swan_forest | Unrequited Love?

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kise ryouta

Unrequited Love?

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?"

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Upon finding Kuroko, Kise excuses himself from Furihata, congratulating him on becoming captain again, and makes his way to Kuroko. Furihata seems to catch that something is up (no one says 'oh shit' and leaves making a beeline for someone else without something wrong) and looks worriedly after him.

Kise passes Yagi and the twins, Takeshi and Yagi look nervous as Hayato explains something to them, past Akashi and Momoi quietly talking about something, though the way their eyes trail after him makes him think they know what's up. He looks at them over his shoulder and Momoi makes a 'go on' motion. So he keeps making his way to Kuroko. No else seems to notice Kise's unease. After all, they're all used to Kise singling out Kuroko, even when they don't notice him at first.

"Kurokocchi," Kise said, pushing Aomine out of the way, making Touou's ass/ace scowl at him. "Kurokocchi, can I speak to you privately? I need to show you something."

"Okay?" He looks puzzled, sensing the minute shift in the mood of some of the guests. Kagami luckily catches onto the vibe more quickly than usual and suggests they go into his bedroom for some privacy. Kuroko nods and leads them over, opening the door up to a neat and tidy room, bed piled high with various coats and bags.

"Is something wrong?"

Kise will never not be surprised by how clean Kagami's bedroom is. Kise likes to think he's neat, but Kagami is, like, housewife of the year standards of cleanness. Which is weird to think about since they're both the same age, and Kagami eats like a horse.

"It's... I'm not sure. It could go either way. Um, but you need to know about it." He holds out his phone, already open with the article. "Kikuchi just sent it to me."

Kuroko takes the phone, immediately taken aback by the photo. It hadn't been so long ago and he wasn't been ashamed of showing this side of himself to Kise, but... seeing it captured on film - he didn't realize how deeply intimate that moment was. It's utterly surreal seeing it like this. Something inside of him tilts askew.

He so rarely showed such a blatant display of emotions for even his closest friends and now it was available for who-knows-how-many strangers online to see. His eyebrows knit together as he scrolls down and skims the article, barely parsing the words but understanding enough. "Ah... at least it isn't disparaging..."

Does he want to scroll down to read the comments?

"Yeah, it's a nice article, but they should have asked us if using a photo like that was okay."

It doesn't mean they have to. He knows very little about the law, but he knows that when a photograph is taken, it's copyrighted to the person who took the picture unless the photographer was hired for another party, like a company or something, then it belongs to them. So the image, despite having them in it, belongs to whoever took it.

And since the picture isn't pornographic, it's free to use for the photographer despite it being a very intimate moment between the two of them.

He's worrying at the hem of his t-shirt between his fingers as Kuroko reads. "I haven't read the comments," he said, unaware that's what Kuroko is thinking. "But it's never a good idea to read the comments, so don't."

He takes the phone back, swiping back up to the start of the article. "I don't know this journalist," he sighed. "Or the photographer. They're both probably new."

The camera work really is good; he can't help but note that.

He gets a notification from his agent. With another sigh, he put his phone on silent and shoved it into his pocket. He'll deal with that later. "I'm sorry, Kurokocchi."

"It's fine," he intones, even if his expression says it clearly isn't. "It's... just strange, is all. I don't think I've ever had such a detailed article written about myself." He had been forgotten about completely in middle school whenever the magazines did a Generation of Miracles feature and even the articles following Seirin's Winter Cup win last year only had a few blurbs.

"Is there... is there a way to ask them to not use it?"

"I can talk to my agent; she just texted me, to see if she can get it taken down or use a different picture. I'm sure there's plenty of the two of us somewhere on the internet. But it's not a guarantee."

He flaps his arms, feeling useless.

"I don't know. It's not porn, so it's not like he's breaking a law. And it might be more suspect if we ask to have it taken down. It's called the Streisand Effect. Trying to get it taken down after it's already been seen might just bring more attention to us."

He blew out a sigh. "I'll check, and back whatever you decide."

"More attention..." It's easy to tell what he thinks about that with the way he physically balks at the very idea of this blowing up even more.

Surely there were other pictures of them together! Their teams just played against each other in the semi-finals!

He has no idea how to approach this, but maybe Kise knows best. "Is this what you have to deal with all the time?"

"Not all the time. I'm just a model. If I were an actor or idol or already a pro athlete, this would be more common. They're always trying to get dirt on actors. Models, because we're just pretty faces, aren't as interesting." He said it a little bitterly. "When I make it to the NBA, I'll probably get some of this. And honestly, this isn't that bad."

He looked at the text, grimaced, and began to answer back and ask for suggestions. "I mean, they're praising our friendship. It's just that photo makes us look like more. Everyone knows I'm touchy-feely with people I'm close to." Even if that circle was extremely small. Really, only including Aomine, Kuroko, Momoi, his family, and oddly Hayama from Rakuzan if only because Hayama was kinda like a pet. And Akashi he's getting more comfortable with hugging, too.

"Here's what I think; ignore it for now. My agent will know the best course of action. But it'll probably be just to ignore it or use it to get me more gigs. It'll pass over in a month. It's already out there. And nothing on the internet ever really goes away."

He sent his agent the text and put his phone back into his pocket.

"However, that doesn't mean there won't be fall out, no matter what we do. Some of my fans aren't going to be happy about this, even though it's platonic."

And here he was, rarely indulging in intentional skinship with people aside from fist bumps and high fives. At least there was a good excuse from Kise's side. But it still felt like an invasion of privacy, having such a personal moment shared to bolster an article, even if it was in praise of them.

Kuroko hopes the ignoring plan will work, but he feels like he's being too hopeful. He hadn't even considered how it might impact the other boy's career. "Oh— I didn't think - will this be bad for you? I'm so sorry, Kise-kun." This was such a mess already.

It really does. It was a moment when Kuroko was at his weakest, and Kise was trying to comfort him the best way he could.

It was a private moment. And someone took it and made it public.

He's doing a very good job of not showing how livid he is. There's tension in his body, though.

"That wasn't what I was thinking of. It's not going to hurt my career. If anything, my agent will use it to my advantage. Most people hiring models aren't going to care that I kissed your forehead." If it had been on the lips, that might be different. "It's you I'm worried about. I have some possessive fans, a small group mind, but they're annoying. Any time I'm doing a shoot with romantic overtones, or undertones even, they'll write letters to my partner and call them all sorts of nasty names. Slut is one of the nicer words. I get letters like it too from fans of the girls I partner with; it's sorta standard, though this group is a bit more annoying than usual. It's why I don't answer fan mail at all and have someone else do it for me. Though one time, I did get a drawing of me by a five-year-old boy, which was nice. I have it framed. Anyway, I'm worried you'll get letters like that. They know where you go to school."

He blew out a sigh. "Honestly, sometimes I just think I should come out and get rid of the fuel. They think I'll date one of them. Or all of them. I don't even know."

Edited 2023-02-23 02:15 (UTC)

He hadn't considered the factor of devoted fans at all. He brings a hand up to his chin as he thinks about this. "I'm rather hard to find as is - I'll use my misdirection to escape anything particularly bad."

His designated school shoe locker, however, will likely be subject to a mountain of not-so-polite letters or vandalized entirely.

"I understand that's the illusion your job sells, though - a fantasy of availability, so I'm not surprised if they'll respond in such a manner. Please don't do anything rash to risk upsetting them further."

"I don't think they'll actually hurt you. They're a bunch of girls around our age. Girls bully differently than boys. You probably won't even need to use misdirection because I doubt they'll go after you like that. Your shoe locker, however, is another story."

He sighed again and sat on the bed. "I don't know, Kurokocchi. Sometimes I get tired of hiding it. Sometimes I just want to paint myself in rainbows and walk down the street."

Actually, that would be a great shoot idea. Maybe he could suggest it. "I've already decided I'd come out after I turn eighteen." Kise looked up at Kuroko and offered him a smile. "I've talked to my parents about it, just not my agent yet. I have until July to do it."

"I'll share Kagami-kun's for the time being, then." Sorry, Kagami, he won't even really ask for permission - they were in a comfortable enough place with their partnership that things like this could go unsaid. That, and their names were close enough in the school roster that it wouldn't be too inconvenient.

He can't say he can relate to the feeling of hiding it, because to him, he isn't really hiding anything; it was more an absence of confirmation. But what he does understand is a celebrity (even one as minor as Kise) is always subject to certain levels of scrutiny with an image to maintain and cultivate.

Kuroko strides over to the blond, dropping a gentle pat onto his head. "Whatever you choose to do, know we'll support you, Kise-kun."

Edited 2023-02-23 06:27 (UTC)

"That's probably a smart idea," Kise said. He was envious of the easy partnership between Kagami and Kuroko. He had wanted that for himself when he went to try convince Kuroko to come to Kaijou.

"I know. I'm very lucky in that regard." A lot of people weren't.

He reached out and pulled Kuroko into a hug, resting his head against the other's chest. "Thank you."

He makes a small sound of surprise, before combing a hand though his hair. "Worried?"

“For you,” Kise said. He looked up, golden eyes filled with worry. “I don’t want to cause you trouble.”

"I'll probably be fine. People will forget I exist within the week, I'm sure." His gaze is fond as he brushes his bangs off to the side. "And it's not your fault."

Kise doesn't look convinced. "I hope you're right," he finally said. "But it'll probably be closer to a month."

He shuts his eyes at the touch. Kuroko has no idea how intimate that was. He's starting to wonder if Kuroko even-

There was a knock at the door derailing that trail of thought. Kagami asking if everything all right, followed by Aomine's muffled voice, complaining about somethin. Reluctantly, Kise pulled away.

"They probably found out about the article. I think Akashicchi and Momoicchi know about it too."

He turns at the sound, drawing his hand away, calling out a "be right there."

Once Kise pulls away, he makes for the door, pausing briefy before opening it. "Perhaps I could distract them with news of my retirement?"

The new year was already here, so Kuroko had already taken on managerial duties, but he may have been trying to delay saying anything until the close of the school year proper.

"Up to you," Kise standing. He stretches, shirt riding up to expose a few centimeters of his stomach. "It's your news to break."

He walks over, puts his hand on Kuroko's shoulder, squeezes it. "I'm there for you, one hundred percent."

His eyes drift over the flash of stomach, but look away just as quickly.

He's bolstered by the show of support and nods, making his way back to the party.

Only to be greeted by a tease from Aomine. "Geez, you guys were in there so long-- making out or something?"

"Dai-chan!" Momoi makes a scandalized gasp and hurls a couch pillow at him. It hits him square in the face and Kuroko follows up with a powerful jab to his side, his face flushed. It takes him an extra moment to compose himself.

"I have something I'd like to tell everyone."

It goes as expected. Seirin already knows and looks a bit somber, but supportive. The rest of them look a little shocked at first, but ultimately accept it without much fuss. Aomine hovers a bit around him, slinging an arm around his shoulders, looking the most worried but a touch apologetic as well. Kuroko reassures him this is the best course, but they can always play streetball. In the end, Kuroko does look like he has a weight lifted off his shoulders and encourages the party to continue.

Kise wanders over to Akashi while Aomine and Momoi fuss over Kuroko. His former captain doesn't seem surprised by Kuroko's annoucement, and Kise suddenly recalls the other Akashi proclaiming that Kuroko's misdirection would loose its affect the more he used it.

The normal Akashi must have known too, from the sad but unsurprised look on his face. Kise wonders how Akashi's brain works, and how it got like this. It couldn't have just been because of Teikou's push for absolute victory. It obviously didn't help, but...

Just more things he can't help his friends with. Like Aomine's obvious depression. They're all a little damaged from Teikou putting them on such a pedestal.

Akashi asks if he's okay, and Kise pretty repeats what he told Kuroko; that he's more worried for Kuroko's well being than his own about the article. He spends most of the rest of the party with Akashi, making sure Hayato behaves himself, occasionally bantering with Aomine, and whining when Kuroko teases him.

All in all, it's a good night.

When it comes time to go home, he sends the twins to get their coats and turns to Kuroko. "Tell me if anything happens, okay?" he asked. "If they cause more problems than you're expecting."

Kuroko tries to put the article out of his mind, because it's a rare occasion where all of his friends can gather in one place and he's the center of attention for once — he soaks up as much of their company as he can and hopes to use this energy to buoy him through future trials.

He looks a little sad when it's time to end the festivities, but nods at Kise. "You know some people say you can 'speak things into existence' - so I'll do my best to manifest this now: nothing will happen and it ends up being entirely uneventful."

It's a nice wish.

For Kise, things go as he assumed they would. His agent informed his more obsessive fans sent letters despairing he turning gay (jokes on them, he was born that way) and pleading he 'return to the light of pure love' or something like that. He got some teasing from his model friends, but it was light and friendly.

His teammates were a little more cautious about teasing him. His ducklings still followed him around and suspected he'd get a few more next year.

He worried about Kuroko, though. He knew the other boy was perfectly capable of taking care of himself by disappearing, but he worried about the shoe locker. He didn't pay attention to the fans that insulted his co-workers, so he didn't know where they went to school. Or even if they were in school. For all he knew, they could be adults. Teachers.

His imagination was running wild with it.

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