Chapter Text
Kagami sat stiffly on the little stool, awkwardly holding his big bag in his lap. His eyes darted restlessly around the small office unable to settle their gaze anywhere comfortably. Especially on the man sitting at his desk in front of him.
Professor Matsumoto’s tall and thin figure leaned back in his office chair, its back bending under his weight. His right ankle was resting on top of his left knee, and his hands were behind his head. The sharpness of his elbows stood out by the way the sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up revealing the muscular forearms. His dark eyes – set deep into his face, under bushy eyebrows – looked at Kagami trying not to squirm on his seat.
“I read your paper,” he said and nodded towards his desk where Kagami’s assignment lied in the middle of various stacks of papers. “It was an interesting read.”
Kagami didn’t answer.
He was trying not to shrink away and cower – a guy of his size shouldn’t be intimidated so easily – but couldn’t quite help it. Many would have called Matsumoto’s little box of an office cozy but Kagami had always found it suffocating. Stuffy. Three massive bookshelves were looming over them opposite to Matsumoto’s desk and where they sat. He felt like a clumsy giant trying to fold his long legs naturally while sitting on the too-small chair.
The already small room was shrunken down even more by the most intimidating presence: Matsumoto himself and the way he calmly and silently weighed up Kagami with his piercing eyes. Kagami had a good five inches and over 30 pounds on the man, but no one managed to make him feel small in a similar way as Matsumoto. The man might look like a monkey with his large upper-lip, high forehead, and big ears but his cool and confident demeanor demanded respect.
“I heard Kuroko helped you out.”
“A little,” Kagami said and wouldn’t meet the professor’s eyes. Then – a bit miffed – he straightened up and lifted his head. “But I read the book myself. Every word of it. And I wrote the paper myself.”
The corners of Matsumoto’s thin lips twitched a little.
“I believe you. Kuroko would never let you cheat off him like that.”
“What’s the problem, then? Why did you tell me to come to see you?”
Matsumoto leaned further back in his chair, his eyes finally easing off their hold on Kagami.
“He’s an interesting guy. That Kuroko.”
Kagami frowned a little.
“Yeah. I guess.”
“A good student, for sure,” Matsumoto went on, sounding like he was talking more to himself than Kagami. “But also has lots of interesting ideas. He doesn’t have the same expression of a bored sheep like most of the students roaming this university or dozing off in my lectures. Unlike others, he’s not content with just following the herd.”
Kagami wondered what kind of a sheep he was in Matsumoto’s eyes.
“But,” the professor’s tone perked and he suddenly fixed his relaxed posture, “if he can manage to successfully make you do something I have failed for a semester after another, I can only admit defeat. And perhaps take a page from his book in the future.”
He picked up the graded paper and held it out in front of Kagami. There were a few scribbles on the pages in the marginals, but Kagami’s darting eyes couldn’t find a big red F anywhere.
“Don’t worry, you passed. I gave you a C.”
“Huh?”
Kagami’s mouth fell open. Dumbfounded, he accepted the paper. With slightly unsteady hands, he turned to the last page, and there it was: big red C, hastily circulated and accompanied with a couple lines of handwritten notes.
“You let me pass?”
“I didn’t let you pass. You passed on your own merit.”
“Does this mean I can go back to playing basketball again?”
“Yes. Your GPA is back where it should be. Your scholarship is intact.”
Sweet relief washed over Kagami. The tension that had been building in his neck and back melted away. Warily he glanced at Matsumoto who had gone back to observing him.
“Can I go now?”
“Sure. But read the notes I left for you.”
Hurriedly Kagami scrambled to his feet, still hugging his bag against his chest and squeezing the papers in his fingers. He was almost out the door when Matsumoto called his name. Hesitantly, Kagami halted and turned to look at him while standing awkwardly in the doorway.
“You know, Kagami, I don’t – “ he started but trailed off and rubbed his chin, looking pensive. “I don’t enjoy giving failing grades to anyone. I actually dislike it quite a bit. But I will do it if I have to, and in your case, you haven’t really given me an option until now.”
Kagami remained silent. He could feel the refreshing breeze of freedom from the long hallway where the teachers’ offices were lined up. A muffled chatter of the nearby cafeteria just around the corner carried to his ears.
“But I’m proud of you for proving me you do have it in you, Kagami. I was happy I could reward your effort.”
He gave Kagami a little nod. All Kagami managed was to mutely return it before leaving, not really understanding why. He hadn’t expected to be praised. The heavy door clunked shut behind his back just in time so he could hide the stupid but happy involuntary smile spreading across his face.
~~oOo~~
The doorbell shrilled, and Kagami glanced at the clock surprised. It was still early.
“Damn it,” he muttered under his breath.
Hurriedly he wiped his hands – wet from slicing tomatoes – on his apron before untying it and tossing it on the backrest of the couch. He cast the apartment a quick critical scan. It was relatively clean and in order. He had still been in the middle of tidying up but supposed a couple of used clothes and magazines scattered here and there wouldn’t be too discriminating.
The doorbell rang again. Twice.
“Coming!” Kagami hollered.
On his way to the door, he took a quick look at himself in the hallway mirror and brushed his hair only to have it settle back in the unruly mess it usually was. Whatever, it’s not like it would matter anyway.
“Hey, Kuroko, sorry I was – “ Kagami’s voice trailed off and his face fell when saw the people waiting behind the door.
The butterflies fluttering in his stomach just a moment ago were swiftly smashed dead by rolling disappointment.
“Good evening, Taiga,” Kuroko said. “I’m sorry we’re a bit early.”
“Yo,” Aomine said and raised his hand in a lazy greeting. “What took you so long?”
Kagami frowned and glared at him.
“What are you doing here?”
“We came to celebrate. Tetsu-kun told us,” Momoi said with a smile, holding onto Aomine’s arm. “Congratulations on passing!”
“Yeah, thanks,” Kagami said. “I wasn’t really expecting…you guys, too.”
“They are my plus-ones,” Kuroko said.
“Your what?”
“Plus-ones. You said I could my bring my plus-one, too. Although, I suppose they are my plus-twos. But they come as a set.”
Kagami’s facial muscles worked hard to school his expression. Indeed, he had told Kuroko that. But by plus-one, he had meant Kuma, not third wheels of the two-legged kind. Especially Aomine.
“Oi, what’s the holdup?” Aomine said and shouldered his way between Kuroko and Momoi.
He pushed past Kagami into the house and toed off his shoes, leaving them lying every which way in the entryway. Before Kagami could stop him, he had tossed his jacket on the couch and reached the kitchen.
“Oh sweet, you’re making pizza. I’m starving.”
“Hey, don’t just – “
Kagami shifted in the entryway. Unable to decide should he stop Aomine from getting any more comfortable or try and sort out the misunderstanding by nipping in the bud.
Momoi decided for him.
“We brought you a little something,” she said and gave the tote bag hanging off her shoulder a little shake. Kagami heard two bottles of something clinking together. “And don’t worry about Dai-chan.”
She gave Kagami a sly wink and brushed past him. Before getting further in, she arranged Aomine’s shoes neatly right next to hers. He could hear her telling Aomine to leave Kagami’s things alone and not to touch the food yet.
Kagami released a deep sigh.
“Taiga?” Kuroko said, still standing in the doorway and holding onto Kuma’s leash. “Is something the matter? Should have I not invited them?”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Kagami hurried to say. “The more the merrier. Come on, come inside.”
He helped to put Kuroko’s bag and jacket away and stood there awkwardly. Now what? How did this work? Did Kuroko use Kuma inside the house, too? Or was it enough if Kagami just told him where everything was?
Kagami’s bold plan had been to lead Kuroko into the house by hand, and in his mind, it had been such a perfect two-birds-with-one-stone solution that further consideration hadn’t been needed. But he supposed that had been shot to all hell now. There was no way he would do something as sappy as that while Aomine was in the house. He would never let Kagami live it down.
Again, the dilemma was solved for him.
“Is it okay if Kuma is free?”
“Yeah, it should be fine.”
Kagami didn’t mention the blanket he had folded in the living room in hopes the dog would indulge in naps as much as possible that night. Which only reminded him of another thing he would have to hide from Aomine’s peering eyes.
Kuroko took the harness off Kuma, and the dog gave a satisfying-looking shake, its massive fur wiggling and the metal of its collar jiggling quietly. Stripping the harness seemed to be some kind of a signal, and Kuma walked off, its chunky nails scraping the floor, without a specific command. Soon, Kagami heard Aomine coo over the dog – something he never thought he would hear out of Aomine’s mouth.
“I bought some extra sausage. Kuma worked hard, so he should celebrate, too.”
Kuroko dug something out of his bag, and with a simple flick of his wrist, it unfolded with a crackle. A long white stick with a ball in the end snapped in place at its joints.
“I appreciate your thought, but you can’t feed human food to a guide dog.”
“Oh.”
Kagami’s cheeks tinted. So far, the night he had planned for them was going horribly awry, and Kagami cursed his stupid enthusiasm. It all felt ridiculous now.
“So?” Kuroko said, holding the white stick in front of him. It reached him all the way to his chest. “Where is this celebration you talked about? I heard Aomine-kun said something about pizza.”
A little hint of a smile played on Kuroko’s lips, and he looked at Kagami’s direction expectantly. Kagami’s disappointment gave away a little. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.
“This way.”
In the kitchen Momoi had enlisted Aomine as the official slicer of the tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages, peppers, and olives. Every once in a while, little snacks disappeared in Aomine’s mouth. She was giving him sharp instructions over her shoulder while mixing the tomato sauce on the stove. After adding salt in the pot and giving it a good stir or two, she let Aomine sample the sauce off the wooden spoon.
“You think it needs more?” she said and monitored Aomine’s face while he tasted.
“Nah. But – ”
She gave a little surprised sound when Aomine scooped around her waist, pulling her closer, and their lips met in a kiss. Almost automatically, she tilted her head in a better position when the tip of Aomine’s tongue brushed her lips. He tasted like homemade tomato sauce.
“ – it could use some more kick,” Aomine said after pulling back.
“You two,” Kagami growled, “try to keep it PG.”
Momoi had the decency to blush a little, and she hurriedly turned to viciously stir the saucepot again while licking her lips. Aomine flashed Kagami a shit-eating grin and tossed an olive into his mouth.
“And don’t eat everything, you bastard!”
“Is there anything I can do?” Kuroko asked next to him.
“Why don’t you roll out the dough,” Momoi suggested, “with Kagami? The toppings are almost done, and I put the oven on preheat.”
They set out a dough rolling station in one end of the kitchen isle that became the starting point of their little assembly line. The conversation flew easy. Kuroko told Aomine about the basketball book they had found with Kagami for the paper. Despite not knowing much about the sport, he had the skill of still discussing about it. Soon the book had sparked a lively conversation about what was going on in the school team.
Aomine told Kagami he should be on the brink of flunking out more often. While Kagami was hitting books, Aomine could rightfully be the undeniable ace. And after Kagami passed, they could celebrate and feed Aomine. It was a win-win. Kagami flung a fistful of flour at his face, and Aomine almost coughed up a lung. Kagami offered to pat him on the back to help out, and Aomine – his eyes watering from hacking – threw him with an olive square in his forehead.
Before the teasing escalated into a full-blown food war, Momoi stepped in. She waved the sauce-dripping spoon at Kagami and Aomine warningly and told the oven was ready for the first pizzas. As Aomine and Momoi absorbed in arguing what toppings should go on their shared pizza (her idea), Kagami seized his opportunity and tugged on Kuroko’s hand.
“Follow me,” he said quietly to his ear.
After a moment of hesitation, Kuroko’s fingers curled around Kagami’s hand, returning the squeeze. Quietly they sneaked their way across the living room and down the hallway to where Kagami’s room was. A bit panicked at the doorway, Kagami tried to remember if he had buried the dirty clothes out of sight before realizing it wouldn’t really matter.
He closed the door quietly behind them. Kuroko stood in the middle of the room. Kagami realized he had pulled Kuroko with him in such haste, he had left the white stick in the kitchen.
“Taiga?” Kuroko said, confusion in his voice. “What is it?”
Yeah, you idiot, Kagami said to himself. What’s the plan?
“Ah, I just – uh, wanted to show you my room.”
Kuroko’s eyebrows arched, and his eerily soft yet beautiful eyes kept staring at the same spot on the wall.
“I’m sure it’s very nice.”
Kagami wanted the floor to tear open and swallow him whole. Then his eyes landed on the yellow book on the nightstand. Trying to come up with an excuse on the go, he picked it up and shoved it to Kuroko. Taken aback, he weighted the object in his hands.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the book. I’m giving it back to you.”
“Why?”
“It’s yours. You got it from the library.”
“I got this for you,” Kuroko said with a little frown. “I want you to have it.”
“Well, yeah, but…It’s not like I’m gonna do anything with it anymore. The bookmark, too. It’s between there somewhere.”
Kuroko blinked at him a couple of times before giving a little sigh. His empty hand reached out, and he took a tentative step towards Kagami. Kagami stood frozen and just watched Kuroko slowly and carefully closing the couple of feet that separated them. The outreached hand bumped against Kagami’s shoulder and awkwardly cupped it. Heat seeped from the touch through Kagami’s shirt and spread, tingling.
“I never quite realized how tall you are.”
“Yeah,” Kagami said, a lot huskier than he had meant.
He looked down at Kuroko standing right in front of him. He could smell the faint smell of shampoo wafting from Kuroko’s hair. Some of the wisps had traces of white flour that Kagami hadn’t noticed before.
“Taiga,” Kuroko said, almost matching Kagami’s low voice, and raised the book a little. “Could you tell me what color this is?”
“It’s – uh, yellow. Mostly yellow.”
The softness of Kuroko’s eyes deepened a lot like when he had asked about the library’s carpet.
“I see. No wonder it sounded so much like a yellow story.”
He felt around a bit – his hands sliding from Kagami’s shoulder until they reached their destination – and pressed the book gently but firmly against Kagami’s chest.
“I know many yellow things in the world, but it seems this has become my favorite. By far. I want you to have it.”
“But – “
“For safekeeping. Put it somewhere you keep your most precious things. In case I want to hear this story again.”
Kagami’s heart pounded under the book so hard he wondered if Kuroko could feel the beats. Did he feel Kagami’s nervous puffs of breathing on his face when he gently tiled it up, his hands strangely large and clumsy? Did he hear Kagami gulp when he leaned in and closed the last inches between them?
Just as their lips were about to touch, Kagami closed his eyes. In their first kiss, they were both blind to the world around them.
Kuroko’s mouth was just as soft as Kagami had always imagined. It was the down of a feather near its hollow shaft. Big blanket-sized flakes of snow flowing down from above in the winter. The fluff of the velveteen rabbit.
It was the pure and clear blue spring sky that was almost too bright to look at.
When Kagami pulled back, he noticed Kuroko’s eyes were closed as well. His lips twitched, rolled in between his teeth, and Kagami saw a glimpse of the pink tongue sweeping where they had made contact.
“Hmm,” Kuroko said. “I don’t think I have ever seen this color before.”
Kagami’s big thumb brushed the softness of Kuroko’s cheek, and almost instinctively it leaned tighter against his palm.
“I promise to show you all of them.”
A ghost of a smile.
"I'm looking forward to it."
The End.