Drabble Thirty-Eight: Walk
"They'll be taking a break soon – I'll go grab some drinks from the convenience store." Natsuki volunteered, her eyes straying from the clipboard she was holding. The girl was learning how to judge movements on the court and also use her newly acquired knowledge of the rules of a basketball match. Though nowhere as good as her pink-haired friend, she was trying hard.
Coach Nakatani smiled and nodded. "Come back soon, Inoue." The girl grinned and gave a mini-salute, before abandoning her clipboard and heading down the stone paths to where the sandy beaches lay. He squinted – there seem to be a red-haired guy running along the shore – perhaps from Seirin. Creative training method, he hummed thoughtfully before turning back to Shuutoku's team.
The whistle was soon blown, and the players trailed to the makeshift benches, grabbing water bottles and towels. Takao looked up, his eyes scanning the vicinity curiously.
"Coach, where's Natsuki-chan?"
"Inoue is getting drinks from the store by the road." He snapped his file shut. "We're done for tonight, boys. Get some rest and we shall have debrief in the large room next to your rooms." The Coach left promptly to help when he saw the old owner of the cabin tugging along a large water can to the flower pots.
Miyaji Jr. stretched. "I'm goin' for a bath. Coming?" His older brother agreed, and the seniors quickly followed, all wanting some rest after the vigorous training they underwent.
"You coming along, Shin-chan?" Takao asked, already poised for leaving the basketball court.
Midorima's eyes tore away reluctantly from the strip of shore, before he threw his water bottle and towel at Takao. The black-haired male yelped, fumbling with the items he caught on reflex.
"She might get lost at such an unfamiliar place. Go ahead without me." The green-haired male instructed haughtily, before turning down the stone path, his pace shy of a jog.
His partner-on-court watched his back, a grin stretching his lips slowly, before he whistled all the way into the cabin.
Midorima's eye twitched when he saw the red-haired male from Seirin (that Kagami person…) walking beside the small form of his friend. Good friend. Very good friend.
Kagami held on to a plastic bag with cans of drinks in it, while Natsuki awkwardly tottered along, a slight step behind him. Midorima felt a flash of triumph. If he was the one walking next to Natsuki, his very good friend, they would definitely be having an animated chat instead of this pathetic excuse of companionship. With that assuring thought in his mind, the green-haired male put his nose high up in the air, striding forward before smoothly cinching the bag from the brown-haired girl's arms before she could utter a word.
"Oh, hey you…" Kagami said in surprise. "Ya' came to get her?" He grinned good-naturedly. "I need to get back to my training soon, so could you take this?" He passed the bag of canned drinks to him, before jogging down the stripe of sandy beach with a wave (and a pretty relieved expression – perhaps Midorima's scowl was too pronounced).
"Natsuki, you should have went with me or one of the others." Midorima chided, adjusting the bags in his hands. "This is unfamiliar territory."
The blue-eyed girl just smiled, a touch of pink dusting her cheeks. "I'm fine! Did practice ended already? I wanted to get these to everyone before it ended…"
Midorima's eyes softened as he placed a gentle hand on the small of her back, nudging her forward. (He noted at the back of his mind that idle touches between them were more frequent now, which he couldn't say he hated.)
The girl started walking, and he followed her slow pace easily. "Do not worry. They will accept the drinks regardless of the timing." He assured. Spying a can of red bean soup in the bag, his heart warmed. All the members had different tastes in drinks – and Natsuki had bothered to memorise all of them, even the coach's. He wouldn't be surprised if she bought one for the old owner of their lodgings.
"They're always so kind," she said with a grin. Midorima stared, before averting his eyes. You're the kind one, he thought, but his mouth remained sealed.
"Ah, it's the first time in years I've been to the beach! I'm so glad I got to come here with everyone… Thank you for giving me the chance to be here, Shintaro." Natsuki said gratefully,
"It was the least I could do," he replied quietly, tipping his glasses up. "It has been awhile since you've joined, but if any of them make you uncomfortable-"
Natsuki giggled, and Midorima blinked, turning to regard her.
She just shook her head with a fond smile. "You nag a lot, Shintaro," she teased. Red bloomed up his neck, and he rubbed his nape, looking away.
"I don't." He argued.
"You do…and it's cute." She said the last part softly, blush colouring her cheeks as she looked towards the beach. Midorima's head snapped towards her, his eyes wide and his face red. Crap, he thought, his heart pounding painfully loud in his chest, could she hear it too?
When the silence dragged out too much, the girl quickly laughed to stave off the impending awkwardness when it became apparent he had heard it. "Ahaha, T-Takao-kun…said…that." She lied. Badly, even so. Midorima's lips twitched up despite the strange atmosphere. She is always so endearing.
Soon, their walk by the beach (oh god, that made them sound like a c-c-co…coup—) led them to the stone paths and basketball courts, where Seirin had taken to practicing at in the evening. The sky had turned dark and the sun set, bringing the arrays of orange and pink patches of sky with it.
Midorima's eyes trailed towards the girl skipping ahead to greet the boys who emerged from the hot bath cheerfully. An unwarranted thought squirmed its way to the forefront of his mind.
Does she…feel anything for him at all?
A/N: So we have Midorima here being an emotional stump and basically not daring to say any word romantically related, but yet knowing what it is about. Sorry for the long pause! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please leave a review to tell me what you think and any scenarios you would like to see~