Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Enter the Hunting Dogs

Suga had insisted on meeting up with Mitsumi after she took her exam in the morning. Fridays were her performance day. She didn't have any super important classes, and he knew that. So, he was going to make sure she was well taken care of.

"Megumi, I'm just fine." Mitsumi could be heard whining over the phone to her younger sister. She was standing outside of the testing center looking like she was going to collapse. "I'm not going to puke my guts out or have a panic attack like in high school. Just let me know when you get here so I can give you a ticket." She hung the call up with an irritated scowl.

"How did your test go, Chie?" Suga walked up to her once she was off her call. She had large bags under her eyes and was more pale than usual. Her brown baby hairs were sticking out in different directions like she didn't do her hair.

She shoved her hands in her pockets, "Which one? If you're talking about Piano Literature, it was a living nightmare." Mitsumi felt a comforting hand on her head. The gentle pressure forced her whole body suddenly relax. "How did your class go, Koushi?"

He ruffled her hair a little bit and flashed a smile. "It wasn't anything exciting. I didn't realize you had multiple exams." His hand trailed down the back of her neck and rested on the small of her back as they walked.

"The other one was my younger sister, Megumi. She and some of my old teammates who are still in high school are coming to the game. And so she's coming by with them right after school to get the tickets." Mitsumi's stomach was doing backflips as she thought about what was coming up that night. Not only did she just totally bomb an exam, but she also had to worry about game day.

Suga pulled her to his side. The small girl was only to his chest, the perfect fit. "It's a bummer our game is an away game tomorrow." He mumbled to himself. "But you'll watch it on the television, right?"

"Of course, I will." Mitsumi sat under a tree with him away from everyone. "I'll be watching it with Yuki, Riza, and Shimura." She honestly didn't have the energy to smile, so she simply leaned her head on his arm. Her body was trembling against him. "Koushi, I don't know if I'll make it tonight." The stomach butterflies suddenly intensified. It was better for her to let the nerves out now before she broke down in front of her upperclassmen.

He could see what Kuroo had told him about now. Suga reached into his bag and pulled out two bento boxes. He handed her one that was wrapped in a red polka dot cloth. "I know for a fact you didn't eat this morning, so I made this for you so we could eat together. Getting plenty of food and rest is important on game day."

"You really didn't need to do this." She still accepted the food though so she didn't offend him. But, she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to stomach the meal. Mitsumi politely unwrapped the bento box and opened the lid. It looked like cold soba noodles with some beef and fun-shaped veggies. She could tell he had put a lot of thought into it which brought a smile to her face. "Thanks for the food!"

Bingo. He managed to get her to smile. Suga ate his meal and watched her eat. Her pace was slower than usual. Under normal circumstances, she would be ravaging through the meal. After a few bites though, it seemed that the color was returning to her face. And her pace started to pick up. "How is it?"

The food had a very homey taste to it. The mix of the chef's presence and the tasty hot meal was oddly comforting. The dull ache in her head subsided and the butterflies in her stomach had disappeared. Maybe it was just low blood sugar mixed with poor sleep that was making her anxiety skyrocket. Mitsumi even remembered taking her medication, which stumped her as to why she was such a mess. "The food is amazing. It's perfect."

"Well, I'll cook you dinner before your game." He set his chopsticks down in his empty bento box and wrapped it back up. "You need to be in pique shape for tonight, Ms. Libero." Suga wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled his face in her neck. "We can both start off strong, together."