Chapter Text
Asahi quietly plucked at the strings of his bass guitar in the corner of their rented practice space while everyone else got set up for the night. He was already tuned and ready to start, but he needed to give his hands something to do in the meantime or he’d end up picking his lip to death until it was raw.
Playing didn't make him nervous; it did the exact opposite. Playing bass was an easy distraction. It caught his focus, so much so that there wasn’t room for any overwhelming thoughts. It felt like a breath of fresh air after being shoved in a stuffy room all day.
Forming a band was his friends’ idea back in high school, and after a few successful shows, they continued to play while some went to university and some began working full time. Asahi never thought he’d be able to perform on stage in front of a crowd, but once they counted off and launched into just playing , everything else faded away. All he needed to focus on was his baseline, and how it moved with the rest of the band. Nothing else mattered.
And now, as Asahi sat and waited for everyone else to get set up, all of the things that weighed on his mind felt heavy enough to crush him. The end of the semester was right around the corner, work was starting to ramp up for the busy season, and that wasn’t even taking into account the upcoming music festival gauntlet.
Before Asahi could ruminate too much on his increasingly busy schedule, Suga stood up and clapped his hands with a cheerful smile. “Alright! You guys ready? I think we’re expecting one more…”
Asahi raised an eyebrow in confusion. One more…? Ah, right. Their new drummer was starting tonight. Hopefully they’d be-
Just then, someone kicked the door open with a wide smile, and a pair of drumsticks tucked under their arm.
“What’s up , motherfuckers?!”
Great. They were loud. Why were drummers always so loud?
He wore tight jeans and an oversized t-shirt with the sleeves haphazardly cut off. His hair was dark with bleached blonde fringe, and stuck out from his head in every direction like he’d been caught in a windstorm. He was small, but his presence certainly wasn’t. Asahi didn’t remember him from the auditions they held a few weeks ago, but he also had to duck out halfway through them to get to work on time. This person must have tried out after he left, because Asahi couldn’t imagine he’d forget someone so… dynamic .
Before he could quietly observe the newest member of their band like an overly cautious cat, there was a hand in front of his face, so close he almost went cross-eyed.
“Nishinoya, but you can just call me Noya. Nice to meet you!”
Asahi blinked, and once his brain finally caught up, he scrambled to return the offered handshake. Nishinoya. His hands were warm. And deceptively soft, despite the calluses.
“N-nice to meet you. Azumane Asahi, but just Asahi is fine.”
Nishinoya regarded him with a warm smile that only grew as he stumbled over his words. God, this guy was probably going to think he was a mess from the get-go.
“So you’re the bassist, huh? I didn’t see you at tryouts. I definitely would have remembered you.”
That unfortunately tracked. As much as Asahi wished he could fade into the background and go unnoticed, he knew his larger build, long hair, and general awkward nature made him memorable in the most unwanted of ways.
All Asahi could respond with was what he hoped was a smile, and Noya was gone. He re-introduced himself to Daichi, and plopped himself down on the stool behind the drum kit. With the introductions out of the way, Asahi was interested to see what their new drummer was capable of. Suga glanced over his shoulder, and suggested they start off with one of their covers to warm up, and for Noya to get comfortable playing with everyone.
Noya nodded, and his brows drew down in determination as he twirled a drumstick between his fingers. “Got it.”
As they got into it, Asahi couldn’t help his eyes from wandering over to watch Noya. This was his first time hearing him play, and it was unreal; he was so alive . Every swing of his arm was filled with an energetic passion, and…was his tongue sticking out?
Every part of how he played was captivating, so much so that Asahi missed his next entrance. Shit. Suga wouldn’t miss the chance to razz him for that later. He almost never spaced out while playing unless there was something seriously bothering him.
The song ended too soon, and Suga turned around to level Asahi with a curious stare. “Asahi, are you alright? You seemed a little off.”
Busted .
Asahi shook his head, thankful that his long bangs partially covered his quickly reddening face. “I’m fine! Just got a little distracted, sorry. I’ll be better next song.” He couldn’t bear to look over at Noya. He probably thought he was the saddest excuse for a bassist. Maybe they’d finally get smart and kick him out of the band.
He startled out of his thoughts when Suga’s hand clapped down against his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, this is your first time hearing Noya, right? It’ll take some time for the two of you to sync up.”
Noya perked up at the mention of his name, and gave Asahi the brightest smile. “Yeah, don’t sweat it. We’ve still all gotta get used to each other and stuff. But you’re really awesome, I can already tell. This whole band’s awesome! I’m so psyched to play with you guys!”
Daichi and Suga exchanged an amused look. This was exactly why they’d taken Noya out of everyone who’d tried out. He brought a fun, new energy to the band, and it might have been too early to tell, but they hoped he’d also pull their meek little mouse of a bassist out of his shell a little, too.
The rest of practice went on as usual, and to Asahi’s surprise, he quickly fell into a comfortable rhythm with Noya. He knew they had to be on the same page being the backbone of their sound; Noya provided the pace while Asahi filled in the gaps with a solid bassline. Together they were the foundation, and as much as Noya kind of scared him with his raw talent and explosive energy, Asahi wanted to get to know him better. For the sake of the band.
“Thanks, guys! We can handle the clean up tonight. Same time next week?”
“You sure, Suga? I don’t mind hanging back to help.” Noya grabbed his bag from where he’d tossed it behind the drum kit, and shoved his sticks inside it before slinging it over his shoulder.
Suga waved him off with a smile. “No, no. Daichi and I can manage. If you want, maybe you can walk with Asahi to the station? I don’t think you’ve met before tonight.”
Asahi knew exactly what Suga was doing, and he knew Daichi was probably in on it, too. Asahi didn’t have many friends other than Daichi and Suga. They’d grown up together, and while the three of them had always been more than enough, Asahi never felt comfortable expanding his circle any further. It took him long enough to get comfortable with the friends he had, and making new ones was almost too intimidating to ever entertain. He was friendly to everyone, but he rarely ever opened up or tried to get to know someone any deeper than a polite acquaintance would require.
He knew he was a nervous mess. He didn’t want to burden anyone else with his tendencies to overthink and panic over little things no one else ever did. He appreciated his friends trying, but he couldn’t imagine someone as lively as Noya would want anything to do with him once he saw Asahi for who he really was.
“Sure! Ready when you are, Asahi!” Noya plopped himself down beside where Asahi sat, carefully packing his instrument back into its case. Maybe if he took long enough, Noya would lose patience and leave without him.
But he didn’t. He just sat there and watched Asahi pack up, which only made his hands shake more than they usually did. He waved goodbye to Daichi and Suga, and his chest began to get tight when it dawned on him that it would just be him and someone he didn’t even know walking all the way to the station. They’d have to make small talk. He’d have to try and pretend like he wasn’t freaking out about what to say, and if it was too much, or not enough, or if he was making a complete fool of himself, or-
“So how long have you been playing?”
Noya’s voice caught his attention, and he glanced down at him in mild surprise. He was…asking him a question? Maybe he was just being polite. Either way, it took Asahi a moment to respond.
“I used to play the cello in school, but I started to pick up the bass around my second year in high school. I haven’t been playing for very long compared to others in the band. That’s probably obvious.” He reached back to nervously rub the back of his neck. Noya could probably smell the inexperience on him with how he played tonight. Asahi was clearly the weakest link in their ensemble; he always had been, in his mind.
“What makes you say that? The only obvious thing to me is that you’re not giving yourself enough credit, Asahi. I know I only heard you play for a few hours so far, but I think you’re great. I would have never known you’ve only been playing for, what, a couple of years? That’s awesome.”
Asahi’s face flushed at the compliment, and he kept his eyes on the ground as they continued to walk. “What about you? Your drumming’s pretty incredible. You must have started young.”
Noya tipped his head back and laughed into the cool, night air. It was so light and carefree, like it could be carried away by the breeze. Listening to it made something in Asahi’s chest ache. He wished he could bottle it up and keep it for a rainy day.
“Not really. I started in middle school, and I had so much energy that my parents hoped that channeling some of that into practicing would chill me out. I used to practice a lot . Played along with the radio, just made stuff up on my own…I think improvising drum fills is my favorite thing to do, actually. My friends say I play better when I’m not thinking.”
Asahi’s eyes lit up with recognition, and he let out a small laugh. “Mine too. I mess up more when I think too hard.”
Noya looked up at Asahi with a growing fondness. He’d known him for all of two hours and exchanged maybe a handful of sentences, but he already knew getting to know him was going to be fun . He saw the hesitation in Asahi; it wasn’t hard to miss. That night, as they walked to the station together, Noya decided he was going to make it his mission to loosen Asahi up a little. Show him what it really meant to be in a band; to live .
Yeah, they were going to be great friends.
-
The next morning, Asahi woke up to a text from an unsaved number. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, slowly sat up, and smacked his alarm clock to silence it. 8:30 wasn’t that early to most people’s standards, but that didn’t make Asahi any more of a morning person (He wasn’t. At all.)
“Who the-”
<Hey, wanna grab coffee? this is noya btw. suga gave me ur number. hope that’s ok. don’t worry bout it if ur busy.>
Asahi swiped the message open, and saved the number under “Noya - Drummer” so he wouldn’t be confused over seeing the unsaved number next time. Texts from wrong numbers always gave him heartburn; they were so awkward to respond to. Especially when the person on the other end wanted to have a conversation. With a stranger! Ridiculous.
He rubbed his eyes and tried to remember what he had to do today through his mental morning fog. He didn’t have to be at work until later, so, yeah. He had time for coffee.
<Sure. Where do you want to meet?>
He noticed the timestamp from Noya’s first text; seven a.m. Did the offer have an expiration? He should have double checked before sending the damn reply-
His phone buzzed in his hand, and a new message appeared below his last.
<The place by the park with the lake? they make the best muffins.>
Asahi found himself smiling as he typed out his response. He was familiar; it was on the way to work, and he stopped there more than his wallet liked to admit. They really did have the best muffins. It was nice to know Noya appreciated quality baked goods.
<Sounds good. Meet you in half an hour?>
He got a thumbs-up in response, and rolled the rest of the way out of bed. Five minutes to get dressed (he didn’t overthink his outfit. Nope. Why did he care what Noya saw him in? They barely knew each other. But Noya was pretty cool, and he didn’t want to…disappoint him? Sure. He’d go with that.) and another two to toss his hair up into a messy bun, and he was out the door. Once he was on the train, he tensed up. Did he forget to brush his teeth?! Oh god, he was going to show up and breathe his disgusting morning breath all over his new band mate- No. Asahi shook his head. He definitely brushed them first thing, before getting dressed.
With two minutes to spare before their agreed upon meeting time, Asahi’s shaky hand reached for the coffee shop’s door. Why was he nervous? He got coffee with Suga and Daichi all the time, this shouldn’t be any different.
He scanned the booths, and eventually spotted Noya when he sat up and started to wave both his arms in the air like he was at a concert. People were starting to stare. Asahi quickly shuffled his way over, and plopped down across from him. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t recognize you at first, with your hair down like that.”
It was the truth; Nishinoya looked totally different with his spiked hair swept under a beanie. The ends still stuck out the sides, enough that Asahi could still see his blonde patch of fringe in the front. It was a cute look.
Noya gave him a lopsided smile. "Yeah, I usually don't spike it up until after my morning run. No point when it's just gonna get messed up, right? That and the gel really stings when it runs down in my eyes from sweating."
Asahi frowned. "Did I interrupt your morning? I'm sorry I replied so late. I'm not really an early bird."
Noya looked thoughtful for a moment, and drummed his fingers on the tabletop. Asahi wondered if he did that a lot, being a drummer. Maybe it was just instinctual for him at this point.
"You sure do apologize a lot, Asahi. You weren't late at all. I'm always up early, it's just a habit now, I guess. You caught me just in time, promise."
Asahi resisted the urge to apologize for apologizing, and chewed at his lip. "Well, thank you. For inviting me out."
There was that brilliant smile again. "Course, I figured since last night was the first time meeting you, and we're gonna be playing together a lot that we should get to know each other a little, you know? I've always heard the vibe between the drummer and the bassist in a band is important. We're the rhythm, and we gotta have each other's backs!"
Something about having a person like Noya in his corner made Asahi feel a little closer to invincible, even if he knew realistically he was on the complete opposite end of it.
"Yeah, I agree. I'd like to get to know you too, Nishinoya."
They chatted about everything and anything over their breakfast, and before Asahi knew it, he had to be back home to get ready for work. Where had the time gone? He could have sworn they were only there for an hour, but conversation with Nishinoya came so easily that one hour turned into three. He thanked Noya again for inviting him, and shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked back towards the station with an immovable smile.
The next few days were business as usual for Asahi; go to class, go to work, study for exams, and band practice. But sprinkled between it all were texts from Noya. He talked about everything and anything, sent Asahi random pictures from his day, and Asahi found himself beginning to do the same. He didn’t know what it was about their new drummer that made him want to share more than he usually did, but something about Noya made him feel comfortable enough to open up.
And even better yet, even though Asahi did more talking over text than he did in person, practice was never awkward. It was almost like him and Noya had little inside jokes now from all of their secret conversations. They’d giggle together at something Suga said when Asahi predicted it perfectly, or when Noya would remind Asahi of something funny he’d sent the day before.
Their bandmates watched them with a fond curiosity, and elbowed each other with silent “I told you so’s” when they realized how quickly and easily their reserved bassist and explosive new drummer were bonding. They wouldn’t say they hired Noya specifically in hopes that he’d click with Asahi, but it was definitely one of the reasons he was chosen besides his energy and talent.
They sounded better than ever, which wasn’t a slight to their old drummer, but it was obvious that they were more cohesive than they’d been before. Asahi even sounded like he was loosening up more than usual, which gave their sound a new, exciting edge combined with Noya’s improvisations. Everyone could feel the electricity in the air once the final chord dissolved away, and Noya was the first one to break the silence with a fist pump and a whistle.
“Holy shit, that felt amazing! I’m happier every day I tried out for you guys.”
“Well we’re happier every day that you accepted the offer! Good work tonight guys, I’d say that’s a wrap.” Daichi lifted his guitar strap over his head, and set it down by his case before he grabbed his water bottle. “Do you two mind cleaning up tonight? Suga and I have to get back. We’ll do the honors next time, deal?”
Noya reached out for a fistbump. “Deal. We got this, right Asahi?”
Asahi nodded, and flashed his bandmates and best friends a thumbs-up. “We got this.”
He tried (and failed) to ignore the butterflies in his stomach at the thought of alone time with Noya. Talking over text was so much easier. He had time to think about how to reply, and what to talk about. Conversation came easily enough when they went out for breakfast the other day, but was that just a fluke? Would his lacking social skills make this the most awkward clean-up ever?
After the door shut and they were alone, everything was…fine. Normal, even. Noya hummed to himself while he wrapped up audio and power cables, and it thankfully broke the heavy silence that had Asahi in a chokehold. He kept himself busy with tucking the amplifiers back into their corners, and only turned to look at Noya when he spoke.
“You know, I think you and I make a pretty great team.”
Asahi blinked back at him while his brain tried to decipher what it meant. “Yeah, I…I agree. I don’t think I’ve ever been that comfortable before during practice.”
It wasn’t a lie. Even though most of Asahi’s usual worries faded away when he played, he still had to keep an ear out to make sure he was in time with everyone else, that he was in tune, that he and the drummer were on the same page. All of a sudden, he found himself not having to think so much about those things; they were just…happening. With that comfort came freedom. The freedom to explore his own sound and experiment a little; something he hadn’t done in a very long time.
Noya offered his hand to help Asahi up off the floor from where he sat after putting his instrument away, and when their eyes met, it sent a shiver down Asahi’s spine. The feeling only grew when he felt Noya’s warm palm slide into his for a brief moment before it was gone again.
“Thanks, Noya. I appreciate it.”