"It so good to see you two!"

Haneda Airport's crowd had died down by the time the plane had landed. Daichi and Suga had raced as fast as possible to the lobby only to be greeted with two very familiar figures.

Asahi mother had gone more grey in the years since they'd last seen her plus there were more wrinkles around her eyes and yet she still smiled the same and gripped them as hard as she could into a hug like she had always done before.

"It's good to see you too ma'am," Daichi responded with a grin. Between the three friends, they would frequent Daichi and Asahi's place. Daichi's mom had once joking said that she felt as if she had adopted 2 new children and though Asahi's mother never said such a thing it felt as if she had.

She pulled away and held them at arms length, taking in the sight of them both. Her face was bright and for a moment it looked as if 8 years hadn't passed by. The other woman smiled as well. Asahi's sister, Kimiko. Didn't look like she changed much herself despite having shorter hair and she now wore bright red glasses.

"Daichi, I told you, you can call me by my first name. Calling me ma'am makes me feel old," Midori said with a laugh. She smiled with her eyes closed like she had always done when she was see them walking into her home after volleyball practice.

"Mom you are old."

Midori gave her daughter a gentle slap on the shoulder. "Hush, let me pretend for a moment will you."

Suga couldn't stop smiling. It felt so weird in the best of ways to be in their company again. Like remembering a dream from your childhood.

"Hi Suga. Hey Daichi. How are you guys?" Kimiko said with a small smile. Suga took back what he thought before. The loud young woman was definitely gone and had been replaced. It was evident by her even tone.

"Surviving at best. Work is still work and a lot of us still get together to play volleyball."

"The only difference now," Suga added. "Is now we can go out for drinks afterwards."

"Well seems like not much has changed then. Besides the legal drinking."

Her mother gave her a side glance which wasn't missed.

"Mom, come one you think I was the one drinking your stuff all by myself. These boys helped out a bit."

Daichi coughed out a laugh, embarrassed. "Kimiko stop. I have a reputation to uphold. I was the responsible one."

"HA. Out of you three, Koushi was the only one who avoided it. You still like that?"

Suga looked to his feet and smiled. "Maybe."

"Good, you'll have a very healthy liver then." She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. "The plane arrived 5 minutes ago so we should be seeing this punk soon enough. God it's been ages. When I see him I'm going to hug and suplex him."

Her mother gave her another look. "Why suplex him?"

"Because I can't let him know I've gone soft."

The conversation stayed light and continued onto what they were all doing now. Midori had been happy to hear about Suga's fellowship and Daichi's employment. She was still a translator for a major business and Kimiko was now working in a psychiatrist office as one of the other doctors.

"Weren't you interested in sex therapy for a bit there," Daichi had asked at one point.

"Oh my god yeah you were. I remember you embarrassing your brother with it too."

"Yes I was and technically I specialize in relationship counselling," she responded with a straight face. "That does include sex."

"Would it-"

Suga punched him hard in the shoulder. "Don't you dare ask something stupid."

His friend looked at him with mocked shock. "What was that for."

"Don't," was all he responded with, holding a straight face that cracked into a smile.

That's when three men walked into the lobby. All of them wore the pale green uniforms. When one of them made eye contact with Suga his face went from a soft look of shock to a large smile.

"ASAHI!" his mother cried out. She went running to him and they watched as he gripped and lifted her into a hug. Tears streaming down both of their faces.

One of the other soldiers patted Asahi on the shoulder, said something, saluted then left to go join his own family. Asahi had let go of his mother at this point and time and saluted the man back. He turned his attention back to the group waiting for him.

Suga couldn't seem to stop smiling. After so long it seemed surreal to see his friend again.

Asahi made his way over, hobbling slightly. He hugged his sister and despite her promises earlier, she didn't suplex him, but rather cried softly into his shoulder as he rubbed her back to comfort her. Daichi took bear hug, gripping too hard around his middle making him yelp in pain.

"Sorry," he had said as he lessened his hold around Asahi. "I forgot."

Asahi smiled. "Don't worry about it."

When Suga finally got his hands on Asahi he was crying. He held his friend as lightly as possible to not cause him any pain.

It was rare to hug Asahi back in high school. The ace would often shy away from any sort of physical contact, but in the rare instances where you could get a hug it was exactly like the one Suga was getting now. He had always been muscular, strong arms and legs came along with being a wing spiker and him being the strongest spiker on their team meant the obvious.

It was always shocking to be hugged by him just for the fact that you could feel how strong those arms were and yet they were unbelievable gentle. Asahi held Suga in the moment as if he were made of something fragile and breakable, but he could still feel the power in those arms.

Suga rested his chin on his shoulder, moving his fingers slightly on his back in almost disbelief. His friend was home. He was in the same room as his two best friends in the first time in years and it felt odd. Wonderfully odd, but odd never the less.

He pulled away and looked at Asahi to try and comprehend the situation. The photos on Facebook did him justice. His friend had always looked permanently tired, but now Asahi look exhausted. His goatee was more beard than anything else and he just looked more rougher then he remembered. The eyes were still the same though. Dull brown eyes still filled with warmth and the smallest of smiles painted on his face.

"Welcome home," was all Sugawara was able to choke out.

"It's good to be home," he gave a slightly crooked smile. "Wow... it really feels good to be home."

"It's hard to believe you're back," Daichi said wiping away the tears forming in his eyes. "Jesus, you're here. We are all here. Oh my god."

Daichi covered his face with his hands, hiding the fact that he was crying.

"Whose the cry baby now?" Asahi joked.

"Shut up. I'm just really happy."

He limped over to Daichi and squeezed his shoulder with a smile. "You're still a goofball in a big body!"

There was shocked look then laughter from Daichi, wiping away most of his tears. "You're not allowed to use my lines on me!"

They walked from the lobby out to the main hall of the airport. The entire time, Kimiko kept a steady hand on her brother. She barely spoke which was the smartest thing she could have done. Suga remembered how she was known for putting her foot in her mouth.

"I'll give you a call first thing in the morning okay?" Suga told Asahi as they made their way to the doors. "Spend tonight with your family."

Asahi gave a small smile. "You and Daichi are family too."

Daichi put his hand on his shoulder. "We appreciate that, but seriously. Your mom probably wants to spend as much time with you as possible."

"That's true," she added. Asahi gave a smile to his mother then looked back to his friends.

"First thing in the morning?"

"After I have my coffee. I will warn you, I'm up at 6am."

He gave a quick laugh. "I've been getting up at 5am every morning for that last 3 years. I'll survive."

And then he was gone. Daichi had given him a ride to the airport and driving back they talked about what had happened.

"He looks pretty shitty." Daichi had joked at one point.

"Did you see the other two, they didn't look that good either. They all came home cause they got injured well enough they couldn't serve anymore."

"Yeah, but this was a peacekeeping mission. They went overseas to help not to fight. I don't know it just seems off you know."

"There's been conflict in Syria for ages," Suga argued. "If they got caught up in something, its honestly not surprising."

There was a pause before Suga continued.

"We should have told him that we invited the entire team out tomorrow for drinks. They're going to eat him alive."

Daichi laughed loudly. "There's a reason I didn't say anything. He seems different, but I'd bet you anything if we told him he'd just work himself up like old times."

Suga tried to stifle his laughter. He could only imagine.

They sat in silence for a while longer, let radio fill the void.

"Daichi?"

"Hm."

"I was wondering, how exactly are you going to propose to Michimiya?"

A smile crossed his face. It was heartwarming to watch Daichi like this. He always seemed to get a bit softer when Yui is involved.

"I don't have anything concrete right now, but I have the ring."

"Really! Oh my god this actually happening," Suga covered his face briefly, blushing with happiness. "My baby is growing up this is so exciting."

"Koushi please."

"Look at you, trying to start a new life with someone. Oh this is adorable."

"Shut up!"

Suga gave a laugh and patted his friend on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks mom." A pause. "There's something I've been wondering about. Something I'd like to ask."

"Go ahead son."

Daichi pulled up to the curve in front of Suga's apartment building. He looked to his friend with a slightly shy look on his face.

"Koushi, if Yui says yes-"

"Which she will."

"Hopefully, but don't interrupt just for a moment."

"Okay."

"Could you be my best man?"

There was a stunned silence before Suga launched himself at Daichi, enveloping in the tightest hug.

"Of course!"

Daichi returned the hug. "Thank you."

It hit Suga once again in that moment, just how much things were changing. It stayed with him when he left the car, as he entered his apartment and turned on his computer.

It felt as if everyone had moved to some aspect in their lives. Daichi was going to propose (Suga knew with confidence Yui would say yes as she had recently confided in him that she'd wish Daichi would hurry up and ask her), Kiyoko was also in a relationship; she and Yachi had been a couple for a little longer then Daichi and Yui. Even the tiny first years had grown up, Hinata and Kageyama had achieved the impossible by playing as official members of the Japan's Nation Volleyball team. Yamaguchi had a year left of veterinary medicine and was in a relationship with Tsukishima (which came as no surprise when they had announced it a year ago). Tsukishima was also moving forward, his personality being the biggest as it seemed to have changed from snarky asshole to asshole with a heart of gold.

Everyone was moving forward and there was Sugawara, still stuck. He felt no different than the mother crow everyone joked him to be watching his little hatchlings grow up and fly away.

It was scary.

True to his word, Suga called Asahi the second he got coffee into his system.

"We'll go out for drinks tonight. Daichi didn't want to tell you, but we've invited everyone out. The old team you know?"

"I see," the sound of shuffling.

'Don't get nervous, they really wanted to see you. Tanaka and Noya especially. It's been longer for them hasn't it?"

"I suppose so. I don't know, time doesn't feel real," there was a pause. "I'm just not excited to be hugged and touched. I know they'll do and I'll let them but I won't like it too much."

"Asahi," Suga spoke with exasperation. He shifted his weight quickly before continuing. "If you don't like it tell them."

"I won't," his was went quiet. "It'd seem to mean if I did."

"Well don't let them push you too far okay? If you feel real uncomfortable just say so. Maybe let them know before they hug you that you're still hurting. They'll be more gentle."

Asahi chuckled slightly and then there was a sigh. He could see it now, Asahi was probably rubbing his face trying to think of how to respond. It was easy sometimes to anticipate the man.

"Suga, I don't want them to treat me as if I'm broken either."

Such simple words and yet it broke his heart. There was a part of him that felt bad as Suga felt like he had tried to handle his friend as if he was slightly broken. He always treated him as something broken or ready to break. His comment made Suga wonder if Asahi had noticed that.

"They'll see you as someone who is healing. Broken and injured are two different things you goof."

Again a light chuckle could be heard from the other end. "I guess you're right. What time and what's the place?"

After that, the day seemed to drag on despite anticipation. It seemed as if there were too much paperwork to go over, too many nurses to bother for test results and too many second in a minute to an hour and so forth.

It was exhausting.

When his shift finally ended at 7pm, he rushed home as soon as possible fidgeting the entire time on the bus home.

By the time he got home it was 8. Quickly he showered and dressed up casually. As he went to grab his jean jacket (it looked good okay, not like 80's mom jean jacket) his hand brushed his old volleyball jacket. With his hand reached out and gripping the one he want, he paused. The idea of change passed through him again. Trying to brush it away, he grabbed the jacket and went rushing out the door.


AN:

Its done ( •̀ᄇ• ́)ﻭ✧ man I haven't written this much in forever but the nice comments I've been getting really pumped me up you know

I feel like this isn't going anywhere real fast but don't worry next chapter you'll meet everyone for sure!