Standing just outside his house, Kuroko ruffled anxiously through his pockets. Keys, check. Wallet, check. Spare change, check. Kuroko took a deep breath, picked up the basketball by his feet, and took his first step towards the place they had agreed to meet.
The harsh summer sun beat down on him as he walked. With the chorus of cicadas harmonising around him, it felt like he had slipped back in time to their very first meeting. Or their second. Ogiwara always came to him in the summer.
The air conditioning in the train gave a little respite from the heat, allowing Kuroko to take breaths that did not feel like it was going to scour his throat dry. They had kept in contact this time, messaging each other regularly; but this would be the first time he saw Ogiwara face to face since the other had shouted out those words of encouragement at the finals.
Kuroko ran through the possible scenarios in his head as the train approached the station. Rationally, there were only so many ways the meeting could go. But no matter how much you plan, it never lasted once the game went into play. Kuroko knew that well. He could not predict how Ogiwara would act.
He was early, Kuroko realised as he reached the park they had agreed to meet in. It was the same park they had met in all those years ago, when he had first encountered a friendly, sunny boy who gave him the gift of basketball. Letting the nostalgia seep through him, Kuroko made his way to the little corner shop they used to frequent after their basketball games.
It was still open; still stacked high on all sides with incomprehensible snacks. Ducking down to the maiubou section, Kuroko ran a finger along the list of flavours, mentally picking out the ones he had tried with Ogiwara, the ones he had tried with Murasakibara, and the ones he had tried all by himself. In the end, he picked the coconut flavour; it had come out a year and a half ago, the winter before Kuroko entered Seirin. He remembered eating it on the train back from Meikou. It felt oddly appropriate, if slightly masochistic.
Leaving the little store was like getting hit by a hammer, the heat a physical weight that pounded down on him. Kuroko regretted not picking a cooler place to meet. Hearing a small disturbance up ahead, he raised his head weakly to see a distant figure running towards him, arm waving wildly.
When they were finally close enough for Kuroko to see the other figure through the heat shimmer, he couldn't help but smile. There were small grains of rice stuck to the side of Ogiwara's chin as he beamed happily at Kuroko.