Disclaimer : I do not own Kuroko no Basuke nor the characters. Tadatoshi Fujimaki is the rightful owner of this manga and characters.
Notes : For basketballpoetsociety's 111th challenge (Rarepairs Battle)
They had been strangers. Kagami just recently moved to Los Angeles and he was still lonely. Was it his accent? Was it because he was Japanese? He didn't know. He already tried to be friendly but they just seemed to ignore him. It was truly a lucky coincidence (Kagami would say it was fate) it was when Himuro, another Japanese boy, greeted him and asked him to play basketball with him because they need one more person in the court. It was when they became friends. They had been brothers. The metallic ring dangling on his neck was the proof. He wore it proudly and he would say that his brother gave it to him whenever people ask about it. Some people would be confused, saying that as far as they knew, Kagami was an only child. He would only reply with a big toothy grin and said,"I have one now!"
They had been rivals. Kagami saw it as a good thing, being rival with his best friend and big brother. He wanted Himuro to feel proud of him whenever he won their little matches, praising him. Himuro saw it as a bad thing when Kagami started to win more and more. He said that he shouldn't be called a big brother anymore if Kagami kept winning, if he was weaker than Kagami. Kagami wanted to scream, telling Himuro that it wasn't true, that Himuro would always be his dearest big brother, no matter what happen. Skills didn't matter, their relationship were. Kagami agreed to Himuro's deal. He was punched by his big brother when he broke the deal. The rings were at stake and he got the feeling that he would lose Himuro too. They would be back to strangers or even worse, Himuro would see him as enemy. The necklace felt so heavy just like his heart when he flew back to Japan, so heavy that he felt it would drown him into the sea below.
They reconciled after the Winter Cup but their relationship was never the same. They weren't as close as when they were still in Los Angeles. They were still friends, they texted each other and sometimes Himuro would even go visit him in Tokyo whenever the purple giant had to restock his favorite snacks that were only sold in that one shop near his old high school. They still wore the same metallic rings but something just didn't feel right, like there was an invisible wall between them. He couldn't exactly pinpoint what because everything they did was almost the exact same thing they did while in LA. Maybe it was because they now lived in different areas and they couldn't meet each other as often. Maybe it was because things were still awkward between them even if they already introduced each other as brothers again, even if the chain around his neck felt as light as a feather now. Nevertheless, Kagami was happy he could have Himuro back.
However, this proposition, the new kind of relationship Himuro offered, it made him want to fiddle with the ring, to check whether the chain actually tightened itself around his neck because it felt suffocating (but he couldn't touch it, not now, not in front of him). Himuro was looking at him and all he could do was taking another fries, looking downward. "Taiga, this may seems sudden…" He sipped his soda as loud as he could to ignore the sound of the impatient fingers tap on the plastic table. He knew some people turned their head, he could feel their gaze, but he could feel Himuro's gaze the most. "I love you. Not as brothers but as lovers." It felt… wrong. They were supposed to casually hang out. They were supposed to talk stories about their teammates. He loved Himuro, but as brothers, as best friends. "I have loved you for awhile. I couldn't exactly pinpoint when but I know I have felt that way since we were still in LA." Himuro said it so nonchalantly as if they were talking about their favorite basketball team. "So I was wondering if you want to go out with me." Kagami hadn't said anything since. The taps grew impatient and it suddenly became the only thing Kagami could hear, sounded louder and louder as it goes. Then it suddenly stopped. Kagami could hear the sigh that left from the other's mouth as he now stood up and ready to leave. Memories started to flash into his mind (the day they met each other, the time they became brothers, all their basketball games, the yelling, the punch, the time they spent to rebuild their relationship). You are going to lose him again! A voice yelled inside his mind. He rose from his seat as fast as he could (he didn't care that the clattering sound of his chair made every eyes on that place looked at them). His hand grabbed Himuro's wrist. "Ta-Tatsuya, I think I love you too! I… I'm sorry. I… I just- I was just thinking about it and finally realized that my love toward you is actually… S-so, I'll be happy to go out with you!"