It's Always Been You → KagaKuro

A New Feeling

"Man...today's practice was even worse than usual." Hyuga mumbled as he flopped down on the bench in the basketball club's locker room at Seirin High. The other members groaned in agreement. Every part of their body was sore and trembling from exertion. Some headed off to the showers, while the rest simply sat on the bench with Hyuga, doubting that they could ever get up again.

Kagami opened his locker, grabbing a fresh set of clothes and a towel. He glanced over to the locker next to his, where a blue-haired boy stood, quietly sipping from his water bottle. Kagami gulped.

It was Kuroko.

Up until a few months ago Kagami wouldn't have given a second thought and simply left for the showers with the others. But recently he felt strange whenever he saw his petite teammate.

He noticed every little detail about Kuroko, from how soft his light blue hair felt whenever he grabbed Kuroko's head, to the way he ate his daily meals at Maji Burger - first take a sip of vanilla shake, savor the flavor for a minute, and then take a bite out of one of Kagami's burgers. At first Kagami was just...acknowledging these little details about Kuroko, but gradually he came to see them as...

Cute.

It drove him crazy. The little jump in his stomach whenever Kuroko slipped out of his clothes to change and revealed his lean, pale chest, the blush that crept up his face whenever Kuroko offered one of his rare little half-smiles, the rush of energy and happiness he felt whenever he and Kuroko met eyes during practice as they scored point after point with Kuroko's passes and Kagami's dunks - it was all new to him. And it wasn't just because Kuroko was the best teammate Kagami could ask for.

Kagami knew he had fallen for the boy. Hard.

Take right now, for instance. Kuroko had finished drinking and was now beginning to take off his sweat-drenched basketball clothes. Kagami held his breath as he watched out of the corner of his eye - Kuroko lifted up his T-shirt to slowly reveal his lean, sculpted body (Kagami had always been fascinated by how Kuroko could be so thin yet still have a good balance of muscle), the slow curve of his back, and the expanse of flawless, milky skin. Kuroko's hair was still slightly damp with sweat, and his face was a bit red from hours of running around the court. His cheeks were adorably flushed and Kagami wanted to reach out and touch them, but he quickly restrained the thought.

Arrgh, stop staring!!!! Kagami forced himself to turn away and change into his own clothes. He noticed that while he had been standing there dreamily, most of the team had left. Only the first-years were left. Furihata waved and tossed Kagami the keys to the club room.

"See you guys tomorrow! I'll take care of the keys next time." Furihata called as he left with Kawahara and Fukuda.

"See ya," Kagami answered as he finished stuffing his belongings into his school bag. He turned towards Kuroko, who had thankfully finished changing and was now wearing his school uniform which showed minimal skin. "So you wanna go to Maji Burger?" Kagami asked. "The vanilla shakes are 50% off today." He knew Kuroko absolutely loved vanilla shakes; even when the team went to the fast-food joint to eat together, that was practically the only thing Kuroko ordered. Whenever it was the two of them Kagami always made Kuroko eat one of his burgers - the boy needed to eat more!

Kuroko looked up at him with his typical blank expression. "I'm sorry, I already promised Aomine-kun that I would meet him today. I'd be happy to go another time."

It felt as if Kuroko had jabbed him in the stomach. "O-oh, okay. Next time, then." He tried to say it without sounding hurt. He thought he sounded pretty convincing enough.

"Yes," Kuroko said softly, shouldering his bag and heading towards the door. "I'm sorry, Kagami-kun, but I'm in a bit of a hurry, so could you lock the club room and return the keys for me?"

"S-sure." Kagami answered, not meeting eyes with Kuroko. He felt those blue eyes look at him for a few seconds before the door opened and closed with a click.

Kuroko had left him.

"Dammit," Kagami murmered under his breath. This had been happening often lately - Kagami inviting Kuroko to Maji Burger after practice, and Kuroko turning him down because had had to "meet Aomine-kun." What the hell? What was so important about Aomine? He had hurt Kuroko. He had told him that his basketball would never win. He had made Kuroko cry.

Kagami slammed his fist against his locker. He didn't want to believe it, but Aomine's words still haunted him.

You'll never be good enough for him.

Your light is too dim.

Damn, it hurt. Kagami knew he still had much to improve on. After the Tôô game Kagami's legs were killing him and he could barely walk properly, while Aomine still seemed to have enough energy left for another game. But even so, Kuroko had told him - I'm glad to have met you, Kagami-kun. Didn't that mean something? Was it all a lie? Was that gentle smile fake? Did Kuroko still feel a stronger connection with Aomine, his former light?

Was Kagami really not good enough for Kuroko?

Eeeeek my very first chapter of my very first fan fiction!! Comments/votes appreciated <3