Game ON! Kuroko's basketball x reader

06: 'Neither. I'm a coach'

Y/N was just walking on the streets of Tokyo. She felt like she was in a whole new world at this point. Everything was so different from what she was used to. 

The conversation she had with Kagami and Himuro yesterday, replayed in her head. She didn't know what to think if Himuro actually had a crush on her. Kagami was probably just teasing Himuro for the sake of it. So she decided not to think further about it and instead she focused on calming her mind as much as possible. She was stressed lately, more than she'd like to admit. The championship ahead of them was really getting to her head. She had to take this whole walk just because of it. 

It was once she had reached a dead end, is when she realized that she had been zoning out this whole time. Turning around, she saw that she was in some type of school yard and to her surprise her leg had gotten her on autopilot to a school yard with a basketball court. The light dribbling of a ball could be heard from inside the court. Being the curious girl she was Y/N decided to check what was going on in there. 

She entered the court and was greeted by a rather unexpected sight. There were basketballs laying all around the court floor.  The sound of a ball bouncing against the hoop could be heard, followed by a frustrated huff. Looking up, she saw the back of a green haired male. From what she could see he was rather tall and in a good shape.

She watched silently as the guy continued to shoot at the hoop but missed all of them. From years of experience of being a coach she could clearly see that the technique was there, heck it was an amazing one too, but there was one thing missing in his shoots. 

She continued to watch as the green haired guy shot the basketballs. One after one they all fell on the ground with no results. 

He shot again and again, until there were no balls left in the carriage. The guy turned around to pick a ball from the ground and finally managed to spot Y/N and they both made eye contact. 

For the first time she could see more clearly how he looked from the front. He was rather good looking, with green eyes that matched his hair followed by glasses that fit his face shape perfectly. 

 "You look like you're struggling," Y/N said clearing her throat, hoping the guy didn't notice that she had gotten lost in his eyes. 

Midorima raised an eyebrow upon hearing her speak to him in English. He cleared his throat too, adjusting his glasses with his middle finger before responding in a tone as smooth as silk, his English sounding very fluent. 

"I wouldn't call it 'struggling,' exactly," he replied, his voice smooth as silk, his words measured and deliberate. He adjusted his glasses once more, almost as if it helped him focus. "Just re-calibrating my form. Precision requires patience."

He studied her for a brief moment, his green eyes staring at her with an icy glare. "And you are... a critic or just passing by?"

"Neither. I'm a coach," Y/N responded a bit too quickly,  looking at him with a smirk on her face. 

Midorima replied back with a simple nod, then returned his attention to the hoop. He picked a ball up and started shooting again, each attempt smooth and effortless, yet still missing the mark. His jaw clenched in resolve, he let out a small sigh of irritation after a few more misses.

Y/N took a seat on the bleachers and simply watched him shoot. 

Midorima glanced at her for a second, wondering why she's still watching him shoot and miss. They made eye contact again. Midorima's green eyes met with her Y/E/C (your eye color). It felt like the world had stopped and the few seconds of eye contact felt like hours, before he turned his attention back to the basket hoop. 

After a while of just shooting and missing Midorima let out a final frustrated huff. 

"Your shoulders are tense. You're not focused, but aren't dazed either," Y/N said finally breaking the silence between them. 

Midorima looked at her for a while. His expression was unreadable, as he adjusted his glasses with a flick of his finger. "Enlighten me?" his reply was simple, yet you could hear the slight annoyance in it from being interrupted during his shooting practice. 

"You're missing because you want the shot to land so badly," She said and stood up from the bleachers. Picking the nearest ball up she bounced it a few times. "That makes you question your form and puts pressure on your head. Pressure on the head automatically makes your shoulders and maybe other parts of your body tense. So even if you got the form, technique and have practiced it, from what I can see. Yet, you still need to calm down and not think much of it." 

Y/N shot the ball and it effortlessly flew in the air and landed in the hoop, despite her being on the other half of the court. 

As Midorima watched the ball fly effortlessly through the air and land in the hoop, his eyes widened a little. There was a moment of shock on his face as he looked back at Y/N, but he soon collected himself and adjusted his glasses while frowning slightly.

He mumbled, "That was... impressive," before he could stop himself from slipping the regretful compliment out. His eyes became sharp. "So, you think all I need is to 'calm down'?"

"Kinda. What I'm implying is to lighten up and not think much of it if you miss." 

"Look," Y/N continued, a playful smile crossing her face. "Basketball is just like any other sport. It's as much about your mindset as it is about your technique. Think of it like this: every shot is just another chance to learn, not a chance to fail."

She gestured towards the hoop. "So if you miss, treat it as a learning opportunity. Focus on what you can improve instead of fixating on the miss itself. And who knows? The more relaxed you are, the better your shots might become."

"Plus, I can see that there is also something else on your mind that's stressing you out. Is it the winter cup?"

Midorima raised an eyebrow again. 'How did she know that he was competing in a championship, let alone the winter cup?' he thought to himself. 

Momentarily taken aback by her question, Midorima's eyebrows frowned as he thought about it. He tried to ignore it, but the small stiffness in his shoulders told him otherwise. "It's... nothing," he said.

After a moment, he adjusted his glasses once more and replied, "You're perceptive." "But the Winter Cup is just another tournament, I assure you. I'll manage."

He picked up another ball and turned back to the hoop. "I don't need distractions," he declared, but there was a hint of interest in his voice, an unspoken question about how much she truly knew.