Daichi was looking out the window when Suga slipped into the seat next to him. His captain seemed transfixed by the world passing outside, even though it was just another parking lot outside just another gymnasium. The heart of everything that made them special was inside, on the courts. From out here, you could never guess how many hearts beat with one tense rhythm in every smash of the ball. And you'd never guess how many tears had to wait to be shed until after the game was played, because it was never really over until the last ball had hit the ground.
He'd never had time to cry for the bruise staining the left side of Daichi's face at all. By the time the game was over, and he could think about whether Daichi was all right instead of focusing on winning the match, the doctors had patched him up. There was no more reason to cry. Just relief, seeing that shit-eating grin so perfect, Daichi was just asking to be punched. Not just because he could never accept letting their last game at Karasuno be one that their captain couldn't see through to the end. The whole team fought for the team as a whole, so it was never just about one man. But Suga would be the first to admit... the heartbreak Daichi would have felt, leaving the court and finding out they'd lost, that there were no more games to play...
Seeing Daichi cry those tears would have been worse than the tears he'd wanted to cry himself when he'd seen his friend go down. And maybe it was selfish, but he wasn't going to let anyone else sit next to Daichi on the ride home today. Right now, he needed to feel how solid, how present, his captain was. He needed to remember with every cell in his body that Daichi was all right, and he wasn't going anywhere.
He slipped into his seat without Daichi even looking away from the window. The bruise on his face was like a faint shadow. A few red streaks where the skin had tiny lacerations but he could barely see the outline of the impact. In two or three days, it'd be purple and blue, with all the blood starting to settle. Knowing Daichi, he'd manage to make it look rugged and manly instead of simply horrific.
The trick was to keep the swelling down.
Suga pulled an icy bottle of water from his bag and touched it to Daichi's cheek -- lightly enough that it wouldn't hurt when his friend startled at the cold.
"Suga!"
"I thought you should keep something cold on that. I don't care how many painkillers or anti-inflammatories the doctor gave you. You should keep the swelling down."
"I'll get an ice pack. You should drink that. We all played a hard couple games." Scooting down in his seat, Daichi smirked, showing off the gap where a tooth used to be. "But if you wanted to kiss it better..."
With a punch to his captain's arm and a roll of his eyes, Suga whispered, "Not in front of the children, dear."
"I'm pretty sure they're all asleep."
"Later," he said, draping his arm over the arm rest so they were almost but not quite holding hands. Then he scrunched down as well to lay his head on Daichi's shoulder. "The coach will be here any minute. And I'm kind of tired, too."
"Aren't we all."
Despite everything, it'd been a good day. Especially now.
FILL: TEAM ARAKITA YASUTOMO/FUKUTOMI JUICHI, G
Words: 593
Daichi was looking out the window when Suga slipped into the seat next to him. His captain seemed transfixed by the world passing outside, even though it was just another parking lot outside just another gymnasium. The heart of everything that made them special was inside, on the courts. From out here, you could never guess how many hearts beat with one tense rhythm in every smash of the ball. And you'd never guess how many tears had to wait to be shed until after the game was played, because it was never really over until the last ball had hit the ground.
He'd never had time to cry for the bruise staining the left side of Daichi's face at all. By the time the game was over, and he could think about whether Daichi was all right instead of focusing on winning the match, the doctors had patched him up. There was no more reason to cry. Just relief, seeing that shit-eating grin so perfect, Daichi was just asking to be punched. Not just because he could never accept letting their last game at Karasuno be one that their captain couldn't see through to the end. The whole team fought for the team as a whole, so it was never just about one man. But Suga would be the first to admit... the heartbreak Daichi would have felt, leaving the court and finding out they'd lost, that there were no more games to play...
Seeing Daichi cry those tears would have been worse than the tears he'd wanted to cry himself when he'd seen his friend go down. And maybe it was selfish, but he wasn't going to let anyone else sit next to Daichi on the ride home today. Right now, he needed to feel how solid, how present, his captain was. He needed to remember with every cell in his body that Daichi was all right, and he wasn't going anywhere.
He slipped into his seat without Daichi even looking away from the window. The bruise on his face was like a faint shadow. A few red streaks where the skin had tiny lacerations but he could barely see the outline of the impact. In two or three days, it'd be purple and blue, with all the blood starting to settle. Knowing Daichi, he'd manage to make it look rugged and manly instead of simply horrific.
The trick was to keep the swelling down.
Suga pulled an icy bottle of water from his bag and touched it to Daichi's cheek -- lightly enough that it wouldn't hurt when his friend startled at the cold.
"Suga!"
"I thought you should keep something cold on that. I don't care how many painkillers or anti-inflammatories the doctor gave you. You should keep the swelling down."
"I'll get an ice pack. You should drink that. We all played a hard couple games." Scooting down in his seat, Daichi smirked, showing off the gap where a tooth used to be. "But if you wanted to kiss it better..."
With a punch to his captain's arm and a roll of his eyes, Suga whispered, "Not in front of the children, dear."
"I'm pretty sure they're all asleep."
"Later," he said, draping his arm over the arm rest so they were almost but not quite holding hands. Then he scrunched down as well to lay his head on Daichi's shoulder. "The coach will be here any minute. And I'm kind of tired, too."
"Aren't we all."
Despite everything, it'd been a good day. Especially now.