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“C’mon gramps, actually guard me!” she was laughing while she said it.
The court lights buzzed overhead like they were tired of staying on, it was late enough that most people had gone home, but not late enough for the game to stop. The sound of sneakers scraping concrete cut through the air.
A girl at the top of the key spun past one defender, crossed left, then right, too fast, too clean and still somehow lost the ball when she tried to show off.
It bounced out of bounds…
She clicked her tongue, “Okay, so that doesn’t count!”
The guy she had just called gramps despite only being seventeen called out, “That’s quite literally just not how basketball works.”
She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out, “Yeah, I know.”
She grabbed the ball, tossed it back like it personally offended her, and rolled her shoulders like she was just getting started.
That’s when she noticed him.
Tall. Broad shoulders. Red hair. Standing at the edge of the court like he didn’t know whether to leave or join.
She pointed, “You,” and motioned at him to come closer.
He blinked and pointed at himself, “Me?” she nodded.
She stared at him like he was the problem. “Never mind. You play or you just observing me putting straight bta on these grannies?”
That did it. He stepped onto the court.
“Whatever, I play.”
Her grin widened immediately, “Oh good. I was getting bored.”
They split teams fast, just whoever was around and willing to lose.
Kagami didn’t even warm up properly before she was already in his space, bouncing the ball between her fingers like she was testing him.
“You’re new,” she said.
“I’m not.”
“You’re new to me.”
“…Taiga Kagami.”
She tilted her head, “Taiga.”
“…Yeah.”
She repeated it once like she was tasting it.
Then nodded like she approved, “Cool. I’m Y/N Kise.”
Kagami paused mid-step, “Kise?”
“Unfortunately.”
That answer came a bit too fast. Like it was practiced.
Like she’d said it a hundred times before and already stopped caring what people thought about it.
Before he could ask anything else, “Oh wait,” Her eyes lit up.
“You play on Seirin with Kuro-chan!”
Kagami froze, “…Kuroko?”
“Yeah! Tetsu!”
Her hands moved while she talked like she couldn’t physically stay still, “You’re that guy who yells a lot, right? Ace wannabe?”
His eyes twitched, “…How do you know?”
She dribbled once, twice, and stepped past him like she was already bored of the conversation, “Kuro-chan lowkey yaps.”
“He really doesnt..”
She was already gone, “Defense, Tai-chan!”
Kagami stopped again, “…Don’t call me that.”
She didn’t even look at him, “Too late.”
The game started out messy.
Fast passes. Trash talk. Someone slipping on the concrete and acting like it didn’t happen.
She was everywhere.
Calling out plays that weren’t real, “Fake left! No the OTHER left!”
Stealing the ball like it was a hobby. Laughing when she scored like she didn’t just embarrass people for fun.
Kagami caught himself watching her more than the ball once. Annoying.
He hated that he noticed things like that, like how she didn’t hesitate. How she never looked nervous, even when she missed.
She just started over again, like it meant nothing.
“Hey, Tai-chan!” He snapped back.
She was standing in front of him now, spinning the ball on her finger, “You’re slow.”
“I’m not slow.”
“You are emotionally slow too or just physically?”
“…What?”
She passed the ball into his hands, “Your turn. Try not to embarrass yourself”
That alone irritated him, so he drove.
Hard.
Straight past her.
She laughed, “Okay! Not bad!”
Not surprised, just amused.
Like she expected him to be good.
At some point, he realized something weird.
She wasn’t playing to win.
Not really.
She was playing because she liked it.
Because she liked this, the noise, the movement, the chaos of it. Even when she got hit in the arm going for a rebound, she just shook it out and grinned.
“Again.”
Like pain didn’t matter.
Like losing didn’t matter.
Like everything reset the moment the ball hit her hands again. Kagami’s chest tightened a little. Not in a dramatic way. Just… noticing.
After everyone started packing up, she stayed behind.
Sitting on the edge of the court, swinging her legs like she had nowhere else to be.
Kagami hesitated before walking over,“You always play like that?”
She didn’t look up. “Like what?”
“Like nothing matters.”
That made her pause, then she laughed a little, but softer this time,“Everything matters.”
She finally looked at him, eyes bright, tired, real, “I just don’t like acting like it’ll stay bad forever.”
Silence.
Then she stood up, stretching, “You coming tomorrow?”
“…Tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, “Same court. Same time.”
He frowned slightly, “Why would I.”
She was already walking away, “Don’t be lame, Tai-chan.”
Then over her shoulder: “Try not to miss me too much.”
And she was gone. Kagami stayed on the court longer than he meant to.
Looking at the empty space she’d been standing in.
Annoying. Loud. Smiling like she owned the place.
He exhaled sharply, “…What the hell was that.”
But he was already thinking about tomorrow, and he absolutely hated that part the most.
~~~
The house was too quiet in that expensive way. Not empty, never empty, but everything was too polished, too wide, too soft around the edges, like even noise had rules here.
She kicked her shoes off at the door without looking.
“Y/N,” a voice called from inside.
She sighed. “I’m alive.”
“That wasn’t the question,” Of course it was him.
Kise Ryouta was sprawled on the couch like gravity belonged to him, gold hair still perfect in that annoying way it always was. Phone in one hand, attention half on her already.
He glanced up, “…You’re sweaty.”
“I was playing basketball.”
“With strangers again?”
“Yeah.”
A pause, then that soft, curious smile, “You met someone?”
She pointed at him immediately. “Don’t start profiling me.”
“I’m not profiling you.”
“You absolutely are.”
He leaned forward slightly. “So you did meet someone.”
She groaned and flopped beside him. “There was this guy.”
Kise’s eyes lit. “…There’s always a guy.”
“This one’s different.”
That made him pause. Not worried. Interested.
“What’s his name?”
“Taiga Kagami.”
Kise blinked. “Oh.”
“Oh what?”
“He’s on Seirin. Loud one.”
She nodded. “Yeah. Exactly,” then muttered, “He yelled at me.”
“You probably deserved it.”
“I did NOT.”
Kise hummed like he didn’t believe her.
She kicked his leg. “He’s just… annoying.”
“That’s not new.”
~~~
Her phone buzzed. She ignored it at first.
Kise tilted his head. “That’s not Momoi.”
“I don’t know what that means,” she grabbed it.
Unknown number.
She frowned. “…Who is this?”
Kise leaned in slightly. “Open it.”
She did.
Unknown:
Dont, call me tai-chan
She froze, “…He TEXTED me?”
Kise’s smile sharpened. “So it is him.”
She stared, “How did he even”
~~
Earlier that night, Kagami stood outside Seirin’s gym, phone in hand.
Kuroko looked up at him. “You seem troubled.”
“I need that girl’s number.”
A pause, “…Y/N Kise?”
Kagami smiled slightly. “Yeah.”
Kuroko blinked once. “Why?”
Kagami exhaled. “Just give it to me.”
Kuroko studied him for a long moment, then, quietly: “I will send it.”
~~
Back at the house.
She typed:
Y/N:
ur weird for texting me
howd u even get my number 😭
Almost instantly.
Kagami:
Kuroko gave me your number.
She sat up, “Of course he did.”
Kise smirked. “Very Kuroko.”
~~
Later, in the dim light of her room, she stared at the ceiling, “…Taiga is stupid.” a pause, “…but kinda fun.”
And for once, the house didn’t feel like it was watching her perform anything, just waiting for tomorrow.