Kuroko isn't an individual of many words. Rather than decorate his speech with linguistic intricacies and dancing around topics, he is blunt and to the point. However, it is during moments like this, hands clasped over one another as he trails behind the blond who excitedly leads him to down the street, that Kuroko thinks simple words aren't quite enough to describe Kise Ryouta.
He thinks he should have gotten used to it by now, but it is in the little details, such as the way Kise's larger hand instinctively searches for his own whenever they are together, or the soft tone he reserves only for Kuroko, that fills his heart with warmth and brings a vibrant array of colours into his world.
At first he was anxious, not used to receiving excessive amounts of affection or returning the sentiment. He fumbled with things such as text messages, not knowing how to respond to this message and that. When he wanted to contact the blond himself, he wasn't sure what to write. The minutes he spent compiling a message would only result in a single sentence, and he was scared. Scared that his feelings weren't getting through, that he was coming off as too cold, and that the blond would feel put off by it.
But Kise knew him, and throughout the years, had learned how to read him. He understood that Kuroko needed time, and despite his often high-spirited personality, he had, in most cases, all the patience in the world for Kuroko.
Kuroko doesn't know how they both got to this point, while so many of their other friends had drifted away and moved on. What Kise saw in him, or why he remained a steadfast figure in his life; despite his numerous explanations, Kuroko still doesn't understand.
But what Kuroko does know is that he is in love, and has been in love for so very long. And even to this day, Kuroko wonders how it came to be that Kise felt the same. Sometimes he feels that had come to win the other's respect quickly, maybe too quickly. And oftentimes Kuroko feared that the other's gift of love was fleeting, and being the widely admired person Kise was, he would soon find someone else to cherish and shower with affection. These insecurities had plagued him for so long, but as he revels in the warmth shared between their interlocked fingers, or the tenderness expressed in his amber gaze, Kuroko knows that the blond loves him just as much.
This piece of knowledge is confirmed when they get home later that night and back to their shared flat, a realm Kuroko sometimes likes to think belongs only to the two of them. And this is how he feels at the moment while Kise holds the smaller man against him as they watch television on their bed. Letting out a sigh, Kuroko is reluctant as he shuffles his way out of the man's embrace and heads out of the room. He comes back a few minutes later, hands fidgeting with something behind his back.
He calls out Kise's name, and the blond turns away from the screen, moving over to the edge of the bed and shooting him a puzzled look.
Kuroko takes a deep breath and runs over the situation in his head. He has read about it countless times in novels, never quite imagining that he would be doing the same thing. He figures that in his case, actions speak louder than words, and he has so often tried to convey his feelings to Kise through physical, rather than vocal, gestures – a nudge here, a kiss there.
He walks closer to the foot of the bed until he is standing in front of the other. Getting down on one knee, he rests his forehead against Kise's lower leg before lifting his head and looking directly into the eyes he has grown to adore. He then opens the velvet box he had been concealing, uttering the question that has been asked by so many before.
At these words, Kise purses his lips and his face scrunches up into an expression that would have been comical had it not been for the nervousness grappling at Kuroko's chest. From his position on the floor, the blue-haired man can see as his lover's eyes start to glisten, tears brimming over the edges as they drop in front of him.
Kise falls back onto the bed, both hands reaching up cover his face. A painful anxiety fills Kuroko's chest as he quickly gets up and climbs onto the mattress, peering over at the sobbing male. This feeling is short-lived as the blond's arm suddenly reaches out over his shoulders and pulls him down onto his chest. He whispers his answer, and Kuroko's eyes soften, tilting his head up.
Never before has he seen Kise smile so brilliantly, so beautifully. And now it is Kuroko who feels his throat tighten and his eyes burn as he plants his face back onto the other's chest. Kise laughs softly at this response, long fingers gently combing through Kuroko's hair as he murmurs words of love and affection, of promises for days yet to come.
Placing his hands next to Kise's sides, Kuroko pushes himself up and hovers over his partner. Leaning down, he places a gentle kiss on his lips in hopes of conveying his own promise – that he was not going anywhere, that until life draws away his last breath, he'll live and love, steadfast by his side.
HAPPY KIKURO DAY TO MY MOST BELOVED AND PRECIOUS OTP IN EXISTENCE, AUGH.
This story was based off Ra.D's I'm in Love, which I've come to think as so painfully Kikuro (according to my headcanons anyway). Rather than portraying Kise as the one who is constantly yearning, I prefer the opposite. Kise's personality is so complex that I like to imagine that Kuroko has to learn how to discern between his overemotional side versus the somewhat cunning side we see every so often, and how it figures into their hypothetical relationship.
I wanted this fic to be more heartfelt but idk I'm still not sure how to convey what I want into words.