Just a Fairytale [Kuroko Tetsuya x Reader x Nijimura Shuzo]{KnB}

[M.8]Middle School: Diary Entry Eight

You sip through your straw, tasting the milky vanilla substance which satisfies your hunger. Seated inside the nearest fast food chain, you gobble down your dinner as Kuroko watches with a blank expression. Neither of you speaks, but unlike earlier, it's a comfortable silence that blankets the atmosphere. It's therapeutic and much needed.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asks after finishing his shake.

You lick your cold lips to savor any remnants of the beverage; you then clean your fingers with your napkin. "Ah, yeah. Thanks for treating me... I can't believe I forgot my wallet."

He sends you an endearing smile. "It isn't a problem. Think of it as an apology."

"Hm?"

"For not protecting you well enough," he further explains, albeit in a lower voice that's tinged with regret. "I couldn't do anything to protect you."

"Wait, what are you saying?" You wave your hands around in a state of panic. "You hardly know me-- I hardly know you. What you did, running into our argument and protecting my reputation, is above and beyond what anyone would ever do for an acquaintance."

Somehow, your words don't affect him positively. Instead, he seems gloomy about what you had said.

"Kuroko?"

"I thought we were friends," he dejectedly states.

Your eyebrows shoot up with shock. "O-Oh... I'm sorry! Um... I mean, I guess I can call us friends. We did talk when I worked in the second string gym. But I just don't know much about you." His mood is still tainted with gloom, and you hurriedly try to cheer him up. "You have any siblings?"

The question is completely out of the blue, but he can tell it's your way of comforting him. "No, I'm an only child."

"Same," you hum while thinking of new questions. "What are your parents like? Mine are really embarrassing. My mom is super nosy and likes to tease me, and my dad is normal and quiet."

Kuroko chuckles, "They sound interesting. I have a working mom who dotes on me. My father is quiet as well."

Silence follows, and it's up to you to continue the conversation. "You like school?"

"Senpai, this feels like a blind date."

Your cheeks burn from his joke-- well, you think it was a joke. Either way, you feel an overwhelming amount of embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to question you like that."

"I don't mind. I'm happy to know that someone is curious about me." He smiles to himself, and you can't help but feel drawn to him.

"Actually," you begin with a certain shyness that keeps your cheeks aflame. The look fascinates the phantom boy and he keeps his eyes fixed on you. "You've always interested me when we first met. I've never met anyone so mature like you."

He tilts his head. "You find me mature?"

"Very. My best friend--"

"Nijimura-senpai?"

"Yeah! He's been a troublemaker since we were kids. The boys that I've associated as well..." You halt and make a strained face upon realizing the implications of your statement.

Are you really a slut? Majority of your acquaintances were male growing up. You've also been confessed to on occasion, the most popular being Minato. And now you were eating out with another guy. 'Maybe what he said was right.'

"Senpai, please don't think badly of yourself," Kuroko interrupts your self-deprecating thoughts. "Don't let those words affect you. You know exactly who you are."

You nibble on your bottom lip as you try to define yourself. "I... I'm shy, and I don't like it when people judge others." You give him a hesitant glance and he nods, signaling that he's listening. "Because my only friend growing up was Shuzo, I just so happened to be surrounded by guys... But! I don't get why people confess to me because I'm not that pretty like the other girls. I don't know how to use makeup, I get acne, my hair is frizzy sometimes... I'm not doing anything to get their attention, and I know it sounds really arrogant but I just don't get it!"

You finish conveying what's been lingering on your mind. You didn't mean to deliver him this word vomit, but he made it so easy to confide in him; he didn't judge you and that meant the world to you.

"I think you're asked out a lot because you're a kind person, senpai." He gives you his analysis. "It's not because of your looks, though you are an attractive person." He blushes and doesn't say another word.

Your cheeks mirror his in color, and you tuck another strand of hair behind your ear. "Thank you... Well, you're a good person too." 

"Thank you."

You writhe in your seat, having found his compliments flattering. The attention becomes far too much for you though, and you feel a need to deflect it from yourself. "I guess we have a lot of similarities....Ummm you like basketball too, right?"

His smile falters. "Yes, but I'm not that good at it."

You sense his defeatist attitude and shrug. "I mean, you can't get worse, right?"

"..."

"..."

'Did he get worse?' you think to yourself. He doesn't seem willing to answer, and you try to comfort him. "People who try their best are really cool though. Sometimes results aren't all that."

He can sense your efforts and begins to mask the troubles he feels. "I'll try to keep that in mind, senpai."

"And if we're going to be friends--" Your phone cuts you off with a powerful ring. You glance down to look at it. "Ah crap, I didn't inform him... One second, Kuroko."

You pick up your phone, and Nijimura's voice comes tumbling out. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'm eating at the burger joint down the street," you calmly respond. "I'm with a friend."

"I thought you wanted me to take you home."

"Um..." You eye Kuroko for a moment. "My friend is going to take me home this time."

"Oh, then I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, later." You hang up and give Kuroko a pleading smile. "Do you mind walking me home?"

"Of course," he quickly accepts with a blush.

"And call me by my name without the senpai. We're friends," you add.