So it's been a minute since I last updated, but I come with good news! Since I've taken this second-slightly-shorter-hiatus I've been able to queue up four (!) chapters! So the tentative schedule (I say tentative because life can suck sometimes) is an update on the 15th of each month! And if this writing speed continues and I don't run through my queued chapters too fast, my goal is to start updating on the 15th and 30th of each month.
Anyway, in other news, here's a new chapter! Still a lil filler-y and my writing is probably not quite up to what I'd prefer, but I've got to flesh things out before we get into romance land. I've been viewing training camp as the middle of the story, so we're finally on the road to ~development~!
Also, thank you guys for sticking around! I couldn't do this without you!
Warnings: bad language, seriously bad editing (forreal ya'll), and occasional violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke.
Revelations
At six o'clock, bright and early the next morning, Hana realized without a doubt that she'd never be the perfect wife. Cleaning, she could handle. Respect? Well, that was always give or take. But, cooking? While it had never been an issue before, she was beginning to, how one might say, loath the process.
Though… it might be her company mistakenly contributing to that fact.
"This is sexist, just to let you know," carefully sliding the metal pan into the oven, Hana's mouth twisted into a grimace, "They have hands, they can cook, they should be helping. You know what— lets go wake them up."
"Not yet, Imamura-chan."
"Please?"
"No."
With a resigned sigh, Hana shut the oven door none too gently, "They need to know how to cook just as much as we do— if not more. Have you seen the stuff Kawahara eats?"
Though, Hana had to be fair. The team never truly volunteered her for food-duty. She figured that decision might have been influenced by her father's cupcakes. Like father, like daughter and all that. Unfortunately, Hana had the rotten luck of female genitalia and, as such, had to room with Riko. Someone who happened to be notoriously loud in the morning.
Which was how she ended up here, trying and failing to save her teammates from food poisoning. An action worthy of the highest medal of honor, since Riko's idea of a traditional American breakfast could surely use some work. Speaking of…
"Wow," moving up behind her and glancing over Riko's shoulder, Hana grimaced, "Uh, that's a lot of ketchup."
Pausing her tomato assault, Riko gifted her a concerned look, "You think so?"
"Well, I guess it depends on what you're making," with one last worried look at the mess atop the counter, Hana continued her path toward the kitchen sink, "Erhm, what are you making?"
"… eggs?"
"Dear god, no," the facet flicked on with Hana's sigh, "Ketchup doesn't— ew."
Head slumping, Riko plopped her hands against the table with a drawn-out moan, "I messed up again?"
Eh. What's the nicest way to say this? Hana's nose scrunched as she washed the remaining flour off her hands, "It might not be that terrible."
"You don't have to cheer me up, Imamura-chan. You're not very good at it." Hana faltered at her coach's admittance. Stab me in the heart, man. Turning her back to the counter, Riko pouted in Hana's direction, "How'd the muffins go?"
"They're in the oven," tilting her head over her shoulder, Hana squinted at the clock above the stove, "Ten more minutes, maybe. You should go ahead and restart the eggs— I'm down to help."
Okay, that was a fib. She wasn't down to help, but she'd suck it up and go through with it. Because how can I say no to that? The pout that previously stained Riko's cheeks managed to transform itself into a beaming smile and Hana's heart practically melted. Jesus, she really needed to work on this particular weakness.
"You don't mind?" Riko didn't wait for her to answer before she dumped the ketchup-soaked eggs into the trashcan, "If you help we can finish the bacon and we'd probably have enough time for pancakes too— Hyuuga-kun is going to eat his words!"
Wringing the towel over her hands, Hana blinked, "Uh… not to burst your bubble or anything, but that's a bit ambitious for your— our skill level."
"Come on, Imamura-chan," slapping the spatula into her palm, Riko spun on her heel with a dangerous grin, "We've got this."
As Riko twirled back around and cracked an egg with a tad too much force, Hana blinked again. I've created a monster. Maybe there was a specific amount of encouragement you could give someone before they went batshit? Hmm… that's probably how Kagami was born. Those curious thoughts swiftly trailed off when the condiments started flying.
Awh, hell. Hana tried to grab the coach's attention, "Hey, Riko? Eggs don't need sugar—"
"That's not for the eggs," Riko didn't pause with her reply and Hana snuck a step back in defense, "It's for the bacon."
Thanks for the clarification, coach. Taking another step back for good measure, Hana narrowly avoided a rouge piece of cabbage launched into the air. That was the start of the barrage. Three minutes later, she'd seen vegetables, fruit, and the occasional bread product. Hana even thought she spotted some cheese in there. That poor, defenseless food.
That train of thought reminded her of Riko's earlier statement and when the coach started to turn around, Hana scratched the back of her head in mild concern, "Uh… bacon doesn't need—
A pause.
"Where the hell did you get a knife? Riko! We don't need a knife!"
X
Apparently, she was wrong. Knives were useful for more than Hana figured.
Like waking up their teammates.
Once the cooking was done, the aforementioned wakeup call began. Each door in their team's hallway had been kicked open before Riko marched into the room, ketchup stained apron and all. The coach's hair was twisted back with a rag to highlight the grin on her face which could only be considered demented. One also couldn't forget the knife's appearance.
Stephen King would be proud.
All in all, with the image displayed before her, Hana almost felt sorry for the boys. It wasn't their choice to wake up in a horror movie. The terrified faces gaping back at her from the cover of their sheets further cemented that pity.
Yeah, it'd probably be in her best interest to vacate.
"Sorry, Izuki!" Slipping through the door after Riko, Hana waved a sheepish hand over her shoulder, "Didn't mean to make Tsuchida scream!"
But boy, was it a scream.
Three rooms and a few heart attacks later, most of their teammates were awake and only one room remained. Up ahead, Riko's arm swung as she walked. Hana couldn't withhold a wince as the elder girl cut the corner. Her earlier remorse spiked for the last duo as the girls moved down the hallway, but Riko held her knife a tad too familiarly for comfort and Hana decided to keep her objections to herself.
"You two!" Riko's voice echoed down the bend and Hana sped up to see the incoming smack down, "Everyone's in the cafeteria waiting for you!"
Despite not being one of the voices she'd expected, the resulting yelp was strangely familiar, "What kind of school do you go to, Kuroko?!"
Best not to worry about that now. Hana's eyes were solely for Riko as she twisted the corner. Because just as she'd feared, the coach was holding the knife up, it's serrated edge leveled toward Kagami and Kuroko. We really need to stop these homicidal tendencies. Mind so focused on reining her coach in— seriously since when was I the babysitter— Hana didn't take too much stock in the additional faces in the hallway.
Instead, she volleyed for possession of the weapon, "So I know running with scissors is bad, but I'm really figuring running with knives is a hell of a lot worse. The uh— stabby stabbing and all."
It was better to just assume Kagami's resulting scoff was of agreement.
"Huh?" While Hana still hadn't quite registered who the surprise guests were, Riko was much faster on the uptake. Unfortunately, the coach still held her knife, "Sorry Imamura-chan, I didn't hear you… but, Shutoku's here?"
As her coach's tone pitched into ambiguity, Hana stumbled. Fickle bitch, aren't you fate?
Because, that,Hana knew what that meant. That meant undesirable things for all parties involved. Unable to control the urge, she flicked her eyes to the two figures located behind Kagami and Kuroko. Dual gazes met her own, one gray and one green, before they simultaneously fell down to her shirt.
An action which was certainly unexpected given the company.
Maybe her fourteenth birthday wish came true after all. Have my boobs finally grown? As their staring continued, the idea grew more was even debating on the dignity of preening when Midorima chopped the head of her ego off and trampled it to the ground.
"Is that…" making a strange combination with his own green hair, Midorima blanched, "You're…"
She had to say, disgust was not quite the expression she wanted people to view her chest with.
"Imamura-chan?" Takao's question trailed off oddly, "Are you guys… bleeding?"
Am I? That jolted her out of her down at herself, Hana huffed at the red flecks that dotted her sleep shirt, "Damn ketchup."
Why couldn't it have been boobs?
"Did you just say," Takao could only stare. For once it seemed his smart mouth failed him, "Ketchup?"
"Yeah," trying to scrape some of the flecks off, Hana grumbled. There went her new plans for world domination. "Your ears are big enough, you really should have caught that."
Stupid eggs. Releasing a reluctant sigh, she dropped the edge of her shirt before gifting Riko a reproaching look. The coach had the decency to look abashed, but her attention mainly resided on the two Shutoku players and, as if sensing the appraisal, Midorima pushed up the bridge of his glasses. The blush that now dotted his cheeks was only a mild balm to Hana's burnt ego.
"My ears?" Hands clamping over said appendage, Takao shot a look to the boy behind him, "My ears aren't big! Right, Shin-chan?"
"Imamura," breaking into the bickering and ignoring Takao's futile plead for assistance, Midorima peered down at her. Hana wasn't quite sure how to describe his expression, so she settled on neutral, "It's a surprise to see you."
There was a snort. In the background Kagami scrubbed a hand through his hair, "What type of greeting is that?"
"Better than one of yours," Hana quipped, smirking when Kagami's chest rumbled. Always such fun. Instead of furthering the instigation, she twisted her attention back toward Midorima, "You too. I'm guessing today's a shit day for Cancers?"
Mouth pinching, Midorima nodded in slight resignation, "As it seems. Oha-Asa is correct yet again."
"Spring's always a bad time for water signs," Hana offered with faux wisdom. Her recent horoscope binge had yet to fail her, "Too much change in the air."
A green eyebrow rose in what could have been surprise, "That's true. I wasn't aware you understood that aspect of astrology."
"What can you say," her shoulder jerked up in a mimicry of a shrug, but the sharp cut of her lips betrayed Hana's mirth, "Know thy enemy and all that."
Caught you off guard, huh? Sweet. It felt good to be a step ahead of him. It didn't happen nearly often enough.
The weight of his stare dragging down her face was all the information Midorima's response offered, "I see."
Meanwhile, having watched all the round-about flirting he could take, Takao leaned conspicuously toward Kuroko and tried to whisper, "Is she trying to out Shin, Shin-chan?"
"I can hear you, you know?" Hana drawled as she skimmed her gaze away from her former-slash-renewed friend. Takao didn't appear ashamed, instead his grin only grew as he rested an arm across Kuroko's shoulder. If only he'd spontaneously combust.
"Sorry, Imamura-chan," Takao teased, eyes lighting up with impish delight, "Didn't mean to distract you. Please continue flirting, I insist."
Midorima's face twisted into what could almost be described as a snarl, "Takao."
"You—" on the other end of the spectrum, Hana did indeed snarl, "Keep your voyeuristic tendencies to yourself."
Takao's head tilted, "Since it's coming from your end, wouldn't it be exhibitionism?"
"I swear to god, Takao—"
"I believe she's just teasing Midorima-kun," Kuroko's statement was innocent enough. Just a simple subject change to divert the incoming storm. Yet, there was no preparing for the reaction his next words wrought, "Hana tends to do that often."
For the barest hint of a second, the matrix decided to glitch— a full out halt in the time space continuum. He did not. No body breathed, no body moved as their little minds worked to compute. Oh god, the little shit did. As Hana struggled to process what this untimely reveal might provide, the world chose to skip back into motion.
"… woah. A plot twist!" Takao choked on thin air before he fell apart in stunned chuckles, his body weight draped across Kuroko's back, "Kuroko-kun and Imamura-chan are getting close? Who knew~"
When she gifted Takao a nasty glare, Hana caught sight of Midorima standing to his left. Shit on stick. Whatever emotion she'd been expecting from him during this moment wasn't the one on his face. She'd been prepared for annoyance, judgement, and maybe even surprise, but the blank sheen that rested over his mien provided none of that.
Yeah, just gonna forget I saw that. She wasn't going to scrutinize the thoughts that lurked beneath that façade, so instead her glare jerked itself onto the safest party of the situation.
But even Kagami seemed stunned at the new greeting. When his expression eventually morphed to exasperation, red eyes flicked between the two of them, "Is that why you made me get you milk last night? So, you two could be alone?"
"No!" Hana snapped, "That's not—"
Without pause, her denial was destroyed by Kuroko's simple, "Yes."
"Tetsuya— Kuroko—"Hana cut herself off. Add fuel to the fire, why don't you? All eyes rested exclusively on her and, as the scrutiny continued, the blush on her cheeks sneaked its hue to her chest, "That— This isn't helping."
"I'm sorry," Kuroko blinked back at her, his sleep mussed appearance gifting him innocence while simultaneously looking awfully punchable. "I must have interrupted the moment wrong."
"No! I just— I just—" fisting her hands through her undone hair, Hana made a weird hissing noise. I never should have woken up this morning, "I just wanted a glass of milk!"
Breaking the growing strain with a grin of pure wickedness, Takao shuffled on his toes, "I bet Kuroko-kun helped—"
And there went the last straw of her morning's already tested patience.
With that little snarky jab, Takao signed and sealed his very own death note. The deal was done. As if sensing the incoming doom, Takao graciously choose to cut his own sentence off. His mouth twisted into something like regret, but the lingering smirk that dragged up his lips ruined any intention of forgiveness. It's too late, fate has spoken.
"Takao," Hana didn't even blink as she sauntered forward, "Let's have a chat."
"Imamura-chan," she'd mostly hung in the background so far, deciding it was best to let the underclassmen sort this out, but now Riko hummed with uncertainty. "What are you doing?"
"Don't worry, coach," sidling up to Takao's side, Hana intertwined her arm with his own, "I just need to have a face to fist with this little cretin—"
"Did you just say face to fist?" Takao's slate gray eyes shot open in surprise, "That's some violent language!"
"You think that's violent?" Her foot twitched against the tile flooring before Hana propelled herself forward, prey attached to her wrist, "We really need to broaden your horizons."
It took her moment of hesitation, but when Riko realized Hana wasn't kidding nor stopping, she trailed the duo toward the hallway exit, "Imamura-chan. No."
Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Hana threw her reply over her shoulder as she ducked out the doorway, "Don't worry! Takao just needs a little bit of facial reconstruction! We'll be right back!"
"Aghk!" It said something about his self-preservation that Takao only now chose to try and slip away. Hana's grip simply tightened; it was too late for mercy. It was a fact Takao seemed to notice as well, "I was just kidding— come on, Imamura-chan, you know that—"
"We need to go back to break—" Riko paled when still Hana didn't halt, "Imamura-chan! Wait!"
"It'll just be a second!"
"Shin-chan!"
With a final cacophony of clatter and a hair-raising scream, only three boys remained in the hallway.
Kagami, who wasn't quite sure how he found himself to be the sanest in this situation, rubbed at the back of his neck, "Should we…?"
He wasn't awfully surprised when a response never came and the strain in the area only spiked. Registering the silence, crimson eyes zeroed in on the tiled path his coach and manager vanished down and for a millisecond, he deliberated following in their example. There was only so much chaos he could take this early in the morning, and despite the recently passed debacle, Imamura didn't seem to be the worst option.
Though that indecision momentarily abated when Midorima spoke, "Kuroko."
"Great," Kagami grunted before steeling himself to wait out the incoming show. He knew that tone, "… here we go."
If there was one thing he understood about the Generation of Miracles, it was that their lives orbited through a cycle of self-inflected angst. It appeared Midorima was of no exception.
"Yes, Midorima-kun?" The barest tilt of his head was the only accompany to Kuroko's acknowledgement.
Yeah, Kagami wasn't fooled.
"You and Kise…" behind the sheen of his glasses, Midorima's eyes narrowed. He declined mincing his next declaration, "Whatever infatuation you two seem to hold with Imamura needs to be reconsidered."
With only a blink, Kuroko managed to display just the right amount of condescension, "Why is that?"
"Akashi—" he wasn't given the chance to finish.
"Akashi-kun is no longer our captain," though his stance was lax, Kuroko's fingers flexed, "and he isn't yours, Midorima-kun."
Midorima shifted unconsciously, "That isn't the issue. I'm simply warning you," again, the pad of his thumb pushed at the bridge of his glasses, "No one will win if you continue to pursue this, neither Imamura or yourselves."
"That's true," Kuroko conceded. Somber blue eyes fell to the ground as he worked to gather his thoughts, "That type of mindset has and always will be disrespectful. This isn't like Teiko, everything isn't a competition. I understand your jealousy—" Kuroko continued despite the resulting cough, "but your feeling are something you should determine without fear of Akashi-kun's spite."
That might have been the wrong thing to say. His spine ramrod straight in defense, Midorima scoffed, "I have nothing to do with this—"
"Denial has never suited you, Midorima-kun," the way Kuroko blinked almost appeared humored, "You've always been the more rational of our teammates."
Kagami muttered sardonically under his breath in the background, "Oha-Asa freak… rational?"
Again, his input went ignored. If this was how normal conversation between the Miracles worked, Kagami was truly starting to empathize with Hana's plight.
"You're correct," Midorima's response broke Kagami out of his judgement. Somehow, Kuroko's words had managed to dig in just the right amount to stir Midorima's already frothing ire, "Which is why I will say it again; stop what you're doing with Imamura. The only denial being faced is by Kise and yourself. This is only a distraction."
Framed by his pallor, Kuroko's teal eyes widened, "Midorima-kun…"
And now, Kagami'd had enough.
"Man," tried of his background role, he scratched at the base of his jaw. When twin gazes fell on his person, Kagami quirked a dubious brow, "If that's how you talk, I'm surprised Imamura's even sticking around."
Mechanically, Midorima's arms came to rest across his chest. The action was almost enough to disguise the brief flash of panic in his composure, "What did you say?"
"I'm saying, you're all ridiculous. Kuroko I get, maybe Kise too, but the rest of you? You and that bastard?" With a scoff, Kagami shook his head in muted wonder, "I wouldn't have even tried. Screw whatever kind of messed up friendship you guys used to have, it isn't worth your shit."
His own train of speech momentarily halted, Kuroko blinked between his two friends, "Kagami-kun?"
"What?" His crimson gaze cut toward his fellow teammate before Kagami rolled his eyes, "Don't act surprised. All this crap; I've never met so many self-centered assholes in my life. Stop trying to push your issues onto Imamura and handle them yourself."
"I'm not—" Midorima began.
"Whatever," Kagami raised an exasperated hand to halt whatever excuse rested between his lips, "Do what you want; it's your issue, not mine. We're leaving."
And they were, mostly because Kagami knew Riko still lurked around somewhere and was likely seething at their continued tardiness, but also because he really didn't want to talk to Midorima anymore. If he'd ever had the boredom to talk to a blade of grass and convince it to be blue instead of green, Kagami figured the conversation would feel something like this. Pointless.
"… Goodbye, Midorima-kun," unaccustomed to this type of mental stupor, Kuroko glanced between the two before offering a stiff parting, "I hope to see you soon."
Midorima said nothing, no nod or scowl to express his inner musing. There was only silence. He simply watched their backs turn as Kagami and, shortly thereafter, Kuroko moved down the hallway before leaving him alone. As the seconds click into minutes, Midorima didn't twitch other than a brief moment of emotional relocation and heavy sigh.
When his head felt stable again, an ominously shaky finger pushed his glasses to rest snuggly atop the ridge of his nose. He walked away in the opposite direction without further preamble.
Concurrently, two voices leaked through the bare halls.
"That was unlike you, Kagami-kun."
"I could say the same to you," a snort, "What were you thinking, egging him on like that?"
"Midorima-kun can be dense at times."
"Yeah, obviously… so, Imamura? When'd that— gah!"
"I'm sorry, my arm slipped."
xXxXxXxXx
The morning's activities had already left her nerves a little jumbled, so Hana wasn't truly surprised by the energy rushing through her veins.
The sun was warm, the day was long, her team was here, and best of all Kagami was gone. After being sent to his death by Riko and forced to run the beach front all afternoon retrieving drinks, Hana was free from his scorn. Free from his fury! There was no one to temper with her attitude and the beast inside her soul was finally allowed to run rampant.
Truly though, her liveliness wasn't totally of her own making.
A good game always left her a little bit, how we shall say, exuberant.
It didn't matter if they lost. If the game was played in earnest without spoiling by either team, then Hana could be downright jovial and Riko's spontaneously planned practice game against Shutoku fit that description to a tee. As it was, Hana didn't view the energy shift as a bad thing. She actually quite enjoyed the adrenaline rush after the fact.
That wasn't to say her team felt the same way.
"Catch, Mitobe!"
"On your left, Koganei!"
"Izuki! Water incoming!" Izuki floundered to catch the plastic bottle thrown into the air. Hana didn't pause before launching the next one, "Hyuuga! Head's up!"
"Imamura! No—" remarkably, the captain managed to snag it before it crashed into the ground, "Stop doing that!"
Four waters still tucked under her arm, Hana blinked at him, "Stop doing what?"
"You're supposed to hand the water out," Hyuuga grumbled as he uncapped his drink. He took a long sip before working up the patience to finish his explanation, "Don't throw them. You'll hurt someone."
And that's a bad thing? When she caught his eye, Hyuuga raised a brow, daring her to refute him. Ah, dominance battles. My favorite. The guiltless smile that pulled up her lips was the only warning Furihata had before she launched a refreshment in his direction. Hyuuga twitched. Moments later, a forlorn squawk came as the freshman failed to catch it.
"You guys need to work on your hand-eye coordination. It was kind of shitty during the game," eyeing the tick growing at the center of Hyuuga's temple, Hana took a cautionary step back. "If you can't manage to catch a water bottle, how the hell are you going to intercept passes?"
From his position against the hoop's base, Kawahara whined, "We just finished a game, let us rest Imamura-chan!"
"That'd be stupid," and with that, Hana hurled another drink in his direction. The plastic crunched as it managed to clip his shoulder before Kawahara succeeded in grabbing it. "Training camp from hell, remember? Gotta live up to the name sake."
Sliding to the floor with his refreshment safe in hand, Kawahara grumbled, "Why do you sound so happy about that?"
"Pain's the best motivator," Hana admitted as she edged her way toward Kiyoshi's position, "It also happens to be my personal favorite."
Hyuuga snorted under his breath before trading a look with Izuki, "Only when it's not happening to you."
"Is that disappointment I hear, captain? Sorry," twirling on her toes, Hana's shoulders squeezed themselves into a shrug, "Can't help my kinks."
That'll shut you up, won't it? After a spit-take worthy of an Oscar, Hyuuga sputtered out a reprimand through scarlet cheeks, "Imamura!"
"Different strokes for different folks!" Thankfully, she was walking backwards so she had plenty of time to dodge the empty bottle shucked in her direction. It still succeeded in skimming the edge of her jaw. "Hey, your aim is improving! Good job!"
There was a groan, but Hana ignored it by spinning around and continuing her jaunt toward Kiyoshi. Never had a desire to look Death in the face anyway. Yet, as she focused in on her remaining teammates, Hana's evasion appeared futile.
Riko, who stood beside Kiyoshi across the court, wore a similar murderous expression on her generally pretty face. Her other companions were thankfully not sporting similar demonic appearances; Kiyoshi appeared humored and the two Shutoku boys they'd been chatting with, Otsubo and Miyaji, looked torn between shock and amusement.
Painted a nice-looking picture, that's for sure.
Too bad Hana didn't get to admire the sight.
"Imamura-chan!" The arm that fell over her shoulder caused her to stumble, "Man! Your team did pretty good without Kagami."
Just who I never wanted to see again. Closing her eyes, Hana took a deep breath, "Takao."
She'd been fostering the misguided notion that maybe, just maybe, he'd grow on her. Midorima could put up with him. Maybe he wasn't so terrible deep down inside his slimy little heart. Yet, after their little chat this morning, Hana was more inclined than ever to avoid the parasitic attachment of the hawk-eyed player.
It just wasn't meant to happen. If Hana was water, Takao was oil. They may both be liquids, but by god, they did not mix well.
"You guys still lost, but it was close wasn't it? Even without Kagami-kun," ignorant of the danger he'd just landed himself in, the Shutoku point guard continued to babble, "You must have been practicing really hard."
That little jab sounded much too backhanded to be honest. So, shoving his intruding appendage off, Hana rolled her eyes, "Did you learn nothing from this morning?"
Bringing a finger to his chin, Takao pretended to ponder, "Eh, just that you can be a bit scary."
"Okay, so nothing. You learned nothing. Good to know," ducking around him, Hana continued her path toward Kiyoshi.
"Ohh. You're mean today."
"Man— you're right. Must be something in the air," she waved a hand over her shoulder in good riddance, "It'll probably clear up once you stop breathing."
That remark hadn't been said with the intention to make him laugh, but Takao succeeded in doing just that, "Ha! That was actually pretty good, Imamura-chan."
Glad to be of service. Hana didn't offer any further response to his teasing, instead choosing to complete her self-imposed mission to Kiyoshi. Strangely, all was quiet from her companion and she'd assumed he'd trailed off to go harass Kuroko or Midorima. An assumption that was proven wrong when three seconds later the little imp popped back up beside her.
She really needed to stop assuming shit.
"I wanted to talk to you," sneaking back up on her left side, Takao folded his hands behind his neck, "You know, Shin-chan's been out of it all morning."
The guilt card, great. Peering at him from the corner of her eye, she slowed a tad, "Sorry to hear that. Lover's spat?"
"You could say that," his response was a hum as his eyes closed with a smile, "Kuroko-kun really threw him off this morning— he's been staring at you guys all afternoon."
Pace stalling out, Hana huffed. She'd like to say that Takao was overexaggerating, but that wouldn't be true. While his feelings on the mater probably weren't as overt as Takao portrayed, Midorima had been paying close attention to Kuroko during the game. Which was normal; you know with the Miracles and their weird attachment issues.
What wasn't quite normal was the way he'd been staring at her. Multiple times during the game, she'd made eye contact with the Shutoku ace. He hadn't even bothered to pretend not to be looking, instead blatantly holding the contact for a moment before turning away. It was an expression he'd worn in middle school during especially problematic matches.
Hana didn't know how to feel about that.
"If you're blaming me for Midorima's mood swings—" Takao cut her off with an empathetic wave and Hana frowned, "Then what'd you want to talk about?"
Takao only shrugged, "That's it."
"… really?"
"Yeah," one of his lips curled up and before Hana knew what was happening, Takao had leeched into her personal space, "I just thought you should know."
Her bullshit meter tingled, "I don't trust you. Like… at all."
"Feeling's mutual, Imamura-chan," rolling back on his heels, Takao's grin fell into something of a serious expression, "He might not realize it, but I know Shin-chan likes you—" he smirked when Hana coughed out a denial, "Awhh. Don't be oblivious too, Imamura-chan."
Ire rising at the mockery, Hana's lip lifted in a grimace, "It isn't like that—"
"I think it is," Takao's retort had a lyrical quality to it, "Remember, you care for him, right? Isn't that what you said?"
"Not that way—"
His arm flapped in dismissal, "Sure, sure. All I wanted to say is if you mean that, be careful. With Kuroko-kun and that Kaijo player, I don't want to see my teammate hurt, you know?"
"Oh, chill your shit out. I get it," Hana rolled her eyes, trying to dissuade the angry blush that wanted to blossom. Talk about protective, "Nothing's going on between any of us."
"Whatever you say," his grin didn't even flinch at her rebuttal, "Anyway, I'm not sure how this will work out," Takao apparently didn't care for his limbs. Instead of backing off like she'd expected, he had the audacity to pat her atop the head, "But if you can make Shin-chan happy, you should stick around~"
"Maybe I should piss him off then," slapping his hand from her personal space, Hana took a deep step back. Calm down. It was time for her to get the hell out of dodge, "Glad we had this chat. Totally made my day. Now, if you'll—"
"Gotcha!" Lifting his hands up in innocence, Takao grinned, "I won't keep you away from your team. Besides, I'm sure I'll see you soon."
Not happening. Narrowing her eyes on his figure, Hana took another step back before continuing her earlier jaunt toward Kiyoshi.
Thankfully Takao didn't follow this time and Hana was able to complete the short path unaccompanied. As each step brought her closer, Hana's shoulders drooped. Well didn't that just zap the energy out of her? She was tempted to look to Midorima's position, but just couldn't bring herself to risk it.
God, no wonder people don't like talking to my dad. If that was how the third-degree felt, Hana could safely say she never wanted to experience it again. Her chest deflated with a sigh as she finally made it to Kiyoshi and she handed him the water bottle without a second thought. The earlier joviality was gone, replaced with a fluttery apprehension. Takao's wrong.
It wasn't like that. It couldn't be like that. She cared for Midorima and maybe he cared for her in some kind of odd, detached manner, but it wasn't any more than that. Same with Kuroko, same with Kise. They were friends. Her heart twisted around the word experimentally before Hana shoved the curious thoughts away. Friends!
"Imamura," Kiyoshi's brow lifted as he peered down at her. Beside him, Riko's face was similarly concerned, "Are you okay?"
"Dandy," Hana's lip raised involuntarily, "Just a little friendly visit from the neighborhood menace."
Otsubo frowned. At his left Miyaji also observed the dynamic, his gaze flickering to Takao and back. The two Shutoku players traded a look before Otsubo questioned, "Sorry about that. Was Takao bothering you?"
Turning her attention to the rival player, Hana shrugged, "Nah, not really. Nothing a good punch couldn't handle anyway," this time she looked toward Miyaji, "Or a pineapple apparently. You've got wicked aim."
Otsubo blinked. Miyaji blinked. Riko groaned. In the background, Kiyoshi snorted.
Hana did none of the above, instead choosing to focus her attention on the clearly thrown Shutoku players. Ah, spite. It's a great motivator. Because while she may not be able to take her annoyances and emotional grievances out on Takao, she sure as hell could take her revenge out on other more unsuspecting member of his team.
Besides, her tried and true method of ignoring troublesome emotions was to ignore the absolute hell out of them. She could only hope her problematic coping mechanisms didn't fail her now.
"I don't think we've personally met before," skipping forward a step, Hana thrust out her hand, "Imamura Hana. Don't worry, I know who you guys are— Midorima's told me a few not so terrible things about you."
Absolute lie, but okay. Despite this Otsubo still took the step forward to return her greeting. It didn't escape Hana's notice that Miyaji didn't do the same. "We've heard a few things about you as well."
Her lip twitched. Figures he'd ruin my fun. Spy team plans would have to wait. With her retort, Hana's gaze peered beneath the two Shutoku players to scan their side of the court, "They better be good things or else I might need to have a chat—"
The end of her sentence floated off as green eyes locked on green. About fifty feet away, Midorima stood near his bag with a small holographic journal in hand. Belatedly, Hana categorized that as his lucky item for the day, but the majority of her focus was locked on the dip between his brows as he stared back at her. His expression wasn't outright observation, but almost appreciation— Nope, go back to ignoring!
"— Imamura-chan?"
She jerked back into attention with a flourish. Riko was peering at her in concern and Otsubo had his brows raised with confusion. Way to make an impression. Hana flushed, "Huh? Shit, sorry. What were you saying?"
The Shutoku captain smiled a tad, confusion leaving his face as he repeated himself, "I was just asking how long you two have known each other."
"Ah," Hana trailed off ineloquently. Unbidden, her gaze fell back to Midorima. Thankfully his attention was else where this time and Hana was able to gather her thoughts in relative peace. That still didn't stop her throat from feeling parched as she admitted, "We've been friends for a while."
He replied, but Hana wasn't ashamed to admit she wasn't listening.
Her eyes were stilled locked on Midorima and a frown to match his own built itself upon her lips. As if feeling the continued observation, Midorima turned his head in her direction, pausing from where he'd bent to retrieve his gym bag. Unlike the solemn moment they'd shared before, this time Midorima raised a brow in sardonic question.
The change of pace was finally enough for Hana to roll her eyes and look away.
Yeah, there's no way Takao's right.
xXxXxXxXx
It was five hours after Riko sent him to retrieve the team's drinks and Kagami felt like he'd died.
He'd never had to run so much in his life.
Everything ached. From his hair to his toes, there wasn't a single portion of his body that didn't feel as if it'd been soaked in a vat of acid. He hadn't even been able to take a dip in the community pool to relieve the pain. His skin still sizzled with the begins of a nasty sunburn and the tendons in his legs cried with every step he took. Lifting his arms above his head in a stretch, Kagami groaned before continuing his movements down the hallway.
He almost wondered if the pain was doing something to his mental state, because there was no other reason he could fathom for why he was doing this.
Honestly, he blamed Midorima. A lot of things today were winding up to be the mosshead's fault. As there wasn't much to do during his run other than think, Kagami ended up ruminating over their previous win against Shutuko in the preliminaries. From that point, his mind moved onto to thoughts of Midorima and their morning confrontation.
It was this train of thought that brought Kagami's attention to the rest of his interactions with the Miracles and a new revelation he wasn't too keen on enacting upon. After reviewing their interactions together, it was now clear that while Kagami knew the Miracles on the court, he didn't understand them or their actions. Hell, he wasn't sure he wanted to, but if he intended to accomplish his goal and beat them, then he needed to rectify that over sight.
Which is why he was wandering down the hallways looking for his wayward manager.
"This is ridiculous," he grunted under his breath, moving out of the way of an incoming tourist, "Where is she?"
Kagami may be used to Kuroko's vanishing act, but Imamura normally wasn't able to evade him this easily. Not like he actually sought her out, but the fact remained the same. He'd gone to every room his team rented, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, and even the beach. Still, no sign or sound that hinted toward the manager.
With a shake of his head, Kagami turned at the end of the hallway and headed toward the exit at the base of the hall. He was tired enough already. If he couldn't find the manager now, he'd search her out in the morning after he'd had a good night's sleep. The idea further cemented itself in his head as he shouldered the door open and stepped into the chilled night air.
Only for the door to hit something squishy on the push outwards, "Okay. Ow? What the hell—" a face peered around the door and Hana gaped back at him, "Tai— Kagami?"
"Imamura," equally confused, Kagami stared back at her. It only took a minute for his irritation to return, "Have you been out here this whole time?!"
He was only slightly surprised by her answer, "Uh… maybe? Hell, I don't know. I wandered around for a bit. Needed to think."
"About what?" Kagami winced. God. It actually sounded like he cared. "Did you even tell coach where you were?"
Green eyes rolled as Hana stepped out of the way of the doorway, allowing Kagami to come out onto the hotel's front steps with her. They were underneath the smoker's veranda and Kagami wrinkled his nose at the cigarette butts that littered the trashcan beside her. Above them, the rickety lightbulb flickered before tinting their hair orange.
Meanwhile, Hana's tone hedged between annoyance and resignation, "Of course I did. I'm not an idiot."
He only snorted, "Debatable."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever, jackass," leaning against the wall, Hana raised a brow in his direction, "How was the run? Hellish, I hope."
"I handled it." Looking away from her and out to the front parking lot, Kagami frowned. He hadn't forgotten her earlier shift in conversation, "Why are you out here again? It's late."
What's with everyone's protective shtick today? One of her shoulders shrugged, hiking up the old sweatshirt she'd changed into, "Sorry, dad, still can't sleep. I'll probably be up late all week— it'll suck ass."
"Huh."
Well, that was anticlimactic. Hana twisted so she could see him clearly, ignoring how her hair caught on the edge of the building's brick. Her nose wrinkled at the sweat that still dripped off his back and shoulders, "Did you seriously just get back?"
"A little bit ago, yeah," Kagami crossed his arms over his chest, "How'd we do against Shutoku?"
Her lips tilted down a tad, "We lost," after a minute Hana pulled a disgruntled face, "Takao said we did pretty good though. Managed to block a couple of Midorima's shots, so I consider that a plus."
He side eyed her, "Takao said that?"
"Takao said a lot of shit," she rolled her eyes with a sigh, "But yeah. He's right though. Kuroko's ability isn't doing much without you there and Kiyoshi can only jump so high— his reach doesn't match yours."
A smirk tugged at the tilt of Kagami's lips, "If I was there—"
"Weee," Hana deadpanned, "Still would have lost."
"Shut up," again, Kagami debated the merits of coming to Hana for help. He moved away from the wall and headed for the steps leading to the buildings parking lot, "Aren't managers supposed to be helpful?"
"Aren't players supposed to be useful?" Despite her rebuttal, her brow furrowed when Kagami didn't move any further than the front step. "Why'd you come out here anyway? I figured you'd have passed out by now."
"I wanted to talk to you," he shrugged, realizing how odd the statement would come across, "You could have chosen a less sketchy place to hang out. Can we get the hell out of here?"
"You can get the hell out of here—"
"Imamura," stalling at the base of the steps, Kagami spoke, "I'm serious."
Well, she could see that.
Hana still didn't move. Seriously confusing is more like it. Something was off about this conversation, and if Hana didn't know any better, she'd say this wasn't actually Kagami at all. In all their time together at school, she could count on one hand the amount of conversations they'd had which hadn't involved copious amounts of bickering. It was like… three if you were wondering.
What's with everyone wanting to talk today? Eyeing the entrance into the hallway, Hana sighed before turning her attention back to Kagami. Whatever. She'd spent enough time emotionally lamenting about out here anyway. It might actually do her some good to talk to someone relatively normal. Or at least have a conversation that didn't send her feelings into turbulence.
So, with a defeated sigh, Hana moved toward him, "This had to be the most ass-backwards way to ask me to hang out."
Further cementing the oddness of the conversation, Kagami didn't deny her accusation. Instead he just began walking as soon as Hana reached his side. It's like I'm living in the twilight zone. For a few more minutes the two silently walked around the front edge of the property. The hotel grounds were quiet and, now that she was paying attention to more than her turbulent thoughts, Hana realized the area was a bit creepy.
They were far enough from the main road to lose any outside noise and the hotel clearly didn't spend much money on maintaining their light fixtures. Side note: make sure to bring a sharp object next time. You know what, better yet, just keep Kagami around. He'd been acting especially tolerable lately, maybe he'd finally accepted his body guard role.
Speaking of, Kagami looked out ahead as his steps halted completely, "What'd you learn from the game today?"
Why's this feeling like a job interview all the sudden? Giving the boy a suspicious glance, Hana eventually followed his gaze to the area up ahead. It seemed they'd reached their destination. A dimly lit parking lot laid a few yards away and she mentally released a forlorn sigh at the sight of the basketball net. Ahh… men. Why couldn't they talk without physical exercise?
"A good bit I think," ignoring Kagami's huff as Hana swerved past him, she continued her explanation, "Kimura's quiet, he doesn't open up much unless he's feeling competitive. Otsubo reminds me a bit of Kiyoshi… he's got a bit more of a no-nonsense vibe though. Both of them favor their right hand. Miyaji is difficult; he didn't offer up much."
The sound of footsteps forewarned Kagami's reply, "What about Takao?"
Ugh. She didn't even want to think about him. No way was she going back down that train of thought.
"Enough," Hana scoffed as she stepped onto the cracked asphalt of the parking lot, "I've never met someone who talks so much—" Kagami's incredulous snort contradicted her and Hana bristled. She didn't talk that much, "Oh, shut up."
In a surprising twist of fate, he did.
Thrown, Hana sharply glanced his way, but Kagami's attention was on the edges of the court. In the span of seconds, his face had twisted into neutral deliberation, the accustomed frown nowhere to be seen. If anything, Kagami looked solemn. I foresee drama. The attitude reminded her a bit of his confrontation with Kuroko and Hana could quite seriously say she wanted no part in that kind of production tonight.
"So…" when Kagami started walking to the right side of the parking lot, she followed. Gesturing vaguely to the area around them, Hana tried to bridge the tension, "Why am I out here?"
Lumbering toward a leftover basketball hiding between the bushes, Kagami let out a sigh. It was clear he didn't want to admit whatever laid in the abyss of his mind, but he did so anyway, "I need to get stronger," he bounced the ball against the ground, testing its air before he sent a loaded glance her way, "Anyway I can."
"Uh…" her response fumbled at his ambiguity, "Are you implying you want… my help?"
"I guess," Kagami's grimace was the only thing natural about this conversation, "Out of everyone, you probably know the Generation of Miracles best. If I want to beat them, I'll need your help."
Oh, so it's about them. Swell. Swallowing, Hana watched the ace almost warily, "What about Kuroko? He's known them longer than me. Besides, this kind of sounds like a shadow and light thing and I'm not down to be a homewrecker— or would it be sun wrecker since you know— shadow and light—"
"You know them all from an opponent's perspective. That's not something Kuroko understands yet," he cut her rambling off.
"Hate to break it to you, but in every anime I've seen this arc always goes to shit," Hana hedged, toeing a crack in the asphalt. She knew she was stalling but she couldn't help it. Couldn't they just have a nice bonding moment not focused on revenge?
There was a scoff as the ball bounced twice, "What are you talking about?"
"The I want to be stronger arc," she waved an arm out in explanation, "It always backfires due to the power of friendship or something gross like that."
"You're…" Kagami grasped the ball between his palms with a weary sigh, "Will you stop acting like everything is a joke to you? I'm serious."
Despite his clearly bruised ego, she only shrugged, "Yeah, well, so am I."
"You sure don't act like it," Kagami's head shook in what could be considered self-condemnation, "Forget it. This was a stupid idea."
Oh, come on!
That hadn't been the reaction she'd anticipated. She just didn't think she was up to this. But even Kagami's disappointment would have been better than this… somber bullshit. When did she become such a softie? She used to run her team with ironclad will and now here she was, feeling guilty for making a joke. Have I mentioned I freaking hate emotions?
When his mouth opened in the beginnings of another rebuttal, Hana groaned, "Look, I get wanting to be stronger. I just want to make sure you aren't using me— That this isn't about one-upping Aomine. We are not having that type of angst train on our team again."
"No," the air of stale distaste that had begun building around Kagami faded as he dribbled the ball. Instead of looking back at her, he stared at the net with a mask of consideration, "I'm asking because it's my choice. I'm not doing it for them."
Well that's a load of bull. Hana didn't call him out though. Instead, she focused her attention on his form as he lined up to take a shot; his back straight, shoulders bent, and knees lose. The ball bounced in front of his ankles once, then twice, before he palmed it and lobbed it toward the net. For a fraction of a minute, it looked as if it'd go in, but the ball skimmed the edge of the hoop before spinning off the metal and to the ground.
The mountains of Kagami's shoulders drooped, making Hana groan. Friendship is a pain.
Now she had to do something to cheer the big idiot up.
But what? She took a moment to recollect her schedule before she made any serious plans. There the Inter-High quarter finals in a few days, Kuroko's proposed dinner with her father on Sunday, and then the two months of summer vacation that sprawled between spring semester and winter semester and— Well, there's her opportunity.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she spoke, "What are you doing next weekend?"
"During break?" At her nod of confirmation, Kagami shrugged, "Whatever I guess. I don't have anything planned."
"Good," stepping forward, Hana jabbed a finger in his direction, "Every weekend a few of my old teammates get together to play— you're coming."
Despite her acquiescence, Kagami looked wary, "Why?"
"We all went to Teiko with the Miracles and we all know them from different angles," at her next admittance, Hana had to look away so Kagami didn't catch the mirth in her expression, "and Nūdoru's fast. If I'm gonna help you with this, might as well work on some other shit as well."
It was silent for a few moments as Kagami attempted to process the new information. Hana took that moment to lift her arms over her head in a much-needed stretch. Today had been a longass day. But thankfully, to add some ease to her stress, a few moments later Kagami let out a sigh before losing the drooped edge of his stance. Thank god, maybe the idiot's back to normal.
Gesturing to the ball, she stepped closer to the ace, "So, is it a plan?"
"Next weekend?" Kagami rolled the ball between his palms as a contemplative furrow built on his brow, "Yeah… it's a plan."
Thank god that's over. It was only luck Kagami didn't glance up in time to see Hana's shoulders fall in relief. But even if he had, she honestly wouldn't be ashamed. She deserved a break. For training camp, this week was turning out to being quite the bonding adventure. Meanwhile, Kagami's back straightened out as he began to dribble.
"I was meaning to ask," his question was punctuated by a timely bounce, "… what kind of person has the name Nūdoru?"
"Oh, come on," taking another step forward, Hana held her hands out in a give-me motion, "Like you've got room to talk, señor tiger."
He didn't respond to her jab, too busy watching her with narrowed eyes. Honestly, Hana was a bit offended. She'd just agreed to help him, and he was already being a judgmental bastard. Well, too late now. A few more steps later and Hana stood in front of the ace. She motioned to the ball in his hands and when he didn't move, tried to retrieve it herself.
A red eyebrow rose as he twisted out of her reach, "What are you doing?" When her movements didn't cease, Kagami took a step back in bewilderment, "Seriously, what the hell are you doing?"
"You brought me all the way out here," taking advantage of his confusion, Hana slapped the ball out of his hands, "I've got some pent-up aggression to work out too, you know."
His attempted retrieval was delayed, "You can't just— Imamura!"
"Man, I see why you want help," the words were accompanied by a snort as she moved the ball out of his reach. Too slow— Just kidding! One of his massive paws swiped a bit too close to her face, and she jerked back, "Down boy! It isn't that serious."
Coming to a stop and thankfully pausing his assault, Kagami snarled, "I need to practice, just give me the ball back."
"And you will," jogging down the court, Hana attempted a layup. She wasn't too heartbroken when it missed. The metal chains of the basketball net clicked as the ball was sent bouncing, "Sharing is caring, Taiga."
"Shut up," already in place to receive the rebound, Kagami palmed it before it could go any further, "I told you to cut that shit out. It's barely been a day."
And feisty tiger is back in the house! Thank god things were back to normal. Hana only lifted a shoulder, "Sempai privileges."
"…" he'd begun to dribble, but his movements faltered as Kagami spat, "Sempai?!"
"Don't bitch out now," despite knowing she'd fail spectacularly against his offense, Hana moved in front of Kagami to try and block him. Arms splayed wide, she smirked, "This was totally your idea."
"No," Kagami growled, "I'm notcalling you that."
"Your choice, I guess," she swatted at the ball he dribbled, trying and failing to knock it out of his hands, "But lemme just tell you— the benefits are awesome."
He was obviously still agitated. Hana could tell from the pinching of his lips, but Kagami did little more than stare down at her. I can stare too big guy. In accordance to her defiant thoughts, Hana glared up at him in challenge. The mutual contact only lasted a second before Kagami rolled his eyes and looked away, but not fast enough for her to miss the smirk that wanted to tug at his lips.
The sight was familiar, but the feelings were not. A nostalgic longing chipped against her heart as blue hair overlaid red until Hana shook the intruding thought off. Instead, she reached forward and tried to steal the basketball again.
Easily bypassing her with one shove of his large arm, Kagami shot the ball into the net, "Somehow I doubt that."
"I doubt you're a natural redhead too," Hana peered after him as he went to retrieve the rebound, "but I never say anything."
Ball safe in hand, Kagami shot her a droll look, "… my eyebrows are red, Imamura."
"But is everything else— I'm joking! Don't throw—" Hana spoke too late. She wasn't in any position to dodge the basketball aimed at her face, "Dammit! Dude, ow!"
Cheeks a brilliant shade of scarlet, Kagami yelped, "Don't just say stuff like that!"
"Maybe I would," she waved to her now smarting forehead, "If you'd stop throwing things at my face!"
"I did that after you—"
"This is the second time, Taiga!"
"Maybe that should tell you something!"
"That you're psychotic!"
"Me?!"
"Yeah! You!"
The resulting battle of wills between the two teenagers was explosive. Yet as their bickering grew more and more pronounced, snarls turned into smiles, mockery turned to teasing, and glares turned into smirks. While the change in attitude didn't halt any of the insults being thrown, it did make the evening almost enjoyable and time passed swiftly.
Neither commented on the growing shift in dynamic.
It was about an hour later when Kuroko came to retrieve them and by that time both teammates were worn out. Kagami had already collapsed atop the pavement and was sound asleep with his arm thrown over his face. Hana, wide awake, was leaning over him and shoving at his shoulder with her foot. She'd been at this for a minutes if her incessant cursing was anything to go by.
As he observed, Kuroko's lips quirked up in gentle smile before he came forward to help.
Reviews!
fantasy.92: Ahh! Thank youuu!
iewz: I'm really glad to hear you like the personalities! They're always some of the hardest to write! The Rakuzan interaction is going to be interesting! I can't wait either! But as for romance, it's getting here. I just can't seem to write anything other than slow burn. Anyway, thank you for coming and reading and leaving a review!
crossforces: I'm sorry. I nearly cried too, man.
Sugarfeather: Man! What a review! I reread it so many times because I love hearing such intensive reviews! Thank youuu! Speaking of Kagami meeting Nudoru... winkwink it's gonna be coming soon hahaha. (Any ideas of stuff that might happen~?) I think Hana's father is brilliant as well! Again, thank you for stopping by and reading and I'm so thankful for your review!
AttackOnFairyTail: Dude! Thank you!
xxjaelee: DON'T SCREAM ITS OKAY. I'M SORRY I MAKE YOU WAIT SO LONG. Dream Akashi is ship worthy material, I agree hahah. THEY ARE SO CUTE THOUGH. I DO AGREE. You get to see a little bit of jealousy this chapter! More shall come, I promise! But yes, awkward but cute moments are the best! Thank you for your review!
Uqor: Sorry you had to wait so long! I'm going to fix that issue so we won't forget what went down next time! (my baaad haha) Thank you for your review and for sticking around!
ADDBaby: THANK YOU I MISSED YOU AS WELL. Life has calmed down a bit, but university is still kicking my behind black and blue, but I love your helpful words ^^! I LOVE PROTECTIVE DAD TOO. It can be a ship of friendship or love! God knows these little dweebs need both!
animefreak112097: it took a while, but I updated! Thank you for your review! ^^
Trisah: Sorry dude, but I love hitting people with the feels. It's the best hahah. Prepare for more in the upcoming chapters! And yeaaah, that family dinner is going to a be a bomb! Thanks for the review!
FabulousElvinBiatch: I also spent 24 hours rereading your review and smiling because it was just so niceee. As for the Kagami ship, man go ahead! I don't have a probably with inter-story shipping, I just can't promise any action inside the story. Maybe I'll get adventurous and write some AU one-shots... hmm. But no, THANK YOU, for reviewing and taking the time to read my work! It means alot!
Imbue-Numinous: She is the queen of denial and it's crazy. I can't make her accept her emotions for the life of meeee. I missed you as well! Thank you for the well wishes and for the review! Thank you so much for thinking about me!
snowlikesstardust: BOND. Bonding is coming from everyone. By the end of the story it's going to be a mess of bonds lmao. Thank you for the review!
OneWhoReadsTooMuch: Akashi is good at being terrifying, I agree. I hope they survive the future dinner as well. They're too young to die, the ship has just begun. But thank you for the review and for still supporting me! I really appreciate it!
95sdawn: angst can be excessive, I do agree. Sorry I have such a bad habit of throwing it in there hahaha. But I'm glad you like the easy banter! Have to say those two are the easiest to write out of everyone ahah. YESSS. WIG. Your ship will forever sail!
NotAnnie: Uoya and co. are going to be fun to see and we will see... mwahahah. Sorry sorry haha, but yes, she's only called Uoya his first name once during a game. (Don't worry I don't remember exactly when either... this story is really long, no shame in forgetting ahahah) Thank you for the reviewwww!
Zynis: Thank you for the review!The dinner will be coming soon! Promisee!
Mary kitten heart: The reactions are legit going to be my favorite part. Just experimenting with Midorima's jealousy this chapter was way to much fun... like don't even let me get my hands on Aomine. Thank you for your review!
Shirjka: First name basis is adorable. I'm having fun with the bumbling awkwardness. Thank you for the encouraging words though, hearing such kind things really does help push me forward. Those are the type of reviews that I love :) And yeaaah, about that relationship? I'm planning on doing multiple endings and that will be one of them. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so I won't leave out singular endings, but from the get go, my intention was an open relationship. Thank you for your reviews! They mean a lot! :)
Lady Hummingbird: Awh, thank youuu! That was so sweet! I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long, but thank you so much for your review!
Red Raspberries: I'm so glad to hear you say the wait is always worth it! I feel so bad that I have to occasionally take these long breaks, but when wonderful reviewers like you tell me such sweet things, it makes it all better! And thank you for the kind words about the chapter! Ahhh, jus thank you so much ^^
jeyamendoza: Girl, I wish I could reply to your whole review! You've included so much stuff and such wonderful commentary that I want to take each sentence and respond to it hahah! First off, I'm glad you liked Akashi's pop-up moment and Hana's dad and Riko's dad should totally go out for a manly mimosa sometime. Kiyoshi and Riko are schemers deep down, I swear. Riko likes cute things and Kiyoshi is just... Kiyoshi... you know they're gonna be shipping their hearts out ahaha. Thank you for being with me always! I always look forward to your reviews! :) talk to you soon!
Naliyu: Yeeeees. THE SHOVEL TALK. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN TO WRITE I ALMOST WENT OVER BOARD. I'M GLAD YOU COULDN"T WAIT TO READ IT BUT MY MORALLY ADULT SIDE IS TELLING ME TO TELL YOU TO PAY ATTENTION IS CLASS BECAUSE I LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU. BUT ALSO THANK YOU FOR DROPPING EVERYTHING AND READING NO MATTER HOW LONG I TAKE. U IZ THA BEST.