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1. Ludus - playful love.
There’s something very, very dangerous about being friends with Sugawara Koshi.
Well, for starters, he is energetic.
Daichi likes that about him. He thinks it’s easy to get along well with the silver haired boy, because this is the first time he’s meeting him in his classroom, and yet it took no time at all for Sugawara (“Call me Suga!”) to get all up in his business.
And really, Daichi thinks he should be annoyed, but he actually really likes it.
So, he sits and listens to Suga.
“Tell me about yourself! You’ve been so quiet, Daichi!”
Daichi sucks in a breath, contemplating. So far, Suga has rambled off about how he has one sibling seven years younger, about his parents who travel often for work, about how his grandmother makes really good fruit salad in the summer, and about his dad’s successful electronics business.
Suga is interesting, so Daichi doesn’t really know where to begin to one up the other.
“Well, uh-” Daichi coughs a little, clearing the lump stuck there, “I’m the eldest of five.”
Suga’s head shoots up at that comment. “You have four siblings?! Tell me about them!”
The fact that Suga is this interested left him astounded. “They’re twins. A set of identical twin brothers, and a set of fraternal twin sisters. Most of the time they go to our grandparents’ place for dinner before they come home, so I get to play volleyball in the afternoons.”
Suga’s eyes widen. Daichi thinks that's cute, because now he sees the hint of caramel in brown, the way his eyebrows lift, and the beauty mark that marks the corner of his eyes. His cheeks raise, like mochi from the snack store.
“Are you going to try for the volleyball team then?” Suga asks even more, head propped on his fist as he waits for an answer. Almost hopeful, kinda wishful that he would. The raised brows, the small quirk of his pale, pretty lips, and the high cheekbones…
Pretty.
Daichi very nearly trips over himself thinking about Suga like that. It’s not that he doesn’t want to admit it. He can tell that Suga knows how pretty he is - a pretty boy, his parents would say, because the propped head and the well positioned right over the left leg is an indication that Suga knows his charm. Daichi wants to laugh at that, but doesn’t. They just met, but Daichi thinks his charm, especially his smile, is very endearing.
It’s just that Daichi can’t quite pinpoint what’s most endearing at the moment. He’ll unpack all of that in due course when they’re closer friends, because from what Daichi can tell, they’re going to be stuck at the hip for a while whether he likes that or not. Suga isn’t the kind of person you get rid of in one day - no matter if you get sick of him, he finds a way to stay in your brain.
Daichi realizes that Suga is still waiting for his answer about volleyball.
“Are you going to?” As if Suga’s decision could affect his. He came here to Karasuno because he wanted to play for a powerhouse of a team, didn’t he? Yet, it felt like Suga’s decision, regardless of how much it mattered, felt like it was the most important factor in his choice to try out for the team.
The corner of Suga’s lips quirk more. The beauty mark stands out. “Yeah, I think I will.”
Daichi feels his heart thump, like an axe to a tree, the first marking on its hard foundation. “Okay. I’ll join you.”
2. Storge - love between close friends, almost like family.
The days begin to stretch into countless hours. What felt like the beginning of something exciting, a possible position on the starting line up, going to nationals, turned to fine bits of dust, held down by vines that made his body feel sluggish, almost like having a fever. Everyday he watches as the vines grip at him, trailing up his body, growing smaller, micro vines that keep him rooted and dig into his skin, invisible to the eye. Tied down, unable to do a thing.
Daichi hated it - he knew things were far from what they seemed from the outside. Joining the team at a point of its decline had hurt most of the team’s morale, not to mention the motivation to train and be better. Other than their teammate who declared they would one day make it to nationals, everything else just seemed hopeless.
All he needed to do was tug a leg and break free from the branches. But roots are strong and they bind to anything - even the loosest of soil. So it’s hard to remove himself, to detach and get out of that mentality.
The first step forward is always the hardest to take.
So when Daichi moves a leg, breaks free from the shackles that hold him down to the floor, he hears the crack of vines and the breakaway of foliage. Like a butterfly drying its wings from its cocoon, like a bird breaking out of the egg.
“I’ll like to stay to practice!” He calls out, which shocks the seniors. Nobody really talks for a second and stares quietly - until Suga raises his hand too. And Daichi can see the break from the vines, the ones that held Suga’s arms down, and he raises his arms too.
“I’ll stay with him!”
Daichi saw the willingness flicker in earthy orbs, followed by a small nod by Asahi from the other corner, the sound of the chains that held him down clinking against the wooden floors.
When it was just the three of them left, Daichi took a book from his bag and opened it. “We’ve...we’ve got a month before inter high to decide how to do this.” He sighs, “I think...I think we have to give it all we can and not hold back anymore. We can only do this if we work together.”
Asahi looks up from the book, mid way through a page, focused just like Suga’s. “You sound so much like a captain, Daichi.”
Suga nods at that, and it makes Daichi laugh. “If I don’t, then how are we going to make it to nationals one day, huh?”
Both of them nod again at the sentiment. Daichi doesn’t wait, just pulling them both up. They spend the next couple of remaining hours practicing - quick sets, receives, everything in between they could find in the book. By the time they’re done, they’re panting, breathless, and Daichi feels the tremble and instability of the floor from the exhaustion.
After they tidy up all the equipment, they walk home together. Asahi lives around the corner, so he went ahead first since his parents were asking where he went. That left Daichi and Suga alone, walking home a longer stretch.
The soft glow of the store by the roadside, quiet and presumably in its last hour of operations, calls out to Daichi. The glow illuminates the darkness of the barely lit roadway, and it feels warm. He looks over to Suga, who looks exhausted, just like him. A little cold too, from the way Suga has his face buried half into his scarf.
“Do you want anything?” Daichi asks quietly, hand in his gym bag to get his wallet out. Suga shakes his head, but Daichi genuinely feels like he should at least share a bun with him, if they even have any buns left, anything to keep themselves warm. “Wait a moment,” he ducks out of the way of the door curtain, pushing it gently as he steps inside. He greets the blonde shop owner politely and makes his way to the warmer.
One last meat bun. He grabs it and puts it in the paper bags provided, pays for it, thanks the owner, and heads back outside.
In the soft luminated roadside, Suga looks ethereal to Daichi, in the quiet buzz of the evening where only street lamps and the shop shine. O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright, Daichi suddenly remembers from his literature text, a comparison of Juliet’s beauty to that of a torch in the eyes of Romeo. That thought shakes Daichi to his core, making him stop and stare at Suga very briefly. Goosebumps spread all over, up his arms.
Suga stares right back, honey hazel meeting his own mahogany. “Is there something on my face?”
Daichi snaps out of it and shakes his head quickly. “Nothing, just thinking.” He opens the paper bag and reaches in, taking out the bun. “I thought it’s a little cold, and we still have a ten minute walk ahead of us.” He takes the piece of paper off the bottom of the bun and carefully splits it in half. It’s almost perfect halves, one just slightly bigger than the other. He gives Suga the bigger one.
“You didn’t have to, Daichi-”
“Hush, just take it.” Daichi swats him off, laughing and putting it into Suga’s hands. “Stay warm. We need you on the court if we want to make it to nationals.”
His cheeks flush as he says that, but he doesn’t think too much about it. Afterall, winter in the countryside is harsh and they’re about to enter spring. The last snow of spring crunches under his feet and the cold winter wind slides onto his cheek like a cold blade placed too long in iced water. The sky is dark, only dotted by white and the hanging crescent. But it’s okay, because each half of their meat buns and the soft glow of the road will keep them warm down the road. Daichi’s smile is returned with Suga’s own, mouth full of meat bun as he does. Nothing but warm smiles even with silence, but silence is only temporary.
It’s a good start to the future ahead.
3. Philia - love between friends.
Six together on the court are stronger than six alone.
Daichi strongly believes in that. And so does a good, strong receive with good power. When the ball bounces off his arm with the satisfying smack, he feels good about it.
“Nice receive, Daichi!” Suga’s voice called out to him as he took a leap to set the ball, the ball bouncing off his perfectly angled fingertips and sitting perfectly in Asahi’s hand, and no sooner did the satisfying hit against the ground make Daichi grin brightly.
“That was perfect!” Daichi called out, offering high fives with the teammates on his side of the court. If you had told him months ago that they’ll be able to have a full team again after what had occurred back then, Daichi would have laughed.
It’s been hard to believe that the team is finally finding its footing again. All these months of patiently trying and sleepless nights of trying has taken its weight on everyone.
One of those nights had been spent at Suga’s.
With senior year on their tails and the end of another chapter, Daichi should’ve really been focusing on the homework that sat in front of him on the table. But when the words begin to swim and the thoughts about volleyball are heavy, Daichi places his pen down and leans his forehead on the table, sighing deeply. It’s a good thing Daichi managed to clear some homework before practice, but he doesn’t have any will in him to complete the rest. At least it’s not due the next day.
“You sound stressed,” Suga doesn’t look up from his textbook, carefully and colourfully tabbed.
“I am stressed.” Daichi sighs, laying flat on Suga’s floor.
“We’ve only just started the semester.” Suga reminds him, “If you get stressed over school now, you’re not going to make it to the end of the year.”
Daichi lets out a breath, long and dragged. “It’s not about studies and finals, Sug.”
“I know that too.” Suga drops his pen and readjusts his ponytail. “What’s got your muscles so tense, huh?”
Where does Daichi even begin? “Ever since Asahi quit, have you felt...uneasy? Like this gut feeling that...things might not go back to what they were?” His eyes are wary, a little softer than he intends, but there’s just the stinging feeling buried deep in him that if he doesn’t put out there, he might rip himself to pieces trying to figure it out.
Suga merely gives a shrug, seemingly unphased by it. “If you mean the empty feeling, then yeah, I guess so.” He seems to look at his paper for a bit - Daichi admires the way Suga, in this angle, looks softer than the usual sharp wit and retorts. It’s almost like another side of Suga, the quieter but also much more emotionally open.
Ever since the team’s fall out, things haven’t been the same. It’s been a lot of facades and keeping up with fake smiles, but everyone hurts just the same. He can see the hurt in the second years’ faces, especially Tanaka, and he saw the way it hurt Suga, too, mostly because he felt the burden of the loss.
Or so Daichi assumed.
Daichi’s hand stretches across the work table, his fingertips touching Suga’s open palm. “You can tell me. I won’t judge.”
Suga’s breath is shaky. Like a branch that’s been pulled and sprung too far, Suga uncoils and Daichi’s heart sours at the expression he can only describe as more than disappointment. “If I could have given you, Tanaka or Asahi more options to fight back, maybe we would have won. But...with my own inexperience, I could barely do anything.”
The pit in Daichi’s stomach only grows wider. Silver strips of shining light dim in the wake of the sadness left behind by its owner. “You know that’s not true. Part of it is on me, too. I could’ve stopped the fight. I’m not a great captain if I can’t stop fights.”
It feels more like a pity party now than a heart to heart session, but neither of them think about that. All Daichi knows is the soured smile on Suga’s face, the ache in his muscles wanting to hold Suga, and the tingle in his fingers wanting to brush at Suga’s cheeks where tears have pooled. The guilt that seeps into his bones is nothing short of the sudden want to just dig a hole out of embarrassment.
Something itches at his throat, warm but not like acid. Warm words. “There are...things beyond our control, Suga. We’ll just have to find some way to rebuild what we lost and climb to the top again.”
“But how?” Suga’s question rings loudly in his ears, like a bell on loop.
“I don’t really know.” Daichi frowns. Suddenly the mood to continue studying didn’t seem to be present anymore. The words were still swimming and what use would there be to try and force another line? He gets to his feet, pushing the table aside. Then, as he spread his legs out, he laid down on the floor. Cold, but tolerable.
Suga doesn’t wait. He moves over and lays down beside Daichi, knees bent and his feet on the floor. Soft glances shared as they lay beside each other, and Daichi feels his heart thump. His gaze catches Suga's. “We...We figure it out in time, I suppose.”
That conversation still lingers in his head - it does. It scares him that perhaps what they have now, this comfortable pace where the ball goes up, falls with gravity, hurts his arms comfortably with familiarity even if it leaves red marks, and the squeak of shoes on the hardwood floors - it might all just fade away without warning. Months of rebuilding what mattered to him the most has made him mature more than he asked for, but now, seeing Suga’s bright smile, it reminds him of what they talked about.
The fear of losing what matters most.
As the quote in his literature text goes, “Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall.”
A five minute break is called and Daichi gets his bottle, and heads outside to get some fresh air. The late spring brushes his cheek like leaves on a rainy day, a much welcomed sensation. Water is a much welcomed comfort in this strenuous training.
“You’re in good shape, Daichi.” A voice comes from behind, a smile to accompany, and soft footsteps on the sand of the ground fills the silence. “It’s good to see you in good form.”
Daichi’s smile only grows wider. “So are you, Suga.”
Suga laughs under his breath, hands on his hips as he looks away. “What good is it if I’m in good form but I won’t be playing much on the court?”
The smile on his cheeks falters - it’s upsetting to hear Suga talk about himself in this way, so negatively that it stings more than it should when a friend speaks this way. “But you being in good form is important, y’know? You’re an important piece in our puzzle to go to nationals.”
“I probably won’t be getting much time on the court, but it’s nice to hear you say so.”
Daichi tucks his bottle under his arm and stands in front of Suga so they’re looking eye to eye. The flickers of gold burn to caramel and Suga’s gaze is on him, now. Daichi’s heart skips town when their eyes meet - Suga is miles beyond his league. Daichi, not for the first time since freshman year, wonders what it’ll be like to see Suga wake in the sunrise.
“Do you remember what you told me in first year when I doubted myself?” Daichi asks so softly, a private moment much needed.
Suga bites on his lip. “That I really like it when you make my favourite mapo tofu just the way I like it?”
Daichi waves a hand. “Besides that. You told me, on a winter night after practice, that you’re going to put 120% into this. Whether we make it to nationals, screw that, we are - you said you’d put everything you have to give this the chance we deserve.” Daichi reminds him, feeling the familiar cold of that night dance across his skin, his cheeks barely hidden in his scarf from the cold. “That you’d be there till the very end.”
“Why does that matter now? That was when I was a starter.”
Daichi swallows his words before he can have a chance to think, because the words he wanted to say were definitely not appropriate. “Because regardless of starter or not, you’re very important to this team. “Suga, when we make it to nationals, we want to be able to play with you, me and Asahi. We want to stand on that stage together, and we won’t have it any other way without you.”
He sees the flickers of embers in his eyes again, brightening just slightly, but enough to tell Daichi what he needed to know. “We need you at your 120% too.” Daichi reminded him, a small smile forming. “But that can only happen if you’re willing to believe me that you’re just as important to us as the rest of the starting line up are.”
Leaves bristle and shake in the wind while they stand under it, the petals slowly falling around them. Daichi, not for the first time, thinks about this looking like a romance manga of sorts, but he brushes that thought off. He wraps an arm around Suga’s shoulders, squeezing gently. Suga laughs at that. “You’re the worst, captain.”
Daichi raises a brow. “I just encouraged your ass, I could take that all back.”
“That’s more like it.”
Daichi laughs again, heart beating loud in his ears as they head back inside for practice. The knowing smiles on the other side of the court as Kageyama serves across the net, and the sounds of floor burns that come after, it’s all so soft in comparison to how the smile on Suga’s lips makes his heart beat a little faster.
4. Mania - all consuming love
There’s something so awe-inspiring watching Suga set the way he does - the way he jumps up and raises his arms almost like a ballerina doing the mid-air split, the soft squeak of his shoes and his hair flowing so flawlessly. It’s almost like watching a performance in front of him unfold, but in reality it was all fast paced footsteps in front of the tall, tall wall, and a hard thud from Asahi who had just spiked.
Truthfully, Daichi should really be focusing on the ball.
Realistically, he should be watching where the ball is going and have his head in the game.
Ideally, the main goal was to defeat the other team in their daily practice games.
Dreamily, he’s thinking about his long-term crush Sugawara Koushi.
“Daichi, watch it!”
His senses snap to eleven as he wakes from his dream, seeing the ball in mid air. He’s lucky he has fast reflexes, quick enough to take two side steps and keep his platform intact in time for the ball to smack his arm. When the ball is in the correct trajectory, he breaks his platform and gets back into his original spot on the court. Too close a shave and far too late in the game to be making such horrible mistakes.
“Daichi, you okay?” Suga asks, looking over his shoulder.
Yeah, okay when you’re asking. Not okay when I think about how ridiculous this all seems. “Tired from class, that’s all.”
Come to think of it, he’s been out of it for a while for almost every other training day. Just last week he barely avoided getting hit in the face, the week before he avoided the whole ten yards of a floor burn. And today, he barely made it to receive a ball that he could easily take and return as a chance ball.
He knew exactly what the problem was - grey halo angel like hair, brown eyes turning to molten caramel like candy being melted, and the smile that meant he was up to no good. The owner? None other than one Sugawara Koushi.
He really can’t afford to slip right now - even if he was the other only player strong enough to be on the court to be on the receiving end, there was a good chance for him to be substituted and benched. He had a taste of that against Wakutani when he was injured, and now he knows he needs to give his 120%.
Suga’s hand came up at the end of the set, and everyone’s attention was pinned on him. Suga hardly ever made requests, even as their vice captain. “Coach, requesting for today’s session to end earlier. I think we’re all exhausted.”
That’s a first. Well, it would be nice to have an early day off to catch up on some homework before nationals and the entrance exams, so maybe this is a much needed break.
Daichi’s about to call it a day for himself when he hears footsteps approaching the storage room, where Daichi is busy keeping the cleaning equipment. “Captain, a word please?”
Well, this tone from Suga is one he’s definitely not used to, and really, count him terrified because he didn’t know what he was in for. There’s nothing more terrifying than a seemingly angry Suga who used his position to get his attention, let alone possibly pissed off about his performance during practice today. Truly, what was he in for?
Daichi had just pulled up his jacket for the early autumn when Suga stopped walking to the locker rooms. “What’s up?”
Only the soft clicking of their lockers could be heard for a bit. Daichi decided maybe it was personal, so he reached to grab his things, but Suga stopped him briefly, a hand on his wrist as he fidgeted with the lock. “You’ll tell me anything if you’re not doing okay right?” He asked with soft eyes, unsure and pleading. What for exactly, he didn’t know.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Because I care about you, Daichi smiles in a slightly poor attempt to conceal his worry and heavy head, his own hand squeezing Suga’s ever so gently. Truth be told, things haven’t felt exactly the same in a while. With all the missed hits and slightly terrible form during practice, Daichi found himself a little too out of his own head thinking about the possibilities of him and Suga together. And it’s nice to be lost in his own thoughts while watching Suga be in his best form, but at the cost of his own? No wonder Suga is concerned. Probably thinks he’s a loser.
Suga gives a raise of his eyebrow, before nodding and turning away, but the sad glimmer doesn’t leave Daichi’s mind. Why did Suga seem disappointed? Did he say something? He would hate to have made Suga upset and be the reason why they lose their friendship.
When they’re ready to head out, Suga waits for him by the exit, bouncing on his heel and toes. Daichi tucks the key into his bag in its usual slot. “I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“But I do.”
The silver haired man doesn’t argue against it and lets him walk side by side, quiet as his shadow grows with words he has been hoping to say and shrinking when the words fail to fall out of his mouth. It’s hard to find the correct way to phrase things when the fear of rejection is but a heavy weight on his shoulders, a wall between them, a false ceiling that would crumble with too much. A false net of security settles in his mind, thinking about the off chance the confession is smooth, but yet, what if Suga avoids him after? There’s still 6 months till graduation, a few weeks until nationals, a couple of weeks till finals. He doesn’t have the energy to deal with rejection at the moment. But, he can’t lose the game if he doesn’t play the game, right?
Under the streetlight, Suga is an angel, made of pure silver halo and warm sunshine. He’s made for more, unlike Daichi, a small town boy. Suga is made for the city, and Daichi isn’t. Would confessing only tie Suga down unfairly to him, make him change his decision of his life after high school? Was Daichi ready for that?
All of the noise in his head washes away when he hears Suga’s voice, an anchor for his anxious mind. “You’ll tell me anything if you’re not doing okay right?”
Why wouldn’t I?
“Suga, promise me you won’t judge if I tell you what’s on my mind?”
Both of them stop by the sakanoshita market, the softened light around Suga’s figure making him look like he was a being made of nothing but light. Was it possible to be made of nothing but light? Daichi notices the gentle grip Suga has on his wrist, his thumb rubbing over Daichi’s knuckles. “I’m here to stay.”
“I think...this started when we were in freshman year. The first day, when you wouldn’t stop talking to me, I realized that maybe…there might be more to our friendship in our future. And now that I’m here, waiting to climb to the top at nationals...I realize this journey will only be complete if you’re here with me.”
Suga’s gaze is soft as ever, harsh laugh lines gone with the moment of clarity. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Daichi’s throat itches a little. “I didn’t want to change our friendship or hurt it…you know how hard it is to find someone you can trust the way I do with you.”
Suga’s a step closer than he was when they had stopped and Daichi had actively tried to avoid his gaze, only looking up now. “And why would that change our friendship?”
“Well...all the books...all the dramas...they always end badly don’t they? Both of them just never end up together and they just never talk again.” Daichi blabbered through reddened eyes, a slight pull to his lips. Somehow that made Suga laugh a little, his laugh hearty like the sound of a shrine bell.
Suga tugged his hand along as they started walking again in the direction of their homes, Suga’s hand never letting go of Daichi’s. It remains mostly silent between them both as they walk, only the soft humming from Suga to some folk song that they must’ve been learning somewhere in class because Daichi doesn’t exactly remember the lyrics.
Outside Suga’s house, Daichi stops and lets go of Suga’s hand, clasping them to his bag straps, gripping nervously. “You don’t feel the same, do you?”
“Daichi, you big baby.” Suga’s smile only grows fonder as he reaches his hand to stroke Daichi’s cheek - a little cold because it’s winter and Suga’s always been sensitive. Instinctively, Daichi’s first choice is to take his hand and kiss the knuckles, and then wrap his own hands around Suga’s. “Would I have let you do that if I wasn’t in love with you too?” His voice is gentle, his other free hand brushing Daichi’s hair.
“You- you feel the same?”
“For a long time now, yes.” Suga confirms it with a gentle peck to Daichi’s lips, the leaves on the floor crumbling under his feet and all of the weight Suga had put on his toes to reach Daichi’s cheek. “I won’t kiss you now because you’re all teary and I don’t want our first long kiss to be when you’re all weepy, but when you’re ready, I’ll be ready too.”
That’s all Daichi needs - for Suga to be ready, too. So Daichi nods, pulling Suga into his embrace for a deep hug. Confessions had always felt so big to him, something so daunting. But now that he’s gone and done it, and everything will be okay, Daichi laughs and leans in a little to hold Suga just a little tighter in his arms. Confessions aren’t as scary as he thought, now. The result wasn’t as big as he expected, without the fireworks and grand ol’ first kiss, but for the favourable ending it provided him, Daichi didn’t mind it at all. Anything for that answer. “Give me time okay?”
“Always, Dai. Just tell me.”
They’ll be okay.
Daichi knows they’ll be.
5. Pragma - being there, enduring together.
They lose at the stage right before the semi-finals where they could have had a chance at winning Nationals. Daichi is sour about this, but now isn’t the time to mope. They’ll pack up, eat to their hearts’ content for making it this far, Daichi will enjoy his last few days with the team, and then finals before graduation. Everything falls in place, oddly enough, with the end of his high school volleyball career coming to an end. Whether he plays in college remains to be seen, who knows.
To know what’s next in life is a luxury, anyway.
After dinner, Daichi finds Suga on the balcony of their shared space, looking out at the small town (or, at least, what they can see) and joins him by the side, leaning his head on Suga’s shoulder. “Strange how we came so far and yet losing doesn’t even feel like a reason to be beat up, huh?”
“A year ago that would have disappointed all of us. But now...we’re better than we were back then.” Suga offers his palm up for Daichi, smiling warmly in the cold winter air. Daichi can’t help but lean closer, returning the gesture with a peck on the lips - chapped lips from dry winter, but mixed with cotton candy lip balm, mixed in with soft musk of what Daichi assumes is Suga’s clean clothes.
“Suga...you don’t resent that you could have played more out there?” Daichi asks so softly after a few minutes of just silence between them, hands tangled. Suga’s palm is cold, and Daichi’s is hot. An even balance of both worlds, creating a fine mist of bliss between them.
Suga shrugs, still focused on the lights down below. “Can’t say I wasn’t in the past, but I’ve learnt to accept that Kageyama will always be a better player than me, and he deserves that with all the effort he’s ever put into it. But I got my share of fun, tossing to all of you, and I’ve done more being in the shadows than being out there.”
The soft hum of the wind interrupts any last train of thought Daichi had, before he decides to just speak his mind again. “Let’s go to Tokyo together.”
“You mean, both of us?”
“Yeah. Tokyo, you and me, never separated. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“But...Tokyo was never on your agenda.”
Daichi laughs. “Things change and people change. That was me before I fully realized my feelings for you,” he explains, “And besides...Tokyo has some good courses for paramedics too, so what’s stopping me out there?”
“Dai…” Suga’s all weepy now, eyes filling with tears as he steps closer into Daichi’s arms, holding him so close by the waist. “Tokyo. We’ll go there together.” He nods, brushing his thumb to the small of Daichi’s back. “Just you and me, against everything else out there.”
“Deal. You, me.”
But before anything…
“Suga, I want to give you something.” Daichi pulls away, reaching into his pocket and taking a small item out.
Suga protests softly so nobody hears them out here, and thus exposing their status as a couple. “Dai, I swear if that’s a ring, I’m going to beat you. We can’t afford that!”
“Relax, it isn’t.” Daichi snorts, opening Suga’s palm to place a small item: a golden button, taken from his uniform, the second one on his coat. It sits there, shining ever so slightly in the low lights, and Suga clutches just a bit tighter.
His breath hitches when the realization hits harder. “Your second button.”
“I meant what I said about you and me.” Daichi reaffirms, kissing at the tip of his nose. “Just us. Against everything else that’s going to come at us.”
Suga’s expression is indescribable as he playfully shoves Daichi, snorting. “You’re the worst! This- this is so cheesy, god. I don’t have anything to give you.”
Daichi smirks. One final killing blow. “Just give me your all then.”
Suga’s cheeks turn so pink like the first cherry blossoms of spring, burying his face deeper into Daichi’s chest as he whines. It fills Daichi with so much adoration, making him crack up, laugh at the way Suga protests, and makes him feel so alive.
But most importantly, they’ve got everything they need, now.
That’s all that matters.