The Cat and the Crow

[Congrats, guys! Looks like we all made it to the 2nd round]
[TSUKI! HOW ARE YOU HOLDING UP?]
[What do you mean?]
[I WATCHED SOME OF THE REPLAYS ON THE NEWS. YOU LOOKED SO NERVOUS]
[Well, once Hinata got his shoes back, and Kageyama recalibrated, everything settled enough to not be too nervous]
[Your blocking was top-notch]
[Thanks, Akaashi. I had an excellent teacher]
[Stop. You’re making me blush]
[At least he’s modest]
[LOL! DO WE KNOW WHO WE’RE PLAYING NEXT?]
[Inarizaki]
[Sarukawa]
[Morikawa]
[WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US, BOYS]
[Especially Tsuki. Inarizaki came in 2nd in the last Interhigh]
[AND YOU’RE PLAYING THE MIYANS]
[The Who?]
[Isn’t that a band?]
[Stop]
[The Miya twins. They may give the weirdo duo a run for their money]
[Thanks for the warning. Hey guys, I gotta go. We’re gonna eat and then have our meeting. Ttyl]
[Ttyl]
[TTYL TSUKI!]
[Call me later, love]
[Will do. Later, guys]

Kei pocketed his phone and headed downstairs. The team was going out to a little restaurant nearby, and he was one of the last to come down. He was followed by Hinata, who was moving a bit slower than usual. Kei looked at his fellow middle blocker, noting the light shadows under his eyes, and a slight bit of color on his cheeks. Maybe he had just come in from another run with Kageyama, Kei thought. The two had been running the same circuit as the first night as a way to calm down. Each time they went, they were told not to stay out too long, and to make sure they took a warm bath after. No one could afford to get sick.

Except, Kei was beginning to think he may have already caught whatever was going around, and he had only gone out with the weirdo duo once, and just for travel to and from the gym. For the most part, he felt fine. If anything, he was a little more tired, had a headache that was persistent, but not painful, and it took a little longer to warm up, even after a bath. So, he kept a close eye on Hinata, even while he kept up with his own health.

“Bundle up, everyone,” Daichi was saying to the group as he reached the ground floor. “Coach says the restaurant is about a ten minute walk from here. It’s not too cold now, but it will be by the time we head back.”

Kei didn’t think it was the best idea to walk out in the cold, but he wasn’t going to complain. He retrieved his coat from the hook, took out his scarf, hat, and gloves. Properly bundled, he went out with the rest, and walked alongside Tadashi.

“How are you holding up?” his friend asked him after a few minutes.

“Well enough,” he answered shortly. He realized he sounded grumpy, and sighed. “Sorry. I’m tired, my headache hasn’t gone away, and I’m cold.”

“It’s okay,” Tadashi waved away the apology. “I think we’re all at varying levels of exhaustion, but Coach insists we eat decent meals, so here we are.”

“I hope he doesn’t pay too much attention to me, then,” Kei said, still sounding grumpy. “I’m not really very hungry.”

Tadashi stopped and scrutinized him. “You look a little like Hinata,” he finally said.

“Huh?! How so?”

“Don’t look so offended, Tsuki. I know you have a soft spot for him because he helped you and Kuroo,” Tadashi admonished. “I simply mean you both look like you could sleep for days, and you are slightly flushed, like him.” He took a step closer. “Your eyes have a kind of glassy cast to them. Are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Tadashi wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t argue. By now, they’d arrived at the restaurant. They were greeted by Saeko, Shimada, and Takinoue, and once inside, they enjoyed the food and comradery.

[End Round Two]

[CONGRATULATIONS ON MAKING IT TO ROUND THREE, MEN!]
[Oh god]
[Yeah same]
[Akaashi, how do you keep up with him?]
[Love works in mysterious ways, I guess]
[YOU GUESS?!]
[Either way, it looks like we have a game to watch tomorrow]
[IKR?! IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE WEIRD]
[Wait. How is it going to be weird?]
[BEFORE, DURING PRACTICE MATCHES, WE ALL KNEW EVERYONE WAS FINE-TUNING THEIR PLAYING STYLES…]
[SO WHILE WINNING WAS AWESOME, IT WASN’T A PRIORITY]
[And Karasuno was the team that took that to heart]
[Wait. What?]
[No offense intended, Tsuki]
[I know. None taken. I’m just… confused]
[At various stages during summer camp, we not only noticed, but also overheard how players and coaches were taking note…]
[You guys weren’t bad. In fact, you were really good. However, we also noticed your teamwork, and the moves you were working on]
[WE WERE WATCHING YOU GROW… SO TO SPEAK]
[Yes! That’s exactly it! Wait… Akaashi, do you have his phone again?]
[No, that was all Bokuto]
[Amazing]
[IS IT PICK ON BOKUTO NIGHT?!]
[Nah, we love you and you know it]
[BEST. FAMILY. EVER.]
[Agreed]
[Agreed (2)]
[Agreed (3)]
[ANYWAY, TOMORROW WON’T BE A PRACTICE MATCH. IT’LL BE THE REAL DEAL. BOTH TEAMS WILL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO WIN AND MOVE ON]
[Which means one of you will move on while the other… won’t]
[It’s not like we didn’t know that from the start]
[But we get what you’re saying. It’s definitely going to be weird]
[It’s getting late. You both need your rest. See ya tomorrow]
[Good night, everyone]
[Sleep well]
[LATERS!]

Within moments of everyone saying good night in the group chat, Tetsu’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. Grinning, he rolled out of his futon, stood up, and left the room quietly. Once he was far enough away, he answered the phone.

“Hey babe.”

“Hey.”

“Nervous about tomorrow?”

“Yes. And no. We want to win, but at the same time, I…”

“I get it. Same here. Want to win, but hate knowing one of us is going to lose.”

“Yeah.”

Kei sounded tired, and his voice sounded a little scratchy, not his usual clear tenor. Tetsu listened for just a little longer, hearing a muffled sneeze, and a cough.

“Kei, are you feeling alright?”

“Not right now, no. It’s rough at night, but during the day, I’m fine.”

“Are you sick?”

“I don’t know. Like I said, I’m perfectly fine during the day.”

“Kei…”

“I’m not going to let them down. I can’t. I want to play just as badly as they do. Besides… I’m not missing the first ever Trashcan Showdown, nor am I going to pass up the opportunity to win against Nekoma.”

He waited until Kei finished coughing and sneezing to reply. “Quite the monologue, love. But, we aren’t going to make it easy for you.”

“When did you ever make it easy? We lost practice matches against you.”

“You’ll lose the Showdown, too.”

“Think so, huh?”

“I don’t think.. I know.”

Kei chuckled. “I know we’ll win, too.”

“Hey, do you think you’ll have time to meet me tomorrow morning?”

“We’re supposed to be at the gym by 9am…”

“I know. Think you can make time?”

“Sure. Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll just come over there. Think you can be awake around 7?”

“So early.”

“I know.”

“7am. Here. Tomorrow morning. I’ll be waiting.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Once they’d hung up, Tetsu went back to the room and snuggled down into his futon. He set his alarm for 6am, and waited for sleep to come, which was difficult enough without Kei by his side. He also had another reason for seeing Kei before the game, and not just because he wanted to: Tetsu wanted to see for himself how Kei was feeling. It may just be as he’d been told, nothing to worry over. Still, he wanted to make sure everything was fine.