Chapter 11: Confession

By the time that the kindergarten finally closed its doors, it was 5 p.m. Yaku had offered to take Sugawara home, since Sawamura's house was on his way.

"Thanks for the ride. You saved me the trouble from taking a crowded bus!" Suga chirped right after they arrived at the apartment.

"Nah, don't mention it. We're friends after all and I would have driven past here anyway. And I bet that you wanna talk to Sawamura as soon as possible," his colleague responded with a grin. Even though he denied it, the blush creeping onto his cheeks showed otherwise. Both men chuckled and parted ways with a hug. A little skip was noticeable in his steps as he moved towards the door of his temporary home. He noticed Sawamura's car in its usual spot in the driveway. Feeling instantly somewhat giddy, Sugawara quickened his pace until he arrived inside.

"I'm home!" Sugawara yelled while slipping off his shoes at the entrance.

However, instead of an answer, a loud crash was heard coming from the kitchen. It sounded like a whole bunch of dishes and pans had fallen down, along with something else. Worry tinted his face as ran up to the source of the noise, only to find Daichi sitting on the floor, slumped against the counter, surrounded by fallen dishes. The brunet grabbed his right shoulder tightly and his face was contorted with pain. Sugawara helped him up and supported his muscular body to bring him to the couch in the living room next door. After he was seated, Sugawara asked fearfully, "What happened to you? And don't play it down, you're clearly in pain!"

With a slightly raspy voice, Daichi begged him, "Could… Could you give me some painkillers first? I was about to grab them before I crashed down…" Suga complied, pushed his friend gently down on the couch and went to grab some pills, water and a wet towel to cool him down. After the brunet took some medicine he seemed to relax after a few minutes. Being completely exhausted all of a sudden, he laid down on the couch and dozed off a bit. The ash-blond fetched a blanket and watched him with a soft smile on his face.
"He looks so peaceful and cute right now... Now it's my turn to look after him!" He mumbled to himself, before he got up and started tidying up the kitchen, as well as preparing a light dinner for the both of them.

By the time Daichi woke up, he was greeted by a delicious smell. He rose from his place on the couch and noticed that his shoulder still hurt, but the stinging became much more bearable. Once he arrived in the kitchen, he laid his eyes on probably the best sight in his life. In front of him stood Sugawara, clad in Daichi's red, frilly apron, with the caption 'Kiss the cook'. It was a gift from his daughter, hence it was rather cute and a tad girly, but he loved it anyway – and it looked especially adorable on Suga! Without a second thought, he stepped behind the busy ash-blond and snaked his arms softly around his waist.

Sugawara froze for a second because the sudden contact startled him, however, he calmed down as soon as he felt the all too familiar warmth on his back. As he turned his head to take a glance at the brunet, his eyes widened: Sawamura's face was only inches away from his own as he laid his head on Suga's shoulder.

"Morning, Suga-Kun..." Daichi mumbled, lightly breathing against Suga's neck. This action sent his heart racing and he surely hoped that the brunet couldn't hear it, being so close and all.

While trying not to stutter, yet failing horribly, he remarked, "H-Hello! Did you sleep well? If you're feeling hungry, I made some soup as well as some pancakes!"

Before he could answer, though, the loud growling of a stomach could be heard, causing Sawamura to blush and Sugawara to giggle. Afterwards, they sat down at the dining table and enjoyed the food Suga had prepared. They only exchanged a few words, but it wasn't unpleasant in the slightest. To unwind after such a long and tiring day, the two of them retired back to Daichi's bedroom to watch some movies while getting comfortable on his huge bed. A few movies later, a little growl escaped Daichi's lips.

Upon looking up, Suga noticed the pained expression on his face and he demanded confidently, "Show me the injury. I will check it and cover it with some ointment to cool it down and help with the healing process. Maybe changing the bandages will also ease the pain."

The brunet simply nodded and began to take off his shirt, while Sugawara got up to grab some bandages, ointment, scissors and some antiseptics from the medicine cabinet. Once the two of them sat down opposite of each other, Suga started to remove the old bandages extra carefully. He focused so much on the treatment, that he never noticed how tender, yet embarrassed Daichi watched the ash-blond.

As soon as the old bandages were removed, Suga was greeted by a big swelling, as well as a dark bruise on his upper arm and shoulder. Just looking at it pained him and he immediately pitied the poor soul. He was especially careful with cleaning and disinfecting the affected area, Daichi however, winced in pain and grit his teeth through the whole process.
After he finished treating the wound, Sugawara's gaze fell to a very particular spot on his biceps.

He gasped slightly and whispered, "Oh my... I can't believe it!"

Daichi noticed the astonished look on his face - after all, they were still very close to each other - and asked, "Huh? What is it, Suga-Kun? Is something wrong, besides the obvious?"

Instead of answering the question, he touched the beautiful soul mark on his arm gently. It confused the brunet, so he followed his gaze and he, too, noticed the little tattoo. Or rather the changes it showed. There is a white lily now... But when did it show up? Moreover, why is Sugawara so fascinated by it? Maybe he... No, that can't be the case, right? Daichi thought to himself.

Then, he reached out to touch him to get his attention. Suga blinked a few times and felt blood rushing to his cheeks upon realizing that he had been caught staring and touching him.

"Sugawara? Could you… Could you show it to me? Please?"

Even though the ash-blond hesitated for a moment out of shyness, he started to unbutton his shirt. The rustling of clothes filled the room as Suga stripped down in front of the brunet, despite being absolutely embarrassed to do so. As soon as he was shirtless, Daichi laid eyes on the little flower tattoo above his heart. It goes without saying that he also gawked at his slender chest and his beautiful, pale skin. A smile crept upon his face when the realization hit him.

"You… You are my soulmate…"

Daichi's voice was softer than ever and tears started to form in the corners of his eyes. Thus, he pulled the ash-blond onto his lap, wrapped his arms carefully around Suga's waist and he buried his face in the crook of his neck. In return, Sugawara embraced his newfound soulmate feeling slightly embarrassed about their position. While he was enjoying the proximity to Sawamura, doubts began to bubble up inside of him, to the point where he actually started to cry. It startled his soulmate, so he pulled away in an effort to search his eyes for answers.

Before he could ask, however, Suga whimpered, "I'm not fit to be the soulmate of someone as nice and wonderful as you! I'm nowhere near good enough to be allowed by your site and you would surely find someone way better than I can ever be! You're nice, caring and brave and such a good person in general– hell you're fucking hot too! While I'm just a piece of garbage, tossed away when not needed, useless and ugly! I hate myself for being weak like that, yet I just can't help feeling that way! I – I don't deserve you, Sawamura-Kun!"

Seeing him in such a desperate state, Daichi hugged him tighter and stroked his head in a soothing manner. He knew that actions would speak louder in that situation since Sugawara wouldn't believe or listen to a single word he would say. Hence, he pushed him down onto the bed, which distracted his counterpart. Although, he had to be careful not to strain his shoulder in any way, he climbed on top of the sniffling ash-blond and stared deeply into Suga's beautiful hazel-brown eyes. The moment Sugawara's eyes met Daichi's, his sobs started to quiet down and he found himself slowly getting comfortable again. Soft hands caressed his wet cheeks, while his eyes wandered from those puffy red eyes down to his lips and back. The ash-blond noticed his shifting gaze and caught himself doing just the same. It was clear that both had just the same wish lingering in their hearts, silently screaming in longing to close that remaining distance between them. The whole room heated up in the sweet atmosphere of two soulmates feeling nothing but pure love. So Daichi closed his eyes, shifted his weight a bit and bent down. Sugawara closed his eyes as well and waited for that one sensation he had imagined for an unknown amount of time. Soon enough their lips met in a gentle kiss, savouring each single second.

After they moved apart again, soft smiles were plastered onto their faces and all of Sugawara's doubts dissolved like smoke into thin air.

"I love you, Koushi. There is no one in this world who could ever mean more to me than you. In my eyes, you're perfect just the way you are. I even love your little flaws and habits which even you aren't aware of. So please don't talk yourself down."

That confession made his soulmate happier than anything, so he threw his arms around his neck and pulled him down once again to plant a few kisses on his lips.

"I love you, too... Daichi. You can't imagine how thrilled I am right now! You're really returning my feelings... Thank you for loving and accepting me."