#ee: kagakuromonth2k22

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 9)

Day 9: Firsts

The locker room was quiet after the Shuutoku game. Most of the team had already left, save for Kuroko and Kagami. The high from beating such a strong opponent still hung in the air, but there was something heavier there too.

“I’m sorry,” Kagami finally said, breaking the silence. Kuroko looked up from where he was crouched down tying his shoelaces.

“For what, Kagami-kun?” he asked blankly.

“I shouldn’t have hit you,” Kagami said firmly, his eyes trained on the ground beside Kuroko’s feet. “I was upset and acting stupid, which is no excuse. I’m sorry.”

Slowly, Kuroko stood and stepped closer to him. Kagami’s shoulders were hunched, and he was fiddling with his fingers.

“I hit you first,” Kuroko said diplomatically.

“I barely felt it,” Kagami replied.

A small smile played on the edges of Kuroko’s mouth.

“Well, I still did it. So, I apologize as well.”

Finally, Kagami looked up to meet Kuroko’s gaze and was startled by how close his teammate was standing.

“Would you like to be sure I’m okay?” Kuroko asked, and Kagami thought he heard a tremor in his partner’s always-calm voice. Kagami didn’t reply, just stood frozen as Kuroko reached for his hand, the coolness of his calloused fingertips sending a shiver through Kagami’s whole body.

But Kagami let Kuroko continue and was surprised to find himself trembling as Kuroko lifted Kagami's hand to cup his face. Kagami’s palm covered the whole of Kuroko’s flushed cheek.

By now, Kagami’s thoughts were racing and he knew his blush had to be the same color as his hair, but Kuroko’s eyes had drifted shut and he leaned his face into Kagami’s hand, humming quietly in what Kagami could only conclude was comfort. And, god, Kagami couldn’t have moved away even if he had wanted to.

Instead, he carefully brushed his thumb across Kuroko’s cheek, feeling the slight swell he’d caused with his right hook. Shame welled up in him for having hurt his best friend, but it was quickly swamped by the feelings that were rearing up in the wake of the incident—feelings that he had spent months denying to himself and avoiding for fear of chasing Kuroko away.

Kuroko’s eyes were still closed, and Kagami shifted closer, holding his breath, ready to be pushed away. But Kuroko didn’t flinch, didn’t open his eyes, only lifted his free hand to rest it carefully on Kagami’s waist. And after that, Kagami was done for.

His fingers gently carded through Kuroko’s blue hair and Kuroko leaned even closer, his eyes still closed, and Kagami couldn’t take it anymore. He wrapped his free arm around Kuroko’s waist and tugged him flush against his body, hearing a soft gasp before he leaned down to capture Kuroko’s lips in a kiss.

It was clumsy and awkward from their inexperience and height difference, but Kuroko responded enthusiastically, one hand coming up to tangle in Kagami’s hair and pull him even closer, eliciting a soft groan from the taller boy as he kissed Kuroko like his life depended on it.

Kuroko was the first to pull away, his breath coming heavily as he slumped forward to rest against Kagami’s chest.

“If that’s how you apologize after fights that I start, maybe I’ll have to pick them more often,” he said quietly, as Kagami chuckled and held him close, smiling wider than he could ever remember.

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction #first kiss

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 3)

Day 3: Expectations

When they met Kagami, the Miracles had all seen his potential. They had expected him to excel. They had expected him to rise to their level. They had expected that he, like them, would leave Kuroko behind.

Of course, they came to understand how wrong they were.

But still, they never could have expected this: Kagami laughing loudly with his hands placed gently on Kuroko's waist, correcting his form as he tried yet again to teach the shorter boy to shoot conventionally; Kuroko with his lips turned up in a smile, letting Kagami move him where he needed, letting Kagami adjust his arms and shoulders, letting Kagami stand so close behind him and patiently direct his shot.

And by god, they never could have expected that Kuroko would listen to his new light and actually make that shot.

The street court practice ground to a halt as every Miracle's eyes locked on the ball as it swished through the hoop. And Kuroko and Kagami grinned identical wide grins and bumped fists as if they had expected nothing less.

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #generation of miracles #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 1)

Day 1: Seasons

It wasn't until the cherry blossoms had begun to open on the trees again that Kagami realized just how much his life had changed in the past year.

The last time the petals fell, he had been standing on Seirin's campus for the first time, annoyed at the fluttering pink blossoms, annoyed at the crush of students around him, annoyed at the idea of playing basketball in a place so different from where he had grown up, annoyed at himself.

But then Kuroko appeared in his life, a shadow even on the dimly lit street court that spring night when Kagami had first played him one on one. He hadn't realized it then, but Kuroko was the first breath of spring, of change, that Kagami didn't even know he was waiting for.

And as the seasons shifted, as spring turned to summer, Kagami's annoyance burned off, sparked by a passion for his sport that he'd rarely felt so intensely before joining Seirin. And Kuroko was by his side, growing stronger like the sun's heat radiating down on them as it climbed towards its noonday peak.

Autumn was a blur, and Kagami knew it wasn't just because he was training so hard with Alex. No, there was also an emptiness in L.A.'s warm autumn days. And as the rains fell in California, Kagami grew homesick and was surprised to find that home had become a place on the other side of the ocean, where a soft presence was waiting to occupy the space at his side.

He arrived back as the calendar turned to November, and there was a feeling like he'd left behind the weaknesses he'd carried with him to California. He felt stronger, braver, maybe even worthy. And just as Kagami had known he would be, Kuroko was waiting. And the knowledge of how much they'd changed threatened to freeze him on the spot, but then Kuroko smiled that barely-there smile of his, and Kagami knew they had changed together, grown together. And all that was left was to win the Winter Cup.

And they had. And winter had melted away. And now Kagami stood beneath the cherry blossoms and waited for Kuroko to join him. And finally, a smaller hand slid into his, and Kagami looked down to meet blue eyes and a soft smile. He squeezed his partner's hand gently and grinned back, then reached up to gently brush a few petals from Kuroko's blue hair.

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 16)

Day 16: Promise

In a way, Kagami and Kuroko based their entire relationship on promises.

In their first year, they promised to be the best in Japan, together. And after they won the Winter Cup, they promised to keep playing together.

In their second year, they confessed their feelings to each other. They promised to build their relationship off of the foundation they'd laid as best friends, and they did.

In their third year, they talked about the future and worries crept in about what might come next. And though they knew it would be hard, they promised to try a long-distance relationship. And more than that, they promised to always support each other.

And that latter promise was the easier one to keep—because it was hard to be 8800km apart, but it wasn't hard to encourage each other and cheer each other on and be the voice on the phone when things got tough.

Visits sustained them, and college passed quicker than they'd expected, and when they were reunited, they made another promise: not to let anything separate them again. So, Kuroko moved to the United States, and when Kagami was drafted into the NBA and Kuroko said goodbye while he was on the road, they knew it was only temporary, that Kagami would always come home to their apartment and their bed and the life they'd built together.

And after years of promises made and kept, they were more than ready to make another in front of their family and friends. A promise, a vow, for the rest of their lives: I do.

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 2)

Day 2: Family

It was supposed to be casual, just Kise and Kasamatsu coming for dinner at the apartment that Kagami and Kuroko shared near Kuroko's university. But then Kise had blabbed to Momoi, and she'd texted Kuroko and guilted him into inviting her and Aomine. Then, somehow, Takao had heard about what Kagami refused to call a dinner party, and he shamelessly invited himself and Midorima. And last minute, Himuro called Kagami to let him know he was in town, and Kagami invited him before he realized (belatedly, horrifiedly) that there was a non-zero chance he would bring Murasakibara.

But when the door opened for the last time that Sunday evening and Akashi Seijuurou was standing there with a bottle of wine and a not-even-remotely-sheepish grin, Kagami almost groaned out loud.

Later that night, after the chaos had subsided and the dishes had been washed (by an insistent Midorima and whiny Aomine), they said their goodbyes and silence finally fell over the apartment again. Kuroko tucked himself into Kagami's side on the couch, sensing the rant that was coming and not bothering to hide the smile that slid onto his face.

"Who does that?" Kagami groaned. "Who just invites themself into someone else's house? What type of friends do we have?"

"Well, Taiga-kun," Kuroko said, laughing quietly, "I think Akashi-kun's appearance makes it quite clear. He would never be so rude as to arrive uninvited to a friend's home...but family's different, isn't it?"

Kagami's second groan was accompanied by burying his face in his hands as Kuroko laughed louder.

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #generation of miracles #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction

[extant-exhaustion]

KagaKuro Month 2k22 (day 6)

Day 6: College

When Kuroko starts college in Tokyo, he strategically doesn't mention to Kagami or their friends what he's studying. He knows they all think he wants to be a teacher—and he does—but he has a different goal first. Before he pursues his career, he needs to be back with his other half, and he's found a way to expedite that.

Kagami is at UCLA, playing basketball and video-calling every time their schedules match up on either side of the sixteen hour time difference. And he's so happy to be in California and to be playing with such a skilled team, but he's also miserable. And Kuroko knows that, because he spent three years of high school watching his light and learning all of his tells...and also because Kagami says so every time they talk.

A slight delay always precipitates Kagami's pixelated face appearing on Kuroko's computer screen, but the moment they connect, his voice is clear. He sighs Kuroko's name and then says with a sad smile, "Hey, I miss you."

And Kuroko knows this, knows because he feels the same and says so, but he's worried to agree too much because he doesn't want Kagami's basketball playing to suffer because they're apart. But it's been nine months since they've been together and the 8800 km between them may as well be the width of the universe.

But they're halfway through. Kagami doesn't know it, but Kuroko isn't majoring in teaching. He's spent the last nine months learning English intensively and he only has nine months to go. Because he can get a teaching degree anywhere, and he wants to do it by Kagami's side. So, he reassures his boyfriend and they talk about Kagami's recent games and practices, and Kuroko smiles the soft smile that he reserves just for his light, and Kagami beams in response.

The last nine months have been difficult, but soon Kuroko will tell Kagami the truth—that he won't have to wait nearly as long as he had expected, that they'll be back together within the year. After all, Kuroko will always return to Kagami's side, distance and time be damned. For what is a shadow without his light? Or a light without his shadow?

KagaKuro Month 2k22

#kagakuromonth2022 #kagakuro #kagami taiga #kuroko tetsuya #knb #kuroko no basuke #kuroko no basket #kuroko's basketball #ee: kagakuromonth2k22 #ee: mine #ee: writing #fanfiction #long post