Author's note: Sorry this took so long to update! School has been absolutely CRAZY, and now it's finally the two week break and I can sit here and write until my fingers fall off :D Hope you enjoy this chapter! And honestly, I know the characters are rather OOC, but I dunno, this just came out weird. I'm just going where this story takes me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.
Chapter 2
The last bell of the day had rung long ago, yet Takao was still slumped over his desk. Midorima looked over at the back of his head, sighing when he realised that the hawk-eyed player was probably still asleep. Picking up his bag, he walked over to Takao's table, shaking the other boy's shoulder in an attempt to rouse him.
"Takao. Takao. Wake up, we'll be late for practice." A soft grumbling met his ears, and the raven-haired boy burrowed deeper into the nest of his arms. Midorima frowned once, then resumed his shaking. "Wake up. Or do you want Miyaji-senpai to throw pineapples at us again?"
A drawn-out groan emitted from Takao this time, and he stretched his arms out, turning his head to the side to glare at Midorima blearily. "I hate you, Shin-chan. And I was having such a nice nap too."
"I was planning to lend you my notes, but now I see that it is completely unnecessary." He turned away, and had taken two steps when a warm body collided with his back, lanky arms wrapping themselves around his waist.
"Come on, Shin-chan. I'm sorry." Takao's voice was muffled where he had buried his face in Midorima's jacket. The taller boy sighed, and attempted to pry the arms off him. "Let go, Takao. If we finish our quota early today, perhaps I might reconsider."
"Really?" Takao sounded despondent, but he released his hold on the taller boy.
"I do not need to repeat myself." Midorima walked towards the door of the classroom, but guilt caught up to him just before he stepped out, and he turned around to face Takao. The other boy was leaning against the table, head lowered, hands in pockets.
"Don't mope- "He stopped short when Takao showed no signs of responding. In fact, his posture seemed to slump further, and Midorima had to keep himself from sighing again. He walked back to where Takao stood, trying to peer into his face. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Takao mumbled, bending down to retrieve his bag from the floor before walking away. "Let's go to practice."
"Did you have another sad dream?"
Takao stopped in his tracks, head half turned towards Midorima. "Maybe," he mumbled. "Let's just go to practice and forget all about it, okay?"
"How about we go home so you can sleep properly?"
This time, Takao did turn to face Midorima, slack-jawed with astonishment. "Shin-chan. Did you just suggest that we skip practice? To sleep?"
The green-haired shooter just turned away, a dash of red staining his cheeks. "It's for your own good," he muttered.
Takao burst out laughing, a sad mix of hysteria and helplessness. "Thanks, Shin-chan. But I think I just need to work it out of my system. Physical pain to overcome the mental pain, right?"
"Sometimes it's not such a good idea," came the soft reply.
"Yeah, maybe. But the Winter Cup's coming up. We still need to practice. Let's go, before Miyaji-senpai really does find us." Takao smiled weakly at Midorima before walking out of the classroom.
The greenhead sighed deeply, reaching into his pants pocket to rub absently at the small wooden toy. If you were here with me, my friend, what would you have done? Do I allow him to walk away, or do I drag him home to rest?
There was, of course, no reply.
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Takao rubbed his towel over his damp hair, before sitting down on a bench and leaning back against one of the lockers. Practice seemed unusually tough today, and several times he had to pause before black spots overcame his vision. Perhaps he should have taken up Shin-chan's offer to skip, but at least now he was pleasantly tired and wouldn't be able to dwell on the dreams – or memories, if he were to believe Shin-chan.
His head was throbbing rather badly though. Perhaps he shouldn't have tried so hard. It wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for just a moment…
Midorima emerged from the shower and headed to the locker room. It was getting quite late, and he was worried about Takao. He looked like he was going to pass out more than once during practice, and even though he did not, all their senpai, and even Coach looked considerably concerned. Maybe he would insist on pedalling the rickshaw just this once.
Light was spilling out from the slightly ajar door of the locker room, but no sounds could be heard from inside it. That's odd, Midorima thought. I believe all the senpai had left already. But if Takao was in there, he'd usually be singing. Don't tell me he left already?!
In his panic, Midorima pushed the door open too forcefully, and it hit the wall with a loud bang. Wincing at how the noise echoed through the empty corridors, he turned to scan the locker room, eyes widening in surprise at the sight he found.
Takao was leaning against the lockers, his towel still covering his head as he dozed. He looked a lot more peaceful sleeping now than he did earlier that day on the rooftop, or when they were in class. Permitting himself a small smile, Midorima approached his locker to retrieve his things, then turned to Takao's locker to do the same.
He had just set Takao's packed bag on the bench when the shrill ringtone of Takao's phone cut through the air. Scrambling with the zipper, Midorima dug frantically through the bag, attempting to locate the source before it woke the sleeping boy across the room.
He finally unearthed the ringing device, and flipping open its cover, he saw the words 'Mom' scrawled across the screen. He snuck a peek at Takao. The raven-haired boy was still sleeping, for the incessant ringing had done nothing to wake him. Sighing just a little, Midorima pressed the 'Accept Call' button, bringing the phone to his ear. Immediately, a very loud voice assaulted his eardrums.
"Kazu! Where are you?! Have you seen the time? You were supposed to be home an hour ago!"
Midorima coughed delicately, and cleared his throat. "My apologies, Takao-san. This is Midorima Shintarou speaking. We had stayed back to practice a little more, and have only just finished our routine."
"Oh, I see." The woman on the other end lowered her voice, her tone turning disinterested. "Midorima Shintarou… I suppose you are the 'Shin-chan' that he likes to go on about?"
"…You suppose correctly." Inside, he was seething. Who goes and tells their parents the ridiculous nicknames that they give their friends? That was a dumb question. Obviously, Takao does. But Takao-san was speaking again, and he was snapped out of his idle thoughts.
"My apologies, could you repeat that, please?"
She huffed in annoyance, and repeated herself, her voice just a little louder than necessary. "I said, can Kazu stay over with you for the night? It is too late for him to come back alone, and I believe he has mentioned that you live closer to Shuutoku than we do."
Midorima was a little taken aback at the sudden request, but a glance at his sleeping partner decided his course of action. "Of course. It is a bit sudden, but there is no problem."
"Very well. Thank you for putting him up with you. Oh, and one last thing."
"Yes?"
The voice turned hard, and there was a bitter edge to it. "Do not call me Takao-san again. I am in no way related to him. Just because my husband took pity on him as a child does not mean that I accept the role of his mother."
The flat tone of the ended call sounded in his ear a moment after, and Midorima lowered the phone in confusion. Not related? But the contact was listed as 'Mom'. Perhaps he would ask Takao about it after he awoke and was in a better state of mind. There was no point in giving him extra stress at this stage, especially when the lady had sounded so resentful about it. First things first though, he had to inform his parents of their impromptu guest.
"Hello? Okaa-san? Yes, I will be returning home shortly. Can you prepare one more place at the table please? My friend is coming over." He turned and looked at Takao, green eyes softening at his sleeping posture. "Do we have an extra futon that he can use? He needs to stay over, just for a night. No, nothing like that. His parents just don't want him to return home so late, because he lives quite a distance from school. Yes, place it in my room. I will take responsibility. Thank you."
He ended the call and walked over to the sleeping boy, brushing his bangs back from his face as he carefully removed the towel. Takao really did look peaceful sleeping this way. It would be a pity to wake him. Sighing at his own idiocy and soft heart, he stuffed the towel into Takao's bag, grabbed his own bag and slung both of them over his head before bending over to pick Takao up.
Takao mumbled something incomprehensible before turning his head and snuggling into Midorima's chest. It was a little distracting, but he managed to turn off the light with his shoulder and pull the locker room door somewhat closed with his foot.
He walked briskly to the doors of the gym, and was surprised to find the coach standing there. "Coach. I thought you had left already."
"Hmm?" Coach Nakatani turned at the sound of his ace's voice, eyes widening when he saw his burden.
"He fell asleep in the locker room. He's staying over at my place tonight, I have his parents' approval." Midorima gave his coach the shortened version of what happened, neglecting to mention that Takao's mother might not actually be his mother. No point confusing others when even I cannot make sense of it.
"Very well. Thank you for doing this, Midorima. I know it is not easy for you. I will lock up, you go ahead. Oh, and Midorima?"
"Yes, coach?"
"For this, I will forgive an extra selfish whim tomorrow at practice."
Midorima inclined his head in thanks, even though he knew he would not need it. Hoisting up the deadweight that was Takao, he bowed out of the open door that Coach Nakatani held for him, heading for the rickshaw.
After settling Takao in the back of the rickshaw, with their bags as his pillow, Midorima attempted to push the vehicle out of its tight space. It would not budge. Frowning, he mounted the bicycle attached to the cart, pushing on the pedals. It still would not move. Deciding to throw all caution to the wind, with not a care as to who might see him, he leaned forward, raising a little out of the seat as he had seen Takao do, using his weight to press down on the pedals. It moved.
Sighing deeply with relief, Midorima continued the exhausting battle with the rickshaw until it had been pulled out of the tight lot. Now all he had to do was navigate it towards Shuutoku's gates…
Fifteen minutes later, Midorima was sweating profusely and panting as hard as the time Coach made them practice for 2 hours without a break. And he had only just reached Shuutoku's front gate. Turning around in the seat to grab his water bottle, he was once again met with the sight of Takao sleeping, except that he had now curled up into a tight ball, his face half-hidden in shadows.
It was quite the beguiling picture, to see his partner so vulnerable. Usually, Takao was the cheerful one, the carefree image of innocence. Up to that morning, he had no clue that everything he had witnessed before was a complete lie. A shell of protective armour, an impenetrable mask that deflected your misgivings by reflecting the image that he wanted you to see. He had no idea that underneath that mask was someone as fragile as he was, that his past was as riddled with secrets and unfathomable truths. That this perfect actor hid something behind his chirpy façade should have been of no surprise to him, yet he still felt a sense of irritation and wonder at being deceived for so long. So this is why they say that in sleep, all pretenses fall away. He looks so young… What am I even thinking about?!
Pushing back his drifting thoughts, he gulped down the water, grudgingly admitting to himself that what Takao did for him every day without fail was in fact, no easy feat. He had never needed to experience it before as he had never lost a game of rock-paper-scissors against Takao. Ironically, he was doing it now not because his luck had failed him, but because his luck never failed. Trust Oha Asa to come up with something good out of every day's bad experiences.
His mind flashed back to the broadcast this morning, the words still seared in his mind. "Today is a day of new experiences for you, Cancer! Never fret, as long as you have your Lucky Item with you, no incident that comes your way is ever bad!"
A wry smile found its way to his lips. Yes, this was an interesting experience indeed. Humiliating, yes, but it gave him a new-found appreciation for his partner. Another positive thought was that this incident would strengthen his leg muscles, which were a very important factor in his long-range shooting. Maybe I should lose on purpose to get more of this gruelling training. Hah, now I sound like a masochist.
Stowing away his bottle, he pulled out his school jacket instead, and laid it over the sleeping figure. The autumn winds were chilly, and while he was getting an extra workout, his partner would surely catch a cold due to inactivity. Curse my sudden fondness for Takao.
Satisfied with his handiwork, he turned back to face the front, and began the strenuous task of cycling them back to his house.
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A gentle shaking roused him from the depths of slumber, the warm embrace of unconsciousness. Mumbling illegibly, Takao tried to curl in on himself. Just five more minutes.
"It's been more than an hour, Takao. Wake up, let's have dinner and then you can go back to sleep."
Oh, I said that out loud? Hmm, that sounded awfully like Shin-chan. What was that about dinner…? And sleep… Wait… WHAT TIME IS IT?
Takao bolted upright, his head crashing into someone else's. "Oww."
"I should be saying that." A muffled voice said. "Thankfully, my spectacles have escaped unscathed."
"Shin-chan!" Takao's eyes widened, the fog in his brain lifting just a little. "Wait. This isn't the locker room."
"No, it isn't." Midorima stated drily. "It's my house, if you can recognize it."
"Your house?" Takao took a quick glance at his surroundings, his hawk eye imprinting the basic blueprint of the area in his mind. It is Shin-chan's house area. But how did we get here…?
Another cursory glance. This time, his body registered the cold, hard wood beneath it, and the warmth of the jacket, now pooled in his lap. The gears in his mind rotated slowly, trying to make sense of what had transpired when he had been sleeping.
"You drove us here?" Takao's voice came out as a hoarse whisper. His eyes were wide in amazement, and he was slack-jawed with horror.
Drawing out a long sigh, Midorima stood up from where he had been bent over the cart and stretched. "Yes, I did. Would you please come in, and have dinner with us? I think both of us need the rest that follows it."
"Shin-chan, wait!" Takao caught Midorima's hand before he could walk away, and looked up at him, eyes pleading. "Why did you do this? Why am I here and not at home? Or still in the locker room?"
"I will explain in detail later. The short version is that your mother called, said it was too late for you to return home alone, and asked me to put you up for the night. Now can we please go into the house?" His green eyes shone dimly in the streetlights, and Takao belatedly realised that his partner's legs were kind of shaking.
"Oh, Shin-chan. You shouldn't have." Takao scrambled out of the cart and pressed himself to Midorima's chest, while allowing the taller boy to lean against him for support. "Pulling the cart is my job, not yours, Ace-sama. Don't overwork yourself. Not again."
A pair of trembling hands came to rest on his lower back, and a gentle weight came to rest on the top of his head. "Why are you so worried…? It was worth it, though." Midorima murmured into Takao's hair. "Oha Asa is never wrong."
"Well, she must be wrong this time, because 'new experiences' should not include lugging around a sleeping person after a day of school and heavy practice."
"… You listened to this morning's broadcast?"
"Nah, just a recording. I was in front of your house when it was broadcasted, wasn't I?"
A soft chuckle. "And you say that horoscopes are ridiculous."
Takao snorted. "They are. But if it makes Shin-chan happy, then I'd gladly go along with anything."
"What would make me happy is going inside."
"You just made another joke, Shin-chan." The raven-haired boy grinned, tilting his head backwards to look at the greenhead, and realising with a start that their faces were barely inches apart. Apparently, Midorima realised this as well, for he dropped his arms and turned away, but not before Takao saw the brilliant shade that coloured his cheeks.
"Let's go inside. It's quite late, so we will not be eating with my family, but you will get to meet them nonetheless." Midorima picked up his fallen jacket from inside the cart, and handed Takao his bag. "Do we have to lock this? Would anybody steal it?"
Takao shook his head. "Why anyone would want that old relic is beyond me. But just to be safe…" He pulled out a bicycle chain from inside his bag, twisting it around the wheel and the nearest lamppost before locking it with a loud snap.
"Alright, I'm ready." Trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere as he followed after Midorima's retreating figure, Takao voiced the first thing that came to mind.
"Y'know, Shin-chan, when you said I would meet your family, it sounded like you were bringing home your girlfriend or something." His tone was light and teasing, but he was answered more severely than he had imagined he would be.
"Do not mention that to my parents. They do not take lightly to jokes regarding relationships."
"Why ever not? We're teenagers. It's bound to happen sometime."
"Not if it tarnishes the name of my household." Midorima smiled bitterly. "It may not matter to you, but I am to be betrothed sometime this, or the next year. There will be no one of my choosing that I bring home, not unless they were already on their list beforehand." Saying so, he took off his shoes and left them at the entrance, walking into the house.
Takao slowly undid his laces and pulled off his shoes, his thoughts in turmoil. Shin-chan was to be engaged. To someone he didn't love, to someone who would benefit his family, but not him. It was none of his business, and he shouldn't be bothered by it.
What then was this dark feeling taking root in his heart?