Hawk Dog

Cowlicks

  "Suga, what are you doing?" Daichi questioned while looking at the setter.

  "Takachi came in with some major bedhead. I tried to help fix it, but these two tufts refuse to stay down." He explained while running his hands over my hair as I sat on a bench, showing how the tufts would pop right back up after he smoothed them down. "Nothing I do seems to work."

  "Have you tried water?" Tanaka suggested while holding his chin as a volleyball was resting under his arm. "That's what my sister does."

  "I haven't."

  "Here." Daichi handed Suga a water bottle. Suga then squirted some water onto his hands and tried again as I just sat there quietly. The boys looked at me with anticipation as it looked like the tufts were finally down. However, it didn't last long when they sprung back up.

  "Uwaah!"

  "Hair gel! Try hair gel!" Nishinoya was digging in his bag before pulling out a tube of gel. Suga took it and hesitated before brushing his fingers over the tufts once more. I could feel the anticipation as all eyes were on my hair.

  "I think...."

  "It worked." Suga said from behind me just before the tufts shot up.

  "What?!"

  "Why didn't that work? That was extra-strength gel!"

  "The untameable tufts!"

  "How strong are those cowlicks?!" Yachi was making a face.

  "Face it, Suga. They'll never go down."

  "Wings." Kiyoko put a fist into her hand while looking at me.

  "Huh?"

  "I was thinking....don't the tufts look like wings?"

  "The Hawk has wings." Yachi popped off.

  "'The Hawk'?" Yamaguchi snorted.

  "'Taka' in Takachi."

  "That's so cool!" Tanaka and Nishinoya had stars in their eyes.

  "Too bad she acts the opposite." Ennoshita chuckled.

~

  Closing my eyes as I took in a slow breath through my nose, I slowly let it out through my mouth, making a small cloud rising towards the sky. The cold air was nipping at my cheeks and nose, but I was warm bundled up in my coat and hat. The tournament games would start up again soon, and I was waiting outside of a shrine.

  "Your cocoa." Opening my eyes, I saw the cup being held in front of my face. My eyes lit up as I pulled my hands from my pockets to take the warm drink. I felt the heat through my gloves and blew on the steaming cocoa. "I didn't know you still went to the shrine for the new year."

  "I like the fortunes." I replied with a quiet voice before taking a sip from my drink.

  "We have fortune cookies at the store." Keishin made a face while holding a small coffee.

  "Mm."

  "Fine. C'mon." He turned to the shrine steps and began to scale up them. "You wanna pray for Gramps, too. Don't you?" Keishin asked without looking back at me, and I didn't have to say anything for him to know the answer. A little while back, the geezer had gotten sick and ended up in the hospital.

  He was still rowdy and kicking, but he was getting older.

  People were walking to and fro, coming and going, and Keishin and I made our way to the shrine. The blond even did a prayer before we got fortunes. I got good luck while Keishin got a curse, and I was sure to wave my fortune in the man's face.