Intangible (Daisuga)

Chapter III

Chapter III:
Blessing In Disguise

"Painted on an angel's cheeks are the stars, and injected into their gaze are the skies."

The bright rays of the sun regarded Sugawara as he slowly closed the door behind him. It emitted faint creaking sounds as well as the wooden floorboard on the front porch.

He pulled his scarf up until it covered his mouth, his gaze focused straight ahead as he trudged down the road. A subtle smile crossed his lips when he caught the glimpse of his paper bag in hand.

It was another fine day in Miyagi. The warmth of the sun was compensated by the chilly winter atmosphere.

A smile traced Sugawara's lips when he came across a bunch of kids, frolicking in the sidelines. The streets were clear and the only thing that cast noise was their gleeful cheers.

He stopped dead in his tracks when one of the kids accidentally hit him with a snowball right in the face. The little chatters died when he swung his head to their direction.

"She did it!" Five of them said in unison as they pointed their fingers at a little girl, who immediately hung her head low. Sugawara chuckled at the sight of her, twiddling her fingers as she pouted.

"S-Sorry." The little girl spoke softly, tears edging her eyes as her voice broke.

"Sshhh, it's fine." He gently caressed her chubby cheeks before folding her into a tight hug. The little girl nuzzled her head further on his shoulders. Her chestnut hair brushed against his cheek, as he inhaled the pungent smell of her strawberry cologne.

"Azalea! There you are!" A familiar voice crept from behind. Azalea broke free from their hug as she ran directly to the man, casually tapping his foot in anticipation. "I already told you a million times that you must ask permission before leaving the house! Your Daddy Zumi is gonna kill me!"

"S-Sorry, Daddy Kawa."

Without warning, the man hugged the little girl tight and tugged on both sides of her cheeks, making her cringe faintly.

Sugawara stared wide-eyed at his old acquaintance. His eyes could note the worried look on his face as he tightened his hold around the child.

The brunette looked up, his hazel orbs locked with Sugawara's gaze. His eyes widened in shock, and his mouth fell agape when he saw him standing there, staring at them.

"S-Sugawara-san?" He stuttered. "H-How?"

Without a word, Sugawara ran as fast as he could until he went out of vicinity. He heard indistinct shouts from the man behind, but he paid no attention to them as his heart beat fast.

That was close, he thought. Sugawara let out a breath of relief, as he tried to catch his breath. He wiped his sweat with the back of his palm as he continued walking.

He was only a few blocks away from the coffee shop where Daichi worked, and he couldn't contain his excitement as he quickened his pace.

The small bell chimed and the door swung open. He was regarded by the sweet smell of cinnamon rolls as he stepped across the threshold. His eyes surveyed the place, scanning the cafe's premises as he looked for Daichi.

The glass windows surrounding it had matte black steel frames, complementing its light tint. It offered a breathtaking view of the lake that froze due to the season.

The coffee shop's atmosphere was very welcoming. The calligraphic writings on its pinkish walls made the place look vibrant and vivid.

He caught the glimpse of a familiar stance, attending to one of the customers with a pen and notepad in his hands. Sugawara could tell that he was busy taking the orders of everyone, since the shop was basically filled with a copious amount of customers.

Sugawara flailed his hands when Daichi was on his way to the back. The raven-haired guy failed to notice his presence. It was another man, with rumpled jet-black hair and teal-green eyes that made him look at his direction.

For a split-second, there seemed to be a shocked expression on Daichi's face, but it disappeared as soon as it came when he beamed at him.

"H-Hi!" It's been practically a week since they lived together, and Daichi hated the fact that he had this great tendency of stuttering whenever he was around.

Sugwara smiled as he extended the paper bag to him. A faint blush registered on Daichi's cheeks; he was indecisive as to whether or not take the paper bag from him. Eventually, he took it and a smile creased his lips.

"I made lunch for you!"

"T-Thanks!" Daichi chuckled nervously as he looked inside the paper bag. The aroma of the food surely piqued his appetite when he heard his tummy churn.

"Sorry!" He blushed and Sugawara giggled at his expense. "I should really get going now, Daichi-san. I just came here to drop that by."

"T-Take care!" He waved his hand at him as he watched Sugawara's retreating figure. The content smile on his lips never left his face, as he trudged his way back to the counter.

"Who was that?" Iwaizumi asked. A smug smirk appeared on his face as he tilted his head lightly, propping his elbow on top of the counter.

"Sugawara Kōshi, the one I've been telling you lately."

"He seemed like he'd make a perfect partner for Daichi Sawamura." Iwaizumi purred a devilish grin, as he relished the sight of him flustered. "What's your status? The both of you?"

"S-Stop it!" Daichi waved him off. He looked the other way as he tried to hide his face from Iwaizumi. "We're just living together, you know."

"What made you take him in? You rarely care about others." He heard Iwaizumi snicker. Daichi knew how annoying he could get whenever it came to things like these.

"I don't know. I just felt like he was a blessing in disguise."