just another experiment, this time with tenses. and oh man, i haven't written in second person in a long long time, so let's mix that in too shall we?

inspired by one of the 30kisses prompts on lj. i think the title's pretty clever. (but that's mainly because i wasn't the one who came up with it wahaha)

initially typed this out on my phone and then transferred it to my laptop shortly (read: half a day) afterwards. this is the product of my usual nocturnal self and yet another episode of insomnia crippling my mind. it's currently 4:37 am. expect me to be asleep soon. or at the very least, i will try haha

takamido is my kurobasu otp like omg they're fucking godly (midorima also happens to be my miragen bae. mmhm)

V. IMPORTANT: This story, featuring Takao's point of view, is set in the anterograde universe together with Paradigm Shift. This fic will probably still make sense to you if you read this on its own, but I /highly/ suggest you read PS later after you finish this to better comprehend everything. [also bc #feelz]

it is written in future tense + a 2nd person POV. this fic features dual interpretation. ((Have fun.)) Honestly, I don't know or understand what it was that I intended to do with everything when I created this.

disclaimer: i don't own kuroko no basuke


"Good morning, Takao."

-x-

Picture this.

You will wake up to the sight of a boy. His name is Midorima Shintarou, as he will tell you. You know him as, or more specifically, your brain recognizes him as this: a tall, green-haired, and peculiar boy with glasses who obsessively wraps tapes on the tips of his fingers. You will find him to be interesting. This boy has a verbal tic, which you will soon discover to your amusement, as he constantly peppers the ends of his sentences with the particle "nanodayo." You may feel like wanting to laugh at him at times, most especially for this, and for the future mannerisms that you will encounter and observe throughout the day. Go ahead.

"I am Takao Kazunari, it's a pleasure to meet you," you will say as you offer to shake hands. There is no need for such introductions - he already knows. Nevertheless, the boy Midorima will take it. Afterwards he will push his glasses up and shift his gaze a couple centimeters away to the left – always to the left - the way he usually does when he finds himself feeling embarrassed or in an awkward situation. This boy is very shy, and as you will note, he does not do well in expressing his emotions.

He will insist you refer to him as "Shintarou." Be stubborn. Smile at him when you say that you would prefer to call him "Shin-chan" instead. Expect that he will not smile back. This boy has a very short temper – and an even worse mouth – but you will soon find that when it comes to you, he always seems to make exceptions.

(Do not question this. You will understand the reason soon enough.)

-x-

Breakfast will consist of a mug of coffee and a half-burnt slice of toast. You have never been good with appliances.

He will open the television with the remote and you expect that, given his personality, he will direct the channel to news. Unfortunately, you are wrong. Instead, he will tune in to Oha Asa to check the morning horoscopes and for the respective fortune rankings of Cancer and Scorpio for that day. Then, he will rummage through his things or search the internet for online stores in order to find his 'lucky item.' Sometimes, he will say, he tries find yours as well.

Do not quirk your eyebrows or act surprised. This is normal. Luck, he strongly believes, is his life's guiding force. You will realize that he does this everyday – religiously, almost obsessively. Accept him as he is.

After you finish eating and the dishes have been set aside and washed, you two will sit together on the table and attempt conversation. He will ask you about what your plans for the day are and did you encounter any nightmares and what do you remember and what are your dreams. When the Oha Asa program ends, he will busy himself by reading a book for a while. You, in the meantime, will find amusement in the NHK's broadcasts of comedy skits and variety show programs.

By now, a part of you will wonder and you will begin to think: is it always like this? And the answer is yes but also partly no. Indeed it is a cycle; for the both of you, it becomes routine…but there are always a few certain discrepancies that are altered in every such circumstance.

After three hours pass, he will shuffle to the kitchen to prepare lunch. Do not worry, he will promise; unlike you, he's a good cook. You will find your plate full of bibimbap, bulgogi, and a hefty but very generous serving of kimchi on the side.

He'll say that he's made your favorites. You probably wouldn't even know what they are.

(Hint: it's the kimchi.)

The food will taste amazing. When you tell him so, he will scoff. This is to be expected, he will reason. If not for your eyes, you would not notice the small curves of his lips, the faintest traces of mirth, and the subtlest hints of his smile. The boy hides them well – but not well enough.

After all, you see everything.

-x-

Cancer's lucky item will be carrots. Sagittarius', a pair of glasses. For Aquarius, a book; for Leo, a dog…

In other news, Scorpio's happens to be 'something green.'

-x-

He will invite you to go with him to buy groceries for tonight's dinner, as well as your/his 'lucky items'. (You will observe that he feels very lost without them.) You don't really want to buy them. Feel free to decline. Or better yet, make a wager.

"Okay, Shin-chan," you will say to him, grinning, and cede, "but only if you pedal our rickshaw."

You will find yourselves walking on the street in no less than three minutes after that conversation. The rickshaw will remain at your home, abandoned in the alley nearby.

-x-

(And yes, wipe that look off of your face. I know what you're thinking: Yes, you do own a rickshaw.)

-x-

Later, there will be a few people still loitering around the streets, but at the very least, there won't be any children on the playground swings. (You can be selfish and have him push you there if you'd like.) You will estimate the time to be half an hour past five and it will be quiet when the two of you are walking back on your way home. Possibly stifling, even. You will probably feel a bit uncomfortable. Ask him to hold your hand.

Expect him to laugh – at you, and at your expense. Just kidding. Trust him when he says that he won't.

(But believe me when I say that he still will.)

-x-

"You're an idiot, you know that?"

(His fingers will feel warm cradled against yours.)

-x-

"Let's go to the park," he will offer before the two of you make your way inside the store. "After this, I mean. There is something I need to show you. Would that be all right?"

Do not say anything. Just nod and walk along.

When you reach your destination, you will find it a little less crowded, a little more empty. The park is old, and it will look even older to someone like you, who hasn't been in it for a long time. It will have rusting bars and fading coats and peeling chips of paint. The boy will step into the abandoned court across the street. You will see him holding up a basketball in his hands.

"Takao," he will ask, "would you like to go one-on-one?"

The boy will not scrunch up his face nor furrow his brows nor let the crease marks show on his forehead. Despite this, you will feel an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse as you return his gaze.

"Sorry," you will answer shyly. "Never played, don't know how. Maybe you can teach me…?"

At this, he will look at you wordlessly and only plaster on a smile.

"Ah, of course," he will reply hoarsely before he throws the ball. Expect that it will land straight through the hoop of the basket. You will observe that his shooting form looks almost perfect underneath the pale orange of the sinking sun's light. "My apologies then. Perhaps next time, Takao."

It's a perfectly normal answer, but the way he'll say it makes it seem so different. Forced and strained. You will wallow in the silence and be forced to ponder on such a question. The boy seems sad. You'll wonder why.

-x-

I'm in love with you, you will whisper and he doesn't conjure a response. But he says it anyway, with the gaze of his eyes and the tapes of his hands and the burn of his skin and the blossom of his lips on the seams of your fingertips.

-x-

"You look tired," you'll tell him later, when the two of you are propped together on the small space of the couch, and you inch in, peering closer. "You have circles under your eyes."

"So I've been told," he will snap and bristle at the contact. "Don't be a fool, Takao. It is rude to bring up such offhanded comments about people's appearances."

He will lecture you about decorum. As usual. Ignore him.

"Is being with me really that tiring?"

"Yes," he'll answer blandly, "I see you've finally noticed. If I may be so frank, you're quite a pain in the ass."

"Hmm," you will hum in response, absentmindedly. Before you let him say any more, you may want to ask him this, "Tell me, Shin-chan. Am I burden to you?"

He will look at you and blink. Later, you will observe that he seems to have developed an affinity for staring at the ground.

-x-

Dinner will be cup noodles. You will realize you forgot to bring home the carrots from the park.

-x-

There are possibilities. The first that the boy will not speak to you for the rest of the night: neither a word, nor a look. Not a murmur. Not a whisper. The other being that he will be fed up with the pressure and the build-up of tension and leave.

"Shin-chan," you'll say as you call out to him when he slams the door in your wake. You don't expect him to come back.

But he will. (Trust that he will.)

-x-

You will be in bed by the time you hear the door unlock and the wood creak close. A shuffle of footsteps, and the warm press of shadows that follow closely behind you.

"Are you angry?" his voice, quietly, will ask. Be honest. Shake your head, tell him no.

"About earlier," he'll say, as his voice will trail off. He will be silent for a while (in fact, you both are) but that is okay. Wait a little. He probably has more to say. "I am sorry about earlier. I was foolish, Takao. Foolish and careless with my words. I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Takao and I do not think of you as a burden, for I will never tire of you and the time you spend with me…"

He will fumble, searching for the right words, the right answers.

They come to you in the form of laughter. "What was with that?" you will exclaim. "Oh my god, Shin-chan. You're so cheesy, you've even gotten me all embarrassed." And you are right. He is. The boy will splutter at this, and his face will burn from the impending feeling of - what was that, oh right, shame. You won't stop laughing. By then, he will surely be angry.

"Hahaha, Shin-chan—"

"I take it back. Go die. I hope you land in a ditch somewhere and kill yourself, Takao," he will hiss, scathingly, before he adds, without a moment's hesitation, an augment to his insults. "I pray you burn."

"Shin—"

"Die."

You will call out to him once more. And he will either give you the cold shoulder or shoot you an icy and/or burning gaze, or perhaps maybe even a killer combination of both. Despite that, I urge you to continue. Say it to him again, and after two-to-four more times, he will surely cave in to your whims and reciprocate.

"What is it?" he will demand as his cheeks blush red, and you will feel the urge to tease him again. Do not give in this time. Instead, tell him this:

Thank you for always taking care of me, Shin-chan. I love you, too.

In a matter of hours, this confession will mean nothing to you. Your memories will vanish from your mind, as though they will be erased. It is inevitable, and you cannot escape your ailing condition. You will most likely want to know why, and the truth of it lies in the history of your accident. Do not bring this up to the boy Midorima. He had been there to witness it, but does not wish to disclose information about it any further. Some things are just better left forgotten. For you, it will be like working again on a blank slate.

Despite all this, say it anyway. It will be all right. Have faith in him to confide in the things that truly matter. Flash him a smile. Trust that he will remember.

(Because he will.)

He always does.

-x-

For now, my dear, this may seem to be a dream.

(Hurry now, the boy is waiting.)

-x-

Come tomorrow – when you open your eyes and morning unfurls and brings with it the rising sun and the breaking dawn – things will seem scary at first.

But before that, here are a few things I would like for you to bear in mind. Consider them as ground rules, if you will. Or you may think of them as tips, in order to help get you started. Do you understand? If so, then here goes:

You will wake up to the sight of a boy – a tall, green-haired, and peculiar boy with glasses who obsessively wraps tapes on the tips of his fingers. His name is Midorima, but he will insist you refer to him as "Shintarou." Be stubborn. Smile at him when you say that you would prefer to call him "Shin-chan" instead. Expect that he will not smile back.

(Have you realized it yet?)

You will laugh at him for all his quirks, and he will crack jokes at your expense. Often he will comment that he finds your presence exasperating, but despite this, you will find that he cares for you deeply. Later, in the time that you spend together throughout the day, you will realize that you too feel the same. It will be embarrassing, to say the least, for the both of you. But you will forget, as you are prone to do so. Trust that he will not.

Perhaps you will not believe me. You are probably skeptical of my words. But that is all right, it is understandable. You will find out soon, what is worth believing, in time. Are you ready?

One, two—

(Open your eyes.)

"Good morning, Takao."


here is an AnterogradeAmnesiac!AU that nobody asked for. yet another one of my vague-ish attempts of fluff + inevitable kissing

now there are two ways you can go about this.

the first possibility, as hinted by the title, is that the entire story/narration of events had been a foretelling of what was yet to come in the day, so that when takao wakes, he'll actually get a chance to live it out. in that sense, it would give this fic an air of circularity and cause it to loop in a way.

the second is a more linear approach, in which the events narrated are actually happening in real-time but because of his amnesia, takao will forget and be forced to move on when he transitions to the next day.

it's kind of open-ended, and the future tense was used to help retain it's vagueness (you can think of it as either a foretelling, or a kind of personal memoir entry (like those diaries/journals/sticky notes that you often read in amnesiac AU fics or smt) either one will be fine. honestly, i just couldn't decide HAHA and i happen to like confusing things, so i figured i'd let you readers find the pleasure in deciding that for yourselves too. it's more fun that way, wouldn't you agree? haha

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anyway just wanna say thank you very much reading i have no idea what to make do of this so lol yeah i hope you enjoyed :)) please leave a review