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Despite what many people think, Suga is quite perceptive. He can usually tell when people are lying to him or if someone's having a bad day. That's the perk of being a people watcher.
When he receives his soulmate pet, the puppy bounds up to him. It's a border collie, brown patches of fur and big blue eyes. Suga can't help but coo and lean towards it. However, the puppy stops just shy of his reach, crouching down and tucking its tail between its legs.
Noted.
“Oh no, sorry,” he whispers, leaning back and holding out a flat palm. His actions seem to calm it down, and it takes a step towards him to sniff his hand. Then, it pushes its face into it, allowing him to scratch it behind the ear. “You're just adorable, aren't you?”
The puppy barks and tilts its chin up, like it understood exactly what Suga had said. He smiles as it gets closer. “Ah, so you're a boy. That's lucky. I wonder if they're as pretty as me?” Again, the puppy barks, jumping into his lap and butting his head against his chest.
“I guess you need a name,” he muses, threading his fingers through the soft fur.
“Kou-nii!” On cue, his little sister opens the back door and runs out into the garden. “Did you get your pet?” She asks, crouching down on the grass beside him. The puppy squirms in his gentle hold.
Suga smiles, stroking down the puppy in an attempt to get him to relax. “Aren't you up a little too late, Ai-chan?”
Aiya puffs out her cheeks, shaking her head. “No, I'm a big girl so I decide when I get to be awake.”
She's definitely snuck out of her room to see him, but he'll allow it for one night. He laughs, ruffles her hair, “I don't think six is the age you get to decide to be awake. How about you help me name my new puppy and we'll get you tucked back into bed?”
While Aiya considers his offer, the puppy reaches out and sniffs his sister’s hand. He decides she's good and settles back down in his lap. She eventually nods, moving to stroke the puppy. “He's so pretty.” Okay, so this dog definitely has a thing for compliments. He yips quietly, licking Aiya’s hand as if to say thanks. She giggles up at Suga, eyes bright. “Call him Pochi.”
“Pochi it is,” Suga says, nodding and pushing himself to stand. Pochi barks and jumps out of his lap, sitting next to Aiya who continues to pet him.
Is his soulmate an attention whore? Because Suga is beginning to get that impression.
•
After a month, Pochi has quickly grown used to Suga’s family. Instead of lingering back, he will happily charge and jump at him and his family. Once he grows more, that will definitely become an exciting return to the house.
While Pochi made his home in Suga’s bedroom, he's taken a note of some of his puppy’s strange habits. Nothing to worry about, but things normal dogs probably wouldn't do that make Suga question his soulmate a little.
Sometimes, Pochi would pass the full length mirror in the hallways and stop to stare at himself for a long time. It wasn't even to bark at his reflection. Instead, it was almost like he was admiring himself in the mirror.
If Suga went more than two days without brushing him, Pochi would bark at his side until he did. Only then would he stay calm and quiet for more than an hour.
When Suga walks him outside at night and there's no clouds, Pochi would sit and stare up at the stars, almost entranced by the night sky. Often, Suga would be stuck there and stargaze with his dog. It probably made for a weird sight to people passing by.
And the weirdest thing: Pochi loves alien movies. Way more than a dog should love alien movies. Whenever one comes on the television screen, Pochi jumps around and barks before settling down to stare enraptured for the following hours.
Whoever Suga’s soulmate is, he must be a huge nerd.
He must also be.. lonely, or sad. There's no other way to explain why on some days Pochi will do nothing but sleep. No matter how much Suga tries to take him for a walk or even take him outside in their garden, Pochi refuses to move.
“I don't know what to do, Asahi,” Suga mumbles. It's late, way past the time he's meant to be asleep by. But Pochi hadn't moved from the end of Suga’s bed all day, his head hanging over the edge as he whined softly to himself. “What helps you when you have a low point?”
“It usually depends how bad it is,” Asahi’s voice crackles over the phone, “my parents give me a lot of reassurance, so much that I can't tell them they're wrong. It's good to know someone's there.”
“I'll try that, thank you.” He sits beside Pochi, scratching him under his chin. “Sorry for keeping you up so late.”
Asahi makes a quiet noise, “it's no problem, I am going to sleep though because if we're late for morning practice Daichi won't be happy.”
Suga can't help but laugh, “Daichi isn't even the captain until next year, I'll see you tomorrow.” They say their goodbyes and end the call, the room going silent. He shifts his position so he's lying down on his stomach, burying his face in Pochi’s side. “I'm worried about you, Pochi.”
Pochi yips softly, pushing a paw against his shoulder. “I don't know what I can do, but know that even if I've only had you for a month, I love you so much.” His words seem to help, Pochi’s whines quietening down, his tail swishing softly. He continues talking, telling Pochi that he's a very good and handsome boy. By the time it's two in the morning, Pochi seems more willing to move.
“You feel like going for a walk?” Suga asks him, sliding off his bed and grabbing a hoodie thrown over the back of his desk chair. Seeming much better, Pochi jumps down, tail wagging so fast it's a blur. He smiles and heads downstairs, knowing Pochi will be right behind him.
There's no point in a leash, not when they see an average of zero people at night. Plus Pochi is a well behaved dog when he doesn't try to show off to others. “How about we stargaze tonight, Pochi? I know there's not many stars out tonight but I bet we'll be able to spot Orion or the Ursa Major.” Two months ago, Suga would have no idea what the constellations’ names were, but watching his dog be so fascinated by some balls of gas in the sky made him a little curious.
Pochi trots at his side, head tilted up towards the sky. He huffs softly in agreement, butting his head against Suga’s thigh.
Weirdly enough, there's someone at the usual spot Suga sits with Pochi. They're in a neon green hoodie, the hood pulled over their head with the drawstrings tied tightly in a bow below their chin. Before Pochi can run up to them, he grabs his collar. “Absolutely not, Pochi. I know what trouble you could cause.” He tugs lightly on Pochi’s collar, steering him in a different direction and away from the random stargazing stranger.
Suga is way too tired for any possible excitement.
•
When Suga first lays his eyes on Oikawa, the first thing that goes through his head is oh damn. He would never admit that out loud. Especially since it happened when their teams were in a match against each other.
Everything about Oikawa just oozes charm and arrogance: the purposeful tilt of his chin when he entered the gym, the sly smirk he gave to Kageyama, even the cheery grins he gave to his coach. The worst one being the smile he gave Suga once he noticed him staring.
If he was any less suspicious, he would have been a lot more embarrassed about being caught. There was just something about him though.
•
After the walk home with Oikawa, Suga’s first impression of him has quickly been grinded into nothing.
Oikawa is like a huge child, easy to please and with a food pallet to match. Clearly, he's a huge nerd, Suga didn't fail to notice the little alien head sewn into his bag strap. While he is still arrogant and charming, he breaks easily under compliments.
Suga really does find it fascinating how easily Oikawa can put up a front for others to see. Because even if everyone loves that front, Suga finds that he really, really likes the real Oikawa.
He waves Oikawa goodbye after he saves his number into his phone and practically floats inside. Pochi greets him like usual, leaping at him with unfiltered joy. After a year though, Pochi has definitely grown, Suga manages to catch him and steady him. Thank god for muscle growth. “It's good to see you too, Pochi.”
Because Pochi is still a huge baby, Suga shifts him so his front legs are over his shoulders. He carries him up to his room, putting Pochi down on his bed. “I met my soulmate today Pochi, you would get along with him.” Dropping down in the empty spot on his bed, Suga sighs. “I feel like I'm in middle school again, getting crushes on pretty guys.”
Pochi doesn't say anything, obviously, he's a dog, but he stands up and moves closer so he can lick Suga’s cheek. It's an agreement if anything else. He can't help but laugh, “I'm feeling nice today, do you feel like going for a midnight walk?” Pochi barks his agreement.
Suga spends the following hours doing homework, getting distracted by thinking of possible dates with Oikawa, helping his sister with her homework, getting distracted by telling his sister about Oikawa and letting her style his hair for his date. He doesn't even have a date, but he likes the smile on Aiya’s face as she pins his hair up with sparkly clips.
By the time he leaves with Pochi on their walk, he's forgotten about the pins and glitter hair ties. They walk to their little spot, settling back down on the grassy slope. It's quiet, allowing him to stare up at the stars and the occasional cloud in peace. “It's quite warm tonight, I could fall asleep here,” he hums, lying down and folding his arms behind his head. Pochi barks, and suddenly there's two paws pressing into his stomach.
He wheezes, sitting up quickly and wrapping his arms around his dog, “Pochi you know not to do that.” Then, Pochi rips himself out of his arms and goes dashing full speed towards a hooded figure. “No, Pochi, don't jump at strangers.”
Pochi doesn't jump at strangers, he always waits to make sure someone's okay before he does. The hooded figure makes a strangled sound, managing to catch Pochi but falling back from the force. Suga rushes over and crouches down, and Oikawa's there on the ground, screwing up his face as Pochi licks him. “Oikawa are you okay?”
“Suga-chan!” Oikawa smiles, skillfully blocking his face from Pochi’s as he does. “Fancy seeing you twice in one day, what brings you to my spot?”
Suga can't help but pull a face at that. “Your spot?”
“Yeah, I always come here.”
He scoffs, offering a hand for his soulmate to take. “I come up here at least once a week.”
“Really?” There’s a gleeful gleam in Oikawa's eyes as he accepts the hand. “You stargaze and watch for UFOs too?”
In that moment, Oikawa, with his alien hoodie and huge nerdy outburst, has never been more amazing. Suga can't help but laugh. “What?”
Oikawa pouts, trudging up to, apparently, their spot. He pulls Suga along with him, who can't stop laughing. “Why are you laughing?”
“You're a huge nerd,” he manages to get out through giggles.
“Hey!”
“No, no. It's cute.” Suga takes a deep breath to calm himself down, shaking his head with a smile. He sits down on the grass and drags Oikawa down with him. “I stargaze too, mostly because Pochi did it so I joined too.”
There's a faint blush on Oikawa's face, probably from the compliment, but he looks up to the stars with a thoughtful look. “It's weird how we've never seen each other.”
A thought occurs to him, he hums quietly. “I think maybe I did, about a year ago I saw someone up here. This atrocious hoodie, like snot green.” He can't help but pick a little at Oikawa.
“Hey, that hoodie isn't snot green, it's alien green.”
“So it was you. As if we could have met last year.”
Oikawa smiles, leaning heavily against Suga. “I wouldn't have minded knowing you for an extra year.”
“That's okay, we have the rest of our lives to know each other.”
He gasps lightly, placing a hand over his heart. “Oh? How bold of you to say, Suga-chan.”
Suga smiles, jabs him on the side and lets the brunet fall onto his lap with a loud whine. Pochi stretches out beside his thigh, sapping the warmth from both him and Oikawa. Despite the teasing tone he spoke with, Suga can tell his comment made Oikawa happy.
“Shut up and watch the stars, nerd.”
“I like the clips by the way, they new?”
Suga punches him (lovingly) in the gut.
•
It was only a matter of time before Suga would witness Oikawa getting overwhelmed with everything.
Suga has been dating Oikawa for three months now, and they've created a routine. Every Monday, Oikawa will show up during Suga’s practice and watch him from the sidelines. After that they will play rock paper scissors to decide who gets to choose what kind of date to go on. Every Thursday Suga will pick his sister up from school and take her for a hot chocolate at the cafe Oikawa works part time at. On Friday, he goes over to Oikawa's so they can watch movies and stay up all night.
One particular Friday afternoon after practice, he gets a call from Iwaizumi. They've created their own little friendship, started after he stole Suga’s number from Oikawa's phone and sent him a text wishing him luck for dating his best friend. He answers the call, slowing his steps to walk behind Daichi and Asahi. “Hey Iwa-chan.”
On the other end of the line, Iwaizumu lets out a long sigh. “Do you still insist on calling me that?”
“Absolutely. Anyway, what's up?” It's certainly strange for him to be calling, especially since he should have just left practice himself.
“You're going over to Tooru’s tonight, right?”
Tooru? Something is definitely wrong. “Yeah, I'm going round in a couple of hours.”
Iwaizumi clears his throat, “he’s been quiet today, tried to hide it too. Just make sure he's okay for me, you've been good for him.”
Suga nods despite the fact he can't see him. “Will do, I'll send you a text later tonight.”
“Thanks Suga.” With that, Iwaizumi ends the call and Suga joins Daichi and Asahi again. Daichi gives him a questioning look but he shrugs it off and quickly changes the topic.
For the two hours Suga takes to get ready and get over to Oikawa's house, a buzz of nervous energy runs constantly through his veins. He hovers outside his door, Pochi watching him and probably wondering what he's doing. It should be easy, walking into Oikawa's house like he always does.
What would he do if it was Asahi being a big baby about Noya? Right, probably jab him in the side and tell him to face his feelings.
When he opens the door the lights are off, there's a pair of shoes kicked off by the entrance. Pochi runs into the house, heading up the stairs on the hunt for Milkbread. “Oikawa?” No reply.
Suga toes off his own shoes, shutting the front door before following Pochi upstairs. He’s sitting outside Oikawa's door, scratching and sniffing at the gap at the bottom. “Oikawa, are you in there?” Still, there's no reply.
He taps a light knock on the door before pushing it open, the curtains are drawn and the only light provided is the glow in the dark stars on Oikawa's ceiling. They don't do much, considering they're years old. Pochi jumps up onto the bed, lying down by Oikawa's feet with a huff.
Oikawa, bundled up in way too many layers for a July evening, sets empty eyes on Suga. “Oh, Kou-chan. You're early,” he says, voice quiet and croaky.
“Actually, I'm a little late.” He pulls a packet of milk bread from his bag, waving it a little for show. “I brought a gift.” A small smile appears, and Oikawa pushes himself up into a semi-sitting position. Suga moves to sit next to him, their arms just barely touching.
Silently, he hands over the milk bread and watches Oikawa tear it open. He rests his head on Suga’s shoulder. “Thank you.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Suga runs his fingers through Oikawa's hair, pushing down his hood and untangling the knots.
Oikawa looks down at Milkbread curled up on his lap, then shakes his head softly. “Maybe later.”
“Okay.”
While Oikawa finishes the milk bread, Suga pulls out his phone to pass the time. He feels a shift against his side as Oikawa moves his head onto his chest for better access to the phone.
“You still play Candy Crush?” Oikawa asks, his nose scrunching up.
“What do you have against Candy Crush? It helps pass the time whenever we have matches and have to travel.”
“Okay.” His tone is a little lighter than before, it makes Suga smile despite the sarcasm he could hear.
Oikawa watches him play for another ten minutes, gradually curling further into his warmth until he almost dozes off. Suga is sure he has fallen asleep until he sits up. “Can we watch a movie?”
He smiles, turning off his phone and reaching for the laptop he knows is on the floor by the bed. “As long as it isn't Mars Needs Moms. I love you and all, but I refuse to listen to you complain about it again.”
Suga expects a normal complaint, that the movie needs to be watched again so Oikawa can truly immerse himself in the experience. There is no complaint though, Oikawa stays silent. When he turns to look at him, the brunet’s eyes are wide, a smile stretching out his lips.
“What?”
Oikawa sits up, grasping Suga’s sleeve so hard it pinches his arm. “You said you love me.”
Did he? God, it must have slipped out. He had really hoped for a better time to say that.
Suga must have taken too long to say something, since Oikawa pushes the laptop away and straddles his lap. “Kou-chan, you said you love me.”
For a moment, he gapes, still shocked he said it out loud. “It seems I did.”
In the dark, he can see Oikawa face contort. His brows draw together, his bottom lip sucked between his teeth. “Do.. do you,” he whispers the words, avoiding eye contact, “do you mean it?”
“Well, I was waiting for a better moment to say it.” Suga takes Oikawa's hands, relishing in the callouses from his rigorous training. “But yes, I do love you.”
Oikawa says nothing, and for a really long time, Suga feels like he might explode from the anticipation and fear. Then, he lifts his head up again, eyes glistening with tears.
They're far from the crocodile tears Oikawa usually sends his or Iwaizumi’s way. His lips tremble, curling down into a frown as he sniffles loudly. It's also not the reaction Suga was expecting. He surges forwards, wrapping his arms around Suga’s waist while he cries.
With no actual plan on what to do, Suga wraps his arms around him and lets him cry. “Take your time,” he mumbles under his breath, ignoring the damp spot he can feel forming on his shirt.
He's never seen Oikawa cry before, and even if he doesn't put him on a pedestal like others do, it's a little off putting.
“Sometimes I feel like I'm unworthy of everyone I have in my life.” His words are quiet and muffled against his chest. Suga has to strain to hear him. “Like everything they did for me I took for granted.”
“I can't tell you I understand what it feels like.” Suga rests his chin on Oikawa's head, he can feel his heart beating rapidly. “But I want you to know that whenever you feel like this, I'm going to make you know that you're loved.”
Oikawa huffs out a soft laugh. “You're so stubborn.” His hands wrap tighter around him, Suga wheezes at the loss of breath. “Before I met you, I always told myself that my soulmate wouldn't even like me. That they would think I was too obnoxious and a waste of their time.”
“You are not a waste of my time. Even if you do insist on critiquing movies that slander the alien name.” He meets Oikawa's eyes as he sits up with a pout.
“Being rude won't help me feel better.”
“It's not rude if I'm speaking the truth,” Suga sing-songs, wriggling away from Oikawa's fingers digging into his sides. He retaliates by skimming his fingers over his ribs, listening to Oikawa’s high-pitched screech with malicious joy.
They find their positions switched, Suga on Oikawa's lap, hands up his hoodie and pressed against warm skin. He smiles, leaning down until their lips are mere millimetres apart.
Oikawa threads his fingers through Suga’s hair, looking up at him with a subdued smile. “You're secretly the devil,” he says before pulling him down into a soft kiss.
•
(20:48) suga: [sent image]
(20:48) suga: toorus feeling much better now
(20:48) iwa-chan: You're both disgusting
(20:49) suga: what??
(20:49) suga: its just kissing
(20:50) suga: or is that too much for your virgin eyes
(20:50) iwa-chan: I hate you both
(20:50) iwa-chan: You're literally the worst
(20:50) suga: sending all the love your way <3