Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke
Rating: M. UPDATE Nov. 5, 2015: the original version included a longer "encounter" between them but I've edited it down for FFnet. The original is available on A03, same username.
I hope you like the story :)
Newly Familiar
Midorima Shintaro knew Akashi Seijuro about as well as anyone could, so he was unsurprised to find the redhead exactly where he thought he would be after Rakuzan lost to Seirin in the Winter Cup final. He'd excused himself to his teammates, and Takao had been unusually serious when cautioning him to be careful – even with reverting to his former self, Akashi was still unpredictable. Midorima knew that, and he also knew it was simply Takao's concern for him, so he didn't bother chastising the other teen for his impertinence and instead merely went on his way.
He found Akashi sitting quietly on the bench his team had occupied during the game, looking lost in thought. He'd clearly showered and changed clothes, but his posture indicated he was mentally reliving the game. The redhead looked up to meet the bespectacled teen's gaze as he approached in the darkened stadium – everyone else had long since cleaned up and departed. Despite knowing they would be there, it still took Midorima a moment to adjust to the double red irises.
"Hello, Midorima." Akashi's voice brought up a wave of memories with those two simple words. It no longer carried the cadence of a distant feudal lord, but rather the less guarded, if still confident, tones of the boy he had first met.
"Akashi. Welcome back."
A small smile crossed Akashi's face for a moment. "Indeed, those words are not unwarranted." He paused for a moment before continuing, "It is a curious thing. Although I know all of the events that have happened, it doesn't quite feel like so much time should have passed. It seems we should be meeting for a shogi match at Teiko rather than here."
Midorima nodded in acknowledgement and took a seat on the bench. As if by mutual agreement, they let the moment go without any further words. Midorima couldn't possibly know the extent of Akashi's thoughts, but he would wager that the redhead was trying to process everything that had happened.
They stayed that way for a long time, and may well have remained there indefinitely, if Akashi hadn't finally decided to speak again. "I remember the promise we made to determine who would be the strongest. Although I included Kuroko in the contest, I never imagined he would find a strength so overwhelming, in himself and his team, to truly be a threat. Losing is a painful, vile thing…but I am grateful to know he did not give up."
Midorima scoffed, "I don't think he knows how to quit. Kuroko is infuriatingly persistent."
"Yes. It would seem he is. As you are, Midorima. I meant what I said at the match between our teams, you have my utmost respect."
The taller teen shot a slightly suspicious look at his former captain, he was never entirely sure when Akashi was teasing.
The redhead turned to meet his gaze. "There is something from after our game I would like to correct, however. If you are still inclined to indulge the sentiment, that is." He held out his hand toward Midorima, a clear invitation in the gesture.
A brief flash of humor was seen in Midorima's eyes before he accepted Akashi's handshake, and he restated his greeting, with more genuine warmth this time, "Welcome back, Akashi."
Akashi stared at him a moment before releasing his hand and Midorima felt a slight sense of unease at the unreadable gaze. Akashi must have realized this as he looked away and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Midorima. It is simply disconcerting to see you again, it's as if you are familiar…but newly so. While he was in charge I could still see you, but it felt removed, like watching a movie. I am having trouble adjusting to the sensation."
There was sliver of hesitation in Midorima's response, "We did wonder, how much you knew, after the change. Or if you were there at all."
Akashi's answer was slow in coming. "I knew everything, just like he knows of this. While one is in control, it doesn't mean the other is asleep, just not…active, I suppose. It would be easy enough to blame him for those events, but there isn't such a neat divide between us. He didn't want to surrender control to me during the game, yet I took it anyway. I could have done so many times before; however I was convinced his path was the right one. And it ended up turning all of us away from each other." Midorima heard the slight bitterness in Akashi's tone; he understood that Akashi regretted his choice.
Midorima cleared his throat lightly and pushed his glasses up. "Don't be an idiot, Akashi. Are you claiming to have mind control now? We all made our choices. Even Kuroko went along with the changes at first, though I believe it pained him to do so. In some ways we all shaped this path. Your element was a little more dramatic, naturally, but in the end…we simply had to grow up a bit."
Akashi mulled this over for a moment. "Perhaps. Were we simply unruly children, then? How mortifying to think of it that way. I'd almost rather something more sinister had been at play."
Midorima snorted. "Stop it, Akashi. We made mistakes, certainly. But you're being uncharacteristically dramatic and that is Kise's department."
The smile that crossed Akashi's face at that moment was difficult to interpret. "I could always count on you for that. Even with him in charge, you didn't stop speaking your mind."
The scathing glance sent by the bespectacled teen in response to this comment proved too humorous for Akashi, who chuckled softly. They continued sitting there, but the silence was more familiar now, they had slipped back to something like their relationship at Teiko prior to Akashi's change.
"Tell me about your team, please, Midorima."
The green haired teen looked surprised, but obliged. He recounted his initial impressions and the journey they'd taken together to reach their gradual acceptance of one another. He spoke matter-of-factly but Akashi knew Midorima well enough to discern the undertones of affection and pride in his voice. It both cheered him to know Midorima was in good hands and broke his heart to realize he'd thrown this away with their team in middle school. He'd noted that one figure in particular kept coming up in the stories and when Midorima finished, Akashi spoke again.
"It sounds like your choice was a good fit for you, Midorima. Are you dating Takao, then? It was clear the two of you are quite in-sync with one another during the match." He asked this almost idly, but it took Midorima by surprise nonetheless. While Midorima had never hidden his sexuality and none of them at Teiko had ever made an issue of it, this question was still extremely unexpected.
"Date Takao? Don't be ridiculous, we'd kill each other. He has become…a valued friend. But he is a Scorpio, even if I were attracted to him in a romantic fashion, we wouldn't be compatible in that way."
Akashi nodded. "I am glad you have him, then. But if you did feel something for Takao, I would encourage you to perhaps risk the horoscope's ire and pursue him. I want you to be happy, Midorima."
The pause this time was heavy as the taller teen seemed to be considering his response. "Akashi, I am not a fool. I would risk it if I really wanted to, but I promise, Takao is not on my radar for such a thing."
Akashi's red eyes looked vaguely curious but he didn't press the matter. He considered taking one of the basketballs from the neat rows the officials had arranged, but he didn't quite feel up to it yet. Midorima glanced over at him, saw what he was looking at, and appeared to read his thoughts.
"It hurts, losing in something you love. I would imagine that especially for you, it will take some time to process this. You'll want to compete again though. When we played Seirin and lost, I almost didn't want to continue with basketball anymore, but after a day I couldn't stay away. I wouldn't let Kuroko beat me in that – he was defeated so frequently in our practices, yet always kept playing, I could do no less. Eventually I remembered why I enjoyed the game. Losing is still awful, but it's mitigated with the support of a team."
Akashi pondered that briefly before replying somewhat glumly. "I know what you are trying to say Midorima, but I still don't want to make a habit of this anymore than I am sure you do."
Midorima was surprised into a laugh by his tone. "Don't worry Akashi; I sincerely doubt it is something you will experience very often. You were always formidable, but now you will probably be even more dangerous."
There was a pause before Akashi answered quietly. "Am I dangerous, Midorima? I don't feel that way."
Catching a rare hint of vulnerability in his words, Midorima looked closely at Akashi, seeing for the first time the lost quality in Akashi's eyes. It took him aback and before he quite knew he was doing it, he extended a hand to grasp Akashi's shoulder and their eyes met and held for a long moment.
Perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising, that so much that one would hesitate to say aloud might be communicated in the simple act of reaching out, of meeting another's gaze and somehow offering the perfect words with a silent connection. Midorima and Akashi had a longstanding bond, despite the temporary rift from the consequences of Akashi's change, they were both intelligent, athletic, and perhaps even more importantly, they were not easy people to know – which made their awareness of one another not only rare, but meaningful. So perhaps it shouldn't have been unexpected, but Akashi still somehow felt himself surprised all the same to see the depth of emotion in Midorima's eyes. For his part, Midorima would have been embarrassed to know the extent of what he revealed by his action, but he would make the same choice again despite the blow to his dignity. Midorima might have the reputation of being standoffish, but he cared deeply about those in his life and he would make his own comfort secondary to relieving the uncertainty he saw in Akashi.
There was suddenly a terrible weight to the air, both of them felt it yet there was no move to break the moment. It occurred to Midorima that he was still touching Akashi, something he couldn't remember ever doing before their handshake of just moments before and he began to draw back.
Akashi didn't break eye contact but grabbed Midorima's hand before he had barely cleared an inch and used the slight bit of momentum to pull Midorima forward and Midorima could feel himself stiffen in surprise. Akashi continued pulling him forward until Midorima found himself halfway embracing Akashi with one arm braced on the bench for balance.
"If I remember my Oha Asa compatibility report correctly…Sagittarius and Cancer aren't such a bad match." While Akashi's voice was as cool and controlled as usual, the words were murmured so gently and so close to his ear that Midorima couldn't stop himself from shuddering because he understood what Akashi was offering him with that comment. Akashi could feel it, of course he could, and he moved back just enough to meet Midorima's eyes again.
Midorima felt unsteady and it took him a moment before he could find words to respond. "Akashi…I've been interested in you for a long time, but I don't want to be –"
Akashi cut him off before he could finish. "You're not a consolation prize, Midorima. You could never be that. Yes I'm unsettled from the defeat, but I would hope you know me enough to know I'd hardly invite such activity on those grounds alone. But I am with my trusted friend, who happens to be an attractive and caring person that might be willing to indulge in a more physical form of affection to celebrate our reunion."
The gasp that escaped Midorima would have been funny if Akashi's eyes weren't completely serious. Midorima could barely think, this was something he'd dreamed of but certainly never imagined it might actually happen. At Teiko, Akashi had never offered the slightest hint of his preferences despite the rampant speculation that surrounded him.
Perhaps sensing his confusion, Akashi smiled and it was unlike any other Midorima had seen from him. It was warm, but the heat was playfully seductive and it matched the spark in his eyes. "I didn't know you were interested in me, Midorima, and with the change I wouldn't have been in a position to pursue anything anyway. But I can honestly tell you that one of the best things about our shogi matches beyond your company was the view that came with it."
This brought an intense blush to Midorima's cheeks and he closed his eyes against the embarrassment. Akashi was prepared to wait him out though and eventually Midorima had to look at him again and he saw just a hint of uncertainty in the redhead as he was reading Midorima's reaction as rejection.
"Midorima, I didn't mean to cause you distress. It was a sincere suggestion, but perhaps it was both too sudden and too selfish of me. Please forgive me and forget I said anything, I wouldn't want to risk our friendship again."
"Akashi, you're such a fucking idiot sometimes." Midorima leaned in and despite the harsh tone of the words, he met Akashi's lips in a soft, gentle kiss that soon progressed to deeper and more assured exchanges between them.
When they finally broke apart they were both breathing more quickly. There was something fragile between them at that moment; it was a desperate sense of attraction and desire melded with the understanding that they were about to do something that might endanger their newly-cemented reunion. But somehow, as green and red eyes met and they both silently considered this prospect, they seemed to understand something else as well; that this wasn't a declaration of permanence, but an acknowledgment that they had enough history to regroup if they needed to. And by both of their estimations, that was enough.
They didn't talk about it, nor did they acknowledge that it was definitely not the right place for such activities, but they were soon concentrating on quickly divesting each other of the annoying barriers their clothes presented. For all that the stadium was a large, cavernous space that had held thousands of spectators for the Winter Cup tournament, their focus was limited to one another on the stark wooden surface offered by the bench.
If Midorima had ever allowed himself to fully fantasize about such an encounter, he wouldn't have found it so unusual for it to take place there at the site of Japanese high school basketball's greatest competition, but he would have admitted he was unprepared for some of the practical limitations – the bench was not that comfortable and he lacked any sort of lube for example. But as with everything, Akashi's preparations circumvented the inconveniences that most mere mortals would have to suffer through. He broke away from Midorima and reached for his bag to retrieve a fluffy towel that he laid on the bench and then extracted supplies that Midorima recognized; lubricant and a condom. He blushed again and looked away for a moment, feeling a twinge of uncertainty.
Akashi seemed to know what inspired his anxiety and leaned in to kiss him reassuringly. "This isn't a habit of mine, Midorima. I keep them because Kotaro is impulsive and rarely plans ahead, so I offer it to him when he goes hunting for a partner; Mibuchi does the same. But in terms of my own…history…this is my first time."
Midorima was astonished, he wouldn't have expected that in a million years, but he not only believed Akashi, it reinforced his trust that he wasn't being used to forget the game that afternoon.
Akashi, having dispensed as close to a confession of his feelings as he could, was now interested in resuming their encounter. He was fascinated by how responsive Midorima was, and how the usually taciturn shooting guard was willing to show this aspect of himself. He understood the trust he was being shown and was resolved to prove worthy of it. He pushed the taller teen down against the makeshift blanket and began exploring his body with a thoroughness that would have been clinical if it hadn't been so clearly sensual.
Midorima didn't know why he was surprised that Akashi had so easily taken the lead in this, but perhaps it was just as well. Despite Akashi's proclaimed inexperience, he was a fast learner and Midorima was soon nearly nonsensical from his own rising pleasure. He would have been mortified if he'd really processed how closely Akashi was watching him, but the redhead was focused on learning every secret Midorima's body possessed and as with most things in Akashi's world, there was little hope of thwarting him from his goals.
It would be sometime later, after they'd collapsed and briefly rested, that Midorima would ask Akashi a question. "Was that really your first time, Akashi?"
The redhead looked directly at him and answered without hesitation. "Yes. The other me had a few experiences with different partners, but for me, this was the first time."
Midorima nodded. He understood the distinction and it was not lost on him that Akashi considered himself removed from the other encounters. He'd even agree with that perspective, but more than that, it was unexpectedly…sweet…of Akashi to state it that way.
They redressed without speaking again, but Akashi was attentive and gentle as he used the towel to clean Midorima – the green haired teen started to protest this act as unnecessarily embarrassing and that he could do it himself, but was silenced with merely a look from Akashi. Soon all evidence was seemingly erased, and they didn't quite know what to say, so they didn't say anything.
Instead, by silent accord, they resumed sitting on the bench but with a slight modification to their earlier positions as they leaned into each other and their fingers were laced. It was uncertain if they would ever again be with each other like this, but for now, it was more than sufficient to take comfort in their mutual nearness, the warmth and strength of each other's bodies, and the awareness that while their relationship might be different now, they hadn't lost the years of history between them. For now, they had nothing more pressing to do than to watch the dust motes float in the air as they were illuminated by the faint exit lighting. Akashi was back, and Midorima had waited for him, they could work anything else out later.