i fall in love more with you every day

“Paging Nurse Sugawara to 302. That’s Nurse Sugawara to 302,” Yukie’s voice sounded through the PA system.

“Gotta go,” Suga stood up from the table in the break room, staring longingly at the bento he didn’t have the chance to eat.

Iwaizumi and Akaashi kept their eyes on Suga’s retreating figure. The second his bright pink scrubs were out of sight, Akaashi sent the green light text to Ushijima.

The page to 302 was a distraction for Ushijima to enact his plan. After almost a year of dating and visiting Suga at the hospital, the staff grew extremely smitten with the fire captain. It always made Suga shake his head with a smile, mumbling that everyone was a traitor for taking to Ushijima so quickly.

It was all in good fun because the fact that Suga’s first family, the hospital staff, loved his partner meant the world to him.

But the fact that the nursing staff, reception staff, and medical staff loved Ushijima meant that they were all on board his top secret plan.

It was Valentine’s Day and they both had work. Of course, as the Head Nurse of Tokyo General and the Captain of Firehouse 102, they didn’t have any plans. Neither of them needed plans because they knew they loved each other and that was enough.

However, Ushijima had decided it was time for him to take a step, to take a big step. Despite both members of the couple giving their all to work first, Ushijima just needed Suga to see how much Ushijima loved him and how much he would do for him.

There needed to be no doubt in Suga’s mind that Ushijima loved him completely, whole heartedly.

“Okay, Sawamura, you’re on lights.”

Commanding his crew to set up his Valentine’s Day surprise for Suga was as easy as any other direction he had given them. His loyal crewmates would listen to every syllable out of Ushijima’s mouth ready to follow whatever he says.

“Semi, put the vase on the table. Oikawa, set out the blanket. Yaku, help Oikawa with the food. Bokuto, please put the signs on the door. Kuroo, be on watch.”

As Ushijima rattled of his needs to the crew, Akaashi and Iwaizumi coordinated with Dr. Ukai in order to keep Suga distracted until Ushijima was ready.

“Hey.” Ushijima felt a rough hand come to rest on his shoulder. “Koushi is going to love this.” Ushijima turned his head to face Iwaizumi, who was looking up at him with such appreciation that Ushijima couldn’t handle it. His face burned as he moved his gaze to follow Sawamura stringing up the fairy lights.

“I hope he won’t mind that I bothered him at work. Or that he won’t finish the rest of his shift.” The insecurities slowly nibbled away at the confidence Ushijima had entered the room with.

“You know Mr. Head Nurse hasn’t taken a shift off in way too long,” Iwaizumi consoled him kindly. “Plus, none of his partners in the past have ever surprised him at work like this.”

Those words surprised Ushijima. Suga’s presence was so magnetic that Ushijima found himself going out of his way to see Suga at the hospital even if a more direct route was available.

“Yeah.” It was like Iwaizumi could hear the thoughts inside Ushijima’s head. “I don’t think anyone really cared enough to come during his work.”

“Pardon?” Ushijima cut off whatever Iwaizumi was about to say, shocked that Suga had never been gifted a surprise like this before, even though he couldn’t imagine himself doing this until he even met Suga.

“Well, it’s intimidating to work in a hospital. Dr. Ukai is very protective of his head nurse, as well as the rest of the regular staff. Most people didn’t think Suga was worth the effort of getting to know his hard ass bosses and going through the red tape of dating an ER nurse.”

To put it bluntly, Ushijima thought that was ridiculous and entirely stupid. Suga deserved a partner who would deal with getting to know his bosses was worth every second it took to cut through the red tape.

“You don’t need to Hulk out over there or anything.” Akaashi piped up, his phone shutting off with a click. “It’s in the past now. Koushi has a good partner now and that is what matters.”

All Ushijima could do was nod in agreement, letting go of any negative feelings that were lurking inside him.

“Everyone ready?”

“Yes, Captain!” His dutiful crew responded.

“I will tell Ukai he can bring Suga down.” While Akaashi pulled out his phone once more, Ushijima gazed around the room.

On the floor was a blanket, soft and cushioned for the two of them to sit on. There was a picnic basket full of food, small plates and canned drinks next to it. Daichi had strung fairy lights through the curtain rod by the far window. Daichi and Akaashi slipped out of the room, leaving a nervous Ushijima there alone to pace.

Last but not least, there was a vase on the table overflowing with flowers. Objectively, it was an ugly bouquet. But he didn’t pick the flowers for aesthetics, he picked them for meaning. Akaashi had so kindly hinted to Ushijima that Suga had a thing for flowers.

Truly, Ushijima couldn’t have done this surprise without his and Suga’s crew.

“Why does the door say ‘the break room is moved to conference room 3C for the next few hours’?”

The entire room’s focus snapped to the door where Suga’s voice was heard just outside of.

“Wow, that is a really great question, Suga.” Bokuto, bless his heart, tried to play along with Suga.

Ushijima despite a door being in between them, he could see the narrowed gaze of his lover, the gears twisting in his brain. He could see the minor frustration in Suga’s brain at the interruption of his normal work day.

God, he loved his partner so much. The cute scrunch in his eyebrows when his routine was disrupted and the way his pinkie rested on his mole when his head was in his hand. It was all ingrained in his head whenever Koushi wasn’t around.

“I know it is a great question, which is why I asked it,” Suga chuckled. The door creaked open, revealing a flustered Suga.

Suga’s eyes flitted around the room, analyzing each oddity. The last thing he found was Ushijima, who was practically hiding in the corner. He was nervous, terrified even. This is the first time he had done a gesture like this.

“Wakatoshi?” The nurse took careful steps into the breakroom.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Suga replied, a dopey smile on his face. “What’s all this?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.” Coming out from behind the table, he made his way to hug Koushi.

Koushi wrapped his arms around Ushijima’s waist, holding him tightly. Standing there, Ushijima allowed them to stay there as long as Suga wanted.

“Thank you. This was the perfect surprise.”

Koushi broke away from the hug, moving to inspect the vase on the table.

“Primrose; eternal love. Bluebell; loyalty, humility.” As Koushi spoke, his fingers traced each flowers’ petal. “Camellia; excellence. Diphallia; vulnerability, honesty. Mallow…consumed by love. Anemone; sickness, anticipation, undying love, eternal peace.”

Suga whipped around, tears framing his waterline. In the back of his mind, Ushijima wondered how Koushi knew all of these symbols off the top of his head, but Koushi would never fail to surprise him. The nurse’s mind was marvelous.

“It’s perfect,” Koushi sighed happily. “I love it. I love you.”

“I love you,” Ushijima responded easily. It was a surprise how the words seemed to flow out of him.

Words had never been his strong suit and he was sure they never would be. The flowers conveyed more than he could ever imagine. He intentionally scoured Tokyo to find a florist who carried mallow, which meant consumed by love.

The look in Suga’s eyes told him the message had been received. The work-first Fire Captain Ushijima always put love on the backburner. That was, until he fell in love with Head Nurse Sugawara Koushi.

Consumed by love. Consumed by Sugawara Koushi.

His entire life revolved around the fire station he captained for ten years. No thoughts about dates, domesticity, romance had even taken hold into his head…until he fell in love with Sugawara Koushi.

Now, Sugawara Koushi had carved a permanent spot in his head, even while he was working. As they drove home from a call, Ushijima wondered what Suga would want for dinner. As he filed paperwork, he wondered just how chaotic Koushi’s shift was.

Sometimes during twenty four hour shifts, and always during forty eight hour shifts, Ushijima craved to be in Koushi’s arms. He wishes he was in their bed, Suga’s arms clutching tightly around Ushijima’s waist.

His entire being ached to be in Suga’s presence. As much as he devoted everything to his job, to his crew, he wanted to be with his partner. And no matter how many hours there were between him getting off of work and Suga coming home, Koushi would always be there for Ushijima.

They were a team. A fire captain and a head nurse. The two kept each other afloat yet anchored.

“I see this is why Hajime refused to let me eat lunch today,” Koushi’s teasing voice broke Ushijima out of his internal profession of love towards Suga.

Suga waved the cheese platter that Ushijima had hand curated this morning.

“I knew something was fishy,” joked Koushi.

“Actually,” Ushijima couldn’t help the smile on his face, “It’s cheesy.”

A beautiful snort left Suga’s mouth, causing Ushijima himself to chuckle.

“Puns? Really?”

As he sat there with Suga, Ushijima realized that change wasn’t all that bad. Old Ushijima, pre-Koushi Ushijima, would never have deigned to make a pun like that. But this Ushijima, one who is looser and more expressive did without a second of hesitation.

“Yes, really.”

He took the cheese platter back, picking up a slice of brie. After dipping it in cranberry sauce, he fed it to Suga.

“Romantic,” Suga tried to distract Ushijima from the pink blush on his cheeks.

It was cute to know that Ushijima could affect Suga in such a way. Koushi had been through hell and back, and so had Ushijima, but somehow Koushi was still so responsive to Ushijima’s kind gestures.

As they ate cheese and meats together on the floor of the break room, Suga allowed himself to detach from work. Despite being in his scrubs, he felt like he was home with Ushijima.

Until a page went off over the PA system.

“Paging Nurses Iwaizumi, Akaashi, and Kageyama to the ICU.”

His muscles tensed, adrenaline shooting through him. A warm, large hand was placed on his thigh.

“It’s okay. Akaashi and Iwaizumi told me they would page you if it is an actual emergency.”

At Ushijima’s words, Suga pulled out his pager to check. There were no pages for him, just a time log of pages from earlier that shift.

Suga nodded with a tight swallow. The mood had shifted somber. “Koushi?” He reached out, his left hand grabbing Suga’s. “Are you alright?”

Tears began to well in his partner’s eyes. Ushijima began to panic. Thankfully, Suga started talking.

“Thank you,” he began.

“You already thanked me.”

“Not for the surprise.” The nurse’s head shook back and forth, his eyes trained on the cheese platter. “For your sacrifice.”

Those were words that Ushijima heard constantly. Thank you for your service. He was thanked for the sacrifices that he made almost on a daily basis.

But why was Suga, someone who had put his own life on the line multiple times before as a nurse. The two had long talks about their mortality, their own lives in the healthcare and front-line fields.

“You said that your job would always come first, Wakatoshi. You said that. You say that.” Tears began to well once more in Suga’s eyes.

Fuck, Suga wasn’t supposed to be crying. Wakatoshi wanted this to be a happy surprise, not a sad one.

“But here you are, at my work. You are here, taking a day off of work to come suprise me here. You put me first, not firefighting.”

Passionately, Suga waved his arms around as he spoke.

“You are here with me. And you chose to surprise me at my work, something no other partner of mine has ever done. You brought me a picnic! A fucking picnic!”

By now, Suga was crying, but a smile was bright on his face.

“I love you so fucking much. I don’t think you know how much this means to me, Wakatoshi.”

Ushijima smiled, scooting closer to Koushi. He pulled him in, hugging his partner close. Suga sniffled, bringing his left arm to wipe at his eyes.

“Okay, enough tears,” Suga shook his head, clearing his mind. “More cheese, please!”

The couples snickered together,

“More cheese,” Ushijima handed him a container of brie with cranberry sauce.

The two are in silence for a few seconds

“I was scared,” whispered Ushijima.

“Hm?”

“I was scared to come here today. I took a day off of work, I orchestrated my team to come here and plan a surprise. Me? Ushijima Wakatoshi, planning a surprise.” Ushijima chuckled with a shake of his head.

Truth be told, Ushijima had never taken a day off of work unless physically forced to. Not once in his ten years as a firefighter had he intentionally, willingly taken a day off. It was because he didn’t have anything more important in his life.

Now he did. Now, he has Suga.

Of course, his work was still incredibly important, but he thinks for the first time in his life there is something more important to him than.

And it’s scary. It’s terrifying, even. His entire life had been taken up and tilted upside down thanks to one nurse.

One nurse who has put his entire life into saving others, just as Ushijima had.

One nurse who has the compassion of an entire world on his shoulders. One nurse whose smile lights up the entire world.

One nurse who loves one firefighter.

“Yes, you. You did this, Wakatoshi. And I am proud of you.”

Leaning in, Suga placed a sweet kiss on Ushijima’s lips.

“You taste like cheese.”

At Ushijima’s typical blunt words, Suga let out a high pitched laugh.

“And you don’t?” Suga nudged him with his shoulder before grabbing a cracker to munch on. “Also I am a little upset with you.”

Ushijima startled before realizing that Suga was messing with him. He snagged Suga’s cracker, choosing to pop it in his own mouth. “You ruined my surprise.”

“Your surprise?”

“I was going to stop by your office on White Day and throw a big party!” Jokingly, Suga looked dejected at Ushijima. “But now I have to come up with a whole new, better surprise.”

“Love,” Ushijima’s deep voice warmed Suga’s soul every time he heard it. “I hate to break it to you-”

“Oh no.”

“But you come by the office almost every single day before your shift. You’ve been doing it for years now.I don’t think you can call it a surprise if it happens every single shift of ours that lines up.”

“Hmpf.” Suga snatched a cracker from the tin, taking a big bite out of it dramatically. “I guess I will have to find something new to do for White Day.”

As Suga began to throw out ridiculous and fake ideas, Ushijima’s mind wandered.

He got to have Suga for the rest of his life. Silly Suga that was throwing these goofy ideas around to make Ushijima smile (it worked).

Serious Suga who gave his all to every single patient, no matter how many were on his floor at any given time.

Caring Suga that brought donuts and soup to the entire fire station, who looked after the interns with a keen eye.

Badass Suga who wouldn’t let any shit go down in the ER while he was there.

Suga sat there on the ground, waving his arms, cheese and cracker in hand. His face was lit up with a smile, his hazel eyes bright with joy. He was in his scrubs, a stethoscope wrapped around his shoulders. His name tag was clipped onto his front pocket.

It was an old picture, one that he must have taken years ago. A thought struck Ushijima. He would get to see Suga the next time he took a staff photo. Then the next time.

And when he got to retire alongside Suga (not that either would retire until physically forced to). He got to be with Suga when Ushijima himself got old and gray and when Suga got wrinkles and thinned hair.

It was a perfect thought, one that Ushijima would hold close to his heart in his hardest moments. Those moments when the fires were a little bit too hot and the burden was a little too heavy.

Suga would be there for him. And Ushijima would be there for Suga. It was how they were. They were each other’s anchors, their foundations.

“Hey,” Suga softly caught Ushijima’s attention. “Did you zone out?”

“No,” responded Ushijima with a small smile. “I am a personal favorite of bringing a tiger into the firehouse.”

Suga let out a full belly laugh, hunching over onto Ushijima’s lap.

“I’ll think of something, I promise.”

“No, I really thought you were dead on with the tiger.”

“Wakatoshi!” Suga held up a piece of cheese for Ushijima to eat. With his lips, Ushijima took the bite into his mouth. “You weren’t supposed to buy into that.”

With a shrug, Ushijima pulled Suga closer to him. As they cuddled there together, Ushijima couldn’t begin to wonder just how lucky he was to have not only met Suga, but made their relationship work.

“This was the perfect surprise, Wakatoshi,” Suga broke their peaceful silence after a few more minutes of snacking away. “Truly, you brought me so much joy today.”

“I am incredibly glad.”

Recognizing that Suga’s break was almost over, the two began to clean up. Ushijima was going to leave the food for the other nurses on shift to pick at in their spare moments.

“Love,” Ushijima ran his hands up Suga’s bare arms.

Suga’s arms were covered in scars, after he was trapped in a fire right before they got together. He stopped wearing long sleeves and showed his battle wounds with pride.

The nurse shivered at the calloused, warm hands moving their way up to his shoulders. Ushijima pulled him close, staring down at him.

The two shared a warm smile, eyes staring into each other, full of love and adoration. Koushi stood up on his toes, placing a kiss on Ushijima’s lips. Though it didn’t last because it turned into a full blown smile.

The two chuckled against each other’s lips, unable to stop themselves from sharing their joy the other brought them.

“I gotta head back to work.”

“All right, Koushi. I’ll be at home when you return.”

It was a promise. A promise that Ushijima would die before breaking.

“I look forward to it.” Suga broke away, heading over to the door. “And you better be looking forward to White Day.”

And Ushijima was. Sure, White Day was another holiday.

But more importantly, it was another day he got to spend with Suga. Another day he got to spend with his partner.

Another day to fall even more in love with Sugawara Koushi.