You can’t be planning on taking her away; not even my granddaughter. I’ve given you my son and his wife, is it still not enough? You just can’t stop until you’ve taken everything from me.
Fandom: Kuroko no Basket
Character/Pairing: Midorima/Takao Words: 3,345
Summary: [AU] In University, Takao Kazunari recalls past events with his withdrawn and unfathomable roommate - Midorima Shintarou, and the situations that lead him to develop feelings for him.
Rated: T for Tea - Fluffy!
[[This is dedicated to Leona-Dracontis, with whom had to suffer many times with my tardiness in responding to messages. I hope she enjoys this, and i hope anyone else reading this does too! I got carried away with the story, and have been contemplating making this part of a series. Enjoy <3]]
- - - - -
<<Present Day>> 25th February 2052
“Faster, Shintarou!” Takao panted, a rivulet of sweat dripping down his forehead. With his whole body being penetrated by chills of excitement and adrenaline, he glanced over his shoulder to encompass the larger man behind him into his line of sight.
What his eyes fixated on left him in a further state of breathlessness.
Those unforgiving viridian eyes were closed, concealing the myriad of emotions he was currently feeling, and a few loose strands of malachite pigmented hair were plastered to his forehead. Usually composed and almost graceful in his motions, Takao found the rough appearance to be oddly sensual and a refreshing difference to his usual demeanor.
Midorima Shintarou reached out and placed his slender fingers on Takao’s shoulder, his trimmed nails becoming entwined into the fabric of his shirt. “T-takao, I’m not going to last much longer,” he grunted, the corners of his mouth turning into a grimace. His own breaths, much like Takao’s, were becoming much more rapid and indiscernible between one and the next.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Takao Kazunari stopped running and sank down to all fours on the field, the sweat from his brow dampening the unlucky blades of grass underneath him. “I understand that the coach wants us to be fit to the best of our ability for the upcoming game, but there’s a limit to how much one person can run in a day, jeez.” He straightened his back and glanced beside him to see Midorima lifting up his shirt. Bringing the fabric up to his face, he tried uselessly to cool down his face.
Takao himself pretended to be looking somewhere very very distant and in-between this façade he shot furtive glances at the exposed body of skin from his breathless partner. He wasn’t quite sure when his attraction towards the unsociable, half-my-responses-will-be-grunts older guy had begun – but it had, and eventually it developed into something which even Takao couldn’t vehemently deny anymore. Admittedly, it had been quite an odd journey, as in the beginning he had found Midorima to be unfathomable and somewhat unlikable.
After all – who could have blamed him?
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
<<5 months prior>> 3rd September
“I’m Takao Kazunari! Nice to meetchya.” He extended out his hand, his voice resonating through the room and towards the figure towering above him in a cheerful and airy manner. Easygoing in both his mannerisms and personality, Takao had always found befriending others to be a fairly easy task. Though this guy was a little unusual in his stature, and albeit a little intimidating, he was sure that they would be close in no time.
The green-haired male grunted in response and barely gave Takao a second glance before placing the box of his belongings gently onto the bed. Without another sound, he left the room with swift, long strides.
With his hand still extended, Takao gaped after the figure with an unbelievable expression frozen onto his features. He reluctantly lowered his fingers just as the mysterious guy in question lumbered back into the room with a tower of precariously placed boxes balanced against his chest. Takao stared at his possessions, the mystery deepening as he wondered what the fuck all those random assortments of objects were for. With a grunt the figure hauled the boxes one by one off to the side of the bed, before shooting Takao a flippant glance with narrowed viridian eyes.
“N-Nice to meet you too,” He stammered in response, suddenly embarrassed at the recognition he was receiving after all this time. “I didn’t quite catch your name uhh, earlier?”
“That’s because I didn’t give you it, I recall.” The tall man straightened his back and continued to loom over him ominously like some sort of bewitched statue. He furrowed his brows as those unrelenting eyes scanned over Takao’s figure. “It’s Midorima Shintarou. I’ll be sharing this room with you for the rest of this year.”
“Y-yeah. I’m looking forward to it.” He feigned a nervous smile.
With the temperature rapidly dropping over the past week, Takao regretted not bringing an extra jumper or two from his house back home. After all the incessant nagging from his mother about how he needed to stay warm, he was beginning to realise that perhaps disregarding the advice had been a bad idea.
Placing the palm of his hands behind his head, he leaned back in his chair and glanced outside.
Branches resembling thin veins protruded from the thin trunk of trees that had long shed their leaves, and the only sounds present were from the few animals that hadn’t migrated to a temporarily warmer environment. He looked away and began to nurse his warm mug of hot chocolate.
Something hit him in the face. Muffled by fabric, Takao pulled the jumper off his head and turned around in surprise. Midorima was leaning back on his bed, a thick novel between his slender hands, and his long legs were resting atop one another. He gave him a weary glance.
“You’ve got goosebumps. For this afternoon only I’ll lend you my jumper. If you get it dirty, I will hit you. If you get it creased, I will hit you.” Midorima cleared his throat, and added hastily, “If you get a cold or fall ill the one who will most likely catch it is me. I’m not taking any chances. “
Takao looked at him, jumper between his fingers, in utter disbelief. He didn’t know how to react. And so he just continued to stare at his roommate. Disgruntled by the attention, Midorima responded by shifting his position so that the novel hid his face.
“Midorima? Is…is that you? “Takao squinted at the hidden face of his unsociable friend. “No…it has to be an impostor. My roommate is incapable of showing any kind of sympathy or emotion other than indifference.”
Silence.
“Midorima? Midoooooorima? Dorima?”
Silence.
“Shintarou? Shin-ta-rou. Green alien.”
The person in question shifted slightly on the bed.
“Shin-chan?”
Midorima lowered his book immediately and glared at Takao with an irritated gaze. “Don’t call me that. It’s annoying. “He lifted his novel back up and resumed reading.
“Shin-chaaaaaan.” Takao continued to tease him, enjoying the sudden discomfort that the other was feeling for a change. When his silent roommate continued to ignore him, he got up from his chair and leaned over Midorima’s bed until he stood face to face with the back of his novel. “It’s rude not to respond to someone when they are trying to initiate conversation. Come on Shin-chan, don’t be shy.” He pouted, feigning a hurt expression.
Slowly, Midorima lowered the paper barrier and looked at him, unimpressed. Unfortunately for Takao, all he could comprehend at the moment whilst being face to face with his roommate was that the other had pretty damn nice eyes. They were viridian at a distance but upon closer inspection were found to be actually a myriad of different green shades and hues, all intermingled together.
Furthermore, they were framed by thick, long eyelashes; Takao found himself thinking for an embarrassingly long time how nice it would be to stare at them a little longer before Midorima cleared his throat.
Takao recoiled immediately and averted his gaze, embarrassed. “W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?” He stammered.
Takao looked at his reflection wistfully, and combed back his fringe with his fingers. He studied his face at different angles, and tried to determine the possibility of his roommate – whom he assumed was straight – finding him attractive. Upon the realization of his thoughts, Takao covered his face with his palms in shame. This is so embarrassing. I might as well throw a party and declare my sexuality in front of everyone in this building.
However, it did come to attention that his withdrawn love interest had never spoken about past relationships or even women in his presence; Takao was unsure of whether this was because it was a sensitive topic, or if Midorima simply didn’t want to converse about his interests. He chuckled at the thought of the taller man reading a dirty magazine under his covers. Subsequently he gave a sigh of resignation and gave up trying to improve his image since it made him feel ridiculous and, more importantly, wouldn’t have mattered anyways since he was damn sure the feelings towards Midorima were unrequited.
Takao gathered his belongings, threw on his jacket and did the routine three pat slap on his jean pockets to ensure he had his wallet, keys and phone before leaving. He barely made it three meters when a familiar voice called out to him.
“Takao! Over here.”
He whirled around and found himself face to face with one of his classmates – Arato Kuniyoshi. Tall, attractive and well dressed; he managed to look good regardless of the plain clothes he wore. He had an easygoing look in his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. “Where are you heading out to? Hot date?”
Hell yes.
“Not quite,” Takao laughed, running his fingers absentmindedly through the back of his head. “I’m only meeting up with my roommate. He owes me a favour and I’m broke, so he’s takin- err, treating me out to a meal.” Wait, does that sound gay?
Arato looked at him dubiously, eyebrows raised. “That roommate of yours is seriously weird. I swear he has a screw loose or something.”
Without thinking, Takao narrowed his eyes and arched his face to meet Arato’s more squarely. “He’s not that bad once you get to know him. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. He just has a few odd hobbies,” he replied defensively. “You should try talking to him once in a while.”
The other guy snorted and laughed derisively. “Hell no, I’ll have to pass on that offer. “ He made a face and reached out to pat Takao’s shoulder. “I’m telling you, no good will come out of hanging with that weirdo. Introverts like that are better left alone.” He pulled out his phone from his jean pocket and checked the time, before cursing under his breath. “Well shit, I gotta run. Take care man.” Arato removed his hand and walked past him.
Fuming, Takao swore out loud and continued on his way, his mood considerably worse than before. By the time he got to the library, he was ten minutes late, drenched from the sudden onslaught of rain and found himself breathless as he gripped the back of the chair Midorima was sitting on.
Wordlessly, the green haired figure closed the novel in his slender fingers with a silent snap. He twisted his body to the side a little and shot Takao an unimpressed glance with unrelenting viridian eyes. He didn’t seem the least bit perturbed by his roommate’s disheveled state. “You’re late.”
“Yes I’m okay thank you for asking. “ Takao grimaced and tried not to think about how awful he must have looked. “Do you want to wait a little for the rain to settle down? It’s pouring out there.” He pointed to his own wet hair for emphasis.
“I refuse. I’m hungry and you’re late,” Midorima retorted. “Besides,” he said, reaching underneath the table, “I am always prepared no matter what. “ He revealed the umbrella and turned it in his hands, all while giving the other watching in disbelief a smug grin that Takao found both deplorable and astonishingly seductive. He wanted to reach down and place a kiss on those curved, plush lips.
Takao watched as Midorima slowly gathered his belongings and stood up, the familiar face now looming over him in an annoying display of his height. A stay strand of hair detached itself and hung by his eyes. It took Takao a strong reminder of their relationship to withhold his urge to reach out and brush it away for him.
He looked away awkwardly, his face reddening. “I still think we should wait a little longer.” Takao pretended to study the line of texts on the shelf behind Midorima’s head. He could feel his face continuing to burn as he sensed the taller man’s lingering gaze upon him. He willed it to stop – but at the same time, he relished the attention and craved more. It was a conflicting experience. Everything with Midorima felt, well, conflicting nowadays.
Midorima grunted as an affirmation for them to start walking, and began to make his way out of the library. When Takao didn’t follow, he pushed up his glasses, turned around, and frowned.
The only sound that could be heard was their synchronized footsteps on the gravel. Takao fidgeted with the sleeve of his jacket, his head filled with thoughts of him. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, and decided against it. He looked up just in time to see Midorima shooting him a furtive glance.
“You’re quieter than usual, Takao. Less annoying, to be exact.” He smiled warmly, his spirits unusually high after a good meal. Making an exasperated noise, he stopped walking and removed his glasses. “They need to invent windscreen wipers for these things or something,” he grumbled, using the bottom of his shirt to rub at the lens.
Takao couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look at Midorima. Properly look at him. None of that cautionary gazing that he was so used to doing – no, this time, he fully absorbed the chiseled features of his roommate into his own eyes, inadvertently letting out a long breath he didn’t know he had held in. The white tape delicately wrapped around his fingers that hid the slender outline of his fingers, and the way he stood so that his weight favored his left leg. The way the sleek strands of his hair rustled ever so slightly in the winter breeze, and the casual way in which the shirt he wore hung so loosely over his body.
“Shintarou, I like you.”
Midorima’s naked eyes slowly swiveled upwards to encompass the smaller man into his sight. He straightened his back and continued to gaze at Takao, his glasses hanging limply from his fingers. Time, at that very moment, seemed to have disappeared out on a walk. In the distance, the sound of a dog barking could be heard.
“A-As a friend, I mean,” Takao hastily added, running his fingers through his hair in a flustered manner. He looked everywhere but at Midorima, and cursed his sudden declaration. It was the heat of the moment. He closed his eyes and groaned eternally.
A deafening silence encapsulated them both.
Unable to bear with the uncomfortable atmosphere, Takao began to walk quickly – he passed Midorima, and didn’t even bother to look at the expression on his roommate’s face. Although a valiant attempt, he barely made it three strides before his whole body had been tugged back. In surprise, he glanced behind him to see long, slender fingers wrapped around his exposed wrist, the grip astoundingly firm. “W-what are you doing,” Takao snapped, trying to wrench his arm free. It didn’t work, and in doing so, he felt even more embarrassed by the situation at hand.
“Kazunari,” Midorima said. It was all he said. But it was enough – Takao stopped struggling. “Kazunari, look at me.” Unwaveringly firm, his voice resonated with a deep and assertive tone that the smaller man found impossible to ignore. Takao complied, and found his gaze in line with Midorima’s oval pools of viridian. They were as beautiful as ever. In the sudden moment, he became painfully aware of the warm skin around his wrist – the slender fingers that he had shamefully found himself thinking about during classes and at night.
He didn’t want to like Midorima. Not intentionally, anyways. It had started off as a mild interest, and even Takao himself couldn’t comprehend sometimes the rationality behind his feelings. And yet it had developed into something unfathomably complex – a deep emotion that felt raw, sincere, and most of all right. A sudden realization crept upon him.
If Takao didn’t deny the implications of his confession earlier, his roommate might not tolerate him in the same way anymore. Midorima might read too much into the situation with that calculating mind of his, feel uncomfortable with the conclusion, and avoid Takao. The thought was daunting, and it terrified Takao more than anything else. And in that moment, he made a decision. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted abruptly.
Midorima pulled him close and enveloped his long arms around him in a hug. “You know, I think you’re the first person that I properly call a friend,” he murmured against the bewildered recipient’s ear. The voice that Takao had grown to cherish sent vibrations tingling in his ear.
“My parents call me up weekly. They always ask – how is university getting along? Are you making friends? As if I had some inability to befriend others. And you know, maybe it was true. I certainly started to believe it. I thought that it was definitely to do with my personality. I’m perhaps ignorant to other people’s feelings, but I’m not deaf. I know what other people say about me. And you,” he swallowed uncertainly, his voice catching in his throat a little, “You made a sincere effort to try and talk to me every day. I’m terrible at expressing emotions – gratitude most of all, but honestly I thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”
Midorima released Takao from the embrace and looked at him with a sheepish expression on his face. And then, he did something that both firmly confirmed and deepened the other man’s feelings even more so than before.
Midorima Shintarou, the most unfathomable and withdrawn man on earth, smiled.
A warm and sincere smile.
And in that moment, Takao suddenly realised through some self induced epiphany that well, everything was going to be absolutely fine. The fact that Midorima hadn’t understood his confession didn’t matter – it was perhaps better this way for now. Maybe sometime in the future, he would have chance to properly confess his true feelings to the other man. And to get rejected properly, Takao mused. But he understood now that this wasn’t the right time.
He grinned.
“You called me by my first name!” Takao teased, his attitude reverting back to his usual self. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets and found pleasure in the flustered expression Midorima replied silently with. “We should get going, or it’s going to get even colder. I don’t want to fall ill for my upcoming exams.”
In response, Midorima grunted and pushed up his glasses with taped fingers. They started walking, side by side, conversing about trivial things - the weather, unfinished assignments, and novel titles.
Looking at them, it almost seemed as though they formed counterparts to one whole. It was as though they belonged to one very odd jigsaw puzzle, in the way in which they complimented one another so fittingly.
Their relaxed postures and the expressions they exchanged with one another almost made it seem as though they had known the other for an unfathomable amount of time - as old friends from another universe.
kianamaiart
discoholicmusic
yousharknotpass
andulkaphoto
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
gamechangershow
