Shin-chan's Type
"Number one on today's ranking is Scorpio! Congratulations!"
Takao held back his breath. His grip on his chopsticks tightened and he dropped the rice he had been holding.
"Your love fortune is at the ultimate top today, don't waste your chance to enjoy your day with that special someone!"
His nostrils flared and he dropped his chopsticks altogether.
"Especially if that someone is a Cancer, your compatibility is the highest today!"
Today was the day.
"Don't forget to carry your lucky item: a bear pencil case!"
He shot up from the table and dashed back to his bedroom where he picked up his schoolbag and the aforementioned bear pencil case, borrowed from his sister, which he shoved in his uniform jacket's pocket. With his free hand, he fished for his cellphone and tapped a quick message as he quickly slid his shoes on.
"Something came up, can't pick you up. See you at school." He pressed the 'Send' button at the same time that he called "I'm off!" before exiting the house.
As planned, he had arrived at school a lot earlier than most of the other students, the grounds were nearly deserted, which worked perfectly for his purpose. He double-checked to make sure there was no one else in the shoe lockers before unzipping his bag and pulling out an orange envelope with a little heart-shaped sticker on front. He flipped it around to see the cleanly written name on the back, Midorima Shintarou-kun, and he smiled, pleased with himself. He eyed the room one last time, and once convinced it was still unoccupied, he opened the locker with Shin-chan's name on it –heart pounding loudly against his ribcage-, placed the envelope inside in a way that made it impossible to miss, and shut the door again.
He took a step back and pulled the pencil case out from his pocket, held it between his palms and brought them close to his face, as if in prayer. Still standing in front of Midorima's locker, he shut his eyes and pressed his forehead against the object, feeling so utterly ridiculous and still not caring because this was his only hope.
Don't you fucking fail me, Oha-Asa, I'm begging you.
Sitting inside the classroom and waiting for everyone else to arrive, he'd been so nervous he'd actually double-checked Oha-Asa's prediction for the day, suddenly afraid that he had misread something. He sighed in relief when he confirmed it was still the same as this morning.
Yes, today was the day. He'd waited and waited for over a damn year for a day in which his luck would be the best, a day in which good love fortune was predicted, and a high compatibility with Cancer was guaranteed. He'd checked the planets and stars for extra measure: Mars was in line with the Moon and dominated the sky. There would not be a more perfect day than today.
And this was of utmost importance because today was the day he'd confess his feelings for Midorima Shintarou.
He wasn't really sure of when these feelings had started. For all he knew, he might've been in love with the unsociable tsundere from day one. There was something about Shin-chan that just made his heart throb in delight. Like his deep, smooth voice, or his lovely green eyes framed by those impossibly long eyelashes, or his long, elegant fingers, so perfectly suited to shoot perfect three-pointers and play the most beautiful melodies in the piano, or his aloof demeanor that unsuccessfully tried to hide his innate gentleness, or how he worked harder than anyone else and never grew overconfident in his own abilities, always aiming to improve himself, or his small and random but utterly lovable acts of kindness, or how he would rarely, occasionally allow his lips to curl upwards in the tiniest and most tender of smiles. Takao felt his insides grow warm reminiscing all those things and he knew he was in too deep.
At some point he'd considered keeping those feelings to himself. It didn't seem worth the risk when the chances of getting reciprocated were slim at best. Earning Midorima's trust had been difficult, he didn't want to jeopardize it by making him uncomfortable or upset. Deep down he knew that, even if he were to be rejected, Shin-chan wouldn't want to break their friendship, that he'd try his best to continue acting normal even if he felt uncomfortable or grew self-conscious of his actions and words in consideration for Takao's feelings. But he'd also feared it would eventually strain their relationship until it collapsed, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to stand something like that.
As the months passed, though, he started realizing something different in Midorima's gaze. It didn't happen often, and it only ever lasted for a few seconds, but he was sure he'd seen Shin-chan looking at him with something akin to longing in his eyes. It was gone so fast he always wondered if he wasn't imagining it, but then it kept happening and Takao didn't know what to think. And sometimes, when Shin-chan thought he wasn't looking, he'd glance in his direction and smile a small, gentle smile, and Shin-chan's smiles were already a rare treat, but this one, he knew, this smile was for him alone and it made him buzz.
He'd started wondering if maybe Shin-chan reciprocated his feelings. And maybe he did. It made a lot of sense, he was literally the only human being tacitly allowed into the Ace's personal space. Shin-chan still acted pissed off and told him to go die whenever he got clingy, but it was more a thing of inertia, rather than an actual attempt to push him away. And really, he was the person that occupied most of Midorima's time. With their rides to school, their classes, club practice plus their occasional lucky-item-hunt outings or study-sessions-slash-movie-nights, they actually spent more time together than with either of their families.
With all of that in mind, he'd realized it wasn't such a farfetched possibility that his feelings might be mutual. But even if they were, Shin-chan would never, ever be the one to admit them, so it was his responsibility to create the perfect occasion. And thus he'd started paying more attention to Oha-Asa (he had already made a habit of listening to her to be prepared to handle Midorima in a 'bad day for Cancer'), waiting for the right opportunity. Because if everything in Shin-chan's life so far had been ruled by horoscopes, it came to reason that confessing his feelings would have to follow that rule too.
"Ah, Shin-chan! Sorry about this morning!" he greeted the green-haired boy as he entered the classroom, blessing his acting skills for allowing him to sound natural in spite of how nervous he was.
To his surprise, instead of grunting or scolding him for changing his plans last minute, Midorima stood by his desk and looked down at him, something akin to concern appearing in his emerald eyes. "Is… everything alright?" he asked, looking away in embarrassment.
Takao cocked his head to the side, not really understanding. "Yeah, same as usual, why?"
Midorima pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and huffed, crossing his arms on top of his chest. "You said something had come up… nevermind." He rushed to turn away and get to his seat.
The shorter boy grinned mischievously. "Heeeh… was Shin-chan worried about me?" he snickered teasingly and watched the color rise to the taller boy's pale cheeks. So damn cute.
"Was not!" He huffed indignantly once again, refusing to meet Takao's eyes. "It would affect practice if there was anything troubling you, that's all." He grumbled, his eyes fixed on the textbook he had just produced from his bag.
"Whatever you say, Shin-chan."
"Shut up."
Takao was humming happily as he made his way back to the classroom. It was lunch break, so he'd gone outside to buy something to drink from the vending machine –and of course, to get Shin-chan's canned shiruko-. So far, everything was going according to plan. Shin-chan hadn't made any further inquiries since the morning and their day had continued as per usual. Less observant eyes wouldn't even notice the green-haired ace was a little bit fidgety and that a slight blush had permanently stationed itself on his cheeks, but Takao was nothing if not observant, especially when it came to Shin-chan. He had poured his heart and soul into that letter and it was very pleasing to see Shin-chan getting so flustered by it.
The plan itself was almost painfully simplistic. He'd written a very heartfelt confession letter, explaining as best as he could, how deeply he felt about his dear Shin-chan, all his little quirks that he loved so much, how he thought about him all the time and so on. He'd done so in a way that kept his identity a secret (even referring to him as 'Midorima-kun') and left the letter anonymous, asking to meet after club activities were over, under the large momiji tree at the back of the school, which was currently ablaze with the color of autumn. He wasn't sure of why he'd decided for such a roundabout approach (maybe he just couldn't think of a better way to make Shin-chan realize that his feelings were serious), but now the plan was in motion and going smoothly so there was no going back. He'd just have to excuse himself from practice before Shin-chan and wait for him under the tree and the truth would be out. And if Shin-chan didn't show up, no one would know it was Takao who had written the letter anyway and everything would continue as normal. But he trusted that would not be the case. Oha-Asa had predicted good luck for today and Shin-chan would never stand someone up, even if that someone was a stranger. Things would work out, he had a feeling about it.
As he skipped merrily down the corridor, he heard a group of girls squealing and talking in hushed whispers around the corner. Normally he wouldn't pay them much mind, but his ears tingled when he heard one of them utter something about 'Midorima-kun'. He approached them cautiously, keeping his presence hidden and perked his ears to listen to the conversation.
"Eh? I didn't know you liked Midorima-kun like that. He's super awkward isn't he?"
"Well… he is but… isn't that kind of cute too? Besides, he's really cool, didn't you see him during the In-High? He's so tall and strong…"
Takao's eyes widened. It wasn't unusual for girls to flock around the stars of the school's sports clubs. While Shin-chan hadn't been particularly popular during their first year, that had all changed after their brilliant performance for the Winter Cup. Even though they placed third, girls from all grades had started to flock to the both of them like moths drawn to a flame. Takao was still the most popular of the two, but Shin-chan had already received about half a dozen love confessions since the start of the school year.
"But he's rejected every girl that has confessed to him, are you sure you want to do it?"
Takao chanced a peek at the girls and recognized them as third years. The one that was going to confess to Shin-chan had very pretty blue eyes and curly chocolate hair that barely passed her shoulders. He recognized her as the captain of the female soccer club; and he knew she was popular among guys for being strong-willed yet polite and feminine.
She chuckled lightly, a faint blush blossoming on her cheeks. "I know, I actually hadn't intended to confess to him but… you know one of the first years from my team confessed to him too and when he rejected her she asked what was her type and he said he preferred older women, and well, it's only a one-year difference, but I thought maybe I had a chance if that's the case." She chuckled again.
Takao stopped listening, suddenly feeling like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. Shin-chan liked older women. Of course it made sense in hindsight, given Shin-chan's personality it wasn't really strange that he preferred someone older and mature and that was actually a female, as opposed to a guy who was a couple of months younger and an obnoxious, clingy, loud idiot. Why had Shin-chan never told him about this? Why had this never occurred to him?
He shook his head. No, this couldn't be right. A random first year from the soccer club couldn't possibly know Shin-chan better than Takao did, it was just impossible. If this were true, Takao would know for sure. Nothing was lost yet. Oha-Asa couldn't have lied to him, not with something this important and concerning Shin-chan.
He breathed heavily as he finally found his way back to the classroom and plopped down lifelessly on his chair.
"Did something happen? You took a long time."
Takao looked up to meet his friend's concerned emerald eyes and he grinned. That's right, Shin-chan liked him. Maybe not in the way Takao liked Shin-chan, and definitely not in a way he'd ever admit, but certainly more than he could like any older woman. Everything would be alright.
"They didn't have what I wanted in the usual machine, I had to jog down to the one next to the gym."
Midorima eyed him suspiciously, but didn't question further, and actually smiled a little when Takao presented him with his canned shiruko, which grasped his entire attention.
"Hey, Shin-chan, there's a rumor going around that you're into older women." The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. He cursed himself inwardly, but now that the question was in the air, he decided the best would be to just roll with it. "You should've told me, I've got some friends in college that I could introduce you to, you naughty boy." And he forced a cheeky grin on his face as he playfully poked Shin-chan's shoulder.
The green-haired boy swatted his hand away and scowled. "I like older women because they tend to be more mature and cultured, I don't think anyone who is a friend of yours could have such qualities."
Takao heard a loud crack from his chest. He wondered if anyone else had heard it too. Suddenly he was out of breath.
"O-o-ohhh but S-s-shin-chan is my f-friend too…" he replied weakly, his voice an unrecognizable squeak. "Does that mean you're n-n-not m-mature either…?" he wanted to cry so badly it was almost funny. Without waiting to see if the tears would win out in the end, he dashed away from the classroom.
"Fucking Oha-Asa you fucking liar" he whispered once he was safely locked inside a bathroom stall where no one would see him cry.
The rest of the day went by torturously slow. Every minute felt like an hour. When he came back to the classroom, after making sure there were no traces of tears or red eyes on his face, Midorima had stared at him blankly but didn't ask anything and they hadn't talked much afterwards.
Takao had failed miserably in trying to pay attention to the remaining classes. Every time he tried to concentrate on anything, he ended wondering whether the cute girl from the soccer club would be Shin-chan's type –she acted very mature and cultured in the forty-five seconds that Takao had seen her- or whether she would confess today and what would Shin-chan's response be. At some point his imagination started running so wild he was picturing himself receiving an invitation for the wedding of Midorima Shintarou and Midorima Soccer-Captain-chan because he didn't even know her name, and he hated himself and his dumb curiosity for deciding to eavesdrop on that conversation.
Needless to say the "confessing" plan was utterly scrapped. Even if Shin-chan showed up at the meeting, there would be no one there and it would just become a quickly-forgotten anecdote and nothing more. Maybe Shin-chan would keep the letter for a while –it said so many nice things about him after all- and that would be it.
"TAKAO!"
Shin-chan's voice pulled him out of his miserable considerations. He looked up to find his friend's eyes scrunched in concern, his lips pulled slightly downwards. It was the third time today that Shin-chan looked at him like that, and each time his worry became more evident.
"Are you sure you're fine? You have been acting strange all day."
"Yeah, I'm—" he cut himself off, thinking of a good idea to get away from this. "Actually I'm feeling a little light-headed, I'm not sure if I'm in good shape for practice."
In a surprising and unexpected reaction, Midorima kneeled down in front of him and placed the palm of his hand against his forehead. It was warm and rough from basketball and Takao felt truly light-headed now.
"You don't seem to have a fever. Should I walk you to see the nurse?"
Was the nurse Shin-chan's type, he briefly wondered? She was a simple, kind woman, very patient and caring. She was obviously smart, she had studied medicine after all, and she had a gentle touch and a natural charm to deal with even the wildest of students. Maybe Shin-chan just wanted an excuse to go see her.
"N-no, it's okay, I think I'll just go back home. C-could you tell Miyaji-senpai that I can't make it today?"
Midorima pulled his hand back, his eyes now brimming with worry. Takao's heart clenched. "Give me a minute. I'll talk to him and I'll walk you home, it's dangerous to go on your own if you're not feeling well."
He felt heat rising to his cheeks. It was so weird that Shin-chan was acting so attentive and kind, no layer of tsundere to be found anywhere. "That's not necessary, I'm okay really… just a little tired. My place isn't far, I'll be there in no time and then I'll rest, don't worry."
His words didn't seem to appease his friend, though. "Is anyone at home? Your sister has her club activities and both of your parents work. It's not a good idea to be alone when you're unwell, at least let me look after you until your parents come back."
Was his mom Shin-chan's type? He seemed oddly insistent in taking him home. He'd never specified how much older he liked his women, and his mom was very kind. She was also a university teacher, she was very smart and strong-willed. She and Shin-chan got along really well, maybe Shin-chan just wanted to see her.
He realized how stupid his current train of thought was, but he couldn't help get a bit angry about it.
"I said I'm fine, okay?" he spat, feeling the frustration bubbling up inside him. "I brought my bike, I'll be back home in five minutes if you stop fuzzing over me."
Midorima looked taken aback by his outburst, and he almost regretted speaking so harshly. He knew he was being unfair, it wasn't really Shin-chan's fault that Takao had gotten his hopes up only to get them bitterly crushed. But he wasn't in the mood to apologize, so he just stood from his chair and left the classroom without any further word and he started dashing across the hallways, hoping to get back home and cry his sorrows away as soon as possible.
Stupid, stupid, stuuuupid Oha-Asa. Stupid me for believing in fucking horoscopes, for crying out loud.
He finally arrived at the bicycle parking area and made haste to unlock his.
Stupid Shin-chan.
He bit his lip bitterly and held back some tears. This had been the best outcome, he tried to tell himself, he'd avoided a major embarrassment and his friendship with Shin-chan was unharmed. He should be fine by tomorrow, the disappointment would wash away eventually.
"Takao, wait!"
A firm, bandaged hand, grabbed him by the elbow. This was unfair.
"I'm okay, Shin-chan, I promise I'll come to practice tomorrow, I'm just not in the mood today, okay? Everyone has an off-day from time to time."
Midorima's hold on his arm tightened.
"That's not… I mean… are you really going to leave?"
"Well, yeah, there'd be no point in staying if I'm not going to practice." What was Shin-chan getting at now?
"Then what about… th-this?"
There was a short pause and the sound of ruffling paper. Takao looked back and found Shin-chan holding an opened orange envelope and three pastel green pages with scribbles on them. He swallowed.
Think, Kazunari, think.
"Uhh… w-what's that Shin-chan?"
Midorima pouted, clearly displeased and shoved the papers under Takao's nose. He could clearly read some of the words he'd written: 'every time I see you take a shot, my heart races', 'has anyone ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?' , 'you act all tough and harsh on the outside, but you're actually the kindest person I know', 'it's very difficult to explain my feelings', 'I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable', 'it's embarrassing to admit I've come to love you this much'.
He swallowed again.
"O-ohoho? Shin-chan got a l-l-love letter, huh? Won't you look at Mr. Popularity now? You know it's rude to brag about your conquests?"
The hold on Takao's arm tightened again.
"Does this amuse you?" his voice dropped to a low growl and his eyes went dark with anger. "Is that what all this is about? Is this your idea of a joke?"
Takao winced a little. He'd never seen Midorima so angry. "Sh-shin-chan, that hurts!" he complained, trying to wiggle free from his grasp. "I-I don't get what you're talking about!" he would've never imagined that his letter would upset Midorima this much. Now he was really glad he had decided to go the anonymous route on this ordeal.
"Don't you insult my intelligence, Takao! I know you wrote this!"
Fuck. Fuck no. No way. He couldn't know. How could he know? He knew and he was so royally pissed off. He hated him. He'd never talk to him again. Think, Kazunari, think!
"Don't be silly, why would I write Shin-chan a love letter?" he forced out a light chuckle.
Midorima let go of his arm and recoiled as if he'd been slapped. Takao watched as his expression morphed from outrage to plain hurt and his emerald eyes widened and glazed over. He looked away.
"So… so that's how it is… I see…"
Takao had a burning feeling that he'd made a huge mistake. He didn't quite understand why he felt like that and had no idea of how to fix it. But something about the pained look in Midorima's face was screaming at him to do something and fast or else…
"Of course… what was I even thinking?" the taller teen covered one of his eyes with the palm of his hand, gaze fixed at the ground. His body started shaking with small, mirthless chuckles. "How absurd… I… I misunderstood everything…our… relationship…"
His voice cracked slightly. Takao reached out, not really knowing what he wanted to do, just that he wanted to get closer, but Midorima flinched away and looked up at him like a wounded animal, eyes brimming with tears, teeth clenched in an angry snarl.
"S-shin—"
"I was… I was so… happy when I read this… when I thought that you… that you felt like this… about me…" he had stopped chuckling now, his voice raw. A single tear slid down his cheek followed by another one, and another one.
"Shin-chan... I-I don't understand…"
Watery emerald eyes burned with ire again. "I am in love with you, you fool!" He bit his lip and looked away, frantically wiping the tears away with his sleeve. "When I read this I thought… I thought you felt the same… and I was happy…" he choked on the tears he couldn't hold back. "But it was just… one of your stupid games…damn it…" he turned away with the clear intent to flee. This time, it was Takao holding onto the taller teen's sleeve, desperately. He couldn't let him walk away.
"No, wait, Shin-chan!"
"I get it now, Takao, it was my fault for getting carried away, forgive me for the confusion, now if you'll excuse me…"
His voice was quivering. Even though he couldn't see his face, Takao could tell he was crying and it made his heart hurt. How had this gotten so confusing? Growing desperate, he did the only thing he could think of, he laced his arms around Midorima's waist and pressed his face to the hollow of his back.
"No, no, Shin-chan, you don't get it. I meant it all, every word I wrote. I love you, I love you so much…" he nuzzled his friend's back and held him tighter, feeling him grow tense in his arms.
"But you asked me to meet you in the momiji tree and yet you're trying to go back home. You're playing dumb on everything related to this. Please don't joke about my feelings."
"That's why I said you're getting it all wrong. I… I was planning to confess today. I-I even brought my l-lucky item because Oha-Asa said today was a good luck day for Scorpio. That's why I wrote the letter and told you to meet me after school but… but I heard you liked older women and when I asked you didn't deny it so I thought… I thought I had no chance."
"I always say that I like older women so people stop pestering me about getting a girlfriend or inviting me to goukons. Girls bother me enough as it is, if they knew the one I like is an annoying, clingy idiot, they'd try to be more like that." Large basketball-calloused hands were placed on top of smaller ones. "If you meant everything that you wrote, why were you acting like you didn't know?"
"Well, the whole point was that you didn't figure out who wrote the letter until you met me under the momiji, but you looked so upset when you mentioned it I thought it'd made you angry and that it would be better if you didn't know it was me."
"I was angry that you were running away and playing dumb. I thought the whole thing was a joke and that you planned on standing me up and making me look like an idiot. As if I couldn't recognize your stupid handwriting."
"I thought if you knew it was me, you'd think I was joking and wouldn't show up! I purposefully tried to make a different handwriting and everything!"
"As if I couldn't recognize your stupid, ugly handwriting, even if you were faking it."
Takao's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't sure of when it'd happen, but he was now staring straight at Shin-chan's eyes, his arms still tightly locked around Shin-chan's waist, their bodies so close together they were almost sharing the same oxygen. He felt so utterly stupid right now. He'd made everything so complicated and caused them to get confused and angry over nothing. If he'd taken this straightforwardly as he should've, this ridiculously huge misunderstanding would've never happened. His face was burning, so he decided to hide it away, burrowing his nose into Midorima's chest. He felt his friend's deep, paused breathing and the gentle beat of his heart and allowed them to relax his muddled mind so he could understand everything better.
Shin-chan loved him. Shin-chan loved him. If he could only clear this misunderstanding, he and Shin-chan would finally…
"Shin-chan, I love you. I'm sorry that I made everything so weird, but that's what I truly feel. Like I said in that letter, I think about you all the time. I always want to be with you, it's really boring when you're not around. And I want to see you getting flustered and angry and happy. I want to know everything there is to know about Shin-chan. And I always want to be your partner. Basically, I really, really love you. A lot."
He looked up. His clear eyes met emerald ones that had finally ceased crying. Shin-chan's cheeks grew a deep crimson color but he couldn't really tease Shin-chan about it when he looked so cute (also, Takao was sure he was blushing as hard, if not even moreso). Shin-chan's long arms surrounded his shoulders and he leaned his forehead against Takao's, his breath soft and warm.
"I love you too."
They stared at each other in silence for what felt like an eternity, allowing their hearts to beat against each other and their breaths to mingle. Takao's lids felt heavy with all the warmth surrounding him and he sank even deeper into the embrace. It was everything he'd ever hoped for and much more, the feeling of being in Shin-chan's arms and he wanted to relish on every moment.
"Uhm, Takao…"
"Yes, Shin-chan?"
Shin-chan pulled away to push his glasses up his nose to hide his embarrassment, while his free hand still rested leisurely on the small of his back.
"I… I don't really know what happens now…"
We become a couple and go out on stupidly romatic dates and kiss and make love and move in together and get a dog and get married and have kids and grow old together and… Takao blushed and he giggled giddily at the thought, even if he knew he was getting way ahead of himself. Small steps, Kazunari, small –
"I… I like that plan."
Takao gasped. Had he just said all that out loud? The whole getting married and having kids and stuff? Now he was awfully mortified, how could he have said that out loud when they'd just—
Did Shin-chan really say he liked that?
"Uh… wha-what did you just say, Shin-chan?"
The shooter's blush grew darker and he flinched in surprise before leaning forward again, once again pressing their foreheads together. He blinked a couple of times, his long eyelashes tickling Takao's cheeks.
"I said I liked that plan… all of it."
Takao's heart skipped another beat. He smiled and leaned in until they seemed to be breathing from each other's mouths, his arms climbing up Midorima's chest to circle around his neck. His voice came out as a breathless whisper right before their lips met for the first time.
"Yeah… I like that plan too."
The end
I'm sorry, they're just married as fuck ok? Don't fight me on this. They'd get married on the spot if they could, I swear to god.
This started as a light idea based on the Character Bible (I think) that says Shin-chan's type of girl is an older woman (really what is Fujimaki thinking, Shin-chan liking women, MidoTaka couldn't possibly be more canon if he had tried to make them so) but because I'm useless angst trash this is what happened. I swear I get off (emotionally) to boys crying in an 'ilovehimsomuchandhe'llneverbemineandallthislovedoesishurtme' fashion.
Anyway, wrote this while procrastinating for a final paper that I hate with the burning passion of Kagami flying three meters into the air to sink a meteor jam. I don't even know what I'm saying at this point it's just literally the most detestable final paper I have ever had to write. I'll upload it for MidoTaka day/week so it'll probably get drowned in a lot more amazing stuff, but still I hope you like it. All comments and feedback are appreciated. Lots of love and enjoy the rest of MidoTaka week. All cheers for our pair of astrologically stupid married dorks.