Work Text:
When Akashi was five years old and on a walk with his mother, he happened to pass by a clinic. It wasn’t a very large clinic, and he would later learn it was funded by donations and sponsors. And, it offered its services to children unconditionally. Even if they couldn’t pay.
A window was open, and when his mother sat down on a bench and let him run around and play, he ended up passing that window and seeing inside.
Inside the bright white room was a small blue-haired boy sitting in bed, reading a book peacefully. His cheeks were slightly flushed despite the cool air breezing into the room, and when he heard Akashi curiously pause outside his room, he looked up from his book.
Those clear, ocean blue eyes immediately captivated the redhead’s attention. They lit up a little at the sight of the other boy, who was about the same age as him. “Ah, are you here to visit?” He asked, putting down his book and crawling over to the window. His bed was right next to it, so he was now face-to-face with Akashi.
“Not really,” Akashi answered honestly, making the blue-haired boy deflate instantly. For some reason, Akashi wanted to cheer him up despite not knowing him, so he quickly amended, “But I noticed you through the window, and we’re already talking, so…”
The other boy brightened up at that, smiling excitedly. “Ah, okay! My name is Kuroko Tetsuya, by the way,” he said, sticking his small hand out to shake. Akashi regarded the enthusiastic boy in amusement, taking his hand to shake.
“I’m Akashi Seijuurou. I’ll call you Tetsuya, okay?” He double-checked with his new friend. He called his other friends by their first names, but he wanted to make sure this boy was alright with it, for some reason.
Thankfully, Kuroko just smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you Akashi-kun.”
It was a little formal, but Akashi accepted it. After all, his father said that the Akashi name was very important. “Okay. So, what are you reading?” He asked, curious. He had never seen a book like what Kuroko was reading. Then again, he was five, and he still only had simple reading material, even if he was an Akashi.
Kuroko reached over to pick up his book, an excited gleam in his ocean eyes. “This is a book about people. Look,” he showed it to Akashi, who raised an eyebrow at the lack of pictures. In fact, it was all words! Why in the world was a five-year old reading this? It looked complicated, and even the prodigious Akashi couldn’t comprehend some of the words.
“…Why are you reading this complicated book?” Akashi asked, voicing his thoughts out loud.
Kuroko looked at him, startled. He sounded almost confused as he replied, “I liked the description…?”
Akashi held out a hand for the book to be given to him, and Kuroko gave it to him. Akashi read the description, but it was actually… “Tetsuya, this just says that the book is about people’s behavior,” he stated, puzzled.
Kuroko nodded excitedly. “Yeah! It tells me what it means when a person does something. I learned a lot from this,” he said, proudly, and with that smile on his face and the obvious pride he felt, Akashi compared him to a preening bird. He snorted a little at the thought, drawing a confused expression from his new friend. “You…don’t believe me?” He asked, disappointed.
“No, that’s not it!” Akashi hastily corrected, reigning in his amusement. He smiled at the blue-haired boy. “I just had a funny thought. I’m sorry. I think it’s amazing you can understand this,” he said, sincerely.
Kuroko’s eyes lit up. Akashi decided he liked it when they did that. “Thank you! The nurses don’t really understand why I like reading this…” He trailed off, thoughtful. Then he blinked at the clock on the wall. “Oh, that reminds me! A nurse is going to check on me in a little while. It was nice talking to you, but I don’t know if she’ll like it if she sees you here.”
Akashi was a bit sad to part so soon, but he nodded. “Okay, I’ll go. My mother might be looking for me, anyway. I’ll come back soon, okay?” He promised, earning a smile from Kuroko. The redhead held out his hand, palm facing Kuroko.
They high-fived.
“It’s a promise!”
Akashi kept true to his word and came back to the clinic a few days later. This time, though, he was with a maid who watched over him when his parents couldn’t, and he managed to get her to agree to let him go off on his own as long as he stayed close.
When he got to the clinic, Kuroko was asleep in his bed, no book in sight. His cheeks were still flushed, and he didn’t seem to be sleeping well. Worried, Akashi made sure no one was paying attention before climbing over the windowsill and sitting down on Kuroko’s bed. He had the sense to kick off his shoes before doing so.
“Tetsuya,” Akashi whispered, reaching over to shake his friend a little. Kuroko groaned, turning on his side. Akashi sighed. “Tetsuya, wake up.”
Kuroko’s eyes fluttered open this time, but he was still groggy. Akashi patiently waited as he gathered his bearings and slowly turned in his direction. His eyes widened in surprise. “Akashi-kun?” He asked in disbelief.
Akashi nodded, but he was still frowning. “You weren’t sleeping well,” he pointed out, moving closer to feel Kuroko’s forehead like his mother did to him when he felt sick. It was his turn for his eyes to widen. “You’re burning up! I’ll go get a doctor,” he quickly said, dismissing the fact that he was intruding upon Kuroko. Surely they would look over it if he helped them care for Kuroko.
“Wait, Akashi-kun!” Kuroko called, managing to get a hold of one of Akashi’s wrists to stop him from leaving. The redhead turned back to the bedridden boy in surprise. Kuroko smiled reassuringly, but even that was weak. “I’m fine. I’m not very healthy, so I get fevers often. This is normal, and the doctors and nurses already know about it.”
Akashi watched him warily. “Are you sure?” He didn’t want something to happen to his friend when there was something he could have done about it.
“I’m sure. It’s been this way for as long as I can remember.”
Akashi sighed, sitting down on Kuroko’s bed again. He reached over and poured him some water—sick people needed to drink lots of water, he remembered. When he offered the plastic cup to Kuroko, the smaller of the two gratefully accepted and drank half of it before setting it aside.
“What brings you here today?” Kuroko asks, tilting his head. “Are you sick?”
Akashi huffed, crossing his arms. He felt a little insulted—maybe even hurt. “I’m here to see you, of course. I did promise to come back soon, didn’t I?” He pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
Kuroko seemed embarrassed. “I know, but I didn’t want to automatically assume it was because of me. I don’t get visitors,” he confessed, looking at the table beside his bed sadly. That’s right; when Akashi visited relatives in the hospital, they almost always had flowers or presents on tables inside their rooms. Kuroko had nothing, only books that the clinic must have let him have.
Five-year old Akashi still needed some lessons in tact. “Why don’t you have flowers or visitors?” He asked, bluntly. Kuroko flinched, rubbing his arms as if he was suddenly cold. Sometimes people with fevers felt that way, but Akashi somehow knew that wasn’t it.
“I…” Kuroko trailed off, and Akashi was dismayed when his eyes welled with tears. Finally understanding it wasn’t something that should be talked about, the redhead moved forward, almost on some strange instinct he had never felt before, and hugged the blue-haired boy. “A—Akashi-kun?”
“I’m sorry.” That was all he said as he hugged the fragile boy as hard as he dared. A long time later, he’ll reminisce on this moment and wonder if he hurt Kuroko.
But in the present, Kuroko just clung onto Akashi like a lifeline, and continued to do so until Akashi had to go because his maid was calling him. Before he left, he softly high-fived the puffy-eyed boy.
“I’ll be back as soon as possible.”
After that visit, Akashi would almost always bring a gift or flowers for his friend.
It would be about three months from Akashi and Kuroko’s first meeting for Akashi to finally manage to sneak the blue-haired boy out of the clinic. He couldn’t walk fast, nor walk long distances, but luckily, Akashi was just taking him across the street to a park. His attendant for the day had been ordered to look in the other direction, or else he would be hearing from Akashi’s parents, so the poor man had no idea that his charge was smuggling a sick boy out of a clinic to show him…
“Basketball…?” Kuroko repeated, slowly, as if the word was completely foreign. Considering the lack of a TV in his room, maybe it was. Akashi now knew that he rarely left his room. “What’s that?”
Akashi smiled, his expression more enthusiastic than normal. He truly did love basketball; a passion he had gained from his mother. He was excited to share it with his best friend. He knew he shouldn’t push Kuroko too hard since he was so fragile, but he wanted to at least show him the sport he loved.
“Yes, you play with this,” he held up an orange basketball, “by dribbling it on the court, which means to bounce it up and down.” He demonstrated it for Kuroko, who watched with wide-eyed fascination. Feeling both smug and happy about his interest, Akashi continued. “There are ten players, five on each team. I’ll explain positions another time. The goal is to score the most points, and you score points by shooting into the other team’s basket.” Akashi shot from the two-point range, and Kuroko clapped loudly when the ball went in. Akashi smiled in triumph.
“Wow, that’s amazing, Akashi-kun!” He praised, his voice excited. Akashi picked up the ball and then turned to Kuroko.
“I’ll explain the other details later, but do you want to try playing?” When Kuroko nodded eagerly, Akashi chuckled and walked over to him. “Okay, so the first thing we should do is work on your dribbling…”
Kuroko was quite horrible at it, and the ball kept flopping out of his hands. But every time he looked discouraged, Akashi would tell him not to feel down. After all, he just needed some practice.
Even with the redhead’s help, the blue-haired boy was unable to master dribbling in the short time they had together. “Akashi-kun, I think I…” Kuroko trailed off, swaying on his feet. Akashi quickly grabbed a hold of his shoulders before he could fall over.
“Are you okay?” He asked, concerned. He pressed his forehead against Kuroko’s, but it didn’t feel too warm. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was still okay. He was probably just tired. Though it hadn’t been long, Akashi was well aware that the boy had little to no stamina because he was always in bed. And, from one visit, Akashi also knew he didn’t eat much, claiming just a little food made him full.
“I’m… I’m okay…” Kuroko nodded a little, his forehead bumping against Akashi’s. The redhead smiled fondly at his hazy ocean eyes, and he left the basketball on the court in favor of offering his back to Kuroko. Too tired to protest, the blue-haired boy weakly clawed his way onto Akashi’s back, and the redhead had to help him up since he was so exhausted.
A few people wondered why a boy with blazing red hair was carrying a small blue-haired boy, but a deadly glare from the redhead at their approach immediately deterred them and they left it alone. Akashi was able to carry Kuroko back to the clinic with no interruptions. A feat some might be impressed by, but Kuroko was very light, and Akashi was strong enough for his age, so it wasn’t really a big deal.
Akashi tucked Kuroko in, making sure he drank some water. After he was sure Kuroko was ready to sleep, they did their usual tradition of high-fiving each other. Though, this time, Akashi said something different.
“Sweet dreams, Tetsuya.”
Kuroko smiled sleepily before waving, and then Akashi was gone and Kuroko was asleep.
Two years passed by, and they were both now seven. Supposedly, no one discovered Akashi’s escapades with Kuroko, but both had the feeling that Kuroko’s regular nurse and doctor and Akashi’s mother knew what was happening. If they did, though, they ignored it and let them continue on, only with a vague reminder to make sure Kuroko wasn’t hurt playing with Akashi.
Akashi wouldn’t allow that to happen, of course.
Instead of being good at dribbling or shooting, Akashi had discovered Kuroko was very good at passing. That, combined with his fascination with magic, made up something Akashi called ‘misdirection.’ When, one day, a couple of bullies wanted to steal the court from them and they were unable to negotiate peacefully, Kuroko showed off his polished form that he had been practicing with just Akashi for so long. It was completely different with two other people, and Akashi couldn’t help feeling proud of Kuroko for how much his talents had bloomed. Those two never came back to the park, and before they left that time, they were shouting about magic. Akashi had outright laughed while Kuroko stifled a chuckle.
Akashi loved and savored every moment he spent with Kuroko. They were best friends, and Akashi was very happy to have Kuroko in his life. He had other friends, but none of them were special like Kuroko. Sometimes, when he was thinking about him, his mother would have this strange secretive smile on her face, and he thought that was weird, but she never said why she smiled like that.
It was raining one day when Akashi left to visit Kuroko. He didn’t mind the rain, really, as long as he got to see his friend. As he was crossing the street from the park to the clinic, a car suddenly came screeching down the road, and Akashi was barely able to scramble out of its way. The car let out a loud honk and didn’t even bother to stop to check if Akashi was alright.
Akashi had ended up diving for the curb on the clinic’s side of the street, and now he was wincing and trying to push himself off the wet ground. That rude— Akashi’s thoughts were cut off by a frantic voice he instantly recognized. The street was right in front of his room, after all.
Kuroko had ungracefully fallen out of his window when he saw Akashi fall, and now he was racing over to Akashi side, in only his flimsy sweatpants and loose shirt the clinic provided for him. “Akashi-kun!” He called again, his voice laced with panic as he skidded on his knees to a stop next to Akashi. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” He asked, his voice gradually getting louder.
Akashi had been too dumbfounded by Kuroko running to his side to finish getting up, but the rising panic in his voice snapped him back to reality. “I’m okay,” he quickly reassured Kuroko, pushing himself onto his knees—which ended up being a bloody mess. His hands, too. Ah, so that’s why they hurt when he pushed himself up. Kuroko’s eyes widened at the blood. “Oh—this is nothing.” He didn’t want Kuroko to worry about him, but it was too late.
“It’s not nothing!” Kuroko suddenly burst out, and the anger that was suddenly present in his tone and expression surprised Akashi into silence. Kuroko was shaking, and he refused to meet Akashi’s eyes as he balled his hands into his shirt. “I can’t believe you…” He muttered, and before Akashi could try to fix whatever he had done to set Kuroko off, the blue-haired boy was already leaving.
He didn’t go far, which Akashi was secretly thankful for because he couldn’t chase Kuroko in his current condition. Kuroko picked up his fallen umbrella and closed it with a snap before lacing the small thing’s strap onto his wrist. Next, he bent down and helped Akashi to his feet.
Akashi felt guilty having to rely on his small, fragile friend, but Kuroko didn’t voice a complaint once. Even when they arrived at Kuroko’s window and the sickly boy had to get down and practically be a stepstool for the redhead to get into the room, he didn’t complain. Kuroko followed shortly after Akashi collapsed on the bed, and the blue-haired boy closed the windows. The bed was already wet from rain blowing inside.
Both boys were soaked to the bone, but Kuroko didn’t spend years inside the clinic without learning some things. “First, let’s get you out of your wet clothes,” Kuroko mumbled as he slid off the bed and then reached forward to help Akashi into a sitting position on the bed. Apparently, Akashi had managed to scratch up his legs, too. Great.
As Akashi lifted his arms so Kuroko could peel off his sticky shirt, he happened to look down and saw that Kuroko’s pants were torn at the knee, and he was bleeding too. “Tetsuya, did you injure yourself when you came to help me?” He demanded, upset. Kuroko didn’t even pause as he tossed Akashi’s wet shirt into a corner.
“Yes, now take off your pants, too. You can leave on your undergarments,” he said with a dismissive tone, leaving Akashi to his own devices as he searched for the medical supplies in the cabinets. But, first, he washed his hands at the small sink in his room.
“Don’t just say ‘yes’! You should’ve been more care—“
“Akashi-kun, I told you to do something.”
Akashi blinked at the steely tone in Kuroko’s voice. He had never heard that out of the generally cheerful boy before. What had he done to cause this sudden change in his friend? Maybe he should just listen to what he says, and then he’ll tell him why.
After Akashi had kicked off his pants, Kuroko returned with the medical supplies and a towel. “Dry yourself off,” he commanded as he tossed the towel to Akashi. The redhead did as he said, but he noticed that Kuroko didn’t change out of his clothes.
“Aren’t you going to change out of your wet clothes?” Akashi asked as Kuroko sorted out his supplies.
“In a bit. Okay, I need to clean your injuries first. Please steel yourself.”
Akashi grimaced the whole time Kuroko was cleaning his injuries, and he breathed a sigh of relief after the ordeal was over. Kuroko then applied some medicine to help the wounds heal before bandaging everything. Once Akashi’s legs, knees, and hands had been bandaged, Kuroko left the room, and when he came back, he had fresh clothes.
“I don’t think Mishima-san believed me when I said that I opened the window and got soaked,” Kuroko commented as he gave Akashi a pair of pants and a sweatshirt. Akashi gratefully accepted them, since he was getting cold even with a towel and Kuroko’s dry blankets around him.
“Probably not, with the state your knees are in.” While Akashi pulled on his clothes, Kuroko discarded his own and then dried himself off with another towel. He sat down on the bed to do a quick cleanup and bandaging on his knees, and then pulled on his own new clothes.
After Kuroko had thrown his wet blankets in a corner, the boys were left in tense silence. Akashi was waiting for Kuroko to explain himself, or maybe even get mad at him again, but the blue-haired boy just stared at the wall opposite his bed.
After realizing that Kuroko wouldn’t initiate the conversation, Akashi did it. “Tetsuya… why did you explode like that earlier? I… I’ve never seen you like that.” Akashi had known him for over two years, and he had never seen Kuroko angry. Not once. When Kuroko continued to stare at the wall, Akashi tried again. “Was it because I dismissed my own injuries? If it is, I just didn’t want to worry—”
“It’s partly about that,” Kuroko cut Akashi off, startling the redhead into silence. “I don’t like you pretending that your injuries aren’t a big deal for my sake, especially if I can see them and see how bad they are.”
Akashi looked away guiltily, and because of that, he missed the change in Kuroko’s expression. His face softened and became more vulnerable, and a shimmer appeared in his eyes. “But it’s something else, too,” Kuroko continued in a soft voice, inching closer to Akashi. “When… when I saw that car speeding toward you, I…”
Akashi looked back at Kuroko and saw how he was now wavering, and he was shaking again. “I… I was really young, so I don’t… I…” He stuttered, trying to convey his thoughts, but his throat was tight and clogging up his words. Kuroko inhaled shakily, curling his fingers into his sheets. “But… sometimes I remember… tires squealing… people screaming… And I… If you had gotten hit…”
Pieces clicked into place. For a long time, Akashi had been aware that Kuroko’s parents were not in the picture, though he hadn’t known why. When a loud car passed by the window, Kuroko would visibly flinch. And sometimes, Kuroko hesitated before crossing the street, as if there was bad memory he associated with it.
Akashi wasn’t sure how to deal with this. He was still pretty young and inexperienced, but he wanted to do something for his friend. In the end, all he could think to do was wrap his arms around Kuroko, and the smaller boy practically melted in his arms, all the fight leaving his body in an instant. His frame was wracked by sobs.
“Couldn’t do anything… The car was out of control… My parents shoved me across the street, and someone caught me… My parents didn’t… they didn’t…” Kuroko sobbed, burying his face in Akashi’s chest. Seeing his friend so distressed made Akashi start crying, too.
“I’m so sorry about your parents,” Akashi whispered, slowly lying back against Kuroko’s pillows so that they didn’t have to sit up. Akashi hesitated, still unsure of how to go about this, so he just listened to his instincts. “I’m so sorry, but I’m still here. I wasn’t hit by that car. We promised that we’d be friends forever, right? I’m not going to break my promise. I’m fine, Tetsuya.”
They had made that promise. Yes, they had. Kuroko cried harder, clinging to Akashi because he was his lifeline.
“Please don’t leave me.”
In the summer of their third year knowing each other, Kuroko was inexplicably whisked away to somewhere far away, and no one told Akashi where that place was. His mother was gone, and Akashi was sure that she would have told him had she been alive. The doctors and nurses were apologetic and said that they could not disclose the information. And Akashi’s father was unwilling to help him because he thought it would interfere with his studies.
In the summer, Akashi broke his first promise.
In the summer, Kuroko lost his lifeline.
It had been ten years since then.
Akashi was now graduating from high school. He had led quite the successful life, being on top of everyone else in both basketball and academics. He would go to a good university and live out the rest of his life as someone to be stared upon and admired.
Even so, Akashi was not happy.
He had never been able to find his childhood friend, and as the years ticked on by, he lost hope. He cursed the world for taking both his mother and Kuroko away from him, and he became bitter. It never quite showed, but he was no longer the person that smiled and laughed along with a sickly boy in a clinic.
Cold. Ruthless. That’s how one might describe the present Akashi.
With heterochromatic eyes, one red and one gold, and crimson hair, Akashi was quite the sight to behold, without even really considering how good-looking he was. Adding his talent in so many fields, he was quite the catch.
And yet, he never dated anyone, nor did he acquaint closely with anyone.
Well, that was half of a lie. There were four people he associated with often enough for them to be called ‘friends’: Kise Ryouta, Midorima Shintarou, Aomine Daiki, and Murasakibara Atsushi. They had gone to the same middle school, become a group called the Generation of Miracles, and then faced off against each other in high school. Akashi still remained on his throne at the top; whereas, all the others had been toppled over. Akashi knew he should be proud of his lossless record, but he wasn’t. He might strive for perfection, and hell, regularly achieve it as expected of him, but that wasn’t what he wanted.
Even after ten years, all he wanted was to see Kuroko again.
He was currently at his graduation party, bored to death, though it didn’t show on his face. He and the other Miracles conversed nicely enough, but they were the only ones who interested him at this party. Everyone else was just background noise.
“Atsushi, do not eat all of the snacks,” Akashi reprimanded, causing the purple-haired giant to pause in his consummation of everything in sight. Murasakibara grumbled, but he dared not speak against Akashi, and he lumbered off to a different area, where he would probably try to steal more food. Akashi sighed but didn’t bother chasing him. He was perfectly fine sitting at the bar and drowning his sorrows in bowl after bowl of tofu soup. It reflected on how pathetic his life was when Akashi figured that tofu soup was the only thing that made him just a little happy at this point.
As Akashi was accepting yet another bowl of soup (he did not care if this was unhealthy), a voice called, “Midorima-kun, there you are,” and the redhead’s fingers promptly went slack, which caused the bowl to fall onto the bar counter, spilling its contents everywhere. Akashi really couldn’t care less; he was already whipping around to pinpoint the source of that different, but so familiar voice.
The green-haired man that person had called out to abruptly turned around in disbelief, eyes wide. “What—I told you to stay at the hospital, nanodayo!” He yelled, clearly upset. “Why do you insist on disobeying me, Kuroko?”
Akashi stopped breathing.
Kuroko materialized from the crowd, wearing a white sweater over a blue shirt and black pants. He looked uncomfortable in the noisy environment. His blue hair was longer than Akashi remembered, but changes were expected at this point. Even so, his hairstyle was still basically the same. His ocean blue eyes were the same as ever, but there was a veil in front of them now, protecting his emotions from the world. He had grown, of course, but he was still relatively short, and his frame was still small and fragile, like a bird’s.
“Midorima-kun, I told you that I’m fine. Besides, it’s your graduation party, and I didn’t want to—”
“Tetsuya?”
The name had escaped Akashi’s lips, unbidden, and the redhead was suddenly inhaling much needed air. Both Kuroko and Midorima turned to him at that, but as soon as Kuroko saw him, his eyes widened, and that veil was gone, revealing a flurry of emotions: shock, disbelief, happiness, hope.
“A… Akashi-kun?” He whispered back, as if he was hardly daring to believe this was real. Honestly, Akashi couldn’t believe it either, but Kuroko was really right in front of him, he was right there…
And so Akashi did the only logical thing he could do at this point.
He launched himself out of his seat and pulled Kuroko in by the arms, slamming their frames into each other so fast that it made both of them breathless. Neither cared. Kuroko immediately wrapped his arms around Akashi, beginning to tremble like on that rainy day.
Midorima watched in disbelief as his former captain, one of the most ruthless people he knew, and his (not) friend, one of the most stoic people he knew, both broke down in tears just by hugging each other.
“This is real. Oh, please tell me this is real,” Kuroko whispered, voice broken with quiet sobs. “Please don’t let this be a dream.”
“I want this to be real,” Akashi mumbled back, his nose buried in Kuroko’s soft hair. “If this isn’t real, I will go to a backwater university.”
Kuroko chuckled, but it was a weak sound. “So that’s how we know it’s real. Akashi-kun can’t possibly go to a backwater university.”
Akashi just tightened his grip on Kuroko.
The strangest thing happened when Akashi was hugging Kuroko, and witnesses would say it was such a weird occurrence that they didn’t believe their eyes. It was the light playing tricks on them. But the tears falling from Akashi’s left eye seemed to blur the gold into red, and when Akashi closed his eyes and then opened them, both of his eyes were completely red.
It was almost like something that had caused him to fracture was returned to him, and his two personalities were healed back into one.
But that was a far-fetched story… right?
A gasp interrupted their reunion. “Akashicchi is hugging someone and crying!” A certain annoying blond shouted in disbelief, and was followed by some sort of disbelieving noise from Aomine and the sound of Murasakibara dropping his tray of snacks.
Akashi closed his eyes and lidded his anger and irritation at his reunion with Kuroko being interrupted. He was not looking forward to introducing his precious friend to these idiots that had somewhat filled in for him (though, no one could ever replace Kuroko).
Akashi reluctantly began to let Kuroko go, but the blue-haired boy hung onto him, stubbornly. “I don’t want to let you go,” he murmured, and if Akashi had been a lesser man, he would have melted on the spot. Instead, he smiled fondly; he didn’t want to let Kuroko go, either, but they had some things to take care of.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Miracles gaped at that smile; they had never seen Akashi sincerely smile even once.
Akashi wiped away his tears with his sleeve, but he couldn’t regret crying because he was just too happy that he had Kuroko with him again. He allowed Kuroko to keep hugging him as he addressed his friends—Midorima first. “Shintarou—no, Midorima,” he amended. Kuroko was a different case than the rest of his friends; he only called his friends by their first names as a reminder that he was more elevated than them. He did not call them by their first names for an innocent reason, so he would call them by their last names from now on. “How do you know Tetsuya?”
After getting over his momentary surprise of being addressed by his surname, Midorima cleared his throat and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I know him because he’s been staying in the hospital my father works at for the past ten years. We’ve tried to convince him to stay in our home, even if it would be crowded, but he refuses, and he needs someone to look after him, so he’s been staying in the hospital this whole time, nanodayo. How do you know him?” He asked, just a bit suspicious.
How cruel. Kuroko was just a few kilometers away this whole time (though it was obviously more than that when Akashi attended Rakuzan), yet Akashi had never learned that. As if to add insult to injury, just mentioning his name once to Midorima might have solved this whole thing. Akashi took a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh.
“He’s my childhood friend. We were very close.”
Before he could continue, Kise whispered, “So even Akashicchi can have one of those, huh?” Aomine was about to snort in agreement, but when Akashi glared at them, they both shut up.
“As I was saying,” he continued, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice, “we were very close. I visited him at least twice a week at the clinic he stayed at, and we even played basketball together when Tetsuya could manage. However, when we were eight, Tetsuya was suddenly moved out of the clinic, and no one told me where he was taken. As a result, we haven’t seen each other since.”
Kise looked a bit regretful now. “So sad,” he whimpered, dabbing at his eyes, and Akashi was internally grateful when Aomine whacked him over the head. “Ouch! So mean!”
Kuroko finally released Akashi, wiping away his tears. When he was done, he frowned at the redhead. “Is that why you didn’t visit? I thought it was something like that, but…” He trailed off, looking to the side.
Akashi was quick to correct him. “Yes, that’s why I didn’t visit. It’s not because I didn’t want to. I would have, if I could.” His red eyes dimmed a little. “I hope you can forgive me.”
Kuroko’s eyes widened, along with the rest of the Miracles’. “Of course I’ll forgive you,” Kuroko assured hastily, but he hesitated a moment later. “But… I wish I had mentioned you to Midorima-kun. Maybe he could have helped us meet, since it seems that you two are friends as well.” He seemed even more hesitant as he asked the next question. “Akashi-kun, are you the person who beat Midorima-kun and his friends? The one who dethroned these Generation of Miracles I’ve heard about?”
Akashi knew there was no use in denying how ruthless he had been for all these years, so he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yes, I am. I haven’t lost once in middle school and high school.” When Kuroko’s eyes widened, awed, Akashi shook his head. “Don’t be amazed, Tetsuya. I’m not exactly proud of who I’ve been. I hope that… when I tell you what’s been happening… that you won’t be too horrified.” Akashi looked away, sighing once again. If he lost Kuroko again, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do. The first time had been bad enough.
Kuroko hesitantly inched forward, until he could grab one of Akashi’s hands. When the redhead looked at him in surprise, he just smiled a little and tried to tug him toward the exit. “I’m sure I won’t feel any different about you after we exchange stories. Though, I have nothing interesting to tell. But, how about we go somewhere else to catch up?” He seemed hopeful. Akashi recalled that he was uncomfortable with the loud party earlier.
Akashi let himself be tugged toward the door, leaving his gaping friends behind. “Are you asking me out on a date, Tetsuya?” He teased with a small smile, even though his heart skipped a beat at the thought. Even after all these years, I think I…
Kuroko blushed slightly. “Akashi-kun, you’re ruining everything,” he pouted, which made Akashi chuckle and catch up to him in order to lean down and kiss the top of his head. Kuroko jumped in surprise. “Akashi-kun…?”
Yes, I definitely love you. I know that now.
“Nothing,” he hummed in reply, intertwining their fingers together. “Shall we go?”
Kuroko managed a shy smile through the embarrassment, and he nodded just a little. “Okay. But can we…?”
Instinctively knowing what he wanted, Akashi raised his other hand. With a silly little chuckle, Kuroko high-fived Akashi, and then they both shared a smile that spoke of smaller hands and promises and wind blowing through a window.
“So… forever?”
“Yes… forever.”
Just maybe not as best friends.
Just maybe… as lovers.