Wow! I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Well, maybe that will make up for the super late update? This chapter was already late and then I had the flu for a week and didn't get anything updated really so I apologize!
I can't believe I struggled so much with this and then ended up writing so much. I pretty much planned out the rest of the story too! Well, the major points at least. More than I usually have planned ahead.
Anyway! I hope you enjoy. I appreciate comments and thoughts :)
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"Oi, Tetsuya-sama!" Aomine shook the sleeping bluenette awake.
"Please don't call me that." Kuroko requested as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Then what do you want to be called?"
"Anything that doesn't end in sama….I'm sorry, I forgot your name."
"Then how about Tetsu?" Aomine asked and received a nod of approval from the sleepy bluenette. "Okay, then I'll call you Tetsu. Anyway, I'm Aomine Daiki. I've been assigned as your personal butler. Your other butler is Kise Ryouta, the annoying blond, in case you forgot. Oh, and its 7:15. It's time for breakfast. Seijūrō-sama is waiting in the dining room."
Kuroko blinked as he tried to process the onslaught of information through a growing headache. The pounding in his brain wasn't very conducive for understanding so much at once and he finally gave up and asked the tanned butler to repeat slowly. He half-expected the man to get mad, but instead, Aomine only looked a bit flustered before bowing and mumbling a short apology. He then repeated himself slower with breaks in between each piece of information to wait for his new master to nod him on.
"What do you mean you're my butler?" Kuroko finally asked after Aomine finished. He winced as he spoke since his headache seemed to be growing worse, but the rest of his face retained its usual expressionless expression. Aomine didn't seem to notice and went on to explain.
"I mean your personal butler."
Okay…so it was hardly an explanation. Kuroko got the gist, but he wasn't sure what a personal butler did or why he needed one, so again, he asked.
"Uh…" Aomine shifted his weight and scratched the back of his neck. He realized commoners don't encounter butlers every day, but was this kid for real? Didn't he ever watch a movie or something. "You know." He finally decided to spit out.
"Not really. That's why I'm asking, sir."
Aomine stifled a chuckle. His new master just called him a sir. It was so funny he almost didn't want to correct the boy. If he didn't though and Akashi heard, he would get in trouble. Sighing uncomfortably, he tried to correct Kuroko.
"First off, don't call me sir. You can call me whatever as long as it doesn't imply a higher rank than yourself."
"But I'm just a homeless…" Kuroko tried to protest but was immediately cut off.
"You were. Not now. That's what Seijūrō-sama said anyway and I wouldn't argue with him. It won't do any good. Now let me finish."
"Yes sir….I mean…uh…"
"Aomine, Daiki, whatever you want."
"I can call you pizza?" Kuroko teased. Aomine scowled but nodded.
"Yes. If it pleases you to call me pizza, you may call me pizza." He grumbled. He really hoped the kid was just joking. He would never hear the end of it from Kise if his new master actually insisted on calling him pizza. On the other hand, it would likely amuse Seijūrō-sama. Maybe he could get a raise? He shook his head. He had almost forgotten he was supposed to bring Tetsu to breakfast, not have a friendly chat or whatever this was. "Look, we can continue this later. I'm supposed to bring you to breakfast. Come on."
Kuroko nodded, wincing again as the movement caused another surge of pain through his head. He threw off the covers and stood only to stumble. Luckily, Aomine was in front of him just in time to keep him from falling.
"Oi. Careful. You okay?"
Kuroko nodded. Apparently this was what a butler was for he joked to himself. He would have laughed, but the sudden realization that his whole body ached and the cold air of the room hit him hard. He felt sick, but he wasn't going to say anything. He didn't want to bother them after all. Instead, he followed Aomine to the dining room and tried to ignore the amount of effort it took to walk and the way the hallway seemed to spin.
It felt like it took forever but when they finally entered the room, he gave Akashi a weak smile. He tried to give a greeting but was interrupted by a coughing fit that shook his entire body.
"Tetsuya?" Akashi called out in concern.
"Sorry. I'm okay. Something just tickled my throat." Kuroko explained as he took a seat. Akashi didn't really believe him. The boy looked pale and tired and was shivering. He didn't look okay, but when Akashi tried asking again, he insisted he was fine, so the red head dropped the matter.
"So, we didn't finish our shopping yesterday and there is the matter of paperwork and getting you set up for school to attend too."
"I don't need to shop for anything else." Kuroko tried to protest.
"Don't interrupt."
"Yes Akashi-sama."
Akashi glared at the boy. "Don't call me Akashi-sama. We talked about this yesterday, Tetsuya." He warned. Kuroko winced, more from the pain in his head than Akashi's stern tone.
"Yes, Akashi-kun."
"That's better." Akashi granted Kuroko a small smile.
"I still don't need anything else. I have…" Kuroko paused as another coughing fit took over. This time it took longer to pass and left his throat sore.
This time, Akashi didn't bother asking if the boy was okay. He pulled up his sleeve and reached over to place his exposed wrist on the bluenettes forehead. Frowning, he pulled away and turned his attention to Aomine and Mibuchi who were standing on either side of the double doors. "Daiki, I'm taking Tetsuya back to his room. Ask the kitchen for a bowl of water and wash cloth. Mibuchi, call Shintarō and tell him to be here in 30 minutes. Tetsuya has a fever."
"I'm fine." Kuroko protested weakly but Akashi shook his head followed by a deadly glare. It was just a fever and Kuroko didn't think it was a big deal, but he seemed to be the only one under that impression.
"You are not fine. You are burning up." He stated as he placed one arm under Kuroko's knees and the other behind his back to carry him.
"It's nothing. Please don't trouble yourself."
"Hush." Akashi ordered. Kuroko obeyed and rested his head on Akashi's shoulder till they arrived in the bedroom. Akashi set to work tucking him in and taking the cloth from Daiki to place over his forehead. "Shintarō will be here soon. He's the doctor that examined you the other day. Rest until he gets here. I need to make some calls, but I'll be back soon. Don't hesitate to ask Daiki for anything."
"Hai." Kuroko agreed between coughs. He watched as Akashi left the room then pulled the blankets over his head. He was causing trouble again. He was always causing trouble. It wasn't on purpose of course. It's not like he woke up and asked the gods to make him sick so he could cause trouble. If anything, he was constantly asking the gods to help him not trouble others. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it was opposite day in world of the gods….like every day.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts but it didn't do much good. A few tears escaped to the pillow. He could hear Akashi down the hall ordering someone to reschedule his appointments for the day which only made him feel worse than he already did. The rest of the thirty minutes were spent wishing he could disappear. If he didn't feel so awful, he might have tried to run away right there and then so he could stop bothering everyone, but he did feel awful and was only feeling worse by the minute. There was nothing he could do but chastise himself uselessly. It wasn't until he heard the door open that the thoughts finally subsided, or at least they were willing to be pushed aside so he could fake a smile for Akashi and the green haired man who entered the room.
Akashi's mouth formed a small smile before he gestured to the green haired man to come closer. Midorima stepped closer to the bed and bowed. "I'm Dr. Midorima. Last time we met, you were unconscious." He stated with a serious expression.
Kuroko shifted uneasily as he mentally asked the world to stop bowing to him like that. It was weird. He kept that feeling to himself though and kept his expression as blank as ever as he greeted the green haired doctor. "Um…thank you….for seeing to me that day."
"Could you take off your shirt please?" Midorima requested as he pulled a stethoscope and a few other basic instruments from his bag. Kuroko nodded, and with a bit of effort, removed it and shivered. "Sorry, this will only take a moment."
"It's okay." Kuroko assured.
Deciding he wasn't needed, Akashi retreated to his office running into Kise on the way.
"I heard Kurokocchi is sick!" The energetic blond wailed.
"I don't think it's anything serious, Ryouta." Akashi replied, not bothering to hide his slight annoyance. "Now quiet down. We don't shout outside sick people's rooms." Akashi scolded like a mother scolding a child.
Kise stared at the ground like a regretful puppy. "Sorry Akashicchi. Is there anything I can do? You did assign me to be his butler too!" He reminded the red head.
"Shintarō is with him now. If you want to help so badly, go make some fresh tea. I think we have something that's good for coughs in the kitchen."
"Okay!" Kise smiled and bounded down the hallway in excitement. It was way too easy to placate that butler, Akashi thought.
After about thirty minutes passed, Midorima entered the study.
"How is he?" Akashi asked, moving to one of the couches with his cup of coffee and gesturing to Mibuchi to pour Midorima a cup.
Midorima accepted a coffee and took a seat across from his red haired friend. "Lucky." Was all he said before taking a sip.
"Lucky?"
"It's the flu."
"How is that lucky?" Akashi coolly asked with narrowed eyes.
"Typically it only kills young children and the elderly. Homeless people are at a higher risk to though and it's hit that community pretty hard this year. If he had come down with this while still on the streets, especially in this weather," Midorima flicked his hand towards the window where a few flakes of snow were drifting down on to the outside gardens, "he probably wouldn't live. Therefore, he is lucky."
"So he will be okay?"
"His overall health from being on the streets so long means he's weaker than the average victim his age, so it will probably hit him harder than it would you or me, but with proper care, he should be fine within a week or so."
"Do you know how old he is?" Akashi wondered aloud after realizing the doctor kept mentioning age as if he knew what it was. Admittedly, Akashi had forgotten to ever ask.
"You don't?" Midorima surmised from Akashi's tone and the red head's glare was enough to confirm his suspicion. "He said he is 19. You took this kid in, but you don't really know anything about him, do you."
"No, I don't…but neither do you."
"I didn't take him in. And apparently I know more than you do."
"Just his age." Akashi retorted with annoyance.
"Akashi….I know I said I wouldn't pry….and it's not like I care, but….what do you actually know about this kid?"
Akashi scowled. He probably wouldn't have even considered answering, except, despite his friend's words, the man genuinely looked concerned. He also looked like he knew something more, something else Akashi didn't know and wanted to know. "He was homeless. He's stubborn. He tried to commit suicide by jumping off the roof of my building. He dropped out of high school to get a job. He has a lot of scars and bruises, but I don't know what from. He's afraid of being a bother to others or causing any sort of trouble. He doesn't understand the concept of a gift or apparently even the idea that someone might just want to be kind to him without some sort of terrible ulterior motive. And….that's about it." Akashi scowled even more realizing just how little he knew.
Midorima shook his head then fixed Akashi with an intense serious glare. "The kid has problems, Akashi."
"Doesn't everyone?" Akashi growled, resting his own serious glare on the green haired doctor. "What's your point? I should throw him back on the streets while he's sick no less?"
"I didn't say that. It's a little late to throw him out now and I know, regardless of what others might think, you would never do such a thing."
"Then what's your point? What do you know that I don't?" Akashi clenched his hands into fist as he struggled to keep his voice from shouting.
"My point is he has problems and…..look, the kid tried to kill himself for gods sake!" Midorima threw his hands in the air as a gesture of his own frustration with the conversation. He kept his voice low though as he continued. "Some of those scars were definitely self-inflicted. He's tried to hurt himself. That time you caught him trying to jump might not have been his first attempt."
"He's been through a rough time." Akashi defended. He had kind of guessed everything Midorima was telling him already; though this was the first time he was sure of it.
"That's not all. The bruises he had the first time you called me to check him, and I mean the ones not caused by you, weren't from falling or something simple like that. Someone hit him. And judging by the patterns and shapes of some of the other scars, he could have been abused. He could have someone after him or any other number of crazy possibilities!"
"Shintarō." Akashi growled in a dangerous tone and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why exactly are you telling me all this now? Why not the first time? If you're so worried, why not say anything before? Hmm?"
"He was unconscious last time."
"So."
"So, I didn't want to jump to conclusions and he couldn't say anything then."
"So he said something?"
"Yes…."
"What did he say?" Akashi demanded a bit more gently now.
"I can't tell you that." Midorima looked away guiltily.
"Why?"
"I told him I wouldn't say anything."
"Shintarō….you have five seconds." Akashi threatened.
"I can't"
"One."
"Akashi."
"Two." Akashi continued in a threatening manner.
"Akashi!"
"Three."
"Damnit! Fine." Midorima gave in.
Akashi smirked slightly and leaned forward. "Are you going to tell me?"
"I shouldn't, but I value my life, so yes."
"Smart decision."
"Shut up." Midorima scowled into his cup of coffee. "I asked him about the scars and he admitted to making some of them but he wouldn't say what the others were from."
"And…?"
Midorima took a deep breath. "And when I told him he had the flu but it wasn't deadly or anything too serious….he seemed disappointed and then under his breath, he said he wished it was, or something along those lines. It was hard to hear and I wasn't supposed to hear it. I asked him why he said that and he mumbled something about always being a bother. Then he just clammed up and wouldn't say anything else. It was strange. It certainly wasn't normal."
Akashi flinched and stared into his own cup of dwindling brown liquid. He couldn't say he was surprised, but it still hurt a bit. Plus, Midorima was right. That wasn't normal. It wasn't normal how the kid never wanted anything for himself, except maybe death, or how he always seemed more concerned with everyone else. Nothing about the kid was ever normal. He was terrified of getting Akashi's things dirty and always trying to touch as little as possible. He was always trying to refuse any act of kindness. He was overly polite. He only ever did what he was told to do and if no one told him to do anything, he literally didn't do anything. He rarely had any facial expression and he always seemed to be looking for ways to disappear from the mansion, Akashi's office, or life itself.
"He has severe depression…." Akashi finally stated, although it was somewhat of a question too.
"Probably." Midorima confirmed. "Maybe more. I'm not that kind of doctor, Akashi, so I really can't say, but from what you've told me and what he's told me, he's lived a rough life. He lost everything and lived on the streets for more than three years. That's bound to come with some baggage."
"I get that….but I don't get why you're making a big deal out of it all."
"It's not like I care, but…"
"You do care." Akashi cut in sharply.
"Fine. I care. He's a patient. It's my job. I guess what I really want to know is why you are doing all of this. Taking in a stranger you know nothing about. A stranger who is obviously going to cause problems."
"I don't know." Akashi admitted with a faraway look.
Midorima blinked with widened eyes. That wasn't a response he was expecting. His red head friend didn't do things without reason. He thought maybe it was all part of some twisted plan or Akashi was using the kid for something, but for no certain reason at all? That didn't seem like the guy he's known since middle school.
"You don't know?" He repeated cautiously for confirmation.
"I don't know, Shintarō." Akashi growled.
"That's not like you."
"I know." Akashi stood up clenching and unclenching his fists. "I just don't know. It kind of just….. happened." He admitted walking over to the window to watch the snow falling outside which was beginning to look like a blizzard. "You'll be stuck here if you don't leave soon."
"It wasn't supposed to snow this much today." Midorima observed quietly. "Akashi?"
"What is it now?" Akashi grumbled without turning around.
"Is there any chance….is there any chance he's the one? That you might be…." He trailed off unsure if he dared to finish such a line.
Akashi flinched. It's not like he hadn't considered it. There was definitely something drawing him to the boy in the guest bedroom, but hearing an old friend ask him so bluntly (as bluntly as anyone would ever dare ask an Akashi) was just awkward. Could that really be it? Was Kuroko Tetsuya…..
"I don't know." Akashi shook his head.
"You don't know much today do you?"
"Shut up! Akashi growled and threw a pair of scissors dangerously close to Midorima's cheek. The doctor only flinched. He kind of expected something sharp to come his way for such a comment.
"If I had to guess, I would say you not knowing is a sign that that is exactly what's going on here."
Akashi turned around angrily. "If you want me to put you up for the night instead of throwing you out into the snow, I suggest you shut that bold mouth of yours this instant!" He shouted and left, slamming the door behind him and officially ending the conversation.