"He smiles more when you're around."
It had been an innocent statement, filling the space between the power forward and his coach casually. Riko had been nonchalant and breezy as she said it, keeping her eyes focused on the court as the team played a mini-game. Kagami sat on the sidelines- there were an uneven amount of players at practice today- and stretched while Riko refereed beside him.
"Huh?" came his eloquent reply, dumbstruck at what the brunette had just said to him. Riko gave him an unimpressed glance, shaking her head and scoffing under her breath. Kagami knew that she muttered something under her breath, which sounds suspiciously like 'bakagami', but ignored it and waited for her to answer.
"Kuroko, you idiot. He smiles more when you're here." Again, her voice was even and casual. As if she was commenting on the weather outside. Even hearing it a second time, Kagami wasn't sure how to respond to the statement. Turning bright red eyes away to observe the game, he watched as Kuroko moved around the court. It was amazing to him that even now, after working with the team for over a year, he still managed to slip away from them. Any lapse in attention during a game meant that you were at risk of losing track of Kuroko, a fact that they'd been reminded of again and again.
A powerful pass from Kuroko to Hyuuga resulted in a three pointer; the entire team wearing blue jerseys cheered loudly and clapped their captain on the back. Kagami was about to yell his own praise when his voice got caught in his throat.
Kuroko was looking directly at him, bright eyes shining with an exhilaration that only came with competition, no matter how friendly it was. His face slipped from its usual, neutral mask for the briefest moment, giving Kagami a view of the rare smile that seemed to be saved only for him. A blush lit the redhead's cheeks, spreading up to warm his ears. He glanced away, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head. When he peaked out of the corner of his eye at his shadow, he was rewarded with another quick smile before Kuroko turned his attention back to the game.
Kagami continued to watch, eyes trained on his partner. It had only been recently that the two had officially started a relationship, though the team would argue that they'd already been dating for some time. Kagami felt inclined to agree, especially considering that very little had changed since they had officially started dating. It was as easy as breathing, being around Kuroko. The transition into dating had been nearly effortless. The red head had thought that it would be awkward, almost like getting to know each other all over again. He was afraid that it would ruin the friendship that they had cultivated, make the relationship awkward and uncomfortable.
He'd been wrong. It was an easy slide into dating. They sat closer on the couch when they watched games at Kagami's apartment, Kuroko comfortably tucked under Taiga's arm. They held hands when they walked to Maji Burger after practice. When Kuroko stayed the night, they shared the bed. Without thinking about it, he'd kissed Tetsuya outside the blue eyed boy's house after walking him home one day. The power forward had begun to stutter and apologize afterward, but stopped when Kuroko smiled so brightly that Kagami would swear that he could have been blinded by it. It had been simple from there. Effortless. By all accounts, not much had changed at all.
Riko watched the entire interaction with soft eyes. It had come as no surprise to the coach or the team when the two had started to express interest in each other. She was pretty sure that Hyuuga had lost a bet with Kiyoshi when Kagami finally asked Kuroko on a date. The coach continued to watch with a critical eye as Taiga observed the game. His eyes darted back and forth down the court, watching his teammates move. He smiled each time Kuroko made a play, no matter what it was. Riko wondered if he even realized he did it. After a moment, she grinned privately to herself and decided that he probably didn't notice it at all. Bakagami.
After another few minutes, Riko gave her whistle a sharp blow to call the end of practice. The team gathered around her, chatting amicably about weekend plans and homework due on Monday. Aida spoke for a few minutes about proper stretching and cool down exercises before reminding them that they had a game against Shutoku next week. Once she was done, the team broke off into small groups and pairs as they gathered their things and headed toward the locker room. Riko waited in the gym doorway, telling everyone that they'd done well today and that it had been a good practice. Soon, it was only the the shadow and light left in the gym. She watched them interact from the doorway, taking in their soft expressions and bright eyes.
Watching the two of them made her heart feel oddly light, for some reason. Maybe it was because they were happy together, and that's all she would ever hope for her friends. Maybe it's because she knows that they're good for one another, strengthening and support each other unconditionally. Most likely though, it was for moments like these. When they only smile for each other.