First Kiss
Rating: Teen
Genre: Family/Romance
Pairing: Kise Ryouta/OFC
Key Topics: alternate universe (mild), post-canon, future-verse, actor!Kise, established relationship, marriage, mentions of other pairs and children, flashbacks, past plays a large role, mentions of depression (minor, unlikely to trigger)
Summary: Five kisses, five memories, five interconnected one-shots, they were five moments Kise Ryouta would not give up for the world. This is how a handful of kisses changed Kise's life and made him grow up.
If I kiss you like this
From the very beginning, he had managed to convince himself that he was the weakest of them all. At least, this was his perception due to his belief that he had no talent or skill to call his own despite being considered one of the Generation of Miracles. They all had something that was so distinctly their own and solidified their presence as a miracle, yet his only notable skill was the ability to become someone else.
Yes, that last part was the most important his "ability to become someone else." His modeling career in high school had taken off so well because of this innate transference. He temporarily became what the world wanted, a smile, a beautiful face, a crush, an idol, someone to fawn over, something to be put on a pedestal.
But all he wanted was to be brought back down to the ground, tethered by something he could call his.
After all, Midorima had his horoscopes and three pointers to cling to. Aomine had that mystifying talent for basketball that transcended even the ease of breathing. Even Murasakibara had his sweets to fall back on despite his lazy approach to life at large. Akashi, well, Akashi had his absolute control and unconditional rightness, and Kuroko had that special presence that made him such a potent Phantom.
And Kise could mimic them all. He could take on their talents for a minute, become them, be everything that they were, but then he would fall back and it would be proven yet again that he had nothing. That was the gaping hole torn into the cavity of his chest that had seemingly replaced his heart.
No number of smiles, hugs, or wins could change that. Truthfully, ever basket he made with someone else's talent made that empty void grow even more.
And if you whisper like that
"Ryuu-chan, do not run in the house."
The quiet reprimand – gentle as if knowing the warning would be ignored – billowed out from the house on a burst of warmth that temporarily warded off the chill of early winter that had settled on his shoulders. It chased after the blond haired child that had preceded its escape and now nestled in his arms, ghostly fingers snaring at his heart despite the years.
"Hai~!" was the boy's sing-songy reply as he nuzzled his face against his father's abdomen, having tackled the taller blond on sight. "Papa," Ryuu peered up at him through golden lashes with his mother's pale eyes and his shy smile widened. "Mama's belly has gotten really big!" his announcement was accompanied by eyes opened wide in astonishment, and he held out his arms on either side of himself to emphasis his statement.
Laying his hand on the child's head, Kise Ryouta leaned down and ruffled his son's hair with a laugh. Pulling him back into his arms, Ryouta hefted the blond child into the air and spun him around once then settled him against his chest. "Hontōni? You are getting big too," he chuckled and held the warmth of his son close, "Big enough to be a big brother?"
Ryuu's face positively lit up with glee, grinning wide so a gap between his front teeth was visible, and he nodded vigorously, "Un!"
A tall, slim woman appeared at the other end of the hallway wiping her hands on a dishtowel, an indulgent smile spread upon her lips, "Okaeri, Ryouta." She stepped forward with one hand spread on the underside of her swollen stomach and the other trailing against the wall as precaution.
Ryouta stood in the doorway for a long time, simply staring at her in awe, listening partially to his son babbling away in his arms, and contemplating the drastic difference between the life his teenage self had dreamed up and the one he actually led. Then he shuffled into the house, toed off his shoes, and closed the door behind himself, "Tadaima, Setsuka."
It was gone with the wind
The light haired, blue eyed woman he called his wife simply shook her head at him with that small, pleased smile still upon her face and extended her hand to him, "You are still thinking about useless things, aren't you?" She took his face in both her hands and rose up carefully on her toes, pressing her lips to his, "I will fix your favorite for dinner, ne?"
"Ah, hai," Ryouta replied belatedly as she stepped back, and he distractedly set Ryuu back on the ground, taking a good long look at his wife. Again, he could not help but wonder how kissing Setsuka always set the whole world right again. "How are you?" he asked her and abandoned his suitcase by the door to trail after her as she returned to the kitchen, feeling more like a lost puppy than ever before.
Setsuka turned to him and lifted her hand to ruffle his hair in a mirror of how he had done the same to his son just minutes before. "I, we," she corrected after a brief glance at their son who scrambled onto a chair at the table, "have been fine. But we are even better now that you are here. You? It has been a few weeks since you have been able to come home."
Nodding because he knew what she said was true, Ryouta wrapped his arms around her carefully then moved back to take a seat next to their son, "A combination of exciting and exhausting. I am glad to be home."
She nodded briefly then set to work on their meal once more, her smile softening at the sound of Ryuu recounting their days to his father. She loved her husband more than anything and it always warmed her heart that he made such a good father despite his absences.
"And," Ryuu, now in Ryouta's lap, was saying, "Kagami-cchi said he was better at basketball, but I still beat him anyway." The excitable blond bounced then stretched his short arms for his cup and he pulled the thick plastic straw to his mouth, sucking with gusto.
"Kagami… cchi?" Ryouta blinked in surprise at the familiar name then lifted his head to peer at Setsuka.
"We ran into Kagami-kun and his son a week or so ago on a grocery run," she answered his unspoken question like she had read his mind, just like he knew she would, "Ryuu-chan and Yagi-kun have been meeting up at the park to play every day since."
Chuckling, he laid his elbow on the table and propped up his chin. What were the odds that their sons would both find a passion in basketball like they had? Well, Ryouta amended, it would have been odder for Kagami to not teach his son the sport.
Laying his free hand on Ryuu's head, he leaned down a little to whisper, "Omedetō." Throwing his arm over the child's shoulders, he laughed softly and added, "Though if Kagami-cchi junior is anything like Kagami-cchi senior, he will keep at it until he is better than you. Ganbatte, ne?"
Ryuu pouted up at him and he had to hold in a laugh, "I do not need luck."
Deciding it was too much effort to argue, Ryouta nodded and leaned back to look around his kitchen, closing his eyes to relish in the calm.
But it's all coming back to me
Even back then he'd had quite a bit. Now, he just had a whole lot more. He was quickly heading up the charts as an actor – a job he would have never considered as a youth – and he had his wife and his son and another child on the way. And really, he could not be happier if he tried.
Kise Ryouta loved his wife and he loved his life too, and he would always thank Setsuka's kisses for that.
They were what dragged him from his self-centered pity party days of being an angsty teenager. Something about her kisses just felt like coming home, felt right, and they set the world back on track again whenever things went astray.
To Be Continued
Word Count: 1,327
Song: It's all coming back to me now by Celine Dion
Japanese Lesson:
1: Hai – Yes
2: Hontōni? – Really?
3: Tadaima – I'm home
4: Okaeri (Okaerinasai) – Welcome home/Welcome back
5: Omedetō – Congrats
6: Ganbatte – Good luck