Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
A/N: Eh…this is kind of to make up for killing poor Midorima off and making Takao cry last month (this story isn't connected to that one though – don't worry!). So, just some mindless fluff with the gang this time around. I hope you like it :)
The Great Naptime Conspiracy
Midorima Shintaro was well aware that Oha Asa's lucky items were more than simple trinkets – no matter what his former or current teammates might think. While frequently the item was commonplace, like a particular color of shirt, sometimes there was much more of a challenge. He still felt a sense of pride about using his snow globe of a beach scene on the day Oha Asa had demanded "the beach" in the middle of winter. It was in these types of cases that getting the lucky item required by the horoscope became a test of his creativity, intelligence, and resourcefulness.
What few people understood about these daily contests was that they were part of an on-going battle to prove that he indeed did everything he could to ensure success and was all the more deserving of fate's grace. Especially when the forecasted item was something vague like this one – it was perfectly intelligible, he was cognizant of what a 'nap' was of course, but he had questions. How did one take a nap with you throughout the day? Given that you really couldn't, was he doomed to have an inauspicious day up until the nap? How long of a nap must it be to count? Did it matter if he woke up on his own or would setting an alarm clock be acceptable?
There was however another and admittedly bigger problem about the matter: Midorima did not nap. He disapproved of the activity on all counts and was actually mildly infamous for his denouncement of them. He was no longer a child and his schedule was strictly regimented to include the appropriate hours of sleep at night. The members of his family would assume he was ill if he did such a thing and needless to say he could not nap in public – he wasn't Aomine after all. So he was presented with a problem, how would he fulfill Oha Asa's requirements today? He hadn't solved it by the time he left his house that morning to meet Takao and his ex-Teiko teammates and their friends for a small reunion game. It made him impatient with everyone as he didn't have time to entertain their idiocy while he grappled with his own predicament.
They all noticed that Midorima seemed even more reserved and on edge than usual. He was of course still making all of his shots, but it was obvious he wasn't doing it with his normal ease – every single one of them was a hard-won exercise. Even Murasakibara looked shocked to see the shooting guard nearly miss a shot (he didn't of course, but it was close). He wouldn't explain what was going on but it was evident he was distressed about something. Takao tried several times to get him to open up but Midorima refused; saying only that it was something he would handle on his own. This distressed Takao, who'd enjoyed the slight mellowing and increased openness that his teammate had demonstrated in the past few months. Finally, Takao did the only thing he could think of and pulled Kuroko aside during a break in the game hoping for some insight from Shin-chan's former teammate.
"Takao-kun? What's wrong?" His voice was even but Takao could pick up on the curiosity nonetheless.
"Say, Tet-chan, do you know what's bothering Shin-chan? He won't outright tell us what's going on but I was hoping you might have an idea."
There was a brief pause and Takao could easily imagine Kuroko was mentally reviewing a list of possible causes behind that blank face. He was surprised when Kuroko extracted his phone and was busily searching for something and then seemed to spend a few moments scrolling down a particular website before sighing heavily.
"I know what the problem is Takao-kun. Unfortunately this situation is going to be difficult to handle. It is his Oha Asa lucky item for today. It's a nap."
Takao waited, but it seemed Kuroko felt that was perfectly self-explanatory. After a moment he realized he'd have to ask for more information. "So, why does that have him so out of sorts? He just has to take a nap? That's an easy enough prospect, isn't it?"
He could practically sense the disappointment radiating from the other male. "Takao-kun, this is Midorima-kun we're talking about. It's never that easy. For one thing, he doesn't nap. And for another, he's probably fretting about the logistics of how it is supposed to work anyway. This means that even if he were willing to try, he'll be too anxious to actually sleep."
A slight snort escaped Takao. "Only Shin-chan could overthink a nap. But come to think of it, I didn't notice him carrying his lucky item today so that must be what has him so on edge. Thanks, Tet-chan."
"No problem, Takao-kun. I'll tell the others so they'll understand and nobody'll kill Midorima-kun." Takao didn't have to see the deadpan expression on Kuroko's face to know he was completely serious about that and he agreed with the Seirin player's assessment of letting the others know.
They broke apart and Takao hummed thoughtfully to himself while walking back to his side of the court. He wanted to help Shin-chan with this problem, not only because the shooting guard was truly grumpy when he didn't have his lucky item, but Takao cared for the green haired male. But how did they fix this? He supposed it wouldn't count if Shin-chan were drugged, and he certainly didn't want to advocate for having him knocked unconscious – despite the preference for thrown produce among their Shutoko teammates.
As he was mulling this over, Takao caught sight of Kuroko talking with Akashi and both of them shot contemplative looks at Midorima. He didn't know why he was surprised to see them both go talk to the others one by one, but he definitely noticed a series of expressions ranging from the exasperated to the amused as everyone was filled in on the problem at hand. Midorima thankfully remained blissfully unaware of this as he continued to practice his shots for the remainder of the break – looking increasingly frustrated with the whole thing.
Still, while there was no quarter given during the game itself – Midorima would have been furious if they'd even considered such a thing – everyone was more patient with his attitude once they understood his behavior. At the conclusion, when they were all breathing heavily and thirstily gulping various sports drinks, Kise spoke up with a surprising offer after glancing at the rapidly darkening skies.
"Hey everyone – the weather's looking bad. I have a hotel suite for the weekend while I'm working nearby for a shoot; let's hole up inside and watch movies or something."
While a few people declined in favor of making a break for the train or other location, it ended up being the Generation of Miracles, Kuroko, and Takao who accepted the invitation. Midorima had clearly been about to refuse when he was teasingly reminded that Takao's cart was his ride anyway and so he less-than-graciously agreed to go. As if to emphasize the correctness of this idea, it began to rain as they approached the hotel and they put their athletic natures to work by sprinting for the door – Kuroko came in last and was somewhat archly teased by the others on his need to improve his stamina. He shrugged, he'd still made it before getting wet, he'd take the win.
As they all filed into Kise's suite and put their bags down by the door, there was a short moment of confusion as they all tried to think of a time they'd done something like this before. It was an unusual situation for them really. They'd hung out as athletes and classmates, but rarely had they just been in one another's company in this type of circumstance. They didn't have to go anywhere and they'd already fulfilled the parameters for their usual meeting by completing their basketball game. It might have gotten awkward if Aomine hadn't immediately plundered the fridge in the room and begun tossing soft drinks and juice to everyone with a demand for Kise to order food from room service.
The expression on the model's face was slightly bemused for a moment before he gave in to the inevitable and placed a very large and assorted order to accommodate the diverse tastes and appetites of those present. The person on the other end of the line didn't seem flustered by the hefty order and instead simply asked how many it was to serve – it was a very professional hotel after all. It wasn't long afterwards when there was a knock on the door and several carts were carefully brought in and unpacked on the long table that would normally only be used for a business meeting but was presently being conscripted into service as a buffet.
There was some amicable bickering as they jostled for places, but soon everyone was seated in the entertainment area of the suite with their selections. There were a great many pillows and blankets piled up in the area as they'd raided the empty bedroom on the other side of the suite and everyone prepared to get comfortable. After they picked a movie and fell into companionable silence for it, Takao glanced around at the gathering. Nobody had contested Akashi taking the recliner; he was to the left of the sofa which held Aomine, Kuroko, and Kise. Murasakibara was to their right, squeezed into a club chair but not looking particularly unhappy about it. Shin-chan had taken a tall chair from the conference table and brought it over; then placing it to Akashi's left. Takao was on the floor leaning against the ottoman that served as a kind of coffee table, but he was comfortable there.
Takao saw Shin-chan was still frowning gloomily, apparently no closer to a resolution about the nap. But he also saw a conspiratorial smile pass between Kise, Akashi, and Kuroko and wondered what it signaled. He didn't have to wait long to find out though. Once the movie was over – something about aliens and the race to save the planet – Kise bounced up and made a grimace as he rubbed his lower back in an exaggerated display of discomfort.
"Midorimacchi, will you trade places with me? I think the sofa is too firm for me but I know you prefer it." His voice was scrupulously innocent and if Takao hadn't caught the look of just moments before he wouldn't have thought anything of the blond's request.
Midorima sighed and got up, silently acceding to Kise's question and as he made his way over, Kuroko looked over at Takao.
"You must be ready for a change, Takao-kun. Why don't we trade places as well?"
Takao tried to read Kuroko's expression but it was a futile effort. He didn't know what they had planned but he could only go along with it for now.
Aomine also got up, on the pretense of excusing himself to the bathroom. When he returned he didn't take his seat on the couch but rather he joined Kuroko on the floor. Murasakibara just continued to steadily consume his snack allotment, not really caring how anyone wanted to arrange themselves.
The room was unexpectedly cozy – the lull of the rain outside and their disinclination to disturb the peace contributing to a still, quiet environment. Midorima himself was thinking this was about as an ideal setting for a nap as he could imagine, if he were inclined to indulge in such behavior that is. But he couldn't help but think his performance had been somewhat compromised that morning and he knew he was being testy with the others, yet he still didn't have a solution.
Akashi asked for the remote and it was passed over to him without question. He tuned on a documentary about arctic animals from the menu and when Aomine started to protest, Akashi merely raised an eyebrow and Aomine subsided, but he wasn't happy about it. Soon the soothing voice of the narrator and the rhythmic sounds of the animals' activities were building on top of the large quantity of food they'd consumed and the energy they'd expended in their game earlier.
Murasakibara caved first- quite possibly from all the sugar that had finally processed through his system – and slumped down in his seat. His head started nodding and soon he'd folded himself down over one side of the chair with his head propped on his arm. His breathing was deep and steady and his face was relaxed as he slumbered. Midorima ignored it, he couldn't blame the purple haired teen, but it wasn't for him, lucky item or not.
The film continued, there was a heartwarming scene of a polar bear cub sneezing from snow on his nose, and then Kise excused himself to answer a phone call. Takao could feel his own drowsiness creeping up and wondered if this had been part of their plan – catching the calmly assured look on Akashi's face rather made him think so.
Aomine was asleep next; he was perfectly used to napping during the day after all. He ended up half cuddling with the bolster pillow he'd usurped from elsewhere in the suite and didn't wake when Kuroko draped a blanket over him. Kise did the same for Murasakibara on his way back from his phone call and retaking his seat next to Akashi. Takao noticed the room seemed to be getting warmer and wondered if the blond had adjusted the temperature during his absence.
Despite knowing it was part of the plan, Kise was still caught up in the lethargic atmosphere and was soon yawing tiredly. He didn't fight it for too long though and simply moved down to the floor after grabbing a pillow and blanket for himself. Takao was a little amused to see Kise fall asleep with his head cradled over his hands on the pillow – he looked for all the world like a stock photo, if one discounted his earring that occasionally caught some of the faint light.
Suddenly Takao could feel Midorima tense up and looked over to see the green haired player had pinched himself and inwardly Takao marveled that Shin-chan was really so reluctant to take a nap when he clearly wouldn't even be the first to do it anymore. Akashi glanced over, apparently also having noted the movement, but he didn't say anything. Takao was surprised when he turned the volume on the documentary down a little and began quietly humming a melody that sounded like a lullaby, but he couldn't imagine the fearsome captain deigning to do that. He could almost remember the words to this…but as he tried to follow it in his memory, he found himself dozing off and would be counted the fourth victim of the nap-time conspiracy.
Unlike the others, Takao didn't fall unconscious with any grace – he slumped over and ended up leaning against Midorima. His teammate would normally have recoiled from the contact, but even though he didn't want to sleep himself, he wouldn't begrudge the others their rest. So when Kuroko came over with a blanket to put over his rival, Midorima nodded his acceptance of Kuroko's actions and soon Takao had nestled contentedly against his teammate.
Akashi continued quietly humming the soporific tune, while ostensibly watching some seals rest in an ice cave. Midorima, though feeling the effects of the adjusted temperature and the carefully orchestrated environment, had a sudden wave of suspicion grip him and would have said something but Kuroko's soft voice interrupted him before he could say anything.
"It's okay, Midorima-kun. We'll get you up before the others." The gentle understanding of the potential blow to Midorima's pride seemed to be the last hurdle to overcome and before he really knew he was doing it, Midorima had stretched out on the sofa with Takao curled up next to him. After a moment more of the lullaby, both Kuroko and Akashi could see his body relax and they smiled at the work it had taken to get Midorima to this point. Kuroko again got up, cautiously picking his way through the sprawled bodies on the floor, and carefully removed Midorima's glasses. He pulled the blanket up more securely around them before walking back over to where he'd intended to take Kise's vacated chair.
But the redhead, who'd stopped humming, reached out a hand to the other and Kuroko smiled at him and grabbed a blanket before joining him in the recliner, half sitting in Akashi's lap and enfolding them both in the warm confines of the fabric.
"Do you think he knows what we did, Akashi-kun?" His question was quiet, he didn't need to speak loudly when they were this close anyway, but Kuroko didn't want to disturb anyone either.
"He wouldn't admit it even if he did, and really we just arranged for an opportunity for him to relax. But that lullaby is one my mother used to hum to me; I would be incredibly surprised if he'd managed to stay awake much longer especially having Takao next to him."
Kuroko peeked over at the duo on the couch. "They don't know they're perfect for each other yet, do they?"
Akashi hugged Kuroko beneath the blanket. "They'll figure it out soon enough, they're both intelligent men."
A small sigh escaped Kuroko. "Let's hope so. If it takes this level of planning just to get him to nap, I don't even want to imagine what we'd have to do for actual matchmaking."
The redhead agreed and they stayed there like that, cuddled together under their blanket and surveying their sleeping friends. It would be a little later that they disentangled themselves from one another and shook the shooting guard awake – they had promised, after all.
Midorima excused himself to the bathroom after he very carefully got up to avoid waking Takao. After splashing himself with cool water from the tap, he realized he felt…refreshed, and wondered if it was the nap itself, or the circumstances surrounding it. Either way, he knew that somehow the others had each contributed to this afternoon in a way that meant they wanted to protect his feelings about his lucky item. Maybe they did understand him a little better than he'd thought.
As he considered it for a moment longer, he realized that Oha Asa had been telling him something else with this particular bit of fate – it mattered who one could share these things with, just as much as arranging for them in the first place. He was a lucky man, indeed, to have such friends in his life. Not that he'd ever say as much to any of them, of course, there was no need to get overly sentimental about a group nap anyway. But it did seem that after that day, he was marginally more open to the idea of a brief catnap at least. There were studies that showed it made you more productive after all. If there was more to the matter, well, nobody needed to know that – did they?