(ENG) KUROKO NO BASKET ONESHOTS

KIYOSHI X READER - IT'S NICE TO HAVE A FRIEND

Swifties, I muster you!

"It's nice to have a friend" is a very particular Taylor Swift song, one of those songs that you either love to the moon and back or can't possibly like in this life or the following one. Personally, even though I needed to listen to it for a few times, I learned to love the music and, especially, the lyrics that make up this song. Therefore, I decided to write a oneshot based on the story Taylor tells in that song: I recommend you listen to it to truly understand today's chapter (after reading it to avoid spoilers, of course!). Enjoy :)

'Aaaah, this exhausting day of school is over at last!' – you think while putting pencil case and notebooks in your backpack right after the bell rings.

It's finally Friday and you can rest without thinking about school and studying (at least for this afternoon), but there's an obstacle that divides you from your comfy home: the freezing cold of winter months. Being the incredibly chilly girl you are it's an agony for you to walk home with temperatures below 0 (32°F). You usually get home by bus in such days, but today the drivers are on a strike, an incredibly nice thing that forces you to walk among the snow. Sadly accepting your fate, you leave the classroom and stop in the hall to change your shoes and get ready to leave the warm school. Scarf: check. Hat: check. Boots with fur inside: check. Gloves: ... Gloves... Gloves?!?!

Nowhere to be seen. But you're sure that you brought them with you this morning, you'd never have left the house without them! You empty your backpack completely and check every single pocket, and everything you manage to find is one single glove, while the other one is lost forever. You pack up again and head to the exit wearing the only glove you found – a thing that makes you feel incredibly stupid, but you must survive in some way. To make things worse is the fact that your coat has only one big pocket on your chest area but none on the sides, so you can't even put your hands in the pockets: you walk around with crossed arms to make the missing glove less obvious.

"Oh, (Name-san)!"

You turn around to see a smiling boy walk towards you. He is Kiyoshi Teppei, a guy from the other third class that you've seen several times in the hallways and you know thanks to the basketball team to which he belongs. The fact that he knows your name surprises you though, because you never really talked.

"Hi, Kiyoshi-kun."

Before you even notice, you're waving your hand to greet him.

"Oh, you only have one glove! Is it this year's fashion?"

'Thanks, Mr. Obvious. And no, it's definitely not for fashion, and due to that missing glove I'm literally freezing.' – you'd like to answer, but you decide to go for something a bit more polite.

"Unfortunately I've lost a glove somewhere, so for now I only have one."

"Don't worry, I'll lend you mine!"

You're about to decline the offer but before you manage to speak a syllable he's already taken the gloves out of his pockets.

"Take one, I don't need them anyways!"

"Thank you." – you say, finally accepting.

"Do you live near the school? I can walk you home if you want!"

You don't really know how to react to this sudden confidence: you should stay away from semi-strangers that get randomly close to you, but he seems way too pure and innocent to have bad intentions. So, as a thank you for his kindness, you agree to walk with him for a while. You soon find out that he's quite the talker: in like ten minutes he pours on you any kind of information about his life, the basketball club and that time he accompanied his grandpa to his cataract surgery and stepped on some dog's poop. Basically everything. When you reach your home's door you're a bit dizzy due to the excessive amount of data that's been thrown to you, but you must admit that it was fun listening to his stories.

"You're home now. It's been a pleasure to walk you here, (Name-san). We could do it some other time, if you want."

"Sure, no problem." – you reply with a smile.

"Ok! See you at school then."

***

Since then, not a single day have you walked home on your own, and to be honest this doesn't bother you at all. You're getting attached to the sweet teddy bear Kiyoshi is and you learned to admire his strength, courage and determination as well as his funny personality. Today you're sitting on his house's balcony, looking at the sunset with dreamy eyes. The sky is pink, painted with blue, purple and orange watercolours, too: to say it shortly, it's marvellous. It's Saturday night and you have no curfew to respect, you can just chill there as much as you want.

"Hey, (Name)."

"Yes?"

"It's calming to stare at the sunset, isn't it?" – Kiyoshi asks, sitting on the porch swing next to you.

"It definitely is. It's like a hot bath during the winter evenings to wash all the worries away."

"Yep. Even more for us, as we're in our last year of high school and we're stressed out for our exams..."

"Don't even mention them. I'm losing my mind on a few subjects, hahahah! I really hope this torture ends soon."

"Are you staying here in Tokyo or planning to move out?"

"I'm staying. My whole life is here and I'm not ready to leave all this."

"I understand. So, it seems we're going to be mates at uni as well." – he states, smiling and gently squeezing your hand in his.

You smile back and place your head on his bicep (because the shoulder is, unfortunately, too high for you).

"We'll meet there then, Teppei."

***

(Timeskip)

"Hurray! Groom and bride!"

"Hurray!"

Screams of joy flood you as soon as you exit the church: bells are ringing and you and Kiyoshi are covered in rice head to toe.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"

Friends and relatives encourage you to kiss, even though they literally saw you a couple of minutes ago; not that this is a problem, as you would spend your whole day cuddling with the man of your life if you could. Kiyoshi picks you up bridal style and smashes his lips onto yours, with a  gesture that moves the crowd around you. Everything's ready for the party at a restaurant: what's left is go there and have loads of fun!

During this incredible day, all you can think about is how lucky you are and how wonderful your life has become since Kiyoshi has become a part of it: anything you needed to face, he was there by your side. Every single day he made you feel loved and appreciated, reminding you that he will always have your back. You finally found someone with whom you feel at home, safe and special, and you can't wait to spend the rest of your life with your beloved Teppei <3.