I'm sorry this took so long ;;; I have been busy with school and sorts :( I will be honest here,I have no inspiration nor idea on how to continue this story and I have been procrastinating more than often. But I ensure you that I will not abandon this story :) Just a heads up though,I'm sorry if the updates are slow ;;; Most of the time it's either school or just me procrastinating(I'm so sorry)Also,I have been practicing on writing Angst as this story obviously needs it and I want to make myself cry(I think I'm a M) Another thing is that I might rewrite this story when I complete it to satisfy myself(especially this chapter because I don't know what am I writing for this chapter and most of the things said probably makes no sense)
One more thing is that I might post some new stories I have written(when I'm procrastinating)to boost my motivation :D Most likely though,I will just post one chapter and concentrate on this fanfic because I feel really guilty leaving this alone. Anyways enough of my babbling,thank you so much for all the support and I hope that you will enjoy this chapter!(though it will probably disappoint you as much as it does to me ;;;)
Warning:There is lots of dialogue here(yes that is a warning)Possible OOCness too ;; oh and bad grammar..
"Nijimura-senpai?"
The said person turned to his left and almost spitted out his drink.
"K-kuroko?!"Nijimura stuttered while choking on the drink.
"It has been such a long time,"Kuroko said while smiling-amused with the scene laid out in front of him.
Having finally regained his composure,Nijimura replied,"Uh..yeah. It has."
"May I ask what are you doing here at the hospital?"
"Nothing much,just visiting my dad."
"...I see,"Kuroko have heard about Nijimura's father-being one of the reasons of quitting as the teams's captain,but decided not to press on.
"So,"the older of the two spoke after a long period of silence, "how's the others doing?"
Kuroko lightened up at the question,"Kise-kun is being as obnoxious as ever,Midorima-kun is still not being honest with himself,Murasakibara-kun is apparently married to snacks-not a surprise there,Aomine-kun is a forever idiot and Akashi-kun is being...himself?"
Nijimura stared at Kuroko like he had grown two heads,"I-i see...damn those brats being immature and not behaving themselves when I'm not there..."he muttered under his breath. Remembering the other's presence,the ravenette faked a cough before asking again,"How about you?"
Kuroko flinched at the question but replied calmly,"Fine,I guess?"
Nijimura's eyes narrowed at the flinch but decided not to question the tealette.
"Well then,"Nijimura pushed himself off the wall and crushed the can of drink expertly with his right hand with barely any effort before throwing it into the bin."I will be going ahead first,see you around Kuroko."
Kuroko nodded in response and bid the other goodbye. Nijimura turned his back to Kuroko and walked a few steps before opening his mouth again,"Hey,Kuroko."
"Yes?"
"What..."Nijimura started hesitantly,"What are you doing here at th- You know what,never mind."With that,he walked away while waving his hand.
Kuroko stood at his spot,confused at the other's weird behavior but immediately dismissed the thought to get the drinks.
'Midorima-kun must be waiting impatiently for his beloved drink right now.'The tealette giggled to himself at the thought.
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Somewhere in the hospital,a certain green haired teen sneezed.
"I'm sorry for taking such a long time,Midorima-kun."
"Finally,"Midorima huffed while pushing up his glasses."What took you so long?"he asked as he accepted the drink Kuroko handed to him.
"Ah..its nothing. I just met Nijimura-senpai along the way and we chatted for a bit,that's all."
"Nijimura-senpai..?Visiting his father?"
Kuroko nodded in response,"It seems so."
Midorima sighed before drinking the drink with relish.
"Hey,Midorima-kun..."Kuroko took a deep breath before continuing. "What...do you think about life?"
Midorima's eyebrows furrowed and he took one more sip before opening his mouth,"...why are you asking?"
Kuroko shrugged,"Just wondering. If Midorima-kun doesn't want to reply then it's f-"
"Boring."he cut off the other's sentence. "Life is,bluntly speaking,boring. For me at least;it's rather uneventful."
"That's not w-"
"That's not what you meant, I know. But I follow fate,that's what matters. The future has already been decided."
Kuroko let out a long sigh. Why did he even thought asking Midorima was a good idea. His mouth curved upwards. Some things never really change. Suddenly ,he felt pain on his forehead. Kuroko looked up and frowned,"Midorima-kun,why did you flick my forehead?"he reached up one of his hand and rubbed his forehead. The tingling sense of pain is still there.
"That's because you were making an idiotic face."
"I wasn't."Kuroko pouted.
"Whatever."Midorima turned away to face the wall while pushing up his glasses. It was only for a short while,but Kuroko could swear,that the other had smiled behind the hand pushing up his glasses. A small smile that could be easily missed. But it was a large one,for Kuroko.
The tealette glanced at the clock before remembering something,"Midorima-kun,I saw your father earlier. He is asking for you."
Midorima finally removed his gaze from the wall and looked at Kuroko,"Hmph, I see. Then I will go ahead first,goodbye."with that said,he slid opened the door.
"Ah,I will go with you."
"Is that alright? Don't you want to stay here?"
"That's fine. I will come again some other day."
"Hmph."Midorima exited the room and continued walking towards the lift without turning back to know that the tealette was following behind him.
As Kuroko was walking down the pavement while drinking his vanilla milkshake(he and Midorima split paths somewhere),he passed by a bakery. He immediately thought of a certain purple head. Before he knew it,his hand was already on the knob. Deciding that he might as well at least take a look,he pushed opened the door-the sound of the bell ringing,and walked into the bakery.
His eyes widened by a small fraction. The design of the bakery was really well done and a sense of calm engulfed him. It felt really warm.
Kuroko walked closer to the counter and drooled at the displays. Especially the vanilla cake. Just then,someone came out from kitchen,"Welcome~Ara,there's no one~?"
Kuroko snapped out of his daze and looked up to see a familiar face,"Murasakibara-kun?"
"Eh~?Kuro-chin?But I don't see anyone..."
"I'm down here Murasakibara-kun."Kuroko said while feeling irritated. How he loathe his height.
The purple head looked down and grin visibly,"Ah~Kuro-chin,ello~"
Kuroko nodded,"I didn't know Murasakibara-kun works here."
"Mm...Well~I don't exactly work here."
"What do you mean?"the tealette tilted his head in confusion.
"Hm~Last time when I came to this bakery,I didn't have enough money for the limited edition cake and they gave it to me for free~The workers-chin here are really nice~"
"Is that so...does that mean you are working here to repay the favor?"
"Yeah~For a week~"
Kuroko was kind of shocked. To think that the usually lazy and only thinks about snacks giant would actually work. As if he had read Kuroko's mind,he added,"I love making sweets anyways~Also,I can get free cakes every time my shift is over~"
Kuroko smiled. It's just how the purple head would be.
"Don't just stand there Kuro-chin~come here,come here~"Murasakibara invited with a hand gesturing for Kuroko to get closer.
"Is it alright for me?Won't the workers get mad?"
"It's okay~The workers-chin are really kind~"
"If you say so Murasakibara-kun."Kuroko was still a little hesitant. But after realizing the fact that he had not spend much time alone with the other before,he agreed to it.
The giant guided the phantom to the kitchen once he got closer. Kuroko was not surprised to see the kitchen messy. If you got one Murasakibara in a room,a hurricane will fall upon in less than 3 seconds. When he looked to the left,he saw a cake on the table.
"Ah,"Murasakibara said after noticing the tealette's gaze. "That's a cake that I made for myself from the leftover ingredients~Do you want to try it Kuro-chin?Its vanilla~"
For one,Kuroko was happy that the other actually remembered his preferences. Just like Midorima,Kuroko doesn't get along well with Murasakibara. It's not like they hate each other but it's just that their personality and thoughts kind of crashed more than often. Whenever Kuroko says something related to basketball,Murasakibara would frowned and change the topics. It was certainly a miracle that they were able to converse peacefully right now.
"I will be glad to accept your offer,Murasakibara-kun." Kuroko took a fork from the purple head and took a small bite of the cake. He almost moaned in delight.
"This is so delicious,Murasakibara-kun."Kuroko said in between bites in bliss.
"Eh~Is that so?I can make some more if Kuro-chin wants~"
"Thank you very much,but I would have to politely decline. I don't want to bother Murasakibara-kun."
The giant frowned slightly,"Kuro-chin is not bothering me."
"It's okay re-"
"Then how about we make one together~?"
Kuroko only stared at the other. "Um..."
"Then you would have no problem right~?"
The tealette chuckled to himself,"Let us do that then."
The purple head handed him a apron and they started baking a deluxe vanilla cake courtesy to Kuroko.
"Kuro-chin will go and take the strawberries whilst I make the batter~"
"Understood,Murasakibara-kun."With that said,Kuroko walked to the refrigerator and opened it. He scanned through the refrigerator and took the bowl of freshly ripened strawberries with two of his hands-afraid to drop it.
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But it did.
Murasakibara ceased his humming and turned to the direction where he heard the loud clang.
"Kuro-chin?"he asked with a tint of worry in his voice.
Kuroko was there standing at the front of the opened refrigerator staring at his shaking hands.
'Why?' he thought. He held the bowl really firmly. And yet,it still slipped from his grip. He weakly clenched his fists.
'Not this soon.'
Kuroko only snapped back to reality when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.
"Kuro-chin,are you okay?"
He bit his lips and turned to his back,"I'm fine Murasakibara-kun,thank you for worrying."He said while smiling weakly.
The purple head's frown deepened but he did not press further.
"If Kuro-chin says so...if you are not feeling well,tell me though~"
"Alright,thank you."Kuroko bend down and started picking up the strawberries and putting them back into the bowl. He took the final one between his fingers. Sighing,he took a bite,
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"This taste bitter."
"Kuro-chin,Ah~"Murasakibara said while pushing a piece of cake on the fork against Kuroko's mouth.
"I can eat it myself."
"Eh?Really~"
"Murasakibara-kun,I'm not three."
"Hm~But you dropped the bowl just now~"
"That...was an accident."Lies.
"Hmm..."
Finding the other's stare uncomfortable,Kuroko opened his mouth slightly and ate the piece of cake to satisfy the other.
"This is...expectedly good.."
"Heheh~Of course it is,our first collaboration~"
Kuroko giggled in agreement. Just then,someone came into the kitchen.
"Murasakibara-kun,your shift is over."
The both of them turned towards to the direction of the voice and saw a male who seems to be in his thirties with a large smile on his face.
"Thank you for your hard work today."
"Mm~"
"Kuro-chin,"Murasakibara called out after the worker left. "Wanna hang out~?"
"Eh?But it's kind of late now..."They have been baking for quite a long time after all.
"Eh~...hm.."
Seeing the dejected face of the purple head,Kuroko suggested,"How about you come to my house?It's nearby anyways."
"Okie~"The other agreed in less than a second.
Kuroko smiled slightly,"Then let us go."
"We are here."
They stopped at the front of a average looking,two stories house. Kuroko fished through his pants pocket for his house key and once the said item was found,he inserted it into the key hole and unlocked the door.
"Come in."Kuroko said while holding the door for the other.
"Sorry for intruding~"Murasakibara had to bend down to enter the house since he was huge. The house was not big,nor small. There weren't many furnitures and the walls were splashed with rather plain colors. But it somehow,just somehow,felt nostalgic.
"Kuro-chin's house is really comfortable."the purple head complimented.
"Hm...is that so?"
"Mm. Ah...where are your parents~?"the giant asked whilst looking around the house for any sign of adults.
"...they are on vacation."another lie.
"Heh~"Murasakibara quickly made himself comfortable and sat on the comfy sofa. "Do you have any snacks Kuro-chin?"Typical.
"I will go get some."
Kuroko sauntered into the kitchen and opened the cabinet where he store most of his snacks in.
He tip-toed to grab the packet of potato chips,again,screw his height. Once he felt the packet,he was about to take it out of the cabinet when his legs weakened all of a sudden. He quickly held onto the kitchen counter for support. Not again.
Kuroko quickly regained his composure and went back to the living room to hand the potato chips to the hungry giant.
"Mm,thankies~"
Kuroko watched the other ate his snack happily with a smile on his face. "You really do like snacks."he unconsciously blurted out.
"Hm?Well,yeah~I don't like it though. I love it."
"Well,of course."the tealette chuckled. "Do...do you love basketball as much as you do for snacks?"
The atmosphere around them immediately tensed and Kuroko knew he had step over the boundary,but he had to.
"Kuro-chin..."the giant growled slightly,"I already told you not to mention that word."
"Be honest Murasakibara-kun. Do you?"
The purple head was silent for a while and only crunching noises were heard until he spoke up,"I don't. Basketball is boring and most of the players are weak,it makes me want to crush them. I only play basketball because Aka-chin and the rest are strong and I can play against them anytime I want."
Kuroko stared at Murasakibara with a crestfallen look on his face. His vision blurred and he blink continuously to prevent the tears from cascading. He somehow managed to whisper audibly with a broken voice,"...Why did you continue to play basketball if you find it boring? Isn't it because that you enjoy it deep inside your heart?"
Murasakibara chewed on one of the chips hard deliberately and glowered at Kuroko,"I don't Kuro-chin."
The tealette chew on the inside of his cheek and tightened his fist. He whispered once more-more to himself,"I hope that you are wrong Murasakibara-kun...I hope that you are wrong."
He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts and he stood up. "Why don't we play a game of poker?"he suggested.
"Mm,Sure~"
Kuroko sighed in relieved that the childish side of Murasakibara came back.
He placed the deck of poker cards on the table and gestured for Murasakibara to shuffle as he was really bad at it. The purple head did it with ease,much to the phantom's jealousy. Despite being beyond horrible at shuffling,Kuroko is really good at the game. The phantom,of course,won the game much to the other's dismay. A rematch was demanded. And it ended with the same result.
"Kuro-chin,I don't understand this game."
"And why is that so?"
"Even though Kuro-chin is so weak,he still won the game."
"Strength has nothing to do with poker,Murasakibara-kun."
"Mm...Maybe...the one I don't understand is Kuro-chin."
Kuroko raised a brow,this is something new.
"Kuro-chin is always so stubborn. You keep persisting me about basketball and even though I told you my reason so many times,you still didn't give up. Even when Aka-chin told you that winning is everything,"Kuroko winced slightly. "you still insist that is not."
"I wonder...when would you give up,Kuro-chin."
Kuroko's grip on the cards tightened. "I will never give up Murasakibara-kun."
"Kuro-ch-"
"I will never give up,"he repeated with more determination. "Not on you,not on Kise-kun,Aomine-kun,Midorima-kun,Akashi-kun...Not on anyone."
"...As I thought you are really stubborn,Kuro-chin~"
Kuroko chuckled,"Maybe so. But...my stubbornness is the only thing keeping me sane and alive."
"I will walk you to the train station,Murasakibara-kun."
"Eh~?Its okay"
"I insist. Treat it as a thanks for accompanying me."
"Hm...fine~"
Kuroko slipped on his sneakers and took an umbrella with him-you might never know,the weather have been getting quite unexpecting lately,before opening the door for the both of them.
The walk to the station was rather uneventful. Other then the occasional chirps of the birds,the sound of the wind and the sound of the cars moving along the road,it's rather quiet.
The two of them didn't spoke a single word. Unless you count the constant "Sorries" when Kuroko's shoulder bumped onto the other's arm. Though,Murasakibara probably didn't feel anything.
"Hey,Kuro-chin,"The giant broke the awkward silence as they walked up the stairs.
Kuroko ceased his fidgeting and cranes his neck to look at the other's face,"Yes?"
"..you said that you will not give up on any of us right?"
Kuroko was totally not expecting this. By now,he thought that Murasakibara would have already forgotten about their serious conversation earlier.
"I did."
Murasakibara hummed and stood behind the yellow line whilst staring at the incoming train and winced slightly at the screeching noises. He waited for the train to stop and when it did,Murasakibara didn't went in despite the doors were already opened.
"Murasakibara-kun?"
The said person turned to face the shorter male and ruffled his already messy hair softly and affectionately. Unlike most of the time,Kuroko didn't swat his hand away. Maybe it's because of the foreign tender look on the other's face that he couldn't protest. The expression was enough for Kuroko to melt into his touch.
He gave the tealette a gentle smile,"I will be waiting then. To see how you would change our minds."
Kuroko gave him back a genuine smile,"Of course. I won't disappoint any of you."
With that,the purple head turned his back towards Kuroko and waved lazily before entering the train. Kuroko raised his hand tried to fix his messy hair while watching the train disappear from his sight.
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Maybe there is still hope.
Kuroko felt his phone vibrating in his pocket when he was on his way home. He took out the object and placed it on his right ear without looking at the number(a horrible habit of his that needs to be changed).
"Hello,this is Kuroko Tetsuya speaking."
"Yo,Tetsu!"
"Aomine-kun?"
The day was certainly full of surprises for Kuroko.
And the chapter is done! I'm really sorry if this chapter doesn't satisfy you and is too short ;;;; I will try my best to make the future chapters longer(especially the one full of emotions hopefully)
The next chapter should be up by either next week or the week after(I want to update this story more frequently as compensate for delaying this chapter for two months plus)
The slight angst was really terribly done right? xD
Q/A,thank you section~!
Daygon Yuuki:Hnng,thank you so much!I love you too~ And I will try my best to update this more often ;;
RinFantasy:Hohoho,I do wonder www thank you so much for you review and support~!
Kuroshiroryuu:Thank you so much for your support~! And yes,I will do my best to make everything angsty so that we can all cry xD
awefanfic:hoho~All of your questions will be answered soon in the later chapters,stay tune~!Thank you so much for your support :D
Thank so you much for all of the reviews,follows and faves! Till next time~~
