The Cat and the Crow

A few hours later, after they’d eaten ramen that Tetsuro had made, they’d settled on the sofa to watch a movie. Except, Tetsuro’s energy had finally run out, and he was asleep, using Kei as his body pillow. His head rested against Kei’s chest, right over his heart, and his arms were wrapped loosely around Kei’s waist. Moving wasn’t an option, not that Kei wanted to move, anyway. Instead, he turned the movie off, and softly ran his fingers through his love’s hair.

Kei was about to drift off to sleep himself, when his phone lit up. Reaching over with his free hand, he picked it up and tapped the notification.

[THINK YOU GUYS COULD SPARE A LITTLE TIME TO HANG WITH US?]
[This is supposed to be their day, Bokuto. By themselves.]
[I KNOW THAT, BUT…]
[It’s okay. But Tetsu’s asleep right now]
[REALLY? WHY?]
[Bokuto…]
[He’s been awake since before sunrise. It finally caught up to him]
[We won’t bother you, then]
[It’s okay. When he wakes up, I’ll ask him]
[You really don’t have to. Bokuto is just bored]
[I AM NOT!]
[Then why intrude on their day together?]
[CUZ IT’LL BE A WHILE BEFORE WE’RE ALL TOGETHER AGAIN]
[... he has a point]
[I’ll ask him when he wakes up, okay?]
[THANKS, TSUKI!]
[No problem. Ttyl]
[ttyl]

He had just put his phone down when Tetsuro moved, slowly looking up at him and smiling a sleepy smile.

“What did they want?” he asked as he snuggled back down in Kei’s arms.

“Bokuto wants to know if they could come over and hang out.”

“Why? He knows this is our day…”

“Because it’ll be a while before we see each other again,” Kei said gently, using Bokuto’s words. “We’ll all be training non-stop until Nationals, and there aren’t any camps scheduled for the rest of the year. None of us can really afford to take any more time away.”

“The Voice of Reason speaketh,” came the quiet reply. Kei heard the sadness in it, and felt it in his heart.

“Afternoon edition,” he retorted, sifting his fingers through Tetsuro’s hair again. “Akaashi and I agree he has a point, but I told them I’d ask you first.”

He was quiet for long enough that Kei began to wonder if he’d fallen asleep again. But then, Tetsuro moved so that he was face to face with him.

“Are you okay with them coming over?”

Kei shrugged. “I don’t mind. But maybe just for dinner, or something,” he said. “What about you?”

“Just for dinner,” Tetsuro agreed.

“Then that means I have to give you your gifts before they get here.”

“Gifts?”

“Yeah. Duh. Happy birthday and all that,” Kei said snarkily. He grinned.

“You didn’t have to, you know. Your being here is the best birthday present ever.”

“I wanted to,” Kei said quietly, leaning in to kiss him. “Come on. Or do you want to sleep a little longer?”

“Set your alarm,” Tetsuro replied decisively. “I think they can wait before we invite them over.”

“Sure. How long?”

“An hour.”

Kei set his alarm, and they both settled down for a nap.

[Gifts and Friends]

“Here,” Kei said, handing over the first gift. They were sitting on the bed, after getting ready for their company. “I didn’t know if you had it yet, or not, so I bought it anyway.” He smiled as Tetsuro took it and started unwrapping.

“Oh, sweet!” He exclaimed as soon as he saw the game. “I haven’t played this one yet. Thank you!”

“Good, I’m glad. You’re welcome!” He handed over another one. “Gift number two.”

“Seriously, Kei, you really didn’t have to.” Tetsuro unwrapped it and paused. He was silent for so long that Kei began to wonder if he liked it. But the way his grip tightened around the edges of the little homemade book said more than words ever could.

“Kei…”

“I got the idea for it the last time I was here. A lot of those recipes are copies from my mom’s cookbook, but you’ve liked most of what's in there, so I figured you’d want to make them, too.”

“But, they’ll never be as good as yours,” Tetsuro replied softly.

“Yes, they will,” Kei assured him. “You can make those for Akaashi and Bokuto, too.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Tetsuro set the book down beside the video game. “Thank you.”

Before he knew what happened, and even before he could even respond, Kei was pulled into Tetsuro’s arms and kissed senseless. It was a while before they both came up for air.

“I have one more gift,” Kei said as soon as he caught his breath. “But it comes with a condition.”

“Oh really? What’s that?”

“You can’t open it until after I leave.”

“Why not?”

“Just promise me you won’t even sneak a peek until I’m gone.”

“I promise. But Kei…”

“Here.” Kei handed the last gift over. It was a small, plain brown box, tied with a simple red ribbon and bow. “You promised. Not so much as a glimpse.”

“Right.”

“Now, let’s get straightened up and start dinner. They’ll be here soon.”

“Right.” Tetsuro set the little box down on his bedside table, picked up the cookbook, and followed Kei out of the bedroom and to the kitchen. “What shall we make?”

Kei grinned. “I’ll pick, if you cook. Surprise them with your culinary skills.”

Tetsuro blinked with surprise. “You like my cooking?”

“Of course, I do! You know I’d have told you if I didn’t.”

“But it was only the ramen…”

“And it was some of the best ramen I’ve ever tasted,” Kei interrupted him, a little impatiently. “Tetsu, you’ll be fine. And I’ll help, if you want me to. But… you’re the cook tonight.”

“Right.”

In the end, Tetsuro made cold somen with dipping sauce for the four of them, along with grilled beef and shrimp. Kei had chopped up some veggies, and made ginger rice. Akaashi brought tangerines for something sweet, and Bokuto brought iced tea. They sat under the kotatsu and talked about making it to Nationals. They especially liked it when Kei told them how everyone on the Karasuno team is still in a state of shock, but now working harder than ever to make it as far as possible.

No one kept track of the time. Not until a notification chimed on Kei’s phone. It was almost 9pm; they had to get to the station soon. Tapping on the message, Kei quickly replied to his mom.

[I’ll pick you up at Sendai station, okay?]
[You don’t have to. It’s going to be almost 2am by the time I get there]
[It’s alright. I’m about to take a nap, and then I’ll see you when you arrive]
[But… what about work?]
[Kei, it’s fine. They know I’ll be late coming in, and I’ll be working later to make up for it.]
[If you’re sure]
[I am. See you soon!]
[Love you, mom]
[I love you, too, sweetie. Tell the boys I said hi, okay?]
[Will do! See ya soon]

“Mom says hi to everyone,” Kei told them. “She’s going to meet me at Sendai station.”

“She sounds so nice,” Bokuto replied. “When can we meet her?”

“Bokuto, that’s almost as bad as inviting us to dinner,” Akaashi reprimanded him.

But Kei just laughed. “She’d love to meet you two. Maybe we can do something later. After Nationals.” He started to clear up the dishes, but Akaashi reached over to stop him.

“It’s only fair that we help. You go get your stuff packed.”

“I feel like I’ve collected another mom,” Kei joked.

“Yeah, Akaashi is kind of our squad mom, to be honest,” Tetsuro said. “Come on. Let’s get you packed up.”

They went to the bedroom, and Kei packed his things. It didn’t take much time. When he zipped up the bag, he slowly stood up and slung it over his shoulder.

“You ready?” Tetsuro asked quietly.

“Not really, but I guess I have to,” Kei answered.

Tetsuro crossed the room and wrapped his arms around Kei, holding tight. “I don’t want you to go, either. I hate that you have to leave. I wish you could stay here forever.”

“Me, too.”

They would have stayed that way, but it was Bokuto who called to them from the kitchen. “We gotta get moving if we don’t want to miss Tsuki’s train!”

Kei moved first, putting his forehead against Tetsuro’s. “I guess they’re coming to see me off, too, huh?”

“Sounds like it,” Tetsuro agreed. “I suppose we should get moving.”

“Yeah,” Kei replied. But neither of them moved. Instead, they kissed each other, deeply, wildly, as if this would be the last one.

“I miss you already,” Tetsuro said breathlessly. Kei simply nodded, unable to say anything. “Just so you know, I also gave you a little gift. Don’t open it until you get home, and call me when you open it. It’s in your bag.”

“Okay,” Kei finally said.

“COME ON, GUYS! WE’RE GOING TO BE LATE!”

“Alright, already,” Tetsuro shouted back.

Luckily, it didn’t take long to get to the station, and they still had a little time to spare before Kei’s train arrived. Akaashi and Bokuto said their farewells and wished him safe travel. Tetsuro walked with him to the train, and held on to Kei’s hand until the last possible moment. Then, Kei boarded the train.

“I love you more,” Kei said loudly, in order to be heard over the noise of the train.

“I love you most,” Tetsuro replied, just before the doors shut. He raised his hand and waved as the train started leaving, taking his love away.