On their way out the door, Zinan stumbled around someone, huffing indignantly. Two familiar faces apologized on their way in.

"Hey guys!" Zume brightened at Suga's voice. It always made them feel more comfortable.

"Suga, Asahi, hey!" 

"I was just wondering if you two would stop by." Zume beamed and hopped back behind the counter. "What can I get for you?"

"I'm good," Suga said.

"I'll have a strawberry green tea." Asahi smiled nervously. Asahi. He always felt nervous around them, even though the two had known each other for years. They didn't really take it personally. Asahi seemed nervous around a lot of people. 

"Comin' right up." Suga and Asahi joined Daichi in leaning against the counter. Zume couldn't help but feel a rush of affection for them. They didn't know why, but something about seeing their fellow third-years shoulder to shoulder in the cafe struck a chord. 

"Eh, Suzume?" Daichi, Suga, and Asahi stared at them; they blinked rapidly, snapping out of it. 

"Sorry!" They flushed and quickly finished the tea, handing it to Asahi. "There, enjoy."

"Thanks." 

"I... think I need to take my break." Suga heard something in their tone and studied them closely.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, just tired. Like always," they said bittersweetly. "I really shouldn't take a nap though, I've got to bake-"

Before they could object further, Suga was dragging them from behind the counter and lecturing them on self-care. Daichi nodded from behind him, arms crossed. They were gently pushed down onto the couch. Suga sat on the other end, setting Harold on their chest. Jeez, he was heavy! It was kind of nice, actually.

"Now take a nap if you need one!" Suga finished his lecture. Zume cocked an eyebrow.

"Are you done?" He gave them a look. Daichi and Asahi sat nearby, in the cushy armchairs studded around the cat structures and cushions.

"Yeah, I am. You know I only do that because I care, Zume." Suga's gaze fell on them warmly, and they couldn't help a small smile.

"I know, Suga."

"So, Asahi, you gonna rejoin the team?"

"Come on guys, you didn't bring me here just to peer-pressure me into rejoining, did you?!" The voices of Suzume's closest friends made for a comforting background as they fell asleep.

Waking up was awful, to say the least. It always was from naps like these. Narc naps, Botan called them. They usually involved a very abrupt awakening, followed by a brief panic attack. Anticipation made it worse; company helped a bit.

So when Suzume's eyes flashed open and they jerked upright, their panic skyrocketed upon noticing Suga, Daichi, and Asahi's absence. Their chest tightened, vision narrowing. Harold meowed in distress from their lap, trying his best to calm them. Their head spun, accompanied by a flood of nausea. They let out a groan.

"Suzume!" Suga's cry barely reached them. From across the cafe, he ran quickly to their side. "Hey, it's alright, Zume, it's Suga, I'm here."

He took their shaking hands, squeezing them tightly. "You're okay, you're safe. No need to cry, it's alright," he soothed, gently brushing away the tears leaking from their screwed-shut eyes. "Deep breaths, Suzume. You're awake now."

Slowly, they opened their eyes. Suga was crouched in front of them, worry written all over his face. 

"There, that's it. See, you're in the cafe. It's just me and Roman here, Daichi and Asahi left."

"Why didn't you?" they croaked. Their voice was groggy from sleep, and panic too, they guessed.

"I figured someone should be here when you woke up." He looked down and noticed he still had a tight hold of their hands. The blush quickly spread over his cheeks. "Ahh, sorry! I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Suga, I don't mind." He withdrew, embarrassed.

"Are you alright now?"

"Not really," they murmured, "but I will be. You should go anyway."

"I don't mind. If it's alright, I can hang out after your shift!"

"Yeah, I'd really like that. I gotta check in on Botan and see what he's up to, but it shouldn't be a problem." 

Both bore affectionate smiles and flushed faces. Suzume made up a light lunch for Suga and themself-- onigiri and a bit of udon-- and set up a sea of blankets and cushions on the floor in the cat area.

"It's really informal, but I don't mind if you don't."

"Not at all. It's nice to do stuff like this once in a while," Suga assured. As he sat down, Yunosuke immediately got up from his place on a shelf and bounded down to greet his favorite visitor.

"Come on, Yuno, we're trying to eat!" Zume laughed. The cat didn't listen, continuing to headbutt Suga's shoulder.

Thumbelina, ever the lively one, dashed between them, jumping up onto the couch, looking out the window, and racing down again. Hudson poked her head out from the cat tower and decided to join the fun. She played with the kitten, rolling on the floor around Zume and Suga. The two watched amusedly while they ate, occasionally dangling or throwing a toy into the fray.

"Hey now, Hud, be careful. Thumbelina is a lot smaller than you." The tabby's tail twitched, and she looked over her shoulder at Zume with wide orange eyes.

"That's quite a look she gave you," Suga remarked, looking up from his bowl. "And that's quite a look you're giving me."

"I get enough sass around here, from Mr. Experimenter back there and Botan and the cats."

"Heard that!" Roman shouted.

"Go back to work!" Zume rolled their eyes.

"I always meant to ask, but what breeds are they?"

"We aren't exactly sure for most of them." Zume looked around the room for Hugo and Harold. "This one and her littermates are all Maine Coons though. Their mother was our first cat."

"What happened?"

"She died not long after birth." Zume stirred their udon with their chopsticks.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, that's awful."

"It's alright, I've had my time to grieve. She was a good cat, sometimes." They smiled faintly at the memories. "Her name was Taiyou, and she was the most lively cat I've ever known. She was always prowling the house, getting into things, stealing socks. But she was sweet, and we loved her."

Suga sat quietly with his chin resting in his hand, listening to Suzume with a soft look on his face. They were more animated than usual, as they got, he'd learned, when talking about something they were interested in. The conversation shifted from Taiyou to stories of Harold, Hugo, and Hudson, the three Maine Coon kittens, and how the other cats came to be at Tanjiminero Cafe. 

"Hey, Sugawara." He started a bit. "You still with me?"

"Yeah, sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "Thank you for the meal, it was delicious."

"No problem." Zume gathered their dishes and brought them to the industrial-size sinks. Suga wandered in after them. He'd been in the back before, but not often.

"Here, I can wash. You made it, I'll clean up," he said, cutting off their protests.

"Fine, but I'm helping." They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, Zume scrubbing a big pot, Suga diligently working on their dishes from lunch.

With a mischievous smirk, Zume flicked soap bubbles Suga's way. He stopped and eyed them. They looked up innocently, batting their eyelashes. "Something wrong?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to start something?"

"Not at all!" They grinned and went back to scrubbing. Suga scooped up a handful of bubbles and threw it at them. Just like that, the fight was on.

Quickly, Suzume dunked the pot under the water, filling it with suds. They ducked behind the island, but not before Suga slapped another fistful of bubbles onto their back.

Iridescent bubbles floated through the air, the two friends' laughs echoing through the kitchen. One would take a chance, popping out from their cover to fire, then diving right back to safety before the other could retaliate.

Suga, on the other side of the island, had an idea. He quietly snuck around the other side and seized them, his hands going around their waist, his face just over their shoulder as he yelled "BOO!"

Zume shrieked, jerking in surprise. Suga hung on tight; they both crashed to the floor, spilling the big pot still half full of water and bubbles. Some of them rushed into the air, the rest washing around them on the floor.

They laughed breathlessly; the laughter soon faded, the moment quickly becoming tense. Suzume had fallen on top of Suga, lying on his chest, their faces close, too close for friends. Yet neither seemed anxious to move.

A million thoughts raced through Zume's head, blurring into a static background. Suga's eyes were even prettier up close, really brown-

"Ahh, -" The soft noise brought Zume back to their senses. They jumped to their feet, backing away, their face unbearably hot.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, I didn't-"

"No, it's my fault, I shouldn't have surprised you like that." Suga had trouble gathering his bearings, but he got to his feet. Both of them were damp and soapy from the little fight.

"I-I need to go clean up, I'll be right back." Stumbling a little, Zume ran to the bathroom.

They were shaking, pretty badly. Their face was scorching hot, stomach unsettled and full of butterflies.

Jeez, what even happened back there?! What was that?! I thought I was the one being awkward and lovey-dovey, but the way he looked at me... No, I'm probably just overthinking it.

Out in the kitchen, Suga just stood there, starstruck. What... just happened? He waved to Roman, who was idling at the front counter (trying to act like he hadn't overheard the commotion and seen what happened, oh it was so juicy, he had to share!), and left the cafe. He needed a walk after that.

Once he was gone, Roman shot to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Suzume! Suzume I saw what happened, you better come out bestie we gotta talk about this!"

A muffled groan, and the door unlocked with a click. Zume opened it, standing in front of Roman with their face still flushed, head lowered.

"Girly pop, we gotta talk about this."

"Mmm, no we don't."

"Yes. We do."

"What's there to talk about?" Zume snapped. Not phased by their exasperation, Roman sat down at a small table in the cafe.

"So. Chemistry. Holy shit dude." They let out another groan. "I don't know Suga all that well but I've never seen someone look at another person like that who doesn't have-"

"Stop right there, Suga doesn't have anything on his mind. We're just friends. That's all I want, that's all he wants. Don't give me that look."

"Complete bullshit."

"Ro, I'm serious. I don't like Suga, not in any way more than friends."

"Even you know that's a blatant and obvious lie," he sighed. "What's even the point of lying? Why wouldn't you like Suga? He's a great guy. You two look so cute together too!"

"Because if I liked him and he didn't like me back, I'd lose my best friend," Suzume said bitterly, standing up abruptly. "I'm done talking about this. We have a shift to finish."

// ELLIOT'S INPUT
 

   AHHH y'all i loved writing this chapter, it was a bit shorter than the first one but thats ok! yeah ik i didnt introduce any new characters but that is also ok! because Zume!!!!! and Suga!!!!!!!!! 🥰🥰🥰

     as usual, please lmk how you liked this chapter, dont be a ghost reader ♡ ill try to keep updating as regularly as i can! love you all, thanks for reading xoxo