Phew, finally it's done! Note that I've changed the way I mark the dialogue from the hyphen to the quotation marks. Thanks for those who mentioned to me that the hyphen was kind of confusing, it made me remember that even though using hyphen is pretty common in my home country, it might not be everywhere else. It took a while to get used to though, but now I've finally managed to do it.
Thanks for everyone who commented for your support, I'm glad you enjoy my writing and I'm honored by all the positive comments!
As always, this chapter is dedicated to Lilyblossom26! I'm sorry for taking this long!
Kagami was nervously walking around in his living room. Kuroko had went to take a bath, and he couldn't stop worrying about him. He had tried his best to instruct and show where everything was, putting the towel in a place it'd be easy to get and the clothes right next to it. But it wasn't like it would still be easy for Kuroko, and so Kagami couldn't get the image of the shadow tumbling and hurting himself in the process.
So far everything seemed to be alright, but he still couldn't help being on the edge. Kagami sighed heavily and decided to sit down on the couch. Tetsuya #2 was staring at him with his head tilted, probably wondering why he was so nervous. Being stared by the dog made Kagami even more nervous, as flashbacks of being bitten went through his mind.
Eventually, Tetsuya #2 just whined and started to walk away, leaving him to his problems. Already getting tired from the stress, Kagami took the remote and turned the TV on with the hopes of finding something to distract his thoughts. After browsing through channels, he sighed in defeat when it seemed there was nothing to watch. In the end, he left a drama movie rolling and lied down on his back.
The image of Kuroko waiting to be fed by him flashed through his mind, and he growled quietly. It hadn't really meant anything, but the sight had been something he had wished to see. He wasn't even sure which one had initiated the thing; he had indeed taken the spoon, but was it really normal to just expect to be fed in a situation like that?
Kagami didn't really know. And it didn't really do anything good to think about it, the moment had already passed.
The faint sound of the bath draining brought him back to the moment. Apparently Kuroko was done. Kagami growled. He had said to Kuroko that he would take care of unplugging the bath, and that he shouldn't have worried about it… Even though nothing bad had happened, he still frowned. Something could have happened.
He sat up from the couch, and patiently waited for Kuroko to come out. He prepared to wait for a long time, but it took a surprisingly short amount of time. Perhaps he had underrated the adaptive abilities of his shadow. As Kuroko walked out of the bathroom, he turned his head around, apparently trying to hear where Kagami was.
"Kuroko, didn't I tell you not to worry about unplugging the bath?" Kagami said, and Kuroko focused his attention towards him as he began to take careful steps, with his towel wrapped around his neck.
"I just took it before I left the bath. Kagami-kun, I'm not completely helpless." Kuroko said huffing a bit before taking his place on the couch as well, slumping down tiredly. Kagami noticed the droplets of water falling from Kuroko's hair, and with a sigh he took the towel from Kuroko's shoulders and began to wipe dry the light blue strands.
"It's not just the blindness I'm worrying about. You still took quite the big hit in your head, so there could be other problems. You should avoid over-exerting yourself." Kagami finished his scolding and he felt Kuroko shaking his head slightly with a small smile adorning his lips. The shadow had turned sideways on the couch to make it easier for him to dry the hair,
"I don't think I'm going to die from just taking the plug off the bath. I appreciate your concern though, Kagami-kun." he said as he closed his eyes, leaning closer to Kagami's hands that were still drying his hair. The towel was already getting pretty wet, and Kagami soon realized it had already reached its full potential.
"Fine, but it's not my fault if you end up fainting." He growled as he got up from the couch to take the towel away. Kuroko kept his eyes closed anyways, and didn't change his position. He was still sitting like that when Kagami returned, and it was enough to make him suspect the shadow had fallen asleep.
"Kuroko? You still alive?" He called softly, not wanting to wake up him in case he had fallen asleep. His worries were useless though, as Kuroko shook his head.
"I was listening to this movie. It doesn't seem that good though…" He sighed as Kagami seated himself on the couch again. He glanced at the TV; a young woman was crying on the screen, apparently mourning over the death of the main character.
Kagami could almost see what was going to happen next, and indeed, soon enough the main character returned. He took the remote and started to go through the channels once more. In his thoughts, he lifted his other hand to Kuroko's hair and stroked the still slightly wet strands. The TV seemed to be cursed, and eventually he just settled on the news.
"Ah, is it this late already?" Kuroko said as he listened to the newscaster.
"Huh? Yeah, it's few minutes past ten." Kagami said in confusion, "Do you watch these news often?"
"My father does, every day." Kuroko said. He had closed his eyes again, letting Kagami's hand mess around with his hair. A comfortable silence fell between them, as they listened to the newscaster speak. Occasionally Kuroko asked about the pictures or videos they were showing, but generally they just enjoyed the peaceful moment.
When the news were over, a quiet yawn escaped from Kuroko's lips and Kagami noticed that the shadow was nodding off, with his eyes closed and leaning against Kagami's shoulder while the light stroked his hair. He couldn't stop the slight smile appearing on his lips, and gently he patted Kuroko's hair to get his attention.
"…Kagami-kun…" Kuroko muttered, like he was about to say something else but apparently he decided not to, as he just waited for Kagami to say something.
"We should go to sleep. You don't mind sleeping on the same bed, do you? It's surprisingly spacious." Kagami asked as he stood up, gently pulling Kuroko up with him as well. The shadow still seemed to be sleepy, as he nodded obediently and followed Kagami to the bathroom. They had unpacked most of Kuroko's stuff earlier, so Kagami could just grab his toothbrush and put the toothpaste on it for Kuroko.
"Can you brush your teeth yourself or…?" He asked, before the glare Kuroko gave him made him realize how stupid the question was. It wasn't like Kuroko needed to see his teeth to brush them. He then proceeded to start brushing his own teeth, occasionally giving a worried glance at Kuroko who still seemed to be half-asleep as he lazily brushed his teeth.
Kagami was almost about to tell him to do it properly, but decided to let it go for this time. Kuroko must have been tired after the day, so maybe this much could be allowed this once.
After they were done, Kagami went to fetch a pillow and a blanket for Kuroko, while the shadow headed towards the bed already. When Kagami returned, he indeed found his partner already asleep on the bed, with his blanket wrapped around him. First, he thought of waking him up, but it seemed too cruel.
So in the end, Kagami ended up using the spare blanket and pillow. Kuroko seemed to have left space for him, as the shadow had stuck close to the wall. With a small smile, the light took his place and soon enough, the dreams found him as well. And the only thing on his mind before he fell asleep was Kuroko's scent.
When Kuroko woke up, it was dark. He quietly sat up, trying to look around but his eyes didn't seem to be adjusting to the dark. He frowned, feeling a bit frustrated and he tried to blink couple of times. But when the darkness still remained, he began to wake up properly and realized that he wasn't going to see anything. His eyesight hadn't miraculously returned overnight, and the slight headache reminded him where he had suffered the hit.
With no way to know whether it was morning or the middle of the night, he tried to touch around the bed, trying to find Kagami. Soon enough he realized he was alone, and presumed that it was morning already. Slowly he crawled his way out of the bed and walked out of the room.
"Kagami-kun?" Kuroko called as he opened the bedroom door, and a good smell filled his nose, making his stomach growl with hunger.
"Ah, you're up. I was going to wake you up when food was done." Kagami's voice could be heard from the kitchen's direction, and Kuroko let his nose guide his way to him. When he got closer, Kagami apparently noticed the way he was sniffing as he chuckled.
"Are you a dog? I hope you don't mind eating eggs and bacon for breakfast."
"... I don't think I mind. I've never eaten bacon though, so I'm not sure if I'll like it." Kuroko asked. Until now, he had only seen people eating bacon on movies and such, and he was curious as to whether it was as good as it everyone seemed to think it was.
"Really? Never?" Kagami said and Kuroko nodded as he leaned closer to Kagami, trying to get a better sniff at the food. But his partner just pushed him gently back, and he tilted his head.
"You shouldn't stick your face too close to the pan. Go sit down, I'll be done in a minute. Do you want something to drink?" Kagami asked as Kuroko obediently headed towards the table. He nodded eagerly as he sat down, realizing then that Kagami might not be looking at his direction.
"A glass of water would be good. My mouth is dry." He said to make sure, and soon enough he heard the water running. He could hear the soft steps of Tetsuya #2, soon to be smothered under Kagami's footsteps as the light brought the glass of water to him. With a small nod, he lifted the glass to his lips, the dry feeling on his lips finally cast away.
"Should I give some food for Number #2?"
"Yeah, but don't give too much. He won't have any appetite later otherwise." Kuroko explained.
"Okay. I'll give him some after I'm done with our food." Kagami answered as he returned to making the food. Kuroko emptied his glass and focused his attention on the sounds of the TV that was switched on, only to realize there were only advertisements running. He rested his cheek against the table, feeling sleepy again.
He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds Kagami was making. Now that he really listened, he could hear his light humming quietly, and he smiled at the image that popped in his mind. He completely relaxed listening, and he didn't even realize he almost fell asleep before he heard the plate clatter against the table and felt a hand rustling his hair.
"Kuroko? Don't fall asleep, the food is done." Kagami's voice called him, and Kuroko lifted his head up from the table, the space soon occupied by a plate instead.
"I wasn't asleep." He said as he picked up the fork from the table, "Don't I need knife?"
"I already cut it all into pieces, so that it'd be easier for you to eat." Kagami explained from the kitchen, presumably putting out some food for Tetsuya #2. Kuroko stayed still for a moment, holding the fork in his hands.
"… Kagami-kun, you're like a mother."
"A simple 'thank you' would've been enough." The red-hair said back as Kuroko began to eat. Even though the food was cut in pieces, it was still kind of hard to catch the bacon with the fork. He eventually found a certain way to do it, and by then Kagami had already seated himself by the table as well.
"So, how do you like it?" Kagami asked after Kuroko had eaten half of his food.
"It's kind of good…" The shadow muttered as he munched his food. He did still prefer a more Japanese breakfast, but after all the effort his partner had had, he didn't want to sound ungrateful. It was still good anyway, so there was nothing to complain about.
"That's fine then. I was thinking of going to the town today, so I can repair that shelf as soon as possible. Do you want to stay here or would you rather come with me?" The red-hair asked.
"I'll come with you." Kuroko answered without even thinking about it. Even the idea of just staying all alone in the house with pretty much nothing to do sounded way too boring. He would be just stuck inside, listening to the TV. Of course he could just take a nap in the meantime, but he had slept a lot already and his headache was mostly gone, with only dull throbbing left.
"Are you sure? It might be a bit tiring, and you might get dizzy…" Kagami worried, and Kuroko nodded.
"If I get dizzy, I'm sure Kagami-kun will take care of me."
"Well, of course I will but… Fine, but you have to say immediately if you feel even a bit unwell, and we will rest. I don't want you fainting on me." Kagami scolded and Kuroko jokingly saluted while nodding. The red-hair just grumbled something back, and they continued their eating in silence.
Kuroko smiled faintly. It gave him a nice feeling to have the light worry about him so much.
Kagami went through the nails while occasionally glancing back at Kuroko. He hadn't even realized at first that since Kuroko couldn't see himself, he'd be bumping with people a lot more since no one noticed him either. All the way here Kagami had had to help his shadow dodge all the people that passed by them, and now that Kuroko was waiting for him to buy what he needed, the light found himself just overly worried for the shadow's safety.
He tried to shake his head to get the worries out of his head. It wasn't like Kuroko would die from a little impact with someone, and the faster he could choose the nails, the faster they would get out of here. When he finally focused on the matter at hand, it didn't take long before he finally found what he needed.
"Kuroko, I'm done, this was the last thing I needed." He called to the shadow, who nodded. Kagami noticed that even though Kuroko was trying to look at his way, his eyes were still a little off their mark. With a little peak of curiosity, he tried to shake his hand in front of Kuroko's face, expecting nothing out of it.
But, to his surprise, Kuroko's eyes twitched a bit, like they had noticed the movement. It was a faint movement, and if he hadn't been paying attention, he would've probably missed it. That kind of gave him hope; it reminded him that it wasn't like Kuroko's eyes weren't working, and that it would be fixed with time.
"… Are we going?" Kuroko asked, tilting his head and Kagami startled from his thoughts.
"Yeah. I just noticed, your eyes…" he began to explain what he had realized as they began to walk. To Kagami's dismay, the shadow had pretty much learned to walk on himself by listening to the guidance of his steps, and rarely had the need to hold onto the light's arm. Of course it was good that he was starting to be able to handle himself, but it hadn't been a bad feeling to have Kuroko taking support from him.
"Well, the doctor did say that they might react to sudden movements on their own…" Kuroko started to say, when his phone beeped, and he dug it out of his pocket and gave it to Kagami, "Could you read the text for me?"
"Sure, just wait a sec… … Ugh, it's from Midorima. He's asking about your condition, like is your head still aching and have you rested properly…" Kagami explained, not bothering to read it out properly.
"How attentive. Tell him that I'm fine, and that I've been resting enough already." Kuroko said with a faint smile, and Kagami began to slowly type the answer, standing still while doing it.
'Kuroko says he is fine. He has been sleeping a lot, and I haven't let him do anything too heavy. Don't you worry, I can take care of him properly. -Kagami.' He sent the message and returned the phone to Kuroko, and continued to walk to the cashier to pay for all the stuff he was buying, with the shadow tagging close to him. As he was paying, he could hear Kuroko's phone beeping again, and as soon as he turned to the shadow, the phone was given to him again.
'That sounds too worrisome. I'll come to visit today, so give me your address.' The text said simply, and Kagami felt his brow twitching as a grin took its place on his face.
"That bastard…!" He growled and Kuroko tilted his head with a worried frown, "He's saying he'll come to visit today…"
"I… see. Is that okay with you? You sound annoyed." Kuroko asked as they left the store while Kagami was writing his address down.
"Huh? Yeah, whatever. I promised already, so even though he's being an annoying prick I'm not going back on my word." He answered and sent the message to Midorima. He then took Kuroko's hand and placed the phone in it, and the shadow put it back into his pocket.
"If you're sure…" Kuroko said. Kagami nodded – not remembering that the other couldn't see it – and fell into his thoughts. Hopefully Midorima wouldn't be coming too early, since it would be nice to be able to fix the shelf before that, or otherwise the shooter might complain about it being unsafe and such. He should probably also clean first, wipe away all the dust that had managed to pile up…
Kagami sighed. This gave him the same kind of feeling he assumed he'd feel when his mother-in-law would be coming to visit. The thought of that made him feel strangely weird, and he shook his head to get off the images of him asking Kuroko's hand from Midorima. After all, that wasn't something he was planning on asking from Midorima, at least…
Immersed in his imagination, Kagami failed to notice the man who ended up walking onto Kuroko, pushing the shadow effectively to the ground whereas the young man stumbled back.
"Ah! Kuroko, sorry, I wasn't paying attention!" Kagami immediately reacted and Kuroko just sat up, shaking his head while Kagami leaned over to pick him up.
"What the hell? Shouldn't you be apologizing to me?" The man grumbled as he glared at them, even though he seemed little taken back by Kagami's height.
"Huh?! You're the one who walked into him!" The shadow growled, and was already about to continue arguing back when Kuroko grabbed his arm, calming him down effectively.
"I'm sorry, I got blinded just a small while ago, so I failed to notice you approaching." The shadow said while bowing slightly. At his words, the frown on the young man's face turned into a look of regret, as he returned the small bow.
"Ah, no, I guess the fault was mine then, for not noticing you at all…" He said humbly. After few words, the young man scurried off and Kagami sighed. This certainly was problematic, when there was nothing to show anyone that Kuroko couldn't see. These problems were probably going to come up again, if he didn't come up with something…
"Kagami-kun, shall we go?" Kuroko asked, nudging his sleeve. Kagami agreed and began to walk again. This time, Kuroko apparently decided to stick close to him again, as the shadow took a hold of his upper arm tenderly. Kagami smiled to himself, somewhat glad that his partner couldn't see the happy look on his face.
Thank you for reading this chapter as well! I hope to see you again in the next chapter as well, which will hopefully come out sooner. I'll send out all my love for you who continue to support me, and those who enjoy my writing even a little bit.
Thank you, you're all awesome~!