Title: Xis
Pairing: Himuro x Kuroko
A/N: I have been waiting soooooo long to write this. I write my oneshots in order, the only times I went off course was for "Ogiwara Shigehiro" and "The Way It Should Have Been". I am finally nearing the end of the list...but then there was a couple from another list and some pairings that I wanted to try out. It has been a long time since I started doing these, so I'm surprised that it's been going well. This oneshot is dedicated to my nee-chan. ^^ It's based off of two songs, The Stray and Let You Go by City of Lions.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just the head canon. :D (I don't read KnB fics so I swear I didn't get ideas from one. I usually get ideas from songs or images. Most of the time, I come up with it by myself since I write as I go. (Which I always mention, sorry.)
-x-x-
Xis
n. – The cardinal number that is the sum of ten and one.
The sun was tinted orange behind the looming clouds above the city. The forecast said that it was supposed to rain, but so far things were pretty dry. Just in case, Himuro Tatsuya made sure to bring his favorite black umbrella that had his initials on it. He continued down the sidewalk with his hands in the pockets of his brown coat; keeping them warm. It was the first of October and he could already feel the temperature drop. By the end of the month, he would be a year wiser than his last. To be honest, he was quite giddy about it. He would be able to spend it with his best friend and his brother. He hadn't spent his birthday with Taiga in years. He couldn't wait.
Just as he expected, the clouds began to rumble and rain started to fall down. Himuro opened his black umbrella, glad to have seen the weather report earlier that day. If he hadn't seen the forecast, he would be one of the poor suckers trying to use a building for shelter. Himuro noticed one of those poor suckers ahead of him. The figure was standing below a gazebo on the side. It was surrounded by many trees and also contained a long bench. The gazebo was sturdy so nothing was wet. Well nothing except for the shivering figure underneath.
Himuro was going to continue down the sidewalk, but just as he was about to pass the gazebo, the figure sneezed. The sound was soft, but not girly. It was loud enough to alert him and cause him to stop in his tracks. He noticed how the white uniform was now see-through. The figure was a male with light blue hair. He sighed and walked up to the male.
"Excuse me..." Himuro stood before the male and noticed their difference in height. The kid must be in middle school. He took a folded handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to the boy. "You can use this."
"Ah...thank you," the boy said, finally looking up at Himuro. Their gazes locked and their breaths hitched in their throats.
"Do I know you...?" Himuro could have sworn that he recognized the male.
The boy shook his head. "I think that I would remember."
"Well...here," Himuro had a small smile as he handed him the handkerchief. He fixed his black hair, making it cover his left eye. "I'm Himuro Tatsuya."
The blue haired male looked up with the handkerchief held tightly in his hands, a small blush on his cheeks. "I'm...Kuroko Tetsuya."
-x-x-
"So...Kuroko-san..." Himuro stood next to the shorter male. He stood straight, feeling awkward underneath the gazebo with his black umbrella drying against one of the pillars.
"Yes?" Kuroko sat on top of the bench on his left.
Himuro felt awkward standing; their height difference was even more profound. "Why were you standing here...?" He motioned around them. "Why didn't you just run home?"
Kuroko stared at the ground as rain fell from the roof of the gazebo and created a puddle. "I...don't want to meet someone right now."
"So you're just going to wait until the meeting is over?" Himuro watched the boy closely. What sort of person could make Kuroko want to wait in the cold?
"..." Kuroko only nodded, his eyes focused on the puddle.
By the way Kuroko stared at the rain falling down; Himuro knew that he didn't want to explain further.
Soon, Kuroko got a text message. He immediately flipped his light blue cell phone open and read the text hurriedly. The space between his light blue colored eyebrows knitted together. He did not send a reply. He suddenly stood; the water that had drenched his clothes had mainly dried by then. Kuroko bowed slightly before him. "If you would excuse me..."
Himuro watched as Kuroko turned around and began to run through the rain, his dried clothes were damp once again.
-x-x-
It has been a week since Himuro met the mysterious boy. Every day, he would find himself visiting the gazebo no matter if it was rain or shine. However, some days he would find himself waiting long periods of time by himself. That day, he sauntered home in the rain with his umbrella sheltering him from the continuous drops. He was dejected because Kuroko was a no show. It was now two days in a row waiting alone.
"I'm home," Himuro muttered to an empty apartment. He dropped his bag on the couch and slipped off his shoes. His apartment was small, with only a living room, kitchen, one full bath, and a single bedroom. It was more than enough for him since he lived alone. His parents still lived in America since they moved around a lot. He was sick of never staying in one place for long and decided to return to his original roots.
His brother Kagami Taiga would often visit him once a week or when he decided to sleep over. The two met when they were kids and became good friends since they had similar dreams. Taiga's one is to become a fire fighter and his was to become a detective. The two of them wanted to become people that helped others and it made them see eye to eye. Even though they didn't attend the same high school, the two were striving to reach their dreams.
Suddenly, Himuro heard his phone buzzing in his pocket and he was quick to flip it open. The moment he heard the English greeting on the other end, he knew it was his little brother. "Yo," he greeted in reply. "So we're still on for tomorrow?" He asked. At least he would have something to look forward to. Maybe this time, Kuroko would end up being the one to wait by himself. He heard a pause and knew that something was wrong.
"No, I'm sorry Tatsuya. I have to push our plans."
Himuro could hear the regret in the younger's voice. "It's okay. We can hang out at any time." He slowly started to strip out of his clothes. He undid his tie and slowly began to unbutton his shirt. All while having the phone held between his cheek and his shoulder. "Call me in case you need anything." He smiled as he heard Kagami grumble. He was trying his hardest to not show his disappointment in his voice.
"I know."
"Don't forget to wash the dishes."
"Mhm."
"And take out the trash."
"I already did."
"Have you done your homework yet?"
"Ugh, stop treating me like a little kid!"
Himuro tried his best to hold down the bubble of laughter trying to escape his throat. Kagami was always obedient as long as the topic wasn't school related.
"Oi! Stop laughing!"
"I'm not," he could barely contain his laughter. His nude body leaned against the wall for support. He was now completely naked, a habit of his since he lived alone. Talking to Taiga always made him feel better.
"Hmph. You better not fall asleep in the tub again."
Himuro grinned. "I'll try not to, Mother."
"I am the younger one!"
He rolled his eyes. "Talk to you tomorrow, Taiga."
"...Goodnight Tatsuya."
He waited for the familiar click of the call ending before walking to his bathroom where heaven awaited him. The storm stole all the warmth from his body. He poured the lavender scented liquid into his bathtub with the water running. He waited until the tub was full before dipping in. He sighed in pleasure as his body was enveloped in the warmth. Since he lived alone, he could slip into his American lifestyle without worrying about being weird. He didn't need to clean himself before bathing; he was too tired for that. "I won't look forward to seeing him tomorrow. It's not my fault that the park is on my way home." Himuro assured himself and slowly felt his eye lids become heavy. He easily succumbed to the wave of drowsiness that came over him.
-x-x-
"Achoo!" Himuro sneezed as he started to dress himself for the new day. He had his phone on speaker so that he wouldn't have any trouble putting his clothes on.
"You fell asleep in the tub didn't you?"
Himuro didn't reply since he knew that his brother was just stating the obvious.
"Honestly, sometimes I feel as though I'm the older one."
"Shut up," Himuro muttered while wiping his nose.
"Are you going to be okay? I heard that it's going to be raining all the way until the end of the month. It's the storm of the year."
The end of the month would be his birthday, but he wasn't going to mention it since Taiga should remember. "I'll be fine."
"Oh and one of my friends said that Scorpios have bad luck today. You better be careful."
Himuro rolled his eyes. "Oh? And which friend is that?"
"Uh...a friend you don't know."
He sighed from the obscured reply, "I'll be fine. Nothing could go wrong." He detected that he was hiding something from him, but let it go.
"If you're so sure..."
"Crap," Himuro noticed the time on the clock hanging in his room. "I need to go before I'm late."
"Late? It's still two hours before your school even opens."
"So? The early bird catches the worm." He was now grabbing his bento that he prepared the night before, after he woke up in the cold bath water. He shivered just thinking of it. "Have a good day."
"Mhm, see ya...Don't forget to be careful."
"Yes, Mother."
"Shut it!"
The black haired male chuckled as the call ended. His chuckling then turned into a horrible coughing fit. He placed his hand on his throat. "I better head to the store and buy some medicine," Himuro slipped on his coat and grabbed his black umbrella. His gaze lingered on the umbrella leaned against the wall in the corner. The shade of blue reminded him of a certain someone. "Maybe he caught a cold too?"
-x-x-
Remember when he thought that nothing could go wrong? It turns out that the world was against him. When Himuro got to the convenience store, they were all out of cough medicine. He had to make do with a mask so that he wouldn't get others sick. Right when he bought the mask and left the store, it was raining cats and dogs. He realized that he left his black umbrella next to the entrance of the convenience store a couple of yards away. He decided to go back for it, but the moment he reached his destination a homeless person snatched it away and ran with all their might. Although he was pissed off, he let it go because he was already wet. It wasn't until he was half way to school that he realized he had his spare umbrella stored inside his back pack. His cold had gotten worse and he could barely breathe so he went off the usual path and walked to another convenience shop that was closer to the school. Thankfully, they had what he wanted and he didn't hesitate to gulp down the disgusting fluid. He felt better than ever and was able to get to class without incident. However, the medicine finally kicked in and he was knocked out before they even had to stand up to greet their teacher. He didn't wake up until the last period of the day and found out that he had been resting in the infirmary. His cold had gotten better and all that he had left was an annoying cough.
He seriously should have taken his brother's advice.
-x-x-
It was an hour after school let out and he was finally able to leave. His teachers decided to hold him back and made sure to give him what he missed. They let him off easy since he's one of the best students and they understood that he was ill.
He was grateful for their help and didn't mind staying after hours. It was only 4 o' clock, but due to the storm, it seemed later. He made sure to use his blue umbrella, but due to the heavy rain, he decided to stop at the gazebo.
He had hoped to meet the boy from yesterday, but was disappointed when the bench was empty. He placed his opened umbrella beside the pillar to dry it off and sat on the bench that could seat two people. He was embarrassed with himself to expect anything, but he couldn't help it. His thoughts would keep on going back to him. "I'm a fool..." He told himself not to look forward to seeing him.
"You must be a Scorpio."
"Huh?" He snapped his head up and came face to face with Kuroko as he held a black umbrella above his head. The soft voice coming from the person in front of him made his eyes widen. The stitched letters "H.T." in white thread on the rim of the umbrella made his throat dry. "Is that...?" He trailed off; he was at a lost for words.
"A poor man had this beside him in front of the station and I realized that I left my umbrella again so I bought from him," Kuroko recalled with a fond smile.
"Did you...?" He was about to ask him if he brought it on purpose, but he thought better of it and shook his head.
"Here," Kuroko held the opened umbrella for Himuro to grab. "It belongs to its rightful owner."
Again, Himuro found himself at a loss for words. The person that he kept thinking about appeared before him. Kuroko practically has him wrapped around his finger and doesn't even realize it.
"...I'm sorry that I couldn't make it yesterday, Himuro-san," Kuroko stood up straight, a slight blush on his cheeks while still holding the umbrella. "I had to do inventory of the library."
"Library...?" Himuro caught himself staring and looked at anything but Kuroko.
"Mhm," Kuroko whispered with a nod. He took out the card in his pocket and showed it to him. It was a "School Library Club Membership".
"Ah..." Himuro replied, not knowing how to continue their conversation.
They quickly fell into an awkward silence.
"Um..."
"Uh,"
The two started to say at the same time and then looked at each other with surprise shown on their faces. Then they burst into laughter.
It took them a second to regain composure; the silence didn't feel so awkward anymore as they smiled at each other.
"I...I won't be here tomorrow," Kuroko whispered as he gazed at the ground.
"Oh..." Himuro trailed off. He wanted to ask why, but the two weren't close enough. He knew that he shouldn't want to know more about him. He already did a lot for him. Kuroko found his stolen umbrella, paid to retrieve it, and was now giving it back without compensation.
His gaze shifted to his spare umbrella when an idea popped into his head. He picked it up, shook the excess water, and closed it. He then placed it into Kuroko's hand with a smile of his own. "You can have it. I think it should belong to you."
"Oh, but I-," Kuroko tried to hand it back to him, but Himuro shook his head.
"It belongs to its rightful owner," he quoted Kuroko's earlier words. He then noticed that it was starting to get late and excused himself. He took the handle from Kuroko's hand, brushing against his skin and smiled. "I...hope that you have a good day tomorrow."
"...You too," Kuroko frowned a little as Himuro walked away from the gazebo.
It took Kuroko a second to snap his eyes away from the departing back. He glanced at the blue umbrella in his hands. His eyes widened as he noticed that the umbrella also had initials on it. However the initials were "K.T." and it was stitched with black thread.
-x-x-
Once again, Himuro found himself walking home in the rain. Except this time, he felt giddy. He was sure that the look on Kuroko's face would be worth a thousand words. The spare umbrella had the initial "K" rather than "H" because when he was little, his mother didn't know the difference seeing since she couldn't speak English well. When his dad pointed out her mistake, his mom bought him a new one. Himuro didn't mind either way, but he was grateful for her consideration. The blue umbrella was an important possession of his; he could never bring himself to throw it away. Instead, he has kept it all these years. He didn't know what came over him, but his heart told him that giving it to Kuroko was right. They did have the same first initial anyway.
His phone started to vibrate in his pocket. He answered it with a soft, "Moshi moshi?"
"Ugh why are you speaking in Japanese?"
"Because we're Japanese dumbass," he replied in English.
"Whatever."
Himuro rolled his eyes. Taiga could be such an idiot. "Hey did you meet with that person you were talking about before?" He recalled the fact that their plans were canceled because of said person.
"No...They couldn't make it because of the rain."
"If they miss one more time, they're not important," he made his way to the fridge and took out a can of Coke. "What time were you supposed to meet?"
"At 4."
"Huh...that's around the time I left school." He popped the can open and took a swig.
"Why were you leaving so late? Were you that sick?"
"Of course not," he easily lied.
"Suuuure. Well I gotta go. I have a big test tomorrow."
"Mhm 'kay. Talk to you tomorrow Taiga," Himuro said before hanging up.
-x-x-
That night...Himuro couldn't sleep. He guessed that since he had a huge nap at school, his body didn't feel tired at all. He lay in bed, naked of course. It was a habit he got from their trainer. He would normally stay up to ponder about things. He liked to question the motives behind people's actions. He knew from the way his brother spoke that he liked the person he was meeting. He wouldn't show so much interest in a normal person. The mysterious crush is probably male as well. Himuro guessed that it was the same friend that told him about Scorpios having a bad day.
Soon, Himuro fell asleep and had random dreams through the night. He was currently having the most vivid dream he had in days.
"Ah! Tatsuya!" Kagami called Himuro over to the gazebo where he sat by himself. He stood when Himuro was close enough to embrace. "I've missed you!"
Himuro returned the hug, not feeling awkward at all.
"Sorry to call you out all of a sudden." Kagami apologized; the two still standing.
"Nah, I walk home this way so it's fine," Himuro grinned. "So why'd you want to see me?"
Kagami blushed and scratched his dark red hair, "I wanted to introduce you to someone special."
"Oh?" Himuro was beyond surprise. He must have confessed to the person he'd been meeting.
"Ah! There he is," Kagami ran passed Himuro and embraced the person that was walking towards him. The person was pretty short since Himuro couldn't see them behind Kagami's body. "Come here Tatsuya!"
Himuro shrugged and walked to them. He smiled and held his hand out, "Hi, I've heard so much about you..."
"Hello, Himuro-san," the person said and looked up at him. Their big blue eyes made his heart stopped.
"Haha! Finally the two most important people to me has met!"Kagami was beyond excited as he held Kuroko's hand.
"Are...are you two..." Himuro found his words hard to swallow. "Are you guys dating?"
"Yup!" Kagami kissed Kuroko's temple and Kuroko gazed lovingly at him in return. "Next month will be our third month anniversary. It will also be Kuroko's birthday."
"See Himuro-san...if you hadn't left me at the gazebo that day, this could have been you."
"Wha-?" Himuro immediately sat up in his bed, his thoughts racing. He placed his hand on his chest, hoping to calm down his erratic heartbeat.
He could only recall Kuroko's greeting that afternoon: "You must be a Scorpio."
-x-x-
Himuro couldn't sleep at all after that dream. He followed his usual routine the next morning in a sluggish manner. He felt the weight of each step he took and yet everything passed by in a blur. Before he knew it, the school bell rung and he found himself walking the usual path. The dream played constantly in his head and each time; it only got worse. From having the two admit to dating, he saw them get married, and even adopt their own child. Kuroko grew up to become a kindergarten teacher and Kagami was one of the best fire fighters. They were the poster parents for perfection.
He found himself stuck at a fork in the sidewalk. On the left led to the park; the short cut home. The right path led to where all the shops were and it would take him longer to get home. He decided that a change of pace would be good for once. He walked slowly since he wasn't in a hurry. Unlike the day before, it was a bright and sunny day, although the clear sky only made him feel worst.
Himuro walked with his hands in his pockets; ignoring the people around him. Girls of all ages checked him out as he passed by them. He paid them no mind; too much already weighed his thoughts. Of course he wasn't looking at where he was going and bumped into a person that was running towards him.
"Oomph!" Himuro stepped back as the person fell to the ground. "A-Are you okay?"
"Yes...!" The person exclaimed when their eyes met. "...Himuro-san?"
"K-Kuroko?" Himuro couldn't believe it. He didn't know what he should be feeling, but his throat became dry when he realized that tears had been falling down Kuroko's face. "D-Did I hurt you?"
"No..." Kuroko shook his head.
Unexpectedly, a loud voice shouted Kuroko's name and Himuro was flabbergasted again. The voice belonged to Kagami whom was now only a few yards away. He looked pissed.
Kuroko gasped and scrambled to stand.
"Here!" Himuro reached for Kuroko whom looked at him in astonishment.
"B-But,"
"Just take my hand, I'll keep you safe," Himuro smiled at him. "Trust me."
Kuroko nodded a small smile on his face and tightly clasped the bigger hand.
Himuro pulled him off the ground and made a run for it. "We need to get away!"
The two could hear loud foot steps behind them. Kagami was getting closer.
"Ugh, where could we hide?" The two were at another fork in the road. One led to the police station. The other led to homes.
"Follow me," Kuroko began to lead and headed towards the homes. The two were still holding hands and it quickly began to pour. The two trudged through the mud and ran up a hill where a lone oak tree was planted. It was bigger up close and the branches provided good protection from the rain. They leaned against the thick trunk to catch their breath.
"W-What was that about?" Himuro asked between breaths.
"..." Kuroko wiped the sweat off of his face, but it only made his face wetter.
"How do you know Taiga?"
Again, Kuroko didn't reply.
"Answer me!" Himuro shouted; he was impatient. After another pause, he asked the question that's been on his mind, "Are you two dating?"
"Huh...?" Kuroko blinked at him.
"Well I don't know what else to think. All the clues lead to that conclusion...nothing else made sense."
Kuroko didn't say anything; he just stared at the ground, a puddle forming at his feet from his wet clothes.
"I see..." Himuro turned around to walk away, but then stopped. "Before I go...I have one more question."
"..." Kuroko lifted his head and showed that he had his full attention.
"I've been trying to hide my feelings, but I just couldn't...not anymore," Himuro started.
Kuroko shook his head. "Himuro-san..."
"Let me finish!" For once in his life, Himuro was going to tell someone other than his true feelings. "I don't care if you're dating my brother...I just want to know if I ever had a chance!" All the people in his life were far away. His only brother; the person he cared for the most...was in love with the same person as he. "Could you...ever see me in that way?"
When he finally looked at Kuroko, he realized that tears were falling from his eyes at a continuous rate.
"K-Kuroko?" Himuro was too shocked; all he could do was stand there. Then he wrapped his arms around Kuroko. Their sopping wet clothes made their bodies cold, but that didn't matter to him. He tilted Kuroko's head up, seeing his big blue eyes that were watery. He wiped them with his thumb. "I'm sorry."
Kuroko shook his head, "I...I couldn't sit and pretend anymore," Kuroko finally said when he calmed down.
Slowly, the beads fell slower until the down pour turned into a soft drizzle. The sun began to shine through the clouds.
Kuroko pointed towards the other side of the hill. Their gazebo was there.
Himuro's eyes widened.
"I...I've seen you pass by every day," Kuroko smiled as Himuro stared at him. "I'd sit under the oak tree and sometimes you would walk home quickly...sometimes you would spend hours sitting."
Finally, Himuro slowly began to understand.
"A few months ago... it was pouring and I left my umbrella at home. I used the gazebo for shelter and you handed me your black umbrella," Kuroko smiled at the memory. "You didn't look at me, but I knew who you were. That was when I decided to talk to you...but our schedules no longer matched."
"...So...you're not dating Taiga?"
Kuroko shook his head. "Where did you get that idea?"
"Oh...nowhere," Himuro blushed and squeezed Kuroko's hand. He scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
Kuroko smiled lovingly at him and replied with a squeeze of his own.
The two tore their gaze away from the gazebo below and faced the sky. They watched as the sun burnt away the clouds and the once gloomy city was brighter than ever before. Although the rain was there no longer and their meetings at the gazebo would come to an end...they were finally together.
"Look," Kuroko said with his hand raised towards the sky that was now painted a mix between an orange and pink hue. "A rainbow."
Himuro smiled and nodded his head, "Mhm," his gaze was enchanted, but not by the rainbow above. "It's beautiful." His smile grew as Kuroko glanced at him and looked away, his cheeks dusted with pink.
"...I heard that your birthday is coming up...what do you want?" the petite male asked.
Kuroko spoke longer than he usually did and that alone made his heart fill up with love. Himuro tightened his grasp on the other's small hand. "As long as I have you, I am the happiest man in the world," Himuro smiled at him. "I won't ever let you go."
Himuro could see the corner of Kuroko's mouth twitch.
"I won't let you."
-x-x-
"God damn it Kuroko!" Kagami shouted as he stood in an office in the police station. "Where the heck did he go?"
"Oh, shut your trap Bakagami. Just leave Tetsu alone."
"Leave him alone?! The bastard bought himself a hundred milkshakes and put it on my tab!" Kagami chuckled evilly. "When I find him..."
The other male sighed and pulled him in for a kiss.
"D-Daiki?" Kagami was speechless.
"I told you to shut up," he kissed him again.
Kagami's face lit up like a fire truck. "You owe me you know..." he said after calming down.
"Hey, I told you that my pops made me work at the station longer than usual."
"..." Kagami pouted slightly.
"It's the only way people will accept me becoming a police officer even though I'm in love with an idiot."
"Hey!" Kagami growled at him.
All it did was make Aomine smirk. "Don't worry; I'll make sure to cover your tab."
"...Ahomine," Kagami frowned as the two leaned in to kissed again. "Ah!" Kagami shouted as their lips were only centimeters apart.
"What?"
"I just realized that Tatsuya's the one that was with Kuroko! Does that mean that my bro is the guy that Kuroko's had a crush on?"
"...Bakagami."
-x-x-
I hope you all liked it! I was having a hard time with this one...but the suggested songs gave me ideas! Please review~ I hope I gave you a lot of HimuKuro feels~ Just in time before Season 2 is aired! ^ w ^ I have perfect timing ne? *Chuckles evilly* I hope you enjoyed the plot twists guys!