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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"Yeah," Kise said. "He's my best friend."

"But he did say you wanted him to be a teacher, though he said he wanted to make his own path. I'm kinda thinking he'll end up a professor of literature at this rate, but who knows how it's going to go? A lot of people change their minds about things between starting and graduating university."

He hummed again. "I don't even know what my field of study will be. I know I'll go to a school in America, and I'll play basketball; I've already got offers, but I don't know about my 'major' yet."

"I know I shouldn't pressure him, but he would really be wonderful at it..." She sighs. "But it's not like I disapprove of the path he's choosing to take. His grandmother has really cultivated a love of reading in him. It makes a lot of sense."

She taps a finger to her chin. "Luckily, you do have time to explore your options. Are you interested in the other side of basketball? Perhaps sports medicine would be up your alley."

"I don't think sports medicine would be a good fit," Kise said. "I'm very bad at math. I have worse grades than Kurokocchi."

He bites his lips. "I don't know what I'd do outside of basketball. Before, I thought I'd stay a model and maybe take up photography. But I don't particularly care about cameras. I know how to take good pictures, though.

"But the best basketball players stay active well into their thirties. The oldest to retire was forty-five, but most retire at forty. I can't imagine being that old. That's more than twice how old I am now."

"Do you enjoy the act of being the eye behind the camera? Or do you prefer to be in front of it? I think that makes a great difference."

Sumire laughs a little at his comment about age. "That's true, it does seem rather far off, doesn't it. It's very cliche to say, but pursue what makes you happy. You clearly love basketball - there will be ways to continue that, even if you are no longer an active player. Life is not a set path and things will happen that will change even the most stubborn of your own internal rules."

"No, not really," Kise said after a moment to consider. "I like being the center of attention."

He pouted a bit at the laugh. It is hard to think about! "It's hard to think about it," he said. "But I do know I'll do it as long as I can."

"Maybe you need a subject or muse to unlock a deeper interest in photography. Try taking pictures of things or people you like."

She claps her hands together. "Of that I'm sure! Tecchan will be happy to hear - he's working very hard at English nowadays so he can keep up with you all."

"I'll think about it. I guess I'll just have to discover it by accident."

Kise shrugged again, a fluid careless motion, mostly to convince himself he was okay with it. And mostly, he is. So long as he doesn't think too hard about it.

"I told him he's free to crash at my place when ever he visits."

"Thank you for that!" They finally make their way over to the tables and she situates herself at an empty one, patting the spot next to her. "I was very worried for him when he was younger, I felt bad he inherited my terribly low presence - he was so shy and oft overlooked. He only really had Ogiwara-kun before they moved away, so I'm glad Tecchan has so many caring friends surrounding him now."

Ogiwara was the boy Kuroko was friends with and their last opponent in middle school. He remembered that.

Was that why Kuroko hated that game so much? They hadn't really done anything different from other games. He understands that way of basketball was toxic. But he never understood why Kuroko chose that game to make a stand about. He still doesn't understand.

But he hasn't thought about it much. Just learned to better.

"He does," Kise said with a smile. "A lot!"

"I think he focuses too much on supporting others and does not allow people to do for the same for him. So, please, continue to take good care of him." Sumire trusts Kise, especially, with this task!

"You're not wrong about that," Kise said. "But yeah! I'll keep an eye out on him!"

He beamed at Sumire. "I promise."

"What are you promising now?"

Kuroko pops up behind Kise, his father in tow, three boxes of yakisoba and two trays of takoyaki between them.

"To keep an eye on you so you don't overdo it," Kise said, getting up to help with the food.

He aimed a knowing smile at the other boy. "You know you need it," he said softly.

Kuroko furrows his eyebrows as he passes over a portion of yakisoba over to him and sets the rest on the table. "I can take care of myself."

Sumire looks between them with a curious head tilt as she grabs her own portions and drags her husband to sit next to her. He acquiesces easily, popping a takoyaki into his mouth.

"Sure, but I bet you don't take care of yourself as good as you take care of others," Kise said, lowering his voice, and smiling teasingly at him.

He sat the food on the table and waited for Kuroko to start putting food on his own plate.

"So, what did you think of the University?" he asked.

As he moves to sit by Kise across from his parents, Kuroko is perhaps pouting a little, because he hates being called out. "I practice plenty of self-care."

Sumire and Yoshifumi give each other a look that reads like they also doubt it before engaging in a quieter conversation between themselves. Kuroko bites down on a piece of takoyaki as he thinks about his visit.

"It was nice - certainly quieter than the campuses I've visited in Tokyo, which suits me just fine. It's far enough that I can feel some level of independence if I decided to live on my own, but close enough I can still visit home every weekend if need be."

Hey, he's usually the one calling others out. "Of course you do," Kise agreed, but in a way that made it obvious he didn't completely believe Kuroko.

He followed suit in popping food into his mouth.

"I'm glad you liked it! And you'll be close to my family, and if you need something, I know my dad will be willing to help you out."

Kuroko doesn't know why no one believes him, he is very trustworthy about this issue.

"We are most grateful for your father's guidance!" Sumire chimes in. "We'll have to send a gift of some kind to your home soon."

"I wouldn't want to impose too much... but I am very grateful." Kuroko nods. It did feel nice to know he wouldn't be entirely alone out there.

He is not.

"Dad was happy to help!" Kise said cheerfully. "And I'm sure he'd appreciate the gift, but nothing too elaborate. He's got simple tastes."

He turned to Kise and poked him in the shoulder. "And you," he said, voice going from cheerful and friendly to teasingly threatening. "Are to contact him anytime you need help. It's an order. You made a good impression on him."

His expression blanches just a bit, while both Sumire and Yoshifumi chuckle, but he nods. "I'll try my best... but I'm sure there won't be too many problems..."

He is very hopeful! University life will be fine!

Kise looks victorious, because Kurokocchi does need looking after. He looks after everyone else.

"I hope so too," he said as he popped a sausage into his mouth. "So what are your other plans while visiting?" he asked, looking back to the Kuroko parents. "If you want, I can see if my parents are available for dinner. Mom might not be, but dad's always free. And my sisters too, probably if you don't mind the chaos."

"Oh, no, no need to trouble them - we'll be leaving you two as well." She leans into her husband with a grin. "We're making it a date night!"

"We'll make it happen before we go uni," Kise said. "Or at least before I go the US."

He figured it help make Kuroko feel more comfortable with going to his family if he needed to and his own parents weren't available for one reason or another.

"Yes, that does sound like a wonderful idea," his father agrees, as his mother nods enthusiastically. "It does give me some ease of mind to know Tetsuya has someone to lean on out there."

Kuroko pouts a little. "I am feeling distinctly babied right now. It's not even that far out..."

"You helped me," Kise said softly. "Let me help you. And it's not babying; it's a support net."

He wouldn't have that support net in the States. Or at least not one as personal as the one he's setting up for Kuroko. UCLA and OSU would have extensive Asian-American sources for him.

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