Chapter Text
Kagami Taiga was known for a lot of things, at least 85% of which were basketball related. However, one thing that he was definitely not known for was thinking—his friends called him Bakagami for a reason. So when his offhand suggestion for what the team could do for the upcoming cultural festival was met with enthusiasm and approval, Kagami should have known that it was going to come back and bite him in the ass.
“This was a terrible idea” muttered the redhead, balancing a bundle of extension cords in one arm and several rolls of black tulle in the other.
“It was a brilliant idea, Kagami-kun. One of the very few you’ve had since I’ve met you. Now could you please hand me an extension cord?”
Nearly jumping out of his skin, Kagami glared down at his friend. Only Kuroko could manage to go unseen while completely covered in lit white Christmas lights.
“Yeah Kagami!” cried Koganei, stopping next to the pair while he unrolled thick rubber mats on the floor of the gym. “Thanks to you, we’re gonna be the group with the most profit this year!”
“Lord knows we need it since this one won’t stop yanking out hoops” grumbled Hyuga, placing a well-aimed fist to the top of Kagami’s head.
“Ow!” cried the redhead, dropping the extension cords to rub at was sure to become a rather nasty bump. “That was one time! Or two…well, three if you count—“
A shrill whistle blow cut him off.
“Less talking, more decorating!”
“Yes coach!” they all called out in unison.
Kagami sighed and trudged up to the balconies where Kuroko was already busy hanging lights.
“What do you think, Kagami-kun?” asked the shadow, plugging in the cord. “Does it look like it should?”
Scarlet eyes took in the rubber mat covered floor. The walls draped in dark fabric and shiny silver stars. The tables off to the side, just waiting to be covered in refreshments. The twinkling Christmas lights dangling from the balconies and the front of the stage. The rows of bleachers set against the far wall, specially brought in for the occasion. Kagami watched as his senpais finished hanging the large disco ball from the rafters and flicking off the gym’s lights to see if it worked properly.
Leaning against the guard rails, the redhead smirked. “Yep. Looks like a prom to me.”
In his defense, Kagami had assumed that none of his teammates even knew what prom was, considering the fact that school dances weren’t a thing in Japan. Of course, he had not counted on Riko’s closet obsession with American teen romantic comedies or the fact that Furihata’s favorite foreign film was “Carrie.” After a quick explanation from them, the team had all quickly agreed to the idea before Kagami even realized that, not only had they taken his bullshit suggestion seriously, but they had chosen to go with it. He was promptly ignored when he tried to explain that prom was usually held in May or June and was only for upperclassmen.
Planning the thing had been a surprisingly easy affair. After getting permission from the principal—who was surprisingly supportive of their “innovative and unique” plan—to use the gym the night of the festival, the team had quickly gotten to work. Under Riko’s guidance, they had settled on a theme and drawn up a list of prom essentials.
Kuroko and Kagami were put in charge of advertisement since the shadow knew so many people in other schools—not to mention his Japanese was the best out of all of them—and the redhead was really good at Photoshop. Kawahara was in charge of hiring a DJ—apparently his brother was in a band and knew quite a few. Kiyoshi was put in charge of ticket sales since he was the friendliest out of the group. Fukuda had volunteered to hire a photographer. Izuki was put in charge of getting all the lights they would need after he made a joke about how it was the lightest job. Mitobe was in charge of snacks and Koganei was in charge of drinks. Hyuga was in charge of renting the bleachers and mats because “like hell I’m letting them scratch up the hardwood with their goddamn dress shoes.” Furihata was in charge of buying fabric and Tsuchida was in charge of acquiring tools—hammers, nails, tape, screws and the like. Riko was in charge of managing the budget and coming up with a ballot system to vote for prom king and queen since she was adamant about how it was “the most important part of the night.” Everyone would help with the decorating of the gym and cleanup afterwards.
A good week before the day of the cultural festival, everything was ready to go. Thanks to Kagami’s posters and Kuroko’s advertisements on social media, word of Seirin’s prom spread fast. Tickets went on sale Monday morning and sold out by lunchtime on Tuesday. The rest of the week was filled with ridiculously elaborate “promposals” inspired by one Aomine Daiki when he showed up at Seirin after classes ended and stood by the front gate with a bouquet of roses, a bag of cheeseburgers, and a basketball with “PROM?” written on it, which he promptly hit Kagami in the face with as soon as he spotted the redhead in the crowd. Just remembering it made Kagami’s cheeks heat up in embarrassment.
“Stop thinking about your boyfriend and get back to work, Bakagami!” yelled Hyuga, throwing a roll of tape at the daydreaming ace.
“H-he’s not my boyfriend!” cried the redhead, ducking to dodge the tape.
“Prom date, rival, boyfriend, whatever! Just focus on decorating so we can finish on time.”
“Don’t worry Kagami-kun” said Kuroko with a distinctly knowing look in his eyes. “I’m sure Aomine-kun can’t wait to see you either.”
“Shut up Kuroko!”