Sounds of the Morning
Sawamura Daichi loves Sugawara Koushi, and it’s in moments like these that he realizes it more than ever.
Notes: Please let me know if you like, and if you’d like more of my terrible writings :P
You can also find me on Ao3 at https://archiveofourown.org/users/smol_bee_stories/pseuds/smol_bee_stories
Sawamura Daichi’s favorite time of day is the morning.
He loves the soft illumination of his apartment by sunlight filtering in through cream colored blinds. He loves the smell of freshly slept in bed sheets mixed with the slight musk of a recent shower. But most of all, he loves the sounds that he wakes up to each and every morning.
Daichi wakes slowly, stretching the sleep out of his well muscled arms before reaching down to rub at crusted eyes. He gets out of bed, one leg at a time, ready to follow his morning routine. He stretches, showers, tidies up the room, and makes his way into the sitting area. He does things quickly and efficiently, a force of habit due to his occupation as a police officer. But he also does things quickly and efficiently so he could make his way to his favorite part of the day.
When he enters the sitting area, the first things he notices are always the sounds that greet him. The sizzling of food cooking on the stove, the light tinkling of the windchimes by the kitchen window, and the humming coming from the chef himself.
“Aha! Good morning, Captain! Finally awake, are we?” Koushi says with a grin.
Sugawara Koushi, despite initial appearances, is neither a quiet nor soft man. He is a cheery man - full of joy, full of life, full of sound. He leaves traces of himself behind everywhere he goes, even if he isn’t doing so intentionally. That’s just the kind of man he is, and he fills the hearts of every person he meets without even trying. So when Daichi hears Koushi cooking their meals, humming in the kitchen, greeting him in the morning - he knows it’s the start of another wonderful day. He knows that no matter what comes his way that day, everything will be okay. Because he will have started his day hearing Koushi’s voice, and when he comes home after a long day he’ll be greeted by Koushi’s voice once again.
“Smells delicious, Koushi.” Daichi fondly smiles at the man who is still preparing both breakfast and lunch, “What are you making today?”
“Since we had your favorite yesterday, today we’re having mine. Super spicy mapo tofu with a side of green beans, Captain!” Koushi says all this with a grin.
Daichi shakes his head disapprovingly, yet he can’t help but grin back. “It’s been 10 years already, you really should stop calling me Captain. It’s a little embarrassing.”
“Absolutely not! It’s cute, and all our precious kouhai think so too. You should cherish the title, Captain. Now stop lounging around, I haven’t started the coffee yet.”
“Hai hai, Sensei.”
The smile hasn’t left Daichi’s face all morning, but it usually doesn’t when he starts a morning like this.
The apartment is quiet save for the low sizzling of the food on the pan and the slow drip of brewing coffee. The occasional wind will leave a quiet chime ringing through the apartment while Koushi hums quietly, slowly plating breakfast and putting their lunches into neat little bento boxes.
After knowing Koushi for so many years, Daichi never thought that the two of them would end up here like this. Koushi’s presence in his life has always been a constant, and Daichi finds that he often forgets how deeply embedded they are into each other’s lives until they are separated. Even days feel like years when they are apart, but when they are together Daichi finds himself often forgetting that Koushi is even there. He’s the very air that Daichi breathes, the very blood that flows through his veins. They exist with one another, and they cannot exist without one another. And Daichi finds himself, particularly in the calm moments of the everyday like these, so incredibly grateful for the path of life that has brought him - no, both of them - here, together. It’s in moments like these that Daichi can’t help but remember how much Sugawara means to him, and how incomplete his life would be without him.
“What's on your mind?” Koushi breaks the silence as he’s setting the plates onto the table, “You were staring off into space.”
Daichi smiles, soft and tender, a love worth a thousand lifetimes in his eyes.
“Just about how lucky I am.”
“HuH?? What are you going on about? It’s too early for whatever strange thoughts run through your head. Just come over and eat breakfast, you sappy fool.” Is Koushi’s response, but there’s a sappy grin on his face as well.
Breakfast goes on as usual, the pair sitting quietly and enjoying the peace of the morning before a hectic day. But today felt just right to Daichi. The weather was perfect, breakfast was perfect, waking up to Koushi every morning was perfect. And without thinking the words just left his mouth.
“Will you marry me?”
