Haikyuu!! Prefecture Perfect

[Sugawara]: That Day In Winter

That day in winter, with blankets of white covering the concrete and earth, you laid out your heart.

"I like you."

You remembered the way the winter winds nipped at your cheeks, beckoning bits of snow to gather on top of your fluffy, knit hat. You remembered the burning cold of your shaking hands,  the dull numbness of your trembling legs as you shifted uncomfortably in the snow. You remembered every second of that day, every spot of cold where your clothing didn't cover, and every pang of pain that dug into your body when you heard his response.

"I can't accept your feelings. I'm sorry."

That day, you stumbled back home with tears stinging the edges of your eyes. Snow crunched beneath your feet as you took heavy steps towards your front lawn. But the weight of your embarrassment hung in that chilly, winter air, and you collapsed at the front of your porch before you could take solace in the warmth of your fireplace. You succumbed to your sadness, feeling hot tears slip down your face. A small sob left your throat. That was the most embarrassing thing you'd ever done. How could you ever face him at school now?

"Y/N?" Came a familiar voice from behind you. You had no strength left to turn your aching body, so you remained crouched in your spot. Another sob racked your defenseless frame.

"Oh, dear..." The cold numbed your senses severely, though not enough to block out the feeling of someone's warm, gloved hands gently  pressing against both your shoulders. With gentleness akin to a mother touching their newborn baby, the person turned your body. They sighed, catching your downcast eyes with their gray ones.

No other words needed to be exchanged between the two of you. He already knew.

When Suga pulled you into his arms, you allowed yourself to break down. You cried into his chest, releasing your pent up frustration and embarrassment. The heat radiating from his body and the sweet smell of vanilla heightened your senses, and you snuggled into your friend's embrace. You were never confessing to anyone ever again.

Suga's hand traced comforting circles along the small of your back, the other coming up to brush your hair up and down. He gulped. Suga prayed that the sound of his heartbeat hammering against his ears would go undetected by you. Not once in the three years that Suga knew you had you expressed romantic interest in him, though his own heart swelled with joy during your moments together. But perhaps it was best that way. Taking that extra step was too risky–losing the feeling of your bodies pressed together in these long hugs, losing the sight of your wide, playful smile as you teased him, and losing the words of encouragement you'd give him after winning or losing a game– all of it would be too much for Suga to handle. So he tucked his feelings into the back of his heart and mind, tightening his embrace around you while allowing himself to feel the guilt-ridden relief that washed through him.

"So that's all he said?" Suga quipped. Two weeks after you were rejected by your unrequited love of a year, you finally gathered enough courage to tell Suga exactly what happened. Suga sucked in his breath, bringing the mug filled with hot, chocolatey liquid up to his soft lips. "What a jerk."

You chuckled bitterly. "At least he was honest. There's really not much to say if you don't feel the same way, right?"

Suga shrugged. "I guess. But did he have to be so cold about it?"

"He said sorry." You replied.

"That's obligatory." Suga said almost immediately. "How could he ever reject someone as beau-" He cleared his throat. "awesome as you?"

You playfully rolled your eyes at the gray haired boy sitting across from you. The café booth that you and Suga had nestled yourselves into was your favorite spot to be in. Around you, the café buzzed with patrons' idle chatter. "Awesome, huh?" You shook your head, trying to erase your first love's rejection from the depths of your memory. "Yeah, awesome at being completely humiliated."

"You can recover throughout winter break." Suga placed the white mug back down onto the wooden table sandwiched by the two of you. "But try not to overthink it, okay? Rejection comes and goes–you'll get over him eventually."

You sighed. As always, Suga was right. You gazed outside of the cafe's glass window. The snow was coming down in small flurries, painting the pavement a spotty white, casting a hypnotic spell on those who watched. You saw two people, a boy and a girl, walking near the café. The girl was looking straight ahead and chatting away happily, but the boy next to her stared at her intensely, his cheeks dusted pink. Whether it was because of the cold weather or the strength of his own feelings, you couldn't tell. But the scene reminded you of something you and Suga had discussed a few weeks prior.

Looking back at that moment now, with Suga staring at you lovingly, drinking in the curve of your jaw, the dip in your lip, and the innocent look in your eyes, you wondered why you couldn't tell.

"Speaking of coming and going, how are you and your crush doing?" You asked teasingly. Suga's grip on the mug's handle tightened just a hair, though you didn't catch it. He shifted in the plush seat.

"Nothing new." He responded stiffly. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. An unidentified emotion clouded Suga's vision. And while you weren't always the best at reading people, he definitely looked uncomfortable right now, right?

"You're still not going to confess to her? You've liked her since you two met!" You brought your own mug to your lips, savoring the sweet spots of warmth that proliferated your throat. "You should tell her soon! You told me you'd tell me who she was once you confessed." You looked at Suga through the gap between your eyes and the mug filled with hot chocolate. Your heart clenched.

Suga was wearing a strange expression on his face, a small, faraway smile plastered onto his lips. His eyes had gravitated to the left, no longer able to hold eye contact with yours. "She likes someone else." He whispered. Pools of sadness and dejection gathered in his deep, brown orbs.

"Then why don't you just try to win her over?"

He chuckled. "Because I love her."