Takao really despised his life sometimes. Really.
He was up very early, because he couldn't fall asleep at all on Friday... or Saturday early morning. So instead of spending time on his bed cursing his life, wondering how he should act around Midorima and just slightly worried about what the doctor would say, he got up and took a long bath while every other member of his family was still sleeping. To clear his mind and body, as one would say.
The problem was... he fell asleep in the bathtub.
Thankfully he woke up immediately. He left the bath after that. It was not like he really-really wanted to die yet after all.
In the end he was doomed to wait until Midorima arrived while brooding a bit more about this whole situation. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep yet again before he heard the doorbell.
His heart started to race. He felt really comfortable in his room... maybe he should postpone that appointment and go with Izuki... or someone else... anyone that was more pleasant to be around with than Midorima.
Of course he couldn't back down now.
He couldn't get another appointment, especially not on this kind of short notice. He knew that, but a man was allowed to hope, wasn't he?
It wasn't until he heard his mother calling him that he started to breathe again. He didn't realize that he held his breath in the first place. He took the bag with his 'Diary' and the files from the Tokyo-Hospital and went down the stairs. Not as fast as he did a few days ago when he and Izuki met outside his house...
No, he wasn't that eager to get down today. He heard his mother talk to Midorima on his way down. How long she hadn't seen him, what he was up to. How his studies were going and such things. It was normal small-talk and very normal topics, but Takao had no idea what Midorima was up to recently, or how his studies were.
He himself had some special classes and took the exams on different days... and of course Takao couldn't read the student-rank-list.
Not to forget... that Takao had been the one that didn't see Midorima in a long time. Literally.
To Takao Midorima became a big something... a kind of shadow even, with a bit of color on his head on good days. Takao sometimes was still able to see this ridiculous green hair of his.
Unfortunately the way downstairs was not that long and he couldn't postpone his doom any longer.
"I didn't know that Midorima-kun would be the one accompanying you to Kyoto this time. Is Shun-kun sick?" Neither did I, mother. Neither did I, Takao thought.
"Nah. Izuki isn't sick. He has some kind of sempai-good-bye party."
"I see, well it was good to see you again, Midorima-kun." his mother smiled slightly. "Here, I made lunch for you two." she stated but a lunchbox never got to Takao.
He frowned. "Why don't you hand it to me?"
"Well..."
Takao rolled his eyes. "Mum, I am blind, not in a wheelchair. And even if, I could still carry a lunch box, you know." He joked and walked towards them and outstretched his hands.
"You are not... blind yet, Kazunari." Takao knew his mother good enough to know that she was on the verge of tears and was biting her lips to prevent that.
Takao smiled. "The lunch box, mum." Without a word she handed it to him and left them. Probably went into the living room to cry.
Takao just hummed and put the double-lunchbox into his shoulderbag before putting on his shoes. He wasn't exactly sure what he was humming, but it was a good sign. Takao used to hum a lot after all.
"Let's go then!" he proclaimed. And so they started to walk side by side. Takao followed Midorima's pace. It was weird how he didn't even doubt that Midorima was leading them towards the station and not somewhere else.
Normally...In the past... They would have traveled by that rikshaw... and Takao would have been the one driving it. He wondered whether Midorima still had that rikshaw.
He shook his head slightly. Not the right moment, nor the right place to remember this.
They were silent at first. Midorima was never really someone to start a conversation in the first place. Normally...in the past... damn it, there it was again. Normally Takao would talk about random things to fill the silence. But now... he couldn't think of anything to ask or talk about.
There was one thing, though. "What time is it, by the way?"
He heard Midorima taking out his cellphone out of his pocket and flipping it open. Takao wondered slightly when his hearing sense became this distinct but threw this thought away quickly.
He did that a lot when he was in company.
Or when he was alone.
It was not something he liked to think about, after all.
"8:50" was the short answer he got. What else did he expect? It was Midorima for gods sake. Takao stopped himself from sighing. He had nothing to ask or talk about anymore. It was still some time until they'd reach the station, and even if it had only taken 5 more minutes it already felt like a lifetime of silent.
How was he going to survive this?
"Takao." Midorima cut off his thoughts.
"Hm?"
"Give me your hand."
"I... what? Why?" Midorima stopped in his tracks so did Takao. But Takao never got an answer. Midorima just took his hands and started walking again.
Takao would have struggled if he had not been so damn shocked and kind of happy at the same time for this contact of human flesh. At least he didn't have to worry about conversation anymore. His mind shut itself down. He was too fixated on their hands.
They sat next to each other on the train. They were still holding hands. Why, Takao didn't know. And he couldn't bring himself to ask the reason. Maybe Midorima had just forgotten about it and would be reminded if Takao asked. Then they wouldn't be holding hands anymore.
That also was the reason why Takao didn't put his headphones on in order to distract himself for the long ride. He would bear with the silence, he decided.
In order to look as nonchalant as possible he looked outside the train's window.
Quite ironic, he thought seconds later, because he saw absolutely nothing. The train station was way too poorly lit for him to at least grasp something. That was when the train started to move under him and the noises from outside faded away.
He heard meaningless chatter from other passengers. A child being startled from the sudden movement. A mother's voice that was calm and reassuring. And he heard Midorima's breathing next to him. He leaned his head against the window and sighed slightly.
"You lost weight."
Takao couldn't stop the laugh that escaped his mouth. "And I see you are still as random as ever." he laughed some more before sighing. He knew Midorima was watching him, he could feel his gaze. "Did I now?"
"Yes."
Takao smiled. "I am pretty sure I just lost all my muscles. I have no exercise after all."
"Don't be ridiculous. If you had no muscles you wouldn't be able to stand or even sit."
"It's weird to hear logic from someone that survive a day without his horoscope." They continued to banter for a while. Or maybe it was only for a few minutes. Takao didn't know. But he was glad. All tension left his body. He forgot what he was worried about anymore.
Right now he was just happy.
He didn't care about the exam.
He didn't care that he could not see Midorima.
He also forgot about the fact that Midorima and he didn't talk like this in over one year. It was like meeting a good friend from the past. Even though individually they had changed, together the differences seemed to disappear, as if they never had been apart at all.
Which was funny, because they both still went to the same school. Takao still heard ridiculous stories about Midorima and his lucky items and they saw each other nearly everyday.
Okay. Midorima saw Takao... Takao felt Midorima, but that was the same.
They had been near each other the whole time... but at the same time they were not.
Takao felt so comfortable in the end, that he fell asleep. His body wanted to make up for lost time, apparently. He didn't remember ever falling asleep in the first place. He just woke up when Midorima shook him awake.
"We're there."