"Akashi, I have a proposition for you." Midorima stated, pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose. Behind the frames, his green eyes darted about nervously, assessing all that surrounded him. A board game was nestled between his arm and his body, not unlike the numerous 'lucky items' that he always carried. It was apparent that the game wasn't his lucky item, for a gaudy necklace hung around his neck, fake jewels twinkling in the dim light of Akashi's shōgi room.
Akashi looked up, heterochromatic eyes scanning the taller boy. An elegant brow arched, sending a skeptical gaze towards Midorima. He laid back, his shōgi yukata sliding slightly off of his shoulders. "I do hope that this is something worthwhile, Shintarō. I was in the middle of playing shōgi."
Midorima let a haughty scoff escape from his pursed lips, disdain ill-disguised in his eyes. "Well, I found a new game for you to play. It's a strategy game, like shōgi."
A smirk tugged at Midorima's lips when he noticed the excitement shining in Akashi's mismatched gaze. Akashi attempted to hide his exuberance as he leant forward. "Oh really, I was sure that I'd played all strategy games. What is this new game that you speak of?"
"It's called Othello. I'm quite sure you've never heard of it, as it is a little-known game." There was no hiding Akashi's anticipation. His entire countenance shone in a way that it never had before, as he tried to recall if he had ever played it.
"Othello? Like the Shakespearian play?" Akashi inquired, mind still whirring.
Midorima felt pride bloom inside his chest. He had caught his captain's attention now. "Its modern name comes from the play, as one opposing side is dark, while the other is white. The original name of the game is Reversi."
"I must say, you have caught my attention. I have never heard of this Othello game. I would like for you to teach it to me. It's always a pleasure to expand my horizons, especially in regards to strategy." Akashi declared, his hands already busy with clearing the now-forgotten shōgi pieces. His attention was otherwise engaged, enraptured with the prospect of learning a new game. With an elegant twist of his hand, he gestured to the shōgi board, saying, "Please set it up here. This is enough space, correct?"
Midorima deposited the box on the floor, extracting the thin green board and a baggie filled with reversible black and white markers. "This is the perfect amount of space. The game board has the same dimensions as a standard shōgi board."
Akashi mentally stored the newfound information, hoarding it away with unabashed glee. "That is very convenient."
"Quite." Midorima quipped He separated the discs equally, shoving one pile towards Akashi and bringing the rest to his side. He then withdrew four discs from his pile, turning them so that two were white and the other two were black. "You've never played Othello before, right?" Midorima intoned, placing four discs in the center of the green board in the shape of a square, black pieces diagonal from one another, offset by opposing white pieces in the same pattern.
"That is correct, Shintarō. I'm assuming that you will explain the rules to me?" Akashi replied, heterochromatic orbs dancing along the length of the green Othello board. A pale finger twitched in the center of his lap, only to be restrained by the palm of his other hand. There was no way Akashi Seijūrō would show excitement over a paltry game.
"But of course, Akashi. I'll demonstrate a few rounds until you get the idea." A wordless nod was Midorima's only reply. Midorima had completely ensnared Akashi with this game. "Okay then. In Othello, the player that has black always makes the first move. In both practice and the actual match, I'll have the black pieces."
Akashi narrowed his eyes at Midorima's black pieces. "Oh, is that so, Shintarō?" Midorima followed his gaze, gulping in the malice behind the redhead's tone. "Is there a particular reason that you chose black, rather than white? I do hope that you aren't taking advantage of the fact that I have no knowledge of the rules of this game."
In his nervousness, Midorima concealed his eyes with a quick jab to the bridge of his glasses, sending glare flying across his lenses. Anxiously, he began, "The only reason I chose black was because I wanted to show you the way the game works. Statistically, there is no real advantage to going first, as the second player ultimately has more moves to choose from."
Akashi's stewing anger quickly simmered, leaving the boy as cool and collected as ever. "I see, my mistake, Shintarō. Please do continue with your explanation." A hand rose so that he could rest his head in it, eyes enraptured with Midorima's movements.
"Okay, so the point of the game is to have the most pieces of your color. As I already explained, the player representing black goes first. In order to move, you must 'jump' over your opponent's pieces, similarly to the way you do in checkers. In this case, I'll place my disc in D-6." As stated, he placed the disc there, taped fingers flipping the white piece over, thereby turning it black.
Before Midorima had a chance to explain, Akashi moved to flip the white disc over, his irritation level rising yet again. "What do you think you're doing? That is obviously my piece."
Taped fingers encircled Akashi's wrist, yanking his interfering hand away from the board. "Let me explain. This is part of the game. When you 'jump' over your opponent's piece, you claim their disc as your own and flip it you your color. Then, when it's the next turn, your opponent attempts to do the same. That's why the discs are reversible, so they can be flipped to match the game's pace." He moved a white disc to C-6, flipping the stolen piece back to white.
Understanding dawned upon Akashi as he assessed the game board. "Oh, I think I understand it now. Let's play!" Glee ricocheted in his voice.
"Wait!" Midorima said, stopping Akashi from resetting the pieces. I have one more thing to show you, so bear with me as I set it up, okay?"
If it had been another of Midorima's teammates, he would have said that the sullen expression gracing Akashi's face was a pout. It was, however, Akashi, so it wasn't pouting. At least, that's what Midorima attempted to tell himself in order to bar the uncharacteristic grin that wanted to warp his features.
Four moves later, Midorima had set up a strange pattern, then moved his black piece across the board to F-5, capturing 2 of white's pieces. "See what I just did, I took more than 1 piece. You can take all the pieces that yours would flip, not just a single piece. You can take pieces diagonally, left to right, and up and down. Your pieces almost act like a queen in shōgi, except for the fact that they can take multiple layers of discs."
"Okay, okay, I get it. Can we just play now?" Akashi snapped tersely, tearing the unnecessary pieces from the board and leaving behind the four center pieces.
Midorima smirked at his eagerness, so out of character for the composed male. "Yes, that's all I have to say for now. If a situation arises that I did not originally explain, I will then elaborate upon it."
The pair then lapsed into silence, both planning out elaborate strategies. Midorima played strategies that he had read online and perfected in online Othello, whilst Akashi was still grasping the ideal game play.
Midorima had successfully crept up both the right side and the left side, when Akashi made the first mistake. He placed an unprotected piece at G-8, opening up Midorima's chance at a corner. Gleefully, Midorima seized F-8 with the intention of taking the upper right corner. He could taste his imminent victory.
Before Midorima could deal the killing blow, Akashi stopped his strategy with a piece to E-8. Midorima had to stifle a groan. He couldn't move his piece up there yet. With a dejected disposition, he sought to attack the bottom edge instead, expanding his black pieces alongside three of the four edges.
Three out of four wasn't bad, not at all, all things consider…
How the hell had Akashi grabbed the upper right corner? There was no way… Belatedly, he saw the white piece at G-7. This time, he wasn't able to stifle his curse. "Shit!" He cried, eyes scouring the board. With this position, Akashi was set to take all four corners. And Midorima's only move was to B-8.
Akashi radiated smugness as he assessed Midorima's frenzied state. Unwittingly, the green-haired boy had fallen right into his trap.
Reluctantly, Midorima slammed his piece down. It was his turn to pout, as the board transformed from a mass of black to blinding white. All four corners were ruthlessly stolen by Akashi, who directed Midorima's every move.
With a satisfied smirk, Akashi gently placed a piece to B-7, flipping over 5 of Midorima's already measly pieces, ending the game with a crushing defeat on Midorima's side.
Midorima was loathe to admit it, but he felt a single tear well in his left eye. His pride would never let him show this side of himself to Akashi, so he quickly dapped at it with a bandaged finger, the cotton absorbing the drop of moisture. With a single breath to compose himself, he said, "Good game, Akashi."
Akashi stood, his yukata whispering across the floorboards as he made his way over to Midorima. He stood behind the seated boy, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You played well, Shintarō. There's no need to be disappointed in yourself."
His self-esteem bruised, Midorima shrugged the appendage off of himself, standing up so that he could regain his pride. "I am not disappointed, Akashi. After all, I'm used to losing against you. I'm just happy that you learned a new game. Well, I think that I'll be going now. It is a little late, and if I don't get home soon, my mom will be worried. Goodbye, Akashi. I'll see you at practice tomorrow."
Without waiting for Akashi to reply, he shoved the game board in the box, throwing the pieces in loosely. When he picked it up, the uncontained pieces rattled unceremoniously. As soon as the door slammed behind Midorima, the deluge hit. Tears ran unabashedly down his cheeks, moistening the skin to the level of discomfort.
Midorima ran, ran to the basketball clubroom. Thankfully, the room was empty, the only thing in the room a rack of basketballs. He threw the box to the ground and ran to the rack, hoping to let his irritation out through basketball. Midorima grasped a ball in his hands, twirling the familiar object in the palm of his hand. As if it were second nature, he slipped into his shooting position, letting the ball fly through the hoop with a faint swish. The basketball's bounce was loud amidst the silence that permeated the room.
Self-pity welled inside Midorima, along with the now flowing tears that ran from his eyes, obscuring his vision.
He was so fucking pathetic. Why couldn't he ever win? The only reason the Teikō always won was because of the other members on the Generation of Miracles. Without them, he was a worthless loser. "Shit." He sobbed wiping his face on his shirt collar. "Shit shit shit shit SHIT!"
He kicked a basketball, sending it flying across the gymnasium and slamming it into the wall. The noise seemed to reverberate in his eardrums. Once the ball stopped bouncing, he grabbed another with the intention to kick this one as well, when the door the clubroom clicked open.
Midorima whirred around, only to find Akashi's heterochromatic gaze upon him. Midorima hurriedly wiped the tears from his face, even though he knew that it was useless. Akashi had already seen their glimmering trails along his cheeks.
"Shintarō?" Akashi's voice was soft, softer than Midorima had ever heard the redhead speak. Even through his bleary eyes, Midorima could see those bicolored eyes, gold and red boring through his thinly-veiled façade.
Midorima directed his gaze to the ball in his hands only to sink into shooting position, feigning basketball practice. The ball soared from his fingertips hastily, causing Midorima to flinch. With wide eyes, he watched the ball skitter along the hoop, spinning thrice before falling through the netting.
A hand touched the crook of his elbow, sending Midorima bolting out of his shocked paralysis. The green-haired boy unwittingly turned towards the intrusion, meeting unnaturally colored eyes. A frown tugged at his lips, matching the one upon Akashi's expression.
"What do you want, Akashi?" Midorima hissed, attempting to yank Akashi's hand from his elbow. Pale fingers clenched tightly to fabric, refusing to lose their grip. With a huff, Midorima stopped struggling, choosing instead to angrily glare at his captor.
"I want…to understand." Bafflement swam in both his expression and his voice, tainting his sophisticated tone with the presence of uncertainty. For once, Akashi looked his size, appearing like a child to Midorima. "Why do you insist on doing this? I never lose, so why do you keep pushing yourself in an attempt to defeat the unconquerable?"
An abrasive laugh grated from Midorima, harsh and cruel. "You wouldn't understand. I never win, while you never lose. It's like I'm destined to be a shadow." Another burst of psychotic laughter. "No, I'm not even fit to be a shadow. Kuroko actually triumphs over his hardships, while I stand here, never improving, just sinking deeper into a world I can't compete with."
"That's utter nonsense and you know it. You're part of the Generation of Miracles. Every day, you crush all opposition alongside the rest of us. To the rest of the world, you're invincible with your three-pointers, which you never miss." Akashi asserted, plucking a basketball from the rack. He passed it toward Midorima, who caught it and shot it on instinct. Like always, it landed in the center of the net, falling through inaudibly.
Amidst the staccato cracks of the basketball against the floor, Midorima's voice wavered. "I'm the only one without any specialty. I'm not the best scorer, Aomine always manages to rack up the most points in each game, nor do I have an impenetrable defense like Murasakibara. Kise is ever-improving and is able to copy everyone but us, while Kuroko has no natural talent, really no right to be here at all, yet holds the power to change the game around with a single pass." He paused, turning away from Akashi. "I mean, you can practically see the future! I slave away at practice every day, yet Murasakibara and Aomine still reign far above me in terms of skill. Compared to all of you, I'm nothing more than an average player amidst geniuses"
Silence stretched between the two, Akashi looking contemplative, while Midorima emitted a plethora of negative emotions.
"I'm sorry." Midorima could only stare at Akashi, not expecting him to be the one to break the silence. "You're right, I'll never be even close to comprehending the situation that you're in. I can't even offer you my sympathy, for no sympathy can be given to those that doubt their own self-worth."
Midorima bristled at Akashi's unpleasant words. "Don't patronize me, Akashi. You don't even know the taste of loss, the bitter feeling of your hard work being trod upon by a superior opponent."
Akashi's voice rose in fury, "I know what someone who has given up on themselves looks like. I am not the one belittling you here. You are the one that is doing that yourself. Stop sulking over what cannot be undone. If you want to win so badly, go forward and fight until you cannot fight anymore. That is what it means to be a winner, Shintarō."
"I understand, Akashi," Midorima leant closer to Akashi, his nose brushing the other boy's. "Even if I die trying, I will never stop trying to defeat you. When you first feel the agonizing pain of lose, I will be there. Beneath me, even the mighty Akashi Seijūrō will fall."
Midorima released Akashi, sending him tumbling to the floor. He picked up his Othello box and strode out of the clubroom. This time, he left Teikō's grounds for good.
Akashi stared at his retreating figure from the floor, a small smile upon his lips. To the empty room, he whispered inaudibly. "When that day comes, Shintarō, you had better be there. After all, you've promised me."
A/N Yes, I know that I should be continuing my other three fanfictions that I've neglected as of late, but I couldn't get this out of my head. It was messing with my writing process, so I had to get it out. I contemplated shifting the timeline so that it would fit into my Redemption fic, but I scrapped the idea because it didn't coincide with my story correctly.
Originally, this wasn't supposed to be so angsty. It was supposed to be comical, for crying out loud! It kind of wrote itself, angst-ridden parts included.
Well, now that this story is out of my system, I hope I can focus on my other projects. I hope that you enjoyed this even through the blatant OOCness.