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Meeting him had unironically been the biggest turning point in Shuzo's life. Of course, when he had only freshly been appointed Captain of the basketball team and had been introduced to the absolute chaos that was Haizaki Shogo, he genuinely thought that this would be his biggest hurdle. And how could he have thought otherwise? Shogo was easily also the most infuriating piece of work he had ever met in his short life. He wasn't the only first year that had managed to earn a place among the first-string's regulars but he was the only one who made him work this hard to keep the peace as was his primary job.
Back then, he would have argued that it had been by pure sense of responsibility as his Captain that he had started paying attention to one of their most promising players. Technically, Shuzo should have only cared about getting Shogo to practice sessions and preventing him from completely antagonising his teammates, and even that last part was debatable. Shuzo had slowly gotten out of his way to get his number, memorise his timetable, his family tree, his address, his hideouts, his hopes and dreams, his favourite colour, his prefered position on the court, what made him tick, who he got along with or not, his favourite dish... all in order to take care of the team, or so he told himself. They were nationally ranked after all and Shuzo wasn't about to flush it all down the drain because of a bratty teenager barely a year younger than him, not on his watch. It was a matter of responsibility and pride, and he was ready to achieve his goals by all means necessary hence all of the information on the teen that he was hoarding. It was just in case it was coming in handy to handle him. It had absolutely nothing to do with securing a place for him on the team so he could step on the court where he shone the brightest, smiled the widest and overall looked like he was made for it.
He knew his vice-captain didn't share his opinion, always being adamant that Kise Ryota would fit in much better, and Shuzo had always shrugged it off as being a byproduct of the silly rivalry the first years seemed to have going on. He had, at first, considered it was only a status issue, but Akashi has accepted Kuroko with open arms in the team so he shrugged it off.
But for all he protested loudly to anyone who would ask, deep down, he knew there was more to it than pure duty. For all he pretended, he had slowly come to the realisation that he actually enjoyed the company of the infuriating and cocky teenager. He had more than once thought about kissing him, although he hadn't been quite sure why, whether it was to get rid of his smirk, to shut him up, or just because sometimes, the light would hit him in such a way that it seemed as if a golden glow emanated from him and made him look so beautifully ethereal that his heart would painfully constrict in his chest and only kissing him could cure him.
It was getting out of hand. Shuzo's thoughts were plagued with live videos coming directly from his brain starring Haizaki Shogo. They would play anytime and anywhere, slowly becoming more detailed and, for a like of better terms, graphic.
Apart from the ethics of it, he was getting worried that it would affect his judgement. He had never been one for favouritism, or nepotism, although he knew that among the Good Society he was also a part of, those practices were rampant. And he knew of Haizaki's situation. He certainly didn't live with the same commodities he did. So, he rationalised that it would only be fair if he paid special attention to him. In a way, it would be like rectifying some wrongs, correcting the balance of the universe if you will. It surely was justified, right?
Thus, Shuzo began spoiling Shogo. Never in front of his teammates, mind you. He knew how sensitive and proud the younger basketball player was, and he didn't want him to think he was pitying him instead of just giving him the attention he had always deserved but had been lacking.
And it's probably why, and how, Shuzo didn't realise that he had essentially, actively and thoroughly, been courting him.