Chapter 20
A view from the Other Side pt.1
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
Kasamatsu moaned. He leaned his head into the opposite direction of the sound, but the pesky thumping wouldn't disappear, even if he did cover his ears.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
Kasamatsu lightly shifted his body over to the right, pressing his face deeper into the semi-cold pillow underneath him. He brought his arms around his head, repeating the same action as earlier, trying his best to block out the sound.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
With a loud groan, Kasamatsu moved his face off the pillow, barely lifting his head up. Kasamatsu forced his eyes open, quickly shutting them from the light sting due to the bedroom lights. He rested his head back onto the pillow, rubbing his eyes roughly.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
Kasamatsu heavily sighed, blinking his eyes rapidly to get accustomed to the brightness of the bedroom. He turned his head to the left. The only objects in his field of vision, was the dark brown dresser, the laminate floor and a few deserted clothes, boxes and shoes.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump
Fisting both of his hands, Kasamatsu reluctantly lifted his torso, laying his elbows on the bed, getting a better view of the room. Near the corner of the bedroom door, sat the little girl he was babysitting, well was supposed to be. She had an average sized basketball in her hand, rolling it around. She then threw it at the wall creating the annoying Thumping sound that got Kasamatsu riled up. He whistled at her, gaining her attention. "Stop, take it somewhere else," he said, voice rough. All the little girl did be stare at him, she threw the basketball at the wall a few more times, before standing up, kicking it back into the room, she then ran off somewhere. Kasamatsu sighed in relief, plopping his body back down.
He stared at the boring ceiling above him, finding it difficult to fall back asleep. Softly cursing at the girl under his breath, Kasamatsu turned his head to the right. Kise was about an inch away from his face, his breathing was hard. He could feel his hot breath lightly hit his face. He seemed peaceful for the first time in Kasamatsu's life.
Kasamatsu yawned, turning his head back up to the ceiling. "I'm hungry"
Kasamatsu wiped his head to the left. The little girl was standing at the rim of the bed, staring down at Kasamatsu with big eyes. Kasamatsu had to slowly breathe in and out before he lost it and swore at her. He had no idea where she went, nor any idea of when she entered the room, making Kasamatsu feel on edge. He hated taking care of kids, and this was on of the reasons why. They could easily invade your privacy, enter into your conversations without you knowing shit and the next minute they would be off telling their parents or friends what they just saw or heard.
Kasamatsu gave her a hard look, he lifted his body off the bed, placing one foot at a time onto the cold floor. The little girl went running off again, banging her way down the stairs. Kasamatsu looked back at Kise, noticing now that he was sleeping in the fetal postin. Kasamatsu smirked at that, it felt ironic to him, he viewed Kise as a baby, a child who could only cry and cry, whine and whine for not being able to get his way, and now he was sleeping like the child he was. Kasamatsu shook his head, slowly walking out of the room. He turned to face the stairs, the little girl was there, waiting, making sure Kasamatsu was going to feed her. Kasamatsu had to be cautious around her, if he did anything wrong if he said anything wrong, 'heck if he ignored her for a three seconds it would be his ass on the line. He could've protested about getting her food, but the last time he did that mistake, the outcome wasn't pretty at all. Kasamatsu walked down the stairs, taking on step at a time, trying his best to drag it out, he was still going to get her food, but no one said he had to rush to do it, so being the good babysitter he is, he was going to take his sweet time.
Once he got the bottom of the stairs, she went running off again, all Kasamatsu could do was groan. He knew a little about Kise's house, enough to remember where the kitchen was. He turned a corner only to be faced with a huge mess of toys, they seemed like baby toys, they went all the way up to the kitchen door frame. Maneuvering his way inside, Kasamatu was meet by Kise's father, sitting at the dining table, drinking what seemed like tea, he wasn't too sure.
"I'm sorry for the mess," Kasamatsu said as he entered, meeting Kise's father's eyes. He felt like he had to apologize, he was intruding the man's household and the mess is practically his fault since he was supposed to be in charge of the girl, not Kise's father.
Kise's father gave him a warm smile, "Not at all. I was the one who gave her the toys anyway" he said. Kasamatsu forced a smile.
He looked around the kitchen. It was spotless, like literally. No dirty dishes, no pots or pans lying around, nor on the stove, even the stove was spotless, shining in the bright light. The kitchen was pretty spacious, intimidating Kasamatsu. He walked around awkwardly, he didn't want to open the fridge, he didn't want to open the cabinets, he didn't want to do anything, he felt if he did something, if he just went and treated this house as his own, he would be intruding, giving off a bad first impression, although the first impressions were already made, he still felt he had to push everything, to give a good reason for these people to smile and say good things about him, or it would end up badly.
"Are you okay?"
Kasamatsu turned his head over to Kise's father. Clearing his throat, he gave him a nod. His palms felt sweaty, and the more he bit his lip the sooner he would start to taste the irony taste of blood. "Um...Can I -"
"So, Kise tells me you have a bad temper, hot headed? Is that the word. A very violent person".
'That son of a bitch'
Kasamatsu let out a strained laugh. "No, No. I assure you, I'm very, not that. Kise is just a special case, the type of case that makes you want to whip basketballs at his face all day long". Kise's father laughed. "He turned out to be like me, I'm sure of it. His mother is nowhere near evident in him, at all. If you meet her and you have, but get to know her and she's nothing like Kise. The shape of his eyes, his hair color, yes, but that's all". Kasamatsu hummed. Kise's father didn't seem so bad if Kise was going to be this mature when he grew up, Kasamatsu knew he would have the chance to live past eighty.
"I want food," the little girl said, giving off an attitude. Kasamatsu glared over at her, he hated when she did that, she wasn't the boss of shit, and if Kasamatsu was able to swear at her, it was the end for her snarky, bossy attitude. "Let me get you something". Kise's father said. "Ah, No. It's oka-"
"Hey. I got this. It's all good. Just enjoy yourself in the living room, until Kise wakes up unless he's awake already and you need some space before you beat the shit out of him". Kasamatsu let out a soft smile, if Kise would act like this mature version of himself, he would be blessed. Turning around, walking back over to the sea of toys blocking his way to the hallway and living room. Kasamatsu shoved a few of the toys out of the way with his foot. "Just, as a random question...Um"
Kasamatsu turned his head around. Kise's father was against the kitchen counter, looking back at him. "Do you like anyone at the moment". Kasamatsu furrowed his eyebrows. That was a strange out of nowhere question to ask. He didn't really know how to answer him. Was letting Kise do all those things to him, a form of liking him was giving him the okay for practically anything sexual, his form of liking. He knew Kise wasn't going to give up on him, even when the time comes that he has to graduate and go to college. Did he like Kise, it was something that never crossed his mind, letting the underclassman kiss him, grope him, practically go to whatever base it was out of nowhere with him. They even had a date together and none of that grossed him out, it felt okay, like something any normal couple would do. When Kise confesses again when he asks again, would he say yes? That was the intruding question. What would he say, would he say yes just to make him feel happy, to not hurt him, but saying the truth was much more important, even to Kise, he would want the truth to be told, to not be babied even though Kise is a baby.
Kasasamatsu sighed. He didn't know, he wasn't ready, he needed more time.
"No. Unfortunately, no" Kasamatsu said, barely a whisper. He jumped his way over the toys, trying to invade any other question Kise's father had for him.
Kasamatsu slowly made his way into the living room. He peeked his head around the corner. Looking to see if anyone was inside. The cost was clear. He felt awkward in an environment he's not used to, even though he was sitting there a few days ago. Kasamatsu slowly sat down on the cotton couch. He reached over to the small table, grabbing what seemed to be the T.V remote.
Kasamatsu enjoyed watching T.V. It was a form of entertainment, aside from basketball. It was a way to escape reality in a way, a way to take a break from all the bullshit that happens, and for Kasamatsu, that was every day. He flicked on the T.V. It was set on a cooking channel, they were making some form of a pasta dish. Kasamatsu placed the remote next to him. He reached over to his side, grabbing a couch pillow, hugging it against his torso while propping his feet onto the couch. Kasamatsu pressed his body back against the soft squishy couch, letting out a sigh.
During the time Kasamatsu laid on the couch, he left the same channel on. Watching a few shows, then watching the same ones later on in the afternoon. At some point in time, Kasamatsu nodded off, more than once. He was finally awakened by a soft touch to his shoulder. He jolted awake, looking at the person standing beside him. Kise towered over him, giving off a gentle smile. Sleep was still evident on his face. "Um. I have to go to a Doctor's appointment...wanna come, or stay" he said, his voice raspy.
Kasamatsu didn't have to think twice, he was going with them, he wasn't going to stay in an unfamiliar house, alone.
Kasamatsu gently placed the pillow beside him, standing up. Kise walked passed him, taking the remote control, turning off the T.V.
"You could've woken me up"
"I didn't want to deal with your ass"
"Yes, yes, Senpai" Kise turned around to face him, giving Kasamatsu a huge grin. Kasamatsu scowled, but when Kise turned himself back around, Kassmatsu grinned softly. He really did not know how Kise could put up with him and his violent attitude, personality, just everything.
They reached the front door. Kasamatsu put his shoes on in a hasty manner, rushing his way outside. The air was still warm, a strong wind passed by, swaying many of the trees one way, blowing the fallen leaves everywhere, smacking Kasamatsu in the face.
Kise touched the top of his head, Kasamatsu flinched and smacked his hand away. "You had a leaf in your hair," he said, waving the small light green plant in his face. "Um. Kise, can your father just bring me home, before you go to your whatever if it's not too much of a problem". Kasamatsu scowled, Kise put on his baby face, he had no ball to whip at him, nor would Kasamatsu beat the crap out of him with Kise's father standing a few yards away. "Why?"
"I just want to go home. I spent enough time here", Kasamatsu still felt like an intruder, an uneasy feeling, "And besides, tomorrow's half a day, and you hijacked me for the whole day already, deal with it"
"Please stay," Kise told him, in a low voice. He moved over to Kasamatsu, touching his arm, rubbing, leaning in closer to him and that ticked Kasamatsu off. He knew what that meant, and there was no way Kasamatsu was going to let that shit happen again. "Let go", Kise reluctantly let go. "Don't do shit like that, back it off, you got lucky once, enough. We're not a couple, so don't act like we are. Just take me home"
The face Kise made before walking away pained Kasamatsu a little, just a little. Kasamatsu shook his head. 'He's just a child, this is what he does' Kasamatsu thought to himself.
"Senpai, he said okay". Kasamatsu sighed, walking over to the car, he got in, sitting beside the little girl, who's face was stuck into a phone that clearly wasn't hers.
It took about ten minutes to reach his household. Kasamatsu stepped out of the car, followed by the little girl. He harshly took the phone away from her, handing it over to Kise. "Did you forget you stuff?"
"No", Kasamatsu reached into the car, pulling out his duffle bag and bookbag, once he put them on, Kasamatsu gently closed the car door. "Don't forget, practice game, and don't invite any of your girls either"
"But they just come on their own"
"Make sure they don't or else". With that threat put in place, Kasamatsu walked away, walking up to his house. He pulled his keys out of the small pocket of his bookbag. As he was unlocking the door, he could hear Kise yelling behind him. "Don't forget were going to the beach, Pack beach clothes, you know, Sandals, shorts, shirts, swimwear, sunscreen, toys, candy, phone..." Kise just went on and on. Kasamatsu simply ignored him, opening the front door, slamming it. The moment Kasamatsu stepped inside his house, it was peaceful, no yelling, no talking, no nothing. Sighing, Kasamatus removed his shoes, removed his duffel bag and backpack, dragging them all the way up to his bedroom, ignoring the yelling and outrageous banging the girl was doing.
Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day, and Kasamatsu wasn't ready for it.
Kasamatsu woke up around five in the morning. He didn't know why, he just randomly opened his eyes, simple as that. A few hours ago, he knocked out, completely forgetting about the child that he was supposed to take care of, knowing he was going to get apprehended by that and now, he's there staring away at something in the dark, completely still, just laying there. Kasamatsu yawned. He fished around his bed for his phone, once he located it, he turned it on, wincing at the sudden bright light. It was early, earlier than usual. Shoving his phone away from him, Kasamatsu rolled himself out of bed. Stumbling around his room, until he found the light switch, flicking it on. Doing that was an instant mistake, Kasamatsu groaned at the bright light burning his eyes. He blinked a few times. Letting out another yawn. Kasamatsu moved over to his dresser. He decided to go for a run, once he wakes up, he isn't able to go back to sleep, doing nothing for a whole hour wasn't going to help anything.
Kasamatsu slipped out of his school uniform, throwing it near a pile of other clothes, clean or not, he really didn't care. He took a large tee, shorts, and some white socks. Once he was done changing, Kasamatsu slowly opened his bedroom door, cursing under his breath at the squeaking hinges. He steps out into the dark hall. He wasn't able to see shit, making him sigh and walk back to his room, grabbing his phone, while he was at it, he took his white headphones off the top of his drawer. He walked over to his bookbag, unzipping the smallest pocket, grabbing his set of keys. Kasamatsu walked back over to his door, turning off the lights. He unlocked his phone, shining the small bright light around the hallway, finding the stairs. He took cautious steps. He didn't want to trip with the fact that his light turned off every fifteen seconds.
Once Kasamatsu made it downstairs, he rushed his way over to the front door. Grabbing a pair of sneakers, he hastily put them on, grabbed his windbreaker off the coat hanger, shrugging it over his shoulders. He shoved his keys into his right pocket, plugging his headphones to his phone and randomly selecting a song out of hundreds he had. He walked over to the door, quietly unlocking it, and quietly closing it as he stepped outside. Placing both ear buds into his ear, Kasamatsu did a little stretch before walking down the pavement steps. The sun was barely out, a light shade of light red with a faded purple hue covered half the sky, mostly in the direction of the rising sun. A warm wind softly brushed past Kasamatsu's face, making him feel the hot, dry humid air affect him way before he started his run. Giving a small glance at the closed windows of his house, darkness engulfing the inside forced Kasamatsu to exhale a nervous sigh. He just hoped the lights were off the moment he gets back from his run, Kasamatsu doesn't want to run into his mother, or worse his father. If they caught him out, at a time like this, no matter the excuse he comes up with, it will have consequences, bad ones. Kasamatsu twists his body back to the pavement steps, rethinking his little run, he wants to be at peace and not worry about anything, but he knows that is not going to happen, with that in mind, it gives him a bad feeling in his gut. The low bass of his music was now nonexistent as Kasamatsu gives his house another look over. Another hot, dry wind passes by him. Kasamatsu finds peace, excitement, fun, being outside, he enjoys it, it makes his stress of having to deal with overbearing parents every day after practice, undermining him, nagging him, forcing him, hurting him. A twinge of pain passes by Kasamatsu, if only he had a father like Kise's, a family like his, more importantly, a father like his, where he cares, where he takes part in his life and actually supports him, Kasamatsu was no fool, that random question Kise's father asked him reeked of Kise. Kise had the confidence to talk with his father about his situation, whereas one word about his school life, Kasamatsu would be shut up in a split second. Sighing, Kasamatsu raised the volume of his music from the little controls on his headphones. Turning away from the pavement steps, he starts slowly walking forward, getting a little bit of momentum in his body, biting his lip, knowing that a spike of jealousy rose in him, for not being able to have what Kise has. Closing his eyes, as he feels the dry wind hit him again, Kasamatsu let his music drown him in, pushing his jealousy away, focusing on the matter of fact that he will never be able to leave the rule of his family, even after going off to college. He felt pity for himself, hating the feeling of a broken man.
Kasamatsu took in a hard inhale of air, feeling his parched throat beg for water. He wanted to hit himself, he knew better than to go out running when it was this hot and humid. Sitting on his house pavement steps, Kasamatsu pulled at his headphones, feeling a twinge of pain in his ears. He grabbed his phone, pausing his music, it was passed the time Kasamatsu wanted to get back home, the blame partly due to his pondering before walking from his household. Kasamatsu continued to take long breaths, inhaling through his nose, exhaling through his mouth, trying his best to lower his heart rate. Painfully swallowing, Kasamatsu slowly rose himself off the steps, walking up towards the pale gray door. Before taking out his keys, Kasamatsu pressed his ear against the door, concentrating on any noises from the inside, hearing nothing through the door, Kasamatsu dug into his pocket, pulling out his keys, he puts it in the keyhole, slowly turning it around. Once he heard the low click, Kasamatsu twisted the door knob. Pushing the door open. He pressed his body against it, just because he heard no noise, doesn't mean he's safe. He pushed half his body inside the house, feeling the nice cold air hit his face overheated face. The foyer was dark, making it a small struggle to be able to take off his sweater and shoes, the dull light from his phone barely aided the conflict he was in.
Once Kasamatsu tugged his shoes off, hanged his jacket back up, clutching his phone and keys, he stepped into the living room. Everything was pitch black, exposed to the morning sun shining through from the few windows on the further end of his house. Kasamatsu felt his way towards the stairs, stumbling against the many useless cabinets they had around the room. Finally feeling the edge of the stairs, he lifted his foot, cautiously moving up, casually using his phone's light to find his way and prevent him from tumbling all the way down the stairs.
The moment Kasamatsu entered his room, he threw his phone and key on the bed. Letting out a grunt, he passed his fingers against his neck, the parched feeling hurting more every time he swallowed. He moved over to his chair full of clothes he never had the proper time to put away. He pulled his black towel from under a few shirts, making it tumble to the floor, being too lazy to pick it up, he kicked it to the side, making his way toward the bathroom.
It was around 6: 16 when Kasamatsu emerged from the bathroom, a small puff of steam escaping into the cold air. Kasamatsu looked around the corridor, before running his way over to his bedroom, quickly shutting the door. He pulled at the loosely wrapped towel around his wrists, rubbing it through his wet hair, his shoulders, arms, torso, all the way down to his legs. When Kasamatsu was fairly dry enough, he threw his towel towards the pile of clothes that he let fall, aiming perfectly, as usual. He strolled over to his dresser, grabbing his school uniform, gray pants with a gray blazer along with a simple white button-down shirt and a black tie. Kasamatsu sighed at the fabrics in his hands. It was going to be hot and humid, the best he could do was not wear his blazer and roll up his sleeves, if they ever had an alternative for a uniform in the summer, he would gladly take it, but he would have to deal with the piping hotness since the school isn't able to use the air conditioners.
Kasamatsu grabbed a pair of underwear, putting the soft fabric on before moving over to his school uniform and a pair of socks. Once that was done, Kasamatsu grabbed his duffle bag, taking out the contents from it. He grabbed his basketball uniform of the hanger, folding it before shoving it inside the duffel bag. He grabbed his black high knee socks, throwing it in along with the bright wristband Kise gave him as well as his own. He zipped the duffle bag up, shrugging it over his body, he grabbed his backpack off the floor.
Kasamatsu made his way into the kitchen. He placed his book bag on one of the chairs. He went over to the foyer grabbing his sneakers, unzipping his duffle bag again, he crammed his sneakers inside, and a few water bottles for safety.
Kasamatsu knew he had to get clothes for the beach. He really didn't tell his parents that he was going, they wouldn't have cared anyway, and they would have rejected it from the start. Kasamatsu was just planning to go without saying a word, his parents didn't know he left school early, so he wanted to keep it that way. Kasamatsu rushed his way upstairs, careful enough to not stomp. He entered his room again, reaching for his phone. Unlocking it, he pressed his messaging app but hesitated to text Kise. The last time, he called, someone else picked up, but if he did send him a message it might take hours for him to respond, Kise was the type to forget his phone just about anywhere, so Kasamatsu went over to the phone icon, searching for Kise's name before dialing.
The other end of the phone endlessly rang, Kasamatsu was about to hang up, but the other end picked up. "Hello," Kise said in a gravelly voice, making Kasamatsu's heart leap at the deep sound. Kasamatsu cursed under his breath, he didn't know what that was, but he for one knew he didn't like it one bit. He cleared his throat, "Are you still sleeping?"
"Huh? No, I was just watching something to distract me from something. SO, what do I owe this lovely call in the early morning for?"
"Don't start getting cheeky with me."
"What, why not, Aren't you excited, spending almost the whole day with me?"
"No"
"Ah, ouch, Senpai, that hurts"
Kasamatsu smirked. "Good"
"So cruel. Listen to this, my mother doesn't like you! Can you believe that?"
"I don't blame her. I mean, what's to like about me.", "Don't answer the question, Kise, it wasn't meant for you"
"Everything. I mean, that just me talking, but you're a nice- a good guy."
"She probably saw the shit you did to me. The hickeys all over my neck. I mean your mother was leaning into me, way too much for just a nice 'let's get to know each other' vibe. I mean, aren't all parents like that. They never heard about this person their child is inviting over, they seem nice and a few hours of leaving them alone, this kid that they have never seen before has hickeys plastered all over his neck and he's also a man."
"You make a point, but you should have seen the way you were moaning, gripping to me, who wouldn't want to bite and suck your neck. If it was the other way and you have a girl sitting on your lap, grinding on you, moaning, I know for a fact that you, sir, would not be able to resist."
"Okay. But that's totally different. We're men, the same sex and to a parent that is not the greatest thing to hear or to know"
"What? My dad is perfectly fine with the fact that I'm trying to get my hands on a man, I don't know what-"
"Kise, not every parent thinks like that. You just got lucky that you got an understanding parent, even if it's only one out of the two"
"Okay, so. They will have to understand no matter what."
"Bullshit. If I were in their place I would be disgusted. Parents don't give a shit. They want you to do this and that and you can't go against them. Trust me, I know this"
"Oh? What, you have a bad view, not all parents are like that and wow. Sorry, I make you feel disgusting, sorry that I am disgusting for k-"
"Kise that is not what I meant. Of course, I'll say that because I'm uncomfortable with everything. I don't like it"
"Oh, why do you not say anything, why do you not come to my face and say it, say 'Kise , I do not like this, I don't want it like this, I feel uncomfortable"
"I have"
"When! Because every time I reach over, ask for a kiss, you give it to me. I touch you, you reluctantly let me. Just like the other day, or what, were you uncomfortable touching another man, or did you just do it because you wanted some of that pent of stress to be taken of your shoulder and I just happened to be there, that foolish kid who thinks he has a shot but in reality he has jack shit"
"Kise! Why the fuck are you reading so much into it. Okay, no I was not using you to my advantage, all the whining you do annoys me. I just want to shut your mouth up. I was uncomfortable, I was out of my comfort zone. I'm sorry, but I don't think you know this yet, but I don't fucking play around with other men. I prefer women, and you being their -"
"No, No, Don't say that bullshitting crap. You have a fucking voice, so use it. You are older than me and it's pathic, sorry if it's out of your comfort zone, but if you haven't forgotten, I don't fuck around with other men either."
"I do tell you to stop, you just don't listen"
"That is the only way to get anything done. I'm not a dumb piece of shit, months, in a few months, you're giving me, but news flash in a few months you're gone, out. Off to college, or out of the fucking country, you don't let me do what I want, you presume I have bad interest because of what happened long ago, but I kick myself for doing that, I never forgave myself for it, because I know I fucked it up, badly, and I hate myself for it, every day, every day you give me repulsive looks. If you only just smiled and said it's okay, keep trying, instead of fucking pointing out my mistakes, making me feel like I have no chance at all. I kiss you, you pull away, I try again, you result in violence, but guess what, I wasn't going to do anything bad. I just wanted to give you a long lasting kiss, wanted to give you cute little butterfly kisses along you neck, face. No, tell me what's so wrong and repulsive about that, that you have to move away two seconds later. I wanted to hold you, but you go a presume that I'm going to do something against your will, no, I don't do the same mistakes twice, I learned my lessons badly. Just like yesterday, I just wanted to hold your hand, hug you, rest me head against yours, but you had to say those things, they hurt, I have a heart and feelings. Don't sugar coat it, okay, but at least let me do what I want. Let me show you why I like you, why I want you, why I never give up. I consider your feelings deeply, and I know when I stepped too far, but everything I do is going too far, that I just can't anymore and I pester you any moment I have because that is all that I can do. I want to hold you, adore you, make you mine, make you happy, but with what chance do I have when you step all over me. In a few more months, what bullshit is that."
"Maybe, maybe I did that on purpose. Kise, you are a thorn in my side. I hate it. I hate you I don't give a shit about your feelings, at all. I don't care. I would rather kill myself than be with you"
"What? You don't mean that" Kise said, voice becoming sassy. "You don't mean it" Kise repeated. Kasamatsu didn't know what to say.
Kasamatsu moved over to lay on his bed. He pressed his head against the soft material of his pillow. "No. I just. It hard Kise. And I don't expect you to understand what I go through every day, but I know that I will say something, something horrible and I don't know. I don't know if I actually mean what I say"
"Hmm. This feels weird, Were having a serious conversation about this...What would happen if I run out of time?"
"T- I don't know. I know for a fact that you would probably follow me and bug me since you're like a puppy"
"Is that supposed to be a compliment? I would, you know me so well."
"Sure, sure, if that's what you think"
"Can I...I...now that I think it over..."
"Kise?
"It's nothing"
"Right, so the whole point of this call was thrown out the window, I'm going to say it now and hang up, I was wondering if maybe your father could drop me off at my house after the game so I would be able to get a change of clothes, I don't want them to smell like sweat and I'm not in the mood to carry more shit than I need to"
"Um...Hold on" Kasamatsu could hear the shuffling of clothes and a few stomps, with Kise's voice hollering for his father. Kasamatsu shifted himself out of his bed. He turned off the lights in his bedroom, closing the door behind him and making his way to the kitchen again with the least possible noise. "Okay, my dad said it was fine, he has to change also. There might be a possibility that my mom won't be able to make it. I bet you're happy to hear that"
Kasamatsu rolled his eyes. "I don't have a problem with her, you do," He said in the taunting voice. "Shut it"
"Whatever, I'm hanging up"
"Wait, could you maybe, after the game could you wait for me in the locker room, I want to talk about something important, you know about our conversation a few minutes ago"
"...Sure, not like I have any other choice to ditch your ass" With that said, Kasamatsu hung up, sliding the phone onto the counter. He reached over to the big bowl adorned with fruits, tugging out an orange that was pressed against the bottom of the bowl.
He felt good. Having a conversation like that didn't seem so bad, even if it did start off bad, he enjoyed it, talking to Kise. Kasamatsu let out a smile, never realizing he had it plastered on his face. He grabbed his backpack and duffle bag off the kitchen chair, throwing them over his shoulder, he grabbed his phone showing them it into his pocket. Kasamatsu walked over to the foyer, putting on his shoes, and grabbing his jacket off the hanger, taking a quick glance at the mirror in front of him, Kasamatsu noticed his smile. He gave off a questioning look.
'Huh. Strange' he said to himself before walking out of the house.
The train ride to school was hot and bothersome. Way too many people got on the train, making Kasamatsu question why out of the days in the year must a giant load of people ride the train today. The past few months the train Kasamatsu take home and to school was usually empty besides a few students from different schools and the elderly, but now it was full and Kasamatsu let out a little prayer that he was able to get a seat before the truckload of people entered.
Having the train cramped made the heat much worse than it was before. It added to the smothering hot sun outside, making Kasamatsu sweat with his agonizing school clothes. He had no choice but to undo his tie to be able to breath better, his stop was about twenty minutes more, he couldn't take it anymore. Taking in long slow breaths didn't do anything to help the torture, it just made it worse. Kasamatsu wasn't one to be claustrophobic, but being in a cramped space for a long period of time might prove that wrong and it would result in Kasamatsu having a panic attack. When the first stop arrived, a few of the passengers got off, relieving some of the pressure, but not enough. The rush of the wind that entered the moment the door swung open was mild, but that only lasted for a few moments before the suffocating feeling returned.
The second stop became hell. As if the train wasn't full enough, about fifteen more people crammed themselves in, making Kasamatsu feel trapped and confined in his seat. His breathing became more labored, he started to sweat more. Kasamatsu thought about unbuttoning his shirt a few times but went against it from his surroundings.
"Um. Can I sit here?"
Kasamatsu looked over to his side. There was a small girl standing near him, but she was giving her attention to a different person, a middle-aged man, taking more space than was needed. He gave her a menacing look, shoving his briefcase over to the seat next to him. Kasamatsu let out a scoff, 'such an asshole' he thought.
He didn't want to give up his space on the train, he was trapped and standing up, pressed against more people would make it worse, but to treat a girl like that wasn't the best possible thing to do, knowing the conditions that were set. Kasamatsu wasn't one to draw attention to himself, neither in public. "Here," He said to the girl, " Have my seat" he added. He got up to let her sit down. Taking a quick look at her, he noticed that she had a different uniform, her uniform wasn't from any of the other schools in the district, making him wonder why she was on this particular train. "Thank you," she said barely a whisper, making Kasamatsu strain to hear her. He forced a smile out, grabbing one of the trains hangers.
A few minutes later the third stop came to view. That was the stop that almost emptied out the train, letting go a sigh of relief, Kasamatsu sat back down. Looking over to his side, the girl was gone. The rest of the train ride was more peaceful for Kasamatsu, he even redid his tie, feeling the heat slowly diminish with the little movement he did.
Five minutes later, Kasamatsu got off the train. The moment he stepped out, the heat made him stumble a few feet back, it was intense, agonizing, he reached into his duffle bag for a water bottle. He opened it, taking large gulps of water. He gave himself a ghostly pat in the back for bringing water, even though the practice game will provide the team with water themselves. Two water bottles later, Kasamatsu stepped into the courtyard filled with students. Many of them shifted themselves under trees, while the rest fanned themselves with anything they had, Kasamatsu pushed his way through into the school. He knew the heat wasn't going to change since all the schools in Japan didn't allow the use of air conditioners, but it was better than to be outside with the piping, hot, bright sun shining in your face.
Kasamatsu walked past the many underclassmen that infected the main entrance and the rest of the hallway acting like they already owned the school when a few of them still haven't even gone through puberty yet. Kasamatsu put his head down, looking at his feet taking a step at a time. He hated the underclassmen, they thought just because middle school ended, they were a big shot in high school, preferably a wide known high school, mainly the boys acted that way, but for all the years Kasamatsu had been walking around some of the girls acted high and mighty. But the fun of it all would be how they acted like that to everyone, assuming they are talking to their fellow classmates of the same year, but the moment someone of the upper-class reddens with the disrespect they are giving, they run shitless, tails between their legs. Kasamatsu was never like that, he was quiet, he spent time away from the annoying piece of shits, thinking how any idiots like that could manage to get into high school. He only had a small circle of friends. That was all he needed, no drama in his life, his first girlfriend was fine, they lasted a while, Kasamatsu thought he would lose his virginity to her, but no, she wasn't the one. He had time to do all his school work without worry about anything besides his parents.
His underclassmen years were pretty good and peaceful. Kasamatsu slipped out of the herd, having a clear path set in front of him to go up the stairs into the third year floor of the school.
"SENPAI"
'Fucking shit' A large pair of limbs wrapped around Kasamatsu's smaller frame, squeezing him tightly. Kasamatsu harshly broke away, turning around to face Kise's smiling face. Kasamatsu was about to scream at Kise but stopped short when he noticed a girl a few feet shorter than Kise standing very close behind him. He held it in, feeling his face go hot. Those were two things he hated, having his name, or anything hollered out, gaining attention and having someone dropped themselves on top of him, worse from behind and Kise managed to do all of that, every single time, never getting the hint. "What are you doing?" Kasamatsu strained out. Kise just smiled at him, the girl came over to his side, lightly touching the corner of Kise's blazer. Kasamatsu gave her a quick look and Kise seemed oblivious, just smiling at him like a moron. "I just wanted to say good morning"
"How is lunging yourself onto someone, saying good morning"
"I do that to a lot of close friends, Senpai, your one of them" Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, sighing, knowing exactly what it meant. "If you say so, if that was all..then I'll be on my way"
"Ah, no. Let's spend time together before the first bell" Kasamatsu gave Kise a hard look. Kasamatsu didn't know what to make of it, Kise was acting a little different, maybe due to the girl clinging on to him or something else, he just didn't know what to make of it.
"Fine," he said in a strained voice, "I'm going to my locker, just, whatever" he added.
Kise's arm was tugged, hard, making the younger boy give off an irritated look for a split second before looking down. Kasamatsu couldn't help but smirk, having girls cling to him, having them go in awe, and just never being able to shake them off must be torture, and that was what Kise was going through. "Oh, Se- Kasamatsu -Senpai this is Masumi, Masumi this is Kasamatsu- Senpai a THIRD year" Kasamatsu gave Kise a face, then forced a smile at the girl before turning around, not caring if she said hello or not. Kise bumped up against him, leaning in. "SO~ Did you see the game last night?"
"What game?"
"The basketball game that was on last night. My dad and I watched it and let me tell you I was so disappointed, WE LOST!"
"Well, I didn't see shit. I got home and fell asleep, that's that. And thanks for telling me how it ends. I was going to watch it when we get to the beach to pass the time"
"Oh, sorry. But you can still watch it, they did really great things that might've given them the chance of winning"
"If they didn't have a strategy, then making good moves wouldn't justify them winning. Good moves and what-naught aren't always the go-to way to get ahead"
"Agg. Please, no more basketball until the game!" Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, letting out a small laugh, "What? One game on T.V and you just can't deal with basketball anymore"
"No! Losing the fucking game. Like, I just don't want to deal with basketball anymore, until the new season"
"You do fucking realized that we are going to have a game with the thorn up our ass called Serin, where you're precious 'Kuroko-chhic' and 'Kagami-chhic' ar-"
"No" Kise pressed himself against Kasamatsu, leaning towards his ear. "No, you're the precious one here, the only one. They are just people I respect". Kasamatsu moved his head away from Kise, staring up at him. "If that's what you say," he said coming to a full stop at his locker. He did his combination, unlocking it. "Hold this," he said to Kise, as he tossed his lock to him. Kasamatsu shoved his duffel bag inside, removing his backpack, he pressed it against the locker, unzipping it. While he was fishing through it, he noticed a small hand pass through the pale lockers back and forth. Kasamatsu forgot all about the girl that was following them, he already forgot her name. Kasamatsu pulled out his school supplies, throwing his backpack to into his locker, slamming the door. Kise moved into his way, putting his lock back on. "Okay," Kasamatsu said, glancing over at the clock. "The bell is going to ring, so, bye"
"Um, I'll see you here when the bell rings, to walk down to the locker room together"
"Kise, are you okay. Your acting different"
"Nope, I'm fine. Can I get a hug" Kasamatsu didn't know what to say to that. He shook his head no, and Kise gave him a small smile. "Okay, See ya," Kise said as he walked back down the hall. "No whining, that's surprising," he said to himself. Kise would try to do anything to get what he wants, the whining was one of them and Kise would pretty much do it anywhere since he had no shame. Kasamatsu let out a puff of air, walking a few feet down to his first class.
When the last bell rang, Kasamatsu grunted. All the energy he had during his first-period and second-period class was drained. Math and Chemistry was a bitch. The teacher threw paper after paper at them, making them rush to finish it all in the twenty-nine minute period, honestly, no kid would want to have homework in a half of day. Kasamatsu drowned his head over all his papers, never stopping, he finished one paper and on to the next one he went without taking a break. He was lucky enough that all they did in History and English was just read, it had a light atmosphere that was calm and soothing, no one really read and the teacher didn't have a care in the world. During those two classes, all of Kasamatsu's energy that he had left started to slowly sap away in the placid room. History class was the breaking point. Their teacher had started to play a movie, 'Iron Jawed Angels', even thought they only watched the movie for a few minutes, it really did give off the vibe and the message of the struggle for women suffrage during the 1900's, Kasamatsu enjoyed the beginning, choosing to buy the movie when he got his next allowance.
And now Kasamatsu sat in his seat, near the far back of the room, head resting on his arms as he watched his fellow classmates leave the room in a hurried pace. He was tired, and it didn't help that he had a practice game in the next half an hour. With much reluctance, Kasamatsu rose from his desk, legs aching for how long he had been sitting down. He grabbed his things, taking small steps to the classroom door. Once he stepped into the hall, he caught sight of Kise, leaning against his locker door, toying around with his phone, backpack and duffel bag tossed on the floor. A group of girls had stationed themselves a few feet away, peering at him, like some sort of god. Kasamatsu scoffed at that. 'Aren't you supposed to be third years, act like it, instead of a twelve-year-old girl' he thought.
He walked up over to him. "Move," Kasamatsu said, not giving Kise the chance to reply as he was nudging him to the side. Kasamatsu unlocked his locker. "Must be a struggle to be popular?" he said as he was shoving his books back into the large hole of his backpack. "Tell me about it" Kise replied with a whine. "They don't get it when I tell them to stop, or when I say it right to their faces that I don't want any of them. They just keep going and going"
"Sounds like someone I know," Kasamatsu said giving Kise a hard stare. All Kise did be give him a questioning look. Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, pulled his backpack out of the locker, swinging it over his shoulders along with his duffel bag. He closed the locker with a hard bang, scaring some of the girls a few feet away. He locked it again and without any warning, he started to walk.
In no time they made it down to the locker room, Kise trotting behind Kasamatsu in silence, upon entering, barely anyone was there, aside from a few members Kasamatsu knew nothing about. He walked over to his locker, swinging the door open. Kasamatsu removed his backpack, harshly throwing it inside. He lightly placed his duffel bag on a nearby bench, unzipping it, taking out his uniform. He walked over to his locker again, opening the door to cover most of his body. Kasamatsu removed his shirt and pants, quickly changing into his uniform. He went over to the bench, taking out his knee high socks, putting them on one by one. By the time he was done putting on his socks, the rest of the members entered the room. "A little late their guys," Kasamatsu said to the few members taking their spot at their lockers. "Ag. I didn't realize we had a time limit" Hayakawa responded. "Yeah, if you want your ass out of here early. I mean we can make it a three-hour game" Kasamatsu responded. A loud bang came from Kise's locker. He emerged from behind his locker door, uniform shirt halfway on, "Now, hold on a minute. Who makes a three-hour practice game?"
"I can. Piss me off and I'll make it three hours? Kise let out a shivered cry making the four men laugh except Kasamatsu. Hayakawa mumbled something under his breath and that was the last time anyone talked until they entered the gym. "Were going to do some drills. Jog, run around the gym, don't care what you do" Kasamatsu said as he went over to the storage room, pulling out a cart full of basketballs, unlocking it along with placing it near the end of the court.
After a while of preparing a few things, Kasamatsu joined the others who preferred to jog around the gym than run. He took his time, not wanting to rush through and end up hurting himself later on. He jogged around the gym for about ten minutes, before he went to the center and did a quick stretch, later gathering everyone who was going to play in the game around to go over their game plan.
It was about 12:48 the Serin team decided to come. A few minutes late, but Kasamatsu couldn't complain. The moment Kuroko and Kagami entered the gym, Kise ran to them, letting out a small screech of happiness that was heard throughout the whole gym. This is the same thing Kasamatsu told him not to do, and now the smaller man was having a hard time not bashing Kise's head in, not wanting to cause a scene with the fact that they needed Kise for the game. After a few minutes of Kise dotting on the two men, Kasamatsu strolled his way over there. 'A kid, a fucking kid' he thought as he walked up to him. He harshly pulled on the back of his uniform, trying to make it go unnoticed. "You have a fucking team. Unless you want to transfer, you better beat your ass over there before I bench you. Socialize after the fucking game" Kasamatsu said, voice low and rough. He let go of Kise's shirt and walked back to the other side of the gym. It seemed like his little threat paid off, the moment Kasamatsu turned around Kise was already sitting on the bench, looking down at his feet. Three more minutes later, both teams lined up in a line facing each other. "Let's have a good game," Hyuga said as he shook hands with Kasamatsu. "Of course" was all Kasamatsu replied to him.
It was a close game. Both teams always had the upper hand on each other. There was a time where Kasamatsu thought they were going to lose, but instead, the game reached a tie.
Kasamatsu grabbed his water bottle, taking a large swig, feeling the burning sensation down his throat. Sweat covered him from head to toe, his shirt felt disgusting, clinging to his back. Looking over to the other side of the gym, Kasamatsu grunted. Kise just couldn't keep his hands off of him, needing to be a clingy child. He had a team to talk to and a team to give respect too. Kasamatus even shoved Kise to the bench for almost costing them the game. Kasamatsu just didn't understand why Kise found Kuroko so enduring. Yes, he did go to middle school with him and Kuroko did have an impressive ability, but what more was to be added to that, he was plain and just... plain. Kasamatsu was going to yell at Kise from the top of his lungs, embarrass him a little, but Kasamatsu just wasn't up for it, he was tired, tired and sweaty. Kasamatsu decided to leave to the locker room.
He sat down, trying to calm his breathing, taking larger and larger sips of water. The eerie quiet of the locker room was soothing, peaceful, calming, something Kasamatsu needed in his life, but that was never the option. His life at home had always been a hinge, a crushing depression, something he wanted to rip out of him, but, he even knew it was something that was going to stay etched into his life.
After sitting on the bench for a while, no one walking in yet, Kasamatsu decided to just change. He swung his locker door open, grabbing his discarded school clothes off the locker floor. He hastily removed his shift, letting out a sigh of relief. Kasamatsu glanced over at the gym door before removing his pants. Kasamatsu wasn't self-conscious, but being practically naked in school, in the open, wasn't the greatest and most amazing thing Kasamatsu should feel about.
He quickly changed, feeling much worse with the annoying fabric and the fact that his uniform wasn't fit for the summer, making him sweat even more. Kasamatsu pushed all his clothes into his duffel bag, taking a few more sips of water to calm his overheated body.
"Senpai~"
Kasamatsu rolled his eyes, throwing his now empty bottle of water on the floor. "Did you enjoy molesting Kuroko"
"What? No, I would only molest you" Kise said, with a huge grin on his face. "Say shit like that again and I will stab you"
"Okay, okay. Let's get to the serious business here. My dad's outside and everyone's going to be pouring in as soon as they finish the butt load of sweets Kagamicchi had smuggled into his duffel bag that I may or may not had purposely knocked over so we would be able to get this time here alone. Oh and nice black underwear, you have a very slim body"
Kasamatsu grunted. He pulled his duffel bag and backpack out the locker, throwing them to the floor. "That's it," he said, menacingly walking towards Kise, who in a fight off fear started moving his way backward only to fall over his own two feet. "Okay, okay. I will stop just please". Kasamatsu scoffed, moving his way back to his discarded things. "Alright. Hear me out and please just hear me out" Kasamatsu sighed. "I want to start all over"
"All over?"
"Yup. My name is Kise Ryouta"
"Um...Kasamatsu Yukio?"
"I like you", "I do not like you"
"See, that right there. What is wrong with that statement?"
"I don't...that I don't like you?'
"Exactly. My goal here is to- wait let me clear this up first. You don't like me, myself or you just don't like me like me in the term I'm talking about now?
"What?...the second one?"
"Really. You like me as a friend"
"Who said that"
"Nothing, I'll just keep it at that. Okay, so my goal is to make you fall for me" at hearing that Kaamastu laughed, "Sure it is"
"...and I have just realized that I was doing everything wrong and kind of backwards". Kasamatsu let out an exaggerated gasp, "You just fucking realized you twat". Kise looked at him with an amused face,"Twat?" he muttered out. "Yes twat"
"Alright. So I know you only have a few months left and then you are forever done here"
"Let me stop you right there. You do realize that in a few weeks, I would have to step down as well as the other upperclassmen so that we can focus on our studies to get into college. So your little plan would backfire so hard"
"Damn, let me finish. As I said this morning. I'm not stupid. So I am or we are going to start over" Kise said, clapping his hands together as he moved his way over to Kasamatsu. "We will forget everything, act like a few days ago never happened and-"
"Hold on. You do realize that if you say this all the good little things that you did do, will be erased"
"I...oh"
"And I do have to admit. You did some good, little things. I mean,let me be honest because that's the only shit we have here in this situation. This morning I enjoyed our conversation, even though it wasn't the best, I found myself smiling at the end of it. I don't know what it means, but you better hope it's a good thing"
"It is. It's a very, very good thing!" "Alright then."
"So. Let me fix this. All of this. Keep all the good things I did, keep them all. I want to make this right. I want to start over and hopefully make it before you leave"
"And what exactly are you going to do?"
"Um...you know. I don't know. What would be things that would make you fall for me quickly"
"I don't know. Dates, sweet little things, you know. The small, stuff? I don't really know what to answer since I'm a boy"
"Answer it that way"
"Um...Personality. And right now yours isn't the best, but it's not bad. You can't change how you are. Um, you have to impress me. I don't know what else to say. Just take anything from the things I said and let's see"
"I'll try my hardest"
"Sure you will. Hurry up and change. I just want to get this day over with"
"Yes sir," Kise said as he strolled over to his locker, lightly skipping. Kasamatsu gave him a dirty look, but the moment Kise faced away from him, Kasamatsu couldn't but help smile at that.
A/N: This was supposed to be longer but I'm cutting it in half. This too me like 4, 5 weeks to do, I was kind of slacking, 'you know school and stuff'. SO yeah~ I try to get the other part up, lets hope summer doesn't make me lazy...