Midorima Shintarou/Reader ~ Efforts

"_______-san. I like you. Please go out with me," said a certain green-haired three-pointer, his green eyes looking through yours with much sincerity and seriousness. After a few seconds, he broke the gaze he was sharing with you then averted his eyes to the side, his cheeks turning into a shade of pink. At that moment, Midorima Shintarou, the Midorima Shintarou, Shuutoku's shooting guard and former vice-captain and shooter of the Generation of Miracles, confessed his well-kept feelings for you as his cold, stoic and intimidating demeanor came crashing down, revealing a shy, awkward young man.

Of course, you couldn't deny that you couldn't possibly turn down this confession. You always wanted to know how it felt like when some guy asked you out and you got your wish. Plus, the guy in front of you is, well, cool in his own way. He's Midorima Shintarou for crying out loud! Also, you developed this small crush on him the moment you watched him play basketball at this match against Seirin. Though they lost, he's still the winner in your eyes. And well, what else would be your answer? "Okay~" you answered with a genuine smile, flushing cheeks, and a racing heart.

***

A smile graced your lips as you remembered that life-changing moment which was still clear in your memory like a high-definition video. It has been a week since the two of you started dating, but, unfortunately, all the two of you ever did was to walk home together when his practice was done and go to a few shops in the process, excluding the fact that you went to the movies last Saturday. Though the idea of walking you home to make sure your safety was sweet, you somehow expected more. After all, this is the first relationship you had ever had, and, well, those boyfriends from the shoujo manga(s) you were reading always showed the kind of relationship you wanted to have.

You immediately spotted him walking out of the school's basketball court along with Takao, his supposed best friend. How couldn't you? He was tall, handsome, really noticeable, and the object of your new-found affections. You waved your hand up in the air, immediately catching his attention. Takao nodded with knowing grin, walking towards another teammate going home. Midorima then approached you. "Let's go home?" you asked. He nodded as the two of you started walking to the direction of your home.

Throughout the journey home, there was no hand-holding, no boyfriend-girlfriend talks, just silence. As he walked, he was engrossed in this pocket book he was reading for a few days that was held by his right hand. On his left was a green toy frog, his lucky item for the day, you presumed. That left you with an unbearable awkward silence you always strove to shatter but seemed to fail every single time. And giving up wasn't in your vocabulary so you thought of a topic.

"Midorima-kun?"

"Just 'Shintarou'," said he. You tilted your head in pure curiosity. Throughout those days of going out --- errr... --- walking home together, you had always called him by his surname. So why the sudden change of things? Wait. . . what if he assumed that because he's your boyfriend, you should call him with his given name? And what if it's just now that he told you so but was kind of irritated from the start?

"S-Sorry, Midori--- Shintarou-kun. . ." You looked down, feeling uneasy.

"Why are you apologizing?" he asked. You could feel the coldness in his tone.

"Nothing in particular. . ."

And with that, another kind of silence came.

And another conversation topic came. "Mido-- er...-- Shinatou-kun... could I watch your game?" Wrong one, wrong one. It's a yes-or-no question. That wouldn't end quite well.

"Of course. That goes without saying. You're my girlfriend," he answered without even bothering to look at you, his eyes still glued on the words of his book.

"Oh..."

Silence.

"Then... Mi---Shintarou-kun... Maybe we could hang out after school... some time this week?" you attempted again.

It took him just a short moment to glance at you then avert his emerald eyes back to his book. "I'm going to be busy this week," he answered simply with not even just a hint of hesitation to give such reply. Your heart sank upon hearing his answer.

"Then... Next week?" you asked.

"I'm not certain about my schedule next week . . ."

"Oh..."

Being the naive girl you are when it comes to relationships, you weren't sure on which side should take the most effort when strengthening the relationship. Should it be the guy, the girl, both, or should they just go with the flow of things? But with how things were going, you became certain of one thing: you should work harder if you want things to work out.

How about a test? If by the end of the day, if he still refuses your efforts well. . . you didn't want to think about it, hoping that he'd respond as you wanted.

At the corner of your eye, you spotted the bakery which sold one of those really tasty macaroons that always satisfy your taste buds. They have the right amount of sweetness that would always make you smile no matter what kind of situation you're in. It makes you smile as bright as the sun even on the gloomiest of days. You stopped walking, wanting to stop by. You tugged Midorima's sleeve then pointed to the shop on the other side of the street, looking at him with those irresistible pleading eyes of yours. "Could we please stop by for a moment, M---Shintarou-kun?"

He tried to look away to avoid your pleading gaze but couldn't. In the end, he reluctantly nodded with a small sigh. You practically dragged him into the shop as if the macaroons would be sold out in a matter of seconds. You dashed through the pedestrian crossing like there's no tomorrow then went straight into the shop. You couldn't even remember if the traffic light for people to cross was lit on. But, oh well. You're here. And besides, you weren't even hit by any vehicle.

The moment the two of you entered the bakery, the sweet aroma of the baked goods welcomed you as the bell chime gave out a cute high-pitched sound. The female shop owner in her mid-twenties greeted you with a gentle smile of familiarity - you've been in the store so many times that you've lost count. "Good afternoon, __________-chan!" said she. You responded with a smile. She then noticed the presence of the green-haired male beside you who was catching his breath. "My, my! Is he your boyfriend you talked about last Sunday?"

Midorima shot you a questioning look. You bolted to the counter where the shop owner stood and whispered out of panic, "Please don't say anything about what I told you!"

The shop owner, Miyazaki Miyako, blinked for a moment then nodded in realization. She giggled. "Kids these days... How nice would it be to be young~!" she said with a gleeful tone. You sighed in relief. "You're not that old to talk like that, Miyako-san," you joked. "You're just twenty-five!" She shrugged in response as she entertained another customer who seemed to be her former high school classmate.

You turned around to see . . . Midorima still reading his book.

Disappointment flooded your chest. You expected him to at least be curious on what you're telling others about him. Sure, it was a relief, but it seemed like he couldn't care less about the things you're doing related to him.

Now that you thought about it, it was funny how you were fighting with a book for his attention as it was frustrating at the same time.

Sighing, you took a rectangular plastic tray then walked over to the area where the macaroons are located. You placed five differently-colored macaroons on the tray then went to the cashier to pay for them, your eyes unconsciously checking him out once in a while. His emerald eyes remained fixed on his book.

"________-san?" inquired a female voice, making you look at its owner, Makino-san, the part-timer who's also from the same class as you. "It's your turn."

"Ah! S-Sorry," you apologized, smiling sheepishly at your classmate. You placed your tray of macaroons on the cashier. She pressed a couple of buttons on the cash register before the small screen displayed an amount in green digital numbers. "That'll be eight hundred yen," she announced.

You nodded with a smile. You took your fluffy fur purse filled with your allowance and some coins which were the change from your lunch. As you were about to take out a bill from it, a familiar masculine hand clasped your hand which was pulling your purse's zipper. You sensed a head just a few inches from yours so you didn't dare look at the owner. "I'm paying for it," a stoic deep voice stated.

And that simple gesture set your heart a-flutter. It was just those simple little things that could simply make your heart beat faster than it was required to - the way his neatly-combed green hair sways slightly as he moves, his seemingly emotionless emerald eyes, his warm touch that'll always send some kind of electricity throughout your body, his voice that would always make you melt like an ice cube in a hot summer's day... and that's just the start!

All you could manage for a response was a measly nod, feeling a little shy.

He placed the said amount on the counter then went back to his spot beside the wall to read his book again. Wait, was he... annoyed? Do boyfriends have to pay for stuff...?

Even Makino-san seemed stunned. Her eyes were filled with surprise with your boyfriend's interference. She only snapped out of it after a good five seconds. She looked at you with twinkling eyes. "Is that your boyfriend, _______-san?" she asked softly with a cheeky grin stuck on her face.

Your blood rushed to your face, making it feel a lot warmer. You looked away, nodding a little.

"So the class rumor is real! The only girl in the class who never had a boyfriend in her lifetime is now dating the famous basketball player!" your classmate babbled carelessly and a little too loudly.

You squeaked out of panic. You placed your pointing finger on your lips frantically. If there's something you didn't want the guy you're going out with to know, it's the fact that you weren't able to find someone in your (age) years of existence before he burst into your life. It was simply embarrassing! He might rethink that confession of his, wondering what he actually liked in you.

You peeked at Midorima from the corner of your eye. Relief pushed away the panic in your chest. He was still reading, paying no mind. It was the first time that you actually thanked that attention-stealing book for getting him occupied.

She giggled, muttering an apology as she placed the macaroons into their container. She handed them to you, winking, before you walked away out of embarrassment. Midorima followed a few steps behind, still reading intently his book. You waved at Miyako-san to say goodbye. She waved back with a smile. The two of you went back on your way.

You two walked once again in utter silence - with you nibbling on your sweet macaroons and him silently reading his book with full concentration.

You offered a macaroon to him. "It's delicious," you said with a smile, sharing something you like with the person you like.

He stared at the macaroon as if it was something unidentified that came from outer space. "No, thanks." He shook his head dismissively, turning his eyes back to his book.

You heart sank. It seemed like he didn't care at all. He probably even considers you a bother to his reading and how you're trying so hard today. You continued eating your sweet food, but this time, you weren't able to enjoy its taste. Too many thoughts were running through your head.

After what seemed like eternity had passed, you arrived to the area where it'll only take one turn for you to arrive to your house. You stopped in your tracks, deciding it'll be best to confront him about your feelings and what's going on with the two of you. He went a few steps ahead then stopped upon realizing you did. He turned around and faced you with question in his eyes as he lowered the book.

"Ne, Shintarou-kun..." Your voice quivered, your heart hammering against your chest as it suddenly felt heavy. You forced a smile. "Do you really like me?"

His eyebrows furrowed as he walked closer to you. "Of course." Despite him saying that, your chest still felt heavy. He frowned. His voice felt cold. Was he irritated by you? Was he annoyed? Was that forced?

Another fake smile.

You shook your head, tears threatening to fall from your eyes. "C-Can we just... end this, Shintarou-kun?" The words weighed a ton. The moment you let them out, you suddenly regretted saying them. That's not what you wanted. You desired the opposite but it felt wrong forcing yourself to him. You didn't dare look at his face and show yours. You looked down to your feet, making your hair cover more of your face.

"Why...?" he asked, his voice turning a bit more gentle than it usually was.

"I don't think it's working out," was an understatement. You two were just... different. You could sense that maybe he even changed his mind judging from his actions. Your efforts seemed worthless. It's like he doesn't care anymore as he sees walking you home as a chore. It'll be better letting him go than making him stay with you. You may hate the feeling of not having him around, it's better that way. He won't carry you as a burden or anything anymore.

You heard two items hit the ground. Suddenly, you were squeezed into his arms. Your heart raced. Why was he doing this now...?

"You're crying," he stated. "Am I hurting you?"

You sobbed.

"Are you... serious? Do you really want to split up?" Was it just you or was there sadness in his voice?

"Yo-You wanted to, r-right?" you stuttered in between sobs. "Y-You j-just didn't want to h-hurt my feelings by doing so."

"I don't," he answered, taking you aback.

He let you go from his arms, coming face to face with you. Through his lenses, you could see his sincere forest green eyes piercing through yours. There was something gentle about it. Did he... did he really not want to break up? "Give me more time, please. I'll make it up to you. Being your first boyfriend, it's an honor! I'll master the ways of being a perfect ways of being a boyfriend, just like those you read in your manga. I'm finishing the book. I don't want to be away from you, ______-san."

There it was again. His stoic wall was falling down, revealing the same timid but honest guy who confessed to you back then. But... what did the book have to do with anything? You stared at him in confusion. "What book...?"

He looked down then took the book from the ground. He took off the printed paper he used to hide the book's cover then gave it to you. He looked away, his face turning pink. You took the book and looked at the real cover.

The title was "How to be a Perfect Boyfriend".

You looked at him with wide eyes filled with surprise. Without knowing it, you definitely stopped crying as a really wide grin stretched on your face. You ran towards him and threw your arms around him, giggling.

"Shintarou-kun, you idiot!" You laughed, burying your face in his chest. "I love you!"

You could swear his face was definitely turning into that of a tomato. You laughed wholeheartedly. "I've already got the best boyfriend in the world!" you announced a little loudly.

"_________-san. Why are you doing this to me?!"

"Eh? Doing what...?" you asked innocently. You let go, staring at him in confusion.

"Making me fall even deeper for you," he answered with a straight but blushing face before closing the distance between the two of you and pressing his lips into yours, settling for a kiss.

And thus, you concluded, the two of you were definitely newbies in love.