Happy New Year everyone! Wow, okay so first of all thanks for the reads, faves, follows and reviews. Here's hoping that the second chapter was as interesting as the first and that I didn't screw up *nervous chuckle*. Anyway, I didn't know what I was writing anymore so I really hope that this turned out fine. And just some notes:
*The first paragraph in italics is taken from the light novel Kuroku no Basket: Replaced II 2nd Game: Midorima Shintarou's Extremely Unlucky Day (read the light novels if you haven't yet, they're really good!).
*The first two sentences of the third paragraph is also taken from the said light novel chapter.
*The red balloon incident (which was the first time Midorima failed to have his lucky item for the day) is also taken from the above mentioned light novel chapter. The story is that Midorima was unable to have his lucky item for that day and it lead him to experience many unlucky encounters and the last one almost cost him his life if he didn't got hold of the red balloon (which was his lucky item).
So, here it is. Enjoy!
An Overrated Stroke of Luck
Second Shot
"Man proposes, God disposes." This means: "To assume a state of mind in which you do everything that is humanly possible and then entrust the final outcome to fate." Furthermore, if you extrapolate upon this proverb, it can also be interpreted to mean: "If you give your best effort, results will naturally follow."
Midorima Shintarou, 16 years old, is the eldest son of the prominent Midorima family whose reputation and prestige rivals that of the Akashi's. Both of Midorima's parents are doctors who have been hailed as geniuses throughout the many islands of the Japanese archipelago. As such, it was expected that he follow their footsteps and ensure the continued luxurious survival of the family. Since the day he was born, Midorima has been taught to always act with delicacy and finesse befitting his social status. Among the members of the Generation of Miracles (excluding Akashi), he was the only one to have an almost spotless and excellent record both academically and in behavior. He constantly maintains a calm demeanor and is quite trained to wear an expressionless mask in public- that is, to never show his emotions publicly regardless of the situation. He was actually expected to succeed their family business and make his father's dreams of having a hospital of their own a reality but seeing that as fate has slightly altered his path a little and lead him into the grueling life of a warrior (athlete), this now seemed nothing but a parent's delusional aspiration. Nevertheless, as his father's motto goes: "…as long as it pays well, all ends well", being a basketball player is no laughing matter to be taken too lightly, so on the condition that he doesn't screw up his public standing, he was allowed to play basketball to his heart's content.
And as someone who is expected to live a faultless life, Midorima has taken up the habit of maintaining the proverb which says: "Man proposes, God disposes" as his personal creed so that he will be chosen by fate, and lives a systematic daily life based on extraordinary effort and superstition. He thereby does everything in his power to succeed. Yes, the moment Midorima first laid his eyes on Oha-Asa was a big turning point which changed his life 180 degrees. Despite the demanding lucky items which he needed to find every single day of his life so that he may avoid any blow of bad luck hiding in the dark corners of everyday life, Midorima had faithfully followed through, striving to not miss his daily dose of Oha-Asa. Even though Takao would always laugh his ass off, belittling the essence of following fate to guarantee one's success, time and time again Oha-Asa's predictions and advices would always come back to him like a splash of cold water. There was one time when a falling debris almost killed Midorima if he hadn't got hold of a red balloon, which was his lucky item for that day, in time to barely escape the gnawing jaws of death. Since the eventful incident, Takao has become less doubtful of Midorima's uncanny antics though he occasionally throws some witty remarks here and there. Midorima has learned a lot from that horrifying experience how scary it is to miss Oha-Asa's horoscopes. And this time, it was no different, even if the circumstances are.
Standing regally in front of the bed, Midorima fixed his glasses and placed one hand on his hip. He sighed loudly and closed his eyes, trying to remember the first time when he was unable to bring his lucky item along with him.
"So during that time, being unable to have a red balloon nearly caused me my life." He thought to himself and sighed once again, as if the first sigh was not yet enough to express his disbelief on how such a crucial mistake could happen twice despite his persistent efforts. "And this time, losing my stuffed green frog… brought me into this uncompromising position."
He grabbed the chair situated near the table and placed it a few meters in front of the bed. He sat on it hesitantly, his elbows resting on his lap as he supported his chin with both hands. "Sure, I was expecting some bad luck after realizing that I lose my lucky item last night, but what the hell is this? Has fate already given up on me?"
Struggling to think rationally, he looked at the girl sleeping soundly on the bed and collected his thoughts scattered all over the place. Fixing his glasses yet again, he tried his best to analyze the situation in the hopes of fully understanding the dilemma he was forced into.
"…party… last night… liquor… drug…" Midorima whispered under his breath like a chant. "Honestly. This seems like a scene from a movie or something." He took off his glasses and wiped them as if on a habit and placed them on his lap. He then pinched the bridge of his nose like some kind of a ritual before he went back to scrutinizing his current situation. "…headache…naked…girl…blood." Closing his eyes, he repeated the words once again. "…headache…naked…girl…blood…" He slowly opened his eyes and focused his visions back on the girl. "…naked… girl… blood…naked…girl…blood… How does all of this connect? …naked…girl…blood…"
And suddenly, in an explosive manner, Midorima got up from his seat with a loud scream coming out of his mouth which somehow seemed out-of-character for someone as composed as himself. He must have been too shocked with whatever he had realized as he paid no mind to the sound of his glasses falling from his lap.
"It can't be… No, it's impossible… I must be over thinking things…" He shook his head to dismiss the possibility that struck him but it was too realistic and evident to be ignored. "Naked. Girl. Blood." He said those words with corresponding gestures on his finger as if he was counting. "Naked. Girl. Blood. Naked. Girl. Blood." He slapped himself with both of his hands and looked up. He didn't like the sound of the conclusion that he's finally made up to explain the things that had transpired which somehow made him wake up naked beside a girl who was fully naked herself. Distracting himself with other solutions and possibilities like a math teacher trying to find another answer to a problem, he tried to push aside the answer that he had thought of a while ago, after all this wasn't just a scene from a movie although it strongly looked like one. He did this for about a few seconds until he finally gave up.
Unable to restrain himself, he once again screamed and shouted in a trembling voice.
"What the hell! This is isn't a one-night stand! There's just no way that this is a one-night stand! It's absolutely impossible that this is a one-nightstand." Panting like a child who was chased by some kind of a monster, he wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He looked at his shaky hands as an internal debate took place inside of him. No matter how the signs point out to the possibility that Midorima Shintarou, in all of his 16 years of clean and healthy living, just had a one-night stand with some unknown female, he denied it with all his might. No, he wouldn't accept the fact that something like this happened. Maybe Aomine planned all of this to trick him, maybe the girl was just someone that Akashi hired to fool them, and maybe all of this was just a ploy to test them out, maybe… He searched his brains out to think of any other reasons, even silly illogical reasons that might overthrow the possibility of a one-night stand but he couldn't think of one.
"Dammit. I can't think of anything! For my brain to stop working of all times, why now?!"
After all, what any other possibility can you still think of if you found yourself waking up naked in a red stained bed sheet beside a girl who was also naked and without any recollections of whatever may have happened?
Midorima picked up his glasses, unconsciously thankful that no cracks were seen on it as he put them in place. He then detected a slight movement from the girl and for the first time since realizing that he was not alone in the room, it felt as if he was hit by tremendous volts of electricity as his body became numb upon realizing that the girl he had been gazing at for some time now was… utterly naked. He felt his cheeks get hotter as a blush slowly formed in his face making him red as the balloon which was his lucky item for the first time he failed to follow Oha-Asa's horoscope.
Trying his best to keep his eyes close (and practically failing), he went near the part of the bed where the girl slept and with one forceful thrust; he covered her tiny form with a blanket. He then proceeded to study the girl, carefully examining her facial features and her red hair which reminded him of the man who was the reason why he was currently on the ship and why he was forced to accidentally drink the booze which Aomine drugged. He then shifted his gaze to her body that, despite the fact that it was covered with a blanket, still shows much of her curves indicating that she has a figure that's not to be underestimated.
As he was uninterestedly hovering above her and gazing at her figure, his mind became clouded with certain things as he imagined what unfortunate fate awaits him the moment news about this incident becomes public. He imagined how his parents would react should they know that their trusted heir had slept with some girl on a ship at the age of sixteen. He imagined Akashi tossing words of implicit insults and disgust towards him. He imagined Takao and the rest of his Shutoku teammates staring daggers at him and talking behind his back. He imagined his fellow Generation of Miracles as well as the other players from different teams he knew shaking their heads and disbelief and avoiding any interaction with him. He imagined himself stripped of his inheritance and thrown out of the Midorima household. And worst of all, he imagine being unable to play basketball just because of this inexplicable encounter.
Fear and panic consumed his being as he reminded himself once again that failing to follow fate really did resulted into him becoming a bad luck magnet. Maybe the lucky item acts as some kind of a shield to protect its bearer from any misfortune. But no matter what he did, even if he managed to acquire all the lucky items mentioned by Oha-Asa, and even if he did manage to feed Aomine, who was one of the causes for all of this, to the sharks, it wouldn't change anything since this unfortunate episode already happened.
"One-night stand, huh?" He said loudly to himself and another idea occurred to him.
"Wait a minute, it's not like anything happened between us or something. It's true that we're both naked and all but it's not like something happened. I know there are red stains on the sheets but it's not like we had…sex."
Sex.
Sex.
Sex.
At the mention of the term, Midorima's body froze as he felt his nerves jangle.
"We didn't have sex. And that's for sure! That's why this can't be considered a one-night stand." He beamed with confidence at the thought.
He looked at the girl's face once again and as if a curse that's set to hunt its prey for eternity, he found himself repeating the words over and over again.
"Sex. Sex. Sex."
Midorima shooks his head and gulped loudly. He shifted his gaze yet again to stare at the girl's figure and with trembling hands; he grasped the tip of the blanket that covered her. Just then, he suddenly felt an intense desire to remove the sheets that covered her body.
"What am the hell am I doing!? Midorima Shintarou, since when have you become this perverted?" He mentally slapped himself but it was of no use.
"Sex"
"Sex"
"Sex"
And as if in a state of alarm, Midorima felt his pants tighten.
"Shit. Why the hell do I feel funny?"
He felt a certain tingling sensation that every healthy male teenagers feel when faced with a situation like this- that is hovering above a thoroughly unclothed female.
"I bet that stupid Aomine does this all the time."
But he was quick to act. He didn't allow his emotions nor his urge to overwhelm him. Midorima was known for his strong mental state to avoid distractions and make right decisions every time so, before any more calamity befalls him, he quickly withdrew a few meter away from the bed and turned away, his back facing the girl.
"Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. What in the world am I doing?!"
He whispered to himself as he could feel that his hands were still trembling, his palms were still sweating and that his heart was still beating at a maximum speed making him pant like a puppy.
He did a simple breathing exercise in the hopes that it might stabilize him.
As if for assurance, he fixed his glasses as he tried to calm down and act normally.
"For now, I should listen to Oha-Asa and try to improve my luck."
He put his hands in his pocket and grabbed his phone. Just as he was about to do some clicks...
...he heard a loud and violent knocking on the door.
There you go! xDDD
PS. I'm sorry for the typo last chapter. It was supposed to be Oha-Asa but I had it as Oho-Asa. Will try to fix it as soon as possible. *tehee*