the thing about sugawara is that;;; he is just so warm and bright and kind. he hides few things and he communicates well and love with him would be so easy. with others, you would know when it starts to creep up on you, when it pulls you under
but koushi? he's your best friend. when you hug him, he's just tall enough that your face presses comfortably into his chest and shoulder. not too tall. not too short. he hears everything with little judgement. when it rains, he snatches the umbrella and runs off before coming back to you with a laugh and tipping it over your head
drenched socks. sunshine smiles. he's your best friend. he searches for you in the crowd after his team scores a point, whether he's on the court or on the bench. he gives you a sunshine smile, but the sort of sunshine that can be a bit mean and tiresome sometimes. too bright. not gentle and special, just... a bright afternoon. because you're his best friend, and he can afford to get a little reckless. he's your best friend
he hugs you on your birthday. you press your nose into his shoulder. he smells of his soap and cologne and his hair is still damp, because it's evening and he had a hurried shower after practice. he's late. you tell him it's fine. he tells you he didn’t get you a gift and you laugh and tell him — that's fine, too. the moment your back is turned he clicks his tongue. when you turn around, he's holding something you've wanted for the longest, longest time
your partners don't like him. they say you guys are a bit too close. you amicably break up, because your friendships are non negotiable. you expect koushi to scold you, but he says nothing. his eyes gleam. he's just glad you care for him so much — he's your best friend
your friends at uni see a picture of you two together on your phone. just a selfie taken on his couch for no reason, both of you poring over your respective coursework. you look at ease and comfortable in a way they've never seen. he looks like he is used to being by your side. his head tipped to the side and chin slightly towards you. his thigh is almost atop yours, and your torsos are tipped towards one another even as you do your own thing, as though you're ready to chat the moment one of you gets distracted
this? he's just my friend. ooh, good guess. yeah, he's great with kids. he's gonna be a teacher, actually. oh no, he's just my best friend. you think he's cute?
you don’t know why it bugs you that they think he's cute.