Hi everyone! This is the last chapter of this fanfiction. I hope you will like it. Thank you very much for reading it and merry christmas! ^^
In that night, Midorikawa was lying awake again. He stared at the dark ceiling above him. The room here was different than the one at his foster parents' place. There, he was always able to see silhouettes because the blinds had small gaps between them. The moonlight or some streetlights... one of those always shined into the room. And from the room next door, he could hear his foster parents talking every now and then. He was used to that room. But here, it was different. The complete darkness was much more terrifying to him than any shadows. Shadows were something you could connect to an object. And in his own room, there were never shadows that couldn't be connected to any object he knew. So no need to worry. Here at Liocott Island, he didn't know anything apart from his team. How long would it take for him to get used to this room? Probably longer than the whole Football Frontier International would last. But he really had to try to get some sleep. That was important. He didn't want others to notice his fatigue sooner or later on the pitch, too.
"Alright, Ryuuji," he thought and closed his eyes. "Sleep. Don't think. Here's nothing that could harm you."
Suddenly, he heard a cracking sound. Instantly, he twitched and held his breath. What was that? Nervously, he looked around, but of course he didn't see anything at all. He swallowed.
"Imagination," he said to himself. "Only my imagination."
CRACK.
"Ah!" He sat straight in his bed in a split second and reached out for the lamp on his nightstand. His heart was racing. "What was that?" he asked into the silence. "I didn't imagine that, I'm sure I didn't!" Damn it, why did Hiroto have to scare him like that with that story about ghosts? That had been on sheer purpose! And he fell for this trap like a scaredy-cat! That was so embarrassing. Enough! After this noise, he wouldn't manage to close his eyes anymore in this room! That's for sure. And that was clearly Hiroto's fault! Why did he do something like that to him? Midorikawa would just go now and-
He crawled out from under the blanket, put on his slippers and stomped over to the door. "Just wait! When I can't sleep, then why should you, hm?" he mumbled furiously to himself and snuck out on the hallway.
Hiroto's room was a little further down the corridor, two rooms from his, that's what he had told him this afternoon. Midorikawa stopped in front of his door. Should he really do that? The way he acted towards him recently... but on the other hand, it was more or less Hiroto's fault that he couldn't sleep. So it was only logical and fair if he woke him up now. He didn't even check the clock. How late could it be?
"Ah, screw it!" he said to himself, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. It didn't take long until Hiroto opened in his pajamas. He didn't look as if he was truly surprised about the nightly visit. Quite the contrary, actually. He grinned. He knew it! All of a sudden, Midorikawa was sure about that. Hiroto knew Midorikawa would come here. Ooouuuuh how-! Midorikawa wanted to burst. But he didn't, because Hiroto simply looked too good in his pajama to burst right in front of him. Midorikawa blushed. Oh dear, those thoughts really wore him out.
"Come in," Hiroto said and stepped aside to let him in. Then he closed the door behind Midorikawa.
Neither of them noticed they had been spied on. Only when the door was closed, the two figures that had been hiding around the corner started moving again.
"Ushishishishishi," the smallest team member of Inazuma Japan laughed with his hands in front of his mouth. "That was funn-"
DANG!
"Outsch!" Kogure rubbed his hurting head after Tsunami smacked him. "Why did you do that?" he grumbled and looked up to the taller boy. "I told you, we're overdoing it!" Tsunami scolded him. "Sneaking around in the hallway is one thing, but to open and close Midorikawa's door, that was mean!"
The smaller one pulled a face. "Jeeeez! And I thought you wouldn't be such a party pooper."
Tsunami put his hands on his waist to look more authoritarian. "I'm not but that's enough now! Go to bed!"
"But we still wanted Tachimu-," Kogure started but then he was grabbed by his too long ears.
"Don't - even - think - of - it!"
In the meantime, a burdening silence had come up in Hiroto's room. Hiroto sat on his bed while Midorikawa stood in the middle of the room, staring down at his slippers, not knowing what to do.
"Come here now!" Hiroto finally broke the silence and beckoned him over with a smile. Midorikawa raised his head and looked at him, a little unsure. "Now, will you?" Hiroto repeated and patted at the blanket next to him. "You can sleep here. That's what you came for, right?"
It took a moment before Midorikawa regained control after his
face got deeply red and he felt caught in a trap. But still, the next sentence came over his lips only in a stutter.
"Uhm... no, it isn't! I mean... well, actually... it's your fault I can't sleep!"
Hiroto looked surprised.
"Oh?" he asked and pointed at the tip of his own nose. "Mine?"
"Y-yes! You scared me with your stories!"
Hiroto started laughing when he understood what Midorikawa meant.
"Oh that!" he said. "No, I don't think that you can blame me so easily for that. You couldn't sleep the nights before either, could you?"
Trapped again. Gradually, it became really embarrassing. Midorikawa mumbled something incomprehensible to himself. It seemed he had to give up.
"Now come here, okay?" Hiroto asked again and crawled under the blanket himself. Midorikawa sighed and eventually followed him. It wasn't that this would be the first time they shared a bed or that Hiroto's closeness would bother him. Quite the opposite! But still, it was something completely different when he was lying next to him now, like he did some years ago at Sun Garden. Back then, Midorikawa didn't think about how close he could get to him without getting suspicious. And now his heart was beating like crazy.
The fact Hiroto turned onto his side to look at him directly didn't make it much better. Midorikawa pulled the blanket up to his mouth and stared at the ceiling.
"It's simply too quiet," he mumbled from under the blanket.
"You said the same back then," Hiroto answered, understanding. "When you spent the first nights at your foster parents' house." Now that he mentioned it... "I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time."
"Hm...," Midorikawa mumbled. He wasn't that sure about that.
"Is that all?"
"Hm?"
"Is that all that troubles you? Why you can't sleep?"
Midorikawa didn't say anything. He didn't want to lie again. But he didn't want to tell the truth either.
Hiroto sighed. "You've been so different since you came back. I hardly recognize you." Midorikawa began biting his lower lip nervously. He should turn of the light. It was easier to lie when it was dark, because then, Hiroto couldn't tell from his face but only from his voice. He was about to reach out for the lamp on the nightstand when Hiroto continued and made him stop his movement.
"I wonder what happened to the traffic light men."
"Eh?" Midorikawa turned back and looked at Hiroto confused.
"What?"
Hiroto laughed. "Did you forget? How Father compared us to the little traffic light men years ago?"
Forget? No, he didn't forget that but he didn't think of it either. Why did Hiroto bring that up all of a sudden?
"The red traffic light man makes you slow down, when you're running the risk of rushing things. The green one speeds you up so you can accelerate and move forward."
Now Midorikawa started laughing.
"Yes, I know," he said. "But Hiroto, that's just a children story to teach them how to behave correctly at the traffic lights."
"Father said you and I are like traffic lights. You're the lust for life and I'm the rationality. I wonder what one would be without the other..."
Midorikawa held his breath. If Hiroto knew how cute what he just said sounded… Probably not. And Midorikawa still didn't know what Hiroto wanted to imply with this comparison. That's why he kept silent and let him talk on.
"You were always cheerful and optimistic. And whenever you fell, you got up right away and kept going. I already told you this before you had to leave the team."
Yes, and that he had to leave was the best proof that doing his best sadly wasn't always enough. At least, that was what Midorikawa thought. But he kept that thought to himself.
"And I did have the feeling that this message reached you. But... what makes you sad this time has nothing to do with soccer, am I right? There's no reason to. After all, you're back and Coach Kudou hasn't criticized you a single time since you're here. Why should he? Your play is outstanding!"
Midorikawa laughed shyly. Well... "outstanding" might be a little too much to say. But it was still a nice compliment.
"So if it's not about soccer, then what is it?," Hiroto asked again. "What pulls you down so much? Did something happen?"
Midorikawa's smile disappeared and he sighed deeply. Hiroto didn't really make it easy by asking again and again. How should he deal with this? He didn't want and wouldn't tell him the truth, but he also didn't want to keep lying to him all the time. Would Hiroto give up eventually if Midorikawa insisted on everything being fine just long enough?
„Midorikawa..." the other boy started again. And then he did something that made Midorikawa's heart instantly beat faster. He raised his arm from under the blanket and stroked with his fingers over Midorikawa's cheek. "What's wrong with you? That you don't even want to talk to me... I always thought you could talk about everything to me."
He could. Well... he used to... But up to now Midorikawa had never been worried because of something that had to do with Hiroto himself.
"Do you even know how important you are to me?"
"Eh?" Oh dear, if he kept going on like this, he would find out the truth just because of Midorikawa's reactions. Hiroto's hand on his cheek felt so soft. A little cold, but that wasn't particularly bad, since Midorikawa felt burning hot. He wished he could just throw himself into Hiroto's arms. Those feelings drove him crazy. And that was why he had to end this scene now. He turned away from Hiroto, forcing him to pull his hand back, and switched off the lamp on the nightstand. Alright! Now at least Hiroto couldn't see him anymore.
"Midorikawaaa!" Oh no! This long "a" didn't sound good at all. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're trying to avoid me!"
"What? Ah, no, not at all!" Midorikawa instantly said and turned back at him to put more meaning into his words. "I don't!"
"Oh, yes you do! I asked: "Do you know how important you are to me?" and you turned away!"
"Uhm... that wasn't on purpose," Midorikawa lied and pulled the blanket a little higher. "I'm sorry..."
"Say..."
"Yes?" What now? Hiroto hesitating didn't happen often.
"Is there... someone you like?"
"Eeeeh?" Midorikawa was taken by complete surprise. What the-? How did he come up with that now? Why did he even think Midorikawa could be interested in anything like that already? And - bamm - there it was again, the blush of shame. But this time, at least he could be sure Hiroto couldn't see it.
"I mean... a girl or something. One you like a lot or something..." Those were suspiciously many "or something"'s for Hiroto. Wait a second! Could it be that... Was Hiroto possibly nervous too? Midorikawa couldn't remember if he'd ever seen Hiroto being nervous. But maybe this was the first time.
In this moment, Hiroto added a last part to his question. "Or... a boy?"
"NO!" Midorikawa answered right away. That was going too far now.
He heard Hiroto sigh in relief next to him. "Phew."
"Phew?" Midorikawa asked back confusedly, even before he thought about what "Phew" could mean.
But instead of getting an answer, Midorikawa felt Hiroto's hand on his cheek again a moment later. This time his whole hand, not just the finger tips. His hand ran through his hair, then back to his chin, and finally, his fingers brushed lightly over his lips. Midorikawa tried to breathe calmly but that was easier said than done, since on the inside, he was already burning.
"I was worried," he heard Hiroto say with a quiet voice. He heard him very clearly, even when he was talking quietly. That meant Hiroto had shifted closer to him. Midorikawa could feel his closeness. What was happening here? This atmosphere was somehow strange. So... unusual. But far from unpleasant. Midorikawa felt his heart race.
"Worried...?" he asked unsurely.
"...that someone might take you away from me," Hiroto ended the sentence.
Midorikawa's eyes grew wide. Was he dreaming? He had to be! He was dreaming! It was impossible that this was really happening. Hiroto, who was so close to him. Hiroto saying such things to him. It was too good to be true.
"I don't want to lose my place as the most important person in your life." Now he even felt Hiroto's breath close to his lips when he talked. How close was he? Maybe Midorikawa shouldn't have switched off the light. No, no, it was probably better like this. Or else he might have fainted at some point.
"I... am the most important person for you, ain't I?" Hiroto asked just to make sure.
"Y-yes," Midorikawa admitted hesitantly.
He heard Hiroto chuckle just a little. "Then it's fine. I just wanted to be sure, before..."
Before?
Midorikawa didn't have to think long about that half-finished sentence. Because in the next moment, he felt Hiroto's lips on his own and a feeling in his stomach that reminded him of the one when you were at the highest point of a rollercoaster right before you raced down with a sudden, strong jerk. The only difference was that Midorikawa was always a little scared on rollercoasters. Here, in this moment, he was only nervous. So nervous he was sure that you couldn't be any more nervous than that. But nervousness wasn't all he felt. There was so much more. Actually, there were so many feelings at once that he couldn't manage a single clear thought. That's why he did what seemed to make the most sense: ignore the thoughts and concentrate on what really mattered. And that were those incredibly soft lips that gently pushed and slowly moved against his own. And Hiroto's hand on his shoulder pulling him closer. Not in his boldest dreams would he ever have guessed how good it would feel to kiss him for real. It was so much better than he could have ever imagined. Insecurely, Midorikawa raised one arm from under the blanket and placed his hand on Hiroto's back. He felt the warmth that came from him and how his chest moved with every breath he took. And he felt how Hiroto pulled him closer until they were embracing each other and still kissing. Midorikawa sighed quietly. If it was up to him, they wouldn't need to stop ever again. He could keep lying there like this and kissing him forever. He enjoyed it so damn much.
But sadly, everything had an end, and when they both had to gasp for air, the end of their kiss had been reached. Midorikawa wished it hadn't because apart from the fact that he wanted to kiss him more, they were now lying in each other's arms and neither of them seemed to know what to say.
"Uhm..." Hiroto started after a while.
"Hm?" Midorikawa mumbled against his neck.
"I... I already thought so."
He did what? He thought so? What? That Midorikawa was head over heels for him? But... how?
"But... how?" Midorikawa put his thoughts into words. He had put so much effort into hiding his feelings.
"Hm." He could hear Hiroto chuckling. "I guess you just sense such things. I mean, I've known you for quite a while."
Great, that meant all his acting had been for nothing. Then he could have saved himself the effort.
"But I wasn't entirely sure," Hiroto continued. "That's why I questioned you."
Midorikawa didn't know what to say, so he just nodded instead. It was dark, but he was lying so close to Hiroto's neck that he could feel it. And now? Hiroto knew what Midorikawa felt and they kissed and what next?
"You're the most important person in the world for me too," Hiroto finally said, as if he had guessed Midorikawa's thoughts. Again, Midorikawa's heart made a jump. "I noticed that by the time when you were gone. That's why I decided to tell you. I just didn't know how."
Midorikawa hardly believed what Hiroto said. So that's how it was? He didn't even dare to finish the thought but... Hiroto returned his feelings? That was... simply... unbelievable! Never ever had that chance come to Midorikawa's mind. For him, it had been clear right from the start that his love must have been one-sided. And now he was lying here in Hiroto's arms, felt his heartbeat, was being held and caressed by him... Maybe he should ask him to pinch him just to be sure he wasn't dreaming. But... no. That would only ruin the atmosphere. So he kept it to himself and just pulled Hiroto a little closer as an answer. He closed his eyes with a smile and took a deep breath. Hiroto smelled good. Midorikawa couldn't say like what; Hiroto simply smelled like Hiroto. And it had something calming. Just like his smile. It was probably his whole aura. Midorikawa sighed. Now he wasn't alone anymore, but his head was so full of thoughts that he was sure he wouldn't be able to sleep now anyway. But somehow, that wasn't that bad at all anymore. He would just stay awake and listen while Hiroto slept. That was a nice thing to do. He couldn't stop grinning.
"Thank you," he mumbled eventually.
"Hm?" Hiroto asked and sounded a little tired.
"That you told me. I think I would have kept it to myself forever."
Hiroto laughed.
"Then it's even better that I said it."
Midorikawa nodded.
"Hiroto?"
"Hm?"
"... Good night."
"Good night... Midorikawa."
Loud and sharp Coach Kudou's whistle sounded on the pitch of Inazuma Japan.
"Aaah, already done for today?" Midorikawa complained and ran on the spot.
Hiroto laughed, patted his shoulder, and walked over to the benches.
"Look what we brought for you, boys!" Haruna shouted and placed a big basket on one of the benches.
"Onigiri!" Kabeyama cheered and ran to the basket, but Aki blocked his way and Haruna slapped his fingers.
"First you go and wash your hands!" she commanded strictly, and Kabeyama pulled a face before he trotted over to the faucet. The rest of the team followed him, obviously as hungry as him.
"Aaah! I could easily keep practicing like this the whole afternoon," Midorikawa sighed with a wide grin while he sat down with the others in the grass at the side of the pitch."
"Ha ha, don't overdo it!" Hijikata advised him. "You shouldn't overstrain yourself."
"Well if you want to keep going, Midorikawa, I'm in!" Endou said, and Kogure added: "Of course you are!"
"Midorikawa," Hiroto, who sat next to him, started. "I hope you know you don't need any extra practice, okay?"
Midorikawa nodded. "Yes, I know," he assured him cheerfully. "But I'm just having fun."
Hiroto smiled contently. "Alright then."
"The last onigiri!," Fuyuka suddenly sat and held up the basket to the team.
Instantly, Kabeyama reached out his hand, but Midorikawa was faster and snatched the rice ball from under his nose.
"Well," Kazemaru laughed. "Seems like the next eating contest will come soon."
"We can make bets on who'll win," Tsunami suggested. "I bet my carrots on Kabeyama!"
"Your carrots? Why that?" Tachimukai asked.
"Well, because I'm sure Midorikawa will win!"
The whole team started laughing. Fuyuka held a speech to Tsunami on how healthy and important vegetables were and Kabeyama stared at the empty onigiri basket. Behind his back, Kogure put some tabasco on his own last onigiri before he offered it to Kabeyama. Everything was back to normal. Well, not everything. There was something that had changed. Even though it was only that behind the back of the other team members of Inazuma Japan, Hiroto's hand was resting on Midorikawa's...
~ End
