1 UNREQUITTED LOVE

(Set during the season 2 last episode.)

After their heartwarming match with Aoba johsai, they were heading back home. Takeda-san was driving and as coach peeked towards the back where all the crows were sound asleep. He smiled and went back to talking to Takeda-san about the next steps and the finals.

Almost halfway back to Karasuno, Suga woke up. When he slowly rubbed his eyes open, the first feeling was that his right cheek was numb. When his vision focused back to normal, a handsome, perfectly tanned stern yet calm face came to view. Usually, this face put him at ease. But today the face that he admired so much, was all bruised up and was slowly turning violet. Even though he knew to the person, this might not be much big of a deal but to him, it hurts the more he looked at it. Even if it was just an accident he couldn't bare seeing it, but he was not mad at Tanaka or anything. He just couldn't help but be upset about it. As the van was moving past the main road, the golden rays of the setting sun shone on to that tanned face, and Suga couldn't help but think, how can this fool be this handsome? He reached out and touched the bruises lightly. Just as he touched it, the face tensed up and the lips twitched with a "Tsss!", coming out in a deep hoarse and husky voice, startling Suga.

"I am so sorry, Daichi. I didn't mean to wake you. Does it hurt that bad, that you are flinching in your sleep? Wait I'll get the ice pack.", Suga started panicking and was about to go get the ice pack, but was stopped by a firm hold on his hand. When he looked back, a pair of dark brown eyes twinkling in the sunlight was looking straight into Suga's, sending slight shivers down his spine. The firm hand gripping Suga pulled him back onto the seat. Suga's hand was still near Daichi's face.

He lightly brushed the bruise, "Does it hurt that bad?", with all his concern being clearly evident on his pale face.

"Tsss!", Daichi flinched again.

"Oh! I am so sorry. Why did I touch it again? God, I am an idio~", Suga got interrupted mid-way his breakdown by a light chuckle.

"Why do you apologize this much? It didn't hurt. I am just messing with you.", Daichi said chuckling.

Suga's face changed from concerned to pissed real quick and poked Daichi's face hard, then slapped the hand holding his and sulked with a pouting face that said, hmph!

Daichi flinched for real this time, "Ow! Hey, that hurt!"

"Its meant to hurt. Its a payback.", he said still pouting.

Daichi smirked while holding on to his cheek, looking at the pouting vice-captain.

"Why are you so cute only to me?", he asked leaning in to see Suga's face properly.

"I am not cute!", he said moving his face away pretending as if he didn't want to see Daichi's face but in reality, he just didn't want Daichi to see him blushing from being called cute.

"What do you mean you are not? You should see your face now. I feel like doing this.", he said as he stretched his hand to pinch Suga's cheek, but got it slapped away instead.

"I behave normally with everyone, there is no exception.", he said pushing Daichi back, trying real hard to calm his nerves.

"Now that is not true at all. You behave all mature and take care of everyone like a mom, but when it comes to me you act, um.. how do you say it, somehow different."

"Different how?", Suga asked raising one of his eyebrows." He wanted to look intimidating, but he was actually low-key panicking if he showed his true feelings unconsciously.

"I don't know. You treat me differently. Your mannerisms are different.", Daichi said drawing Suga's name on the window.

"Hey stop beating around the bush and say it properly.", Suga was getting agitated. "Daichi, tell me. Hey, stop pretending to be asleep. Hey!"

"Alright, kids. We are here. Get all your things and head straight to the gym for a meeting.", the coach said, getting down from the van.

"Oh! You heard the coach. We need to hurry. Let's go.", Daichi said pausing his fake sleep and getting up to leave.

"Hey, don't run from it. Hey Daichi!"

"Oi! Asahi. Get up. We are here. Oi! Tanaka, Nishinoya. Stop sleeping and wake up Hinata and Kageyama. Don't fall back to sleep, Tanaka. Ennoshita, please wake them up."

'There you go again, being the responsible captain you are. But you never take responsibility for making my heart beat this fast.', he thought touching his chest and looking over to the window where Daichi wrote his name. He sighed and got up to wake up the rest. But he couldn't get what Daichi said, out of his head. So as they were going back to the gym, he pushed through the others to get to Daichi. He tugged at his jersey, "Oi, Daichi about~", Suga got interrupted in between.

"Oh, they're back!", Michimiya and girls from the girls' volleyball club were waiting for them. They came running.

Just as Suga saw Michimiya, his hand that was about to tug Daichi, fell and his heart tightened a bit.

"Congrats on making it to the finals!", she yelled as she came over.

"Oh, Michimiya! How did you know?", Daichi asked, as the whole team stopped to talk to them.

"They just announced it on the school announcements. That's amazing. The fact that you were able to beat Seijo..", she went on talking all excited about their win, with her face all flushed red.

Suga looked at Daichi who was just too shy to receive all of her high praises, being oblivious as ever.

"Wait. What happened to your face?", she asked, her face all concerned.

"Yeah, it happened in the match today. It looks a lot worse than it actually feels.", Daichi said scratching his neck.

"I see..", she relaxed a bit, still a little flushed and her friends side-eyed her, smiling at each other.

'It's obvious even to an idiot that she likes you. Are you an idiot not to notice it? Or do you already know and you like her back too. You say I behave differently to you. Then what about you. Look at your face now. It's flushed too. Is it because of the high praises that she is throwing at you or is it because of her?', Suga thought as he clenched his fist, hoping they would leave soon. Just as Suga was about to barf his guts out, they all were startled by the loud cheers coming from the students from all the floors.

"Oi, volleyball team. That was amazing."

"I will cheer for you tomorrow!"

"You better win!"

"Hinata, Kageyama. Well done."

All of them were astounded by how many stayed behind to congratulate them. Suga forgot about the turmoil he was going through for a minute.

"All you guys stayed late for us!", Daichi said being overwhelmed as he stared at all the people cheering for them.

When everyone was excitedly looking at all those people screaming for them, Suga only wanted to see one face, his captain's. But when he looked over he realized one thing, painfully. He was not the only one who felt that way. Michimiya felt the same too. The sight of her looking at Daichi with the longing in her eyes, similar to his, made him feel devastated. He was pretty sure that even though they both felt the same for the same person, only her feelings would be taken seriously.

'Even if, what we feel is different still, her feelings would matter more than mine to Daichi just because she is a girl and I am a boy. Her feelings are normal whereas mine is not. Even if he were to choose between me and her, it would be better for everyone to choose her, because a girl and boy being together is less complicated than two boys being together. It will affect our future. These same people cheering for us now might throw stones at us then.' He said looking back up to the school building. 'Well all that is, if he actually likes me. Which is a little too much to even dream about. How stupid can I be!', he swallowed the hurtful lump that was forming in his throat, squeezing his eyes shut as he took in the evening breeze that swept past them. When they walked back to the gym, Suga had decided one thing. 'I will not let myself be swept by the things Daichi do unconsciously, anymore. He treats me well because we have known each other for this long and since I am his best friend. I will not get my hopes high and hurt myself. I have loved him wholeheartedly, without him knowing till now. So I can let him go, too. Daichi should have a normal life. That's the least I can do for him.' He knew that this was not the time to get swayed by all these feelings. They are going to face Shiratorizawa tomorrow. He can't let his feelings get to him at a time like this. Being the team mom, he knew that much. His one mistake could make the entire team's efforts go down the drain. He didn't want to see them being all dead like when they were defeated by Seijo last time. He didn't want to see Daichi crying alone in the locker room again.

After the meeting with the coach, they were on their way home. Suga, Daichi, and Asahi were walking back together as usual.

"Hinata and Kageyama will surely stay behind, right?", Suga said.

"Well no matter how much I yell at them, those idiots are volleyball freaks anyways. They can't be stopped if they want to play.", Daichi said looking up the starry night sky.

"They are your freak kids, aren't they.", Suga said chuckling with Asahi.

"Our freak kids, you mean. You being the mom, right Asahi.", he said locking Suga's head in his elbow and scratching his head.

"Yeah right.", Asahi said laughing at them.

"Hey, whose side are you one?", Suga asked while struggling to get out of his hold.

"It doesn't matter whose side I am on, you guys should stop fighting to save up your energy for tomorrow. We can't be weak or else..", Asahi started to get all panicky, which is his usual agenda. But before he gets all shaky and emotional he was chopped in the torso by Suga saying, "Be gone, negative goatee!"

When Asahi was writhing in pain leaning against the wall Suga and Daichi stood by laughing at him. Daichi looked over to Suga and suddenly inched closer, startling Suga. He leaned in still laughing and straightened out Suga's hair which he messed up earlier. He was leaning so close to Suga's face that his warm breath was hitting Suga and still he was acting as if its the most natural thing possible. It was really surprising how he didn't see Suga's face changing different shades, even after being this close. Even Asahi saw it from that distance yet still Daichi didn't. That's how oblivious he is of his own actions and its impact on others. With Suga frozen up, Asahi knew it was up to him to get him out of this dilemma.

"Ha-Ha very funny come let's go. It's getting late.", Asahi said dragging the other two along.

Just after some 50 feet, Daichi parted from them, walking into a different alleyway. When he was out sight, Asahi turned to Suga, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I am fine, and thanks for earlier.", Suga was still slightly red.

"Why is that idiot so blind? Even I figured out your feeling for him way back.", Asahi said shaking his head.

"Well, let's not think about that now. We have a big day tomorrow.", Suga said acting all cool.

"Why are you putting up this show in front of me? I know that you are dying inside. I saw the look on your face when he was talking to Michimiya earlier. Suga, you know Daichi is as blind as a concrete wall. He won't realize it until you tell it to his face.", Asahi said stopping Suga in his path and shaking him by his shoulders.

"And what exactly am I supposed to tell him? That all this time when he was being the nicest, dumbest person in the world to me, I was falling in love with him every passing day. That when he treated me like his best friend I was having different views. That when he was getting touchy with me like normal friends I had different intentions. Is that what I am supposed to tell him, Asahi? Should I say that I am the worst kind of person who took his kind heart for something else?", Suga said tearing up.

"Suga, loving a person is not a crime."

"Well, but loving your best friend who is also a guy is.", Suga said crying.

"Suga, how is that any different from a girl liking a guy. Love is love, no matter the gender."

"Asahi tell me, do you think that if I confessed to him he can reciprocate what I have for him. We both know he is straight. Even if he didn't love me back, do think we can go back what we are now.", Suga said crying. He clutched Asahi by his collar, "Do you think I don't want to tell him that I love him so much. That it hurts every time I see him, that it hurts knowing that I can never be with him. No, Asahi, no. I am dying to tell him. I am dying to scream it to his face, that I love him. But I can't do that. I can't have people hate him and treat him differently because of me. I love him too much to put him through anything like that. I can't ruin his life like that. And above all, I can't have him hate me. I can't imagine him looking at me with disgust in his eyes. I can't, Asahi. I just can't.", he said resting his head on Asahi's chest.

"I am sorry, Suga. Its gonna be okay.", Asahi hugged him tight and let him cry, being buried into his chest. He knew there was nothing else he could do for Suga other than this.

After a while, they straightened up and went their ways. They were too drowned in so much of emotions that they didn't notice a shadow crouching down behind a lamppost, merging into the dark alleyway.

As Suga and Asahi walked back, neither of them said anything. Even before reaching where they usually separated, Suga stopped in his way. Asahi looked back, "What's wrong?"

"You go on ahead. I am going up there.", Suga said pointing at the staircase that led up to a shrine.

Asahi smiled, "Well, then. Good night."

"Good night.", Suga said waving at him as he climbed up the stairs.