Work Text:
Daichi stretched his arms toward the ceiling as if wanting to pop his back. Again. No relief came and his face contorted as he breathed out slowly and controlled. Sugawara decidedly pushed his pencil and books away and locked Daichi in a scrutinizing gaze.
Upon finding Suga watching him, a noticeable shiver went through Daichi. A placating smile made its way onto his lips as he rubbed at the back of his neck.
“Oh don’t look at me like that. I’m fine,” he said.
Suga merely raised an eyebrow. Something he’d taught himself in middle school. But Daichi didn’t need to know that.
Daichi conceded, caught. “Okay fine, I fell asleep at my desk again.”
It’s exam season so yes, unhealthy habits tended to nestle themselves into routines until they became habits. But Daichi should know better. He’d been moving stiff and slow since Suga came over some hours ago. His own hypocrisy made Suga slow in responding. Scolding others is much easier than acting it yourself, after all.
He got an idea of how he could make Daichi feel better. He smirked, maybe getting a bit too excited at the prospect.
“We can’t have our captain all tense, can we?”
Daichi looked up in confusion, hand still at his neck. “Huh?” There was some hesitance as he assessed Suga.
“Come here, let's try something my mom showed me.”
Despite his previous reserve, Daichi walked around the desk between them and moved the chair next to Suga so its backrest touched the table. With one final look at Suga, he sat down on it, legs splayed on both sides and chin resting on his bare forearms.
Suga positioned himself behind Daichi and smoothed the wrinkles from his white cotton shirt. The sun flooded through a window from the side, casting a warm glow on Daichi’s profile. It was a calm Saturday, the Sawamura parents were on a visit to some family friends, and Suga was their always welcome guest, even in their absence.
Suga rubbed the palms of his hands together, warming them. Then, he placed them on Daichi’s neck, all fingers began working on the tense muscle. He was yet to gather much experience but he could tell Daichi was extraordinarily tense. Even now, his shoulders remained slightly raised, as if holding a weight too large for him alone.
After giving attention to the most common sore spots, Suga began searching for the spots of tension specific to Daichi. His thumbs moved up and down his neck. The skin warmed under his touch. He pressed down—careful but firm.
A half-pained, half-pleased was Daichi’s response. Suga smiled.
“My mother taught me that a massage must be so painful, you almost can’t bear it. Only then can it work its magic.”
He felt Daichi swallow. “Better get on with it, then,” he taunted.
Got it , Suga thought when he felt the little knot under his thumb. At the base of his neck and slightly to the left.
He targeted the spot, more gently at first—little circles, loosening it.
“Mmnh…,” Daichi moaned.
Suga briefly lost the spot. Warmth rose to his cheeks as he hurried to find it again. He went on to work down his back with his knuckles, giving himself some time to recover.
This wasn’t an uncommon reaction. Under the fingertips of his mother, grown men would make sounds of agony and pleasure interchangeably within minutes of her starting. Yet when he watched her work, the sounds were mere background noise. A way to get feedback, to learn how well one did.
Now, it made him hesitate in his movements. Unwillingly, he began to reduce the amount of pressure on his movements. A part of him he wasn’t ready to acknowledge longed to hear Daichi make that sound again. Needed him to.
He tried subtle deep breaths. Restraint. For fucks sake what was happening to him?
“Don’t go easy on me. I can take it.”
Suga squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his lips into a tight line. He made a pinching motion, fingertips pressing into the warmed skin, separated by a thin layer of cloth. He could feel the blood flow increasing, a blush was creeping up Daichi’s neck. Whenever his fingers grazed bare skin, he could feel the speeding pulse. As if trying to match it, his heart sped up in turn.
“Mhhh… that’s good,” Daichi said with a strained voice.
Suga shook his head, focusing on what his mother had taught him. He felt the tension melt bit by bit.
This was merely a temporary solution. Soon enough, at the latest when Daichi fell asleep at his desk again (and Suga knew he would), the pain will return. Suga felt his stomach sink at the thought, yet there was also a smile tugging at his lips.
Hums and little moans fell from Daichi’s mouth. Suga wasn’t taken aback as much again. It still made his focus waver, though. He would rather die than admit that. He knew his hands had lost some of their steadiness.
Daichi’s shoulders sank the further along they went. His head fell forward and moved along with Suga’s movements.
Suga worked along his shoulderblades, feeling the muscle built from diligent engagement in their club. He swallowed and indulged in it. He went more slowly than he had to and didn’t press as much as he explored. His eyes watched his hands as he wondered when he’d get to do this again.
Daichi felt strong under his fingertips, yet so vulnerable—the way he allowed the touch of Suga’s hands, the trust Daichi put into him. Thinking about it made Suga’s head spin.
Before he’d lose track and reveal what his mind was up to, Suga wrapped it up. He went over all of the areas again and pushed the tension out through his arms and down his back. Reluctantly, he removed his hands from Daichi’s warm back and placed a blanket from the couch over his shoulders to keep the muscles warm.
Daichi turned to face him and leaned against the backrest of the chair. Suga remained standing, glued to the floor by the shine in Daichi’s eyes. His pupils were blown wide, cheeks flushed.
Daichi reached out and took Suga’s hands into his, pulling him close enough to inspect the palms of his hands and trace his fingertips with his own. The featherlight touches tickled. Suga tried his hardest to suppress the shivers with mild success.
“Strong setter hands,” Daichi murmured. “You’ve gotta thank your mom from me. Magical.”
The smooth look of adoration on Daichi’s face was too much. His tender touches, drawing circles on his palms…
Unsure of how much showed on his face but certain it was too much, Suga pulled his hands free to use them as cover. Since when had he become so shy?
Daichi’s chuckle didn’t serve to ease the onslaught of anxious messy feelings. Suga didn’t move away, didn’t attempt to bring more space between them. Really, he didn’t want to. On the contrary, everything inside urged him to get closer.
What he most associated with Daichi was comfort. Solidity and dependability. The ease that comes with knowing someone through hardship and success. The makings of a lifelong friendship.
The uncertainty that filled him to the brim now was so wholly new to Suga; he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Don’t hide from me,” Daichi urged as he held onto Suga’s wrists and pulled them away from his face, gathering them in his slightly larger hands, holding them as if Suga was a delicate flower he was afraid of crushing. Daichi was smiling ever so slightly, relaxed, thankful even.
Pride swelled in Suga’s chest, pushing the more conflicting feelings to the side. He had made Daichi feel like this. He had taken some of the burden from Daichi’s shoulders, for a little while at least. Daichi works too hard, always there for everyone and putting himself last.
Suga will make sure Daichi doesn’t get away with that.
“You’re amazing,” Daichi said. Suga took a step closer as he moved Suga’s hands even closer. Daichi’s knees parted to make room. He made sure to lock eyes with Suga as he pressed his lips against Suga’s knuckles. The warm, soft touch disappeared before Suga could blink.
A choked sound of shock left Suga’s mouth as it fell open. Daichi’s eyes crinkled as he smiled.
“Let’s do this again sometime. I’d be happy to repay the favor,” Daichi said. And then, he winked.
Suga managed to trip over his words as he agreed, bumping into the chair as he went back to sit on his own. Daichi mercifully didn’t comment. He must’ve wanted to, Suga wasn’t sure he would’ve had the composure to keep silent.
They worked on their homework in silence for the next half hour. Or in Suga’s case, pretended to work. His body was still buzzing, ready. He used the time to imagine scenarios in colorful detail. He clenched his jaw as he recalled the ungodly sounds Daichi had made, he could perfectly imagine what he’d have to do to hear them again—
“Alright I can’t do this anymore,” Daichi interrupted Suga’s intense daydreaming, “I’m ready to try my best at this massage thing, okay?”
Suga lit up from the inside. “More than ready.”