Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket, or any of its characters.
Oha! I'm going to try to publish more chapters as soon as I can, but I will be a little busy in within the next few days since I will be moving to a new apartment~ packing and stuff is such a hassle lol, but! I will be drafting a few chapters for like a dump upload lol! Enjoy! *3*
Chapter 7 : Burning Palette
"Tadaima" Kuroko called out to his home.
"Ojamashimasuuu!" said the three visitors simultaneously to show respect to the home they're visiting. Kagami and Kise have been to Kuroko's house several times, the two of them already felt at home, but Akashi, being his observant usual self, was scanning the living room. The interior was clean, with plain white walls, a few plants, and very few photos.
"Kuroko, let me help you with the preparing"
"Ah! Me too! I want to help Kurokocchi!" Kagami and Kise offered.
"You'll just mess up since you don't know how to cook pretty boy" Kagami teased.
"Waah! That's so mean Kagamicchi!" Kise cried out.
"Alright, knock it off you two, I can manage on my own since you are my guests, but if you want to help, you are also welcome to do so" Kuroko replied,
As the three went in the kitchen area, Akashi followed,
"May I offer a helping hand as well?"
"You don't have to Akashi-san, I don't want the guests to be doing work as well, the two are just persistent, and I guess they feel very much at home, please do relax and feel comfortable" Kuroko said with a small smile.
Akashi chuckled at the reaction, "very well, if you need any assistance, I'll be in the living room". Akashi sat on one of the beige couches, and started looking through the photos displayed, noticing one thing only, Kuroko, who rarely smiled even when he was younger, he smiled inwardly and noticed the interest he had on Kuroko was just increasing by the minute, when one photo caught his attention, Kuroko, probably around middle school, was smiling, his face looked like it was shining and he had the most beautiful sea blue eyes. Prior to actually meeting Kuroko personally, Akashi had already rumors about the blunette, since he has been hanging out with Kise, stories about kuroko were bound to spread. Nothing really bad was said about Kuroko, just that he was dull, emotionless, boring, and girls were always wondering why Kise has been giving so much attention to a dull guy like Kuroko, but upon meeting Kuroko face to face, he understood what Kise and Kagami saw in the bluenette. Although the features of his face make him look dull and uninterested, he actually had the most expressive, deep eyes Akashi had seen, which was what captivated him to the blue haired boy in the first place. He sat quietly, observing Kuroko and how he interacts with two completely different people, although both idiots Akashi thought to himself, not wanting to remain seated, he stood up and headed straight for the kitchen, "Can I at least help in setting the table, I don't want to be the only one not contributing" Akashi stated.
Giving up, "alright then, feel free to set the table, the plates are in the cupboard to your right" kuroko instructed.
The table was set, and the side dishes were also laid out perfectly, hot steaming Miso soup, soft white rice, a side of mixed vegetables, and some homemade chicken fingers just waiting to be munched on. Kagami, Kise, and Akashi were already sitting in their designated chairs while Kuroko was still in the kitchen, about to take out his specialty, leaving the kitchen, Kuroko was carrying a big white pot with a lid on top, he carefully placed it on the table and as he took of the lid, a milk creamy pot of Beef stew was steaming.
"Alright! My favorite Kuroko special!" Kagami exclaimed.
"oooohhh I have yet to try Kurokocchi's famous beef stew kagami has been bragging about! Finally!" Kise followed through.
Akashi was inhaling the creamy smell of the stew, and he was excited to try it.
Kuroko sat down at his usual spot, which incidentally was beside the seat Akashi was sitting at.
"Meshiagare~" Kuroko initiated.
"Itadakimasu!" replied the three visitors.
They all went for the stew, and Kagami could not stop stuffing his mouth with it.
Kise's eyes were sparkling as he tasted the stew.
Akashi was stunned, it was really good, it tasted different than his usual meals at home.
"This is really delicious; I would say the best stew I've had" Akashi praised Kuroko.
"That's an overstatement but thank you" Kuroko replied.
""If Akashicchi says it's the best stew he's had then it means your stew is really the best Kurokocchi! Akashicchi always has a gourmet chef prepare their meals for him at home! And for you to beat a gourmet chef, that means it's the best!" Kise backed up Akashi on his statement.
Kuroko didn't realize how he blushed with happiness at the compliment. He always loved cooking and was happy that someone who always eats gourmet meals praised his cooking.
"uhm, thank you, that makes me happy" Kuroko thanked shyly.
Akashi was not lying though, Kuroko's cooking had a homey feeling to it, kind of felt like how a mother would cook for their children, with love and care, apart from the ingredients of course, and no matter how professional the gourmet chef was, or how delicious the food is, it will never have that home feeling to it.
While they were eating, the usual routine of Kagami and Kise's unending bantering was going on, and Kuroko observed the two quietly, since he was pretty much used to it, but he was also observing Akashi who was quietly eating and enjoying his meal.
"Is there something wrong?" Akashi asked.
Kuroko turned his head to the other side with a slight blush, he didn't realize he was staring at Akashi, "Nothing, sorry" he replied.
"You don't have to apologize for everything you know" Akashi said with a warm smile.
Kuroko nodded and continued to eat, he couldn't believe that Akashi Seijuuro was eating his cooking, at his house. Being the most popular (and powerful) student in school, even as a transferee, of course he's heard of Akashi, he wasn't even surprised with Kise's statement that Akashi eats gourmet food on a daily basis, he already had an idea, after all, Akashi's family owns quite a lot of shopping centers, hotels, and even an airline. He's also heard of the last name Akashi before, although he was first surprised when he heard that "the" Akashi was studying in the same school as he is. He was nervous and a little happy at the same time, hoping that he could be Akashi's friend too.
"Gochisousama deshita!" Thanked the three visitors after filling their voids.
"Osomatsu sama deshita" replied Kuroko.
"I'm sooooo full! That was such a wonderful dinner! Thanks so much Kurokocchi!"
"yeah it was the best! Would have been better if blondie wasn't too noisy about how delicious your cooking is"
"Ehhhh kagamicchi you're so meaaan!"
"ahhh stop whining!"
Kuroko chuckled at the never-ending banter of the two.
"Don't you two ever get tired of arguing with each other?" Kuroko asked.
"alright alright" kagami replied and calmed down.
"Thank you for the meal, it was really delicious" Akashi suddenly stepped in.
"You're welcome…" Kuroko was debating in his head…
"If you'd like, you're welcome to come back anytime" "I finally said it!~" Kuroko thought.
A little surprised, Akashi smiled warmly, "Are you sure it's okay?"
"It's fine, I love it when people enjoy the food I make" Kuroko assured.
"Alright, I won't hesitate next time" Akashi replied.
"Yay! Let's all go back together and eat with kurokocchi! It's so fun to eat with everyone!" Kise was excited like a little kid.
The three thanked Kuroko for his hospitality and bid farewell, Kuroko remained standing by the house gate, waiting for the three silhouettes to disappear into the night.
Kuroko finished cleaning the dishes, took his warm bath, and headed straight to his room.
"10:30 pm huh…" he thought as he looked at the clock, he lay down on his bed, which was filled with dog plushies, and he grabbed one into a hug. He closed his eyes, and a sudden image of Akashi popped into his head, his eyes jolted back open, and he was startled. Why was he remembering Akashi suddenly? Was he that curious about the person? Or maybe he was just stunned that someone like Akashi became his friend…
Kuroko noticed a few things about Akashi while visited his home…
First was; he had very manly hands, despite being a little short, well, compared to Kagami and Kise at least.
Second; he holds his utensils so delicately.
Third; he had long eye lashes, and cat like eyes.
And fourth; was Akashi was unexpectedly strong. Akashi was taller than Kuroko, but shorter than Kagami and Kise, who clearly look like strong people. While setting the table, Kuroko noticed how Akashi easily carried heavy plates and bowls altogether without breaking a sweat, he also helped moved a few heavy things around, and Kuroko got this feeling, that Akashi was emitting a "this is not heavy at all" aura.
Kuroko continued hugging his dog plushie and he was still thinking about Akashi, he hoped to know more about the red-haired boy, and he was anxiously anticipating the time where we would be spending time with him as a friend.
While he continued to daydream, he didn't notice that he had drifted off to sleep.
As he sat on the edge of his king sized canopy bed, he remembered how welcoming, the aura of Kuroko's house was, even though he was alone most of the time, he could feel that Kuroko doesn't feel as lonely as one would expect, father passed away, his mother works until late night, but there was this feeling inside his home, that he never feels in his own house.
When Akashi arrived home, he was greeted by his personal butler, several of their housekeepers, and the family servants. His father, as usual, was busy in his study room, and his mother, probably out gallivanting with her friends, and his older brother, well, they never really got along. Maybe he was used to that feeling of being alone, that he didn't notice how different their lifestyles are. As he passed by their mansion's hallways, he looked at the photos displayed on their walls, and remembered how different the aura of their family portraits is, with Kuroko's family pictures.
They have a lot of family portraits, but he couldn't find a single photo, where they looked like a happy family. "ahh, I guess that's why I felt really comfortable in Kuroko-kun's house" He thought to himself.
Remembering all this as he continued to lay down on his bed, he started remembering the bluenette boy, how he easily blushes, how he rarely smiles, but when he does, his face lights up like the sun. Akashi shuddered in anticipation for the days to come, as he was excited to spend more time with the blue haired boy.
"I can't wait for the next meal"…
Otsu! And finally done with chapter 7! This was pretty much a shared POV with Kuroko and Akashi, I tried to put Akashi's backstory in this chapter as well, like how his family is, etc. But as usual, I didn't want to give too much away lol
今日の日本語 / Today's Japanese corner!
I know I already discussed "Itadakimasu" and "Gochisousama deshita" in a previous chapter, but I don't think I've discussed:
"Meshiagare" : similar to Bon Appetit or Enjoy the food
"Osomatsu sama deshita" : usually the reply of the one who prepared the food after being thanked for it, so it's more like a You're welcome for the food reply.
And that's it for this chapter! Hope to see you again!
nyonsama