Hello hello! Welcome! This will be my first time posting a Kuroko No Basket fanfic so please, criticism is most definitely welcomed! I hope you enjoy this story. This one is going to be a bit difficult to write but that's one of the lovely challenges to writing. As you've probably noticed, there are pairings. The main pairing will be KagaKuro but the GoM will get their time to shine when their times come. If you have any certain pairing you'd like to see in this story, don't be afraid to ask or suggest it! I pretty chill when it comes to pairings.
There will be mentions of medicine, chronic illnesses/disorders, and doctor visits. I am not a doctor. I'm just using my personal experiences to base this off of. If you see any errors in my medical writing, please don't be afraid to point it out. I'm always happy to fix any mistakes I make.
Enjoys!
The room always had this distinct strawberry and peaches smell. It lingered faintly in the air, as if clinging to the surrounding walls from a candle long since burned out. It settled on the back of your tongue, left there by the clear odor. There we no candles in the room, nor were they any air fresheners along the bookshelves or jutting out of the electrical sockets.
"His body isn't taking to the medications as we hoped they would."
Birds chirped outside, their twittering sounding like chattering between old friends. The sun filtered through the tree leaves, leaving splotches of vibrant green against the shaded grass. The weather looked absolutely beautiful outside, easily betraying the biting cold that nipped at people's exposed flesh. Patches of browning leaves flailed uselessly as they grasped to the tree branches, not yet ready to fall and signal the beginning to the changing seasons. Twisters of blades of grass and trash twirled around like dancers, scattering in the wind when the breeze died down.
"We have two different ones we can try - newly released. They has a higher success rate than the last ones, but…"
The window had smudges on it. Tiny children's handprints smeared the cold glass, dirty streaks painting across the clear surface in a array of mindless touches. The windowsill, stained by splashes of coffee and juice, was blanketed by untouched layers of dust and grime that had accumulated over time along the inner crevices of the windowsill. As light filtered in through the window, particles of dust kicked up, acting as a curtain when visible in the slivers of sunlight.
"The side effects are a bit more severe than the last medication though, I will warn."
"What kind of side effects, exactly?"
The walls were a beige color, the upper corner near the window stained brown from water damage throughout the years. Bookshelves lined the walls, giving the illusion the room was smaller than it actually was. Books and papers piled the shelves, stuffed to the brim and without any organized order. The desk was immaculately clean, the pen holder pushed near the corner to give space to the calendar pad, notebooks, and computer monitor that claimed up most of the wooden surface. The monitor hummed, sounding like a swarm of wasps right behind his ear and not across the room. Pale hands curled into fists to try and block out the deafening sound.
Pictures hung along the wall, revealing two children throughout the years. The two, contrasted by their brown and green hair, looked strikingly similar to the doctor before them.
"Worst case: muscle weakness and or limb unresponsiveness. Mild or common case: headaches, depression, anxiety, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, drowsiness, and extreme emotional responses." A pause, a sharp inhale, and a sigh. "I understand that it sounds alarming but trust me, for these medications, the side effects are never severe and rarely require a hospital visit. At most, patients suffer from the occasional headache or bout of nausea. Nothing too extreme."
There was the sound of papers shifting, sliding through the air. Beside him, he heard a soft quizzical noise. It sounded like sandpaper against his ear, grating on his nerve endings.
"This says antidepressant. Why not a antiseizure medicine?"
"We can't put him on a antiseizure at the moment because it interacts negatively with the medicine we're going to prescribe him."
"Why a antidepressant though? He isn't depressed."
"It helps with the pain and the inflammation. It works well with the immunosuppressant."
A warm hand settled on his knee, stilling the institant bouncing. His sneaker squeaked against the glistening tile floor, sliding back up as he adjusted his posture.
Blue eyes lifted from tracing the small statue on the wooden desk and met three pairs of eyes.
"Tetsuya," the elderly lady sitting next to him spoke. "Are you listening, sweetie?" Her shawl was falling off her shoulders, Kuroko noticed, and absently reached over to adjust it back around her. His grandmother gave a soft, warm smile. Beside his grandmother, his mother looked to the doctor.
"Tetsuya," the doctor across from them spoke, tucking a lock of light brown hair behind her ear. "I understand this is hard for you, but I really need you to focus right now. We have a few medications we want to put you on but the side effects are a bit more excessive than the last prescriptions. Are you willing to give them a try?"
Her name plate resting on her desk read Midorima Keiko. Tetsuya saw her son in her eye shape and nose along with how her lips curled slightly at the tips. He'd always been uncomfortable having her as his doctor. He didn't want her son, his ex-teammate, to ever know about his visits.
"If this will help me." His throat felt dry and his lips were chapped. He bit into his dry lips, peeling back the cracked layer of skin. A burst of metal hit his tongue and he swiped his tongue over his bleeding bottom lip. Tetsuya mentally told himself to make some tea once they got home. "I will try it. The prescriptions I'm on right now aren't doing anything for me right now anyways."
Keiko and his two guardians shared looks as Tetsuya looked down at his lap, picking at a hangnail.
His hands trembled slightly. His grandmother rested her hand over his. He didn't look back up.
"I'll write up the prescriptions. I want you to wean off your current medications and then immediately start these. By next week, I want you on these new ones, understand?" Keiko looked stern as she gazed at Tetsuya over her glasses. Tetsuya would never have to doubt where Midorima got his scowling face from - he was a splitting image of his mother in regards to facial expressions.
"Yes," Tetsuya responded. Keiko's gaze softened and she sighed, resting an arm on her desk.
"I understand that school is starting up, Tetsuya. I don't want you to force yourself past your limits to compensate for any side effects these new prescriptions may cause." Keiko pushed her hair back behind her ear. "Your body is going to be taking a few hard hits until it regulates around the doses, understand? I know you take basketball very seriously but I just want you to take care of yourself first and foremost. Wait to join the basketball club until after you know how your body is handling the prescriptions."
"I understand. Thank you for your concern." Tetsuya paused, considering what he wanted to say next. "How is Midorima-kun?" His grandmother released his steady hand and shifted in her seat. His mother, blue hair tied into a tight braid-bun, narrowed her blue eyes as she regarded her son.
Keiko looked smug, as she always did whenever one of her children were mentioned. They were her pride and joy and no one could ever argue otherwise. Her walls and computer were littered with photos of them. Despite getting his coloring from his father, Midorima took after his mother and she knew. Her daughter, on the other hand, was the exact opposite.
"Shin's as stubborn as usual. But he seems excited to attend Shuutoku, so there's that," Keiko smirked. Tetsuya's eye lit with a spark at her words. "I just hope he stops with his silly Oha-Asa obsession and finds someone to date." Keiko slumped down with a sigh.
"Midorima-kun wouldn't be Midorima-kun without Oha-Asa." Keiko snorted and shook her head. She quickly scribbled out a prescription and handed it to Tetsuya's mother.
"Call me the moment any side effects start to pop up, alright?" Tetsuya nodded and she smiled tenderly at him. "Good. See you in two weeks, then."
The ride home was silent.
Tetsuya knew, even before waking up, that it was going to be one of his bad days. He laid there, staring at the ceiling. His body felt heavy, a layer of wet sand cloaking him. His muscles throbbed, a dull ache spreading throughout his entire body. His joints were stiff, barely responding as he tried to twitch his arms and legs. A pressure was building behind his eyes, drumming in tune to his roaring heartbeat.
Everything hurt.
Tetsuya shifted his eyes to the side, catching sight of the time. Four o'clock in the morning. Too early to wake up on a normal day, but early enough that to allow himself a slow start at easing his body out of its current torment.
He started slow, flexing his fingers and rolling his wrists before bending his arms one inch at a time. Once the motions didn't cause any tingling pin-prick aches, Tetsuya tried wiggling his toes and rolling his ankles back and forth. Tetsuya grunted, tears prickling at his eyes as he forced his legs to bend up. He sniffled, licks of humiliation lathering against him as more tears built up.
Breathe, he chanted. Breathe. Breathe. In. Out. Tetsuya's chest tightened several times as if a giant fist was clenching it before it expanded out.
Tetsuya rolled onto his side, gasping as his limbs trembled. Breathe. Breathe. He sat up slowly, giving a inhale as his entire body shuddered under the weight pressing down on him. Black spots momentarily blinded him, the building pressure behind his eyes throbbing .
"Tet-kun?" His mother's voice drifted through the wood of the door, her knocks light. She slowly eased the door open, peeking her head in. Her eyebrows pinched up and she walked into the room, stopping in front of him. "Hey sweetie. Bad day?"
Tetsuya nodded and forced himself to sit at the edge of his bed, gritting his teeth.
Kuroko Aoi sat down next to him, her hand rubbing gentle circles against his back.
"I can call you in sick from school today, if you want," Aoi suggested as she tucked some of Tetsuya's hair behind his ear. She pursed her lips at the lengthy locks and briefly wondered when the last time he had his haircut was.
"No," Tetsuya dismissed. "I can't miss the first day of school." The tremors were slowly smoothing out, leaving a bone-deep exhaustion that settled heavily on his eyelids. Despite skipping dinner to sleep, he felt like he'd barely had two full hours of sleep. His shoulders visibly sagged as he exhaled. He readied himself and pushed himself off the bed to prepare for the school day.
Aoi sighed and moved to the door again, hands planted firmly on her hips. "You can't go tomorrow? Your health is more important than your education." She blinked, her lips thinning. "Wow, I sound like my mother."
Tetsuya gave a brief twitch of his lips, the closest he could manage to a smile now-a-days, and shrugged on his uniform. He smoothed out the black fabric, fidgeting with the collar in his body-length mirror.
"I can't. I don't like to give up," Tetsuya explained and Aoi rolled her eyes. She threw her hands up, her hair spilling over her shoulder at the gesture.
"Fine! But the moment you start to feel worse, I want you to call me. Do you understand me?" Aoi stared intently at Tetsuya, who nodded at her demanding tone. Aoi huffed, giving a triumphant nod of her head.
"Good. Take your time getting ready. You have a while before you have to leave for school. Mother is in the kitchen with Papa. I'll have breakfast ready by the time you come down. How is your appetite?" Aoi paused as she slid one foot into the hallway. Tetsuya stilled, tilting his head to the side as he rested a hand against his stomach.
"A boiled egg sounds good," he admitted. Aoi frowned.
"Just one?" She murmured to herself and left to let her son finish his preparations for the day. Tetsuya checked his book bag, going over his supplies for the day. Nodding to himself, he left for the bathroom to brush his teeth and fix his impossibly wild bedhead.
"Tetsuya," his grandmother, Chiako, greeted as she lifted her teacup. "Good moring. I heard today was a bad day? Are you sure your fine to go to school?"
"I'll drive you," Tetsuya's father, Kyouya, spoke up as he took a sip of his coffee. "Seirin's not that far, right?" He turned to Aoi.
"Nope," Aoi confirmed and settled down their plates of food. "Not at all. And even if it was, you'd still drive him." Her tone showed she wasn't suggesting, but instructing.
"Of course, oh beautiful wife of mine," Kyouya deadpanned and bit into his rice. He caught sight of Tetsuya's single boiled egg and frowned slightly around his chopsticks. "That's all your eating, son?"
"Not hungry," Tetsuya explained as he shredded his egg. Aoi set down a measly portion of rice for him and ruffled his hair.
"Your body is still getting use to the new medication," Chiako mused, sipping her tea. "Don't fret dear. Aoi, make sure his lunch is light today, alright?"
"Oh sweet mother who birthed me," Aoi sighed dramatically, "of course!"
Tetsuya forced down a mouthful of egg and rice against his churning stomach and wondered, not for the first time, how his parents could act like they did without shame.
It was endearing but embarrassing nonetheless.
Soon breakfast was finished and Tetsuya gathered his belongings to follow his father to his car.
"Remember," Aoi spoke as she bid her two men off, "you call me the moment you feel any worse, you got it?"
"Yes mother," Tetsuya responded and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you after school."
Tetsuya's stomach clenched in anticipation as he buckled up into his seat, wondering what the school year would present to him at Seirin.
All things considered, Kagami thought that this was probably the most terrifying way to meet someone.
"...Your nose is bleeding." Kagami didn't know whether to throw his handkerchief at the teen or run for the nurse. Probably both. Couldn't hurt to do both.
"Yes," the blank faced, blue hair teenager acknowledged, pressing his uniform sleeve to his face to stanch the blood. The teen looked entirely unaffected, as if this was a daily inconvenience that plagued him.
"Do you...do you need to go to the nurse?" Kagami gestured towards the direction of the staircase. Honestly, he'd just been on his way to lunch when he'd tripped (quite literally) over the teenage sprawled on the floor.
"Yes," the teen answered and made no attempt to move.
"Do you...need a hand?" Kagami was looking more and more uncomfortable, his widened eyes slowly shrinking to their normal size. He regarded the ghost like teenager, taking in his pale complexion and nearly nonexistent presence.
"No thank you, I'll get there myself. Please just give me a moment." The student again made no attempt to move and after a pause, slumped his shoulders. "I believe I need help."
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kagami sighed. What a great way to start their first day at school.