Work Text:
pairing: midorima shintaro x female reader
genre: angst (i should get this 5 lettered word tattooed on my forehead) fluffy fluff.
words: 2.326
request: carinacassiopeiae said: Okay, so i can only request a scene, but the details and whatnot are up to you! MC/reader is overwhelmed with stuff and she can only handle so much before she falls unconscious. And like midorima is with her when she passes out and he desperately tries to reach out and catch her before she hits the ground. Like idk, this gets me ugh *O* Thank you so much 💚
your eyes fluttered open slowly, you had woken up from your rather deep slumber a few moments ago but the absolute silence of the environment coupled with the smell of sanitizer in the air troubled your thoughts. this is not how your apartment smells like; it smells like yesterday’s dirty laundry, shintaro’s new bandage roll, his shampoo’s residual scent on his pillow. yeah that’s how your apartment smells like paired with the sound of the local traffic, the gentle noise from the bell of your newly turned teenager neighbor’s bicycle, certainly not deafening silence.
if someone took a look at your features, they would know you were perturbed and uneasy. the moment your eyes opened, they found themselves enclosed inside a white monotonous room filled with medical equipments, one of which was connected to your arm, pumping saline in.
takao was sitting on the chair near the window when he noticed your figure stirring and walked over, “thank god, you are awake. you had us worried.”
your eyes took in takao’s presence, still not sure why he was here or why you guys were in a hospital in the first place, “takao-kun, what happened?”
“you collapsed, thankfully shin-chan was nearby so he brought you here immediately.”
“i collapsed? when? where is shin-tan?” your voice felt so hoarse.
“he went outside to freshen up and asked me to stay with you. don’t worry, i will get him,” he offered you a soft smile.
you smiled back slightly, “thank you.”
takao nodded curtly before sliding the door open and walking out. he was gone for barely a minute before your boyfriend entered the room, visibly disheveled.
“are you okay?” shintaro asked rushing towards you.
you tried to move to a sitting position on seeing his worried expression, you have never seen him in such a disarranged state.
“no. don’t get up, you need to rest,” shintaro shook his head, his hands on either of your shoulders pushing them back where they were.
“what is happening?” you asked finally, still wondering when did you collapse.
“why did you not tell me?” shintaro asked sitting down on the stool beside your bed. he ignored your question because he does not want to live that moment again, you collapsing on him. he never wants to go through that again.
“tell you what?”
“that you were overburdened at work.. i-i could have taken some days off and helped you around maybe.. why?” there was a certain vulnerability to his voice which reflected in the green ocean of his eyes. you were both glad that you were someone he could show this side to, but also overwhelmed because no one wants to see their s/o in such a condition.
however, he was correct, you were extremely overburdened at work and it certainly was not helping that you were the only assigned member for a huge project that your firm recently bagged. everyday you walk into your office thinking of seeing more members working on it but you are met with only the sound of your voice echoing in an empty conference room. your seniors told you that they would assign more people under this project soon but they kept slacking off on the promise where you were forced to take matters in your hands; sending official mails to your co-workers trying to pique their interest in the project but that did not help either. at the end of the day, you were alone and the due date was only approaching closer more than ever.
it is not the first time that you have been under such pressure, frankly speaking, university was more demanding with its constant assignments and exams but you guess after some time, a person only seeks for some peace in life.
back at home, things were not that great either. you loved midorima shintaro with your whole heart and could not be happier when he decided to play basketball professionally after university. you supported him wholeheartedly but what you were not ready for were the frequent trips to the states for matches. he would be gone for weeks on end and we all know how much of a vocal person shintaro is. there are more chances of kuroko dunking a basketball than midorima shintaro becoming vocal about his feelings or needs.
its not like shintaro did not miss you, cause miss you, he did. he missed you immensely to the point where he had returned from airports late at night after packing up everything in a fit and rushing there to fly back home to you. he wants to be in your warmth, he wants to watch you getting ready for work everyday, your wet hair fresh out of the shower splashing some water droplets on his face when he would walk towards the washroom to take his shower, he would groan softly and you would giggle at him but you both know how much he loves it. and yes he yells through the bathroom door every time he notices you have finished his body wash again, his special lucky body wash.
he often finds himself thinking of quitting, but he cannot expect you to pay for the household expenses alone. he wants to give you the life you deserve and leaving his livelihood for that was certainly not the solution. also the fact that basketball is what gets him out of bed everyday, played a huge role.
you, on the other hand, have grown accustomed to this side of your boyfriend, you know his tsundere tendencies since your first month together, back in freshman year. you know he does not get affected by your actions of affections. every now and then, mostly on the weekends, you would complain about the overdue assignments while sitting on the couch with a tub of ice cream and he knows you can handle it, it is just your way of letting loose for a change. it is a habit you retained till now, while shintaro’s reaction to your actions is also what he has retained over the years which often renders him unable to see through your actions or understand what you are actually trying to say.
over the years your whining has changed from jokes to actual call for help, although you deny it too but they were, in fact, call for attention. work was only getting hectic and you always came back to an empty apartment, silence prevailing thickly like it wanted to choke you.
“can you cuddle me babe?” your eyes lit up when you saw shintaro coming out of the shower a week ago, the towel around his shoulder sustaining the water droplets free falling from the tips of his hair.
“i have a match in california,” shintaro informed you softly, opening the closet to pack his clothes.
you were sitting on the bed, propped against the pillows with your laptop, “what do you mean?”
“i did not tell you? sorry, the practice matches have been tiring. think i forgot.”
the playful smile on your lips was long gone, you did not want him to cuddle you, you needed it. right now you were not sure anymore what you needed; a cup of ramen, a bottle of whiskey or a fifteen-hour nap. the bags under your eyes were only becoming prominent, the purple lines visible on your troubled face. your face lacked the general charm and your boyfriend could not bother to care.
you nodded turning your attention to the laptop, “okay.”
shintaro hummed in reply as he continued with his packing and left soon after his cab came. it was the first time you did not see him off on the doorway, hell you did not even look at him when he informed you that he was leaving.
and he should have known better at that moment, he should have known that he was leaving you at a very low time in your life which you did not deserve considering your never-ending ocean of love for him, your support for his dreams and passion never wavered and yet he was leaving you to play a match in another country. he should have taken out his phone and informed akashi that he was not going to join them, i mean, he was not the only prodigy of vorpal swords and they would have fared just fine without shintaro but if only he had those thoughts on time.
in reality, he had not, which brings us to when he came back to japan a week later. he walked in the apartment, tired from the jetlag. you were standing in the kitchen, your figure was slouching over with your hands on the stove counter which seemed to be supporting your balance.
“y/n, i am home,” shintaro chimed, he wanted to set some things right. he dropped his luggage near the couch after taking off his shoes and headed over to you only to you hug you from behind but what came next, knocked the air out of his lungs.
he expected you to be angry at him, upset even and maybe scream at him for a while but your body fell back on his like paper, weightless. panicked, he tried to balance you before settling down on the floor with your head on his lap. he moved your hair away from your face and realized you had passed out.
and he was not there for you when you needed him the most. with shaky hands, he called the ambulance first and then called up the rest of vorpal swords. takao was the first to rush to the hospital followed by kise and akashi.
the doctor finished your check up soon and administered a few medicines through injections after the nurse hooked you up on saline. shintaro watched quietly, tears threatening to pour out any moment now.
“she over worked herself.”
shintaro turned to the doctor when he realized the latter was talking to him only.
“she will be better in a week, just keep in mind not to pressure her too much,” the doctor nodded, walking out.
shintaro kept staring at your lifeless body, now that he notices, he can see how skinny you have grown, your bones were almost protruding out of your skin which felt tight and tensed even in your current sleep induced state. before he knew it, tears already had started spilling out. he wiped them away swiftly and looked for takao.
after instructing the dark-haired boy to stay with you in case you wake up, he hurried out of the hospital. he walked inside a side alley, trying to keep himself together desperately but he could not stop his tears as he wept with the rain.
the next morning, shintaro was awakened by akashi who told him to freshen up and eat something. shintaro had fallen asleep on the stool beside you, his head lying on the bed near your hand.
he went out to freshen up, keeping takao with you as the guard again, followed by you waking up.
you let a sigh you did not know you were holding in, shintaro looked like he had been crying, his eyes had turned red near the corners.
“tell me. why did you not call me?” shintaro asked again, his voice lacking the usual stoic tone.
“because you never see it shin-tan. i am tired, i am constantly tired and i just want lay in your arms sometimes but you are busy and i am always just trying to accommodate you.”
“and what about me accommodating you? who said its a one way road?”
you sighed, arguing with him was useless. not like you guys have never had this argument before, it was going to end up the same way; him making promises he would not be able to fulfill.
shintaro took off his shoes and climbed in the bed beside you, it was a one-person bed so you moved as much as you could to give him space. the action itself was preposterous and the fact that it was midorima shintaro doing it, really was above logic.
“what are you doing?” you craned your neck at him.
shintaro pulled your figure close to his, his arms wrapping securely around you, his chin resting on top of your head, “i love you so much, y/n. i am who i am, where i am all because of you and i see everything. i swear i do although i am really bad at showing it but please teach me, teach me to be better for you.”
“i love you as you are..” you mumbled, inhaling his scent, the familiar homely feeling taking over your senses. yes sex is great but this is what you truly crave.
“no. stop doing this to yourself, teach me to be a better person for you and i swear i will be the best you want me to be,” he left a trail of kisses against your hairline till he lined up with your temple and scooted down to kiss your forehead, his hot breath fanning on your nose.
“y/n i have to lea-” takao walked in and stopped mid sentence on noticing the scene in front of himself. no, it is not just you who finds this action shocking, everyone who knows shintaro, does.
“oh my god, this is a gold mine!” takao chuckled taking out his phone and taking a photo of you two cuddling on a hospital bed, to send it in the group chat.
“do you want die?” shintaro turned to takao, affixing his glasses with his index finger.
takao rushed out immediately after bidding you goodbye.
you giggled at the duo, they really were the best of friends.
“hey, what is your lucky item today?” you asked looking over the room to see some absurd figurine.
“right here in my arms. it is you, it always has been you,”
shintaro breathed out, his nose nuzzling against yours.
︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶︶༉‧₊˚.