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Mayuzumi Chihiro was in a good mood. Usually he didn’t like coming to practice, even though he loved basketball. No one would be able to tell from his expression and behaviour, but he realy had a great passion for the sport.
He didn’t even know how that passion started. Perhaps when he first met his little brother and noticed how sunny his disposition turned, whenever he talked about or watched a game. At first, he didn’t even think about joining an official team, much less Rakuzan’s team — he wasn’t as good, as his baby brother... Because let the world say whatever they wanted, the Kiseki no Sedai, even if they were jerks, with a mile long pole up their asses and all of them lose in the head to various degrees... (Not Tetsu.) The Kiseki no Sedai were the best and his baby brother was one of them. His baby brother was a basketball prodigy in his own right, even if people often forgot about him.
And somehow, sometime, he started to share his baby brother’s limitless love for chasing a ball. He didn’t even mind all that much, when the redhead midget asked him to join. Then... the midget’s name clicked in his mind and he had almost pounced like a predator, just to choke the annoying first year for what they’d done during the Nationals. He had resisted the urge.
On the third training session, he regretted not killing the midget, when he first saw his face. And it was a regret, that followed him ever since. But today was different. Oh, he still regreted not killing the devil midget, when he had the chance... but today he was just too happy to worry about that. (Perhaps one of these days, he could get away with killing the little bastard and leaving his body in an alley and no one would have to know he had done the deed, he could, after all, kill the little megalomaniac bastard with his very own razor-sharp scissors... )They were having a practice match against Seirin Kōkō. So yes... he was in a good mood.
“What... has you in such a good mood, Mayu-chan? You’re almost like a kid on candy rush.” spoke the Vice-Captain.
Mayuzumi turned his dark eyes on the taller male and glared. Hard. “I’ve absolutely no idea, what you’re talking about, Mibuchi.”
The other raised his hand defensively. “Oh, alright... alright... no need to bite.”
The others looked at them, when Mibuchi backed up, but further conversation was halted, when their demon of a Captain led Seirin’s team into the gym. Mayuzumi turned his gaze on them, studying the lively bunch. That team was just perfect for his baby brother.
And by the looks of it, despite the possible massacre this match could turn into (Seirin was good, but one Kiseki won’t save them against three Generals and a Kiseki, he wasn’t that naive, even if a part of him would have liked to see Tetsu dance on the bones of his Captain), they were all in high spirits, determination shining in their eyes.
Seirin did their warm-ups too, chatting quietly between themselves and he noticed, that a certain somone was Seirin’s focus. Perhaps because Tetsu knew the most about the Kiseki and he was telling the bunch about the redhead. He wondered, if Tetsu bothered telling his team what he could do.
“Chihiro, you’re in the starting line-up.“ the devil incarnate announced, as he walked over, shedding his long sweatpants, to reveal the shorts.
He raised an eyebrow at Akashi, but didn’t protest. He may be a bit bloodthirsty and loose in the head, but he was a good player and a good strategist. He had something in mind... and unlike others, he never underestimated an opponent.
“Eh, I thought Mayu-chan wasn’t playing today?”
Akashi looked at Mibuchi. “Tetsuya is playing. Don’t forget, he may not look like it, but he was a regular of Teikō. And his skills have grown, which is equal parts intriguting and annoying. Chihiro’s presence will negate Tetsuya.”
Mayuzumi twitched at the comment, but didn’t say anything. This was not to time to argue. Instead, he allowed his gaze to wander to the other side. Tetsu seemed somewhat subdued today, his eyes shinier than usual.
Something wasn’t right, he just could feel it. Call it an uncanny Tetsu-sense, if you will... but he had always known, when something was not okay with the younger...
It seemed Seirin’s coach had planned something similar to Akashi.
Mayuzumi found himself staring down his baby brother, the two of them trying to move around one another, to help their teammates, but they knew each other too well, to fall for simple tricks. (Plus, since they used the same style of play, Misdirection was near-useless. Of course, his baby brother was better, so he could overwrite him — he had proved that countless times before,— but he seemed out of it today.) Outwardly, they didn’t look alike, but otherwise they were similar — almost like looking into a mirror and they both knew that.
Tetsu could overwrite him and go help his teammates, dodge him and give some advance to Seirin. But, he wasn’t doing it. His eyes lingered on the game, ocassionally trying to break away and failing... but his reactions were somewhat dulled. His eyes were shiny —almost too shiny— and he was flushed, despite having just started.
Mayuzumi eased his stance a bit, eyes narrowed on the other Phantom. “Tetsu? Are you okay?” he asked quietly, while the game raged on around them.
“Hai, Nī-chan.”
The warning bells went off in Mayuzumi’s head. Immediately. (Tetsu stopped calling him “Nī-chan” in his second year at Teikō.)
He walked closer, aware of the fact, that it was too close and thus, a violation of game rules. He didn’t care for the game. The refree blew the whistle and called out a “White Five“ in warning, but Mayuzumi ignored it. He put a hand on the other’s face and hissed, just as his brother sneezed.
There was another warning, but he ignored it again, staring disapprovingly at the other. “Tetsu, what were you thinking?!” he growled out.
Now, that got everyone’s attention and the game stopped. “Is there a problem, Chihiro?”
“Like hell there is!“ he said, throwing a look at Akashi, as he grabbed his brother. “What were you thinking, ne?“
“I’m fine.“ the younger insisted.
“You’re not fine.”
“But... Nī-chan, I’m finee~ “ Tetsu whined. (Another warning bell went off. Tetsu never whined on a normal day.)
“You stopped calling me that, when that fancy team name of yours popped up. Something about being too grown up for that... Not to mention you stopped whining in general, when you were eight.“ he deadpanned at the other, as Tetsu sneezed again and a violent shiver went trough him.
Mayuzumi twitched and dragged the other down from court, aware of everyone’s stares. He draped his Rakuzan sweater over the other and Tetsu snuggled into it, without a word. “Kuroko! Hey, what’s going on?” Kagami Taiga asked, now everyone coming closer to them.
“Chihiro? What’s the meaning of this?” Akashi asked.
Mayuzumi shifted to look at the younger. “You can guess two.“ he deadpanned, “The genius he is, he’s on court while sick.” he turned to glare at his brother. “What were you thinking?! You should be in bed, with hot tea and sleeping, not running around chasing the ball!”
“But I’m fine.“ Tetsu sulked, “It’s just a little— ” his sentnce was cut off, as he sneezed. “Besides, haven’t seen you in ages and...”
“Damn it Tetsu, you’re sick!“ he grunted, sitting on the bench next to him, dragging the sweater closer to his form. In response, Tetsu leaned into his side, cuddling up to him. Mayuzumi blinked. Tetsu never did that in front of others. “What now?“ he murmured.
“Kinda cold.“ he addmitted, “You’re warm.”
And if possible, he snuggled even closer and Mayuzumi instinctively wrapped an arm around him. Several Seirin guys, as well as Hayama and Mibuchi cooed. “KAWAII~“
Mayuzumi siged. “You have a fever. Gotta get that down.”
“That’s reckless, Tetsuya. Playing while sick.“ Akashi remarked, “That’ll make things worse. You should have stayed in bed.”
Tetsu turned to the redhead and pouted. (Yea, he was sick alright. He was expressive like this, when sick or when something really distressing happned.) “But I wanted to see Nī-chan. And it’s fun playing against Akashi-kun too, not to mention we hadn’t met in ages. Hadn’t seen you or Nī-chan in ages.“ another pout, “At least, I get to see Aomine-kun, Momoi-san and Kise-kun rather often. But not you. Or Nī-chan.“
Even more cooes of “cute“ came from the Uncrowned Generals and Mayuzumi noticed the slight wince of pain at the sharp noise. He glared at his three teammates and they wilted, like flowers. “Quiet, will you? Or I’ll stab you with those nice, sharp scissors of Akashi’s. Can’t you see he’s sick?“
The three Generals took a step back, mouths shut and Mayuzumi looked at his brother. More snuggling and puppy eyes... and damn it, whenever Tetsu looked at him with those eyes, he couldn’t stay angry.
“It was still reckless, Otōto.“ he grunted.
“Off to the infirmary with you.“ Akashi said, trying to pry his brother off of him. For once, Mayuzumi was grateful. He had to call his father and tell him to come and pick up Tetsu.
“NO!“ he insisted stubbornly, batting away Akashi. “I wanna stay with Nī-chan.“ If Tetsu weren’t sick, Mayuzumi would have laughed at the redhead brat. His face was downright hilarious, when he realised Tetsu was defying him. (Heh, so much for being absolute, or whatever that shit Akashi spouted all the time, was.)
Akashi twitched. “Are you defying me?“he hissed in a low tone, “Off to bed with you, Tetsuya. Now.”
“Don’t wanna. It’s warm here.” Tetsu clung to him even more and Akashi seemed to be losing his patience faster, than usual. Mayuzumi sighed. As entertaining as it was, to watch the redhead’s expressions, his brother did need to get to bed.
“You’re going to bed.“ Chihiro insisted, tone as hard as Akashi’s, as he dragged the other to his feet. “Right now.”
He dragged the younger towards the infirmary and by some unspoken agreement, Seirin trialed after him. He wasn’t even out the gym, when he realised he would have to tell his father to come and pick Tetsu up. He looked at the redhead over his shoulder.
“Tetsu’s clingy, when sick...“
“I noticed, Chihiro.“ Akashi deadpanned, “Besides I remember him doing something like this during our second year. The difference was, that he was clinging to Daiki, as if his survival depended on it. Possibly because you weren’t there and those two had been like peas in a pod, since Daiki started training with him.”
Mayuzumi huffed at the reminder. Stupid Kiseki, all of them. Ruining his baby brother’s innocence and happiness. “Whatever. My phone’s in the bag. Call my father and tell him to come and pick Tetsu up. He won’t let go of me, so I won’t be able to call.”
And then he continoued dragging his brother towards the nearest bed he could find.
Akashi watched quietly, as his current Phantom Player dragged his ex-Phantom Player towards the infirmary.
“That’s kind of cute.“ Reo remarked, “It’s not everyday you see siblings so close. Not to mention, they’re just half-siblings, no?“
The redhead threw a look at his Vice-captain, as the rest of the present players just stared in silence. “Do not emphasise the extent of their relation, Reo. Chihiro will kill you for it and I do not feel like stopping him from doing so.“ he said, turning towards their changing room, to find Chihiro’s phone.
“Uh, what of the match, Akashi?“ Kagami Taiga asked with a raised eyebrow.
Akashi paused for a second, looking at the American returnee. “Postponed for now, Taiga. We’re both missing a player from court, no? And you heard Tetsuya yourself. He was most determined to play agaisnt us. I might just let him have that. The game will be finished some other day, when neither Tetsuya nor Chihiro seem to be mentally elsewhere.”
He turned and left. It didn’t take long to find Chihiro’s phone in his bag and much to his relief, there was no password on it. He quickly found “Tō-san“ and dialled, walknig towards the infirmary.
“Chihiro? Why are you calling, don’t you have practice?“ an unknown male voice called trough the line.
“Good afternoon, Mayuzumi-san. I’m Akashi Seijūrō, Chihiro’s Basketball Captain.“
“Oh, good afternoon. I’m Mayuzumi Haruki, Chihiro’s father. Did something happen? Is Chihiro injured?“
“No, Chihiro is fine. We were having a practice match with Seirin Kōkō of Tokyo. The reason why I’m calling is Kuroko Tetsuya.” he explained.
“I see. Is Tetsuya-kun fine?“
The tone the man used was strangely calming, Akashi noted. It eased his mind, that Chihiro’s father spoke so calmly and kindly of the younger Phantom Player. It didn’t soud like the man was bothered by the fact, that the younger wasn’t his son by blood.
“It appears my dear former teammate was most reckless and stepped on court, while having a fever. And now he’s in our infirmary, clining to Chihiro, for dear life. Chihiro requested me to inform you to come and pick Tetsuya up.”
The man sighed. “Typical of Tetsuya. I will be there shortly, to pick him up. Thank you for calling me, Akashi-kun.”
“No problem, Mayuzumi-san.”
Mayuzumi sighed in relief, as his brother dozed off in the bed of the infirmary. His fever was slowly going down. But he was still clingy, which meant that Mayuzumi himself was confined to the bed, since his brother didn’t relent his vice-like grip from his wrist even in sleep, not to mention that Tetsu’s head was leaned against his chest.
The door opened and both teams poured in, shuffling in quietly — Seirin coming was one thing... but why were his teammates doing here?
“Mou, so cute!” Mibuchi called and Mayuzumi glared.
“Quietly, will you?“ he hissed.
“Is he alright?“ Seirin’s coach asked.
Mayuzumi hummed, brushing some of Tetsu’s bangs away. “Better. But he’s definitely staying in bed for a while.”
“What are you doing there, Chihiro?“ came the amused question and the teams shifted to let a certain redhead pass. Akashi had his phone in hand.
“What does it look like, eh?“ he raised his hand a bit, only to demonstrate how Tetsu was gripping his wrist. “He’s using me as a pilliow instead of an actual one. But even if he wasn’t, I can’t leave.”
Akashi hummed. “Ah, yes. I can see that.“ he put the phone on the chair next to the bed. “Your father’s on the way to pick you two up.”
“Two?“ he quirked an eyebrow, “We still have a match to play.”
Akashi hummed. “We can do without you. You’ve a brother to take care of, no?“ mismatched eyes settled on him, amusemet dancing in their depths. “I’m aware of how clingy Tetsuya is, in times like this. If you stay, while he leaves... well, you might find your house buring by the time we finish. And contrary to your beliefs, Chihiro, I’m not heartless. Sometimes even I can be lenient.”
Mayuzumi wanted to retort that Tetsu wasn’t that bad, to burn the house down while sick, but the thing was, that he knew Akashi was right. (Another part of him didn’t want to leave, because it made it seem Akashi was being nice by letting him leave... but Mayuzumi wasn’t fooled. Akashi Seijūrō was a lot of things, but he wasn’t nice and that was one of the reasons why it bugged him, that Tetsu was dating the megalomaniac redhead.)
“Yeah, whatever.“
Akashi opened his mouth to say something, but his phone chimed and Mayuzumi looked up. Ah, his father was here.
He gently nudged his brother. “Tetsu. Tetsu, wake up. We’ve to go.”
Blue eyes fluttered open and Tetsu hummed. “Feeling better. Don’t wanna go.“ he pouted again, “You would have to stay and I don’t wanna leave...”
Predictably, several people cooed that his brother was being cute again. Mayuzumi threw a nasty look at them.
“Chihiro will be going with you.“ Akashi stated calmly. Blue eyes snapped over to the redhead.
“But the match...”
“Both Seirin and Rakuzan have decided that the match is postponed.“ Akashi stated. “Now go with Chihiro.“
Tetsu huffed. “But I wouldn’t be seeing Nī-chan and Akashi-kun for so long...”
“I’ll visit later.“ Mayuzumi said placatingly. “And you’re definitely staying for the weeked. Now, I’ll go grab our bags and we’re leaving, okay?“
“Fine.”
Mayuzumi nodded, kissed the top of his brother’s head, ignoring the others and then, as Tetsu let go of him, he slipped out of the room, to get their bags.
Akashi watched his teammate leave and then gave a pointed look to the teams. Luckily, his teammates understood and they ushered Seirin out, saying that they would have to leave too, since the match was officially postponed. Amidst several protests, Seirin left the infirmary, leaving Akashi with his Teikō teammate.
He walked over to the bed and his eyes narrowed disapprovingly. “That was reckless, Tetsuya.”
The Phantom pouted. “I know. But I wanted to see Sei-kun and Nī-chan.“
Akashi chuckled at the rare whiny, childish tone. He leaned close and pecked the teal-haired boy on the nose. He almost laughed, as he watched the other follow his movement, his eyes almost getting crossy. “You need your rest, Tetsuya.”
“Ah, okay.”
There was a pointed cough and as Akashi stood straight, he noticed Chihiro, rolling his eyes at them. “Leave him alone, will you? He’s sick. Get all lovely-dovey, when he’s healthy and I’m not in the same building, as you or I’ll be tempted to stab you with your own scissors.“
Akashi sighed and took a step back, as Tetsuya’s eyes zeroed on his brother. “Nī-chan.” as he stood from the bed, he immediately clung to Chihiro. Chihiro sighed, draped his Rakuzan sweater over the younger again and led him out of the infirmary.
“Bye, Sei-kun.“
“See ya, Cap’n.“
Akashi sighed. “See you. Get better soon, Tetsuya.”
He watched the two Sixth Players leave, clinging to each other and he sighed. Gods... who knew Chihiro could be so... soft. And he knew that the teal-haired was clingy, when sick, but it seemed he was even clingier, when it was Chihiro, who was there with him.
Akashi snorted in amusement. Who knew having people like Mayuzumi Chihiro and Kuroko Tetsuya around would be so amusing?