黄瀬 涼太

indie rp blog for kise ryouta, loved by tony.

[goldenmiracle]

indie / selective / single-muse blog for kise ryouta.

written by tony (previously ofmiracles)

let’s be be polite and respectful to each other! we’re here to have fun. i also want to clarify this is a SIDE BLOG, all follow backs will be from @sxndglass

i use small text and icons (no bigger than 100x100) when rping. i’m indifferent to what my partner’s rp style is (but please dont use SUPER BIG gifs/images). it’s also ok if you don’t use icons at all since sometimes i’m lazy myself or i just can’t bother to find the right icon.

any kind of plots are welcome! all from fluff to angst, mostly angst since i love writing drama. i am also oc and crossover friendly!

about shipping and exclusivity: kise is exclusive with kagami and will stay like that. currently, im not looking for more romantic relationships with him but other dynamics are more than welcome!

this blog is also nsfw +18 (not limited to smut, so that includes mature themes like murder, blood and etc). be aware that english is not my main language so i might not be confident when writing smut and will end up in a fade to black.

i ask that you tag trypophobia and explicit suicide (i’m ok with it being mentioned tho). that said, i will tag any trigger as ‘trigger tw’.

anon hate will be blocked so don’t even bother :)) i also do not condone call-out culture, since i don’t care about petty drama. you do you, y’all.

[tongzu]

Riko laughed, shaking her head at Kise's theatrics. "Hmm, true... I prefer tea with onigiris." Surprisingly, Riko enjoyed food items deemed as junk food, as long as it was done in moderation. She hummed, already pouring over the menu in her head from the last visit with Momoi. Maybe she could get a different parfait... but she didn't want to finish it on her own. Decisions, decisions...

Riko wished she could make fun of Takao for his inability to say no. Alas, just the other day, he had refused her cooking. So, there went that credibility. However, if there was one thing to consider, it was that Takao was about to be invited to a gathering of extroverts.

So, another point in case: sociable people do not say no to social gatherings! Tis the law of the land.

"Stamina, abs, and legs! I took Takao-kun's stats before, and those were good areas of him." Riko nodded. "But, eh, I have a feeling none of my boys will want to do it. Not everyone has nerves of steel like Takao-kun does. The things people do for love, or something like that."

[goldenmiracle]

"You have good taste then." Tragic, however, that such taste did not extend to her cooking skills-- Or to her willingness to actually try her own inventions to see if they were edible. Perhaps that was why others had to suffer, so Riko herself wouldn’t! Surely she must know she is nowhere near talented in the culinary arts.

And now, thanks to that realization, Kise will not be able to sleep peacefully at night. Very unfortunate, at least he was not part of Seirin's team! Mentally sending them all good wishes.

"If we are being realistic, I don't think anyone would want to do it, not willingly at least." Because, again, only Takao was crazy enough to ride that rickshaw for... Reasons (read: Midorima). "Ohhh... Speaking of love." Now Kise lowered his voice, in case someone nearby was listening. "Have you noticed that Kurokocchi seems to look.. Different these days? You know, like a sudden change in his vibes or something."

[etherealxshadows]

The TV was still playing in the background, but neither of them was paying attention to it anymore. Under normal circumstances, Kuroko wouldn't throw himself into his arms, and he didn't do so at that moment either. He moved over the sofa until fitting between his outstretched arms. Warm. And he didn't feel as tense as before, that was good.

"Exaggerated... I don't think so." It didn't seem like a calculated reaction that Kise could control and claim had gone too far. "We've never talked about doint it, so…" Another mistake, but enough with the apologies. He already understood that Kise didn't blame him, so moving on.

In the end, Kuroko also hugged him and leaned into him. "We can talk about it later, when you're ready." As a peace offering, he stretched up to give him a soft kiss on the cheek. His cheeks were warm too, so hopefully it wouldn't be difficult to go back to the way things were before.

[goldenmiracle]

'When you're ready.' The words are sweet / the reassurance is gentle, like a soft breeze in the summer. At that, Kise reached out for the blanket to cover them both, cuddling like that. "Later is fine." If it were up to him, they would just drop the subject altogether, but that was calling for trouble in the future. Also, knowing how observant Kuroko was, surely this was far from satiating his curiosity about what had happened, since everything seemed to be going well.

At least it was, until... His brain suddenly decided it was the perfect time to remember some unpleasant things. Things that Kise was hoping would've been buried since long ago.

--

Earlier today.

Kise was practically vibrating when he first saw Kuroko at his door. "Make yourself comfortable, Kurokocchi!" He closed the front door and even gave Kuroko a quick tour of his house. Kise wasn’t the messiest person, but he had managed to tidy up his room a bit before his boyfriend arrived. "Do you want something to drink? Oh, we could also order delivery!" There was no plan at all; he was just happy to see Kuroko on a normal weekend. "For a moment I thought you would get lost." He had even offered to pick him up at the train station, though Kuroko said it was fine. "I was ready to put on my armor and go look for you, if you had taken longer~." A little tease.

[etherealxshadows]

The lie was so obvious that pointing it out would have been embarrassing for Kise. Kuroko was used to him beating around the bush, so there was no change in his expression. His expression softened when he interpreted Kise's words as meaning that he didn't want that distance between them. They were on the same page.

I didn't think you had it in you.

Okay, that made him blush. Come to think of it, it was unlikely that he would do that. His surprise was justified, but there was something else that continued to bother him. "I... didn't think much about it. I was comfortable with you and it occurred to me that... we could.“ Kuroko also liked to surprise his partner from time to time, but it backfired a little today. ”I should have asked you first, sorry about that."

...No, even then he still didn't quite understand why Kise had been scared. He had never seen that expression on his face before. As Kuroko had already thought before, he would wait for the right moment to ask.

"If you don't mind, could we move closer again?" Because talking from one end of the sofa to the other wasn't his favorite activity either.

[goldenmiracle]

He managed to catch the blush on Kuroko's face, which made his heart flutter at how cute he looked. How adorable... He wanted to kiss his boyfriend again, even if he still felt a bit stunned from earlier.

"It's okay." At least now, upon hearing that apology -even if it wasn’t really necessary-, Kise had managed to visibly relax. Until now, he hadn’t realized that his shoulders were too tense. "It’s not your fault, my reaction was... Exaggerated. You didn’t do anything wrong." Another awkward laugh, once again trying to brush it off as if it wasn’t a big deal.

Upon hearing the request, the model thought about it for a second and then nodded. "Yes-- Yes, I’d like that." He did want to cuddle, and the distance between them -unconsciously created by Kise- made him miss Kuroko, even though they were basically less than a meter away. Kise then opened his arms to receive the other, as a sign that he was willing to return to their initial position from earlier.

[akaigami]

Kagami has never been someone who considers himself attractive or desirable, to be fair to Kise who's hitting his head against the wall here. Growing up in America, most girls didn't gravitate towards the awkward Japanese kid (with the exception of Himuro, who has always been naturally charming in a way Kagami can't muster). On top of that, people think he's scary and gruff even when he doesn't mean to be because of his resting face, so he's internalized that somewhat. People never came to him for advice about crushes either, so he's barely even discussed anything related to this topic with anyone.

Why does it sound like Kise is teasing him? "We were talking about cooking!" Excuse him for trying to make a connection to the conversation they were having! "I know people do... other things with girlfriends! ...And boyfriends." Speaking of those other things, he suspects that his good friend Kuroko might be engaging in them with a certain other Generation of Miracles member who's not here right now. Anyway.

What the hell does Kise mean, he wouldn't mind? That's such a lukewarm statement! It's the kind of thing you say to someone when accepting a favor. Oh, yeah, sure, I'll run to the store for you. I wouldn't mind. Not when they're talking about kissing! "Can't you just be direct?" he mutters. "Do you want to or not?" Kagami communicates like a dunk: direct, easy to understand. And Kise is... alley-ooping him? Maybe the basketball metaphor wasn't such a great one after all.

Wait... I just asked if he wanted to... kiss me? Kagami squints at Kise, trying to put the pieces of this conversation together. Kise is talking about Kagami's appealing qualities, asking him if he wants a boyfriend, then teasing him about kissing. A red flush is now creeping up his neck to his ears, and he shoves another handful of fries into his mouth. "Yff flffnnf mmff."

Really good, really articulate response. Okay, he should probably not talk with food in his mouth.

Kagami swallows. Tries again. "You're... flirting with me." He may be stupid, but he's not that stupid. The question is: why? Truly, why? What does Kise see in him? Kise is probably used to people falling head-over-heels for him because he's pretty and charming — at least, that's how he gives off his public persona. In private, he's probably a bit more awkward than that, but aren't they all? They're all just teenagers.

Would he mind kissing Kise...? Kagami tries to imagine it, and it's unfortunately way too easy. Kise's easy to be around, shares his interests, and is objectively... really hot. He's a bit irritated that Kise keeps speaking to him in riddles rather than approaching him directly, but mostly because he's embarrassed with himself for not picking up on it sooner. Genuinely, he's not trying to be dense. "If you're seriously not makin' fun of me... then yeah. I would." Cool! Great! He's now admitted to that! Embarrassed, Kagami takes a too-large gulp of his drink and almost chokes. Sure would be mortifying if Kise wasn't serious and he's misinterpreted the situation again!

[goldenmiracle]

Counterpoint: So what if Kise liked Kagami for who and how he is? If you're implying that he has poor taste in having attraction towards the redhead basketball ace player instead of a pretty girl, then whatever, sue him! The model just happens to like this guy in particular. Kuroko was right when saying that Kise was overreacting about not being honest with his feelings; specially towards Kagami of all people, the redhead was honestly innocent in this whole ordeal.

"I know we are talking about cooking! Sorry for messing with you." Even raised his hands as a sign of peace, couldn't help but laugh a little at Kagami saying about knowing people do other things. So he also had those thoughts! Good to know, and food for thought as well.

"Can't you just be direct?" "Do you want to or not?"

That... Definitely catches him off guard, like a deer in headlights. Kise froze a bit with that direct hit and couldn't help but think how cool Kagami looks when being more straightforward. Hot. "Uhm..." Great, now he's lost at words, his amber eyes move to look at their remaining food, and then he took another look at Kagami who had now a flush on his face. Oh, that's cute too... How funny that a person has so many faces to them.

"I've been flirting with you for the past few months but thank you for noticing." Okay, since everything is now in the open-- What if he just goes to a corner and sulk away? Yeah, that would be less embarrassing instead of imploding right here and there after hearing that suggestion-- No, it was not a suggestion, it was just a 'yes' or 'no' question. The more Kise thought about it, the more he felt the blood run through his veins to paint a blush on his cheeks. "I'm... Not making fun of you." He stammers, while looking everywhere but at the latter's eyes. "I-- Well, sorry for not being more direct with you. Hm." Surely that would've avoided this awkward situation way sooner.

Whatever, he'll just keep going.

"I do like you that way, more as friend." It felt so good finally being open about that, he felt as if a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders. "I could kiss you right now." Sure is unfortunate they both are out here in the open, so Kise now has yet another idea. "Should we go to your place and make that happen, then?"

[etherealxshadows]

What would he do?

He had stopped asking himself that question many days ago. Every time he interacted with someone from the village, his mind went blank, and as the days went by, he improvised. It felt good. It didn't matter if it wasn't exactly what he would do. And Kuroko began to want to act that way all the time. Very dangerous.

He paid close attention to Kise's words. He kept listening, even when a small child bumped into one of his legs, and he had to take the child's little hands so he wouldn't fall to the ground, saying goodbye with a 'Be careful'. The words that repeated most in his head were 'you left me with little to nothing to work with.'

He stopped looking at him and looked ahead. “I understand.” Another quiet pause, except this time it would longer time for him to fall silent again. “You've done a lot for me, I don't think I've been fair to you.” No, he wasn't talking about his attempt to suffocate him, but about all the strings he was pulling for his benefit while he was giving him… nothing. It wasn't as if Kise had gone to see him looking for answers, but those were minor details.

“I can give you a tool to work with, it will allow you to clear your name.” You could say he was repaying that trust, or whatever it was that had made the blond keep him alive, with valuable information. “Do you know the house of Kaslana?” It was a rhetorical question. There was no one who didn't know them. That's why he also kept his voice down, mindful of his surroundings.

Revealing his identity was still dangerous, but he could give him a word. A faction. "I was running away, from them." And that place, for better or worse, did not belong to the Kaslanas.

[goldenmiracle]

"Hey y'all, be careful when playing!" Kise sighed when he heard a 'Sorry big brother Kise!' and the children left to keep on playing. How nice it must be, being young and innocent upon things like the ones he's discussing with the foreigner. Sometimes, Kise happened to miss his life before being given the title of protector, there were too many things he had to be responsible of now.

Amber eyes looked for Kuroko, and carefully analyzed his body language, he wasn't good at reading people but upon hearing the maids talk as well as how the latter was acting around children it was getting harder and harder to think that this stranger had any malicious intentions towards the Yae Village. "House of Kaslana..." Even if said village was hidden, everyone has at least heard of that name before. "Hm." The blond now gives it more thought, suddenly this situation sounds more complicated than Kise anticipated. This is definitely more key information, useful too. But, should he be prudent and bring this up to Kasamatsu and the council?

"If you were running away, then that means they are looking out for you." And there must be a reason as to why the other refused to be captured by them, maybe? It might be an exaggeration but that's what anyone else would think off.

[etherealxshadows]

His favorite interaction with Kise was not staring at him from across the couch, trying to guess what he was thinking or what was going through his mind. But that was the best move he could make after he had rejected him. It wasn't the rejection itself that worried Kuroko, but how… strange Kise was acting. As his boyfriend, was it normal to be concerned?

"Hm?" First one to talk huh, like nothing happened. That was to be expected but it wasn't enough to make Kuroko forget about what he saw.

"Yes, I do." That was it: a precise, short answer. No holding back. "But I don't think this is the best time to do it. I can wait." A little of holding back, maybe. "I guess I was making you uncomfortable again... Sorry, Kise-kun."

For now, and also for before. Kuroko felt like he had crossed a line he didn't know existed, and wanted to ask about it… when Kise was ready. And if he wanted to.

[goldenmiracle]

At that, Kise redirected his eyes from the TV screen to look at his partner. His amber eyes reflected the shock upon hearing Kuroko apologize for making him uncomfortable again. "You don’t make me uncomfortable." There was honesty in his voice, and he truly meant it; it wasn’t as if the latter had any ill intentions. He knew Kuroko was not that kind of person-- Otherwise, this relationship wouldn’t have flourished in the first place.

He liked spending time with the shadow / he enjoyed the other's company and particularly enjoyed talking about things outside of basketball. Kise sometimes even went to Seirin, even though they didn’t live relatively close, just to be able to see Kuroko. It would be a lie if Kise said he wasn’t eager when Kuroko accepted his invitation of coming over to his place. Truth be told, he wasn’t expecting anything to happen besides watching a movie, but he wasn’t exactly against it either.

So why was it that he now felt... Guilty, for stopping Kuroko from going further? Maybe Kise wasn’t feeling that bold right now, which was why his brain was spiraling into overthinking, barely paying attention to the movie. "Don’t be sorry, Kurokocchi. You didn’t do anything wrong." Again, he was honest. "I... I was just caught off guard." This time, it was a partial lie. "I didn’t think you had it in you, Kurokocchi~. I mean, in... Doing something else." An awkward laugh escaped his throat, as he felt a bit lost on how to bring up the topic of sex at all.

[goldenmiracle]

You know how you can tell when someone seems to be watching you? Which was funny coming from Kise, considering he was used to being the center of attention-- Perhaps it was even funnier considering who had his eyes on him.

Okay fine, let’s just stop being vague. It was Kuroko who happened to be watching his every move, and Kise felt like he had a stalker hovering over him. Again, this was funny considering Kuroko’s lack of presence; it felt as if he was being… Well, threatened was not the correct word, let’s just go with intense concentration, the same sentiment they both had when being rivals on the basketball court.

"Kurokocchi", Kise finally had the courage to speak up, with the same confidence he always had, pretending nothing ever happened. Because it did not, nope. "Do you, uhm, want to... Ask me something?" Okay he gives up, maybe he will cave in and just go along with whatever his boyfriend had to ask. // @etherealxshadows

[akaigami]

Okay, whoa there. Kagami said women liked that he can cook, not that they find him sexy. That's a whole different conversation! And a whole different connotation. "I mean, uh, ordering delivery isn't bad either." Kagami is now flustered slightly, and he's trying not to think about it. There's something about that word that just changes the whole vibe of the conversation! "I get a lot of takeout too." Mostly because he eats a lot. "Uh, it has nothing to do with women." And now he's back thinking about the other awkward part of the conversation. Anyway, moving on!

"Huh? Why would I laugh at you? It looks normal on you." Kagami has never batted an eye at Kise wearing makeup. Since he has a pretty face, it looks good on him, like it would on Himuro or maybe Izuki. On the other hand, Kagami has been told he has... an angry face? So he thinks wearing eyeliner and lip gloss would look ridiculous on him. "I don't know much about aesthetics or whatever, but I know enough to know it'd be bad on me." Kise has that look covered, he thinks.

Kise's next question confuses him beyond words. "Girlfriend?" How did they go from his eyebrows to this? "You mean like... to cook for?" Desperately, his brain tries to connect the different nodes of this conversation together. "Or boyfriend? ...Huh?" Is Kise just nosy or something? Why the hell does he suddenly care about his sexuality so much? “Guh?” A confused, undignified sound leaves his throat. Genuinely, he can’t even picture himself with a partner. He would just stumble over his words and get nervous when they held hands in public or something.

Kagami feels like he’s missing something crucial here. He wishes Kuroko was around so he could ask if he knew what Kise was thinking.

“Uhh.” Kiss Kise? Kagami thinks about it. A mental image does unfortunately form, and his ears turn a little pink. “Like… as a dare?” He breaks eye contact for a moment. “I… no, you wouldn’t want that. I’d be bad.” As if that’s the problem. “I mean, uh.” He wonders what Himuro would say in a situation like this. Probably something really cool and collected to deflect the conversation. But Kagami is the opposite of that: blunt, awkward, and hardly suave. “Your fans’d be mad at me. Don’t wanna deal with it.”

He stuffs a handful of fries into his mouth, but speaks anyway, because he has great etiquette. “Stop teasin’ me, I’m not gonna just do shit to that to people who don’t like me. Even as a dare.” That’s… maybe a little chivalrous of him?

[goldenmiracle]

It was hilarious seeing how Kagami was trying to digest everything that was going on with this conversation. Clearly stated, the guy only had one thought inside his brain, and it was exclusively for basketball. That didn't mean he was made of stone, though? So it was entertaining for Kise seeing the redhead all flustered because of this nonsense. Things like this were normal to discuss for teenagers of their age, although when it came to this sport, everyone he knew was anything but normal. Hm, a sense of normality was a nice feeling now that Kise was thinking about it.

Internally, there was still some screaming going on-- Imagine as if he had tiny copies of himself running around inside his head while trying to do some damage control about this situation, and also trying to come up with something to recover. No luck so far!

"To cook for?" Now he wanted to combust from how disgustingly adorable that sounded, a bit innocent too. "Sure, let's... Go with that." Don't mind him, he's now imagining himself how his life would go if he ever happened to live with Kagami-- NOOOoooOOOooo, EVERYTHING BUT THINKING OF THAT KIND OF STUFF!!! That's how you know you got it bad for someone!!

Whatever, good thing Kagami wasn't a mind reader.

Kise blinks, wondering how his companion came to a conclusion of a dare. Hm, well, that's the blond's fault, he wasn't being very specific either. "No one is born being an expert, Kagamicchi." Indirectly, and without the other knowing, Kise felt... Rejected. Now his mood got all sour even if it wasn't done with ill intentions. "It's just a thought I had, I wouldn't mind kissing you. If you were bad, I would teach you~." Although, Kise was anything but a quitter, so he's going to try and push a bit more.

[goldenmiracle]

Kiichan, Kiichan, is it true that Tetsu-kun and you had a fight!? // @satsookimomo

"It was terrible, Momocchi!" As always, the theatrics could never miss from any conversation in where Kise was a victim (well this situation with Kuroko was actually his fault but whatever). He brought a hand to his chest, while with the other hand he attempted to wipe off a fake tear.

"I try to be a good friend and this is the thanks I get." A long sigh. Yeah, he really brought to himself this mess...

[etherealxshadows]

Kuroko didn't feel completely innocent. He had his thoughts about Kise's intentions / had also asked questions here and there to steer the situation a little / lead them to that conclusion. Now he knew things he hadn't known before… and Kise was gloomy.

He had thought many times about what had happened with Aomine, so you could say he was on his way over it and talking about it didn't affect him as much anymore. Only nostalgia remained. Kise, on the other hand…

Kuroko didn't like to see his friend like that (bullying was okay, and seeing the blond guy acting dramatic was an everyday occurrence), but that was different…

Without saying a word, he got up from the swing and left the book that had been with him from the beginning. In a couple of steps, he stood in front of the blond boy and rested a hand on his hair. It was a way of telling him that despite everything, he was still there. “I'm sorry for making you sad, Kise-kun.”

[goldenmiracle]

That's very mean coming from Kuroko! Manipulating his way into having Kise spit out the truth. Truly an evil mastermind, might as well have been the villain all along, by making him sad all because of a stupid boy who apparently was never going to give him even the hour of the day.

Between other things that were going through his mind, he flinched when sensing something above his head, and the apology came. "Why are you apologizing?" He huffed, still looking at the ground and not really that confident in looking up to the latter on the eyes. "I guess it really goes like that saying, 'ask and you shall receive'", except this was not something he really wanted. Oh well, better take his losses at this point.

Besides, it was kind of endearing how Kuroko was comforting him like he was some sort of small child, so he will enjoy it. "I should be the one to say sorry."

[goldenmiracle]

Erika had a measuring tape in her hands as she walked up to Kise, eyes narrowed as she pulled it out and started from the sole of his shoe to his knee. "Don't move. I'm getting to the bottom of this." She will NOT take this loss laying down. It was bad enough that Yosen lost to Kaijou at the Interhigh! If Kise tried to get away, she will (try) to chase him down. Hopefully he won't, because she didn't want to test the results of running warm-up laps with her team for months! [ just a normal interaction you'll have with someone from a rival team! ] @tongzu

It wasn't unusual for Kise to be approached by his fans, especially the girls. So he wasn't that surprised upon seeing Yosen's manager come up to him with such... Determination? Kise thought for a second -because his ego was above everything when it came to his fans- that she maybe wanted an autograph!

And then he saw the measuring tape. Okay, a bit odd, but he won't judge! Then she just stared at him with such intensity that the blond might as well have asked something stupid to break the ice. Then it came... The actual measuring with the tape. Huh, okay, now this was getting even weirder.

No, he wasn't going to get away. Not like Erika was a stalker, so he just laughed. "Ah... This is a first." Other than medical checkups and his coach, no one had really taken the liberty to do actual measuring on him. Maybe Momoi, but that was besides the point. "Usually, I would be fawned all over, but this is a nice change." Definitely.

[etherealxshadows]

Kise and he shared many similar feelings on that subject. They both thought they would have liked a more appropriate ending, and that they should get over it. This was one of the moments when he felt closest to Kise, who was also difficult to understand when he was so elusive and dishonest.

And suddenly, he asked a question that made him stop swinging, again. Was he ever able to talk to anyone about those feelings? Not that he could remember.

"Me?" It was a rhetorical question to give Kuroko time to think about how to respond and how to say it. He could already see that Kise was pretty down. Well, him too. That's what happens when you get nostalgic. “At that time, I felt helpless... and sad.” Aomine slipped away like water through his fingers, and all he could do was watch his back recede into the distance when he refused to bump fists with him. It was an image that still haunted him. “Now I just want to prove him wrong. You could say that I am mad.”

[goldenmiracle]

They did say nostalgia was very powerful, and who were they to complain? Kise had started the conversation on this specific topic anyway, so it was his fault they were now letting this gloomy aura grow between them. Great! Just what they needed!! Way to go and sabotage this small gathering between two ex-teammates who just so happened to be into the same man at the time.

"Hm." A small pout was formed on his lips, still looking at the floor while also listening to Kuroko's thoughts about that ex... Ex what, even? Ex-boyfriend was a no / the latter had just said that label was maybe something that never even crossed through Aomine's mind. An ex-almost? Ex-something? That hurt even more to think about, and it wasn’t even his relationship! "I'm sure you will, Kurokocchi."

After letting that last sentence out, Kise gave a big, heavy sigh. He looked up at the sky... And then back down at the floor, still feeling the gloom take over him. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on both knees and grabbing his hair. It would be a great time for the earth to just swallow him up and make him spawn in another place on the planet-- Anywhere but Japan. What if he changed his name and moved to another country? Yes, that sounded like a great plan. He had savings anyway; it was a plausible scenario!

[etherealxshadows]

"Who knows..." He had no intentions on making Kise sad, even if that outcome was inevitable. As Kuroko had told him before, there was no way to describe the relationship between Aomine and him back in Teiko. They didn't give it a name and neither asked, but at the same time it was special and different from what they had with the rest of the GoM.

What he didn't know was that Kise had been jealous the whole time. Kise's personality made it a little difficult to tell, so Kuroko appreciated that he had told him.

Kuroko watched him silently and waited for him to say what he wanted to say. “A chance with him… I don't know.” No one could tell anymore. “But as far I know, he cared about you too.” It didn't change anything, but it wasn't fair to assume that Kuroko was the only thing that mattered to Aomine when that wasn't true.

Only had to see them when they had their famous one-on-one games, even though Kise had never won any of them.

That guy really left an impression on both of them, huh?

[goldenmiracle]

It's not like Kise proactively did something to even be obvious! Partially his fault? Or not, not like he was asked about it anyways, perhaps things could've been different if an attempt had been made / perhaps he also wished that at least there was a more proper closure. Oh well, he had to take his losses and see how to move forward from this. He didn't hate Aomine either anyways.

"I know... We were all friends after all." Simpler times / easier times. Now they only had memories to look back on.

Kise was no longer looking at Kuroko, eyes locked on the floor and everything was slowly being digested. The more it was digested, the more of a gloom aura could emanated from him / like a little black cloud forming above his head. "Aren't you at least... Hm." How to say it without sounding too aggressive? Yes, let's use that word. "I don't know, upset? Mad?" That poker face was hard to read after all.

[shuutakao]

There's no way Takao will ever be more handsome than Kise, but he's secure enough with himself to be okay with that. "Clothes, too? Hmm, if you say so... I trust your taste!" Takao doesn't consider himself a slob, but he doesn't have much in his wardrobe that he would consider super fashionable, either — though he looks fashionable next to Midorima, who wears clothes like turtlenecks and sweater vests on the weekend when they aren't playing basketball. (He thinks that's cute, though.)

"..." Why do neither of these scenarios sound even remotely plausible? Has Kise met Midorima before? Takao rolls his eyes. "You're being very optimistic about this alleged person. I think the more realistic situation is he says... 'Takao, you look ridiculous. Have you been hanging out with Kise?' And then I say yes, and he starts complaining about you, because he's always complaining about his former teammates." Except for Akashi, but Takao senses there are probably internal complaints bouncing around in that head of his. "Eh, I'll give it a try, anyway. I think going on a shopping trip with you will be fun regardless of the result!"

He pauses, giving Kise a curious expression. "I appreciate all the help, but I hope there's something I can do in return." Helping other people is Takao's bread and butter, after all. "Anything you need a really friendly consultation about? Or, um... a ride, if you want me to bike you somewhere?" Though most people who aren't Midorima don't like being pulled around town in a rickshaw due to it being embarrassing.

[goldenmiracle]

Okay, he would let Takao's skepticism slide because, frankly speaking, Kise also thought those scenarios were not even close to happening, ever. "Is it a sin to be optimistic when it comes to matters of the heart, Kazunari-kun?" A hand was brought to his chest, while with the other he wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. Then he sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that... I don't think Midorimacchi is that hollow?" Not someone who would only go for looks, maybe. So much for pretending that the green-haired guy wasn’t the alleged person. "Wouldn't it be sad if he only started to take notice of you by changing looks?" The blond was used to having people fawn over him for his appearance / he had to take care of himself because of his modeling gig anyway. Still, Kise had a maiden heart! Somehow / sometimes-- Alright, let's just go back to Takao before he got too distracted from the topic at hand.

"It's settled then! Let me know later what time you're free on Sunday." Two very good friends hanging around and chatting about life, definitely missing that kind of quality time. No boys allowed either!

Then his arms were crossed, wondering if Takao was seeing something with that hawk eye of his. Perhaps that ability worked outside of basketball. "Hmmmmmm." A very deep thought was given. He definitely ignored the rickshaw part for now, because it was very silly riding around in that thing. A very Midorima thing to do, as well. "Friendly consultation... Do you have something to cure stupidity, maybe?" Speaking of alleged people, Kise too, sadly, had boy problems. "I might as well just pursue celibacy at this point."

[etherealxshadows]

“I would never use those words to describe you, but I think you could be a little more honest with me. It's just you and me.” Kuroko wasn't the type of person who would go around sharing sensitive information about his friends. If the subject was Aomine / whom he hadn't spoken to since he distanced himself during his days at Teiko / it was even more unlikely.

Kuroko asked himself that question, imagining the scenario: What would Teiko's Aomine have said if he had asked him out? Even if the feeling was there, he couldn't imagine him saying yes. But a feeling was there. Love or not, they were more than just friends. He figured that was enough to answer what Kise wanted to know.

“I think he would have said no. But he would have wanted me to wait for him.” Thinking about it now, weren't they afraid of breaking the bond by being ambitious and asking more of each other? “I suppose my biggest mistake was not asking.” A small smile returned to his face as he remembered how much fun the three of them had together after Kise pointed it out to him.

It was too late to tell him that there was no reason to be jealous (although perhaps there was). “Who exactly were you jealous of, Kise-kun?” He didn't want to ask directly if he liked Aomine too, but since they were exposing themselves so much, there was no harm in asking.

[goldenmiracle]

"Yeah, you're right. You're too nice to use those kinds of words." Unlike the rest of the Miracles, Kuroko rarely happened to badmouth people. He was just too honest with his opinions / in a way that made you reflect on how awful or great of a person you were. Sometimes it was somewhere in the middle / sometimes not.

Still, it was like exposure therapy in a tragic, pathetic way...

Hearing even more honesty come out of Kuroko made him feel more... Annoyed? And sad? Yes, it was a mix of both. Everything would've been easier if Kise had despised Kuroko right from the start, but after hanging out lots of times / playing matches together, and going on outings with everyone else in Teiko, he really could NOT bring himself to hate him. He was not that terrible of a person-- At least not with the people Kise cared about and respected. "That's sad." It was all he could add to that conclusion.

Who was he exactly jealous of? Kuroko clearly wasn’t showing that much pity for him. "Of you, of course!" So much for going with the 'I have a friend who has a friend' route. Whatever. "Aominecchi just seemed to be so... Happy and comfortable around you." Everyone could clearly see it, especially when those two happened to hang out after practice. Sometimes Momoi was with them, yes, but only on rare occasions. "Makes me think I never had a chance with him, even if I tried."

[etherealxshadows]

Yes, Kise, Kuroko cares about you. Right now he's giving you his best judgmental poker-faced look for being annoying, but he likes you. In his own way.

Fortunately, he didn't feel like joking around anymore either, or so his annoyed expression told. How many times had he heard his complaint that his passes were mainly directed at Aomine and not at him? Not enough, it seemed. However, this time they had a different meaning.

They could finally overlook their friend's lie, couldn't they? "You're very spiteful for that pretty face, Kise-kun." It wasn't a praise; Kuroko had just called him a fake. Although he was not one to talk, this was not about him now. Soft sigh... “I understand why you think that… and it's true that we were too close. But we never talked about dating. I don't think it even crossed his mind either.”

And regarding the passes… the answer was even simpler. "He was my light, so it was much easier for me to coordinate with him in most situations. Besides, you joined later, so I hadn't practiced as much with you as with him... but I also liked playing with you too. It was nothing personal."

[goldenmiracle]

"...Are you calling me a fake bitch, Kurokocchi?" Kise might not be the sharpest tool in the box, but he definitely knew when he was being called a liar to his face. Even the Phantom Sixth Man could see through his facade, which was inconvenient and uncomfortable, to say the least.

Now there was something else Kise was itching to ask. "So, if that thought never crossed Aominecchi's mind... Would he have said 'no' if you had asked him about dating?" Not like either Kuroko or he could have control over said person's feelings and actions. This conversation was no longer about basketball-- Well, in a way it was, but not anymore. "I also had fun with you, Kurokocchi! I was just, hm," how to say it now? "Jealous...?" That's a very strong word for Kise's liking, but whatever, not like it mattered anymore. "I'm sure Aominecchi also had fun with you." While it lasted.