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That morning Takao was staring insistently at the calendar. There weren’t any doubts: the next day would have been St. Valentine. Not that he believed that a single and simple day was necessary to demonstrate the feelings to the loved one, but since the previous evening the sister had started to prick him saying that probably a lot of girls would have been around Midorima in that particular day, he hadn’t remained indifferent.
To tell the truth, Kazunari’s little sister had already sensed something: by now her brother didn’t need to set the alarm to wake up, he spent exactly 7 minutes in the bathroom humming happily in the shower and he went downstairs to have a fast breakfast while watching Oha-Asa’s daily horoscope for Cancer. But did her onii-chan really believe in the horoscope? And, even if he did, wasn’t he a Scorpio?
Anyway, since the days had become rainy it was very unlikely to use the rickshaw, so, Takao walked each day to Shintarou’s house and in the same way the two guys went together to school, to the Shuutoku High.
That same morning, the door of Kazu’s room was still closed, and it was pretty much strange.
“Ahh, so cute!” – the little sister exclaimed putting her left hand on her mouth after having opened the door of her brother’s room. He was trying to write down some original ideas for a special gift for his cherished one.
“I’m trying to concentrate here ~ ”- Takao said, sitting on the chair of his desk, his face facing up and his blue eyes closed. Opening his eyes and returned to the real world, he noticed the presence of his sister, blushed and simulated a nervous laugh.
“You don’t need to be shyy ~ ” – she answered back – “But tell me, do I know this person?” – she continued, trying to pretend she was unaware of the situation. In reality she had always known: Kazunari’s love was the same person he wanted to revenge against initially and she also believed that their meeting was something organised by destiny.“Destiny...” a quote occurred in her mind: ”Sometimes you meet your own destiny on the way you took to avoid it”. And it was true for Midorima and Takao’s case.
“Uhmm, I guess so” – he answered sheepish and put one hand on his dark black hair.
Seeing Kazu abashed was a quite rare sight: he had always been the best when it occurred to change the topic of the conversation using a joke. But not this time.
“Have you confessed your feelings yet? – continued the little one.
“It isn’t that simple...” – he whispered, this time his face was facing down.
“Why not? Falling in love, especially TRUE love, is rare but it isn’t difficult” – she smirked giving to her big brother a pat on the back.
“Geeeez’. You defeated me, imouto-chan! C’mon, or we will be late” – he pushed her out of the room smiling as he used to do.
Midorima Shintarou was the most punctual man on the planet Earth. As usual, he was waiting for Takao out of his home. The sky was particularly grey.
“Ohii! Shin-chan ~ ‘Morning!” – the black-haired-boy’s voice could have been heard from a long distance.
“You don’t need to be this loud, Bakao” – Midorima looked at the boy: he was wearing his stupid blue hat with cat ears – “That hat of yours, you know it doesn’t suit the uniform, don’t you-dayo?”, his expression remained serious and this was the reason why the shorter guy started to laugh.
“I know, I know Shin-chan! But it’s cold out there TvT” – actually Kazunari’s nose was redder than usual – “and I’ll took if off before we arrive at school. Don’t want the senpais to take it, it’s my treasure è.é”
However Shintarou, carrying his lucky item of the day, let the boy believe what he wanted and together they started walking to school.
The school day flew soon: between a lesson and another, Takao always took the opportunity to prick the classmate's seriousness and he always finished to get hit by the latter.
Obviously, due to the climatic conditions, the two guys couldn’t eat their lunch on the roof as they used to do and this lack of time alone with his “Shin-chan” displeased the blue-eyed-boy that had to cut out some space to talk to the taller boy.
As soon as the lessons finished, the two guys met with their senpais in the gym and started practice: they had to work hard as the new Basketball tournament was approaching. They stayed in the gym ‘till the evening. Midorima used to do extra-practice and Takao soon joined him. As the two first-year-boys were regulars in the team, they had to be strong and being strong meant also to create a particular bond in their team work. It was like that that the new technique was born: the two guys were a perfect match and their senpais thought that too. Maybe also Shintarou, but he was too prideful to admit that.
“Takao, go buy me oshiruko” – the green-haired-boy said. Before Takao could rebut he added “You lost at rock, paper, scissors”.
“Geez’ Shin-chan, you’re so annoying sometimes” – Kazunari sighed, as if he didn’t enjoy being his companion’s bellhop.
“Just admit your defeat” – Midorima continued. Soon he realised that he was still observing with the tip of his eye his classmate’s silhouette as he was walking out of the gym. He didn’t give importance to his behavior anyway.
On their way home the two guys stopped at the red light of the traffic light.
“Shin-chan” – Takao became suddenly serious.
“What is i- “ – Midorima tried to reply.
“Ice-cream” – continued the shorter one.
“It’s February-dayo” – Shintarou said, looking at him.
“IIIICE-CREAMM Shin-chaaan” – Takao started to rub his head on the other’s back.
“Ugh. I’m fine the way I am” – the taller one tried to recompose himself. He couldn’t handle his companion’s cravings.
“But it wasn’t a question! Let’s goo ~ !” – Kazunari pulled the green-eyed-boy’s sleeve and lead him to the nearest ice-cream shop at the seaport.
“I’ll treat you this. Just go and wait for me there, okay?” – the black-haired-boy smiled at him. Midorima nodded. When Takao was sure he wouldn’t have heard him from that distance, he paid the two ice-creams and asked the shop employee about the mini-cheesecakes exposed. She told him that the heart-shaped ones would have been a perfect present for the beloved one for the next day: St. Valentine. She also added that he could have personalised it.
Kazunari reached Shintarou on the bench he was sitting on by the seaport.
[This it it. The moment you’ve been waiting for, Kazunari. You can do it.
JUST
ACT
NATURAL] – those words were echoing inside the boy’s head.
“Ohi Shin-chan. I h-have to tell you something”- the guy stood up and put a leg on the bench as if he was forming a rectangular angle. Realising that he wasn’t acting “natural” at all, he moved a bit near to the sea. It was so calm and the particular smell it emanated in winter made him feel more relaxed.
Midorima soon stood up as well. “Don’t get too close to the edge: fools fall easily-dayo” – he said as he pushed up his glasses trying to hide his worried expression.
“I won’t fall, I won’t fall” – Takao turned to face him right in the eyes. Oh, those eyes.
Takao loved every single piece of Midorima Shintarou.
“Go on-dayo” – the companion suggested.
“Y-You know, Shin-chan, I realised I was thinking of you in a r-romantically way, and I began to wonder how long you’d been on m-my mind. Then it occurred to me that you’ve never left since that day back in middle school when I met you. I l-love the way I feel when I’m with you even if our personalities are so different that we basically act like an old married couple most of the time we spend together and everyone jokes about it with us, and I also believe that if glances do have a language, then also the dumbest person on this planet would have noticed that I’m in love with you. Not that was my intention to…I mean, it h-happened” – Kazunari was entirely red. He tried to take a deep breath, but seeing his Shin-chan’s reaction made him blush even more.
Midorima didn’t say a word. He stood there in silence trying to hide his very very very RED face with his left hand while his eyes were facing down. Damn, he felt the same exactly way towards him, but c’mon, he was Midorima Shintarou. Of course he didn’t know how to handle those…humans feelings.
In the meanwhile the clouds moved and this let the moonlight to make the atmosphere even more embarrassing.
“…Shin-chan?” – the black-haired-boy said as he went near his beloved.
“I- “ – Shintarou didn’t have the time to complete the sentence. The other guy’s mouth was on his before he could speak and the scene was quite adorable because Takao had to stay on tiptoe to kiss Shin-chan.
“Let’s go home” - Midorima said as the two boys’ mouths got separated. He looked at Takao’s blue-sparkling-eyes and whispered in his ear : “I…” , damn it was very difficult to say actually, “…l-l-l-love you too, Bakao”.
Kazunari showed his Shin-chan the purest smile he got and this made Shintarou fell in love with his significant other all over again and even more. The green-haired-boy grabbed his hand and together they walked home.
The next day Takao woke up earlier than usual, greeted his family and went out to retire the present for Midorima.
Arrived at the green-eyed-boy’s house, he was welcomed by the mother of the latter that told him to reach the son in his own room: it was almost time for Oha-Asa.
“Shin-chan ~ !” – Kazunari said opening the door without even knocking – “I took you a present”, he added.
“It isn’t my birthday yet” – Shintarou answered surprised to see Takao so early in the morning.
“I think what you’re trying to say is ‘Thank you darling’” – the other boy continued smirking.
“ ‘Thank you… darling?’ “ – Midorima repeated as his expression was getting even more serious.
“You’re welcome!” – the blue-eyed-boy placed a kiss on his cherished one’s mouth – “it’s for St. Valentine”, he continued.
Shintarou knew that every conversation was pointless with Takao, so he opened what he got from him. It was a cute heart-shaped mini-cheesecake with something written on: “To my Ace-sama”.
This made Midorima blush, but he tried his best to thank his beloved by giving him a kiss as well.
The two boys shared the cake as they watched Oha-Asa’s daily horoscope.
This was just the start of their relationship as a couple.