Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
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1st year – Too Academy
...
Mac decided against staying behind to watch the Seirin match. She felt a little jumpy and just wanted to get home and somewhere she could collect herself again. She didn't miss the concerned looks from her friends but they didn't comment and just promised to meet tomorrow in order to go through their preparations for their next game against Yamanoe High.
"Where's your uncle?" Daiki asked as they entered the apartment seeing that he had decided to come home with her.
"He's on a business trip," Mac said looking over her shoulder and smiled at her boyfriend. "He'll be back tomorrow, I think. He couldn't postpone it anymore."
Daiki nodded, "I see."
"I'm getting in the way of his work now, too," Mac said quietly.
"Hey, that's not true," Daiki said putting a hand on her shoulder. "He wants to be here for you, Kenzie."
"Still," Mac sighed. "I don't understand why I can't just…forget!"
Daiki didn't say anything but she felt him squeeze her shoulder making her smile slightly. She opened her bag and allowed Nao to jump out and immediately started to run around her legs and bark up at her.
"Alright," Mac laughed. "I'll find you some food. Just calm down, Nao."
Nao yapped again and ran to the kitchen in front of Mac and Daiki who followed in a more sedate pace. Daiki just shook his head as he took his spot leaning against the counter and watched as Mac moved around in the kitchen to find the food for Nao.
Daiki had expected her to stay and watch Seirin play and he was a little worried that she hadn't. But at the same time maybe it was a good thing that she actually considered what she needed and followed that? If she needed a quiet afternoon at home then maybe that was fine. He was so unsure about what to do or how to help her, and he worried that he would make everything worse by just being…well, him.
Watching her he saw her smiling down at Nao who was already eating and looking as content as any fox could (or at least Daiki thought so). His eyes drifted to her smile again and he couldn't help but smile as well. He loved seeing her smile…
He stepped up to her so he was behind her and put his arms around her and felt how she leaned into his touch and put her hands on his arms that were surrounding her waist. He put his chin on her shoulder and inhaled her unique scent.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
"With you here? Always," she said and he heard the smile in her voice and something inside of him did a funny flip-flop. He didn't want to disappoint her and let her down… she always had such faith in him.
"Good," Daiki hummed and couldn't resist pressing a kiss to her neck. He could hear her breathing hitch and she was clutching his arms tighter but she wasn't protesting and he couldn't stop himself from holding her a little tighter and kissing his way up to her ear and back down again.
"Daiki…" her voice was hoarser and almost a moan and it went straight to his blood.
"Kenzie," he whispered against her skin and he saw the goosebumps form on her skin. He felt overwhelmed by his emotions and he knew he just wanted to stay in this moment kissing her, holding her, forever.
Mac was barely aware of anything else as she felt one of his hands slip underneath her shirt and she gasped but she leaned even more into him as he was holding her from behind and she felt his warm breath tickle against her skin in between lingering kisses. It felt…good. More than good. Perfect.
His hands were tracing hot patterns against her stomach and she felt something hard pressing against her back but she wasn't really scared. She closed her eyes and just allowed herself to feel and act.
She somehow managed to turn around so she was facing him and she met his intense blue eyes that had never seemed as blue as they did just now and she felt like she could drown in them. She pressed forward and crashed her lips to his and he took a step back from the force of it but never broke their kiss as he leaned against the counter behind him.
After a while, it was impossible to tell time, he turned them around and lifted her so she sitting on the counter and her shirt was pulled up so her stomach was practically exposed to both his eyes, hands and the air. All the way he was kissing her deeply and touching her making her feel so much.
"Daiki…" she gasped.
"Mm, Kenzie.." his voice almost sounded different than normal but it only made her lose more of her control and she pressed herself closer to him. All she could think was that she wanted to be closer…
Nao yapped and they froze having forgotten the little fox that was still in the room and Mac looked over Daiki's shoulder to see Nao look at her (could a fox give her an exasperated look?) exasperatedly.
"Maybe we should move?" Mac whispered looking back at Daiki who blinked at her before his eyes widened and she bit down on her lip to stop from smiling amusedly.
"…you mean…?" Daiki looked at her intently.
She wasn't sure where her confidence came from but she allowed her hands to fall from his shoulders and follow the firm muscles she could feel underneath his black t-shirt until she reached the bottom and pulled at it, her hand touched his stomach and he inhaled sharply as she smiled at him. She felt him shudder as she traced his firm muscles (thank you, basketball) and his eyes darkened even more as she suddenly was lifted from the counter.
"Hey!" Mac laughed as she somehow managed to get her arms up and around his neck again to keep steady as he carried her toward her bedroom. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous because she knew that something was about to change and no matter what happened now it would be there…and there wouldn't really be a way back.
But what was she scared of? This was Daiki. Her Daiki and he were safe. She trusted him more than anything.
They reached her room and he kicked her door close behind them and stilled as he stood just inside and she looked at him.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yes," Mac nodded seriously.
...
He moved them gently over to the bed and was careful when he dropped her down onto it and watched as she bounced lightly from the small drop. A small laugh escaped her and he smiled reaching out to push her hair out of her face and watched his fingers trace the shape of her face before leaning down to press a kiss to her lips. Gently, searchingly…
Daiki pulled back and looked at her, "tell me if you want to stop."
Mac looked back at him and nodded, "okay."
"I mean it, Kenzie," he said. "Anytime you want to stop or pause, just…tell me."
"I will," Mac promised touched by the care she saw in his eyes.
She leaned up now and kissed him with more intent now and she felt him hold back for a little moment before he returned the kiss with as much desire and passion as her. His hands seemed to be everywhere and she could barely focus on anything but the waves of feelings washing over her.
"Daiki…" she gasped.
He kissed her chin, jaw and neck even as his hands were working on her shirt and soon he pulled back and she knew what he wanted but he was leaving it up to her. Not allowing herself to think too much she sat up slightly and helped him get her shirt off leaving only her bra. She swallowed as she saw the intense eyes looking over her exposed chest and stomach. Her breathing picked up even more and suddenly she was feeling nervous. What did he think…?
"You're beautiful," Daiki said hoarsely.
Mac blushed.
"Can I?" Daiki met her eyes and she nodded.
He moved slowly, slower than she expected, as his warm hands touched her stomach first and moved up until he reached her breasts. It felt…different now, somehow. With the shirt off, and only the bra in between. It was the first time they had actually removed clothing and everything felt more. Just more.
Mac pulled at his shirt suddenly feeling oddly exposed and not wanting to be the only one and he pulled back and quickly got rid of his shirt. She had seen him without a shirt before, but not like this. Her eyes took in the firm muscles, the same ones she had felt earlier, and he gently took one of her hands and put it on his chest.
Thump-da-thump…
His heartbeat… she looked up and saw the intense look staring back at her and her mouth suddenly felt dry. She tried to swallow.
"You're perfect," Daiki said before he kissed her again.
She felt him over her and the warmth and strength from him were almost too much, but all she could think about was their skin was touching and if felt good, it felt right.
"Beautiful….Kenzie…love you…"
The words slipping from him warmed her even more than his touch did. His kisses changed slightly, they grew deeper but slower and he seemed to be taking his time and she knew he was allowing her to get used to this. Maybe he was getting used to it as well…
Her thoughts were muddled in desire and passion and it was difficult to think straight as everything seemed to be Daiki and his touch and scent… she gasped as she felt him squeeze her chest and her nipples had turned hard under his touch. She arched up and felt his erection through his jeans. He gasped as she did so, though and his eyes closed as he moaned and thrust down and she closed her eyes.
Suddenly the memory of behind held down by someone else and colder eyes and voice made her feel a spark of fear and she froze…
...
Daiki immediately pulled back and looked at her with a soft and searching look. He must not have been as lost to the pleasure and situation as she had imagined and waited for her to show a reaction in some way.
"Kenzie?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she whispered trying to will it to be true.
Why did she have to freeze? It was just Daiki and…. She wanted this…
"Shh," Daiki said and used a hand to pull it through her hair and moved so he was resting on the bed next to her lying on his side with one hand free to trace her face and calm her down. "It's alright."
"But…"
"We don't have to do this, Kenzie," Daiki said. "It's fine."
"I…It's not that I don't want to," Mac said quietly. "I don't know why I…"
Daiki smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead and she closed her eyes as she felt safe.
"We don't have to rush it," Daiki said. "I love you, Kenzie."
"I love you too," Mac said. "And I do want this step, I just…"
"What?" Daiki asked.
"I remembered…" she trailed off.
Daiki frowned but nodded, "that's fine. We'll wait."
"But you have been waiting…" Mac whispered feeling bad.
Daiki looked at her for a long moment before he lay back on his back and pulled her to his side and she followed easily and curled up next to him with her head resting on his shoulder and arms around her. She was aware of both their lack of shirts, but it felt nice.
"Hey," Daiki said. "I told you. Tell me if you want to stop. I'm happy to wait until you're ready, Kenzie. I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for."
"But I am ready," Mac said. "Or almost, I just…I thought I was."
Daiki nodded, "I want this to be special, Kenzie. For both of us, I want to give you my best to make it memorable and good. It's our first time, and…well, I sound like a girl, but…I want it to be special."
Mac couldn't help but smile as Daiki's words washed over her and though he sounded a little awkward she could tell he was sincere and it meant a lot. She couldn't believe how she deserved someone like him in her life… He was so good and kind, and she trusted him over anyone else.
"You're too good to me," Mac said.
"No, I'm not," Daiki said. "You deserve the world, and I just want to give it to you."
"So romantic," Mac smiled into his chest.
"I'm not romantic," Daiki huffed. "It will ruin my reputation."
"What reputation?" Mac asked tilting her head up slightly so she could look at him.
"Hey!" Daiki mock glared and started to tickle her until she laughed and squirmed to get free and gasped as he was over her again.
"Stop it!" She gasped through her laughter. "Fine! Fine, you win!"
He grinned and stopped tickling her and started to stroke her stomach instead. She smiled up at him as he leaned down and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to her lips before pulling back again and smiled down at her.
"You're perfect as you are and I'll wait for you to be ready," he promised.
...
Mac sat on the bed later that afternoon when Daiki had left and she found herself relieving the kisses and touches and breathed harder just remembering the feelings it provoked inside of her. Daiki had been so understanding and she knew he hadn't been lying, but… he had to be disappointed. She had not meant to lead him on like that; she had honestly thought she was ready.
The way he made her feel was something she never felt with anyone else or had ever felt before. All her feelings were that much more intense and overpowering and all she wanted was to get lost in his touch, his kisses and caresses.
Yet…she had frozen.
Why? She wasn't scared, was she? Well, kind of. She knew it would hurt… that was what Ayano had told her (she tried to stop the blush thinking back at it) when she had told her what to expect the first time. But she had said it could be good as well, but that it might take a little while before…well, before it got that way.
Something was holding her back and she had to figure it out because she wasn't planning on waiting forever, and she knew that deep inside she did want that with Daiki. It felt right to know that he would be her first. That he would be hers in every way…
She knew her face was red as she thought about this all. It was all so confusing because it wasn't exactly her own insecurities that had stopped her but rather the memory of the attack and she really hated the fact that it had managed to get to her again.
How long was he going to have power over her?
...
Taiga groaned as he sank down at the street court and felt the exhaustion overpower him. He wondered how he would even manage to get the strength to walk home…
"Come on, Taiga," Alex said standing in front of him.
"What? No!" Taiga protested. "I can't…not anymore…I am so tired."
"You have to work hard if you're going to be able to beat your cousin and her team," Alex said.
Taiga groaned, "but I don't even know when or if I'm going to be playing them…"
"You better be prepared, Taiga," Alex said. "And you will need to beat anyone who gets in the way on your road toward Too Academy, so this training will not be for nothing either way."
"But…I'm exhausted and Riko will kill me if I'm exhausted and don't rest enough after our match," Taiga said.
Alex frowned at him, "rest is important, but you should still get this done."
"You saw Mac play today?" Taiga asked trying to stall her.
"Yes," Alex said. "I don't know what I expected, you said she was good, but…seeing her play…well, she was better than I imagined."
Taiga nodded, "it's hard to explain."
"So, you'll still have a lot of work to do if you're going to have a chance," Alex said.
Taiga groaned but pushed himself to his feet, "just thirty more minutes. The rest of the team is coming over for a celebration dinner later tonight."
"Fine," Alex said. "I guess thirty minutes is better than nothing."
Taiga caught the ball and started to do as Alex instructed.
...
Kiyoshi looked at the apartment building he knew pretty well from the outside. What was strange was that he had never been inside of it before despite having dated Mac. Somehow he had never been at her home and he wondered if he should feel strange about the fact that he was now on his way to her home when they weren't dating anymore.
"You coming, Teppei?" Izuki asked looking at him.
"Yes," Kiyoshi nodded and followed Izuki, Hyuga and Riko into the elevator and waited for them to reach the correct floor.
Riko pushed the doorbell and Kiyoshi looked at the name written on the door; 'Kagami'. Soon the door opened and they saw Mac in front of them wearing a pair of loose pair of sleeping pants and a t-shirt.
"Um, hey?" She blinked confused but smiled slightly as she spotted Kiyoshi. "Teppei?"
"Hey!" Kiyoshi smiled. "How are you, Mac?"
"I'm fine," she said. "Um, I don't think you all came here to ask me that, though?"
"What?" Riko blinked. "Isn't Kagami here? He invited us…"
"Taiga did?" Mac reached up to scratch the back of her head, "I see… Well, he's not back yet… but I suppose he's on his way, then. Why don't you come in?"
"That...idiot," Riko muttered darkly.
Mac's lips twitched as she stood back and let them inside.
"I suppose that means that the rest of your team is on the way as well," Mac guessed.
"Yes," Izuki nodded. "I'm sorry for the trouble."
Mac glanced at him before she shrugged, "no trouble."
She led them into the living room and paused just by the door.
"I hear you won your match," Mac said looking at them with a soft smile.
"We did!" Izuki grinned. "98-97."
"Well, a win is a win," Mac nodded.
"You won as well," Riko said.
"We did," Mac nodded.
"What was your score?" Hyuga asked curiously.
Mac looked at him for a moment before she said, "106-48."
She saw the widening of eyes but didn't comment on it.
"They did a good game, though," Mac continued. "They reminded me of you, actually. They didn't give up."
"That's good," Kiyoshi said and Mac smiled at him.
"Yeah," Mac nodded.
The doorbell rang again and Mac glanced at the clock and saw that it was just past seven and she sighed quietly.
"Teppei, could you get the door?" Mac asked. "I'll start to make some dinner."
Kiyoshi looked at her before he nodded and walked away, while Riko looked at Mac.
"You don't have to do that," Riko said. "I could…"
Mac noticed the panicked looks on Hyuga and Izuki's faces and smiled a little before she shook her head.
"I was about to make some food anyway," she said. "It's not that much more work to make enough for you as well."
"Um, thanks…"
...
Mac heard the liveliness from Seirin as they talked and laughed from the living room. She shook her head slightly at her cousin and his forgetfulness or whatever it had been. But it wasn't as if she minded the distraction at the moment.
"You okay?" Kiyoshi asked from behind her and she turned her head to look at him and saw the searching look on his face.
"I'm fine, Teppei," she smiled.
"I…I am sorry I haven't been by since…" Kiyoshi looked away and left the sentence unfinished, but Mac knew what he meant.
"I understand;" she said. "It's fine."
"No, it's not," Kiyoshi said. "I should have been here…"
"It's not your fault, Teppei," Mac said not looking at him as she reached for the rice. "I don't blame you."
"He wouldn't have come after you if not for me," Kiyoshi said.
"I was the one who ignored your warnings, Teppei," Mac said adjusting the heat on the stove before turning to look at her friend and former boyfriend. She saw the guilt on his face and she felt guilty for having caused that.
"But…"
"I'm sorry," Mac interrupted him. "You are angry at me, right?"
"No!" Kiyoshi said. "Of course I'm not."
"You forget that I know you," Mac said with a dry smile. "Teppei, I know you're angry at me. I hope you can forgive me, though."
Kiyoshi walked closer to her, "I'm not angry. Not like you think, I just… I'm scared. I can't forgive myself for him hurting you. I don't want you to take risks like that because of me, Mac."
"You're my friend," Mac said. "I didn't see it as a risk. I don't regret standing up to him and getting him off the game, but I kind of should have thought more about your warnings. I am sorry that I dismissed it."
They looked at each other for a moment before Kiyoshi smiled and shook his head, "you know I was supposed to apologize to you and check on how you were, not the other way around."
"Well, deal with it," Mac grinned at him and he reached out to ruffle her hair. "Oi, not the hair…"
"Seems like we're both sorry and should just accept each other's apology," Mac said.
"Yeah," Kiyoshi nodded. "Sounds good to me."
Mac turned back to the food and noticed that Kiyoshi settled next to her and didn't seem like he had a hurry to get back to his team. She glanced at him before she looked back at the food and focused on that and falling into a comfortable conversation with Kiyoshi.
...
Taiga hurried into the apartment and froze when he saw everyone there already and heard Alex snort from behind him. He shot her a glare because this was her fault.
"Oi! Kagami!" Riko yelled angrily. "You're late!"
"Um…"
"You're the one who said that we could come to your home and you're not even here when we get here!" Hyuga glared.
"On no! Captain is in clutch mode!" Furihata exclaimed.
"Run, Kagami! Run!" Kawahara yelled.
Alex was laughing while Taiga rubbed the back of his head, "sorry."
"Sorry? You're sorry?" Riko glowered. "Do you have any idea…"
"Well, you got in, didn't you?" Taiga asked.
"Mac let us in," Tetsuya said and Taiga jumped. "She's in the kitchen preparing food."
"Mac is?" Taiga felt guilty for having his cousin do this for his team. He really shouldn't have forgotten the time…
"Yes," Izuki said. "We tried to stop her, but she said it was fine."
"I see," Taiga said and looked around. "Where's Kiyoshi?"
"In the kitchen with Mac," Tetsuya said. "They have some things to talk about, I think."
Taiga frowned but nodded as he knew what Tetsuya referred to.
...
Sato's house
...
The next day found Mac at her professor's house for one of her lessons. While she didn't go as often as she had before she still had a lot of magic studies on top of her tournament. She wasn't sure how she was going to get it all done in time but she knew she had managed before so she was sure she was going to do so again now.
"Your non-verbal charms are coming along," Sato said from his position by his desk.
"Thank you, professor," Mac said. "But I still lag behind."
He smiled slightly, "I think given everything that's going on you've been doing very well."
Mac frowned but didn't say anything. She didn't like remembering everything that was 'going on' as he said, but there was really no way for her to just forget it. She sighed silently.
"I read your latest paper and thought you had some good points about the use of non-verbal magic in day to day life," Sato said.
"That was a difficult paper to write," Mac said looking at him. "That's why you gave it to me, right?"
"I have to challenge you somehow," he said with a perfectly blank face.
"Sure you do," she muttered but smiled slightly.
"I want you to practice meditation," Sato said making Mac blink.
"Eh?" she looked at him.
"Meditation is very useful in order to practice your magic," Sato said. "What do you know about it, Potter-san?"
Mac frowned in thought, "not that much. The basic, I guess."
"Meditation is a practice where you use a technique in order to train your awareness and attention and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state," Sato explained. "Not everyone sees the connection between meditation and magic. But it is useful in order to get better access to your magic and control over it. By meditating and gaining a better awareness and attention you will evolve mentally and magically."
Mac wrote down what he was saying like she normally did and pondered his words. She guessed she could see why that would help. He went over more about meditation in general and she made careful notes.
"I want you to read this," Sato said before levitating a book over to her and she watched as it landed in front of her.
"The way to meditate and get a new awareness to your magic," she read out loud.
"It's a book they use for seventh years at Mahoutokoro," Sato said. "I also want you to write a paper on meditation and it's benefits for our next lesson."
"Yes, professor," Mac said trying not to think about everything she had to do with both her magic and basketball (she was purposely not thinking about her normal homework as well).
"I'll let you start now," he said and she nodded.
...
"You look busy," Daisuke said falling down on the free seat in front of her.
"I am," she said not looking up.
"I haven't seen you in a while," he said. "How are you, Mac?"
"Fine," she said and looked up and smiled at him.
"Good," he said. "So, you're up to a quick game of quidditch before you leave?"
Mac looked out of the window and felt the need to go out to fly. It had been ages since she had last done so, and she did miss it.
"I don't know…" she said slowly. "I should be working on the paper…"
"Ah, dad has you reading about meditation?" Daisuke asked looking at the book. "I always hated that."
"Why? Because you had to sit still?" Mac arched a brow.
"Well," Daisuke shrugged but laughed.
Mac sighed and looked at the blue sky outside and knew it was getting closer to the time she had to reset the Time-Turner and redo her day with basketball preparations and more analyses about Yamanoe and get her and the team ready for the next day.
"Come on, Mac," Daisuke said. "You need to relax a little as well, you know. You've been in here reading for the last couple of hours. Dad will agree that you need to think about something else as well."
"He sent you in here, didn't he?" Mac challenged.
"Dad? No comment;" he grinned knowing he had won. "Come on, Mac!"
Mac closer her book and got up knowing that she would regret not having it done later, but right now she would admit that she did need the break. And she had missed spending time with Daisuke as well.
She found the broom she normally used and grinned when she took off feeling the fresh air in her hair and the freedom that she seldom felt anywhere else. It was different from the freedom she felt on the basketball court.
"Here!" Daisuke yelled and tossed the quaffle over to her and she caught it as she flew toward the homemade hoop and tossed the quaffle through it. "Ten points!"
They continued to play for fifteen minutes and Sato came outside to call them back inside. He smiled a small smile as he watched Mac with Daisuke and was pleased to see her relax a little and not looking so tense. He was worried about her and knew that she had a rough time of things, but there wasn't much he could do. Not anything that he wasn't already doing, anyway.
"She looks to be fine," Kaori said from behind him.
"Yeah," Sato nodded.
"She knows you and the rest of us support her, dear," Kaori said patting his arm. "And Daisuke will make sure to show up more during her lessons in order to make sure she relaxed a little before she goes back to redo her day."
"I know," Sato said and thought about his son. He had been angry and upset when he had heard about what had happened with Mac, and while he didn't rush over to her as he wanted to Sato knew his son would find reasons for showing up more. Mac had become something like a little sister to him and he was feeling protective.
Sato watched as the two landed and Mac handed her broom over to Daisuke again who grinned and with a flick of his wand made the brooms fly over to the shed and disappearing inside.
"Show off," Mac accused him.
"Just a little incentive," Daisuke said.
Mac rolled her eyes as she pushed him gently and made her way back to the house.
"You're a great flyer," Kaori smiled at her. "I'm always stunned by watching you fly."
"Thanks," Mac said shyly. "Dad was good at it, or so I hear."
"Ah, there should be some answers for your friends soon," Sato suddenly said. "I forgot to mention it with everything happening."
"Really?" Mac asked eagerly. "It's been so long…"
"It's not an easy case," Sato reminded her. "And it's important that it's handled delicately so that not the wrong people find out before it's legal and processed."
"But it's almost done?" Mac pressed.
"Yes," Sato nodded and Mac smiled relieved ignoring the curious look from Daisuke. Sirius would soon be free… she couldn't wait until she could tell him. He would be so relieved and happy, he would be able to go outside without worrying about being recognised and arrested.
She couldn't believe that she had forgotten… she should have asked more about it, but it had been pushed back and she had forgotten. Well, maybe not forgotten exactly. She had gotten used to seeing Sirius and Remus regularly and would miss them if they left. It had just taken the back spot in what would qualify as a mess of a life.
"Okay," Daisuke said slowly. "I am officially confused, but I'll pretend that I understood that and say; that's good."
"It is!" Mac nodded.
"You're in the middle of a tournament again, aren't you?" Kaori asked changing the subject.
"Yes," Mac nodded. "We won our first match yesterday, and have our next match tomorrow. I am meeting my team after this and discuss our strategy and go over some last-minute training."
"Tomorrow, eh?" Daisuke hummed. "I think I'll be able to make that."
"Eh?"
"What? I've said forever that I'm going to go and see a match, haven't I?" he asked.
"Well, yeah…"
"So, tomorrow will be the day that I come to see you play basketball," Daisuke said. "I'll have to see what you're on about. I can't believe I've used this long to do it."
...
Too Academy
...
Mac hurried out of the apartment and barely avoided colliding with Alex who was on her way inside.
"Oh, sorry!" Mac said. "Hey and bye!"
"Bye…" Alex's voice trailed after her, and Mac could only wonder if Alex sounded sad or if it was just her imagination. Well, she didn't have the time to think about that right now. She had to hurry, she was late. Just because she had felt the need for a shower after coming back and before meeting her team.
By the time she was at the gym she was out of breath and five minutes late.
"Sorry!" she gasped.
"It's fine," Susa said amusedly. "You're not the only one late."
"You okay, Mac?" Abe asked with a grin.
"You look a little out of shape there, Mac," Imayoshi smirked.
Mac gasped for breath but still managed to glare at them, "idiots."
They laughed making Mac smile as she looked around the gym. She saw Daiki sitting on the bench looking at her with an arched brow and she nodded making him relax and seemingly going back to what he had been doing (sleeping).
"You need something to drink?" Susa asked.
"I'm fine," she smiled at him but accepted the water he pushed into her hand anyway because it wasn't a question or so it seemed.
"Drink that anyway," he said. "And sit down and relax a little. You don't have to wear yourself out in order to get here on time."
"Stop fussing, Yoshinori," Imayoshi said amusedly. "Mac is fine."
"I'm not fussing," Susa muttered but pulled back slightly.
Mac smiled softly and thanked them.
She saw Harasawa coming into the gym and looked at her when he noticed that she had arrived. She felt another wave of guilt for being late but pushed it back. There was nothing she could do about it right now.
"Good," Harasawa said. "Let's get started."
Mac got up and put the bottle down and joined the others. She had allowed Nao out of the bag today since the only ones here were the regulars. So, Nao was sitting on the bench looking important.
"Your fox thinks he's our coach," Inoue smirked.
"Looks like it," Mac snorted before turning her attention to the actual coach.
"Yesterday's match against Koshi High," Harasawa started. "Forget it. We won, but now our focus has to be the next game. Our next game is Yamanoe High."
They all looked serious and was ready to take on the next challenge. Mac had to admit that she really did like the way they seemed to get together.
"Potter-san will go over their stats and players," Harasawa said after having talked for a while.
...
Harasawa observed his team and was pleased with what he saw. They had split up in two teams and were playing a practice match, mostly for fun but also in an effort to prepare for the next match. Sometimes it was best to just unwind and allow them to have fun.
"Come on, Daiki," he heard Mac say. "Look like you're awake."
"This is boring," Daiki muttered.
"Stop that," Mac said and caught the ball when Imayoshi passed it to her.
Harasawa saw Daiki look at Mac with a calculating look before he smiled.
"You think you can beat me, Kenzie?" Daiki asked.
Harasawa shook his head a little but smiled. Seems like it was the right choice to make sure the two were on different teams.
Mac smirked and dribbled the ball as Daiki took his place in front of her and the others fell into their spots around the court but it was clear that right now the focus had shifted to Mac and Daiki. Harasawa saw the look of interest from Imayoshi and knew he was always ready to watch the two go at it on the court.
Mac moved and she moved quickly and smoothly all the while keeping control of the ball. Daiki followed with ease and forced her to retreat slightly as she had been trying to go for the hoop.
"You can't stop me like that, Kenzie," Daiki said.
"I know," Mac nodded. "That's why…"
Harasawa arched a brow as she closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to be guided by her instincts as she moved and when Daiki reached for the ball she stepped to the side and he missed his mark, something he very rarely did, as she sidestepped him and twisted around before she dodged his other hand.
"Hm," Harasawa hummed thoughtfully. "Interesting."
She had opened her eyes again now and upped her speed a little more and even Daiki seemed to have a little trouble keeping up, but Harasawa wasn't sure if that was because she was too fast of because he was still surprised by her former move.
She dribbled the ball and made for the hoop and when Daiki moved she seemed to already know and counter it. She paused when she reached the area in front of the hoop even as Daiki was almost there and jumped up taking the shoot.
"Yes!" Wakamatsu cheered when the ball went through the hoop.
Mac landed and smiled pleased while Daiki frowned at her before he scoffed. Harasawa smiled as well happy with the development she just showed. It wasn't often she really let go during practice matches like this, so it was good to see her do so now. Again he was stunned by the talent she possessed, and while he knew that in a one-on-one against Daiki she would probably lose, she could keep up with him for a little while. She knew him the best after all and she was the best at reading him and knowing what he would do before he did so himself.
...
Mac laughed as Daiki ruffled her hair and scoffed at her.
"What?" she asked innocently. They had just finished their practice match and she was breathing a little harder than normal.
"Nothing," he said. "You okay?"
"Are you going to be asking me that every day?" Mac sighed.
"Yes," Daiki nodded seriously.
Mac rolled her eyes, "I'm fine."
"Let's go to Maji Burger!" Abe called.
Mac looked away from Daiki and over at the others who were nodding or expressing the agreement to Abe's suggestion.
"Alright," Mac said. "I'm in."
Daiki yawned but nodded when Abe looked at him. Mac rolled her eyes again and nudged her boyfriend who just smiled at her.
Harasawa watched them leave with an amused look. They were a good team, he thought. They were closer than he would have imagined and he knew it was because of Mac. She was bringing them together in a way he had not really expected when he had first invited her and Daiki to Too Academy. He didn't think he had ever trained a stronger team and he couldn't wait to see how far they would go. He smiled as he walked back into his office.
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AN: What do you think? XD
Hope you liked it! Thank you all for reading and supporting the story! XD