Chapter Text
Daichi glanced to Suga, who was looking at him, and then Suga looked to Fuyumi, who was looking at Daichi, and then she looked at Suga, her rapid breaths clouding in the cold night air in front of the restaurant they'd been heading to.
“Suga, I,” she started, her eyes watering, and he rushed to her, Daichi following as well, but staying a little further back.
“Are you hurt?” Suga asked immediately, shifting into a mode Daichi had yet to see from him.
Serious, but soft.
Fuyumi shook her head.
“N-no, I’m ok.” they assured. “I’m-I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t want to interrupt you-you’re date, but I-I,”
“Hey, snowflake, it’s ok.” Suga soothed. “Can you tell me what happened?” The first tear slipped down her cheek.
“Blossom got out.” she managed, and Suga inhaled. “I-it was-I-I’m,” they tried, the tears starting to come harder, and their trembling increased.
“We’re gonna figure this out.” Suga butted in gently. “It’s ok. Did you tell Tooru?” Fuyumi nodded.
“He-he helped me look around the-around the building, and then we couldn't find her and it started snowing, and he said he was gonna go get Iwa and-and the other boyfriends, if he could, and he told me to come and wait for you.”
“Ok, ok, that’s good.” Suga said with a nod. “And, do you have any idea where she could’ve got to?” Fuyumi shook her head.
“She must’ve flown, but I can’t think of anywhere she’d want to go.” they said “I- I’m really sorry, I-”
“Hey, it’s ok.” Suga repeated. “You did exactly what I asked you to do, which is get help if you needed it. You haven’t done anything you need to apologise for.” he assured before facing Daichi and giving him an apologetic smile.
Daichi spoke before Suga could.
“Blossom’s a wyvern, right?” Suga blinked, but nodded. “She might’ve gone to the park. I know a lot of wyverns get freaked out around lots of people. Maybe she went somewhere quieter.” Fuyumi nodded slowly as she sniffled a bit.
“She-she always has seemed scared of loud noises.” they offered.
“Well, then that sounds like a great starting point.” Suga said, recovering from his surprise quickly. “Let's go then, no time to waste with it this cold.” he said, and Fuyumi nodded again, with more confidence, and then the three of them were rushing towards the park together, Daichi’s mind alight with so many different thoughts he was surprised he could move as fast as he was.
Was Fuyumi Suga’s cousin? Would they be able to find Blossom? Would Daichi and Suga end up getting dinner tonight? Could the Tooru Suga mentioned be the same one that Bokuto was dating?
Funny enough, the last question was answered first, about five minutes later, when they arrived in the park, and saw a frantic looking Bokuto and a tall, brown haired man yelling for Koda, sending Daichi’s already frantic mind and heart into even worse hysterics as Suga shouted towards them.
“Tooru! What the hells going on?” he asked as their little groups all but collided, both panting and looking panicking.
“Hey Kou,” Tooru said with a slightly manic laugh. “So, Fuyu already told you about Blossom and me going to get backup?”
“Yeah, of course.” Suga responded as Daichi looked towards Bokuto, but he refused to meet his eye.
“Well, turns out backup had lost track of a seven year old boy.”
Suga’s eyes widened, and Fuyumi let out a breathless, disbelieving exhale, almost like a sigh.
“Wha-” Daichi barely had time to say before Bokuto was finally looking at him, tears streaming down his face.
“I’m so sorry! I don’t know how it happened!” he cried. “We were just hanging out at the slides and climbing stuff, and then Keiji and Haji showed up, totally by coincidence. I took my eyes off Koda for a second, just to say hi, and when I looked back, Koda was gone." He explained. "Keiji saw what he thought looked like cat paw prints, so he and Hajji are following them, and I saw some dog paw prints and followed them and ran into Tooru, but we haven't found anything yet and I'm so sorry and I'm horrible and if anythings happened to Koda I'll-"
"That's enough." Daichi interrupted, recognising the spiraling Bokuto was doing.
Yelling at him wouldn't help him feel better and it sure as hell wouldn't help Koda or Blossom get home any quicker.
"Right, we've gotta focus." Suga picked up. "Did the prints you were following end?"
"Effectively." Tooru said. "They were already light since it hadn't snowed much, so they got filled in really quick once it picked up a little." He explained with a grimace.
"Ok. Then we've just gotta keep looking for both of them. You two stay together, and us three'll stay together. Meet back at the playground in an hour." Daichi said with grim determination.
"And if we're all empty handed?" Tooru asked with a wince.
"Let's hope that doesn't happen and not worry about addressing that until we have to." Suga butted in, and everyone nodded before rushing back on their ways, shouts of 'Koda!' And ‘Blossom!' filling the cold night air, muffled by the slowly increasing snowfall.
For almost half an hour they searched the wooded park to no avail, the air of fear and desperation growing along with the soreness in their throats as they all but yelled them raw.
Until a different shout was heard, and from a different voice. Not 'Koda'! Or 'Blossom!' but ‘Over here!’ Suga, Daichi, and Fuyumi whipped towards it.
“That's Akaashi.” Daichi managed, breathlessly, before flinging himself towards it, the other two hot on his heels.
A moment later, Daichi crested a small hill, and there, at the bottom of it, was Akaashi Keiji, crouching down at the base of a large tree and holding up a small orb of light, a dark haired man Daichi didn’t recognise hurrying towards him.
“Akaashi!” Daichi called, and he looked up, face drawn in a concerned frown as he gestured for them to come closer. Daichi all but slid down the hill, and Suga and Fuyjumi weren’t much more careful behind him.
They arrived next to Akaashi, and found that he was kneeling in front of what looked to be a young black bear curled in on itself, but blinking up at them, an expression between sheepish, relieved, and worried on its face.
“Koda?” Daichi breathed, and Akaashi nodded.
“Yes.” he said, and Daichi almost collapsed from relief. There wasn’t any blood and Koda wasn’t obviously distressed, so the situation was far better than Daichi’s mind had convinced him it would be. “He doesn’t seem to want to shift back and I can’t tell why.” Akaashi continued as the other man arrived and crouched down next to him.
“This is the shifter kid?” he asked, rough, but worried, and Akaashi nodded again.
“Koda, what’s wrong?” Daichi asked, and Koda just blinked up at him, expression going just about as sheepish as a bear could manage.
“Koda,” Suga started slowly. “Are you holding something?”
Koda nodded slowly, and Daichi realised that the way he was curled up did indeed let him hold something to his chest and keep it mostly hidden, provided it wasn’t huge (Koda was a bear, but a young bear, not too large at the moment).
“Can you please show us?” Suga asked. “We won’t get mad.” he promised, and Koda glanced at Daichi.
“We won’t get mad.” he echoed.
Koda slowly shifted, opening his arms a bit, and revealing a smallish, soft yellow and pink wyvern pressed against his chest, breathing slowly, but clearly breathing, and Suga let out a breathless laugh.
“Blossom.” Fuyumi said, like she couldn’t quite believe it, and the wyvern stirred, trying to turn its head towards her. “Blossom!” they cried, nearly sobbed, as they scooped the wyvern off of Koda’s chest and snuggled it to theirs, quickly wrapping their wings around themself to keep Blossom warm.
The wyvern chittered weakly, appreciatively, and Fuyumi let out another relieved sob as she kissed the wyverns forehead gently. “You’re ok. I was so worried,” she started, quickly devolving into just murmuring to the wyvern as she cried.
“Can you not shift back?” the dark haired man asked Koda, who looked at Daichi, and then drew a single line in the snow with his claw.
“He can.” Daichi translated, frowning. “You can? Is there a reason you’re not?” Another single line. “Are you hurt?” Koda shifted, lifting his back left leg up. The dark haired man moved towards it quickly, but stopped short, glancing between Daichi and Koda.
“Is it alright if I look? I’m a doctor.” Koda drew another line, and Daichi nodded.
“Please do.” he said.
“Here.” Akaashi added softly before lowering the orb of light to hover more directly above Koda.
“Thanks.” The dark haired man murmured as he gently lifted Koda’s leg, beginning to look it over.
“Of course.” Akaashi said before his gaze drifted to Suga. “Hello,” he said. “You’re Tooru’s neighbor.” he stated, and Suga nodded.
“Yup. You’re one of his new boyfriends, right? Congrats on all that.” he responded.
“Thank you. It’s nice to see you again as well, Daichi.” he added, shifting his attention. “Though, I wish it had been under different conditions. Did you enjoy the cookies from last week?”
“Yeah.” Daichi managed, his breathing still not completly even. “They-they were great. Koda really liked the cinnamon ones.”
“Wonderful.” Akaashi responded with a smile.
“Ok, I think he might’ve sprained his ankle.” The dark haired man finally said, looking up from Koda’s leg and to his face. “Did you not want to shift back because you thought it might make it worse?” Koda gave as good of a nod as a laying down bear could, also drawing a line in the snow. “Good thinking, but it’ll be alright.” he said. “It’ll be better for you to go ahead and shift now, unless you feel like being a bear for the next month and a half. It’ll probably hurt, but it shouldn’t do any extra damage, alright?”
The next thing they knew, instead of a black bear, there was a young boy sitting in the snow, wincing and hissing to himself as he reached for his left ankle.
“Careful.” the dark haired man said. “In fact, let me go ahead and wrap that for you,” he said. “Ah, where did,” he muttered to himself, and Akaashi slipped a bag off of his shoulder.
“Right here, Iwa.” he said, and the dark haired man, Iwaizumi, Daichi now remembered after hearing the first syllable, took it.
“Thanks.” he muttered as he dug into it and produced a roll of stretchy bandages. “I’m gonna be gentle, and the snow and cold managed to keep it from swelling as badly as it could have, but this might still hurt a little.” he warned as he lifted Koda’s leg and pushed his pant leg up a bit.
Koda nodded, and took a deep breath, but glanced at Daichi nervously. Daichi gave as natural of a smile as he could muster after how emotionally volatile his evening had been, and raised his hand, extending it towards Koda.
“You wanna hold?” he asked, and Koda nodded immediately, quickly grabbing Daichi’s hand and not taking his eyes off of him.
“So it was Suga you were on a date with.” he blurted out the first words he’d said this evening, and Daichi blinked in surprise before laughing.
Oh well, there hadn’t been any real point in trying to keep it from Koda. He’d always been a sharp kid.
“It was.” Daichi confirmed.
“Did you two have fun?” Koda asked as he winced, and Daichi nodded.
“It was great. We went to a few shops and had some drinks.” Daichi recounted, and Koda smiled a little.
“Cool.” he said.
“Alright, all done.” Iwaizumi said, and Koda’s eyes widened.
“Wait, really?” he asked, whipping around to look at his leg and Iwaizumi, who nodded as he smoothed the bandage out.
“Now, like I said, it isn’t very bad, it might not even be sprained, it’s hard to tell right now, but you still need to be careful. Don’t walk on it.” he instructed, and Koda nodded along. “You can go to your normal doctor in the morning, or come and see me if you’d rather.” Iwaizumi added, glancing at Daichi, who nodded.
“Understood.” he assured. “And thank you so much, I’ll pay you once we get out of the woods” he added with a light laugh, but Iwaizumi shook his head.
“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t even buy that bandage. He did.” he added, gesturing to Suga, who finally wrenched his somehow concerned and relieved gaze away from Fuyumi.
“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s from when Tooru fucked his knee up, right?” he asked, and Iwaizumi nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Well, still I feel like I shouldn’t give you nothing.”
“And I feel like you shouldn’t have to pay me for a bandage and two minutes of my time.”
“Well, I feel like we should all get out of this snow.” Akaashi interrupted as he stood. “Especially the small, cold blooded creature among us,” he added.
“Shit, you’re right.” Iwaizumi said, also jumping to his feet as he looked towards Fuyumi. “I can look over her when we get back, alright?” Fuyumi nodded, and Daichi scooped Koda up before standing.
“Right, let's get back,” he started, and then there were two more people rushing towards them, and then doubling over in front of them.
“Koda!” Bokuto cried after taking a deep breath. “You’re ok!”
“I’m ok!” Koda responded with a grin.
“Geez, please never run off on me like that again, ok?” he said as their group began making its way out of the park, Akaashi and his light leading the way, Oikawa drifting to walk next to him, Fuyumi and Blossom just behind them, Daichi, Koda, and Bokuto making up the middle of the pack, and Suga and Iwaizumi walking just a few steps behind him, like they were making sure everyone was accounted for.
“I won’t!” Koda assured. “And I’m sorry.” he added sheepishly. “I just.. I saw this little colorful wyvern flying around, but it looked so stiff, like it was gonna fall out of the sky at any second, and I know it’s bad for them to get cold since they’re so small, and it was starting to snow, so I turned into a cat to chase it, and then I turned into a human to catch it when it fell, and I twisted my ankle really good and kinda fell down a hill, and when I was at the bottom, I realised I’d turned into a bear, I guess to help keep from hurting myself? And when I tried to stand, my ankle hurt a lot, but I realised a bear was big and warm and stuff, so I just kinda laid back down and tried to keep the wyvern warm until someone found us.” he recounted, and Bokuto whistled.
“Wow, buddy, that’s pretty brave of you, trying to help the wyvern like that,” he said.
“But, next time, maybe tell whoever you’re with that you saw an animal you want to help, right?’ Daichi filled in, and Bokuto nodded.
“Yeah, I’d have helped if you’d told me.”
“Ok, I will.” Koda promised with a nervous smile. “So...I’m not in trouble?”
“Well, I never said that,” Daichi cautioned, and Koda seemed to shrink a little in his arms. “Hey, I’m not mad at you, though, ok? Please remember that.” he added, and Koda nodded. “I was just really really scared, and you could’ve gotten hurt a lot worse, right?” Koda nodded again. “So how about this, while your ankle's healing, me and you’ll do some research on a bunch of animals and what to do if they’re in trouble, so that we both know, and can work together next time something like this happens, ok?” Koda perked up at that.
“Really?’ he asked, starting to smile. “That sounds awesome!”
“Hey, let me in on that too!” Bokuto said with a grin.
“I can teach you.” Iwaizumi said from the back of the line, and they all looked back towards him.
“Really?” Koda asked, and he started to go red.
“I mean, yeah. I studied medicine for any and everything, not just people. Animal patients are usually a lot more cooperative for me than others.” he admitted, and the other three laughed.
“That sounds amazing Haji! Thanks so much!” Bokuto cooed.
“Heck yeah! Thanks Haji!” Koda laughed, and Daichi had to fight to restrain a laugh at Iwaizumi’s expression and still reddening face.
“Oh? Are we lovingly tormenting my dear Hajime?” Tooru asked with a grin, looking back.
"Shut up and keep walking, panickawa." Iwaizumi shot back, and Tooru laughed.
"I never stopped, darling." He responded.
Koda looked up at Daichi.
"I like them." He stated before looking at Bokuto. "Your boyfriends are fun." Bokuto grinned.
"Right? They're so cool and talented and awesome, and,” he rambled, and at some point, Koda ended up in his arms, Daichi letting himself drift back towards Suga a bit as they walked.
“Hi.” Suga said with a tired smile as Daichi fell in step with him.
“Hey.” Daichi returned with one of his own. “I don’t remember dates normally going like that.”
“I should hope not.” Suga said with a light laugh. “I’m really glad that Koda’s ok, though.” he added, sobering a bit.
“Me too. And I’m glad Blossom’s alright.” Daichi responded as he smiled softly at the two children ahead of them, Koda and Bokuto talking animatedly and Fuyumi keeping her wings carefully wrapped around herself, Blossom tucked against her chest. “Which reminds me,” he started, his other questions from earlier bubbling back up.
But his stomach interrupted him before he had a chance to ask, growling loudly, and Suga cursed to himself.
“That’s right, we never ate, I was so worried, I forgot I was hungry.”
“That makes two of us.” Daichi agreed. “But it’s fine, really.” he assured. “We can-”
“You can just come back to Suga’s place.” Tooru called from the front of the group with a grin. “There's plenty of leftovers and you and Koda can get warmed up before you go home.”
“Tooru, stop inviting people to my house.” Suga called before glancing at Daichi. “But… if you wanted to, I really wouldn’t mind.” he offered. “We’re only a few minutes away, and I have some pain medicine if Koda needs it. And Iwa could get a better look at his leg.”
“Well, what do you think, buddy?” Daichi asked, and Koda grinned.
“Yeah! I wanna see Mr Suga’s house!” he laughed, and Daichi sighed fondly, shaking his head.
“He’s gonna crash so hard tonight.” he muttered, and Suga laughed lightly.
“For sure. Is that a yes?”
“Yeah, thank you so much.”
“It’s no trouble at all. In fact, I think I’d be more upset if I hadn;t ended up getting you dinner. I owe you, remember?” he said with a grin as they arrived at the edge of the park.
Koda was transferred to Iwaizumi’s arms as a few goodbyes were said, Bokuto and Akaashi heading back home after a few more apologies from Bokuto, and then the remaining six headed towards Suga and Oikawa’s apartments, Koda beginning to ask Iwaizumi all kinds of questions about animals and medicine as they walked, Oikawa laughing beside them and chipping in when he could, Fuyumi behind them, and Suga and Daichi walking beside each other behind them.
“...Should I even ask how you know Fuyumi?” Suga asked after a quiet moment, and Daichi laughed.
“She comes by my store a lot,” he explained. “Ever since this past summer, she’s been one of my regulars.”
“So that's where they’ve been off to.” Suga said with a soft smile as his gaze drifted towards Fuyumi. “I always wondered, but never really wanted to press since she seemed safe and happy.”
“I’m glad. At first, I was pretty worried.” Daichi admitted. “She seemed really… distant, and scared. But, they opened up after a while, and seemed more comfortable.” he added, noting the double pronouns.
Suga’s expression struggled, somewhere between relieved and upset.
“Yeah.” he finally managed, and then they’d arrived at the building Suga lived in, and were all trooping inside, slipping their shoes off.
---
As soon as they were inside, Iwaizumi took Koda into the living room and put him carefully onto the couch before gesturing to Fuyumi. Koda watched with rapt attention as Fuyumi gently handed the wyvern over to Iwaizumi.
“Tooru, go over to our place and get the firestone from my room.” he said, and Oikawa nodded before slipping out.
Iwaizumi focused back on Fuyumi.
“She should be fine,” he assured. “We’ll make sure to get her warmed up well tonight, and make sure to keep an eye on her for the next couple days,” he added, and Fuyumi nodded. Iwaizumi’s gaze shifted to Daichi and Suga who were still hovering near the living room entrance. “And she should eat, just like you two.” he said as he handed Blossom back to Fuyumi before heading to the kitchen, and Suga laughed.
“Fair, but I trust you more with animal food than human.” he quipped. “Let me handle our dinner, and you get Blossoms.” He followed Iwaizumi into the kitchen, and Daichi followed him.
“You burn one meal, and this is what happens.” Iwaizumi muttered to himself as he dug something out of the pantry, and Suga laughed.
“Yup. But at least the pets will always love your cooking.” he grinned before glancing over at Daichi. “But, uh, anything in particular you feel like eating?”
“Whatever’s fastest and easiest.” Daichi responded instantly.
“You read my mind.” Suga agreed as Iwaizumi moved to the counter, fixing Blossoms food, and Suga began digging through the pantry and cold storage.
“How can I help?” Daichi asked after a beat, and Suga smiled.
“Here, fill and heat this up.” he said, passing Daichi a kettle.
He took it, heading to the sink, and Suga pulled some of the dinner he and Fuyumi had yesterday out, along with a large pan, and headed towards the stove. He had just put the pan on the heat when Daichi arrived next to him, setting the kettle on one of the eyes and reaching to turn it on.
“Let me get that.” Suga said, beating him to it, before turning on the eye that corresponded to his pan, and Daichi gave a small smile as he glanced at Suga.
“Thanks.”
“Of course.”
“This has been a weird date, hasn’t it?”
“You know, I was just thinking that.” Suga agreed with a tired smile.
“Should I get some dishes down?”
“Sure, two bowls and two mugs.” Suga responded as he dumped the cold food into the warming pan. “Oh, top shelf, cabinet closest to the window.” he added. “You wanna make this an even weirder date?” Suga asked, and Daichi laughed as he opened the cabinet.
“In what way?” he asked.
“By asking the questions I feel like normally wouldn’t be asked on a first date.” Suga shrugged as he stirred.
“You know what, I’ve already forgotten what a normal date’s like. Why not? What do you feel like knowing?” Daichi asked with a smile as he put the bowls on the counter next to Suga.
“Oh? I get to go first?”
“Why don’t we go back and forth.”
“Deal.” Suga agreed with a nod. “I’ve heard him talk about her a bit, but, how in the picture is Koda’s mom?”
“Depends.” Daichi sighed, glancing towards the living room, from which Koda’s energetic voice emanated, asking a plethora of questions about animals, and Iwaizumi’s rougher, but gentle and even, voice responded, though Suga didn’t remember him leaving the kitchen. “He lived with her for a few years after we split and I moved, but now she’s decided to spend some more time by herself. I’m really not sure where it’ll end up.” he admitted. “But, she calls frequently and mentioned potentially visiting for the winter holidays in a few weeks, and his birthday this spring.” he shrugged.
“Sounds like it was a pretty amicable split, then.” Suga said with a smile, and Daichi nodded.
“It was. We’d been friends forever before we even started dating, and it honestly felt so much better to go back to being friends.” Daichi laughed. “Now, my turn. How long has Fuyumi lived with you?”
“Let's see…” Suga murmured. “Almost a year.” he said, blinking in surprise as he said it aloud.
Somehow, it seemed like way longer than and way shorter than it’d been since Suga had picked her up and brought her home.
“A year, wow.”
“Yeah, it was last spring.” Suga said as he started filling the bowls. “Feels really weird to say that out loud though.” he admitted with a smile.
“I bet. It couldn’t have been easy suddenly having a teenager to take care of.”
“Not at all.” Suga agreed, whistling softly as he passed Daichi a bowl. “But, it was more than worth it. For both of us.” he added, finding himself smiling as he glanced towards the living room, where Iwaizumi’s voice had disappeared, seemingly replaced by Fuyumi’s, as soft and nervous as it was as they and Koda talked about wyverns. “Her parents… probably shouldn't have had kids in the first place.” he sighed, face falling a bit. “But, it’s not my story, so I’ll shut up before I overshare.”
“Ah. Shitty parents.” Daichi said with a wince. “Well, they seem happy now.” Daichi noted. “Or, well, happier than when I first met her. I hope that's not a weird thing to say.”
“Nah. They really do.” Suga agreed as he began eating. “The first few weeks were really rough, for both of us. Oh, which brings me to my next question, how long has she been coming to your store?”
“Ever since the summer. She comes in a couple times a week, sometimes takes some books home, and that's how I made the connection about Blossom. Fuyumi’d taken a couple books about wyverns, and mentioned having one.” he explained. “It felt pretty weird when she showed up out of the blue tonight,”
“I’ll bet.” Suga said, and Daichi just nodded as he took his first bite.
He immediately started coughing, his eyes widening, and Suga set his bowl down.
“Shit, you ok?” he asked, and Daichi nodded as he finished clearing his throat and mostly recovered.
“Yeah, yeah, fine.” he managed. “Just, wasn’t expecting it to be that spicy.” he said, and Suga got a glass down, heading to the sink.
“Sorry.” he said with a wince. “Forgot to warn you. Here.” he added with an apologetic smile as he handed Daichi the water.
“Thanks.” Daichi said as he accepted it.
“Well, that and I thought you’d said something about spicy food when we first set this up, so I thought you might like it.” Suga added, and then Daichi choked on the water.
“I’m fine!” he assured quickly, recovering almost instantly after swallowing, starting to go red, and Suga wasn’t entirely sure if it was the food, the choking, or maybe embarrassment. “It’s just… well, I don’t hate it. But Koda likes it more than I do. A few weeks ago, he was asking me about dating, and he said if I dated someone I needed to make sure they liked spice since my food’s never as spicy as Yui’s was.” he explained, and Suga laughed.
“Well, I hope this jumps me up a few spots on the ‘potential partner’ list.” Suga joked, and Daichi managed a rueful smile.
“Not really. It’d be harder to get higher than the top spot.” he said, and now it was Suga’s turn to go a bit red.
The kettle started to whistle, and they both jumped, Suga rushing to take it off the heat.
“Could you grab me the red porcelain container from the counter over there?” Suga asked, gesturing to it, and Daichi grabbed it as Suga set the kettle down on a cool eye.
“Is this going into the mugs?” he asked as he held it out to Suga, who nodded as he took it.
“Yup, a little something to warm the kids up.” he said as he opened it and scooped some of the powdery mixture into each mug before pouring some hot water in as well, and mixing them both up as Daichi continued eating, only wincing a little, and not coughing. “I can find something else for you if that’s too spicy.” Suga offered as he stirred, and Daichi shook his head before swallowing.
“It’s fine, really. It just took me by surprise. It’s really good, actually. Thank you.” he responded, and Suga smiled.
“Well, it wouldn’t be much of a date without dinner, right?” he said as he let the mugs cool for a bit, taking a few more bites of his own food.
They fell into silence after that, the voices of the kids still spilling in from the living room, Fuyumi’s much stronger now, and Koda’s just as inquisitive as ever.
Just as Suga was deciding how to break the silence as they ate, Suga still standing next to the counter, Daichi at the table, that decision was made for him.
“Kou!” Oikawa said, shoving his head into the kitchen. “You- Oh, right. Dinner.” he said, starting to grin.
“What do you need?” Suga asked, letting a hint of serisouness, a certian ‘don’t fuck this up anymore than it’s already been fucked up’ into his tone.
“Oh, nothing, nothing, really.” he said. “But, me and Iwa and Bo and Kaashi are all free next weekend if you wanted to-”
“Get out of my kitchen.” Suga declared before tossing a hand towel at Oikawa, who caught it with a laugh.
“Fine, fine. But I’m gonna wear you down, one of these days.” he promised as he slipped back out, taking the towel with him, and Suga sighed.
“So he’s the double date type, huh.” Daichi said with a light laugh, and Suga gave him an apologetic smile.
“Unfortunately,” he agreed. “If you’re into it, I wouldn’t mind, but if you don’t want to, we won’t.” he added, and Daichi nodded.
“Good to know. We’ll.... See where it goes.”
“That's exactly what I was gonna suggest.” Suga agreed as he finished his food and put his bowl into the sink, and Daichi finished his half a second later, following suit. “Well, you think we should get this cocoa to these kids already?” he asked with a smile, picking up one of the mugs, and Daichi scooped up the other one.
“After you.” he said with a smile, and they headed out of the kitchen.
The sight that was waiting for them almost melted Suga’s heart.
Koda was still laying on the couch, stretched out, but now, Blossom's bed, along with the wyvern herself, curled around the fire stone, was in his lap. Fuyumi was sitting on the floor, roughly even with Koda’s legs, so she could easily pet Blossom. without encroaching too much on Koda’s space, her wings completely relaxed, and taking up a good deal of the floor behind her.
They were smiling in a happy, totally engaged way, their eyes shining as they talked to Koda about wyverns and he listened attentively, eyes wide.
Suga really didn’t want to interrupt, but ended up not having too, as the motion drew Fuyumi’s eye, and she looked up as Suga and Daichi entered the living room.
Their smile didn’t waver as they spoke.
“Hey. You guys finish eating?” Fuyumi asked, and then Koda was looking at Suga as he nodded.
“We did. We made a little something for you two as well.” Suga said with a smile, handing Fuyumi the mug he was holding as Daichi passed the other to Koda.
“Oh. cool!” Koda declared, quickly taking a sip, and his eyes widening. “Whoa, that's really good!”
Everyone laughed lightly as Suga settled himself on the floor near Fuyumi, and Daichi leaned against the couch, behind Koda.
“I’m glad you like it.” Suga said. “It’s a special recipe that me and Fuyumi came up with together,” he added.
“I like it! Dad, you wanna try it? It’s spicy cocoa! Why did I never think of that?!”
“Spicy cocoa, huh? Daichi asked, glancing toward Suga as Koda held the mug up, and Suga stifled a laugh.
“It’s mild, I promise. Just a little powdered chili added to the mix.” Daichi raised an eyebrow but took the mug and had a cautious sip.
“See? It’s good.” Koda said as Daichi passed it back to him, and nodded.
“That is pretty good,” he agreed.
“It’s actually drinkable now.” Fuyumi gently interjected with a small, somewhat mischievous smile. “Suga always put too much chili.”
“Ah, so I have you to thank for my intact taste buds.” Daichi said with a grin, and Fuyumi laughed.
“Hey, my version was good too!” Suga defended. “It would still be good if it was a little spicier, right Koda?” he asked, and Koda perked up.
“Is that an option?” he asked, and Suga grinned.
“Next time, I’ll make you cocoa as spicy as you want.” Suga promised.
“Heck yeah!” Koda cried before taking another long sip.
“Oh ho, there’s a next time, is there?” Oikawa asked from where he sat, at the coffee table behind Fuyumi, and next to Iwaizumi, who immediately flicked his arm.
“Tooru.” he muttered sharply before standing, and tugging Oikawa to his feet as well, seemingly meeting no resistance. “Ah, anyway, Blossom should be alright, just make sure she warms up well. And Koda should be alright too, looking at it here, I don’t think it’s sprained, or if it is, it’s very mild. Just stay off it for a few days, and don’t shift for about a week.” he instructed, and Fuyumi and Daichi nodded.
“Right, sounds good.” they said in unison.
“Good. Bye.” Iwaizumi said, heading for the door, and Oikawa laughed.
“Bye guys! It was awesome to meet you Koda and Daichi, and Kou, I’m gonna wear you down eventually!” he called cheerfully, and then they were gone, hardly giving time for a reply, and Daichi laughed as Suga scoffed.
“He’s determined. You’ve at least gotta give him that.” Daichi said, glancing at Suga.
“Yeah, I think that’s where half of his problems come from, not knowing how or when to stop.”
“Should we have a metaphorical staring contest then?” Daichi asked. “Wait to see who caves first on the double date thing? I don’t mind either way, but messing with him could be fun.” he shrugged with a grin.
“I knew you two would be perfect for each other.” Fuyumi muttered, shaking her head.
“What's that supposed to mean?” Suga asked, and Fuyumi glanced at Daichi.
Suga did too, and saw a dawning understanding spreading across his face, along with a blush. “Whoa, ok, what is this? What's going on here? You two gotta tell me.” he said, looking back and forth between them.
“Do we?” Fuyumi asked, and Daichi sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“Honestly, it’s probably better now than later,” he conceded. “You remember me telling you that Fuyumi’s a regular at my store?”
“Yeah, I always wondered where she was hanging out. It's good to know it was with someone trustworthy like you.”
“Well, I...may or may not have talked about you. With my friends. During work hours.” he admitted.
“Kind of a lot.” Fuyumi added with a tiny, mischievous smile. “If you, uh, want the truth,” they continued, going a bit red themself. “It’s the reason I knew I was so ok with your date. I heard him talking about going out with someone, and I put two and two together.”
“Well, I’ll be damned.” Suga said with a grin. “You really are a keeper, gushing about me during work hours and making my snowflake feel all safe and stuff.”
Fuyumi just took a long drink of her cocoa, and Daichi gave a light laugh.
“I’m glad you’re not upset. I honestly needed someone to talk me into it. If it hadn’t been for Kiyoko, I might not’ve.” he admitted.
“Well, remind me to thank this Kiyoko.” Suga said.
“Can he?” Koda piped up, having been too busy with his cocoa to have added much to the earlier discussion. “I think they’d get along. Plus I know she’d want to. She’s always saying you need more friends, dad.” Daichi went even redder, and Suga couldn't help laughing.
“Well, called out by my own son,” he said ruefully.
“Tooru says the same shit to me all the time.” Suga said with a grin.
“Great!” Koda said. “Then you both won.”
“You know, I think you just might be right.” Suga agreed, and Koda yawned as he nodded.
“And you make spicy food. Dad better start dating you soon.” he murmured, eyes starting to droop, and Daichi softened as he took the mug out of Koda’s hands.
As soon as they were free, he rubbed at his eyes, and Suga softened.
“You’re dad probably also better get you home soon.” he said with a gentle smile.
“I was thinking the same thing.” Daichi agreed as he stepped around Fuyumi’s wings and put the empty mug on the coffee table.
“Ah, let me walk you two home,” Suga said, standing quickly.
“Nooooo.” Koda complained. “I don’t wanna leave. Fuyu hasn’t told me about cleaning wyvern's wings yet.”
“Sweetie, you’re half asleep already. I don’t think you’d remember, even if they did tell you.” Daichi said as he came back to the couch and Koda pouted up at him.
“I’m awake. I’d remember.” he defended.
“Um, if Suga’s already walking with you two, I could come too.” Fuyumi gently butted in. “I can tell you about wings while we walk.” she offered, looking away and going slightly red, and Suga’s chest warmed.
“I think that's a great compromise,” he said. “Does that work for you, Koda?”
Koda frowned a bit, looking between the other three thoughtfully before yawning.
“Ok.” he finally conceded. “That sounds good to me.”
“Perfect.” Daichi said, and Fuyumi scooted Blossom's bed off of Koda’s legs, letting Daichi scoop him up.
“Give me just a second.” Fuyumi said, quickly taking Blossom into their bedroom as Suga headed to the door and slipped his shoes on.
“Oh, here I can hold him while you get your shoes on.” Suga offered, holding his arms out.
“Thanks.” Daichi said, handing Koda over before stepping into his shoes.
Koda instantly nestled against Suga, wrapping his arms around his neck and dropping his head against his shoulder, and Suga had to bite back an ‘aww’. Fuyumi arrived a moment later, slipping into their shoes quickly as Daichi finished, straightening back up.
“Thanks.” he repeated, and Suga shook his head.
“It was my pleasure. He’s quite the cuddler when he gets sleepy. It’s cute.” he responded with a grin.
However, when he tried to pass him back to Daichi, Koda just tightened his grip and made an upset, sleepy noise.
“C’mon bud,” Daichi coaxed. “It’ll be easier if I carry you.”
“Don’t wanna move.” Koda muttered.
“Uh, if you do, I’ll tell you about taking care of wyvern's claws, too?” Fuyumi offered, and Koda finally raised his head up.
“Really?” Fuyumi nodded.
“And, I’ll carry you on my back. I know you like that way more.” Daichi added.
“Ok.” Koda yawned, and Suga helped him onto Daichi’s back.
“Alright, we all ready? Everyone got everything?” Suga asked, glancing around the living room to make sure there were no obvious items belonging to Koda or Daichi.
“I think we’re all set, if someone can get the door.” Daichi said, his arms being busy with holding under Koda’s legs. Before Suga could even respond, Fuyumi had opened the door and hurried outside, stepping out of the way.
Suga and Daichi slipped out after them, and they pushed the door shut.
“The snow let up a little.” Daichi remarked, looking up as they headed towards the street, and Suga smiled.
“It did.”
“I like this way better.” Fuyumi agreed as the three fell in step.
“It’s pretty.” Koda yawned, blinking heavily. “I wanna play in it tomorrow.”
“We’ll see how your ankle feels when you wake up, ok sweetie?” Daichi cautioned, and Koda pouted.
“Wyvern wings tend to dry out really easily.” Fuyumi blurted out, and Koda’s face briefly struggled between his sleepy upset and intrigue at the new fact. “So,” she continued, going slightly red. “There’s a special type of oil that you can put on their wings, usually only in winter, to keep them from getting damaged.”
“Really?” Koda said, disappointment forgotten and eyes widening. “What does it smell like? Is it hard to put on? Does Blossom like it?”
“Oh, well,” Fuyumi started, and Suga smiled softly as they arrived on the street, the night all but pitch dark around them, faint, warm light coming from house windows and a few street lanterns that had been lit, illuminating the gentle snowfall beautifully and reflecting off of what had already fallen in a soft spray of sparkles.
Fuyumi and Koda talked for about three blocks, at which point Koda’s responses became heavy, more yawning than words, and Fuyumi lowered their voice. A block later, Koda had fallen silent except for his soft snores, and Suga laughed softly.
“He’s out like a light.” he noted, and Daichi nodded.
“He always falls asleep when he’s carried like this. And he’s had a pretty long evening.”
“I think we all have.”
“You can say that again.” Fuyumi muttered.
“But hey, Blossoms ok, right?” Suga pointed out. “Lets just, maybe-”
“I know, I know.” Fuyumi said, going slightly red as she looked away. “Maybe a babysitter isn’t a half bad idea.” Suga softened.
“Maybe not.” he agreed. “But, you did the right thing tonight, you know that, right?” Fuyumi glanced towards him, an odd mix of hope and fear in their expression. “Getting me and Tooru, I mean.” he clarified. “If you ever need help, asking for it is the right thing to do. I know it’s hard. You should be proud of yourself.” Fuyumi nodded, eyes going slightly misty before looking away.
“I’m still sorry for interrupting your date.” she said after another few steps.
“Ah, don’t be.” Daichi said. “This was far more memorable.” he said with a grin. “And everyone’s ok, no harm no foul, right?”
“Exactly.” Suga agreed before shivering. “Man, it did get cold though.” he muttered, rubbing his hands together.
“And the snow’s picking back up.” Fuyumi noted, glancing towards Koda and the snow that was starting to collect in his hair.
She reached out and gently dusted it off before stretching out her wing, using it to cover Daichi and Koda, and Suga grinned.
“Great idea, snowflake.” he said, quickly shifting his own into existence, and using it to create a more complete umbrella over the two in the middle as they walked, and Daichi laughed softly,
“Thanks,” he said with a smile.
“Of course.” Suga responded, and Fuyumi just looked away, going slightly red.
“It’s not a big deal.” they muttered, in a half embarrassed, half pleased way.
“Maybe not, but it’s still really nice.” Daichi responded.
“...It’s the least I could do to pay you back for being so nice to me these past few months.”
“Kindness doesn’t have a price tag.” Daichi said softly, and there was a beat of silence before Fuyumi gave a small huff of a laugh and scrubbed at her eyes with her wrist.
“You and Suga really are a good match.” they managed, clearing their throat. “You’re both really, really nice.”
Suga saw Daichi’s expression struggle briefly as he glanced towards Fuyumi, and he almost winced in sympathy.
It had taken him a while to really wrap his head around how to treat Fuyumi at first too.
“You’re nice too.” Koda yawned from Daichi’s back. “You let me hold Blossom and you told me a bunch about wyverns.” he murmured heavily..
“...Thanks, Koda.” Fuyumi responded, clasping her hands in front of her, and Suga and Daichi both smiled. “You’re really nice too. You saved Blossom, after all.”.
“Well, look at us,” Suga started with a laugh. “A whole troupe of niceness.”
Daichi grinned at that as they arrived in front of the door to the apartment.
“That we are.” he said as Fuyumi folded her wings, and Suga shifted his away as Daichi stepped under the eave of the building. “This was…. Weird, but I enjoyed it.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Suga responded, and there was a hesitant beat as Koda yawned again.
“Are we going inside?” he asked when he finished. “Iwa and Fuyu didn’t finish telling me about wyverns.” he complained weakly, clearly too tired to put any real energy behind it.
“I can tell you more if you come into the shop next time I’m in.” Fuyumi offered.
“Mmmmm.” Koda responded, nodding lightly before dropping his head back into Daichi’s shoulder, and Suga laughed.
“Well, look at that, our kids have already made plans to meet up again. You think we should too?” he asked, and Daichi nodded.
“I was actually thinking earlier that this’ll be the first winter that Yui might not be around. If either of you wanted to come over for the holidays, we’d both be glad to have you.” he offered. “And, present shopping makes a good excuse for just me and you to spend a day together too.” he added.
“That sounds absolutely amazing. This’ll actually be Fuyu’s first winter with me, too. And hey, present shopping’s always better with a partner.” Suga responded with a smile. “Next weekend?”
“Next weekend works for me.” Daichi nodded.
“Awesome. See you then. Have a good night.”
“You too, Suga, Fuyumi,” Daichi said, nodding to each of them.
“Night,” Fuyumi said, inclining their head.
“Night night.” Koda mumbled from Daichi’s back, and everyone gave a soft laugh.
“Night, Koda.” Fuyumi and Suga said in unison.
“Yeah, I better get him to bed.” Daichi said with a soft smile, glancing back at Koda.
“Please, don’t let us stop you.” Suga said. “I’ll see you next week.”
“Yeah, sounds good.” Daichi nodded. “And I’ll see you around.” he added, to Fuyumi, who nodded.
“See you around.” she echoed.
And then the door behind Daichi was tossed open, revealing a grinning Bokuto.
“You’re back!” he all but cried, and they all jumped, quickly putting a finger to their lips and ‘shh’ing, gesturing to the mostly asleep Koda, and Bokuto’s eyes widened. ‘Oh.” he whispered. “Sorry.”
“It’s ok.” Daichi assured. “I was on my way inside anyway. Thanks for getting the door.” he said, giving one last little nod to Suga and Fuyumi, who both gave small waves in return as Daichi slipped inside.
Bokuto gave a much bigger wave, and they both laughed, returning it, before the door was softly closed, cutting off the warm orange light, and leaving them on the cold, snow covered street as they turned towards home.
“So,” Suga asked after a few steps. “Were you planning on telling me that the guy who runs the store you frequent had a crush on me, or…?” he asked
“In my defense, you set up a date with him pretty quick after I realised it was you he was into. He wasn’t really throwing your name around a lot.”
“...Then what was he throwing around?”
“I think that’s a question for him.”
“Oh c’mon, we’ve already got a second date. I wanna be prepared, ya know? Accentuate the stuff he already likes.”
“If that's what you wanna do, then you just need to show up.”
Suga went a little red at that.
“Oh.” was all he managed.
Maybe he really had found a keeper here.