Out of Control
Disclaimer: Kuroko No Basuke characters don't belong to me. I'm not making any profit from this story.
Summary: It started out with the tiny things and now Hanamiya's drowning. He needs to get a grip.
A/N: Hanamiya is in his third year by now. This happens a month after my previous story 'Triad' and references events that happened during 'A Mess', but you don't need to have read those to enjoy this one.
Rated for occasional references to past trauma as well as the fact that…well…it's Hanamiya.
Let me know if you like it! Constructive criticism is welcome as always!
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Snowflake moving to Japan for the next few months isn't something Hanamiya can say he saw coming, but seeing as how their communication over the last two years has mostly consisted of FaceTime and messages he's not going to look a gift horse in mouth.
He's been annoyed that Princess gets to see her more often but he knows that's more due to their respective families and business arrangements –along with the fact that he refuses to step foot in Kyoto unless absolutely necessary- than any kind of preferential treatment on Snowflake's part.
In any case she's here now and they can make up for lost time.
He still feels nervous before he goes to visit her at her new place because even though they've spoken several times since their last serious conversation when he relapsed, he feels like it'll change things.
Snowflake is the least judgmental and most understanding person he knows but hearing the disappointment in her voice had really cut him up. He's never throwing his medication away again.
She invites him over once she's settled in and he doesn't think twice about cancelling practice for that Wednesday just so he can make it to Roppongi, spend a few hours catching up and still get back home in time to finish his homework and get a decent amount of sleep.
It means he has to shower at school and change clothes there but he doesn't mind. He does mind when he runs into Seto on the way out and the idiot whistles and says some garbage about him cleaning up really nice.
Hanamiya flips him off and keeps walking.
He goes to welcome her at her new place – "It's got the most beautiful views, and it's just across from the Art Centre!"- and is almost blown away by how expensive the place looks.
Hanamiya is no stranger to having nice things; his family might no longer run in the same circles as Akashi's but they're still very well off. Kirisaki Daiichi isn't exactly the most affordable of schools.
He'd been a bit more focused on his committee duties along with being coach and captain than keeping up with things like luxury real estate, but even he can tell this apartment must cost a small fortune.
"Well, damn." had been his first words when he'd stepped through the door and sees what appears to be all of Tokyo right in front of him.
"I know, right?" Snowflake practically squeals, curls bouncing as she drags him inside.
He manages to tear his gaze off the view long enough to look at her, really look at her for the first time in years.
He doesn't remember her being this short; he's sure he's almost a foot taller than her by now.
She doesn't seem to be put off by the height difference and wraps him in a hug as soon as he gets his shoes off, and it's stupid because Hanamiya isn't a little kid anymore, but feels his throat start closing up and he is horrified to realise he actually might cry.
He hasn't been hugged by anyone in months and he loves his mother but she's been away on business for a while. She's always there for a week or two every month but with his dad in jail she's been running things all by herself.
He's getting so deep into his own thoughts that he almost doesn't hear the soft "I missed you, Makoto."
Shit.
"Yeah?" He manages, cringing at how uncharacteristically needy he sounds.
She gives him one last squeeze and steps back, and he can see that he's not the only one with moisture at the corners of his eyes.
"I wanted to be here as soon as you called to tell me about…you know," she says quietly, looking away from him with a frown.
He does know, and he still feels like shit for putting her through that. He says as much.
"I know. I'm not angry, I was just scared. You and Seijuro mean a lot to me. Especially you."
She gives him a small smile, genuine and warm and Hanamiya's stomach does what he can only describe as a backflip.
What the…
Now, Hanamiya isn't blind nor is he stupid. Cruel, maybe. Messed up, definitely. But blind and stupid he is not.
He knows Snowflake is attractive.
Shit, all three of them are- four, if you count Princess and Psycho Barbie as two separate people, which Hanamiya definitely does, even though they have the same body.
That's why they got fucking kidnapped in the first place.
He slams the door on that dark room before it opens too far and drags his brain back to the present.
Snowflake has always had a pretty face with brown almond eyes and that blinding smile that he's gotten used to seeing.
And honestly, he doesn't know what Nebuya's skincare routine is but he's calling it trash right now because Snowflake's skin is just as dark as his but it is freaking glowing in the sunlight.
The light from the setting sun is hitting her just right, catching on the gold highlights in her curls.
Hanamiya lingers a second too long on the strip of belly that exposes itself when she reaches up into one of the cupboards to take down glasses for the bottle of champagne he bought in celebration.
Snowflake doesn't ask how he bought it since he's under legal drinking age and he doesn't volunteer the information. He does grumble when she only lets him have the one glass.
"It's a school night, Makoto," she smirks, hand on the curve of her hip as she holds out the other one expectantly. He considers being a little shit about it but she's really distracting standing like that – he has a thing for crop tops and sweatpants on girls, okay?- so he sighs and hands it over.
He does still sneak in a cheeky "Yes, senpai."
She's too used to him, though, so all she does is roll her eyes as she saunters back over to the kitchen sink.
Hanamiya's stomach flips again and okay, maybe more champagne would be a bad idea.
It's still relatively early, so she asks him to stay for dinner and of course he says yes. He's seen her cook on FaceTime far too often to pass up this chance.
She warns him that she's cooking her food Caribbean style, not Japanese. He honestly doesn't care at this point; he's not a picky eater and he tends to like his food on the spicy side anyway.
Fuck it; he can do his homework right here while the food cooks. It's not like anyone's waiting for him at home. He'd much rather be here with her solving these calculus problems in between laughing with her as she goes through her online class schedule.
He learns that she's elected to do some in person courses in the university nearby as well, so the settling here for months makes a bit more sense.
She's appalled by their regular school year, but so is almost every foreigner he's come across so all he does is groan good-naturedly when she tells him about how she used to spend her long summer holidays when she was his age.
He teases her back about being an old lady at twenty.
It's…nice, being able to sit and talk with someone who knows him. He doesn't have to put up a front or pretend to be someone he isn't.
She's definitely seen him at his worst and she's still here. She's still his friend.
He's glad he came to visit.
The chicken pelau is awesome, which is definitely not a surprise.
Hanamiya would have asked for the recipe but he can't cook for shit, and he'll probably just succeed in burning his mother's kitchen down if he tries pulling off anything close to what Snowflake just did.
He can do a few different things for breakfast, but that's about it.
He washes the dishes –because yes, he may have almost ended a guy's whole career just for the thrill of it but he's still got manners, dammit!
When he sees that it's past 10 o'clock, he starts packing up and he and Snowflake make plans to do this more often once their schedules allow.
He's feeling content and happy and a bit sleepy and maybe that's the reason he slips up before he leaves.
They both reach for the door handle at the same time.
She grasps it first and his hand closes over hers a split second later.
Hanamiya knows what to do here. Laugh, make a joke how food slows his reflexesand remove his hand.
It's easy.
He shouldn't even have to think about it.
Too bad that isn't what happens.
Both of them freeze.
Just move your hand, Makoto. Come on. Just move it.
He stares at the contrast their hands make; pale and calloused over smooth milk chocolate.
Her hand looks so delicate. So dainty. No one would ever guess that she's almost killed with this hand.
To protect them.
To protect him.
By the time he wrestles some control over his thoughts his thumb is rubbing little circles on the back of her hand.
Shit.
He finally yanks his hand away from hers and he can feel his own face heating up.
He looks at her sharply, expecting to see…what?
Anger, discomfort?
What he actually does see gives him pause.
She's cradling her hand to her chest now, and she's frowning a little, but it's not angry. It's more puzzled than anything else.
He feels off balance now; this wasn't the reaction he'd expected.
But she's looking up at him, and she seems to be waiting.
He starts to stammer out an apology but he doesn't get very far before she cuts him off with a toss of her curls and a frown
He pauses, confused.
So, she doesn't want an apology? She wasn't offended?
She's patiently looking up at him again with those brown eyes –have her lashes always been this long?
She must finally pick up on his confusion, because all she does is smile.
"I'm glad we could catch up, Makoto. Don't be a stranger."
Her hand is still cradled to her chest.
"I…yes. Thank you, Melody-san," he says, slipping into the formal form of address just in case. He wants her to know that he really is sorry.
Hanamiya really doesn't know what came over him.
But she seems to be okay.
It's okay.
Maybe he's thinking too much.
He has definitely has to get a grip, though.
This can't happen again.
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That's it for right now! This one will probably be a few chapters long. I love productive criticism so tell me what you think! I haven't written in years now, but I'm finally starting to get back into the swing of things.
A/N 2: Melody lives in the Majes Tower in Tokyo. I was looking at some of the apartments there online and I immediately fell in love.