Work Text:
It was bound to happen sooner or later, really, and it went, predictably, like this: right before the practice, Kuroko startled Kagami by appearing out of frigging nowhere, Kagami flailed and elbowed Kuroko right in the face.
“Shit, fuck, are you okay? Goddammit, I told you not to do that! Oh, hell, it’s gonna leave a black eye.”
“I’m fine, Kagami-kun.”
Well, Riko disagreed, as Kagami discovered once they showed up to practice. She was absolutely furious and she didn’t even kick him, which was more alarming than it actually sounded.
“I would break your knees, Bakagami, if they weren’t so important! Take him to the nurse and don’t show your wife-beating face to me until Kuroko is as pretty as he was this morning!”
“It was an accident!” cried Kagami, ignoring the part where she compared Kuroko to his wife.
“I don’t care! Nurse office, now!”
Kagami grumbled and grabbed Kuroko’s elbow, leading him to the infirmary. The nurse wasn’t there so Kagami helped himself to the pack of ice and placed it into Kuroko’s hands. They sat opposite each other on those insanely uncomfortable stools in silence until Kagami noticed Kuroko’s fingers turning blue from the cold. Without a word, he pried those stiff fingers off the pack and moved closer to hold it for Kuroko. He could feel the boy’s breath fanning over his writs and it was a weird sensation – hold and cold at the same time – that made him shiver despite himself. The silence started to become uncomfortable so Kagami cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Say something,” he demanded.
“I can’t feel my face.”
Kagami clicked his tongue, because of course that Kuroko would complain about something that couldn’t be helped. He noticed that the fingers of the hand Kuroko used to hold the ice pack were still kind of bluish and shaking. Seriously, how was it possible to get so cold so easily. He huffed a breath before he reached for the stiff hand and covered it with his own, squeezing and rubbing it to warm it up. Kuroko’s eye widened slightly before he smirked.
“Shut up.”
Despite absolutely hating it, Kagami was pretty used to constantly bending down for Kuroko’s sake. Whether it was to check his reaction or to just hear his small voice better, Kagami was in half-permanent crouching form. So when finally something in his back just popped while he was straightening up, he was less surprised than he probably should be.
“You finally did it, Kuroko,” he grumbled, sitting on the bench.
He awkwardly leaned on Kuroko’s chest when he came up behind him, offering himself as a support for his back and putting his hands on Kagami’s stiff shoulders.
“You finally broke me,” he continued. “If it didn’t hurt so much I would beat you up.”
“Please don’t, Kagami-kun,” said Kuroko flatly. “I’m fragile.”
Kagami snorted at the poor acting skills and groaned involuntarily as Kuroko pressed at the knot in his shoulder. That bastard was surprisingly good with hands and Kagami felt his head roll back and fall comfortably against Kuroko’s shoulder.
“Should I call Riko-san to fix you?” asked Kuroko softly right next to Kagami’s ear.
“I’m not sure I want her to fix me, what if she kills me?”
“I didn’t know Kagami-kun was such a drama queen.”
“Neither did I,” grumbled Riko suddenly.
Kagami yelped; where did she even come from?! It hasn’t even been five minutes since he sat down on the bench! It was like she had some radar or something and it was creepy as hell.
“Kagami-kun seems to suffer from severe back pain and needs a massage,” explained Kuroko.
“Bastard, don’t try to make it my fault! You did this! I’m dying because of you!”
“Drama queen.”
Riko sighed, rubbing her temple. “Seriously, you guys, I know you’re young and eager and all, but you should really be more careful. Kuroko-kun should know better than to exert Bakagami’s back, seeing as it’s one of the few useful things about him.”
“I apologize, Riko-san.”
Kagami could only stand there, blinking in confusion, because somehow that sounded way more dirty than it actually was. He was about to start protesting, and vehemently, when Riko cracked her knuckles and told him to prepare himself.
“I told you not to sit next to me when you have this beast on your lap,” said Kagami, angling himself as far away from Kuroko as possible, which wasn’t much considering he was sitting by the window.
“Don’t be a baby, Kagami-kun. Nigou’s not even doing anything. He’s sleeping.”
Kuroko sounded sleepy too, in all honesty. It was an exhausting game and if Kagami looked around the bus he would probably find most of his teammates dozing off. He huffed and shuffled a bit before getting comfortable again. Kuroko positively snuggled even closer, letting his head fall right against Kagami’s shoulder and fit perfectly into the crook of his neck.
“Do you have to sit so close?” he mumbled awkwardly.
“Kagami-kun is my human pillow.”
“I’m a what now?! Don’t mess with me or-”
He was cut off by a light snore and when he turned his head to glare, Kuroko was already sleeping. His hair tickled Kagami’s chin so he reflexively rubbed it on Kuroko’s head, which was, decidedly, a very bad idea. Kuroko rubbed back in his sleep and ended up with his face smashed against Kagami’s neck, his hot breath fanning over his skin. Kagami stiffened for a moment because it was really uncomfortable and embarrassing, but as soon as he made sure no one was paying any attention to his humiliation, he yawned and let the sleep claim his as well.
When he woke up with his neck bend painfully and a mouthful of Kuroko’s hair, he startled so violently he hit his head against the window and cried out in pain, waking his friend – and his dog! – up.
“Are we there yet,” mumbled Kuroko sleepily.
Kagami rubbed the back of his head and wondered hazily if he was going to have a bump when Nigou barked happily and jumped onto his lap, causing Kagami to hit himself again.
“Goddammit Kuroko, I will throw this monster out of the bus! Captain, tell Kuroko to sit elsewhere, I swear to God! I think I have a concussion.”
“This isn’t a goddamned kindergarten, Kagami!” shouted Hyuuga. “And you’re be the one getting thrown off the bus if you don’t keep your lovers’ spat quiet so I can sleep!”
Kagami wasn’t a crier, but somehow he wished he was. It was a good way to give outlet to pent up emotions. Instead, Kagami just always shook with anger, bristling and fuming until it almost ate him up from within or he vented in on the court. But venting during the game had his drawbacks and Kagami had learned it the hard way. Not only by fucking up, but by the beating he usually got afterthe fucking up part. Riko was the worst, obviously, since she clearly enjoyed causing people pain, the sadist.
And then there was Kuroko, and Kagami never knew what method would he chose. Sometimes he went for his knees, his stomach, or his head; Kagami could deal with that – it was a good distraction that allowed him to focus on something else while the anger slowly sipped out of him. Sometimes Kuroko used words and nothing else, and Kagami supposed it worked too – it had the similar effect, even if it was a bit more embarrassing.
But that day Kagami was so angry he didn’t want to calm down. He shielded himself from everyone – shoulders hunched, head hanging low, his hands clasped together like a vice. He knew it pissed everyone off; especially Riko, judging by how she kept shrieking obscenities and him.
“Come on, Riko,” placated Kiyoshi. “He just needs a hug!”
Kagami would snort if he was in a slightly better mood. When a pair of a little worse for wear basketball shoes filled his vision, he straightened up, lifting his head. Kuroko looked down at him with an unreadable expression for a moment before stepping between Kagami’s knees and wrapping his arms around his shoulders.
Kagami’s breath hitched and he lifted his arms to push Kuroko away but as soon as they fell on the slim waist, he froze. For some reason, he let Kuroko press his head to his small chest and sighed deeply, letting his hands wrap around Kuroko’s middle and pull him closer, focusing on how comfortable it felt, how he fit there, under Kuroko’s chin, just perfectly.
But when Hyuuga cleared his throat ostentatiously, Kagami panicked and topped over the bench, landing on his back with a grunt. He was confused and he hated his life but at least he wasn’t angry anymore.
“Kagami, where’s your better half?”
Kagami grumbled, pointing at the bathroom. Seriously, when had the ridiculous notion of him and Kuroko being a couple became a running joke among his teammates? He didn’t talk about this to Kuroko, even though he knew he wasn’t the only one who noticed, because that would be just mortifying. How would that even go? Hey, Kuroko, did you notice how everyone thinks we’re dating? What’s up with that?
Honestly, more than anything, he was afraid that Kuroko would look up at him with those huge eyes, say something impossible like “Do you mean we aren’t?” and cry or something. Or maybe he would say something ridiculously suave like “Maybe we should finally prove them right” and watch Kagami splutter in embarrassment. Or worse, he would say “Don’t be disgusting, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami wondered when the option that involved rejecting the idea of dating became the worse one. For a long time, for his sanity’s sake, he had been ignoring all the things between them that went way beyond the definition of friendship. It was easier, safer, to brush off the way Kuroko made him feel at times – all warm and fuzzy and a bit sick to the stomach – or how his whole body twitched with the urge to touch, to come closer.
Kuroko’s sudden appearance snapped Kagami out of his daze. He watched for a moment as Koga-senpai spoke animatedly and when Kuroko took a glance at Kagami and their eyes met, he flinched and looked away. He was so hyperaware of Kuroko then that he had to pretend not to notice him materialize by his side.
“It’s rude to stare, Kagami-kun.”
“I wasn’t staring, you idiot.”
“You were totally checking out my guns.”
Kagami swallowed. That was flirting, right? He wished he wasn’t such a basketball idiot and actually have any sense of those things.
“It would be funnier if I knew you actually realized you don’t have any,” he mumbled awkwardly, avoiding Kuroko’s eyes.
“It’s rude not to look at the person you talk to,” said Kuroko.
“Tsk, make up your mind!” barked Kagami angrily, snapping his eyes to Kuroko on instinct. “You want me to look at you or not.”
“Yes.”
Kagami’s breath hitched as Kuroko’s huge eyes bored into his when stepped closer, connecting their feet. Kagami’s heart was hammering in his chest and Kuroko’s ear was just conveniently right therenext to it, catching its every thundering beat.
“I want Kagami-kun to always look at me.”
Kagami was pretty sure his heart would explode out of his chest if he wasn’t determined enough not to let Kuroko hear.