DISCLAIMER : I DO NOT OWN KUROKO NO BASUKE

-T I M E-

- One Wish -

If I could have just one wish,

I would wish to wake up everyday

to the sound of your breath on my neck,

the warmth of your lips on my cheek,

the touch of your fingers on my skin,

...and the feel of your heart beating with mine...

Knowing that I could never find that feeling

with anyone other than you.

~Jade Peacock

I. The Time Bomb

Tick... tack... tick... tack...

Everything between us used to be like a roller coaster ride. It went fast, really fast. It went in a blink of an eye. But it was smooth and nothing seem to be in our way, or at least, not yet. We could just scream out our feelings in the middle of the way, and the other would just accept it. At the end of the ride, everything would be fine. Neither a single scratch nor a pale face was seen. And then history would just repeat itself.

Tick... tack... tick... tack...

We have shared a lot of things in our life.

Tick...

Like warm hugs...

Tack...

or maybe stories...

Tick...

and even kisses.

Tack...

But life is a time bomb.

Tick...

Except for the fact that we don't know when it will explode.

Tack...

It can happen in the next 30 years,

Tick...

or probably next year,

Tack...

next month,

Tick...

next week...

Tack...

tomorrow...

Tick...

or even now.

Tack.

And by the time life ends, everything else ends; our adventures, dreams, fairy tales... everything. Everything.

Everything except love.

"Cancer is in the 1st position today! Congratulations! Your relationships with just about everyone - friends, lovers, children, colleagues, and even strangers - should be smooth, warm, and supportive today, Cancer. Feelings are easily expressed, although more on a subtle than a verbal level. New business opportunities may open up through contact with new and interesting people. Social events and group activities should therefore contribute more to your personal growth and emotional well-being than they usually do. Make the most of them! And your lucky item today is a Matryoshka! Have a good day, Cancers! May luck be on your side!"

Takao quickly turned off the television after watching a replay of this morning's Oha Asa, which has now become his daily habit instead of Midorima's. Heaving a mournful sigh, he glanced at the clock, tediously ticking its way through time, slowly but steady and surely.

12 o' clock

Takao quickly rose from his seat and grabbed his wallet, phone and his apartment keys. He went to grab one of his mother's antiques which were left in his place, a matryoshka that his parents had brought home from Russia.

Takao cycled down the road, a paper bag hung from the right bicycle handle with Midorima's lucky item sitting silently inside. Unlike yesterday, the heat was hypnotic and it stung his skin. Beads of sweat started trickling down his forehead which made his hair stick to his forehead and his nape.

On days like this, he would be walking together with his beloved green haired ace, either going for a little date or going to the basketball court to play for a bit. Then they would just sit silently on the park bench. Takao would place his head against his lover's broad shoulder and they would just enjoy each other's presence.

"Nee, Shin chan," Takao said one day as he tilted his head up to get a good view of his lover's face.

"Hn?"

"Have you ever imagined what it will be like in future?" Takao asked, this time he sat straight beside Midorima and took his hand.

"What do you mean, Takao?" Midorima, who had also started stroking Takao's hand, asked back.

"Like we'll be living together, have our own place, see our beloved son and daughter run around the house..." Takao trailled off and smiled when he saw Midorima's cheeks started to get tinted with a shade of pink.

"That sounds..." Midorima paused, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and continued, "nice."

And then this happened.

Things are different now, everything had turned 180 degrees and it was a painful, sudden parting. And just like torn paper, things would never go back to how it would usually be; the way Takao liked it. It didn't matter how much he tried or how much effort he put in, things just don't work anymore. He would wake up every morning to expect his lover's face right beside him, or he would wait for him every single night to arrive home from work, only to be slapped hard by reality that Midorima was no longer there, and that he would never be there. Ever again.

He continued cycling along the road, passing by familiar buildings, seeing the usual activities, hearing the same chatters from the pedetrians, and smelling the normal delicious scent from the ramen shop. But something was different, and he's not getting used to it at all. It's been almost a year and he's still not used to it.

Sometimes, he would pretend that his Shin chan is sitting inside his rickshaw, holding Kerosuke or whatever his lucky item is on that day and drinking his favourite red bean soup while he rode the bicycle. Takao would then try to talk to him, ask him questions or start to blabber nonsense, and would always end up holding his tears back while gritting his teeth and clenching his fists till his knuckles turned white.

Having parked his bicycle outside the cemetery building, like he always does every Saturday, Takao stood in front of a grave stone, with Midorima's name carefully engraved on it. He gazed longingly at it and he stood there for so long, long enough to be able to feel his presence.

"Shin chan..." he whispered to himself as he slowly reached out to touch the stone. He dragged his hand across, hoping, or rather, wanting, dying, to be able to feel Midorima's warmth once again. But the stone, having been sun bathed since this morning, greeted him with a stinging touch at the tip of his fingers, a touch that could have burned his fingers, though still incomparable to the pain he feels. He quickly retracted his hand, disappointed, and placed the lucky item beside his grave.

"Here's your lucky item Shin chan."

Silence. But Takao expected that coming. Then again, for the hundredth time, rivulets of tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving a wet trail on his cheeks, and again for the thousandth time, he wishes that Midorima could just suddenly appear beside him. How he wishes that things could go back to the way it used to be. How he wishes that he could just turn back time. If only it was as easy as changing the hands of the clock, turning its knob at the backside, adjusting it to your liking...

My first Kuroko no Basuke fic! and my first time writing a guyXguy pair too! xD I really really really really love this couple! They're just too cute! xD

Don't forget to leave reviews! xD

Thank you so much for taking your time to read this! xD

Chapter 2 will be coming up soon! xD hopefully... xD