Jealousy
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASUKE OR THE PICTURE!
Murasakibara can be a bit oblivious about anything that doesn't concern food and basketball. When it came to love, the tall teen was quite inexperienced and didn't understand why people would want to hold hands, kiss each other, go on dates and act all lovey-dovey. Unless the person would buy him an unlimited amount of candy, Murasakibara had thought that he wouldn't be interested in a relationship.
Then, Himuro Tatsuya entered his life. The taller teen had been surprised when he actually thought that Himuro was attractive. Furthermore, the older boy was a very talented basketball player and Murasakibara hated to admit how stunning he thought the other teen looked as he bypassed opponents and scored basket after basket. Instead of wanting to crush the smaller teen, the purple head found himself admiring the gorgeous man. What really placed Himuro into Murasakibara's good books, however, was the endless patience the oder teen showed in Murasakibara's presence and the numerous sweets and snacks that Himuro bought him.
Murasakibara had realised that he didn't hate Himuro and that he was a lot fonder of the older teen than he ever had been about someone else (excluding his family and to some part, the Generation of Miracles). The thought that he may be in love came to him randomly during one of his classes and he didn't really know what to do about this sudden speculation. However, he suddenly got jealous whenever he saw Himuro being surrounded by girls at school. Yet, his jealousy was a lot worse whenever the topic of Kagami was involved.
~~~~Jealousy~~~~
The first time Murasakibara's jealousy was spiked because of Kagami, it had been during basketball practice. The team had been training hard (except for the ever lazy Murasakibara) and the coach had finally let them take a break. The tall teen made his way to his sports bag, grabbing a bag of chips and a water bottle, using the opportunity of a break to keep snacking. Himuro sat next to the giant, wiping his sweat off with a towel and drinking from his water bottle. There was a comfortable silence between them, whilst they tried to recover their breath from the intense training the coach had made them go through. However, the team was trying to push themselves, not wanting to go through another loss like they had during the Winter Cup. Even some of the third year players came when they had time to help out with training, feeling just as determined to make sure that Yosen wouldn't lose again.
"Your jumps have gotten better, Atsushi. Your stamina has improved a lot as well," Himuro said. Although the taller teen wouldn't admit it, he really liked hearing those compliments from the older boy. Himuro was naturally nice, but he only gave out compliments that he really meant and Murasakibara always felt a little happier and more confident when he heard those words of encouragement. However, on the outside, the purple head only grunted in acknowledgement and continued shoving chips into his mouth.
"Although, Taiga's jumps are amazing aren't they? He can stay in the air for so long and his stamina has also increased a lot. It will be hard to beat him and the rest of Seirin when we play each other again." Murasakibara was annoyed at the awe and pride in Himuro's voice that were mainly used when Himuro spoke of Kagami. The taller teen wanted that attention to be directed at him, as well as that sweet smile that Himuro only seemed to wear when he thought or talked about his childhood friend.
That's when Murasakibara thought that he might be jealous, wondering why he wanted Himuro's complete attention and all of those compliments to be directed at him. However, he quickly shoved the thought to the back of his head, since there was no reason for him to get jealous. He didn't like Himuro that way (or so he thought) and the older boy only saw Kagami as a brother anyway. Besides, Himuro was here at Yosen and not over in Tokyo, attending Seirin with Kagami like he probably could have. So, Murasakibara's mind was put at ease and he finished his bag of chips, before their coach ordered them to get back to training.
~~~~Jealousy~~~~
The second time Himuro said something that caused Murasakibara's jealousy to flare was when they were shopping for sweets. Technically, only the taller boy was actually shopping for sweets and Himuro only accompanied him to make sure the boy didn't get lost and to pay for all the snacks Murasakibara was planning on purple head loved Himuro's motherly side that always needed to look after Murasakibara and spoil him with kindness and sweets. The taller boy would also admit that he shamelessly took advantage of the other teen's caring side to get what he wanted.
The duo had just exited one of Murasakibara's favourite candy stores, at least two bags occupying each teen's hands. As per usual, the taller boy couldn't stop himself from immediately reaching into one of the bags, grabbing a bag of chips and start eating the delicious snack. He finished the chips quickly and chose another treat from another bag to munch on next, whilst the duo walked through the streets. This routine continued for a while: Murasakibara eating one snack after the other, Himuro softly talking about random topics and the purple head sometimes grunting or nodding his acknowledgement.
"You know, the amount of snacks you eat is probably as big as the amount of Maji burgers Taiga eats. Speaking of food, Taiga is actually a great cook even if he doesn't really tell people. When I visit him in Tokyo again, I should ask him to cook for me. Everything he makes is absolutely delicious."
There it was again. That voice full of admiration that Murasakibara hated hearing. How did the conversation suddenly become about Kagami again? It was always about Himuro's 'brother' and how amazing the redhead was. Again, the taller teen suddenly wondered why it bothered him so much when Himuro's attention was not on him. Why did he hate that the admiration wasn't directed at him? Murasakibara knew that Kagami was only Himuro's 'brother' and there were no romantic feelings involved, but it didn't make him dislike the importance Kagami played in Himuro's life any less. Why couldn't Murasakibara be that important to the older teen?
The last thought caught the taller boy by surprise. Why did he want to be so important to Himuro? Why did Kagami bother him so much? Was he jealous? Murasakibara realised that the answer was yes. He was jealous of Kagami because he wanted to have all of Himuro's praise and attention. He wanted to be the important person in the older teen's life. He wanted Himuro's love because Murasakibara cared for the other teen more than he had realised. Actually, that moment made him realise that he was very much in love with Himuro Tatsuya.
~~~~Jealousy~~~~
The most recent situation where Murasakibara's jealousy reared, had been the final straw. After having realised that the jealousy he kept feeling was because he loved Himuro, the purple head tried to spend even more time with the older teen. They walked to classes and lunch breaks together, partnered up during basketball training, made multiple trips to candy stores and Murasakibara was enjoying every minute. Hence, he had been very excited for today, since Himuro had promised to treat him at his favourite snacks and sweets shop, after the older male noticed that Murasakibara had been using more effort during training (although Himuro didn't know that the taller boy was only doing it to impress him).
After waiting for half an hour (which was already much longer than Himuro had ever made him wait, since the older boy was usually very punctual), Murasakibara pulled out his phone and called the other male. It didn't take very long for Himuro to pick up, greeting him cheerfully and asking him why he called. The taller boy felt disappointment spreading through his heart, wondering how Himuro could so easily forget his promise.
"Muro-chin, you promised to treat me. Where are you?" Murasakibara wouldn't admit that he might have sounded a bit whinier than usual, but he was hurt that Himuro wasn't here with him. The older teen always kept his promises, was always punctual and always looked after the taller male. What could have been more important that he would forget about their meeting?
"I'm so sorry, Atsushi. I'm currently in Tokyo, visiting Taiga. I promise I will make it up to you when I get back, alright?" All of the hurt that Murasakibara had felt before immediately transformed into jealousy. Of course, it was about Kagami again.
"Forget it," Murasakibara muttered, before hanging up and not giving Himuro a chance to respond. The purple head made his way back home, went straight to his room and flopped onto his bed. He thought back on all those moments where he became jealous because of Kagami and Himuro, thought about when he finally realised that he was in love and thought about the quick conversation he had with Himuro today. He hated that he always came second to Kagami and how much he wished that he could tell Himuro that the older boy belonged to him. He wanted to wrap his long arms around the gorgeous male, kiss those soft looking lips, hold Himuro's hand and go on dates (although he considered those dates to be trips to various candy stores). More than anything, he wanted Himuro to love him in return and be more important than Kagami Taiga.
~~~~Jealousy~~~~
Murasakibara didn't hear from Himuro for the rest of the weekend; well, that was because he had decided to ignore all the text messages and calls from the older male. However, the taller teen knew that he couldn't escape the other male forever. They both attended the same school and whilst they didn't see each other throughout class and break time, it was inevitable that they would both be at basketball practice. Murasakibara had wondered if he should skip training for the day, but he knew that Himuro wouldn't give up after just one day and continuously missing training meant that his coach would punish him and he would have to train even harder (which he was too lazy for).
Just like the Miracle had expected, Himuro was at practice, already changed from his school uniform and stretching. When the older boy caught sight of the purple head, he tried to approach him, but Murasakibara quickly turned to another teammate and (grudgingly) asked for some extra help. The taller male could see that Himuro had gone back to his stretches and gave up for the moment, but Murasakibara was sure that this wasn't the last of his attempts.
Murasakibara was proven right when practice was finished for the day; the other team members had already left and he was about to make his way home. However, he was quickly joined by the older boy, who decided to walk alongside the the Miracle. The purple head pretended like he hadn't notice the other's presence and kept walking. Of course, he should have known that Himuro wouldn't just accept his ignorance.
"Atsushi, I know that breaking a promise and forgetting about our meeting was bad. However, I already apologised, tried to call you and make it up to you, but you kept ignoring me. Taiga sends his apologies too, although he really didn't need to. It wasn't his fault, but he still felt like he was at fault somehow, since he asked me to come visit." Himuro tried to explain his side, but he was slightly upset that the purple head wouldn't acknowledge his apology and effort to fix things. Meanwhile, Murasakibara had reached his limit. Himuro's apology had gone so well and the taller boy was going to forgive him, but Himuro just had to mention Kagami again.
"I've had enough! It's always 'Kagami this' and 'Kagami that'. Why do you always have to talk about him when I'm around?! Muro-chin is mine and he should pay attention to me!" Murasakibara's eyes widened as he realised what he had just blurted out. His anger and jealousy had gotten the better of him and the Miracle had basically confessed to the older boy next to him. He chanced a look at the smaller male and Himuro's eyes had also widened in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Atsushi. I didn't realise that I mentioned him so often, but I'll make sure to talk about him less. Also, I would gladly be yours because I love you, Atsushi." The confession lifted a weight off of Murasakibara's heart, that he hadn't known was even there. A smile tugged at his lips and he couldn't help himself from wrapping his arms around Himuro's waist, pulling the smaller man closer to his larger frame. The older boy sweetly smiled at him and leaned up towards Murasakibara, whilst the taller boy leaned down so that their lips could touch. The kiss was short, sweet and Murasakibara loved every second of it.
"I love you too, Muro-chin," Murasakibara confessed and he could feel his heart beat a little faster when he saw the smile that lit up Himuro's face after he had uttered those important words. As they slowly let go of each other, the older boy quickly took a hold of the Miracle's hand and kept it in his, as they kept walking away from their school.
Whilst Murasakibara didn't want to admit it, he probably needed to thank Kagami for this moment. If it hadn't been for the redhead, the taller teen probably wouldn't have realised his feelings for Himuro and (although not intentionally) act upon them. Murasakibara wouldn't be holding hands with the beautiful male next to him and think about how soon they would be able to kiss again (because those lips were addictive and just as soft as he had imagined), if it hadn't been for jealousy.
~~~~Jealousy~~~~
"To anyone who knows a writer, never underestimate the power of your encouragement." - Matthew Reilly