Work Text:
From: Akashi-kun
“Kuroko, would you like to go out with me?”
A question so out of the blue it caught the normally expressionless, Kuroko, off guard. His face was a mixture of hope and confusion. Was this real? It wasn’t some joke or a prank, right? The text had arrived during practice, conveniently, when he had gone to his bag to get his sports drink, needing rehydration after Riko’s grueling practice. It was to get them ready for the next basketball tournament. Riko wanted them to win the next one, just as they did with the Winter Cup tournament.
When Kuroko had read the message, he had been frozen stiff, trying to decipher the message as if it was in some dead language. He wasn’t sure how long he was staring but Kagami had noticed after he was getting his own drink, coming alongside Kuroko and asking what was wrong. It had actually frightening him, as if Kagami was the one always appearing out of nowhere even though he was always there. He had dropped his phone, glancing at Kagami for a moment before quickly picking it up, checking for damage and hiding it away in his bag.
“It…it’s nothing.”
Kuroko had tried to quickly reply, realizing his voice came out a bit cracked and hesitant. Definitely didn’t sound like it was nothing now. Which it truely was not nothing. It was something. Something big.
“…Really?” Kagami could tell Kuroko was hiding something but luckily for Kuroko, he didn’t pry and just took it. “Hm…fine. Coach said to hurry up and get back…we have to clean up before we leave.”
“Right…I’ll be there in a bit.” Kuroko replied and with that, Kagami had gone back, leaving Kuroko alone with his phone and the text he had received. When he reached for his phone again, it had gone off.
Another message from Akaski.
“I apologize if this was so sudden. It was something that had been on my mind for quite some time after last year’s Winter Cup. I realized I had feelings for you, Kuroko. Something more than feelings for a friend and old teammate.”
Kuroko gulped, noticing his heart beating rapidly as he read this confession from his old middle school basketball Captain. The text ended there and he was about to reply after re-reading the message a couple more times when another text came in from Akashi.
“I will understand if you don’t feel the same way toward me and I will back down. If it is the case, I would like to continue staying friends with you, Kuroko.”
Kuroko was starting to feel out of character when he felt like he could stumble to hastily reply and say that he wasn’t rejecting Akashi. He realized that he might have taken quite a long time to try and even reply when he had gotten the first message. He had been staring at it for a while but he wasn’t sure how long since time had seemed to stop. Akashi might have waited in anticipation for a positive reply only to seem like he was getting ignored.
It was kind of cute, Kuroko thought, that his composed ex-captain was being insecure like this. He didn’t want to make him wait, though, and set about explaining his delay in giving him an answer and that he felt the same. He always had.
“I’m sorry, Akaski-kun. I was at practice. You caught me just after and I…was surprised to hear this confession from you. I’m glad, actually. I’ve felt the same toward you for a long time, I have to admit. But after everything from middle school well…”
He sent another message.
“I was hesitant since you had changed but…you’re back. I wanted to say something after the Winter Cup but I wasn’t entirely sure if you felt the same. I was waiting to see if there were any hints if you felt something toward me and I’m glad there is. I would love to go out with you, Akashi-kun.”
“That’s good…no that’s excellent to hear, Kuroko. I’ll call you in a little while, if that’s alright? I have some things to finish up. Just to let you know, I’m delighted to hear your reply.”
It had been 3 months since then; Kagami and everyone finding out a bit too quickly that Akashi and Kuroko were going out. Kagami just had to blurt it out during one of his one on ones with Aomine 1 week after finding out in the 3 weeks they had been going out. Then Aomine had to tell Kise about it, just to make him feel heartbroken because he got annoyed with Kise. Kise then just had to cry to Midorima that he lost his precious Kurokocchi to their ex-captain and it just went on from there…
Murasakibara more so found out about it through Akashi but he only told Himuro about it; who had no one to really tell about. Not that he felt the need to since he felt it wasn’t his right to.
It wasn’t that they were trying to hide it, in the first place. They just wanted a little more time before they told everyone the news, yet it was spread around like the latest hot gossip. There was nothing they could do now so they let it be.
During the 3 months they officially began dating, they had only got to see each other about every other weekend. With Akashi in Kyoto and Kuroko in Tokyo, it had become a bit of a long distance relationship. Riko was a bit opposed to it; seeing as Kuroko was dating “the enemy” as she put it but became more accustomed when Kuroko gave an oath to her that he wasn’t divulging any secrets about their plays.
They texted to one another each day and Akashi calling Kuroko about every night to listen to him about his day; which Akashi seemed interested in even though Kuroko didn’t feel like it was particularly interesting. He was happy, though. Akashi had told him that he enjoyed it and listening to his voice.
He would ask the same of Akashi, enjoying his voice just as much that he fell asleep to it one time and had explain to Akashi the next day that he didn’t mean to. Akashi didn’t mind and found it rather cute that his voice lulled his boyfriend to sleep.
Approaching their 4th month of dating, another tournament aside with unfavorable results for Seirin…Akashi and Kuroko had then gone to calling each other their given names. They felt comfortable enough for it but for Kuroko, it was almost a bit too intimate and had a bit of trouble with it, even over the phone.
“How was your day, Tetsuya? I hope Riko didn’t push you too hard. I would love for my boyfriend to still be breathing…”
“It wasn’t too bad. I managed, so don’t worry. School was like every other day. Ah, except Kagami-kun managed to actually get pretty good test scores. Everyone was surprised but we celebrated after practice. How about you, Akaski-kun?”
“Tetsuya, I would love if you called me by my given name.”
“Ah…sorry, I’m still trying to get used to it…”
“Mm, it’s fine. Old habits die hard, after all. But go on, say it. For me, Tetsuya.”
“…Sei…” Kuroko took a breath before letting it out, a slight pink appearing on his cheeks; grateful that Akashi wasn’t around to see it. “…Seijuurou…”
“Again.”
“…Seijuurou.”
“Once more.”
“…Seijuurou, please answer my question.”
A chuckle. One that always sent a chill down Kuroko’s spine in a good way.
“Sorry, Tetsuya. I just wanted to enjoy my name coming from your lips. Anyway, today was a bit hectic with our tests. Had to discipline Nebuya and Hayama for getting test scores lower than what I expected from them. 200 laps. They’re probably still running, hmm…”
“Just as harsh as ever…”
“That’s what is expected from Rakuzan’s captain. From me, precisely.”
“I still remember how you wouldn’t make us slack off after you became captain back at Teikou.”
“Of course. Just because Nijimura-san left didn’t mean practice was going to be any less harsh.”
“I…do miss those days. Not that I’m not happy with what’s going on now. Sometimes I wish things had gone differently during middle school…”
“If it had, then we might not be here, Tetsuya. Some things happen for a reason and they can change us for the better later down the road. We had lost our way but you saved us, Tetsuya. All of us. With your team, your resolve, your basketball. I’m grateful for that. Thank you, Tetsuya.”
“There’s…no need to thank me.”
“But there is. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here. That’s why I fell in love with you.”
Kuroko didn’t know what to say. Akashi was confessing all over again and it was making his heart beat too quickly and he swore it was loud enough for Akashi to hear it through his end.
He had explained earlier on in their relationship why he had fallen for Akashi; that he had fallen for him for bringing him meaning and a chance at playing the sport he loved so much. It was hard to let it all out even though he was normally so straight forward. A confession was a whole other matter.
Though, along the way, his feelings for his ex-captain had wavered when things grew dark, when Akashi had changed, had become the other Akashi that was nothing like the one Kuroko had fallen for. Not that Kuroko didn’t accept that side of Akashi, rather, he didn’t accept the feelings the other Akashi had about basketball.
Still, he clung to his feelings, hoping that Akashi would come back and the ideals that real Akashi had, would return. He did. During their Winter Cup final’s match.
To hear Akashi finally give his reasons for falling for him was almost a bit much. He was taking a while to calm his beating heart that Akashi had to ask if he was ok.
“I’m fine…honestly, Seijuurou. What took you so long to let me know your exact reasons for wanting to be with me?”
“Because I wanted to let you know when I would ask you about another matter.”
“Another matter?”
“Tetsuya, I’ve been thinking about this…about us. Since we began dating. That if we were to continue our relationship for years to come, which I will do everything in my own power to make you happy and content to stay with me, that we could perhaps move in together when we start college.”
“Akash–Seijuurou…that’s…”
“Would you not like to move in with me?”
“No…! I mean…yes. What I mean is…you’ve told me what college you would like to go to but…I’m afraid it would be out of my reach…”
Kuroko felt his hands shaking as he held his phone to his ear.
“Then I would help you study for it.”
“That’s not something I would look forward to. I love you, Seijuurou, but you can be a demon when it comes to these things…”
Akashi chuckled and Kuroko heard sounds of him moving on the other line before he spoke again.
“With you, Tetsuya, I would go a bit easier on you.”
“A bit…”
“It is something, Tetsuya. Besides, there are courses for teaching at elementary schools, kindergarten even, at the college I selected if that is enough to bait you. Advanced courses, of course. I know how much you would love to teach kids, Tetsuya.”
“Seijuurou, you…”
“I’m planning for our future, Tetsuya. Even though it is far from now, and even though a mishap could pose itself along the road to shake our relationship…I care that much about us…about you, Tetsuya.”
There was only silence coming on Kuroko’s end.
“Tetsuya?”
A sniffle before a shaky breath was let out.
“Sorry I was…I’m really happy. To think you would think…so much about the future with us.”
“Of course, I would. It’s because I love you, Tetsuya.”
“It’s still something I would like to think about…college is still a long way. That said I’m not rejecting the idea. I would like to live with you. The distance is starting to take its toll on me. I want you near me, Seijuurou. To see you in the morning or when I go to bed. The weekends we get together are nice but I want to see you everyday. So…it is something I would love to do.”
“I will think of seeing other alternative colleges if worse comes to worse, how does that sound? Perhaps a place close enough to your selected college and I will take to long commutes to mine.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“But I do, if it’s for you.”
“I love you, Seijuurou.”
A small silence and Kuroko could imagine the smile Akashi would always have whenever he told him how he loved the other in person on their weekend dates.
“I love you, too, Tetsuya.”
“We can talk more about this tomorrow, if that’s alright? It’s getting a bit late and I’m getting tired.”
“Of course. Good night, Tetsuya.
"Good night, Seijuurou.”
With that, Kuroko hangs up after he’s sure Akashi has nothing more to say and gets himself situated in bed, curling up in his sheets and smiling to himself about how wonderful Akashi has become; how much of a caring lover he is and thinks about their future. Kuroko couldn’t be any happier than he was now. That is, until they move in together. It would be a long way from that but for now he could enjoy the dates they would go on in the future.