CHAPTER 10
Kise stirred from his sleep. He shifted his body so that he could bury his face deep against the pillow. His hand then reached out to the spot next to him.
He felt nothing, but the soft mattress underneath his palm.
Kise instantly opened his eyes and turned his head. His eyes confirmed it — Kuroko was not there. It took him few seconds to register Kuroko's absence, then another few minutes wondering where he had gone, to finally remember what Kuroko had said the night before.
Kise buried his face back into the pillow as his mind wandered back to last night.
"Eh?"
Kise looked at Kuroko, the pointed ends of his chopsticks were resting against his lips. "You want to go back to work tomorrow?"
Kuroko nodded. "The headmistress said the children miss me..."
"I see..."
"Are you sure... that it's fine for me? I mean—" Kuroko bit his lips, not sure if he should continue.
"Hmm? What is it, Ku—Tetsuya-cchi?" Kise let out a forced smile to hide his clenched teeth.
Smooth move he made there, but it didn't go unnoticed by Kuroko. He knew what Kise was about to call him.
A name which would remind him how he had lost his husband in the car crash... and that husband is yet to return, even though his body is before him... alive.
"... Tetsuya-cchi?"
Kise waved his hand in front of Kuroko's eyes. That successfully brought him back to the present, though being greeted by the Kise's worry face made him feel a bit guilty.
"I'm sorry, Ryouta-kun. About earlier, I mean.. are you fine if I leave you alone with Mamoru? It won't be long, but your legs are not completely healed... I'm worried..."
Kuroko looked down at his food on the table.
Kise watched him for one moment before he began to say, "I'm fine with it."
Kuroko's attention was immediately caught. He looked at Kise, slightly tilting his head to the side.
"You said it won't be long, right? Then, I'm fine with it," Kise replied with a smile. "Though, we might need someone to take care of Mamoru... Not that I can't do it! I can, but to be safe, we should ask someone to help me while you're not here..."
Kuroko was silent for a moment, his mind trying to reconsider Kise's idea. Not long after, he nodded.
"I'll try to call someone later, then."
Kise let out a sigh.
Kuroko-cchi will be back by mid-day... I don't want to wake up without him here...
He turned his head to look at the small clock on the night stand next to his side of the bed.
8.30 am.
He buried his face again, rubbing his face against the pillow surface. A muffled whine — yet audible to the whole room — came out of his mouth as he rubbed his face.
The door was suddenly opened, which was followed by a familiar, male voice.
"Kise, are you alright?"
But that voice, sadly, was not owned by Kuroko. It made Kise want to whine louder.
And he did.
"Uwaaaaa! I want Kuroko-cchiii!"
He was met by a painful chop on his head.
"Seriously Kagami-cchi, you don't really have to hit me that hard.."
Kise and Kagami were sitting at the dining room. Kise rubbed the sore spot on his head with his comical tears in the corner of his eyes as he looked at Kagami, who was feeding the newly woken up Mamoru on his arms.
"Serves you for whining. I thought you were hurt."
"But still..." Kise's tears were flowing comically.
Silence.
Kagami took a look at Kise, his mind contemplating to ask about one thing he had noticed earlier.
"Kise..." Kagami started, hesitation was clear in his voice.
"Hmm?"
Kagami heaved a breath before he continued, "Earlier, you yelled Kuroko-cchi—" Kise's eyes went wide, "—instead of Tetsuya-cchi. Why?"
There was a long, silent pause after that. Kagami remained waiting, while Kise remained quiet, looking down at the table in front of him.
"Well... I—that—" Kise mentally cursed himself when he knew he had no reason to stammer, but he did anyway. He silently took a breath to relax himself. "It's just—I feel like I don't deserve to call him Tetsuya-cchi... I mean, that name feels precious, and only the time I become his husband I feel I deserve to call him that name."
"And you're not his husband? You're married already. "
Kise opened his mouth to retort, but closed it again by bitting his lips.
Kagami looked at Kise for a long while, then decided it was better not to wait for his answer anymore.
"You know, if you think you can't call Kuroko with his first name," Kagami stood up, carefully to make sure Mamoru feel undisturbed. "Tell him. That you feel uncomfortable. Or he would think... I don't know. Something negative."
With that, Kagami left the room.
Kise's head hung down, staring at nothing in particular. He felt as if his heart was constricted after hearing Kagami's words.
He needed to end this faster.
He just needed to.
A/n: I'm sorry for leaving this story not updated for almost 5 months, everyone! I'm still working on this... reviews are welcomed!