insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟝

The next day after school, Mamoru found Kuroko waiting for him in the exact spot he told him to be in. He said nothing, but good morning as Mamoru passed him and knocked on the metal door beside him.

When he received a confirmation to come in, he went inside, motioning for Kuroko to follow him. "Good morning," Mamoru greeted. "Would it be alright if we borrowed the keys to the gym for extra practice?"

"Extra practice?" He peered at the two boys through his wire-rimmed glasses. "Well, that's alright. Just don't stay past campus curfew."

"Yes, sir."

"Understood."

Mamoru took the keys, being careful to avoid contact. He wasn't afraid of germs, rather the idea of touching someone else's skin was a little alarming to him. Even Claire knew to be careful around skinship with him, though it was obvious Maiko was an exception.

They made their way to the gym and slid open the doors. The empty gym seemed ominous in the dark, but when Mamoru turned on the lights, a flicker of excitement bubbled up in his chest.

He grabbed a basketball and passed it to Kuroko. Without a word, Mamoru set up the cones for dribbling practice.

What he liked about Kuroko was the fact they could communicate without speaking. Something about him was mystical, an enigma. During practice, he discovered two things about Kuroko.

He was incredibly passionate about basketball. It showed in the way he practiced without complaint. Even when his limbs were shaking and he was dripping with sweat, he still kept practicing.

The second point was that Kuroko had a high tolerance of pain. It went without saying, considering he struggled through hours of practice.

At one time, Mamoru accidently stepped on his foot hard and Kuroko only let out a wince. Out of curiosity, he "accidently" passed the ball too hard and received a quiet grunt for his experiment.

They practiced after school consecutively for the next few days. It was rather fun, he decided. Kuroko was easy to get along with and he didn't talk so much. Mamoru refrained from hurting him anymore for the sake of an experiment. He didn't need to become his father to seek greatness.

It was a little frustrating though. Kuroko made little improvement even though he had more practice than anyone else. Mamoru, who had little interest and knowledge of the sport, was making bounds and leaps with the extra practice.

He made sure to hide his progress from the coach to stay with Kuroko. Mamoru couldn't figure out why he wasn't making progress. He had such a deep connection to basketball, wanting to make it to nationals to play against his friend, Ogiwara, and yet, he wasn't going anywhere.

One day, they were practicing after school as usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aomine come in looking like he was looking for something.

Mamoru appeared in front of him and was about to ask if he needed help when he let out an unearthly shriek that seemed to rock the gym. He covered his ears, wincing at the loud scream.

Aomine was squatting on the ground, head close to his knees and hands on his ears. On a closer inspection, Aomine had his eyes screwed shut and he was shaking.

"Who are you?" Kuroko asked curiously, coming up behind Aomine.

Aomine stopped shivering and let out a hoarse "Eh?" sound. He opened his eyes and turned around to see Kuroko.

Kuroko tilted his head—Mamoru instantly thought of a puppy tilting its head in curiosity—and asked, "Aomine-kun?"

Aomine stood up, flushing red a little from the embarrassing display, and faced them both. "There's been a rumor of a ghost in the gym. So I assumed that was the case," he grimaced.