Summary: "I don't know; we're not in the same vibe with them, you know?" (In which the Miracles are talented geniuses in a team that rejects the extraordinary and Nijimura tries not to care. Tries.) MiraGen-centric + Brotherly!Nijimura.
Author's notes: I actually saw this in my trash folder and asked: "Why did I throw this away?" So I finished it and here we are.
So you're a little weird, who cares?
If there's one thing that Nijimura would like to believe from a self-proclaimed life coach in TV, it's that teamwork does require a degree of closeness with the members of a group. While a group will work together if there is a common goal, the group will cooperate if they like each other enough to stick around. Humans are social beings; it is in their nature to look for connections. Bonds. Something to say 'Good Morning! How are you?' to someone so both persons won't feel like strangers.
Nijimura wasn't worried about cooperation because the Teiko basketball club was a social and welcoming environment. Everyone knew each other's names and hobbies; formed groups of friends or pairs or even trios; talked about their favorite basketball players or how to confess to the girl they like. Not everyone had the same degree of closeness as the others, but they liked each other well enough to be called "friends."
...Except for the Generation of Miracles, that is.
Nijimura had to admit, they're an odd bunch, just from the hair color alone. They were first years who displayed so much raw skill in a sport like they were fated to be basketball players since they were born. Invincible players who, for some twist of fate, came to this exact school and this exact club to play basketball. Students who stand out so much that others can't understand them, that they're being avoided.
Even the second years - their own batchmates - in the club wouldn't talk to them.
Coach Sanada never spoke about this. As long as the Miracles were playing and practicing everyday and not really causing any permanent damage in school property, it was fine. After all, they had their own group - themselves; prodigies mingling with their kind - and they never entered into conflict with anyone, except for themselves. It was like they had their own world, and the others were either trees or the air around them.
It bothered Nijimura, even if no one else was.
"Ah! Nijimura-senpai, is it fine if I ask help from you regarding my subjects? I heard you're great at Mathematics." Onoda, a first-year who belongs to the same class as Akashi, asked during the break in pracice. Nijimura spotted the Aomine and Kise dragging the burn-out Murasakibara to their corner of the gym - far away from everyone else - and no one tried to help out. No one.
Nope, nope, he wasn't getting worried at all.
"Sure sure. What do you need help for?" As the first year chattered away on how some concepts and formulas were a bit hard for him, Nijimura quietly watched the Miracles chatter. The way the act around each other reminds him of how he acts around his siblings.
When he spotted Akashi holding a Mathematics book - possibly trying to teach Aomine about Algebra - he turned to Onoda. "Hey, just wondering, have you asked Akashi help? I heard he's really good at Math." If not good at almost everything, he thought.
Onoda looked baffled for a moment before melting into short hysterics. "Oh senpai! He'd be the last person we'll ever ask help for!" he said, missing how Nijimura frowned at we "I don't know; we're not in the same vibe with them, you know? And I don't think he'll want to talk to people not on his level, much more help him. Besides, you're more approachable!"
"I see…" Nijimura murmured, and it took all his well-earned control to keep his fingers from squishing his junior's notebook.
"A-ah, senpai? Are you okay?"
"Yeah." Nope, nope, nope. He wasn't forcing himself to be calm. "I'm fine." Nope, not at all.
The next day, he was standing before the Miracles, at the rooftop, during lunch break. He wanted to curse at himself for how soft he was and how awkward it must feel to see their captain out of club hours. He received looks of trepidation ("Did we get into trouble?" "I didn't even do anything today!") curiosity ("Is that a leather belt?" "Okay, Kise, first of all, stop staring at people's crotch area-"), but he didn't really feel unwelcomed. Nijimura took it as a good sign; at least, he now knew that the Miracles weren't actively avoiding people.
Nijimura cleared his throat, trying to look as friendly as his reputation can be. "Hey, what's up?"
"The sky- OW! Tetsu, what the hell!" Okay, not the answer that he would normally receive, but then again, his juniors didn't fall into the category of normal.
"What Daiki means to say is," Akashi intervened, acting as the rational voice of the group. "Is that we're fine. What are you doing here, if we may ask, senpai?" Too formal for Nijimura's liking, but Akashi was always like this. Nijimura wondered if he was like this to the Miracles.
"Nothing much," he answered, noticing that Akashi called Aomine by his first name. "Just checking up on you guys."
Murasakibara blinked. "Did something happen, senpai? You wouldn't see us like this unless there was something wrong." Nijimura was a bit perplexed on how the giant quickly latched on, and quickly decided that the latter was more keen and observant than he thought.
"Ah, well, I've just noticed that you guys are - " don't say distant, don't say excluded " - not as close with the other team members. I thought that something was up."
Midorima shrugged. "It's not our fault that we don't see eye to eye," Nijimura could detect of spite in his voice, and a bit of loneliness. Nijimura remembered a time when Tanaka, one of the seniors, refused to accept a lucky item from Midorima and even joked about it. "Besides, it's not affecting how we perform on court."
Nijimura pursed his lips. "That is true. But, then again, not everything is about basketball."
That raised a lot of eyebrows. "...That's a weird thing to say for a captain of the basketball team," Kuroko said, his lips forming a small smirk that hinted an underlying deviance. "I wonder what Coach Sanada would think."
Nijimura chuckled. "Hope he doesn't kick me out."
Kise sputtered. "Bah, that's stupid So, you're a little weird, who cares? It's not going to change anything," Then, the blonde turned his eyes to his mentor, changing from a suave and cool demeanor to one that resembled a puppy looking for attention. "Right, Kurokocchi?"
Kuroko nodded. "Indeed you're right," and patted Kise on the head.
"If anyone tries to kick you out of the club, Imma karate chop him like this, and like that," Aomine said, slashing and swishing his fists in a manner that resembled the power rangers.
Midorima rolled his eyes. "Stop that before you hurt yourself."
"Whatever four-ey - OW, fuck!"
"Hmph. Clumsy oaf."
"Are you joining us for lunch, senpai, or are you going to stand in front of us all day?" Akashi asked, and Nijimura almost missed the playful tone that never decorated the red-haired's speech, once. As Nijimura sat down next to Aomine and Midorima, Akashi reached for a tupperware container.
"Anyway, I saw this cooking show on TV the other day and wanted to test my cooking abilities. So I made these onigiris just for you," Then, the red-haired quickly added. "You're also free to try one, senpai." Nijimura had to keep himself from grinning as he took one onigiri for himself.
Kise gave him one of his brightest smiles. "Be ready to get your taste buds rocked, since this is going to taste awful."
And boy, did it taste awful. Nijimura's tongue was immediately assaulted by the weird flavor combination of aged blue cheese and sugar. Aomine started choking, Midorima started coughing, Kuroko just froze, and Kise was crying and laughing. Murasakibara swallowed the entire thing so he can be done with it while Akashi commented on his friends' commoner tastes.
And while Nijimura badly wanted to throw up, he couldn't. There was a warm, funny feeling in his stomach, which might be an incoming stomach ache or something else entirely.