Ever since Mitsumi's large suitcase broke, she had to figure out how she was going to fit everyone's Christmas presents into a smaller suitcase with her clothing. There was no way in heck she was going to bring two bags. It took some shuffling and some world class level Tetris skills to get everything to fit. The trip to Karasuno was only for a few days. But, she had to pack her warmest winter clothing, work out clothes, and all of her other essentials on top of the gifts.

"Finally!" Mitsumi flopped on top of her suitcase after struggling to zip it up. The luggage looked like it was about to bust at the seams. Thankfully nothing inside was breakable.

Suga looked up from the book he was reading. "I assume that is a hidden talent of yours." He put the book into his travel backpack. He had left some clothes back at home. So, he didn't have to pack as much as she did.

"I guess you can call it that." Mitsumi checked her phone. "Megumi says that they are about ten minutes away." Her family was on the way to pick the two of them up. She stood up off of the floor and dragged her suitcase to the front door. It wouldn't stand up on its own, so she laid it on its side.

Suga met her in the middle of the living room and pulled her in for a hug. He was more than excited to introduce his girlfriend to his mother and younger brother. "I hope Nishnoya doesn't decide to hog you the entire trip." He joked and rubbed the girl's back.

Mitsumi wrapped her arms around him gently. Her shoulders shook up and down as she chuckled. "Yu already knows he can't. Besides, you said there are a few places you wanted to show me. Right?"

"Of course!" He pecked her forehead with a smile. "You're about to love Karasuno more than you already do!" He said proudly. They both laughed a bit.

Buzz buzz!

Mitsumi looked at her phone again. "They are out front!"

"I got your suitcase." Suga sat it upright as he slipped his shoes on. "Don't worry, I won't break it."

...

Megumi pounced on her sister as soon as her sister was close to the car. "Chie! I have so many photos to show you!" She was now about a centimeter taller than her older sister. But, the older one decided to not point that out.

"Show me once we start driving." Chie shook her sister off and sighed.

Mr. Mitsumi popped the trunk open and came around to the back. "You both look happy today!" He said as he helped Koushi load the bags in. "How has everything been?"

Suga bowed with a polite smile. "It's been good!"

"Busy is a better term." Chie let out a sigh. "Koushi, do you want the window seat?" She offered the prized spot to him before she hopped into the warm car.

He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes please!" He closed the trunk and climbed in the car. Megumi had already claimed the other seat, so Chie was left sitting in between them. Which wasn't exactly her favorite. But, she could make do for the time being.

Noriko was in the driver's seat. She cranked the heater up onto full blast as everyone climbed in. The ride was full of light conversations and Megumi being in charge of the AUX cord. Out of all of them, she had the best car playlist. Chie was also being bombarded by her sister, who was showing her all of the photos she had taken of Nekoma's various sports teams.

"So, Koushi, you graduated from Karasuno High?" Noriko struck up a conversation with the setter in the back. "That makes the two of us alumni."

Suga's eyes lit up. "Yes! I did. I didn't know you were an alumnus." His focus shifted from the now fading skyline of Tokyo to the driver.

"I have many good memories back there." The mother sighed a bit as nostalgia washed over her. Every ounce of her missed the quiet countryside. But, with every new opportunity came a sacrifice. So, she moved out to Tokyo to teach elementary school after graduating from college. Although ever since her daughters were around, she stuck to being a stay-at-home mom. 

"How did finals week go? Have you done anything to celebrate?" Her father chimed in.

Chie had her arm linked to Suga's. She looked up with him. "Mine was a breeze." She stuck her tongue out with a teasing wink.

"It was stressful. But, I managed to pass my classes. I'd take one week over a whole concert season though." Suga pinched the girl's cheek in retaliation. "Now we just have Nationals to worry about."

The libero winced and rubbed where he had pinched. The younger sister snickered at what she had just witnessed. Chie hissed at Megumi before leaning onto her boyfriend's arm. They hadn't been in the car for a full hour yet and she already wanted to strangle her little sister.

It wasn't long until the couple had both fallen asleep. It was the first time in a long while that they were able to fully relax. They could finally get some rest.

Megumi pulled her phone out and snapped some pictures. "Shh!" She shushed her father, who was rambling about volleyball and the busy filming season he had again. He turned around and noticed what was going on and smiled. Chie was finally letting her walls down.

...

Nishinoya came home after practice to find Mitsumi and her family eating dinner. "I'm home!" He shouted as he dropped his bag in the entryway. "Aunt Noriko! Uncle Ryo! Megumi! Chie! You guys made it!!!" His ADHD self bounced over to the dinner table.

"Welcome home, Yu." His mother sighed heavily, "And please lower your voice."

"Right!" He plopped himself down in a seat and dished himself some food. He was always starving after practice.

Mitsumi smiled gently at her energetic cousin. "How was practice?"

"Dude, it was intense as always. Karasuno snatched it's powerhouse status again, ya know!" Nishinoya shoved some rice into his mouth.

Ryo rubbed his neck, "So full of energy as always."

His comment elicited a grin from the third year. "Chie, I thought you said Suga was coming."

"Idiot! He's staying with his family. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Chie set her chopsticks down as she grumbled.

Megumi bursted into laughter. "You're about to graduate and you still have a single brain cell. I wonder how you've made it this far." She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Some things never change."

...

Chie was the unlucky one who was stuck sleeping in the office at the front of the house. Megumi was on the floor of the guest room where her parents slept. At least the older child had her own space, and a place to charge her phone. The cherry on top was the fact she got the better futon.

She sat in a butterfly position on the futon. Soft music poured through her ear buds. Chie took a deep breath and started her usual night time stretching routine. Her muscles ached from being cramped up in the car for so long. Everyone else had gone to bed long before her.

Or so she thought. Noya stepped into the office holding up two cardboard cartons of milk and some pre-packaged rolls. "Can't sleep?"

Chie took her earbuds out and looked up at her cousin. "Dude, college really screwed my sleeping patterns up." She moved into the splits and continued to stretch.

"I didn't know you actually get sleep." Noya set a roll of melon bread and a drink down at her feet. "Are you and Suga coming to practice tomorrow with us?"

"It's literally Christmas Eve! You guys are practicing?!" Chie knew that her team had the day off. It was the only reason why she could be on this trip. "You guys are insane!" She finished stretching and accepted the snack.

The male Libero joined the college student on the floor. His usually spiked up hair was down drying. He had a cocky smirk on his face as he stabbed the plastic straw into his milk carton. "Nobody is going out of town. So, what else do we have to do? We want to win Nationals this year!"

"Rest is just as important too, you know." Chie munched on the sweet bread. "At least tell me you have Christmas Day off."

Nishinoya dramatically placed a hand on his chest while putting the other one out to the side, "Fret not, Fair Maiden! We do take holidays off."

Chie rolled her eyes. Since when were you a drama queen? She thought to herself. "I guess I can come. I brought my volleyball gear in case something like this happened." She was actually hoping to see the Karasuno boys again. They had so much talent as a team and so much potential as individuals. The time she had with them at the Tokyo University training camp was invaluable. Not only to them, but also to her.

"Heck yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

His energy made her smile. Things had become so blah in her life. It was refreshing. Chie unlocked her phone. "Want to wreck your sleeping patterns with me for a night?" She pulled up a video of the Miyagi University vs. Tokyo University National Semifinals match from last year. The team hadn't changed much besides the addition of her and a few members leaving. So, there was a good chance that she could learn a lot.

"Isn't that Saki's team?" Nishinoya looked at the title of the video. "They lost in last year's finals."

Chie nodded and used her waterbottle to prop her phone up so they could both watch. "They are Tokyo's sworn rivals. And unfortunately, I added to that." She hit the play button and sighed again. "We have to beat them this year before Shimura and Hanasaki graduate."

"Dang, they are good." He kept an eye on Miyagi's defense. "Their attacks are super sneaky and powerful, but their defense is pretty lackluster."

They slowly sprawled out on the floor as the game progressed. The two cousins analyzed the match as if they were going to write a thesis paper on it. Chie made a mental note of some of the plays she was seeing. Miyagi had poor read blocking skills, but had a few players that had strong defensive skills to make up for it. Overall, Noya was right. If Tokyo could see past the strength of their opponent and see their weaknesses, then the game would be in their favor.

Noya left to go to bed after the match. His energy was finally spent. Chie plugged her phone into its charger. She climbed under her covers and laid down facing the ceiling. There was something missing. She had grown too used to Koushi's hug and kiss he gave her before he would leave for the night. As well as sleeping with the weighted blanket he gave her. It was the one item she had that made her feel safe from her inner thoughts.

Suga couldn't sleep either. Mostly due to the fact that he had slept the entire drive. Being back at home felt familiar yet so foreign. He turned on the lamp on his night stand and looked around his childhood bedroom. His old Karasuno jersey hung in a shadow box on the wall. Along with the certificate that he received for competing in the Spring Nationals and the medal from the Inter-High Preliminaries. There were a few photos scattered around the room of various events.

A pang of nostalgia smacked his heart. He missed those days terribly. Yes, college was amazing, and he loved every second of it, but he missed his carefree days. He sighed and reached for his phone. He knew Mitsumi would be awake and decided to give her a call.

"Hey Koushi." Mitsumi picked up the video call. She had been listening to music and luckily had her headphones in. "You're up late."

Hearing her voice and seeing her through video made his sadness disappear. Even though they weren't far from each other, it was still comforting. "I took too long of a nap on the ride here." The setter laid down on his side and positioned the camera so he was in frame. "Are you doing alright?" He knew nights were always rough for her and was a bit bummed he couldn't be there.

"Mhmm." Mitsumi hummed as she nodded. "I just watched some videos with Yu. Nothing super exciting." She relaxed as she held her phone above her face. "You know me. I'm an anxious bean who suffers with insomnia because her brain doesn't shut up."

Suga chuckled. He was glad she was aware of it though. "Well, tell your brain to be quiet." He gave her a playful wink. Her small smile made his heart flutter. "What's the plan for tomorrow? Are we going to walk with Noya to the school, or are we going to meet him there and surprise everyone again?"

"He said to surprise everyone. Apparently some other people are coming. So, I need your address so I can meet you." Mitsumi really didn't know the area well. Normally, her cousin and aunt would visit her in Tokyo. So, it wasn't often that Mitsumi found herself in the countryside for an extended visit.

"I'm closer to the school, so that sounds like a perfect plan." He agreed. "Do you have plans with your family?"

"Nah, Yu has volleyball all day tomorrow. Mom and Dad are going out with my Aunt to visit some friends in Sendai. Megumi said that she had a random spark of inspiration and was going to go on a photography adventure." Mitsumi listed out with a bit of a confused tone. She had no idea what her younger sister meant by a photography adventure. But, then again it was Megumi. She guessed that she didn't want to be a bother to the older kids.

He heard her big yawn through the line and watched her shift onto her side. "You should try and get some sleep. If we are going to play with the Karasuno boys tomorrow, you are going to want all of the energy in the universe."

"Can you hum to me?" Mitsumi had heard him hum to her once before. Although he wasn't aware she had heard him.

His cheeks turned a light pink. "S-Sure. I can do that. Just close your eyes." Suga started to hum random tunes he could think of. He could sense how relaxed the girl was as he went on with his lulling melodies. His body heated up with a comforting warmth as if she were in his arms. Leaving the comforts of home was well worth it if it meant that he could have her.