Chapter Text
A long month hardly even described what Suga had been through. Four weeks of stress. Four weeks of late nights. Four weeks of anger. Four weeks of a deep, heart aching sadness. Four weeks of forced cheer. And it had all culminated here, Suga trying to keep his eyes open as he made his way back to his table, drink in hand. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand as he sat, letting out a long, deep breath. He should really get home soon. Tooru had agreed to watch over her for a bit, but Suga didn’t want to be away from them for too long…
He nodded to himself as he took a drink before setting his mug down as he opened his eyes. It took him a moment to process the brown liquid rapidly spreading over the tabletop in front of him, namely towards the books he’d brought with him, and by the time he had, someone was scooping them up for him before they could even get wet, and Suga was left staring at a coffee covered tabletop as an unfamiliar but incredibly pleasant laugh filled his ears.
“I am so sorry!” Suga finally yelped as he realsied what had happened, eyes widening as he stood quickly. “Ah let me-” The laughter increased slightly.
“You don’t need to apologise.” a dark haired person about his age said, still holding all of Suga’s books up off the table as the barista rushed over with some hand towels, and quickly cleaned the spill. Suga thanked them a few times, and they waved him off as they took the towels back to the back room.
“Thank you too.” Suga said, shaking his head. “I don’t even know what happened there.” The stranger smiled, sitting across from Suga as they put his books back on the table.
“It’s alright. But, are you?” Suga blinked a few times.
“Yeah, yeah. Just...it's been a long month.” he said dismissively.
“I’ll bet. Sawamura Daichi.” the stranger said, extending a hand.
“Sugawara Koushi, he/him pronouns.” Suga replied, extending his own.
“Ah, same pronouns for me,” Sawamura said, tilting his head in minor confusion as they shook hands.
“Lovely. Thanks for rescuing my books.” Suga said, scrubbing a hand over his face quickly, hoping it might wake him up a bit.
It did not.
“No problem,” Sawamura assured. “But, are you sure you’re ok? I’d hate to leave only for your new drink to get spilled on the books I just rescued.” he said in a tone that Suga was ninety four percent certain was half gentle teasing and half genuine concern, and Suga groaned.
“That’s right, now I don’t have anything to actually drink.”
“You know, why don’t I get you something?” Sawamura said. “If you want.”
“No, no, you don’t have to do that.” Suga responded quickly. “If anything, I owe you a drink.”
“Maybe, but I’ve already got one.” he countered, and Suga blinked, sure enough, seeing the cup near his hand.
“Touche.”
“So, what did you have?”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Alright,.” Suga responded telling him what he’d had, and Sawamura smiled.
“One second.” And then he was up, heading back to the counter and talking to the person behind it.
Suga found himself yawning, and his head ended up on the table before he’d even realised he was struggling to hold it up. Maybe once he managed to get some caffeine inside himself, he might actually be able to answer some of the questions that had been plaguing him for a month.
He doubted it, but it was a nice thought that Suga allowed himself to fantasize about as he hovered somewhere on the edge of consciousness, cheek squished into the table and arms wrapped around his head lightly.
The next thing he was aware of was a gentle touch on his arm, lightly shaking him, and he peeled his face off the table, blinking heavily.
“You here?” he heard Sawamura ask as he came into focus, a small smile on his face that was somewhere between concerned and amused.
“Yeah, yeah.” Suga yawned, lacing his fingers and stretching his hands above his head. “Well, mostly.” he added with a grin.
“That’s better than not at all.” Sawamura said as he slid a cup across the table towards Suga.
“Ah, thank you so much. You, Sawamura, are a lifesaver.”
“Please, Daichi’s fine, Sugawara.”
“And Suga’s fine, Daichi.” Suga responded with a tired smile as he raised the new drink to his lips.
“Alright. Well, what’s got you so worn out, if it’s not too personal? Are you studying?” Suga exhaled slowly after swallowing.
“Something like that.” he said carefully after a beat. “It’s been a long month.”
“I’ll bet.” Daichi said sympathetically. “I hope the caffeine helps.”
“It’ll get me home so I can pass out in my bed instead of in public, at least.” Suga with a tired smile and another drink of coffee as Daichi laughed lightly.
“Well that’s good. Just don’t drop this one, ok?”
“I’ll do my best.” Suga assured.
“Well, I should go,” Daichi sighed, glancing towards the clock on the wall. “But, if you ever need more books for your mystery studies, I’d love to help. My shop’s just on the corner of this street.” he said with a smile.
“Oh. Oh, thanks.” Suga managed. “I might just take you up on that if it keeps stumping me,” he laughed, and Daichi nodded.
“Sounds great. Take care, Suga. And, be careful getting home, alright?”
“As you wish.” Suga grinned, and then Daichi was gone, leaving Suga blinking and rubbing his eyes.
He had taken note of the small shop at the end of this street before, but never actually went inside. He might have to change that, he mused as he stood, putting his books back into his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and starting towards the door.
He had been walking for fifteen minutes, in the mild warmth of a late spring evening when he realised he’d forgotten to drink the last half of the coffee Daichi had bought him, leaving it sitting on the table.
He also managed to trip no less than three times, and narrowly avoided walking into a bench before he’d made it home and collapsed in his bed.
Well, Daichi had said be careful, not don’t be clumsy, he mused to himself, drifting off with the ghost of a smile on his lips for the first time in that very, very long month.
---
"Are you ready? You've got everything?" Daichi asked, crouching down in front of Koda, who nodded.
"Me and mom double checked all my bags and everything." He assured, and Daichi glanced up at Yui, who nodded, smiling.
"We did." She confirmed. "He did a great job packing and only forgot two things before we went over it together.”
“Good job buddy.” Daichi said affectionately, reaching out and gently tousling Koda’s hair.
“I know,” he said. “Since I live above a bookstore now can I have all the books I want?” he asked, eyes shining, and his parents laughed.
“Well, you can read as many as you want, for sure.” Daichi said.
“Can I go look around then? Please!” he asked, glancing towards the door behind them.
“Sure. Why don’t you say bye to your mom first though, sweetie?” Daichi responded, and Koda nodded vigorously before all but throwing himself at Yui
“Bye mom! Thank you so much and I love you a lot!” he said, wrapping his arms around her as she crouched down to hug him properly.
“Of course baby.” she started, holding him out at arms length after the hug. “Now, you be good for your dad, ok?” Koda nodded. “Make sure to listen to him, and don’t forget your shifting exercises.” he nodded again. "Ok sweetheart, I love you so much and I'll see you soon!" She finished, pulling Koda back in briefly to kiss the top of his head.
He kissed her cheek with a grin before she let go of him and turned on his heel.
"Bye mom love you so much have a good day!" He said as he ran towards the shop, and Yui laughed as she stood.
"Bye sweetie!" She called after him before shifting her attention to Daichi. “Is he gonna be ok in there by himself?”
“He’s not by himself, don’t worry. Bokuto’s in there.”
“...Honestly, I can’t tell if I should be less or more worried now.” she deadpanned.
Daichi opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud, dull thud from inside the shop, followed by a shout of ‘Everythings ok!’, and the words on Daichi’s tongue melted into a sigh as Yui laughed.
“Sometimes, I wonder if moving in with him was the best idea I’ve ever had, or the worst.” he said, running a hand through his hair as he glanced back towards the shop, and fortunately, didn’t see any fire or smoke.
“Ah, I bet it’ll be ok. It’ll be… formative.” Yui said, holding back another laugh.
“Yui, that is our child in there.”
“And I bet he’s having a great time.” she responded, giving in and laughing again, Daichi rolling his eyes as bright laughter spilled out of the shop.
"You're probably right." He conceded with a grin of his own as Yui stifled her laughter. "Does he actually have everything though?"
"He does." She nodded. "But like I reminded him, he still needs to do his shifting practice regularly. And you're looking into schools for him, right?"
"Yeah. It might take a little while since it's a weird time of year, but I'm sure I can find something soon." Daichi assured.
"Alright, and thank you again for all of this." Yui said, rubbing the back of her neck.
"No, thank you. It's gonna be great to get to spend more time with him now. And good luck, really. I hope everything works out for you with all of this." Daichi said, and Yui smiled.
"I'm glad you're excited, and I know Koda is too. And thanks, I think I will. But you two better not forget to call. I'm expecting to hear from you guys at least once a week!" She declared, and Daichi laughed.
"Of course. In fact, why don't you call us when you get to the beach?" Daichi suggested. "I bet Koda would love to hear about the trip, and I wouldn't mind either."
Yui beamed at that.
"Yeah, I will." She promised, before wincing as another crash came from inside the shop. "Just to make sure you're both still in one piece, if nothing else."
"Ah, yeah, I should probably go check on them." Daichi agreed. "Talk to you soon, alright?"
"Talk to you soon. Love ya!" Yui said with a small wave as she adjusted her bag.
"Love you." Daichi echoed with a small wave of his own before turning and heading into the shop. "Koda? Bo?" He called as he stepped inside, the small bell giving a muted chime that rang softly through the suspiciously quiet shop. "Guys? What did you break?" Daichi asked as he stepped all the way inside, glancing around.
He heard some hushed whispers towards the back, and sighed as he headed that way. "It's ok, just tell me what you...broke." Daichi finished weakly as he arrived at the back of the shop, an area deliberately empty of shelves, containing several chairs and tables and a few toys that Daichi called the reading nook. In the center of the area were Bokuto and Koda, staring down at a broken chair.
They looked up, almost in unison, with matching sheepish looks on their faces. For a long moment, no one spoke as everyone looked at each other, until Daichi broke the silence with a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan as he ran a hair through his hair.
“At least it was your least favorite one?” Bokuto ventured, and Koda giggled before quickly covering his mouth.
Daichi sighed.
“You're going to encourage him, aren’t you?”
“Not that much, I promise!” Bokuto said quickly, and Daichi raised an eyebrow as he looked from Bokuto to Koda.
“I wasn’t talking about you.” he sighed, and Koda’s giggles increased.
“I won’t, I promise!” he insisted, unconvincingly.
“We’ll see about that,” Daichi muttered, shaking his head. “Please try to be careful, but I think I can fix this. Why don’t you go take your last few bags up to your room while I open the shop up, ok?” He asked, and Koda nodded enthusiastically, all but diving towards the bags he’d put near the counter. “Hey, go with him, will you?” Daichi asked, glancing at Bokuto, and getting an equally enthusiastic nod in return as Bokuto scooped Koda’s other bag up.
“To the apartment!” he cried, and Koda laughed, charging ahead and shoving the door open. Daichi sighed as they left. He’d have his work cut out for himself for the next few weeks as Koda got settled, that was for sure.
He heard their footsteps overhead as they made it to the upstairs apartment, and smiled despite himself as he gathered the remains of the broken chair and took them into the back, hoping he’d have time to fix it soon.
He then grabbed the small stack of music theory books he’d set aside the evening before and took them to the reading nook, placing them on an end table. Satisfied with his choice, he headed to the front and flipped the open sign before settling at the counter.
It took thirteen seconds for the bell to ring for the first time, and Daichi had expected nothing less. He glanced up, and confirmed it as his newest regular, a young girl, probably in her early teens, but not much shorter than Daichi, with light brown hair, almost always in a braid that rested at the base of her white and red wings. She glanced Daichi’s way, and gave him a small smile, tipping her head towards him slightly, and he smiled, giving her a small wave in return as she headed to the reading nook.
Daichi waited a few moments, listening to the sounds of furniture being moved above him, Bokuto and Koda deciding the room needed to be rearranged, no doubt, before taking a box that needed to be stocked and carrying it to the correct shelf, casting a quick glance towards the reading nook, and finding the young girl all but draped over one of the softest chairs, her right wing over the backrest, and her left one stretched out, the end resting on the floor, her eyes fixed firmly on one of the books Daichi had left on the end table. He recognised it as a book on the history of instruments, and made a mental note of that as he smiled softly, beginning to quietly shelf books.
“It’s loud upstairs today.” she said after a few moments of quiet. Well, relatively quiet, since Bokuto and Koda were getting rather rambunctious.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Daichi responded. “My son just moved in, so things are gonna be a little louder here overall.”
“How old is he?”
“Seven.”
“It would be weird to ask about his other parent, right?” Daichi laughed at that.
“A little, but I don’t mind. His mom’s great, but we just didn’t work together that way, so we split. She’s moving now too, and wants some time by herself, so he’s with me for the foreseeable future.” he explained, and she hummed lightly in response as Daichi straightened up, picking up the now empty box. “I’ll tell them to keep it down, though.” he added with a smile before heading back to the front.
It had been about six months since she had first shown up, and the first time, Daichi hadn’t known what to think of her.
She had seemed smaller then, her feathers had definitely been more dull, and her eyes had been more shifty. She had sat stiffly in the chairs, and done her utmost to move through the shop silently, wincing if a floorboard so much as creaked. She had spoken to Daichi in stilted sentences of as few words as possible, and even then, only when absolutely necessary
Daichi began to leave books he suspected she’d like on the end table in the reading nook, hoping it would save her the trouble of looking for them. Sometimes it worked, and sometimes it didn’t. Daichi took note either way, hoping that the little gesture might make her day a little better. He worried about her home life a few times, but didn’t really know the protocol for addressing that one way or the other.
But, as the months went by, she became more comfortable in the shop. She took up more space in the reading nook, and actually looked comfortable there these days. She became so familiar with the shop that she hardly needed to ask for things, but occasionally did anyway, or otherwise started a conversation with Daichi, like the comment about the upstairs noise. She was around most days, for at least a few hours, lounging about and reading, and checking books out every now and then as well.
She seemed like a good kid, and Daichi was happy to be able to provide her with a safe, relaxed space to spend time in.
He was brought back to the present by a particularly loud thud in the apartment above him, and he sighed as he returned to the front counter. He drew a circle in midair, and zigzagged down through it, watching the golden trail it left, and feeling the telltale pull in his chest, before pushing through the center of it, and all of a sudden, he was looking into Koda’s room, and seeing him and Bokuto piling plushies onto Koda’s bed.
“Everything ok up there?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah!” Koda said with a grin. “We’re almost done, and we moved my bed and my dresser.” he added, Bokuto nodding along in confirmation, and Daichi smiled, shaking his head a bit.
“Alright, good. Please try to be a little quieter since the shop is open, though, ok?”
“Sure thing!” Koda promised with a thumbs up. “Can I come down and hang out in the store when I finish?”
“I think you have some shifting to practice first, don’t you, buddy?” Daichi asked, knowing the answer.
Koda pouted.
“But I shift everyday,” he complained. “I’m not in your store everyday.”
“You shift everyday because you need to.” Bokuto chimed in.
“And, you’ll have plenty of time to hang out in the store now since you live here now, right?” Daichi added, and Koda sighed.
“But I really wanna hang out in the store.”
“How about I practice with you?” Bokuto suggested, glancing at Daichi and giving him a chance to object.
He just smiled, nodding a bit.
“Wait, you can shift?!” Koda cried, whipping towards him, and Bokuto laughed.
“Yup! I’m a shifter like you!” he said with a grin, and then Koda was whipping back to look at Daichi.
“On second thought, dad can I please practice?” he asked, and Daichi laughed.
“Of course,” he responded. “Just be careful, alright?”
“We will, I promise.” Bokuto assured.
“Great. Have fun.” Daichi said, getting another ‘we will!’ in return before he waved the visual portal away and it dissipated, leaving the shop quieter than it had been all morning.
That quiet only lasted about ten minutes, at which point Daichi heard the rather distinct sound of two great horned owls in the apartment above him.
And then the doorbell was chiming again as Kiyoko stepped inside, and Daichi smiled at her.
“Hey. You’re here for those spellbooks, aren’t you?” she nodded with a smile.
“That's what I ordered, after all.”
“Touche.” Daichi said as he crouched down and scanned through the stacked orders under the counter until he saw the correct one and grabbed it. “And here they are,” he said with a smile.
“Thank you. Is that an owl I hear upstairs?” she asked with a knowing smile, and Daichi sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head.
“Two, actually.” he corrected.
“So, I take it Koda’s having fun so far?”
“Lots, as far as I can tell.” Daichi confirmed with a nod.
“Do you have anywhere set up for him to go to school?” she asked as she scooped the books up and nestled them into her bags.
“Not yet.” Daichi admitted. “But, the shop’s closed tomorrow, so I think I’ll be able to find something soon, and I’m sure Koda will appreciate some time to explore and get used to the new place before jumping into school.” he said, and Kiyoko nodded.
“Fair enough. If you need help, you know where to find me.”
“Of course. Thanks for the order!” he called as she headed back towards the door.
“Of course.” she echoed with a small wave as she stepped outside.
Not a moment later, Fuyumi was inching her way to the counter. Daichi smiled at her, and she smiled back.
“Hi. Can I take this one home?” she asked, holding up the book about the history of instruments, and Daichi nodded.
“Of course. Here, let me write it down.” he said, quickly pulling out his borrowing book and flicking to the necessary page.
He frowned down at it.
“Did you bring back the one about wyvern care?”
“Shit! I mean, uh, no! I’m so sorry.” she said, going bright red as she clutched the book to her chest. “Was that due back already? I thought I had a little longer.”
“It was due yesterday, but I can renew it for you if you need it for a little longer, it’s not a problem.” Daichi soothed, and she nodded, relaxing a bit.
“That would be good.” she said with a nod. “It's been really helpful.”
“Oh? Do you have a wyvern?” She smiled, nodding again, this time with a passionate gleam in her eyes.
“I got her two weeks ago. Her name is Blossom, and she’s six years old and super, super smart, but kinda temperamental and just a little more prone to shredding everything into nesting material than I was expecting.”
“Sounds like you’ve got your hands full, and I’m glad the book’s been useful.” Daichi said with a grin, and she nodded again as he wrote the new dates and book down. “Alright, well you’re all set. Have a good one!”
“You too!” she called as she hurried out of the store, clutching the book to her chest with one hand while the other tugged her braid over her shoulder and began fiddling with it.
Daichi smiled, shaking his head as the store fell into its usual morning silence and he let his thoughts wander from children to wyverns to school until an odd shriek from above made him sigh.
“Koda!” he called. “We talked about shifting into harpys, didn’t we?”
There was a beat of silence, and then Koda shouted a response.
“Yeah. Sorry!” in Koda’s ‘I’m on the verge of giggles’ voice, and Daichi sighed again.
Yeah, he’d have his work cut out for him with Koda these next few weeks for sure.
---
Indeed he did have his work cut out for him, Daichi thought to himself two weeks later as he rubbed his forehead.
“I know that look.” Yui said from the other side of the spell, stopping herself mid sentence. “What's wrong?” she asked, and Daichi shook his head.
“Nothing, nothing,” he lied.
Yui tilted her head down, raising an eyebrow at him, and he sighed. “Ok, not nothing, but you were talking. Go ahead and finish and then I’ll take my turn.” he said, and she sighed.
“Ok. My new place is nice. My neighbors are sweet. I like the work I’m doing now. Ok, there. Your turn.” she said.
“Fine, fine, Diachi said, shaking his head. “School hunting isn’t going quiet as well as I’d hoped, that’s all.”
“You haven’t found one yet?” Yui asked, sounding slightly surprised, and Daichi shook his head.
“Not one that would be a comfortable place for a nonhuman and taking new students right now,” he explained. “I can tell that Koda’s starting to get antsy too, and I can’t blame him. Bo’s doing really good about shifting with him and keeping him occupied, but that’s only going to work for so long, you know?”
“Yeah, that sucks,” Yui agreed. “It’s a pretty big city, though. I bet there's something?” she said uncertainly.
“I hope so, I really, really hope so.” Daichi sighed.
“You might not have to hope much longer.” said an oddly familiar voice, and Daichi looked towards it.
“It’s you!” he blurted out, eyes widening, and the silver haired man laughed.
“It’s me indeed, and it’s you, too!” he said with a grin.
“How are you? Better rested, I hope?” Daichi asked, and the other man laughed ruefully.
“Much.” he assured. “And I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhearing you saying something about needing a school for nonhumans that would take new students at this time of year?” Daichi nodded.
“Yeah, that's right, sit, sit, please if you have any info, I’d love it.” he said, and the silver haired man sat across from him as Yui cleared her throat, casting a knowing glance at Daichi.
“Well, it looks like this fine gentleman can help you, so I’d better get back to my work.”
“You told me you were off today.” Daichi said, and Yui shrugged.
“And you told me you couldn’t find a school for Koda, but it looks like that changed too.” she said with a wink. “Good luck, let me know if this pans out!” she added cheerfully before ending the spell, and the silver haired man laughed.
“Well she seems like fun,” he said with a grin. “And, before I make an ass of myself, you’re Sawamura, right?” Daichi nodded.
“But you can call me Daichi.” he said. “And you are…” he started, digging through his memory of the exhausted, upset seeming man from three months ago and his scratchy, heavy voice. “Sugawara! But Suga works, right?”
“Yup!” Suga said. “Now, how old is the kid you’re trying to find a school for?”
“Seven, with a mid spring birthday.”
“Ah! Perfect!” Suga said with a grin. “I doubt this is your only option, so I won’t be offended if you don’t pick it, but I actually work at a school for nonhuman kids, particularly younger ones. I can give you the papers and stuff if you’re interested.”
“Yes, please, that would be great.” Daichi said, and Suga dug into the bag that rested against his hip.
“Now, as soon as the paperwork’s turned in, they can start,” he said as he slid a small stack of papers across the table. “So, there's no rush, and all the info about scheduling and stuff’s on there too.” he said with a smile.
“Thank you so much, you’re a lifesaver.” Daichi said as he scooped the papers up and slipped them into his own bag.
“Hey, just returning the favor. I owe you four books, so, let's just call it even now, yeah?” he said, and Daichi laughed.
“Sure, sounds good to me.”
“Would it be too invasive to ask if it’s your kid that needs a school?” Suga asked, and Daichi shook his head.
“Not at all. It's my son, Koda. He recently moved in with me.” he explained.
“Ah, I see. Well, I hope to see Sawamura Koda in class soon, if you decide our school’s a good fit for him,” Suga said as he glanced towards the cafe’s clock and stood.
“Michimiya Koda.” Daichi corrected.
“Oh. Sorry. Michimiya Koda.” Suga repeated.
“It’s ok. It’s what everyone assumes.” Daichi shrugged, glancing at the clock himself, and whistling as he stood as well. “Ah, and that’s my cue to head on out.” he said.
“Mine too.” Suga said.
“Thank you again for your help, Suga. I’ll talk to Koda tonight.”
“Sounds great.” Suga said with a grin. “Have a good one!” he added as he strode out of the shop ahead of Daichi, who had to gather a few things from his table.
His wits was one of them, but he didn’t want to think about that just yet.