Because I am Absolute
Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket
"He'll never return your feelings," Akashi said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" you asked, offended.
"You don't have a chance with Kotaro," he said.
"You never know!" you retorted.
"I do know, I am absolute," Akashi said.
You huffed and gave a pout as you passed through the gates of Rakuzan High. Akashi, your childhood friend, was trying to crush your hopes yet again. Normally, you wouldn't be too bothered by this kind of thing since it was only one man's opinion. Except, this was Akashi Seijuro. Ever since you've known him, everything he had said was absolute. There hasn't been a time where he had ever been wrong. However, that wasn't going to make you lose hope. You were sure that this would be the time that Akashi was going to be wrong.
"What makes you so sure that Hayama-senpai won't return my feelings?" you asked.
"It is because I am always right," Akashi answered.
"That's not a real answer," you said.
For the rest of the morning, you gave Akashi dirty looks whenever he was nearby. Even though he was the almighty and fearful emperor of Rakuzan who was known for his ruthlessness, he never made a move to punish you for your actions. However, he did give you questioning glances that was met with an angry pout.
During lunch period, you found Akashi in the classroom, playing shogi by himself as usual. Stepping inside, you quietly closed the door behind you and came up behind him. Holding your hands behind your back, you leaned down and peeked over his shoulders, seeing his hands hovering over a piece on the far side of the board.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing, I just wanted to see what you were doing," you said.
He said nothing as you pulled out a chair and took a seat beside him. For the next few minutes, you watched Akashi play with only the quiet ticking of the clock filling the comfortable silence. Looking up at him, you saw that a strand of Akashi's hair was loose. Reaching up, you brushed it away from his forehead, tucking it with the rest of his bangs. Before you could pull back your hand, he grabbed your wrist and pulled it down to his lips where he slowly kissed your fingers. A hot blush rose in your cheeks as you were unable to pull away.
"W-what are you doing?!" you exclaimed.
"Thanking you," he said.
"Excuse me?" you said.
"I wanted to thank you for what you did," he repeated.
"Y-you could've just bought me ice cream or something!" you said frantically, trying to keep your heart from jumping out.
Akashi released your arm, which you quickly pulled back and held protectively, and gave you smile. He brought up his hand to ruffle your hair before returning to his game. Confused and embarrassed, you caressed the hand that Akashi had kissed only a few seconds ago. Your heart was still beating frantically as you ran a hand through your hair. Even though what just happened made you flush a dozen shade of red, Akashi seemed perfectly calm and composed. Maybe you were just overthinking it. With the reassurance that he was probably just teasing, you were able to calm down.
"Sei-kun, don't you think you should branch out in your hobbies?" you asked.
"What do you mean?" he said.
"You're always cooped up in the classroom by yourself," you said.
"There's nothing wrong with that," he said.
"There are others thing that you could be doing," you said.
"Like what?" he asked.
"I don't know, like getting yourself a girlfriend?" you suggested.
"Was that supposed to be an insult?" he asked, an amused expression on his face.
"Of course not, you just seemed really lonely and unloved," you said innocently.
Any retort from Akashi was interrupted when the bell rang, signaling that lunch break was over. The hallway was slowly being filled with the voices of students exiting their classrooms and coming in from gym. You stood up as well and returned your chair to it's original spot as Akashi began clearing away his shogi pieces.
"I'll be going now, see you later Sei-kun," you said.
Without giving him time to reply, you exited the classroom and headed to your next class. Your heart was still slightly unsteady but you also felt something that was rather unpleasant. It was a dull but painful sensation in your heart. It had started right after your suggestion to Akashi to find himself a girlfriend. It was such an offhanded remark but why did it pained you so much when it came out of your mouth. You were starting to regret your decision of telling him. For all the time you've know him, Akashi had never dated anyone, even if they showed interest in him. What would happen if he really did get into a relationship? Would everything change? The thought worried you but then you questioned yourself on why you were so caught up in it. It would be great if Akashi found a significant other, someone that he loved and could share his happiest moments with.
The more you thought about it, the more painful that feeling in your chest became. In the end, you decided to throw those thoughts out the window and tried to focus on your own love life. Thinking back to earlier that morning, it irritated you all over again at what Akashi had said. There was no way that he would know Hayama-senpai wouldn't love you back, it was absurd. While you were fuming, you finally decided to confess your feelings, there was no reason to wait.
The sounds of squeaking shoes were echoing through the gym as you stood outside its doors, nervously pulling on your shirt. Even though you had decided to confess to Hayama-senpai, the act itself was still nerve wracking. You thought of a dozen scenerios ranging from his heartbreaking rejection to his heartwarming acceptance. Because of what Akashi had said ealier, you thought of all the ways that Hayama-senpai could reject you. He could have a girlfriend, another girl that he liked, or he wasn't interested in dating at all. That only made you more nervous as you opened the doors.
Peeking in, you spotted Akashi's bright, red hair and saw that he was standing on the far side of the gym, his back to you as he talked with underclassman. Looking around, you spotted Hayama-senpai in the middle of practicing his dribbling skills with Mibuchi-senpai. You quietly snuck in and closed the door behind you, taking a seat on one of the benches nearby.
While no one seemed to notice that you were there, Akashi did send you the occasional glances. You offered him a small smile before averting your attention back onto Hayama-senpai. He was laughing with Mibuchi-senpai as they ran across the court. At one point, he seemed to noticed you and gave a small wave as he passed by. Blushing, you raised your hand to do the same.
As the sky was tinted by a soft pink, people began packing and started departing. The only ones present were the first string players, the coach, and you. Akashi was busy talking to his teammates while you sat watching them. After a while, everyone was released and free to leave. Standing up, you shyly approached Hayama-senpai as he was picking up his stuff.
"H-hello," you greeted.
"Hey, what's up?" he said.
"Can I talk with you about something?" you nervously asked.
"Sure, what's going on?" he said.
"Hayama-senpai, I just wanted to say that I've liked you for a very long time," you quickly said.
Hayama stayed quiet after your confession. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, you were too busy staring at the ground with your cheeks colored red. Suddenly, you heard laughter and looked up to see a smile on Hayama-senpai's face.
"I like you too, and stop calling me Hayama-senpai, it Kotaro," he said.
"Really?!" you asked incredulously.
"Of course, you're like family to me," he grinned.
At that moment, that single moment, you could feel your heart breaking a little. Even though Hayama-senpai was smiling and said that he liked you, there was nothing but an aching in your chest. Disappointment engulfed your emotions as you could do nothing but stare. You had lost the confidence to correct him, fearing that he would give you a real rejection.
"Kotaro, what are you doing?" Mibuchi-senpai asked as he came up to us.
"Talking for a bit," Hayama-senpai said.
"About what?" he asked.
"I was just telling her that I loved her like family," Hayama-senpai explained.
"Oh," Mibuchi-senpai looked at you with a frown.
There was something in his eyes as stared at you. Shoving Hayama-senpai over a little bit, he leaned down and whispered into your ear. Your eyes shot open at what he said while your cheeks began turning an even darker shade of red.
"So that's how it is," he said.
"I-is that so?" you stuttered.
"What is it?" Hayama-senpai asked.
"Nothing, let's go Kotaro," Mibuchi-senpai said and dragged Hayama-senpai away.
You stood there alone in the gym, a wave of emotions invaded your thoughts. It was heartbreaking, disappointing, and surprising at the same time. There was no use sulking around, it would be even worst if Akashi were to appear and tell you the same thing he always did whenever he was right.
"I told you so."
"Sei-kun!" you exclaimed as he came out of the locker room.
"He didn't return your feelings, did he?" Akashi said.
"You could've told me that he was dating Mibuchi-senpai!" you exclaimed.
"You should've been able to figure that out on your own," he said.
You gave him a irritated look and attempted to walk out the door. However, you were stopped when Akashi wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you back. The blush from before was starting to rise again as you were enveloped in his embrace. You tilted your head upwards to see Akashi frowning. He spun you around and looked at you dead in the eye.
"I love you," he said.
Your mind became a confused mess at his words. It was so strange, hearing that from him. For all the time you've known him, not once had you heard him utter those words about anything except for his mother. Even basketball wasn't worthy of those words considering how important it was to him.
"W-why so sudden?" you asked.
"You told me to branch out in my hobbies earlier, didn't you?" he smiled softly.
"I didn't know that it was going to be like this," you said.
"Do you not like the idea?" he asked with a small frown.
"That's not it, I do like you Sei-kun but I'm not sure what kind of "like" it is," you answered.
"Then let's check," he said.
"How-"
You were cut off as Akashi brought his lips down onto yours and embraced you in a warm kiss. Your eyes widened but slowly closed as the kiss became intense. It was a weird but nice kind of feeling, it made you want to stay in his arms forever. Fireworks shot off inside your head as your heart went racing, you could almost feel the blood rushing to your cheeks faster than ever. You slowly brought up yours hand and wrapped it around Akashi's neck before tangling them in his hair. Moaning softly, you pressed yourself closer to him as Akashi softly caressed your cheeks, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind your ear. You sighed in disappointment as he slowly broke away, a barely noticeable blush staining his cheeks.
You yourself was a flushed mess. Even though the both of you were no longer kissing, you were still pressed up against his chest and had yours arms around his neck. This was a different feeling from what you felt for Hayama-senpai, that was for sure. Akashi brought a hand up and softly ruffled your hair as you willed your heartbeat to stop it's erratic rhythm.
"You never gave me an answer," he said.
"You should already know," you mumbled.
"I don't," he said.
Stubbornly, you looked up at him to see a small but aggravating smile on his face. Biting back your embarrassment, you answered him.
"I love you too," you muttered quietly.
"What was that?" he said.
"I love you too, okay?" you said.
He gave you a warm smile before embracing you in a hug. As he let go, Akashi kissed your forehead before bending down to pick up his bag. The two of you exited the gym and walked home, hands intertwined.
"Let's stop to get ice cream," he said.
"Why?" you asked.
"You said you wanted some before," he answered.
"You remembered?" you asked, surprised.
"Of course, I remember anything that makes you happy," he said.
"You didn't have to," you mumbled shyly.
"You'll always be happy if you're by my side," he said.
"What makes you so sure?" you asked.
"Because I am absolute."