A/N: Hello you awesome people.
Let me kick this off with a 'Merry Christmas' to everyone reading this, whether you celebrate it or not.
I personally don't celebrate Christmas and in my country, you only get 2 types of weathers, sunny or rain, so there's no chance of seeing a real snow fall. But throughout the three days I spent writing this, it rained for more than 24 hours (thankfully it didn't flood where I live) and the weather was extremely cold by my country's standards, so it kinda gave me that winter-ish feel.
So, I hope you guys enjoy my KagaKuro Christmas special, and have a very, merry Christmas with all my love. Thank you for all the support you've shown me all this while.
Standard disclaimer applies [the usual I-do-not-own-KnB stuff]. Please excuse the lame plot flow, cheesy writing, possible grammar errors and spelling mistakes that you might find in here. Please read and take 30 seconds to review, let me know if it sucked.
Constructive criticism is sincerely welcomed!
UPDATE: This story has been updated on 11th July 2017, originally posted on 25th December 2014.
Kagami Taiga x Kuroko Tetsuya
The morning sky was still dark and the streets where close to empty as the owner of the coffeehouse unlocked his doors and stepped into the shop to get out of the cold. He flipped on the light switch and turned on the heating before hanging his heavy winter coat he was wearing on the rack which he kept at the back of the store. As he tied the apron around his slender waist in a simple knot, the blue haired owner began to make preparations for the day ahead.
The other employees will only be arriving later but since he had an early class to attend at the university, so he had no choice but to arrive earlier than everyone else to get things done.
It was rather strange for the owner to do the preparations himself. The work of preparing the coffee grounds and heating the milk every morning probably didn't sound very interesting to others, but Kuroko never cared about all that, he actually liked doing all these things. The aroma of coffee, chocolate and milk filled the air as he worked and it was as good as drinking as drinking a shot of Espresso in the morning for him.
As he was measuring the coffee beans for the percolator, he heard the familiar 'clang' of the doorbell, signaling that someone else was coming in.
"Moning, Kuroko." Takao's cheerful voice greeted the moment he walked in.
"Good morning Takao-kun. You're earlier than usual today."
"Uh huh… Early class today, and with that Devil Kamijou too. He told me he'd kick me out if I walked in late one more time, and as you know, he'd really do it."
"Going to class on time is a student's responsibility."
"I know, but I was only a minute late and that's because the train got delayed by some stupid weather thing," Takao protested as he put on an apron identical to Kuroko's. "Too bad I can't use Misdirection like you, or else I wouldn't have gotten caught."
"Misdirection isn't supposed to be used like that Takao-kun."
"Ahh, but I saw you sneaking into Devil Kamijou's class last semester using Misdirection." Takao grinned at the other man.
"That was out of necessity."
"Sure, sure, whatever you say. Anyways, it's our final year in his class. A couple more months and we won't have to see him anymore, and that's good news for my mental well-being."
"Actually I do enjoy his classes."
Takao stopped his work and turned to stare at his friend in disbelief. "Are you some kind of masochist? How are his classes enjoyable? I can't even daydream in class without the duster flying through the air and hitting my face."
"It's your fault for slacking off in the first place."
"Gyah, you're just like Shin-chan, hopeless… Well, I can't say I expect much from a guy who enjoys grinding coffee beans and heating milk every morning when he can have his employees doing that for him in the first place. How many times do I have to tell you, you're the owner, so act like one."
"One of the owners, and Akashi-kun is the one who's been paying your salary every month, not me. And yes, I do enjoy doing those things. Somehow, it puts my mind at peace."
"Peace? You spend every bit of free time you have here, you should have more than enough of that by now. You're here in the mornings, you come straight here after class and you stay right until we close up. How in the world are you supposed to meet someone if you're cooped up here all the time?"
Even though Kuroko's face remained expressionless, it didn't fool Takao one bit. He knew he had struck a chord within his friend.
"I don't have the need to meet anyone right now."
Takao sighed. "I get it. You're still waiting for Kagami because of some damned promise or something like that. But it's been six whole years since he left, six damned years without any contact except one freaking email per year, and you're still here faithfully waiting for him."
"Kagami-kun is a busy man, with playing for the Lakers and all. I doubt he barely has time to think of his old teammate at all."
"You've got to be kidding me. I'm pretty sure he has time to send a bloody email to his best friend if he has the time to appear in those gossip tabloids." Takao said, the tone of annoyance clear in his voice.
It was strange, Kuroko thought to himself. Somehow, the moment he graduated from high school and entered university, he managed to become close friends with the man he once considered the bane of his existence on the basketball court. He liked Takao well enough, but he always maintained a healthy distance between himself and the former point guard. But now that both of them were free of their teams' jerseys and attending university together, they ended up being close friends.
All this while he had known the Hawkeye specialist to be a cheerful and happy-go-lucky kind of guy who was only serious when the situation needed him to be, but Kuroko also found out that Takao Kazunari could be fiercely protective of his friends and would not hesitate to give someone a piece of his mind whenever he was truly pissed off but thankfully, that didn't happen often.
In this case, he was pissed off at Kagami, big time.
"What Kagami-kun does in America is none of our concern, and I would appreciate if you stop abusing that poor table right there. I believe it would come apart if you wiped any harder."
"Sure, whatever you say boss." Takao smirked before turning his attention back to his work.
A comfortable silence began to settle in once more, leaving Kuroko free to his thoughts as he poured himself a cup of Café au Lait.
What Takao said wasn't completely wrong, not at all. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't in the least bit resentful of his former light for not contacting him at all during these six years of absence.
During their last Winter Cup, a couple of NBA scouts had heard of several strong players (a.k.a. the Generation of Miracles, and Kagami) that were currently playing in the Japan high school circuit and had come over to see for themselves. They were impressed by what they saw during the tournament and hadn't hesitated to make them offers of playing in the NBA.
Akashi had turned down his' immediately, and so did Midorima, Kise and Murasakibara. Akashi cited that he had to carry out his duty as the heir of the Akashi family. Midorima chose to attend medical school while Murasakibara went to France to undergo pattissier training. Kise knew his knee wouldn't hold out if he chose to pursue a professional career in basketball, so he chose to continue his modeling career as long as it would last. Only Aomine and Kagami accepted, and so both men went on and continued their rivalry on the courts of the NBA all the way in America.
Kuroko could still remember the look of excitement on the red head's face when he told him of the offer.
…
"The Lakers, Kuroko! It's the Lakers, can you believe it?! Man, I've grown up watching those guys play in those yellow and purple jerseys, and now I get to play with them? It's a dream come true for me." Kagami yelled excitedly while shaking his friend by his shoulders.
"Congratulations, Kagami-kun. You've finally got to play in the big leagues, just like you've always wanted to."
"Ahh, thanks... A pity you couldn't come though, along with the Generation of Idiots too. They must be crazy to turn down the scouting… Well, at least I've got Ahomine with me, and the next time we meet, I'll crush him to bits." The red head grinned, excited at the prospect of playing with his biggest rival again.
"Well, I hardly have what it takes to go to the NBA. I'm pretty sure Akashi-kun and the others have their own reasons not to go. But don't worry, I'll keep on supporting you from the shadows, just like I've always done."
"Well you better be, because I'll be showing you an amazing sight you've never seen before on those courts. And very soon, I'm going to come back for you, and spend the rest of forever with you. That's my promise to you." Kagami smiled before lifting the blunette's fingers and pressing a soft kiss on them.
Kuroko couldn't help but smile at the sweet gesture.
"I'm sure you will Kagami-kun..."
…
That was six years ago, and Kuroko had since wondered countless times if Kagami had forgotten about his promise.
Now, other than a short email he'd receive on his birthday every year, Kagami never emailed or called him, not even a damned letter in the mailbox addressed to him. Despite being his alleged 'best friend' (can they even be considered that?), he found out about Kagami the same way everyone else in the world did, which is through the newspapers and the internet. At least Aomine called him occasionally while Kise emailed him more often than he would have liked, but at least they made an effort.
Suddenly, the bell at the door clanged and that jerked Kuroko back to reality. He looked up and saw Furihata, Mibuchi and Sakurai walking into the shop. Seeing them, the blunette finished the rest of his coffee and placed the cup in the sink.
This is no time to be thinking of those things, time to go to work.
-x-
It was the evening of the 24th, Christmas Eve.
The streets were still filled with people, mostly last minute holiday shoppers, who were hurrying to catch the last train back home. The shops were beginning to close one by one and Kuroko too, had long since flipped the 'Closed' sign hanging on the door. Most of his friends have already left, except for Takao, who was still waiting for Midorima to stop by so that they could go home together in his car. Akashi showed up at the coffee shop moments before and whisked his lover home as fast as humanly possible after bidding Kuroko and Takao a quick 'Merry Christmas'.
The snow fall for the past couple of days had been heavy, covering the streets in a layer of white. Couples could be seen walking hand in hand outside in the snow, along with little kids running down the streets with their parents in tow behind them.
The coffee house has had a steady stream of customers throughout the last couple of days, all of them eager to escape the cold for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate to warm themselves, and a slice of that Black Forest cake or the "house specialty" chocolate walnut brownies to go with the hot drinks didn't sound too bad either. It kept Kuroko and the rest of his employees on their feet at all times.
Sakurai and Mibuchi had both fallen ill this morning, and the shop was in dire need of extra hands. Thankfully, Ogiwara and Himuro were kind enough to come and lend them a helping hand even thought they weren't scheduled for work that day, along with Furihata and Takao.
But that only solved the problem temporarily.
Christmas was one of their busiest seasons every year. This year, Kuroko had been counting on Mibuchi and Sakurai to help out, but now that they were both out of commission, Kuroko was desperate. There was no way he could ask Furihata for help, unless he wanted Akashi to murder him for monopolizing his lover on a holiday. Ogiwara had a date with his girlfriend that he couldn't cancel and asking Himuro would only result in a very grouchy Murasakibara.
"I'll come around tomorrow, Kuroko." Takao suddenly said in doorway as Kuroko was washing the last of the cups and dishes left in the sink.
Kuroko was surprised by Takao's sudden offer. It was a god send,but one that he didn't have the heart to accept.
"That won't be necessary. Besides, you wanted to go on a date with Midorima-kun on Christmas…"
Takao waved the other man's concerns away. Although the average person wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but Takao could clearly see the distress showing on his friend's face.
"We can go on a date anytime, but Christmas only comes around once a year. I'll drag Shin-chan with me to help out, that way we can still open and we won't have to disappoint our customers who are looking for an escape from the cold."
"It's not fair of me to ask so much of you Takao-kun…"
"No worries, we're friends aren't we? Although Shin-chan will definitely be complaining about this, I know just how to handle him, so we're all set."
"I'll ask Akashi-kun to pay you double for this."
Then the door bell clanged, indicating someone else had come in. Kuroko dried his hands on a nearby dish towel and left the kitchen with Takao. The moment he walked out, he froze on the spot. It wasn't just Midorima standing at the door, but a familiar figure as well.
"You! What the hell are you doing here?" Takao growled, extremely displeased at the presence of the other man.
"I, er, came to see Kuroko…?" The red head mumbled almost inaudibly.
"Came to see Kuroko? You're bloody six years overdue for that. Do you have any idea what Kuroko has gone through all this time while you were gone? You haven't even as much as made proper phone call to him, and you expect to just waltz back into his life?"
Midorima caught his lover's arm, holding him back in case he decided to punch Kagami.
"Kazunari, calm down."
"Calm down? Shin-chan, you know as well as I do how much Kuroko missed this idiot all these years and how much pain he had to endure. You hated Kagami's guts back in high school and now you're helping him?"
"Yes, I do know, and yes, I am not particularly fond of him. But that matter aside, it's not our place to interfere."
"Damn right we have a right to interfere! We're Kuroko's friends and I will not tolerate…" Takao's voice was cut off when Midorima clamped a hand over his lover's mouth to silence him.
"I'm sorry for the ruckus this idiot has caused. We'll be going home now, and I'll leave the rest to you. Good night, and Merry Christmas to the both of you."
Midorima quickly dragged Takao out of the coffee shop before he could make a bigger ruckus out of things, leaving Kagami and Kuroko alone in the shop. An awkward silence settled between them and the only sound that could be heard was the gentle ticking of the wall clock and the sound of breathing.
Kagami cleared his throat. "Err, it's been a while, Kuroko."
"Why'd you come back? I thought you're supposed to be playing in a game tomorrow."
"I uh, managed to get my coach and the manager to let me go?"
Kagami surveyed his former shadow's face, searching for any change in emotion but he found none. Kuroko remained as stoic as ever, something that never changed all these years. Without warning, Kuroko walked up to where the red head was and pressed a powerful Ignite Pass to his stomach, causing the latter to fall to his knees, clutching his stomach while letting out grunts of pain.
"What the hell was that for?!" Kagami shouted angrily.
"Something you had coming for not contacting me for six years, and a whole lot less than what I should have given you." Kuroko replied curtly.
"I… I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what, for conveniently forgetting my existence until my birthday every year?" Kuroko taunted.
"I'm…"
"I'll give you one chance to explain yourself. The decision to whether or not kick you out of my shop will have to depend on your answer. You have 5 minutes, starting now."
Kagami grabbed the back of the nearest chair and helped himself up. "Cheh, you never used to be this forceful. You've changed much in six years."
"The clock is ticking Kagami-kun."
"Argh, fine… It's not like I wanted to cut you off. You have no idea how much I wanted to call you every damned day. I wanted to hear your voice so badly. I wanted to hear you tell me about your day personally and not receiving it second hand from Aomine or Kise or Midorima. But I knew that if I called or emailed you, I'd miss you and I'll want to come home straight away. Sure, the NBA was fun and all. I got to play against all those monster players and I got to kick Aomine's ass all the time too, but after a while, it's kinda empty without you. I still love basketball but I think I've enough of playing in the big league, but it's not like I can just walk out when my contract is still intact. So, when my contract expires in the summer next year. I'm not signing on with them anymore."
Kuroko was shocked. "What?"
"I'm going to retire from the NBA."
"But why? It's your dream to play in the NBA, why are you giving it up so fast?"
"Well, I've had a great career these last six years. The team is great, the coach is awesome and the games are always intense, but getting the MVP once in my life is already enough, and having Aomine being the runner-up MVP to me was the sweetest deal ever. I'm at the pinnacle of my career right now, so might as well step down before I'm forced to retire because of some stupid injury. That would have been lame. More importantly, I've come back to make good of the promise I made years ago, to spend forever with you."
Kuroko was silent as he digested the red head's words. "I thought you have forgotten about that."
"Well, even though it sounds incredibly cheesy the moment you think about it now, but I was completely serious then. I've waited for so long for this moment, so that I could come back to you and start our life together. I've been selfish all this while but now, I'm here to make it up to you, Kuroko. Please… Just give me a chance and I'll prove it to you."
Kagami's face was so full of desperation and unashamed pleading that it was impossible to ignore, even for Kuroko. Unable to hold it in any longer, the blunette started laughing so much until he was clutching his stomach with tears of mirth gathering at his eyes, leaving Kagami confused at the sudden change in behavior.
"Kagami-kun… you're as dense as ever, and twice as easy to fool than the average person. All I did was just stepping up my acting skills and you're apologizing like this already." Kuroko laughed.
He wiped the tears from his eyes before walking up to his long-awaited lover and threw his arms around him, encasing him in a tight hug. "Welcome back, Kagami-kun."
The lover in question, who had been too shocked to respond earlier, regained his wits and hugged the shorter man tighter to his body.
"Ahh, I'm home."
The familiar body heat of Kagami, and the musky scent that seem to surround him, all of those brought a thousand memories back to Kuroko's mind. "I've missed you so much."
"Me too, Tetsuya." Kagami whispered, pressing a kiss to Kuroko's forehead, before recalling the blunette's words. "Wait, what do you mean by 'acting'? Does that mean all of that just now was nothing but an act?"
"Hmm, not exactly. I am extremely pissed off that you basically erased my existence for six years, but I just exaggerated a little just now. If not, how else would I be able to see you cutely apologizing for your absence?"
"Damn you Kuroko, for making fun of me like that…" Kagami grumbled.
"Weren't you calling me 'Tetsuya' earlier, back to 'Kuroko' now are we?" Kuroko couldn't resist teasing. "Since you were so hell bent on making it up to me earlier, you have six years of making up to do and you can start by washing the dishes back in the kitchen."
"That's exploitation! I just got off the plane…" Kagami protested but Kuroko cut him off.
"Oh, protesting already? You were so convincing earlier, so I decided to give you another chance. But now that you've refused…"
"Alright, alright, I'll do it." Kagami sighed as he made his way in the kitchen, knowing he had no chance of winning against his former shadow. "Be thankful that I love you, or else."
Kuroko watched Kagami washing the plates in the sink, all the while grumbling something about being exploited and why he had to do something like that when he was only be able to stay for two days. The blunette smiled at Kagami's grumpy profile and took out his phone from his back pocket. He quickly typed an email to Takao, informing him that there was no need to show up tomorrow, or the following day.
Sure, he has six years worth of catching up to do with Kagami, but what's better than doing just that on Christmas with the one you love?
They've always said December was the month of miracles, and Kuroko was glad that a miracle had brought Kagami back to his side.
A/N: Sorry for the suckish writing, cheesiness, and super OOC-ness [I think I went crazy when I wrote Takao's part], so sorry if I disappointed you.
Constructive criticism is sincerely welcomed, and Merry Christmas guys.
Thank you :)