My body shivers as cold air gusts past my legs. Kagami's jacket is a blessing in this weather. It would be cool enough if the wind wasn't here, but now it's just chilly. I can barely imagine how cold Kagami must be with no jacket. He's just as thoroughly soaked as I am. At least it's a good view. Kagami's shirt seems a little big on him, so it hides all the shapes underneath, but with his shirt soaked, I can get a decent view of what lies underneath. Yeah, yeah, call me what you will, but it's not like you wouldn't see it too, if you could.
"Kagami, are you sure you don't want your jacket? It's really cold out. You'll get sick." I say hesitantly, my arms bundled around my waist.
"Yeah. We're pretty close already, aren't we?" Kagami replies as the familiar signpost at the end of our block comes into view.
"I'm gonna feel guilty if you get sick because of me." I respond as we continue walking. Kagami shrugs.
"If I get sick then you're the one who brings me food." He says. "Sound fair?" I glance at the cheekily grinning redhead.
"Sure." I say with a half sigh. The wind isn't letting up at all, and Kagami's been kind enough to carry my backpack with his. Although I told him repeatedly that I could carry it myself and quickly change in Maiji's bathroom, he'd refused and basically ordered me to bathe at his place or mine so I could go straight into warm clothes. To be honest, his logic seems ridiculously backward, but I'm not going to fight with the guy who's lending me his jacket while he freezes his ass off.
I lean against Kagami suddenly, startling him. "What?" He asks, his red eyes unusually wide. I give him a smile.
"You look cold and won't take your jacket back, so I'm sharing some of my warmth with you." I try to hide the darkening color of my cheeks. Kagami doesn't really say anything in response, but he presses back slightly so I know that it isn't entirely unwanted. Kagami's side is really warm. I can feel heat from his skin seeping through the sides of the jacket.
As it turns out, Kagami ends up coming up to my apartment. As I enter the door, I call out Daiki's name, wondering why the apartment is so dark and if he's already eaten. After going through every room, I can say he isn't home. "I wonder where he went." I say with confusion as I scratch my head. "He's normally here." Kagami picks up a piece of paper from the kitchen counter.
"This is for you." He says, holding it out in my direction. I look at the paper dubiously. Yo, Alex! Satsuki's parents invited me over for the weekend, so I won't be home until Sunday night! Text me if anything comes up. -Daiki
To be honest, I'm surprised that Daiki didn't call me to tell me he'd be taking off. On the one hand, he's his own person and I'm not in charge of him, but on the other he's also my friend and housemate. I can't decide whether to be amused or to be a little miffed. In the end, I just choose to let it go and move on. "Well that answers things. You can take a bath first, since you lent me your jacket. Bathroom's at the end of the hall." I say to Kagami. He looks like he's going to protest, but must've thought twice about it since he walks down the hall.
I look through the cupboards to see if I have anything powdery to mix into hot water, but I haven't had things like that for quite a while. There's instant ramen, so I put some hot water to boil and put two containers down on the counter. It still hasn't come to a boil when Kagami comes out in a pair of my brother's old sweats and an oversized shirt. How do I have my brother's sweats you ask? I took them before I left. He's a tall boy. Much taller than I am. Plus they're extra comfy.
"I can put your clothes through the dryer with mine." I say, noting the way Kagami looks at his still soaked clothing. "I'll take 'em after I get out." Kagami looks like he's about to say something, likely a rebuke for staying in these clothes for so long, but he's silent as he glances at the stove.
"Boiling water?"
"I can't think of anything to eat, so I'm making instant ramen." I reply to his questioning gaze. "It's better than nothing, so..." Kagami chuckles.
"Get changed and leave food to me. I got this." He says, brushing past me.
"Don't blow up my kitchen." I warn. Kagami laughs amusedly behind me as I continue down the hall, grabbing another towel and marching into the bathroom. The water is still hot and slightly steamy as I slip into it. Here, where I can feel the bottom and rest without the water moving or my head slipping under, the water is welcome. Knots in my shoulders loosen, and the soreness of my legs starts to ease. My wet hair clings to the side of my face as I push my bangs back and away from my face. "Mmmm."
I don't know how long I stay in the water, but it's more than long enough to return warmth and energy to my limbs. It's also enough to make me drowsy and lethargic. The water cools to a tepid warmth as I continue to soak. "Oi, Alex, are you okay?" Kagami calls through the door. He knocks a few times, startling me into alertness.
"Hm?" I reply sleepily. "Is that you, Kagami?" I sound a little, uh, buzzed, I suppose.
"Are you okay? You might've been in there too long..." Kagami says once more. I make some noise of affirmation. "Oi, if you're not out in another two minutes I'm gonna come in and get you." He warns. I snicker from the tub and cast my gaze toward the door. Who is he to think that he can tell me when to get out of the bathtub? After another minute, I get out and put on an oversized shirt and some shorts before attempting to dry my hair. It doesn't work.
"Alex?" Kagami says after the promised period of time.
"Hm?" I respond, trying to wake myself up. "Don't worry, I got out and I'm pretty much dressed." Kagami opens the door hesitantly.
"Hey, don't tell me you're that tired." He says as he notes how I've flopped onto the floor and refused to budge. I offer him a series of swears in English, to which he laughs amusedly. "C'mon. You gotta eat before you go to sleep or you won't feel good tomorrow." With a roll of my eyes, I flop from my back to my stomach.
"Don't wanna move." I reply with a scowl. Kagami does try reasoning with me, I'll give him that much. Reasoning and reasoning and reasoning until I almost fall asleep. I guess he eventually has enough of his own reasoning, because he just shuts up, slings me over his shoulder rather haphazardly, and walks straight to the living room.
"You should just eat and go to bed." Kagami says as I switch on the TV and grab a bowl of the somehow still steaming food in front of me.
"You're probably right." I reply easily. A yawn parts my lips before I stare in surprise at the item before me. "You actually made this? I'm seriously impressed." I know I had a burger just before we took at unfortunate dip in the pool, but this is seriously impressive. I'm not even kidding. My mouth waters and my eyes widen. "Are you an angel or something?"
"Shut up and eat your burger." Kagami replies as his cheeks turn red. I grin at him and take an enormous bite from the deliciousness before me. I swear, in my fifteen years of life, I have never, ever, ever had a burger this great. "You're a wonderful person." I say around my mouthful of food. Kagami just gives me a sly grin before eating his own food. I'm 110% grateful that there's no pepper anywhere in this.
"So are you really going to stick around here?" Kagami asks as I take his empty plate and rinse it in the sink. We're both full to bursting, and yawns interrupt my activities every few minutes.
"Hm? Why wouldn't I?" I reply with a frown. "I can't go back anyway. I don't think I can use my passport anymore." Kagami scratches his head.
"I don't get how you got into this situation." He replies. I shrug.
"Neither do I, to be honest." Bubbles fly as I wash the dishes. "It's done, and I can't really fix it, so it's best to just move on." The redhead raises an eyebrow.
"You're not carrying a grudge?" I laugh loudly, racking the plates to dry.
"I am." I say quietly. "But it's not something you act on, you know? We were never really friendly for the past few years, so it's not really a big difference." I silently note the unusually deep look in Kagami's eyes. The way he leans against the counter, and the way his brows furrow into a scowl. "I like it better here, anyway. It's not like I remember a ton from the States anyway."
"Who lets a sixth grader live in another country?" Kagami asks, staring at me in shock. I shrug.
"I stayed with a host family for a while. Kuroko's, actually. I got my own place the third year I was here." I reply. Kagami raises an eyebrow. "How else do you think I got used to him?" Kagami laughs loudly once more. "I guess they sent me here because they trusted I wouldn't do anything stupid. I did plan to go back, but I kept getting attached to living here, and I made too many friends, and I just got in too deep. I really just couldn't bring myself to go home."
A towel hits my head, startling me out of the daydream I was about to delve into. "Hm?" It's then that hands over the towel roughly start to rub it against my hair, to which I respond by yelping and trying to dodge the hands. I raise the edge of the towel and stare at Kagami in shock.
"You're going to get sick if you sleep with wet hair, idiot." He says. "Sit down and lemme dry it. You're obviously incapable of taking care of yourself." I make several starts at sentences to protest what he's said, but my sleepy mind doesn't form anything coherent. I sit down on the floor, in between Kagami's legs as he reclines against the sofa.
The hands that dry my hair are now much gentler as Kagami dries my hair as best he can with my formerly discarded towel. It no longer drips onto everything and is now just very, very damp. I vaguely wonder how dry he'll get it before he gives up or I fall asleep. I probably should've mentioned this to the dunce-like redhead, but I fall asleep when people play with my hair, especially around my scalp. I've always been that way, I guess, but only found out after Kuroko's mom played with my hair several times, each resulting in me sleeping within ten minutes.
"Kagami, I'm gonna fall asleep if you keep doing that." I say drowsily, slouching forward. Kagami makes no movement to stop, and no sound to indicate he's heard me. "Kagami, did ya hear? I'm gonna fall asleep..."
"Yeah, I heard." Kagami says nonchalantly. Since his legs are bent, I lean against his knee.
"I'm gonna sleep, Kagami." I groan, his kneecap pushing awkwardly into my cheekbone. "What'll you do then?" Kagami gives a noncommittal noise and keeps wicking the water out of my hair. "Mmm... do you think I could call you Taiga? Or would that be too personal?" Kagami just laughs behind me. "I'm not good at judging those things." I sound drunk, I think. Out of it. Maybe even a little crazy.
"You're actually going to fall asleep, aren't you?" Kagami replies fluidly. "I didn't think you were actually serious." I laugh a little, trying to wake myself up a bit more.
"Mm, yeah. Kuroko's mom didn't think I was serious, either." I answer. "I should probably drop by some time to check in with them." Without thinking, I lean back and use Kagami as a recliner of sorts. He tenses below me, suddenly stiff and remarkably less comfortable than Daiki. When he realizes I have no weird motives for him, Kagami relaxes. In this way, he's actually more comfortable than Daiki is. Although about the same size, Kagami has a warmer feel than Daiki and his more distant personality.
I do my best not to wriggle and squirm to find a slightly more comfortable position. I doubt it would make us friends if I started squirming around the bashful boy. "Mm, maybe I should start playing again." I mutter to the roof. "I kinda miss that game."
"What game?" Kagami asks. His even breathing makes my head rise and fall at the rate he's breathing. "Basketball?"
I shake my head. "Nah, I can play that with you and Daiki and any of the Miracles. I wanna plaaaay." Kagami moves slightly beneath me.
"What was that sport you talked about... the one for that scholarship?" I nod slightly.
"Yeah. I've been practicing and had live pitching and stuff, but it's been a while since I had a permanent team I practiced with. My old teammates are all playing for their schools, and the teams I play for aren't dynamic." I grumble, mostly to myself.
"Why didn't you play for your high school?" Kagami asks. I shrug slightly.
"Balancing two sports and school and work is a lot of stress. I barely managed it during middle school." I answer. "But it's not like I don't have a little more time now. I could probably squeeze it in somewhere." I can almost sense Kagami's frown before he speaks.
"Wouldn't you end up missing practice a lot?" I shrug.
"Coach and Satsuki don't want me practicing until Interhigh. It's not like they wanted me at practice before either. They just let Daiki and I do whatever we want. It isn't much fun." I say with irritation. "It wouldn't kill me to play again. I can always quit if it gets to be too much." Kagami is silent behind me, one hand still somehow massaging my scalp. I feel liquid, like I'm melting like butter against him. I couldn't stand if I wanted to.
"Is it something you like to play?" Kagami asks after a few minutes of silence. I shrug.
"I used to. I don't really feel anything when I practice." I reply carefully. "I don't know if I like it anymore. I don't dislike it." Somehow, my chest begins to feel empty, hollow. It's as if I don't have the heart to pick it up again, and disgust wells up in its place. "Maybe it's a bad idea."
The next morning I walk into the Athletic Offices, searching among the small offices for the name plaque of the man I'm supposed to meet. I'm surprised at the unusual lack of female coaches, but there's nothing I can do about it. "Would you be Hai-chan?" A voice says smoothly behind me. I turn slightly.
"Yes, that would be me." I reply fluidly, watching the man carefully. He's pretty young for a coach, with shaggy looking hair and calm eyes. I can see him assessing me somehow, as if he's calculating my worth.
"My name's Watanabe Kousuke. I'm head coach for the softball team." My eyes narrow slightly and I face the taller man fully.
"Nice to meet you." I say politely. "Momoi-san told me that you might be interested in having me play for Touou's team? I thought I might look into it." Watanabe gives me a small grin.
"Really? That's great. I saw you play at Teiko. Would you still be interested in catching for us?" I blink in surprise. I thought he'd be more wary of me. Doesn't he know that I dictated everyone's movements? That I wasn't against playing rough with others?
"U-Uh, if you'll have me, I guess. I'd need to talk this over a bit more with the basketball coach..." I answer as I scratch the back of my head bashfully. "I know it's kind of late to join another sport, so I apologize..."
"Don't worry about it." Watanabe says kindly. "Tell me who your coach is, and we'll work things out over the weekend." With surprise, I tell him Coach's name, and he promises to get back to me later today.
"See you!" I say, waving as I leave the room. I ended up emailing this guy last night after Momoi send me a text about him. He agreed to meet with me, something that kind of surprises me. "Thanks for your time!"
"See you Monday!" Watanabe responds with a smile. I walk off school grounds with a smile itching to slice my face in two. I want to laugh, to giggle, to squeal and scream and dance with excitement. I don't have anything to do this weekend. Daiki and Satsuki are off in vacationland. Kuroko and Kagami will probably also have things to do today, and I don't want to infringe on them any more than I already have.
"What am I going to do with myself?" I grumble unhappily as I walk toward home.
"Haicchi!" My body stiffens at the oncoming storm... no, the oncoming train wreck. "Haicchi~!" I almost topple forward at the bubbling boy beside me.
"Kise? What're you doing here?" I ask with wide eyes. The blond winks at me playfully.
"C'mon, Haicchi!" He grabs my hand and drags me quickly in the opposite direction.
"Oi, Ryouta where do you think you're taking me?!" I exclaim with various amounts of terror. The blushing blond grins at me.
"You'll see, Haicchi~!"