title: bench creaks

summary: "Sometimes when you meet someone, there's a click. I don't believe in love at first sight but I believe in that click." – Ann Aguiire, Blue Diablo[Tetsuya x Riko]

notes: okay so the manga just ended and i feel utterly betrayed. i feel like a part of my life has been snatched away. see, i feel like a lot more could be told about the characters' stories; a lot more could be said about akashi's refusal to lose, about momoi's infatuation with kuroko, about ogiwara and kuroko. but alas, it didn't get that far.

disclaimer: i do not own KnB

I

The first time was, like most first times, completely uneventful. But it was her meeting his eyes, and that has got to count for something.

It was right after the first training session of Seirin High Basketball Club, and she was considerably more tired compared to normal days. Riko left school two hours later than usual, as the boys insisted they train as much as they can.

It was six o'clock and she was alone in the bus stop. Alone until a blue haired boy sat next to her on the bench. Riko wouldn't have noticed him if it weren't for the soft creak of the seat next to her. She jumped and turned wildly to her left, and saw him.

His eyes were as blue as his hair, something she found particularly strange. He had a pale complexion, like he hadn't even seen the sun. Riko could tell he was taller than her, but was also younger. There was a noticeable youth in the set of his mouth.

He was wearing the colors of Teiko Middle School and that intrigued her. He didn't seem to be the sporty type, though. He sat straight, his posture flawless. But there was something about him that reminded her of a soft breeze. Unassuming, irrelevant.

Then in a moment wherein the world held its breath, he turned to her and raised his eyebrows. She turned hastily away, and never looked at him again until the bus arrived, until he got off the bus.

II

The second time was more eventful. He was already there when she arrived, reading a small book. Aside from him, there were three other people on the bus stop, and every single one had claimed a seat on the bench. She sighed and leaned against the nearest lamppost.

That was when, in the corner of her eye, she noticed a shadow moving and suddenly he was beside her, his book closed. You can sit there, he said, nodding to his now vacant spot on the bench.

She hesitated for a moment, looking right at his face but not seeing anything. She stuttered, Thank you and walked around him. She sat gratefully, the weight of fatigue pulling her down.

III

The third time was a storm, and she forgot her umbrella. There was a roof over the bench but the wind was wild and unforgiving and in a matter of minutes she's already half-soaked.

She avoided the eyes of any passerby; there was only her in the bus stop, shivering and alone. Alone until he came and placed a dark umbrella against the onslaught of rain.

You don't have to, she wanted to say, but the coldness had reached her bones. She stood and they walked together away from the bench. She said, stammering because her teeth were shaking, Thank you. Again.

He shrugged casually and replied, You should never forget your umbrella. She found warmth in his voice, and she sighed contentedly, as if settling down to sleep.

He handed her a white handkerchief, and she took it wordlessly, speechless at the kindness gesture of a stranger. She used it to wipe her face and her hands, not trusting her lips to say anything but thanks. She felt the coldness like a vice upon her, but just beneath the layers of her muscle she felt a heat that was a soft sense of joy and embarrassment.

The bus arrived too fast, and she moved toward it with a gentle, shaking brave. He followed silently, and as she sat by the window, he sat beside her. He set his umbrella down between his knees. He brought his unprecedented warmth with him, and in the guiltless cold of the bus's air conditioning, it was a comfort.

I'm sorry I can't give you any dry clothes to borrow, he said suddenly, they're all sweaty.

Oh, no, I wouldn't have accepted it anyway, she said hurriedly, the skin of her cheeks burning, You've already been too kind. She smiled brightly, gratefully. You have to give me a chance to repay you.

There's no need, he said and she found that he meant it. Rarely had she found someone so honest in the way he was, like purity was something that occurred to him as naturally as the sun rose. That honesty would've meant less without the tranquil blueness of his eyes, but she found it pleasantly disarming nonetheless.

IV

The fourth time was her turn, and he was sweaty, his jacket open to a white shirt underneath. She arrived early and was already sitting on the bench when he arrived.

He sat, wiping his face with a towel. He was slightly panting. Rough day? she asked, smiling.

Training was hell, he said.

Training?

Basketball training.

She gasped, You're part of the Teiko Basketball Club?

He nodded yes, smiling a little. You know them?

I've heard of them. And what I've heard really makes for quite a reputation.

They are quite the team, he said, they're amazing. He said it with a hint of self-depreciation that she failed to miss.

I bet you're amazing too, she said, and he turned to her fast, eyes boring into hers. The moment the words left her lips she regretted them; it was just a harmless compliment. She didn't want to sound like she was flirting or something.

But he didn't seem to take it that way, because he was looking at her like she wove the stars into the sky. How do you know?

She leaned away from him―from his eyes and from his voice. W-Well, you made it to the team, right? I heard everyone there is amazing.

I suppose so, he said, sitting up straighter. She liked the way he sat, and the way he placed his elbows on his thighs; she didn't know why. Thank you. I needed that.

I'd say it again in a heartbeat, she said it before she could think it through, and her face burned. I mean, whenever you need it… again. She turned away from him completely, willing the earth to swallow her whole.

She refused to look at him even as he sat beside her again on the bus, even as he got up to leave first. But she was certain that he was smiling as he left.

V

The fifth time was when she realized three things. One, he smelled great. They were sitting next to each other on the bus again. Their shoulders were brushing, and she was trying her hardest not to stare at him from her peripheral vision. It hurt her eyeballs, and it hurt her pride.

Her freaking nose was straining to inhale his boyish scent; the sweat with a hint of cologne. It felt much more refreshing than her boys could ever hope to be.

How could she be reduced to this? A sniffing pedophile?

Another thing she realized was that she liked the way he stared at people curiously, as if bird-watching. This made her heart flutter. It made her jittery just imagining him looking at her like that.

The last thing was he was really starting to get under her skin in the best way. Riko heard her voice wither as she said good bye to him, and felt a shift in her chest in hearing it. She looked at the space he vacated longingly, as if staring at the plastic seat would somehow summon him.

She couldn't get him off her mind when she got home. She kept wishing she could watch him play, could see him running, could see him smile as he made a shot. She couldn't even plan her plays properly; she kept imagining how it would be to coach him, to encourage him, to tell him what to do, to make him sweat―

She slammed her head on her pillow and screamed, feeling disgusted at herself.

VI

The sixth time was the worst because of two things: one, she was actually anticipating his arrival. Every footstep was him walking towards their bench, every breeze was him bringing a breath of fresh air with him. This disturbed her more than she cared to admit; she had never wanted to see someone as bad as she wanted to see him.

She couldn't even sleep the night before. She hadn't seen him in weeks because training sessions took longer than expected. Seirin won its fourth game the day before, and Riko was itching to tell him every detail of it.

She had yet to tell him she was a coach of a high school basketball team; thinking it would matter more if she at least had three victories under her belt. She was practically bouncing on the bench, counting the minutes before he arrived.

Riko had his handkerchief folded neatly on her lap. She forgot to give it to him last time because she was busy trying not to look feverish. Part of the reason why she couldn't sleep was her imagining a million different scenarios of how she was going to give him his handkerchief back.

She had never felt like this before, never wanted to breathe the air around someone so badly the feeling almost choked her. That was particularly disquieting because she didn't even know his name yet.

Two, he had friends with him. There were two taller boys, but not taller than Teppei or Hyuuga―they each had funny colored hair: blue and yellow. And the salt on the wound, a very beautiful girl with the brightest pink hair and the prettiest smile. She was clinging onto him like a leech, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, she hadn't seen him smile so much.

She saw him a block away. The muscles in her chest contracted painfully, and she felt like she was being strangled, somehow. She wanted to run then, to hide and never show her face again because she was so sure that she looked like a kicked puppy. But her legs turned to lead and she couldn't, for the life of her, move them.

She fished her phone out of her bag quickly, desperately, just to not look like she just had her world crumble around her. She texted Teppei, saying, Oh God WHY WHY NOW?!

Teppei was the only one who knew about the blue-eyed boy, and he was certainly an asset when Junpei wanted to have dinner with the team―Teppei always managed to help her escape.

Teppei called just as the blue-eyed boy and his entourage arrived at the bus stop. She jumped, startled and relieved, and flipped her phone open. Yeah? Her voice had a forced casualness in it; she actually shivered as the pretty girl sat next to her, effectively building a barrier between her and the blue-eyed boy.

What's the matter? Did something bad happen? Teppei sounded so worried she almost burst out laughing. Yes, she said lowly. Clearing her throat, she said louder, Can you meet me in, like, five minutes?

What's this about? Riko, are you okay?

Just meet me at Maiji's, okay, Teppei? Just do it or you get fifty laps! she threatened, but her voice was shaking.

Okay, okay. See you in five. You sound like you're scared or something. You better be in one piece.

I don't know about that, she thought, feeling the resounding ache in her chest get stronger. She flipped her phone shut and tried to calm her breath. All around her was the mixture of the happy voices of his friends, the chime-like laugh of the girl the loudest of all. Somehow she felt like throwing up and at the same time humiliated at feeling inferior to middle schoolers. She stood up so fast she was dizzy for a few seconds, but she ignored that and bolted out of the bus stop.

Her abrupt movement threw the handkerchief off her lap and onto the road. She didn't see this as she didn't see his blue eyes trailing after her. She didn't see those eyes falter as they saw the white piece of cloth being trampled on heedlessly.