The Cat and the Crow

Nationals (7 January 2013 - Part One)

Tetsu entered the inn and found Kei waiting for him. Or rather, slumped over on the sofa and sleeping, but still, at least he'd made it downstairs. He was also bundled up in a blanket and his glasses were crooked. Kei was too adorable, and Tetsu almost hated having to wake him. Still, since the first day, they'd had very little time to call or text, much less see each other, which is why he'd set this whole thing up. Plus, he had to see if Kei was truly okay, and not sick, as he was beginning to suspect.

He crossed the lobby to settle down on the floor, close to Kei's head, and reached up to run his fingers through those beloved blonde locks. As he did so, he also felt his forehead and neck. Both were warm, but that could just be heat from being under the blanket. He also detected a slight shiver, as if Kei were still trying to warm up, but it wasn't too concerning. Kei didn't care much for the cold. Just to be sure, he kissed him on the forehead.

"I tried to stay awake," Kei mumbled as his eyes cracked open. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Tetsu replied softly. "If you need to sleep, I'll watch over you."

"My guardian deity protects me from..."

"Morning people."

Kei laughed. "Says the morning person."

Tetsu watched as the smile slowly dimmed and a little wrinkle showed up between Kei's eyes. "Are you sure you're not sick?"

"No," Kei answered honestly. "The headache I've had seems a little worse than before, but I can take something for that. I'm way more tired than I should be, but we've been playing hard these last two days, and riding high on our wins, so..." he exhaled, and buried his face in the blankets as he coughed. "I was too hot upstairs, so I moved down here, but now I'm too cold and can't warm up."

"Kei..."

"I already told you," he argued over Tetsu's unspoken objection. "I'm not going to let them down. I'll be fine in an hour or so, after I take something for the headache."

"Stubborn ass," Tetsu grumbled as he slowly stood up. He reached down and helped Kei sit up, and then took up residence on the sofa so that he could hold his love. "You better not push yourself too hard."

"I won't. I'm not Hinata or Kageyama."

"Hmmm," was all Tetsu replied, tightening his hold just a little more. It was obvious he wasn't going to be able to move Kei on this. All he could do was pray everything would be alright.

[Cats vs. Crows]

Kei bent over, bracing his hands on his knees. He'd known this wasn't going to be easy, and yet somehow, he'd managed to partially convince himself they'd win in straight sets. Yet, here they were, down by a set, and fighting to win the second. But Karasuno was a school that was becoming known for their total offence strategy, and Nekoma had a reputation of being one of the best in the prefecture at defense. Where does one find a chink in the armor, so to speak?

"Are you okay?" Tetsu asked him, in a moment when he wasn't making a show of teasing him. His eyes echoed his growing concern, but Kei nodded.

"I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

Tetsu didn't look convinced, and quite frankly, neither was Kei. He was tired, his headache was back and with a vengeance. His throat felt scratchy and sore, and everything hurt. He managed to keep from coughing too much. Even his teammates were taking notice, but he assured them like he assured Tetsu.

"I'm fine. Really. I'm just not used to this."

"Not even after a five set match against Shiratorizawa? You'd think that would have helped condition you for long rallies."

"That was different."

Even so, they played like this was their last game ever. And for one team it would be. Neither wanted to lose, and so they played hard. Tetsu made the perfect antagonist, at least verbally. What everyone kept their eyes on was the game within a game. It wasn't just Karasuno vs. Nekoma. It was Hinata vs. Kenma.

[Aftermath]

In the end, Karasuno (and Hinata) came out victorious. The two teams, who had been friendly rivals since that first ever practice match last May, gathered together in a quieter section of the gym. They congratulated and consoled each other; there were no hard feelings. Not even toward Kenma, because, true to his nature, Hinata had gone to sit beside him and talk. Tetsu watched them for a little bit, smiling gently.

"You'll always have a soft spot for him, won't you?" Bokuto asked after joining them. Akaashi was right beside him.

"We did grow up together, and he's not really a bad person," Tetsu replied. And then held up a hand to stop Bokuto's oncoming tirade. "Nothing's changed, Kou. We're civil to each other, but that's the extent of it. And yes, I'll always have a soft spot for him."

At that moment, Kei came into view. He'd gone to wash his face, and was just now coming back, and the three of them went to meet him. But when he looked up, Tetsu saw his eyes. Glassy with tears, and likely more than that, and it looked like more tears were about to spill over. Quickly, he crossed the small distance to reach him, and gathered him up in his arms.

"Don't. Don't cry. You won! You should be happy!"

"I-I am," Kei stuttered. "I'm happy we won. But..."

"No buts, love. You know damn well there is always a winner and a loser. You won. We lost. You get to move on, and we'll be there to cheer at the top of our lungs for you."

Kei nodded, but remained silent. Tetsu knew he'd get himself together before the next game, but until then, he was going to be a mess. He held Kei tighter, and caught the attention of his two best friends.

"Don't you two have a game to play?"

"Yeah, we were just about to head out," Akaashi said, grabbing Bokuto's wrist. "We'll talk to you later!"

"Good luck, guys!"

"Thanks! And good luck to you, Tsuki!"

Kei nodded, and Tetsu gave them both a thumbs up on his behalf. When they were out of sight, Tetsu tightened his hold on Kei, who had slumped just enough to make him heavier to hold upright. Leaning his cheek against Kei's he found it burning up hot. Carefully, he pulled back and saw Kei's face was flushed, more so than just from tears.

"You're sick."

"Yeah."

"You can't play like this."

"I just need to eat something, and rest. Take something for my head..."

"We need to tell Coach Ukai and Takeda-sensei."

"No! I'll be fine. I just... need to recharge."

"Recharge, my ass. You're going to make yourself worse."

"Yeah, well, so is Hinata. I think he's sick, too."

Tetsu was silent for a moment. "The only sane first year among you is Tadashi. He'd know when to stop."

"Well, that and Yachi would make him."

"I sense a story, but I'm not listening to that right now."

Kei leaned back to look into his eyes. Tetsu saw everything in those golden brown irises, and knew Kei had his mind made up. Short of physically tying him down, there would be no stopping Kei from playing with his team.

"Tetsu, please. Just a light lunch and some rest."

"This is against my better judgement, but okay."

"Stay with me?"

"Where else would I go?"

"Good."

Kei straightened up, and if Tetsu didn't know any better, he'd have said Kei looked like his usual self. They collected their bentos and found a quiet spot that wasn't too far from their teams. Tetsu kept an eye on Kei, making sure he ate most of the bento he'd been given, and then became a willing pillow as Kei settled down for a nap.