Chapter Text
God, it was so cold out today. Kagami almost wished he had listened to Aomine and worn a scarf, but that would have meant losing that argument. Besides, he was only going to the store, a short walk away, to pick up a few things.
But something about the cold seemed especially brutal today. It wasn't like it was snowing hard or anything; you could only see a few flakes falling now and then. It was just so bitterly cold. Kagami decided it was pointless to think about it any longer and let his mind wander to what he needed to pick up at the store.
Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That was top priority. It was both his and Aomine's favorite cereal, and they had run out this morning. He smiled, thinking of the look cashiers always gave Kagami as they scanned several boxes every couple of days. Sometimes there were as many as seven boxes being lugged home. But what were the two of the supposed to do? What better way to deal with being sore from the gym in the mornings than filling up on cinnamon-y goodness?
Kagami was so far lost in his thoughts he almost didn't hear the small cry or see the passing person collapse on the sidewalk beside him.
Quickly, Kagami knelt beside the fallen person. He could see now that it was a frail man.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned. The man only gave a weak groan in response.
As Kagami examined the man's face, he noticed they were about the same age. He also noticed that the man's lips were almost the same pale blue as his hair, presumably from the cold.
Kagami knew he needed help, to get out of the cold at the very least.
"Come here, I'll get you somewhere warm," he muttered as he helped the pale-haired man stand. Again, his words were only met with another weak moan. The guy was so weak he couldn't even hold himself upright.
Kagami wrapped his arm around the smaller man's waist. He had to support all of the man's weight, but this wasn't a problem because he was so light. He found himself wondering when the poor guy had eaten last. The red head began to head for home, all but dragging his frail companion along with him.
* * * * *
It didn't take long to get back to the apartment. Kagami opened the door with his free hand, no sooner having stepped inside when he heard Aomine call out.
"You're back already?"
Kagami walked into the living room and laid the now-unconscious man on the couch. He had groaned all the the entire way until about a block from the apartment building, where he actually passed out.
"Yeah, I kinda got distracted by something else," he called back.
"What do you mean 'distracted'? Did you fall and break something? Because that is just about the only excuse I'll take for not having my Toast Crunch—" he walked into the room and stopped in his tracks.
"What the hell Bakami?"
"Look, just go grab some blankets and I'll explain later."
Aomine eyed the male on the couch and walked out again. He returned a moment later with a stack of spare blankets and set them beside his red-headed roommate and took a seat in a cushioned chair a few feet away. He watched as Kagami wrestled to get the man's coat off, which the red-head thought was more difficult than it should have been because it was wet from where he had landed on the slush-covered sidewalk. Then Kagami piled the blankets over him.
"Do I get that explanation now?" Aomine asked. Kagami stepped away from the man on the couch and let out a breath, then gave him a run down on what had happened. When he finished Aomine sighed.
"So no Toast Cunch then, eh?" He grumbled, but Kagami knew he was more concerned about their guest than the cereal.
Kagami joined him then, leaning on the arm of the chair. Aomine leaned forward, his elbow on his knee and his chin resting in his hand, and together they silently watched the frail man. He appeared to be sleeping, and his lips had returned to their normal color.
Or what they assumed to be their normal color. The man was so pale they couldn't decide if it was because of the cold, if he was sick, or if he was just naturally that way. They argued quietly on this for a few minutes just for something to talk about before Kagami decided he couldn't just sit there. Watching the man sleep seemed too stalker-ish.
"I'm hungry," he declared, standing up.
"Me too. What're you making?" Aomine replied lazily.
Kagami thought for a moment. "Soup. Something easy for when he wakes up," he said, nodding at the lump in the blankets on the couch. Usually when Aomine assumed Kagami would be cooking for both of them he would get irritated and throw a smart remark back at him, but today was a little too preoccupied to engage in their usual good-natured bickering.
"Sounds good to me."
Kagami then headed to the kitchen. There wasn't a whole lot he could use since his trip to the store had been put on hold, but he figured that the soup didn't have to be anything fancy. Their guest would just need something warm and easy to eat when he woke up. He began getting ingredients together.
Ten minutes later Kagami was putting the soup on when he heard his roommate call, "Hey Bakami, I think our pal's waking up." He padded into the living room just as the man on the couch's eyes fluttered open. He watched as his bright blue eyes focused and filled with confusion.
"Hey, glad to see you're awake," Aomine said with a smile. The man's eyes followed his voice and fixed themselves on the navy-haired man. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a hoarse croak came out.
"Shit, you're probably thirsty as hell," Kagami realized.
He quickly went back into the kitchen. When he came back with a full glass of water Aomine was helping the man into an upright position. Kagami handed the water to the man and he drained it in a few gulps. He almost looked disappointed when it was gone.
"I'll get some more," Kagami gently took the glass from the man. He returned a moment later with the refilled cup and handed it back. This time their guest took smaller, more careful sips.
"So," Aomine spoke after a moment. "What's your name?"
Light blue eyes met navy ones.
"Kuroko," this was barely more than a whisper.
"Okay, Kuroko, how do you feel?"
"What happened?" Completely disregarding the question, Kuroko's gaze never wavered. His face was a combination of defiance and fear.
Aomine gave a soft chuckle. "I guess I'd better let you take this one, Bakami," he glanced up at the red head.
Pale blue eyes found Kagami's. They were intense and amazingly steady for someone who was so frail. He took a breath and quickly began to relay the story.
"Well, I was walking to the store and you just sort of, um, collapsed." Kuroko cast his eyes down at the glass in his hands. Kagami continued. "And of course I had to check to see if you were okay or not, though it was pretty obvious that you weren't. Okay, I mean," his face became one of confusion. He wondered now why no one else had stopped to help. It wasn't like collapsing people was a norm around this city. "I tried to talk to you, but you weren't exactly in any condition to be having a conversation. So I decided I'd bring you back here and help as best I can," Kagami glanced at Aomine. "As best as we can, I suppose," he corrected himself.
Kuroko's eyes bore into his own for a moment. Kagami could smell the soup as its fragrance swept into the room, reminding him that it needed stirred.
He stood to do so when he and Aomine were startled by a guttural noise of a stomach growling coming Kuroko. The small man visibly stiffened but didn't raise his head from he had let it hang again. Kagami and Aomine exchanged a glance.
"Um, I made soup," Kagami said, "It should be just about done." No response.
Aomine joined him as he headed to the kitchen. Kagami finished the soup and poured a bowl for Kuroko. Aomine followed him as he brought the bowl into the living room. Crouching in front of the pale haired man he silently held the bowl outstretched between them.
Kuroko peered at him through bangs that were hiding his pale face. Slowly, he raised his head and carefully took the bowl. As Kagami stood he remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, my name's Kagami, and that's Aomine," he pointed with his thumb to where the navy-haired man was leaning on the door frame to the kitchen. He gave a short wave in greeting. When Kagami returned his attention to Kuroko he smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kuroko."