I've always really liked captains AU, and couldn't find any, and so I wrote one myself. Because hey, there was the Daisuga week, Prompt 1 was: Single Dad Club or Sleepwalking, and... Single captains... You can guess how it went. I hope you enjoy !
Daichi is not sure the person who just entered the room will be able to decide where to sit (between the multiple cushions and armchairs with stacks of papers on them), and this is the reason why he gets up to guide them to the sole empty chair. And not at all because they are, according to Tetsurou, "a perfect angel fallen from heaven to enlighten our day with their holy beaming smile". The angel looks at him with kind eyes when he points the seat, smiling gently – they do have a great smile – and alright, Daichi might be slightly smitten.
"So, what did you come here for… Su-sugawara ?"
The handwriting on the name-tag is neat, which doesn't explain why he started stammering all of a sudden.
"Oh, well, Daichi, he probably came for the company, the pretty dads and perhaps the free money the centre gives us ?"
Oikawa Tooru should not be a single dad in a group of single dads. He should be single, end of the line, to spare the people around him the burden of communicating with his snarky mouth. Daichi discreetly intertwines their fingers when Tooru stands behind him, leaning over his shoulder to stare at Sugawara.
"You can add the free babysitter possibilities, but this about sums it up. I also heard there was food ?"
Tooru seems amazed by the level way Sugawara answered him, completely unimpressed by his flashy smile.
"Daichi, I like them, can we keep them ?"
"Oikawa, this is not a puppy you're talking about, behave."
Daichi can be stern, too, if he wants to be. Admittedly, with the dorks he is stuck with, it has to happen often, but he wishes they would make a good first impression on the newcomer, so that they'd come back. Daichi wouldn't mind seeing more of that smile, especially if Tooru's jokes make them laugh like this. As it turns out, after Koutarou arrived and announced there were no more waffles in the cupboards and they would have to go shopping, Suga is a single dad, has been for four years, and had to raise his child Yachi by himself from the start.
"It's not that I have trouble with her, she is very well behaved !"
As if it could be otherwise with a dad like this, and Daichi swears if Tetsurou and Koutarou don't stop snickering about how motherly Suga looks, "perfect match for Papa Daichi", he'll smash their heads together.
"It's just that… Being all by yourself can be quite tough sometimes."
"We understand that." Tetsurou is not smiling anymore, and he gets up from Tooru's lap to give Suga one of his pop tarts. They continue talking for a while, Tooru begging to see pictures of the "small Yacchan" and Koutarou insisting they write his name on every sky-related thing they can find in the room.
"You see, Tooru is water, Tetsurou is fire, Daichi is rock and I'm earth !"
Suga smiles again when he leaves, all beams and angelic light, and Daichi allows his shoulders to slump as he walks back to add himself to the side of the cuddling ball that formed on the couch while he was walking Suga to the door.
"Guys… you sure you didn't scare him out ?"
"Tooru only kissed me once !" Tetsurou wines, and it leads Koutarou to wine because they were only kissed once too, and Daichi can't help but add his own plea because he wasn't even kissed, and normal conversation can only take place after a fair amount of lip contact has been made.
"Daichi, you like him, right ?"
He would say no, if he could lie. He would say that he wouldn't mind Suga not coming back, or not often, and that he doesn't remember this wellthe million-watt smile Suga gave him as he left – as well as his phone number. He would lie to see Tooru smile his happy, genuine smile, and feel Koutarou and Tetsurou purr by his sides, in the comforting ball they have shared ever since they all joined the Single Dad Club. They don't need others, they're all enough.
"Yeah. Yeah, I like him."
"We'll have to invite him to the sleepover, then."
They're enough, but still, Daichi is glad they understand.
–
[From: Suga] Hello, Sawamura ! I was wondering when the next meeting was.
Thank the Gods, Suga is willing to come back !
[From: Sawamura] I'm glad we didn't scare you away. I know the group can be quite overbearing for new people…
[From: Suga] Actually, I was glad to see you all getting along. I liked the friendly atmosphere.
That is a grave understatement. Tetsurou practically spent his time on Tooru's lap, happily chatting with Koutarou, and Daichi gave everyone head pats, even Suga – he had apologised for three minutes before Suga laughed and told him it was ok.
[From: Sawamura] We've known each other for a long time, and we've been through a lot together.
[From: Sawamura] Next meeting is in a week, 2pm, I'll text you if anything changes.
[From: Suga] Thank you Sawamura, good night !
[From: Sawamura] You too Sugawara.
–
Suga indeed comes to the next meeting, and this time, Wakatoshi is here too. Daichi is glad he doesn't comment, except for "Can I join the cuddle pile ?" when he finds them curled up around a gigantic adult he has never seen, like tiny shuttles around the mothership. They all shift to give him the best place, on the stomach, and continue talking as if nothing happened.
"Is it always like this ?" Suga asks Daichi after the others get up to look for food.
"Pretty much every time Wakatoshi is here, yes. Which is not as often as we'd like."
"Oh, ok."
"They like you too, you know. Tooru played with your hair, it means a lot."
It makes Suga laugh, and they do spend most of the afternoon talking about their jobs and their favourite sports team and anime, so Daichi feels less hurt when Suga leaves early without promising to come back. Maybe that did scare him away after all.
"You're pining so hard I can hear you from the other room," Tetsurou tells him, and Suga probably heard that because he laughs and turns around, waving at him – is that a good sign ?
–
Suga keeps coming back, however, and it turns out nobody can resist his smile or his kindness – Tetsurou solemnly gives him a cat-paw badge on his third visit, Koutarou spends an entire anxiety attack on his lap, swallowing his soothing words like candy, Wakatoshi pats him on the head andactually says words to him. Even Tooru eyes him critically when he comes wearing a crop top, and then smiles approvingly.
Aaaand Daichi is focusing on what others feel about Suga to ignore the butterflies in his stomach whenever they talk, something they do a lot, even outside of the Club, and the lingering feeling that what he is doing is wrong. This is not a matter of being "enough", and Koutarou already lectured him about being free to love again, to love others too, this is a matter of trust and not breaking the fragile balance they found together already – before Suga. Without Suga.
"So," Tetsurou has his wicked grin on, "when's the sleepover ?"
"The what ?" Suga is confused, and Daichi is sure it's only going to get worse from that point on.
"Once a month, we're allowed to spend the night in the centre, so… movie nights happen !"
"Suga. Suga-chan. Sugaaaaa. Please tell me you have watched the entire Meet the alie-"
"Tooru, we're not watching anything remotely close to aliens this time. We've already decided to rent Princess Bride, and there's nothing you can do about that."
Daichi wishes Suga will never have to watch one of these horrible alien documentaries Tooru is so fond of. Even if he makes cute squeaking noises when the aliens are too scary for his liking. Daichi is also not sure he wants Suga to see him get up at five am, unroll all the toilet paper and layer it in a thick line from the kitchen to the bedroom. Sleepwalking is even less fun with people videotaping you and showing it every single time one of them has a birthday party.
–
It ends up with Suga, his nose red from the April chill, smiling through the door and holding pop corn close to his face as a password to be granted entrance faster from a very excited Koutarou. They disappear in the living room, turning the DVD player on and joking about movie clichés.
Daichi flees to the kitchen. It's been more than three months and Suga's laugh is still too much for him to listen to without getting flustered. And oh god, he will need a lot of strength to survive to this night. Tetsurou is already changing into his pyjamas even though it's not even close to nightfall – "Guys, come on, it's no fun if we're not dressed silly" – and Koutarou is chanting around the old TV they pushed so it would be in the middle of the room.
"Suga, you forgot your pyjama ? We have the dino one, if you want to."
"Eh, no, that's not the problem."
"What is ?"
Tooru is changing clothes next to him, they've never used the toilets because who needs privacy when they're basically living on each other's lap, however, Daichi fears Suga might not be as comfortable. He is actually staring at Tooru, then at the ground, then at his bag.
"No, no, it's alright."
Tetsurou is probably snickering at him but Daichi couldn't for the world tear his eyes away from Suga when he is taking off his shirt, his undershirt, and – oh.
"Suga ! We match !"
They hear him sigh in relief, even though he puts his volleyball pyjama quickly to cover the two scars on his chest. Yes, not everyone is as comfortable as they are. They have time. Daichi can wait.
The evening, thankfully, is much less eventful. The movie is... they know it by heart, Tetsurou re-enacting each and every line, Suga laughing and answering him.
Daichi knows how sappy he is being when he leans on Koutarou and whispers "He's so cute".
"Daichi, you're so smitten."
"Koutarou if you're tying to tell me those dorks aren't adorable-"
"You only talked about Suga here. Or are you trying to tell me Tetsu is cute ?"
"Well, usually he is, but right now..."
Tetsurou is eating a whole cupcake in one bite while Suga is giggling and trying to tame his hair.
"Ok, I see your point, Captain. But still. So smitten."
Everything is going on just fine, the movie just ended, they're cleaning the room to put the sleeping bags out – Suga has been shooting smiles at him and put their sleeping bags close together and waved and actually blew him a kiss what the hell he needs to flee is the kitchen safe ? There is something off, though, and it makes his grey-haired angel disappear from his mind. Tooru should be done with the dishes by now, but he keeps washing his hands, after putting the paper plates in the bin, after storing away the biscuits and getting crumbs on his fingers, after spilling jam on the floor and cleaning it with bleach.
"Tooru, hey, come here."
Guilt coils heavily in Daichi's stomach. Tooru is not that much of a cleaner, but when he is stressed, everything he can get his hands on will do.
"Daichi, I'm ok, don't worry about me."
Tooru is the one that resists his scolding best, and only pouts more when Daichi frowns – while he wrings his hands again and again behind his back, Daichi is sure.
"Alright, you're ok, let's say I believe you. Now, since you're ok, you can tell me what I did wrong and that is totally not upsetting you."
"You did nothing wrong !"
Tooru's voice is breaking, somewhere between a cry and a whisper, and he takes the time to cough before continuing.
"You're alright and you're talking to people that aren't us and even flirting and you're perfectly allowed to do that because it's your life and nobodyshould spend their life in the Single Dad Club when they can get out of it."
"Suga is the only single dad I see so far in the club." He sighs. Tooru is always the hardest to convince, the first to think they will all leave him. "Remember when we were all alone, just the two of us, and Koutarou came ? You were sure I'd drift away, that they'd never like you, that they hated your hair because theirs was prettier, and that they'd hate aliens, right ?"
Tooru laughs a tiny little bit, and Daichi hates how wet it sounds.
"See ? It's not that bad. It's… like a new family member. It's not because I like Suga that I love you any less, it's not because I like Suga that you're not the Tooru that helped me through Yui's death and made me smile again."
"Yeah."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
Tooru is about to lean in and kiss him when they hear a crash. They start apart and turn their heads fast enough to see Suga being dragged away by Tetsurou, the popcorn bowl shattered on the ground.
–
[From: Daichi] Hey. Your coat is still here.
[From: Suga] Sorry, I'll come in tomorrow and ask the caretaker to go and take it back.
[From: Daichi] I don't know what you heard from our conversation in the kitchen, but whatever it was, it's making you avoid us now. You didn't come to last week's meeting.
[From: Suga] Sorry. I didn't mean to intrude, and I did see you kissing Bokuto, and Bokuto and Kuroo aren't exactly keeping it a secret, I was just… I don't know ? Surprised ?
[From: Suga] I heard almost everything, I think.
[From: Suga] I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to intrude like this. Not only in the kitchen, in the club as well. I should have understood when you told me you went through a lot together and I should have stopped coming.
[From: Daichi] Stop being sorry ! You're welcome any time you want. Everyone likes you, even Tooru, and that's a feat.
[From: Daichi] You said you heard almost everything, too. You know I like you. I suppose it's part of the reason why you left ?
[From: Suga] Part of, yeah. I'm sorry.
[From: Suga] Would you mind being here when I fetch my coat ?
[From: Daichi] Not at all, my work ends at three, but I have to fetch Shouyou from the gym at five.
[From: Suga] Let's say three and a half ?
[From: Daichi] Alright. See you tomorrow, Suga.
–
How comes they're dating now ? Daichi is still in awe whenever Suga kisses him on the nose, when he locks their arms together, when Suga sinks to his knees the sixth time they make out and oh. Still overwhelmed when Koutarou ruffles his hair, smooches him and gently pushes him toward Suga. Still amazed when Tetsurou smiles his crooked smile and sends ridiculous pictures of Daichi with a love-bite to Suga, who answers with a picture of his own. Still close to tears when Tooru flinches away for no apparent reason and hesitates to come into his open arms so Daichi can cuddle him better. Wakatoshi is here, silent as always, but here nonetheless, and it's more than he ever hoped for. It's more than enough.
Written for the Daisuga week ! For the wonderful Daisuga ship ! Aaaand I made something that has more captains AU than Daisuga in it, way to go, Haza. It's still Daisuga, though, right ? (and it's so cheesy oh gosh)
I'll write everyone's pov in following chapters, that will come when I have them written down (which might take some time since I'm only halfway through Suga's pov). So, if you want to know the rest of the story, stay tuned !