Unrequited Love?

[yellowcopycat]

Kaijou and Seirin had just had their first practice match, which was shaping up to be a tradition of sorts. This time, Kaijou had gone to Seirin. The gym was nice, newer then Kaijou's but maybe not as big. 

 

He was breathing heavily, but smiling broadly. It always felt good to play, even if it was just a practice match and they weren't going all out. After all, he wanted to keep some of his new tricks up his sleeves, just like he was sure Kagami and Kuroko were hiding some of their new tricks too. This year's match had ended in a draw. Better than last year's practice match, which had ended in Kaijou's loss by two points.  

 

Just thinking about Kuroko made Kise look over to the Seirin team, focusing in on the smaller boy. 

 

For awhile now Kise had realized that he had feelings for Kuroko. Kise had looked up to Kuroko for awhile, but it wasn't really until after the Winter Cup that Kise realized he was probably in love with Kuroko. 

 

He took a towel that one of the first years offered him. "Thanks," he said absently. He scrubbed at his face, his thoughts racing. He had been thinking about Kuroko a lot lately, and seeing him only brought those thoughts back to the surface, only pushed aside when the game had begun. Now with the game over he couldn't focus. The warm glow in his chest that came whenever he thought about Kuroko was back with a vengeance.

 

The Kaijou team was gathering their things and getting ready to board the bus. He told the first year that he'd be along in a bit and began to head over to the Seirin team. 

 

"Kurokocchi~" he called out. No time like the present, he thought. He didn't know if Kuroko would return his feelings, but he was hopeful. The time Kuroko had cheered him on while he went up against Haizaki stood out in his mind. 

 

"Kurokocchi! You got a minute?"

Comments

[yellowcopycat]

"Thank you, Kurokocchi," Kise said as he straightened back up. "I'll give this back to you after I win tomorrow for you."

Kise can't help but let out a laugh. "That's true, but they weren't plain either! I had really cute designs on them! I didn't know you looked!"

He quickly falls back into step with Kuroko. "You can see the place now. Looks like they're still open."

[misdirects]

"I wasn't looking on purpose," he huffs a indignant breath into his hands to warm them and certainly not to hide a blush or anything.

He beelines for the appointed ramen place, eager to get out of the cold.

[yellowcopycat]

"It's okay, Kurokocchi. I get it. Not only did I have the most interesting underwear, but my butt was also the nicest out of all of us. It's only natural."

Sometimes, Kise can give as good as he gets. Not all the time, but still.

He follows, and he's welcomed by the hostess, who missed Kuroko entirely. It's not a traditional ramen stand, more like a resteraunt but Kise's thankful because it's warm.

They're taken to a table and she leaves with the promise of a waiter being there soon.

[misdirects]

"You're too confident." He rolls his eyes, jabbing an elbow casually into Kise's side before going up to get wholly ignored by the hostess. Business as usual and she's a bit spooked when she realizes his presence only after she's seated them. "Thank you very much," he intones, shifting to hang his bag off the side of his chair and start browsing the menu.

[yellowcopycat]

"I'm exactly as confident as I need to be," Kise said. "I'm a model, after all. I'm proud of my body. I worked hard for it."

And yeah, genetics play a big part in it. But he works to maintain his image; salons for hair, nails, and eyebrows.

He opens the menu, going to the vegetarian section as he's in the mood for tofu. And tofu is cheaper than meat. Kise doesn't want to be a burden on Kuroko's wallet.

[misdirects]

"Somehow, that part of you is annoying," but Kuroko says this very casually and without any bite as he flips through the pages, despite already knowing he'll likely get the most popular item in the smallest portion.

[yellowcopycat]

Kise still pouts. "It pays the bills," he said in his defense. Not that he has many bills, but still. He has a job, most people their age don't. He's a responsible, tax-paying member of society!

He puts the menu down when he decides on tonkatsu ramen with tofu and looks at Kuroko. "Will you be at the game tomorrow? I'll understand if you're not up for it."

[misdirects]

Someday, Kise will figure out it's because Kuroko likes making him pout that he says things like that.

He looks up from the menu. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Well, unless a meteorite crash-landed into my train on the way over."

[yellowcopycat]

Kise knows the reason; Kuroko, like Aomine, is a sadist. And Kise is pretty when he pouts (he doesn't know if he cries pretty, but Aomine is weird.)

"I'm glad," Kise said. "I'd feel better if you were there. Winning for you and the rest of Seirin."

[misdirects]

Can you really blame him, though? (At least he isn't creepy like Aomine.)

"We'll probably all be cheering for you. Kagami-kun in particular still holds a grudge against Akashi-kun."

[yellowcopycat]

(Eh, Aomine is low on the creep factor for Kise.)

"Because of the scissors?" Kise asked with a grimace. "That was... not a good thing. Akashicchi shouldn't have done that. He wouldn't do it now though. I'm, ninety percent sure."

[misdirects]

"I'm certain he wouldn't as well. I think Kagami-kun has trouble reconciling the idea that there were two Akashis, but we were more familiar with what he was like before."

[yellowcopycat]

"It's such a rare thing, too." he said softly. "I can't really blame others for not believing it, since it's a highly contested diagnosis. And I don't think Akashicchi's father would ever let his son be tested for it."

He has yet to meet Akashi's father. But he doesn't like what little he's heard.

"Well, what's done, and it was pretty crazy."

[misdirects]

"Mmm..." There was a lot they shared in Teikou together that was difficult to explain to others.

"I think Akashi-kun has been happier, as of late. It shows in the way he leads his team. They seem more in-tune with each other."

[yellowcopycat]

"Yeah, I do too."

The waitress came, and Kise gave his order and a cup of tea. Once she had taken their orders and left, he turned back to Kuroko.

"Kasamatsu-senpai will be there tomorrow; do you mind if he sits with you guys? He sat with my sisters and dad today, he's not great with women, and Mihoshi-nee likes to tease shy guys. I'm not sure he can take another day." He'd have to check. He had gotten some texts from his former captain, probably complaining about his oldest sister. He seemed to get along with Saoko just fine, though.

[misdirects]

"We'd be more than happy to have Kasamatsu-san with us. I'll make sure to seat him on the far side of Coach."

He wraps his hands around his own cup of tea, eager to soak up the warmth.

"That reminds me - do you know who is in line to be Kaijou's captain next year?"

[yellowcopycat]

"Your coach is someone he doesn't mind too much, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it!"

Really, Kasamatsu-senpai was a pain sometimes.

"Huh? Oh, Probably Kikuchi Yukito, this year's center. He's a nice guy. Looks like prince charming from the older Disney movies," Kise said easily. "I'll probably be vice-captain. I'm not really captain material, plus, even though I'll be cutting back on my job, I still have obligations to it."

He liked Kikuchi. The other boy was quiet and thoughtful. He had asked Kise for advice to help his younger brother, who was gay and coming to terms with it.

"Who's going to be captain for Seirin? Furihata or Kagamicchi?" Since those were the only people, he could see being eligible if Kuroko was retiring.

[misdirects]

He hums around a sip of tea, tilting his head at Kise's comments.

"I think you would make a fine captain - but it makes sense, if you want to concentrate on your studies as well. Congratulations to Kikuchi-san."

Kuroko does look rather proud when he says, "it'll be Furihata-kun, he's been working very hard. Kagami-kun is still a little hot-headed and better suited as our ace."

[yellowcopycat]

"No, I don't think I would. I know I wouldn't enjoy it. I'd be a better... hm, ambassador than a leader."

He had a lot of time to think about it. He saw how much Kasamatsu did for his team, and if Kise is honest with himself, he knows he's too selfish to do a good job of it. Maybe selfish isn't the right word. Maybe 'self-involved' is a better way to describe himself.

"And ace. Being the captain and ace would have been too much." He nods at Kuroko's words. "Kagamicchi might start a war with Aominecchi if he was captain."

He wonders who else will be captains for their teams next year. Touou might be in trouble if they have to pick between Sakurai and Aomine. Murasakibara is even less suited for the position than Kise is. Midorima has matured a lot, and he was vice-captain back at Teikou. He tells Kuroko his thoughts as the waitress comes back with their meals.

[misdirects]

He thinks Kise may be underestimating his skills to lead a little, but if the person themselves thinks they wouldn't enjoy it...

"Aomine-kun and Kagami-kun as captains would be an absolute nightmare, yes."

And he does not want to deal with that headache, even only as Seirin's manager. He claps his hands together with a quick 'itadakimasu' and moves to split a pair of chopsticks. "I think Takao-kun would might be more suited to captain with Midorima-kun supporting as vice-captain, perhaps..."

[yellowcopycat]

"Yeah, it'd be a gang war waiting to happen."

Following Kuroko's example, Kise splits his chopsticks with ease. "Hmm... Yeah, I agree he's better suited; he's pretty cool, a good player, and easy to get along with. If Midorimacchi weren't in the picture, there would be no question.

"But I have to think Midorimacchi got the 'hey, you're a miracle, you wanna be captain' offer I almost got before it would be offered to Takao. I don't think he'd be a bad captain. Kikuchi and the other second years came up to me, and I just knew what they were going to ask, so I said, 'Hey, Kikuchi, you're going to be captain next year, right?' And I don't think Midorimacchi would turn it down."

[misdirects]

"I just believe Midorima-kun has too brash of a personality at times. He may be talented and his selfishness has decreased recently, but his expectations can be too high. Takao-kun would be able to temper that."

He slurps up a few noodles. "It was nice of you to immediately set up Kikuchi-san."

[yellowcopycat]

"I agree," Kise said. "But captaincy is decided by the other teammates, not the coaches, or that's how it works at Kaijou. Other schools might be different."

He shrugs and takes a bite of his tofu. "I really didn't want it," he admitted. "It's great you think I'd be good at it, but Kikuchi is a much better choice than me."

[misdirects]

"I suppose you would know your team chemistry better. But you shouldn't discredit yourself too much, Kise-kun."

Just his opinion.

"Granted, you will be much busier, so perhaps it's better."

[yellowcopycat]

"Yeah, that was my reasoning. Kikuchi's plate is less busy than mine, though if you hear him talk about it, it's like he raised his little brother instead just watching him every once in a while." He grinned. "I know he's lying because my sisters complained about me in the exact same tone. And Kikuchi's little brother isn't that much younger; he'll be joining the team next year."

He slurped up some noodles. "Which reminds me. What are your plans after high school? You know mine."