A/N: Here's the sooner update I mentioned yay! More notes at the end of the chapter.
booklover1209: Thanks! HAHA would love to hear about you eating your shirt buuuut well, you'll see in this chapter if you will haha
guest: awww thank YOU dear guest, knowing this made you happy makes me super happy too :') Thank you again, and happy holidays to you too!
Booklover2526: Gotta agree with that. I sometimes feel sorry for Kuroko haha. Thank you!
A Smiling Cat: Thank you! Yes, they do what they can. I figured they'd be decent human beings outside basketball at least haha
justpassingby: OMG YOU NOTICED. WOW. Thank you so much! Ahhh it's so great that you noticed something that small and adgksjgh thank you! Karate kids yes
It was seldom that Kuroko would mail, and even less often that he'd ask for help, so when both things happened early in the day that Saturday, Kagami—who had been jogging for most of the morning—all but veered off towards the address Kuroko had sent under the subject very forebodingly entitled: "Help."
When Kagami had been running circles and seemingly getting nowhere near finding the place, he'd thankfully run into Izuki, Kiyoshi, and Hyuga, who were on their way to a street court. Tagging along with them were Takao and Kasamatsu, who both seemed to be engaged in an animated conversation involving their respective Miracle teammates. When Kagami had admitted about being unable to find the address, it turned out that Kasamatsu was familiar with the place, and so they all decided to head there out of curiosity and concern over the darkening sky.
The six of them kept a fast pace as they walked under cloudy skies that threatened a downpour on them, reaching what turned out to be a karate dojo not too far from where they met. Kagami felt like he should have known why Kuroko was at such a place, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, and when they'd looked through the door, he was thrown into a deeper pit of confusion upon finding Kuroko crouched down on the floor beside two other kids, knees snuggly wrapped around his arms, just as Kise came flying over their line. By the end of his jump, Kise's foot connected with a breaking board in a solid kick, and he landed without any problems, pumping his fist in the air at his success.
Immediately after, another person brought his arm crashing down on Kise's collar in a wrestling clothesline, toppling him down on the floor mats. The other guy turned out to be Haizaki, who angrily yelled at Kise as he rolled on the ground, wailing. Aomine appeared to one side, bent down, grabbing the collar of Kise's shirt, and dragged him towards a bench, dumping him there and flicking Kise's forehead for good measure. Aomine then proceeded to jab a finger at Haizaki, yelling at him about something, and Haizaki in turn literally knocked foreheads with him. They glared at each other, still growling and bickering like angry dogs, when they both pulled back and got into a ready stance. They were about to swing their fists at each other when Aomine's feet got pulled from under him, sending him dropping to the ground as Haizaki ended up punching air and losing balance from the momentum, falling down on the ground beside Aomine, both of them face-planting on the mats.
Kagami could only gape, slack-jawed, and tried to process what he was looking at from across the room. He spotted Kuroko by Aomine's feet, hands still wrapped around the idiot's ankles, with wide, half-panicked eyes, and when he blinked and saw Kagami and the others, he simply opened his mouth, shut it, and then opened it again and proceeded to mouth, "Help."
Kasamatsu was already stomping towards them when Kagami staggered inside, the others following close behind. When they neared, Aomine and Haizaki were pulling themselves up, looking like they were ready to brawl. Knowing how fast Aomine was, Kagami grabbed him from behind in a flash, restraining his arms. Hyuga tossed Kiyoshi in between Aomine and Haizaki, and the sight of a much taller, much bigger guy with a huge smile made Haizaki step back. When Kasamatsu passed by them, Haizaki flinched, looking wary. Kasamatsu glanced at him for a moment, and brushed past him, going straight for Kise and bonking him on the head.
"Agh!" Kise flailed. "What the hell, everyone's beating me up and—Kasamatsu-senpai?"
"Yo, idiot," Kasamatsu grunted at him.
"Why are you all here?" Takao chimed in, surveying the area with an amused smirk. Around them, a crowd of karate students were watching, a mix of confusion and fascination in their gazes. To the side, Aomine and Haizaki calmed down, going back to glaring at each other from afar. A few students warily approached Haizaki to talk about karate-related things, and Takao and Izuki helped Kuroko up.
"Kise-kun and Haizaki-kun are filling in for Nijimura-san here," Kuroko answered, wobbling to the bench.
"Ah, that's right," Kagami realized. "Nijimura-san's other job was here. But wait—Kise knows karate?"
"No," Kuroko muttered. "He's just really skilled."
"Don't tell me you actually learned karate just recently?" Takao's eyes went wide.
"Just this morning, actually," Kise replied.
"Aaahh, I think I know why people like to beat you up," Takao mused, gritting his teeth. These Miracles were unbelievable sometimes.
"What," Kise whined.
"Hey," Kasamatsu snapped. "I think it's great that you're helping Nijimura-san out, but you shouldn't push yourself."
Kise averted his eyes. "I know. I'm not."
Kasamatsu's expression softened, and Kise winced when his hand went up, but instead of coming down on his head like he expected, Kasamatsu simply ruffled his hair. "Don't be stubborn."
Kise pouted, feeling a warm spot glow in his chest, and a soothing comfort come from his captain's hand. "Yeah."
It had already started raining when they got into the swing of helping out in the dojo, and by the end of their session, Kagami had managed to somehow keep Kuroko from getting squashed under flying kicks or pummeled by accident because of disappearing into the shadows of the ignored. Aomine was at least able to keep Kuroko from getting dragged into sparring matches, and Hyuga likewise tried to do the same with Kiyoshi, but instead got pulled into holding up breaking boards for practice—something which Kiyoshi was more than happy to help with, himself. Kise, on the other hand, was constantly getting pulled back and restrained by either Haizaki or Kasamatsu, but the model otherwise ended up mastering enough karate to get him noticed by the instructors.
"Kise, right?" an assistant instructor approached him. "I'm Tatsu. You're Nijimura's friend, yeah?"
Kise turned to the instructor—he was shorter than Kise, but had a more well-built physique, even under the white uniform. Kise could see that he had strong arms and legs, and probably some amazing balance and reflexes. Kise thought of what it might be like to play basketball with him. "Yeah. He's a senpai from middle school."
Tatsu blinked, eyes widening a fraction. "Middle school, you say? Then you must be one of his basketball teammates?"
Kise stared, then nodded slowly. "Yeah, he was our captain."
"No wonder you seemed familiar!" Tatsu lit up. "You must be that popular guy Nijimura mentioned—the one who got into the first string after two weeks, yeah?"
Kise blinked at him. "Y-yeah, how do you know?"
"Nijimura talks about you guys sometimes," Tatsu smirked. "A lot of times, actually. He probably doesn't show it, but he's very fond of you 'brats'. Pretty iritated most of the time, but quite fond of you lot. A team full of year mates, right? With colorful hair. And are sometimes stupid."
"That's them," Hyuga pointed out from the benches. "You're talking about the Generation of Miracles."
"Right!" Tatsu realized. "That one. That term. Nijimura doesn't really like it, but he said it was true. If I remember right, there's a really smart guy with different colored eyes, a shooter with weird toys, a model with a piercing—that's you, right?—a giant who eats a lot, a basketball nut, problem child, and a kid with magic passes."
"That went in weird directions," Takao snickered, clutching his stomach.
"Yeah it sounds ridiculous," Tatsu chuckled. "But Nijimura looked like he was telling the truth."
"More or less," Kasamatsu sighed.
Tatsu laughed, then looked thoughtful. "Aahh, he's got some freakish stamina, that Nijimura," he said. "But he's way too hard-working. I felt like I had a heart attack when he collapsed."
Kise felt something drop in his stomach. "Right. You were there?"
Tatsu nodded, looking solemn. "Yeah, we teach the same level. We were having a break when he suddenly collapsed beside me. Boy, we were sure thrown for a loop. We were all so worried—" Tatsu shook his head, trying to wipe the worried lines off his face. "We really should have noticed his condition sooner. Some of us knew how much work he was doing, and that kind of load isn't easy, even if it was someone like Nijimura. It might sound like an excuse, but he's got a way of not making you worry."
The others looked downcast, and the former-Teiko members seemed to understand that the most.
"He's way too unselfish, that guy," Tatsu commented. "He took over for me a few weeks ago when I had remedial tests because I got sick. And then he stayed overtime to help out the kids. Ahh, he's such an idiot." Tatsu looked guilty, and Kise, Kuroko, and the others knew, seeing him, that he was a good guy.
Aomine snickered, scratching the back of his neck. "That makes a lot of us bigger idiots."
Tatsu gave a small smile. "Yeah. How's he doing?"
Kise swallowed, averting his eyes. "He's okay. Still needs rest."
"He tried to escape confinement way too often," Kagami grumbled, jabbing a finger in the air.
At that, Tatsu laughed again. "Should have known he would. Tell him to get well soon, yeah? His brats will be ready to make him proud."
Kise smiled, nodding, and some ways away, detached from the group, Haizaki snorted, feeling any of the day's tiredness wash away.
"Also," Tatsu added, looking at Kise. "Would you consider joining as a formal student? You've got talent."
Kise smiled sheepishly, giving an airy chuckle. "Sorry, I've already got basketball."
Kasamatsu gave a sigh, smirking, and Tatsu shrugged. "Eh, worth a shot," he said, and then went closer to them. "Nijimura's really happy you guys are still playing basketball, by the way," he almost whispered. "Don't tell him I told you. He seemed relieved when he said that he'd heard you guys were competing."
The former-Teiko members looked surprised, glancing at each other. Kise was reminded of that piece of paper Kuroko had found—the one by Nijimura's hospital bed, with his handwriting—and how something so small and simple had made them all tremble. Kise felt his eyes threatening to prickle again, and Aomine's fists tightened just slightly, while from afar, Haizaki stood up to walk away. Kuroko gave them all a small, soft smile, and beside him, Kagami shared a similar expression. The Seirin trio of Hyuga, Kiyoshi, and Izuki pieced together the deeper meaning shared by Kuroko and his former-teammates from those words, knowing how things had turned out in their last years at Teiko.
"Well tell him to get out of there soon, alright?" Tatsu smiled, straightening up. "Oh and," he trotted to his bag and pulled out a small plastic bag with a soft, light item inside. "Please return this to Nijimura!" he said, handing it to Kise. "It was left in the staff room on the day he was hospitalized."
Kise accepted it and peeked inside the bag, Aomine looking over his shoulder at it. They stared, blinking in surprise upon seeing what was inside.
"This is…" Kise murmured.
"He usually keeps that in his locker," Tatsu spoke. "But he misplaces it a lot. Can't tell how many times he's nagged us about where it's disppeared to, but it's obvious how important it is to him if he keeps looking for it. But geez, it's important to him, but he keeps losing it—though he always seems to be sure that he'll find it again." Tatsu looked thoughtful. "And he does. Isn't that interesting."
Kuroko stared at the item before Kise tucked it back into the plastic bag. The three of them were silent for a while, thinking about all the little things that they'd learned about their former-captain, and about themselves. They didn't say it out loud, but they all felt like they'd been such children back when they were still a team, and even now. That the world was much, much bigger. Just from meeting their captain again, they somehow felt really small.
"That is interesting," Hyuga mused from behind them. "Reminds me of a certain team.." he mumbled, thoughtful.
"Well it's still pretty early, so you guys can return that to Nijimura-san on your way back," Kasamatsu suggested, giving solid hard pats on the backs of the three of them.
"Yeah, please do. Tell him we're waiting for him to get back on his feet," Tatsu smiled. "And that I wanna see him play basketball sometime."
"Yeah, me too," Aomine replied. And at that, Kise and Kuroko fully agreed.
"Really, now we're going to be late for training," Nijimura sighed, fiddling around with a small tray of medical supplies. "Didn't you ever learn to not run in hallways?"
"Technically it was outside," Kise pointed out, grimacing. He held a tissue to his bloody nose.
"Still a hall," Nijimura retorted. "And the fact that it was outside made things worse. Now look at your knee, all scraped up like a kid."
Kise pouted, wincing when Nijimura dabbed a cotton swab over his wounded knee. He was supposed to stall Nijimura-senpai, sure, but he didn't expect to do it this way. "Oww, that stings," he whined.
"Geez, what are you, a grade schooler?" Nijimura sighed again, tossing the dirtied cotton into a trash bin and pulling out some gauze.
"I can do that myself," Kise tried, feeling esmbarrassed at being treated by his senpai. "I think the nosebleed stopped. Really, don't trouble yourself, senpai."
"Ah, shut up," Nijimura waved. "It feels like it's partially my fault you tripped and fell. Although you really shouldn't have rushed, I could hear you from across the hall. Why were you calling me anyway?"
Kise gulped. "H-huh, I forgot."
Nijimura raised an eyebrow. "…Right." He tapped the gauze he'd applied over Kise's wound and heaved himself up, looking down at Kise. "Anyway, your nosebleed's stopped right? Can you stand?"
"Yeah," Kise replied, bouncing up to stand and tossing the tissue into the trash. He winced slightly at his wound getting stretched, but shook it off. "Thanks. Sorry for keeping you."
"Don't mind it," Nijimura shrugged, grabbing his bags. "Let's go. We're gonna be doing some extra rounds for being late today."
Kise pretended to groan, feeling like he was successful with his 'task' despite the unanticipated knee scrape. Nijimura ignored his out-of-place eagerness and proceeded to the gym. Kise masterfully sent a message with his phone hidden in his pocket before they got there, and once Nijimura pushed open the doors, already beginning to apologize for being late, a stream of confetti came bursting out towards him, cutting him short.
"Surprise!"
All of Teiko's first string members cheered, lined up along the doorway of the first gymnasium to greet Nijimura. The front of the line consisted of the second year members, Haizaki miraculously included, and the coach stood to the side, wearing a small smile instead of his usual serious glare. In the hands of the different players of the first string were different kinds of sports drinks, a brand new basketball, a few wrapped packages, and a cake in the center.
Nijimura was dumbstruck. "What."
"Don't tell me you forgot, senpai," Kise said, joining into the group in front of Nijimura.
"What?" was all Nijimura could say.
"I told you, he totally forgot," one of Nijimura's classmates said.
"Forgot what?" Nijimura was getting irritated at himself for being slow on the uptake.
"Your birthday, captain. It's your birthday!"
"What."
The team was a mix of sighs and laughter, and they all but shoved the cake at Nijimura, greeting him a loud and resounding, "Happy birthday!" as he garbled out a confused response.
"I can't believe you guys," Nijimura groaned, looking exasperated.
The seniors laughed, giving him the collection of sports drinks they probably deprived various vending machines of. The others handed him the new basketball, alongside some rolls of muscle tape and salonpas. The second years were shoved forward, getting hissed at to give Nijimura something. It was another senior and Kise who stepped in front of them.
"Hey Niji," the senior spoke. "We got you something else."
"What, more?" Nijimura was honestly surprised. "You guys—"
"Just take it," the others groaned, and Kise was smirking alongside the others when they handed Nijimura a small paper bag.
Nijimura raised an eyebrow, but took it, the corners of his lips quirking up in defeat. "Open it!" Kise insisted, leaning forward alongside Aomine. Beside them, Murasakibara was absently chewing on a snack, Midorima's eyes shifted in anticipation, Akashi had a small, amused smile, and Haizaki was peering close out of curiosity.
This is weird, Nijimura thought. It was weird how something light and merry was happening in the gym where they'd train like mad with the mantra of victory running in their heads. It was definitely out of place, but this was his team, alright. They weren't the buddy-buddy kind of club: everyone in there was there by shoving someone else aside, and the pressure to stay there was intense, almost constricting, but it fueled the members' determination even more. He used that, understanding it the most, at least as something they all had in common, and built a team from there.
"It's good to have something like this every once in a while," the first vice-captain mused. "Although it's like we're using your birthday as an excuse."
It was true, Nijimura considered. Even as the captain, something like this was a breath of fresh air—the looming tournament was starting to put pressure on the players—especially the second years being called the 'Generation of Miracles'. There were lots of expectations for them, and all of that was occupying most of Nijimura's thoughts, having to constantly monitor and assess the other players in preparation for the final line up and strategies. He wanted to focus on that, at least, to try to distract himself from his father's confinement, and completely forgot about his own birthday in the process.
"Besides, it's your third year!" Kise butt in. "And you never once let us greet you like this."
"'Cause it's unnecessary," Nijimura sighed. "And weird."
"We put so much effort though," another senior piped up. "We had to gather everyone before you came, which is hard because you're always early."
"So we had Kise stall," someone else pointed out.
"What a stupid way of stalling," Nijimura looked at Kise.
"That was an accident!" Kise cried, grimacing at his wounded knee. "But it worked!"
"Does that mean I don't have to do any extra rounds later?" Nijimura raised an eyebrow, glancing at the coach.
"Just for today," coach Sanada nodded, his expression softer than usual. "Consider it my birthday gift to you. And that only goes for the captain." He added, fixing the rest of the team a pointed stare. They all understood—there was no envy or spite for Nijimura: he deserved it.
Nijimura was honestly touched, feeling for real that time how lucky it was that he had a birthday, looking at the coach with pure gratitude.
"Hey hey, is that the only thing you're thankful for?" one of Nijimura's classmates grumbled, hands on his hips. "Open that! That's from the second years."
Nijimura blinked, looking at their youngest members, who looked both expectant and timid. He fiddled with the bag in his hands, and opened it, peeking inside and pulling out the gift.
It was an armband. Much like the one he wears on his forearm during basketball matches, except this one was striped like a rainbow. It had seven colors brightly lining its body, and Nijimura took a moment to look at it, then glanced at the line of second years who would shine so brightly on the court, he knew they'd become the main force of the team. He looked at them and the armband, snorted, and then broke out into laughter, thinking that he could actually bring those 'Miracles' with him always, just around his forearm. Nijimura laughed, the happiest he'd been in a long time, and the others followed suit, laughing along with him and greeting him again.
They weren't a buddy-buddy club, sure, but Nijimura was, for the first time in a long while, glad to have been part of something like the team. He was glad he chose to switch to a team sport after having gone through karate, even though he had so much more opportunities in the latter. Sure, he had considered how Teiko's basketball club was the school's pride and glory, but he'd only wanted to stop fighting. He'd had enough brawls and fights in the past, and his dad had done enough for him to keep him from going home bruised and bloody. He wanted to fight for something else. Not just for himself. And somehow, he managed to do well enough in basketball to join the first string, and more surprisingly get appointed as the captain in his second year there. It all felt so long ago, and Nijimura would never have imagined back then that he'd have an underclassman fall on his face trying to stall him for a surprise from a team he had lead for two years. He never would have thought that today, on his birthday and his last year in middle school, he'd get gifts and greetings he didn't ask for, and be able to smile and laugh like a kid.
There in the gym he could practically call a second home, Nijimura allowed himself to laugh and get shoved around and forced to eat cake, and even though he had already resolved to resign as captain soon, he was, at least on that day, proud to have been the captain of the team.
The rain didn't bother to wait for anyone to get to proper shelter and mercilessly poured, stranding Aomine, Kuroko, Kagami, Kise, and Haizaki in a covered bus stop just a few blocks away from the hospital, wet and hungry.
Kasamatsu, Hyuga and the others left ahead of the stranded freshmen when the karate session ended, excusing themselves after feeling like they'd overstayed their welcome (and getting out to grab lunch together). It was after working out Nijimura's work shift and cleaning up in the dojo that the remaining guys left, and it wasn't long after that the rain decided to let loose its downpour.
Kise sneezed, rocking the bench they sat on. "Yep, I'm definitely sick now," he sniffled, his eyes tearing up and nose running red.
"Don't let me catch your cold," Aomine grunted beside him.
"I hate this," Haizaki groaned, trying to lean as far away from Aomine as possible—which wasn't that far, considering how they'd all just barely fit sitting on the bench.
"I'm hungry," Kagami sighed from the opposite side. To his left, in between him and Kise, Kuroko was resting his head on his folded arms atop a couple of bags, staring at the raindrops pelting the ground.
"Me too," Kuroko said absently. "I wonder if Nijimura-san's awake."
They were silent, thoughtful. The sound of the pouring rain was almost relaxing—a small distraction from their uneasy thoughts.
"Oi, Haizaki," Aomine spoke, and it was low enough that only Haizaki could hear from beside him, only glancing sidelong at Aomine, solemn.
"Good job," Aomine continued, looking at the rain. "Taking over for Nijimura-senpai. And keeping Kise from overworking himself."
Haizaki, who was resting his cheek on his hand by the side railing, side-eyed Aomine, raising an eyebrow. He huffed, then averted his eyes. "Not like I really care."
Aomine smirked, still watching the rain. To his other side, Kise had fallen asleep, his head bobbing towards Aomine's shoulder. "Yeah sure. You still helped out, and that's cool. I guess."
"Hmph," Haizaki gave another huff, turning to watch the rain as well. "Couldn't stand to see that idiot being stupid."
"That makes two of us," Aomine agreed, pushing Kise's head to his shoulder to rest on. Even in the corner of his vision, Aomine could see the faint red in Kise's cheeks and nose, and could hear his heavier, cold-riddled breathing.
"Hey," Aomine added, shifting uneasily. "For punching you before—"
"Shut up," Haizaki interrupted, letting out a snort. "I get it."
Aomine looked at him, then smirked, sighing. He leaned back, watching the rain, listening to it pour, and to the sound of Kise's breathing. Beside him, Kuroko silently sat, feeling Kise's gentle warmth press against his side. He absently pulled out a small piece of paper from one of the pockets of his bag, flipping it open and gazing at it.
"That's…Nijimura-san's, right?" Kagami peered, curious.
"Yeah," Kuroko answered, tilting his head against his forearm, reading the writings on the paper.
"What's written on it?" Kagami couldn't help himself. The former-Teiko players had reacted to what was on that small scrap piece of paper in such an unexpected way, it made Kagami both amiably surprised and curious.
"Here," Kuroko said, offering the piece of paper to Kagami.
He raised an eyebrow, but took it, curiosity getting the better of him again. He looked at the slightly crumpled note, noticing how the writings on it were neat, with several names written on the right side, with a arrows branching out from each name. It was a completely normal note—a list, to be precise—with normal bullet points connected to each name, and Kagami found himself smiling warmly, finally understanding why the Generation of Miracles, strong and formidable as they are, had looked like they were going to cry, having been moved and heartened by just a few simple, straightforward words. He felt a wam spot grow in him for those Miracles, feeling like their yesterdays had come surging back at them, melding into their todays in a way that was both nostalgic and new, just as their former-captain had written something that was a reminder of the past, brought into the present, written in a neat scroll arranged in what was probably a habit that he never quite grew out of:
Akashi → #4 Rakuzan. PG, captain. (Also student council president). Cut bangs?
→ Teamed with Nebuya, Mibuchi, Hayama, Mayuzumi (third year. Little presence)
Midorima → #6 Shutoku shooter. (Can do full-court shots. Still really high-arc).
→ Takao Kazunari → Partner!
Murasakibara → #9 Yosen. Center. Almost 7ft tall? Bigger appetite
→ Needs a haircut
Aomine → #5 Touou PF. Ace! Skips practice → Aho
→ Captain: Imayoshi Shoichi → teach how to punish Aho
→ Manager: Momoi
Kise → #7 Kaijo SF. Ace! Still modelling.
→ Team: Kasamatsu (captain), Moriyama, Hayakawa, Kobori, Nakamura → all senpai
Kuroko → #11 Seirin. Misdirection levelled up.
→ Student coach: Aida Riko. Eldest members are second years.
→ Kagami Taiga → partner. Ace. Split eyebrows.
Haizaki → still plays basketball.
→ #6 Fukuda Sogo Academy. Still a punk. Cornrows-hair. Idiot.
→ Teach him a lesson
"Alright, we're back—" Nijimura pushed the door to the waiting room open, and got cut short, seeing the mess of a room that it had somehow become.
Behind him, the Head Coach peered over his shoulder, scrutinizing the sight before breaking out into a smile.
Nijimura sighed. "Sorry coach."
"It's fine," Coach Shirogane said, putting a hand on Nijimura's shoulder. "It isn't surprising—you all just had five matches within the last three days. You all deserve a break every once in a while."
The corner of Nijimura's lips quirked up, and he huffed. Coach Shirogane nodded, giving Nijimura's shoulder a light squeeze. "I'll go take care of the media and our ride. For now, get some rest."
Nijimura nodded, giving a small bow. "Thank you." He watched as the coach left, waving over his shoulder with a smile, and closed the door.
Nijimura turned, finding his team scattered around the room: the seniors had fallen asleep on benches, leaning on corners and lockers, and their youngest members—the Miracles—were sprawled on the floor: Kuroko was leaning on a locker, and Aomine's head was dumped on his thigh, probably the most ehausted out of all of them for being the ace that scored the most points out of anyone on the team. Kise was lightly snoring on Aomine's stomach, his tired face still picture-perfect, and Murasakibara stretched out beside him, looking like he was in the middle of eating snacks and then fell asleep. Haizaki was lying curled up on his side next to him, drooling on the ground with a stupid face. Midorima was seated by his feet holding a matryoshka doll in his hands, back leaning on the edge of a bench, and on it, head slumped down just slightly, was Akashi, who had silently nodded off holding a clipboard of the team stats and strategies.
Nijimura sighed, grabbing a few jackets and blanketing them over his brat-teammates. He pulled off his own and rolled it into a small pillow, tucking it behind Akashi's head, letting him rest more comfortably and keep his neck from going stiff. He sat down beside Akashi, leaning back into the lockers, and felt his eyes go heavy. He was exhausted, too, and was just running on sports drinks and energy bars, which he'd already run out of. He yawned, leaning more heavily back, and allowed himself to breathe. To take a rest. He thought of their next match, and their new training schedule, and how these brats around him were exceeding all expectations and blazing more brightly in the court. He thought of how they had smiled and cheered while playing and upon winning, and how they looked like they had fun. And as his eyes drifted closed, feeling that he wanted to keep playing with them, he fell asleep to the sound of breathing.
The outside was left refreshed with rain, dotted with dew and a chilly breeze, hanging a cold air in the wake of the downpour. Inside, the overcast skies spread a soothing dimness in the room, and there was a warmth by the bed, woven in blankets and jackets and gentle breathing. There was a steady, comforting rise and fall of the sheets—a sort of lullaby that promised pats on the head and yesterdays relived.
Just a small patch of light peeked through the clouds, slowly shifting away in the cold afternoon. It travelled through the small gap in the curtains, casting gold halos and stroking warmth into the room. To the side, on a table, were small lucky items neatly clumped together next to carefully placed snacks and a waiting glass and pitcher of water. On the bed, Nijimura lay, calm and resting, with soft shadows and unclenched fists. Under a hand was a small clump of cloth—a memento from years ago, and slowly, softly, his fingers curled around it.
Gradually, Nijimura's eyes opened, feeling a numbness around his abdomen and a comfortable, tender warmth blanket him. Any space left in the hospital bed was occupied by hunched, sleeping forms, quietly snoring and obviously tired and worn out. Around him, seven brats had fallen asleep, still watching over him, gathered around the bed. And in that afternoon, Nijimura woke up to the warmth of a bunch of brats he used to call his team.
[tbc]
A/N: In case anyone's wondering:
PG - Point Guard
PF - Power Forward
SF - Small Forward
Also, the formatting for Nijimura's note came out a little funky over here, but basically it's supposed to be arrows branching out for each name. The format's a little better over on my Ao3! (the link to that is on my profile). Thank you for all the favs, follows, and reviews! They're always very appreciated :)