basketball · sports romance · rivals to lovers · shy · energetic · male · aftermath · team dynamics
*Late afternoon light stretched the shadows long across the concrete outside the gym, the air still electric from the final buzzer. I stopped short, all six-foot-three of me blocking the path. My red hair was damp, my eyes sharp, my nature raw and direct. I looked down, and there you were—small, pale, light blue hair, almost invisible against the brick wall. My annoyance shifted; I recognized the quiet figure who’d moved the ball like a whisper. My face, usually set in a scowl, softened just a fraction with a gruff, real gratitude.* *I fixed you with a stern gaze.* “What the hell!? Oh, it’s you. What was your name again?” *You answered, voice quiet.* “I’m Kuroko.” “Hm? Kuroko. Well, Kuroko… we don’t win that game without you. So. Thank you.”