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“I wasn’t expecting Kagami-kun to be this complicated.”
“...Excuse me?”
Kuroko could feel the tilt of a pout curl on his lips, but couldn’t will himself to stop it. Not when something so serious had been weighing on his mind, gnawing his thoughts with such importance that it had actually kept him awake last night, racking his brain for a hopeful idea.
“I’ve been trying to figure it out on my own, but you’ve left me with no choice but to ask.”
A tilt of a head and an arch of a brow, waiting.
“What would you like for your birthday, Kagami-kun?”
Kagami snapped up from his place on Kuroko’s lap, dislodging his hand from red hair and leaving Kuroko staring at him curiously. He scowled, like he normally did when Kuroko embarrassed him, and Kuroko knew from experience that a red flush would bloom on his cheeks shortly after, followed by a stuttered protest.
Sure enough, once his cheeks matched his hair, he yelled, “D-Don’t worry about that, idiot!”
It was the end of July, with the second day of August drawing ever closer, and Kuroko wanted to retort that it was impossible not to worry about it, that he’d been worrying about one of the most beloved days of his life, the day his precious light had been born, for weeks now. He’d already tried to brainstorm gift ideas, observed Kagami until even the redhead noticed something was up, and then he even texted Himuro, asking if there was anything Kagami had asked for recently.
All to come up with nothing. Not even the barest hint of a present that he could give his boyfriend. Kagami made it particularly difficult, since he never asked for anything, never acted as if he wanted for anything, and seemed to be content with everything in his life. It made gift-giving a very challenging process on Kuroko’s end.
Kuroko opened his mouth to explain to Kagami that there was much to worry about, only to be cut off by more of Kagami’s fussing. “Really, don’t worry about getting me anything! There’s no need for us to celebrate or anything, it’s not imp—”
Kuroko frowned, little wrinkle between his eyebrows appearing, and pinched Kagami’s mouth shut with his finger and thumb, effectively silencing him from whatever blasphemy he was going to say.
“Kagami-kun, I understand if you don’t find your birthday of importance, but the day that you were born into this world is very important to me.”
Kagami blinked, then a blush began to darken his cheeks again. He mumbled protests around Kuroko’s fingers, but Kuroko continued.
“That’s why I’m asking, Kagami-kun, please let me celebrate the birthday of the person I love.”
A strong hand snatched his wrist, pulling his fingers off Kagami’s mouth, and Kagami inhaled deeply, ready to launch into another bout of objections. But then he stopped, red eyes staring down into Kuroko’s blue, and apparently saw something there that flustered him.
He opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened again. Then closed.
Then he eventually groaned. “F-fine! We can celebrate. But nothing big or anything, okay?”
Kuroko smiled. “Of course not, Kagami-kun. You never answered me as to what you would like though.”
He glanced off, eyes trailing over the wallpaper of his apartment as if it caught his attention. A pink dusted over his face, and Kuroko could see him chewing the inside of his cheek.
“Just, um…spend the day with me?”
A long pause, in which Kuroko just stared at him unblinkingly. Then, “That’s it?”
“Y-yeah, that’s all I really want. I just want to spend the day with you.”
Kuroko felt another pout cross his face. It just…didn’t seem like enough. Kagami had done so much for him, gave him a reason to smile every single day and practically spoiled him rotten, that it seemed like such a little thing in comparison. Kuroko wanted to make Kagami feel as special as Kagami made him feel, wanted him to have the best day of his life and go to sleep with the biggest smile on his face. So just spending the day together, just Kuroko’s little presence, didn’t seem like it would do that.
But if that’s what Kagami-kun wanted…
“Okay, Kagami-kun, we’ll spend the whole day together. We’ll do whatever you wish,” Kuroko said, patting his lap as an invitation.
Kagami beamed, a crack of teeth glinting it was so large, then kissed Kuroko’s temple messily before curling back up in his lap. He tugged Kuroko’s hand until it was resting on his head again, sliding through the red strands.
“Thanks, Kuroko.”
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
Kuroko woke up to lips pressing all over his face, large hands smooshing his cheeks together, and he groaned with sleep lacing his voice. A deep chuckle echoed in his ear as the lips moved there, mouthing at his earlobe.
“C’mon, Kuroko. You’re the one who said to wake you up early so you can jog with us.”
He didn’t bother opening his eyes, just lightly whacked at the side of Kagami’s head. “I thought it might be at a more decent hour, Kagami-kun. Maybe when the birds aren’t so unbearable.”
Kagami reached under his shirt, in a size that was Kagami-large on his small frame, and tugged at the waistband of his boxers. “And I thought you might actually go to bed at a decent hour. You don’t have to go, you know.”
Kuroko stretched, reaching his arms above his head and arching his spine with a crack, as Kagami’s hand trailed up his torso, fingers dancing across his collarbone. He finally managed to crack one blue eye open. “If Kagami-kun doesn’t stop touching me like that, I’m afraid he won’t be going either.”
A booming laugh and Kagami lightly pinched at Kuroko’s neck before sitting up on the edge of the bed, the muscles in his back rippling as he stood to his feet. He stretched and groaned loudly, back curving in a way that had Kuroko opening his other eye just to trace down his vertebrae. Kagami peeked back at him, a smirk making his mouth lopsided.
“But if we both go, then we can take a shower when we get back.”
Kuroko scurried off the bed, arms immediately wrapping around Kagami’s waist and plastering himself to his back, before they started an odd sort of waddle around the bedroom. Kagami picked up clothes as they went, dislodging Kuroko to casually dress himself and then Kuroko with minimal morning protest. The last thing he grabbed was the leash off the dresser, the clink of it making Nigou bark in excitement on the other side of the door.
A large hand raked through Kuroko’s awful bedhead, trying to smooth the messy spikes, and Kuroko yawned before planting a sloppy kiss in the hollow of Kagami’s cheek. “Happy birthday, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami paused in his movements, fingers stilling in his hair, and then smiled, soft and unguarded and gentle. “Thanks. Now let’s go before Nigou leaves without us.”
Even though it was morning, Kuroko had to admit it was still nice, jogging down to the river with just the three of them, breath sharp in the crisp air and dew clinging to the laces of their shoes. And Kagami had to stop and haul him back up from nearly falling asleep mid-stride only once.
“May I have eighteen cheeseburgers, please?”
The lady behind the cash register stared at Kuroko, eyes wide, then slowly glanced between him and Kagami. She opened her mouth, but Kagami quickly cut her off, grumbling, “And I’ll have a vanilla milkshake.”
Kuroko frowned at Kagami from the corner of his eye. “I thought I said it was my treat today, Kagami-kun.”
“No, you said my food was your treat today. You never said anything about the milkshake.”
He pouted. “That’s not fair.”
Kagami arched one eyebrow at him. “Would you rather me pay for the cheeseburgers like I wanted to?”
Kuroko quickly grabbed his wallet out before Kagami could, handing the money over to the cashier, who had apparently now accepted that Kagami and Kuroko had simply switched their usual orders rather than the world ending, and began to gather their food.
Eating lunch at Maji Burger certainly wasn’t anything special to them. It was something they did nearly every day in some form or another, even if it was just grabbing something to go, but Kagami had insisted that this be where they stopped and had lunch. He was even going to pay for his own food like usual before Kuroko claimed that it was his responsibility today, no matter how much Kagami’s large meal cost.
They gathered their burgers and shake from the cashier, her telling them to enjoy their meal, then took their seat in front of the windows. Kuroko placed each burger one at a time over on Kagami’s tray, counting them out loud.
“…Fifteen, sixteen, seventeen.”
Kagami snorted, stabbing a straw into the milkshake. “Did you really get me one burger for each year of my life?”
He placed the last one on top of the small burger tower he was building. “And one to grow on,” Kuroko said.
Kagami took a sip of the shake, slurping loudly and chewing a little on the straw, before handing it over to Kuroko. He then took the eighteenth burger and put it back onto Kuroko’s tray. “I think you need to grow more than I do.”
“How rude, Kagami-kun. After I paid for your birthday meal and everything.”
“You’ll live,” he said, then reached and ruffled Kuroko’s hair, wildfire grin growing on his face. “Thanks, by the way.”
Even though it wasn’t anything special, Kuroko had to admit it was still nice, stealing bites of Kagami’s burgers just so Kagami would steal sips of his milkshake, fingers salty as they jabbed each other with fries. And they managed to make only a minor mess, a crooked ketchup heart drawn over Kagami’s fries.
“Please don’t hold back, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami dribbled in front of him, basketball bouncing on the hot concrete of the street court, and smirked. “When do I ever hold back?”
Kuroko tried to keep up with Kagami’s speed, but even after all their extra practice and his gained ability to actually shoot, he still wasn’t much of a match. If anything, playing against Kagami seemed to become even more difficult, since Kagami was so aware of him now that misdirection didn’t work on him anymore unless he was greatly focused on something else. But Kuroko tried his best, even as Kagami practically jumped over him and dunked the ball through the hoop.
Kuroko bent over, hands on his knees, and panted, “I let Kagami-kun have the first point.”
Dribbles followed over to where he was, Kagami chuckling as he approached. “You let me, huh?”
He nodded, vaguely gesturing in Kagami’s direction. “It is your birthday after all.”
Kagami burst into a laughing fit, his tiger roars loud and echoing across the court, causing Kuroko to smile in response to such a happy sound. If Kuroko had to pick a favorite sound in this world, Kagami’s laugh would be close to the top of the list, especially since he did it like he did so many things: completely free and unrestrained.
“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for that birthday shot.” Kagami tossed the ball and Kuroko heard the familiar swish of net behind him. “You wanna play for a bit more and then go home?”
He turned and grabbed the ball before Kagami could run around him, bouncing it while staring into dark red eyes. A sense of comfort and ease drifted over him, like it usually did when he and Kagami played casually like this, and he smiled. “Yes. But please don’t get mad if I beat you on your birthday, Kagami-kun.”
Even though he lost by a landslide, Kuroko had to admit it was still nice, Kagami set against the background of a blushing sky, the clouds bleeding purple and pink hues, while the redhead jumped as if he were made to be part of the atmosphere. And Kagami didn’t even have to piggyback him off the court like he usually did.
“Please wait here, Kagami-kun.”
His boyfriend paused in the entryway, still in the process of taking off his shoes, and blinked in confusion after him. Kuroko had run in before him, yanking off his shoes and then lining them up neatly before dashing on through to the living room. Kagami chuckled, seeing how serious Kuroko was about this, and called after him, “Yeah, sure.”
Kuroko set his grocery bag on the counter in the kitchen, grabbing all the things he needed as he went. After their entire day, after spending the whole of Kagami’s birthday together, Kuroko still felt as if it wasn’t special enough, even if it’s what Kagami had asked for. They didn’t do anything they normally wouldn’t, nothing out of the ordinary.
So he insisted on one final stop at the store, making Kagami wait outside and then refusing to let him peek inside his one little plastic bag he brought out.
He arranged what he needed swiftly, and then peeked back out into the entryway, where Kagami stood observing their umbrellas. “Will you please close your eyes?”
Kagami snorted but shut his eyes, glancing in Kuroko’s general direction. “What are you up to, idiot?”
Kuroko walked over to him carefully, balancing the plate, until he stood in front of him. “You’ll see. You can open your eyes.”
Red eyes blinked open and glanced down to where Kuroko held out a little store-bought cupcake, orange and black icing decorating the top like a basketball, and a single lit candle stuck in it. Kagami stared and stared, his jaw swinging open, then looked between Kuroko and the cupcake. He made a low noise in his throat, but no words came out, and Kuroko was suddenly unsure about this whole idea. But he steeled himself and held the cupcake further out, smiling.
“Happy birthday, light of my life.”
Kagami made another noise, and Kuroko watched as a red flush creeped up his neck and over his face, steam almost spilling out of his ears. And then he unexpectedly burst out laughing, so loud that it vibrated in the small space, so much that little tears gathered in the corners of his eyes, and Kuroko was suddenly so sure about this whole idea that he started giggling too.
A deep inhale that puffed out Kagami’s cheeks, then he blew out the candle, his teeth showing with his grin. He took the cupcake from Kuroko, but instead of eating it like Kuroko thought he would, he set it aside carefully.
And then wrapped his arms around Kuroko, tugging him so close and squeezing him so tight that it knocked the breath out of him, but in such a warm way that Kuroko couldn’t mind. Kagami buried his face into light blue hair, nuzzling the soft strands, and his strong arms wound even tighter. When he spoke, his voice was light and airy, soft in a way that sent Kuroko’s heart racing into his throat.
“This was the best birthday of my life,” he whispered. “Thank you, Tetsuya.”
Kuroko felt his ears grow hot, a pink blush dusting across his cheeks in a way that only Kagami could make him do. He returned the hold, twining his arms around Kagami’s neck.
“It was nothing, Kagami-kun. I’m just happy that you were born and came into my life.”
They just stood there, holding each other and lightly swaying, Kagami humming happily under his breath. Kuroko could’ve stayed like that forever and been perfectly content with his life, could’ve stayed wrapped around Kagami and never regretted a thing, with a smile on his face.
However, he had one more present up his sleeve.
“But it’s not over yet, Kagami-kun.”
“…Huh? But, we did everything I wanted today.” Kagami pulled back to meet his eyes, confusion dancing in red.
“Yes, but I have one more present to give you.”
Kagami blinked, then squinted, suspicious. “You do?”
Kuroko summoned all his willpower and pulled away from Kagami’s body. Then popped the top buttons on his shirt. Kagami’s eyes widened as Kuroko reached for his belt, tugging it free and pulling it through the loops before yanking Kagami closer by his belt loops.
“I’m afraid it’s in the bedroom though, if you’d like to open it there, Taiga.”
Kagami didn’t wait for any more explanation and left the cupcake behind, picking Kuroko up into his arms and then running to the bedroom, their lips already melding together.
Even though they were both sore the next morning, Kuroko had to admit that it was the best day, Kagami waking him up with a lazy smile like he’d had the best night of his life, their skin brushing contrasting sparks and Kagami’s heart thumping under his ear as Kuroko curled closer to his firm warmth. And he couldn’t wait until Kagami’s birthday next year.
And the next year, and the next, and the next…