Disclaimer: ES21, characters and their illegal weapons belong to their rightful creators ie Not Mine.
A/N: I read the ES21 finale. Good things, bad things, but first Enma Daigaku!!! I love love love this team to bits… Saikyoudai is just plain scary though.
Drabble 8
Enma Daigaku
Twice blessed
"Instead of practice today," Kurita declared brightly to the Enma American Football club, "We are going to Disneyland!"
Everyone cheered.
Unsui looked slightly troubled and confused. "No practice? Why?"
"Because it is Unsui's birthday!" Mizumachi piped up, "So we must celebrate!"
Everyone cheered. Even Unsui had to smile.
"That's very sweet, but first--Everyone run 30 laps around the field."
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They all went to Disneyland after the practice, though it was already in the afternoon and they hardly had half a day left to play. Koutarou and Mizumachi tried to drag Kurita onto the giant roller coaster but failed. The huge 3rd year pretty much tucked them under his arms and carried them off to the teacup ride instead. Sena and Suzuna braved the haunted house together but it ended up with Sena running for his life, pulling Suzuna along behind him. According to her, the ghosts all became smudges of white and the entire experience passed in a blur.
Unsui ended up accompanying Koutarou and Mizumachi on all the thrill rides. He also had to look after them when they both ended up nauseous, partly from motion-sickness, partly from eating too much cotton candy. Monta and Riku were losing horrendously at the hoop-a-loop game booth since one could not throw for bananas and one was more interested in laughing at the other's failure. Unsui had to step in and help Suzuna win the stuffed toy she wanted. He also won a slightly sinister-looking giant crocodile plushie, but no one wanted it.
When they had dinner together, Suzuna brought out a birthday cake and they sang the birthday song. They collectively gave Unsui his birthday gift—New football boots, chosen by Koutarou, so they were black and gold and streaked with bright crimson. "Aren't they smart?" he asked proudly. Unsui could only laugh along with the rest of the team.
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Unsui is very aware of how much he had changed over the last 2 and some years. He had mellowed out a lot. He worries less, he smiles more. He may even be a bit less intelligent and a bit more foolish… It seems to be a common trait of the Enma American football team.
He had started to eat pastries; mostly creams puffs, which he keeps a regular supply of to calm down a panicked Kurita (whose destructiveness when scared or excited was frankly terrifying). He had gone from being shocked and embarrassed about seeing Mizumachi streaking past his classroom window to routinely bringing extra trousers for his teammate. He'd even learnt to sew, since the boy keeps splitting his pants.
He had also come to terms with Koutarou's simple hot-bloodedness, even learnt to appreciate it. The kicker kept dragging them into ridiculous disputes against teams he did not find "smart"…they had to fight the sumo team once and would have been totally crushed if not for Kurita.
With the entrance of Sena, Monta and Riku things got even more chaotic and exciting…For the first time, American football was relaxing, cheerful and above all, fun. It was no longer a matter of constant struggle and obsession, he was just fully enjoying his time with his teammates and he was fully enjoying the game.
This is worth it, he thought. Coming to Enma Daigaku was the best decision he'd ever made.
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Unsui opened his dormitory door that night only to find a familiar figure lounging in his chair.
"Back so late? That's not like you at all," Agon remarked drily.
Unsui stood awkwardly at the door, holding his duffel bag, giant crocodile toy and a pair of Mikey Mouse ears. Agon's visits were rare and often unpleasant, but his twin apparently had not come to pick a fight.
"…Don't you have something to say to me?" Agon asked pointedly.
Unsui's lips twitched, quirking into a bittersweet smile. "Happy Birthday, brother."