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Kagami had moved back to the United States when they were seventeen. Kagami and Kuroko only spent one year of high school together, but their bond was deep that it felt like they knew each other all their lives. Not even the Pacific Ocean that separated them could break the bond they had.
Kagami went off to chase his dreams and that meant leaving Kuroko behind. Kuroko was supportive of his decision but that didn’t mean that he didn’t miss Kagami at all. It just mean that Kuroko felt guilty for missing him.
Every time Kuroko got a text, a call, a snap or anything from Kagami, his heart would swell and a smile would instantly appear on his face. But it also made Kuroko wish Kagami was beside him like he always used to be. He felt bad for wanting that though. It was selfish of him to want Kagami to himself when he was off following his dreams. Kuroko couldn’t get in the way of that, no matter what he wanted.
That didn’t change until Kagami sleepily confessed: “I wish you were here with me, I miss you so much.”
“I miss you too, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko replied, the guilt was weighing him down in the back of his mind.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Kagami asked.
“How did you know?” Kuroko asked back.
“You’re not the only who’s good at observing people, Kuroko.”
“You? Good at observing people?”
“Shut up! I know you and I know when you’re upset even when you try to hide it. And you’ve been hiding it for a while.”
Kuroko broke eye contact with Kagami. Kagami was so far away but he could make him feel so many things like he was right beside him.
“I feel guilty.” Kuroko confessed. “I miss you so much that it’s all I can think about sometimes. It makes me wish you were here but it also makes me feel bad because I don’t want to stop you from following your dreams. I don’t want to get in the way of your dreams.”
“Kuroko, you have never gotten in the way of my dreams.” Kagami said. “I wanted to be the best in Japan and you supported me then, even when I was an asshole to you. I want to be the best in the NBA now and you’re supporting me now. You’ve never done anything but amaze me and make me happy.”
Kuroko smiled softly but still avoided Kagami’s gaze.
“You have nothing to feel guilty about,” Kagami continued. “If I’m allowed to want you here then you’re allowed to want me too. Besides, have you done anything to stop me from going after my dreams?”
“I haven’t.” Kuroko replied.
“See? Don’t worry about it.”
“Kagami-kun, that was surprisingly eloquent coming from you.”
“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!”
Kuroko looked back at his computer screen with a teasing smile. “I think you know exactly what it means, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami yawned. “God Kuroko, you’re something else.”
“Kagami-kun, are you feeling tired.”
“Hmm, yeah a bit.”
“Then you should go to sleep. What time is it in California?”
“Uhhh midnight.”
“Kagami-kun! You should’ve been asleep a long time ago!”
“But I wanted to talk to you,” Kagami whined.
“You need sleep if you’re gonna be in the NBA, Kagami-kun.”
“Ughhhh, fine.” Kagami groaned. “Goodnight, Kuroko. I love you.”
“Goodnight, Kagami-kun. I love you too.”
In America, Kagami plugged the charger into his laptop and flopped onto his bed and pushed his blankets up to his neck. In Japan, Kuroko pulled his notebooks out of his bag and got started on his homework. Their lives went on as normal as they had been.
That was until eight hours later, when Kagami woke up. Kagami woke up groggy and the sunlight beaming through his blinds were blinding him. It took him a while for his mind and body to synch up, but when he did, he remembered . Kagami abruptly sat up and put his head in his hands. His face was a bright red and he was glad there was no one to see his face that morning.
I told him I loved him. Fuck.
The lines between friendship and something more had always been blurred when it came to Kagami and Kuroko’s relationship. It was even more so when Kagami left for America. They would mention often how much they missed each other, that wasn’t uncommon. They loved each other, they both knew that as well. But they never told each other that.
Kagami had never planned on telling Kuroko how he felt. Kuroko was the most important person in his life, and he didn’t want to ruin what they had. But knowing Kuroko, he probably already knew everything that went through Kagami’s mind. Kagami didn’t want to give himself too much hope though.
Kuroko said “I love you too.”
That was the one line that gave him hope. I love you too. Kuroko’s voice saying those four words had occupied Kagami’s mind that entire day. He wouldn’t say that if he didn’t love you. That was his inner voice giving himself hope. He let himself give in that day, but he would have to clear things up with Kuroko. They couldn’t go on with the lines blurred. He needed to know where they stood.
Kagami Taiga was an impulsive man. He made decisions based on his heart rather than his head. In the moment that he woke up, his heart made the decision to text Kuroko:
kagami: heyyyyy so are we dating or what??
The moment that he pressed the send button, he regretted his decision. What would happen if Kuroko said no? Would they still be friends or would their friendship break apart? Kagami couldn’t imagine what his life would be like without Kuroko. No staying up late to video chat, no texting each other or sending each other ridiculous snaps.
Kagami had a vision for his future. He imagined himself as the best player in the NBA, that much was obvious. But the part of the story he never told anyone involved Kuroko. He imagined himself married to Kuroko and living in a suburban American home with two little blue haired children playing with Nigou in their yard. It was a cheesy dream and one that Kagami wouldn’t dare admit out loud, but that was what he wanted the most. He wouldn’t know what he would do if he wasn’t able to be friends with Kuroko anymore.
Kagami suffered these anxious thoughts for the rest of day. What sucked about living in California was that the time difference between Japan and California was fourteen hours and Kagami would have to wait the whole day before he got any reply from Kuroko. He felt anxious about waiting for his reply and what his reply would entail.
Kagami was having lunch when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out. On the screen it read “kuroko <3” with a picture of Kuroko smiling and holding a peace sign as the background. Kuroko wanted to face time with him.
“Uh sorry guys,” Kagami apologized to his friends. “I gotta take this.”
“Oh my god, is that what your boyfriend looks like? He’s so cute.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, Bryan.” Kagami replied, his face flushed.
Bryan look at Kagami’s phone screen to Kagami’s blushing face. “Seriously.”
“ Yes, now see y’all later.”
Kagami went out to sit beside a tree and pushed the answer button.
“Good morning, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko said with a slight yawn. He still had his bedhead and looked like he just woke up. He’s so cute.
“Morning, Kuroko.” Kagami smiled but his heart was beating in a nervous rhythm as he waited for Kuroko to say something about what he texted him.
“I saw your message Kagami-kun.” Kuroko smiled.
“Oh...well...about that…”
“I was under the assumption that we were already dating.”
Kagami’s eyes went wide. “What? Why!”
“I thought what you said at the airport was a confession, was it not?”
“Uh… I don’t know…” Kagami confessed.
“You don’t know.” Kuroko deadpanned.
“Uh...yeah…” Kagami responded lamely.
“Kagami-kun, last night you told me that you loved me and I told you that I loved you too. I know I meant what I said, but did you mean what you said?”
“Of course.”
Kuroko’s smile grew a bit wider. “Then, Kagami-kun, would you like to go out with me?”
Kagami’s smile grew much wider. “More than anything.”
“Then to answer your question, we are dating, Kagami-kun.”
Kagami let out a chuckle. “Nice.”
“As much as I would like to continue talking, I have to get ready for school.”
“Before you go….uh….can I call you Tetsuya?”
Kuroko blushed and his eyes went wide. “Of course, Kagami-kun.”
“Taiga. Call me Taiga.”
“But Kagami--”
“If I get to call you Tetsuya, you can call me Taiga.”
“All right...Taiga-kun.” Kuroko and Kagami both blushed at those words.
“Bye, Tetsuya. I love you.”
Kuroko smiled. “I love you too, Taiga-kun. Goodbye.”
And the screen went black. Kagami didn’t realize it, but he went back to his friends with a smile on his face.
“How was the talk with your boyfriend?” Bryan said with a grin.
“Amazing,” Kagami said before shoving his face into a burger to hide his blushing face. It didn’t do much good for him.
“Oh yeah? What got you smiling so hard?”
“Uh… well for one, he’s actually my boyfriend now.”
“Oh my god! You’re kidding!” Another one of his friends, Laura said.
“Can you believe it, Taiga actually made a move and it paid off. I’m so proud.” James faked wiping a tear from his eyes.
“First of all, fuck off. Second of all, he was the one to ask me out.”
“Oh, of course.” Bryan said. “Should’ve known the blue haired dude would make the first move.”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that I was the one who asked him if I could call him by his first name.”
“Then why does it say Kuroko less than symbol three.” James said as he held up Kagami’s phone. How the hell did he get that?
Kagami snatched his phone back. “I actually hate every single one of you.”
Kagami changed his contact name for Kuroko to “tetsuya <3”
“See, there.” Kagami showed off his new contact name for his boyfriend.
“Now it says Tetsuya less than symbol three.”
“Why are you guys like this.”
Dating didn’t change much about their relationship. They still acted the same and had the same routine. The only difference being that they started saying a lot more affectionate things about each other a lot more often. They said “I love you” with every conversation they had. It wouldn’t be uncommon for Kagami to say “you’re so cute, Tetsuya” and for Kuroko to reply with a “as are you, Taiga-kun.”
They stayed like this for about a year. When Kuroko became third year, he told Kagami something that changed their lives from that point on.
“Taiga-kun, I want to tell you something.” Kuroko was sitting on his bed with Nigou sleeping in his lap and his laptop in front of him. His room was dark and the moon shone from his window. It was late into the night in Japan but it was early morning in California.
“Hmm, what is it?” Kagami was eating a bagel and was getting crumbs everywhere. Kuroko smiled at that before telling him the big news.
“I’ve decided that I’m going to America for university.”
Kagami dropped his bagel on his plate.
“What?”
“I’m going to America for university,” Kuroko repeated.
“Seriously? Why?”
“You went to America to follow your dreams of being an NBA player. I want to go to America to follow my own dreams. My dreams of being with you.”
Kuroko blushed intensely and Kagami choked on his bagel. What Kuroko was saying was incredibly cheesy but he couldn’t back out now.
“I decided on university in America since it would be easier for me to hold a job in America with an American degree instead of staying in Japan for college and then moving to America.”
“Wait, you were planning on moving to America anyway?”
“You didn’t think I would stay in Japan forever, did you Taiga-kun?”
“Uh...well...I figured that everything important to you was in Japan and that’s where you would be staying. I mean the only thing in America is me.”
“You underestimate your importance to me, Taiga-kun. It’s true that my friends and family are all in Japan, but you don’t understand the pain I felt in the first few weeks you left Japan.” Kuroko’s eyes started welling with tears. “I missed you so much that having you gone was like a part of me was ripped off of me. It hurt me and all I could think about was how much I wanted you to be with me. It still hurts now, but not as much as it did before. Another reason why I decided on going to American university was because I couldn’t stand being away from you any longer.”
“Oh...I’m glad.” Kagami smiled.
“Oh I forgot to mention, Aomine-kun is also coming to America. The NBA wants Aomine-kun as well, it seems.”
Kagami’s smile dropped. “That, I’m not as glad about.”
“Don’t worry, Taiga-kun. You don’t have to see him that much.”
“GOOD. Anyway, if you’re coming to America, where are you going to stay?”
“At the dorms of the university. I do have family in America but they don’t live in California.”
“Uh...do you want to...stay with me…?”
“Taiga-kun, I couldn’t impose on you.”
“It’s not a problem, like at all. I live in this big ass house by myself for like 363 days a year. It gets lonely sometimes.”
“But what would your father say when he’s there on those two days of the year?”
“He honestly wouldn’t give a shit. As long as nothing gets broken, he doesn’t care.”
“I don’t know, Taiga-kun. Are you really sure he would be okay with your boyfriend staying with you?”
“I can call him if you want me to.” Kagami had already pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“All right.”
Kagami tapped in his father’s phone number and put it on speaker phone. After three rings, a growly voice said in English: “What’s wrong, Taiga?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Kagami replied in Japanese so Kuroko would be able to understand the conversation. “I had a question for you actually.”
“What is it?” His father asked in Japanese.
“So Tetsuya is coming to America for university and I was wondering if he could stay with me when he comes over.”
“Tetsuya…? You mean your boyfriend? The one from Japan that has blue hair?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm sure. I don’t really mind. Besides it’ll be nice to meet the boy you always go on and on about whenever we talk.”
“Dad!”
“What is it son?” Kagami could hear his father’s smirk and could see Kuroko’s smile on his laptop screen.
“I actually hate you, bye.”
“Bye, have a good day Taiga.”
Kagami looked back to Kuroko. “See, I told you it wasn’t a big deal.”
“All right, I guess I’ll have to tell my parents of this. Also, Taiga-kun, you didn’t need to switch to Japanese for me to understand what you were saying. I’ve been practicing my English since last year and I’ve gotten a lot better.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. Does that mean I can start talking to you in English because we both know how shit my Japanese is.”
“I am better at it now, but I don’t feel comfortable speaking it. It sounds wrong when I speak it.”
“Don’t worry about it too much, I bet you know English better than most English speakers.”
“Does that include you, Taiga-kun?”
“Of course. I’m shit at both of the languages I speak. You know what happened to me yesterday? I forgot the word for dog in both Japanese and English. Like this is how bad I am at languages.”
“It’s a good thing you’re going into the sport’s industry where you don’t have to think in any language.”
“Tetsuya…” Kagami whined.
Kuroko giggled behind his hands. It was adorable.
“Oh yeah, don’t you need to have really good grades to get into American colleges if you’re from another country?” Kagami asked.
“I do have really good grades, Taiga-kun. I’ve been studying harder since second year and I plan on doing that this year too. Aomine-kun has started to care about his grades recently too and they’ve become...not terrible…”
“Wow it sounds like you’re working so hard, Tetsuya. I’m so proud to have you as my boyfriend.”
Kuroko blushed. “Taiga-kun…” he whined.
“What? It’s true!”
Kuroko graduated about a year later and was accepted into the same school as Kagami. Kuroko wouldn’t actually come to America until about two weeks before the school year started. To say the least, they were both antsy about the upcoming day more than anything. They double checked and triple checked everything that needed to be done and bought. They were extremely prepared for anything that was to come.
taiga-kun <3: I KNO ITS SUPER LATE TO ASK THIS BUT ARE U BRINGING NIGOU WITH U??
taiga-kun <3: like i dont mind u bringing him, but like u should tell me now if ur bringing him and what to buy for him
It was a week before Kuroko’s flight to Los Angeles and he couldn’t believe he forgot about Nigou. His beloved pet and he didn’t give him a single though when planning to move his entire life to another country.
Kuroko walked into the living room where his mother was watching television with his grandmother.
“Mother, I have a question.” Kuroko asked as he sat beside her.
“What is it, dear?”
“Could I bring Nigou with me to America?”
She gasped and put a hand over her mouth. “We forgot about Nigou, oh my god…”
When it came to all the paperwork, Kuroko’s mother was the one who helped him the most. She was just as devastated as her son about forgetting about her son’s beloved dog.
“You want to bring Nigou with you to Los Angeles right?”
Kuroko nodded.
“Well the process would take longer than the time we have. We would have to get accommodations for you for your plane ticket and then we’d have to go to the vet and make sure he has vaccines. We’d also have to train Nigou to get used to traveling in a confined space and that takes at least two weeks. I’m sorry honey, but Nigou can’t go with you when you’re flying.”
Kuroko nodded solemnly.
“That doesn’t mean Nigou can’t ever come to America though. I’ll do all the paperwork and stuff and bring him to you. Give me like a month after today and I’ll make sure Nigou is with you.”
Kuroko looked up. “Really? You’re willing to come to America just to drop off Nigou with me and Taiga-kun.”
“Well I want to do some sightseeing too, but of course. You’re my son, I care about you.”
“Thank you mother.”
“Of course.”
Around the time Kagami was about to go to sleep he received a message from Kuroko that said:
tetsuya <3: i cant bring nigou with me now bc my mother and i forgot the paperwork, but he’ll eventually come and stay with us
tetsuya <3: ill send you a list of what nigou needs but my mother will bring some of his stuff as well
Kagami glanced at the list. Ooo boy, shopping is gonna take a while tomorrow. It didn’t matter, he’d do whatever he could to make Kuroko happy.
The day had finally come. Kuroko and Aomine both woke up early for their flight to Los Angeles. Their families (and Momoi) came with them to drop them off at the airport. Kuroko’s family simply gave him a hug and told him to stay safe and call them every week at the least.
Kuroko glanced at Aomine’s family. They were fussing over everything, his jacket, his hair, his luggage while Momoi just stood by the side with a smile on her face. Kuroko couldn’t understand everything that was happening there since half of that conversation was in French, but he could tell that his parents were going to miss him a lot.
Aomine and Momoi talked for a few moments and Kuroko decided it would be rude to listen in. It ended in Momoi wiping away her tears and them having a long hug. Despite their constant arguments, they truly were childhood friends and it must’ve hurt to see her best friend go across the ocean.
“Make sure to call me once you get there, Dai-chan!” Momoi said.
“Obviously, I’m gonna do that.” Aomine said as he rolled his eyes. Kuroko could tell that he did care despite what his body language suggested.
“You too, Tetsu-kun!” Momoi said as she turned to face him.
“Of course, Momoi-san.” Kuroko responded.
“Let’s be real Satsuki, he’s gonna forgot about you the moment he sees his idiot boyfriend.”
“That’s not true, Aomine-kun.” Kuroko blushed at the mention of his idiot boyfriend.
“It is and I’ll prove it when we get there.”
“Tetsuya,” his father interrupted. “You and Aomine-kun should head off to the terminal now.”
“All right, Father.” Kuroko gave his family and Momoi one more hug before he and Aomine went onto their life-changing flight.
That life-changing flight took about ten hours. Neither Kuroko or Aomine were happy about that. Kuroko had never been on a plane before and this trip would make this his first one. He found himself to be restless and it was difficult to sleep. Aomine had been on planes many times to go to Cameroon to visit his family there. He was used to long trips but that never meant he liked them. By the time the flight was over, their eyes were rimmed red and they had an irritable aura around them.
They reached Los Angeles when it was around midday and Kuroko could feel the jet lag weighing him down. This was all a new experience for him and at that moment he really didn’t like it.
Customs took longer than it could have since Aomine’s English skills weren’t as up to par compared to Kuroko. Kuroko had to translate for Aomine and then they went on to get their luggage. By this point, Kuroko was ready to pass out.
That changed when he saw Kagami.
He and Aomine had finally made it through a ten hour flight, an extensive customs process, and the process of picking up their luggage and upon seeing Kagami’s face, Kuroko’s eyes welled up with tears. Kuroko hadn’t seen Kagami in nearly two years and most of their interaction happened during late nights or early mornings. They didn’t start dating until Kagami was in California and they didn’t get to touch at all during that time.
It was just like a scene from a romantic movie. Kuroko ran impulsively towards Kagami and Kagami ran as well. They met up in the middle with Kuroko wrapped up in Kagami’s arms. Tears had actually left Kuroko’s eyes then. The sensation was so wonderful and to think that they had been missing out on this for two years.
“I missed you so much,” Kagami said, involuntarily squeezing Kuroko a bit harder.
“I missed you too, Taiga-kun.”
They separated for a moment to look into each other’s eyes before their eyes wandered down to their lips. Their lips met in the middle. This was their first kiss ever. They couldn’t touch each other for two years, all they could do was dream about it. But here it was, their dream happening in real life. It probably wasn’t the best kiss, but to them it felt like heaven just because of the circumstance. When they separated, they felt like pure bliss.
Then Aomine coughed.
“Ah! What the hell are you doing here!” Kagami shouted.
“You did remember the part where Tetsu told you that I was on the same flight as him right? Or did you forget?”
“I did remember! I just didn’t remember right at this moment.”
“Also Tetsu, remember the part where you had to call Satsuki once we landed?”
Kuroko blushed. “I forgot about it at the moment.”
“I fucking told you. Good thing you had me to call her while you were mackin’ on your boyfriend.”
Kuroko and Kagami both turned an incredible shade of red.
“So can we get out of here?” Aomine said as he tapped on his phone. Probably texting his parents, Kuroko concluded. “I wanna sleep for like twelve hours.”
Kagami sighed as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket. “Yeah, let’s go.”
It was strange to think that all of that happened ten years ago. Kuroko and Kagami were both 28 years old now and yet the love they felt for each other when they were 16 never faded away. A love like theirs could never fade away.
Kuroko was wrapped in an official NBA blanket with Kagami’s body on it. Kuroko originally bought it as a joke to tease Kagami with but he found the blanket to be incredibly comfortable. Nigou, now a large dog, was sleeping on Kuroko’s lap like he was still a puppy. The papers that Kuroko finished grading laid in a neat mess on the coffee table in front of the couch where Kuroko sat. It was late at night and Kuroko had to teach the next day, but stayed up every night to watch Kagami play and the press conferences afterwards. It had become a tradition that Kagami didn’t like because of the lack of sleep Kuroko got on those nights.
The game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Chicago Bulls had just ended with the Chicago Bulls--Kagami’s team--coming out as the winner. Games between the Cavaliers and the Bulls were always so intense since it was a face off against Kagami and Aomine and the outcome was never predictable. They were the most popular of the NBA games.
They were now holding a press conference with the team and the coach sitting in the front. On the court, Kagami was absurdly powerful but off the court, he was a complete dork. It showed whenever there was a press conference. He tried to be that kind of serious person he was on the court in a press conference, but it would never work out with his awkward position and occasional nervous stuttering.
Kagami also had a habit of fidgeting. He was never someone who could sit still for long periods of time or even short periods of time. Some part of him had to always be moving. At that moment, Kagami was fidgeting with his phone. He pushed the corners of the phone case on and off his phone. It was a light blue phone case, similar to the color of Kuroko’s hair. Kuroko also had his phone case that was a deep red like Kagami’s hair.
The press conference went on talking about various basketball things for about ten minutes until a reporter asked: “Mr. Kagami, you’ve stated before that you play basketball because of love. Does that statement refer to your boyfriend?”
Kagami turned a crimson red whenever his boyfriend was mentioned. Kuroko was barely ever noticed by the media, instead they decided to focus on the strange friendship between Kagami and his rival, Aomine. The public didn’t even know Kagami was gay until Kagami tweeted:
火神 大我 @taigakagami
out having lunch w/ my boyfriend and @daikiaomine and my bf just kicked his ass
To which Aomine replied:
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
FIRST OF ALL, FUCK YOU AND SECOND OF ALL FUCK YOUR BOYFRIEND
火神 大我 @taigakagami
;)
火神 大我 @taigakagami
that was tetsuya, he stole my phone just to type that
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
@taigakagami why are yall the way you are
That interaction led to an overwhelming amount of people asking “ARE YOU GAY?” and “WHO IS TETSUYA?”
Kagami responded to the first question by saying:
火神 大我 @taigakagami
yeah im gay, kinda thought everyone knew tho
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
@taigakagami you know how straight ppl are ://
(That interaction led to people asking if Aomine was gay as well and he responded by saying “I’M A BI BITCH”)
To the second question he responded by saying:
火神 大我 @taigakagami
yall wanna kno my bf, but he said if i start talking abt him then ill never stop
火神 大我 @taigakagami
his exact words were “taiga-kun, considering that you talk abt me for an hr whenever im mentioned i doubt you can fit it in 140 characters”
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
damn tetsu went after your life with that one
火神 大我 @taigakagami
tetsuya: “how come aomine-kun always responds to your tweets 3 seconds after you post them? does he have you on notifications?”
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
why does ur bf gotta be like that
火神 大我 @taigakagami
do you tho [eye emoji]
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
thats classified information
桃井 さつき @satsukimomoi
he does
青峰 大輝 @daikiaomine
i hate every single one of you
The public had a hard time finding Kuroko even though Kagami claimed to go out with him all the time. Kagami’s Twitter was soon filled with “Tetsuya this” and “Tetsuya that.” Despite never actually seeing Kuroko, the public had a fondness for the couple.
“Uh...yeah…” Kagami responded to the reporter’s question. He put his face in his hands. “I don’t like hearing someone else say it though cause now I’m realizing how cheesy that sounds. But yeah...a lot of my motivation comes from Tetsuya. I can’t wait to go home and finally propose to him.”
The conference room was silent for a few moments until…
“SHIT, I FORGOT HE WATCHES THESE.” Kagami put his head against the desk. “I ruined it...everything I planned…”
Kuroko giggled before picking up his phone from the coffee table and calling Kagami. On the screen he could hear Kagami’s ringtone. Kagami slid the phone closer to him and accepted the call.
“Hi Taiga-kun,” Kuroko’s voice was a bit brighter than it usually was.
“Hey Tetsuya,” Kagami responded in Japanese and he sounded like he was about to die.
“I’m calling to let you know that I accept your proposal.”
Kagami sat up straight. “You’re kidding.”
“Of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“I mean, I kinda messed it up.”
“You mess up a lot of things, Taiga-kun but I still love you.”
Kagami’s face fell. “I know you’re tryna make me feel better but did you have to phrase it like that?”
Kuroko smiled. “I’ll see you home, Taiga-kun.”
“Bye, I love you.” Kagami ended the call and put his phone on the table. “Uh...so...I’m engaged now…”
“ABOUT TIME,” Aomine shouted from the crowd. “I was surprised when you didn’t immediately propose when we came to America.”
“Oh my god…” Kagami hid his face behind his hands again.
“Also is your ringtone for Tetsu really a Carly Rae Jepsen song.”
“It’s a good song, shut up!”
The public didn’t find out what Kuroko looked like until their wedding day. They were very surprised to say the least. They didn’t know what to expect but they didn’t expect Kagami’s boyfriend to be almost a foot shorter than him and to look so fragile. But the way Kagami looked at Kuroko while they were standing at the altar showed that he was in love with him for years.
The wedding was in Tokyo. Though they said that it didn’t matter where they got married, they knew it had to happen in Tokyo. That was where they met and that was where they fell in love. It was also where all their friends and family was. It only made sense to get married in Japan.
Kagami stood across from Kuroko wearing a black suit and Kuroko held onto his hands while wearing a white suit. It was years since high school, but the light and shadow theme never left them.
“I’m not really good with words,” Kagami said as he started his vows. “But I can say that you’re like super important to me. You’ve been there for me since the beginning and you’ve never let me down. Without you, I probably wouldn’t enjoy life as much as I do now. I tell you this like all the time, but I love you so much.”
Kuroko smiled and Kagami’s heart squeezed in his chest. It was always a beautiful sight, even after all these years.
“I’m going to be honest, Taiga-kun. I never expected that I would move my entire life to America and get married to an awkward NBA player but I’m incredibly glad that I did. I don’t know how my life would’ve turned out if I didn’t meet you or didn’t move to America, but I can’t imagine that I would be as happy as I am now with you. I love you too, Taiga-kun.”
When they kissed, it felt like when they finally saw each other after two years of being separated by an ocean. It felt like they were where they belonged. It felt like pure joy bursting in their hearts. It felt like the love they felt for each other when they were sixteen. The love that never faded, that could never fade.
It felt like they were home.