Chapter Eight: Carpe Diem!

"It's disgusting how much time you spend in this office." Suga's eyes peeled off the papers on his desk to his assistant leaning against the doorway of the office, his arms crossed and his cheeks puffed. "I mean, you understand there's a world out there? With trees, birds, and hot men?"

"Hot men won't help me determine the best time for the orchestra to show up for the wedding next week," Suga replied, Oikawa's eyebrow shooting up to contest the statement.

"You're not hanging around the right type of men, then."

"Did you need something, Tooru?"

"Just coming to report to my superior that our whimsical little baker has evaded me yet again and left for the night." The long sigh that echoed through the office proved that Suga was supposed to empathize with the brunet. Instead, Suga pulled the reading glasses off his nose to drop them to the desk, knowing the improbability of finishing work until Oikawa left. "Where are Kenma and Kuroo?"

"Photo shoot. The couple that met on the cruise wanted to do their engagement pictures on a boat. They won't be back until late, though they might just go home instead of coming here."

"I want their job; they get to do all the fun stuff!" Oikawa whined, Suga trying to hide his smile from the childish tone.

"And since Yamaguchi went to his high school reunion, there's nobody here for you play with. I'm guessing you're bored?"

"Or an opportunist." Moving to the front of the desk, Oikawa pressed his palms flat on the wood while trying to lean into Suga's personal space. "Having sex on my boss's desk has always been a secret fantasy of mine. And you know what they say; 'when the mice are away, the cats will play'."

"You've got that backwards. And I'm not sure my desk can hold your weight." The appalled look on Tooru's face made Suga lose his composure, laughing through a broad smile stretching his lips. Not finding the reply amusing, the assistant snatched a chocolate from Suga's candy dish before stomping away, flopping onto one of the couches.

"And people say I'm the sassy one. They just don't see the real Sugawara monster. I bet Daichi-chan wouldn't find you cute right now." The mention of the cop was unexpected, and Suga found himself rushing to change the subject in order to hide the skip in his chest.

"Did you finish everything for the wedding tomorrow?"

"It was done before I went on my Tobio-kun hunt." Now chewing on the chocolate, Oikawa glanced to the clock before he grinned and turned to look at Suga. "I made sure to finish early tonight, since I've got a lovely date planned with that brazilian bridesmaid."

"Well don't let me hold you up," Suga teased, Oikawa rolling his eyes before leaning his chin on the back of the couch.

"You'll always be my number one. Until death do us part."

"Who knew you could be so romantic?" At the mention of intimacy, Oikawa scoffed, Suga watching in amusement as the assistant flipped his bangs with the back of his hand.

"Gross."

"Love isn't so bad, you know," Suga argued, Tooru losing his look of disgust to glance out the window at the moonlit sky.

"Some people are just not made to be loved." The response wasn't filled with the snarky wit Suga had been expecting. It had a weird edge to it, the wedding planner unable to articulate the underlying emotion. He was hardly given a chance to mull it over before the sound of his phone cut through the air, Suga reaching over his desk to pull the phone to his ear.

"Hello, this is Suga-"

"Suga-san!" The sob of his name was a sound that the planner was more used to than he wanted to admit. Checking the caller ID, he recognized the number as his bride for the next night's wedding. That made the situation a little more serious, as she was not one to cry wolf. The woman had lost both of her parents when she was a child, and then was diagnosed with cancer a week after her fiance proposed to her. Money, fortune, and good news had always been a rarity for her, yet she refused to give up. The woman had been to hell and back, going through chemo and paying her own bills with the small amount of money she and her fiance had managed to save up for their dream wedding.

Now, two years of being cancer-free, the woman had worked tooth and nail to make her special day everything she deserved. It was a tight budget, and Sugawara had 'miscalculated' some of his normal pricing. Maybe Kuroo had slipped in a few extra pictures, free of charge. Yamaguchi's trip to his hometown may have been fueled by his desire to find wild snapdragons, a flower that symbolizes graciousness and strength. And if Suga had noticed the extra intricacy of the four-tiered champagne flavored cake Kageyama had finished that morning, he wasn't about to comment on it. Even Tooru, the man with no empathy toward wedding bliss, had practically worked double time to create the woman's asymmetrical dream dress. And through the ups and downs, the woman never cried.

Until now.

"They're ruined. All of them." Suga could tell she was trying to reign in her emotions, but the muffled sob could be heard through the phone.

"What's ruined?" He asked, trying to think of what the woman was talking about. Most of her wedding supplies were already at the venue, which made it easier for them to set up in the morning. The only thing that the woman had yet to bring there was- "Do you mean the centerpieces?"

"I had put them in the basement to dry the ink without the cats getting to them," The bride explained, her voice shaking while she continued. "But it rained this afternoon, and we left the window open down there. By the time I realized-I'm so sorry, this is all my fault! After all you've done for me, I should have taken better care of them."

"It's okay, people make mistakes. You're human, just like the rest of us."

"But I've got twenty tables, and they took so long to make. I still have to go pick up my mother at the airport-"

"Please calm down," Suga consoled, his need to support his bride overriding anything else. "What if I make you new ones?"

"How?"

"We still have the one here, remember? You brought the first one you made for Yamaguchi to help match the floral arrangement. The stores are still open, so I can go buy some supplies and copy the design. I've made centerpieces before."

"I can't make you do that," The woman protested, the wedding planner shaking his head despite her not being able to see it.

"It's nothing, really. You've been such an easy bride, this will be the least of my worries. All I need you to do is text me the website you used to make them. Then, you should take a long bubble bath and ask your fiance to go pick up your mother. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to give you a night to just focus on yourself."

"He may have already offered."

"This is exactly why you're marrying the man. Smart choice." Hearing a soft giggle from the other side of the phone, Suga felt his own lips quirk up. "See? You've just got to let other people help you. You've been so strong for so long, let us take care of this for you!"

"Okay, thank you. I'll send the link now."

"Great! Now go relax, and I'll see you tomorrow bright and early." With a quick goodbye, the fair haired man hung up the phone. Slumping back in his chair, Suga's lungs released a sigh he hadn't realized he was holding in.

"Did you just say you're going to make twenty centerpieces tonight?" Forgetting that his assistant was still in the office, Suga flicked his gaze over to the questioning man before he nodded. "I'm pretty sure suicide is frowned upon in this type of work."

"She was crying, Tooru." The gravity of the sentence wasn't lost on the brunet, his judgemental stare wavering to a look of genuine shock. "She's been fighting so long on her own, I couldn't let this ruin it for her. It's up to us to make her wedding perfect. And if that means I have to make a miracle happen, I'll have to hope the gods are in my favor tonight."

"...You're such a bleeding heart." With an annoyance that Suga couldn't find a reason for, Oikawa pushed off the couch before moving toward the window. It took the owner of the venue a second to realize that Oikawa had his phone out, pressing the device to rest between his cheek and his shoulder.

"Who are you calling?"

"Don't question me." Like a teenager Oikawa deflected Suga's curiosity, the tailor turning away from his boss when speaking into the phone. "Yes, Cabella? Yup, it's me. I've got to cancel tonight."

"Tooru," Suga started, though a wave from his assistant quieted his protest.

"Why? I've got to make centerpieces. Yes, I'm serious, what man would use that as a fake excuse to not get an easy lay? You aren't the smartest bulb in the bunch, are you?" From where Suga sat, he could hear the loud yelling from the other side of the phone. Oikawa rolled his eyes at the colorful words that were thrown his way, though it didn't seem he was taking any of them to heart. "Yes, yes, I've been called that before. Well, gotta go, see you later!"

"You didn't have to cancel your date," Suga said, watching Oikawa shrug while he swiped through his phone again.

"Not the end of the world," The causal sway of Tooru's voice at losing his potential sex buddy for the night was surprising to Suga, who blinked once to make sure the man wasn't being sarcastic.

"Okay, where's the real Oikawa and what did you do with him?"

"Are you saying I'm an alien?" Tapping his lower lip, the assistant seemed to think over the idea as he lifted the phone to his ear again. "Now that you mention it, I thought I felt a little different-"

"Now who are you calling?"

"Iwa-chan!" The happy tone that Oikawa cooed into the phone was super sweet, seeming to forget his previous date as he spoke to the police office. "What is my favorite bachelor doing on this steamy friday night?"

"Ah, there he is." Reassured that his friend wasn't a doppleganger, Suga watched as the tailor walked around his office and replied to the person on the other side of the phone.

"Wrapping up at work? Which means you're with your partner, right?" It only took Suga a second to realize what his mischievous friend was planning, but the assistant was already speaking before he could protest. "Well, when you two are done playing cops and robbers, come to the venue with dinner. You two just scored yourselves a double date with the hottest wedding planners in town."

"What are you doing?!" Suga hissed out, Oikawa rolling his eyes before pulling the phone away and covering the microphone.

"I'm enlisting help, now do you want Thai or Italian?"

"I want you to tell them nevermind; we can't make two groomsmen from one wedding help make centerpieces for another wedding. That's got to be against a rule somewhere," Suga protested, Oikawa's glare matching the snap in his voice.

"Number one: I lost my chance at sex for the night. I'm getting compensated with Iwa-chan eye candy and linguini. Number two: The closest rule this breaks is Code Fuchsia."

"I don't know what that means."

"You would if you had read the handbook."

"Tooru-" But the assistant was quick to push his hand up, showing he didn't want to talk anymore. Instead, Oikawa pulled the phone back to his ear, his smile alluring despite nobody but Suga being able to see it.

"So what do you two men in blue say? Pick up some Olive Garden for us and meet at Suga's office in an hour? I'll text you our orders." The smile that crept over his face meant that Iwaizumi had replied in some positive way, though Suga was sure it wasn't quite polite. "Oh I'll pay you back to the very best of my abilities. See you soon, Iwa-chan."

"You really are a piece of work," Suga mumbled, watching Oikawa wink while he ended his phone call.

"You love me." The playful smile that Oikawa gave made Suga shake his head, the wedding planner moving to grab his shoes and jacket.

"There's a crafts store down the street that will have most of this stuff. They're closed, but I know the owner and where the spare key is."

"Perfect. It's going to be hilarious to watch those two meat heads try to glue a line of pearls to embroidered lace."

"Don't be rude to them; they are helping us out instead of spending their Friday night enjoying themselves."

"Hey, if Daichi-san takes his shirt off, then you'll be enjoying yourself as well."

"Tooru!" He knew he shouldn't have told the man about his conversation with Daichi. Ever since the shower incident, Sugawara couldn't shake the image of the officer naked from his mind. Feeling guilty, he had caved and asked Tooru for advice on how to deal with the man. And of course, the tailor was anything but helpful.

"Let's go, pervert-kun!" Tooru practically skipped out of the room, a flamed face Suga slow to follow behind him.

This was going to be a long night.


"Now you've just got to glue the satin in the middle of the lace, and use two fingers to press the fabric into place." Suga's soft voice was tinged with sleep, though he tried not to let it show as he instructed the man sitting in front of him. Daichi's brows were pressed together as he followed the instruction, Suga doing his best not to smile as the concentrated look. True to Oikawa's prediction, the officer wasn't the craftiest man on the planet. He tried, bless his heart, but seeing his fumble with the hot glue gun was enough to lift the wedding planner's mood so late into the night.

The group had found a system for putting together the centerpieces. Sugawara was in charge of measuring out the pieces of lace and champagne-colored satin that went around the base of the candle. He was also in charge of making the dainty pearl pendant. Daichi, being the one who wasn't given the gift of arts and crafts, had the simple task of gluing the three pieces together. Surprising everyone, Iwaizumi was agile with his fingers and knew his way around a heat gun. While Oikawa use his delicate handwriting to draw beautiful table numbers and the words 'Carpe Diem' on tissue paper, the cop would melt the designs onto the candles until only the glossy ink was left. Once dried, Oikawa would finish the project by gluing Daichi and Suga's lacy fabric to the candle. So far the group had managed to finish fifteen tables, leaving only five to get the Little Crow's approval.

"Hey, Iwa-chan?" Oikawa's cheerful voice was bright even as the clock struck one, the tailor leaning closer when Iwaizumi only arched his eyebrow and skimmed the heat gun over the candle's side again. "If I were a glue gun, I'd stick you and me together."

"You keep telling me cheesy pickup lines, and I'm going to glue "Trashykawa" to your forehead." Iwaizumi's words made Oikawa pout, his whine loud as he shoved the palm of his hand into the officer's shoulder. Despite his words, the slight quirk of Iwaizumi's mouth proved that he wasn't detesting the assistant's company as much as he portrayed.

"One day, you'll fall victim to my wicked flame." As if to emphasis metaphor, Oikawa flicked the candle that Iwaizumi was labelling. Suga wasn't trying to spy on their little flirt session, but it was hard not to feel his attention diverted. Oikawa had been known for his suave and flirtatious nature, especially when it came to people who he planned to sleep with. That meant that he had perfected the pick-up line, among other things. But tonight, his game was different. Though Suga didn't doubt that Oikawa would jump at a chance to sleep with the bulky cop, something about their interaction didn't feel so devious. Even as Iwaizumi rejected him with a smack to the side of the head, the tailor's laugh felt less strategic and more...real. Like he was enjoying interacting with the man instead of simply trying get in his pants.

"Ouch!" The sudden hiss from his side dragged Suga's attention back to the mission at hand. Or rather, the cop who was now waving his hand and glaring down at the innocent glue gun in front of him.

"What happened?" He asked, hoping to keep his smile sympathetic at his struggling partner.

"I was trying to get the satin to stick in the middle of the damn lace-"

"And it moved right when you went to glue it?" Suga finished, watching the color in Daichi's cheeks dip to red when he gave a weak nod. Holding his hand out, Suga curled his fingers once before glancing up to the frowning cop. "Give me the gun and I'll show you a trick."

"I'm not sure I'm meant for tasks that require meticulous attention," Daichi admitted, turning the glue gun over to the man in front of him who laughed in reply.

"It's easier when you've got a few tricks up your sleeve. Like this; instead of trying to glue each piece all the way down, just place a dot of glue to one side of the satin." As he spoke, Suga performed the actions slowly, making sure to go at a pace to show his now focused student. "Then place that one spot onto the end of the lace like this. Put your thumb on the spot for about thirty seconds; just enough for the glue to grip the fabric solidly. Pressure is everything. Once it's in place, tighten the satin to the other side of the lace, and then repeat the action. See?"

"That's...way easier than what I've been doing."

"Like I said, tricks are a wedding planner's best friend." Suga lifted his eyes from the fabric to Daichi, who shook his head slowly.

"Is that why you're so good at this stuff? Just a bunch of smoke and mirrors?"

"Nope, I owe my skill to my mother." Suga took the pendant he had been working on, rolling it in his palm to make sure the glue had cooled before he started to dribble the hot glue to the pendant's bottom. "She was the best at things like this. If there was a torn seam or a missing bouquet, my mother would be able to whip something up in a matter of minutes. She was the queen of wedding miracles. Now my father was just about as useful with a glue gun as you, so my mother forbid him from anything creative."

"I don't know whether to feel complimented or completely embarrassed," Daichi replied, laughing when Suga's eyes widened in obvious panic.

"Ah, I meant it in the nicest way!"

"It's fine, I know I'm not Martha Stewart."

"Really, I'm happy you're here." Suga's honesty seemed to catch Daichi off guard, the wedding planner letting his smile lift with a shade of shyness. "Without you and Iwaizumi's help, I'm not sure if I would have been able to pull this off. Even with Oikawa, we would have been up all night. I owe you."

"I want to help you out whenever I can." The look of genuine appreciation in Daichi's eyes left Suga breathless, his fingers twitching around the pendant as the cop leaned a little closer. "You're making Asahi and Noya's dream wedding come true; this is the least I can do."

"Is that why you came here tonight?" Suga's quiet question made the wedding planner look down to the pendant in his fingers, distracting himself from the mental berating by pressing it onto the middle of the satin ribbon. He knew the question had slipped out because of his tired brain and relaxing inhibitions, but it didn't make the inquisition feel any less stupid-

"No." Daichi's forehead pressed against his own after the officer's answer, Suga feeling his heart leap into his throat from the spike in his heartbeat. Hazel eyes stared down at the pearls between them, his teeth biting his lower lip to hide his growing smile. "I wanted to see you."

"Oh," Suga whispered, the warmth in his stomach spreading through his body as he peered up to meet Daichi's eyes. Their noses nearly brushed from their proximity, the wedding planner feeling Daichi's hand slip over his own to rest on the settling pendent.

"For pressure," Daichi excused quickly, Suga nodding their heads slightly before his cheeks bloomed in color. The flicker of warmth in Daichi's gaze was lacking any judgement, seeming to enjoy how Suga began to unravel in front of him.

"Okay, that was super lame." The blunt way that Oikawa's voice cut through the moment made Suga jerk back, his eyes quick to flicker over the unannounced audience. Iwaizumi and Oikawa were both staring at the two, neither seeming ashamed of their obvious intrusion of privacy. Iwaizumi's shrug jostled the fabric of Oikawa's sleeve, their shoulders pressed together while leaning their backs on the bottom of the couch behind them.

"Sawamura's known for shitty flirting skills."

"Yes, but did you see how easily Suga-kun ate it up? He's never fallen for my bad pick-up lines before!" The 'tsk'ing noise that the assistant made was enough to humiliate Suga, who tried to switch the conversation.

"Why are you two slacking off?"

"We need the ribbon to finish the next centerpiece," Iwaizumi explained, scratching his cheek and looking away from the pair. "I didn't, uh, want to interrupt."

"There was nothing to interrupt," Daichi answered easily, though the assistant was quick to jump back into the conversation.

"Well duh, you're like the king of bad pick-up lines."

"Wow, you must really suck." All eyes shot up to the doorway, a feline grin etched into Kuroo's mouth as he leaned against the doorframe. Kenma was beside him, looking unfazed by the hodgepodge of people in the office while he played his video game. "You guys threw a party and didn't even invite me?"

"It's not a party; we were making last minute centerpieces. Iwaizumi and Daichi offered to come help us." Suga's words were followed up by Oikawa, who seemed more than eager to explain the situation to his partner in crime.

"Well, Iwai-chan was helping. Daichi-san was hitting on our precious Suga-kun, quite terribly I might add."

"I-It wasn't like that." At Daichi's defensive words, Kuroo sent a casual glance to the pair resting against the couch.

"What's your take?" Kuroo asked Iwaizumi, who rolled his eyes before crossing his arms.

"Since I've got to work with Sawamura tomorrow, I'm going to have to plead the fifth. Last thing I need is him not covering my six because I ratted him out."

"Ah, I see." Kuroo's wink was obvious to all in the room before he directed his conversation toward Daichi. "Not like you'd give away much; Oikawa only gives the title 'king' the most deserving, after all. Nice work, stripper."

"Tetsuro!" The wedding planner's scolding tone only made the cheeky man shrug while giving his signature grin.

"You should be happy, boss man. Imagine the things he can do with his hips. You'll be sure to tell me about it, yeah?"

"Oh my god," Suga mumbled, pressing his face into Daichi's shoulder to try and hide his mortification. Why did he hire such embarrassing people? The muscle under his forehead stiffened, and he only realized his mistake after the whole room fell into a chorus of whistles. The noise was enough to make Suga want to melt into the floor. And now he had dragged Daichi into the crazy fray of his employees. If the best man wasn't already freaked out by Oikawa's sexual teasing, Kuroo's not-so-sneaky comments were sure to make him hightail it out of there.

"Alright, enough screwing around you guys." So when a warm arm was pressed to his back, he was surprised. "Suga's exhausted and doesn't need your teasing. So come help us with these centerpieces and let's wrap this up."

Daichi's voice left little to argue with, reminding him of the times the man had answered his phone when on the job. Despite the firm tone, the arm remained comforting with enough lax for Suga to pull away. Instead the planner felt his shoulders relax into the hold, letting Daichi take over the room. He should have felt even more embarrassed at the touch reducing him to a smiling fool, which he was sure to hide into the strong shoulder of the cop. The feeling of Daichi's steady hold made the wedding planner want to melt again, but this time it was for a completely different reason.

"Wow! Daichi-san's kind of hot when he gets his cop voice on. Iwa-chan, can you do that, too? I wanna hear it!"

"Shut up, we've got candles to finish." Iwaizumi seemed to respond to Daichi's request without thought, though it was clearly from respect for his partner and not fear. He probably enjoyed the light hearted banter, but Daichi's reasonable words reminded him of late it had gotten.

"No fun," Oikawa huffed, pouting while he took the offered centerpiece to finish. Suga let out a quiet sigh at the sound of the two resuming work, feeling the warmth in his face starting to dissolve.

"You know, if you keep coming to Suga's aid, he may think you like him." At Kuroo's comment Suga tilted his head, peeking from the corner of his eye to see the signature grin of the photographer. Golden eyes were focused on the cop on the floor, and if Suga didn't know how lackadaisical Kuroo was, he would think the look held a predatory gleam. It stayed zoned in on Daichi's face for only a second before the mostly quiet Kenma let out a sigh, instantly catching Kuroo's attention.

"Should you really be the one to say that? You do the same for me." After the insert of insight, the editor walked across the room to sit between the two groups. When Suga finally lifted his head, Kenma was pausing his game, the glue gun lifted into his free hand.

"But it's not like I'm hiding anything from you; you know how much I love you." It was said with such a carefree tone that it would have been impossible for Kenma to hide his blush. He still tried, tilting his head to cover the reddened cheeks with his shaggy haircut. The sight seemed to humor Kuroo, who let a deep chuckle roll through his chest before moving to help the group with the final centerpieces. Trying to ignore the inner voice of protest, Suga finally pulled away from the warmth of Daichi's side to join into the group. His eyes only met Daichi's for a second, though he hope he made his appreciation clear before focusing on instruction the two newcomers.

Having Kenma man the glue gun made the process a lot quicker, as he was used to creating stylized photo books for the wedding. Daichi was more than eager to help Kuroo start to move the finished centerpieces down to the grand ballroom, allowing the other four to make an efficient team of bedazzling machines. Within the hour the final centerpieces were being taken away by Kuroo, Suga letting out a relieved sigh. The fact that it was barely two in the morning was a blessing that he would have never thought possible. He took a glance around the room, knowing that there was still some clean-up to do before the little crow employees could call it a night.

But that was a task that could be put on pause.

"Oikawa, want to start cleaning up while I show our two helpers out?"

"No way! Iwa-chan's going to spend the night with me. I've got to pay him back by giving him-" Before the flirty words could get out, Iwaizumi's fingers were flicking the middle of the assistant's forehead. The motion halted Oikawa's voice, pretty brown eyes wide and blinking in confusion.

"I think I've had enough of your trash talk for one night." Pushing up to his feet, Iwaizumi rotated his shoulder while walking toward the exit of Suga's office. His smirk cocky, the officer sent a look over his shoulder pointed at the assistant. "Text me after you take a cold shower, hornball."

"I'll send you a text in the shower, then you'll regret going home," Oikawa grumbled, Iwaizumi giving a snort before he shoved himself from the room. If Suga noticed the way the assistant's eyes lingered on the door, he didn't voice it, instead following Daichi toward the doorway.

"I'll be right back." Suga watched Kenma give a half-interested nod before turning back to the game in his hands. Shaking his head with a smile, Suga and Daichi walked down the hallway together, the wedding planner shivering when feeling the brisk air of the night hit his skin. Iwaizumi was already heading toward the car, though Daichi paused on the stair's top step to look back at the wedding planner.

"Sorry I couldn't be more of a help-"

"Really, don't apologize! I already feel like I owe you so much," Suga rushed to answer, Daichi giving a hearty laugh while he waved his hand.

"It's not like I had much planned tonight anyways. And now that I know that Iwaizumi can bedazzle like some teenage girl, I'll never let him live it down." Daichi's smile looked just as handsome at two in the morning in the dark of night as it did every other time he had sent it Suga's way. It was genuine, lacking the sultry or cocky connotations some of his employee's grins tended to have. It moved through Suga's body like a breath of warm air, heating him despite how chilly it was outside. "Besides, I'm sure you'll find someway to repay me without even realizing it. That's just the kind of person you are."

"I'm hoping that's a good thing," Suga said, giving his own smile when Daichi tried to hide his nervousness by glancing away.

"I should probably get going; Hajime's aim is terrible when he's tired." Suga gave a soft nod at the words, watching Daichi give a friendly shake of his hand before he turned and jogged down the stairs. The chilled wind pressed to his cheeks, yet Suga couldn't find a reason to move back into the venue. Instead, his eyes stayed on the back of Daichi, wondering why the cop filled so much of his thoughts. Whenever he was around Daichi, the world felt a little bit better. He loved his job, but telling the dark-haired man about some of his favorite weddings over the phone after a tiring day only enhanced the feelings. He got butterflies when the best man touched his skin, and it always left him wanting Daichi to linger just a little longer. For the life of him, he couldn't remember the last time someone made his heart swell with such overwhelming feelings. Instinctively his hands bunched up in the front of his shirt, knowing he couldn't think about it any longer. Daichi was a client, he couldn't think of him like-

"Take a chance, let the cop sweep you off your feet. Maybe it'll lead to nothing, but what if it does?"

Kuroo's words dragged through his mind like a long forgotten song, and it only lingered there for a second before Suga's feet were moving.

"Daichi!" The way he shouted the cop's name must have worried him, because the taller man was quick to turn around when hitting the final step of the stairs.

"Suga? Are you okay?" Confusion was clear over the tan face, but Suga didn't allow himself any room to think about what he was doing while he moved down the descending stairs.

"Turn back around, turn back around…" Even as he tried to talk himself out of it, Suga continued to move, only halting his fast pace when his feet stepped onto the stair resting just above Daichi's. Not even giving the man time to ask his question again, Suga's cold palms were pressed to Daichi's cheeks, hazel eyes meeting a brown stare before the wedding planner took a deep breath. "This is probably a bad idea, but here I go!"

"What-" And then Suga was leaning forward, his fingers curling around the back of the officer's jaw and his mouth pressing to Daichi's. The warmth of the other man's lips was quick to chase away any of the cold of the night, Suga's mind drowning in the rich taste of Daichi. He was in complete control of the action, enjoying the feeling of cradling his counterpart's strong jaw and smoothing his thumbs into the rounded cheekbones. Heat was pooling underneath Daichi's skin, and Suga wanted to possess it with his soft grasp. Yet with every second the kiss continued, it felt like the officer was the one stealing the strength from Suga's professional boundaries.

The slight height advantage of the elevated stair meant that he was leaning his weight into Daichi's chest. He let out a sigh of contentment into the other man's mouth when familiar hands reached out to steady his waist. The strength of the palms caging his hips while he allowed Suga to kiss him was a power trip that Sugawara never expected would affect him so strongly. If Daichi wanted to, he could push the wedding planner away. He could also crush him into his chest and force his own will into the soft meeting of their mouths. Instead, the cop remained pliant for Suga's exploration while protectively holding his slim waist to assure the man wouldn't fall. His lips were receptive without controlling, which made Suga's spine shiver when the fair haired man finally pulled back from the kiss.

"Ah…" Suga let his words slip away when Daichi's eyes opened, the wedding planner patiently waiting for Daichi's gaze to focus again before he smiled. "Just wanted to say thank you again."

"N-No problem." Daichi coughed after the crack in his voice, Suga pressing the back of his hand to his lips to hide his smile when Daichi struggled to take a step backwards. "I should...the car...Hajime's…."

"You should go," Suga supplied, his spirits lifting at how affected the cop was from his actions. It smothered his own nerves, though his fingers were nervously twining behind his back while Daichi spoke.

"Let me know how the bride likes her centerpieces." Suga gave a nod, unsure if speaking again would just make the situation awkward. But the fact that Daichi wanted Suga to call him tomorrow meant that the kiss wasn't bad, right? From how hard his heart was beating, he didn't want to think the decision was a mistake. Daichi continued to send looks over his shoulder at Suga when he ventured back to his car. Iwaizumi was quick to punch Daichi's arm with a comment that the wedding planner couldn't hear. Once sure that Daichi could no longer see him from how far the car had pulled down the driveway, Suga pressed his fingers to his lower lip and smiled. He twirled back toward the venue, nearly tripping over the first step when a loud round of applause echoed in the night air.

"Not bad, romeo." Looking up at the balcony that he spent many nights enjoying, Suga wasn't nearly as surprised as he should have been to see his three employees watching him. Kuroo's grin was full of pride that Suga wasn't sure the man deserved to wear, while Oikawa's annoyed expression and crinkled nose showed he didn't appreciate the romance as much as Kuroo.

"I swear, if you two sleep together before I get in Iwa-chan's pants, I'm going to protest this wedding."

"Suga-san and Daichi-san have been flirting longer than you and Iwazumi-san." Kenma's eyes didn't lift from the console in his hand, the shivering man pressing close to the much warmer photographer's body.

"What's next, Yams getting deflowered by Catus-shima?! I'm protesting. Protesting I say!" Throwing his arms up in dramatic fashion, Tooru stomped back into the venue, his loud cries of 'protesting' muffled as he got deeper into the building.

"Too cold," Kenma complained, quick to duck under Kuroo's arm and scurry back into the warmth Suga was also longing for. He sighed while he started to move up the stairs, though his eyes watched while Kuroo leaned his crossed arms onto the balcony railing.

"So you changed your mind about my advice?"

"No clue what you're talking about," Suga deflected, Kuroo snickering despite the shutdown.

"One day you'll be thankful you met me." Pausing in his walk, Suga gave the man a smile that was fueled by the emotions still churning through his heart.

"I'm thankful for each day I get to work with you and everyone else."

"Even Tooru?" Kuroo teased, Suga laughing despite how the cold air made his lungs ache.

"Even him; you're my precious family. I love you all very much." The obvious truth in the wedding planner's words seemed to surprise the man, his eyes widening for a moment before swaying back to their droopy slant.

"Right back at you, boss man. Now get inside before you keel over and I have to take over this ship."

"Tooru might give you a run for your money," was Suga's reply, Kuroo shrugging.

"Without you, it might as well be called 'Titanic'. Who runs it into its watery grave just changes how fast it gets there."

"Remind me never to go on vacation."

"Only for your honeymoon." The mischievous wink that Kuroo gave before retreating into the building was all Suga needed to see to guess who he was implying. Ducking his head, Suga hoped the chilly air would excuse the rosy tint to his face when re-entering the venue.

The heat that hit him when opening the door was refreshing, and the slow breath he took no longer was tinged by a frosty bite. But the different location didn't change the tingle that was still affecting his lips, his mind flashing back to the stunned look of Daichi. Seeing the expression made him feel like he made the right move, though his mind was quick to cast doubt. What if he had read the situation wrong? Could Daichi have been flustered because he didn't know how to turn Suga down? Was this whole thing just an unfortunate case of misreading signals? Suga knew ruminating on it wouldn't change what he did; only time would tell if he had made the right choice.

For now, all the wedding planner could do was wait.

Next Chapter- The Meaning of Us