Drabble Twenty-Nine: Match

A/N: Special shout-out to midorima-shintaro07. you made my day. :) And thank you very very very much to the Guest who reviewed every chapter thus far, you are amazing.


Takao...was not a very likable person. Not at all, actually, in Midorima's sullen point of view. But to harbour less-than-neutral feelings for his partner on court might prove to be disastrous when they go up on said court again, so Midorima tolerated.

He, however, would never be the first one to line up and get a number for Takao Kazunari for the poll of 'who is your favorite person'. Mark. His. Words. Because can you believe what he's doing right now? Midorima can. He usually believes the worst of a person after all.

Said person was currently savouring the lemon slices and hogging the container to himself, batting away hands that reached out for it. A few, such as Miyaji Jr, the captain, and the surprisingly fast Shinsuke managed to snitch a few. Midorima would not degrade himself to such an activity. Like...having to dart in fast enough to get a slice. No. ...nanodayo.

He can survive the second half of the match without a lemon slice (his mind traitorously supplied that Natsuki, his friend, was the one who made it - and unfortunately he wasn't immune to sentimental bribing suggestions). He will.

"Come, Takao-kun, it's not fair to the team if you take it for yourself!" Natsuki, (resident godsend,) said, a disapproving frown on her face. At seeing the rare negative expression, Takao dropped the container contritely, which incidentally was caught by the captain - and ah sweet heaven, Midorima finally got what he deserved. More so that the raven-haired lad pouting beside him.

(A small part of him rather thought he felt too victorious, for something as trivial as lemon slices.)

As the rest of the team shuffled off to finally divide the goodies evenly - with Natsuki returning to her conversation with the coach (the green-haired man was not curious, nanodayo, stop suggesting such inane things) - Midorima grimaced and settled down beside his partner.

"Ahoy, Shin-chan!" Takao grinned, not at all ashamed that he just wasted the team's time by greedily taking hold of the energy snacks.

"Get to the point, Takao," Midorima snapped, his mood only slightly revived by the lemon slice he was discreetly sucking on. "About why you felt the need to integrate Natsuki into the Basketball Club."

Takao's grin fell, and his eyes sharpened as he glanced over to see the brown-haired girl deep in conversation with the coach. Getting the all-clear, the black-haired male returned his attention to the bespectacled partner sitting irritably beside him.

"Have you noticed who's the one bullying Natsuki-chan all the time?" He said, his voice low. "I did a little research -"

At that, Midorima felt the slightest bit of guilt - he hadn't bothered to scratch past the surface to help with her problem unlike Takao, after all.

"- and it turns out that there's this group of people who follows the Queen Bee around."

Midorima's eyebrows furrowed. "Queen Bee?" His mind circled around the image of a...literal queen bee.

"No, not that, oh my gawd you're hopeless, Shin-chan," Takao shook his head, gesturing his hands widely - reeling back when his hand hit something solid. Midorima flinched, when he realised that they were surrounded by the team. Takao didn't fare half as well, his expression suddenly looking too strained by social standards.

"Too impolite to announce your presence? -nanodayo," the green-haired male quipped, pushing his glasses up in an attempt to reclaim his lost composure. Miyaji Jr just grinned.

"Well, when we saw you two whispering like that, we just couldn't resist!" He slung a friendly arm around Takao's shoulder, and Otsubo nodded.

"Even though you're obnoxious," the Shooting Guard glared at that, "Inoue-chan is a perfectly fine girl." You're just speaking this from tasting her cooking, Midorima thought grumpily. "So if there's anything concerning her, we want to help." Self-righteous little... The green-haired basketball player ran through insulting names in his head but was unable to decide on one.

"You are just enamored by the confectioneries she brought," he said sourly.

A tick formed in the captain's forehead. "Why you little- someone pass me a pineapple so I can - "

"Now, now, calm down, Cap'n..." As Takao started his 'Calm Captain Down From Throwing Pineapple' speech, Midorima grimaced at his thoughts.

(In truth, he just felt bad that he hadn't thought about helping in this way before everyone. Ugh dammnit.)

After awhile, Takao sighed exasperatedly and leaned forward after the latest 'therapy' session. "Okay, fine, thing is - I dragged her in here to get her away from the Science Society. That's where the bulk of her bullies come from - and guess what? I found out that she's the only first-year this year." Midorima's eyes narrowed at the information. Takao grimaced. "Seems like they forced her to join... Submitted her form for her and all. Fucking bastards - going this far just to bully a powerless girl..."

Midorima clenched his jaw, and his eyes involuntarily flickered to where the blue-eyed girl, who was excitedly speaking with Coach Nakatani, a container of cookies between them. Coach Nakatani was chewing suspiciously at what seems to be a sweetened product from the container, spewing one compliment or another. His mind flashed back to the dreamy expression she had before the match started - and he scowled.

"Shin-chan?"

"What?" He snapped. Another memory was unwillingly brought up - of the mud-caked girl and the miserable expression she tried to veil with a weak smile.

The image seems to warp and change to a too-similar green-haired girl in the same situation- and Midorima banished the thought with a vengeance.

Takao just grinned knowingly before coughing into a fist (the first thought that surfaced in Midorima's mind was to poison his cough drops, that little-). "Anyway, I asked Coach to help. He's a teacher too, after all. Not supposed to condone bullying and all that. And after he knew that Natsuki-chan could remember things very easily, he seem quite interested." He smirked.

Midorima's eye twitched, and he let out an aggravated sigh. "...Fine." 'Since it gets her away' went unsaid. He then eyed Takao suspiciously. "How did you know of her extensive memory ability?" He pushed the metal structure up his nose again.

The black-haired male just grinned in that frustrating way - and Midorima felt the urge to...vapulate him. Certainly. Yes.

"I'm Natsuki-chan's friend too!" He pouted (resist, desist, Midorima). "Did you think I wouldn't notice?~" Midorima felt that he was at a crossroad of life currently. To punch - or not to punch. Unfortunately, he prided himself on a whole lot more self-control than that, so he abruptly stood up, dispersing the group of boys leaning over each other to listen to Takao's soft words.

"Was it acceptable? The lemon slices, I mean," Natsuki asked, tilting her body over to face the group of boys gathered at the other end of the locker room. She blushed when they instantly fixed their attention on her.

"Why, of course, Natsuki-chan!" Takao shouted out from somewhere in the middle of the group. That seem to break the stalemate and silence, and everyone gave their appreciation in various forms. (Midorima thinks Miyaji Jr is getting this little bit too touchy - but then he wonders why he's bothered at all. Right, because she's a friend. He insisted to himself.)

"Okay, boys, let's head out - the buzzer sounded!" Coach Nakatani commanded, and everyone obediently shuffled out. None were as tense as they were before the start of the match - Kinka High was getting thoroughly thrashed. For a moment, Midorima wondered if Natsuki had seen him during the match. A flush made its way up his neck when he realised that she obviously did, being seated on the bench and all.

He wondered why the question popped up at all. But then Natsuki smiled at him and squeezed his hand again before heading for the bench - and Midorima felt himself appropriately forgetting why he wondered at all.

Why, indeed.


A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait and uhm, if any basketball facts are wrong please tell me, since I'm shit at what actually happens on court lol.

Thanks for reading!