Underneath The Lights

by thickbutterfly

Daichi is a twenty-something year old man, living in the middle of a cold climate with the couple of the cabins-who just so happens to be soulmates. He admires their love all the time, and wishes to meet his soulmate one day underneath the northern lights. The lights granted his wish, and sent him his soulmate-Sugawara Koushi.

A refinement.

The purification of minerals that stack on the ground, sparkling like a million stars.

Snow is so elegant, precious-honing.

A sight that Daichi could never get tired of in his entire life. Why should he?

The isolated land of snow was nowhere near civilization, and though that should make Daichi feel destitute of not having neighbors.

He is fine living by the couple of cabins-Iwaizumi Hajime and Oikawa Tooru.

Two people that traveled years ago to make a life of their own, and built a ski resort without any help from anyone.

Daichi met them when he was in the middle of harvesting ice, and automatically got along with them with no issues. They were nice, friendly, and undoubtedly in love with each other.

He almost grew a tad bit covetous of their relationship-he wanted to share that same type of chemistry with someone special.

As long as he lived, his life revolved around snow, ice, night skies, and lack of human interaction-not including the couple of the cabins.

Harvesting ice should've given him a chance to find someone he could love, but he only drops off the ice at the location miles away from his home. He doesn't speak to anyone, the world built technology specifically for this type of work.

Indeed, it is pretty lonesome at times, but Daichi grew up like this since birth.

His parents were nomads-they never stayed in one place for too long. After Daichi was old enough to feed himself, and take care of himself to survive. They disappeared from his life, and never returned to check if their son was alive or not.

Daichi didn't hate his parents, in fact, he wished he could feel what they felt.

To explore the world that nobody really knows, and travel from place to place while holding hands forever to be infatuated with one another.

He wanted that.

He wanted to experience that.

But the land of snow was too cold for anyone to live in-it drops below zero sometimes at night. So anyone that isn't like Daichi will freeze to death.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa are able to survive in the cold temperature for a long period of time, but not as long as Daichi can-they have to return back inside their cabin when they resisted the cold long enough.

Furthermore, Daichi barely sees the couple, but takes their presence to heart. He is grateful they decided to live in the same area as him, and hopes they never leave-he has gotten too attached to them already.

"Hey Daichi!" Oikawa welcomed Daichi inside of their cabin with a warm hug. "Did you finish early today?"

"Yeah, I did, now I'm just stopping by to see how you two are doing." Daichi said, walking to the couch and sitting on it, eyeing the new decor of the room. "I see you did some renovations."

Iwaizumi sat next to Daichi, while slipping off his work gloves. "Oikawa's idea. He wanted to lighten up the room a bit."

Oikawa picked up a stuffed animal from on top of the fireplace. "I bought this a few days ago, I couldn't resist not getting it."

"We'll have to sell some stuff soon to get rid of everything." Iwaizumi sighed, his olive green eyes scanning the room to admire the decor bought by his lover.

Oikawa pouted. "But that'll take days, there's no buyers out here. It's secluded."

"I know that. I'll just try to make the trip short. If I can't find anyone, I'll just return back home."

"I'll miss you." Oikawa put the stuffed animal down, and walked towards Iwaizumi to sit on his lap-his body facing Daichi and his arms wrapped around Iwaizumi's neck.

"I'll miss you too, I won't be long when I do leave."

Daichi averted his gaze away from them to the fire in the fireplace. "Want me to accompany you?"

Iwaizumi sighed. "Afraid not, I rather you stick close to the cabins, Oikawa is a bit clumsy around ice and can injure himself easily."

"Sure. But I'll be a bit far, there's a spot I want to fish at. It's a good distance away."

"I think that's fine." Oikawa said. "If I need you, I'll come to you if I can."

"Then it's settled." Iwaizumi rests his hand on Oikawa's knee. "When the day comes, everything will be okay."

Daichi nodded. "Also, for this ski lodge, how many people will be coming and going in ninety days?"

"We're still not very known, so at least two pairs per month."

Daichi rarely be around the cabins, so his luck of finding his soulmate is low. Including the lack of people knowing of the location, he is stuck admiring the relationship he can't have with someone else.

He isn't in a haste to fall in love, nor craves the endearment he lacked all his life.

He simply wishes to have that kind of love too.

"Well, we should pay someone to pass around flyers for the cabins." Daichi said, watching the fire crackle.

"Maybe." Iwaizumi said, "I'm thinking about buying some sled dogs. I heard they're convenient."

"So you're going to buy the dogs first before the flyers?"

"Yeah, Oikawa and I want to renovate the rest of the cabins, before inviting more people into the lodge."

"Need some help?"

"Plumbing and roof fixing, those are two things we need help with."

"Okay, let me know when you want to start and I'll get right on it."

Oikawa chuckled. "You work too hard, take a break once in a while."

"And do what?" Daichi asked, shifting his gaze to Oikawa. "All there is to do besides work is looking up at the plain sky, and go mountain climbing to find animals."

"Go mountain climbing then."

"I've done that." Daichi said, "I also swam in the ocean."

"I could never." Oikawa said, "That water is way too cold for me."

"It's not so bad." Daichi smiled. "Just try not to drink it, it's very salty."

"I'm not an idiot." Oikawa said.

"Sometimes you are." Iwaizumi said, earning a pinch on the back of his neck from Oikawa. "Ow! Babe really?"

"Hmph." Oikawa stood up and walked away from the two men.

Iwaizumi got up too, gently grabbed Oikawa by his wrist, and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry, don't be mad at me."

"I'm not mad, I'm upset."

"Want me to cook tonight to make it up to you?"

"That would be nice, yes."

"Okay," Iwaizumi turns to look at Daichi, who is looking out the window of the cabin. "Want some homemade cooking too, Daichi?"

"Will that be alright with Oikawa?" Daichi asked, not turning to look at him.

"Come eat with us, Daichi." Oikawa said, pulling away from the hug to walk to Daichi. Oikawa patted his head and looked out the window to see what Daichi was looking at.

Plain white snow falling from the sky. That's what caught Daichi's attention. The sight of snow always captured Daichi's eyes no matter how long he looked at it. It was beautiful.

"Okay." Daichi responded. "I'll eat with you two."

After Daichi finished eating with Iwaizumi and Oikawa, he left their cabin to seek some entertainment before going to bed.

He walked for a few miles, and ended up where he loved to see the northern lights.

He sat down on the blanket of snow, laid down on his back, and stared up at the night sky.

The stars flickered all around, complimenting the moon-less sky.

His breathing was stable, calm, and poised.

He folded his hands across his abdomen, enjoying the sight above him.

One shooting star flew across the night sky, soon followed by dozens of others like a graceful show.

Daichi's eyes slowly fluttered closed and sighed in solace. "I wish I could meet my soulmate."

The cool air consoled his latent tensity from loneliness-it really did feel nice on his exposed skin.

He was slowly falling into a state of repose, but the faint of a treble above roused him out of his half sleep position.

His eyes looked up at the sky, there was a bright light coming from one of the stars, which seemed more enlarged than before.

Daichi propped himself up on his elbows to look at it more clearly, and gasped when an outline of a human figure appeared in the sky. It started to plummet down to the ground, and before Daichi could move his body out of the way. The weight landed on his stomach hard, causing him to let out a low groan.

"Arg…" Daichi looked down at his stomach to see a man laying on top of him. He had light grey hair, and wore clothing similar to Daichi's own. A plain black tee and jeans.

The only difference is that the mysterious man didn't wear any shoes or socks.

"Ugh…" The man got up deliberately, using his wrist to hold against his temple as if he was in pain.

Daichi's eyes met his, but instead of a nice greeting that Daichi was expecting-he was met with an aloof:

"Who the hell are you?"

Daichi blinked, he didn't expect the hostile tone. "Uh, I'm Daichi, Daichi Sawamura."

The man got off of Daichi, leaning back on his exposed toes. "I'm Sugawara Koushi, how did I get here?"

"You fell from the sky." Daichi points to the sky above them.

"I did?" Sugawara scratched the back of his neck, side-eyeing Daichi. "They couldn't have given me a better soulmate, huh?"

"What?"

"You seem confused. Let me explain what is going on, before I run off to go back home. When someone wishes on a shooting star for a soulmate, the gods will give you your soulmate, but once you receive your soulmate-you'll have three hundred and sixty days to fall in love or the soulmate will vanish like they never existed. And if you do manage to fall in love, you and your soulmate will receive a mark on a part of your body."

"So...you're from the sky?"

"No, I'm not, I am a normal human being that was unlucky selected to be someone's soulmate." Sugawara stood up, brushing off his jeans. "As much as you might want to be mine, this is a mistake."

"W-wait a moment." Daichi hopped onto his feet. "What's wrong with me?"

Sugawara raised an eyebrow. "You look like a weird guy. You're in the middle of a snowy land, you're by yourself, and casually sleeping here like it's normal. You just scream psychopath."

"I've lived in this area all my life, I'm not a psychopath."

"How should I know you're not one of those crazy guys?"

"Because my friends have known me long enough to recognize that I'm not who you're accusing me to be."

"Your friends?"

Oikawa opened the door of the cabin to see Daichi standing there with Sugawara. "Who is he?"

"He-" Sugawara interrupted Daichi.

"A traveler." Sugawara said, looking at Oikawa. "And the name's Sugawara."

Oikawa stepped aside to let the two of them inside the cabin, he wore his night clothes, and his hair was disheveled-he looked as if he just woke up. "I'm Oikawa Tooru, one of the owners of this ski lodge." Oikawa points to his sleeping boyfriend, Iwaizumi, whose body was facing away from them. "That's Iwaizumi, he's my boyfriend."

Daichi sighed. "Sorry, did we come at a bad time?"

Oikawa shook his head and sat on the couch. "No, I couldn't fall asleep anyways, I was already up."

Sugawara looked at Iwaizumi then shifted his gaze back at Oikawa. "Are you two soulmates?"

Oikawa looked up at Sugawara, his eyes showing the nonplussed reaction to Sugawara's question. "Yeah, we are. See?" Oikawa showed his third finger, there was a tattoo-like band around it.

"That's nice." Sugawara said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll never get one of those, settling down with someone isn't really my thing."

"At first, Iwaizumi was the same." Oikawa leaned back against the couch, his eyes dazed, staring at the fireplace with barely any emotion due to fatigue. "He didn't want to be with anyone, he loved being single, he didn't despise the idea of a relationship, he just didn't want to be too attached to anyone. Then I came around, we talked, and ended up falling in love. We both received our marks after that, and realized we were soulmates that were fated to meet."

Daichi already heard the story, so he walked away to the fridge to grab a coffee can. He opened it, stood in front of the window, and stared up at the sky, sipping at the cold coffee.

After a few minutes, he felt a pair of cold hands ghost across his forearm, causing him to look down to see Sugawara standing next to him. His fingertips were touching Daichi, and his eyes were looking out the window to see what Daichi was looking at.

It was obvious-the Northern lights.

"He fell asleep." Sugawara mumbled. "Should we go?"

"I thought you said you wanted to run away." Daichi said, looking behind him to see Oikawa fast asleep on the couch, a throw blanket barely covering him.

"If I did run away, I would not have nowhere else to go." Sugawara pursed his lips. "As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think soulmates are able to be apart for a long period of time after meeting, so I mind as well figure you out and see what kind of guy you are."

Daichi scoffed, he couldn't believe Sugawara went from repudiating the idea of them being soulmates to wanting to try it out. So far Sugawara was someone Daichi had to be careful with, his emotions are quick to change, and it seemed like one wrong move could cause Sugawara to actually attempt to run away. "Okay."

"That's all you have to say?"

"What is there to say?"

Sugawara placed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and sighed. "Whatever, where do you usually sleep or shelter at?"

"I have my own cabin here that Oikawa and Iwaizumi reserved for me, but I usually sleep in caves or anywhere that protects me from the snowstorms."

"I rather sleep in a cabin."

"It might be a bit dusty, I haven't used it much to try to keep it clean."

"Why not?"

"I'm an ice harvester, I work to sell ice to other parts of the world."

"Do you get paid?"

"Yeah, but I have no use for money so I send the money to Oikawa and Iwaizumi."

Sugawara looked down at his bare feet. "That's nice of you."

"It's the least I can do for them, they cook for me, gave me a free cabin, and let me wear their clothes if mine tear."

"Do you not have clothes of your own?"

"I do. I just hate having to run to my cabin to fetch another pair of clothes while in the middle of work."

"I want to see you working tomorrow, if that's alright?"

"Fine by me, but to be around me working. You have to wear shoes."

"Got a spare to give?"

"I sure do."

The lamp's light illuminated the inside of the cabin, once Daichi pulled on the string.

There was a bed big enough for two people, a small loveseat couch, a fridge, a closet, a bathroom, and a fireplace that looked as if it hadn't been touched in a while.

"It's not too shabby." Sugawara walked inside the cabin, the floor creaked at every step he took.

"Thanks, I guess." Daichi slipped off his shoes, placing them by his favorite side of the bed, and laid down with his arm covering his eyes.

He could hear Sugawara walking around the cabin, and stopped on the other side of the bed.

"Something wrong?" Daichi asked, not looking at Sugawara.

"This is one bed, which means I have to sleep next to you."

"Uh-huh, is that an issue? Want to sleep on the loveseat?"

"No, not really, it's too small to sleep on."

"Then get comfortable, I'm not a wild sleeper."

Sugawara slowly sat down on the bed, his legs dragging off the edge, and his hands resting on either side of him. The space between him and Daichi was one foot at most. "Aren't you going to shower?"

"Yeah in a little while, I just want to relax for a moment."

"Is it okay if I go first?"

"Knock yourself out, there should be new soap in there, along with towels and everything else."

Sugawara stood up off the bed. "Um...clothes?"

"Pick something out of my closet, I have plenty to choose from."

Sugawara walked to Daichi's closet, looked through the hanged up clothes, and chose an oversized night shirt. He walked inside the bathroom, and closed the door behind him.

Daichi waited until he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom to sit up. He combed his fingers through his hair, reminiscing what happened in the last hour or two.

He met his soulmate-like he always wanted-but the soulmate doesn't like him.

Now he has to impress his soulmate to win them over, which he doesn't know how to do. The only reference to love or romantic actions he has is Oikawa and Iwaizumi. But that's not much to use, they always were in love in front of Daichi, there wasn't any way for Daichi to figure out what to do to enchant Sugawara.

What kind of men does Sugawara like?

And how much of Daichi does he dislike?

"Finished with the bathroom?" Daichi asked Sugawara, who walked out the bathroom wearing his nightshirt, carrying his dirty clothes in his hand.

"Yeah, thanks...um...where do I put this?"

"I'll wash them tomorrow, put them in that basket over there." Daichi points to the empty basket by the loveseat.

"Okay." Sugawara tossed the clothes into the basket, watching Daichi walk into the bathroom.

Daichi closed the door behind him, and whiffed the aroma of shampoo and soap.

He stripped off his clothing from his body, turned on the shower, and stepped inside-feeling the warm water run off of him.

It didn't matter what temperature the water was-hot, warm, cold-Daichi's body didn't react to it. It did alleviate his thoughts and worries, but knowing Sugawara was on the other side of the bathroom door. It made him realize-he wasn't very percipient of romance to read emotions or try to talk to anyone past the friendly line.

It was another thing he might overthink about-along with his lack of sentient.

"This is going to be hard." Daichi murmured.

Daichi slid his legs under the warm cover, trying to put himself as close to the edge as possible, giving Sugawara enough space to sleep.

Sugawara had his back to Daichi, trying to fall asleep without being tense-the new environment was rigid.

From the smell of Daichi's natural scent, despite his strong scented soap, to being surrounded completely by snow and ice with no other sight of civilization except Oikawa and Iwaizumi.

"Are you alright?" Daichi whispered, his back still facing Sugawara.

Sugawara pressed his lips together, he felt bad for being uncomfortable in the same room with him, though he still didn't want to be his soulmate. He did look and act uncanny, but his polite and nice attitude did reassure Sugawara somewhat. "Yeah."

"The loveseat is still an option, I can go sleep on it if you're uncomfortable-"

"I'm fine, you don't have to move."

"Okay…"

The sound of the wind outside relaxed Daichi enough to fall into a slumber, leaving Sugawara to struggle to fall asleep.

The next morning, Sugawara woke up to the sound of humming.

He sat up, rubbed his eyes with his wrist, and eyed Daichi sitting on the loveseat, holding a cup of coffee in his hand and staring out the window.

It was no longer snowing down like last night.

Daichi turned his head in Sugawara's direction when he heard the bed creak. "Good morning, Sugawara, how did you sleep?"

"Mm…" Sugawara scratched his head and yawned, making his way to Daichi, who handed him some coffee. "Good, I guess."

"Glad you slept good on your first night here."

"Mhm." Sugawara brought the coffee to his lips, and took a small swig from it. It tasted strong, not too sweet, and woke him up-the perfect coffee in his opinion. "How did you learn to make coffee?"

"Oikawa taught me." Daichi said, patting the seat next to him for Sugawara to sit down. "He used to be a barista, so he knows how to make coffee."

Sugawara dubiously sat down next to Daichi, sitting as close to the edge as possible. "Oh, well...it's good."

"I was hoping it would, I really don't know your preferences in taste yet."

"I'm not a sweet tooth person, though I do enjoy it sometimes, other times I just like simple foods. I'm not captious, if you cook or make something-I'll take it."

"Do you...like fish?" Daichi asked, using his index finger to graze the coffee cup in his hand in agitation, he felt a little nervous now. He was actually communicating with Sugawara, the same person who didn't want to talk much about himself yesterday.

"Yeah, I like fish, depending on how you cook it. You don't burn it, do you?"

Daichi let out a snort at Sugawara's question. "No, I don't burn them."

"Good." Sugawara said in a monotone, brushing off Daichi's snort at his question.

"Any drinks I should avoid?"

"Let me ask you something first-how do you even get drinks if you're far away from everyone?"

"Easy. Technology. Cold-resistant drones drop off orders, but since we don't have an exact address and snow is a bit worse here. I have to walk a few miles to reach the drop site."

"The same site where you drop off ice?"

"Yeah, It may not sound fun, but It gets us the essentials we need."

"Hm," Sugawara looked down at his half empty coffee cup. "Carbonated water. I don't like it."

"Me neither, I don't like carbonated water."

Sugawara's eyes slowly met Daichi's, they were less judgemental than before. "Oh."

"Any allergies? Besides pollen, which is obviously not able to spread here."

"No, not that I know of."

"How cold-resistant are you?"

Sugawara shrugged. "I never stood out in snow long enough to know, I'd always sat in my home looking out at it."

"Then it's a perfect day to experiment."

"Ex...periment?"

To any other person, the knee high thick snow would annoy them to bits, having to shovel it low enough to walk on.

But to Daichi, he simply jumped on top of the thick blanket, helping Sugawara climb on top with him and watched his step to walk to the ice.

They carried the clothes to the frozen water, there were little patches that were freezing back up-little specks of white snow sprinkled on top of the clear ice.

"Now what?" Sugawara asked, watching Daichi hold the handsaw in his right hand.

"Now, we cut a hole big enough to put the clothes inside."

Sugawara watched the way Daichi's toned biceps tightened while he saw through the ice sheet. He didn't know why Daichi enjoyed working so much in the freezing cold, though to him-it wasn't even that cold.

"Done." Daichi snapped Sugawara out of his thoughts, standing up straight to reveal a square shaped hole in the ice. The salty ocean's water was flowing gracefully underneath the ice, almost tempting to take a quick swim in.

"Now we put the clothes inside?"

"Mhm, but we have to hold onto them or they'll sink down."

"They'll turn to ice or something?"

"It's negative fifteen degrees celsius. It's cold enough to kill a fly in an instant, hyperthermia is no joke around here."

"Is that why barely anyone comes here?"

"That's one reason, another is because, well-" Daichi placed down his handsaw. "The ski lodge is not very known to bring in people, so it'll take a while for anyone to realize it exists around here. Like I said before, we don't have an address."

"So...you don't get mail for billing?"

"The ski lodge runs on sun energy, it collects the sun rays all day, so by night the cabins will have enough power to use to their liking." Daichi picked up a shirt to wash in the cold water, his hand went into the icy water-no shivering or reaction was seen from Daichi.

"Sounds expensive."

"It was for them." Daichi sighed, hand washing the shirt.

"They didn't let you help?"

"They had already somewhat built that home they're living in now by the time we met, I never noticed it, since I never took that path before meeting them."

"What made you take that path?"

Daichi placed the shirt beside him, grabbing a pair of jeans to wash next. "A boulder size of snow fell onto my path beforehand, leaving me with no choice, but to take a detour and go the long way around."

"Have you tried going back?"

"After meeting them, I don't think taking that path will ever cross my mind, I love talking to both of them on the way to the drop site-It's refreshing. It subsides the loneliness in my heart."

Sugawara's stomach twisted in guilt, he didn't know much about Daichi-he wore a brave face the entire time they were side by side since yesterday. "Um...parents?"

Daichi turned the pants inside out to scrub the inside of them, his eyes glued to the jeans without looking up at Sugawara while he responded. "They left me to travel the world years ago, I can barely remember their faces, It's almost like a dream that I met them."

"I'm sorry for asking…"

"No, no," Daichi placed the jeans next to him, grabbing the next clothing item. "It's alright, you were curious, so I answered truthfully."

"Then...you don't have any siblings or other family members?"

"Not that I know of, last time I spoke to someone that bled the same blood I bleed was my parents years ago."

"Do you...want to meet them again?"

Daichi finished washing the clothes, and stood up on his feet to look at Sugawara in the eyes with a soft expression. "No, not yet, you can say that I'm not mentally capable of meeting them face to face at the moment, I call Oikawa and Iwaizumi family. That's enough for me."

"You don't want any kids of your own?"

"Only special borns are able to produce children like females, if you are one of them, then I might take the next step in adulthood to take care of my child. It's fate if I even lay eyes on my own child, I do want some children, but my schedule is sadly too busy for a child to come in between."

Sugawara felt the awkwardness coming from Daichi, not wanting to continue with the topic of 'family', but he knew Daichi well-enough after a day that Daichi would reply either way. Just to build trust with Sugawara, and form a strong bond to be with him forever. A mark that will be made onto their skin symbolizing their love when it does happen.

His stomach wasn't lightening up from the guilty feeling, so he changed the topic to something else. To stray away from the topic of 'family'. "Are you a chaste?"

Daichi snorted again, his lips curled up in a small grin. "Haha, yeah, I am, but I won't deny that if we're a match made from the heavens. I'll make a change to that for you."

Sugawara felt warm hearing that from Daichi, his heart didn't flatter, but he accepted that answer knowing Daichi won't go for another maiden or fellow if they don't work out. "I am too, a chaste."

Daichi's smile grew more content. "It's my turn to ask you something."

"Okay, go ahead."

Daichi points to the frozen ocean. "Can you swim?"

"Why?" Sugawara crossed his bare arms over his chest, raising an eyebrow at Daichi.

"Because It's fish hunting time." Daichi crossed his arms over his stomach, his fingers grabbed the hem of his shirt, he lifted it up to remove the shirt off his body. "That is...if you're up to it?"

Sugawara's eyes scanned the ripped figure in front of him, Daichi was indeed interesting to look at. "Hm, why should I participate?"

Daichi's fingers went to his belt buckle, Sugawara's eyes trailed down to watch the belt slowly come undone. "It's fun to swim, it's a great day out, no wild animals in our way and no sharks swimming in a few hundred meter radius."

Sugawara's eyes quickly darted up to look at Daichi in the eyes again, the sound of clinking filled his ears, his curiosity was too kitsch for his own good. "Okay, fine."

It was Daichi's turn to admire the way Sugawara slipped off his clothing down to his boxers-which were technically Daichi's unworn boxers.

Unlike Sugawara, Daichi lacked enough curiosity to continue to lurk Sugawara's body, he almost said the first thing in his mind seeing his abs for the first time.

Beautiful.

That one word would've slipped through his teeth, causing Sugawara to leave and go home-though both wouldn't be away from each other for too long.

Once they locked eyes, they were bound to stay next to each other.

Daichi finally understood Oikawa and Iwaizumi's need to stay close to each other.

Though, he still has not experienced the feeling of it yet-that will still need to be felt to completely feel what they both felt before.

"Okay, this should be big enough." Daichi said, referring to the bigger hole in the ice he sawed into a second ago.

"Yeah, it should." Sugawara said, anxiously rubbing the back of his neck, waiting for Daichi to remove his boxers first.

Daichi did this in front of Oikawa and Iwaizumi a million times, but doing it in front of someone he never met before-it made him kind of uncomfortable, especially since that person was his soulmate.

It took him a good long minute, before turning around, facing away from Sugawara and removing his boxers. He tossed them with his other clothes, and dived into the water before Sugawara could see anything.

Sugawara took a deep breath. He slipped off the boxers, tossed it with the other clothes he took off, and dived into the ocean-joining Daichi to hunt for fish.

Sugawara opened his eyes to look around him.

The view was breath-taking, it was surrounded with ice glaciers, a few fishes, and the light from the surface traveled down to the pitch black darkness below.

He never swam in freezing cold water before, but it gave him a sense of respite. The cold atmosphere calmed him. It covered him like a blanket of mitigation, serene relief, and gave him a reason to smile in awe.

It was beautiful.

His eyes found Daichi's figure, and swam to him-forgetting for a moment that his own body was exposed.

Daichi turned around to see Sugawara swimming to him, held out his hand for him to grab, and gently pulled Sugawara deeper into the ocean-where the darkness would envelop them.

Sugawara could no longer see the water around him, but there was no fear in his mind. As long as Daichi didn't leave him alone-he could take anything.

They stopped swimming after a while.

Daichi pulled Sugawara closer to him, giving him enough space so their skin wouldn't touch.

Sugawara soon felt something brush by his foot, causing him to flinch and swim closer to Daichi, accidentally allowing his hip to touch him. Daichi squeezed his hand gingerly and reassuringly-making sure Sugawara knew that he was there for him.

Without needing to be a soulmate to care for his well-being.

Sugawara nodded his head, though he could not see Daichi to show him he was going to be brave. He squeezed Daichi's hand back, and waited for the foreign touch to return on his foot.

When he felt it again, he flinched a little, but stayed still allowing whatever was brushing against him to swim past.

It didn't take him long to figure out it was fish he was feeling against his skin.

He understood now that Daichi swims to the bottom of the ocean, feels around for the biggest fish, and takes that fish up to the surface with him.

These types of fish probably live for dark environments, and Daichi must've figured out that he has to blend into it to fish properly.

Sugawara couldn't wrap his finger around why Daichi is so adaptive in situations.

He adapted to the fishes, he adapted to Sugawara's personality without attribution, and he adapted to his friends easily.

"Is he accepting change positively to avoid any more changes in his life?" Sugawara thought.

Again, his stomach twisted in guilt, but pity was felt more than guilt.

He knew Daichi didn't want pity, so he shrugged off the thought to continue fishing with him.

If he pitied him anymore, he would've actually reconsidered the soulmate bonding.

"That was fun." Daichi said, pulling himself out of the water onto the surface.

"I guess."

Daichi sat next to the fish he pulled onto the surface, smiling up at the sky. "I love fishing, it's a way for me to escape everything, even reality."

"I never took you for the sad type." Sugawara said, jokingly.

"Heh, a lot of people don't." Daichi sat up slowly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I look like this work obsessed man in his twenties, in love with the snow, in love with the cold, and probably never seen a speck of romance outside the couple of the cabins. Because it's true, I never experienced love-swimming is my coping mechanism."

"You're so eloquent." Sugawara looked down at himself. "I don't know how to talk about my own emotions like you."

"Hm, not really, it took me a while to speak like this." Daichi looked at Sugawara, the smile still lingered on his lips. "Accepting my own emotions, it took years to do. I used to mask them by laughing it off or avoiding talking about it."

"Why did you decide to open up?"

"Believe it or not, Iwaizumi told me the story of meeting Oikawa a million times, how he didn't want to be in a relationship yet, he loved being single-like Oikawa said to you. He often mentioned times that Oikawa would have stood up and walked away from everything, but he didn't-Oikawa waited for Iwaizumi to fall in love with such patience." Daichi looked down at his hands. "I want to do the same. Wait around for someone, love them unconditionally, and show them a new view of the world. And maybe, just maybe, I'll leave this cold place to travel with them."

"Only fools fall in love." Sugawara mumbled. "To give yourself to someone like that, I see it as foolish, they can break you from the inside out easily. They're the definition of silent killers. Once you're in too deep, vulnerable, and naive-they'll rip their love away in an instant."

"Did you fall in love before?"

"I did fall in love." Sugawara watched the water move underneath the ice blanket. "It was unfortunately one-sided, I fell in love like a foolish person, and they crushed everything I'd hoped for without considering my feelings at all. They were a vulture."

"Do you see a vulture in me?"

Sugawara didn't want to lie, but he didn't want to hurt his emotions either. "Anyone can be a vulture, it just takes time to see if they are one or not."

"You're willing to figure that out?" Daichi asked, waiting for a response from Sugawara, who pursed his lips at the idea.

Sugawara scoffed, he couldn't ignore what transpired so far between them. He wasn't on board for falling in love, but he was interested in seeing what Daichi had in store. "Maybe, I am."

Daichi can count on Oikawa to figure out his emotions better than he can.

Whether it consisted of cooking something other than fish, or dying in the freezing cold because he gave up emotionally-which was once.

That one time was Daichi's miniature breaking point, he was staring into the cold water, his eyes were blank of any type of emotion-he was aware of his masking for years.

But Oikawa barely knew him for a short period of time, he only said one sentence-which caused Daichi to lower his head and admit he wanted to die. Die from hyperthermia, he loved the cold so much that he wanted it to be his one-way ticket out.

Oikawa, being the considerate human being he was, hugged Daichi and told him that if dying was his ticket to leave everything behind-then he should hold onto that ticket, figure everything out for now, and come back to him when he's ready to use that ticket officially.

Daichi hasn't thought of using that ticket in a while, instead he thought about other things;

Like-living in the ocean, turning into little flakes of snow, traveling the world, and sometimes he would think about finding his parents. But they left to travel together, they left him behind.

It was obvious he isn't welcome to join them if they haven't returned for him.

He isn't strained by this, in fact, he still admires their love for traveling. So he pushed down any type of hatred for them in case one day, they return for their son.

"This is rare." Oikawa smiled, handing Daichi a bottle of juice before sitting in a chair next to him, his eyes staring into Daichi's own. "You're requesting me to send Iwaizumi away for a little bit to speak to me, is something the matter?"

As far as they both know, Iwaizumi doesn't know about Daichi's depressing thoughts, Oikawa promised Daichi he wouldn't tell-and he didn't.

Iwaizumi hadn't questioned either of them about it, he didn't seem concerned about their secret talks, nor had it looked standoffish after seeing Oikawa return from Daichi's home. He must trust the both of them to the point that he doesn't need to worry about anything.

Oikawa really did fall for the right guy, someone who trusted him fully and loved him.

"It's about Sugawara." Daichi said in a low tone, almost in a mumble. There was nothing bad happening between them, in fact, everything was better than it was when Sugawara first came to the isolated country. The issue was Daichi's newfound emotions. "It has been two weeks. I am grateful that he is opening up to me more, but when it comes down to the present. I can't stop the butterflies in the pit of my stomach, or the way my eyes admire him while he reads at night."

"I wouldn't go far as to say it is 'love' or 'likeness', but maybe you're experiencing the first stage of infatuation. You're becoming aware of what he does, and maybe those butterflies are you being nervous about being close to him. He is the person you've let sleep in the same bed as you."

"Do I tell him?" Daichi asked, bringing the rim of the bottle to his lips.

"That's your decision. If he's alright with you telling him that, go ahead. But you mentioned before that he isn't interested in romantic ties with you, so he might get the wrong idea if you say you experience butterflies around him."

"Guess this is something I have to keep to myself." Daichi twisted the top back onto the juice.

Oikawa used his opposite hand to tug on his sleeves that reached to his wrists. He was neutral about the cold, he was in it most of the time to check on guests-who rarely came to the cabins-or to go to Daichi to talk to him. "Give it a few more weeks, let the feelings progress to see if it is really 'love' or 'likeness'. You two are soulmates, so things like this are harder to accept for most people-like Sugawara. He needs more time to accept you as a person."

"Thanks for the advice, Oikawa, I needed to hear that." Daichi smiled at Oikawa.

"Anytime. Just try not to act on anything you are urged to do, for future occurrences."

Daichi snorted. "I have self-control."

"Mhm, I won't doubt that 'self-control', but it's not staying long."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Have you seen Sugawara? He's enough evidence that you won't last a month around him."

Daichi shook his head at Oikawa. "Whatever you say, Oikawa."

Oikawa giggled before saying, "Oh right, the new wires and batteries are coming in tomorrow, can you pick them up for me?"

"I have to pull the ice to the drop site anyway."

"Thanks Daichi, you are a big help around here." Oikawa's fingers glazed over where his soulmate mark was, his eyes stared at the flickering flame in the fireplace.

Daichi adored that part of Oikawa-he isn't afraid to say what he thought of. Either to Daichi or to Iwaizumi. He was openly available to anyone.

If only Sugawara had that same ambience about him-to be open to talk about anything.

"Oh, you're back." Sugawara looked up from his book-he was sitting upright on the bed, his ankles crossed over the other.

"I am." Daichi said, slipping his feet out of his shoes and walking toward the bed. He sat on the edge, on his side of it, and slipped his shirt over his head. "What have you been doing since I left? Reading?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Sugawara said, his eyes returning to his book.

"Oh." Daichi stretched his arms over his head. "Also, I have an early morning drop-off tomorrow, so I'll be gone most of the day. Oikawa will be available if you need him, and Iwaizumi probably will be doing cabin work that day."

"I can be alone without needing help from someone." Sugawara mumbled.

Daichi rolled his eyes at Sugawara's behavior. "Okay, just wanted to remind you anyway."

"Thank you Daichi, but like I said, I'll be fine."

Daichi got up from the bed to go to the bathroom. "Alright then."

"Do you have a spare key just in case I need to walk outside?"

Daichi hasn't verbally said it, he only thought of it-the fear that Sugawara wants to run away. And hearing Sugawara ask for a spare key. It made his stomach twist a little.

"Not yet, I have to get a copy, you can just leave it unlocked. No animals know how to unlock a door, and we're the only ones out here anyway."

"Okay." Sugawara said, turning a page in his book.

Daichi walked into the bathroom, closed the door behind him, and leaned his forehead against the door-his eyes closed to bask in the silence.

If only Sugawara allowed him to say what he wanted to say realistically.

But that won't happen for a long time.

The morning came, Daichi left with his sled and tools, leaving Sugawara alone-like they planned-to do whatever he wanted without Daichi around.

Sugawara laid underneath the warm covers for another hour, savoring the huge bed that he had to himself, before finally deciding to get up and shower.

Unlike Daichi, Sugawara likes to take hot showers, it made him feel more refreshed to start his day.

Sugawara finished his shower, slipped on Daichi's jacket and pants, and left the cabin after putting on some snow boots in case he came across a thick layer of snow.

He walked to the mountain high glacier, contemplated whether he wanted to climb it or not, and began to climb it just to see if he'll make it to the top.

He came around a penguin and a bird on his way up, and sat on the glacier, near the top, eyeing the area around him. He enjoyed the feeling of being away from civilization-it was new, in a good way. He doesn't want to run away, yet.

He wants to savor every second of the cold country until he feels like he should go.

If he stays with Daichi any longer, he'll dread the day Daichi decided to confess to him romantically.

Sugawara covered his hands with the jacket's sleeve, and slid down from the glacier-landing safely onto the soles of his feet. He eyed the snow, jumped onto it, and laid there for what seemed hours staring up at the sky.

He was used to television-programs to watch instead of going outside.

But now that he actually is exploring the outdoors, he relishes it.

"Are there any bears here?" Sugawara mumbled to himself, sitting up slowly.

He stood up and walked around the area, making sure to drag his feet to leave tracks, searching for any bears.

"I guess they're in hibernation or something." Sugawara sighed, turning around to return back, but heard a low growl behind him. He turned his head to see a while polar bear, a few yards away from where he stood, looking at him. "Guess not."

Daichi entered the cabin, clothing sprinkled with thick snow, panting while smiling. "I got everything done, they won't return for another few days."

Sugawara returned four hours earlier, he had slipped himself back underneath the covers after eating a hearty meal, and was half-asleep listening to Daichi. "Hm, sounds nice…"

Daichi opened the fridge for a bottle of water and gulped it down. "We should do something while I have these days off, but I don't know what to do besides ice harvesting and fishing."

Sugawara yawned. "Ask Oikawa, I don't know anything either."

Daichi threw away his empty water bottle. "That's a good idea. I'll be back in a bit."

Daichi ran out of the cabin to go to Oikawa.

Sugawara turned over, facing away from the door, drifting back to sleep.

Daichi knocked on Oikawa and Iwaizumi's cabin door.

It took a minute before Iwaizumi opened the door, he was wearing his work clothes with snow still on him.

"Hey Daichi, need something?" Iwaizumi asked.

"Is Oikawa home?"

"He's cooking, want to come in?"

"Sure."

Daichi took off his shoes to not track snow into the house, and saw Oikawa wearing an apron cooking at the stove in the kitchen.

Oikawa turned his head to look at Daichi and smiled. "Hey Daichi, did you come to eat?"

"Not today, I wanted to ask you and Iwaizumi a question." Daichi stood a few feet away from Oikawa, watching him cook dinner.

"What's the question?" Iwaizumi asked, sitting at the table.

"What is there to do except ice harvest and swimming?" Daichi asked.

Oikawa looked as if he had a million thoughts running through his mind. "What do you ask?"

"Uh, I want to do something with Sugawara, and I thought you two would help me on this."

Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa. "Oikawa's more known to activities than me, he can answer this."

"You don't do anything, Iwaizumi?" Daichi asked.

"I climb mountains, swim, and work. I don't need to do much, I have Oikawa to make my day fun." Iwaizumi smiled at Oikawa before shifting his gaze to Daichi. "I haven't really met Sugawara except a few times, and he barely talks to me."

Oikawa put the lid on the pot to face Iwaizumi and Daichi. "He doesn't mean to Iwa, he's just a bit antisocial at the moment." Oikawa walked to Daichi. "Well, for starters, you need to see what activities fit Sugawara best-he is new around here. Some stuff might not work for him."

"What should I do then?"

"What does he enjoy doing outside of swimming and everything else?"

"I don't really know." Daichi shrugged. "He doesn't talk much about his interests or hobbies."

"Take him snowboarding, it'll be fun." Oikawa pointed to the snowboards in the living room area. "I have enough for you two to use."

"How do you snowboard?" Daichi asked.

Iwaizumi smirked at him. "I'll teach you, when are you trying to do it?"

"Is tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah."

Daichi walked beside Sugawara, who carried his own snowboard.

They carried goggles to cover their eyes from the snow, and were wearing snow boots to walk easily on the mountain.

Iwaizumi was already waiting for them when they arrived, he was fully suited up and ready to go. "Alright, do you have on your snowboard boots?"

Daichi and Sugawara nodded simultaneously.

"See if you fit snug." Iwaizumi said, referring to their snowboards.

Daichi helped Sugawara into his snowboard, making sure he didn't fall. Then Sugawara helped Daichi into his snow boots in return.

"Okay, now you need to find your stance. There's regular-" Iwaizumi demonstrates the stance. "-and there's goofy." Iwaizumi switches his stance to goofy. "Pick the stance that you feel comfortable using to slide down the mountain."

The lesson took a while to get used to, but both Daichi and Sugawara figured it out.

Iwaizumi sat on top of the mountain just enjoying the sight. He had never seen Sugawara smile before, and seeing it up close-he believed there was a small chance for Daichi.

"Let's race!" Sugawara said, his cheeks were flushed pink from feeling exuberant.

"Okay." Daichi got into position.

"On your mark! Get set-" Sugawara started to slide down the hill. "Go!"

"No fair!" Daichi slid after him, laughing and smiling.

Iwaizumi didn't want to leave yet. Him and Daichi were friends for so long that he wanted to see Daichi smile with Sugawara for a little while longer. Even if they were having a good time being friends, he was happy for Daichi for having fun with Sugawara.

When the night sky covered the sky, it was time for Iwaizumi to head back before the animals came out.

"Okay, I'm leaving now Daichi and Sugawara." Iwaizumi said when he made it to the bottom of the hill.

Daichi and Sugawara fell in a clump of snow and were laughing still.

"Goodnight Iwaizumi! Thanks a lot!" Daichi waved to his friend.

"Goodnight Iwaizumi!" Sugawara waved to Iwaizumi too.

Iwaizumi waved back and left to go home.

Daichi stood onto his feet, brushing off the snow from his clothes. "We should go back too."

Sugawara sighed, he looked up at the plain night sky. "Guess so."

Daichi opened the door to the cabin, the easiness relaxed his mind-he was happy that Sugawara was slowly accepting his presence more.

"Who's using the shower first?" Sugawara asked, taking off his shoes before walking to the loveseat.

"You can go first. I want to return these to them." Daichi said, pointing to the snowboards.

"We can't use them tomorrow?" Sugawara asked, looking a bit disappointed that Daichi wanted to return the boards.

Daichi didn't like borrowing things that weren't his for a long period of time, but Sugawara genuinely seemed to want to go snowboarding tomorrow too. He sat next to Sugawara in defeat. "Fine, we can use them again."

"Thanks Daichi." Sugawara beamed, he swung an arm around Daichi's shoulders to give him a semi hug, then stood up and walked to the bathroom to shower.

Daichi's heart skipped a beat when Sugawara hugged him for the first time.

He felt nervous when Sugawara got close to him.

"No Daichi, he said not to fall for him…" Daichi murmured, trying to build back his composure.

He groaned when the days spent with Sugawara flashed through his mind. He couldn't ignore the development, and felt guilty for wanting more memories like they made today.

"Crap, what do I do now? Ignore my emotions?" Daichi lowered his head, he ran his fingers through his hair, and rubbed the back of his neck. He mentally was convincing himself that he was just happy for being his friend. And being his friend is what he is wanting to continue doing.

In the end, he ignored the little skip in his heart when Sugawara hugged him to not mess up their friendship.

A year after that memorable day, Daichi and Sugawara become really close friends, but their conversations never crossed a line.

Daichi still hasn't talked about Sugawara's parents, and still doesn't know what Sugawara's life was before arriving there-besides him falling in love with someone.

Sugawara ended up working as a photographer for oceanographers and biologists. He grew close with the animals under the water, and decided to take photos of them.

It was a smart move for him. No one will survive out here where the cold weather can kill someone, and he can swim deep into the ocean without needing air for a long period of time.

Daichi was happy that Sugawara found something he enjoyed, and even more happy when Sugawara moved out of his cabin a few days after starting the job.

He can sleep in his own bed now, though he still enjoys sleeping in caves from time to time. And he can work long hours without needing to worry for Sugawara's safety.

Oikawa and Iwaizumi ended up rebuilding their main cabin home. They transformed it into a two story cabin home with stairs, a patio, and a balcony.

They earned more money to do so from both Sugawara and Daichi, since Sugawara isn't big on having money anyway-he gives it to the couple like Daichi does.

Especially since he moved into his own cabin.

Everything was great for a while.

Everyone worked to their desire, and smiled more than usual thanks to Sugawara's willingness to talk about everything.

But something nagged in Daichi's mind-it was Sugawara's behavior towards him.

They were still friends, but Daichi noticed Sugawara was more fidgety and tended to ignore him on some days.

Daichi started to overwork himself to give Sugawara his space, thinking it was his fault for being too close to him.

It has been a week since Daichi last had a decent conversation with Sugawara.

His heart throbbed from the lack of joy he hasn't experienced when he's usually around him. Sugawara made him feel the same way snow made Daichi feel inside-warm and happy.

He missed Sugawara dearly and wanted to embrace his warmth again.

They rarely hug, but right now-Daichi wanted nothing more than to do just that.

He wanted to hug Sugawara, giving him the same security that the northern lights gave Daichi.

Daichi groaned, he stood in the middle of the snow. He had walked for miles and miles to clear his own mind, but everything led back to Sugawara's beautiful face.

If only Daichi had the same amount of confidence like Iwaizumi and Oikawa did. He could tell Sugawara the truth, but he never experienced love like this before.

Where does he even start?

Daichi stopped walking to fall back onto the thick blanket of snow. "I'm in love with a bear." Daichi mumbled under his breath.

Bears, in his opinion, are people that don't tag themselves with other people, and get angry easily if you cross their boundary. They're shy at first, and slowly adapt to your presence, though getting close still becomes a problem sometimes.

"I'll take a nap here, no one needs me at the moment." Daichi closed his eyes, he didn't care what animal would find him there. He just wanted to take a nap.

A few hours later, Daichi heard fast footsteps heading towards him. He opened his eyes and sat up. He turned to see Sugawara running to him.

"Oh hey, Sugawara." Daichi stood up onto his feet. The sky above him was turning black-it was now night time.

"Don't 'hey' me!" Sugawara stood in front of Daichi, trying to catch his breath. "I was looking for you!"

"Sorry...I must've fallen asleep out here."

"What were you doing?"

"Walking."

"This far out?"

"It was a nice hour to walk."

Sugawara pressed his lips together. "You-" Sugawara looked down. "You're lying. I saw the look on your face before you left. You looked...frustrated and stressed. Was it my fault?"

"No…" Daichi lied.

"I thought you came back, but when I went to your cabin. You weren't in there. I searched every cave you sleep in, and checked under the water but you weren't there. So I ran out here and found you laying down motionless. I thought you were dead…" Sugawara's voice was brittle.

"Death sounds pleasing right now…" Daichi mumbled, his heart squeezed in agony-he hated admitting to death.

"Why?" Sugawara's eyes met Daichi's again.

Daichi stuffed his hands into his jacket and shrugged. "I want something impossible, and I don't want to live yearning for it. I could travel and find my parents, but they don't want me. I could also go see civilization for the first time, but people are cruel breeds that don't care for others."

"Why would you say that? Not everyone is rude and cruel! W-What about Oikawa and Iwaizumi?"

"I'll thank them for being my first friends then."

"You have so much to live for so why…" Sugawara's voice cracked, his eyes glossed over with tears prickling at his eye sockets. "Why are you saying these things?! Are you okay leaving those who care for you?!"

"I'm emotionally drained. I want something so bad that...I can't stand feeling the urge to have it anymore. It's poison for me. I can either keep tasting it on my tongue, or let myself end it all to prevent hurting the other person."

"Who's the other person?"

"They stay a secret to my grave."

Sugawara sniffed, he tried to wipe away the fallen tears but more came down. "What about me? Are you leaving our friendship?"

"I am. Thanks for being my friend this long." Daichi turned away from Sugawara, he was about to walk away when Sugawara yelled out;

"My parents are hard working people! They work so hard that I barely see them anymore! I thought life revolved around work and only work all my life! But then I met you and realized that some people enjoy working! And now that I enjoy it, you want to give me a reason to despise it? Why? Just when everything was going so well!"

"I'm sorry…"

"Sorry don't fix anything! Tell me what I can do to save you from your nightmares! Tell me! Communicate with me! I'm your friend, aren't I?"

Daichi sighed. "You can't fix this, I'm sorry." Daichi walked away, the snow crunched beneath his feet at every step he took. He felt bad for doing this to Sugawara but he had to.

"Daichi!" Sugawara yelled out but Daichi didn't stop. Sugawara looked up at the sky and whispered. "I'm in love with you…"

Daichi stopped walking, his head slowly turned to face Sugawara. "What?"

Sugawara's bottom lip quivered. "I'm in love again...but with you...Daichi...I love you..."

Daichi walked back to Sugawara, his figure towered over Sugawara, who looked like he was about to fall to his knees. Daichi held onto Sugawara's shoulders to keep him standing. "Do you mean it? That you love me?"

"I'm more sure of it than anything. You're not a vulture, you're a man that is special to me."

Daichi pulled Sugawara into his arms for a tight hug, his lips were right next to Sugawara's ear. "I love you too, Sugawara."

Sugawara didn't say anything for a few seconds, He was shocked, but he hugged Daichi back."Promise me...that you won't leave me. Let's be like them, and live together and be happy."

"I promise."

They pulled apart from the hug, their hands still holding on to each other, and their eyes staring at the other in doting.

Daichi smiled at Sugawara. "Can I...kiss you?"

"Y-Yeah…"

Their eyes closed and their lips found each other. It was a dream come true.

They felt their third finger sting and burn, causing them to flinch and check.

They saw their soulmate mark engraved into their skin.

"My soulmate." Daichi whispered, intertwining his fingers with Sugawara's.

Sugawara giggled. "My life."

The northern lights appeared above them, as they stood there in love-underneath the lights.