Chapter 20
There is not much I can offer
Today was an extremely important day for Midorima and Takao. The first thing in their agenda was that Midorima finally fulfilled his promise of attending the mini basket team's training. Takao asked his fiancé (he suddenly loved the thought of that word) to wait while he got the kids hyped about the visitor.
"Alright kids, you did a great job in the tournament and were just one little step short of taking the cup. If we train hard and become stronger, I'm sure we can be the champions in the spring tournament and maybe even go to the nationals, how does that sound?"
The kids cheered excitedly and Takao smiled. A part of him regretted that he'd never actually be a father in spite of how much he liked children, but the mini basket team sort of filled that void for him.
"And as I promised, I brought a special friend of mine to help us with training, as a reward for your hard work." He continued, grinning from ear to ear.
"Is it Kagami-san again?" ruby-eyed Rin asked, a mischievous glint in his grin. The kids had loved Kagami, mostly because he got so easily flustered and was so easy to tease.
"No, I'm afraid Kagami was very busy today, but another friend from the Vorpal Swords told me he was very eager to meet you guys." He turned his head lightly and called "You can come out now!" with a big grin on his face.
The children cheered again when Shin-chan appeared in the court. Makoto's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Kids, this is the legendary Midorima Shintarou, the best Shooting Guard that High School basketball ever saw." He said ceremoniously while Shin-chan bowed politely and the kids exploded in cheers.
"Your coach told me you placed second in the Fall tournament, that's quite impressive."
The children nodded enthusiastically and puffed up their chests with pride. So cute, Takao thought.
"Hey, Midorima-san, why don't you show them that?" He offered, winking at him. "You can still do it, right?" he hadn't really stopped to ponder on whether Shin-chan had kept playing basketball, what with how busy he was at the hospital, and he suddenly worried that the miracle shooter had lost his miraculous powers due to lack of practice.
Shin-chan quirked an eyebrow, looking mildly offended by the insinuation. "Give me that ball already, and I'll show exactly what I can do." He replied in a challenging tone. Takao handed him the basketball and watched him walk to the court and stand under the basket, facing the opposite side.
"Oh, oh! He's gonna do it! The full-court shot!" Makoto squealed with delight. Takao didn't fail to notice the tiny prideful smirk that tugged at the corners of Midorima's lips.
As Midorima bent his knees slightly before jumping, it dawned on Takao that he hadn't seen Shin-chan shoot a three-pointer in seven years, and suddenly he felt really excited. He watched in awe as the ball left Shin-chan's long, perfect fingers and arched upwards. His emerald eyes were gleaming with confidence. He wouldn't miss. Shin-chan never took a shot unless he was certain it would hit its mark. The ball's trajectory was straight and perfect, and it flew down the opposite net without even touching the board or the rim. Takao found himself cheering along with the boys. He'd almost forgotten how beautiful Shin-chan was on the court.
The kids ran towards Shintarou, skipping with excitement and bombarding him with questions, and Takao could only laugh. His fiancé was now sporting a smug and satisfied smirk and doing his best at fending off the overly-excited children.
Way too cute.
"He's amazing, isn't he?" Takao commented, patting some of the kids' heads to calm them down. "And he's going to be helping us so we're strong enough when spring comes."
The kids didn't seem to care much about the tournament, much too busy asking for Shin-chan's autograph and begging him to do it again.
"Perhaps you kids are not aware of this…" Shin-chan said, signing a boy's jersey with a light blush on his cheeks. "but your coach was part of the Vorpal Swords and he was also Captain of the Shuutoku basketball team when we won the High School Winter Cup."
Takao's heart melted, hearing Shin-chan speaking so highly of him. It was extremely endearing watching him talk to the kids as if he was a natural doing it. He'd never imagined Shin-chan would have the patience to deal with overly-enthusiastic children, but he was faring a lot better than expected. The kids seemed to like him, and he didn't show his vulnerable, teasable side, so the children couldn't get on his nerves.
"Of course we know! Sensei is the best coach in the planet, he's super strong!" Golden-haired Nagisa peeped, and Takao had to hold back the urge to 'awww'.
"Indeed he is. You are in the most competent hands, so I have no doubts you will fare excellently in spring." The kids all nodded in agreement. "I'll tell you something. If you work hard and do well in your training, your coach and I will ask our friends from the Vorpal Swords to come and visit you."
This time, the kids cheered so loudly Takao was worried they would break their voices. He had never considered bringing the other Miracles into the equation; even if they were all former teammates, they hadn't really spoken much after graduation, but with Shin-chan on his side, it was definitely possible. Damn, now he felt he had a greater responsibility with these kids. If they didn't win even with the entire Generation of Miracles aiding them, he would feel like a failure of a coach.
"Hey, Takao!" Midorima called him, pulling him out of his reverie. "The kids say they want an encore, but I thought it would be more exciting if we showed them our trump card."
Takao's heart was racing. Was Shin-chan proposing…? Oh, he definitely was. He felt a moment of nervousness, they hadn't tried that play in a really long time and he wasn't sure if they were still in synch like they used to. But one glance at Shin-chan and the confidence in his emerald eyes dissipated all of his doubts. He arranged the court with two randomly placed obstacles that would pass as opposing players and asked Rei -the team's Point Guard- to pass him the ball. Shin-chan stood behind the taller obstacle –a tall garbage can with wheels that allowed for it to be moved with relative ease- and waited.
Takao started at the corner of the court and waited for Rei's pass. The kid threw the ball at him, but the shaking of his hands made the ball's trajectory a little hard to catch. Takao had to take an extra step to grab it, and once he did, he dribbled towards the opposite side of the court, as if he was hoping to get a basket in himself. When he ran into his own obstacle –the kids' training bags piled up- he glanced briefly at his left to see Shin-chan already bending his knees and preparing to jump. He breathed. One, two, three dribbles, he timed. He didn't need to look, he knew exactly where his pass would land. It was as if they had never stopped playing together. The motion came naturally to him, like a sort of instinct. The moment he tossed the ball to its intended target, he could hear Shin-chan's heartbeat synchronized with his own. He didn't glance in that direction to check whether his pass had landed, and only seconds later he saw the ball falling cleanly down the net as it was supposed to.
Now he looked at Shin-chan and saw a smile that mirrored his own. His heart was beating at a mile per second , the adrenaline that coursed his body made him want to scream victoriously. Instead, he shared that triumphant grin with his beloved, while the children came back to the court, cheering in unintelligible excitement.
The second item in their schedule was the one that Shintarou was most nervous about. Playing basketball had temporarily eased all that nervousness, but now that they were halfway to their destination, it had kicked back full force and he was feeling horribly tempted to run away. Takao seemed to notice his state of unrest and casually laced their fingers together, squeezing them reassuringly.
"Don't worry, it'll be okay. Mom has always loved you, you know? She used to say you were such a good influence for me." Takao joked as the street where his parents lived came into view. Takao pulled out his keys and realized it had been a very long time since he'd last come to this place. He'd visited for Obon last year and… yeah, that was about it. He felt like a terribly ungrateful son all of a sudden.
"I'm home!" He called once the door was open. He took off his shoes and tugged Shin-chan's hand gently, compelling him to come inside.
"Big bro!" Kazuha was the first one to come rushing to the door. She was 21 years old now, but she still jumped to hug him as soon as he'd stepped one foot in the house. "What's been up with you, you haven't come around since forever!" she pouted.
"Sorry, got caught up in some stuff." Stuff he didn't want to think about. Stuff they should never know about. "Hey, do you remember Shin-chan?" he added, pointing at his flustered companion.
His sister looked up briefly and then she turned her head to look him in the eye, questioningly. She was the only one in her family who knew what had happened between them. "Didn't he hurt you really badly?" she seemed to be asking, and Takao just nodded reassuringly "It's all fine now". She appeared unconvinced, but didn't say anything else.
"Hey, are Pops and Mum home? There's something really important I wanted to discuss with them."
Kazuha eyed them suspiciously, with her arms crossed over her chest. "They're watching Mom's drama on TV." She finally replied and Shin-chan tensed up.
Oh boy, he's really nervous. For some reason, Takao found that to be extremely endearing. "Can you tell them I want to talk to them? We'll be waiting in the dining room." He said, still pulling Shin-chan's hand and leading him to the aforementioned room. His love's long fingers were trembling slightly, so Takao squeezed them and smiled at him.
A couple of minutes later, Takao's parents entered the room. His mother, Chizuru beamed upon seeing him and rushed to hug him. "You ungrateful child, how long has it been since you last came to visit? We were worried about you!" she complained, hugging him so tightly all the oxygen was forced out of his lungs. "Oh, you brought a friend…" she commented, still too busy suffocating her son, but not busy enough to not notice the 199 cm green-haired giant standing in her dining room. "Hey, aren't you-"
"Mum, I can't breathe!" Kazunari wailed, finally releasing himself from her deathly grasp. "I guess you do remember Shin-chan, after all." He added, trying to catch his breath again.
"Yes, of course, you two were such good friends in High School! You would've never made it to college if Shintarou-kun hadn't spent so much time tutoring you." She replied effusively, and Midorima blushed remembering how much of that 'tutoring' had involved taking their clothes off.
He then remembered the package he was carrying and proceeded to bow profusely. "Thank you for having me. This gift may not be of your particular liking, but please do accept it." He blabbered, handing the box of chocolates and bottle of wine to his future in-laws.
"Oh my, how thoughtful of you, Shintarou-kun. Kazunari could learn a thing or two from a proper boy like you." She took the gifts and put them in a nearby shelf. "We can share them after dinner, now sit down boys, it's so nostalgic seeing you both here again. I'll make something to eat."
Midorima had completely forgotten that, if Takao was energetic and loud, his mother was ten times more so. She was way too fast-pace for a serious guy like him, and it seemed even Takao had trouble handling her. It seemed as if he wanted to stop her so they could get straight to the point, but she was already halfway through the preparation of some elaborate dish, so he just gave up.
"It's good to see you're doing well, Kazunari." His father, Shuuto, much more composed than his wife sat down at the small table quietly.
"Sorry for not getting in touch for so long. I got too busy." He excused himself, sitting down too, not without having to pull Shin-chan's hand to prompt him to do the same. The guy was so tense it was almost funny.
A few minutes later, once dinner was served and they were all seated at the table and halfway through their meals, Takao decided he couldn't prolong this anymore. Shin-chan might just die from nervousness if he did.
"The truth is, Mom and Dad, that I came here because there is something really important that I needed to tell you."
Shin-chan tensed up again. His mother gasped, apparently concerned, while his father just stared at him intently and waited in silence for him to continue. Kazuha didn't even seem to be paying attention to the conversation.
"I'm gay." No roundabouts. No beating around the bush. Although to be truthful, he was actually bisexual, but he had a very strong preference for men and an absolute preference towards Shin-chan, so it wasn't as if there was any chance he'd end up hooking up with a girl at some point (though he had in the past), so explaining that felt pointless. "And I'm in love with this guy. We're getting married in April and would like you to come to the ceremony." He added bluntly pointing at Shin-chan and stretching his arm over the table to hand them the invitation.
His parents looked completely dumbstruck by the sudden downpour of information, and Shin-chan didn't even let them catch their breaths before pulling away from the table and dropping to his knees in dogeza, his forehead touching the ground, surprising even his fiancée. This had certainly not been part of their plans.
"I apologize for my rudeness and the inconveniences this may cause, but I would be most humbled if you would honor me with your blessing to marry your son Kazunari-san." He was shaking visibly and barely seemed to be breathing in between words. "I realize this is an uncomfortable request to receive, and there is not much I can offer him but promise that my love for him is unyielding and that I shall dedicate the rest of my life to make him happy."
Kazuha choked on her drink. A thick silence hung over the room. Kazunari realized his face was burning after hearing Shin-chan saying such words. Any doubts he may have had about this, about giving their relationship a second chance (and he hadn't really had any) would've been completely dissipated when those words were spoken. It truly felt as if seven years had never passed. Whatever had he done in his life to be blessed with such pure and unabashed love, he wondered? His heart was overflowing with warmth, and it was hard to hold back the urge to run to Shin-chan, hug him, kiss him, and tell him how much he loved him and how lucky he felt to have him.
It was his father who broke the silence first, his deep voice cut through the air like a razor. "I appreciate your devotion, but are you sure our son is good enough for you? Our family has no money or status, nor do we have the long-standing history that your family has. There will be no merit or benefit in bringing this foolish child into your family."
With that, Midorima finally looked up to meet Takao Shuuto's silver eyes with determination. "What Kazunari-san has given me, no amount of money or status could ever compare to. It is my worthiness of him that should be put into question and not the other way around. I could never imagine or desire any greater merit or benefit than having him by my side."
Midorima's words brought tears to Kazunari's eyes. How long had he been thinking of those words? Or perhaps he hadn't and he had just come up with them on the fly? Either way, the sole fact that Shin-chan had thought those sorts of things about him was enough to make him swoon. There was no greater luck in the world than being loved by Shin-chan the way he was.
Kazunari caught his mother smiling, and his father got up from the table and walked around it to stand right in front of Shintarou, who was still kneeling on the floor. "For a man that can speak so highly and show such sincere devotion for our son, our blessing is the least that we can give you. From this moment you can think of this family as your own, and we shall be honored to make you our son. Now stand up, you have no reason to maintain such posture." He said, extending his hand as a sign of acceptance and peace.
Midorima stood up hesitantly and shook his father in-law's hand, still a little shaken from what had happened. He glanced briefly at his beloved, who gave him a triumphant grin and a thumbs-up. He was pleased to notice Takao was flushing scarlet red up to the tips of his ears.
"Are you okay, Shin-chan? You haven't said a word since we left my folks' place." He asked, slightly concerned. He'd been so giddy after how well everything had gone, he hadn't really noticed that his betrothed (and it felt so good to think of Shin-chan like that) wasn't acting like himself. "Hey, are you listening to me?" he grabbed Shin-chan's hand and tugged it lightly when he received no response.
"Huh?" Shintarou seemed to be pulled out of a daze, and his eyes focused on his beloved. He didn't even flinch when he realized they were holding hands. For some reason, PDA didn't seem to bother him as much as it did when he was younger. "Yes, I am more than okay. I am… overjoyed. I feel extremely blessed in this moment." He replied, his emerald eyes sparkling with sincerity.
It was sort of strange that someone who'd been stumbling on their own words just a few minutes ago could say something like that without a moment's hesitation, but it made Takao's heart flutter.
"That's my line, stupid Shin-chan. Do you even know how much I've been holding back from attacking you after all the nice things you said about me?" He blushed a little remembering the seriousness in Shin-chan's face when he said that he could offer nothing but love and the dedication to make him happy, as if he could've ever asked for more.
In a moment of sudden boldness, Midorima squeezed Takao's hand and leaned down to kiss him, not caring if they were in the middle of the street.
"You may attack me all you want once we get back home." He whispered playfully. It still felt like a dream, that there existed a place they could call 'our home'.
Takao blushed. Shin-chan seemed to have earned the ability to make him all flustered with extreme ease. It was an uncomfortable position, since he'd always been the one teasing and making Shin-chan blush. He didn't really know how to deal with it yet. He looked up to meet Shin-chan's smiling face that made him swoon. Maybe a little reciprocal teasing wasn't so bad.
Kazunari panted heavily, breaking their kiss to catch his breath. He was straddling Shin-chan's lap, one of his hands wrapped around the two of them, pumping leisurely. He needed to keep his eyes open most of the time, when his consciousness was muddled with pleasure, his subconscious needed some reminder that the man with him was gentle and loving and would never do him any harm.
It was only recently that they'd decided to give this sort of intimacy a chance, mostly because Takao had insisted. He couldn't let his past tie him down forever, and in his heart he wished for nothing but being able to become one with the man he loved. Shin-chan had agreed on the condition that Takao didn't try to rush it, and thus this was as far as they had gotten yet. He would be lying if he said he didn't want more, but the fact was that his panic attacks would kick in whenever he felt Shin-chan's hands anywhere close to his bare back. Although the wounds had long stopped hurting and the words carved on his skin were slowly fading away, he could still remember the pain and shame whenever they were touched.
He shook his head, forcing those thoughts away. He wanted to relish in this moment, in the warmth of their bodies when they were so close, in the feeling of Shin-chan's hands on his skin and how deliciously he would lose any sense of lucidity when they kissed. After how everything had turned out today, he wanted to enjoy this intimate moment and share their love and happiness with nothing to distract him.
"Is something wrong? We'll stop right away if you're uncomfortable." Shin-chan asked nuzzling his neck gently. Perceptive as ever.
He shook his head and cupped his fiancée's face with both hands, making him look upwards to meet his eyes and planting a small, chaste kiss on his soft lips. "Nothing at all. I just like it, being with you like this."
"I like it too." Shin-chan replied, leaning forward for a second kiss. "I love you, Kazunari." He breathed in between hot, open-mouthed kisses as they increased their pace. He stared into lovely emerald eyes, panting heavily. His heart raced and he felt they were touching the stars together, and in that moment, everything was perfect.
A few months had passed since they'd spoken with his parents, and Kazuha was really invested in helping to plan the wedding, but today they had to put all that aside for another important thing. Today it was Takao's turn to be nervous, and boy he felt like a wreck. He almost felt guilty for putting Shin-chan through this before. According to Shin-chan, Oha-Asa had said today was a good day for Scorpios to overcome large obstacles, while she'd said Cancers should take the opportunity to mend a damaged relationship, which meant today was extremely auspicious for this endeavor. Shin-chan had even insisted they both carried lucky items, and Takao was oh-so-grateful that this time it had been something he could carry in his pocket (a green handkerchief, praise the gods), instead of, say, a skateboard, which Shin-chan had been proudly carrying around all day on Monday.
He wasn't sure if his nerves would allow him to muster the sort of words the occasion demanded, and most importantly, he was almost certain he could never equal Shin-chan's beautiful vow of love and devotion, so basically he was just caught in a vicious cycle of being terrified, then getting nervous because he couldn't calm down, then terrified again.
"Wouldn't it be best to ring the bell, Shin-chan? I mean, they'd be pissed off if you just walk in like that after last time, right?" he asked, watching as his lover fumbled with the keys to open the door.
"If I ring, chances are Father won't even want to open the door. It's better like this." He replied curtly, pushing the door open.
It wasn't the first time Takao visited the Midorima household, but it had been years since the last time and he'd forgotten just how immense the estate was. It only served to feed his nerves that they'd been inside for nearly five minutes and not a single soul seemed to have noticed their presence. It all seemed so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat thundering in his ears.
"Shintarou." a calm, leveled voice suddenly cut through the silence, making him flinch. He looked up ahead and saw Shin-chan's mother rounding the corner to meet them.
"Hello, Mother. I apologize for coming in unannounced."
Takao realized she didn't seem upset, but rather relieved to see her son. Shin-chan hadn't told him much about the day he came out to his parents, but he'd said his Mother hadn't reacted as negatively as his father, at least not as far as he'd been able to tell. She'd always been very kind to Kazunari, and had once told him how much she appreciated him for being Shintarou's friend, explaining how difficult it was for her son to open up to other people. Hopefully, with some luck, she would actually be on their side.
Her expression changed, though, when she noticed Takao's presence. Maybe he'd gotten hopeful too soon. "Shintarou, dear, have you lost your mind? This is far from an ideal moment. You must leave at once before your father knows; he will be furious. I assure you I have tried to talk him into reason, but he is stubborn, you know that. " She turned to look at Kazunari, her brows creased with concern. "I truly apologize, Kazunari-san, my husband has a difficult temper and it is hard for him to accept new things. I beg of you that you could wait a little longer."
He certainly hadn't seen that coming. He'd feared she would screech and maybe call him some insulting names for corrupting her precious son and betraying her past gratitude, but she seemed just concerned about the father's reaction. He had no doubts now that they could count her as an ally. Takao felt a little relieved by that. He knew that, although the father was the official head of the family, the mother was the one that pulled the strings in the household. He'd never really understood much about these political marriages or how elite families functioned, but Shin-chan had once explained his family situation in layman's terms, so he had a general idea of how it worked. She played the part of an obedient, dutiful wife, but in reality, everyone knew she was the one calling the shots in everything that concerned their family or their shop. Takao had always been awed by her elegance and grace, her eyes were clever and she had an air of ancient nobility and tradition to her, as opposed to the father's more modern corporative outlook. It was a little bit reassuring to have her on their side.
"What would all this ruckus be about, Mahomi?"
Well, there was his hope for a smooth entrance. He was also cornered in the middle of a hallway, with no place to hide from his disapproving father-in-law's wrath. Oh fuck, he was so getting killed today.
"Good evening, Father. I am pleased to know you are doing well."
It amazed Takao that Shin-chan could stay so calm and composed in this extremely tense situation, but then again, calm and composed were some of his major character traits, so he shouldn't really be that surprised. He'd probably gotten it from his mother.
After what felt like an eternity of silence, Midorima Shingen finally seemed to catch up to what was happening in his house, and his face contorted in rage. The vein on his forehead started throbbing, and Takao feared it might explode.
"HOW DARE YOU STEP A FOOT IN THIS HOUSE, AND WITH THIS DISG-"
"FATHER."
Takao had been sort of prepared to be called any sort of offensive names by his betrothed's conservative family, but he hadn't quite expected for things to escalate so quickly. He didn't know Shin-chan's father half as much as he did his mother; in the three years they'd gone to school together, he'd only seen the man about half a dozen times, and never spoke to him. He was more than aware of what may be going through Midorima Shingen's head at the time, and all the offensive words he had prepared to throw at him. He couldn't deny that his heart skipped a beat when he saw Shintarou stepping forward for both of them before any of those hurtful words could even be uttered. The father seemed taken aback by his son's defiance and he appeared to have lost his voice.
"We came because I wanted to have a civilized conversation with you. If that is not possible, let me know right away; I will leave this instant and you shall not hear from me ever again. I mean it. Do not for one second believe that I will stand quiet and allow you to speak ill of the man I love."
Takao's heart swelled. Shin-chan looked so manly and handsome defending him, and he couldn't really hold back a small smile, in spite of the situation. Wasn't he supposed to be the one saying the nice stuff to propose to Shin-chan's parents? He wasn't quite sure now, but he could hardly be bothered with thinking about it too much, not when he was being reminded time and time again of why he'd fallen in love with this man.
Mahomi whispered something to her husband's ear and his face slowly came back to a more calm expression. The vein was still throbbing on his forehead and his fists were clenched tight, but he nodded nonetheless and pointed at the living room with practiced but fake courtesy.
The air in the room was so thick it was almost suffocating. Takao was grateful for the tea, because it gave him an excuse to avoid looking at Shin-chan's father, who was undoubtedly glaring holes through him right now. The man hadn't even looked at the courtesy gifts he'd brought (and that sake was expensive, damn it), he'd just told his wife to put it away.
To make matters worse, Shin-chan's sister, Shizuku, wasn't even home, so Takao kind of felt cornered in enemy territory. Shizuku had been a kid when he'd last seen her, but she'd always been supportive of their relationship. She'd been Takao's biggest accomplice –sharing information on when their parents weren't home so he could drop by unannounced-, and she would give him adorable photos of Shin-chan's childhood in exchange of movie tickets or discount coupons for cake shops.
"Alright then. Let us hear your 'civilized conversation', Shintarou."
Midorima set down his cup and glanced sideways at Takao. Maybe doing this was putting too much pressure on his beloved, he seemed to be barely able to keep a straight face. But there was no going back at this point. If need be, he could take the reins of the whole operation.
"I want to make it clear that I am not apologizing or going back on what I said last time. I am still gay and I will not marry Kanako. But I do not desire for our relationship to be permanently damaged, for I love and respect you as my parents, and I wish we could talk about this properly."
"If this is about the money, I'll have you know you will not be getting anything while that man is here."
"I am not concerned about the money. If you believe I would renounce Takao's love for something as fickle as that, I regret to say you are not even remotely close to knowing who I am. As I said, I just hope we can mend our relationship and make peace."
"And how do you intend to do that?"
Shintarou pulled out a thin white envelope with a red stripe and a golden string tied in a bow, and offered it to his parents.
"Kazunari and I are getting married in spring. We would be happy and honored if you could join us and celebrate with us."
Midorima Shingen went livid, horrified by the piece of paper his son was holding. Unlike his wife, he had rarely ever met with the detestable man sitting next to his son. He remembered Mahomi talking excitedly about Shintarou finally making a friend, ever so oblivious about that person's disgusting intentions. If he had known that man was corrupting Shintarou, he would've certainly done something about it a long time ago. That impish creature was clearly aiming for his family's money and the ruin of his son was just a means to his wicked purpose. They should have never allowed this scandalous behavior to escalate so much, but he had never imagined that monster would've brainwashed Shintarou to this point. But he would not triumph, not as long as he had any say about it.
"Have you completely lost your mind or are you just making fun of me? Do you think I would ever allow my son to fall into such depraved practices? Do you not see that this creature has put you under a spell? He intends to destroy you with his perversion and ruin this family!" If word got out that a son of the Midorima household was involved in something like this… it would be the end for their family.
Shintarou slammed his fists on the table and glared at his father with fire in his emerald eyes. "I am warning you, Father, if you try to insult Kazunari one more time…"
"Don't you understand, Shintarou, that this is all for your sake? It is not too late to cure you from this disgusting disease. You must immediately cut all ties with this villain and come back to where you belong. It may not be impossible to be forgiven by the Karasuma Group. Kanako-san is a fine woman, she can turn you into a proper man and make you realize all this depravity is but an elaborate scheme so this despicable sodomite can corrupt you and this family! If you refuse to see the truth, then you truly leave me no option. If you would let this… faggot pull you into his world of debauchery, then you shall no longer be my son!"
"Shingen, that is en—"
"EXCUSE ME."
Midorima had been about to open his mouth, if only just to say that he was done with this conversation and tell his father he didn't want to be his son if he would speak such things about the love of his life, before storming out of the house and never coming back, but he was startled to see Takao looking up to meet his father's eyes. His body was trembling, but his face was serious and determined.
His father looked outraged. The fury he'd managed to contain earlier now seemed in boiling point. "You dare talk to me in my house, which is already being defiled by your presence alone? Leave this instant and never show yourself to my son again or I-"
"With all due respect, Midorima-san, I don't particularly care or worry about your threats so it seems really pointless to keep harping about them. I reckon you may not be interested in whatever I have to say, but since you've insulted me and my betrothed to my face on numerous occasions over the past hour, I believe common courtesy dictates that you should at least listen to my side of the story. I have always been deeply appreciative of the Midorima household's hospitality, it would be a shame that such values got forgotten, even in this situation."
Shintarou turned to look at Takao, shocked to hear him skillfully force his father to listen reasonably by attacking his pride on the family traditions. A quick glance at his mother showed she was rather impressed too. Takao may not be the most proper or polite fellow out there, but he'd always had a gift with using words in his favor. In that sense, it may not be that strange that his father thought he was just being manipulated by Takao's persuasion skills.
He watched in awe as his father, who had looked as if he was about to explode like a boiling teapot, with his face red with anger and the veins in his forehead and neck pulsing dangerously, regaining some composure after hearing Takao speak. He almost seemed embarrassed for blowing his top like that, and maybe he was even more embarrassed by the fact that someone he found so despicable had so dexterously put him back in place.
After a moment of silence, Takao finally continued speaking. "It's true that I may not seem like an ideal partner for Shintarou. I am a man, and because of that alone we'll likely face many difficulties and trouble. My family has no prestige, and my job and position are average at best. Even if we hold a wedding, our marriage will have no official bearings and we won't be able to have children or adopt them. It's quite understandable that you desire something better for Shintarou."
Midorima wanted to interrupt Takao to say that none of that mattered, but there was something in Takao's expression that told him he didn't need to.
"Well, it is good to see you understand the situation so…"
"I'm not done talking, Midorima-san. If you would listen to everything I have to say before making any decisions..."
His father looked as if he wanted to protest, but his mother held him by the forearm and that seemed to calm him down again.
"As I was saying, all of that is true. But it is also true that I love Shintarou above anyone and anything else in the entire world. I have loved him for many years and will continue to do so for the rest of my life, of this I have no doubts. I may have no money, status or properties to offer, but I can assure that I can and will be giving him all of this love for as long as I live. And I truly believe I can make him happy with my love."
Shintarou blushed and his heart skipped a beat. It's not as if Takao was particularly reserved about his feelings (in fact, he wasn't at all), and it wasn't as if Takao had never made him a promise of eternal love, but there was something about this one that just overwhelmed him with emotions.
"The reason we came here and have been patiently withstanding your continuous slandering is because you are important for Shintarou and he doesn't want to cut ties with you. And because your blessing is important to him, it is therefore important to me too. I'm not delusional enough to believe you'll come to like me, but I hope you'll see that my feelings for Shintarou are true and that I'd never go back on the promise I made to make him happy. That you trust me on this is all I will ask for." Takao bowed down, with both palms on the table and his forehead almost touching the wooden surface. Just then, Midorima realized that Kazunari was sitting in proper seiza, something he'd always been terrible at, and had probably been holding that position since they first sat, around half an hour ago. He'd seemed fairly nervous on their way here and during most of their time in the house he'd been petrified with fear, but he was actually putting so much effort into this meeting, Midorima wondered if he was really deserving of so much love.
"I already said—"
"I am NOT done talking, sir." He raised his head, and this time, his eyes were ablaze with confidence. Midorima was surprised to see his father appeared mildly intimidated by that gaze. "As his parents and the ones who raised him, I'm sure you already know this, but Shintarou is a wonderful human being. He's, of course, not perfect: he's a little bit of an oddball, he's terrible with social situations and also a little bit selfish. But he's also kind, generous and incredibly intelligent. He is devoted and dedicated to everything he does, and be it school, basketball or medicine, he never does things half-way. It's hard for him to trust people, but he's fiercely loyal to those he cares about. And he gives himself entirely –body and heart and soul- for the people he loves. He's just… really special, so much that words can't really express it. I may be an unremarkable guy with an unremarkable background with nothing but myself to offer Shintarou; but if you're so blinded by your prejudices and the misguided aspirations you burden him with, that you'll despise and reject your own son in spite of knowing what a beautiful human being he is, then you, sir, are the one who doesn't deserve him."
A stunned silence followed. Midorima could hear his heart thundering in his ears. He looked over at his father, who was sitting speechless and wouldn't meet Takao's eye. His gaze shifted to his betrothed, still holding his perfect seiza, his eyes burning with sincerity and determination.
"Y-y-you should leave now." His father finally uttered. It was the first time he'd ever seen him stutter. His mother looked at him, a small smile curling her lips and she nodded and he now knew for sure he had her approval.
No one walked them to the door, so the distance felt a lot shorter than when they'd arrived.
"I'm sorry Shin-chan. I guess I blew it." Takao said with a faint smile once they'd walked a safe distance from the house. He tripped over his own feet and Midorima reacted barely fast enough to catch him by the waist and prevent him from falling. Takao chuckled. "Haha, I guess my legs are kind of numb from being in seiza for so long, sorry Shin-chan."
Before Takao could try to stand up straight, Midorima pulled him upwards and in one swift motion, brought their lips together in an intense kiss.
"Don't apologize. Don't ever apologize for the things you said in there." He smiled and stroked his beloved's cheek with one thumb. "Thank you." He rained chaste kisses from his forehead, his eyelids, his nose and down his cheek before finding his mouth again. He pulled him closer by the waist, deepening the kiss.
Takao was swooning again. It may have been just a 'thank you', but it meant so much more, so many more things that didn't need to be spoken out loud for them to understand.
"Sh-shin-chan's awfully unconcerned about PDA, I'm going to start believing you're an impostor."
"Kazunari, I told my parents we are getting married. Being seen by strangers seems an extremely minor thing to worry about in comparison."
Takao laughed agreeably and laced his arms around Shin-chan's neck, pulling him in for another completely public kiss.
To be continued
Merry Christmas my friends! I hope you got many gifts, and if you didn't get any (like me) then I give you this to compensate!
I don't know why I insist in adding at least one basketball scene in most of my fics when I'm so bad at doing them lmao But the Sky Direct 3P is just so important to me and my Midotaka feelings that I just had to.
"Dogeza" is the most polite way of bowing in Japan. It's almost too polite and exaggerated, and is actually not used very often unless you've made an unforgivable mistake or whatever you're pleading for is a life-or-death thing. In the Beelzebub anime and manga, a running gag is that Oga's dad has a very magnificent dogeza technique.
"Seiza" is a traditional way of sitting that is considered the most "proper", but the blood circulation into your lower legs gets cut off, so unless you're used to doing it (I once met a guy from the tea ceremony club who said that he'd "trained" so he was now able to hold it for an hour, apparently getting accustomed to do it improves your blood circulation), it can become very painful and your legs will go numb. When I studied in Japan they made us a sort-of formal interview and we were sort-of supposed to sit in seiza. One of the girls that was in the same group as me, once the interview was over (it lasted around 20 minutes), couldn't stand up and we had to help her back on her feet (I myself couldn't actually hold it for more than five minutes, I'm an embarrassment).
This was a very talky chapter, but I really wanted to try and tie the loose ends, especially regarding Shin-chan's family. I love Shin-chan's mom, I definitely imagine her as a really smart and regal lady. Also, the title for this fic actually came from this chapter, but after choosing the phrase as a title I thought it looked cheesy to have it in the dialogue so I changed it lmao
I hope everyone enjoyed this, just one more chapter to go!