Of Cats and Crows (Sugawara Koushi)

Longing

The boys were having a heyday of a summer so far. When they weren't working or playing volleyball, they were off enjoying various attractions around Tokyo. Japanese summers were filled with festivals. The streets were lined up with endless food stalls by Tokyo Tower.

"Hey, Bokuto! No funny business with Makoto!" Matsuda called out as his teammate split off from the group with his date.

"We are going to get food. That's it, Cap!" Bokuto shouted from ahead at his new captain.

Suga stayed back with Matsuda and Kuroo. Things had felt a little empty lately. He had been hearing all about Mitsumi's grand adventures via video chat everyday. And it was always the highlight of his day. Right now, she should be on her way to Argentina. He probably wouldn't be hearing anything from his girlfriend at all.

The more he looked around at all the sweets stalls, the more he could hear her excited voice. He had come to miss her never ending sweet tooth and need for Dr. Pepper. Kuroo scanned the booths for a treat. "You're zoning out again. What time did you end up going to bed?"

"Oh-" Suga jolted back into reality. "I went to bed around one." He admitted with a bit of a disappointed tone. He was not one to stay up so late. "I was able to talk to Chie."

"Dude, you're dedicated." The rooster head slapped the setter on the back. "I don't even get to talk to her. She'll just text me." Kuroo was honestly offended by it. Especially since he was her 'beloved honorary older brother'.

Matsuda let out a hearty laugh as he ripped a piece off his yakitori. "Did you guys watch Takuma tear through Italy's defense last night? Like, son, take a chill pill! Ha!"

That's right. The Japanese men's team had won a really intense game against Italy last night. Koushi missed the last half of the game because Mitsumi had called. Just a few more weeks, and then she would be back.

...

The sun was hotter than Hades in Argentina. Mitsumi flopped on her hotel bed as soon as she and Saki entered. The two of them would be rooming together for the next week. Their flight had landed in Buenos Aires around 7 a.m. local time. The JNT had arrived at their hotel around 8 a.m. for their check in. Thankfully, this time difference was easy to calculate. It was a perfect 12 hour time difference.

Her roommate was in the shower, rinsing off all the gross airplane germs. So, Mitsumi decided now would be a good time to call. She popped her wireless earbuds in and stepped out onto the scorching balcony. At least it was shaded.

"Chie! You made it!" Suga was sitting in his living room playing video games with his cousins. "How was the flight?" He stood up and went to his room upstairs, where it was much quieter.

Mitsumi smiled at the sound of his voice. "It was long and boring. I'm glad to be on the ground." She leaned against the balcony railing with her phone in hand. Their hotel had a clear view of the ocean. She flipped her camera with a tap. "Check out the view we have this week."

"An ocean view? Aren't you guys out there for some special training?" Suga was a bit jealous that she was staying in an ideal vacation spot.

She giggled a little bit through her jet lag. "Yes, we are doing endurance training and some beach volleyball before the game at the end of the week. It'll help us adjust to the time." Mitsumi flipped the camera back around so he could see her. "What have you been up to?"

He sighed a bit and laid down on his bed. "Well, we had training this morning. And then I ran some errands for Aunt Nami. The guys wanted to go eat out at the festival over at Tokyo Tower. So, we went there." Suga was jealous of her globe-trotting endeavors. He knew that if she were able to take him, she would in a heartbeat.