Chapter Text
Considering the fact that Daichi is the only person Suga has ever dated, it’s safe to say that his class has never caught wind of his dating life, or lack thereof. Even so, Suga is finally happy to say that he will be introducing Daichi to his class. Suga’s job is an incredibly important part of his life, and since Daichi is also an important part of his life, an introduction is in order.
Suga guides Daichi into the school, and the receptionist is surprised to see Suga with another person. He waves to them, and gives Suga a knowing look. Daichi follows Suga through the hallways, before they stop in front of Suga’s classroom.
The kids immediately look up from their activities when Suga enters the room, but a little girl is the first to say something about the other person who has entered the room. “Look, it’s Mr. Sugawara’s boyfriend!” The rest of the class turns to look at Daichi, who doesn’t expect the attention.
“Good morning, class!” Suga says, giving the students a quick wave. “This is Daichi, and he’ll be visiting us today.”
“Does he even have a job?” One of the kids asks, and Daichi chokes on the air around him.
“Well,” Suga says, unfazed, “he’s a police officer.”
“Is he going to arrest us?” Another child asks, it takes all the strength in Suga’s body not to burst out laughing.
“No,” Suga replies in the kindest way he can. “Daichi is not here to arrest us, and he is actually here to teach us about the police force. He’ll even be bringing over his friends for a fun surprise,” Suga pauses, “but that can only happen if you behave.”
The class breaks out into hushed whispers, even though some of them start yelling. Daichi looks frazzled already, and he wonders how exactly Suga puts up with this every day.
-
The end of the school day nears, and Suga gathers the class in the field behind the school. Daichi and the rest of his precinct should be arriving at any moment, and Suga smiles, knowing that his class will be talking about this for the next few days. Daichi and his men arrive, and the kids start waving at the men inside of the squad cars.
Once Daichi and his men step out of their cars, the kids bombard them with questions, all of which Daichi answers with a smile. Takeda, the principal, arrives to survey the scene. He sees the smiling kids, and looks at Suga with a proud expression on his face. “I don’t know what to say, Mr. Sugawara. You’ve done wonderful work here.”
Suga’s heart swells with joy, but he smiles and continues to watch the kids playing in the field. “Thank you,” he replies. “I can’t believe the school year is already ending,” Suga adds. He tries not to sound too sad, but Takeda can read him like a book, after Suga’s many years of teaching at the school.
“You know,” Takeda begins. “One of our summer school teachers is getting engaged, and we need someone to take their place. You don’t have to, of course.”
Before mulling over a second thought, Suga nods. “I’ll do it,” he says.
Takeda beams, “wonderful. I’ll send you the details,” he says, before heading back into the school.
Suga’s heart glows with the light of a thousand suns. Even though the school year is ending, and Suga may never see some of his students again, he journey is only beginning, and Suga is a butterfly to take off into the sky.
-
The days are getting longer, and summer is creeping up on Suga faster than he expected. He isn’t mad, though, because he no longer has to worry about supporting himself over the summer. Many of his colleagues have taken second jobs, and Suga sometimes worries about his qualifications, and if he would even be able to find a second job.
But now, Suga will be spending his summer doing what he loves, all while spending quality time with Daichi. Suga couldn’t be happier, and now, as he finishes washing dishes in the kitchen, he feels summer flowers bloom in his chest. They stay there like that, and Suga feels the petals rising to his mouth, and they come out in the form of laughter. Daichi will be back any minute, and Suga will still be here to welcome him back with a smile and a warm embrace.
Suga tosses a handful of chopped onions into the pot of water boiling on the stove. He adds an array of other vegetables with care, and he places noodles into the pot before covering it and leaving the pot to simmer. Suga sits at the dining table, but not before setting a timer. He looks down at his phone, and responds to a few messages from his friends, one of which is from Asahi. Suga scrolls through their latest conversation, and chuckles a bit at Asahi’s flustered reactions to pretty much everything.
Are you free on Tuesday? We should have dinner! Asahi’s text reads, and Suga takes a moment to think about his schedule.
Suga responds quickly, and he waits for the text to make its way to Asahi. Of course! I’ll bring Daichi with me. The text reads, accompanied by a smiley face. Asahi sends him a confirmation, and Suga sets his phone down just in time for the timer to go off. Suga wishes he had gotten to the timer a few seconds before, because he dreads hearing the shrill beeping sound that pierces her ears whenever he sets a timer or puts something in the microwave.
Suga prepares two bowls, gently spooning noodles into each one. He adds in the vegetables, pouring the broth into the bowl. He adds cilantro and green onions, and even takes a picture, just for the memories. He sets the bowls on the table, and the door swings open. Suga has never experienced any sort of break-in, and just in case, he did extensive research on this part of the city before moving in, so he doesn’t even bother to stare at the door.
“Good evening!” Suga says, greeting Daichi with a chaste kiss on the cheek. “How was your day?” Suga asks, even though Daichi looks like he has seen something unsavory, and his face looks weathered.
“It was a long day,” Daichi says, and Suga understands. Suga sits back down at the table, and Daichi joins him shortly after.
“Well,” Suga begins. “You can tell me all about it.”
-
Tuesday arrives quickly for Suga, and he finds himself dragging Daichi to a nice restaurant to meet their other friends. Suga wonders if Asahi managed to coerce Kei into coming along, because it has always been a struggle for Suga to drag him to friendly events, but Suga enjoys a good challenge.
Suga waves to Asahi, who is sitting next to Nishinoya. Daichi waves to them, as well, and smiles at Kei and Yamaguchi, who are sitting at the far end of the long table. Kageyama and Hinata are there, too, and Suga wonders how much work Hinata had to do in order to get Kageyama to the restaurant.
Suga and Daichi take a seat across from Nishinoya and Asahi. Nishinoya looks happy, as always, and Suga admires his positive disposition. A waiter approaches their table, and Suga feels like apologizing for bringing in such a big party. A string quartet begins playing at the front of the room, and Suga relaxes, as he readies himself for the fun night ahead.
Everybody at the table places their order, and the waiter walks away with a long list of items. Suga laughs nervously, and he understands the waiter’s frazzled look. Everyone begins making conversation, and the string quartet begins playing a song that the entire room knows, and Suga swears that he hears everyone humming, or singing loudly, to the tune of the song.
“You guys look like an old married couple!” Nishinoya says, and Asahi turns red with embarrassment. Daichi and Suga laugh, and Suga would be lying if he said that he hasn’t thought about growing old with Daichi, and becoming one of the old, sappy couples that recount their golden years.
Kei is sipping his water in an oddly aggressive way, but Suga knows that Kei has always been that way. The waiter eventually comes back, bringing multiple plates with them. Nishinoya and Hinata get excited, and Suga feels like he has just brought his two young children into a fancy restaurant, which is something that Suga has seen all too often.
Suga enjoys nights like these—nights that are warm with only a slight breeze, and nights that cause flowers to bloom on top of Suga’s heart. Suga sighs, bringing his cup to his lips. He catches Daichi’s gaze, and in all honesty, Daichi just looks proud. Suga feels proud, too, for being the best friend he possibly can. Suga even catches Kei smiling, and looking at Yamaguchi like he holds the answers to the universe in his eyes.
Suga may sound like a broken record, but Suga would rather run out of breath before forgetting to appreciate his friends.
-
After a long week of preparing for the end of the school year, Suga is ready to take a break. The aforementioned break comes in the form of joining Daichi at a local coffee shop, and sipping on a scalding hot cup of earl grey tea. Suga honestly can’t think of a better way to spend his Saturday.
Daichi is sitting across from him, reading a long, yet mysterious fantasy novel. Suga sometimes finds it funny that Daichi enjoys high fantasy novels with complicated concepts, yet Suga enjoys reading a dramatic cozy mystery with his evening tea. Suga guesses that reading a crime novel might be too stressful for Daichi, considering that he spends the better part of his day at the police station. Suga doesn’t ask much about the more graphic cases that Daichi has seen, because while he would rather not prod, he prefers to stay on the lighter side of the crime world.
Daichi looks up from his book, catching Suga’s gaze. Suga tears his gaze away from the computer in front of him—summer is approaching quickly, and Suga needs to wrap things up before preparing for the stuffy months ahead, where he will be trapped inside of a classroom teaching struggling students. Suga has no problem with teaching summer school, in fact, he volunteered, but he desperately hopes that the school district will invest in quality air conditioning.
Suga smiles at Daichi, before looking back at his computer. Suga appreciates the energy they have created, and he enjoys the silence that lies between them, acting as a bridge, as opposed to a wall. Suga likes that he doesn’t need to say anything, that Daichi just knows. And Suga knows, too.
Suga brings his cup to his lips, taking a long sip of his tea. Daichi’s foot is touching his underneath the table, although he isn’t initiating the touch on purpose.
Suga remembers the day he moved into the apartment. He briefly remembers the thoughts going through his mind, how he was a bright-eyed teacher ready to change the world, and the smile on his face as the spring breeze blew through his hair. Suga may have missed the past, during his younger days. However, Suga now finds that he is unable to miss the past, because he has a bright future, and he can’t continue forward while looking down at the ground.
Suga has grown, he realizes, and there’s always more room to grow. Instead of growing by himself, sitting in a pot on the windowsill, he can now grow alongside Daichi, because there is always room for another plant on the windowsill.
Daichi is the sun to Suga’s ever-growing plant, and more than that, he is an ever-growing plant by himself, and Suga is honored to grow with him. After all, Suga is always happy to be the sun to Daichi’s flowers, and if Daichi is the sun, Suga would gladly spend the rest of his life blinded by Daichi’s glowing light.