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

[misdirects]

"Ah... I suppose I had taken you at face value. And then you said you liked Akashi-kun, so I assumed..."

He assumed Kise moved on. He was not exactly too bright on the matters of love.

[yellowcopycat]

"I do like Sei. How I feel about him is very different from how I feel about you. It's fun, easy, and sexy. It's... more than friends with benefits, but not how I feel about you. And since I'm poly, I could love you both at the same time."

He sighed. "I don't know. I'm figuring it out as I go. I think that's how it's supposed to happen."

[misdirects]

"Right, poly..." That had been a very recent fact he learned about the blond, after the misfired text fiasco. Kuroko covers the bottom of his face, cheeks warming as he re-evaluates things in his head. "Sorry - I am. Processing this. I didn't realize..." A lot, apparently.

[yellowcopycat]

"Kurokocchi, you caught me jerking off after we got a little too close in the kitchen the day after we took a bath together, and I popped wood then, too. I mean, I am a teenager, and erections happen, but usually, I can hold off during training camp. Give me some credit."

[misdirects]

His hand moves to cover more of his face as he turns redder.

"That - that's different, isn't it?"

That had been missteps on his own part - he had taken Kise's words to heart, about not avoiding each other or changing their behavior simply because of the initial confession and rejection. "I should've been more considerate of the circumstances. I apologize."

[yellowcopycat]

"It's not that different. I get horny like any other guy. But you? Kurokocchi, you've always been different for me."

He paused, then shook his head. "No, that wasn't on you. That was just something that got out of hand that week. I mean, it was super embarrassing for me, but... well," he made a vague gesture with his hand. "It just happened? And that's when I started trying and failing to get over you."

[misdirects]

"I suppose I thought it was just biological and unfortunate timing." He didn't exactly view physical attraction in the same way as Kise did. "I was insensitive..."

[yellowcopycat]

"It was both of those things, too," Kise said. "Which were... um, shit, what's the word? Compounded? Sure, whatever. My physical and emotional attraction to you didn't make it easier.

And you weren't, stop saying that."

[misdirects]

He nods reluctantly, trying not to feel more guilt, but it was proving a difficult task.

The waitress returns with his drink, setting it down, and Kuroko thanks her. He twiddles with the straw, too unsettled to enjoy it just yet.

"...I didn't intend for you to find out. I thought... if you could get over your feelings for me, I could do the same for you."

[yellowcopycat]

"Well, that's the problem, isn't it? I didn't." Kise blew out a sigh. He took a beat to gather his thoughts and then said.

"And as much as it pains me to say this, I don't think we're compatible romantically."

And that really hurt to say, even if it had been something he had been thinking ever since he found out Kuroko liked him and not Akashi.

[misdirects]

He idly stirs his drink, keeping his gaze down on it.

"You're right." He gives a small, strained smile. "That can't be helped."

[yellowcopycat]

Kise let out a ragged breath.

"No, it can't be helped. It sucks, though. It sucks so much." He brushed at his eye, trying to stop tears. "Shit."

[misdirects]

"Ah-" He didn't expect such a strong reaction from the other boy- Kuroko panics a bit, reaching out to grab at the napkins and offering some to him, floundering on the right thing to say in a situation like this. "Don't waste your tears on me, Kise-kun."

[yellowcopycat]

"It's not your fault," Kise said. "It's not. I'll stop crying if you stop feeling guilty."

Though it was probably easier for him to stop crying than Kuroko to not feel guilty, he had to try. Because he knew Kuroko, he knew Kuroko best. They were best friends! "This is a growing up sucks thing. We just love different ways so we're just better off as friends because of it."

[misdirects]

"I--" It would indeed be hard to assuage him of his guilt. "This wouldn't even be happening if I had been better at hiding my feelings..."

He folds his hands onto his knees, eyes lowered. "It is what it is. I had already resigned myself to this outcome."

[yellowcopycat]

"Me too. We're being very mature about this," Kise said, blowing his nose, then crumpled the napkin and three-pointed it into the nearest trashcan. "I had already resigned myself to it too."

He took a breath. "Okay. Okay. I feel a little better."

[misdirects]

He rolls his eyes a little at the flashy three-pointer, but he does offer a small smile at Kise's declaration.

"Well, there's no sense being immature about this. Perhaps in another life, in another universe, it may have worked out. But it didn't in this one."

[yellowcopycat]

Kise's still working on the whole mature thing, but he does think that, beside the bit of tears at how unfair life is, he's handling this pretty well.

But the showing off is never going to go away.

"Well, now that's out of the way." Move onto other stuff, distract himself, move on so they can get on with their lives. "What did you get up to while I was in the States?"

[misdirects]

He finally takes a moment to sip at his drink before answering.

"Nothing nearly as exciting as you. Studying to prepare for entrance exams.. and lots of street ball." Even if Aomine and Kagami are always willing to join, he feels bad asking when school's in session, so he's taking advantage of summer vacation while he can.

[yellowcopycat]

"I haven't played street ball in forever," Kise said wistfully. "Aominecchi's and my schedules just never seem to line up."

[misdirects]

"I'm sure he'd be happy to, how would he put it... 'kick your ass.'"

He thinks. "We do have to do a joint event for Kagami-kun and Aomine-kun's birthday, so more than likely we'll default to street ball."

[yellowcopycat]

"He can try. I got to play ball with university guys; I picked up more moves."

He remembered the invite. It was from Aomine, and it was 'Be here, or you're a little bitch,' but I didn't know it was going to be a birthday thing. "Did Aominecchi finally pull his head out of his ass and properly ask Kagamicchi out?"

[misdirects]

He tilts his head as he thinks about it. "I think it'll more than likely happen at this get-together. He has seemed antsier than usual."

[yellowcopycat]

"He did the insults to a minimum when he invited me," Kise said. "He only called me a bitch once."

Hmm, that'd be something to see. And it'd be prime teasing Aomine material.

[misdirects]

"A surprising bit of growth from him, then."

He swirls his straw in his drink. "It'll be nice to see them finally accept their feelings. They'll still have some time here before college."