Csilla: I'm a day late (its technically 12:15 am on the second) but oh well~ this stupid headache made it hard to finish on-time!

Dedication: Kris because you helped me with the fluff at the end &because we made such an awesome DaiSuga collab!

Stupid Daichi

[ - ]

The atmosphere as we walked home was tense. There was so much I wanted to ask. To say, but the words remained trapped in my throat. I listened carefully to the footsteps walking beside me, I couldn't stop my mind from worrying. All sorts of 'what if's flew through my mind as we kept a calming pace to his house. Regardless of what he told everyone, I knew better. I knew once he was home, he would drag his ass upstairs and collapse under the pain he was enduring with a smile. Stupid Daichi. Stupid stupid Daichi.

"You know, you really didn't have to walk me. I'm fine, really Suga…" I lifted my gaze from the ground beneath us until I met his brown eyes, slightly swollen -not that I could blame him, anyone (even Kageyama) would be upset after crashing into their own teammate- from crying, that pleaded for me to leave.

Narrowing my gaze, "I mean it, Daichi. I'm not leaving you until your mom comes home-"

"So she can worry about me, no thanks"

Stopping in my tracks, I watched as he stopped a foot away before turning to face me, I curled my hands into fists: "Daichi, you got injured… what kind of vice captain would I be if I left you on your own?"

"Vice captain, huh?" My heart stopped, why?

Time seemed to stand still around us as Daichi's words left an awful taste in my mouth. Why though? I am the vice captain, after all. I would have done the same for anyone else on the team. Is he really that bothered that I'm accompanying him home? No. That doesn't sound like Daichi at all. After all, he walked me home after the first practice game with the neighborhood association and the only reasoning he gave was that he was concerned.

"Daichi..." I began, although I was unsure what else I could say, but before I could say anything else: Daichi spoke.

Turning back around, "Forget about it, Suga… C'mon, my house is not far" I watched him as he resumed his trek home.

Stupid Daichi.

Sighing in defeat, I quickly closed the distance between us until I was walking beside him again. Stuffing my hands into my sweats, I was left with my thoughts as we walked the rest of the way in silence.

I hadn't been to Daichi's house since we were second years so I was caught off-guard by how little it had changed since then. Both outside and inside. The nostalgia was a little overwhelming; memories of staying up late, discussing the troublesome new first year duo: Tanaka and Nishinoya, laughing as we played video games, practicing receives in the backyard.

"Mom should be home soon," Daichi's voice drew me from my thoughts, he was heading into the kitchen.

Placing my bag down beside the couch I quickly chimed in: "I'm still not leaving until she gets here"

Returning with two ice cold water bottles, "Come on, you've fulfilled your vice captain duties by walking me home..." I immediately noticed the strain in his voice, was the pain getting to be too much for even him to handle?

I stood up and raced over to him, cupping his arms in fear that he would crumble right in front of me. Dropping his head onto my shoulder, I felt him sigh -his breath ghosting over my uniform- before he whispered: "Suga, I'm fine… please believe me,"

My body felt hot, I needed to put space between us. This heat was just too much. Relaxing his grip on his arms, I pulled away just enough so I could cool down: "I want to, Daichi… I really wish I could believe you're okay after cra-" god he couldn't even say it without getting more upset, "something like that… Do you have any idea how worried I was? Seeing you lying there… n-not m-moving-"

Any words that might have left my mouth were wiped clean when I was pulled against something warm and familiar. Daichi's arms wrapped around me, holding me in place. My arms hanging limply by my sides as I tried to process what was going on.

Daichi's hugging me.

Why?

I'm not moving away.

Why?

"Suga," His breath brushed against my ear, the sensation had me shutting my eyes in a failed attempt to hide my embarrassment. Daichi's arms tightened their embrace for a moment: "I'm fine" as if to convince me of those two words.

"...okay..." was all I could manage as mind grew cloudy and his scent attacked my senses.

The faint metallic traces in his breath…

The musk of sweat from our game against Wakutan…

The heat from arms…

The smell of peppermint in his hair as it tickled my nose…

Even after I acknowledge his argument, Daichi's arms remained wrapped around me. My hands finally tingling raised to try and force space, but the moment my hands touched his arms: one of his hands went up my back then resting on the back of my head.

"Sorry, but could we stay like this for a moment?" The strain in his voice back, I couldn't find it in me to attempt to push him away so I wrapped my own arms loosely around him.

"...sure..."

I'm not sure how long we stood there like that, but as the sun was completely set beyond the horizon: the telephone rang. I gently nudged him with my fingers, "Hey, you going to get that?"

A small head shake was the only response I got before the answering machine picked up, "Hey Dai, its mom… Listen, something came up at work and I won't be home for dinner so don't wait up for me, hun" Beep.

With new found determination, I gently pushed Daichi away enough so we were facing each other again. A soft smile spreading across my face, "Let's get something to eat,"

Taking his hand, I led him into the kitchen before I started going through his cabinets for something to eat but to no avail. Glancing over at him, I asked: "Want to order pizza?"

"Sure," As we re-entered the living room, I heard Daichi ask: "So I guess you're still determined to stay, right?"

Grinning back at him, "You know it, its my duty to make sure my teammates are taken care of" I pulled my cell phone from the pocket of my sweats, if I call soon: I won't have to deal with the late night rush.

"...its also your duty to realize how fucking oblivious you are..."

"Hmm, did you say something?"

"Nothing!" Now I could have sworn I heard him say something, but before I could call him out on it: someone answered the phone.

"O-Okay… so do you want to get one large pizza or should we do two mediums so you don't hog it all?" Taking his silence as an answer, I went ahead and ordered one cheese large pizza.

Hanging up the phone, I realized that somewhere in the call: I had let go of Daichi's hand and he had sat down on the couch. Plopping down next to him, I waited until his eyes met mine before I asked: "Are you sure you're okay? Did you need me to get you anything?"

Smiling weakly, "Guess I can't keep hiding it from you, huh? Just a Tylenol then…" Daichi finally caved, fatigue and pain etched more clearly across his features.

I wasted no time getting the Tylenol, opting for grabbing the whole bottle instead of a single dose, and before I knew it: I was plopping back down on the couch and trusting the bottle into his hands.

"Anything else?" I was prepared to run upstairs and bring down his futon, if necessary. Anything if it would ease Daichi's pain, even if only a little. My mind raced with all the possible answers including ones that brushed off my offer.

However my mind completely came to a standstill when I heard: "...a kiss..." tumble out of his mouth in a hush plea, that was clearly not meant to be heard by anyone. Let alone, me.

Warmth flooded my face, surely I had misheard him, and my voice shook: "Wh-what wa-was th-that?"

Raising my gaze was all it took for me to realize, I hadn't heard wrong. There was a new tinge of color decorating Daichi's cheeks. And ears. Actually the sight was mildly adorable, I mentally noted before shaking my head of those thoughts. This was Daichi, I was talking about.

"-ga… Suga… Ko-Koushi," Upon hearing my given name, I jolted away from my thoughts and felt the temperature in the room skyrocket.

Given that I had been turned into a jittery blob of blushing nerves, I watched Daichi sigh, in what could best be described as defeat, before rubbing the back of his neck: "I'm in love with you, Suga… I have been since we were second years, although I only realized this a few months ago. It amazes me how well you've handled Kageyama being the setter for Karasuno, how determined you are to get back on the court, how you're always the one to call me out during times like these, how you can worry so much about others and still be completely oblivious at times… I can understand if you can't return my feelings so please for once, give me an answer that isn't about me and instead about what you want"

I was at a loss for words, I had no idea that this was how Daichi saw me, but one question did bubbled up quicker than any other: "Is that why you hugged me earlier?

"Shouldn't that be my question?"

"Wh-what do you mean?"

Leaning over, his hand reaching past me to use the armrest as support, Daichi whispered: "Why did you hug me back, Suga?"

"We-Well… I-I…" How am I suppose to answer when he keep leaning in? Closer and closer.

My mind was getting cloudy again and I could barely register his words as he spoke in a low voice, that part of me thought should be deemed illegal, "I'm going to kiss you now so if you want me to stop, push me away now"

Even if any part of me was working, does he really think I could? My mind was molding questions and scenarios that I wasn't quite ready for so it took me by surprise when I suddenly felt rough, chapped lips against mine. A muffled gasp before the haze in my mind silence me and I could slowly feel myself becoming light-headed. A part of me didn't want this to stop…

Snaking my hand around his neck, I felt myself being push down onto the couch and just as my back hit the couch, Daichi pulled away. Close enough that his breath tickled my skin, but far enough that I couldn't pull him in for another kiss easily.

Stupid Daichi.

"Can I take this to mean you might be returning my feelings?"

"Only if you quit your talking and kiss me again,"

Csilla: ahhh~ the fluff! Sorry I haven't been active on FF, I've been posting all my HQ fics on AO3 (link is on my profile so check them out)