#knb spoilers

[evelhak]

Hey! So we talked about Kuroko and Haizaki, and now I’m curious in your vision of other Kuroko interactions.

Not shipwise, since I know you only do kagakuro, but in terms of dynamics, what are your fav characters to write Kuroko with?

Lets say, top 3 GoM and top 3 non-Gom?

Oh my friend how you're letting me go nuts again.

May I suggest you get a cup of your favourite drink and maybe some snacks?

Also how do you expect me to choose...? Hmm okay, to make things slightly easier for myself I'll exclude Kagami of course since I've been talking about them a lot already and I also believe I've talked about Momoi at length at least twice in relation to Kuroko so I'll define GOM in the strictest sense for this, but I also won't count either of them as non-GOM haha. I hope that makes sense.

Okay, not surprisingly, I'm going to start with Aomine. I love writing him with Kuroko particularly because when he's at his worst they are absolute poison to each other and they don't really even know it for lot of the time or at least understand why, and that makes for peak relationships drama. (It's complex and I love it.) They have a particular way of feeding each other's weaknesses. When Aomine is stressed out, average Kuroko's communication style and philosophy actually makes him worse in the long run. Also Aomine at his worst makes Kuroko worse. This is because Kuroko's weaknesses at his most stressed resemble some of average Aomine's weaknesses (anxious, lonely and pessimistic) while average Kuroko's optimism and understanding actually give Aomine more room to spiral down because what he's subconsciously looking for is pushback and someone he can trust to practically force him to get it together and average Kuroko is always going to be too accepting for that. However. Here's the cool part. Aomine at his best has some of the strengths of average Kuroko (loyal, secure, taking care of others) which is why when he's getting better he's drawn to Kuroko's typical idealism and particularly when Kuroko is getting worse, Aomine actually steps up, and can empathise with Kuroko at his weakest because while it's a rock bottom for Kuroko it's all actually pretty mundane to Aomine and he can stay quite level-headed about it. Meanwhile Kuroko at his best can direct the same qualities productively as Aomine at his worst does destructively (confidence, independence, stubbornness), and that's why at his best Kuroko appears like he has got the answers Aomine has been looking for after all, because Aomine is actually looking for trust but he needs hard proof for it unlike Kuroko who at his average is just able to trust that things will turn out alright for no particular reason. This is in a nutshell why I love writing the larger scale of their dynamic. It just makes for such interesting plot twists.

Also it's so God damn funny sometimes. Like, I was writing a scene where Kuroko is pretty significantly sick and Aomine is pretty significantly enlightened and although it was a rather serious scene in my story, I just happened to come across a song from some musical that illustrates the inherent comedy of their practically reversed dynamic a 100%.

For contrast here's bit from Kuroko's POV when he had to take care of drunk Aomine:

I just find them hilarious to write and they bring me so much joy.

Then, I suppose the next one will have to be Kise. I just love how they poke at each other's insecurities and how incompatible their communication styles are. You're probably seeing a theme here? I just love it when characters' personalities collide in a way that causes a lot of friction and ultimately provides opportunities for growth, so long as both are eventually willing to go out of their comfort zone. Of course it's only so satisfying because there's so much they can help each other learn, which is true here as well. Kise and Kuroko can both be particularly annoying to each other, because Kise has this habit of putting the burden of interpretation of how serious he is on the other person and that really doesn't work with Kuroko so he's often particularly dismissive of Kise. And while Kise seems like he's bothered by it I think he actually finds it reassuring because it means that with Kuroko he can be as goofy, flirty, needy and attention-seeking as he pleases with zero consequences because Kuroko just deflects it. Obviously Kise actually doesn't want the kind of attention from his friends that he gets from elsewhere, so at his core he doesn't actually feel rejected by Kuroko, he feels quite secure. Meanwhile, I think Kuroko secretly likes the attention he's getting from Kise, because everyone needs some attention. Kise is getting too much so he finds Kuroko relaxing and Kuroko is getting too little so he finds Kise refreshing. And annoying. Because Kuroko actually craves direct and genuine interaction the most, and that's why Kise's way of avoiding it can get really tiresome for him, meanwhile Kise becomes instantly self-conscious and evasive when Kuroko attempts to get some unambiguously genuine expression of feelings out of him (unless they're on the basketball court of course where it's suddenly okay to let things go to your feels). So, as I want to develop their communication I end up writing stuff where Kuroko is quite fed up with their shallow interactions and attempts to get more under Kise's skin, which of course is way too much emotional work for Kise. But it slowly gets better, of course.

A lot of their interactions for me are also based on how Kuroko needs more of Kise's easy breezy "do things for the heck of it and don't think about the deeper meaning" attitude while Kise obviously needs the exact opposite and Kuroko is a great person to make him think about what things he's just doing because it's easy and provides instant gratification, and which things he would actually find meaningful in the long run. Kise has opportunities to make Kuroko less serious and Kuroko has opportunities to make Kise more so. I think Kuroko very much dislikes any shallow or vain feelings that he has and rejects them, but Kise can help him be more comfortable with that part of humanity, while Kise is scared of his deeper feelings, and Kuroko can help him with that instead. So both can find that the feelings they dislike in themselves or make them anxious still have their place and it's better to get acquainted with them.

It takes quite some time for them to get to a point they can understand this because it's obviously not fun trying to consciously work on your insecurities, but when they get there it's really satisfying.

Now I kind of feel like showing this development. So, here are three scene's from Kuroko's POV. Although two of them are with Kagami, but they are talking about Kise.

First one is a conversation on the phone.

About ten chapters later with Kise:

And then about 20 chapters later:

I just wanted to show you because writing this kind of development makes me so excited. (The sport they're talking about is quidditch/quadball.)

The third place is a really tough one because I enjoy writing Kuroko's interactions with every GOM and I think the reason I'm going to have to pick Midorima is actually not because I inherently prefer him, it's because his interactions with Kuroko naturally happen more because he lives closer than Akashi and Murasakibara. But this is how it is because the more I write interactions with characters the more I begin to like them. Kuroko and Midorima are a blast because of their completely opposing conceptualisations of the world. The funny thing is that they might not actually be as opposing as they seem, it's just that they are looking at the same thing from different angles and describing it in language that leads them to believe they disagree more than they do. Yes they also have completely different strategies to getting where they want but maybe it's not as stark as they sometimes seem to believe. This is where the most friction in their relationship comes from and I have done my absolute best to be fair about it, because I am so much more likely to see things in Kuroko's way and I despise horoscopes. So I think another reason I like to write these two so much is that it challenges my objectivity in a particular way.

Anyway, basically Midorima describes fate as something that is above humans while Kuroko basically says you can make your own fate, if you really simplify it.

But. I have these song lyrics in my mind...

"You can plan a pretty picnic, you can pick the perfect time, but you can't expect the weather to be fine".

That thought is still true for both of them. They would both agree to that from their different perspectives. So their views are not actually complete opposites. Just their reactions and how they deal with it, are.

As funny as it sounds, Midorima is actually uncomfortable with the 'supernatural' or abstract unseen realm of things, and that's why he's looking at sources outside of himself to control his thoughts about that which is uncertain. Meanwhile Kuroko can just casually be like "hey what if a meteorite hit the bench" and "cool let's go look for ghosts I've never actually seen one" because he doesn't fear the uncertainty. He is the uncertainty. For Midorima that is his pressure point. Kuroko gets strength from the thought that anything can happen because he feels familiar with and in control of the uncertain, so he believes he can work it to his advantage. For Midorima the idea that anything can happen is daunting because it feels like it pulls the rug from under him and his hard work. He just genuinely doesn't understand that realm of things, much like Kuroko just genuinely doesn't understand cold hard facts and numbers. And that's why they have trouble understanding each other, because they are always approaching things so differently even when they desire the same conclusion.

Anyway. I wanted to do something with Midorima that I felt canon didn't really do. I wanted his way of thinking to get Kuroko off guard and even question his view of reality a little. I wanted Midorima to be able to foresee something about Kuroko because of his strange relationship with fate and I wanted Kuroko to dismiss it because he thinks his way of thinking is above Midorima's. And ultimately Kuroko would be wrong. I thought this would bring more depth to their relationship.

I'm going to show you one key scene in that plot to illustrate some of the tensions in their interactions. This is Kuroko's POV and they are at Suutoku's cultural festival where Midorima is doing fortune-telling from tea leafs.

Alright, that's it for the GOM. I wonder if there's a limit with post length...

Then the others.

Well, there's Ogiwara. And he was not so discussed in depth in canon that I have definitely developed some of his personality on my own. He was obviously contrasted with Kagami and Aomine a lot and explicitly said to have some similarities but the way I see him, he is also similar to Momoi and Kiyoshi in a particular and pretty defining aspect, and that is that he can control the emotional atmosphere of the room. So, while Aomine and Kagami have a lot of physical presence, Ogiwara and these other two characters have a lot of social presence. But the way I see it Ogiwara is also the least manipulative of these examples, pretty chill in the way that he has less of an objective, like it's rarer for him to try to manipulate things to a particular end although he generally could if he wanted to. And I think that's because he mostly just wants everyone to be happy and to have a good time, which aligns well with Kuroko's instincts, so it's no wonder if their friendship was a pretty uncomplicated one before shit hit the fan.

There's actually very little conflict between them in canon that has anything to do with them as individuals. However that's also what makes the relationship kind of stagnant and less interesting because when there's no outside force, then there's nothing about them as people that makes them push each other enough to create the level of conflict and opportunity for growth as there is with some other characters. In some ways that's refreshing, but only as a breath of fresh air. Basically in a story it just makes for nice filler. There isn't enough meat to write for an extended period of time.

That's why, if I wanted to keep Ogiwara in the story in any meaningful way, I had to make something up, and I do enjoy what I came up with. A lot. One key aspect is miscommunication that is due to the fact that although Ogiwara is socially very smooth he doesn't quite understand that Kuroko is actually significantly less so, probably because Kuroko still has emotional intelligence and the ability to match a more a dominant personality (I mean this in a broad sense, not like dominating or something) in a way that makes interaction feel smooth, because the other person is the leading force whether they mean to be or not because Kuroko can pretty much just make it so. (Like in Kagami's case it's more like Kuroko is redirecting a lot of Kagami's emotions so he's not actually dominating it's more like he's Kuroko's 'material' unlike Ogiwara who actually means to lead the interaction.) So, Ogiwara has a habit of implying things, hinting at things, speaking with gestures and believing that Kuroko understands what he's saying, but actually the implications go completely over Kuroko's head. For example, their whole promise: Kuroko didn't understand that more than anything, for Ogiwara it was about staying in touch. Of course facing each other in a game was important and exciting in and of itself, but Kuroko took that way more literally than Ogiwara meant it, and became so single-minded about this one thing he thought his friend wanted from him, that he actually kind of forgot about talking, which led Ogiwara to misinterpreted it as Kuroko not missing their everyday interaction as much as he does. Because Ogiwara thought the implication of their promise was totally clear, while to Kuroko it wasn't. It takes kind of a lot to start seeing why things that are totally clear to one aren't so for another, so they repeat this miscommunication several times and it stretches out into the future so much that it turns out Kuroko's view of their childhood is in some significant ways different from Ogiwara's view of the same events.

Writing more of them together I also found that Ogiwara sees Kuroko in a quite different way from most people and can sometimes say stuff that other people probably wouldn't say:

I'm not saying he's right or wrong, and out of context it may seem like he's undermining the fact that Kuroko didn't have much options, but it's more complicated than that, just too much to explain here. I just put this here because it's interesting contrast to write someone with a little bit different perspective to some things, because his key points with Kuroko have been so different from that of the other characters in the canon timeline which Ogiwara was mostly absent for.

A character whose interactions with Kuroko I actually write way less than I would like is Furihata. Because they have similar temperaments in ways pretty much no other characters do, and I feel they would make the kind of friends who are perfect for peer support and venting to, if either of them could just be a little more proactive about it, but that's the difficulty with a similar temperament, isn't it? It's not just my fault, it's not just that the story is already so bloated from these other relationships, it's that both of them are also going to respect each other's space too much and are generally the type to just sort of let things in relationships develop in their own time. Obviously they both have a lot of drive to make things happen when they need to, but when they don't need to, they are both the type to be more likely to just sit back and watch things develop. So circumstances would need to force them closer to get closer. So far such circumstances happen here and there but not that much. Most often it's Furihata needing emotional support and Kuroko being there, because he has already gone through the same thing. This happens several times in my writing. It takes a while for things to turn the other way around because Furihata is more likely to seek comfort from someone, and Kuroko is more reserved in that way, but once Furihata grows aware of their similarities and differences he also makes more effort to make sure Kuroko knows he can be relied upon too, which fits quite well with Furihata's growth into a captain which is part of my headcanon too.

This is probably his sharpest moment so far, after Seirin's darkest moment in my story. (Kagami's POV)

Then there's Yagi who practically counts as an OC because I've invented like 90% of his personality but I love him so I'm going to talk about him. Yagi is sort of like if Aomine and Furihata fused in some ways. His insecurities come from lack of experience and skills but he reacts to them in a similar way as Aomine to his overwhelming skills, feeling like he's alone and no one can possibly help him. He's more even-tempered and timid, but his negativity comes through in a passive-agressive way and he basically needs someone to kick his butt at all times and he punishes people emotionally if they don't. You can imagine this creates some very intense conflict with Kuroko whose gentle approach to helping Yagi integrate into the team just... doesn't work AT ALL because he's an even harder person for Kuroko to be tough on than Aomine. Kuroko can kick butt when it's Kagami or another openly aggressive person as long as they are not being vulnerable. But Yagi is like... Nope. Nothing is getting through because he wants someone to boss him around but you're supposed to figure that out on your own and Kuroko wants someone who will tell him what they need from him. Match made in heaven right. Well, still it's not hopeless once Kuroko does figure out which string to pull (with the help of Aomine haha). But yeah, it's a minefield. (Not to mention Yagi also starts out as homophobic.) But they do develop when Kuroko realises that he needs something new to help him stay out of sight and Yagi is exactly that because he's radiating negative, passive energy as much as Kagami is radiating positive, active energy so when Kuroko uses both of them he has a double cover as the neutral point between these two energies. But what makes this difficult for Kuroko to figure out is that while Kuroko is technically using Kagami to hide himself he's not using Kagami in a sense that he would need to control him. Kagami is doing what Kagami wants, and Kuroko is using that which Kagami would be doing anyway. But Yagi isn't going to do anything unless someone makes him. It is when Kuroko realizes that Yagi is actually begging to be used, that the game changes. Despite of appearing otherwise Yagi has basically zero ego. He just wants to be useful but he wants other people to tell him how. (Akashi should have used someone like Yagi not Mayu lol.) This was difficult for Kuroko to get, because despite of being as team-oriented as he is, being a shadow was still always a sacrifice for him. Had he been able to he would have wanted to be more "normal". And he still does have enough ego to want to create something for himself and be in control even if it's in a less traditional more subtle way, and he mistakenly believed Yagi would want the same. But Yagi doesn't have that kind of desire. Kuroko is willing to sacrifice himself. Yagi enjoys it. Yagi is a "soldier". Well, in this case, Kuroko is the trickster and Yagi is the rabbit= the star of the magic show who isn't actually doing anything but who things are being done to.

Or...? (Kuroko's POV)

I just love to play with metaphors.

I don't have the best action writing skills to get the most exciting games out of this idea (and a lot of it is probably so out there that it wouldn't even work) but I am actually very proud of how it plays in the interpersonal and metaphorical realm of the story.

Okay. That's it for now. Looks like I didn't run out of space. I hope I managed to keep you interested.

[loves061]

Two Became One: Why Does It Hurt?

A/N: This is a very self-indulgent fanfiction I wrote. It contains spoiler about The Last Game movie. You've been warned, I guess. The game progressed until it reached the fourth quarter. Ellie cheered for Seijuro, firmly believing in her faith on him that he can turn the tides to their favor and he will lead the team to win. However, seeing Nash’s true form still made Ellie nervous.

When the score went back to the four-point difference, Ellie felt her heart aching, as if it was being gripped by something and being squeezed tight. She was looking at Seijuro in shock, unbelieving of what her intuition is telling her.

“I was a persona who shouldn’t have existed in the first place. Just being able to play with everyone is an awfully large farewell gift for me. Thank you.”

In that instance, Ellie knew that her Sei-chan had disappeared. She could deduce that it was for the sake of winning, for the sake of getting back at Jobberwock and Nash for mocking the basketball they played. But it still hurts so much that she couldn’t help but cry. Even when Midorima scored a three-pointer resulting to only a point difference in the score between Vorpal Swords and Jobberwock, Ellie couldn’t cheer anymore. She couldn’t be as happy as before, as cheerful as before.

This feeling is as if your loved one was suddenly taken away from you, and all of a sudden you realized they wouldn’t exist in your life anymore, with only your memories as a proof that they had once been with you.

The game ended with Vorpal Swords winning, but Ellie was unable to celebrate. Seijuro saw her crying and he immediately ran to her and scooped her into his arms. The Miracle Captain knew that no words can console Ellie right now. The members also let the two of them be, especially the Miracles. They knew that it must have been agonizing for Ellie to see her Sei-chan disappeared.

“Ellie,” Seijuro cupped Ellie’s face and wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks, “I know you care for and love him equally, and I can see that you are hurting. But he and I are now one and whole. Won’t you be happy for us?” As he asked that, Seijuro bent down and kissed Ellie’s forehead.

Ellie hiccupped as she hugged Seijuro tightly, burying her face in the man’s sturdy chest, not minding how Seijuro was covered in sweat: “Rationally, I know and understand. But it really hurts. I just... love you so much. I love all of you, including him.”

“I know, Ellie. And we, no, I love you so much more.” Seijuro answered as he planted a gentle kiss on Ellie’s lips. A/N: This is a very self-indulgent short fanfic about my reaction on Sei's another persona disappearing in The Last Game movie.

[maiiyahh]

why sports anime charas wouldn't immediately get folded by ppl from shounens

okay so obviously this isn't going to talk about people from REALLY REALLY op verses like fucking dragonball or bleach or one piece, because literally everyone gets folded by them except for ppl from their own worlds and the mcs from those shitty reincarnated time-traveling tower climbing bullshit manhwas. i will mainly be talking about my hero academia and black clover bc these are the two that i think are somewhat 'weaker' (relatively!! relatively!!!!) compared to other mangas and animes ive seen. also when im refering to shounen i mean like,, ones with powers. ALSO, and this is really important, I AM NOT SAYING THAT THE SPORTS CHARACTERS WOULD WIN. i'm just saying that they're stronger than they get credit for, especially since a lot of people who i see debating this stuff aren't athletes and don't really understand how sport affects you in other parts of your life (including but not limited to fights)

SO!! point 1!! i think this gets swept under the carpet a lot whenever ppl are debating who's better, but powers that work in a specific sport can be translated into something outside of that sport. take midorima from knb as an example: he can shoot really good 3-pointers. well, outside of basketball, that probably means that he would have: a, really good spatial awareness since he never loses the ball or bumps into someone while shooting, b, insane hand-eye coordination, and c, crazy accuracy whenever he throws stuff in general. that's all stuff that's pretty useful in a fight, ngl. honestly, this skillset is kinda better than half the ppl in class 1a. like, sure, they've got quirks, but take away their quirks and most of them are basically useless.

POINT TWO. if a character has a power like isagi's meta vision or kuroko's vanishing thing (idk if it has a name) it's not gonna go away as soon as they get in a fight. meta vision literally lets isagi predict the future. there is no reason why this ability wouldn't give him the upper hand in a fight with someone else. especially since it's not strictly confined to football. the only thing he needs is data, and he can get a lot of that from watching fights. honestly, meta vision is so broken that i just know if he was in bnha it would count as a quirk.

POINT THREE, specifically for people like kise ryouta and reo mikage. anyone who can copy other people will still be able to do it. like obviously they're not gonna be able to shoot fire or do a domain expansion or summon a stand or any of that shit, but they can still copy physical moves. so if they go watch 100 videos of ppl doing krav maga or some shit they'll be able to do it, which would make them pretty strong. considering how in bnha (sorry bnha fans ur anime is just the easiest to compare too) people with more mentally-focused quirks can become really strong just by relying on a weapon or learning some sort of fighting style. in black clover literally half the people get beaten up by some kid who has zero magic and a sword. like, what's stopping kise from grabbing a sword and slamming into some random ua kid's head?? it's not like they'd see it coming.

okay i know you're getting sick of me at this point but just hear me out

sports anime are only underrated in fights because people assume that every single person with powers immediately solos. like, normally they do, but a lot of the time it's not a zero diff fight, like come on. sure, zoro would kill hinata, but would yaomomo really beat reo mikage?? like are you sure?? are you only going off the fact that since she has powers she wins?? think about it for a second, please, i beg of you. powers =/= strong. thank you for coming to my ted talk.

[shutokushintaro]

not to be insane but anyone else only like watching something once the hype has died down

[knbposting]

btw since cringe is dead i watch knb like im at a real tournament including shouting defence defence defence and GOOOO KAGAMIIIIIIIIIII

[lilithspade]

Leitura 10 de 2023

Kuroko no Basket vol 15

Tadatoshi Fujimaki

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Esse é o volume que dá uma virada total nessa história.

Da primeira vez que li Kuroko o Aomine era meu personagem favorito e na releitura ele não fez por menos. Dentre os membros da geração milagrosa ele é o mais interessante até então. Os jogos contra o Touou são sempre os capítulos mais emocionantes na minha opinião. Isso é um dos fatores que faz esse volume tão bom.

O outro é que esse volume introduz o zone e Kuroko passa de manga de esportes, oficialmente pra shonen com poderzinho.

Não dá pra negar que esse volume tem alguns dos painéis mais bem desenhados e com maior peso dramático até então, mas lembro que perdi o interesse em Kuroko pouco depois dessa mudança na primeira vez. Vamos ver se agora eu consigo ler até o final.

[bokutosbiceps]

‘tis the season | kuroko no basuke

gom minus kuroko plus kagami x gn!reader | fluff | ~1.4k words

warnings: some suggestive/18+ themes but nothing explicit, uh—rudolph spoilers? i guess? also some cursing

a/n: welcome to my xmas special for the kuroko no basuke boys !! as usual, i chose to write for GOM (minus kuroko) + kagami. ALSO i realized i never ever specified that, in every single one of my pieces for knb, all of the GOM + kagami are aged up to college. pls enjoy 🎄

18+ MDNI | under the cut for length

akashi seijuurou’s favorite christmas tradition is attending a christmas concert. he always remembers how his mother would help him get all dressed up, how his father would actually turn off his phone for the evening, they’d go to a lovely dinner, and then they’d . but now his mother’s gone and his father is consumed by his work—so he goes with you! it’s different of course, but he loves being able to see you dressed up just for him and take you out to a nice dinner, just the two of you. no teammates allowed. 

seijuurou is the perfect gentleman all night, keeping a strong arm around your waist and pressing his side into yours for warmth while you make the short walk from the restaurant to the concert hall. and once the concert hall lights are dimmed, he’s intertwining his fingers with yours and caressing the back of your hand with his thumb, whispering a sweet merry christmas, my love to you before pressing a kiss to your temple.

aomine daiki can be found napping by the fireplace like a big cat as soon as it gets just a little bit cold outside. is he planning on doing anything else once he’s stretched out by the fire? nope. is he moaning and groaning for you to come lay down next to him while you’re decorating your place for the holidays? yep. 

“oi, you’re making too much noise…can’t fall asleep.” daiki complains, earning a narrow eyed glare from you. 

“dai, if you would just help—”  you yelp as you feel your arm getting tugged down, ending up on your butt. daiki hasn't even opened his eyes, but he's pulling you down till your face is pressed into his chest.

“chill. i'll help you after we get some shut eye, aight?” daiki drones, placing his hand on your ass to keep you in place and resting his chin on top of your head. you just sigh and relax, leaning against daiki and reluctantly reveling in the warmth of him and the fire.

kagami taiga and ice skating do not mix. taiga had thought it’d be fun and romantic to take you on an ice skating date for christmas eve. you’d be clinging to the side of the rink and he’d be your tall and steady hero, ready to glide around the ice with you clinging to him as your savior. he did not expect for it to be the other way around.

“s-s-slow down, y/n!” kagami stutters as you slowly glide to the edge of the rink so he can have something more tangible to hold on to. your shoulders were sore from the way your hulking boyfriend had been gripping them as you lead him around the ice.  

“i’d have thought someone who’s such a capable athlete wouldn’t be so terrible at ice skating.” you purse your lips, unable to keep the teasing smile from spreading across your lips. “do basketball players not have to have balance?”

“shut up!” taiga huffs as he slaps his palms down onto the railing of the rink. he turns to you with a pout on his lips. “i’ll get the hang of it soon…you’ll see!” his blush is spreading to the tips of his ears and you know he undoubtedly feels embarrassed. you skate over to him and press your body against his, backing him up against the edge of the rink and leaning up to place a quick kiss to his nose.

“i believe in you, taiga.”

kise ryouta loves watching christmas movies! a cozy, plush throw wrapped around his shoulders, fuzzy socks on his feet, a nice cup of hot cocoa in his hands, and you cuddled into his side. his favorite movie is the very old, claymation rudolph the red nose reindeer because he just adores the blonde elf who aspires to be a dentist. i feel so connected to him somehow! kise always says, excitedly pointing at the screen when the elf first shows up in the movie. 

he’ll sing along to every single song, grabbing you by the shoulders and swaying the two of you along to the beat or picking up your hands and making them move along to the melody. and, of course, without fail, he will bawl his eyes out when rudolph is chosen to lead santa’s sleigh on christmas eve. 

“ryou, you’ve watched this movie every year for as long as you’ve known yourself…why do you cry every time?” you tease, reaching up to gently pinch his cheeks, already red from crying.

ryouta wraps his arms tighter around you, pulling you against his chest like you’re a big plushie, and buries his face in your hair.

“i can’t help it! he’s head reindeer…just like his dad!” ryouta sniffles, holding you close. you just giggle and hug him back, trying to comfort your big baby because of an eighty year old movie.

midorima shintarou hates going to the christmas market. not because you’re there—you’re actually the only reason his team gets to enjoy his presence at the market. he hates it because his entire team shows up and is dragging him around the market, asking him which little knick knacks he enjoys. his team knows that shintarou is a difficult man to shop for, so they like to take him to the christmas market and get his direct opinion on things.

shintarou the introvert finds this little tradition exhausting; being pulled every which way, giving his opinion on every single little thing that his friends might think he likes, having to explain that he is not a collector, nanodayo and that he just needs them for his lucky items.

shintarou’s favorite part of the evening is when his friends say goodnight and leave you and him to wander the christmas market on your own. you always have to calm him down after his friends leave, because they really do bring up straight to his boiling pot and leave you to bring the heat down to a simmer.

he decides this is nice, though, since no one’s asking him if he likes this or that or if he’d smile if he happened to get this for christmas. he’s not too keen on PDA, but he will take your hand in his and hold it gently while you walk through the various stalls (again). it’s just you and him, your intertwined hands, and the little trails of frozen carbon dioxide you leave in puffs behind you. 

murasakibara atsushi is competitive when it comes to decorating christmas cookies. he will constantly be looking over your shoulder at your work and making little quips and comments about what you should have done.

“i didn’t know you were such a professional, sushi.” you say, eyes focused and brows furrowed as you move the piping bag in various circles and half moons along the golden, baked dough of the cookies.

“of course, i am. this is literally my job.” atsushi drones, expertly icing the cookies and using a fine tip piping bag to draw intricate decorations on top. you glance over at his cookies and notice how perfect they are. damn, you really didn’t realize he was a literal professional. 

unfortunately for you, you stay admiring atsushi’s cookies for too long and leave yours unprotected from selfish, needy hands. atsushi swiftly moves behind you, moving you to the side with his hands on your hips, then swipes a half iced cookie from your baking sheet.

“murasakibara atsushi! i wasn’t done with that one!” you gently beat your fist against atsushi’s solid chest, causing him to huff in protest.

“doesn’t matter, looks like shit anyways.” atsushi hums and finishes the cookie in one bite, licking his fingers happily. “tastes delicious, though.” atsushi smiles and turns back to your baking sheet, looming over the rest of your cookies. you move between him and the counter and spread your arms wide, hoping to guard your cookies from the ex basketball player turned pastry chef. 

“i can offer you something sweeter if you leave my cookies alone!” you plead. atsushi raises an eyebrow at you as if to say gimme it then and you smile innocently at him. you turn your head to the side and tap your cheek with your index finger.

atsushi understands your gesture and a deep chuckle rumbles up from his chest as he leans in to place a frosting speckled peck to your cheek.

“y/n-chin knows i can’t resist her. my favorite treat.”

taglist: none! lemme know if you wanna be added to my knb taglist ✨

[sxtvrns]

kiss witness

🎶 now playing: old with you - grentperez

P: Tetsuya Kuroko x Fem!Reader

S: Your last year of junior high may have not been the smartest time to start going out with Tetsu. Puppy love was fragile with the transition into high school meaning potentially going separate ways, but the sport that brought you together in the past brings you closer after finding out your boyfriend is going to the same school as you.

W: fluff, knb spoilers, a tad bit rushed, goes over first bit of first season, bare minimum of basketball knowledge

N: Y/N is your first name, L/N is your last name. Words in quotation marks and italics are thoughts. I’ve only watched the first season so far but me and my friend have been screaming at every single competitive game. Giving the blueberry some love since he deserves it. I’ve been wanting to get this out of my drafts since the Suga blurb did so well.

please interact if you enjoy!

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A tall man with red hair lingers at the basketball club recruitment table for a moment, writing something down before walking away. “Are you sure you don’t have any questions for them, Tetsu?” You ask, looking at your practically invisible boyfriend.

“No. I’d rather you do all the talking.” He says, dragging you along with him to the table. They don’t seem to notice him standing right beside you, their attention focused on you. “Hi! Are you looking to sign up for the basketball club?” The girl asks, an eager smile on her face. “I don’t think this school has a girl’s team... but I was just wondering if there were manager spots open.”

‘She’s so pretty… is she really a first year?’

She looks at you with a glimmer in her eyes, her clasping your hands together while jumping up and down. “Yes! Yes, absolutely– we could definitely use a manager. Do you have the sheet?” Her hands are practically begging to receive the document. “Riko, calm down…” The man seated beside her says, you taking the pen from the clipboard and writing down some extra details before giving her the paper.

You check for Kuroko’s sheet on the desk, him simply lingering behind you with a gentle grip on your wrist. “Thank you so much, we’ll see you at practice!” She exclaims, a dead giveaway that you made it onto the team.

“Yo, you forgot this club request.” Koga says, handing his coach the sheet. “Oh, sorry. Tetsuya Kuroko… huh?” Riko’s suddenly shaken by her team captain, him nearly crumpling your sheet. “What’s going on with you? Calm down, seriously!” She says, Hyuga completely ignoring her. “She’s– that girl is from Teiko!”

“Huh!?” Riko then looks back at the sheet she was holding in her hand, being left equally shocked. “This guy’s also from the Teiko basketball club! If they’re both first years, then they must be from the Generation of Miracles!” She suddenly slams her head down on the desk, wailing. “Ugh, why can’t I remember that golden egg’s face?”

“Tetsu, they didn’t even notice you. I know it’s a part of your whole thing and all, but sometimes it gets to me, how you’re always… ignored.” Both of you trail behind the tall, red headed man from earlier, Tetsu’s grip moving from your wrist to your hand. “It’s okay, Y/N. I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine. I like it when you’re the only one that sees me.”

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“Aida!” You greet from the door, Tetsu holding onto your hand as you walk towards her. Given his lack of presence, he didn’t seem to be worried about keeping your relationship a secret. If something happens, it happens. If they find out about you two, then they find out. “L/N! Welcome! I’m so glad we have a manager this year; it’s gonna be so fun having another girl on the team!”

“Are you the coach? Or is there someone else?” You ask, looking around the mostly empty gym. “I’m the coach! Everyone thinks I’m the manager all the time…” She sighs, understanding why one would assume so. Aida is pulled aside by one of the boys, leaving you to observe the rest of the players.

“Y/N, where do I go?” Tetsu asks, also staring at the players. “Go with them. Line up.” He nods, letting go of your hand and going to join the players. He doesn’t say anything, mostly because he’s being ignored but even so, you felt a little bad.

“Hey, isn’t the manager cute?” Furihata whispers. “I think she’s in our year. She’s kinda sexy.” Kawahara replies, both of the boys being punched in the back of the heads by Hyuga. “Morons.” Aida introduces herself, her true position on the team coaxing gasps out of everyone. “Listen up!” She yells, attention being brought to you.

“Y/N L/N. I’m the basketball club manager this year.” You introduce, feeling awkward saying your own name. “L/N, is this your first year managing?” Someone asks, you shaking your head no. “I managed for Teiko in junior high. I’ve played a bit of basketball myself.”

Aida then takes the stage from there after gasps could lead to more questions, her first order a strange one that caught you off guard. Your eyes darted towards her and shifted between her and Tetsu repeatedly, realizing he never took his shirt off.

“Aida, you forgot someone.” Everyone seems to give you a confused look. “What? Who?” You point at Kuroko. It isn’t until he fully introduces himself that everyone finally notices, the fact that he was also part of the Generation of Miracles suddenly relevant. To your demise, no one seemed to believe him.

Practice was more of an introductory to the members and program, for there was no actual playing involved. You met with Tetsu outside the gym, his hand fitting with yours. It was a small but meaningful gesture and almost the only one that he did to express affection. “Y/N, are you okay with walking alone?” He says after his attention was suddenly brought to something else.

“I am, are you?”

He nods, giving you a hug before walking the opposite direction.

Sometimes you can’t tell what your boyfriend is thinking.

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“A practice game? With the second years?” You ask, dribbling the game ball. “Just so they get a feel for who they’re playing with. I also wanna see how the first years do, so I can coach them better.” Aida explains, watching you dribble the basketball. “You said you played, right? Unfortunate we don’t have a girls team.”

You shrug. “I was good.” She cocks an eyebrow, now curious. “How good?” Her arms are crossed, her intense stare focused on you. You crouch, dribbling the ball in between your legs followed by a behind the back, approaching the net with solid dribbles, running under to make a reverse layup.

“I obviously can’t dunk, but…” You quickly run out to the three point line, the spin on your shot so perfect that it goes in swiftly, rolling back to you. “I was taught some things at Teiko.” Aida’s mouth hangs open, the sight of her frozen nearly scaring you. “You’re amazing! Why’d you quit?” She took the ball from you. “It wasn’t something I enjoyed. I don’t want my whole life to revolve around doing something that I didn’t want to do.”

“I can understand that.” She says, yelling at the boys that walked in to hurry up. Hyuga ruffles your hair out of nowhere. “We got a sharpshooter!” He goes to talk to the coach, Tetsu appearing beside you. “When will you teach me how to shoot?” His head rests on top of yours, making you giggle. “When you actually pay attention when I try to. You’re always spacing out.”

“I do not.”

“You know I read you better than anyone else. Yes, you do. Now go join your team. I’ll be with Aida.” You hand him a penny jersey, noticing him reluctantly walk away from you to linger behind the red haired boy, who you found out was Kagami, his presence not noticed by his team like usual. Even when the game started, it was like they couldn’t see Tetsu the entire time. Kagami took the lead the entire time, dunk after dunk.

It wasn’t until Tetsu actually said something for once that the first years finally noticed him. In fact, everyone finally noticed him when he was under fire from Kagami.

“Hey!” Your voice booms across the gym, your stare hard and cold at the tall boy. “Drop it.” You add, the first years suddenly freezing up and going back to the game. Aida’s eyes are wide at their instant submission, surprised at the power you seem to hold despite it being only the second practice.

You cheer after he finally pulled off his ghost touch pass for the first time, the trick being pulled off again and again there on. You changed the score with such enthusiasm, Aida had to remind you twice to do so. The takeback practically had your heart racing at the end, giving a gleeful double high five to Tetsu before taking the pennies back.

Aida saw both you and Kuroko out of the corner of her eye as she was putting away the small scoreboard, your head resting against his arm for a brief moment. She didn’t think anything of it, while the second year players thought otherwise.

Meanwhile Tetsu held your hand as you walked across the street, stating that he deserved a treat for winning the practice game today. It worked out since you were also hungry, having a small lunch today. He waited at a table booth while you ordered, his signature vanilla shake and a burger and fries for you.

You sat beside him, Tetsu talking about his classes that day while sipping on his drink to let you eat without interruptions. It was nice having something he didn’t share with others; Tetsu’s talkative side mostly reserved for situations when it was just you two. Otherwise, he was never this chatty with people.

Someone suddenly sits down in front of you, the amount of burgers on their tray making your eyes go wide. Only then you realize that it’s…

“Kagami?” His head perks up at the sound of his name, eyes on you first before he sees Kuroko beside you. He nearly chokes on his food, bewildered to see the two of you together. “Hello.” Kuroko greets, sipping on his drink. “Where’d you come from? What are you doing here?!” Kagami seems more surprised at the fact Kuroko was there, making you the invisible one.

“I was sitting here first. Me and my girlfriend stopped by to eat. I like this place’s vanilla shakes.” The sudden mention of the label makes your face heat up and hide your face in his shoulder. “Tetsu…” He looks at you, confused. “What? Are you not?” You really don’t feel like dumbing it down in front of Kagami. “I am, but it was so sudden.”

“Girlfriend?! You two are dating!?” Kuroko nods, taking a fry from you. “Hey, hands off. If you wanted fries, you should’ve told me.” He pouts, Kagami sighing. “Here.” He tosses Kuroko a burger while you check your phone, the time having you rush to grab your things.

“What’s wrong?” Tetsu asks, watching you scurry. “I really need to get home. I don’t want my mom to ground me. Are you gonna walk with Kagami?” You feel like a parent, asking who your boyfriend is with. “Maybe, but I can walk alone. Text me when you get home.” His hand glides over yours as you both say your goodbyes, Kagami there to witness the whole thing.

“I feel like I’m interrupting something.”

“You aren’t. What were you saying?”

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The sliding door opens, the person you’re looking for happily sipping on a milk carton with her head in the clouds. Tetsu then strays from you, standing at the side of her desk. “I’d like an official club membership form.” He says with no greeting, Aida spitting her drink everywhere. You have to stifle a laugh to avoid her from flaming up at you.

“Geez, Kuroko, you came out of nowhere!” Aida wipes down her desk, noticing you standing by the door. “I was standing here the whole time.” She sighs, reaching into her bag and pulling out a sheet of paper, handing it to him. “I’ll only accept the forms Monday at 8:40 on the roof.” Kuroko nods, meeting you at the door. “Thank you.” He says before sliding the door shut.

An article posted outside the library catches your attention, Tetsu stopping beside you to read it. It was their debut in a tournament from last year, which displayed and wrote about Seirin’s excellency for a now school. “They’re good.” You say, mostly to yourself, hearing your boyfriend huff in response.

“Hey L/N.” Kagami greets, stopping to read the article as well. “He wasn’t kidding.” His eyes scanned over the article, eyes mostly drawn to the two images on the sides. “Yes, they’re strong.” Kuroko says, making him jump.

“What is wrong with you?! Stop coming out of nowhere!” Kagami seems to completely forget about your presence, only focusing on Tetsu when he shushes him and points at the sign for the library. He grabs his head, threatening to beat him up until you whack him in the gut. “Stop that.” You say, walking away with Tetsu while Kagami doesn’t seem to notice.

For as long as you’ve been hanging out with Tetsu, he’s been quite antsy waiting for Monday, mostly worried about forgetting the whole ordeal on the roof. He couldn’t forget with how much he was thinking about it. The whole thing being 5 minutes before the morning assembly was your only concern. You stood beside Aida on the roof, the first years lined up in front of her as she makes a motivational speech for them.

Frankly, you thought it was too early in the morning for this.

“Give me your year, class, name, and your goal for this term and announce it to the entire student body! If you fail to achieve them, you’ll come back up here, strip naked and confess your feelings for the girl you love.” That last part definitely caught you off guard, knowing Tetsu was either unwilling to be so bold or work his ass off in order to avoid the humiliation.

“I have a question.” Kuroko raises his hand, Aida giving him permission to speak. “Since I’m dating Y/N, do I have to comply with the punishments in front of her?” The coach’s eyes go wide while you’re left with a hot face, flustered, practically informing part of the team of your relationship with him. Kagami was simply surprised at his boldness while the other three were yelling in shock.

“You’re dating L/N!?”

“Since when?!”

Aida blew her whistle, the three shutting up and standing still. “I suppose… that works. It’s only fair.” Tetsu was calm and collected about everything, but this? How could he be so reserved when he just agreed to go nude in front of you if he wasn’t a good player?

Something felt off while the players yelled, the students staring up at the balcony rather than paying attention to the assembly. You moved from the rail to the side of the entrance where no one could see you, Aida letting you be since Tetsu was the last person to go.

He never went, those in sight being ridiculed by staff while you stayed hidden, holding in your laughs. You’d rather be yelled at by the coach than an actual teacher.

You met with Tetsu after school, him placing a hand on your shoulder before asking you something. “Again? Really? Fine, but you’re gonna be alone this time. I have to go home.” He sighs defeatedly, giving you a hug. “Text me.” You nod, going ahead while Tetsu walks into the diner.

You wonder if Tetsu was ever going to announce his goal publicly after receiving a text from him that reminded you of the whole ordeal. After running into Kagami on the way to class, you both enter the room to see students lined up against the windows, seemingly looking at something outside. You make room for yourself and the tall player and notice writing on the field outside.

We will be the best in Japan

You turn around and see Tetsu standing behind you, looking at you before saying, “I’ll do it for the school, for the team, and I’ll do it for you.” You try to say something, but to know you’re one of his motivations for such a difficult goal made you fall in love with him even more. You hugged him, making him jump a little bit before he hugged you back.

Luckily everybody was too focused on the field that nobody noticed you two, besides Kagami. He simply gave Kuroko a thumbs up.

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“Ryō?” You mutter, noticing him sitting on the stage with a line of girls going out the door. You didn’t pay attention to the coach, the only important thing she was saying being a practice game against Kaijo High anyways. Tetsu would remember. You walk over, catching Kise’s attention. He says something to the girls that you can’t make out.

“Is that Y/N L/N? The former manager of Teiko Middle School Basketball Club?” He asks in an overdramatic tone, jumping down from the stage to meet you. “What are you doing here?” You ask, a pout appearing on Ryō’s face. “Wow, not even a hello to your older brother? We haven’t seen each other in ages! Where’s Kurokocchi?” His eyes eventually land on Tetsu. “It’s good to see you again.” Tetsu says.

“Brother?!” The team yells.

“No. Everyone called them ‘practical siblings’ in middle school since Y/N was always scolding him.” Kuroko explains.

“Good to see you, too,” Kise replies. “Going back to your informal greeting, Y/N-cchi, when I heard our next opponent was Seirin, I remembered you two went here, so I came by to say hello. And besides, the three of us got along best in middle school.” You scoff, hitting him in the side. “You sure about that?”

“You haven’t changed at all! Still so mean…” He fake cries.

“I’m staying that way.”

“‘Ryōta Kise. Though he started basketball his second year of middle school, his exceptional physical ability and sense got him on the Teiko team as a regular in a heartbeat.” Furihata says, the article having you feel sympathy for Tetsu. He never got his own personalized interview for that magazine, and every time it comes up, you can’t help but feel bad for your boyfriend.

You obviously care more than Tetsu does.

“That article exaggerated quite a bit, y’know? I’m glad to be called part of the Generation of Miracles but I’m the worst of the bunch.” Kise says. “You really are.” You joke, him shoving you. “Don’t make me feel worse about it than I already do!” He cries. You laugh at him, seeing the almost angry look on Kagami’s face, who stood at a distance.

You never really knew what was going on in Kagami’s head, so you assumed that he wasn’t really angry. If anything, that was his excited face.“Kise, get out of here, practice is still going on.” You nudge him repeatedly in the side. “Aw, why?” He drags out the ‘y’, pouting. “Do you not miss me? I wanna know what you’ve been up to!”

“I’ll talk to you at the game, okay? Just get out, you’re interrupting.” You shove him away from the team.

Aida begins to intervene. “Actually, we still have 5 minutes left–“

“Do you really want this idiot having full knowledge of our plays to inform his coach about?”

“Hey, I am not an idiot!”

Aida looks at you bickering with the Kaijo player before sighing, “Well, I guess we can cut it short for today–“ Suddenly, a ball is thrown at him, everyone turning to Kagami after seeing where it came from.

And the rest of practice consisted of you shoving Kise out of the gym after his little scrimmage against Kagami.

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One of the things that was going on in the minds of the benched Kaijo players’ mind was:

‘Damn, Seirin’s manager is cute!’

Meanwhile you were thinking…

That was one hell of a block.

Kagami practically climbed into the air, pushing himself up with Tetsu’s head and blocking Kise’s three-pointer.

“Fast break!” Kagami shouts, prompting everyone on the court to turn around. Kise turns around quickly, not paying attention to his surroundings, his hand whacking Kuroko in the face.

“Te– Kuroko!”

He falls back, lucky to not have hit his head. You look at Aida, who’s attention is on the injured player. You try to run to him while she’s distracted, but grabs and holds you back from going onto the court. He gets up slowly, footsteps uneven with his eyes focused on the ground.

Kagami and Hyūga check up on him, everything supposedly going okay until Tetsu collapses onto the ground. Only then do you realize that he’s bleeding. You break free from Aida’s grasp, running over to pick him up, supporting him with one of his arms around your shoulders back to the bench.

“Y/N-cchi…!” Kise merely looks at the two of you, your backs facing him. “I didn’t mean for this to happen– I’m sorry.” Your head turns just enough for you to see him out of the corner of your eye. “Don’t apologize to me. If this ever happens again, I’m going to rip your piercings out of your ears.” You threaten, walking away. Kise knows that you joke around when you say things like that, but you sounded completely serious this time.

For once, he was intimidated by your unknown sarcasm.

Tetsu laid on a mat behind the bench, bandages wrapped around his head, a bit of dried blood here and there but nothing too drastic. For the rest of the second quarter and a bit of the third, you stayed by his side, holding his hand and keeping your ears open for anything important the coach had to say when the game was paused. Aida kept track of points, rebounds and assists for you while you tended to an unconscious Kuroko. After a bit, you feel a squeeze on your hand, noticing that Tetsu’s eyes opened a little bit.

He tries to get up, but you usher him to lay back down for a bit, noticing he’s visibly tired. “Are you okay? Does your head hurt? Do you need anything?” You ask him these questions knowing he may not have been in the best state to comprehend all of them. “Have you been sitting with me this whole time? You should be working.” He says, looking at the benched team members.

“I did help a bit during halftime. Aida let me stay with you, said she needed someone to watch over you.” A smile grows on your face knowing that he’s okay. You’re still concerned. “Are you still gonna play?” You ask. “Yes.”

Tetsu was a persistent person, so whatever he says he will or will not do is the thing that sticks through. But knowing he was going to play after getting hurt? It scared you. “I’ll be okay. If I get hurt again, you’ll be there to help me. Please don’t worry.” He sits up, his hands cupping your face. He pulls your face towards his, giving you a kiss on the cheek.

There’s too many things going on right now. Your heart is racing, your face is hot, you feel so giddy but also so surprised. That was the first time he ever… kissed your cheek. He didn’t care if anyone was looking. He didn’t even care if no one or everyone saw, he just did it.

“What’s the matter? Are you okay?” You’re left stunned while he looks at you confused. “Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine, I’m great!” You get up, brushing off your skirt and helping Tetsu up. He pats your head, walking over to Aida to let himself back into the game.

For the rest of the game, you can’t help but think of how gentle he was when he cupped your face. How his kiss was soft and sweet on your cheek, He might’ve noticed how warm your face was, but if he did, he would’ve called you out for it. Your hand rested on the cheek where he kissed you, spacing out continuously.

“Y/N! Kagami scored again!” Aida yells, prompting you to mark it down on the clipboard. “Geez, what’s gotten into you? First Kuroko, now you?” You giggle while your hand rests on your cheek again, Aida knocking you on the head so you could pay attention.

You’re thankful that she did, because you got to witness your team’s first win. Even if it was only a practice game.

100 - 98

They worked hard for it. They deserved it.

You even witnessed Kise cry for the first time. Part of you feels bad for him, but the other part is glad karma has done its job. It may have been an accident, but it still pissed you off.

Quiet mutters come from the spectators up on the balconies.

You cry out a celebratory roar from the bench, Kagami following right after. The third years return Aida’s thumbs up, while she jumps after feeling a pair of arms wrap around her. “We did it! We won, Aida!” She has no idea how to react, resorting to resting her arm and patting you on the back.

Tetsu breathing heavily on the court catches your eye. Sweat drips from his forehead as he pants, but weirdly enough, he looked handsome.

After the winning declaration, you swear you’ve never seen Coach glow with such brightness before. She’s practically beaming. Tetsu sits down on the bench while you hold his towel, wiping the sweat off his face and checking his bandages. His face rests in your hand, while your eyes scan over the bandages. “We’re gonna go to the hospital after this. I don’t wanna risk anything.” He nods, leaning in to have his forehead touching yours.

You’re hiding the fact you’re freaking out very well since he isn’t saying anything.

“I’m going to kill Ryō.” You laugh. “Don’t do that. It’s not his fault.” You pull away first, getting up to get the sheet from the scorekeepers. Kise appears at the table as well, taking the other sheet. “Y/N-cchi, can I talk to you?” He asks. You don’t say anything but nod, following him out of the gym. Tetsu watches you walk off, unsure of how he should feel at the sight of the two of you together.

Alone.

“You and Kurokocchi are going out? I never thought he’d really own up to it.” You freeze, having to run to catch up with Kise. “Wha– how did you know? What do you mean by that?” He scoffs, stopping at an outside faucet. “I don’t think a manager would run onto the court for any boy, like him or not.”

You don’t respond, your phone buzzing in your small bag. “How long?” Kise asks before turning the faucet on to splash his face. “Since January.”

Tetsu had been the one to make the first move. At first, you were worried about the opinions of other people; your parents, your friends, Satsuki. You slowly started to realize that he didn’t care what others thought. He liked you and confessed to you for a reason. He’s done things with you he wouldn’t dare to do with another person. It showed how much he trusted you, and your face goes warm every time you think about it.

“He never showed you off in middle school like he did in the game today.”

“Tetsu mostly kept it a secret from you guys. He was… wary around Satsuki. It was harder since I hung out with her a lot. Otherwise, he was open about it when all of you weren’t around.”

“So he’s been kissing you at school and I’m just never there to see it?”

A rush of heat grows onto your face, making you hit Kise in the stomach. “We have not! You are so ridiculous…” Your phone buzzes again, this time you check who it is. A bunch of texts from Tetsu appear on your screen, a few calls as well.

Y/N

Y/N

Y/N

Where are you?

Please come back, we’re waiting for you

I miss you

Please hurry

Y/N

Don’t ignore me

I know you’re holding your phone right now

Please pick up

I’m getting worried

Coach is getting frustrated

“He’s really hung up on you, huh? He’s liked you since October, y’know. He always came to me for advice or just to talk to me about you.” Kise laughs at the memory. “Really?”

“Yeah! He’d say, ‘Y/N is so pretty’ or, ‘Y/N looks really good today’. He said you looked good every day, actually.” Your brain goes into overdrive, the thought of being admired like that seeming unreal. “We should keep in touch! I’ll give you my number.” He holds his hand out, you tossing him your phone. “Make it quick.”

Kise punches in his phone number, handing you back your phone. “See you at the Inter-High!” He waves, watching you walk away. You meet up with the team, Tetsu welcoming you back with open arms. “What took you so long? Is everything alright?” He questions, holding your hand. “Ryō wanted to talk to me. He found out we were dating.”

Tetsu tenses up a little bit. “He didn’t… tell you anything, did he?”

‘He’d say, ‘Y/N is so pretty’ or, ‘Y/N looks really good today’. He said you looked good every day, actually.’

“Well… he may or may not have said one thing.”

Tetsu suddenly jerks, covering his face with his other hand. It’s one of the only times you’ve seen him embarrassed, but really, it makes you laugh. His face is a bit red and he refuses to make eye contact with you, avoiding your gaze.

“What did he tell you?”

“That you talked about me every day with him.”

“Oh, that’s not… I thought he told you something else.”

“Like what?” Tetsu doesn’t respond, simply walking along like he didn’t hear your question. “Tetsu, don’t ignore me, now I’m curious!” You shake him slightly, emitting a giggle from him. “You know that love note you got in your bag that you wouldn’t stop talking about?”

“The one I got the day before Christmas break?” He nods. “That was me. I wanted to be the one to tell you about it, not Kise.” That’s why he seemed a bit antsy earlier at the mention of Kise saying something. “I reread that note over and over again for a week trying to figure out who wrote it. I have it hung up in my room.”

“I know. I saw.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I figured I’d bring it up sometime, but I didn’t know how to say it.”

He pauses, feeling you lean against him. “Why didn’t you call me that when I got hit?” He asks, leaving you confused. “Call you what?”

“Tetsu.” He refers to the moment where you called his name, being held back by the coach from running onto the court. “Ryō only knew I called you by Tetsuya before we graduated. I think he would’ve caught on if I called you that. I tried to play it safe.”

“I guess I can understand why you did that. Kise’s one to gossip.”

“I’m sorry if it hurt you.”

“It’s okay. Knowing Kise, you did the right thing.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“Momoi’s gonna freak when she finds out you two are a thing.”

“You aren’t going to tell her, are you?”

“No, no, I won’t. I’m sure she’ll find out on her own. Why?”

“Because I want to be the one to tell her.”

Kise freezes, surprised. ‘So bold!’

“Y-You’re really okay with her finding out?” He stutters, spinning the ball on his finger. “She knows I don’t like her back.” Kise drops his finger, catching the ball in his hand. “Well, yeah, but her and Y/N-cchi were best friends! Don’t you think she’ll feel a little hurt after knowing her best friend of her entire junior high career is going out with the guy she loves?”

Kuroko pauses, Kise passing the ball for him to catch. “Momoi needs to know. Y/N is my girlfriend, not her. She needs to accept that. Besides, Y/N’s changed. She’s tougher and isn’t afraid to confront others.”

“Hasn’t she always been like that?”

“She got into an argument with the captain and won. She’s broken through our coach’s shell multiple times. She made me run extra laps after conditioning.”

“Okay, I get your point. Still, you know Momoi. She doesn’t stop.” Kuroko shrugs. “You underestimate Y/N. If anything happens, I’ll intervene.” He says, a look only Kise could recognize on his face. “What’s wrong? You okay?” Kise hunches to look at Kuroko’s face, the doubt more visible.

“I’m fine.”

“Well, you don’t look fine. We’ll never see each other again after this, so might as well tell me now.” Kuroko sighs, embarrassed to look at his former teammate in the eye. “Is it too soon for me to make any moves on Y/N?” Kise cocks an eyebrow, catching the ball that Kuroko passed back to him. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve only been going out with Y/N for three months and I don’t wanna make her uncomfortable but… we haven’t kissed yet.” Kise nearly bursts into laughter at his worry. “I never thought that Kurokocchi would ever worry about kissing!” He giggles, getting up from the table he was sitting on. “I haven’t even gone out with anyone yet, now that I think about it. Geez, you’re one lucky guy.”

Was Kuroko’s kiss on your cheek so discreet that even Kise didn’t see it? Not even out of the corner of his eye?

“What should I do?” Kuroko asks, Kise trying to come up with a solution. “The guy always has to make the first move, remember that. You confessed to her first, so you should initiate it.”

“So do I just kiss her out of nowhere?”

“What– no! Let me finish!” Kise stutters. “You didn’t pressure her into forcing her to go out with you. She already liked you, right?” Kuroko nods, Kise going back to thinking again. “Well, I think you should… no, I know you should ask her first before you kiss her. You don’t want to pressure her into something she doesn’t want to do. If she’s ready to kiss you, then she’ll let you do it. Like how she was ready to be in a relationship with you.”

“I see.” Kuroko mutters. “If she says no, then you wait. Good boyfriends are willing to be patient. Don’t be greedy.” Kise plays around with the basketball in his hand, Kuroko’s eyes stuck on him the whole time. “You know, you give good relationship advice for someone who hasn’t had a girlfriend yet.”

“Why’d you have to say it like that?!”

“You idiot, why’d you disappear like that?” Kagami looms over Kuroko, Kise’s eyes wide.

“What are you looking at?” Kagami sneers, staring down Kise. “What is she doing?!” He panics. Kagami turns around, seeing you confronting a much older boy on the basketball court behind them. “Y/N! What’s wrong with you– get out of there!” Kagami yells to no avail, feeling a hand on his shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go help.” Kise pats him, guiding him towards the court.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

“I didn’t even know you played! Why didn’t you tell any of us?” Kise wails, stretching after the win against those thugs. “Tetsu knows. I played club basketball; none of you would’ve known.” You answer, feeling Tetsu’s fingers intertwine with yours. “How come you stopped?”

“I started to hate it. It made me hate myself.” You confess, the air suddenly becoming awkward. “Sorry! You just asked, so I answered.” You laugh, embarrassed at killing the mood. “You would’ve gotten crushed playing alone. You’re lucky we were there.” Kagami scolds.

“I still think I could’ve done it on my own.” You shrug, feeling Tetsu let go of your hand. His arm then wraps around your shoulders, pulling you in a little bit. “Please be careful next time. You might’ve gotten hurt.” You blush, stuttering over your words. “Y-You’re one to talk! You ran off with Kise without even telling me!”

“Did I not text you?” You flip open your phone, showing him a message from earlier that day. He then takes out his own phone, showing that his message wasn’t delivered. “Tetsu…!” You hit him on the head, his other hand rubbing over the spot. He noticed Kise looking at the two of you, more specifically him, giving him a look and a thumbs up before being tackled by their coach on the spot.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

The day before Seirin’s first preliminary match against Shinkyō, both you and Tetsu planned for him to come over to your house, since it was closer to the meeting spot the team had planned for the following day. He’d been working hard, balancing athletics and academics, managing to stay on top of both things with your help. Sometimes Kagami tagged along with the two of you, always worried he was third-wheeling.

This time, it was just you and him. You both got home after an evening outdoor court practice since Tetsu was so antsy, luckily you weren’t out for long. You looked over your notes, taking peeks over your book when you suddenly remembered that this was your own room.

Meaning there was only one bed.

Sure, Tetsu’s stayed over before, but you always insisted on sleeping on the floor since your relationship was just starting at the time and you didn’t wanna make it awkward. But now that you two were closer, you wondered if it would change.

“Tetsu, I can sleep on the floor again if you’d like.”

“No thanks. We can share.”

…Huh? Did he really just say that?

You two would be so close if you slept in your bed together, way too close, in fact. “Are you really okay with that?” You ask, making sure you’re fully awake by pinching yourself. He nods. “I am. Are you?” You break eye contact, trying to bury your face in your book. “I mean, as long as you’re okay with it…”

He gets up and turns on the lamp by your bed, turning off the main light and sitting down next to you. Meanwhile, you’re trying not to freak out being in such close proximity with him in your bed. You’re too busy freaking out that you don’t notice him taking your notes out of your hand and putting them on your desk. “We revised yesterday. We should be okay.”

“Oh, I know, I was just… I don’t know, looking over it.” You say, Tetsu getting back under the covers. “Is this too uncomfortable for you? I can sleep on the floor.” He seems to notice your distress by making that offer. “No, no, it’s okay! I just… haven’t shared a bed with anyone before, so this is kind of… new to me.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to pressure you or anything. I just figured since our previous sleepovers that this was okay.”

“It’s fine, Tetsu, really. I’ll just face the wall the entire night. I do kick in my sleep, though, just a warning.” He eyes you, his lips pursed shut for a moment. “Can I kiss you?”

“Eh…” Your face bursts into flames, flustered and shy at his sudden question. “WHAT?! Where did this come from…!?” You mutter, looking at your boyfriend’s completely monotone face. “I was told to ask you first in case you didn’t want to. Is this a no?”

“No,” you say repeatedly, panic imminent in your voice. “It was just so out of nowhere and so sudden and… I’m sorry for panicking but yes, you can kiss me but–“ Tetsu suddenly leans forward and presses his lips on yours, his hand then gently holding your jaw. Your eyes shut and so do his, your lips shifting and resting at a more comfortable position.

He pulls away, admiring every part of your face. “Is it too soon for this to happen?” He asks innocently, hand still resting on your jaw. “No. Why?” He leans in closer, your foreheads touching. “I want to do that again.” You smile, this time you initiate the kiss, planting your lips against his. This kiss was smoother, comfortable, his other hand holding you close to him as if you weren’t already close enough. Your lips glide awkwardly against his, but his follow every time you move.

Is this really what making out is?

You pull away after a few minutes, noticing the mix of disappointment and eagerness on Tetsu’s face. “We need to rest. You have a game tomorrow.” He pouts while you lean across him, turning off the lamp and laying back down. Your hands hold onto his arm while your head moves closer to his, resting on his shoulder.

“I love you, Y/N.”

Tetsu was full of surprises that night. Your heart begins to race at those three words, your face warming his shoulder. “Really? You mean it?” You feel him nod and turn his head, his chin resting atop of your head. “I understand if you aren’t ready to say it yet. I can wait.”

God, he was so patient with you, and that made you fall in love with him even more. “I love you too. Goodnight, Tetsu.” You feel him give you a peck on the top of your head, his arm wrapping around you and pulling you closer to him. He was so warm, his presence comforting, his hugs tight and secure, like he wanted the moment to last forever.

At the same time, he hoped the feeling of his own heart racing wouldn’t wake you up.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

You waited in the change room labelled for your school while waiting for the rest of the team to arrive. You both had left early in fear of arriving late, but the crosswalks were on your side today, and you got there way earlier than you should have.

You peeked out of the room every once in a while, none of the team outside making you panic. Until you remembered that you were supposed to meet up somewhere with all of them. You frantically turn around and pull out your phone, hearing Tetsu say your name.

“I texted Kagami already. He knows.” You let out a sigh of relief and walk over to Tetsu’s side of the room, sitting down next to him and letting your head fall on his shoulder. His hand ghosts over yours for a second before he finally holds it. “Shouldn’t you get changed?”

“We have time. I want to stay with you like this for a bit.” He says. You lean into his touch, drowning yourself in the sound of your own heartbeat. Your head turns, chin perked up on his shoulder to look at him. He notices, staring deep into your eyes like he could see the thoughts behind them.

“If you’re gonna kiss me, just do it.” You mutter with a smile, Tetsu taking the hint and leaning forward to kiss you. Your lips meet, the moment so sweet that you don’t hear the door open.

The sight of many bewildered second years appears out of the corner of your eye, prompting you to pull away and hide your face. “Hello.” Tetsu greets nonchalantly, as if he didn’t just have his lips on yours earlier. A symphony of shocked cries come from the second years.

“When–?!”

“You two are dating?”

“Why did we not notice…!?”

“I thought it was obvious! Didn’t Aida tell you? Kagami?” They look at you, still stunned. “Any of the first years?” They all shake their heads, leaving you surprised at their cluelessness. “They hold hands all the time, idiots, you think that regular friends do that normally?” Kagami sneers at their obliviousness.

“To be honest, they never told us. I didn’t think Kuroko was the type to start dating so early.” Hyūga admits. “And Kagami…” He starts. “Learn to respect your upperclassmen, okay?” Kagami flinches at his captain, immediately going to claim a locker.

You kiss Tetsu on the forehead before getting up. “Get changed, okay? You got this.” Before you can leave, he grabs your wrist.

Kagami watches as his duo says something to you, making you rush out of the room.

“What did you say?” He asks.

“I’ll win this game for her.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

well, if i ever grow old… (old with you!)

i’m needin’ your hand to hold. (just us two!) 🎧

[ballblender]

Hey hey. Im here to put in my rq, can I get a Kise and aomine from Knb(if you don't write for two character, Kise will be fine) with a femreader who is like Nagi from blue lock. Like they are pretty good at a certain sports(you can choose any sports) and is very lazy to do things. I hope it's not too long :D. Feel free to decline, tq and have a nice day.

THIS HAS BEEN IN MY DRAFTS FOREVER LMAO

i assume that they're dating, but if you meant platonic, just send me another ask! (i also haven't watched blue lock in a while so my Nagi personality is mostly based off of what i remember from his first few appearances) (she acts more like murasakibara oops)

Kise and Aomine with a Sporty!Lazy!Fem!Reader

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2

content: just fluff, use of 'babe' (aomine), tennis (kise), volleyball (aomine) both of them haul your lazy ass, use of Y/N

Kise Ryōta

It always surprises Kise whenever he sees you on the tennis court. You're always laser-focused, especially on days where you face difficult opponents. However, your stoicism and general demeanour always comes through.

"Come on Y/N-cchi! Don't you have an important match today?"

"Mmmmggghh..."

He sighs. This isn't the first time. He knows full well that you know that you can't miss this match, even if your opponent's school is rated one of the worst in the region.

"...I don't even have to play...I already know I'm gonna win..."

Kise knows you're right. In fact, every time you're about to play, he gathers DVD's of your opponent, so you can study the both of them together while cuddling.

He decides it's enough. Lord knows that your coach is already tolerating you the best she can, and every day, Kise fears for your position in the club.

Kise yanks off the covers, and faces a nice surprise. Not that kind of surprise.

"You're already in uniform?"

"Mmmphh...I was late training last night..."

He smiles warmly, feeling less urgency, and scoops you into his arms.

Kidding, he flips you over and hangs you over his shoulder, while crouching down to zip up the racket bag you left on the floor, and takes it with him.

He swears that he can feel your body relax, as if you're about to sleep again, flipped on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey! You can't just fall asleep! Your muscles are gonna be tired!"

"Fine..."

Don't worry though, he still carried you all the way to the match.

Aomine Daiki

The two of you would often rest on the roof together. sleeping your troubles away. Honestly, you were one in the same. That is, until Aomine's loss at the Winter Cup.

"Babe, get up, you got practice today right?"

You grumble in turn.

Suddenly, you feel yourself being hoisted up, and thrown over is shoulders.

"Daiki...i'm tired..."

"You won't be tired when you start moving your feet around."

He carries you all the way down to the volleyball courts, letting you slip off of his shoulders and into his arms, carrying you bridal style.

"Y/N. We're here."

He sets you down on the floor, before you promptly spin and bury your face into his chest, digging your nails into his shirt.

He notes how you look like a needy cat.

"Y/N!! Finally you're here!!"

"...Captain..."

Your captain walks over, and you fall into her arms as she laughs, hauling you over to the rest of the team for practice.

You found your groove quickly, sprinting across the court as if you hadn't been acting like a sloth a few minutes prior.

Aomine knew he hated losing; he also knew you hated it all the same.

----

this ask is probably 2 months old lmfao im sorry and i still have a kumatani one i'm halfway through but im writing again

[evelhak]

I need to see what you can write for KagaKuro and the number 12 ♡

I had a talk about different points of view in writing with @lylakoi and I mentioned I only tend to use omniscient pov for satire or parody, because that's how I find it natural to create a sassy narrator voice. That made me want to challenge myself to writing something completely serious in that pov. I also tend to write all third person perspectives in past tense, so this time I'm going for present tense. I hope you'll enjoy reading this experiment! Thank you for the prompt. 💙

Mini(?) fic: Ripples Prompt: Things you said when you thought I was asleep Pairing: pansexual!Kagami/bigender!Kuroko Timeframe: Third year of high school Rating: Teen and up

---------Ripples---------

The stairs creak as Kagami finally makes his way upstairs towards Kuroko's little attic room. It has only been about twenty minutes, but that's how it feels to him—like forever. A small eternity he has spent with Kuroko's granny and the jungle of houseplants that have left the living room in a state not far from a mud bath. The granny believes in chaos. It is far too satisfying to let go of control while you're immersed in what's in front of you. You can always clean up later. Kagami likes Granny's thinking. She can turn the simple, boring task of repotting the houseplants into an adventure. It reminds Kagami of childhood, when dirt under your nails was a mark of a successful day. Things like this make him think that Granny seems both younger and older than most people.

Indeed, Operation Save The Jungle, as Kuroko's Granny likes to call it, is not why Kagami feels like too much time has passed, after Granny has sent him to check on Kuroko. He doesn't mind doing things with Granny, hasn't for a long time, not since he realised she wasn't out to get him for daring to date her precious grandson. (It was always the father Kagami should have worried about.) He hurries to Kuroko now, because he always does. Whenever Kuroko shows signs of overexertion, Kagami feels the ghost of last spring, the big slump, and he can't quite sit still.

He can't believe it used to be funny. How everyone, including him, could just tell Kuroko... "Don't die". It was a joke. Kagami knows the exact moment it changed, and he could never joke about that again.

Kuroko is not in danger. He is sleeping on the covers of his bed, curled around two other sleeping creatures—Nigou, and the old black cat Shiro who has valiantly carried Granny's sense of humour for 16 years. Kagami will see them in a moment, but for those few more creaky steps he has left before his hand reaches the door handle, his heart races a little. He has seen Kuroko in danger for twice too often. It will take longer than he understands, for those memories to turn into background noise.

It was in the middle of repotting a spider plant that Kuroko suddenly needed to lie down. He didn't say that his vision was blacking out, but Kagami can guess this much by now. It doesn't happen as often as it did before summer, but Kagami can't tell if it happens more or less than first year of high school. He wasn’t paying enough attention back then. One thing is definitely different, though. The causation from a source of exhaustion towards losing consciousness is not as straightforward to follow as it once was.

Kagami enters the room as quietly as he can do anything. Kuroko's easy, steady breathing calms his mind in a second. His jaw unclenches, his shoulders relax, but these changes are so small that Kagami himself cannot tell they are happening. His focus is on the unlikely sight on the bed. The eager dog and the grumpy cat are getting along. It makes Kagami grin a little, he thinks they would only do that for Kuroko's sake. When they can tell it isn’t the time to fight for his attention.

Kagami sits down on the bed. It creaks too, but like a whisper. A strand of hair on Kuroko's face seems to call him to wipe it away. Kagami doesn't intend to wake Kuroko, but he wonders if his face is paler, or feels colder to the touch than normal. He cannot decide. Kuroko looks peaceful, and a sigh escapes Kagami. His own worry brings the thought of Kuroko’s father back to his mind now. As much as he isn't appreciative of the fact that his place in the man’s good graces could be taken away on a whim, no matter how hard he has worked to earn it... there's also the fact that Kagami understands his worry. It isn't as misplaced as one might think at first. Excessive, maybe, but not untrue.

Kagami hasn’t seen everything that happens under the roof of this house. He doesn’t know about the morning Kuroko was brushing his teeth in the bathroom, and suddenly he wasn’t. His father heard the sound of glass shattering against the floor tiles. He broke the door open. Kuroko wasn’t hurt, but afterwards he was no longer allowed to lock the bathroom door and his toothbrush would always sit in a plastic cup since then. Kagami is still unaware of all the incidents that have piled up over the years, because Kuroko is always a little too true to his life style. You won’t see what is happening behind the scenes, unless you make conscious effort to find out.

And yet, the ultimate point of discovery always comes. It is now demonstrably true that Kuroko’s father was not wrong about the dangers of fainting. Kagami is the last person to argue.

And then, there was always the other thing.

Now, looking at the love of his young life, asleep, unguarded, Kagami thinks that he understands Kuroko’s energy better. It's not that there's nothing coming from him. It's that most of it goes past people. But that doesn't mean there's no mark left, somewhere in their mind. A vague sense of having missed something. Kagami is not articulate enough to put it into words, but he can sense it with more clarity these days, an energy that dissolves itself to accentuate its duality. An energy that hits the point of full overlap. The mistake is easy to make, but it is not a neutral energy, it is not "neither". It is "either", it is both, and that's what confuses people. It doesn't fit into the dual world view despite of encapsulating it. It isn’t about the shoulds and shouldn’ts people assign each other. It isn’t about your role, even if crafting that can be used to communicate what’s deeper than that. The truth resides where the words to describe it end. People can tell on instinct. And you can see it in the underlying patterns of how they treat each other.

It took Kagami a while to see, but Kuroko's father's actions were never simple either. After a while though, they do speak louder than words. It becomes apparent to the one who knows what to look for, that the man isn't just punishing his son for kissing a boy. He is also, no matter how much discrepancy acting on the underlying instinct causes in him, protecting his daughter from said boy. There is no way Kuroko's father understands this, Kagami thinks. Kagami would not have been able to see it for what it is on his own before he had the right context. But that is how Kuroko’s father acts, regardless.

That man is far from the only one expressing a view of Kuroko more inconsistent, more easily shifting, than people on average have of each other. He’s only unique in that he’s the father, and the one most conflicted because of it.

After Kagami was aware of it, he could see it everywhere, in the smallest and the broadest strokes. To Kuroko’s father, the ultimate burden of proof always rested upon Kagami's shoulders. It wasn’t even an undertone. He made it perfectly clear he would accept their relationship, but only as long as Kagami had proved himself good enough. Just like that, the father’s frame of reference shifted from “I cannot let this half foreigner corrupt my son” to “I suppose I can accept this relationship as long as this boy’s affection appears to me as identical to a man’s love for a woman”. Because with someone like Kuroko, the shift in projection happens with an amount of incongruence that is right below the threshold. It’s just mild enough to ignore.

The question is… where do projection and the truth, the push and the pull, meet?

Kagami knows that identity doesn't always coincide with people's perceptions of you. But he is also beginning to see that it more often coincides with people's subconscious, underlying perception than the overt, literal one. He can't explain it, but he feels how it is in the ways people approach and respond to each other when they don’t think about it, in the ways those interactions make you feel, where the direction of pressure, stress, ease and flow are. He understands, on some, subconscious level, that it’s one thing to be viewed as something you “shouldn’t” be when it misses the mark, and another thing when something inside of you resonates with that perception reflected back to you in the eyes of others.

None of this was ever an issue to Kagami. Even the fact that the most reluctant person to accept that the truth resides somewhere in the contradictory ways people perceive him, is Kuroko himself, doesn't bother Kagami to any mentionable extent anymore. No, it's always the same crux in the end. It's because malicious people can pick and choose what they see. How it follows, that residing anywhere in the ambiguous territory makes it harder than average to anticipate what kind of violence you'll be the target for. It’s not necessarily more or less. It’s just less of one kind.

Kagami is not worried because he thinks that Kuroko inherently needs more protection than the average person. He’s worried because he can sense what he can’t explain. In his gut, he knows that a desire to deny the relationships between certain aspects of yourself and the world makes you blind to where exactly the crossroads with the biggest risks for you, are. And Kagami has seen Kuroko do that on multiple areas of his life. It’s not that it’s just Kuroko’s own fault. It’s not that he should know better. How could he know better?

In that sense, Kagami understands Kuroko's father, even if he doesn't agree with the man’s methods of protection. Kagami thinks there’s another kind of misdirection Kuroko can learn. The kind that allows him to control or at least anticipate how people will see him. Maybe then, Kuroko could feel more secure in all of this. Less reserved. Wouldn't have to so carefully put away anything he might wish to express about himself. Not for fear of attracting the wrong kind of attention.

What no one in this house, not even Granny for all her wisdom, understands in this particular instance, is how much comes down to a word. A word Kagami has, a word Kuroko has grudgingly accepted as the only explanation for the way he feels, a word Granny has accepted all too eagerly in Kuroko’s opinion, a word Kuroko’s father doesn’t have. Because a word; all the knowledge and understanding it opens, or the lack of it, translates into action. Kuroko’s father, quite literally, doesn’t know what he’s doing... or does he? Is it possible that he, in turn, has a word Kagami does not have?

Kagami never really felt like he needed words before. He was fine with just instinct. Kuroko confessed as much at one point too. Being with Kagami was like a wordless bubble where he could be fully who he was, no questions asked, because he felt that Kagami saw him and got him right from the beginning. But the rest of the world couldn’t measure up, and you have to live outside of the bubble too.

Kagami leans closer on the bed, caresses Kuroko's nose lightly with his, barely brushes against the sleepy lips with his own. They have agreed a long time ago that it's okay to kiss, even if the other is asleep. But Kagami is too in his head to notice the slight change to Kuroko's breathing, when he lets uncharacteristically quiet words into the air.

– Hey, I know you still... hide so many things. Even from me. Even from you.

Kagami thinks Kuroko is still asleep. He scratches his head.

– It's not like I'm holding my breath, or anything. You don't have to tell me. Even if you never want to share your unfinished thoughts... Even if they’ll just remain unfinished, I don't care. Not really. It's not like I haven't already got everything that matters, you know... with you.

Kagami lets out a dry sigh and looks away.

– I have no clue what the future holds for you. It's not like I spend much time thinking beyond tomorrow anyway... It's just... a feeling, I guess. That I sometimes have. When I look at you. Don’t know what makes me think it. But it's like... there's something left. Something... that has been in your words for so long. Not just words. Everything. Maybe since the beginning. Something you know but you don't know. If your mind doesn't know it, maybe your body knows it or something. I'm not smart enough to put it together for you. I would, if I could, but...

Had Kagami been aware that Kuroko was listening, he would have stopped talking already. For a while Kuroko was so torn over the possibility of any conflict of identity. Like it was literally the last thing he needed in his life. The worst nightmare. Kagami feels ashamed about not understanding how it could be that big of a deal. He barely had any prejudice about who he was attracted to, at any point in his life. He could on some level and contexts be described as a lot more gender-blind than average, although it’s too conceptual for him to put like that himself. That is the reason he didn’t care, regardless. Why it was difficult for him to understand how something that always fit their relationship perfectly as long as it was wordless, unspoken, never pointed at, suddenly made Kuroko insecure, when it had a name. Not just with the rest of the world, but around Kagami too.

Things with names begin to take a clearer shape. To become more visible. Words have the power to affect how we see and what we see.

Kagami is aware of his mistake now. Even after Kuroko admitted to the core of his complicated feelings, the sense of caution didn't leave Kagami. He said too much once.

Kagami is no longer gripped by his own insecurities it sparked, and his circumstances over the summer forced him to understand none of it was caused by anything in Kuroko. After the summer, Kagami no longer questions how letting something to the surface—or being ambushed by it from the depths, could cause a sudden aversion to that which was just going along with the flow before in the undercurrent, away from your immediate consciousness. He understands all too well. About things that can alter your sense of reality and self. About things you cannot control.

– I guess I just wish you knew that I don't care, but that’s like, in a good way, and I'll be there, because I obviously do care, you know. I’ll be there whatever you'll do. And I can't say this to you, because then you'll think that I think you'll do something specific which I’m just not saying out loud. But it's not like that. It's so much vaguer than that, it's... more like there's still a piece of the puzzle missing. The piece that will... tie everything together in some new way. Everything you don’t know what to do with.

Kagami rolls his eyes and leans the bridge of his nose on his knuckles.

– I sound mental...

He turns away from Kuroko and lies down on his back next to the sleepy trio. In truth, Kuroko is now aware of Kagami’s every word and every movement, and something in him illuminates from the inside for the thousandth time, clinging to all of that, not like a lifeline, not like a string of light, but like a microscopic pattern that shouldn’t matter but changes everything anyway.

And then, Kagami says one more thing.

– You’re gonna be fine, you know. Because where the world puts an “or” you’ll always find a way to have an “and”.

At the last word, Kuroko’s heart races, and his eyes sting, but none of it is visible from the outside, just like everything else that has been hidden inside him, everything that still never was, and never will be hidden as well as he would like, everything he believes should stay hidden. Kuroko will believe that for some time still. The clock is ticking past midnight. The ocean waves are crashing too hard. The lake seems perfectly still, but sometimes, especially when the boy lying on his back next to Kuroko is close, there are ripples.

-------------------------

Some appropriate music I listened to:

[crehador]

Can I ask, if you have top favorite romantic couples (can be canon or non canon) of all time from any media? Why love them? Thx :D

ANON SORRY THIS ASK HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY INBOX FOR FIVE BILLION YEARS

this is such a fun thing to think about but my brain of course is just going "ichisama ichisama ichisama" nonstop, but now i will sit down and properly try to think of a top five (like the top 10 characters ask, i'll limit this to animanga and possibly group some together; i'm also limiting myself to ONLY icsm from hpmi, or this whole list would be hpmi lmao)

1. in first place of course it is ICHISAMA FOR LIFE

using this image yet again because well it's right there in my pinned and very convenient

i am a sucker for the dumb of ass kind of heart one falling for the bad boy with a heart of gold one, ESPECIALLY when they have the friends to enemies to lovers arc that ichisama does (ok the to lovers part is obviously hc only but hoo boy it is a strong hc)

what can i say about them really besides that i am writing a fic a day for them every day this year. i think that. says it all lol

2. gotta be koyanagi/kabakura wotakoi AND kashima/hori gsnk

while i'm not saying they are identical ships they definitely fall into the same bucket for me, and boy oh boy do i love that bucket

kashima and hori make me belligerently delighted, and koyanagi and kabakura make me a special sort of feral that i don't even know how to start in on

i really like narumi and hirotaka from wotakoi too, but there's something about koyanagi and kabakura that gets to me way more. the geek4geek dynamic is just impeccable with all four of them but the

[PUTTING THE CUT HERE BECAUSE WOTAKOI SPOILERS BELOW, ALSO TOKYO GHOUL SPOILERS FARTHER DOWN]

koyanagi/kabakura wedding just gave me a special sort of glee. i just don't think there's a single thing i don't love to pieces about them, their backstory ova only makes them better

3. saaaaaaya and yuusuke from neon sign amber (aka aokise knb)

obligatory shoutout to the boys of my FAVORITE BL OF ALL TIME ok so like as far as bl goes neon sign amber is really not the most unique thing, i would say. but that's what makes it so perfect to me

i feel like a lot of outstanding bl are great in ways that are 'atypical' for bl, like how saezuru is bl, sure, but also comes with a genuinely gripping gritty yakuza plot. and many others that are highly praised tend to be praised by people going "oh this is good because it's not like TYPICAL bl" which i have feelings about but let's not get into that here

neon sign amber is my favorite because it is very much a typical bl, it has a lot of the typical tropes (guy who's been historically straight but is "gay for you" for example)

i don't necessarily love any of those tropes, but i adore what neon sign amber does with them. it is practically a cookie cutter bl, but its characters (despite existing for only one volume of a manga) live in my heart forever. it takes that "gay for you" trope and doesn't gloss over the problems that could arise in a relationship like that, instead actually addressing them in a way i found satisfying

saya especially is one of my guys of all time, and given that they're kind of obviously aokise i'm lumping them in here too. mwah

4. idolish7 YUKIMOMO MY BELOVEDS (e banri)

thought about this one a lot because i feel like i normally like them in a... normal way, so do they really make the top five? but honestly i think they do

i love their stage gay married act and i love to think that's very much rooted in a foundation of they are actually fucking in love with each other. but just that would've made them a cute but not too memorable ship to me

THEIR BACKSTORY THOUGH. MY GOD. first of all baby momo looks literally just like tdd ichiro which is a. a lot. for me. lmao but anyway setting that aside

momo discovering revale at such a pivotal time in his life, being saved by them, becoming their fans, and then being the one to replace banri after THAT happened??? and then five years later feeling like he's running out of time with yuki and ad;slkfja;lkdsfj

i'm becoming incoherent just thinking about it. anyway i guess this is kind of an ot3 for me though i like it in very much a "we are a couple and we are, as a couple, dating banri" sort of thing (not because they wouldn't ever see banri as an equal partner but because imo banri has better things to do than get too involved in that lol)

5. this last one... is so tough... i think i'm giving it to VARIOUS RELATIONSHIPS IN TOKYO GHOUL

ok this is absolutely cheating and ultimately i think what i would have to say is kaneki and hide because like. eat my face to survive is peak romance to me, sorry. as if it's my fault

HOWEVER there are just so many relationships in tokyo ghoul that i'm absolutely obsessed with. amon/akira and nishio/kimi especially!! amon and akira are so so so delightful to me, in a way similar to roy and riza fma, and nishio and kimi are just. i mean. again. eat me to survive. peak romance

(and i swear i'm not a nishio stan because of voice actor bias, i have not watched tokyo ghoul yet because i have been repeatedly and sternly warned away from it... nishio is one of my manga favorites even without the asnm factor, but good fucking lord does the asnm factor tempt me to watch)

the writing in tokyo ghoul is genuinely just so good to me. the main plot is fantastic but what really makes it is the relationships between characters, both romantic and not

(also a fan of the one-sided tsukiyama/kaneki thing going on but strictly as a one-sided thing lol, tsukiyama get wrecked (said with affection))

so i think that is. more or less where my top five would be. though it's like. it's hard. and probably always changing. those are the first beloved ones to come to my though so they will go in this post and i will smack myself in the forehead and be like "I CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ______" as soon as i go to sleep probably

thank you for the ask!

[miyamiwu]

Minor Blue Lock spoilers!

Saw one tweet comparing Blue Lock to Kuroko no Basuke, and I'm just... NO. NO, NO, NO.

Not even close.

I loved KnB as a 14-year old, but looking back on it now, that show was more fantasy than actual sports. It has a lot of impossible moves. And on the rare chance that it was possible, it was too much to expect it from high school players.

Blue Lock, on the other hand, doesn't have such science-defying plays. The characters get one realistic weapon (dribbling, spatial awareness, flexibility, speed, etc.), which they then slowly hone.

Sometimes they upgrade their weapons physically (Bachira's steadier center of gravity, Nagi training his body, Gagamaru trying out a diving shot), and sometimes it's mentally/psychologically (Isagi's metavision, Naruhaya copying Isagi, Barou devouring Isagi, Reo moving on from Nagi).

The one "superhero" power I can think of is probably Reo's chameleon (which is also similar to Kise's), but so far I haven't seen him do anything out-of-this-world with it. (I've only read up to c192 of the manga btw.)

BLLK and KnB are completely two different genres. There is really nothing to compare.

And on that note, you can't actually compare Blue Lock with any other sports animanga, either.

Blue Lock is listed under the sports genre, but I think that first and foremost, it's a horror/battle-royale type of story that just happens to use soccer as its medium.

You also can't compare Blue Lock with Haikyuu. Haikyuu is taking the traditional high school sports genre route and excelling at it, while in Blue Lock, the kids don't even go to high school anymore 😭

From what I know, there's really no other sports animanga like Blue Lock. That's not to say that it's the best sports anime by default just because it's unique. What I'm saying is that Blue Lock is like a new genre of its own... Save your comparisons when another sports anime using battle-royale elements come out.

[raspberrylix]

manga spoilers

could legit react to every panel on here, im loving near every single moment in this acr (and the ones that I don't, i can talk a lot about it as well), that just how deranged I am when it comes to this silly little manga

there's a more personal reason to that as well, but when I'm done reading, haikyuu won't die, which feels obvious but not for my inner teen. or more like current me. like I've been more or less active fan for around 7 years. That's a long ass time, a third of my whole life. yet I probably would not have reacted this way if I was reading it in summer

but that's just another reason why I hold this series so dear to my heart. yeah, once I'm done reading this, I'll move on to knb and then check in once in the while, maybe freak out when movie(s) will be out and that's it, new interests, new stories to follow, but unlike literally anything else, this will seem to stay in my life forever

and you'd think that this is just silly. it's just another sports shōnen that somehow got more popular than others and again, it's not even a sport that I like. but somehow, it stuck its roots so damn well

[chikagestits]

peten's Megane Bracket Round 1

Right Side Part 8

Qualifications and Rules post

If you add your own propaganda, please add trigger warnings and/or spoilers if there's spoilers

my propaganda below!

Shintaro Midorima

I love him now bc the knb fandom is so nice thank you again for supporting us a3 fans in polls <333

Ignis Scientia

a very devoted man to a somewhat outwardly devoted prince (who is actually pretty devoted he just likes making ignis's job hard). he is noctis's advisor and left hand along his journey to becoming king and even though ffxv started off as a boy's trip, in a mere chapter 3, everything went off the rails and it never gets any better so! yknow. i love the game so much </333

[ordinaryxtreme]

Blue Lock Thoughts(tm) Post

So I read Blue Lock up to the U-20 match and let me just say that having a lot of thoughts about it is an understatement. These are not Smart(tm) thoughts at all, just me screaming into the void. I'll mostly be talking abt third selection up to U-20 match so spoilers for up to ch 148!!

Chigiri and Kunigami

MY SHIP... The third selection truly made them so Spicy. They could've been the dynamic duo that perseveres together all the way through the selection, but they got separated and Kunigami didn't even make it PAST the third selection, at least, not in the normal way. I was upset at the reveal (I was very embarrassingly yelling to my friend in voice chat while reading) because I missed their banter. But now that I think about it, we now have the knight/hero rising up from the ashes to meet his princess again and I'm now so glad this was the outcome. As my friend so eloquently put it, it's super cool that Blue Lock isn't afraid to separate their duos. Which brings me to the next duo...

2. Reo and Nagi

Reo's separation from Nagi is honestly the best thing to happen to both of their characters. Reo didn't really interest me as a character until Nagi left him and he was all gunning for revenge. I thought they were going for some sort of villain arc with him, but what they did was SO much better. Yes, Reo was understandably bitter for some time, but he changed stances and saw it from a different point of view really quickly. We literally watched him go through the 5 stages of grief.

And then come back stronger after his acceptance. Even finding a crazy ability to call his own.

And he OWNS it too. That moment when Shidou made fun of him for being a copy-cat, he DOUBLED DOWN ON IT and taunted him for not even being able to beat a copy-cat. Now that's the ultimate power move.

My favorite favorite FAVORITE thing is... he is still a duo with Nagi. They still sync perfectly well. They still know each other the best. Reo turned his spite on its head and came back to Nagi at full force.

What can I say except NAGIREO REAL!!!!! OK next point.

3. Bachira & Isagi

Honestly, I kinda didn't expect Bachira and Isagi to develop almost like a parallel to Nagi and Reo. I love how Bachira is portrayed. He obviously has some mental disorder (I'm guessing ASD or adjacent) and the way it's portrayed as a monster which Bachira eventually hones into his own... At first he just wanted friends, he wanted people who play just like him, to accept him as he is and that was what Isagi was to him. But in the end having others accepting him wasn't enough. He had to accept HIMSELF, his monster. And because of that he came in SEVENTH after the third selection!!!

Honestly, it was one of the most satisfying character development moments.

And again, after that, his and Isagi's duo play just comes out stronger.

Just Dynamic Duo Things.

3. Barou and Rin

I put these two together because they feel like the ultimate sports trope subversion. It's almost BLASPHEMOUS how they essentially become the egotistical "villains" of the field.

I love Barou as a character too, he is SO GAP MOE. Who would've thought that he was a malewife that was obsessed with keeping things neat? I want to destroy his ass. Ahem.

Anyway, Rin. He literally went fucking BONKERS at the idea that he has a team behind him. HE WANTS IT ALL TO HIMSELF.

THIS SHIT WOULD LITERALLY NEVER FLY IN A NORMAL SPORTS STORY. Which brings me to my favorite thing about Blue Lock

4. It is simultaneously a love letter AND a blasphemy to the sports genre.

I had a Kuroko no Basket phase years ago and I KNOW a KnB inspired story when I see one. Of course there's references and concepts that Blue Lock obviously borrowed from KnB. I could easily list all of them like the concept of "Flow" that is totally not KnB's "zone", the copy guy, the "emperor style", Aryuu Juubei who is totally not a homage to Murasakibara... References and concepts are easy to insert into any story. The important part is the Utter Unhingedness. They took KnB's barely believable superpowers and high school drama and all these high stakes that are totally just made up in the characters heads... and turned it up to 11.

KnB was a level of "skirting the boundary of what's humanly possible" that is still acceptable. Yeah, people thought it was insane and were laughing about it, but it didn't really have "haters". It's still just regular sports. But Blue Lock said fuck that, they're going to be straight up CONTROVERSIAL. There's no point if it doesn't have passionate haters. This isn't sports as you know it. And I respect that so much honestly. (If you've been on anitwt recently, you'll know that fans of conventional sports stories DESPISE Blue Lock).

I think with the sports genre becoming this Big Thing(tm) and the market somewhat becoming saturated over the years, this kind of blasphemy is exactly what the genre needs right now.

Speaking of blasphemy...

5. Itoshi Sae vs. Itoshi Rin

I love the whole angel vs demon thing going on with them. I love Sae's beautiful perfection and Rin's feral animal-like approach

(short digression, as a STEM major nerd I fucking LOVE the numbers in the visualization of Sae's abilities. I'm betting that it's the golden ratio because you won't get a number more perfect anywhere else!!)

I love their entire silent sequence against each other. No dialogue, no SFX. They were silently communicating with their bodies and with their eyes the way only brothers could. In a way, this is brotherly bonding :D

I love that Rin, and the Blue Lock team, is painted as the "villains" of the sports scene. And they won against U-20, the "heroes". They changed sports forever.

6. The unseriousness of it all (my lovehate letter to Isagi Yoichi)

In the end this is a manga about SOCCER. The characters take it WAY too seriously because they're dumbasses who literally only have soccer in their brains. It's honestly hilarious at times. But damn, if I'm not invested in this unreal, unserious, BFFR shit!!! Every time Isagi realizes something that is common sense (like when he "discovered" that luck also plays a part in games) I die a little bit inside.

BOY YOU ARE STUPID AND DRAMATIC AND GAY AND I LOVE YOU. Blue Lock would not be the same if Isagi wasn't the protagonist. If you think about it, every insane visualization of everyone's abilities is how ISAGI sees their abilities. This shit we are seeing, all the puzzle pieces, the fire, the thunder... is all in Isagi's head. And once he gets out of the game, he's literally just an awkward high school boy.

I guess he can be cute sometimes.

8. (For now) I don't think Blue Lock will end the way Ego says it will. (A love letter to Ego)

Muneyuki Kaneshiro you did it again. If you haven't read his other work, Kamisama no Iutoori and Kamisama no Iutoori ni, please do so. Having read those, I'm half-convinced that he'll pull an Akashi on us and give Isagi a canon love interest by the end AHAHA.

Digression aside, Ego said that by the end, there will be 1 striker to stand above all 299 "corpses" as he so elegantly put it. But I honestly don't think that'd happen. I have no basis for this other than the fact that it would just feel WRONG to end it like that. They wanted the sport to evolve by "creating soccer from zero", playing different positions with the ego of a striker. Honestly, I wouldn't see the point in all that when there's only 1 striker to survive in the end, you feel me?

Ego may have only said that to rile the boys up. He's playing the role of the ultimate "villain" for the boys to conquer. Now that's a very questionable approach to coaching but it sure fucking works!!! I really really love it.

And he KNOWS his methods are questionable at best, enough to get him banned from the world of soccer forever. He didn't care about himself if it meant these boys will evolve and play the ultimate soccer.

He really knows how to cultivate the perfect little "villains". Sure, it involved literally isolating them from the outside world in what is the equivalent of Soccer Jail, but you gotta do what you gotta do! :D

Honestly my wishful thinking is they end up with 11 top Blue Lock players (maybe a few more for the bench) and they get to compete internationally or something. Go beyond the scope and scale of regular sports manga... But I guess I'll just have to see what happens next!

OK. Alright. I think I'm done now. If you read this all, thank you for coming to my TED Talk!!!!

[zelandiangelo]

very glad to have found you by you being the other person yelling about how knb needs to win the anime polls. ive been sad not having any sports anime mutuals....anyways hi! have you seen blue lock? I havent watched it yet but I've heard that people have liked it. I know nothing about it other than its soccer. if youve seen it, do you have any opinions? (no spoilers tho)

HI LMAO literally I don't even really follow a whole lot of these polls bc it's a lot of effort to keep up w/ them but if I see knb it activates a sleeper agent in my brain and i'm like LETS GOOOOOOOOOO

I did watch Blue Lock when it aired :o I liked it fine and I think it's fun + there's some interesting character stuff going on there but it's also like. SUPER opposite knb in terms of "power of friendship" type theming, so if that's what drew you to KNB it probs won't hit as hard for you >_< honestly Blue Lock reminds me a bit of Hunter x Hunter in some ways LMAO

The sports stuff is really fun tho and I also think it's like. Really funny lol ;w;