Chapter Text
On a typical day, the Sugawara household was filled with noise. They may be only a family of four, consisting of three humans and a rambunctious cat, but they did an excellent job of creating sound at significant volumes at any given moment. It was part of the charm as far as Daichi was concerned, but it also taught the twenty-nine-year-old man to be a bit of a heavy sleeper. His mother would often joke that as a child he would wake at the sound of a pen dropping, but now he would be able to comfortably sleep through a tsunami.
The sad thing was, she wasn’t wrong.
When Daichi fell asleep, it happened hard, and it happened fast. It didn’t much matter where he was: on the couch holding his two-year-old daughter’s stuff bunny Mr. Floof, on the wood floor where he had been lying down previously to push a tennis ball for their cat to chase around, or the best scenario in his and Koushi’s bed while he was tucked under a heavy comforter. If his eyes were closed, then Daichi was more than likely gone. He had found this adaptation to sleep was for the best with a toddler in the house, two-year-olds apparently developed screeching abilities that could rupture an eardrum if a person didn’t take the time to become impervious to sound.
“DAICHI WAKE UP!”
Then there was the matter of his equally screech-capable husband of five years.
“Koushi,” a groggy Daichi moaned as he slowly began the process of opening his eyes. “What time is it? What are you doing?” Standing next to their bed was a fully dressed Sugawara Koushi, clad in what appeared to be through Daichi’s still blurry vision, a nice forest green button-down shirt and jeans. It looked almost as if he were cosplaying his school uniform. Daichi was just confused as to why Suga would be doing something like that at what he assumed was a late hour. “Why are you dressed?” He asked, palming away the sleep that had managed to gather in his eyes.
Daichi knew that he was definitely missing something based on the wide grin that was breaking through Koushi’s face. “Get up and get dressed! We need to go to the hospital!”
That certainly got Daichi’s attention. The pull of exhaustion was suddenly gone, his brown eyes widened, and jaw dropped, “Wait, you mean…” He couldn’t even finish his own sentence before throwing the covers off himself and popping out of their bed. “Is Shimizu?”
“Tanaka just called!” Koushi all but screamed in delight. “Now get dressed! Go, go, go! I already have Miyu’s backpack ready, so I’ll get her in shoes and a jacket. Now get a move on!”
Daichi nodded his head and practically sprinted towards their closet, throwing on the first pair of black joggers in reach, which turned out to belong to Koushi, and his favorite grey crew neck. The pants were definitely a little tight, hugging him in a way that his own joggers normally didn’t, but they were comfortable and Daichi was honestly far too excited to even contemplate changing again.
Before leaving their bedroom, he made sure to brush his teeth once more. The last thing he wanted was to meet the newest little baby crow with bed breath. It was stupid that he wanted to make a good impression on the newborn, but dang it that is what he wanted to do! Anything less would not be satisfactory. Before he knew it, he was ready and now speed walking into the hall.
“I’m ready Kou!” he called as he passed the open door to their daughter’s room, spring now permanently present in his step. “I’ll get the car going!”
Ever since they met, the two of them had been teammates. First on the court, fighting tooth and nail to lead Karasuno to victory and on a path to nationals, and now they were just teammates in life. They had been idiots for a couple of years there, constantly pining for each other but never quite having the confidence to make a move. Their best friend Asahi had informed them on several occasions since they got together that watching their little song and dance was one of the most painful things he had ever had to witness. Which didn’t end up making Daichi feel as guilty as the giant had been hoping for, because torturing Asahi had proven to be one of the former captain’s favorite pastimes.
Luckily, after their second year in university, Koushi had grown a backbone. The blonde-haired man had marched up to a then-studying Daichi, who had been seated in a hammock on the quad, only to plop down and plant a kiss right on Daichi’s mouth. He then muttered, “ball is in your court now Captain,” had caused Daichi’s blushing cheeks to turn an even more furious shade of red which went unseen by Sugawara, who was walking away with his head held high. Needless to say, it had been a story all of their friends from school had gotten a kick out of. Even Takeda-sensei and Coach Ukai had chuckled whenever they had been regaled with it one night when all the alumni had returned to Miyagi for a ‘family dinner’.
That night Daichi had been pulled aside by his former coach, his hair was ruffled, and he was handed a flask to take a sip from. “Good job kid,” Ukai had said with a genuine smile on his face. “I’m happy you two finally found each other.”
“I am too,” Daichi had admitted, sighing in relief before taking another sip of his coach’s liquor. “He’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“Good,” Ukai hit Daichi’s square on the back. The thud of the impact could be heard across the room and had drawn the attention of some of the others, but luckily everyone had quickly discerned the moment was still meant to be private. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. So, hold onto that feeling and don’t let go, okay? You are too good of a person to lose out on a happiness like that.”
That was advice that Daichi had taken to heart. Every morning when he woke up, leaning over to see a peacefully sleeping Koushi by his side, he would remind himself just how lucky he was to be there. Moving in together after four months of dating probably seemed a bit fast for others, certainly getting engaged just before their first anniversary as a couple would be overwhelming for most, but for Daichi and Suga, it seemed perfectly natural. They had known each other for so long at this point that their pace felt fine. Being best friends for their entire adult lives should count for something, right?
They were awfully lucky that their friends and family seemed to have agreed with their take on the situation. The Sawamura family had been over the moon whenever Daichi announced their engagement. His mother had bypassed her eldest son in favor of pulling her soon-to-be son-in-law in for a bone-crushing hug. Daichi didn’t know whether to be offended or thrilled that his mom was so pleased with his choice in a partner that she would forget he even existed after hearing the news. His siblings were very similar in that regard, running over to Koushi with excited smiles and open arms. He could hear the stray requests to take care of their brother, which only served to warm his heart once more and reaffirm that they were making the right decision. The Sawamura’s were a vocal bunch, and if any of them disapproved of an idea then their opinion would become known, whether it was asked for or not.
The light shuffle of socked feet behind him had prompted Daichi to turn around and meet the gentle and happy face of his father. “Come here, son,” he had said as he opened his own arms. Finally , Daichi had thought. He loved Koushi with all his heart, but the blonde was a bit of an attention whore when it came to family gatherings. Daichi would never forget the feeling of his father’s strong arms wrapping around him, pulling him in for a warm embrace and settling his bearded cheek against Daichi’s brown hair. “I’m so proud of you,” he had whispered. Those five words had caused Daichi’s lips to tremble and eyes to burn. His family had always been affectionate and supportive, even in the immediate aftermath of his disastrous coming out (rumor mills really could be horrible things, especially whenever the rumor makes it into the fishing community. At that point it doesn’t matter what the truth even was because the scuttlebutt would most certainly take over) but that didn’t change the fact that Daichi always had this unyielding need to please.
As the two had pulled away, Daichi had looked over his shoulder to make eye contact with his beautiful fiancé. Koushi had smiled back, his face beaming with pride. The next day they had told the Sugawara household their news and were greeted with similar reactions. Years later, Daichi still found himself calling on those memories whenever he found himself in need of a pick me up. He and Koushi had been blessed with families that loved them out of more than just obligation. They were all tethered together and happy about their placement in the world, which is more than he could say for most out gay couples their age.
“We are here!” Koushi burst outside, the door open enough that a sleepy and annoyed-looking cat peered out the door to stare at Daichi as if to say ‘what nonsense is this? Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?’. Daichi chuckled to himself and made a mental note to give the poor thing some tuna later as an apology for the interruption to his nightly schedule. “Little Miyu is very excited to go meet a special someone, isn’t she?
Miyu did not look excited at all. In fact, the little girl looked about ready to drift right back off into sleep. Her cheeks were puffed out in an exhausted pout as she draped her head onto Koushi’s shoulder which just made her ebony hair ruffle from its previously neat placement. Little dark eyes were blinking rapidly, trying to fight off sleep so she could spend some extra minutes awake with her daddies, but she was clearly starting to slip if the distant look was anything to go by. Mr. Floof was there too, being pulled up to rest against her chest as Koushi carried her to the car, his ear resting in her mouth so she could chew on it.
When the two of them made there was over to Daichi, he made sure to pull the damp ear away from his daughter’s mouth, reminding her that it was yucky, but he knew the second they were away from her and in the front seat, she would be back to chewing on the ear again. “Go ahead and sleep my sweet girl,” he said, kissing her on that little button nose of hers. “Daddies will wake you up when the baby is here. Okay?”
“Tay tay,” she whispered back, eyes no longer able to put up the fight to remain awake. In a matter of seconds, Miyu’s face completely dropped into Mr. Floof and she was back into the peaceful lulls of sleep.
Daichi couldn’t help but smile at the sight, two car seats fastened and ready, but only one currently occupied. This would be one of the last times their family car rides would only be three people. Pretty soon there would be a new addition, a new child to chase after and wrangle while dropping an absurd number of kisses onto their face so they would agree to travel in the first place. The days of the three of them weren’t just numbered, it could be hours at this point.
“Dai!” He heard Suga whine from the driver’s seat. “Come on already, I want to go!”
“Okay babe, calm down,” Daichi said as he shut Miyu’s door as quietly as possible. Waking her up once without a tantrum was a feat, and Daichi didn’t want to tempt fate a second time. “Sure, you are safe to drive with how excited you are?” He teased as he buckled his own seat. Koushi was one of the safest drivers he knew, a title which only became truer whenever their adoption of Miyu had gone through, but right now his husband looked about ready to sub in for one of those Fast and Furious racers.
The only response that Daichi got was a quick teasing rev of the engine. “Gremlin,” he muttered under his breath whenever the car finally went into reverse, and they were on their way to meet their baby.
The drive went by relatively fast; unsurprising given they were taking off at 3:36 in the morning. Daichi had just enough time to text an update to the Sugawara and Sawamura family group chat the young couple had with their parents, appropriately renamed to ‘Baby Watch’ by Koushi whenever Shimizu announced the treatment had been successful and she was pregnant. There was no expectation for one of the four grandparents to actually see the message until morning, there was no need to call in the Calvary for waiting in a hallway, but the two men had been under strict instructions to send a message of some sort whenever a major development occurred.
And Daichi assumed labor was about as major as a major development could get.
“Is that Tanaka?” He asked whenever they pulled up to the parking lot near the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital. Sure enough, the young man with short dark hair standing in plaid pajamas waving his hands joyously was none other than Tanaka Ryūnosuke. “Of course, he didn’t change,” Daichi sighed with a smile as he unbuckled his seatbelt and excited the car with a snickering Koushi. His beautiful blonde husband immediately went to tackle their former kouhai in his arms, only to be picked up and swung about by an equally excited Tanaka. The entire time the two were screaming congratulations to one another, leaving the task of carefully extracting the toddler from her car seat to Daichi.
Just as Daichi had predicted, when he opened the car door, he was greeted by the sight of his precious angel sleeping with Mr. Floof’s ear in her mouth. Koushi had done research and assured Daichi that it was normal, that she was just taking some extra time to get used to being without her pacifier. It was recommended for kids to stop sucking on them between two and four years old; they were just starting a bit early with Miyu, so it was okay if it took her a bit of time. There was absolutely nothing for him to worry about.
Unfortunately, Daichi had adjusted to one aspect of parenting rather quickly; and that was: even when there was nothing to worry about, he was going to worry about it. Ever since they had brought the seven-month-old bundle of joy into their home, Daichi had been running worst case scenarios in his mind and trying to prevent them. The behavior had led to many late-night conversations where Koushi would pour him a glass of bourbon and whisper sweet nothings into his ear, until he finally was able to relax enough to lay down and allow his husband to massage his previously strained body. The next morning his forehead would be flicked, and he would be lectured for letting himself get overwhelmed unnecessarily, but the kisses and reassurance the night before would always make the disapproving pout Koushi made at him later worth it.
“Alright sweet pea,” Daichi cooed as he slowly pulled Miyu close to his chest so she could hear his heartbeat as he gently bounced her back to sleep. “That’s it, that’s it.” He grabbed her backpack from the car and quickly slung it onto his shoulder before shutting the door and walking over to his husband and best friend.
“You guys brought Miyu-chan?” Tanaka asked with a bit of surprise in his tone.
“Were you expecting us to leave her in bed and pray the baby was born before morning?” Koushi shot back, playfully smacking Tanaka in the stomach.
Though an “oof” and keeled over Tanaka was evidence that Koushi’s joking was still lethal.
“I thought you guys would have a sitter.” The younger man said as he started leading the way into the hospital. “My sister has been staying with us the last three days. After the girls were born, Shimizu and I learned our lesson that babies seem to always come at the worst freaking time. So, we asked Saeko to move in for a couple days until we had the whole labor thing sorted.” Tanaka turned to look over his shoulder and then up and down the hall, before bringing his hand up to hide the whispered, “It’s been hell, no lie. Just like being back in high school only this time instead of embarrassing me in front of my crush, my sister is embarrassing me in front of my wife and kids. The woman is crazy!”
Koushi laughed along as he was always willing to encourage Tanaka’s antics, even as it seemed at an ungodly hour. “Well, no such luck to have a crazy sister willing to live with us. And with Asahi and Noya on vacation, we couldn’t exactly call someone to come watch Miyu.”
“Probably could have called Takeda-sensei,” Daichi yawned. He gave his baby girl’s head a little kiss before looking up again. “He would have definitely come over but there is no reason to burden anyone when my little girl is a picture-perfect princess.”
“You didn’t say that about her last week when she colored on our tax forms,” Suga smirked. The man always was a little devil, even to the person he was meant to love with his entire heart and soul. Absolutely no one was safe when it came to the quick wit of Sugawara Koushi.
“She was your daughter then,” Daichi said back indigently.
He was walking with absolutely no clue where he was meant to be going. A fact made apparent to everyone whenever Tanaka ran up behind him yelling, “Boss man, wrong hallway!” A part of Daichi wanted to turn around and glare at his friend, for not only ruining his perfectly timed comeback but also for potentially stirring his daughter. Luckily for the younger man, Miyu seemed to be perfectly happy sleeping and opted to follow in the footsteps of her father and sleep through any ruckus going on around her.
“That’s too bad ya know?” Koushi teased as he leaned in close. “Your dramatic exit was well-timed, but the execution lost you some points.” Before Daichi had time to respond, his husband gave him a peck on the cheek and took off to catch up with Tanaka.
It was far too late, or too early, to be keeping up with the bombastic personality that was his husband. Daichi would just have to settle for the half compliment and call that a win for now. He would be more up to the challenge once he had seen Shimizu with his own two eyes, that everything was indeed okay, and he had obtained at least three cups of coffee. Until then, well Suga was free to be his pesky self in the company of someone that was normally attached at the hip with the equally energetic Nishinoya Yuu.
“Your daddy is a menace you know that?” Daichi asked his sleeping daughter. “He’s a terror I tell you, so I need you to promise me now whenever you are an adult and I’m an old fuddy-duddy, that you aren’t going to let your daddy kill me with one of his hair brained ideas.” Miyu was too sleep to be taking notes, but that was fine, he would just have this conversation with her again later if need be. “For example, going skydiving for a fortieth anniversary is a no. I will likely be more easily persuaded then because I’ll be tired, so I need you to be strong for me. You and your little brother or sister, okay?”
What a sentence that was…little brother or sister. This was all really happening. He and Koushi were about to have another baby and…
“Daichi darling,” Suga came out of the room with a serious look on his face. It was an expression that immediately threw Daichi into the pits of worry; which was one place that he distinctly did not want to be tonight of all nights. “Hey hey hey,” the blonde said, his hands pressing up and down in the air in what was meant to be a soothing gesture. “Everything is going to be okay love, don’t worry just yet. The doctor is in the room, there was a minor complication, but it isn’t anything he is too concerned about. Baby is going to be fine.”
Complication .
No matter how calm Koushi was trying to appear, Daichi could see the apprehension behind his eyes. Complication was never a good word, ‘minor’ or otherwise. It caused Daichi to pull his baby girl a little closer to his chest, trying to draw comfort from her presence. Closing his eyes for a moment, he breathed in the sweet and comforting scent of her hair as he replayed Koushi’s assurances over and over in his mind.
Baby was going to be fine. Everything was going to be okay and they were going to be a happy and healthy family when all of this was over.
“Doctor is in the room?” he asked. Koushi nodded his head before closing the distance between them. The hug they shared was short and tense, but it was all the two of them really had the patience for. “Okay,” Daichi said, his breath shuttering a bit at the end of the word. He couldn’t lie, he was terrified right now. Whenever the conversation of surrogacy was first brought up, he had never imagined that pregnancy could be so scary.
Guess he should have had a more active imagination.
“Hey now,” Koushi whispered as he wrapped his arm around Daichi’s waist, starting to guide them towards Shimizu’s room. “We are all going to get through this. We are a team, remember?”
That was right, they were a team, and Daichi was the captain. He let a new resolve flow through him at that realization. He was allowed to be afraid, the situation may not be something the doctor was worried about, but it concerned people that Daichi cared for deeply, so he had a pass on the whole being afraid thing; but this was still his team. He had been the one to make the declaration he was their foundation, so it was time to act like it.
“You’re right,” He shifted Miyu in his arms so he could free up an arm to drape across Koushi’s shoulder. “We will all get through this just fine.”
They had to.