This was inspired by a bonus comic at the end of ch.189 (the Shiratorizawa game) called "Overwhelming Joy". I wanted to write a (very) short scene because the background AsaNoya sketch was cute and made me chuckle!
The roar of the crowd was deafening.
It drowned out the sound of sneakers against the wooden floor and blended with the cheering of his fellow teammates. Asahi was still in awe.
He had no time to react when Nishinoya launched himself at his face and clung to him like a koala. He stumbled back a few steps, arms flailing beside him. Despite his exhaustion, Asahi made sure to find steady footing before speaking. If he were to fall now he wasn't sure he'd have the strength to get up again.
"Nishinoya, that was dangerous!" Asahi says through a face full of orange fabric. The pressure from the arms around his head increases, a clear sign that Nishinoya isn't listening. Asahi reaches up to peel the libero off of him when Nishinoya says—
"We won, Asahi-san."
That makes Asahi pause. Reality fully hits and pride swells in his chest at the simple statement. He buries his face into Nishinoya's stomach and nods, fingers holding tight to his back. A laugh of disbelief leads to a happy sob. He collects himself enough to respond.
"We did."
Nishinoya shimmies down, unwinding his legs from around Asahi's shoulders to his waist. Again, he gives the taller boy little time to adjust, though strong hands are there to support his weight regardless. Nishinoya settles his hands on Asahi's shoulders.
"You can't keep doing that, Nishinoya." Asahi wipes his eyes with the back of his palm, "What if I dropped you?"
"I jumped at you 'cuz I knew you wouldn't!"
"Even after playing five full sets?" Asahi looks to the court, "To be honest, I can barely stand right now. Adrenaline is probably the only thing keeping me upright."
Nishinoya raises an arm, "Man, I can still feel the sting of those spikes."
"You worked hard." Asahi runs his hand along Nishinoya's slightly reddened forearm, "Karasuno has their guardian deity to thank for our win."
Nishinoya beams, "It's an honor and a pleasure! And our ace punched through those blockers, too!"
"Protect our back at Nationals too, Nishinoya."
That lights a fire in Nishinoya's eyes and he presses their foreheads together, "I'll make sure the only direction you'll have to look is forward."
Asahi feels a sharp blow to the middle of his back, watching the culprit pass by on the way back to the court.
"Wrap it up you two, we still need to line up and bow." Daichi calls. Suga is close behind, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at Asahi before trotting away.
That's when Asahi remembers that they're still in a very public place: a stadium filled to the brim with people. Cameras are rolling, recording every moment for anyone to see. Although he and Nishinoya weren't doing anything out of the ordinary, it doesn't take a genius to realize what it might look like from afar.
Asahi's not sure if he'll faint or spontaneously combust. Nishinoya on the other hand gets his feet back on solid ground, then leads an embarrassed Asahi by the wrist to the other players.
"Don't pass out yet, Asahi-san! We gotta look cool in front of the cameras!"
Though Nishinoya sounds unflappable like always, Asahi can see the tips of his ears turning the faintest shade of pink.
This is very short, but I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!