CHAPTER 4

"Alright, let's take a quick 5-minute break, and then one more round of service-receives!" Daichi announced.

Kuroko wheezed as he walked over to the nearest wall, allowing himself to collapse and slide against it until he reached the floor. His shirt was soaked in sweat, and his arms and palm felt numb from all the receives and serves he practiced. Kuroko couldn't recall the last time he'd been worked to the bone like this - Daichi was scary determined to whip them all into shape just in time for the InterHigh preliminaries. Their summer practices at the park seemed like a joke to him now.

"You okay?"

Kuroko turned his head and found Koushi walking towards him. He gratefully accepted the towel and water bottle the older boy offered. "Better now," he managed to say after taking a long sip. He wiped the towel over his face, savoring the comfort of skin liberated from that heavy coat of sweat. Unlike Teiko's facilities, Karasuno's gym didn't have air-conditioning. Though the prefecture was higher up north than Tokyo, the weather wasn't as cool as Kuroko preferred, and the added heat from their rigorous training was taking its toll on his body.

"Your endurance is really something, huh?" Koushi joked, patting his back.

"It's always been like this even when I was playing basketball," Kuroko explained. "I thought I'd last longer in volleyball, since there weren't a lot of running around, but I was mistaken."

"Unlike basketball, we don't have a time limit," Koushi reminded him. "I've watched a professional game run for hours because neither team would give in. It could get really tiring, even for veterans."

Kuroko hummed, thinking. "I don't know if I'll even last for an entire set during an actual match," he softly mused and reached over to take a ball that had rolled close to him. "And unlike Hinata, I'm still confused on what position I want to play."

"Oh, I thought you were considering the libero?" Koushi prompted. They've talked this over a lot during the summer, and Koushi had highlighted the pros and cons of the court's defensive specialist with unusual vigor. His cousin's eyes betrayed a hint of pain whenever they talked about liberos, and Kuroko suspected that there was a story still untold between them. Nevertheless, the pale boy didn't pester his cousin about it. After all, Kuroko was still holding back a lot of memories from Teiko as well.

Kuroko frowned slightly as he reviewed what he'd learned about that special position. The libero was responsible for facilitating the team's offensive strategy by passing the ball around after a serve-receive. It was frankly not very different from being a passing specialist in basketball.

Despite that, Kuroko felt a little apprehensive about the job. It seemed like a tall order, and he didn't think his receiving skills were up to par yet. The only thing he'd been confident with was his serve, which was improving in accuracy from each day he'd spent getting used to the smaller dimensions of a volleyball court. But liberos weren't allowed to serve, a fact that further aggravated his indecision.

Probably sensing his distress, Koushi gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Personally, I think it's too early for you to choose," Koushi assured him. "When I started playing volleyball, it took me half a year before I realized that I liked being a setter." He took the ball from Kuroko's hands and tossed it up in the air. "Before that, I just played any position I was assigned to. You don't need to figure it out immediately, like Hinata or Kageyama." Koushi handed the ball back to him while flashing a tender smile. "Just do your best in whatever position you get to play, and sooner or later, you'll end up gravitating to the one you really want."

Kuroko took the ball back and smiled softly at it as he considered his cousin's words. "I think you're right," he conceded. "It took me about half a year to figure out my role in basketball too. Maybe volleyball's gonna be the same."

Koushi grinned warmly at him, and ruffled his hair playfully. "More than winning, I want you to have fun, Tetsu-chan!"

The pale boy grimaced. "You promised you won't call me that in public," he huffed, swatting Koushi's hand away. The older boy laughed and raised up his arms, placating. "Sorry, it became a habit."

"Break's over!" Daichi's voice thundered from the other end of the gym.

Kuroko sighed and pushed himself off the floor. The break was nowhere near enough, but just as Koushi said, he just had to do his best and hopefully the rest will fall in place. Besides, despite having trained with them for only a few days, the rest of the volleyball team members were nice and welcoming. It was nowhere near the suffocating atmosphere that the Teiko basketball club had in his third year.

"I'll wait for you," Koushi insisted. Kuroko sighed for the tenth time that night.

"Please go ahead, Koushi-nii," Kuroko said with finality. "We drew lots and the first years are in charge of cleaning and closing up. I've been in a sports team before - I'm familiar with how this works. Anyway, you said you and Daichi-san had plans to hang out at his place after practice."

"Yeah, but-"

Kuroko turned and started walking away.

"Alright!" Koushi called out defeatedly. "But text me once you get home!"

The younger boy threw him a small wave before stepping back into the gym. The other two first years had already started cleaning up, and Kuroko hastened to follow. He didn't know much about them as neither talked to anyone else besides the other. The smaller one who introduced himself as Yamaguchi earlier seemed like an overall nice guy albeit a little shy. The tall blonde he stuck around with was Tsukishima, who gave off a standoffish vibe that Kuroko found mildly irritating. He wasn't in the mood to socialize after Daichi's spartan training, and so he went about his tasks quietly, doubling down on his misdirection to purposely avoid any interaction with the other two. It was no surprise that neither one noticed his presence the whole time.

Once they were done and the gym had been locked up, the three made their way home, with Kuroko falling behind them. The adrenaline had worn off and his legs felt like lead - Kuroko mentally calculated how long it would take him to get home given his current pace, just in case he'll need to give Koushi a heads up. He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he didn't notice when Tsukishima and Yamaguchi had strayed from the road.

"What the hell is your problem?"

Kuroko perked up at the sound of Hinata's voice. He looked around and found himself close to the Karasuno soccer field, where the other first years had apparently gathered. Curious about his friend's aggressive tone, Kuroko walked towards them.

"I saw the match you lost."

Kuroko stopped and watched something shift in Kageyama's eyes. His chest tightened as he recognized the emotions playing across the genius setter's face. "Your team was really patient to put up with a setter like you. I know I couldn't," Tsukishima sneered. "It happened because they couldn't, either." That look of pain, guilt, and overall fear was unmistakable. He didn't know the entire story, but just going by what Tsukishima said, Kuroko made an educated guess.

Suddenly, he was back on that basketball court again. The cheers of the crowd faded in the background as Ogiwara came into focus. The way his face changed - how his radiant grin broke into a gasp of despair as he realized what kind of game had been played. Those warm eyes that always looked to Kuroko encouragingly, were extinguished in that final moment, all hope lost. To top that off, there were his teammates, his friends, who continued to walk away from him, despite his cries, despite his hand that stretched out desperately, only to find that everyone was hopeless out of reach.

The pain swelled up inside him, like a sudden heat that swept across his chest, going up to his brain, making his ears ring with the thundering sound of his heartbeat. It was a crescendo that just kept on going and going and going, until his head exploded.

Kuroko was already moving before he could properly reconsider his actions, and by the time he came back to his senses, his hand was already tightly gripping the taller blonde's collar, stepping in between him and Kageyama.

"H-Hey Kuroko!" Hinata gasped.

"You have no idea," Kuroko snapped hoarsely and glared at Tsukishima without holding anything back. His mouth felt dry, his throat raw, and the words grated against his tongue like chewing on gravel. "No idea what it feels like to be left behind." To reach out and find no one taking your hand. To pass the ball and see an empty space. To be told outright that you weren't needed, weren't wanted anymore.

The blonde blinked at him in shock, recoiling slightly from the venom in the smaller boy's voice. Kuroko used whatever strength he had left to shove Tsukishima back before planting himself firmly in front of Kageyama. "I can't understand what the purpose of this conversation is," he added, blue eyes glinting coldly under the streetlamp's harsh fluorescent light. His fury had condensed into a sharp iciness further perpetuated by his cool glare. The sudden rush of adrenaline kept him going, and Kuroko was milking it for all its worth. "You initially struck me as an intelligent fellow, Tsukishima-san. How disappointing to see that you're just another backwater bully trying to hide his insecurities behind mean words," He clucked his tongue and let his words drip heavily with condescension. Two can play at this game, after all.

"Who the hell are you?" The tall blonde bristled, and a clear look of annoyance replaced his expression.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya," the other boy deadpanned.

"Why don't you know him?" Hinata quipped, edging closer to the trio. "Weren't you training together the whole afternoon? He's a first year like us!"

"Huh?" Yamaguchi frowned. "But we didn't see you. I thought there were only four of us."

"It's not my fault that you weren't paying attention," Kuroko coolly remarked, making Yamaguchi flinch. The pale boy remained steadfastly in front of Kageyama, shoulders squared and chin abutted, straightening against the towering height of the blonde before him. He wanted it to be perfectly clear to Tsukishima that he wasn't backing down. Not after he had failed to stand up for Ogiwara before. This time, he wouldn't step aside and watch someone be broken down the same way he did. Never again will he be the passive accomplice to a somebody else' pain.

Tsukishima's eyes narrowed at him. "Tch, whatever." He bent down and picked up the volleyball that had fallen on the ground. "Come on, Tadashi," he began to walk away. Yamaguchi threw one last glance at the trio before running after his friend.

When they were out of sight, Kuroko collapsed to the ground, the strength knocked out of his legs.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Hinata knelt beside him worriedly. "What's wrong?"

A hand clutched the fabric over his chest, and he wheezed, panicked breaths going in and out of him at irregular intervals. The adrenaline ran out, and with its absence, all his other emotions came crashing down all at once. He started feeling lightheaded from the hyperventilation, and Kuroko struggled to get started on the ritual that usually calmed his panic attacks. F-Five things I could see, he thought and frantically looked around, but the tears in his eyes clouded his vision, and their surroundings were dark now, making it all the more difficult to see anything. "H-Hey," Hinata's voice crept from the background of his mind, and he could hear the fear in them, which just made him all the more panicked. He didn't want Hinata to see him this way. He needed to calm down quickly before this escalated further, but those kinds of thoughts worked against him and made everything worse.

"I'm okay," he gasped unconvincingly. If his legs hadn't died earlier, Kuroko would have ran away by now. It was pathetic, absolutely pathetic to end up like this after his earlier display of bravado.

"Oi." He felt a firm, insisting hand on his shoulder. It was nothing like Koushi. This hand was rough and demanding, and frankly, his grip hurt. Kuroko looked up and found Kageyama crouched down before him. "Listen to my voice," he ordered. "And do as I say." The authority in his tone was absolute and Kuroko felt compelled to follow. "Tell me what this is," Kageyama continued, holding the volleyball up. "V-Volleyball," Kuroko replied in between wracked sobs. "Good. Take it," the setter shoved it into his trembling hands. "Run your hand across it. Trace every groove and count them. Do it."

Kuroko nodded and did as he was told. Slowly, the haze that fell over his mind began to clear. "Now, squeeze the ball as hard as you can. Dig your nails into it if you have to. Squeeze like your life depended on it."

Kuroko gave it a try, though it was a pathetic attempt given how exhausted he was. But the act made his arm muscles flair to life, and that sharp pain was like a slap on the face, knocking him out of the panic attack's hold. The feeling in his legs returned, and he began to register the ground beneath him, and the rest of his surroundings came back into sharp focus.

His breathing stabilized and the tears stopped.

"Kuroko?" Hinata asked, his voice small and scared. Kuroko saw that the boy's hand was paused mid-reach, unsure of what to do. He flashed him a small, reassuring smile. "I'm okay," he repeated, this time with more certainty.

Hinata let out a loud sigh of relief. "Thank god! I thought you were dying!"

It sure felt that way, Kuroko thought bitterly as he absently tugged on the bands covering his wrists. It always feels that way.

The orange boy helped him get back on his feet. He was still a little wobbly and dizzy from such an intense panic attack. This was the first time he had one since Kageyama and Hinata's altercation on the first day of school, and that had been the longest time he'd gone without any attacks.

Kuroko turned to Kageyama, who had carefully stepped back to give him more room. "How did you know to do that?" It was a different method from what he was used to, but it was effective nonetheless. Kuroko filed it for future use, as it was definitely easier to do than his old ritual. Though he wondered if it would work just as well without the genius setter's authoritarian tone. He couldn't imagine Koushi pulling it off.

Kageyama rubbed the back of his neck. "I saw one of my senpai do it for an underclassmen once," he explained. "It was during a game in the semi-finals. The underclassman was called in to sub for a starter who got injured. It was his first official game so he cracked under the pressure and had a panic attack. You looked similar to what he looked back then, so I thought I'd try it out."

Kuroko nodded. "Thank you, Kageyama-kun."

The raven-haired boy shrugged, looking embarrassed. "It's nothing."

"Wahh, Kuroko, I'm so glad you're okay!" Kuroko let out a wordless gasp as the smaller boy dove towards him and literally tackled him with a hug. It took a lot of willpower to keep himself from falling back down. Kuroko patted the boy's head awkwardly, and his eyes fall back on the volleyball still in his other hand. "Sorry I interrupted your practice." He handed the ball back to Kageyama. "But it's getting pretty late though. Isn't your house on the other side of the mountain?" Kuroko threw Hinata a pointed look, but the boy just grinned back shamelessly.

"Nah, it's fine! As long as I get to play, I don't mind!"

"We should call it a day," Kageyama interrupted, and walked over to his bag. "It's too dark out to keep playing now."

"Whaaat, no, I wanna keep practicing!" Hinata whined, stomping his foot on the ground petulantly. "I haven't properly received your serve yet!"

"We'll work on it early tomorrow," Kageyama grumbled and gave Kuroko a cautious look. To the Phantom boy's surprise, Kageyama suddenly reached down to take Kuroko's bag from where he'd dropped it. "You look like you're gonna pass out any second," he snorted gruffly as he slipped the strap over his other shoulder. "Come on. We'll get you home."

"That's not necessary-"

"Ooh, I wanna see Kuroko's house!" Hinata squealed, jumping up and down beside him. He then grabbed Kuroko's arm and began pulling him along. "Let's go!"

Kuroko took one look at the boy's eager face and sighed deeply in exasperation. "Fine."

The walk home was uneventful. Hinata filled it with his ceaseless chatter, talking about what he and Kageyama had accomplished, with Kageyama interrupting every now and then to point out exactly what Hinata still needed to improve. They walked with both boys flanking Kuroko at both sides while Hinata pushed his bike along, and he'd occasionally feel Kageyama's scrutinizing gaze on him.

He didn't mind it at first, but when it persisted, Kuroko began to feel a little uncomfortable. He wasn't used to someone staring at him so intently after all. "Excuse me, Kageyama-kun," he started out politely. "But do you have something you want to tell me?"

The setter stopped in his tracks, looking stunned that Kuroko had caught on to him. His reaction made Kuroko's lips twitch in amusement. It was becoming evident to the boy that while Kageyama held himself to impossibly high standards, he was perhaps just as simple minded and transparent as the orange-haired boy beside him. Both boys wore their hearts on their sleeves, whether they intended to or not. "I," Kageyama hesitated and averted his gaze. "I wanted to know what you meant back there. When you said something about being left behind."

Kuroko's heart stilled for a moment. "Oh."

"Hmm, what's that supposed to mean?" Hinata prodded, clueless and looking mildly annoyed that he was being left out of the conversation.

"It's just that," Kageyama continued, and even in the dimly lit streets, Kuroko could see the turmoil clearly reflected in his eyes. "You spoke as if you knew what that was like." Kuroko could see that Kageyama was struggling to get the words out, and it became obvious that the boy wasn't used to talking about these things. He wondered how long ago the incident was and if Kageyama had the chance to process these feelings with anyone else, but given the setter's sour disposition, Kuroko was willing to bet that he hadn't. The thought that Kageyama didn't have anyone supporting him filled Kuroko with both pity and alarm. At least he had his mom back then. And now he had Koushi and Mitsuki-san, even Daichi-san to support him when he needed them.

He felt strangely protective over this boy he barely knew. He projected himself onto Kageyama, seeing him as the Kuroko without scars on his wrists yet - a chance for redemption. It was an ambitious idea, especially since he himself hadn't fully recovered. He'd just come out of a panic attack minutes ago as well. But it's not like there was a time frame to decide these kinds of things. All Kuroko knew was this boy had the same eyes he did back then, but not yet as broken as he was. Perhaps he could save him before his life spiraled out of control. Maybe it was Kuroko's turn to help someone heal.

And so the paler boy took a deep breath and made his decision. "For you to understand, I have to tell you my story first."

Neither of the other boys spoke throughout the rest of the trip, listening solemnly to Kuroko's narration of the events that led him to Miyagi and Karasuno High. He decided not to leave out anything anymore, baring all the facts to these two boys he'd only recently met. The change in his Teiko teammates. The decline in their friendship. The final straw that broke his spirit during the Winter Cup Nationals. The suicide attempt. His clinically diagnosed depression and anxiety. Moving in with Koushi. And his dream of playing a sport with a team he could call 'home'.

He figured that there was no point in holding back anymore. By being honest about his trauma, he hoped that Kageyama would follow his example, and begin to open up. Maybe not to him, but to someone. Perhaps he'd ask Koushi for help too, being a fellow setter.

Although his usual anxiety was screaming against this spontaneous decision to reveal all the skeletons in his closet, Kuroko was confident that he could trust these two boys not to use his confessions against him. They were too pure and simple-minded to ever do anything malicious like spread rumors or blackmail him.

By the time he was finished talking, they had arrived in front of Kuroko's house.

"We're here," he announced, stopping in front of the gate. The lights on the first floor were all open, and he could see Koushi and Mitsuki-san from the window looking into the dining room, where they were setting the table for dinner. He turned to both boys and bowed deeply. "Thank you for accompanying me all this way."

"It's no problem," Kageyama muttered quietly as he handed him his bag. He kept his eyes on the ground, and with his head bowed, Kuroko couldn't see his face very well. Hinata, on the other hand, stepped towards him and seized him into one of his surprise hugs. They stayed like that for a while until Kuroko gently - but urgently - pried him off. For such a small guy, his hugs could crush someone's ribs.

Hinata faced him solidly, brown eyes wide and glistening. He had grabbed Kuroko's free hand and held it tight between his own. "Thanks for trusting us, Kuroko," he started, his lower lip still trembling from his efforts to hold back any tears. "I had no idea you went through something like that. I thought you just got bored with basketball when you realized how much more awesome volleyball was!"

"Of course you'd think that, dumbass," Kageyama chided from behind him.

Hinata huffed and rolled his eyes at that remark. "Anyway! At least you're in Karasuno now!" the boy grinned and began to excitedly shake Kuroko's hand. "And I'm glad we're in the same team! There's no way I'll ever abandon you, never ever! You're one of my precious teammates, after all!"

Kuroko gracefully accepted the hug that quickly followed, resigning himself to the reality that he would be getting a lot more unsolicited hugs from the orange ball of sunshine in the future. "Thank you," he managed to whisper back as he buckled under the boy's weight.

"Tetsuya!"

The trio turned towards the door and found Koushi waving. "Oh, Hinata and Kageyama too?" He walked over towards the gate, looking at them curiously. He raised an eyebrow at Kuroko's direction, but the boy only shook his head in response, wordlessly promising to tell him about it later. Koushi shrugged and beamed the other two. "Well, since you're both here anyway, why not come in for dinner? Mom underestimated her portions of curry, so now we have enough for two other people."

"I don't want to impose-"

"No worries!" Koushi cut him off, reaching over the gate to grab Kageyama by the collar before he could escape. "Anyway, we haven't talked enough, despite both being setters. As your senpai, I can't pass on this golden opportunity to share some wisdom!" He winked at Kuroko before opening the gate and dragging the poor boy in.

Kuroko looked down at Hinata who was still clinging to him. "Shall we? It'll be better for you to eat and rest first before biking back home. We have a landline you can use to call your mom and tell her you'll be running late."

"Really? Awesome!" He detached himself from Kuroko just to jump up and down with barely contained glee. "Could we see your room too?"

"One thing at a time, Hinata," Kuroko sighed, as he followed the boy in Koushi's house.

Dinner was livelier than ever. Hinata and Mitsuki-san hit it off right away, raising up a storm of conversations about any and every topic they could get their hands on. But as expected, everything converged to volleyball in the end, with Kageyama and Koushi falling into a serious discussion on the technicalities behind tosses while Hinata pestered Kuroko about the open court in the park they passed on the way home.

"We should play there after practice!" He insisted in between mouthfuls. "It has better light and there's an actual net!"

Kuroko pondered on the best way to explain to the hyperactive boy that not everyone was born with seemingly infinite reserves of energy like he did. Also, if Kuroko played anymore after Daichi's spartan training, his arms and legs would surely come off.

"You're welcome to use it," he compromised. "But don't expect me to play with you."

"Ehhhhhhhh," Hinata pouted. "But I wanna play with Kuroko on an actual court! Not just out in the yard during lunch."

"Then win the match on Saturday," Kuroko deadpanned.

"We will," Kageyama declared while still chewing. Kuroko would have pointed out his terrible manners if he hadn't been so shocked with what the boy had just said.

"Whoa, Kageyama-san!" Hinata exclaimed. "You said 'we'!"

The genius setter abruptly dropped his chopsticks and hastily covered his own mouth, looking very confused. "T-That doesn't mean I'll toss to you!" He stammered, glaring down at the orange boy. "You haven't received a single one of my serves yet!"

"Nor mine," Kuroko softly added, earning a long-suffering groan from the smaller boy.

"Well, I still think you've improved a lot since the first day," Koushi encouraged, and reached out to gently tousle Hinata's hair. "Maybe things will be different in tomorrow's morning practice."

"Yeah, it will!" Hinata nodded eagerly, getting hyped up again. "By the way, Kuroko, why don't you join us for the ultra-secret morning practice tomorrow? I want to practice with you on an actual court!"

"No thanks," Kuroko immediately replied with no hesitation. "I don't want to wake up that early."

"Ehhhhh, but we're a teaaaammmmmm. Pretty please? Just for the last two days before Saturday!"

Kuroko just stared at him while chewing quietly. This energetic boy could probably make him do anything if he put his mind to it, but waking Kuroko up before the sun rose was where he'd draw the line. "No."

"Kurokooooooooo!"

Finally, Koushi intervened. "Now, now, Hinata, let's not push Tetsuya. He has extremely low blood pressure in the morning so waking up early is not something he could willingly do."

"But you can!" Hinata huffed, deflating into his chair in clear disappointment. "Don't you guys go to school together?"

"Not since I joined you guys and Tanaka for the secret morning practice," Koushi admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Tetsuya absolutely refuses to wake up before six o'clock, and he barely makes it to regular morning practice at 7."

"How boriiiiing," Hinata pouted. Kuroko rolled his eyes, unaffected by the boy's charms.

"Leave him alone, dumbass," Kageyama glowered, smacking the upside of Hinata's head. "I've seen him practice with you, and frankly, he's better at receiving than you will ever be. He doesn't need the morning training, you do."

The smaller boy scowled at his direction. "I'll show you tomorrow!"

"Speaking of tomorrow," Koushi interrupted. "It's getting late. You're still a long way from home, Hinata. It's best you get going now."

"Right!" The boy jumped from his seat. "Thank you very much for your hospitality!" He bowed deeply. Mitsuki promptly left her seat and engulfed Hinata in a soul-crushing hug, burying him deep into the valley of her bosom. Predictably, the orange boy passed out. Kageyama used this opportunity to quickly express his gratitude for dinner, and make his escape before he suffered the same fate.

"That's enough, mom," Koushi sighed, extracting the smaller boy before he died from shock. "I told you to stop doing that to my friends."

"But he's just the right height!" Mitsuki exclaimed, not at all apologetic. "Like Tetsu-chan. Though that reminds me, I haven't hugged him either!" The bubbly lady turned to Kuroko's seat but found it empty.

"I'll see them off, Mitsuki-san," Kuroko called out from the safety of the foyer, where Kageyama was waiting by the door. He edged closer, just in case he needed to make a run for it. Mitsuki's hugs were dangerous.

"Alright! Be careful on your way home, boys!"

The trio let out a collective sigh of relief as they left the threshold. Hinata had recovered his senses, not without the help of another smack from Kageyama. He grabbed his bike by the gate and wheeled it out on the street. "I'll be off!" He waved at them. Then he gave Kuroko one last pleading look. "Please think about joining us tomorrow morning!"

The pale boy sighed. "Fine. I'll think about it." That was obviously enough for Hinata as his face brightened. "Yahoo!" He cheered, flashing Kuroko a wide grin before peddling away.

They watched him go until he turned a corner and disappeared.

Kageyama cleared his throat. "I...guess I better go then," he muttered under his breath. Kuroko could see that the boy was still avoiding his gaze. He was about to turn and walk away when Kuroko grabbed his arm.

"Kageyama-kun?"

The boy stilled, but didn't look at him. It was clear that despite his earlier confessions, Kageyama was still not ready to open up. Well, that's fine, Kuroko decided. Rome wasn't built in a day. Perhaps it was too early for a heart-to-heart between them, but the least Kuroko could do was make sure Kageyama knew that he was at the boy's corner, ready to listen whenever he's ready to talk.

"Do you have a cellphone?"

The question was probably out of place because Kageyama finally turned to face him. "Why?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I'd like to give you my number," Kuroko replied, taking out his own phone to carry the point across. "Whenever you need to talk to someone who understands what you went through… what you're still going through. I just wanted you to know that I'm just one call away or message away."

Kageyama hesitated, looking down at the phone Kuroko held with an apprehensive expression. "Are you sure?" He finally said. "I mean, I barely know you and…" he paused and ground his teeth as he scowled down at his feet. "I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

Same thoughts. Same words. Kuroko sighed sadly in recognition.

"You're not a burden," he stated, softly but firmly, allowing no room for doubt to encroach on his words. "But I understand why you feel that way. So I'm not going to force you into anything. That's why I'll give you my number," Kuroko raised his phone screen up to show Kageyama his contact info. "So the ball's in your court, so to speak. It'll be entirely up to you."

There was a brief pause before the taller boy finally relented and took out his own phone to copy Kuroko's number. Once that was done, Kuroko flashed him a small smile. "Good night, Kageyama-kun."

"...thanks, Kuroko."

A/N: I personally believe that a beautiful friendship could bloom between Kuroko and Kageyama as well, and I'll be giving that relationship just as much attention as Kuroko's bond with Hinata and Koushi.

The Generation of Miracles might pop up somewhere in the next few chapters. I wanted to establish Kuroko in Karasuno first before I raised the skeletons in his closet.

Please drop by at the Reviews section! See you in the next chapter!