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BANDS OF black AND blue

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3o : falling into your tomorrow

The modest white door of the apartment looms over you as you raise a hesitant fist, only to drop it again. You have no idea how many times you've raised your hand only to have it fall back, but a quick glance at your cellphone reveals that you are fifteen minutes late. It's funny, because you clearly remember arriving half an hour early (granted, a good portion of this time was spent pacing in front of the apartment complex and jumping some three feet high when a little kid questioned your 'suspicious behavior').

Nonetheless, you steel your nerves and force your eyes to stay open, raising your curved (and not at all trembling!) fingers to knock on the door. But because the universe has something against you, said block of wood carefully swings open and you realize - belatedly - that your hand was at the perfect height to knock on Kuroko's forehead. He stares at you, big blue eyes more owlish than normal, and you try to communicate to your hand that you would like it down and at your side this instant.

Eventually, your hand listens; thanks in part to Kuroko blinking once before wrapping his fingers around your wrist and pulling your hand to waist-level. And then he tells you in a pleasant voice that he's been wondering if he should have waited outside - no of course not you are quick to reassure him (remembering the super-suspicious kids incident) - before stepping out and locking his apartment door.

Was it always this quiet, you wonder to yourself, as the two of you make your way downstairs. Before you had more common topics: classmates, teachers, classes, but even then, Kuroko wasn't much for conversation. He turns to you, asking if there was anything particular that you had planned for today and you shrug your shoulders because while it had been your idea to 'hang out' with Kuroko, that was about as far as your brain got. Basketball, you blurt out instantly and he smiles a small smile before bursting your bubble by noting the absence of a ball.

Cue the two of you making your way up the stairs, into Kuroko's apartment - where your eyes wander from floor to ceiling and wall to wall, unable to believe how incredibly clean his place is (you haven't seen your carpet in weeks), and then back down the stairs. Your feet take you to the closest public courts. It was supposed to be a fifteen minute walk, but you manage to make one wrong left turn somehow it ends up taking an hour. And in the midst of striving to ignore the quiet chuckles coming from Kuroko, you cannot help but notice how naturally your footsteps fall into rhythm.

An hour later and the two of you arrive at some public court. It's not the public court you remember playing at, and it's certainly not the same court you had checked up that was within 'walking distance' from Kuroko's apartment, but it is a public court and the two of you do have a basketball so by god you'll be playing a game. Or two or three or four or five. By the third game, some neighborhood kids show up - a gaggle of middle and high schoolers by the looks of it - and Kuroko invites them to play. Well, not before freaking them by appearing out of absolutely nowhere, but that was to be expected.

Although the two of you do not manage to play on the same team - it's no fair, the little brats scream and of course Kuroko blinks and nods and kindly acquiesces - you still get the chance to marvel at Kuroko's improved shooting abilities (and with this admiration you realize that at some indefinite point in time, you have actually come to accept the fact that Kuroko has gone to a different high school and it's all worked out for the better) and roll on the floor laughing when some first-year middle schooler accidentally knocks the ball out of his hand.

The two of you part merrily with the neighborhood kids after eight or nine games (it feels like you've known them for years afterwards and you don't even know most of their names), your t-shirts soaked with sweat. Kuroko's wearing some exhausted and ridiculous grin but when you tell him, he smiles wider and tells you that you've got the same exact smile. You roll your eyes and bop him lightly on the arm as the two of you make your way to a nearby fast-food restaurant. He orders his normal burger-and-shake; you take five burgers and two fries and a large soda and refuse to take offense when Kuroko notes that your meals look almost human nowadays.

After finishing lunch, Kuroko takes the lead and directs the two of you to the grassy riverbank of a dam. Only after do you recall that this was the place everyone from Teikou went to to watch fireworks. You plop yourself down in the grass, stretching out your arms and legs and forcing your stomach to stop its insane round of adamant exercising when Kuroko lowers himself to sit next to you, arms splayed on his raised knees, gaze trained on the still waters of the reservoir. Once upon a time, you vaguely know, the two of you did this every weekend: basketball practice, lunch, and then whittling away the afternoon staring into space.

You don't remember exactly what you talked about - school, basketball, other people, probably - only that at some point the two of you argued quite vehemently about whether or not a cloud looked more like a lion or an antelope. The sun is already making its way down and your cellphone tells you that it's six 'o clock and still, the afternoon seems to have flown by when Kuroko stands up first, holding out a hand for you to take. And then he whispers your name - like only he can do - and smiles and you want to tell him that it's been far too long since the two of you have hung out like this except he beats you to chase: pale fingers pulling up your tanned hand, telling you that he missed you.

See you later, you tell him at the bus stop where the two of you go your separate ways. Awkwardly, you raise a hand to wave at him and he does the same. See you later, he replies in-turn and five hours later you end up falling asleep with a stupid grin on your face because it's a promise.

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fin.

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Thank you for reading this small archive of stories. I really enjoyed writing them everyday for thirty days (even though some of them made me cry) so I hope you derived some pleasure from them as well! If you're still thirsting for more Kuroko no Basuke fanfiction, then I would recommend the livejournal community that I help moderate, shootswishscore. I adore this series and its cast of characters so you'll definitely hear from me (via review) if you happen to write fanfic!

xoxo, classically cliche (aka rainierdays at livejournal)