Work Text:
It was a beautiful day.
The rain that had been tormenting them for the last week had finally let up, giving way to sunlight and fluffy clouds that looked straight out of the pages of a primary schooler's coloring books.
Koushi had thought that the day was perfect. He'd thought that it was a blessing. He'd thought — quite firmly, might he add — that the day could absolutely not be ruined.
How he loved to prove himself wrong.
They had chosen to go outside, of course. On a beautiful day like this, the park was a must. Akari, who'd been sulking at the window for the whole week, wouldn't have let him breathe otherwise.
Neither, apparently, would what looked like every other dog in their immediate vicinity, capitalizing on the lack of rain and flocking to the park like migrating birds. It was fine, though. Koushi had expected this.
What he had not expected, however, was to make an absolute fool of himself in front of an actual god.
In his defense, it was all Akari's fault.
See, Koushi's Samoyed was weak. He was weak for hotdogs and cute toys and K-Pop. He was also very, very weak for the startlingly attractive (Koushi loathes to think that this was hereditary. He was never that bad, even as a giggling teenager!)
Akari had made plenty of friends already — Koushi had especially loved the Golden Retriever named Doritos , even if he did steal a bite of the onigiri Koushi had been munching on — but it had only taken one look at the pretty German Shepherd running after a frisbee on the grass opposite where they had been sitting and immediately Akari was bounding over, paying no heed to Koushi's calls. It was a sight, seeing the Shepherd's tilted head and mildly shocked eyes, staring down the cloud that was preparing to smother it.
Koushi, not wanting to lose his damn dog, had given chase. He lost sight of the damn dog, cursed, and spun around until he found it. Akari had apparently locked and reached his target, as he was now circling the Shepherd in excited leaps, tugging at the frisbee in obvious invitation, regardless of personal boundaries.
"Akari-kun!" Koushi calls, mildly irritated. How did Akari still look cute and fluffy after running so much while Koushi looked like a damn tomato? "Kiddo, slow down! Don't run off like that!"
He opens his mouth to scold him more when a voice interrupts. "Hai? Did you make a new friend?"
"Sorry," the voice continues. "Is this your dog?"
Koushi turns his attention to the owner of said voice, an apologetic smile already on his lips. They didn't sound hostile, but it never hurt to be careful.
"Yes," he replies brightly. He goes to say more, but he's met with brown eyes and parted lips and good fuck the German Shepherd's owner is cute. Hell, cute was too mild a word. The man was fucking handsome.
The man reaches down to let Akari sniff his palm, and the dog responds eagerly. Koushi can barely breathe.
"Oh, he's so cute!" the man says, petting Akari idly.
Koushi doesn't dare move, still in the middle of absorbing the fact that men who look like this — handsome and tall and dressed in a short-sleeved shirt that fit him just right — actually exist and aren't confined to a shoujo manga or maybe an ancient myth, says, "Thank you! So are you!"
He swears he hears a record screech to a pause in the distance.
The world pauses, just for a moment. The once pleasant breeze is suddenly far too loud, the cars passing them suddenly far too close. There are cricket sounds, even at only three in the afternoon. Koushi feels a flush rise, high on his cheekbones, as the man stares at him, slack-jawed. Good going, Sugawara! Now you've just made an enemy of a hot man built like a fucking tank!
"I-I mean! Thank you! So is yours!" Koushi says, waving his arms frantically. It was less a save and more a desperate and pathetic plea, even to his own ears. The man doesn't move. Koushi spares a quick glance at where Akari is still nipping playfully at Hai the German Shepherd, who, in Koushi's eyes, still looks confused but also mildly endeared. Oh, to be a dog.
"Your dog is also very cute!" he says again, giving the man the brightest smile he can muster. He's always been told he has a great smile, ("Enough to light up the whoooole world, Suga-sen!") maybe it will be enough to distract the man from Koushi's utter idiocy.
It's not. The man only blinks, seemingly processing. This goes on for a few moments. Koushi can't blame him, it was a lot.
"Um, thank you. Hai… is adorable," the man repeats, saying each syllable slowly. It reminds Koushi of the way he speaks to his kindergarteners, and if he weren't so embarrassed from earlier, he might have been a little more irritated at being treated like a child. "And so is…" The man's eyes flicker down to Akari, skimming over the dog's bright orange nametag. "Akari, right?"
Koushi nods. The man gives him a smile in return, and oh. Well, if Koushi's smile had been bright enough to light up the world, this man's smile was enough to warm up the deepest pits of hell. And it was directed right at…
Akari. The man was smiling ever so softly at Akari, mumbling more greetings that sounded like velvet in his rich, deep voice. When had he even crouched? Koushi glares at his dog. The nerve of him! Grinning like a fool as the man scratches him beneath the chin. Goddamn traitor, Koushi thinks. This is why they say it's no use raising kids.
"You're so, so cute, Akari-kun," the man was muttering. Hai the German Shepherd had plopped down next to her owner, patiently waiting for the man to finish his ministrations. Not a single jealous bone in that dog's body, apparently. Koushi, still seething silently at Akari, could not relate. "But can I tell you a little secret?"
Akari's little ears actually perk up at this. It makes Koushi want to laugh, despite himself. His dog was a gossip and he was entirely to blame for that. Too many nights spent bitching about aunties and parents and coworkers to Akari had made the dog attuned to gossip and/or shittalking of any form, apparently.
The man leans closer to Akari, grabbing his cheeks in both palms (large, calloused, perfectly hold-able), and drops his voice. Koushi most definitely does not lean forward to hear what the man says, nope.
"You're really cute…" The man pauses, for no other reason than wanting suspense, Koushi thinks, then looks Akari straight in the eye. "But I think your dad may be just a tad cuter. Would it be okay with you if I took him out for dinner?"
The man stands, smiling, and Koushi promptly bursts into flames.
He flushes violently, crimson clear as the sunrise on his pale skin. The air turns sweltering hot, making him feel like he might start sweating buckets at any moment, even with the breeze he knows is still flitting through the park.
The man continues to look at him, smiling that too-warm smile of his, and this time it's meant for Koushi and only him. It's still too much for him to handle, but Koushi isn't one to pass up an opportunity. He basks in it, gaping openly, and waiting for the heat to recede and give way to pleasant warmth. Less a hot summer day and more a mellow spring morning. If he allows himself to look a little more he thinks he might find a future in that smile, with Hai and Akari and a backyard lawn.
Koushi's eyes flutter shut, and when he opens them it's to the sight of the man's smile disappearing, turning into an anxious frown. He realizes he had just been standing there like an idiot for minutes on end, and to the man who had just asked him out, it must have looked like a clear rejection.
"I don't even know your name!" he blurts out. The man blinks. Koushi claps a hand over his mouth, horrified.
They hadn't even made it to their first date, he laments as he's hit with a wave of deja vu. Koushi lowers his hand and sighs, resigning himself to the man retracting his offer.
A deep chuckle startles him out of his wallowing. More giggles, slowly becoming full-bellied laughter. The man bends, clutching at his stomach as he struggles to contain his mirth. Akari is grinning, leaping back and forth at the man's side, tail wagging in excitement. Hai is a statue at his side, her only movement a slight tilt of her head.
"I'm sorry," the man gasps when the last of his chuckles die down. "I got too carried away by Akari-kun. And then I got too carried away by you. My name's Sawamura, Sawamura Daichi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
He bows, grinning. It looks adorably similar to Akari's. It's also fucking contagious, because Koushi's grinning too as he bows back. Gods. The whole situation was a little ridiculous, but Koushi thinks, distantly, that it has the potential to be one of his most treasured memories.
"Nice to meet you, Sawamura Daichi-san," he says. "I'm Sugawara Koushi. Call me Suga."
"Suga," Sawamura says. Oh. Wow . Koushi damn near shivers at the way he enunciates each syllable. His name has never sounded better, he thinks. Sawamura beams, the too-warm one Koushi still hadn't recovered from. "It suits you."
Damn. He's blushing, again. This man was going to be the death of him. Koushi hopes his friends have the good graces to lie on his tombstone. Death by hot man's too-warm smile was unbefitting of someone like him, he thinks.
"Ah, thank you," Koushi mutters, mentally tamping down the redness coating his cheeks. He clears his throat. "I'm saying yes to dinner, by the way. Just in case you got carried away again."
Koushi's smile turns cheeky. "Though, I think Akari-kun hasn't given his express permission yet," he says, putting a finger to his chin in faux thoughtfulness. "I very much value Akira-kun's opinion, Sawamura-san."
That coaxes another laugh out of Sawamura. Koushi wants to lock that laugh up in a treasure chest. It's too precious to be given away so freely. "Call me Daichi, Suga-san," he chuckles.
Sawamura kneels, facing Akari, who gawks back in anticipation. "Alright then, Akari-kun," Sawamura begins. "May I humbly ask for your blessing to take your father, Sugawara Koushi, out on a date? I would be most honored if you say yes, Akari-kun, I swear it."
Akari considers this, panting as he studies Sawamura. It's a very thorough inspection, and Akari turns to Hai several times, seemingly checking for confirmation on some aspects of her owner's character. Finally, Akari's probing gaze returns to Daichi's for what Koushi thinks is the final part of his assessment. Koushi holds his breath.
Akari lunges at Daichi and tackles him onto the grass, licking at his cheeks. Koushi laughs, barely resisting the urge to whoop. He settles for perching himself beside Hai on the grass, reaching for her fur gently.
"I can't promise anything substantial yet, Hai-san," he whispers, keeping his eyes on the way the dark grey of her fur seems to envelop his fingers. She's a beautiful dog. With a beautiful owner. "But I do think you and I are going to be seeing each other a lot in the near future."
Hai nudges his knuckles. Koushi takes it as a sign of approval.
"I'll do my best to take care of him, Hai-san," he continues. Koushi turns his gaze back to Daichi and Akari. "Your dad seems like the kind of guy who deserves it."
Hai barks in agreement. Koushi smiles for what feels like the hundredth time in an hour. Well, today hadn't been ruined, after all.
In fact… he ponders, directing his grin at Daichi. …I'd say it just got a lot better.