Hi, guys! I'm sorry if this took forever. Things happened. T_T This story takes place in their senior year and Takao's the Captain~
To say that Shutoku's captain is a carefree man is a gross understatement—no—it is the understatement of the century.
The freshmen watched in silence—partly in awe and partly in horror—as Takao jumped onto Midorima's back while the Shooting Guard was making a shot, sending the ball to some unknown direction, upsetting the green-haired player's balance. Everyone stood dumbfounded as their Shooting Guard-Point Guard duo fell down with a loud thud. Shutoku's captain isn't simply carefree, he has a death wish.
"Takao, if you don't get off me in five seconds, I'll kill you," Midorima yelled. The younger players aren't quite sure if they should help the two or not.
The dark-haired player jumped up, dusted himself off, and grinned. What amazing calmness, the freshmen thought. What amazing stupidity, the other seniors wanted to point out.
"You should have seen me coming, Shin-chan," Takao chimed, ignoring their ace's icy glare.
Midorima stood up and rubbed his elbow, emerald eyes shooting daggers. "Well, I'm sorry, Captain, if I don't have eyes at the back of my head," he retorted, to which Takao replied something about being able to feel your loved one's presence.
No wonder Takao Kazunari was given the captainship; he's a very brave man.
"Your form's wrong," Midorima stated matter-of-factly as he stood behind a freshman and corrected the younger player's stance. Takao watched the younger player struggle not to shake so badly in their ace's intimidating presence, and he wanted to laugh out loud. He knows that in a while, the freshman would forget about how scary Midorima is as he become enchanted with the green-haired player's impeccable form.
Midorima Shintarou isn't the most enthusiastic teacher in Shutoku's basketball team, but he has taught even the most hopeless shooters how to score three-pointers. He would stand behind a player and fix the stance, paying attention to the minutest details like he could clearly see every muscle, graceful fingers carefully guiding the player's wrist. Nobody has missed a shot under Midorima's guidance, and it always makes Takao wonder why their Shooting Guard wasn't made the captain.
"Nice, Satori-kun! You got Midorima-senpai to teach you. Lucky!" It was one of the second-stringers. Shutoku's basketball club has quite a big membership.
"He's a fantastic player, isn't he?"
"Ah, Captain!" the younger players exclaimed in unison, bowing to him. He laughed. He's still not quite used to being so respected. He used to get bullied by Miyaji all the time.
"I told you, didn't I? He's just a tsundere." Takao laughed, running a hand through his hair, earning dreamy stares from the girls seated at the benches. His Hawk Eye really doesn't miss anything.
"Ne Captain, didn't you get scared of Midorima-senpai the first time you met him?"
He laughed again. "Not really. I kinda hated him at first," he answered thoughtfully, smiling at the thought.
The other players exchanged looks. Takao hating Midorima is utterly unimaginable for anyone who has seen their team-play.
Midorima knows that he's bad with words. He hates having to try explaining how he feels, which is probably why he got along with Takao, polar opposites as they are. The smaller player seems to be a very nonchalant and forgiving man, and not once did Midorima's selfishness or pride anger him. "You're so selfish, Shin-chan. I like it!" Takao would usually say, laughing as though Midorima had just made the first joke and not fired verbal bullets. He likes that part about Takao—how easygoing the other man is, how understanding, how impossibly devoted to him. Sometimes when Takao randomly tells him that he loves him in that stupidly happy way of his, he feels like hugging the other man, although he would never admit that even if his life depended on it.
He silently watched Takao's laughing figure, the younger players crowding around him, hanging on every word. The raven-haired player had always been popular, but his popularity shot up to high heavens the moment he became the team captain. Like a slightly toned-down version of Kise. He's not jealous or anything, like he cares when girls clung onto Takao's arms or freshmen flock around him, but the guy flirts with everyone, it's annoying. Okay, maybe he's a little jealous.
"Shin-chan! Sorry to make you wait," Takao chirped, not sounding even remotely apologetic. Midorima glared at him and he just laughed.
"So why exactly did I have to wait for the great and awesome captain of Shutoku, as you so shamelessly put it?" the green-haired player demanded, words laced with all the sarcasm and disgust he could muster. If he ever decided to become an actor, I swear he'd be the most sought-after villain, Takao thought to himself.
"Let's get you some contacts!"
Midorima stared at him incredulously, like he just suggested that they go get some ice cream in the middle of the night. He actually did it once, and Midorima was not even remotely pleased. Getting to see Midorima's bed-hair while eating ice cream on Midorima's bed was well worth the verbal abuse he had to endure the next day though. "If you have nothing else to say, I'm going home." Midorima shouldered his bag and started for the gate. Their tsundere of a Shooting Guard has refused to use the rickshaw since they started going out, which is really sweet except Midorima would never actually admit that they're going out. He knows better than nag the taller player about it, although he really hopes to hear some verbal confirmation of their relationship even for just once.
"Wait, wait, Shin-chan!" He grabbed Midorima's arm and turned the taller player around so they're facing each other. "I want you to work on expanding your field of vision... It'd help our team-play a lot. Please? It's really important to me." Midorima might have noticed the desperation in his voice because the green-haired player relented.
By some cruel twist of fate, they'd be facing Rakuzan in the semi-finals of the Winter Cup. It'd be a repeat of their match in their freshman year and Takao dreads the possibility of losing a second time. He has his pride and confidence on the line.
"Well, you see, Shin-chan... Your field of vision is limited by your glasses. If I stand, say, five meters from your side, you can't really see what I'm doing without turning your head, right?" They are walking towards the eye clinic near their school and he has to explain the whole contact lens idea before they get there.
"Uh-huh," Midorima nodded, not looking at him.
"It's not that your field of vision is narrow. It's just that anything beyond your glasses appears blurry to you. So let's get you contacts. You don't even have to wear it always. Just during practice and during the game." He glanced at Midorima to see if the green-haired player's still listening.
"You know what, Takao?" Midorima started, meeting his gaze, "You're a lot smarter than I thought."
He laughed out loud. For someone who's excellent at language and literature classes, their Shooting Guard is really lousy with words. "I'd take that as a compliment, Shin-chan!"
Midorima looked at him, puzzled. "It is a compliment."
"Well, I guess a back-handed compliment still counts as a compliment." He laughed again, much to their ace's bewilderment.
Now that Midorima thinks about it, Takao is really suited to be the Captain. The guy is perceptive, hard-working, and impossibly charming. The man never yells or get angry or during practice, even in the face of the most difficult players (like himself, although he would never admit that), but at the end of the day, surprisingly, he gets everything done.
Like now. He never even thought about working on widening his field of vision, and he has to admit that Takao is doing a more than exemplary job at being the Captain.
The next day, Midorima was sent out of English class when he entered the classroom late. English is right after their morning practice, which is why he sometimes arrives late, although their teacher lets it slide each time because he consistently gets perfect scores in exams. Unfortunately for him, arriving late wearing contacts and making all the girls faint in the process is too much for his teacher to overlook.
Takao only laughed when he told him about it during after-school practice.
"It's because Shin-chan is so handsoooooome." Takao laughed for the umpteenth time that day. He flicked the smaller guy on the forehead and continued taping his fingers. Replying to Takao's comments is never a good idea.
"Shin-chan, there's a court near our house, yeah?" Takao asked, changing the topic, which never happens unless the guy is up to something more ridiculous. He's mercilessly unflappable. "Can you practice with me there later?" So that's it.
He looked up at Takao who is now standing in front of him. "Why not just practice here?"
"Please?" the raven-haired guy smiled at him sheepishly, and he mentally kicked himself because "please" is not an explanation and yet he found himself completely convinced.
"Okay…" he answered slowly, trying to remember if he has homework to do. Not that he'd refuse to practice with Takao if he has.
The smaller guy beamed at him and suddenly his homework is not so important anymore.
There's only a week until their game against Rakuzan and Takao is becoming restless. He can't win against Akashi if he keeps on being an assist-type Point Guard.
He eyed Midorima who is playing one-on-one with their Center, a tall sophomore who is generally an angel unless holding a basketball, and he could barely suppress a smile. He was already considering calling their former Captain to practice against their current Center when their ace volunteered to help, which is very, very rare. Shin-chan's doing everything he can… I can't let him down.
Takao was in the middle of a storytelling session when Midorima finished taking a shower. The dark-haired player grinned at him before finishing the rest of his story. Let me guess, it's the "Takao's Morning Adventures" again. He sighed and proceeded to organize the things in his locker.
"You tired, Shin-chan?" Takao is suddenly at his side. Story Time's over already? He gets to listen to the same stories every morning and he really finds nothing interesting in them but for some reason, all the other players are always so fascinated. Not to mention every other girl in this school. Not that he's jealous or anything.
"A bit," he admitted. That second-year's stamina is nothing to joke about. Takao sifted through his locker, messing the arrangement of things in the process, and he held the other man's hand to keep him from making an abstract expressionist marvel out of his things.
"You don't have to practice with me today if you're tired, Shin-chan," Takao said cheerfully.
He waved him off. Takao is the kind of person who would smile even when he's disappointed. He's so nice, it's stupid. "I already agreed to practice with you."
I can see him but how come I can't block him? His dark hair is drenched in sweat already, tendrils sticking to his forehead, and for the first time Takao felt like shaving his head. His damned bangs is annoying him to death and he can't concentrate on keeping Midorima from scoring.
The green-haired player suddenly stepped back and scored a three-pointer. Shit.
"Takao. Why are you so anxious?" Midorima eyed him, green eyes questioning, concerned.
"Sorry, Shin-chan." He faked a laugh and almost choked halfway. Shit. "Once more, Shin-chan. Please?"
Their Shooting Guard placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Tomorrow."
"Last round Shin-chan!"
"I'm already hungry, Takao," Midorima answered, moving to retrieve his bag from one of the benches in the street court. He reluctantly followed. There's no point in practicing alone, after all.
There's one thing that struck him as odd though: Midorima Shintarou never says that he's hungry. He was actually convinced that their ace is photosynthetic. Duh. Green hair. Chlorophyll. They learned that in Biology. He chuckled at his genius.
"Takao, stop laughing for no apparent reason. It's creepy." Midorima casted him an annoyed glance and continued walking.
"Wait, wait! Shin-chan! I have a joke!" He grinned widely. For some reason, being around their ace is making him feel less anxious. Maybe confidence could be transferred via osmosis?
Dang. I'm a freakin' Bio genius. He laughed, pleased with himself.
"Takao. Stop laughing at the conversations you're making with yourself in your head." Midorima is looking at him with such a horrified expressions, he couldn't help but laugh again.
Midorima reviewed his homework before placing his notebook carefully in his bag. They have classes the next day and he called his mother earlier to say that he's spending the night at Takao's place and, yes, he actually has a pair of clean uniform to wear to school. He didn't say that it was the uniform Takao borrowed for some mysterious reason and never returned. He could have borrowed pajamas as well so I don't have to wear this. He eyed the pajama bottoms he's wearing—that might as well have been shorts—and took off the shirt Takao lent him. The shirt is short and small, and wearing it is wrong in so many ways. He turned when he heard the bathroom door open.
"Getting naked already, Shin-chan? I like it when you're impatient," Takao said teasingly. He glared at the smaller man.
"The shirt is too small," he stated simply, deciding to ignore Takao's comment.
"Sorry, Shin-chan. Here. Boyfriend's jersey." Takao laughed and tossed him his white jersey. He put it on, catching a whiff of the blue-eyed player's scent mixed with detergent. The Point Guard let out a low whistle before turning on the television and plopping on the bed.
"You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair properly," he scolded.
"We should really get married, Shin-chan," Takao replied before laughing hysterically. He doesn't see the humor in the statement.
He really meant that part about getting married. Kind of. He loves Midorima to death, and he can't imagine spending the rest of his life without the taller guy scolding and forgiving him in one infinite cycle. Their ace is seen by most people as a selfish, snobbish genius but he knows Midorima better than that. All things considered, sometimes he's just not sure which of them is really the one being loved.
"Shin-chan…" he sighed, holding the green-haired player's hands. Oh, he removed the bandages already.
"I'm drying your hair, Takao," Midorima snarled but didn't pull away.
"What if we lose again?"
"Let's deal with that when it happens."
"You think we can win?"
"Of course."
"Do you think I could ever defeat Akashi?"
"I should be the one going against him, not you."
"Just 'cause you're the ace doesn't mean you're the only one who can do it," he snapped, regretting everything he said the moment the words escaped his lips.
Silence.
"Right. I'm sorry, Captain," Midorima answered, deep voice devoid of its usual sarcasm.
Real smooth, Kazunari.
He listened to Midorima's even breathing. The taller guy has his back to him and he feels like waking him up and apologizing.
It's not Shin-chan's fault that I'm so anxious and insecure. I shouldn't have said that. Midorima is probably the most sarcastic person in the planet, although that's just him being a tsundere, so Takao's fairly certain that him not saying anything is a very bad sign.
He stared at the taller guy's back for Oha-Asa-knows-how-long. He just can't muster enough courage to apologize for and explain his behavior.
"I love you, Shin-chan."
It's not that he doesn't believe in Takao's abilities, in fact, it's the contrary: he recognizes their captain's skills and his dedication to the team, which is why he doesn't want him to go against Akashi. He's trying to do everything. It's too much.
Defeating Akashi is no easy feat, and losing to the red-haired player is always emotionally dragging. He doesn't want Takao to go through all that again. If they ever lose, he wants it to be his fault, his failure as an ace. I should really tell him how I feel. He's too stupid to understand.
He could hear Takao's voice in his head and he felt his chest tighten. "I love you, Takao." If only saying it were really that easy.
Takao was on the verge of falling asleep when he heard Midorima speak. He's already sleepy and tired so he's not quite sure if he heard correctly, but, really, there's no mistaking what their Shooting Guard just said. He sat up and placed his hands on the taller guy's shoulders, turning Midorima to face him.
"Shin-chan! What did you just say?"
The green-haired player blinked at him sleepily, apparently unsure why he's yelling so suddenly.
It took Midorima some time before he understood what Takao was asking. He has spoken his thoughts aloud. He's not sure what he feels about it.
"Shin-chan! Come on… You said something just now. What was it?" he asked, shaking the other guy's shoulders. Midorima is totally refusing to look at him.
"I didn't say anything."
"Sure, you did! Shin-chan…"
The green-haired player sighed before looking at him and speaking. "I love you, Takao, okay?"
He's sure of what Midorima said now. A hundred percent sure. He feels warm all over. He wants to say something to the other guy, but he's so happy, he can't think of anything to say.
"Takao?" Midorima called to him, uncertain. "I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean it that way. I just… I just don't want you to do everything on your own. You've been working so hard…"
He stared stupidly at Midorima. He was so caught up in his doubts and fears that he didn't even realize that their ace had been looking out for him the whole time. Helping the other players, practicing longer, staying over—it was all for him. God, I'm so stupid.
"I'm sorry, Shin-chan," he whispered. "I was just afraid that I would never be able to stand up next to you. As a basketball player. As a lover. The other players adore you so much. You never get jealous. I… I…" He choked on his words. He could feel himself crying, and it's really embarrassing, but he's so scared and so relieved and so happy all at the same time, he doesn't know what to do.
Midorima placed a hand behind his neck and pulled him down, and he collapsed on top of the taller guy. He could feel their ace's heart beating against his chest, and somehow the sensation comforts him to the bone. "You have no idea, Takao. You have no idea," Midorima whispered on his neck before taking his lips in a sweet, passionate kiss.
I want to include a part with Midorima and Takao doing something *coughs* passionate *coughs* but I really wanted time to build the story. I also wanted to keep it sweet. I'm thinking of continuing this and, well, I would love to hear your comments. I'd post the next and final part real soon.
