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Holding hands let’s make a little bridge, swing it up and down, up and down.
Holding hands cross your arms, swing them up and down, up and down.
“a-ru-pu-su-ichi-man-jaku”
Clap your hands, give me five with one hand, clap again, now give me five with the other hand.
Then clap your hands and give me five, with both hands at the same time.
“ko-ya-ri-no-u-e-de”
Let’s clap again and intertwine both your hands’ little fingers, give me five, give me five.
Clap again and again, touch your right elbow then your left.
“a-ru-pe-n-odo-rio”
Put your hands on your hips, tap your left shoulder then your right.
“o-do-ri-ma-sho”
Clap your hands, give me five with one hand, clap again, now give me five with the other hand.
“o-ha-na-ba-ta-ke-de”
“hi-ru-ne-wo-su-re-ba”
“cho-o-cho-ga-ton-de-kite”
“ki-su-wo-su-ru”
Clapping and giggling reigned over the room; among the sizzle of sautéing vegetables and gentle bubbling of the boiling tea water. Swiftly adorning the small melody accompanying the clapping game between Sugawara and Daichi’s little sister.
It wasn’t rare really, to see Suga at Daichi’s house, but it often was when Sawamura’s siblings weren’t around. Since no matter how many times Suga would tell Daichi he didn’t mind, the latter insisted it didn’t sit right with him to have a guest over while he’s meant to take care of other things. Other things being his siblings.
They were truly lovely but clingy kids, as Sawamura puts it. And he’d hate for Suga to come over and not receive the attention the visit deserves.
“Sugawara-san, can I ask you a question?” the little boy asked.
Both he and the kids had been sitting around the kotatsu for some time now, while Suga entertained the little girl with games and watched over as the boy finished his homework. Having offered to watch them for a bit while Daichi cooked lunch.
“Huh? - Ah yes of course, what is it?”
“Oniichan says you are really good with English, so that must mean you know what’s the difference between regular and irregular verbs, right?” the little boy mused in question and pursed his lips before throwing a dramatic defeated sigh “the teacher explained but I can’t understand a single word she says.” He added placing his pen back on the table.
Suga chuckles, “Don’t give up on it just yet! Look, we can conjugate verbs, and these have certain common patterns in which they can be conjugated, right? Well a verb is a regular verb if it follows those common patterns when they are conjugated, while irregular verbs are those that have their own special patterns they follow to be conjugated.”
To Daichi’s dismay, while he’d planned for his siblings to spend the day at some friend’s house to their request. Said plans were cancelled by the other kid’s mother who had an emergency pop up last minute, leaving her unable to take care of the kids that afternoon; which had been announced well after he’d invited Suga over.
Finding out not until he opened the door to two very bored and hungry kids.
Lunch for two had unexpectedly turned into lunch for four.
Daichi stood in the kitchen, adjacent to the sort of living room are the others were in, separated only by a translucent sliding door kept open. And as he waited for the meat to cook well, he looked over into the other room, trailing after the scene in front of him. To see Suga and his siblings peacefully having fun and keeping entertained. Noting how the tv that would usually help him keep the kids busy now seamlessly blended into the background.
Sawamura acknowledged that perhaps, seeing them like that, it was something he didn’t know he wanted to see until now. Even though he couldn’t help but feel guilty of bringing Suga over to practically take care of kids he had no responsibility towards.
Though, he was terribly good with kids, Koshi. And he didn’t understand how.
“Ey, food’s ready.” He announced, just as he began to serve the food.
“Finally!” jumped up both kids in their distraction,
“Ah! Then that means you two should go wash your hands now” Suga said encouraging the little kids who, excited to eat, did as told. Leaving Suga to pick up notebooks and school supplies sprawled all over the table. A soft smile present in his face as he did so.
Truly, Daichi would be lying if he said he didn’t spend almost the whole time in the kitchen trying to figure out the best way to tell Suga he hadn’t meant for his siblings to be at home when they arrived. Even though Sugawara had heard it himself when the kids had explained it to Daichi earlier.
-
Taking off a silly yellow apron with a cartoon duck face plastered on the front of it, and hanging it behind the door. Daichi then quietly went and began placing the food plates on the table.
“Whoa wait, it smells so good” Suga said as he seated the kids who’d come back from washing their hands. “What did you prepare?” He asked, going over to help Daichi finish setting the table and bringing the plates over.
“Mm just some Gyudon.” Daichi answered simply with a sheepish smile and chuckle. “It’s nothing fancy, but I still hope you like it.”
“Oh I will, there’s no doubts on that.” Suga added with a grin.
-
Seated on the kotatsu once again, eating. Suga couldn’t brush away the warm feeling it gave him.
This definitely wasn’t the first time he’d been over at Daichi’s house, much less the first time Daichi had cooked for him; countless bentos for practice and dinners spent together could attest to that. Daichi making food for him was already so special to him, yet having seen Sawamura prepare it not just for him, but for his family this time. Being a part of it and getting to spend the afternoon with them. It definitely meant much more.
-
“Gochisosama!” said both kids in a synchronous fashion, before they stood from the table. Promptly followed by Daichi advising them to go finish homework as they went off to wash their plates.
-
With the kids soon out of sight, Suga laughed “You, are a big fat liar Daichi.” Sitting right next to Sawamura, he turned to the side facing him properly and propped his elbow on the table, and subsequently his face on the palm of his hand. A subtly smug, or rather amused look on his face.
Instantly earning a confused glance from Daichi, swallowing a piece of meat before chuckling and glancing back between his bowl of food and the man currently looking at him.
“Me? Can I know what I lied to you about now?” He asked, sensing it had seldom to do with his worries of the unexpected visit with his siblings attached.
And he wasn’t wrong really,
“Alright not entirely, but now how could you say they are a hassle with how sweet and well behaved they are!” Suga added.
For now, that is.
“Oh no no, you just have to wait and see.” The other countered with a dismissive laugh.
“Pssh, I see how it is, giving the kids a bad rep early on so they don’t take my love from you eh.” Suga teased playfully,
Daichi promptly laughed “Come on, stop” he added. “What is this all about?”.
Suga smiled over Daichi’s laugh, taking it all in while it lasted. Then shrugging he simply said, “Don’t think I didn’t notice the perpetual frown you had over there in the kitchen. What are you so pressed about?”
The question seemed to ground Daichi again under that perpetual frown Suga was talking about. Naturally he’d been brought back to the fact that no matter how much he melted at having Suga and his siblings get along and hang out, those weren’t their initial plans for the afternoon.
“See, there it is again.” Sugawara said playfully, but after a small pause, he added, “Does it have to do with me being here?”
Koshi’s smile faded slightly into uncertainty. And the mix tugged at Daichi in the worst ways possible.
“What- wait no! never.” Daichi immediately spat, propping his chopsticks over the plate and reaching over for Suga’s free hand.
Then what the hell was it about?
“I know you’ll think its dumb. But still I wanted to apologize for bringing you over with other things to take care of. I know this is not what we’d planned or what you were looking forward to.” Sawamura said rather quietly,
A small silence filtered between them, staring into each other’s eyes to Daichi’s guilt and Suga’s further confusion.
“Sawamura” Suga said firmly as he straightened up and took a hold back of both of Daichi’s hands. Carefully leaning in.
“You are the dumbest man I know” He said with faux seriousness before bursting into laughter, soon matched by that of Daichi.
“Suga!” Sawamura protested amidst laughter, “I meant it” He said with a smile as their laughter died down, their foreheads now lightly pressed together.
“So did I” Koshi answered truthfully with a grin matching that of Daichi, along with a cheeky laugh. “Daichi, there’s nothing you’d have to worry about or apologize for. Say sure, okay, this is not how we thought today would go, but wasn’t it nice? I enjoyed it. I came here to spend time with you, and that’s what we did. I spent time with you and your family, which I know you love as much as you love me. And I truly feel welcome here.” He added softly.
Defeated, Daichi gently closed in on the few inches separating their lips. Resigning into admitting that maybe, Suga was in fact, correct. Maybe he’d been a little dumb, and maybe he’d worried about having to pull a one of the other, where there was never a need to.
Because after all, Suga was never just a guest, he was family as well. In a different way of course.