly a bit worried." His sheepish smile and droopy brows made his heart jump.

"I-is that so?" He paused, a small pout forming on his lips. "Well, I might have been having some trouble sleeping-"

"Hm? Sleeping trouble? Something bothering you?"

Normally he would've brushed it off with a laugh and a "don't worry about it!", but the look in Suga's eyes suddenly made that a difficult thing to do.

"Um- well, I uh-"

"Alright boys, line up! Let's start with receives, you guys were sloppy the other day. Let's go, chop chop!"

Coach Ukai's voice and sharp claps cut right through their conversation. Nishinoya was both relieved and disappointed. They both turned to move to where everyone was gathering.

"Nishinoya."

Suga was still beside him.

"If you ever wanna talk, you can come to me anytime."

There was that smile. The way his eyes crinkled, his beauty mark even more present on his skin complimented by a hint of pink on his cheeks, how could he say no?

"...thanks Suga!"

"You okay Noya?"

"Nishinoya senpai!"

He wasn't sure what'd happened. One moment he was about to dive for the ball, then all of a sudden his feet had slipped out from right under him. A wet spot they missed? Or maybe he just lost his footing? He coughed, or at least tried to. Man, he was in pain, just breathing was almost too much.

"Here, let me help."

He didn't have the breath to protest as Suga gently helped him to his feet.

"I'll take him to the infirmary, that okay with you coach?"

Ukai nodded. Takeda looked as nervous as ever.

"Do you need any help Sugawara senpai?"

"I got it, but thanks Yachi!"

Suga looked back at Nishinoya.

"Just lean on me for now. You probably winded yourself."

Taking a shallow breath in, he nodded.

Slowly they made their way towards the infirmary. At one point Suga jokingly suggested he give him a piggyback ride, but with the risk of hurting Nishinoya more he quickly shut down the idea. Nishinoya wouldn't have minded honestly. It was a bit awkward, at least for Suga, having him bend down so much just so Nishinoya could get an arm around his shoulder. He felt bad.

The school nurse took a quick look at him, checking his heartbeat and vitals and whatnot. It was just as Suga said, he'd knocked the wind right out of him with that fall, and probably bruised his chin. She had him lay down on one of the cots, pulling the curtain around it before going back to her desk work.

"You gonna be okay?" Suga asked tentatively.

Nishinoya replied with 2 thumbs up and a huge grin. "A fall like that... isn't gonna stop me."

Suga noticed the long pause between his words and the worry was plain to see on his face.

"Well alright. I'll come back and check on you in a bit-"

"Uh Suga, wait."

He stopped turning midway, looking back at Nishinoya.

"Hm? What's up?"

"Well... you said, I could talk to you... about what's been bothering me. Can... can you stay? Just for a little bit?" Even though he was still in pain, he knew he wasn't going to have the courage to do this any time after.

The worry turned into delight as Suga grabbed a nearby stool, more than happy to listen to his underclassman.

"Like I said, I'm all ears. Just- don't strain yourself. Take your time."

And so Nishinoya, with some difficulty, told Suga about his personal worries, his fears about letting the team down before nationals, keeping up with school and his latest failed test, all while Suga listened attentively. That was always something he admired about him. Nishinoya was always gogogo, bursting with energy and looking forward to the next new thing, but Suga was able to slow down and take in his surroundings, gaining understanding in ways he couldn't. His patience and ability to listen were traits he felt that he, and the others, took for granted sometimes.

By the time he was done, Nishinoya felt like he could breathe a little easier. Whether that was from talking to Suga or laying down he wasn't sure.

"I didn't realize how much you had on your plate, Nishinoya. I'm sorry you've been feeling so alone lately."

"It's okay Suga! It's my bad, for keeping it in for so long. You don't have to feel responsible."

He smiled tenderly. "I know Nishinoya. I just wish there was some way I could've helped you out-"

"But you have!"

Oops. He didn't mean to spill the beans so soon, but seeing Suga look so beaten down because of his own problems, he couldn't help but blurt it out.His surprise was plain to see.

"I... what?"

Nishinoya turned away, looking at his feet. He wasn't about to come up with some big lie to cover up his blunder.

"I, um... I found your videos."

He didn't need to say anything more for Suga to understand what he meant.

"Oh." He looked away, covering his face with one hand. "Well, this is kinda embarrassing. I can't believe you found my channel."

"It was by accident, I swear!"

"...how long have you known?"

"Uh... since like, a week ago?"

"Ah."

Silence fell between the two. Nishinoya felt bad for bringing it up. Obviously, it seemed like a touchy subject.

"I, uh... I didn't know you were into ASMR."

"I'm not- or, well, I wasn't. I just overheard something about it in class, and well, I was kinda desperate at that point."

Nishinoya shifted on the cot, awkwardly sitting up.

"Ah- are you sure you should be sitting-?"

"I'm serious though."

"Eh?" Suga tilted his head, unsure of what he meant.

"Your videos. They really did help me. You said it yourself, I seem livelier lately, and that's because I started watching you! I'm still not really sure what an autopsy response or whatever it's called is, but it's been working for me a whole lot!"

Suga stared at him, dumbfounded, until he began laughing. Oh yes, if his smile was the icing on the cake, then his laughter was sugar dusted on top.

"Wow, that's... I honestly wasn't expecting that, I- heh, thank you Nishinoya." He looked at his hands, nervously twiddling his thumbs. "It's just... I don't know, I know you guys wouldn't judge me for something like this but... there are a lot of people who think it's a weird thing to be into, like it's a fetish thing or something equally crude. And I mean, that kind of stuff does exist cause that's just the internet, but what I and many others do is purely to help people relax and de-stress," he looked up at Nishinoya, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "and maybe even fall asleep."

Nishinoya suddenly felt guilty for thinking like that before. Of course, randomly searching up something your classmates had been talking about wasn't exactly the most trusted source, but he should have been a bit more open-minded, especially since Suga was a part of this vast world.

"I'll be honest, I kinda thought that way at the beginning. I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into. But you know, your videos speak volumes louder than any explanation. I already knew what your purpose was. And hey, even if it was some sort of weird fetish thing, I would never judge you for doing something you like. Not in a million years."

He spoke with the same conviction he used during those tough spots in a game when the team's morale was low and they needed to be brought back up to win the next point. He wanted Suga to know that he was serious, that it was okay.

"Nishinoya..." Suga smiled the way only he knew how. "Thank you."