[ okay, here's the thing: sugawara never gets sick.
maybe it's because he's been blessed with a pretty sturdy metabolism, or maybe all the frequent exercise keeps him in decent shape, or maybe it's because his body is just so naturally geared towards taking care of other people that it simply kicks germs right off to the wayside. whatever the case, he's never had anything more serious than a cold or a headache since elementary school, no matter how many of his classmates fall prey the various seasonal ailments that plague the halls.
... but here's the thing about absolutes: there's always an exception to every rule.
and naturally, when suga does get sick, it's at the worst possible time. his very first round of finals is just around the corner as a university freshman, and everyone's been stressed for weeks under the weight of an increased workload and upcoming tests. professors are crabby, morale is low, and... there's a monster flu going around that just so happens to punch suga right in his unsuspecting face. he's been down with it all weekend, laid up in bed and absolutely miserable, head and lungs packed full of congestion, throat sore enough to suggest that he's swallowed a handful of thumbtacks, alternately burning alive and then freezing to death under the ravages of a fever that stubbornly refuses to break. his own roommate has long since fled for the (relatively germ-free safety) of the campus library, but...
every single gross and miserable step of the way, daichi's been there at his side, absolutely steadfast. applying warm or cool compresses to his forehead in turn, coaxing juice and medicine into him, supplying kleenexes and throat lozenges, and trying to take his temperature every few hours like the fussiest of mother hens. ... there was even an attempt at pillow fluffing, but suga stubbornly fought that one off.
... he feels bad for making daichi waste his entire weekend like this, but it's still... nice. more than nice, actually, but he's too exhausted to fumble around in his head for the more appropriate word that properly encompasses the warm and giddy feeling that comes when your best friend (and ridiculous high school crush) drop everything to come fuss over you a little.
but!! it seems like he's finally coming through the worst of it, if... the reappearance of a sense of humor is enough to go by. ]
If I die, Asahi isn't allowed to speak at the funeral. [ which is the hoarse greeting daichi gets when he reenters the room, half-muffled by the way suga has his face shoved in his pillow. his head is still killing him. ] He'll cry during the whole eulogy. It'll be depressing.
[ As always, Daichi is reliable, steady - this extends to his immune system, apparently. He's only gotten bedriddenly sick a handful of times in his life, for which he's thankful as he's reached university. After all, you can only have so many sick days. He'd rather use those for things that aren't, you know, being sick.
Like when Suga gets sick, he effectively puts everything on hold and uses all of those sick days to ensure that he'll have someone to take care of him, when he's usually the one taking care of other people. The jokes Tanaka and Nishinoya and Ennoshita plague them even now, parents fussing after their kids, and now... well, who better to take care of your mom when she (or he, in this case) is the one that's sick? At least Suga's miserable because of a flu that's invaded campus, rather than because he was taking care of someone else. But it's so bad that Daichi won't be shocked if he's its next victim.
Something he's trying to not think about, as he makes sure that Suga drinks juice and pocari, feeds him soup and okayu. He's probably going to have to change Suga's sheets by the end of the day, but at least he's managed to keep his room aired out and not smelling like someone's slowly dying in a locker room.
But, lo! A sign of life!
Daichi perks at the sound of Suga's voice, croaking as it is, and huffs a quiet sound of amused fondness at him. His smile is hidden behind his mask, but it reaches his eyes, softening them around the corners as he pads back into his room on socked feet, juggling a couple bottles of juice and water, aspirin, and his reading work. Staring at people while they sleep is generally frowned upon, especially when you've recently realized that you've kind of been in love with them for years, so he's been trying to keep busy every time Suga dozes off. ]
Everyone would cry during the whole eulogy, you know that, right? [ He drops down to sit next to his bed, setting things down one by one until he can nudge Suga gently in what he's assuming to be his shoulder with a bottle of pocari. ] C'mon, I brought aspirin.
... but you know how Asahi gets. He'd start getting way too sentimental, and probably write a poem, and then...
[ an utterly beleaguered sigh, which turns itself into a chest-deep cough that he's forced to muffle into his sleeve. look!! he loves asahi!! and he's been one of his best friends for years!! but...!! ] ... it'd force me to be embarrassed for him. Even from the grave.
[ but the prospect of aspirin for his head -- if this miserable experience has taught him one thing, it's that daichi's obviously got some sort of latent talent as a mind reader -- is enough to get him to sit up, even if he does so with a mmgh of protest. he keeps the blanket half-draped over himself, though; it's a nice way to ward off the chills, and it also keeps him from showing off as little of his current gross state as possible. this... is not exactly the sort of romantic weekend in that he'd always pictured having with daichi, not by a long shot. ]
Daichi's way too nice sometimes. [ holding out his hands hopefully for the aspirin! ] I bet you didn't even take any blackmail pictures.
Okay, okay - fair. Though that's all assuming he could even blubber out a poem, let alone words.
[ Between having to listen to Suga cough and go through the motions of a fever, Daichi's had a sneaking suspicion that he should probably ply him a little with more medication. Even a little aspirin ought to help bring his fever down even more, if any of it remains - he'll check, in a minute - and he can imagine that he feels like utter shit now that he's had rib rattling coughs all week.
He can't help but worry the entire time, even as they joke. At least Suga's feeling better, enough to joke. Always a good sign when he's sassing him. ]
I thought about it. [ A lie, as he pops open the bottle and gets a couple tablets to put them in one outstretched hand, the pocari in the other. ] You looked too miserable, so I took pity on you.
[ His dry tone turns soft, concerned again, as he watches him with a furrowed brow. ] How're you feeling?
[ the first bit gets an actual laugh out of him, even if it's pretty quick to taper off into another fit of coughing. poor asahi... the mental image of him trying to stumble through some ridiculously ornate and flowery poem while fighting back gross and blubbery sobs is just... well. all too easy to picture, honestly. and he'd probably end up biting his tongue and bleeding to death on the spot, which means that daichi would be stuck trudging dutifully through two funerals instead of just the one.
... it'd be better to force himself to keep on living, then. just as a public service to his captain.
but! he takes his medicine obediently around a mouthful of pocari, even though he pauses to give daichi a meaningful Look over the rim. ] ... and because you're afraid of my revenge.
[ which would be swift, ruthless, and utterly fatal. daichi's mom loves him; he could swing by his house any time and get his hands on a number of embarrassing family photos. ]
But... better? I think. [ gross is probably a more adept answer, but that won't do anything to ease the worried lines on daichi's brow. ... worried lines that suga reaches out to smooth his thumb over gently, clucking playfully at him with tongue. ] Good enough for you to stop making that face, at least.
[ Honestly, if Daichi could avoid going to any funerals, that would be his ideal. Between Suga being the fuse to his temper, and Asahi being the foundation to everyone's morale - even away from Karasuno - he isn't quite sure what would happen to him if he had to trudge through two funerals. Crazy, probably, despite all of his complaints about going grey before hitting twenty. He and Suga could match prematurely, even if he does love his best friends very dearly.
Shoulders hunching up to his ears in a shrug, his cheeks twitch around the edges of the grin he shoots back in exchange for his Look. He'll take his mask off eventually, but it's a paltry reassurance that maybe he won't get too miserably sick. ] Yeah, that too. I'd rather enjoy our first year without you going on a revenge quest.
[ ... he does, really, love his best friends. Even if he's at constant risk of being mortified by Suga's ammunition on a daily basis.
But he focuses again, letting out a soft hum even if his ears pinken a little at the clucking. ] You sounded pretty bad, Suga. I can't help but worry when you're coughing up both lungs. Here, c'mere - [ Of course, Daichi figures he ought to check his temperature again, and shifts, getting to his knees so he can gently sweep his bangs from where they've fallen across his forehead, bonking his own against it carefully. ]
[ he blinks a little as daichi starts to lean forward into him -- and there's a moment where his heart catches in his chest, where the ghost of that old crush that he likes to pretend he's moved past rears up and punches him right in the face. because, just for a second, suga thinks that daichi might actually be leaning in for a kiss.
... and then their foreheads clunk gently together.
(at least there's probably some justification for blaming his runaway imagination on the cold medicine.)
but... even being this close is enough to make his heart skip a little beat, a rush of heat climbing up into his face that has absolutely nothing to do with his fever. so he squeezes his eyes shut before he slips up and gives something away; sometimes daichi's too sharp for his own good, and being read like an open book about this would just be... way too embarrassing. ]
... so, what's the verdict? [ softly, mouth curling up into a little grin. ] Am I gonna make it?
[ A frown curls his expression visibly, and Daichi brings his free hand up to adjust his mask a little in their close proximity. Partially as something to do with himself, because of their proximity, but also just to reassure himself that it's in place. It isn't some impenetrable defense, but it's... something, at least. And it distracts him, a little, as he feels a few nerves flutter up in his gut.
The sensation is one he's been feeling for a little while now, ever since he sat down and spent some time with Yui. Talking to her always puts his head on straight, especially when it comes to more serious things. Their relationship had always been particularly interesting, but she had an outsider's viewpoint of his relationship with the rest of his team.
And, more specifically, Suga.
Having her point blank say "you're kind of in love with Sugawara, you know - for like, ages now!" had been a punch in the face on his end of things.
The only reason he hasn't said anything is because he's still reeling, but also, what the hell does he say, and how does he say it in a way that won't ruin what they already have? ]
You're not burning up anymore. [ Daichi's suspicious of that heat radiating off him, though. ] So I think we can say you're in the clear.
[ the sound of daichi's voice nearly makes suga sit up and open his eyes again, but... something makes him linger. maybe it's just because... it's nice, being this close. daichi's skin is cool against his own, and his voice is pitched soft and low thanks to their close proximity. suga's not self-deluded enough to think it actually means anything -- he's been friends with daichi long enough to know that this is just how he is, honest and open and endearingly straight-forward.
if daichi did feel that way towards him, then suga thinks he'd probably know? they've been friends long enough for him to be able to tell, right? ]
Thanks to you. [ teasing, the smile audible in his voice. ] I never would have pulled through without your stellar bedside manner.
[ The closeness is... reassuring, almost. Suga's always just had this way about him that's comforted Daichi, deep down, even if he's a little bit of a bully with that iron fist of his. It's always for the best, though, and it's not as if it actually hurts. Rather, it's just one of the things he really like about Suga. He's encouraging in just the right way, whether it's literally tough love or a gentle touch, and he's just so hardworking and genuine, and...
Oh boy. being demisexual is hard and no one understands
Daichi, slowly, pulls back from where their foreheads are pressed together, brushing his knuckles against one of his heated cheeks. He'd play the excuse of checking to make sure it's not part of his fever, but it honestly isn't. It's just an excuse to touch him more. Like he's testing these feelings of his. ]
Well, you've been mostly asleep when you haven't been hacking your lungs out, so it's not like I've had to do much.
[ suga's eyes flutter open slowly as daichi pulls back a little, instinctively trying to focus on his captain's face. the close proximity makes the edges of the picture blurry; it's impossible to get a clear picture of daichi's expression like this, to read his mind the way that suga is used to being able to.
... and admittedly, that skill would be nice, when the way that daichi slides his knuckles over suga's cheek makes his heart flutter in his chest. he's used to shrugging off easy and platonic touches as nothing, used to refusing to let his mind wander down the pathway of wondering if it could mean something more, but... it's also hard to deny that this feels... different, somehow. more intimate than one friend taking care of another.
then again, he's practical enough to admit that all of this might just be the fever talking. ]
No use downplaying it, Dai~chi. [ and even though he sounds exhausted and hoarse, it's equally obvious that he's amused. ] I'm holding you personally responsible for saving my life.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
vibrates nervously off the edge of a table
maybe it's because he's been blessed with a pretty sturdy metabolism, or maybe all the frequent exercise keeps him in decent shape, or maybe it's because his body is just so naturally geared towards taking care of other people that it simply kicks germs right off to the wayside. whatever the case, he's never had anything more serious than a cold or a headache since elementary school, no matter how many of his classmates fall prey the various seasonal ailments that plague the halls.
... but here's the thing about absolutes: there's always an exception to every rule.
and naturally, when suga does get sick, it's at the worst possible time. his very first round of finals is just around the corner as a university freshman, and everyone's been stressed for weeks under the weight of an increased workload and upcoming tests. professors are crabby, morale is low, and... there's a monster flu going around that just so happens to punch suga right in his unsuspecting face. he's been down with it all weekend, laid up in bed and absolutely miserable, head and lungs packed full of congestion, throat sore enough to suggest that he's swallowed a handful of thumbtacks, alternately burning alive and then freezing to death under the ravages of a fever that stubbornly refuses to break. his own roommate has long since fled for the (relatively germ-free safety) of the campus library, but...
every single gross and miserable step of the way, daichi's been there at his side, absolutely steadfast. applying warm or cool compresses to his forehead in turn, coaxing juice and medicine into him, supplying kleenexes and throat lozenges, and trying to take his temperature every few hours like the fussiest of mother hens. ... there was even an attempt at pillow fluffing, but suga stubbornly fought that one off.
... he feels bad for making daichi waste his entire weekend like this, but it's still... nice. more than nice, actually, but he's too exhausted to fumble around in his head for the more appropriate word that properly encompasses the warm and giddy feeling that comes when your best friend (and ridiculous high school crush) drop everything to come fuss over you a little.
but!! it seems like he's finally coming through the worst of it, if... the reappearance of a sense of humor is enough to go by. ]
If I die, Asahi isn't allowed to speak at the funeral. [ which is the hoarse greeting daichi gets when he reenters the room, half-muffled by the way suga has his face shoved in his pillow. his head is still killing him. ] He'll cry during the whole eulogy. It'll be depressing.
gently picks up and pets head
Like when Suga gets sick, he effectively puts everything on hold and uses all of those sick days to ensure that he'll have someone to take care of him, when he's usually the one taking care of other people. The jokes Tanaka and Nishinoya and Ennoshita plague them even now, parents fussing after their kids, and now... well, who better to take care of your mom when she (or he, in this case) is the one that's sick? At least Suga's miserable because of a flu that's invaded campus, rather than because he was taking care of someone else. But it's so bad that Daichi won't be shocked if he's its next victim.
Something he's trying to not think about, as he makes sure that Suga drinks juice and pocari, feeds him soup and okayu. He's probably going to have to change Suga's sheets by the end of the day, but at least he's managed to keep his room aired out and not smelling like someone's slowly dying in a locker room.
But, lo! A sign of life!
Daichi perks at the sound of Suga's voice, croaking as it is, and huffs a quiet sound of amused fondness at him. His smile is hidden behind his mask, but it reaches his eyes, softening them around the corners as he pads back into his room on socked feet, juggling a couple bottles of juice and water, aspirin, and his reading work. Staring at people while they sleep is generally frowned upon, especially when you've recently realized that you've kind of been in love with them for years, so he's been trying to keep busy every time Suga dozes off. ]
Everyone would cry during the whole eulogy, you know that, right? [ He drops down to sit next to his bed, setting things down one by one until he can nudge Suga gently in what he's assuming to be his shoulder with a bottle of pocari. ] C'mon, I brought aspirin.
shyly rubs cheek on
[ an utterly beleaguered sigh, which turns itself into a chest-deep cough that he's forced to muffle into his sleeve. look!! he loves asahi!! and he's been one of his best friends for years!! but...!! ] ... it'd force me to be embarrassed for him. Even from the grave.
[ but the prospect of aspirin for his head -- if this miserable experience has taught him one thing, it's that daichi's obviously got some sort of latent talent as a mind reader -- is enough to get him to sit up, even if he does so with a mmgh of protest. he keeps the blanket half-draped over himself, though; it's a nice way to ward off the chills, and it also keeps him from showing off as little of his current gross state as possible. this... is not exactly the sort of romantic weekend in that he'd always pictured having with daichi, not by a long shot. ]
Daichi's way too nice sometimes. [ holding out his hands hopefully for the aspirin! ] I bet you didn't even take any blackmail pictures.
coos over
[ Between having to listen to Suga cough and go through the motions of a fever, Daichi's had a sneaking suspicion that he should probably ply him a little with more medication. Even a little aspirin ought to help bring his fever down even more, if any of it remains - he'll check, in a minute - and he can imagine that he feels like utter shit now that he's had rib rattling coughs all week.
He can't help but worry the entire time, even as they joke. At least Suga's feeling better, enough to joke. Always a good sign when he's sassing him. ]
I thought about it. [ A lie, as he pops open the bottle and gets a couple tablets to put them in one outstretched hand, the pocari in the other. ] You looked too miserable, so I took pity on you.
[ His dry tone turns soft, concerned again, as he watches him with a furrowed brow. ] How're you feeling?
////
... it'd be better to force himself to keep on living, then. just as a public service to his captain.
but! he takes his medicine obediently around a mouthful of pocari, even though he pauses to give daichi a meaningful Look over the rim. ] ... and because you're afraid of my revenge.
[ which would be swift, ruthless, and utterly fatal. daichi's mom loves him; he could swing by his house any time and get his hands on a number of embarrassing family photos. ]
But... better? I think. [ gross is probably a more adept answer, but that won't do anything to ease the worried lines on daichi's brow. ... worried lines that suga reaches out to smooth his thumb over gently, clucking playfully at him with tongue. ] Good enough for you to stop making that face, at least.
:3c
Shoulders hunching up to his ears in a shrug, his cheeks twitch around the edges of the grin he shoots back in exchange for his Look. He'll take his mask off eventually, but it's a paltry reassurance that maybe he won't get too miserably sick. ] Yeah, that too. I'd rather enjoy our first year without you going on a revenge quest.
[ ... he does, really, love his best friends. Even if he's at constant risk of being mortified by Suga's ammunition on a daily basis.
But he focuses again, letting out a soft hum even if his ears pinken a little at the clucking. ] You sounded pretty bad, Suga. I can't help but worry when you're coughing up both lungs. Here, c'mere - [ Of course, Daichi figures he ought to check his temperature again, and shifts, getting to his knees so he can gently sweep his bangs from where they've fallen across his forehead, bonking his own against it carefully. ]
no subject
... and then their foreheads clunk gently together.
(at least there's probably some justification for blaming his runaway imagination on the cold medicine.)
but... even being this close is enough to make his heart skip a little beat, a rush of heat climbing up into his face that has absolutely nothing to do with his fever. so he squeezes his eyes shut before he slips up and gives something away; sometimes daichi's too sharp for his own good, and being read like an open book about this would just be... way too embarrassing. ]
... so, what's the verdict? [ softly, mouth curling up into a little grin. ] Am I gonna make it?
no subject
The sensation is one he's been feeling for a little while now, ever since he sat down and spent some time with Yui. Talking to her always puts his head on straight, especially when it comes to more serious things. Their relationship had always been particularly interesting, but she had an outsider's viewpoint of his relationship with the rest of his team.
And, more specifically, Suga.
Having her point blank say "you're kind of in love with Sugawara, you know - for like, ages now!" had been a punch in the face on his end of things.
The only reason he hasn't said anything is because he's still reeling, but also, what the hell does he say, and how does he say it in a way that won't ruin what they already have? ]
You're not burning up anymore. [ Daichi's suspicious of that heat radiating off him, though. ] So I think we can say you're in the clear.
no subject
if daichi did feel that way towards him, then suga thinks he'd probably know? they've been friends long enough for him to be able to tell, right? ]
Thanks to you. [ teasing, the smile audible in his voice. ] I never would have pulled through without your stellar bedside manner.
no subject
Oh boy.
being demisexual is hard and no one understandsDaichi, slowly, pulls back from where their foreheads are pressed together, brushing his knuckles against one of his heated cheeks. He'd play the excuse of checking to make sure it's not part of his fever, but it honestly isn't. It's just an excuse to touch him more. Like he's testing these feelings of his. ]
Well, you've been mostly asleep when you haven't been hacking your lungs out, so it's not like I've had to do much.
no subject
... and admittedly, that skill would be nice, when the way that daichi slides his knuckles over suga's cheek makes his heart flutter in his chest. he's used to shrugging off easy and platonic touches as nothing, used to refusing to let his mind wander down the pathway of wondering if it could mean something more, but... it's also hard to deny that this feels... different, somehow. more intimate than one friend taking care of another.
then again, he's practical enough to admit that all of this might just be the fever talking. ]
No use downplaying it, Dai~chi. [ and even though he sounds exhausted and hoarse, it's equally obvious that he's amused. ] I'm holding you personally responsible for saving my life.