The Ballad of Shuutoku High's Most Obnoxious Couple

this one was buried in my hard drive for months so hahaha please laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of this

Midorima counts one and two and three and four and sighs. He has just lost it; how long has it been? Two, three minutes? He shakes his head and grits his teeth. Almost five minutes must surely have passed since he first notices those gazes Takao has been sending him. He thinks to answer, but refrains, for he knows it will eventually end if he would just ignore it. Alas, everything Takao does never follows his flow of thoughts.

Takao stares and admires the beauty of Shin-chan's green eyes, and wonders if he can just lean a little closer to see his own reflection there. However, the moment he begins to do so, the taller boy fidgets and Takao pulls himself back (and laughs inside because Shin-chan is too adorable for his own good). So he lets his eyes wander around any part of his partner that is visible for him and licks his own lips.

Midorima shudders. It is quite freezing outside, indeed, but the heaters around the class should work just fine. Just a moment ago, a girl takes off her blazer and complained about the increasing temperature. Midorima has nodded in affirmative as well. (Though he still keeps his uniform all buttoned for so many reasons he believes no one else would know.) But he feels the piercing looks and wishes that Takao would just stop it. And no- just, no. He cannot have thought that the way Takao licks his lips with such lusting eyes is quite a sexy sight. Kamisama, help him.

Shin-chan is so stiff, Takao nods to himself, proud to have uttered it, though inaudibly. "You are blushing." he says with a wicked grin, and thanks Kamisama for making Shin-chan blush even redder and splutter in denial. He glances at the window for a second and whistles. At this rate, it would snow soon enough. Basketball practices are going strong, even in the cold. Takao loves the practices, or any of the basketball club's activities in general, because it gives him the chance to cling onto Shin-chan's arms (and thus annoying him indefinitely).

Eyes trailing away to everywhere but Takao's direction, Midorima decides he should get this over with quickly before he loses the sanity he has left. Lest he endures it until the end of school, which will then be followed by the afternoon basketball practice, both of which Takao spends entirely by his side. Not to mention the going home part, because Takao always insists on walking him every single time. (He does not accept, though. At least he does not think so. Takao would always smile and drag him by his hand at the end.) So he inhales and parts his lips–

"Midorima!"

Both the intended subject and his shorter friend turn to the source of the voice in a speed that might as well have broken their necks in the process.

It is one of Shin-chan's classmates, Takao notices.

"What is it?" Midorima asks, looking more composed than the way he was before.

"You are smart, aren't you? Honda-sensei told me you are good in maths!" the classmate, a boy smaller than Takao and considerably fatter, exclaims, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, sure." Midorima shrugs, though deep inside, he is all I'M MORE THAN GOOD IN MATHS. "And then?"

Takao scoffs, because SHIN-CHAN IS EXCELLENT IN MATHS.

"Can you please tutor me after school?"

Midorima gapes. "What?" At the same time, Takao is stuck between laughing and being confused.

"I need help for the exams that are coming, Midorima-kyuuun!" the classmate pleads, and both Midorima and Takao flinch at the inappropriate suffix. (Takao will use it to tease him later, though, Midorima is a hundred percent sure of that.) "So can you spare at least some time after school to teach me?"

"About that." Midorima begins, and stops. "Um."

"He can't today." Takao's voice, the voice so familiar to him, the voice that has whispered on his ears so many times, speaks out. "And not even tomorrow or the day after tomorrow or the day after that. He is busy with basketball practices and dates."

Midorima turns to him, and the classmate looks up at Midorima, both are in disbelief.

"Uh, okay." Shin-chan's classmate inches away, and finally scurries away after a few steps backward. It is quite clear that he never expects the horoscope-loving boy to actually have a romantic bone in his body. "Good luck with your girlfriend."

"I don't have a date." Midorima says after a while, unsure if he has a certain way to react to the situation.

"Sure you have." Takao puffs his chest, his annoying grin that stays forever on his face flattens a bit at the lack of reaction the other boy has.

"I don't have a girlfriend."

"Obviously."

Midorima falls onto his chair, and Takao takes the chair nearest to him and drags it to Midorima's table. Silence engulfs them as the noises in the class lower little by little, and soon, they notice none of their surroundings.

"About the date." Midorima says. His eyes look out the window beside him, hands bringing up a textbook to cover the lower half of his face.

"You don't want to go?" Takao asks in his most innocently childish tone, one that the other has gotten so frustrated of, yet become weak for.

"Depends on the other party."

Takao laughs. Shin-chan is really transparent, even though he is too much of a tsundere to ever admit that someone like Takao can see through his every action. "Well, I want to go."

Midorima sighs, but his textbook has now covered the eyes behind his glasses. "Then, let's go. But it's only because you want to, all right?"

Sometimes Takao is glad he can see Midorima for the way he is. Sometimes he is glad it is Midorima's shoulders that he can lean on. Sometimes he wishes, oh how he wishes, to be the only one who can completely comprehend Midorima.

Many times, a lot of times, Midorima wants to pull the smaller boy closer to his side. And even more times has he wondered why Takao would flip his words the other way around and see beyond his eyes. Once in a while, he does exactly that; squeezing Takao's hand and keeping it warm in his.

"By the way, I don't appreciate being stared at, Takao."

"But you were staring back at me, Shin-chan."

"I was not. Stop dreaming."