Note: Wrote this as a Valentine's Day fic for my girlfriend Valerie. I hope you like it c:
"Well, I heard Michimiya-senpai and Sawamura-senpai have been spending a lot of time together. I bet they'll be going out for Valentine's Day, don't you?"
Rumors were always flying around rampantly this time of year. It was a universal constant in high schools when this one day came around that girls and boys alike were trying to decide who was already most likely snapped up for Valentine's Day. The day was fast approaching, which meant the deadline for gifts and asking that special someone out was becoming closer and closer. Sugawara Koushi let the rumors roll off his back usually, as he wasn't fancying any girl enough to see her on Valentine's and he was sure that he would be the first to know if someone he was friends with was planning something as well.
At least, that is what he lead himself to think for the past couple of years. He hadn't had a Valentine his first or second year of high school, not that he minded or cared too much. Koushi would spent time with his friends, have a blast, and not worry too much about the implications of being alone on Valentine's Day three years in a row. This year he knew that Tanaka was going to ask Shimizu-san for the third time and probably get rejected, and he was certain he could guess accurately the plans of his other teammates with less conventional taste in partners. Which, surprisingly, was most of them.
As for himself, Koushi would have been perfectly content with spending Valentine's Day alone at home if it weren't for those rampant rumors that were tugging at his heart. There was some truth behind them, he knew. He had seen very little of Daichi the past couple of weeks and when he had seen him, Michimiya-san was close at hand. That is to say, he liked Michimiya-san quite a lot; she was cute and fun, and an excellent volleyball player. If Daichi had found something more in her that he appreciated, then Koushi would be happy for him and support him like best friends were supposed to do. The two of them had been friends for a long time, longer than he had been friends with Daichi, and it made sense for them to gravitate towards each other like that.
"Suga-san!" The volleyball he had been holding slipped between his fingers and bounced along the wooden floor with a dull thud. He had been so distracted that he had forgotten he was supposed to be helping Hinata clean up, and he turned around to apologize profusely for daydreaming. Before the words could find their way out of his mouth, the expression on Hinata's face stopped him. He was holding the mop closely to his chest, his orange eyebrows drawn together in concern as he tilted his head towards Koushi, trying to find the right question to ask or the right words to say. "Suga-san? You okay?"
Koushi allowed himself a laugh and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Just daydreaming a little! You're doing a great job mopping though, Hinata-kun, thank you for being such a big help." That small amount of praise turned Hinata's expression around and he smiled that wide, excitable grin as he began to mop exuberantly to his heart's content. Koushi couldn't help but admire such enthusiasm as he finished rolling the cart of volleyballs back into the storage closet. While his mind was still on edge at the thought of Daichi and Michimiya-san together, he took a deep breath and place his hands on his hips.
He knew this day would come and he knew he would have to steel his resolve for whatever happened between his friends. After all, despite the overwhelming abundance of affections between his team members, he was certain that Daichi, tall, strong, handsome Daichi, would most definitely find himself attached to a woman. Not to Koushi. His face fell. No matter how much he wished it, Daichi would always just be his friend. Taking a deep breath he finished packing away the storage room and slammed the door shut a little hard than he had anticipated behind him. He locked it and stuffed his keys into his bag, turning around to check to see where Hinata had gone so he could lock the gym after they had both left. "Hinata?" he called out with a frown, and a bright orange patch of hair glanced warily around the corner. "You all done?"
Judging by the nervous expression on his face, Koushi could tell that something was strange, but he didn't say anything as he walked over to where his teammate was standing. "Ah, Suga-san! I'm—well!" Hinata's face was pink and his hands were shaking, though it seemed that he had finished cleaning up like he was supposed to. Koushi raised an eyebrow at him and Hinata swallowed hard before pushing a card into Suga's hands. "I was asked to give this to you but don't ask me who because I'll never tell!" Before Koushi could react Hinata had fled from the scene leaving him in a state of confusion. Furrowing his brow, he glanced down to the card in his hand, and all it had on it was a plain white letter I against a red background.
"What...?" Koushi had no idea what it cold possibly be and he tucked it away into his bag. Hinata was acting strange but that generally wasn't a new occurrence, though he couldn't imagine who could have possibly asked his young teammate to give him something like that, whatever it was. Heaving a heavy sigh Koushi locked the door to the gym and headed out towards the street to walk home. It was a bit late since practice had gone longer than usual, though he was grateful for the quiet nighttime air of his town. He was walking alone, but his house wasn't too far and the silence was comfortable for him. Today had been emotionally tiring and he was glad to be getting home to rest.
When he arrived at school the next day, he found himself with at least twenty people between him and his school locker. They were giggling and whispering to one another, though it seemed to Koushi from the conversation that they didn't know whose locker it was they were all looking at. He furrowed his brow and edged his way gently through the crowd, though was given more breathing room when the girls realized he was the one that the locker belonged to. When he made his way to the front of crowd, he realized as a flush crept along his neck that there was a small pink heart on a white background taped to the front of his locker. He blinked in confusion and peeled it from the tape that was holding it to the metal, flipping the card over twice to see if he had missed something somehow. "Did anyone see...?" he asked, turning around to glanced at the crowd. No one provided any information, and Koushi sighed, tucking the card in with the one Hinata had given him.
A thousand different theories were spinning through his mind and each one was more absurd than the last. He couldn't think of a single person that would be doing this for him, and he wondered if maybe someone was playing a joke on him. It was a morbid way to think, but no one had ever really shown interest in him and he had never shown interest in anyone else. "Suga!" He jumped and slammed his locker shut in surprise, spinning around and feeling a skip in his chest as his heart stopped. Sawamura Daichi was everything a man could aspire to be; he was handsome, with thick dark hair and a charming smile that was focused on nothing but Koushi right then, making his heart race. Even in his school uniform it was obvious that he had broad, muscular shoulders and Koushi took a moment admire the bronzed skin of his face and neck.
"Hey, Daichi," he said with a weary smile, readjusting the strap of his bag and falling into step beside him as he motioned them down the hallway together. The silly smile that spread across his lips was hard to suppress as the brushed elbows, trying to avoid the greater traffic in the middle of the hallway by keeping to the edges close together. They were silent as they walked, but the smile on Daichi's face was reassuring to Koushi that nothing was amiss.
Finally Daichi spoke and the question surprised Koushi. "Plans for this weekend?" he asked, his tone casual and Koushi shook his head and flashed the brightest smile that he could at his friend.
"Not a thing," he replied back quietly, gently pushing the cards that he had received down further into his bag to avoid them being seen. Daichi nodded thoughtfully but did not say anything more as they entered their classroom. When they did, Koushi's eyes automatically trained to the desk where Asahi sat and noted that their friend was flushed red from his hairline to his neck. His desk was covered in red and pink confetti, a bouquet of flowers and a huge box of chocolate and Koushi and Daichi grinned at him. "Oh? Who's your admirer?" Koushi teased, leaning down around his shoulders to look at what else was there. There was a handmade card shaped like a volleyball, and before Asahi could protest Koushi scooped it up to read. Daichi peered over his shoulder and followed along, whispering the words to himself as his breath tickled Koushi's ear.
To a team that has never failed, and will never fail! Be my Valentine! Love, Yuu.
For a moment they were silent and watched Asahi grow several shades darker, his hands wringing out as they searched for something to do in his anxiety. Daichi and Koushi glanced to each other, their faces inches apart due to where the dark haired man rested his chin on Koushi's shoulder and then turned back to Asahi. "I'm happy for you," Koushi said genuinely, placing the card back down on the desk as Daichi ruffled Asahi's long locks. The two took their desks and Koushi touched the cards in his bag, wondering if it were possible... He turned to Daichi who moved away quickly to face the front of the class, his cheeks dusted with a pink hue. Koushi wondered what had gotten him so flustered but did not inquire, sinking slightly lower in his desk as he wondered what the deal was with his secret admirer.
Koushi found himself alone again after school as he headed towards the gym for practice, his hands deep in his pockets and his mind in the clouds somewhere. There was so much to think about from Asahi and Noya, to the cards left for him, to the thought of Daichi taking Michimiya out tomorrow night for Valentine's Day. He never thought he would feel this alone on a day he usually paid no attention to, but after all it seemed that it meant more to him than he even let himself believe. "Sugawara-san!" Hell, this was starting to become an annoyance, he thought with a grimace as he was once again dragged from his thoughts at the beckoning of someone calling his name. Michimiya Yui was flagging him down from across the hall and Koushi held in the sigh he wished to express and crossed over to her.
She was a cute girl with short brown hair and round brown eyes, her smile contagious and her happy personality instantly likable. Out of all the people that he knew, he couldn't be mad that it was her at least. He knew she was a good person, and he knew she would make Daichi happy. "Michimiya-san, how are you?" he asked, the smile on his face as genuine as possible. He truly was happy for them. As long as Daichi was happy, Koushi couldn't begrudge them that.
"Great! Where are you off to?" she asked, knotting her fingers together. Something seemed a little off with her, but he couldn't quite place it, so he chose to ignore it for now. Michimiya edged slightly in front of him, blocking his path, and Koushi frowned.
"Practice, actually," he replied, side stepping around her to head back towards the gym. Michimiya fell in step beside him her hands still knotted in front of her, and nodded thoughtfully. "Did you need something?"
She shook her head. "Not particularly! I thought you looked like you could use a little company." Koushi chuckled mirthlessly, though he was touched by her thoughtfulness. Daichi really couldn't have picked anyone better, it seemed to him. "Actually," she said loudly, stepping in front of him again. "I do have a question for you." Koushi stopped walking again, his head tilted to the side as he waited for her to ask.
"Everything all right, Michimiya?" he asked hesitantly, a thousand scenarios running through his head at breakneck speed that he didn't really even want to contemplate. This was not how he wanted to hear about this, he was hoping Daichi would tell him. He was hoping he would have time to accept it and move on with his life and he knew hearing it from Michimiya was going to make everything worse in the long run.
Licking her lips, she nodded. "Sugawara-san, do you know whose been giving you those cards?" He paused for a moment and then pulled them out of his bag. They were simple enough cards and seemed to be spelling out I Love You, depending on what the last card he got said at least. Besides the 'I' and the heart, there was nothing else on the card that could even possibly show him who they were from. He shrugged and Michimiya smiled broadly. "Well, you should probably get to practice then! Sorry for bothering you! Bye!"
"Goodbye, Michimiya-san," Koushi said with a confused expression as she darted away. This day was getting stranger and stranger and he wasn't quite sure how to cope with it. Stuffing the cards back away, he hurried to the gym, sure he was going to be late due to the distraction. He pushed open the doors and rushed inside, calling out, "Sorry for being late, Michimiya-san needed to talk to me and—" His voice caught in his throat and he dropped his bag from his shoulder in surprise. The room was empty of people, but there was a sign painted with bright letters.
Sugawara Koushi, be my Valentine?
He stared at it momentarily, stunned, looking at the streamers and the flowers and the gaudy decorations that were thrown up around the sign. Pressing a hand to his chest, Koushi stepped towards the sign confused and flattered all in the same breath. "I hope it's not too cheesy," he heard someone say behind him and turned to see the flustered, smiling face of Sawamura Daichi walking in the same door he had just entered. "The girls on Michimiya's team set it all up for me but I hope you like it any—" Koushi didn't let him finish as he rushed across the gymnasium and flung himself into Daichi's arms, pressing himself into his chest in a tight embrace. This was definitely the last thing he had expected and he felt his heart fill to burst in his chest.
When he pulled away, his breathing hot and his cheeks flushed, Daichi was smiling. "I guess it's all right then. I didn't... well I didn't actually expect this to go so well. I had planned this whole speech about my feelings and everything but..." His seemed sheepish, a card in his hand with the word you stenciled on the front, and on the other side a long paragraph written out in detailed handwriting. He looked at the card and back to the expectant Koushi, whose hands were still pressed to Daichi's chest. This was unbelievable, Koushi couldn't help but muse, as he had no idea about any of it. Not a breath of a hint, not a rumor, not a guess or speculation had brought his attention to the fact that his best friend, his captain, felt something so strongly for him. It was a little overwhelming.
"You never knew?" Koushi asked with a laugh, pressing his hands to Daichi's cheeks and squeezing his face slightly.
"Knew what?" Daichi's face was so confused and innocent and Koushi couldn't help but laugh.
He said with such conviction that he surprised himself, "That I love you."
Daichi was speechless, his mouth slightly agape and his the card fluttering from his hand. "What?"
"I appreciate all of this though," he admitted with a grin and Daichi finally found his voice, laughing heartily as he cupped Koushi's cheeks in his hands. They met eyes momentarily and Daichi hesitated as he glanced down to Koushi's mouth, before meeting his eyes again. "Go ahead." His tone was teasing but he was completely serious, the jump of his heart into his throat as he spoke nearly suffocating him as Daichi leaned down gently and pressed their mouths together.
"I love you too."