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

[M.12] Middle School: Diary Entry Twelve

You're escorted to a vacant table, away from prying eyes. Even though the window overlooked a bustling street, it calms your anxiety to the point that you can enjoy your shake and allow your worries to melt away.

Meanwhile, Kuroko remains vigilant, keeping his gaze steady on you or out the window. There isn't a single initiative to begin any sort of conversation, and it stays that way for more than an hour. The boy must have an unlimited supply of patience to keep still for that long, but when you finally come to, you muster up a small smile.

"I... guess you caught me at a bad time again," your voice comes out weak, and it pains him just a little to hear.

"Do you feel better?"

You nod your head then take a sip of your shake.

"Where was Nijimura-senpai?"

"We had a fight--"

"That doesn't mean you should wander around these parts when it's dark out," he gives you a stern expression. "You should have returned home."

"I know... I just wanted something to eat."

"Straight home."

You can feel the onslaught of tears again, now caused by Kuroko's concern for you. "I... thought I could handle it on my own," you explain between hiccups.

However, he's having none of your excuses. "You know your feelings better than all of us. Was it really all right for you to go off on your own?"

Your face strains to stop yourself from ugly-crying but the tears keep coming. "No!"

"Exactly. Please take yourself into consideration a bit more, [Name]-senpai," he firmly tells you while handing you several napkins.

You wordlessly accept them and blow your nose, ignoring all mannerisms taught at such a young age. You clean your face up, dabbing at the ends of your eyes and nose for any leftover evidence of your breakdown; you then give Kuroko a nod.

He breaks into a smile, "I'll take you home then."

There isn't a bone in your body that fears his statement. When he reaches out for your hand, you instinctively grab it-- well, you grab hold of his sleeve, but nevertheless, you allow him to escort you out the restaurant and back into the busy streets.

He avoids the nightmarish street, taking an alternative route with more lighting. It's a kind gesture, though you can't help but tread forward with both hands on his blazer. Your eyes wander everywhere while sweat accumulates under your arms.

When you finally reach your house, your nerves are tranquilized by the sight. Letting out a sigh of relief, your steps become less reserved as you make your way to the gates of your home. Before you enter though, you face Kuroko with a small smile. "Thank you for rescuing me today... and for feeding me and being there for me."

"Anytime."

Your fingers twitch with expectancy... expectant of what, you aren't too sure. But your body wants something from him. "Um... Kuroko?"

"Yes?"

"C-Can I hug you?"

The night's obscure lighting veils his flushed cheeks, and all you can see is him slowly nodding his head. Though you feel a need to explain yourself, you decide to focus your attention on the act of hugging. Outside of your family, you never really hugged another male... Nijimura never hugged you, and neither did any guys that approached you.

But for some reason, you wanted to feel the comfort of Kuroko's touch. You weren't afraid of him, and maybe... just maybe this will help mend your worries. It was certainly worth a try, and if you got too scared, you could scream for your parents.

With a determined scowl, you extend your arms and wrap them around his torso. Kuroko quickly stiffens but then returns the favor, albeit in a cautious manner and with a warning. "I will be hugging you now."

You shake your head, giving him permission to hug you back. However, you're lost in his warm embrace and your head feels warm and fuzzy. It's an intoxicating feeling being hugged, and the brief smell of sweat and shampoo keeps you anchored to him.

You want to break down and cry. You want to hug him forever. You want to rely on him, smother him, kiss him, love him.

You feel so at peace in this embrace that it's chilling to think that this was coming from a boy. You wonder if Nijimura's hug would ever feel this good. Maybe you'll hug him some other day, but for now, you want to relish in this embrace.

"[Name]...Do you feel better now?"

You detach yourself from him with a light pink hue to your cheeks. "I'M SORRY! I-- I don't know how long I should be hugging you!"

Kuroko coughs in his hand and tries to retain his usual tranquility. "Not a problem. I quite enjoyed it."

You break out into a fit of giggles, "Haha, me too!"

"Well, I must be off. My mother tends to worry when I'm out for too long," he states.

You owlishly blink, "But you're a boy."

"Bad situations happen to all genders." He checks his phone, probably texting his mother that he's safe. He then returns his attention to you. "It happens to those who are strong and those who are weak."

"I see."

"[Name]?" he raises his hands, "Fighting."

"O-Oh."

He leaves you confused yet enlightened. A weird mixture of emotions but you feel better at least. Just as you turn to open the gate to your home, you hear the sound of someone running towards you.

Your heart stammers for a quick moment, but the sight of Nijimura returns you to normalcy. "Shuz--"

"YOUR MOM CALLED!" he yelled. "YOU..." He stops his fury upon seeing your reddened eyes. "Damn."

You realize what he must be thinking and shake your head. "I didn't cry that much because of you... Something happened when I ran off."

His eyes widen, "What?"

You didn't want to rehash the past, but it wasn't something you wanted to hide from him either. "Some drunk guy was trying to pick a fight with me."

Nijimura lets out a long sigh as he slaps his forehead with his palm. "SHIT! I should have followed you!"

You don't know what to say. Maybe none of this would have happened if he stayed by your side, but you learned quite a lot from today. "It's okay. My friend helped me... I'm okay."

He wants to believe you but it's hard to when just hours ago you both had a fight about this. However, you look somewhat changed, somewhat stronger from when he last saw you and it's enough for him to drop the conversation.

Though, he still feels a need to clear the air. "[Name], what I said earlier, I didn't mean it like that." He scratches the back of his head as he tries to be more considerate with his words. "I just wanted to tell you that you need to rely on yourself more."

"I don't ask for your help. What you do is of your own volition." You seal your lips shut for a moment when you realize how harsh that came out. "T-That doesn't mean I'm not thankful for your help."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't. What I said before was also pretty awful."

There's a moment of awkward silence and then finally someone decides to speak.

"When I brought up your fear, I didn't mean to undermine it," he says. "There are going to be times when I can't protect you, so you need to start doing things on your own. I don't mind you relying on me, but I'd feel better knowing that you are taking the initiative to do something."

"An initiative?"

"Yeah, buy pepper spray or learn to fight," he shrugs. "It all starts with you."

You nod your head in wonder. "I suppose you're right... Thanks, Shuzo."

He gives you a curt nod before leaving. Once his silhouette fades into the night, you turn on your heel with this newfound determination.

'Maybe I'll take a small step forward... Pepper spray, it is then.'