Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
Mac sighed as she glanced at the phone. She bit down on her lower lip as she remembered Daiki walking away from her. Why had he done that? Ok, so she was talking with Kiyoshi again and had seen him a few times. They were friends and Mac wanted to see her friends. So…why did that result in Daiki walking away and looking hurt?
Sighing again she found Daiki's name on the small screen on the phone and hit the call button before bringing the phone up to her ear. She listened to the summing tone and sighed when the call went unanswered.
She leaned against the wall in the hallway ignoring the people walking past her as Nao settled into her arms and rested his head on her shoulder and she allowed her mind to drift. She liked Daiki and she wanted to see him, but at the same time it was getting harder to see him and not…say anything.
The noise around her seemed to pick up and she glanced at the clock and she saw that it was getting close to five pm when the match was going to start. She pushed away from the wall and smiled down at Nao who blinked sleepily up at her. He felt safe in her arms and could now fall asleep even around other people, as long as he was in her arms. It was better than how he was before.
"There you are, Mac," Ryota said giving her a worried look.
"Ah, sorry," Mac said as she sat down between him and Ueno. "Got lost in thoughts."
"It's fine," Ryota assured her but he still looked worried. "Are you sure you're alright, Mac?"
Mac glanced over at him and gave him a small smile, "thank you for worrying, Kise, but I'll be fine."
He sighed but didn't press anymore much to her relief.
The two teams had entered the gym now and looked focused, Mac could tell that the match meant a lot to both of them.
"Will Seirin miraculously beat two kings in a row to win or will Shutoku defend its rightful throne?" Kasamatsu wondered out loud.
"Hmm, who knows," Mac said pensively.
"Well, I hope Shutoku wins," Ueno grinned and looked ready to start bouncing in her seat much to Mac's amusement.
...
Mac noticed both Ryota and Kasamatsu lean forward slightly as they took in the opening moves from Seirin and Mac recognized it as the same move they had made against Kaijo, it was a good move, but… Shintaro was there and stopped Taiga from scoring.
What followed was both teams refusing to let the other score and eight minutes passed and the score was still 0-0.
Mac knew what was going to happen when Shintaro got the ball even as he was far away from the hoop. She hummed as she watched him shoot (it still looked amazing) the ball flying high up in the air before curving back down.
Shintaro was already making his way back (looking stoic as always), but Mac noticed something most of the cheering and an amazed crowd hadn't.
Tetsuya. He was running to be there when the ball went through the hoop and true enough Mac noticed that Taiga was running toward Shutoku's hoop.
"The balance is shifted," Kasamatsu commented when Shutoku scored.
"Wait," Mac said and he glanced at her to see her smiling. "Tetsu's not done yet."
They looked back and saw Tetsuya having reached the ball and used his whole arm and forced to pass the ball making it fly across the court faster than ever before where Taiga was ready to catch it and scored.
Stunned silence before cheering filled the gym.
Both Kasamatsu and Ryota leaned forward in shock over what they just had witnessed. Mac grinned proudly as she looked at Tetsuya who looked determined.
A look at Shintaro showed just how frustrated he felt by Tetsuya's pass as his green eyes were locked on Seirin's shadow.
...
Mac could hear Kasamatsu say something about Tetsuya and knew he was now really seeing the Tetsuya they had seen back at Teiko. She smiled slightly, but there was something still bothering her about Shutoku.
They were stronger than this and they wouldn't let Shintaro get shut down that easily. She frowned as she looked at the coach who had a pondering look on his face as he studied the game that kept waving back and forth. What was more…he was looking at Tetsuya.
Mac felt her analytic brain analysing the game and try to see what the coach for Shutoku was seeing. The reason that Seirin managed to keep up with Shutoku was Tetsuya and Taiga, but mostly Tetsuya and his ability to fade into the background and get the passes through to his teammates.
And…Mac frowned.
She looked at Takao who was flexible and a good dribbler, but there was something more to him. She leaned forward as she studied him unaware of Ryota and Kasamatsu looking at her or Ueno glancing over at her curiously.
"What's she doing?" Kasamatsu asked.
"She's seeing something we don't," Ryota said with a nostalgic smile. "She gets like that when she's studying someone's talent."
"Oh," Kasamatsu looked away from her and down to the court again.
Mac blinked, "that's it."
"Eh?" Ueno asked.
"Seirin will be in trouble…" Mac mumbled.
Ryota shrugged when Ueno looked at him.
...
"They changed marks," Kasamatsu commented surprised. "Someone else is on Kuroko now."
"Takao Kazunari," Mac filled in. "I'm pretty sure he can see Tetsu, and that's trouble."
Both Ryota and Kasamatsu looked at her before looking back at Tetsuya and Takao.
It was soon proven that Mac was right and she sighed knowing that the game just shifted to Shutoku's favour.
She sighed as she watched Seirin struggle and while she knew that Tetsuya wasn't going to give up like this, she also knew that it was dangerous to allow Shutoku or more specifically Shintaro the time to get control over the match.
"It's…not normal for Kuroko-cchi to continue to make mistakes like that," Ryota commented as Takao stole another ball from Tetsuya.
"He's not making mistakes," Mac corrected. "It's Takao who has managed to lock him down. With him seeing Tetsu and therefore also seeing where he will direct the pass it's easy for him to steal it. Tetsu is so far only doing what he always does. He needs to find another solution. This won't work against Takao."
"You know what he must do?" Kasamatsu asked curiously as he gave a closer look at the younger girl.
"Perhaps," Mac allowed but refused to say anything more as she looked back at the court.
Mac eyes widened when Shintaro revealed that he could now shoot from the other side of the court. She could feel the stunned shocked horror from Seirin all the way up to the stands and was barely aware of Ueno cheering beside her as she stared at Shintaro.
He looked like himself, but somehow she felt like she hadn't seen him before at all. She knew he could make shots from farther away than most people (that's why she hadn't even blinked when he just moments before had made the shot from the centre line). But for him to actually make the shot from underneath his own basket?! That was…unbelievable.
...
"Kise," Mac suddenly spoke up.
"Mac-cchi?" Ryota asked.
"Do you remember you and Midorima's discussion about dunks vs three's?" Mac asked glancing at him before looking down at the court where the second quarter had started.
Ryota scoffed and scowled slightly.
"Of course," he said, "Midorima-cchi always said that threes were best because it gave more points."
"Mm," Mac nodded, "he told Tetsu that he would prove that one day. I think he intends to prove it today."
Ryota looked at her before looking back at Shintaro at the court.
...
Mac hummed as she watched Taiga jump to challenge yet another one of Shintaro's shoots as the gap in points grew and the desperation in Seirin grew with it. The potential in Taiga that she had seen since they first started to play together was starting to show. He was being pushed harder than she had ever dared to push him in training.
"Um…has your cousin lost it?" Ueno asked worriedly as she stared at Taiga.
Mac saw what she meant as Taiga was laughing and he seemed fired up. She frowned however as she took in his aura and body language. Something was…off. She patted Nao who was resting on her lap absentmindedly as she looked at her cousin.
Mac ignored the restless chatter that surrounded her in the stands as most started to think that the game was over and decided. While she would admit that it looked bad for Seirin, she wouldn't say it was over. Not yet. She still saw the fighting spirit in everyone and as long as they had that and someone like Taiga and Tetsuya on the team…well, anything could happen.
...
"Kuroko-cchi is on the bench," Ryota said sadly when he saw Tetsuya seated on the bench as the second half was about to begin.
Mac who had been checking her phone for any texts from Daiki (there were none) looked up and down on the court.
"Well, they don't have any choice," Kasamatsu sighed, "he can't do anything as long as Takao is there."
Mac frowned but she didn't say anything as her eyes moved over to look at Shutoku's coach, he was looking over at Seirin's bench as well. He looked thoughtful. She remembered him from the time she had met him and knew he was sharp and good at reading the game. She had almost been tempted to learn from him if not for the fact that they didn't want her to play and only be a manager.
And…Taiga. There was something about him and Mac was starting to feel a little worried yet curious about what was awakened inside of her cousin right now. He looked really focused and determined, but also…angry.
She kept her eye on Taiga and her eyes widened when he jumped. She leaned forward slightly making the others look at her before looking back. Her eyes were wide as she followed the ball with her eyes and the way it hit the iron of the hoop and rolled along it several times before falling down through the hoop.
Her eyes snapped back at Taiga who walked away but paused when Shintaro said something. She had known that Taiga was good at jumping; she had even pushed him to develop it. Yet, she hadn't really expected him to show that potential already.
...
"I felt it when I played against him," Ryota suddenly said when they had watched Taiga jump and jump and finally managing to block one of Shintaro's shots resulting in Izuki managing to score for Seirin.
"Hm?" Mac looked at him.
"He's hidden ability," Ryota clarified, "it's his jumping power! That's what makes him a threat to us, Mac-cchi."
"It's one of the reasons, yeah," Mac nodded.
"You knew?" Ryota asked.
"Of course I knew," Mac snorted. "He's my cousin, remember? I've played him enough to know where his strengths lie."
She sobered as she looked at her cousin again, "but I also know where his weakness is…"
Ryota and Kasamatsu gave her a look but she ignored them and didn't say anything else as she watched as the game continued and Taiga was playing more and more by himself. Just like she feared.
While the crowd cheered for Taiga who put pressure on Shutoku by himself and scored points and did everything he could to win, she was more concerned than most. Well, maybe not everyone. A glance at the bench showed a serious and sombre looking Tetsuya who was pale and looked like he was seeing a ghost.
Mac, while she did believe that talent was valuable and should be pushed to thrive, believed that for a team like Seirin who hadn't enough individual talents on the team was more depending on working together as a team. Also…
"Tetsu won't like this," Mac sighed.
...
"If they continue like this Shutoku might lose," Ueno commented worriedly as she looked at the court. She had been silent as she had watched and Mac had almost forgotten that she was there, making her feel bad.
Mac sighed though as she looked at Taiga.
"Not necessarily," Mac said with a worried frown. "Taiga…I told you to be careful, you idiot!"
Ueno blinked and looked at Mac who was still frowning and muttering curses under her breath.
...
"Bugger," Mac mumbled as she saw the moment Taiga freeze and unable to jump to stop Shintaro from scoring. "Really…that idiot! I'll let him hear this when I get a hold of him…"
She really had told him time after time to be careful and not push too hard, she heard Kasamatsu and Ryota talk about how he was out of steam and that he wasn't the only one, but Mac could see it was worse. He wasn't only out of steam…he was feeling it in his legs and it would only get worse if he kept going like he had for the last quarter.
She looked at the bench and saw Riko looking worried, but she knew that the other girl wouldn't take Taiga off the court. A part of Mac understood, well a rather big part of her understood the need to keep Taiga on the court. He was the only one to keep Shutoku in check, but…the part of her that was his cousin and worried wanted Riko to pull him off the court.
He was injured even if he didn't see it himself yet. And 'yet' being the operative word here, because it was only a matter of time before he would register the injury more fully.
...
Mac blinked when Tetsuya hit Taiga hard enough for Taiga to fell off the bench and land on his back, he was up again immediately though and grabbed Tetsuya by the collar.
"Eh?" Ueno gasped. "Why are they fighting?"
Mac sighed sadly as she watched and didn't remove her eyes from the scene below as she answered Ueno.
"Taiga….has a tendency to rely only on himself when he's pushed too far," Mac explained silently. "His desire to win will have him rely on himself even more, especially when he feels like the normal play doesn't work. Oh, he means well and wants his team to win, but he will only depend on his own skills and talent to do so."
She paused and let a sigh let slip before continuing.
"It's much like what happened with us back at Teiko," Mac heard Ryota shift uneasy in his seat, but didn't look over at him. "We looked to ourselves before the teamwork and drifted apart because of it. Tetsu… Tetsu doesn't like that kind of basketball. He is a team player and for him seeing Taiga like this…it must bring back painful memories."
Her hands were fisted as she looked at the two boys fighting down at the court and she frowned when Taiga actually hit Tetsuya making him fall to the ground. He stayed seated as he said something Mac couldn't hear but it was clear that it did hit Taiga hard as he stilled.
Ryota sighed and looked away from Mac and back at the court, he knew what she meant and while she had put herself with 'them' he knew she was not really the one to only look at herself. She was more like Tetsuya, but he guessed she was different in a way as well. It had hurt her differently than it had hurt Tetsuya.
Kasamatsu was frowning as he looked at Mac and then glanced at Ryota. He was seeing another side of the Generation of Miracles than the one normally seen and he must admit that it was rather strange and concerning to see just how much they all were hurt as well. It was easy to see the pain they gave to their opponents, but he was now starting to wonder if anyone really saw the pain they were in themselves? He somehow doubted it.
...
"Kuroko-cchi is playing," Ryota realised when the fourth and final quarter started.
"I don't know what good it will do," Kasamatsu commented a note of worry in his voice, "as long as Takao is on the court…"
"There's one more thing Tetsu can do," Mac interrupted. "But… only we could catch that…maybe Taiga can now as well…"
Ryota looked like he realised something while Kasamatsu looked confused.
"You think he can catch it?" Ryota asked.
"Mm, maybe," Mac answered absentmindedly.
Kasamatsu gave up trying to figure out what they were saying and focused back on the court and the game.
Mac smiled when she saw Seirin start to play like a team again and work together, Taiga was not only doing things by himself anymore shocking Shutoku for a moment as he passed the ball.
Well done, Riko, Mac thought as she saw that it was a clear plan behind their playing and knew it was Riko who had been the strategist behind it. It was a good idea to have Shutoku believes that Taiga could still jump.
Shintaro looked shocked and Mac felt for him knowing it was difficult for him to face this sort of challenge. She knew (from checking on the horoscope herself) that he was supposed to have great luck today and she also knew that made this even more difficult for him. She wished she didn't have to choose between Tetsuya and Shintaro because she cared for them both and wanted them both to win, but she was impressed with Tetsuya's dedication and way to come back from what seemed to most as defeat.
And…while Mac didn't want to admit it, she did kind of think that Shintaro might need to lose and see that he could rely on his own team a little more. From what she saw he was playing mostly by himself, the only one he seemed to rely on (and that was only barely) was Takao. She'd noticed the glares he got from his own team and she didn't like it. She felt like going down there and knock some sense into…well, someone. She wasn't sure if it was Shintaro or the rest of the team. Maybe both.
...
Mac let out a breath she hadn't been aware she had been holding when the referee blew the whistle signalling the end of the match with Seirin as the winners. She let out a small chuckle at the impressive show Seirin had put on this last second of the match, more specifically Taiga and Tetsuya.
"Aw…that's too bad," Ueno sighed sadly.
"It was close," Mac looked at her and she nodded in agreement.
Mac felt a little conflicted but she couldn't help the smile on her lips as she took in the smile on Tetsuya and Taiga's faces, they both looked genuinely happy and slightly shocked over the fact that they had won.
Her eyes found Shintaro and he looked stoic like he normally did, but she could see the pain in his eyes that he tried to hide away. She knew he wouldn't want to see her right now so she held back her desire to go and see him. She would check on him later.
It was raining when they left the arena and Mac allowed her mind to drift to Daiki again, she was wondering where he was and why he hadn't returned her calls. She frowned as she refused to pull out her phone and check (again) to see if he had called or texted.
"I have to go," Ueno said bringing the attention over to her, "mum said I had to be home for dinner."
"Ok," Mac smiled, "see you next week!"
"Yeah! Bye, Mac!" Ueno grinned and waved at her and the boys who waved back,
They watched Ueno run through the rain toward the bus stop disappearing into the rainy afternoon.
"Let's go and find something to eat," Ryota begged.
Mac and Kasamatsu exchanged a look before both sighed and gave in and nodded making Ryota cheer.
...
Mac was following Ryota and Kasamatsu toward a local restaurant when she noticed a familiar figure standing leaned against a low wall with his hands pushed deep into his pocket looking like he could care less that he was getting drenched by the rain.
"Daiki," Mac sounded a little breathless as she stared at him in surprise.
He straightened when he noticed her and she saw his eyes flickering to Ryota and Kasamatsu behind her before looking back at her again. He glanced away and tensed slightly as he took a small step toward her.
"You said you were going to watch Tetsu and Midorima," Daiki grunted.
"Yeah…how long have you been staying out here?" Mac frowned taking in his clearly wet clothes. "You're soaked…"
Daiki shrugged.
"Aomine-cchi," Ryota smiled and waved. "Did you see the match?"
Daiki scowled at him but he shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" Ryota asked a shrewd look in his eyes.
"Not interested," Daiki snapped.
Mac frowned as she took in his bad mood and it was clear that he was upset, but he was there and she hoped that meant that he wasn't angry at her. At least not too angry.
"Kise, I think I'll pass on going out to eat," Mac said looking at Ryota.
"Eh? Whyyyyyy?!" He whined. "Aomine-cchi can come with us as well!"
Mac glanced at Daiki and saw without him having to say anything that he wasn't going to do that. She sighed and looked at Ryota who was staring at her but she saw that underneath the pout he had an understanding look.
"Fine," he sighed.
Kasamatsu looked slightly surprised by the quick acceptance and looked like he had been ready to interfere. He nodded politely at Mac who gave him a smile and nods back before letting Ryota hug her tightly and excitable like normal (Daiki glaring like normal as well).
...
With Ryota and Kasamatsu gone Mac was now alone with Daiki who looked like he was not really sure what to do or say as he had pushed his hands back into his pocket. She could tell that his shoulders were tense and he shifted on one foot to another.
"You're getting really wet," Mac commented worriedly. "You're going to get sick…"
"You're getting wet yourself," Daiki snorted but he relaxed slightly as he gave her a look.
"Come on," Mac sighed and started to walk.
Daiki followed close beside her and she thought she saw him give her some searching looks but she pretended she didn't see anything. They were just rounding a corner when they ran into Shintaro and Takao who both paused when they spotted them.
"Mac, Aomine," Shintaro greeted.
"You look like you lost," Daiki commented carelessly. "Midorima."
Mac elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a disapproving look to which he grimaced, but he didn't say anything else. Mac looked back at Shintaro and saw the way he held himself together and she thought his eyes looked a little red.
"It was a good game," she commented quietly. "You fought well."
She knew it was empty words, but she felt the need to say something, even knowing it wouldn't really do much to help. It wasn't like she could take away the pain from losing, and it wasn't like she, nor any of them really, had experience of comforting anyone after a loss.
Shintaro huffed but he gave a slight nod in acceptance of her lacking words, but she knew he understood what she meant. He turned his eyes over to Daiki who didn't really look all that worried as he was looking at Shintaro.
"You're playing against them soon in the Final League," Shintaro suddenly. "You should be careful."
"What?" Daiki arched a brow at Shintaro. "What are you saying? Gross…"
Mac frowned but didn't say anything.
"The only one who can beat me is me," Daiki drawled.
"You haven't changed, Aomine," Shintaro said. "You'll be playing against Kuroko in the Final League, Aomine."
"You seem confused, Midorima," Daiki commented. "The past is irrelevant. We're enemies now"
Mac felt a stab of hurt go through her but she knew it was impossible to get Daiki to really see the truth and actually admit that he still cared for Tetsuya. He was too stubborn and proud to see what she saw.
Takao was staring wide-eyed as he took in the scene between two (or three if you counted Mac) Generation of Miracles. He looked curious as well, though, and Mac was impressed he had managed to not say anything because from what she knew…he liked to poke fun at others.
Shintaro was giving Daiki a look like he was considering what to say or maybe trying to figure out what Daiki was thinking. Both options were possible.
"The past is the past and we all change," Shintaro finally said and glanced over at Mac for a moment before looking back at Daiki and adjusted his glasses. "It's true, but… I wonder if you think like that about your past with friends from before."
"So depressing you lot are!" Takao interrupted and grinned at them.
Shintaro glared at his teammate while Mac allowed a small twitch oh lips as she knew he did it deliberately to defuse the tension that was rising as Daiki was looking ready to actually punch Shintaro, which wouldn't be good.
"I think that maybe you should calm down," Mac said calmly knowing better than to get angry. It was just another thing that had changed…that she had lost but she was trying to hold on to what she could and she would not lose anymore.
Shintaro gave her a look and she could see the moment he conceded as he adjusted his glasses again and the tension in his shoulders eased some.
"Daiki," Mac said a warning in her voice and he grunted but he pulled back and pushed his hands back into his pocket.
...
Mac glanced at Daiki who was walking fast through the streets, but she kept pace easily enough. She watched as he ran a hand through his wet hair without seemingly caring about the wetness. She wasn't sure why he had come to the arena where the game was held. She wasn't sure why he seemed to still be in a mood, but he was there and she was just happy he was.
"You have fun with Kise," Daiki suddenly asked.
"Sure," Mac said easily. "He's amusing."
Daiki snorted, "overdramatic, you mean."
"Kasamatsu-san keeps him in line," Mac shrugged, "most of the time."
A new scowl crossed Daiki's face.
"I don't like him," Daiki stated.
Mac snorted, "do you like anyone?"
Daiki just scowled at her making her shake her head. She shivered slightly as the cold from the rain registered.
"Come," Daiki said and grabbed her hand.
Mac followed (she didn't have much choice) and stared at her hand connected to his. He was warm despite having been standing outside in the rain however long he had been there. She fought the blush she knew was covering her cheeks and swallowed trying to get control of herself again.
...
Taiga was eating or more like stuffing his face with delicious food that helped him get some energy back, he still felt starved though so he knew he would need a lot more food to get the feeling away. He didn't care about the tension around the table, though he must admit that he had felt it at first when both Ryota and Shintaro were seated at the same table as himself and Tetsuya.
He barely listened to them talk, something about the past and change. It all sounded complicated to Taiga and he didn't like complicated. So, he looked at them before looking back at his food smiling as he took another bite.
"You all think too much," Taiga said in between bites.
The looked at him in shock or surprise, maybe, but he just went back to eating. He had hoped that Mac would have been there when he had seen Ryota and Kasamatsu, but she hadn't been and he hadn't asked where she had gone.
Chaos. Laughter. Chatter.
That was filled the small restaurant with the entire Seirin team plus two Generation of Miracles and extras there. Shintaro had disappeared outside to punish Takao for dropping food on his head (Taiga had laughed, it was hilarious).
Suddenly the door opened again and Shintaro came walking inside like nothing was wrong and calm as may be. He walked to his seat and grabbed his and Takao's bags before putting some money on the table.
"I will tell you something," Shintaro said pushing up his glasses as he looked at Taiga who arched a brow at him. "You probably already know that there is one more Generation of Miracles in Tokyo, not counting your cousin."
"Her friend," Taiga frowned. "What about him?"
"Yes, Aomine Daiki," Shintaro nodded. "You will face him in the Final League."
"So?" Taiga asked.
"He's the same type of player as you," Shintaro stated.
"What? I don't really get it… but he's strong as well, right?" Taiga looked at him to see him looking very serious making him look over at Tetsuya who looked…sad? Depressed?
"He's strong;" Tetsuya said. "But his style of basketball…I don't like it."
"And together with Mac they will give you a challenge you haven't faced yet," Shintaro continued. "Just a warning."
...
Mac took a shower immediately after getting back to the apartment. Taiga hadn't come back yet, so she guessed he was still out with the team and celebrating their victory. She hoped they had fun. Daiki had walked her home and listened to her talk about the games with a small frown on his face, but he hadn't stopped her from talking or changed the subject so she took it as a good sign.
He hadn't mentioned Kiyoshi at all, but he was there and Mac knew it was his way to try to make it up to her. For the walking away part, at least. She didn't need him to say something; she knew he was sorry even if he didn't say it.
Mac had just gotten out of the shower and dressed in dry clothes when Taiga got back. He was still dressed in his Seirin clothes and didn't look as wet so she guessed it had stopped raining now. She took in the happy smile on his face and even if he looked exhausted she could tell he was honestly happy.
"Go and sit down on the couch, Taiga," Mac ordered.
"Eh? Why?" Taiga asked.
"Just do it," Mac glared at him.
He did and she smiled slightly as she heard him grumble to himself. She went back into the bathroom and picked up a salve she had made in potions (something she had been giving to Kiyoshi for his knee) and went back into the living room to see Taiga sitting on the couch. He was leaned back and his eyes were heavy like he was struggling to keep them up.
"Good game today, Taiga," Mac said making him open his eyes more and look at her. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," he grinned before wincing when she poked at his leg. "Ouch! What are you doing?"
"I told you to be careful with your jumping, Taiga," Mac gave him a dirty look. "You're injured. I'll take a look and have a salve that could help you a little."
"I had to do it," Taiga protested petulantly. "We would have lost if not…"
"You could have relied on your team a little more, Taiga," Mac said glancing up at him as she finished rolling the pants leg up and started to put the salve onto his legs messaging it in.
"I take it you saw the punch Kuroko gave me," Taiga said.
Mac snorted.
"Well, you kind of did ask for it," Mac smirked up at him. "Didn't like any of you punching each other, though. But I guess you worked it out."
Taiga nodded and let his head fall back onto the couch and closed his eyes. Mac continued to put the salve on.
"There," Mac pulled back and put the lid on the salve again. She walked over to the kitchen sink and washed her hands before grabbing the towel and wiped her hands.
Nao came running into the room then and barked lightly making Taiga jump and eye Nao warily.
"Thought you had gotten over your reluctance to Nao, Taiga," Mac commented.
"Hmph," Taiga said and flinched slightly when Nao barked once more as he made his way over to Mac who picked him up and let him lick her cheek. She giggled and scratched his ear.
"How can you be scared of someone so cute and adorable?" Mac asked.
Taiga scowled at her and reluctantly told her that Tetsuya had found a dog after they were out to eat and had (together with the team) decided to keep him.
"…and I hate dogs!" Taiga whined.
"Why?" Mac asked.
"When I was five I was in the park with my mum and I saw this dog," Taiga said frowning. "I thought he looked cool and wanted to play with him, but… he spooked or something and started to bark and managed to bite my arm. It wasn't hard, but I haven't liked dogs after that…"
Mac blinked and suddenly understood much better and felt bad for not asking earlier and just finding his reactions funny. She knew better than anyone that fear of something that had happened in the past could still influence you today…
"I see," she said and got up. "I'll try to remember that. "
She smiled at him and he understood the apology in her smile as he gave her a smile back.
"Now, get to bed and rest," Mac said. "Also, I'm sure Riko will tell you….but you should not be practising for a little while to give your legs time to heal. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah," Taiga sighed but he didn't look happy about it.
Mac chuckled before she reached over and swatted his head lightly.
"Hey! What was that for?!" Taiga yelped rubbing the back of his head as he stared at her.
"For pushing yourself too hard and forgetting my lesson!" Mac told him matter of factly as she made her way to her room with a small smile on her face.
...
...
AN: Thank you!