In Shadows | Kuroko no Basket Fan Fiction

35. Birthday Surprises

In Shadows
Chapter Thirty-Five
Birthday Surprises

When Kuroko's birthday finally arrived, Gina was ready. She and Momoi had everything planned out to the last minute - from when they'd arrive, when Saki should arrive with the food; everything they could think of, they'd planned. 

Gina had wanted to race straight to Kuroko's and hug him and wish him a happy birthday before pressing his present into his hands. But she made herself wait so he had time to wake up and spend with his family.

After sitting in the kitchen, eating breakfast while absently flipping through a book and tapping her foot against the ground, the time to leave finally arrived. Gina called a hasty goodbye to her parents and ran out the door.

She didn't stop running until she reached Kuroko's. She rapped on the door and, when it opened, Kuroko was standing there.

"Happy birthday, Kuroko!" Gina yelled, jumping into a hug. Kuroko held her back and they stayed there in the threshold for a moment, just holding on to each other and basking in the other's presence.

When they separated, Gina handed her present over. "I hope you like it," she said, biting on her lip as he opened it. 

The paper fell apart, revealing a book Kuroko had mentioned that he'd wanted to read. Gina told him to open the cover and he did, his eyes widening when he saw the scribble in the corner.

The author of the book had been in Tokyo recently to do a book signing, and Gina had decided to buy his book for Kuroko's birthday, and had gotten it signed as well. 

"Gina..." Kuroko trailed off and looked up at her, momentarily rendered speechless. He stepped closer to her and kissed her; Gina sank into it, closing her eyes. "Thank you," he breathed, when they parted.

"Oh, it's no problem," she said, turning her head away. "I was just lucky he happened to come to Tokyo recently..."

They stood in silence for a while, though Kuroko was watching her flush with a fond smile. Hoping to move on from the moment, Gina checked the time on her watch and gasped. "It's time to go! Come on, Kuroko, Satsuki and I have planned everything!" With that she grabbed Kuroko's hand and dragged him away.

The basketball courts weren't too far away, so they arrived there just in time, having walked the entire way at a leisurely pace hand-in-hand. Gina beamed when she pulled Kuroko on to the court and everyone was already there, grinning when they spotted Kuroko.

"Happy birthday Kuroko/Kuro-chin/Tetsu/Kurokocchi/Tetsu-kun!" 

Kuroko didn't say anything, but the bright, wide smile on his face spoke so much more than words. 

They all gathered and talked for about five minutes, giving Kuroko the usual birthday wishes, but before long they were dividing themselves into teams to start playing already. Momoi would keep an eye over the game to ensure fair play, but Gina didn't think they'd have to worry. It was Kuroko's birthday, after all. 

As everyone played, Gina moved closer to Momoi and bit down on her lip. "Akane's not here..." she muttered, watching as Aomine performed a rather spectacular drunk.

Momoi sighed, seeming to deflate as her breath escaped in one large puff of air. "I guess it's a bit much to expect her to come... especially since her meeting with Akashi-kun didn't go to well..."

Gina blinked. "Really?" Even though the two hadn't properly spoken in a while, she thought that they would've been able to easily fall back into their old friendship once they talked a few things over.

Momoi nodded. Her gaze turned downward. "Akane-chan said she got really emotional and things went downhill for her... But I thought she would've come for Tetsu-kun. She probably relied on him most in third year, they really supported each other."