A/N: After two years, I found this carefully hidden in my files lol. I guess instead of letting it gather dust in my comp's storage, I'll just post it here where it can be some of use to someone (hopefully).
What to expect: A load of cringe since it is my first oneshot and one of the first fanfics I wrote.
Background: You (Seirin's Manager) and your team decided to celebrate their hard-earned victory by going to a recently opened yet popular carnival near the area. Its size, fun rides and stalls packed with limited-edition goodies are sure to bring an immense number of people, old and young alike. What you didn't expect is how vast that crowd is. You soon found yourself and everybody else carried away by the flow of the crowd, landing you to a place somewhere inside the carnival, completely lost and separated from your friends.
*(L/n)=last name
(F/n)=first name
You look around the well-lit, festive carnival hoping to find a way out or miraculously finding your friends but no such luck. The crowd you came from only goes one way: Forward. Forcing your way through there is like trying to sail towards a Tsunami worthy of the sea god's approval with nothing but a makeshift raft. Checking your pockets, you realized you have your phone. Jumping for joy, you open your phone only to find it with no battery left. Bummer. You sigh as you wonder how the Coach is going to react in this situation. She'll probably make a path of mass destruction or maybe send a patient or two to the ER.
Well, I'm inside the carnival now, might as well enjoy it. If I'm lucky I'll be able to find a familiar face and probably find another way out… But it is kind of lonely to explore this huge place by myself…
As if fate itself listened to your thoughts, or possibly wanted to compensate at least for the useless phone, you heard something fall near you with a loud thump. You whirled to see if someone had dropped a heavy crate, or if someone tripped or maybe, hopefully, another unfortunate human being who was also brought here by the crowd. You considered the latter but you didn't actually expect it happen, and so the sight caught you off guard.
What the..?
A tall, green-haired young man was helping himself up while he put on his glasses, which were askew. His hair was a bit ruffled; a result of being dragged here against his will and to prove that, he wore an irritated expression on his face.
You recognized him immediately and while you intended to introduce yourself calmly, you can't help but laugh at the unusual sight.
He saw you laughing and that seemed to annoy him more. He was about to turn away and leave so you tried to suppress your laughter.
"Oh, Midorima-kun! Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," You call out to him. He stops and you walk over to him. You extend a hand and introduce yourself. "My name is (L/n) (F/n), Seirin's Manager. Nice to meet you," You beam at him.
He seems reluctant to shake your hand but he sighs and does it anyway. But something seemed off, you looked around the area and confirmed that Midorima is alone, but no way does a person like him go at places like this.
"What are you doing here? Why…?" You asked with a puzzled look in your face then it struck you. You smirked. "Takao-kun dragged you here, didn't he?"
Midorima looked miffed. "Of course. Do I look like I want to be here?" Then he looked at you. "What is Seirin's Manager doing alone here anyway? You should be with your team, practicing."
You laughed a little. "I could say the same thing to you, you know. Anyway, I am sort of lost, and my teammates must be around here somewhere. And I was wondering if you could help me," You glance at Midorima. "Takao-kun must also be here, looking for you, so I guess you will go and find him? Besides," You add quickly. "I don't think you can leave so easily." You say while nodding in the direction of the crowd.
He studies your face for some time and finally makes a decision. "Fine." He adjusted his glasses. "But let me remind you that I am only here to find Takao, simply because he is the only one who will pull the rickshaw," He added.
"Oh really?" You teased. Hahaha tsundere. "Well, too bad then. I was hoping to try out the shooting game over there." You pointed to one of the popular stalls. "How about we compete who gets the most baskets?"
He looked over to which you were pointing and you start to sense some competitive spirit coming from him. "Surely we know who is going to win at this game. I also would not prefer to use my skills in such a childish game."
"Oh yeah? I won't be so easily beaten. Besides, I won't allow you to go easy on me even if it's a game. 'Fate favors those who do their best.' " You quoted. "Isn't that something that you would say? Plus," You held a hand up when Midorima was about to speak. "We are in a carnival, might as well enjoy it don't you think?"
Somehow, you managed to convince him and now you're both standing in front of the shooting game. Like him, you were doing pretty good yourself, managing not to miss your shots. Glancing at Midorima, you thought you saw a small smile, so subtle that you just dismissed it as your imagination. A small of group of people were already stopping by to watch because the hoops were at least taller than a normal hoop, and the fact that you and Midorima are not missing any of the shots is quite a feat. You hardly noticed the crowd because you were actually having fun, plus, Loser treats Winner. You got distracted by your train of thought so at the last second, you lost your rhythm and the ball didn't go in. As a result, Midorima won and now has to pick a prize at the top shelf. To your amazement, he picked a giant stuffed frog which greatly reassembled the toy frog he seemed very fond of. You thought of congratulating him and treating him a shake when…
You approached him and flashed him a smile. "Crongr—" You stopped abruptly when he, all of a sudden, gave you the cuddly stuffed animal. You were dumfounded by this unexpected, open act of… affection? Thoughtfulness? Either way this was enough to make you a loss for words. You even felt yourself redden.
Noticing your startled expression, and probably realizing possible misconceptions of the gesture (like affection), he quickly spoke. "Do not have any funny ideas, I am only giving it to you simply because I have no use for it. There is no more other reason."
Your astonishment soon turned into a warm smile. "Thank you, Shin-chan~!" You said in a half-teasing, half-really grateful manner. Somehow, somewhere deep inside, you knew that even if what he said might be true, you can't help but wonder that he might also mean the opposite and that the gesture was genuine. That thing alone is enough to brighten up your mood.
Seeing your smile, he instantly turned away, arms crossed. "W-whatever. Let's go somewhere else. Also, upon losing the game, you are entitled to treat me, and don't call me Shin-chan!"
You laugh. "Yeah, yeah. How about we have some ice cream, Shin-chan~?"
Midorima flashed you look of irritation, and he was probably gonna lecture you again but he gave up and sighed. As you two made your way to the ice cream stall, you can't help but wonder if that was your imagination, but you swore, on that moment when you smiled at him, you saw him blush.
Time passed by with you and Midorima testing and checking out the stalls, having fun and trying out food. Well, more like you having fun and playing games with Midorima in tow, but somehow you knew that he is having fun in his own way. You can tell, because even though he sometimes acts all high and mighty, and not that at all friendly, that is only because to protect his pride. He can't really openly express his feelings so you have to go by intuition.
Much to your surprise, it was enjoyable and relaxing exploring the carnival with Midorima. As a result, you visited a lot of stalls, and won a lot of prizes and goodies to the point that it became too much to carry. You pulled out a garbage bag from your pocket and stuffed all the goodies there and lugged it over your shoulder.
Midorima gave you a weird look.
"What?" You said, straight-faced.
He looked from the garbage bag full of loot and then to you, clearly bewildered. "Why do you have a garbage bag? Do always carry a garbage bag around with you?"
"Oh." You laugh. Then an idea popped up in your head. "It's my lucky item for today." You say casually, implying you are joking.
"You listen to Oha Asa?" He said in disbelief, clearly not getting the joke.
"Well, yes," You admitted. "But I don't really follow it," Realization dawned on you. "Oh, don't tell me, I guessed my lucky item correctly didn't I?" You laugh at the coincidence.
"Actually, you did." He sighed. "But I see no reason for you to listen to it if you're not following it."
You shrug and smile. "Curiosity, I guess." You turn and you were about to walk to a stall that caught your eye but then, you felt that he wasn't following you.
"Shin-chan…?" You turn around and found him still standing in the same spot.
He was looking at the ground and he seems to be having difficulty to say something. He was avoiding eye contact as you continued to stare at him in wonder.
"(F/n)." You flinched at the mention of your name. Your eyes widen when you became aware of the fact that he called you by your first name. Usually, he referred to you as "you" or "Seirin's manager", but he never even once called by your first name. With the seriousness of the tone and the mention of your name, you wondered what he will say.
He slowly looked up and caught your gaze. Time slowed down. You two were the only ones who mattered, and everyone vanished. None of you uttered a word, but in that moment silence was not awkward. It was a whole conversation happening by that simple eye contact, and in that moment both of you realized and understood each other's thoughts. You realized that you liked him and you know he feels the same way. You could feel your heartbeat beating faster, anticipating what might happen next. You saw his mouth move, and after hearing what he said, your eyes widened in shock. That moment jerked you both back to reality. Sound flooded the scene and people went back to their business like nothing happened.
.
.
.
At the heat of the moment, you still can't believe what Midorima said.
Midorima averted his gaze and said."Nothing."
You blinked. "Oh." You looked down. Honestly, you don't know what to think, say or feel. You were so caught up in the moment and then something totally unexpected happened. It was like a godly slap to the face or that feeling when lightning electrocutes you. Your heart sank.
Then a familiar burst of laughter from somewhere made you and Midorima jump apart. Seriously, you felt like you were going to have a heart attack. Twice. In a row.
You quickly scanned the area, turning to the source of laughter. Midorima also did the same.
There at the crates, possibly hiding, were two familiar faces. One was laughing; the other was partially hidden behind the crates, crouching.
"Takao-kun?!" You cried in utter shock. Realizing he was watching you two made your face flush red?
"TAKAO!?" Midorima was also an angry shade of red. "What are you doing?!"
Takao was still laughing when he approached us along with someone else, and that alone indicated that he saw the whole thing. You suspected he was stalking you two ever since you came in the festival.
"Shin-chan, that was so lame. I really thought you were going to confess to (F/n). Killjoy." He kept laughing and you finally saw who was with him.
"Takao-kun, you are laughing too much. Also, I don't think it was a good idea to spy on them." Kuroko looked at Midorima. "Although it was depressing that Midorima-kun cannot come into terms with his own feelings."
"SHUT UP, KUROKO AND TAKAO! AND I WASN'T GOING TO CONFESS."
"Oh really? And she's right here you know." Takao said while pointing to you. He looked at you and smirked. "Don't worry, he's a Tsundere." He winked.
"TAKAO! Let's leave already!" Midorima said impatiently and turned away quickly walking the other direction.
Takao sighed. "Fine, fine." He put his arms behind his head and walked over to Midorima.
You watched them walk away until they disappear in the crowd. You thought you heard Takao and Midorima say something to each other but not fully comprehending it, you just dismissed it.
Even though they were gone, you still stood there, stunned and unable to move because of the turn of events that happened. This was just too much for you. You even hadn't become aware of the garbage bag full of loot you were carrying, even Kuroko, until he stood in your line of vision and called your name.
"(F/n)-san. Are you alright?"
That snapped you back to reality, but your mind was still befuddled. You blinked twice. "Um, I guess so…"
You could see a small smile forming on Kuroko's lips. "(F/n)-san you like Midorima-kun, don't you?"
That line slapped you awake. You sigh. "Let's just go Kuroko-kun." You look around and noticed that the crowd significantly lessened. You blush a little, if you have been paying attention, you could have left early. Well, a mistake is a mistake. "Do you know where the others are?"
He nods and we start to walk away, with Kuroko leading. But after a few minutes of walking, he piped up again. It seems like he wasn't going to drop the subject just yet. "(F/n)," At that moment you thought he was going to ask again about your feelings but then his question caught you by surprise. "Did you have fun?"
You stare at him at the strange question, but nevertheless, you smile and respond. "Yeah, I did."
And in that moment you forgotten everything, and you went back in time, recalling the conversation of Takao and Midorima.
.
.
.
.
"You could've told her you liked her you know."
"Quiet, Takao. Time will tell."
A/N: Tbh, I wasn't not sure whether I should keep the "(F/n) (L/n)" thing or just change it to "Reader". However, my laziness wins this round.
