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“Another one?” Midorima asked himself as he picked up the letter that was sitting on his desk.
He had lost track of how many he had already received, and he still couldn’t figure out what was responsible for them. And more than once, he wondered if he actually wanted to know.
He looked around, just in case someone was watching close-up. He always assumed that the mystery guy would be curious enough to see if he picked up the letters. However, there was not a single soul next to him, except for the old cleaner.
At first he would just usually throw them out. He had never cared about his fans, but this one in particular seemed to be stubborn enough to keep going.
He grabbed the letter, and once he made sure once again that there was no one around him, he opened it.
S.
You would probably think I’m a coward, haha. After all, you still don’t even know who I am. But this is fun, right? I wish I could say that my feelings are getting weaker, but that would be lying. I’m completely in love with you, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to say that to your face. But knowing that you wouldn’t probably care at all, makes it very difficult.
Forever yours,
K.
Midorima read it, time and time again, until he had memorized the letter. Then, he hid it between his books, where he knew it would be safe from curious eyes, especially from certain hawk eyes. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.
“Shin-chan, did you sleep well last night?
Midorima abruptly opened his eyes, and looked at Takao. For how long had he been standing there?
“Not that matters to you,” Midorima said.
“I was going to grab some coffee, do you want some?”
Midorima nodded, before turning his back on him. He could barely stand looking at Takao. After all, he was worried that he could read what was going through his mind, and how could he explain to him that he was falling for an anonymous guy? It was better to keep his distance, than to have that awkward conversation.
Takao walked away, but not before turning around. A barely noticeable smile appeared on his face, and then, he kept moving.
--
A couple of days had passed, and Midorima was in the library trying to catch up with school work. Anyone that passed by him would have thought that he was really focused on his homework. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.
He had been reading all the ten letters he had received so far, trying to figure out who it could be. Suddenly, he felt that someone was grabbing him from his sleeves.
“Sir? Sir?” A little kid asked.
“Huh?”
“Someone told me to give it to you!” The kid placed a letter on the table, before running away.
As baffled Midowima was, he almost went after the boy. But he couldn’t leave all his stuff behind him, and he was afraid people would look at him if he had dared to chase the kid. The anonymous person was getting more clever, and his interest in knowing who he was increased.
Once again, his eyes went looking for someone who was paying attention to him. Once again, no success, as it seemed like everyone was in their own world. What was driving him more insane, was the fact that he couldn’t even ask for help. Certainly, he couldn’t tell Takao about this anonymous guy, as he probably would just laugh about it.
He carefully placed the newest letter between his books, so nobody could see what he was really reading.
S.
Have you figured me out yet? Every single day, I keep wondering how you would react if you knew who I am. Would you reject me? Would you make fun of me? Or would you accept going on a date with me? I can barely sleep thinking about all these questions.
Look at what you did to me, haha! I’m crazy for you, and you have no idea who I am. Do you think I’m pathetic? Knowing you, I think you would say yes. Perhaps, the day I will reveal myself to you will come soon.
Until then,
Forever yours,
K.
Midorima looked at nothing for the longest time. Sure, he wasn’t as emotional as most people, but that was because he could always rationalize pretty much everything, before letting any feeling out.
But despite his best efforts, he couldn’t even imagine how he could hold such strong feelings for him. He never cared to be as popular as his former teammates, and he wasn’t exactly the most approachable guy out there.
Yet, with each letter, he felt a cozy feeling in his heart. And he felt that somehow, he knew this person, whoever it was. It didn’t make any sense.
He began tracing every single word on that letter with his fingers, wondering who was that person behind them. All that he could do, for now, was wait for another letter.
--
After everyone had already left the locker rooms, Midorima decided to stay there for a while. He needed to put his thoughts in order. He took a couple of the letters from his backpack, as he refused to give up on discovering the identity of the anonymous “K”.
“Shin-chan, let’s go!”
He entered so fast, that Midorima didn’t even have the time to hide the letters away. In fact, a couple of them just fell to the floor.
“Takao, can you not scare me like this?”
Midorima tried to rescue all those letters, but Takao was fast and managed to snatch one.
“Takao, give me that back.”
“Wait, wait! What are these, Shin-chan?” Takao began walking away, at a fast pace.
“Give me that back, Takao,” Midorima demanded. All that hard work in hiding them just went straight to trash, and he wasn’t sure he could live up to the embarrassment.
Takao had a grin on his smile, as he didn’t expect such a reaction from Midorima. He had noticed how red those cheeks had turned, and he felt so tempted to tell him the truth at that moment.
“So, you have a secret admirer, Shin-chan?” Takao turned around, before returning the letter back.
“None of your business, Takao.” Midorima grabbed the letter, as if it were one of his most precious treasures. He opted to just go back to the locker room, without any more explanations.
Takao felt his heart explode. He had never thought that he would get this far. In fact, he had even thought about giving up on writing those letters. But it had never occurred to him that Midorima would actually keep them all.
Was it time to reveal his true identity? The sole thought of facing Midorima raised his heart beats to the sky.
--
Sitting in the cafeteria, Midorima had barely touched his food. He couldn’t even believe that his best friend had managed to read one of those letters. Sure, it was a bit weird that he didn’t tease him, as he usually did. But Takao had been acting distant for a while now, anyway.
His spoon played with the smashed potatoes, as he mind was such a mess. He had been so concerned about his own stuff, that he hadn’t even bothered to talk to Takao.
“Hey, Shin-chan! I have something for you!” Takao announced, as he sat down just right next to him.
“I’m not going to eat your dessert, Takao.” Midorima warned him.
Takao rolled his eyes, and put the envelope in front of his best friend. Midorima raised an eyebrow, but chose to play it cool.
“Someone told me to give you this, Shin-chan.”
“May I know who?”
Takao shrugged it off. “Couldn’t see him right. He was wearing a hoodie and a cap. He told me to deliver this letter to you, so here’s it.”
“You accepted an envelope from a random stranger, and didn’t bother to ask him anything?” Midorima was perplexed.
“He was in a rush!” Takao raised his hands in the air. “Do I look like I’m the police or something to interview him?”
“Well, this envelope could contain anything, Takao.”
“And yet, it seemed like you kept them all,” Takao said under his breath.
Midorima shook his head; it was a waste of time to argue with him. He couldn’t avoid feeling a bit of disappointment, since Takao had some sort of contact with the anonymous guy.
“Aren’t you gonna read it, Shin-chan?”
“Not now.” Midorima grabbed the envelope so carefully, as if he was touching a glass so fragile that it could break at any given time. He put it on his coat, and tried to focus on his food.
“Why not? We don’t have any secrets between us, right?”
It was then when Midorima decided that he needed some time alone. He didn’t have a great appetite anyways, and he was eager to read that letter.
“I’ll see you later, Takao.”
As he watched his best friend walk away, Takao began questioning his decisions. Indeed, he was happy that Midorima did like his letter, but it seemed like with each and every one, he was pushing him away.
His lips curved in a smile. He wished he could see Midorima’s reaction, after reading the latest letter. The truth was about to come out, and Takao was more excited than ever.
--
After making sure Takao wasn’t following him, Midorima found a quiet place, in the gardens of the school. There were some students walking here, and there, but everyone was way too busy with their own conversations, to even notice him.
S.
I don’t think I can keep doing this. I think it’s time for us to finally meet, don’t you agree? I’ll probably get rejected, but everytime I look at you, my heart skips a beat. I know, I know, it’s very cheesy.
If you would like to arrange a meeting, please respond to this letter. Leave me your answer, on your desk, tomorrow, after the last class. Don’t worry about it too much, I’ll get it.
If you don’t, I’ll understand.
Forever yours,
K.
Midorima folded the letter, and saved it in one of his pockets. There was a big possibility that it could be someone who was planning a huge prank on him. Oha-Asa knew that he wouldn’t be able to survive that kind of embarrassment, especially considering that most pranks were recorded and posted on the internet.
Yet, there was a chance that this was real. There was someone, out there, who had those deep feelings for him. And the truth was, he was beginning to fall in love with that person, despite him not being able to put a face on him.
And he couldn’t even tell Takao about it. He had full trust in him, but not in this kind of issue. He would most certainly make fun of him.
Sigh. He needed to talk to the pillow.
--
If he hadn’t been so focused on the letter he had written last night, Midorima would have noticed how nervous Takao was around him. A guy that had never been afraid of the Generation of the Miracles, despite most people doing so. Yet, now it seemed he was about to have a heart attack.
Every now and then, Takao’s eyes focused on Midorima, wondering if he would actually reply to his letter. He wasn’t prepared for a rejection, despite his last letter. He was already having a lot of problems pretending everything was fine. He needed to figure out a way to hide his broken heart.
He bit his lower lip, trying to see if there was any sign of an envelope. Was it wrong if he used his special skill on Midorima, when he wasn’t looking? He just wanted anything to give him any type of hope.
Soon, the class ended, and Takao thought his heart would fall from his chest at any given moment now. Inhaled, exhaled. Inhaled, exhaled. Composure, he said to himself.
“Are you coming, Shin-chan?” Takao asked, despite knowing the answer already. Or did he? His hands were wet, and the sweat kept falling on his face.
“I’ll catch up with you in five minutes,” Midorima said, without even looking at him. Even though he was physically there, his thoughts were far, far away from there.
Takao opened his mouth to say something, but for once, nothing came up.
“See ya then, Shin-chan. Just don’t stay too long, okay?” He headed to the door, and turned around just to give one last glance at his best friend. Midorima hadn’t even bothered to stop looking through the window.
A sad smile appeared on his face, before getting out. He needed to find a good place to hide, somewhere he could see Midorima, but not be seen by him.
--
The moment Takao disappeared through the door, Midorima took the envelope out. He started to play with it, wondering if he was making the right decision. After all, he still had time to destroy it, and pretend that nothing had happened.
He knew the consequences, though. He even made a list of the pros and cons.
Finally, after what it seemed like an eternity, Midorima grabbed his stuff, and left the envelope on his desk. He almost took it again, but he ended up leaving it there. He had made his choice, and now it was in the anonymous person’s hands.
He gave it one last glance, knowing that things were up to change between him and the anonymous guy. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was a bit excited on the inside.
--
Takao’s hands were shaking. He was holding that letter so hard, as he was afraid it could fly away from him at any given time. His heartbeat was raising, while his eyes kept looking at his little and precious prize.
Months and months of sending letters were about to end soon. Well, as long as Midorima had agreed to meet. What if he had declined? He had thought about that possibility, and yet he wasn’t ready to take that hit to the chest.
It was time, there was no time to keep being in the dark. Whatever decision Midorima made, he needed to be respected, as much as it hurt him. He let the envelope fall to the floor, and grabbed the letter.
K.
I would like to meet you. I want to ask you so many questions. I’ll be waiting for further instructions.
S.
Takao felt like he could finally breathe, he was so relieved. Short and concise, as he would have expected from his best friend. Now it was time to make some arrangements, but he was sure that everything would go alright.
Perhaps.
--
As he approached the place where he was supposed to meet “K”, Midorima began feeling a bit uneasy. His mind was working miles per hour, wondering if at any given minute someone would place a camera into his face, just to tell him that he was a part of a prank.
The wise thing would have ignored all those letters, and had he done so, he wouldn’t be in this situation. He should have followed logic and common sense. Yet, K managed to pique his interest, and now he was there, in a very famous park, looking for them.
He brought his lucky item with them, a cherry blossom flower. He would never doubt Oha-Asa, but he wondered if he should have brought more than just one. He was sure he would need all the luck that he could get.
--
When he saw Midorima standing there, Takao thought that his heart was about to fall from his chest. He was actually waiting for him, and he couldn’t believe it. He thought that maybe Midorima would just not show up at the very last minute.
Yet, there he was, and a smile blossomed on his face.
He had some hesitations, as he wasn’t sure how to approach him. However, he soon realized he didn’t have to give it a lot of thought, as he locked eyes with Midorima at that moment.
“What are you doing here, Takao?”
“It’s always nice to see you too, Shin-chan!” Takao tried to play it cool, despite having a shaky voice.
“Did you follow me? I don’t tell you one thing, and…”
But before he was able to keep going on his rant, Takao grabbed both of his hands. Until that very moment, Midorima hadn’t noticed how clear Takao’s eyes were, and he could only see all the love that was behind them.
“I’m the one who sent you all those letters, Shin-chan.” Takao admitted, and it felt like a weight was being lifted from his shoulders.
Midorima didn’t say anything, but somehow, deep down inside him, knew it was him all along. Who else could have known him so well? He gently stroked Takao’s face, thinking to himself that he had never looked so good until that warm night of spring.
“I will understand if you don’t…” Takao looked away, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to roll down his face.
“Shut up, Takao.”
A blaze of a smile appeared on Takao’s face, as he didn’t expect anything less from his beloved. Though, it didn’t last long, as soon he felt the pressure of Midorima’s lips on his.
Was this how heaven felt like? He even thought that he was floating in the air… Or maybe, that was Midorima just lifting him. It didn’t matter, anyway.
Their eyes met once the kiss ended, and they both knew that there was no need for any questions. As they got closer again, and their hearts began beating at the same rhythm, all doubts disappeared.