Single Parents: Sugawara [DISCONTINUED]

Daddy, All By Himself

Sugawara buried his nose in her soft locks, taking in the soft scent of her shampoo. He loved the scent of her hair, even though they both use the same shampoo, from the same bottle.

She giggled; it tickled when he inhaled. "Koushi, why are you sniffing my hair again?" She asked, gently tracing his arm with her hand. He pulled her closer into his chest, feeling the warmth of her skin.

"Because you smell good." He nuzzled his nose into her hair, causing her to laugh.

"You're weird." She shook her head lightly. She gently traced the large bump before her, sighing as she leaned closer to him. "I wonder if our baby will be as wonderful as you are."

"He'll only be as wonderful as you are." Sugawara kissed her hair, feeling her bump too. She laughed once more at him charm. She tilted her chin up to place a loving kiss on his lips, which he passionately returned.

They broke apart when they felt a kick from her stomach. She winced but quickly replaced it with a giggle. "Tanaka-chan sure is an active baby." She commented, rubbing her stomach as if to soothe the baby within her.

"That's good," Sugawara laughed. "That means he's healthy!"

"I can't wait to meet our son already..."

"Me too,"

"And then it'll be a whole lot of work when he's out."

"That's right." Sugawara laughed. "You won't leave me right? As much as I want to meet our son, I don't know if I can take care of him all on my own. Diapers, the poop, butt wiping, feeding, burping... "

"Oh you silly," She shook her head, trying to suppress her giggles. "I would never leave you, Koushi. I would never leave you, or our baby boy."

"That's good." He nodded, pulling her into another kiss. "I love you..." He muttered with their lips grazing against each other.

"I love you, too."

*

Sugawara couldn't tell if he was still alive. He couldn't hear himself breathe, or tell if his heart was still beating. His body felt numb, no longer his as people greeted him with blurred out faces and black clothings, shaking his hand that moved without his own consciousness. He couldn't make out what they were saying, or what he said to them in return.

All he knew was that his world had crumbled.

A hand rested on his shoulder, jolting him awake from him trance. He turned to his side to find Daichi with a grimace. He was dressed in a plain black suit, a similar one to his own. He had attempted to smile but his facial muscles wouldn't comply.

"Suga," He called his name with a tired tone. "Take a break. I think you need it." His best friend replied with a quiet hum, slowly dragging his feet down to a nearby seat. Daichi felt his chest twist at the devastated sight of Sugawara. Stubs had started to sprinkle around his face and his bloodshot eyes stood out thanks to the heavy eye bags around them. The glow in his eyes, the kind and warming glow, was lost, like the light had died out within them. His shoulders slumped down and he barely lifted his head up. Daichi had never seen the silver haired male like this before, and he definitely hoped that he would never see him like this, ever again.

He turned away from Sugawara, afraid that if he kept his gaze at his friend, he himself would be just as broken. Instead, he found Asahi walking toward him with a toddler, around the age of 3. The toddler held onto the older male's hand with his tiny ones, looking down at his feet intently as he focused on his walking. Asahi exchanged a tired smile with Daichi.

"We went to look at the birds for a while." Asahi said. Daichi nodded in return.

"How's Suga-san?" He asked in a quieter tone as the young boy by his side started to swing his leg around, trying out the stiffness of the suit.

"He needs time." Daichi said, trying to answer as truthfully as possible. He crouched down to the toddler and pulled his lips into a strained smile. "Hey, Tanaka. How were the birds?"

"They flew so high!" Tanaka exclaimed, raising his arms up high as a demonstration, exposing a little of his stomach. Daichi chuckled softly, ruffling the boy's short buzzed cut hair.

"Sounds like fun." He said and the boy nodded in return. However, the enthusiasm in the boy's face faded and pulled his hand away from Asahi, holding them together in front of himself. He glanced behind Daichi for a moment, cautiously taking a peek of his father at the back. He looked up to Daichi with wide innocent eyes and asked,

"Is Daddy okay?"

Daichi's expression stiffened. He exchanged a quick glance with Asahi who wore a worried expression.

"Is daddy mad at me?" Tanaka continued to ask innocently.

"No, he isn't." Daichi assured him, putting his hands on his small shoulders.

"Your daddy just needs a little time, he going through something really difficult right now."

"I know what to do! Mommy always does it when we are sad!" Tanaka announced, jumping. He rushed away from Daichi and Asahi, towards his own father.

Sugawara looked down when he felt someone pulling onto his finger. He looked down to find his beautiful son kissing his knuckles, just the way his wife would. His breath hitched and his heart ached.

Tanaka looked up to find his father looking down at him with glassy eyes. He was surprised, after all the knuckle kisses were supposed to make him feel better. Instead, his father was about to cry. "Daddy... I'm sorry..." He apologized, his eyes turning glassy as well.

Sugawara pulled his son into a fierce embrace immediately. He took his shaky breath as he squeezed his son in his arms, burying his face in the boy's neck.
His world was crumbling, but it wasn't destroyed completely.