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]

Kise looked at the stand and sighed. "Do you know how many girls have come to me with these magazines crying?"

And there it is. The Kiss. Him leaning down, Akashi. who's only a couple of centimeters taller than Kuroko, leaning up, their lips pressed together in a chaste kiss, but very sweet kiss at the doors to the event. Their big middle finger to Akashi's father and the people who had been harrassing Kuroko.

Which seemed to have backfired. "It is a nice photo though," he said.

[misdirects]

"I've heard many girls lamenting a loss that was always inevitable, yes." And some revived hatred, too. "But I've also heard whispers of awe and quiet wonder and can't help but think you probably made them want to be brave and open about themselves as well."

He gives an encouraging nudge into his side. "So, yes, it's a nice photo in many ways."

[yellowcopycat]

"Probably more of the former than the latter," Kise commented. "But I did have a few guys thank me for being brave. Some girls too."

Hugs had been exchanged, something he rarely did with people outside Kise's circle.

After staring at the magazine for a moment, he picked it up and handed it to Kuroko. "Buy this for me?"

He liked the big stupid heart.

[misdirects]

"I think that's worth something."

At his request, Kuroko is resisting the urge to roll his eyes, but takes it anyway.

"Only one."

And he'll turn to the other aisle to pick out a popsicle from the open-faced freezer.

[yellowcopycat]

"It's worth a lot," Kise agreed, voice soft, a soft little smile on his face.

"We were asked to be interviewed," he said as he followed Kuroko. "It's very exciting and kinda imtimidating. I never thought I could be imtimidated. I mean, I've been modeling underwear since I was eight."

He looked over the choices. "I'll have whatever you're having."

[misdirects]

"I wouldn't expect you to be easily intimidated either." He tilts his head. "But an interview? Will you two do it?"

Kuroko picks the one he always gets with Aomine, the flavor a seasonal sakura, and beelines to the register to pay.

[yellowcopycat]

Like a puppy, Kise follows. Though he's gone from the rambunctious puppy he was only two years ago to a mostly trained one.

"Probably, it really depends on Akashicchi's father. If he's paying attention or not. Or cares."

He gives a grin to the cashier, who does a double take when she looks at the cover. She keeps her shocked expression as she checks Kuroko out and hands him his purchases.

Once Kuroko's finished paying, he heads outside, scooting past a pair of middle school girls giggling over the magazines with the pictures of him and his boyfriend.

Boyfriend. He has a boyfriend. Sometimes the knowledge just makes him grin!

[misdirects]

"Surely, he's noticed. It's very hard not to."

It's a good thing to have Kise trailing around sometimes when it helps him get immediately noticed by the cashier, so he promptly pays and shuffles out, handing over the magazine and popsicle to the blond with little fanfare.

"Will you be heading down to Kyoto for Golden Week?"

The infamous stretch of holidays was only a month out and the perfect opportunity for long-distance boyfriends to spend more time together.

[yellowcopycat]

Kise waited until they were outside to speak his mind. "I've never met him, but from what little Akashicchi's told me and a lot that he hasn't said, his father doesn't pay much attention to him unless it's to criticize him. As far as I know, his father hasn't even mentioned what happened at the gala yet to him."

He shrugged as he packed the magazine into his bag and opened his popsicle. "I might be making a mountain out of a molehill, but, well, you know him as well as me. You know what he's been through."

He took a lick. "I will, after our training camps are done. You guys doing thing special for your camp?"

[misdirects]

"That's surprising, considering how you both tried to make it very flashy."

He nibbles on his popsicle. "I think I'll set it up with Touou this year. Perhaps that'll get the idiots closer on the path of confessing." Look at him, being such a good shadow and helping out his lights.

[yellowcopycat]

"I'm... well, I don't know what to think about it. Akashicchi says I shouldn't worry, but I do."

He blew out another sigh and then sucked the popsicle into his mouth, trying not to think too hard about it.

After a few moments, he pulled the pop out with a slurp. "Good. Aominecchi said we should live together if we all live in California. I don't think he gets how big California is. It's about the same size as Japan. Anyway, I really, really don't want to deal with the UST if we do live together. So please, help them."

[misdirects]

"I can see it being a cause of concern, but I hope, for both your sakes, there won't be any issues. Perhaps his father really doesn't mind." A hopeful way of looking at things!

"Of course Aomine-kun hasn't done any research into things," Kuroko sighs. "I'll play the role of Cupid, if I must. I have to take advantage of this season of love." He raises a closed fist in a determined fashion, but it's offset by him taking a particularly big chomp of his ice pop.

[yellowcopycat]

Kise didn't think that was the case. He knew people, other models, or others in the industry who would horde information and then strike like a snake when it was handy.

Hopefully, Akashi's father was actually okay with his son being bi.

He winced at the chomp Kuroko did. Because popsicles were phallic and it really made him think of someone biting his dick off. But he gave Kise a fist bump.

"Of course, he didn't. Tokyo's about the same size as LA county, so... I dunno." He sighed. "If we wind up at the same university and we do room together, I'm going to either deal with bickering and UST, or them bickering and hormones all over the place. Not just anyone's hormones, Aominecchi's hormones. They're out of control as they are. Imagine if he's in a relationship."

[misdirects]

Kuroko has no such compunctions, so he continues biting away into his popsicle.

"Perhaps Kagami-kun would be able to tame some of his prickliness. I certainly don't envy him."

[yellowcopycat]

Kise makes a face at Kuroko and continues to lick like a good boy.

"I doubt that, Kagamicchi is almost as prickly."

[misdirects]

"Kagami-kun can actually be quite sweet. I'm just not sure Aomine-kun is capable of drawing out that side of him easily."

They butt heads too much...

[yellowcopycat]

"Aominecchi draws the ire out of everyone," Kise agreed.

He hummed around his popsicle. "I don't know. Kagamicchi seemed really hard-headed to me."

[misdirects]

"He is, but once you get past that, he is actually just a big teddy bear."

Chomp.

"Don't tell him I said that."

[yellowcopycat]

"He doesn't strike me as the cuddly type."

Another wince.

"I will. Years from now, at the most inopportune time."

[misdirects]

"Americans are more touchy than most. I think he matches Aomine-kun in terms of skinship rather well."

He will start taking smaller nibbles to spare Kise's poor sensibilities.

"If you must, make sure you do it at a time that will fluster him the most."

[yellowcopycat]

"There's skinship, and there's cuddling. Cuddling involves more hugs and watching TV with your arms around each other. And napping on each other."

He wished the other Miracles were more into hugs. He liked hugs. It was why he launched himself at Kuroko so much in middle school. He could throw him off and didn't scare him the way Akashi had back then.

Though, Akashi didn't seem to mind hugs so much now. Hmm. Something to work on.

"Of course. It'll be at a time to fluster you both the most."

[misdirects]

Kuroko himself wasn't very into skinship in general, but he grew to tolerate it around Momoi and Kise in particular during their Teikou years. His skinship with Kagami leans more violent, but he believes he is perfectly capable of being cuddly.

"It won't work on me, but feel free to deploy it at a devastating moment for Kagami-kun."

[yellowcopycat]

Momoi was an excellent cuddler!

Well, if Kuroko says so, he might use Kagami as a person to hug when he gets homesick.

"You're not nearly as unflappable as you pretend to be." Kise poked him in the uninjured cheek. "You're just really good at hiding it.

[misdirects]

Her cuddles were a bit overzealous...

Instead of pouting, he takes another bite of popsicle. "You have Akashi-kun to thank for that."

[yellowcopycat]

Nah, they were great!

"He did bring out the best of our abilities back in Teikou." He smiled. "I wonder what it'd be like to play under him again now."