Midorima had lost count of how many times Takao rejected an offer to socialise with people other than him because they'd already planned something together.
"No, I can't, I have to take Shin-chan home," was the most common, usually given when others wanted to hang out after school. Even though they always did rock-paper-scissors for it, Takao knew he'd end up pulling the rickshaw anyway. Midorima neglected to mention the fact that he could take it himself because he got some sort of perverse pleasure from seeing Takao reject them.
It was also not uncommon for him to get love letters in his shoe locker, and on occasion Midorima would ask if he planned on accepting.
"Nah," Takao would shrug. "I'm already busy with basketball – and looking after you, of course." Midorima would fix his glasses and look away to hide any emotions that might show on his face.
Midorima, of course, never faced the issue of having to turn people down because there wasn't anyone to turn down. His teammates avoided and even openly despised him, especially Miyaji; he never failed to express his desire to run the ace over. His classmates knew him as one of the legendary Generation of Miracles, and when that was coupled with his personality and eccentricities, there seemed to be a distance between him and the others.
Not that this bothered him. The only one to bridge that distance was Takao, and he was already more than enough for Midorima, in more than one sense. Takao was annoying, first and foremost, and there was no getting around that; he knew how to irritate Midorima and he was good at it, not to mention his joy at doing so only increased his aggravation. Then there was the fact that Takao was with him almost all the time – certainly all the time at school, and most of the time outside of it. In fact, if Midorima didn't insist on having time apart for studying, they would surely have been together even more.
This was the part that never ceased to puzzle Midorima: why did Takao insist on spending time with him rather than their classmates? Rather than any of the girls that confessed to him? If the opinions of those around him were anything to go on, then Midorima was hardly and enjoyable person to be around – Takao often reminded him that he was a tsundere.
So why? Midorima thought hard and often on this, not that he'd admit it, and was unable to form an answer. He still wondered as he watched Takao turn down the offer from a girl in their class to go out to eat after class. This time it was, "Sorry, I have to take Shin-chan home."
The girl's eyes slid over to Midorima – he was hovering awkwardly about two metres behind Takao, pretending not to listen and waiting to leave – and she looked annoyed more than anything else.
"Oh, right," she said, almost scornfully. "I forgot that you two are joined at the hip. Or hips,depending how you look at it." She flounced away before Takao could formulate a response – he merely gaped at her retreating back. Only once she rounded the corner did he burst out laughing, turning to Midorima in his mirth.
"Oh my god, Shin-chan–" he gasped, "She thinks – that we – oh my god." One hand on his abdomen, he reached the other up to stabilise himself on Midorima's shoulder, still cackling with laughter. The ace frowned down at him, unsure of what part of that had been so funny.
"What's so amusing, Takao?" he asked when the other showed no signs of stopping.
"Oh, Shin-chan, don't pretend you weren't listening," Takao said, flashy a toothy smile up at him as his laughter slowed.
When Midorima continued to frown at him, Takao's expression turned more serious and, with his right hand still on the other's shoulder, he looked curiously at Midorima's face. His face lit up as he fit the pieces together, and, despite himself, he started snickering once more, slapping Midorima's shoulder with his hand.
"Ahh, poor Shin-chan, he can't even recognise an innuendo when he sees one."
Midorima's glare intensified.
"Okay, okay," Takao grumbled, knowing that he was very close to overstepping the boundary of the temperamental green-haired boy's patience.
"She said 'joined at the hips,' yeah? Shin-chan, just picture that one for a second."
Green eyebrows furrowed delicately while equally green eyes assumed a faraway look. The exact moment in which he realised what was meant was obvious; his face flushed furiously, he choked on nothing and his gaze snapped down to his friend, who was still watching him with a sardonically amused expression.
"But that–that's just–"
"Whoa, don't blow a gasket, Shin-chan. Ridiculous, yeah, but that's just how teenage girls are these days. They read one BL manga and suddenly everyone's gay."
Takao was turned away from him now, his hand gone from Midorima's shoulder to instead give a backwards wave, as he mentioned something about leaving–
"Are you?" Midorima asked suddenly, impulsively, his blood roaring in his ears, and why was it that he wanted Takao to say yes, why did he miss the warmth and familiar weight of his hand on his shoulder–
"What?" Takao looked genuinely confused. "Uh, Shin-chan, you know you're kind of a terrible friend, right? Everyone knows I'm bi. Like, everyone – it's almost weird, actually."
They had to go home, they were still loitering in a hallway and the cleaners were starting to come through – but none of that mattered to Midorima, and he seemed to have entered a state of shock. All that he could think of was Takao and bisexual and then he was imagining Takao doing things with other men, and his face felt hot and so did the rest of his body–
–But Takao just chuckled again, started wheeling him down the hallway, said cheerfully, "I think you've had enough for today," though the words didn't quite make it all the way through Midorima's brain, given that Takao's hands were warm and there in the way that the rest of Takao had been for quite some time.
(Takao took them back to his house without insisting in playing rock-paper-scissors).
That night was sleepover night – they had these on most Saturdays, because Takao pestered Midorima about it until he couldn't refuse. For the most part, they watched whatever dumb movies Takao was interested in and played video games – though these were less fun, friendly competitions, rather vicious, all-out battles (Midorima lost at these a lot, to his utter frustration and Takao's glee).
About halfway through their third round of the game they were playing – a western one, army-style, in which you had to have an effective strategy to defeat the enemy – Takao gave up, flinging him controller to the side. By that point it was edging on one in the morning, but when it came to video games, Takao tended to think that the lack of sleep was outweighed by the game itself.
The first time that they had stayed up that late, Midorima had natural protested, insisting that proper rest was essential for a healthy body. Takao had launched into a lecture to persuade him otherwise; 'You never get to do this stuff when you're an adult,' blah blah, 'If I don't show you the rightful path to being a teenage boy who will?' as if it were a great tragedy that Midorima had no interest in late-night gameplay, blah blah.
Had he mentioned that Takao was annoying?
He got talked into it, however, and to his dismay, discovered that the foolish folly that he had always assumed took no actual skill or brainpower was rather enjoyable. From then on, he never complained.
Right then, though, the campaign they were on was too much for Takao, and he threw himself sideways, settling his head in Midorima's lap, grumbling all the while about stupid mechanisms. Against himself, Midorima tensed up as the slick, black-haired head settled across his thighs. He'd been a little on edge all night, unable to get the fact that Takao was bisexual and into men out of his head – not because that fact was in and of itself shocking, but because it raised the possibility that there was something other than friendship behind Takao always sticking by his side.
"Shin-chan, you're acting weird," Takao mumbled sleepily, rolling his head back in his friend's lap, peering up at him blearily. "What, are you scared that I'm gonna jump you know you know I happen to enjoy cock?"
Midorima smacked him over the head, somewhat awkwardly given their position, and looked away. "I am simply unaware of how to act in this situation."
Takao snuggled down further with a soft snort, rubbing his head with one hand. "Geez, and you call me an idiot… Act like you always do. Take about destiny, get mad at me, be all tsundere, whatever. Just be Shin-chan, right?"
They fell asleep on the floor, and Midorima might have slipped a hand into Takao's hair, and one of Takao's arms wrapped around his leg, but it was comfortable and warm and familiar.
(And Midorima might have fallen asleep with the vague thought that he was the one in danger of falling in love).