Now that their attention had been brought to it, Suga could smell the enticing scent of lunch drifting into the room from beneath the crack under the door and felt his stomach clench with hunger. It was horribly unfair, Daichi's Mother was a fantastic cook, he wanted what they would be having, not whatever cat food Kokoro had procured from the convenience store down the road.

Sighing sadly, Suga's ears fell flat as he waited for the brunette to unplug the blow dryer and wrap up the cord. How long would this stupid curse last? Spirits sinking as he grew glum, the setter looked up to Daichi as he went to the door and turned back to ask him if he was ready.

Lifting his front paw as he sulked over to the other teen, Suga peered up at him pathetically.

"Carry me, my arm hurts."

Hands shifting to his hips, Daichi smiled but gave his friend tough love.

"You didn't seem to have any problems walking all over my pillow, I think you'll make it."

"Daichiii, don't be so cruel." Suga whined, deflating and looking the picture of a sad wounded animal.

"I'm suffering, the least you could do is save me from having to hobble down the steps… But I guess I could manage..."

Exaggerating his limp as he slowly made his way to the door, the captain found he couldn't resist the setter's act, even if he knew it was mostly for show. He was pouting, but what did it really harm if he gave into such manipulation sometimes?

That exact thought was probably the same reason Suga managed to coerce him into a thousand other things.

Giving a hint of a grin, Daichi caved and bent to scoop up the now soft and fluffy cat, shifting him into one arm and tugging open the door.

"You're going to get fat if you keep making me carry you everywhere." The brunette warned, making his way down the hall toward the steps.

Letting out a wide mouth yawn, Suga settled himself in Daichi's grip and blinked lazily, pleased with himself.

"My Dad always says I'm too skinny anyway."

Not bothering to respond to his devious friend, Daichi padded down the creaking steps and made his way into the hot kitchen, tugging at his shirt collar in an attempt to cool himself.

"There you are Nii-san, I got Button some cans of wet food, do you think he's hungry?"

"Uh…"

Looking down to Suga and seeing his ears flatten, Daichi shrugged.

"Not sure, I think Suga mentioned something about him being a picky cat, I don't know what kind of food he'll eat."

Eyes turning large and disappointed, Kokoro's shoulders dropped.

"Oh… You think he won't like it? I picked him out the best ones I could find, this one is tuna and this one is chicken with gravy. We can at least try and give it to him…Right?"

Guilt setting in, the cream and grey cat looked up to the brunette with dread in his eyes, knowing he couldn't break his best friend's little sister's heart. Damn it, he was about to eat cat food.

Leaving the choice up to Suga, Daichi set his friend on the floor.

"Sure, we can try. Don't get too upset if he doesn't want it though, I warned you."

"I hope he does, she insisted on using her own money to buy it, silly girl." Daichi's Mother interjected with a humored laugh, shaking her head as she took dishes out of the cabinet.

"Here's a bowl for him, Kokoro."

Daichi winced. He knew Suga and the soft spot he had for not only the guys on their team, but his younger siblings as well. It was a bit odd how easy it was to pull on the setter's heart strings, given he was an only child and had no siblings of his own, but that was just who Sugawara was. He supported everyone as if they were his own, gentle and encouraging, but fierce when you needed a kick in the ass. Why was it Daichi so often experienced the latter?

Eyes chasing the brunette's back as he abandoned Suga to help his Mother set the table, Suga gulped. The sound of a can being opened pulled his attention up to the left, and he saw with dread, the long haired Sawamura eagerly spoon mushy pink something into a small ceramic bowl. Holding back a groan and the urge to flee beneath the couch in the living room, Sugawara curled his fluffy tail about his feet, and appreciated the last shreds of his dignity. Who knew a young girl with warm mahogany eyes, far too similar to Karasuno's captain's, would be his undoing? Daichi likely.

"Button, come here kitty… Look what I've got for you."

Sporting the family's trademark gentle smile, Kokoro crossed the kitchen to where Suga was standing beside the table, and knelt. Placing the dish on the floor before him with enough care to make one think it held something precious, Daichi's younger sister turned her face to the grey haired cat's, and waited with a face full of hope.

The third-year setter found he couldn't look away. She'd gone through the trouble of fetching and paying for food she thought was going to Suga-san's cat, wanting to make sure Button was well taken care of while he was away, since her brother was clearly inept. He cared, he was grateful, he really was! But… He wasn't sure he could get through the task without gagging, would a single bite be enough?

As Suga began to rise to his three feet, still reluctant to stand on his injured one, he suddenly stiffened. What was… That enticing smell? Something familiar, but somehow different coming through the nose of a cat's body. It couldn't be- No, it was.

Approaching the little red dish Kokoro had placed on the floor, Sugawara was confused to find the smell of tuna more luxurious than he could ever remember finding it, his stomach clenching and his body moving of its own accord. Without recalling having ever made the decision, Suga was greedily gobbling up the soft mushy food, disgusted with himself, but unable to stop.

"Oh! He likes it Nii-san, see?"

"Hm? Er-… Look at that." Daichi responded, one brow lifting high as he grimaced, a hand falling to his hip as he looked on disturbed.

The captain had to give it to him, he was far more dedicated to being a good person than he was. The brunette was so entranced by the scene, he couldn't look away as he set plates with fish and sweet dumplings on the table, shaking his head in disbelief as his brother and Father joined them in the kitchen.

Suga could feel Daichi's eyes on him, wanted to pull himself away from his squishy pink meal as he pictured his friend's repulsed expression, but he wasn't in control. This body wanted what was in front of him, and before he knew it, he was finishing up the last bits.

"Are you sure that's a cat and not a pig?" asked, a deep chuckle following the comment and leaving Sugawara mortified.

Licking the remnants from around his mouth and hunching to the floor embarrassed, the setter limped beneath his friend's chair and hid his shame between Daichi's bare feet.

"Don't be mean, Papa, he was probably starving because Nii-san isn't taking good care of him. Poor baby." Kokoro scolded, picking the dish up from the floor as her older brother protested.

"Hey, I'm right here you know."

"Oh, I know."

Letting out an exasperated sigh at his sister's chiding, Daichi gripped the wooden edge of the table and peeked beneath it, checking to make sure Suga didn't have plans to hurl on his feet. It didn't appear as though the cat was going to be sick, but he was hiding his little head beneath two paws. Concerned, Daichi nudged him with his toe, speaking in a soft voice he hoped only Suga would hear.

"You alright?"

Peeking up at the captain miserably, he didn't answer, but turned to leap into his lap. Giving a noise of surprise, Daichi held his hands out of the way while Suga curled into a ball, making himself comfortable and then concealing his face with his tail as he laid down. Blinking confused, the brunette took that as Suga didn't want to talk about it, and left him be.

Gingerly scooting his chair in and careful not to disturb the cat in his lap, Daichi picked up his chopsticks and quickly began devouring his own food.