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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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.

Seirin, for the most part, doesn't think much of the article and Kuroko explains it had been the night of their loss, so they sympathize over having such a private moment shared.

A few girls tried to interrupt training, but nothing too exciting. He shares on the first day.

His locker does indeed get vandalized and his indoor slippers are cut up. He merely sighs and requests a new pair from the administration and moves to using Kagami's locker, as previously suggested. It seems to get worse as the days pass, but he presses on and makes a note of cleaning it out each day.

Kagami takes the initiative to send a picture of it covered in insults and slurs and filled with trash, citing Kuroko likely not saying anything about it. He also mentions that people have been dropping by their classroom during breaks to intentionally seek him out but he's been buffering their attempts.

Edited 2023-02-24 14:55 (UTC)

Kise sighed at the text he got from Kagami. He thanked the other boy and promised he'd try to take care of things.

He contacted his agent and asked if there was anything they could do for Kuroko. Talked to his mother.

Then he texted Kuroko. Are you doing okay?

He watched his phone for a moment, then he added. Kagami and I talked, and he seems worried for you. So I thought I'd check up on you!

Kagami-kun is a busybody.

I'm doing fine.

But shortly after, Kagami sends a text: ummm kuroko got sent to the teachers room for fightin

Kagamicchi is your friend. Kise sent to Kuroko before he got Kagami's next text.

In response he sent, what

Kuroko fighting? Did he have an argument with Kagami?

No, Kagami probably would have been sent too.

Damnit! There's only so much he can do from a different prefecture!

think he was defendin ur honor or some shit

And Kuroko will absolutely not follow up on this.

Kise doesn't respond to Kagami. He sighed and leaned back in his seat. Thankfully, he has a study block right now, so being on his phone isn't a problem.

He's supposed to be studying. But he can't concentrate on his history notes. Probably wouldn't do that much good anyway, as they're a mess of scribbles. He opened his textbook, going back to the pages they were supposed to cover, his brain not focused on it, though.

They're coming so close to the end of the school year. He turned eighteen in June, which was less than three months away.

He pulled out his phone and texted Akashi. He began to plan. He could have his agent release a statement disavowing or disowning any fan who caused problems for his friends. He hoped that would calm down his more obsessive fans.

And he could do something else. Something he wanted to do. It'd be a little earlier than he planned, but it would be good publicity.

He sent a text to Kuroko. I'm taking care of it. Please don't hide things from me, Kurokocchi.

It takes him a while to answer back and when he does, it's a succinct: Sorry. I was at the nurse's office.

Kagami is definitely getting a punch later for tattling on him.

Of course he's reticent about telling him anything, especially when it's only going to worry Kise. It won't exactly paint him in the best light, either, when he should've taken the high road and ignored it in the first place.

Please take care of yourself, Kurokocchi.

Just as he sends that, Akashi gets back to him, saying he'll email the details later.

Next, Kise texts Kagami and promises some one-on-one time if he protects Kuroko better, which will likely earn him a punch from Kuroko, but Kise's a little pissed that Kuroko hid just how awful things were getting for him.

With his plan in motion, he can finally focus on his studies.

I will. Things are fine now.

Kagami, of course, agrees, if with a little grumbling that they needed to figure their shit out. He also sends a picture he sneaks of Kuroko on the sidelines of their gym while he's distracted by talking to Riko. He's holding an ice pack to his cheek with a very clear split lip. Praise him, Kise, this was incredibly hard to get without him noticing.

But things are not fine.

Kise thanks Kagami for the picture. But by the time he gets to look at it, there's little else he can do at the moment. If he had gotten it earlier he would have skipped practice and headed to Seirin. But that's not an option right now. He does ask Kagami to keep him informed since obviously, Kuroko's not going to.

The plan he has in motion with Akashi is. And it's not really a sacrafice to do it. He was planning on coming out, and Akashi wants to come out and give his father the middle finger. Besides, wasn't he pretending to have a crush on Akashi to get over Kuroko anyway?

Akashi's not in love with him. He's not in love with Akashi, but they like each other, and both are in the public eye enough to make this matter. Kise could do a lot worse than Akashi, and vice versa.

There's a thing Akashi has to go to for his father, and since Kise asked for his help and wanted to stick to the fans harrassing Kuroko, Akashi suggested that Kise be his plus one.

So it's a date. And it feels good. Not exactly what he wanted. But both he and Akashi are getting something equally out of it.

The day after Kuroko was attacked (because that's how he saw it) there's a press release that keeps Kuroko's name out of it, but people who pay attention to these things know what it's about. It basically said 'If you're really my fans, stop fucking with my friend. I know about, I'm not happy. And if it goes on there will be consquences.'

He's sure he could ask Akashi to find out who the 'fans' are if he really wanted/needed too. But he hopes that's that.

A few days later, he sends Kuroko a text; Akashi asked me out for a date.

Kuroko doesn't keep up with pop culture news at all, so the press release trickles down to him through the other members of Seirin, who are also very concerned with how this entire situation is playing out. Both Coach and Captain ask him if he'd like a break to settle his thoughts or spend less time at school than absolutely necessary, but he turns that down and throws himself more into his new managerial duties.

Kagami continues to send him pictures when relevant. At the very least, it seems like the locker vandalism dies down shortly after the statement.

He has pointedly not sent him any updates, as predicted, so the last few messages they've sent to each other set a rather terse mood. Kuroko tries to slide back in some levity. See, I told you he would figure out you had feelings for him. :)

He's glad that this conversation isn't as tense as the last one. Kagami has kept Kise updated, and as much as Kise wants to confront Kuroko about it, he knows it'll be an endless battle.

When Kagami gets testy about the whole thing and tells Kise to confront Kuroko about his evasiveness, Kise tells him to suck face with Aomine to hilarious results.

Yeah, well... I wasn't so sure. You made me humble =P

It's going to be a big splash. We're going to some event, and I'm going to be his official plus one.

He doesn't say that if the 'fans' causing Kuroko problems even attempt to harass Akashi, they'll be in a world of hurt, legally speaking. Akashi's just that rich.

Kagami is incredibly frustrated and annoyed with the both of them! He also said as much to Kuroko, who continued to ice him out about it.

Earlier than you planned, then.

Kuroko feels a little guilty about this - he knew this wouldn't have to happen ahead of schedule if it hadn't been for that article. But at least Kise was looking forward to it.

Yeah. But it's all good! My parents know, and my agent knows, and it's, like, less than half a year sooner than I was planning.

Kise didn't really care that much about it being sooner rather than later. He'll be fine. He might get less work because of this, but he was looking to cut back anyway.

And besides, there were few male models his age with abs as great as his. It was mostly men in their twenties that gave him a run for his money when it came to musculature.

I'm really excited! It's not quite the red carpet, but it's going to be fun!

btw, you still up for coming over the first weekend of March?

It sounds exciting - I hope you have a good time.

And because his bruise will likely heal by then...

Only if it isn't an inconvenience.

I'll have to get a new suit. I'll show it to you when you're here! The date's the weekend after.

And of course you're not an inconvenience!! You're never one.

Because he's not.

Here's the address btw. Anytime after ten would be good.

And he sends the address as well.

Can't wait to see you!!

I'll arrive at 11. See you then.

The weeks ahead are filled with the passing of the baton at Seirin - Furihata is slowly settling into the idea of becoming captain, Kuroko will be picking up some of Coach's duties, learning all of her training regimens and doing a mix of running intel and coming up with new plays. Their second year is rapidly coming to an end with only a couple weeks left in March.

And on the day of, Kuroko arrives exactly on the dot, announcing his presence with a press of the doorbell of the Kise residence.

The door is opened by a woman in her late twenties, blond and gorgeous, wearing a form-fitting, burgundy v-neck shirt showing just a hint of cleavage and khaki pants that somehow accentuate her hips.

She's barely taller than Kuroko but seems to miss him entirely. "Huh, that's weird." She turned and yelled into the living room. "No one's at the door!"

"Oneechan!" Kise's voice is heard from deeper inside the apartment. "Look again!"

The woman turned to look again and blinked. "Oh, oh wow." Her blue eyes narrow. "You're Kuroko Tetsuya, then?" she asked, voice cool.

"Oneechan, be nice!" Kise yelled again, making his sister roll her eyes. She stepped aside and motioned Kuroko in. "Ryou-kun's in the kitchen."

On the couch, Kuroko will find another blond woman, a little younger than the one who answered the door, watching television with an older woman in her fifties. The middle Kise child is pretty but obviously doesn't put as much effort into her looks as her siblings, her blond hair pulled back into a bun, wearing jeans and a t-shirt with the kana for 'T-shirt' on it. The older woman looks a lot like an older version of her middle child, albeit with rich brown hair and a few streaks of gray she's wearing proudly black slacks and a long-sleeved white shirt. Both women on the couch look up at Kuroko as he walks in, matching blue eyes trying to find him.

"Ah, Kuroko-kun," a man's voice came from the direction of the kitchen. He's dressed in faded jeans and a blue kaijou t-shirt. Unlike his wife and daughters, he has no problem finding Kuroko. It's clear once Kuroko looks at him that Kise Ryouta is more or less a carbon copy of his father. "Ryou-kun overslept, so he went upstairs to change out of his pajamas. He'll be back down in a minute." He smiled a dreamy little smile. "Why don't you come to my office while we wait for him? He told me you wanted to talk about university programs."

Kuroko isn't shocked Kise's sister misses him entirely, but bows once she takes notice of him. He feels a little under-dressed in her presence, his fashion sense as plain as it always is, a striped shirt under a warm hoodie and jeans. He trails in after her, making sure to slip off his shoes at the entryway and hanging his coat.

He is pleasantly surprised that his father manages to spot him easily and he greets him with a small bow as well. "Firstly..." He offers up a cute pastry box. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home, Kise-san. My mother sent me over with some macarons from a popular bakery in our neighborhood. I hope it's to everyone's taste."

"I'm sure they're wonderful, thank you," Kise's father said, bowing slightly in return, then taking the box and motioning his oldest daughter over. "Mihoshi-chan, why don't you put these in the kitchen? We can have them as dessert after lunch."

Mihoshi takes the box and gives Kuroko an icy look before taking going to the kitchen just as there's thundering down the stairs.

"Ryouta," his mother called, sounding like this was a common occurrence. "Don't run in the house." And with that, both she and Saoko feign go back to watching television as Kise bursts into the living area but keep watching Kuroko out of the corner of their eyes.

"Kurokocch! You're here!" He absolutely beams at the other boy, latching onto him and giving him a hug. "My sisters haven't been giving you a hard time, have they? Both of them decided to visit today for some reason." He gives Saoko a glare, then looks around for his elder sister.

"She's putting some macarons Kuroko-kun brought us in the kitchen," his father said. "Come on, let's go to my office."

Kuroko notes the cold reception, but files it away for later. Maybe that's just the way they were with strangers. Most people found his low presence off-putting as well, so he's used to this.

He gives Kise a small pat on the back in response to his usual greeting and shakes his head. "Everyone has been nice." For the few minutes of interaction so far, anyway. At his father's prompting, he nods and waves him off. "I'll talk to you later." And off he goes to the office.

"There's no need to lie to him," Kise-san said as he led Kuroko to his office. Kise gave a dramatic huff and went after his sister. "We aren't the warmest family, and Mihoshi-chan, in particular, isn't pleased with you for turning down Ryou-kun when he asked you out. And he's very aware of that." He smiled softly at Kuroko as he sat down at his desk and gestured to Kuroko to a cushy chair. "We're all very protective of each other, and Mihoshi-chan has a particularly soft spot for her brother. Saoko-chan will be warmer towards you. Well, as warm as she gets." He looked over to a picture of the five of them on a beach vacation. It's an older picture; Kise's ten years old in it, and the entire family is smiling. Next to it is of the Generation of Miracles in their third year. "You're not the first friend he's invited over, that would be Aomine-kun, but we all know you mean a lot to him, it's why his sisters are here. To size you up."

He gives Kuroko another soft smile. "Don't worry, my wife and I will keep the girls in line. Anyway, enough of that; I'll talk your ear off about my family if you let me. Tell me what you're looking for in a university program. Ryou-kun told me you want a literature degree."

Edited 2023-03-04 15:10 (UTC)

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Sorry for the delay! Was trying to figure out how I wanted this to go.

np np! never apologize for taking your time!

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