"Always?" Hanamiya asked incredulously as Takao nodded eagerly and Midorima merely pushed his glasses up.
"Yup, Shin-chan was always really smart."
"But still, to be ranked first in every grade? And you kept playing basketball? How did you have the stamina for it?"
Midorima shrugged. "My parents were always strict about education. My mother was -" Midorima immediately corrected himself, "- is a lawyer while my father's a university teacher."
"No wonder you're so uptight." Hanamiya commented and Takao had to push down a bubble of laughter at Midorima's expression.
"Ah, I didn't mean it in a bad way!" Hanamiya tried to take back his words and Takao couldn't hold it in anymore. He bursted out in laughter but stopped immediately, looking out the windows behind Hanamiya to see if there any zombies around.
They had just begun to enter the city of Tokyo, where they saw more zombies but not to an extent yet, and since the sun had begun to set, they decided to stay the night at an abandoned supermarket, which was completely emptied out. Both the glass door and the single window by the side of it were broken, so they had to barricade it with the food shelves - they used at least five to cover the door well enough to not let any zombies try to enter - and checked to see if there were any zombies inside.
Midorima then started to make a fire by breaking some of the wooden shelves, but had no idea how to make a fire.
Hanamiya had the perfect solution.
"You had a lighter?" Takao had asked and Hanamiya nodded. Midorima raised an eyebrow.
"Do you smoke?" He bluntly asked and Hanamiya gave him a sheepish smile.
"Maybe one per week."
"But you're a basketball player. It's hazardous for your health!" Midorima reprimanded, Takao agreeing from behind.
"University was stressful, ok? Get off my back." Hanamiya then said rather harshly and caught himself soon after. "Sorry, I've just had a lot of people say the same thing to me. I know how to handle myself. I'll be fine. Besides, it's not like I can smoke now." Hanamiya shrugged and as soon as the fire from the lighter touched the wood below it, it spread quickly and they all huddled to keep themselves even warmer.
Now, they were surrounding the campfire, warming some water, and were having a light banter.
"Takao, shut up!" Midorima whispered as he hit his partner on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just that your face expression was too hilarious!" Takao snickered.
"I didn't mean it that way, honest!" Hanamiya added, looking at Midorima sheepishly. "I was just trying to say that you always felt really… trustworthy? Like you could be the one to keep us all from going insane." Hanamiya explained.
"I don't think I understand." Midorima responded and Takao sighed.
"He means to say that you're like our guide, Shin-chan, someone who can lend a shoulder whenever we need it." Takao elaborate even further.
"How am I a guide?" Midorima asked skeptically. "You guys are the ones who know how to deal with the zombies in the first place."
"But you're the one who knows how to ration supplies and keep us alive. If it weren't for you, I would've emptied the entire supermarket back in Tokyo in just two weeks. You've kept me alive for more than a month."
Midorima pushed his glasses up to hid his blush. It didn't escape Takao and he smiled fondly. "It was the most rational choice to make. Even you could have done that."
"Not only that," Takao kept saying to Hanamiya, pointing at Midorima all the while, "if it weren't for him, I would've died back at the supermarket. The manager was turned and he almost bit me. Shin-chan saved me just in time and calmed me down faster than I would've imagined. He's really good with plans and thinks of the best possible paths to go through."
"Then, I have never been more glad to have you right now." Hanamiya complimented and Midorima turned away from them, knowing his face was on fire.
"You guys should sleep. I'll take first watch." Midorima changed the subject.
"In this dark night? You can barely see anything at all. Let me take the first watch." Takao intercepted. "I can see better than both of you, so it's fine."
Midorima looked like he wanted to protested but bit it back because he knew Takao was right. "Fine, wake me up in a few hours." He finally relented, making Takao feel slightly more superior.
"I can also take up watch, too, you know." Hanamiya added from behind and Takao nodded.
"Sure, you can take watch after a few hours. And then Shin-chan can take watch when the sun rises, since you can't really see very well."
"You can't see very well in the dark?" Hanamiya asked and Midorima nodded his head.
"I studied too much at night that my eyesight completely went. I need light to be able to see properly." Midorima explained, pushing his glasses up for more emphasis.
Hanamiya nodded at the explanation, and stretched his arms, looking tired. "Well, Takao-san, I'll trust you to wake me up later."
Takao saluted him. "I told you to just call me Takao. There's no need for formalities, especially at a time like this. And don't worry, I'm a bit tired myself so I'll definitely wake you up." Hanamiya smiled before going close to the fire and lying down, his breathing slowing down instantly.
Takao got ready to take the first watch, positioning himself to see both the window and door clearly. He narrowed his eyes to be able to see better in the dark, and for a while, it was so quiet that Takao completely forgot that there were other people in the room. His mind wandered, immediately going to his family first. His father was still nowhere to be found. Last he saw him, he was talking about leaving Japan for a business trip. Whether he really went to a foreign country Takao didn't know, but if that were that case, there was chance of his being alive. Takao's hope flared for a second, to think that at least one of his close relatives were alive, but he knew better than to feed off it. In this world, there was barely any chance of survival, no matter where one was.
Still, Takao couldn't help it. His fists clenched and he prayed that his father was still alive. He prayed that wherever he was, he was still human. It was a small hope, but it was enough to bring back all the negativity that had passed by. Soon enough, he was thinking about his mother and little sister.
She was only a kindergartener, for crying out loud. She was so young. She didn't have to meet that faith. He could imagine the scene now: the car halting to stop as a few zombies entered the streets, the zombies bashing the window car pane open, his mother trying to protect his little sister, failing, and leaving her to herself, not knowing what to do, panicking and calling for her mother, calling for Takao but ultimately having no one to save her in the end.
Something touched his hand and he flinched slightly. He looked down to see what it was, but the feeling was gone and was now on his face, slightly caressing his cheek. Takao, wide-eyed, saw that it was Midorima, still in lying down, but leaning over to his side, touching his cheek with his hand.
"You're crying." Midorima whispered and before Takao knew it, Midorima stood up and hugged him tightly. "Why are you crying?"
Takao couldn't respond. He merely wrapped his arms around Midorima, giving him a tight squeeze, and buried his face onto Midorima's shoulder. He shook his head a few times, and he felt Midorima give out a hefty sigh.
"It's going to be ok." Midorima comforted, patting Takao on the back soothingly. "We're going to get through this together."
Takao cried harder, his screams muffled, and for a few minutes, they stayed like that, Midorima patting his back and Takao trying to calm himself down.
Then, "I thought about my dad." Takao finally responded to Midorima's question a while back. Midorima said nothing, waiting for Takao to continue.
"He said that he had a business trip to Korea. I'm not sure if he's there right now. I don't know if he's still alive. But I gave myself hope, thinking that he still was."
"He might still be. You never know. Maybe he's safe in Korea. It's a short flight. I'm sure he got there in time. Korea might not be affected yet, and if it is, we can't immediately assume he's dead. I mean, you are his son, aren't you?"
Takao laughed softly. "Yeah, he's the one who showed me horror movies in the first place. He's more of a zombie fanatic than I am."
Midorima started patting Takao's head, his fingers gently caressing Takao's greasy hair. Takao wanted to do the same but remembered Midorima had no hair left.
"Maybe your parents are still alive, too." Takao said after a moment's silence. He felt Midorima hesitating slightly. Then, the tension slipped and Midorima sighed.
"I doubt it. They barely know anything about pop culture. I'm sure they didn't make it." Midorima answered, his voice still a whisper but the despair loud and clear.
Takao detached himself from Midorima and both gazed at each other deeply. "You don't know that. Your parents are tough people. I'm sure they would smack those zombies away in an instant and they would be too scared to try again." Takao said with a smile and Midorima couldn't help but chuckle.
"Yes, because my parents obviously know how to fight."
"Your mother's a lawyer, she has to fight." Takao pointed out.
"Physically, I mean. My mother's good with verbosity, not fists. Why do you think I aced my Japanese final?"
"I'm pretty sure even the teacher had to look up some words in the dictionary because of your essay."
"My mother was so proud." Both chuckled fondly, and caught in the tension, Takao unconsciously put his hands on Midorima's cheeks. He allowed it, liking the heat coming from Takao's hands.
"I still think you look better with long hair. I really liked your bangs." Takao commented, touching Midorima's scalp and enjoying the prickling sensation.
"Hmph. It's definitely better to have this hair cut, though. My bangs were too long."
"You never wanted to cut it, though."
"It was too bothersome, and too expensive. The hairstylist would always wonder how I had natural green hair and after my fifth visit, I decided not to go anymore."
"I'm sure everyone was so confused. You know, a lot of people thought you dyed your hair."
"I know. The teacher even told me to dye it back to black. My mother destroyed him."
Takao chuckled at the memory. "Yup, and he never left the house again. Your mother was brutal."
Midorima smiled softly. "Yes, she was."
Takao caressed Midorima's cheeks softly, and his fingers brushed on Midorima's impossibly long eyelashes as Midorima closed his eyes. His glasses were still on the ground, giving Takao easy access to his eyes.
"Did anyone tell you have really long eyelashes? Girls would kill for them."
"I may or may not have heard that once or twice." Midorima replied, eyes still closed.
"Well, you're going to have to hear it three more times, because you have really long eyelashes."
"I'm still not sure whether that's supposed to be a compliment."
"It is." Takao leaned forward, touching his forehead with Midorima's. "You have really pretty eyes, too, you know that?"
"Takao?" Midorima whispered, slightly questioning his motives. Even Takao had no idea what he was doing.
"Hey, Shin-chan?" Takao breathed out, staring at Midorima's darkened but still visible face. Midorima let out a short 'hm?', waiting for him to continue.
"Remember what we were talking about before this whole thing happened?"
Midorima nodded against Takao's head. "You seemed really conflicted. Are you ready to talk about it now?" He asked with a slightly worried tone.
Takao smiled and nodded. Midorima's eyes slowly opened, and amber clashed with emerald. Even in the dark, Takao's eyes shined. It was truly a beautiful color, both thought.
"Shin-chan?" Takao whispered. Midorima waited for him to continue. "I -"
Takao stopped at the last second when both heard a groaning coming from the very back. The tension in the air halted and both Takao and Midorima realized the position they were at. They jumped back from each other, eyes darting and uncomprehending, and they saw Hanamiya slowly getting up and stretching his stiff arms.
"Damn, and I was sleeping so well. Well, is it my turn to keep watch?" Hanamiya muttered while rubbing his eyes. Midorima and Takao huffed loudly, trying to get their hearts to calm down and not try to leave their bodies.
Midorima rushed to his spot, pretending that nothing happened, while Takao covered his blushing face from Hanamiya. Realization dawned on him as the scene replayed in his mind. He was about to do it. He was about to confess and possibly ruin this duo that was Midorima and Takao, the Light and Shadow.
Takao gulped before gesturing Hanamiya to come to where he was.
"Hey, thanks for waking up. I almost forgot that it was your turn to take watch." Takao said.
"I didn't even know I was going to wake up. There was a lot noise, so I didn't really have a choice." Hanamiya explained, side-glancing at Takao. Takao feigned ignorance.
"Well, thanks for taking watch. Wake Shin-chan up when it's his turn. You're going to have to give him a hard push, though. He's a heavy sleeper."
"Thanks for the tip. Have a good night's sleep." Takao started to lie down next to Midorima, who was still trying to hard to close his eyes and forget what had just happened.
"Oh, and Takao?" Hanamiya called out and Takao tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"What's up?"
"Sorry for ruining the moment. It was too awkward for me to bear it any longer." Hanamiya grinned and the two people lying down couldn't get their faces to stoop blushing.
"I think I see Saitama! Come on, we're really close!" Takao exclaimed and Hanamiya groaned in relief.
"Thank fucking lord, we're finally here. I actually didn't think we would make it."
"There were way too many zombies. I'm just glad we got out there alive." Midorima said, his voice also tired. Takao grinned, and they all kept walking towards the sign that read out 'Saitama'. It was slow progress, but at least they were getting somewhere.
"If the city of Tokyo wasn't infested with zombies, we would have gotten here in half the time. It took us three days, for crying out loud." Hanamiya complained.
"At least we didn't die." Midorima retorted.
"I know, and I'm grateful that you suggested the idea of going around the city to avoid them. But still, there could've been a easier route to follow."
"Well, it was either that or taking another route that would take us a week." Takao joined in cheerfully and Hanamiya groaned.
"Fine, I give. You guys are the ultimate duo who can't prove anyone wrong, happy?"
"Severely." Takao confirmed and quickly searched the area as they entered Saitama. It was finally quiet, no more zombies in sight. Even though Midorima was right in avoiding the heart and city of Tokyo, there were still a hoard of zombies during their trek. The battles weren't as difficult as they had imagined it to be because they were all skilled in fighting; nevertheless, once the adrenaline had disappeared, they were shaking in their socks, wondering what might have happened if they were a second too late in moving their bodies away from them.
"So, where do we go next?" Hanamiya asked, scrutinizing the forest behind Midorima to see if there was any sign of something moving. When there wasn't, he took a seat on a nearby rock and took off his battered shoe, slowly starting to rub his foot in pain.
Midorima looked up at the sky and saw that it was close to sunset. It would soon be pitch dark.
"We should probably find shelter to stay the night. We can't keep going, especially since we're all too tired and it'll be dark soon."
The two remaining in the group nodded in agreement and quickly searched for an abandoned building they could stay at. The three slowly started walking into the town and saw that almost everything had been ransacked. The supermarkets were all destroyed and the houses were starting to decay quickly, its roofs looking like they were close to falling apart.
"Damn, this town must've taken it hard, too." Takao noted as he spotted a corpse of a teenage girl sprawled on the ground.
"They were close to Tokyo, especially the border of it. I doubt anyone survived." Midorima answered, trying to avoid looking at the zombies that were lying on their own pool of dried blood.
"Hey, at least someone did a great job in wiping most of them out before we came." Takao tried to supply cheerfully.
"Don't jinx it!" Hanamiya hissed as he almost stepped on a corpse.
"I think we need to go further into the town. There's absolutely nothing here." Midorima deduced.
"But don't you think there's going to be more zombies inside? And the sun's already starting to set. We really should find a place to stay at." Hanamiya objected.
"How much food do we have left?" Midorima asked Takao and he quickly checked his sports bag. Takao's face cringed at the sight of it.
"Barely enough to get through the night. For tomorrow, I'm not sure." Takao replied morosely and Midorima cursed under his breath. He made a mental note to himself to distribute the food better next time.
"We need to get more food. If we're lucky, there might be some survivors inside Saitama that can help us. Or even better, a food market that hasn't been ransacked."
Hanamiya sighed. "I can't really talk you two out of it, can I? You guys already look so determined to get out of here."
Takao smiled at him goofily. "Are you in?" He asked, extending his hand towards Hanamiya. he sighed once more before taking it with an equally cheerful grin. Midorima ignored their exchange and immediately set out.
"We need a map of the Japan. I can't keep relying on my own memory for the road. The farthest we've gone on a road trip is Fukushima, and even then, I was sleeping most of the time." Midorima said, trying to recall the directions with no luck.
"For the moment, we need a shelter. Let's try to find it as fast as we can before Shin-chan can't see anymore."
"I can still see." Midorima retorted weakly but Takao snorted.
"Sure, Shin-chan, sure. In any case, there might a building we can use if we go in. There has to be." The trio set out, keeping their eye open for both a shelter and zombies. The sun was slowly leaving the place, and soon enough, it was night with barely anything to see.
"I knew we should've just stayed where we were. We could have blockaded one of the places like we did last time." Hanamiya complained.
"And why didn't you suggest that before?" Midorima asked, getting irritated by Hanamiya's remarks. Takao could see that and put a hand on Midorima's shoulder. Midorima took a deep breath, knowing that getting angry wasn't going to help anything.
"Because you never gave me a chance to. You two were both so set on finding something inside the town. I've been with you guys just about a week and I know already that you're both stubborn when it comes to following plans." Hanamiya explained with a huff.
"So then, if you're complaining so much, why don't you give us a plan then? I'm all ears." Midorima replied, his eye twitching with repressed anger.
Hanamiya crossed his arms. "How about we go back and find a fucking place to stay at?" He said with a snarky voice. Midorima was about this close to getting to him. Takao stopped him before he could by patting him on the back.
"Shin-chan, calm down." Takao whispered and surged forward to Hanamiya so that he was between them. "Well, it's a better plan than any. Come on, if we run, we can get there more quickly." Takao suggested and while the other two glared at each other, they agreed with Takao and they all started running.
"Fuck, stop." Takao suddenly whispered and the two at the front immediately stopped in their steps, listening intently. Midorima squinted, unable to see anything in this darkness.
"What is it?" He whispered but Takao immediately shushed him. Then, all of them heard rustling of leaves to the right and a angry growl.
"There's about seven." Takao supplied quietly but the rustling suddenly started getting closer and closer.
"Fuck, run!" Takao shouted just as Midorima could finally see the outline of several zombies coming their way. Takao grabbed Midorima's hand and pulled him to follow, Hanamiya running right behind them.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, we need someplace to hide. Any place! Uh, Hanamiya, help!" Takao yelled.
"What the hell do you think I'm doing? Just keep pulling Midorima!" Hanamiya replied back, frantically turning his head to find a somewhat safe place they could hide in. Midorima felt absolutely useless, unable to see in the dark and having Takao guide him. He wanted to help, he wanted to at least run on his own, but he knew that would've been a bad idea. He hated the fact that he was weak, but he had no choice. He had to rely on Takao.
"There, found one!" Hanamiya alerted and pointed to a building that had an enormous chunk missing at the very top. "We can hide in some of the ruins and kill them when we have the chance!"
"No you idiot! You can't see very well, and there're about seven of them. How are you going to kill them all without dying yourself first?" Midorima immediately retorted but Hanamiya didn't respond as they all ran to the place.
"Come on, we can hide behind that shelf. Takao, you're helping, right?" Hanamiya pointed and they quickly took their places, placing their bodies close to the wooden shelf that was knocked over. Takao nodded solemnly, his weapon gripped tightly.
"You can't defeat them by yourself!" Midorima hissed.
"We have no other choice! They'll detect us eventually!" Hanamiya immediately replied back and Midorima bit back his retort. "You know for a fact they can smell us. They'll know." He hissed and Takao's eyes widened at the speed the zombies came out. They were already close to the door.
"Is it just me or are the zombies getting faster every day?" Takao asked in a panic and Hanamiya patted him on the back.
"We're getting them." He said and Takao nodded. He then turned to Midorima and gave him a small smile, as if to tell him that he might not make it.
"You stay here, ok, Shin-chan? We'll be right back." Takao said, his whisper laced with hints of sorrow, and before the two could set out, Midorima grabbed Takao.
"You're not going. I'm not losing you." Midorima said, his grip on Takao's shoulder getting stronger that Takao winced slightly.
"They're getting closer." Hanamiya warned as he saw the zombies arriving at the door and trying to get through it.
"I'll be ok. Don't you trust me?" Takao asked, trying to shake free, but Midorima wasn't bugging.
"You don't even trust yourself." Midorima answered so confidently that Takao couldn't help but curse inwardly at how well they both knew each other.
"There's always a probability of dying in this kind of world, Shin-chan. But trust me, ok? I can make it out alive."
"Then let me help you!" Midorima roared unintentionally, and that was the push that got the zombies through the door, smashing through it angrily.
"Shit! Takao, hurry up and help me!" Hanamiya shouted and barged forward, providing a slight distraction while killing one of the seven zombies in the process.
Takao looked back at Hanamiya for a split second and seeing Midorima distracted, he quickly loosened his grip on Midorima and set out. Midorima tried to grab Takao's wrist but was blinded by the darkness, unable to see anything. He ended up grasping thin air, the warmth of Takao gone and into the dark.
Takao and Hanamiya were a great team, Midorima had to admit, when it came to fighting off the zombies. They both had great coordination and their nimbleness was an extreme advantage when it came to killing a zombie before going to the next. By the time Midorima could (finally) adjust his eyes to the darkness, which must've taken a few minutes, the seven zombies had fallen to the ground. In mere minutes, those two had taken down a hoard of flesh-eating zombies without making a single sound.
And they were both ok.
Takao and Hanamiya returned to where Midorima was and both sighed in relief.
Then, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Hanamiya shouted at Midorima and punched him in the face. Both Takao and Midorima were too shocked to say anything and Hanamiya took the chance to grab Midorima by shirt and pull him up.
"You almost got us killed! Why would you fucking scream when you know that zombies are attracted to sound? Are you that much of an idiot? Did you want to fucking kill us?" Hanamiya bombarded.
"H-Hey, Hanamiya, calm down. It's not like he did it on purpose." Takao tried to intervene weakly but with a glare from the black haired man, he shut up. Hanamiya turned back to Midorima, who still seemed to be out of it.
"Not only that, you almost got me killed! If it weren't for my buying you time to get a fucking grip on reality and release Takao, I could've been eaten by one of them in an instant. I can't fucking handle seven fucking zombies now, can I?"
"I was - I thought that -" Midorima tried to say but was cut off by Hanamiya immediately.
"No, you weren't thinking. Because if you were, you would've let both of us out to barricade the doors faster and not have had to deal with this bullshit."
Midorima's eyes hardened. "I didn't want anyone to die."
Hanamiya rolled his eyes. "Which is why you only grabbed Takao and not me." He retorted sarcastically. "Be honest, you don't like me, do you?"
"What?" Midorima said, surprised by the sudden imposing question.
Hanamiya grunted as he shoved Midorima to the floor. "I'm not dumb, you idiot. I can tell when someone doesn't like me. You make it painfully obvious."
"I never said that -"
"But it's written so painfully well on your face. Hey, the feeling's mutual. I don't like you either. Honestly, I think we'd be better off without you, just me and Takao."
"Hey, how dare you -" Midorima shouted back, completely appalled by not only the change in Hanamiya's personality but also his words itself.
"Don't even fucking lie to yourself, Midorima. Even you think you're useless in these situations. You're fucking blind in the dark. You'd be dead in mere seconds if it weren't for us. You'd just be a fucking burden at this point. Admit it, even you've thought about it. Relying too much on Takao because you can't fucking walk on your own. Is that really something you want? Have Takao die before you because you couldn't protect yourself?" Hanamiya crossed his arms, glaring down at a reticent Midorima, who, by the looks of it, was contemplating Hanamiya's words severely.
Hanamiya smirked at the sight of it, happy to see an egomaniac be in such a low state as this.
"I - I don't -" Midorima seemed to be at loss of words, and Hanamiya was ready to set another to completely break him when something stroke him in the face.
There was a loud wham and for a few seconds, the ambience was silent, not even subtle breathing noises breaking it.
Hanamiya pressed his hand to his stinging jaw, his eyes widening by the second.
Loud huffing, suppressed anger, filled the quiet building.
"How dare you call Shin-chan a burden?" Takao whispered, fists clenched and gaze on the floor. His right knuckle was red and flaring in the night. Hanamiya, in complete shock, said nothing, Midorima equally so.
Takao then lifted his head, facing Hanamiya, and his eyes were livid even in the darkness, his amber eyes lit like fire. "Who are you to say that Shin-chan is too weak to survive in this world? He's still living, isn't he? Aren't you forgetting all the times he's saved our sorry asses with his plans and alternative routes? If it weren't for him, we'd be walking in a fucking land mine and we'd be dead in fucking seconds. And you still have the nerve to say he's only going to weigh us down?"
Takao walked over to Midorima's hunched form and slowly helped him stand. "Hey, Shin-chan, you ok?" He asked softly. Midorima could only nod.
Takao immediately turned back to Hanamiya who was looking at the scene in silence. "This group is something worthwhile. We're all great at killing zombies but we all have our weaknesses that someone else provides instead. Shin-chan can't see in the dark, but we can, me especially, so we patch that up. I'm a fucking dunce when it comes to making plans and thinking things through, but Shin-chan is fucking genius at that, so he patches that up. You may be a jerk at times and can't seem to stop complaining, but we take it because you're a good asset to the team, so that patches that up. Where do you see the fucking burden?"
Hanamiya finally reacted by lowering his head, his bangs covering his face. "You're right." He said reluctantly, his voice filled with regret. "I never should've said something like that. I was so angry that it completely clouded my judgement." And a few seconds later, "I'm sorry."
Takao sighed, his somber face slipping off. He gave Hanamiya a tired smile, letting go of Midorima to pat Hanamiya in the back. "Yeah, I'm sorry, too."
"For what? Telling me off? That's not something to be sorry for." Hanamiya said, giving Takao a regretful smile.
"Also for punching you in the face. Kinda went overboard with that, too." Takao said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Hanamiya shook if off. "I needed that anyways. Nothing to be sorry for." Hanamiya then looked at Midorima and sighed. "Sorry for saying all those unnecessary things. Takao's right. Our asses would've been fried if it weren't for you."
"Think nothing of it. I admit I'm not that well off in the dark." Midorima replied awkwardly, and for a moment, the three were extremely uncomfortable, unsure of what to do next. Then, Takao stretched his arms and let out a wholehearted yawn.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I can't take this awkwardness anymore. I think I'm going to bed. Hanamiya, can you take the first watch?"
Hanamiya nodded, though he couldn't help but groan. "Just when I was ready to lay down. I'll wake you up in a few hours."
"Or you can wake me." Midorima interrupted and Hanamiya looked at him curiously. "I mean, it must be well over 2, so the sun should rise in just a few hours. I can take the rest of the watch, and you two can get your rest. You'll need it after killing those zombies."
Hanamiya nodded appreciatively. "Thanks."
The night ended with their entering Saitama and the group slowly starting to know more about themselves, both the good and the ugly.
