Comfort

Kuroko no Basket

Moriyama x Izuki

Disclaimer: I do not have any sort of ownership over the series or characters.

It is the holiday break for Christmas and New Years after my third year of university and only a few days remain before Christmas. Izuki and I have been living together for the last two years (both years of him attending university after graduating high school) and this is the first time we have both come back to see our families at the same time. Izuki is with his family enjoying spending time with his parents, siblings, and grandparents from out of town. As for me, my parents had a last minute business trip that took them away this morning and will keep them out of town until Christmas Eve.

I'm bummed they are gone, but it's nothing new and I have used the extra time to relax watching old movie classics and catch up with some of my high school friends. I found Kasamatsu is in a similar situation as me; parents gone and significant other spending time with family. So I invited him over and we catch up on the last few years face to face. We kept in contact via text and email, but talking in person is much nicer. It wasn't until we had been talking for an hour or so, did I realize just how much I have missed our old friendship but can't say I would change much of anything if I could besides staying in better contact.

It's a couple hours after dinner and we are just setting up a spare futon for Kasamatsu to use tonight that our peaceful and uneventful day gets shaken up. A loud banging sounds clearly through the house from my parent's front door. Kasamatsu asks if I'm expecting anyone and I honestly say no and start for the door. As we walk down the stairs, I start getting annoyed at whoever is at the door as their knocking hasn't ceased. They must be using the side of their fist to pound on the door. The noise almost seems frantic I notice as I draw closer. A glance at the entry way clock shows the time to be about a quarter to ten at night. I check the peep hole in the otherwise solid wooden door and see a head of familiar back locks and disheveled or not I recognize.

"Izuki?" I ask after I quickly unbolt and wrench the door open. I only have a second or two to take in his distraught expression and rumpled appearance before he practically tackles me in a tight embrace. I don't expect the sudden weight he puts on me so as I stumble to regain my balance, I trip over something behind me and fall to the floor with Izuki landing on top. Most of the air in my lungs leaves upon impact with the noticeably very sold floor.

My arms come up and one wraps around the small of his back while the other comes up to cup the back of his head. I lift my own to see mostly the top of his head once more and out into the dark cool night outside. "Shun?" I try again in a quiet worried tone. His only response is to bury his face into my chest. "What's wrong?" he flinches at the question and starts shaking.

Kasamatsu tiptoes around us to close the door against the invading cold weather and any possible viewers. I gently rub the top of Shun's head trying to comfort him from whatever is bothering him, but don't seem to be having much success. I glance up at Kasamatsu as he steals past us as quietly as possible and motions that he will be upstairs. I nod in thanks as he disappears from sight.

At first I think Shun's shaking is from tears even though I think I've only seen him cry once in the time we've known each other, but after a moment or two I realize that it must be from the cold outside. When he embraced me I noticed the cold, but figured the outside temperature was clinging to the outside of his clothes and from more wafting inside before Kasamatsu closed the door. But now I can tell the longer we lay here the more cold he feels. The shaking isn't quite the same as sobs as it is to cold shivers. "Shun what's wrong, you're absolutely freezing" He's even making me cold as he slowly steels my own heat "common Shun you're making me really worried here." I can honestly say I've never seen him like this before so I can only assume that something important or major happened. "Are you okay…physically?" I ask to make sure there aren't' any injuries on him that need attention. Finally I earn a small nod of his head against my chest.

I let out a slow breath of relief at that, but decide before I ask any more questions, my next priority is to start getting him warmed up. I try to sit up, but don't get my back off the floor but a few inches before Izuki is tightening his hold on me enough to prevent me from moving any farther. I rub both my hands up and down his back and murmur, "I'm just going to move us to the heater so you can warm up. Don't worry I'm not going anywhere without you." After a few moments, he loosens his death grip enough to let me sit up with him in my lap. I keep an arm around his waist and use my other to help me keep my balance as I gather my legs under us and help Shun stand up. He makes it a bit difficult as he seems to refuse to move more than a few inches away from me and not once breaking the hold he has around my torso. I have him kick off his shoes in the entry way before trying to walk to the living room. If this was anyone else I would be annoyed by their lack of response and cooperating for trying to get somewhere, but since this is Shun, whom I know very well, I become more and more concerned. He doesn't turn to walk and stumbles when he tries to step backward. I decide the easiest way to get to the living room will be to carry him. "loosen your hold, I'm going to pick you up." He more or less complies moving his arms to around my neck as I scoop him up. I quickly make my way into the living room and change my destination from the heater to my family's kotatsu table. With my foot I switch it on and push a nearby seat cushion into place on one side. I set Shun back onto his feet. I squeeze my hand between us and pull open the zipper on the light jacket he is wearing. One not nearly warm enough considering the low temperatures outside. I frown deeply a bit peeved at the choice, but push that aside for later after I know what has happened.

It takes me a minute but with patient coaxing I manage to maneuver the both of us under the kotatsu and covered by the overlapping futon with us resting our upper bodies on the floor cushion and us curled together facing each other. Somewhere along the way I also managed to pry his arms off me just long enough to remove his jacket. I let him snuggle in close and I tangle my legs with his and wrap my arms around his torso to try and pass off as much of my own heat to him as I can. Even I start to shiver before the kotatsu heats up enough ad starts to radiate a significant amount of heat.

I have come up with two plausible explanations for his actions. Neither of which I wish will be true but….well only one way to find out; "I get that you don't want to talk, but if I ask you yes or no questions will you shake your head yes or no for me?" I get a small nod yes in return. I kiss the top of his head and squeeze him just a bit tighter for a moment before I start. "something happened at home?" I get another nod. "did someone pass away?" Part of me hopes this is true as it would be easier than my next question. His head moves in a negative. "You told your family about us." It's more a statement than a question. A near silent whimper is just audible as he nods and presses closer to me. My heart tugs painfully at the distraught sound. "Ohh Shun-koi" I breathe tilting his face towards mine so I can see it. He resists a little but soon gives in. There are no tears or salt tracks on his face, be he does look like they could start at any moment. I open and close my mouth to say something, anything, but can't quite seem to find the right words. I rarely am out of words and right now I wish I knew the right ones to say.

I rub my thumb gently over his cheek and press a gentle kiss to this forehead. "I…I wish I knew what to say right now to make you feel better, but…I'm at a loss." I start and freely admit. Each time a pause for breath I press another kiss to his head gradually making a trail down across his forehead, over his temple, multiple on each cheek, down the bridge of his nose to its tip, along each side of his jaw. "I love you Shun. More than anything. You're amazing. Pun's and all. Did you tell them or-" he nods. "really amazing. You're so brave to be able to do that. I'm really proud of you." I kiss his lips as tears begin to leak from his obsidian eyes. "I know you've been worried about their reaction. I don't know if I could have told my parents if our positions were switched." I move my kisses back up his face. "You're defiantly the braver one of us. I already knew my parents were okay with our kind of relationship when I told them. Ohh Shun-koi. You knew how they'd react and still told them. You never cease to amaze me."

He shakes his head no. At what I'm not quite sure so I fall silent. It is a few moments before he quietly begin to talk. "I didn't mean to tell all of them." He tucks his head under mine, then continues one halting sentence after another. "We were all in the living room after dinner starting a movie. Dad got a text on his phone and left reading it which was weird cause he never does that. When he had been gone for a few minutes mom sent me after him so he could start it with all of us. I found him in the hallway looking sad so I asked if everything was okay. He asked me a question instead of answering. 'How do you feel about same sex couples? We both know your mothers opinion, but Shun I've never heard yours. What do you think?' I didn't think he knew about us or was referring to me so I told him if the coupe is happy and love each other then it shouldn't matter what sex someone is. He motioned me over to him and showed me a picture on his phone of two guys about his age. He said one was his cousin and the other his cousins lover. Said he hasn't seen his cousin in a really long time because of mother. Guess they had been close and grew up together, but have only seen each other a handful of times since marrying mother. They had moved to separate towns anyway by the time mom and dad met so he never knew it would be an issue until they had fallen for each other and was to be married. You know that game 'Perfect in every way but-'" I hum in acknowledgement not wanting to interrupt him while he is telling the story. "He said mom was basically perfect for him in every way except that she is homophobic. He decided he could live with that and has, but sometimes really wishes he could see and talk with his cousin like he used to. Wishes his cousin could have seen me and my siblings grow up.

"I decided to tell him about us then. I figured he'd understand. So I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of the two of us together. He was surprised and started to ask about us, so I told him you were my boyfriend." Here he stops and just breathes for a bit while I continue to rub his back. When he continues, his voice is small and shaky. "Mom…mom was behind us when I said that. She flipped out and started yelling at me. All my siblings heard and came to see what the noise was all about. My grandparents followed. They're my mom's parents and are probably where she gets her homophobia from. They started yelling too. Everyone was. Mom, grandma, and grandpa at me I was too stunned and in shock to keep track of all of it. I don't know how long I stood there, but I snapped out of it at some point and ran. I stopped long enough in the entry way to put my shoes on and grab my jacket then I was out the door. At first I just ran. I didn't know what to do so I ran. I ended up at the bus station and found my wallet in my jacket so I came here. I…I didn't know what to do. I just wanted…to be with you…" he trails off sounding more and more miserable.

Overall it is better than the worst of my fears of what could have happened. The part with his dad gives me hope and I bet his siblings will be okay with it. "Hey Shun from what you fold me, your dad will be okay with this and don't count your brothers and sister out just yet. More and more people are okay with gay couples, especially the younger generations. So have hope Shun. Your mother and grandparents may be against this, but you'll always have me and I bet your dad and siblings as well. Things will work out and I'll help you as much as I can and as much as you want me to. I for one am not going anywhere okay?"

Slowly the tension in his body dissipates "thanks Yoshitaka" he sighs out. He shifts a little in my arms until he's found a more comfortable position. He kisses my collar bone by where his mouth is and whispers "love you." I return the words and affection, content to lay here with him for a while. Many minutes later I'm about to talk again, but I begin to hear soft snores coming from Shun and realizes he's fallen asleep. Between running then freezing in the cold weather outside and an emotional night he has exhausted himself. I shift myself a bit and settle in for the night content to stay right where we are, unwilling to risk moving and waking my worn out lover up. With one last kiss I close my eyes to join him in slumber.