Being defeated again hurt a lot more than he remembered. Losing to Akashi and Rakuzan made Midorima's stomach clench in plain, and this time he didn't even bother trying to hold back the tears. Takao was crying too. They had been so close, worked so hard, become so much stronger, and it still hadn't been enough. He was angry, frustrated, disappointed and profoundly sad. After all their senpais left the changing room, he and Takao stayed behind, sitting next to each other, their heads hung low, both quietly mourning their loss.

After a few minutes of deadly silence, he felt Takao's fingers ghosting over his shooting hand.

"Should I tape your fingers, Shin-chan?" he asked softly, his voice cracking a little at the end.

Midorima just nodded and let Takao do whatever he wanted with his hand. First the cool wet cloth to wash away the dirt and sweat, then the nail clipper gently cutting off any extra millimeter, then the cream to keep the skin from swelling, all applied with utmost care and tenderness. It was the first time he let Takao do his hand, and he couldn't help but wonder how he could know the entire process so precisely.

"Well, these are our Ace-sama's precious fingers, right? The least a common man like me can do is learn how to protect such a treasure properly." Takao said, as if he'd been reading his mind. "I've been watching you all this time, there's no way I wouldn't know something so important." He added as he finished wrapping the tape and pressed the bandaged fingertips to his lips softly.

Midorima's brain short-circuited, unable to process what this could mean, if it meant anything at all or if he was just imagining some hidden meaning in Takao's words.

The shorter man sighed and said no more, but allowed their fingers to lace together. Midorima couldn't recall how long they sat there in silence, or how or when did he make it back home that evening, but that moment had been so intimate and so precious that he didn't care about the details, he just wanted to store it in his memory forever.


A few months passed without Takao finding a new girlfriend. Midorima was puzzled. In all the time they'd known each other, the Point Guard hadn't remained single for more than two weeks, and it made him wonder if the guy was really okay. Many girls confessed to him in that period of time too (apparently forgetting that he was a perverted manwhore with STDs or whatever because he'd been so cool during Winter Cup), but he turned them all down and insisted he already had someone he liked. Upon pressed for a name, he would smile meekly and said "It doesn't matter, it's one-sided anyway."

On January 1st, as he walked to their nearby shrine for the New Year ceremony, he realized that Takao had gone all the way through the Zodiac in less than a year. It was almost stunning that he hadn't repeated any sign even once, or that all his relationships had been short enough to make the feat possible. A moment later he also realized that he hadn't had a Cancer girlfriend. Maybe the person Takao loved was a Cancer. It would make sense, given how Cancer and Scorpio were extremely compatible signs. Maybe this year-long jumping from one Zodiac to the next had just been fate's determination for Takao, and that the next one, the person Takao loved (and for some reason he was convinced that person was a Cancer), would be the one connected to him by the red string of fate. At some point he started to firmly believe this was what was actually going to happen.

He chuckled mirthlessly.

If it's going to be like this, couldn't you just pick me instead?

He knew it was useless to dwell on this so much, but he couldn't help it. It was as if fate itself was mocking him and his hopeless unrequited love.

He received his first fortune telling of the year and opened it without any particular anticipation. He had an overall good luck, with apparently some trouble on school, generally good health and best luck in love. As if. He smiled sadly again and folded the piece of paper neatly into his wallet before heading home.

"Ah! Shin-chan!"

Takao waved his hand at him and Midorima didn't have a choice but to greet him.

"Hey, Shin-chan, how was your luck for this year?" he asked eagerly as he waited in line to get his own.

"Good." He replied curtly.

Takao pouted at his response, but didn't say anything as he opened his own fortune and a gloomy look appeared on his features. "Shin-chan, let's trade. I got 'worst luck'" he complained as he clung to Midorima's arm.

"Why would I want your bad luck on me? In fact, you'd better stay away from my vicinity; I don't want to be infected by it." He tried to shrug the shorter guy off, although not as adamantly as he'd want to believe.

Takao groaned again. "Shin-chan, you meanie. If I can't be close to you that's already the worst luck ever." He said casually, glaring at his unfortunate piece of paper. Midorima blushed, and he was about to push the other guy away when his pouty expression changed to a surprised smile. "Oh! My love fortune is actually good! I think I'm keeping this." He released Midorima's arm and stuffed the piece of paper in his pocket.

Midorima sighed. Fate was most definitely making fun of him.


All the basketball club members gathered before spring break to clean the locker room, take their personal belongings and send the graduating third years off with a final match. When the game was over and the cleaning started, Midorima noticed Miyaji-senpai leering over his shoulder.

"Oh? What's this, Ace-sama? Why do you have a picture of Takao in your locker?"

Midorima froze. No. Shit no, this was not happening.

"You know that's the place where your girlfriend's picture goes, right? Are you two having an affair? I didn't think that guy was on that side of the fence."

No, you don't know anything, it's not like that. He's not like that.

"Why so tense Ace-sama? Oh, don't tell me. It's not an affair but just you having a secret crush on that guy? Ain't that sad, everyone knows he's the worst kind of womanizer. Do you stare at him in the showers too? Have you secretly stolen his jersey and touched yourself with it?"

Please stop it. He'll hear you. He'll know.

"Miyaji, that's enough!"

"Oh, no, no, no, I know. Ace-sama is the tsundere type, aren't you? You're more into romantic stuff, right? You dream of our Takao talking sweet nothings into your ear, and holding your hand while you walk down the beach. Maybe you watched him romancing all those girls and dreamed of taking their place? Maybe—"

"SO WHAT IF I DO?!"

His voice cracked and tears prickled the corners of his eyes. His whole body was shaking, and his fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had gone white. He heard the rush of steps coming from the next room. In the deadly silence that had taken over the room, he could hear the person who'd just barged into the room –Takao, to be precise- panting heavily. He didn't dare look up and meet his eyes; he could already imagine the bewildered expression they'd have. Now it was officially over.

"Sh-Shin-chan…" Takao was still panting and couldn't seem to catch his breathe. "Shin-chan… is that true?"

Midorima shut his eyes and tried to will the tears away. Why did it have to turn out like this? He couldn't even bring himself to speak, even if he knew what to say, his throat was tied in such a deep know he wouldn't be able to get any sound out. He couldn't even will his legs to run.

He heard Takao stomping his way through the room and then felt his small hand gripping his wrist tightly and pulling him. "We need to talk", he'd said in a strained voice and all Midorima could do was follow Takao, not giving a damn anymore.


When the two left the room, Ootsubo turned to Miyaji furiously and grabbed him by the front of the shirt.

"The hell were you trying to pull there?!" he hollered

Miyaji sighed disinterestedly. "C'mon, cap'n, we all know those two needed a push in the right direction. Can't leave thinking they're gonna stay so stupidly oblivious for another entire year. Thought it would make you glad to know they've figured it out."


Takao didn't say a word as he pulled Midorima, but the green-haired shooter knew his partner was very angry. When they reached the back of the school, he stopped and shoved Midorima to the wall.

"Goddamnit, Shin-chan!" he held Midorima's shoulders in a tight grip and didn't look him in the eye. This was it, Midorima thought as he bit his lip, now their friendship was completely ruined forever. "Why didn't I notice it earlier?!" he buried his face in Midorima's chest, his shoulders shaking and his hands falling to bunch up at the front of his jersey, the grip loosening considerably.

"I should've noticed… I should've known better. I always thought there was something, but I couldn't believe it. I convinced myself that it was just my wishful thinking. It was obvious, right? It was just so absurd… so impossible to believe… that you could love me back. And when I taped your fingers back then and kissed you, you didn't say anything, I thought you hated it… I'm so lame… I claim to know you the best and I couldn't notice something like that... and I even let Miyaji-senpai bully you like that. I'm so sorry, Shin-chan. I should've realized it earlier."

Midorima's brain shut itself off at first, a turbulence of confusion taking over, but as Takao kept talking he understood everything. The tears he'd been holding started pouring down, and he felt Takao nuzzling his chest and pressing his lips right above the spot where his heart was beating like it was going to burst any moment.

"I'm so happy… so happy. I never thought Shin-chan would… I wish I'd realized sooner… I've wasted so much time hoping, being insecure, trying to stop loving you so much and realizing it was impossible, fearing you'd come to hate me…" he rained light kisses up his chest and neck, then his shoulders and his hands, and Midorima could feel the sheer adoration in each of them, and it made his legs weak. They'd been thinking the same thing all along, what was it that'd kept them apart for so long?

He cupped Takao's cheeks tenderly and made him look up at him. His skin was adorned with the loveliest scarlet, his eyes glazed with tears and his lips curled in one of those beautiful smiles he'd come to adore.

"I love you" he whispered and leaned in to claim those lips, that smile, as his and his only. Takao's arms circled his neck and the shorter boy stood on his tiptoes to deepen the kiss.

When they had to part for breathe, Takao took a step back and looked up to meet his eyes, with the most dazzling smile Midorima had ever seen drawn upon his lips.

"I love you too, Shin-chan."

Their hands laced as if by instinct and their lips met naturally once again, and in that instant, everything was perfect.


Midorima's phone buzzed. He took his eyes off Takao for a moment, relishing in the warmth of their proximity, Takao's fingers laced with his and his head leaning gently on his shoulder. The screen showed a new text from Oha-Asa's mailing service.

Today's horoscope for Cancer

Luck: Not the best day to play the lottery

School: Some extra studying would help

Health: Top condition today!

Love: Keep an eye out for your soul mate! Best luck!

Lucky Item: A photo of someone you like

Low Compatibility: Leo

High Compatibility: Scorpio

Midorima smiled and glanced back at their hands entwined together. He wondered for a moment if there was an invisible red thread connecting them.

He squeezed Takao's hand in his and nuzzled the top of his head, taking in the musky scent of his thick raven hair. Perhaps fate had been on his side all along.

The twelfth was a Cancer. And he was never going to let him go.

The end

As many of you very clever people guessed, it was finally Shin-chan's turn. Well, everyone knows Scorpio and Cancer have high compatibility so it was only natural. The ending was so mushy and melodramatic I'm kind of worried it's a bit too OOC, but I love these two being cheesy and romantic, they're just so cute. And I just love intense melodrama. Also, I'm a Cancer like Shin-chan, so I have a very particularly soft spot for him and his adorable awkward tsundereness. He deserves to be properly pampered by Takao so bad. (I also today learned that another favorite character of mine from another sports series I like –Makishima from Yowapeda- is also a Cancer and even shares Shin-chan's birthday)

BTW, for some reason I was convinced Miyaji and Kimura were second years and that Miyaji was going to be the next Shuutoku captain, I could swear I saw Ootsubo passing the flag to him after losing to Rakuzan (but on second thought, I just got confused with Imayoshi and Touou). But when I checked the wikia page it seems all three of them are third years. DOES THAT MEAN TAKAO IS GONNA BE CAPTAIN NEXT?! It's one of my biggest headcanons, so I can't wait to see what happens there (more reasons to want the horribly boring Rakuzan match to be over). And we all know Midorima would be a sucky captain anyway.

Other random notes: If you get "worst luck" in your fortune telling in a Japanese shrine, there is absolutely no chance that you're getting "good luck in love" on the same paper, but I just wanted it like that. Also, I had originally planned to give Shin-chan a low compatibility with Miyaji, but then I learned he's a Scorpio too. Fail.

Oh, as I've mentioned I have an epilogue written (though more than an epilogue it's kind of a side B from Takao's perspective, as everyone knows), but I think I'll take a little longer to update it. Starting next Friday I'll be traveling Japan for the next three weeks, so I can't promise I'll have much free time during that time. I'll try to upload the epilogue around the first week of August, though.

I hope everyone enjoyed this story. Since I'll take a while to update, I'll at least try to reply to your reviews during the next few days, because they've made me very happy. Thanks everyone!

Edit: Forgot about the stupid linebreaks. Stupid FFNet formating