Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Kuroko no Basket!
A question in the author note at the end! XD
...
...
2nd year – Too Academy
..
"Good work today, Potter," Yuki said.
"Thank you, sensei," Mac smiled.
It had been a nice workout with learning more about throwing and striking in self-defence. She had not been able to come too much lately but still tried to come when she could. Yuki and his father Matsumoto encouraged her to do so as well.
"You've gotten far," Yuki observed. "Your movements are faster and more effortless."
"Thank you," Mac said again pleased by the compliment. "I feel like it's easier, but I know I'm still far from perfect."
"There's always more to learn," Yuki said. "That is how it is in everything we do. If one thinks that one has learned all there is then we're missing out."
Mac smiled a little and nodded in agreement. She looked over at Ueno who was smiling back at her. Mac was glad to see that she was looking more like her old self when it came to martial arts.
"I guess that is true," Mac said. "It would be boring if you'd never be able to learn more about something you love."
"Agreed," Yuki said. "Welcome back anytime, Potter. We like having you over."
Mac smiled and thanked him again as he left, and she turned toward Ueno.
"Great being back?" Ueno smiled.
"Mm," Mac said. "I've missed it."
"You have been busy lately," Ueno said. "Hardly time to do anything but basketball."
"Sorry," Mac said knowing she had neglected her other friends a little. "But being the captain of the team is far more work than Imayoshi ever let on."
Ueno laughed, "you sure it's not just you who are putting more work into it than he did?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mac sniffed but smiled a little. She knew she could be a tad obsessive over her work, especially when it came to basketball.
"Sure, you don't," Ueno said. "So, do you have time to go out and eat like we normally did?"
"I guess I can make time for you," Mac said with a sigh before she laughed.
They went to the usual ramen place close by and Mac enjoyed herself as she talked and listened to Ueno.
"Hermione said that she would be over next weekend and she's staying with me," Ueno said.
Mac smiled a little, "I didn't know you and Hermione talked that often."
"We write letters," Ueno admitted with a blush. "There's this cute owl of all things that delivers it!"
Mac briefly wondered if that was okay. Most non-magical people weren't used to owls as mail carriers.
"That's cute," Mac said.
"Mm, Hermione said that they were specially trained to carry letters at her school," Ueno said. "I think it's awesome."
"I agree," Mac smiled. "So, she'll come and stay with you for a weekend, eh?"
Ueno flushed again and Mac bit back a smile.
"Yes," Ueno said.
"I'm glad you're getting along so well," Mac said.
"Maybe you can come over one night as well, and we can have a sleepover?" Ueno asked.
"You sure you want to share her?" Mac teased.
"Mac," Ueno hissed her cheeks red (Mac wondered how many times she could make Ueno blush).
"Sorry," Mac said. "I won't tease. But I would like that."
Ueno was still a little flushed and Mac felt a little bad.
"I'm sorry." She said again. "I promise I won't tease you anymore. But I don't have any problem with it if you like Hermione, Ueno."
Ueno glanced over at her before looking away again.
"I…don't…" Ueno stuttered.
"Okay, I won't bring it up again," Mac said and changed the subject.
...
They had just finished eating and left the restaurant when someone walked right into Mac making her stumble a little.
"Ah, sorry," a voice said. "I'm really sorry. Are you okay? I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, and I'm sorry!"
Mac blinked amused as the rambling washed over her and turned fully to look at the boy who had walked into her.
"It's fine," Mac said before she blinked.
The boy, a very familiar boy, was staring at her with wide eyes and an open mouth calling her attention to the crumbs on his cheek.
"Oh," he said.
It was Ogiwara Shigehiro from Meiko.
Mac also recognised the boy next to him as Mochida Reiji, another boy from Meiko. Also, the one who told her that Ogiwara had moved away after their match in third-year Nationals.
Awkward silence stretched between them as they stood there just staring. Mac wasn't sure who was more surprised, them or her. The last time she'd seen Ogiwara flashed in her mind and the fall out from that match.
That awful match that she still regretted.
"Mac?" Ueno broke into the silence. "You okay?"
"Ah, sorry, Ueno," Mac said smiling a little glad that someone interrupted the silence that threatened to become overwhelming. "I'm fine."
She glanced back at Ogiwara and noticed that he looked a little pale. Did he remember that match as well? Did he really give up basketball?
"Are you okay?" Mac asked looking at Ogiwara.
He blinked at her confused.
"Did you hurt yourself walking into me?" Mac asked again.
He shook his head.
It didn't seem like he was able to talk, and Mac decided that she had enough of the awkward silences and stares. She glanced at Mochida who was silent, but he looked at his friend worriedly.
"Okay," Mac said. "Good seeing you again, then. Bye."
She turned and ignored the curious look from Ueno as they started to walk down the street.
...
It had to be her that Ogiwara had collided with.
Flashing eyes.
Mocking smile.
"It's rare for me to deliberately let you pass. You could've at least scored."
Cold eyes.
It was all coming back to him as he stared at Mac. She was saying something, and he realised that he must have zoned out for longer than he thought, and he worked to understand what she was saying. He managed to nod as he realised she was asking if he was fine.
Awkward.
But he couldn't find his voice as she seemed to decide that the silence was too much and turned back to her friend and they started to walk away.
He couldn't really blame her for that. He let out a breath as he felt his shoulders slump.
"Are you okay?" Mochida asked.
"I was rude, wasn't I?" Ogiwara asked.
"Kind off," Mochida said.
Ogiwara sighed.
"I just…don't know what to say to her," Ogiwara said.
Though, he remembered her standing up against the others and stopped them from playing with them completely (or they had but she had tried and that mattered). At the time he hadn't been able to really process the pain in her eyes as she had looked at them, or how she had seemed angry at her team. It had all hurt too much.
"She did come and look for you," Mochida said. "Kuroko as well."
Ogiwara grimaced. That was another one he had not been able to face… it hurt. It still hurt, but he also missed his friend. The way they played together, the way Tetsuya never gave up… how had he gotten back to basketball after that?
He couldn't see Mac anymore now. Should he run after her?
No, he couldn't. He wasn't ready just yet to face her. He sighed. He still was weak.
...
Sato's house
...
"Good work on your meditation," Sato complimented. "You've gotten to the next phase of learning how to close your mind, Potter."
"Really?" Mac asked.
"I want you to read this," Sato levitated a book over to her. "Study it and pay attention to what it says about emotions."
Mac frowned, "emotions?"
"Emotions are heavily tied together with the ability to close your mind," Sato said. "It is hard to do if you're too emotional. The closer the emotions are to the surface the harder it is to close off your mind."
Mac nodded as she furrowed her brows. That sounded hard.
"I want you to start reading the book before we go over to work on Potions for the rest of the day," Sato said. "Then I want you to continue to read the book at home and we will pick it up again next week. Take time to understand what you read and think about it. It's not something that will be learned overnight. It is challenging, and it's not for everyone."
"So I might not manage it?" Mac frowned.
Sato looked at her for a moment.
"I won't lie to you," Sato said. "You might not. As I said, it all comes down to how you manage to control your emotions. It's a huge part of this. While dealing with emotions good or bad is a good thing but it can also make hiding them away with occlumency that much harder. Occlumency is often compared to what we call compartmentalising our emotions."
He could see Mac thinking about what he said, and he was pleased with the focus she showed.
"This is also why meditation is important," Sato said. "It will help you."
"Okay," Mac said.
Sato watched as Mac started to read and knew he was challenging her with this request to learn how to close her mind. At Mahoutokoro it was something the students could choose if they wanted to learn. It was not something everyone managed to learn, it was harsh and demanded a lot of dedication from the ones who wanted to learn.
But he thought that Mac would benefit from learning this. Should she cross path with other witches and wizards it might be a good idea to know this. And he was a believer that everyone should learn some occlumency. He had insisted that both Daisuke and Sachi learn at least some occlumency as well.
He was aware that it might be impossible for Mac to learn. With the background she'd had it wasn't always possible. He hoped that with the therapy she'd gone through (and still did) she'd have a better chance of learning occlumency.
...
"Have you thought about jobs in the magical world that might be interesting for you?" Kaori asked during lunch.
Mac blinked, "jobs? No… not really. I don't really know any jobs in the magical world, really."
"Well, you have teachers, obviously," Kaori said glancing at her husband who smiled a little. "And I'm a healer at the magical hospital. And you have the different jobs at the Ministry as Daisuke has. Sachi will start writing for the Daily Mail, the main Japanese magical newspaper. She just got the job."
"Oh? That's good," Mac said. "I forgot that she finished school this year."
Kaori smiled, "yes, she has moved into an apartment with a friend from school. It's strange having both of my kids out there living on their own now."
Mac smiled a little but didn't say anything. She had never really gotten along with Sachi, the other girl never seemed to like her, and Mac always felt uncomfortable around her.
"And Daisuke moved in with his boyfriend," Sato said. "Kawabe Takaichi."
"He said he would," Mac smiled. "I'm glad. I wish I could meet him. Daisuke has talked about him a lot."
"I know Daisuke would like that as well," Kaori said. "Maybe…"
She trailed off.
Mac knew that she was about to suggest that they might tell Kawabe about her, but Mac also knew that the more people who were told the bigger chance that someone else might find out about her.
But was she ready to take the chance?
She would be turning 17 this year and then she would be of age in the magical world. They couldn't do anything then, so maybe… but was she ready?
She was tired of hiding, though. She was tired of letting it dictate her life, but what if Dumbledore or anyone else found out?
She sighed.
"Maybe one day," Mac said looking down.
She missed the look Kaori and Sato exchanged.
"Back to jobs," Sato said. "There's also an Auror; dark wizards catchers. Think police or military, and you'll get an understanding of what they do."
Mac nodded in understanding.
"There are a lot of options," Kaori said. "There's magizoologists, like Newt Scamander. Or dragon handlers, if you're really daring."
Mac smiled at the mention of Newt.
"I don't think I could work with dragons," Mac said.
"It's something Daisuke considered," Kaori said. "I was very glad when he decided against it."
Mac laughed a little.
"Sounds like there's a lot of choices," Mac said. "But I don't think I will find a job in the magical world."
"Have you thought about what kind of job you do want?" Sato asked curiously.
Mac shrugged, "I don't really know. I think I want to continue with basketball in some way, not necessarily as a player, but analyst or coach, maybe? Or with children in some way, maybe even a teacher. I don't know yet."
"You have time to decide," Kaori said.
Mac nodded. She knew she soon had to start to think about it. But at least she was just in her second year and had another year as well to make up her mind.
...
Too Academy
...
"You coming with me or?" Mac asked looking at Daiki.
He yawned and shook his head, "I don't want to go to the library. I'll go to the roof and sleep."
"Lazy," Mac rolled her eyes and he shrugged.
"Whatever," he said. "I'm bored."
"You could use your time doing something useful," Mac said.
"Nah," he said. "You want to come over after school today? Mum and dad are taking the twins to grandma's house. They're staying there until tomorrow since it's a Friday."
Mac bit down on her lip and glanced at Daiki who was trying to look casual.
"Oh? You're not going?" she asked.
"No, I said I wanted to stay home," Daiki said. "I thought we could have a movie night or something…"
Mac smiled a little before she nodded, "sure. That sounds fun."
He smiled and she felt her stomach flip and suddenly she felt nervous or not quite nervous but something similar but harder to explain.
"Good," he said and with a wave left the classroom.
What was that? Mac stared after him and wondered if maybe going to his house when he was home alone wasn't such a good idea… but then again, maybe it was.
...
"Oh? Are you going to the library?" Tange asked interrupting Mac's thoughts.
Mac blinked and nodded, "yeah. I should get started on the homework before basketball practice starts."
"Do you mind if I come?" Tange asked.
"I don't mind," Mac said. "But you're not going straight home? I thought most would leave right away…"
"I notice you going to the library a lot, and thought I would join you," Tange said with a smile. "It might actually make my parents happy that I'm focusing more on my schoolwork."
"Okay," Mac said a little surprised.
It ended up being more than just Tange who joined her at the library, though. Mac had started to believe that where you found Tange you'd also find Shigemi and Saijo. The three girls seemed to be inseparable, so the two of them also came. Then Nakano and Ito realised they were going to the library and ended up joining as well.
"Let's see if the study room is free," Nakano said. "That way we won't disturb anyone if we end up talking to each other as we work on our homework."
"Good idea," Shigemi said.
Mac didn't really care as long as she managed to get some work done. It wasn't like she had to do her magical homework later today since it was the weekend and she could do that later, but she still wanted to have this done so she didn't have to spend her entire weekend doing homework. The book about occlumency popped up in her mind and she knew she had to get through it during the weekend.
Mac followed the other to the study room (it was free) and sat down at the long table that was in there. She had never really used it before. Normally she was alone when she went to the library, though back at Teiko she would often be joined by Shintaro. That made her think about the green-haired boy and wonder if he was okay. She hadn't seen him in a little while and thought that she should contact him soon.
"This is brilliant," Saijo said. "I'm so behind on my homework! I was going to do it yesterday but then my boyfriend came and I just…didn't do it."
"You always let your boyfriend distract you from your homework," Tange teased.
Saijo blushed but shrugged, "he's more fun than homework."
"You have a boyfriend?" Nakano asked curiously.
"Mm, he attends Seiho," Saijo said with a sigh. "I'm envious of you, Potter, who has your boyfriend here at the same school."
Mac had already pulled her books out of her bag (and checked on Nao who looked fine) and glanced up to see the others looking at her.
"Mm, it's nice," Mac agreed.
"How long have you been together with Aomine now?" Tange asked.
"Around ten months," Mac said. "Almost 11."
"Almost a year now," Shigemi smiled.
Mac nodded and looked back at her books.
"How about you, Saijo?" Nakano asked looking over at the other girl.
"Four months," Saijo said.
"They met through her brother," Shigemi said.
Mac managed to focus on her homework even with the girls talking beside her. She didn't mind that much and even looked up from time to time to say something. They did actually get around to start their homework as well eventually.
It was a little while into the study session that Mac felt it. She felt like someone was watching her and she looked up and half-expected to find one of the girls staring at her, but they were all focused on their homework and wasn't looking at her at all. She looked out of the glass door and blinked when she met wide brown eyes before they disappeared around a shelf.
Okay, weird… Mac thought as she shook her head.
She looked down at her books again before looking back and there was no sign of the girl, so Mac shrugged. Maybe it was just a coincidence or something. It didn't really matter.
"You saw her?" Nakano whispered making Mac glance over at her.
"Mm," Mac said.
"She has been looking in since we first sat down," Nakano said.
"You never said anything," Mac said.
"It didn't seem like it mattered," Nakano shrugged, "besides, she didn't do any harm."
Mac nodded, "you know who she is?"
"No," Nakano said.
Mac hummed before looking back at her books.
...
Mac had to leave first since she had basketball practice, so she said goodbye to the others and made her way toward the gym. It had been nice to sit with the others and even the ones she didn't know that well yet.
Maybe Koizumi had a point when she told Mac to give other people a chance before she thought the worst. It was just hard not to expect the rejection. She didn't like the way she automatically believed they wouldn't like her.
"Mac!" Sakurai smiled. "Sorry! Did I scare you?"
Mac rolled her eyes, "no, it's fine, Sakurai. Ready for practice?"
Sakurai smiled again and nodded.
"Read any new manga's lately?" Mac asked as they walked the last part of the way to the gym together. She listened as Sakurai explained about the manga he was currently reading and had to smile at the enthusiastic way he waved his hands to describe it.
"Sounds fun," Mac said.
They went to their separate changing rooms and Mac quickly changed. When she stepped out from the changing room, she again felt like she was being watched, but didn't turn around as she made her way into the gym.
"Cap, you're almost late today," Abe grinned.
"I'm not late," Mac rolled her eyes. "I just had to do some homework before practice."
"Boring," Inoue said making Mac laugh.
"Sorry to disappoint," Mac said. "I'm a boring person."
"Somehow I doubt that," Namamura said.
Harasawa stepped out of the office then and they all fell silent just as Daiki entered the gym. Mac gave him a look and he smiled sheepishly back at her. She knew he must have fallen asleep somewhere. Well, he was here now at least…
"Good, you are all here," Harasawa said. "Today I want you to go for a run first. You need to warm up."
"Yes, coach," they said.
...
"Come on," Mac smiled at the first years. "Don't use all your stamina at once. Learning to pace yourself is important as well, that way you will be able to continue with the practice after the run."
She was jogging backwards as she watched the first years run and smiled when she noticed the glares they sent her.
"Okay? Well, then continue!" She smiled as she turned back around and picked up her pace. She half expected them to try to keep up, but they didn't, and she smiled to herself. Maybe they were learning.
Daiki gave her a sidelong look when she reached his side again (he had held back and waited for her).
"Always the teacher," he said.
"It's for the best of the team," Mac said.
"Sure," he smiled. "So? Race?"
Mac smirked and without another word picked up her pace with him right behind her. She loved this side of Daiki. This was how it used to be. Always challenging each other and having fun.
Mac was breathing a little harder when she finished (Daiki won) and mock glared at Daiki who looked so smug.
"I'll beat you next time," she promised making him laugh.
"We'll see," he said.
"Inhuman!" Abe and Inoue complained.
"I'll join you next time," Wakamatsu said.
"Hm," Daiki looked at him and away making Wakamatsu glare at him.
It was all normal, though.
...
"Okay," Harasawa said when they got back inside the gym. "Good job and Potter has made another exercise that we will do today before we end the practice for the day."
Mac walked over and picked up two basketballs before she turned back toward the others again. She saw the curious looks in their eyes and she was really happy to notice that there were no sceptical looks given her this time. Finally, they could just go through a practice without her feeling on edge because of the looks.
"I want us to work on ball-control today," Mac said. "I know we all have good control already, but there are always ways to get better. There's a drill called the Two Ball Combo Drill, a drill where you need both hands to control the ball. It will force you to communicate and allows you to be creative."
Mac saw the confusion and looked at Daiki.
"Daiki? Want to help demonstrate?" she asked.
"Sure," Daiki said.
They aligned with around ten feet between them and Mac who still held the basketballs started to dribble them at the same time. She varied the height on the balls as she dribbled them and even dribbled between her legs while keeping up the dribbling of the other ball.
Daiki lifted his right hand and called, "ball!"
Mac passed the ball in her left (his right) over to him while keeping the other ball. Daiki dribbled for a moment before he lifted the other hand and called, "ball!" again making Mac pass the second ball over to him and he caught it and kept dribbling.
Mac ended the drill and turned to the others who were staring.
"You got it?" she asked.
"Um…yeah," Abe said. "It looks hard."
"It will be demanding, but it will help with controlling the ball with your weak hand as well," Mac said. "I want you to be quick and steady and try to think about variation when you dribble. If you go high or low or what you decide, use your creativity. It's all about not losing control of the ball."
Mac and Daiki continued to work together, she tried to not do so too often but sometimes it was nice to get to work together with Daiki as well. Though she couldn't help but feel like he was watching her more intensely than normal or maybe it was just her reading more into the look in his eyes… she tried to push the thought away and focus on the here and now but it was difficult.
It was one of the best practices they'd had since the start of the second year. The focus and determination were present in everyone and no one complained or dragged it out, everyone was doing what they were told and even had a laugh or two as they missed a ball but kept going without any fuss. Mac enjoyed watching them work when she took a break from her own work with Daiki (he didn't mind and didn't really need the same practice so it was fine for her to take a break to observe the others from time to time).
She didn't mind that there was laughter as long as they did what they were told and had the right focus. Basketball was supposed to be fun even when you learned and developed. She wasn't someone who thought that every practice needed to be serious for them to grow stronger, she knew that it was a balance between the two and found it easier to encourage others that way.
...
Harasawa ended the drill and called them to stand around him as he had an announcement to make.
"Good work," Harasawa said. "So, I have some news to give you."
Mac looked at him curiously.
"Next week we will have a practice match against Shutoku High School," Harasawa said.
"Really?" Abe and Kasahara asked at once.
"Yes," Harasawa said amused. "It will be at Shutoku in one week. We never played them last year, but remember they made their way to the Winter Cup as well. They have a strong team, and we will be taking this as serious as we would a game that matters."
Mac was already thinking about the game and about Shutoku. She knew they had lost a few players as well, but she didn't know who the new players were yet. It was something she needed to update herself on, especially now that they were going to be playing them.
It was exciting to finally face Shintaro in a match, they hadn't had the chance last year and even if it was a practice match it was still something she looked forward to.
"Midorima, huh," Daiki commented when Harasawa dismissed them. "Interesting."
"Oh? I never had the feeling you thought facing him was interesting," Mac said glancing at him.
Daiki shrugged, "his shooting ability is strong, though he's not the best at dribbling."
"He's taken steps in that part of his game, I think," Mac said.
Daiki nodded, "it will be interesting to see."
Mac smiled a little like she always did when Daiki expressed interest in the game again. This side of him, the side where he found aspects of the game he liked or found challenging was something she never would get tired of. She was still so grateful that he had found back to it again.
She knew that he would still find some parts of the game boring, but it wasn't overpowering him anymore.
"What?" he said noticing her smile.
"Just…thank you," Mac said, and he blinked.
"For what?" he asked confused.
"Do I need to have a reason?" Mac asked stretching up so she could press a kiss to his cheek and flushed a little at the look he gave her. She suddenly felt warm and a need to shift as his attention made her very self-aware.
"I…" he started but was interrupted.
"Finally! Another practice match!" Wakamatsu said excitedly.
Mac had almost forgotten that they were in the gym with the rest of their team (luckily they didn't seem to have been paying them any attention) and stepped away from Daiki.
...
Daiki led Mac inside and was secretly questioning his decision of asking her home with him when he would be home alone. It had seemed like a good idea when he asked, but now… he inhaled trying to calm down and not let his mind wander to dangerous territory.
It happened more and more often that he got lost in something she did and his mind wandered to places that were, well, dangerous. He had promised that he would follow her pace and that he would wait until she was ready to take their relationship further.
It wasn't any rush, but he thought about it. It would be a lie if he said he didn't.
"Want me to cook or should we order pizza?" Mac asked interrupting his thoughts.
He looked at her and wondered if he was imagining the slight tension in her just because he felt a little tense himself. He was probably projecting… or something.
"Mm, I'll order a pizza," Daiki said. "Mum left some money for it."
"Okay," Mac said.
He was glad for something to do as he walked to the kitchen and found the menu from the pizza place and looked at it.
"The usual or do you want something new?" Daiki asked.
"The usual is fine," Mac answered.
He nodded and quickly placed the order and turned to look at Mac who was standing just inside the door to the kitchen. It was strange with the tension between them all of the sudden. He wasn't used to the awkwardness that suddenly had appeared.
"Let's find a movie or something," he said just to say something.
"Okay," she said and sounded relieved. Why was she relieved?
The DVD collection was on a shelf in the living room and they paused in front of it. Daiki couldn't help but glance over at her and stared as she watched the DVD covers with a thoughtful frown on her face. He loved how her brows furrowed slightly as she thought and how green her eyes seemed… he looked away quickly when she turned to look at him and tried to act normally.
He wanted to kiss her.
He needed to calm down. He inhaled and heard the soft sigh from her as well and when he looked over at her again he saw that her cheeks were flushed and she shifted a little as she seemed to be very focused on the DVDs in front of her.
"Any ideas?" she finally asked breaking the prolonged silence between them.
Not anything too romantic, he thought.
"No…" he said. "Not really."
"Um…what about Iron Man?" she asked. "You liked that one, right?"
He blinked and looked at her, "you're interested in seeing it?"
She shrugged, "sure. I haven't watched it before, but you said it was good."
"It is," Daiki said. "If you're sure?"
Mac smiled and his throat suddenly felt very dry. Why had she such a pretty smile? It shouldn't be allowed.
"I'm sure," she said. "Besides I like just watching a movie with you. It doesn't really matter what we watch."
"Me too," he said and suddenly he met her eyes and found it impossible to look away from her green eyes. He knew he was blushing and could tell that she was too. What did she see when she looked at him? Was he obvious in his thoughts? Did she ever think about him that way? Or was she content with how things were now?
He was almost relieved when the doorbell rang and he had to break eye contact with her even though a part of him wished to ignore the door and just let go. But he knew he couldn't.
He really should have thought twice before inviting her… this would be a long night if all he could think about was her and kissing her and…well, more.
...
The movie was playing but Mac had trouble keeping her attention on the movie and not the warmth and solid form she was leaning against. She had curled up beside Daiki like she always did after they had finished eating. It was normal, and she had done it without thinking and he had placed his arm around her, but she thought he seemed a little tenser than normal like he was very self-conscious about not letting his arm slid down or where he touched… and she couldn't help but worry that he had noticed her drifting mind.
There was something more between them now and it felt a little awkward. She tried to push it back and focus on keeping things normal and not letting her own mind wander too far, but it was easier said than done when just a look from him made her feel flushed and warm all over.
She sighed softly and shifted a little in her seat and felt how he tensed and stilled.
"Sorry," she said hurriedly.
"It's fine," he said quietly, and his voice was a little hoarse.
She focused back on the movie and on Tony Stark who was dancing with Pepper…and they were close. Mac fought the need to shift again and tried to breathe normally.
When had it become so much harder to sit beside Daiki? Since when had she been distracted that easily with everything he did and thought about kissing him?
Mac wasn't sure how to proceed with her own feelings…she knew that she was ready for more now and had been for a little while, but it felt like every time she was going to bring it up something came between them.
What if…
What if…
She sighed again and watched as Tony Stark rushed away from the event and something had happened, but she had missed it.
She heard Daiki sigh and turned her head slightly so she could look at him and found him staring at her and once more she felt caught by his intense blue eyes. Blue eyes that seemed darker than normal and unable to look away.
It felt like everything was buzzing and without thinking, or knowing who moved first, they were kissing. It was like they both moved at the same time and Daiki pulled her closer and she shifted so she was in a more comfortable position practically straddling his lap and neither paid any attention to the movie in the background.
Mac felt his hand under her shirt but just pressed closer as she pulled at his shirt neither breaking the kiss. She knew that they were very close to the dangerous territory now but she didn't care as she felt him brush over her chest and she gasped.
"Kenzie…" he whispered hoarsely. "If… if you don't want…"
She met his eyes and she saw the way his eyes were clouded but serious as he watched her closely. It felt like he saw everything she had to offer. He was breathing harder than normal, and she could feel how he held back. The muscles under her hands felt tight and it was oddly comforting to know he was thinking so much about her and not pushing her that he held himself back like this. It felt…good knowing that she had this effect on him too if she was honest with herself. She could feel just how affected he was too; it made her blush thinking about it. She knew that this was it. She needed to give him the answer now and found that it wasn't so difficult at all. It was Daiki and she loved him.
...
Daiki was trying to keep from thrusting up against her seeking some friction but didn't want to scare her or push her. He waited almost holding his breath as she watched him, and he knew that she wasn't unaffected by their kissing either. Her eyes were a darker green than normal and her cheeks flushed with pleasure. It made him feel even more as he took in the sight of her.
"I love you," Mac said surely and lifted her hands from where she had been touching his chest and cupped his face. "I know I've been keeping you waiting, and I appreciate that you've waited and not pressured me. I'm ready."
He inhaled shakily, "are you sure? I don't want to pressure you… If you're not…"
She leaned in and kissed him, and he groaned and couldn't help from pushing up slightly and felt the contact, making him close his eyes.
"I'm ready," she repeated. "I've been thinking about it, and I want you to be my first, Daiki."
He stared at her again before he smiled and pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her more softly as he allowed himself to feel everything.
"I love you," he whispered against her lips. "I love you so much, Kenzie. I want you to be my first too. I want us to experience this together…"
"I don't know what I'm doing, but…" Mac said a flash of uncertainty crossed her face as she bit down on her lip. "I don't want to disappoint you…"
"I don't know either," Daiki said. "But we'll figure it out together. If I do anything you don't like then tell me and I'll stop, okay? You won't disappoint me, Kenzie."
He leaned in and kissed her again and felt how she kissed him back and allowed them to just sit there kissing for a little bit before he pulled back again.
"Trust me?" he whispered.
"Always," she answered before she kissed him again and he lost track of time and everything as he turned so she was lying on the sofa with him hovering over her kissing and touching with her pulling him closer.
It was almost too much. The feelings inside of him and the nerves were also there because he didn't want to do something wrong, but at the same time… this was Mac. His best friend and he loved her.
Finally, he pulled away and managed to get off the sofa and held out a hand to her knowing he was blushing.
"Let's go upstairs," he said, and he saw that she understood that this was a chance to back out. She looked at him steadily, though and took his hand and closed hers around it. He felt his heart skip a beat as he started to lead her up to his room.
...
...
AN: What do you think? XD
I hope I managed to get the last part of the chapter okay. I tried my best to write it in a way that was fine and not too awkward or too graphic. I didn't want that, but it is difficult to find the right balance. So, I'm a little nervous about how this chapter will be received... XD
A question for YOU! I have been rewatching Kuroko no Basket: The Last Game and I keep thinking about adding it to this story. Do you want this to be a part of the story?
I find that I really want to get the GOM together again as a team once more! It's amazing. I had forgotten a lot about the movie and I can't get over how fun it is and exciting. So, I really do want to have it in some way in this fic as well.
Though, I've been playing around with some ideas in my mind and thought I would ask you about what you would like to see... So idea 1 is to keep it much the same with a few changes (obviously) but the teams are the same and the starting point is the same.
Idea 2 are more loosely based on it and having other street basketball teams arriving in Japan and the GOM needing to form a team to fight them in a tournament of sorts. I guess I could combine the two ideas and keep the original American team and add others... but I don't know. I fear that this might become too big and take up too much space...and let's face it, this story is already quite long... ;)
Hope you understood my rambling or attempt to explain what I think... I would appreciate any feedback about this or thoughts. I think that only focusing on the Inter-High again will easily feel a little repetitive and I want to find new ways to keep the fic interesting... Though, I do want to keep the Inter-High a part of the story as well.
Thank you for reading! XD