Drabble Fourteen: Project

It was better to take things into his own hands, Midorima concluded, when some classmates had turned around, trying to catch his eye. He tipped his glasses up, instead focusing his eyes on his lucky item of the day; a pink sandal.

"So, you can choose your partner for the project now. You have a week to hand it up." The teacher finished, before trotting over to the plastic chair at the side and settling down. Students bustled around, standing up to go to their chosen partners or friends. A few made their way to Midorima, opting to go for the perfect-score chairman of class 1-A.

"Midorima-san - " someone started, already halfway to his seat. Annoyance flashed through his emerald eyes, before the tall basketball player abruptly stood up, surprising the three who were walking to him. Unnoticed by the rest of the hustle bustle, Midorima picked up his pink sandal and walked out of the confining circle of the three as if they didn't exist. A girl started protesting, attempting to bring herself into attention, but the green-haired male barely spared her a blink.

He walked purposefully to the back of the classroom, a few students scramming to the side to allow the tall entity to go through.

The subject of his stare sat there in the corner of the classroom, almost pitifully alone, isolated from all the noise and sound generated. She blinked out at the outdoor basketball court on the ground floor, her blue eyes dazedly following the ball.

(Why is she just sitting there? Did she perhaps found a partner already? ...well, he had to try.)

Then her eyes caught on something, and a smile erupted from her lips unexpectedly. He followed her eyes to the basketball court, where Takao is waving zealously at Inoue. She waved back lightly.

(Midorima decided this was a pretty good time to interrupt.)

((Not like it had anything to do with Takao or anything, nanodayo.))

"Inoue," Midorima called out, walking closer to her. She looked up, blinking before giving her usual smile with bright, blue eyes (that looks synonymous with the sky behind her, but she didn't need to know that).

"Hello, Midorima-kun," she greeted.

"Did you find a partner already?" He asked, getting to the point quickly. She blinked with a small smile, as if she didn't really process his words.

"Huh?"

Midorima sighed, his hand going up to tip his glasses up. "Don't make me repeat myself." (...nanodayo.)

Inoue tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. Midorima deadpanned - was it that hard to process six words?

"I asked, did you find a partner already?" He said (it's a necessity, he really did not mean to repeat himself nanodayo), his hand unintentionally clutching his pink sandal a little tighter.

She brightened, finally catching on the last train to understand what is happening. "No, I did not." Finally, Midorima proceeded to ask what he really wanted to -

"Midorima-san, please be my partner for the project!" A girl with pigtails came forward.

(He did not notice how her shoulders slumped, as her gaze trailed back to the window, but only really resting on the sill instead of observing the happenings outside.)

Midorima scoffed irritably. "I already have a partner."

The girl with pigtails flushed. "A-Ah, I-I did not notice...sorry, Midorima-san..."

After the girl had gone, Midorima went back to regard the girl who had returned to observing the scenery outside, only her eyes following the basketball with decreasing interest.

"So, would you be my partner?" He asked forcefully, a little tired with how this had dragged on.

Inoue looked up in surprise. (What is there to be so surprised about?)

"But...you said you had a - "

"I meant you," he muttered. Red slowly rise up his neck as he realised the double meaning that was...not very subtle. "If you want to," he quickly remedied.

"It's not like I wanted you specifically or anything, but they were annoying, nanodayo." He pushed his glasses up, attempting to hide the blush he had failed to push down.

She was looking at him with those bright, shining eyes again...like the time he had corrected her test and given it back to her. A mixture of disbelief and gladness.

Her lips parted in slight awe. "R-Really? J-Just me - that's...fine?"

"I do recall that Yamamoto-sensei said that we are supposed to do this project in pairs..." He replied dryly.

"Y-Yes! Yes please! Please let me be your partner!" She replied with her fists balled up, conviction strong in her tone. Her blue eyes hardened in tenacity (that he had only seen when she tried to carry ten water bottles on her own).

"..." He tipped his glasses up. (Her eyes really matched the sky, but only...with a slightly darker tone which seem to emphasise the -)

"Huh?" The confused smile was back on. "What did you say, Midorima-kun?" Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if she was expecting him to say 'don't make me repeat myself' - yet she can't really figure it out.

Midorima flushed. Crap- HE SAID IT OUT LOUD.

"I-It's not like I meant it or anything, nanodayo!" He all but yelled out, the pink sandal now being squeezed within an inch of its nonexistent life. She just blinked with that small, slightly befuddled smile.

"Okay," she acquiesced.

"Anyway," he coughed, trying to change the subject, "four in the afternoon tomorrow, at the library." He quickly walked away, hearing a faint assent.

(Well...that was embarrassing.)

((It didn't happen, nanodayo.))