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When you hang out with someone on daily basis you sometimes fail to realize how much that someone has grown over the years. Likewise, Kuroko seemed not to notice how much Nigou had grown over the past couple years; for the teal-haired boy his pet was still the little puppy he had found abandoned there years ago. For Kagami, however, it was evident that the husky was no longer a puppy, having gown impressively, reaching over 25 kg and being almost bigger than Kuroko when he stood on his hind legs. Nevertheless, Nigou still behaved like a happy little pup, and Kuroko and he were as inseparable as ever. Thus, it came with no surprise the scenario that Kagami found when he opened the front door.
From the corridor the red-haired boy could already hear Kuroko’s giggles, the same kind of breathless laugher he gave every time Kagami tickled him. Those giggles were sometimes muffled by Nigou’s loud joyful barks. It’s only a matter of time before the neighbors start complaining’, Kagami guessed as he rotated the key inside the door lock.
‘I’m home’, he announced with a smile on his face, feeling the reassuring warmth of his home embracing him after a long day.
Noticing Nigou’s tail wiggling happily on the corner of his eye, Kagami turned his head to find a very peculiar (but somehow not surprising) scenario – Kuroko was laying on the floor with a big smile on his face, eyes close to tears as he endlessly laughed, his giggles sweetly filling the living room. Beside him, Nigou leaped blissfully, ever the excited puppy, licking his owner’s face.
‘Kuroko, what the hell?!’, Kagami exclaimed, staring at both of them.
‘Kagami-kun’, Kuroko squeaked, a little startled. ‘I didn’t hear you coming in.’
‘I bet you didn’t’, Kagami agreed, looking into two very surprised pair of pale eyes. Nigou once again barked, this time at the new arrival, as if he was welcoming Kagami home. As the dog gave one step forward, maybe preparing one of his surprise attacks (or “hugs”, as Kuroko called them), Kagami warily stepped back. He had been around Nigou long enough to be used to his presence, but his huge size still left him uneasy. ‘What happened?’
‘Remember how I used to carry Nigou on my head all the time?’
‘Yes, of course’, Kagami nodded, still suspicious about the whole situation. There was no way he would forget the feeling of having two piercing light blue eyes staring at him. ‘What about it?’
‘Well, I was trying to find out if I could still put him there—’
‘What?!’, Kagami practically screamed, dumbfounded. Kuroko was not one to have such ludicrous thoughts, but… When you think you have heard it all!
‘Of course I wasn’t able to carry Nigou on my head’, Kuroko explained, as if he had just figured that out. ‘But unfortunately I was neither able to carry Nigou on my arms, or even pick him up.’
‘You don’t say! Have you already looked at him?’, Kagami asked, pointing a finger at the dog. Nigou, however, didn’t seem to fancy Kagami’s tone or attitude, for he stopped wiggling his once happy tail, and arrogantly turned his muzzle away from the red-haired boy.
‘What about him?’, Kuroko wondered, running his hand through Nigou’s thick black hair.
‘He´s huge! What are you feeding him?!’
‘Regular dog food’, Kuroko replied nonchalantly.
Kagami sighted and shook his head, walking over to his boyfriend that still sat on the floor.
‘Are you sure you’re not giving Nigou fertilizer or something like that?’, Kagami wondered with a half-crooked smile, holding out his hand. ‘He’s always growing!’
Kuroko looked up to Kagami and took his hand, getting back to his feet.
‘His breed is like that, Kagami-kun’, Kuroko pointed out, stealing a glance from Nigou, who sat nearby, attentively listening to their conversation. ‘It’s no big deal.’
‘It is!’, the red-haired boy exclaimed, gesticulating effusively. ‘It is literally a big deal. You used to walk around with him on your head, but now you could ride on his back as if he was a horse!’
Nigou yelped at Kagami’s remarks and turned his nose towards Kuroko, expectantly looking at him, as if he was waiting for his owner to defend him from Kagami’s ever so grumpy accusations.
‘That’s cruel, Kagami-kun’, Kuroko retorted. ‘He hasn’t grown that much; plus, he’s still a puppy! You should have seen the face he made when he realized I couldn’t pick him up anymore. Nigou gave me a hug so big I even fell to the floor. But he had such a sad look I couldn’t be mad at him.’
‘Poor thing’, Kagami mumbled, rolling his eyes. ‘But the question is, are you okay?’, he inquired, placing a fond kiss on top of Kuroko’s head, messing his smooth hair.
‘Yes, I am’, Kuroko answered in a nuzzled voice, his forehead resting on his boyfriend chest while his hand gently squeezed the hem of his t-shirt. ‘How was your day?’
‘It was good… the usual’, he said uninterestedly. Kagami was just glad he could be home again with Kuroko; that was always the best part of his day.
‘I’m taking Nigou for a walk, do you want to come along?’
As if he had understood Kuroko’s words Nigou barked energetically and got up from his bun, his happy tail wiggling once again, colliding with a thump against the leg of the nearby table (Kagami didn’t even want to imagine the amount of furniture the dog had already broken!).
‘I don’t have any other choice, do I?’, Kagami grunted. ‘Someone has to hold Nigou’s leash to prevent him from chasing other dogs; or cats; or balls; or cars; or people. He pretty much runs after everything, now that I think about it.’
‘I think I can handle my own pet just fine’, Kuroko reasoned, walking over to the entrance hall where Nigou’s leash was kept. Always a smart one, Nigou eagerly leaped towards Kuroko, ready for his usual walk.
As for Kagami, he was already in the vacant bedroom (the small messy room they used as a storage) looking for his basketball. If Kuroko was taking Nigou for a walk in the park (or maybe Nigou was the one walking Kuroko, who was stubborn enough to not let Kagami hold the dog’s leash) he might as well play some basketball at the park’s old court.
With his elbow on his knee and with his chin on his hand, Kagami was sitting on a garden bench, sulking like an infant. He had brought his basketball so that he could have a good time while Nigou ran like crazy chasing ducks across the park. However, as soon as Kagami had entered the basketball court and started blasting the ball against its rough floor, Nigou had sprinted like a cheetah towards the court, and stole the boy’s ball, guiding it away with his nose. Now all that was left for Kagami was glaring at the court where his boyfriend was playing with Nigou.
Kuroko was dribbling around the dog, slamming the ball up and down. Thrilled, Nigou followed the quick ball with his incisive eyes, barking blissfully at Kuroko’s every movement. The dog, however, in spite of his eagerness, was not as agile as the orange ball that, in his owner’s sharp hands, seemed to magically appear and disappear. Panting hard with his pink restless tongue flopping around, Nigou leaped all around the court, often raising his front legs, paws always trying to reach the ball while his long thick tail wiggled so fast it seemed nothing but a dark smudge.
‘Kagami-kun’, Kuroko called him from the court, wiping the sweat from his forehead. ‘Come and join us.’
‘No, thanks’, he declined once more. There was no way he was stepping into the basketball court with that huge dog bouncing around there. Kagami was actually surprised to see that the teal-haired boy was still standing on his feet, and not knocked over on the ground with Nigou drooling over his face.
Even thought Kagami had been looking forward to throw some balls at the rim, all he wanted to do now was to brood sitting in that uncomfortable wooden bench, permanently grimacing while Kuroko played with Nigou. But damn, they looked so happy! Especially Kuroko, always with a sweet smile on his lips, chuckling every time Nigou barked excitedly.
He knew Nigou for almost as long as he knew Kuroko. He remembered how Nigou always made Kuroko smile a little, even when the boy was feeling blue; how he used to peacefully lay at his feet while Kuroko and he cuddled while watching a movie; how he used to sit expectantly near their bed, waiting for one of them to get up; or even that one time when Kagami forgot the food on the stove and Nigou practically dragged him back to the kitchen before anything caught fire. As Kagami recalled all of this he eased up, and a small smile grew on his distracted face. Nigou was a part of the family. His family… their family.
A sudden growing noise awoke Kagami from his memories, jolting him back into the real world. As he noticed, his ball had bounced out of the basketball court, stilling near his feet. Kagami stretched his arm and reached out for the ball… but then he saw Nigou rapidly approaching, running madly towards him, his tongue flopping around on the side of his mouth, making him look like a silly puppy.
Instinctively, the red-haired boy withdrew his hand and stiffen his body. Intrigued by Kagami’s uneasy attitude Nigou stopped in his tracks and gave the boy an inquisitive stare. Apprehensive, almost sweating, Kagami lowered his eyesight and let his red eyes meet Nigou’s. There he was, his happy muzzle tilted to one side, ears folded in the middle, while those familiar eyes stared at him; always that peaceful look, ever bright and welcoming. Kagami recalled those were still the very same eyes of the helpless puppy he had met years ago (although they looked happier now). It was strange how immensely that dog had grown while his eyes remained innocent and youthful.
With a gentle whimper Nigou sluggishly advanced towards Kagami and, with careful moves, he pushed the orange with his nose, moving it closer to him, as if he was inviting the boy to play. Whining, almost begging, Nigou placed his paw over the ball and looked up to Kagami, barking again, hopefully.
Taking a deep breath Kagami unlocked his eyes from the dog’s and glanced at the court. There, Kuroko patiently awaited them with a fond countenance, paying close attention to their “conversation”. Rolling his eyes, Kagami let out a defeated sigh and got up from the bench, digging his hands out of his jacket pockets.
‘Okay, fine’, he mumbled at the dog, picking the ball from the ground. ‘Since you insist…’
Nigou barked twice, very pleased, running beside his second owner while he made his way to the basketball court.
‘Look who’s not afraid anymore’, Kuroko teased nonchalantly as soon as Kagami stepped into the court.
‘Who says I was ever afraid?’, Kagami replied stubbornly, cocking an eyebrow while he confidently spun the ball on his index finger.
‘I’m just glad you decided to join us.’
Kagami smiled and, glancing down at Nigou, he slowly and carefully stroked the dog’s shallow hairs with the tip of his fingers.
‘I was never one to back away from a challenge, was I? So, it’s time to see if you and this little guy here can handle me.’
Suddenly, when Kagami’s red eyes found Kuroko again, his boyfriend was surprisingly close, placing his agile hand over his chest. Standing on the tip of his toes, Kuroko leaned into Kagami (his sudden proximity juggling all of the thoughts in the taller boy’s head) and stole the ball from his hands… and a quick chaste kiss from his lips.
‘I’m pretty sure I can handle you, Kagami-kun’, Kuroko laughed as he ran away with the ball, leaving behind a rather flustered Kagami looking at a very amused Nigou.