Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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3rd year – Teiko
Mac's head snapped up and her wide green eyes stared shocked at the equally shocked Seijuro who was staring at the album with wide eyes and his mouth was hanging open in surprise. Had Mac been more collected and not panicking she would have been amused by the pure surprise and shock the normally collected Seijuro was showing. Though Mac was panicking inside as she tried to find a way to explain this away, it was too late. He had seen her pictures move and she couldn't talk herself out of this one.
"Seijuro…" Mac started but stopped not knowing what to say or how to explain. Could she even explain magic to him? Both Sasaki and Sato had said that no one could know that she was a witch; there were rules and all that.
"Why…what…" Seijuro frowned looked away from the moving picture and up at her with such a confused look in his heterochromatic eyes that she had to smile a little. She had never seen him so lost for words.
"I…" Mac frowned and looked down at the picture of herself as a baby in her dad's arms. He was pressing a kiss to her head and beamed at her in a constant circle. "It's hard to explain."
He inhaled deeply and she could see him getting some control over himself again. She scooted over on the bench making room for him to join her and smiled slightly when he did. She inhaled and started to think on what to say and how to explain this. She really didn't want to have him forget about everything. He was her friend, her best friend beside Daiki.
"Try," Seijuro said, "how are the pictures moving?"
Mac sighed again and glanced at him biting down at her lower lip slightly as she did.
"I can get in trouble telling you," Mac whispered, "no one is supposed to know… I shouldn't have taken the album with me…I can't…"
"Mac," Seijuro interrupted her, "tell me. I won't tell anyone, I promise."
Mac inhaled deeply and looked at him for a moment. She could see the sincerity in his eyes, her mind going to all those times he had helped her and been there for her. She knew she could trust him, so she nodded.
"Magic," she whispered. "Magic is making it possible."
To his credit, he didn't say anything only narrowed his eyes and looked back at the photo like he was trying to make sense of it. He was quiet for so long and Mac was starting to panic again. What if he couldn't handle it? What if he thought she was a freak like her relatives did?
"Magic," he finally said. "You're saying magic is real."
"Yes," Mac nodded and swallowed. "It is and I'm a witch."
Seijuro looked at her and then down at the photo and Mac could see him thinking so she kept silent even as she wanted to ask what he was thinking and to say something because she was freaking out.
"Who is that?" He asked causing Mac to blink at the change of subject.
"My dad and me," Mac said quietly making him look at her. She knew he saw her small smile and the pain in her eyes. "I just got the album today, before today I only had old news clipping of how my parents looked like. This is the first time I saw them properly."
Her voice broke a little making her bit hard down on her lower lips to control her emotions. She refused to look up at him and kept her eyes on the photo. She turned the page and a photo of both her parents was on the centre of the page for him to see.
Seijuro felt lost for words as he listened to her talk, so he turned his attention back to the album when she turned the page and saw a new picture. He saw it was the same man from the last picture, maybe a little younger than he was there, his ruffled hair and glasses were still the same though. He was holding a woman with auburn hair in his arms and he saw the same grass green eyes on her face as those he saw in his friends face.
"My parents," Mac murmured, "James and Lily Potter."
"You look a lot like them," Seijuro commented, "it's like a perfect mix of them both."
"You think so?" Mac asked making him glance at her and saw the small smile on her face as she stared at the photo. Her parents waved and smiled at her and Mac traced it with her finger.
"I don't lie," Seijuro said and Mac snorted and smiled at him.
"Of course you don't," Mac smiled. "I think they're still in school here, it looks like they have school uniforms on."
"School uniforms?" Seijuro asked looking closer and took notice of the black and what seemed to be a school crest on their chests. He had never seen anything like that before.
"Hogwarts," Mac said absentmindedly. "It's the magic school in Britain. It's…where I was supposed to go."
Seijuro's sharp eyes snapped up at her and Mac could see the question in them as well as the worry hidden underneath. So she explained how those with magic was normally taught in magic schools from they were 11 years old, but that she hadn't been since her relatives had moved and hidden her from the magic world somehow. She explained how she was taking private tutoring and saw the new understanding in his eyes.
"That's why you've been so tired lately?" he asked.
"I knew you noticed," Mac said making him give her a look and she smiled, "yes, it is. I had test four days in a row and it was very tiring."
Seijuro frowned slightly trying to wrap his mind around what he was learning, he was surprisingly open to the idea of magic. He knew Mac wouldn't lie about it and well, the photo was kind of hard to ignore.
Mac watched Seijuro silently waiting for him to say something, she relaxed slightly as she didn't see disgust or fear on his face. Yet, she was nervous about what he would say.
He looked up and smirked at her and Mac could feel the tension leave her and she shook her head before smiling. The rest of the afternoon was spent talking about magic and Seijuro asked questions leaving Mac to answer the best she could. She couldn't help but notice that this Seijuro was closer to the old one, the one she had first gotten close to. It warmed her heart and gave her hope that he could return.
...
Mac felt a little better when she arrived back at the apartment, but her mind was spinning with the recent event. She was pleased that Seijuro now knew her secret, well about magic, she didn't like lying to him. But…if she told Sasaki or Sato that he knew… would they make him forget? Would they report her? She hadn't meant to reveal magic, but…she couldn't regret the outcome when Seijuro accepted it like he did.
Not seeing her uncle or cousin she went directly to her room and sat down on the bed glancing down at Nao who jumped into her lap right away and purred slightly in content. She started to pat him as her mind spun with decisions.
"What to do, Nao?" she whispered into the silent room.
"Yow-wow-ow," Nao yapped barely opening his eyes.
"I wish I understood that," Mac sighed, "I'm sure you had the perfect solution."
The extra tails appeared like they sometimes did when Nao was relaxed and they were in private like this and Mac couldn't help the smile that spread on her face when she saw them. She always smiled when Nao showed his tails, it was proof that he trusted her and that he was hers. She felt calmer and wondered if it was Nao's doing, she looked at him and saw his eyes were open and met hers.
Looking at Nao she made her decision, for now, she wouldn't let anyone know that Seijuro knew about her magic. He had promised not to say anything, and she knew she could trust his word. There were few people in this world that she trusted completely, but Seijuro was one of them. She couldn't risk him forgetting and resenting her for it later, she would deal with the fallout later, if there was one.
Nao nibbled at her finger and seemed to smile at her making her laugh.
"I'll take this for your approval of my decision," Mac told the little fox. "I'll let it play out and keep it a secret for now. I won't let them take my friend from me, I won't take the risk. Seijuro is more important than their rules."
Secure in her decision she moved Nao over on the bed and got up to get ready for the night. The album secured in her nightstand and the letter from Newt and Tina folded inside of it. She would answer it tomorrow.
...
"You know we could hang out without playing basketball," Mac said looking at Daiki who was lying on his back on one of the benches in the gym. He was there but refused to play, and Mac could see that he was in a bad mood.
"Doing what?" he asked opening one eye to look at her.
"Whatever we feel like," Mac said from her position on the floor leaning against the bench as she looked at the court where the second strings were playing a training match. Her notebook was in her lap and her pen was flying over the pages as she took notes. "We didn't always play basketball when we hung out before, remember. Perhaps we could go and see a movie or something, or to one of those arcades. We used to want to go to one when we were kids, remember?"
Daiki was silent for a moment making Mac glance over at him and saw the small smile on his face showing that he was happy about the idea. She looked back on the court and frowned a little before scribbling something down.
"Alright," Daiki agreed. "After practice?"
"Alright," she echoed smiling pleased. She had missed her best friend and when they weren't living together she feared they would grow apart, and she couldn't let that happen.
"Mac," the call of her name had her look up and she saw Tetsuya standing there looking at them blankly making her sigh inwardly. Tetsuya and Daiki were still not talking and she mourned the loss of friendship between them, Tetsuya had been good for Daiki and the other way around. Now they barely looked at each other and Mac knew that the biggest part of the blame lay with Daiki.
"Tetsu," she smiled. "What's up?"
He allowed a small smile on his blank face and she really worried about the lack of emotion he showed on his face lately. She got to her feet and looked at him.
"I was just wondering if we could practice together," Tetsuya asked shyly, "I wish to practice my misdirection and you're the best to help me with it."
Mac smacked Daiki's arm when she heard the almost silent snort from him and shot her friend a glare but he just rolled his eyes before closing them. Mac looked back at Tetsuya and smiled.
"Of course," she agreed and put her notebook back in her bag. "Whenever you're ready."
"Thank you," Tetsuya said.
Playing with Tetsuya was always fun, he was still enjoying basketball and she could really enjoy it without being reminded of the changes in her friends. They took the time to work on his misdirection and she pointed out a few places where he still needed to work on.
"Thank you, Mac," Tetsuya said smiling a little when they finished.
Mac grinned at him and ruffled his hair making him swap her hand away with a silent glare, but she just continued to grin at him.
"You don't need to thank me every time, Tetsu," Mac told him. "We're friends and this is what friends do for each other."
He smiled but she knew he would continue to thank her so she sighed and rolled her eyes slightly before turning to pick up her bag and get changed again.
...
"So…you ready?" Daiki asked from where he was waiting. He smiled his special smile as he shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans and looked at her.
"Of course," Mac smiled and they started to walk toward the gates and toward the bus stop.
"I saw a new arcade downtown," Daiki said, "I was planning on going there soon. Do you want to go there now?"
"Alright," Mac agreed and smiled as she listened to Daiki talk about the arcade as they boarded the bus and found a couple of free seats. She tried to ignore the looks Daiki got from a pair of girls seated a little behind them, from their uniform she could see that they were from one of the high schools in the area. They giggled and whispered to each other while eying Daiki who was seemingly oblivious to them. Mac frowned but pushed the feeling away and focused on her Daiki.
"Come on," Daiki said breaking Mac out of her thoughts and she smiled as she followed him off the bus.
She saw that they were in a popular area of the town and soon saw the flashing lights marking the arcade. She could see several teens around the arcade laughing and hanging out with their friends.
They paid for the entry and was hit with the loud music when they entered the large room, she could see more game machines than she'd ever seen before. From what she could see there were several price games and around the corner, she could see a staircase leading up.
"What do you want to play?" Mac asked Daiki having to raise her voice a little so he could hear her.
"Let's try that one," Daiki said pointing to a machine where you had to try and catch a stuffed animal. Mac arched a brow in surprise but nodded and followed Daiki to the machine. Daiki put a coin into the slot and the machine started to play music making Mac jump slightly in surprise. Daiki grinned at her having noticed and she mock glared at him.
"Come on, ladies first," Daiki said.
"What a gentleman," Mac deadpanned but stepped up to the machine.
The rest of the afternoon they spent in the arcade and Mac had more fun than she'd had in a long time. They played many of the games and would compete with each other in some of the car-games, and had even gathered some spectators when they played.
...
"Mac-nee!" Shiro yelled and before Mac could really brace herself she had an eager boy colliding with her and hugging her around the waist. She stumbled slightly but smiled and patted him on the head.
"Hi Shiro," Mac said, "how are you?"
"I'm good," Shiro said smiling up at her still holding her around the waist. "I missed you!"
"I missed you too," Mac smiled softly at him. "Did you have a good football practice yesterday?"
"Yeah!" Shiro beamed.
"Mac-nee," Sayuri said having come downstairs having heard her brother's yell and wanting to see Mac as well. "You're here."
"Hi Sayuri," Mac hugged her and smiled at her. "You alright?"
"Yes," Sayuri nodded. "You're here for dinner?"
"Daiki asked me," Mac smiled.
She followed them into the living room and Nao who had been let out of her bag was walking by her looking pleased to be back here as well. It was strange yet good to be back in the house, she hadn't been here since she moved.
Both Shiro and Sayuri started to talk at the same time to tell her about their classes and friends wanting to update her on everything that had happened since they'd last seen her. Mac just listened and commented here and there, having missed them as well and wanting to hear what they had to say.
"How are things going with your uncle?" Takehiro asked during dinner.
"Good," Mac smiled a little, "he's been good."
"That's nice," Ayano said giving her a concerned look. "Remember that you can come here anytime you want. You're always welcome here."
"Thank you," Mac said feeling a little emotional and noticed that Daiki was smiling at her.
...
Mac waved at Daiki who had walked her to the bus stop and waited for the bus with her when she stepped on the bus. He waved back before pushing his hands into his pocket again as he watched her board the bus. She sat down and looked out to see him still standing there watching her, he had a strange look on his face and Mac couldn't read it. When he saw her looking he smiled her smile and she couldn't help but smile back feeling warm and hopeful again. The day had been good, it had felt like before when they could just hang out without having any conflict hanging over them.
The bus started to drive again and she waved one last time to Daiki who waved back and soon she couldn't see him anymore. She leaned back in her seat and thought back at her day, and couldn't help the smile on her face. She just wished he could still enjoy basketball, and that she could help him with the pain she knew he still felt over the game he loved so much. But…she couldn't keep pushing him without losing him and she didn't want to lose him. She couldn't.
Getting off the bus and walking toward her new home she was still pondering how to help her best friend. She freed Nao from her bag and put him down so he could walk beside her. They were just passing the park near the apartment building when she heard the familiar sound of a basketball bouncing on the asphalt. She turned and looked over at the court before she stopped and blinked.
"Whoa…" Mac whispered surprised when she recognised her cousin Taiga playing by himself, he was bouncing the ball over the court before he jumped up to dunk the ball with a force that surprised her and had her watch him more closely.
She couldn't help the analytic eye she got as she watched him play without him noticing her, she took in his movements and how his body was built. She had thought that he had the right build for basketball, but she hadn't thought he played. She had never asked, and now she was wondering why. It was clear that he was good and had a talent for it.
Did he know she played? Had he even heard of her? Of her friends? If he played for his middle school team, then he should have. Yet, he had never let on that he knew she played or anything like that. Did he not want her to know?
She could feel herself start to work on the profile on his skills, he was still not on top of his physical skill, but with the right amount of training, he would be there. Even just briefly watching him she could tell he could be really good. Even as good as them…one day.
With a loud yell, he jumped higher and dunked the ball hard into the net causing the ball to roll so it landed in front of her feet. She looked from the ball and over at Taiga who had stopped when he spotted her, his mouth was opened slightly in surprise at seeing her.
"Hi," Mac said and picked up the ball. "I didn't know you played."
Taiga shrugged, "I learned in the States. I like it."
"Me too," Mac nodded and threw the ball into the air before catching it again. She saw how his red eyes followed the ball. "You're good."
"You play?" he asked looking at her curiously.
"I do," Mac smiled a little. "I'm a manager for my team as well, though."
The look of surprise had her convinced that her cousin didn't know who she was, but then again…most schools seemed surprised when she took her place on the court. Even now when she had played for about a year. They seemed to believe that it was only rumoured that Teiko had a girl on their team.
"You any good?" He asked looking at her.
Mac snorted and rolled her eyes at the almost sceptical look in his eyes, though he didn't seem too dismissive over her playing as she had expected.
"Why don't we play and you can see for yourself?" Mac challenged and he smirked.
She bounced the ball and watched as he crunched down to defend the basket. She smiled at the right stance he had taken before she moved to one side before the other watching as he adjusted his position, she knew she shouldn't do it but she couldn't help but test him and play to see how he would react.
She spun around and pulled back enough to make room for herself and jumped up before releasing the ball and watched as it flew through the air and into the net with a sharp swish. She landed effortlessly and saw the stunned look in Taiga's eyes as he looked from the ball and then to her. He met her eyes and got a determined look in his eyes and she smirked at the challenge she saw in his red eyes.
Taiga had the ball and Mac guarded the basket with a concentrated look on her face and saw how he started to move to the right and took notice of the small change in his body language before he suddenly was in her left and managed to snap the ball out of his hands and turned the situation around. She twirled around and saw the focused look in his eyes. Good. She rushed to the left and toward the basket and he was on her the whole time, but he didn't come close enough to stop her from getting free and managing to score.
...
Breathing hard Taiga leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He couldn't believe it. He had been crushed by his cousin who didn't even look to be too bothered by the match. She was barely breathing any harder or sweating where she was petting Nao who looked content and had closed his eyes as she petted him. Just who was she? Alex wasn't this good, and he had thought that Alex was the best player he'd known.
"Where did you learn to play like that?" Taiga asked when he had caught his breath.
Mac glanced up and blinked at him, but she didn't say anything for a moment as she stared at him. He felt like shifting on his feet under her searching eyes, eyes that resembled his mum's so much that he often felt his breath catch seeing them. Even hidden behind glasses. He wasn't sure what she was looking for. Finally, she tilted her head slightly and smiled.
"Here and there," she shrugged. "I used to play with my best friend on street courts, he loved basketball so much and would use every free opportunity to play. Usually, he would drag me with him and I learned from him."
Taiga stared at her for a moment longer and smiled slightly.
"You play with him on your school team?" he asked but frowned when her eyes shadowed slightly and she looked away from him.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I first joined as a manager though, I love analysing and are good at helping others grow in the talents. I was… tricked into joining them as a player last year after the Dursley's left and our Captain decided that the team needed me as a player and had the coaches see me play."
Taiga frowned but didn't say anything. He hadn't really heard her mention her other aunt and uncle, well he guessed they would be his aunt and uncle too. Though, he wasn't upset that he hadn't met them. He felt anger at the thought of what they had put Mac through, he knew he didn't know her that well yet. Not knowing that she loved basketball as much as he did, was proof enough of that. But he didn't like the idea of her in pain.
"You think you'll be able to teach me?" he asked and he could see the surprise in her eyes as she snapped her head toward him. He was also a little confused at the apprehensiveness he saw in her eyes, he couldn't understand it. She bit down on her lower lip watching him before she looked at Nao.
"I guess I could," Mac agreed.
"Great!" Taiga beamed and Mac smiled a little with softening eyes. He felt again the similarities to his mum and looked away from her feeling his throat thicken with unwanted emotions. He had to get over it.
...
Mac yawned and fell back on her bed, she was so tired. The day had been so long and busy, she wasn't even sure how she had managed through it without falling asleep. But she wouldn't be without that day for anything. It had been a really good day and she had even had a breakthrough with her cousin who seemed much more at ease around her now, but there was still something that had him look away awkward and tense.
Her phone rang making her open her eyes again and groan slightly as she stretched for the phone. She smiled when she saw Kiyoshi's name on the caller id.
"Hi," she greeted and heard the chuckle at the other end.
"Hello, Mac," he said. "How are you?"
"Good," Mac smiled, "very good."
"Oh? Anything particularly good happened today?" Kiyoshi asked and she could hear the smile in his voice. She sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard and patted Nao who snuggled closer to her.
"Yeah," Mac said, "I spent the day with Daiki, just hanging out like we used to and had fun. He was more like before and not so depressed. Then I went home with him and had dinner with his family again. I missed them." She continued to tell him about her day.
"That sounds like a good day," he said but his voice was a little tight making her frown slightly wondering why he sounded like that. "So your cousin plays basketball as well?"
"Yeah," Mac said making her decide that she just imagined how his voice was tighter. "I was surprised, I didn't think he played."
"That's good," Kiyoshi said.
"Yeah, it is," Mac said frowning slightly at how tense she suddenly felt, she wasn't sure why she felt that way. Normally she felt relaxed and at ease talking with Kiyoshi, he was someone who could understand her and was great at making her smile.
"Look," Kiyoshi said, "I have to go, grandma is calling me. I…Do you want to meet up tomorrow?"
Mac blinked at the question, she felt there was something more in it than just a question on meeting to hang out. She swallowed and felt butterflies in her stomach. He couldn't mean as a date, right? It wasn't possible…was it? Even if it was…did she want it to be?
"Sure," she said swallowing again her throat felt dry. "That would be nice. Where and when?"
"What about meeting at the court we met last time? After school?" Kiyoshi asked his voice lighter again.
"Ok," Mac agreed.
"Good," he said. "Good night, Mac. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good night," Mac breathed and blinked when the phone went silent and she slowly lowered the phone. What had just happened?
...
Sato's house
Mac finished frowned as she flipped through the pages in her charms book and didn't notice the amused look she got from her professor.
"You looking for something, Potter-san?" Professor Sato finally asked when Mac sighed for the fifth time.
"I wanted to see if there was a charm that could make pictured stay still for a while?" Mac asked looking at him.
"There is," Professor Sato said slightly surprised. "Why are you looking for it?"
Mac pulled out her new album before looking at Professor Sato. He raised a brow.
"I got this from Newt and Tina," Mac said, "two days ago. I just wanted to have the option to be able to show the pictures to my friends who don't know about magic."
She didn't say anything about Seijuro and the fact that he knew about magic now, she would stick with her decision. She didn't feel too bad about it, but she did wonder if her professor would have allowed him to know. But she couldn't risk it. Not with Seijuro.
"I see," Professor Sato said. "Well, the charm is immobulus. That reminds me that it's a charm I should have taught you already. So, let's do it now."
Mac smiled and nodded she repeated the charm and did as he told her, she had to try a couple of times before she had it right and she saw how the picture of her parents dancing still and look like a normal muggle picture. She missed the movements of her parents when she saw them looking so still, but she knew that she could now show it to her friends if she wanted to. Also, it might be a good spell to know if she wanted to take it out of the house. She couldn't have another mishap like the one she just had where she revealed magic to Seijuro.
Mac smiled pleased when she had it and Professor Sato praised her for telling her to put it away and that they needed to move on with the lesson. She did as asked knowing it would be a bad idea to protest.
...
Teiko
Mac rolled her eyes when she saw Shintaro and Atsushi argue again, but she ignored them. She didn't have the energy to worry about them now that she was almost finished with her muggle school day and soon was going to see Kiyoshi. The nerves from last night were back and she kept wondering why she felt like this was a date and not a normal hang out with friends. He hadn't really said anything different from before, but there was something in the way he said it that had her feeling that way.
Should she ask him? Wouldn't that be awkward? What if she ruined the friendship? She looked over at Seijuro who was talking with the coach about something and sighed. She wondered if she could ask him, but the idea had her wince and shake her head even to herself. She couldn't ask him, that would be…catastrophic. She could just imagine the overprotective mode he would go into and rope the rest of her friends with him to protect her. That was just….a big no. Daiki had left for the day, having decided that this was a practice he would skip; it was within Seijuro's limitations so no one said anything about it.
"Mac-chin is being quiet," Atsushi commented making Mac realise that the others were watching her now while she had let her mind wander and worry. "Are you hungry?"
"No," Mac shook her head. "Sorry, just thinking."
She saw the narrowed eyes from both Seijuro and Shintaro, though Shintaro quickly blanked his face when he saw her looking. He was carrying a correction pen today as a lucky item she noticed. She smiled at the quirk. Something didn't change at least.
"What are you thinking about?" Seijuro asked.
"Just this and that," Mac shrugged, "I have it handled."
He frowned but didn't press her. She knew he was curious, but was pleased that he was able to let it go.
"Nationals are coming up," Shintaro said pushing his glasses up on his nose. Mac was secretly glad for the change of subject.
"We have to get through the preliminaries first, though," Tetsuya spoke up making Atsushi and Shintaro jump slightly.
"We'll win," Seijuro said confidently. "Easy."
Mac had to admit that it was very likely. She couldn't see who would be good enough to challenge them. Not yet and not from Tokyo. Perhaps someone from one of the schools outside of Tokyo? That reminded her that she had to start looking at the challengers soon.
...
Mac was the first to arrive on the court and saw a few older boys playing at the far end. Mac ignored them and sat down on a bench to wait for Kiyoshi. She had managed to sneak away from her friends who seemed determined to keep her for as long as they could at the school. She wasn't sure why, but it was like they could smell the fact that she was going to meet Kiyoshi and trying to stop it. But they couldn't know, right?
She sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly as she waited. She looked up when she saw a pair of feet stop in front of her, but the greeting stopped at her lips when it wasn't Kiyoshi standing in front of her but a teen she had never seen before. It was one of the boys who had been playing at the far end and he was smirking down at her looking at her with a look she didn't like and felt her heartbeat sped up.
"Well, what is a pretty thing like you doing here?" he asked stepping closer.
"I'm waiting for someone," Mac said hiding the nerves and uncomfortable she was feeling, but she stood up and took a step to the side trying to escape him.
He smirked again when he noticed her movements and took a step toward her. He was looking her up and down and she swallowed wondering what to do. She could hit him, but she was sure his friends that were laughing at him would come to their friend's aid if she did. She couldn't fight them all at once. She hadn't felt like this since her cousin Dudley would corner her.
"What about you come and have some fun with us instead?" he leered at her.
"No," Mac shook her head.
"Come on, don't be such a pain," he said, "you'll have fun with us…I promise."
She couldn't see how to get out of this, she just wanted to disappear, she just wanted…
"I suggest you walk away," Kiyoshi's voice sounded and he sounded angry. It was the first time she had ever heard him angry, but she relaxed the moment she heard him. Soon his arm was placed over her shoulder and she felt him pull her close to his body. "Before I make you."
"And who are you to make me?" the older teen sneered. He was older than Kiyoshi, Mac was sure, but Kiyoshi was taller and had more muscles and the other teen seemed a little intimidated.
"I'm her boyfriend," Kiyoshi said making Mac still and heart to skip a beat at how easy he claimed the title. "So, I suggest you leave. Now."
The boy narrowed his eyes and looked between her and Kiyoshi before he sneered and turned around and walked away. His friends looking like they were disappointed, but also amused at their friend's defeat.
...
Mac wasn't sure what just happened, it felt like she was frozen in place as Kiyoshi still had his arm over her shoulder and she was still held close to his body. She could feel the heat coming from him and she felt her face flush red.
Suddenly it as like the sound and movement were back and she quickly stepped away not really lingering on the feeling that missed the weight of his arm over her shoulders or the warmth of his body. She turned so she couldn't see him and hid her red face from him.
"Mac…" his voice was quiet and unsure. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine," she mumbled.
"They didn't hurt you, did they?" he asked worriedly.
"No…" Mac shook her head. "They didn't."
Silence fell between them and Mac could hear him shift on his feet a few times, but she didn't turn around. She wasn't sure what to think or do. He had claimed to be her boyfriend, but that was only because he wanted to make that boy leave. She wasn't sure if she could face him and listen to him say that it was only a way to get her away from the situation. She wanted… but she couldn't do this either. She felt weak and like a coward, and she hated feeling like that.
"Are you mad at me, Mac?" Kiyoshi asked before she could find her voice.
"Why would I be mad at you?" Mac asked.
"I said I was your boyfriend when…when I hadn't even asked you yet," he said sounding more vulnerable than she'd heard him before.
Yet, he said, like he had planned to… She turned around and saw his honest brown eyes looking at her and he was looking nervous and worried at the same time. He took a step closer to her and looked down at her.
"You…you want…" Mac frowned at her inability to form the question but she saw him understand and smile softly at her. He reached out and placed his hands on her shoulders as if to hold her in place.
"I like you," he said, "I have for a long time now and I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be my girlfriend. I want to make you smile; I want to make you happy. I believe I can make you happy, Mac."
Mac stared at him at loss of words, he was saying things she had only hoped for but not really thought he would ever say. She knew she had a crush on him, but could he really like her too? She realised that she hadn't said anything yet and he was starting to look sad and she reached out and grabbed his shirt. He blinked and looked back at her with hope in his eyes.
"I…I like you to," Mac managed to say and the smile she got in return was wide and happy and she couldn't help but smile back at him as he pulled her into a hug.
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AN: Thank you all for reading, following, favouriting and reviewing my story! I can't thank you enough!
So, what do you think? I was inspired by a reader who left a comment and I figured that it would be natural for Mac to have a crush. I decided that it would be Kiyoshi and not one of her team because I don't want to mess with her relationship with them. Also, Daiki is the main pairing. They both are just too oblivious to realise their feelings, and won't for a time yet. They're too used to each other and needs to grow a little more.