In Shadows | Kuroko no Basket Fan Fiction

25. Preparation

In Shadows
Chapter Twenty-Five
Preparation 

When Gina's mother arrived to pick them up from the stadium, she had to roll down the window and call out to Gina and Kuroko to get in. They'd broken apart from their kiss and, feeling the cold in her dress and thin cardigan, Gina had leaned into Kuroko for warmth, resting her head on his shoulder. He'd wrapped her arms around her, resting his own head on top of her own, allowing his eyes to flutter closed, partly to savour the moment, and partly so he didn't have to see the stares of people as they passed.

At her mother's yell, they'd jumped apart, identical embarrassed expressions on their faces. Gina had expected at least a bit of a talk by her mother as they clambered into the car, but instead she shrugged and said, "I thought this would happen," and let the subject drop.

They had to drop Kuroko off had his house so he could get changed into his Seirin uniform. When they arrived back at her house, Gina looked down at her watch and estimated they had five minutes to get ready before heading down to the bus to head to the stadium, to scout their opponent for tomorrow's match.

Hastily, Gina ran to her room and ripped her clothes off. She knew everyone else would be wearing their uniforms to her match but knew if she put on her uniform, she'd freeze in the skirt. Instead, she yanked on a pair of jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt and pulled a blue jumper over the top. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and pulled a pair of boots before making a dash down the stairs, calling a hasty goodbye to her parents as she ran to Kuroko's.

Kuroko was just emerging from his house when Gina arrived. They exchanged a smile and, standing so close together that their shoulders almost touched, they ran for the bus stop, making it just in time.

The entire bus journey, Gina sat with her head on Kuroko's shoulder and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. His hand rested on top of hers; a small action most on the bus wouldn't have spotted.

As soon as she felt the bus slow down, Gina opened her eyes and sat up. They made their way off the bus and ran the rest of the short distance to the stadium.

"Just in time!" Gina crowed, upon entering the court where their opponent would be playing. The teams were only just finishing their warm ups when they arrived. 

"We couldn't have cut it any closer, though," Kuroko said.

Gina shrugged. "I wouldn't have cared even if we were half an hour late. I could endure hours of Riko's scolding to spend that time with you." Her cheeks dusted with colour as she admitted it. 

He smiled, that same smile that made Gina's heart melt whenever she saw it. "Thanks, Gina. The same goes for me."

Unconsciously, Gina's hand slipped into Kuroko's as they walked above the stands, searching for their teammates. When they spotted the collection of white, red and black uniforms, they quickly hurried down the stairs.

"Gina! Kuroko!" Hyuga called, the first to spot them. "You were almost late."

"Sorry," Kuroko apologised. The rest of the team, along with Alex, turned as they made their way down the stairs.

As they neared, a small frown had formed on Kagami's face. "Hey, why are you holding hands?" he asked.

Gina blinked. Her eyes shot down to her and Kuroko's hands, which were still intertwined. She turned beet red, but couldn't bring herself to let go of his hand. 

"Are you dating?" Kiyoshi asked.

"Um, yes," Gina stammered. They had been planning to reveal it to the team that day, but admitting it when they were all staring at the two of them - as well as a few others who were sitting nearby in the stands - was a bit daunting. She managed to make herself nod. "We are. Since this evening."