A Mess
Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke characters don't belong to me!
Summary: After the Kirisaki Daiichi/Serin match, Akashi walks in on something he hoped he'd never have to see again.
Trigger Warning*: Substance abuse, brief references to past child abuse.
A/N: This is going to be a one shot, but I might post a few more stories. I haven't seen many stories with with these characters interacting a whole lot, so I thought…why not?
There are brief references to an OC but she's not the focus of this story.
Feedback is always welcome, as long as it's constructive.
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The match has been mildly surprising, but if Tetsuya thinks that he's presenting more than a moderate challenge to Rakuzan, he definitely has another think coming.
The redhead smiles without humour. Makoto must be furious.
He even thinks of sending the older captain a condolence message, but restrains himself. It's best not to provoke the spider after losing a match. He wouldn't be in a frame of mind to appreciate the irony.
Also, she wouldn't like that.
He's headed to one of the bathrooms on the upper tier –usually reserved for coaches and management staff- when he feels it.
A familiar sense of dread, curling in the pit of his stomach.
"Sei-chan?"
His companion's confused murmur alerts Akashi that he'd actually stopped walking.
He quickly pulls his face back into its usual calm look.
"It's fine, Reo. Wait for me by the south exit; I'll be along shortly."
His taller companion seems about to say something in protest until he catches the look in the redhead's eyes and promptly leaves.
As soon as Reo turns the corner, Akashi promptly takes out his phone, finding the app that lets him locate the source of his worry.
Having a tracker installed on the Kirisaki Daiichi captain's phone without his permission might have been somewhat unethical, but he refuses to apologise for it.
His eyebrow twitches when he realizes that Makoto is actually just a few doors down from where he's standing.
In the direction of the lounges.
Closing his eyes, the redhead takes a minute to compose himself.
Melody-san. I wish you were here.
But she isn't, and he has to handle this himself.
He is an Akashi, and he doesn't run from challenges. Even ones of this nature.
Squaring his shoulders, he spares one last glance at his phone to make sure his quarry is still stationary before moving off at a brisk pace.
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When the door swings open, Hanamiya doesn't even flinch.
He should have.
He should have jumped, hid, done what any other high school kid in his position would have done.
But frankly, he'd lost his ability to care about 2 minutes after the Iron Heart had made that completely RIDICULOUS statement to him after losing the match.
How dare he. How dare he?
His team had sensed his complete nosedive in mood, but Hara –who wasn't scared of him, who never flinched when his temper got the best of him- had insisted that the team go out because they'd worked hard and that still deserved a celebration.
And when Hanamiya had turned to him, acid on his tongue, he'd held his gaze, unflinching.
"We'll wait for you outside, boss."
Was all he'd said before the team shuffled out of the changing room.
Somewhere between there and here he'd gotten the tiny bag pressed into his hand from someone he hasn't seen in ages – sorry about the loss, maybe this will make it better- and…why not?
It's not like they're doing any more matches anytime soon. It's not like he's anything but a failure as a coach and captain. Hell, Hara's been doing a much better job than him lately.
What's the point of it all? He may as well have some fun. And if he gets caught and gets in trouble then who would even care?
So as the door swings open and he sees a familiar flash of red hair in his peripheral vision, all he does is continue making lines on the coffee table in front of him.
For a few seconds, the only sound is his card on the glass surface of the coffee table.
Then…
"Makoto."
"Psycho Barbie."
"What happened to Princess?"
Hanamiya hums and makes eye contact with the redhead for the first time. His fingers never slow at their task.
"What happened to Hanamiya-san?" He mocks, before dragging his eyes back to what's in front of him. "Please don't insult my intelligence. You know I can tell the difference between you. You haven't let Princess out in ages."
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Akashi had hoped to never see the sight in front of him again.
It brings back too many memories, too many things he keeps trying to forget.
He blinks and shrugs off the spider's words, just watching his fingers and how quick he is with what he's doing.
"How many have you done?"
Makoto scoffs as he rolls up the tiny post it note, eyes hidden by his bangs.
"Makoto!"
He holds his glare, unflinching. Then, his eyes slide away and his voice is too airy.
"Just a few lines. Tiny like these. Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head over. And no, I didn't take any before the match. I never play high, my reflexes would be shot."
Akashi very carefully does not show what he's feeling, but he's rooted to the spot as the other captain snorts what's in front of him.
"What happened?"
"I'm sorry, did you not see the match?"
The smaller boy glares.
"Don't insult my intelligence. You've lost games before and this isn't your normal response. Something else must have happened. Something else triggered this. What was it? And who gave this to you?"
He feels a surge of satisfaction as the Kirisaki captain's eyes shift to the side.
Akashi's never been as successful at handling Makoto as she is, but he isn't completely ignorant of how to deal with him in this state.
"Makoto," he tries again. "Have you taken your medication recently?"
Ah, there it is, he thinks, as the taller boy's eyes lock on to his and he sees…fear? Shock?
Suddenly, Akashi feels very, very tired.
"You need to take it."
"It doesn't work."
"Makoto-"
"It doesn't work, alright?!" he explodes up, out of the chair, and Akashi has to force himself not to react physically.
Staying perfectly still and listening is the best thing he can do for the other captain right now and no one would ever call him cuddly but this? This he can do.
"Nothing's changed and I still want to hurt people! I'm still just like HIM!" Makoto spits out. He's pacing the confines of the room now, pupils blown wide –Akashi isn't sure how he's not reacting to how bright the room must be by now- and looking the exact same way he did two years ago.
"Makoto. You aren't like him. You never could be."
Dark eyes glint at him dangerously, and Akashi once again has to force himself to stand his ground. Makoto hasn't taken nearly enough coke to affect his reflexes and provoking him to violence is not what he came here to do.
He chooses his next words carefully.
"Did you tell her you were playing today?"
If possible, the taller boy's glare gets even darker, but his silence speaks volumes.
This is even worse than he thought.
His own relationship with Melody-san has been strained since he switched places with his weaker personality, but he knows that she and Makoto communicate with far more regularity. He knows how the dark haired captain views the older girl.
If he's been holding things back from the girl they both adore…
Akashi folds his arms, steeling himself for what he knows has to come next.
"Tell her."
"Like hell."
"Either you tell her, or I will." His voice is barely above a whisper, but he makes sure Makoto hears the iron.
The fact that he pales and shrinks away from him at the threat makes the younger captain give an internal sigh of relief.
Even though Makoto usually knows better than to actually attack him outright, neither of them do well with threats, and with the drugs in his system, Akashi hadn't been sure the spider wouldn't have attempted to take a swing at him.
"She's going to be angry."
The redheaded captain notes how ashamed his companion looks now, fingers playing with a loose string on his jacket.
"Perhaps. But she needs to know. And you need to resume taking your medication, but it would be best for you to wait until you get this out of your system. I will not be responsible for any medical emergencies. Give it to me," he says, reaching his hand out toward the bag.
He's careful to dial back the authoritative tone in his voice from a 10 to a 4. The other boy can't feel like he's being bossed about on this.
It takes a few minutes, but Makoto eventually hands it over to him, and then silently goes about cleaning up any evidence from the table.
He does rub the last remnants on to his gums, but Akashi knows that's mostly an attempt to provoke him and doesn't rise to the bait.
Makoto's phone rings, jumping them both –although it's only the taller boy who visibly flinches- and he answers, sharply.
''I'm coming, Hara. Don't be such a mother hen."
He pushes past the redhead as he ends the call.
"Do you…did you mean what you said. About not being like him?" The tone is uncaring but the look on his face is anything but.
Akashi meets his eyes, and makes sure the Kirisaki Daiichi captain can see how serious he is.
"Makoto, you were traumatized and you're getting help. You need to give it time. You will never be like him. He's a sorry excuse for a father. Do you really think you would treat your own children the way he treated you?"
"No." It's barely above a whisper.
Makoto is looking uncharacteristically vulnerable, and the redhead makes a snap decision.
"Go home."
As expected, the spider's head snaps up in anger, but Akashi doesn't let him get a word in.
'You're high and emotionally compromised and you shouldn't be out like this. Do you really want your team to see you like this? Coach?" he prompts. If it's one thing the other boy can't take, it's his pride being threatened.
It's a few seconds before the fight drains from Makoto's frame. He looks down.
'Fine. Fine, whatever."
"And don't forget to call her. Tonight."
"I said FINE, Barbie Doll."
Akashi hears the grudging respect even in within the insult, and so he doesn't comment.
As they part ways outside the door, Makoto on the phone to his teammates withdrawing from whatever plans he made earlier, the redhead lets himself breathe a sigh of relief.
He'll give the other captain 24 hours to make the call.
Giving a brief call to Reo to apologise for his tardiness, he heads toward the south exit.
He has a match to prepare for.
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A/N 2: Let me know if you enjoyed this story! It's been a while since I posted, so I'm now starting to get back into the groove of things.