Chapter Text
Nearly ten years into their friendship, there were very few times when Daichi truly felt like he had tested Suga and Asahi’s tenacity as friends. They were a well-oiled machine, a unit if you will. The three of them had, especially in the last couple years - with finishing university and entering the workforce and all- rarely got into any arguments. An argument free streak, if you will. But if there was ever a time that Daichi came close to breaking that streak, it would be today. At the airport, en route to Spain.
“Does everyone have their passports? And the visas?” He was reading through the checklist in his Filofax. Again. For the third time today. Their flight wasn’t for another three hours. And they had already cleared check-in and security. Both Suga and Asahi were at their wit's end.
“Daichi,” Suga’s tone was warning, “This is supposed to be a vacation.”
“It can be a vacation once we get on that plane,” Daichi replied. He was firmly of the belief that you could never be too prepared at an airport.
“But we’ve already gone through security,” Asahi sounded pained, “And we’re at the gate . There’s nothing else we can prepare for.”
“Except this 17 hour direct flight,” sighed Suga. Daichi groaned. Part of him wanted to break into stretches just at the thought.
“Sorry guys,” Asahi said, his brow knitting together slightly, “It was the cheapest flight…”
“No it’s totally cool,” Daichi quickly reassured him, “Honestly, it’s great that you planned this for all of us.” Suga nodded enthusiastically.
One of the many reprieves of the Spain trip was that Daichi didn’t have to plan a single thing. Planning was something that he did often, and did well, but he never found it all that enjoyable. When they were in the volleyball club, he usually left logistics to Ennoshita, who had an incredible mind for organization. As they became adults, Asahi began to take on the reins of planning everything from trips to casual hangouts. This particular trip had been a passion project for Asahi since they started senior year of university. Since his year abroad in Spain, Asahi had been really keen on going back with the two of them. Daichi hadn’t seen Asahi in his element so much since high school, even though he knew he had blossomed even more in college. As he observed him now, there was a level of ease in his demeanor that had been absent in their youth.
“Maybe we should get a meal before we board?” Daichi suggested, and then added for good measure, “My treat, for getting us here so early.” There. Argument avoided.
Asahi and Suga nodded enthusiastically.
Boarding the flight had been easy enough. They were seated in the very back of the plane, and had nothing but their backpacks and Suga's carry on with them.
"See, you worry too much," Suga said. Daichi conceded. Asahi, ever the anxious flier, had already buckled his seatbelt.
"Not so fast," Suga nudged him towards the row across, which was completely empty. And the last couple passengers were trickling in. The three of them exchanged glances.
"I think the most democratic way to do this is to sleep in shifts," Daichi said evenly before an argument could start. Suga frowned.
"Daichi, it's eleven in the morning! Who could sleep now?" Asahi raised his hand feebly, earning a sigh from Suga.
“What? I couldnt sleep last night!”
The blurry overhead went off before they could continue their conversation.
"Ladies and Gentlemen the doors are closi- Oh my '' The stewardess' voice was cut off. Daichi's ears perked. A low buzz filled the plane.
"What's happening?" Suga asked, elbowing him.
"How should I know? We're in the back," Daichi replied. The stewardess' voice came back on.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, now the doors have been sealed. Once all passengers are seated we will begin safety procedures."
Really, the nerve of some people, the mere idea of being late for an international flight sent shivers down Daichi’s spine.
"Well, there goes our bed,"Asahi said gloomily. Suga looked equally bummed.
"God, I hope it's not a family," Suga said. Daichi frowned at him.
"You're going to be a preschool teacher,"
"That's exactly why I'd rather not spend 17 hours next to a child," He said matter-of-factly, "They get restless at school, where they have tons of space to run around. Can you imagine a long-haul flight like this? Poor little guys."
"And poor parents," Daichi added.
"And poor us," Asahi finished. Their seat-neighbors were slowly making their way down the aisle, apologizing profusely as they did.
"Can you see anything?" Suga asked, trying to peel over from his middle seat.
“Well there’s no child,” Asahi said, peering over from his window seat.
"One of them is really tall and-," Daichi squinted. "Wait a minute-" A shock of white, spiky hair came into view, followed by round yellow eyes. As the group came closer, it was unmistakable.
"It's Bokuto!" Suga's nosy ass was nearly standing in his seat. He squinted, "And is that Akaashi behind him?" Now Asahi was also trying to get a glimpse.
"Hey is that -" Asahi started.
"Kuroo with them," Daichi finished blankly. Oh dear . Suga and Asahi exchanged a mischievous glance.
"What?" perhaps harsher than he should have. Daichi’s crush on Kuroo was well-known in their friend group.
We are not going to have that discussion right now, he thought.
"Nothing," they said quickly. The trio was now in full view. Bokuto saw them first. His eyes widened with excitement.
"DAICHI!" He waved jovially as they approached the seat. The others looked over his shoulder in surprise.
"Daichi?!" Kuroo spoke first. "What are you doing here?" Daichi could ask him the same.
"Hey we're here too" It was Suga who responded, indignantly at that.
"Hey hey hey! The whole gang's here," Bokuto sounded delighted. Daichi smiled in spite of himself. Grating as he might be, Bokuto’s enthusiasm for, well, everything was endearing even in the most trying of times.
"Guys, let's sit down first, it's bad enough that we're late and had to do the walk of shame down the plane," Akaashi said, his voice pained. It was eleven in the morning, but Akaashi looked like he was already exhausted and ready to sleep. A common side effect of doing any task with the dynamic duo.
Kuroo took up the task of putting their suitcases up while Bokuto and Akaashi took their places in the window and middle seat respectively. Which left Kuroo in the aisle seat, just inches away from Daichi. Beside him he could feel Suga and Asahi nudging each other like two middle schoolers.
“Cut that out,” he hissed, quiet enough for just them to hear. Fortunately the trio was still settling in and didn't hear them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about Daichi,” Suga replied in a sickly sweet tone, “My good pal Asahi and I were just thinking about how fortunate it is that your good friend Kuroo is on the same seventeen hour flight as us!”
“In the seat right across from you! ”Asahi chimed in.
“Did you guys set this up?” Daichi whispered. There’s no way this was a coincidence. Suga’s smile widened.
“Honest to god, we didn’t,” He said innocently.
“It was just a stroke of luck,” Asahi said with a wink.
Et Tu Asahi? Daichi thought to himself. It’s okay, what’s seventeen hours with some old friends. It’ll be nice to catch up.
“What’s a stroke of luck?” Kuroo asked slyly. The three of them had settled in (at last). Bokuto looked very cozy in his fuzzy sleeping mask, neck pillow and blanket.
“That we ran into you guys here!” Suga hit back with a bright smile.
“That is crazy,” Bokuto agreed, “What are you guys doing here ?”
“We’re going on a little vacation,” Suga replied, “We’ve been planning this trip for ages.”
“By ‘we’ he means Asahi,” Daichi replied with a smile. Kuroo caught his eye and grinned slightly. He felt a jolt run down his spine.
“You did an internship in Spain, right Azumane-kun?” Kuroo asked, “I remembered seeing the pictures on your Instagram!”
“Yeah, I did a year abroad in Barcelona some time back,” A slight blush crept into Asahi’s cheeks. Maybe Kuroo just had that effect on everyone. Although, Daichi had to admit that it took very little to fluster Asahi.
“What about you guys,” Daichi asked.
“We’re also going on vacation,” Akaashi sighed, “but ours isn’t as well planned as yours.”
“We’re playing it by ear,” Kuroo grinned, “First stop Barcelona, next stop who knows.” This was definitely something Kuroo and Bokuto would get up to.
“How’d they rope you into this?” Daichi directed his question at Akaashi.
“I figured it was their best chance of coming home alive,” Akaashi replied drily. “Plus Kenma already said no.”
“Hey!”
“Not so loud!” Akaashi admonished. Daichi had forgotten that the safety procedures were underway.
Maybe we should be paying attention to that instead, he thought to himself.
“Sorry,” Bokuto didn’t look too concerned, “Anyways, I think we’re off to a good start. We’re here, in the best seats on the plane, with our friends- ”
“And We almost missed the flight” Akaashi finished for him with a sigh.
“Nothing like a bit of adrenaline to get you going in the morning,” Bokuto was unfazed.
“Oh yeah, how’d that happen?” Suga piped up. Daichi turned and saw that Suga had also pulled out his neck pillow and sleeping mask, despite having just made fun of Asahi. Bokuto beamed at him appreciatively.
"Bokuto forgot his passport in the Uber," Kuroo said flatly. Suga and Asahi exchanged an amused grin that seemed to imply the same thing: Daichi would kill us if we did something like that .
“It also didn’t help that we left an hour later than we planned,” Akaashi added.
“If it makes you feel better, Daichi made us get here four hours before boarding,” Suga supplied.
“I expect nothing less from Captain Sawamura,” Kuroo sighed. Bokuto, on the other hand, looked vaguely horrified.
“Four hours? What can you do in an airport for that long,”
“A lot of walking and a lot of window shopping,” Suga said.
“And a pretty decent meal,” Asahi added. Kuroo groaned.
“God, I could go for a meal,” he sighed, “Leaving home on an empty stomach was a terrible idea.”
“I have a protein bar and some crackers if you’d like,” Asahi supplied.
“They're going to serve lunch soon, that’ll spoil their appetite,” Daichi chided lightly.
“Ahhh, that’s right, we’re almost in taxi,” Bokuto sighed.
“ Dr.Daichi to the rescue,” Kuroo winked at him.The second-graders beside him started nudging each other again. Daichi, for his part, felt his cheeks redden just slightly.
“You think they have Spanish food?” Bokuto asked, his eyes scanning the flight information card.
“Probably not, we’re still in Japan,” Suga pointed out.
“I wonder-”
By this time, Daichi let the conversation continue, adding an appropriate smile or nod where necessary. A strange mixture of emotions nestled itself within his chest. On one hand, it was exciting to see the three of them again.Akaashi he hadn’t really seen since high school, except for when he visited Bokuto. Him and Kuroo were another story entirely. The three of them had roomed together for the first three years of college, before Daichi went to medical school and Bokuto became a part-timer after being scouted. He and Kuroo had gotten especially close in college. Daichi was always invited to dinner at Kuroo’s grandparents house on sundays. Not that they fell out, per-say, not in the traditional sense. Things were a bit more complicated than that. More than anything, seeing Kuroo again stirred the pot of guilt that had been simmering in him since they had drifted, a drifting facilitated entirely by Daichi. One made infinitely worse by the fact that Kuroo looked nothing short of happy to see him.
“Head in the clouds?” Kuroo’s voice broke into his thoughts
The conversation had fallen into side groups- Bokuto and Akaashi, obviously, and Suga and Asahi (although Daichi suspected they were putting on a show ).
“Something like that,” Daichi gave him a small smile in return.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Kuroo’s eyes had not left his face, the implications of which Daichi refused to think about right now.
“Just reminiscing,” Daichi replied, hoping he didn’t sound evasive. Kuroo raised a brow.
“It has been a while,” he said charitably, “What have you been up to, doc?” Daichi snorted.
“Who are you, Bugs Bunny?”
“Are you not a doctor?”
“I just started my residency this past year,” Daichi sighed, “ Still training.”
“That’s a doctor in my books,” shrugged Kuroo, “How’s that going by the way?” A simple question that Daichi found hard to answer. In truth, the year had been so busy that he just didn't really have time to reflect on it. But what Daichi couldn’t understand was why he had such a tough time articulating it.
“It’s alright,” he tried for nonchalance, but knew Kuroo was too perceptive to let that one slide. His brow raised again.
“But,”
“Just tiring,” Kuroo’s eyes softened in a way that made Daichi’s heart jump, just a little. Daichi thought for a moment. He really didn't want to start off a seventeen hour flight by dumping his baggage on Kuroo. Something about it left a sour taste in his mouth.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Kuroo said, this time without a trace of jest in his voice. Daichi could only smile weakly in return.
“What about you? What have you been up to?” Kuroo thought about it for a second.
“Hmm, I’m still at JVA,” Kuroo said, “I recently made the switch from PR to Sports Promotions, so there’s some getting used to there but in due time.”
“Hey, that’s great,” Daichi hoped he sounded sincere, “ You’ve been with them practically since graduation.”
“Yeah, it’s good work, y’know,” Kuroo said fondly, “Like it’s long hours, and lots of travel but it feels worth it.” Daichi smiled to himself.
“I know what you mean,” he murmured, “Not always enjoyable, but it always feels right.”
“Something like that,” Kuroo said with a wink. Daichi gulped.
“Are you still in Shinjuku?” Daichi asked. He, Kuroo, and Bokuto had shared a small two-bed back in undergrad.
“Yeah, It’s nice and close to home so,” Ahh right. Daichi nodded appreciatively. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t stay in Miyagi to stay close to his mom and siblings.
“How are they? Your dad and grandparents?”
“They’re fine, or, as fine as old people can be,” Kuroo grimaces at the last bit. Daichi nodded but didn't press the matter.
“Does your grandma still have her vegetable garden?”
“Oh yeah,” Kuroo said with a laugh, “We got some great cucumbers and spinach this year. She asks about you, by the way.” It was tacked on, and offhand comment. But Daichi felt his ears heat up. Kuroo’s expression was casual, but his eyes betrayed a keen interest.
“I should visit sometime,” he said lightly. Kuroo’s eyes widened briefly before resuming its previous laidback expression.
“You should,” He agreed, his eyes lingered on his face for a bit. Daichi, who could usually read Kuroo like a book, found his expression unreadable. After a moment, Kuroo continued “How’s your mom and the kids?”
“They’re good! Momoka just started high school so Mom’s schedule is freeing up, especially with Yuta and Taro at home to help out,” Daichi replied. The heat had not left his ears, nor did Kuroo’s eyes leave his face.
“Haruka got married recently, right?” Kuroo asked.
“She did! And she started law school!” Daichi smiled despite himself, hoping he didn’t sound too much like a proud older brother. Kuroo smiled back, his eyes softening.
“Yeah, I saw your Instagram post,” Kuroo said lightly, “You all look so cute in that picture.”
Does he think I’m cute? Daichi bit back the thought.
“My mom was over the moon,” he agreed, “She kept posting the pictures for months.”
“Are there any other weddings on the horizon for Mama Sawamura,” Kuroo asked, a small smirk playing on his lips.
“Oh definitely not, obviously Momo and Yuta are too young and-”
“I meant you,” Kuroo sounded amused. Were it possible for Daichi’s ears to get redder, they would have.
“Oh,” Daichi didn’t have time to unpack all of that, “Nothing on the books for me! Not for a couple of years, you know, I’d have to find someone to date and all.” Being around Kuroo always made him jumpier than usual.
“I’m sure it won’t be too hard for you,” Kuroo said graciously. Man was he good.
“Thanks,” Daichi settled for a safe answer and tried to ignore how fast his heart was beating. Fortunately for him, the in-flight meal cart was nearing their seats, and the whole group paused their chatter to eat. As Daichi gnawed at his chicken, he couldn’t shake Kuroo’s keen gaze from his mind.
This flight might be longer than he anticipated.