Chapter Text
Wolven Crest
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Chapter 0
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Wolves were monogamous animals. Humans weren't.
"What's imprinting?" Asked the eight-year old Kise, a wolf cub just barely out of his animal form.
Innocence was a virtue most child possessed — but he was not 'most child.' He was a cub birthed to be the Alpha of his species, one of the few remaining, his father always reminded him. He was special. Important. That was why he had to learn everything there was to know about his lineage. That particular word had sounded foreign to him, which he'd caught from a private discussion his two sisters had recently.
His oldest sister, ten years older than he, had given him a troubled smile he rarely saw appear on her face. He tilted his head as he pressed his cheek against her thigh, her blue eyes narrowed and a stray blonde strand fell near the light-coloured lashes. She looked at him, kindly, a look she gave as a sister to her curious little brother. "It's something special, Ryou-chan. It's something that happens when you find the one mate you want to be with, always." She offered a half-hearted explanation, something an eight-year old didn't quite understand.
Kise furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't get it. Don't dad always say we need to have lots of mates so we can have more wolves in the family?"
She flinched at that, looking as if she'd swallowed something sour. "I … I know." She said, looking at her lap. She balled her fists, whispering. "… you're right. It's for the family."
He didn't understand why she had looked troubled. Kise's stomach growled at that moment, reminding him that lunch time was nearing. "Nee-chan. I'm hungry. Let's eat." He whined, tugging at her sleeve.
She gave him an understanding smile that didn't lit up her expression. "Okay, let's have lunch together with Sachi, Ryou-chan."
A few months later, she was betrothed to a Heavy Seed son of a prestigious family breed. She married a man of his father's choosing, three years later. She was his official wife, but she wasn't the only mate he had. She became pregnant with his child two years later, but the child was of her husband's breed. Not a wolf. His father had been very disappointed.
"Maybe her next pregnancy. There's still hope." Kise's mother had said, in a comforting tone, to his father who was the only one less excited about the newborn baby.
The baby boy was a Komodo Dragon. His brother-in-law's family was ecstatic to have an addition for their clan, something his parents had clearly meant for themselves. The population of Japanese Wolves was thinning rapidly; they needed to increase their numbers because they had far less than that of the Komodo's. Wolf children were the dreams of his parents. Although they should be happy enough that his sister was able to conceive at all, and for the child to be born healthy.
When his oldest sister didn't conceive any more children, they turned their attention to the second daughter. They started searching for the perfect groom, the perfect parentage and the perfect fertility level. When Rina was proven unable to give birth to a wolf, they'd pinned the hopes to Sachiko, who was at that time, sixteen years old and in her first year of high school.
However, unlike the gentle and passive Rina, Sachi was more rebellious and independent. She outright rejected her parents' offer to betroth her to a suitable mate.
"I don't want it! Can't you see Nee-san is miserable!?" She barked hoarsely, her features turning savage and eyes flashing viciously. She was throwing a fit the second their father dropped the news. "I want to seek my own mate! I want to meet the one I can bond with — not someone you want me to!"
He hadn't understood still, for he was only thirteen years old. To him, his parents' orders were absolute. If their father — the Alpha of the family — ordered her to marry, she simply must marry. You must not question the Alpha. Even when Kise didn't want anything hurtful to happen to his sisters, he was unable to understand their plight. He was just a kid.
Soon after, he was told to leave the room because their father was going to convince his sister to at least consider the candidates. Kise didn't see Sachi for three days after that, and when he did, she came into his bedroom to sulk, then begrudgingly told him she was considering the match. She didn't look the least happy about it.
It wasn't until years later, when he was sixteen, that the word 'Imprinting' became something of significance.
However, up until that time, he had been living the way he liked — the way a Heavy Seed lived — and he'd gotten everything he ever wanted. Since childhood, his breed and status were already a factor that attracted both the good and bad attention. Kise was always teased for the way he looked; golden brown eyes, blonde hair and pale skin. The pretty boy, so pretty he could pass as a girl. And somehow it made him a target, because boys didn't like how he leeched all the attention from females and adults alike. Children could be so cruel.
But Kise learnt later on, after years of bullying, that he was able to persuade the girls and the adults to defend him — simply because he was a Wolf, his natural charm and charisma made him a force to be reckoned with. A pretty handy advantage. He realised, that what his father told him was right — he was the chosen Alpha of his breed. He had it all; the physique, talents and the correct pedigree.
Kise had to admit, he might have gone too far with the privileges provided to him. He was spoiled, arrogant and rightfully so — he was a Japanese Wolf! Nobody could beat him and nobody could refuse him. He was so sure of himself, that he could hardly be able to differentiate between the real and the false. The right and the wrong.
"I bet you'd hit me for being too cocky, Senpai."
A pair of steely blue eyes stared at him, blinking once. Kise smiled, enjoying the comfortable way Kasamatsu's lap felt under his head, although the muscles of his thighs were firm instead of cushiony. The blanket helped. At his words, the fingers that were stroking his hair stopped its gentle caresses.
"… what are you babbling about? You're always too cocky." He remarked, scowling slightly. He gave a light tap on the crown of Kise's head as a makeshift hit.
The blonde grinned. That frown looked adorable in his eyes, so he snaked a hand up Kasamatsu's naked torso, slowly, until his fingers reached his neck, the underside of his ear, then the back of his nape. The short, prickly hair felt good against the pads of his fingers, if not a little ticklish. Kasamatsu's eyes fluttered close, his breathing slowed down, shortened, then quickened when Kise traced his fingers down the base of his earlobe.
Imprinting.
Kise didn't know why he suddenly remembered that foreign word, the first time he'd heard it, was before his sister became engaged to a man she didn't love. How did she feel, he wondered. He couldn't imagine being forced into an arranged marriage and losing his freedom, or being with someone he disliked. Unthinkable. Idly, Kise looked at Kasamatsu, his sight threading along the length of the dark lashes, the softened hard lines of his forehead, down to the bridge of his nose — his lips, just slightly parted, and the dark red marks that decorated his neck.
At that moment, his breath hitched, finding an inexplicable urge to voice out what came out of the depths of his chest.
"I like you."
He watched as Kasamatsu's eyes snapped open, his retina stilled in the midst of the circular frames, the reflection of his own face was displayed on the greyish blue surface. For a second, Kise forgot how to breathe, the air caught in his throat and his chest clenched in a little too tightly. He was expecting something. An answer. Even when he wasn't asking any question.
But what he wanted never came.
The strain of surprise slowly melted off of Kasamatsu's features. Those steel grey gems drifted, pupils dilated and constricted. The lines on his forehead stiffened, but he didn't look angry — because a thin smile tugged at the corners of his lips, and yet he didn't appear happy either.
"Is that so?"
His voice was steady, intentionally deprived of emotion. He was looking at him with a sort of resigned, subdued way. Kise knew that look. The one Kasamatsu always wore whenever a girl clung to Kise's arm, another of his wannabe-mate, insistent for his attention. The look on his face when he told him "well done" after they'd lost a match. The polite smile, the mask, the front — the subtle lies.
Kise didn't know how to make that look go away, so he parroted the same words, hoping it would reach the older boy. "I like you, Senpai. You know that, right?"
But Kasamatsu's smile stiffened, inhaling deeply before looking away. Kise heard him heave a sigh. "Yeah. I know."
That wasn't what he wanted to hear.
But he wasn't one to force another else to give him what he wanted, so Kise brushed the thought aside, in favour of enjoying the time they spent together. They wouldn't get any more intimate time with the Winter Cup's dates closing by. Someday, he would convince Kasamatsu to say what he wanted to hear. Maybe he was just being shy, Kise thought. They had plenty of time, until next year.
Kise frowned, suddenly reminded that Kasamatsu was a third year and that he would be graduating soon.
"Senpai…" He got up from Kasamatsu's lap, twisting his form slightly to face the older boy, reaching a hand up to caress his jaw, slowly.
Kise leaned closer and pressed his lips against Kasamatsu's, his lips taking the bottom part of the pair, nipping. Kasamatsu shuddered under his ministrations, sighing with a shiver. At first it was stiff, awkward. He was unused to kissing, his body was tense and needed Kise's assuring touches to start loosening up.
He loved it when the normally stiff and strict older boy started opening up to him, decanting, devolving into a primal creature that they truly were. His lips parted, allowing him to push his tongue in, to explore and dominate. The tension slipped off, the control slipping — yet he wasn't quite ready to lose it. The stubbornly furrowed eyebrows said it otherwise. "Mmm… slow… down…" He gasped, in between Kise sucking on his tongue and kissing him. His eyes were squeezed shut.
For all his eagerness, he wasn't about to cross the line and make this non-consensual. "Let it go." He urged, gently ghosting over the corner of his lips. "Let go of yourself. Relax."
Kasamatsu Yukio wasn't used to giving up control.
He always had to be the Senpai in school. Once they were in the gym, he was the Captain. Kise wondered if he was also an 'Older Brother' when he was home. Always restrained, tense, controlled — very controlled, maybe even too much that his real, raw self was buried deep beneath all those titles and the burdens attached to them. He was obsessed with it. Kise prided himself for being able to coax Kasamatsu to be Yukio. Just Kasamatsu Yukio. Relieved of pressure, of all that burdened him unnecessarily.
He kissed him again, a hand snaked down and ran itself up and down his thigh in a leisure pace.
"Relax. I'm here." He kissed his cheek, his nose and eyebrow. The furrowed brows began to uncurl, the deep creases softened. Kise smiled. "We've done this before and you're still so tense."
Clearly, Kasamatsu had been either a virgin, or he wasn't used to it because he hadn't done it in a long while. Which was unlikely, given they were werepeople and Kasamatsu was a good catch. How could anyone miss the opportunity to be his partner during the Heat? The answer to that pondering was still a mystery. Not that Kise cared, Kasamatsu was with him right now and that was all that mattered. He wasn't exactly the most prude in the past, either.
A pair of angry eyes shot up to glare at him. "Well, excuse me that I'm not as smooth as you, Mr. Popular Model." He snarled, attempting to push him by the chest.
The blonde laughed. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I think I like it when you scold me." He cocked his head and held Kasamatsu firmly in his arms, staring at him. "Although I feel happy when I got these to unwind." He poked a finger in between the now furrowing eyebrows.
Kasamatsu threw him an incredulous look. "You've got a weird taste. You like me scolding you? That's strange."
"Maybe I do." Kise grinned toothily and leaned close for a quick peck. "I like you. Very much."
This time, there was a faint flush over his cheeks and he looked away. "… you keep saying that like it doesn't mean anything."
Kise pretended he was hurt. "But I mean it."
A pair of greyish blue eyes looked at him again, looking strangely challenging. The steely surface danced with a strong glint. "Show it."
He felt a chill crawled up his spines. "Senpai, you do know I'm a wolf." He said, in a suppressed voice. He felt the impact of those words awaken something dormant inside of him. A need to dominate — to claim Kasamatsu. It was in his blood. His natural instinct. He could hear a deep growl somewhere in the back of his mind. "I just might take it seriously."
Instead of replying, the older boy grabbed his arms, after what seemed to be a second of hesitation, he leaned upward, kissing Kise. His hands snaked up and settled around his neck. "And I'm saying … I want you to show it." He said. Despite the boldness of those words, Kise detected a slight tremble. But those eyes looked at him so firmly, they made Kise's chest throbbed with a strange flourish.
He didn't know what to make out of it. These feelings were foreign and strange. He'd never felt this way before.
So he did what he knew — burying his face on Kasamatsu's shoulder and whispering against his warm skin. He repeated the words. "I like you." He'd probably said it so many times, it had lost its meaning to the one he told those words to. But he didn't know what else to do, or to say.
He knew when Kasamatsu heaved another sigh and said. "I know."
But he truly meant it. Every word. Every time.
—
Their first meeting was the worst.
Kise knew he might be a little arrogant. Okay, maybe not just a little. Kuroko used to tell him someday either a scorned ex or a sore loser who felt belittled by his 'superiority' would someday show up in his doorsteps with a kitchen knife. To further prove his theory, he pointed out how Kise had been bullied in court from time to time, because he'd aggravated the opposing team for having a platoon of fangirls cheering on the sidelines — but not like Kise could tell them to stop cheering.
"Someday someone you've scorned would come back with a knife in their hands, planning to murder you, Kise-kun." Kuroko told him on their way back from a practice match, one soda popsicle in hand, looking adorable and deceptively innocent as he said those terrible words. Which was mostly why he'd let it off easily.
"I'm not that bad. I've always broken up with my exes amicably." He'd sulked instead, biting some of the orange popsicle. Walking just ahead of them with another girl manager, Momoi was glancing over her shoulder and blushing at the sight of Kuroko. That girl was so obvious.
"You've been lucky because they think you're nice and meek." Kuroko didn't even look at him as he resumed. "They're just slightly more important than a couple of rocks on the streets for you. You don't care about them."
Oh, busted.
"I'm not that mean." Kise reasoned sweetly. "Come on, Kurokocchi. I'm genuinely nice to you, Momocchi, Midorimacchi and the others! Believe me!"
Kuroko turned to him, this time. "You started being courteous to me after I showed you how I play, Kise-kun. You're only kind to those you deem worthy."
That, he didn't argue with.
At first he thought Kaijou wasn't worth his time.
After all, they had no amazing abilities nor talents like his Teikou teammates did. Kise was scouted with the promises of leeways on his schedule and school grades, as long as he performed well with the team. It wasn't a bad deal. He still got to do basketball to battle his ex-teammates, or to do modelling when he was bored and he could get away with having average to bad grades. He didn't care to check the team's level of superiority, as long as they didn't get in his way, he was game.
Then the meeting happened. He met Kasamatsu on the first day, then he was thoroughly kicked, scolded for having no respect for the seniors and by extension, the team.
Was he shocked? Insulted? That was hard to say. Kise rather thought Kasamatsu was intriguing. Nobody else in the Kaijou team was quite like him, openly dismissing his pre-determined role as the team's new Ace and treating it as if it was nothing. He never gave him special treatments for being a Heavy Seed either.
Moriyama wanted to be popular with girls by imitating him but somehow misinterpreting everything. Kobori was the typical tall and quiet guy. The Coach was an obese ex pro player who gave him leeways as promised. Hayakawa was loud and incomprehensible, while Nakamura avoided him altogether. The rest of the first years, he didn't bother to remember them. They weren't that important.
Yet Kasamatsu treated Kise almost like how he treated the rest of the first years; they had to clean up after club was over, take the equipments back to the storage and sweep the floors. If he screwed up or skipped practice, he must run a few laps. If his grades were bad, he had to take extra classes until they were passable for the tournaments. The only times he allowed him more attention was that Kise practiced with the third and second years instead of with the first years. He didn't cut corners.
Kasamatsu Yukio was interesting, so it became a game.
He'd never quite met someone who would be blunt and dismissive of him like Kuroko had been. He was interested to see if he could get the defensive walls down, strip him off of all those seriousness and if he could make Kasamatsu Yukio submit.
He was an Alpha Wolf, after all. Those beneath his stature would submit to him eventually.
It was just a few days after he'd decided to play the game, that he spotted a man — a Middle Seed — was talking to Kasamatsu in the hallway.
What bothered him wasn't that it was unusual for Kasamatsu to hang out with his friends, but because his sensitive canine nose caught a whiff of seduction pheromone from the guy Kasamatsu was talking with. He smelled like a bear, Kise's nose twitched slightly. Bears carried such heavy woody fragrance.
This one smelled lightly of damp soil and moss. He remembered how Murasakibara used to mask his with tons of sugary sweet smell from the pastries and snacks he gorged himself with, daily. He didn't know how Kasamatsu could stand being near that guy. Kise was irritated. He wasn't about to stop playing before he could even start.
"What's the deal with him and Kasamatsu-Senpai?"
He nudged Hayakawa, whom he'd been talking to before his attention was taken away by the pair. He had the senior kindly guided him through the school, because Kaijou was a big private school. He'd gotten lost on his way to the labroom the day before, for biology class.
"Oh, that's Batou. The tennis club's third year. He won a tournament in middle school, I think." Hayakawa, outside of the excitement of the court, could actually speak fairly normally.
"Middle Seed?" Kise guessed. The courting attempt made it obvious, the pheromone level was higher than that of Light Seed. But Kasamatsu didn't respond to it, his natural scent didn't change the slightest. In fact, his expression remained as stern as ever.
"So he's courting another Middle Seed. Huh. The Heat Season is still months away though."
Hayakawa shot him a weird look.
"What? What are you talking about? Kasamatsu-Senpai isn't a Middle Seed."
That took a moment to digest.
"He's … not? I thought he was a Middle Seed. I mean, he's the Captain." He said, genuinely surprised. Kasamatsu was raved to be a national level point guard, something he assumed only those of higher Seed Level could achieve. It was most often the case. After all, Akashi and Nijimura were both Heavy Seed and Middle Seed, respectively.
Hayakawa shook his head. "Nope. His dad and two younger brothers are Middle Seed Akita dogs from what I heard, but Kasamatsu-Senpai's breed followed his mother. A Shikoku Inu Light Seed."
That was unexpected, Kise had to admit.
He looked towards the pair, and it became obvious that Kasamatsu refused whatever the bear was offering. His pheromone diminished quickly, lingering thinly in the air. Kasamatsu looked like he was excusing himself with a nod, walking way to the opposite direction with something in his hands he noticed to be a stack of class reports or something.
Batou — or whatever his name was — didn't quickly leave. He stayed there, standing quiet and staring at Kasamatsu's back, almost longingly.
When the latter disappeared into the teachers' office, the guy looked away, sighed then sauntered off, towards their direction. That was when Kise noticed he was quite good-looking, even as he looked depressed, brown eyes fixated at the floor, with knitted eyebrows and a sad frown. When he passed by a group of younger girls, they glanced at him and blushed, whispering to each other excitedly.
That was another unexpected thing.
—
Kasamatsu liked Kise.
He knew it. He always knew, even if Kasamatsu never said it out loud because he wasn't vocal of his feelings, Kise knew Kasamatsu liked him. A lot. He could see it, from the way he looked at Kise, the way his gaze lingered, sometimes sadly, other times happily — or the way he never allowed anyone else to hold his hands like Kise did, his cheeks flared red and hot from the contacts of their fingers, entangled. He was the only one allowed to touch him so intimately.
But he wanted to hear it.
"Do you like me?" He asked, one day during a date. Across of him, Kasamatsu visibly tensed, throat constricted with the iced tea he was drinking. They were at a cafe, after some shopping and a movie, on a lunch break. It was around a month after they started dating.
He coughed a few times and drank more of the tea, before he could find the voice to answer him. "Are — are you stupid? Don't say stuff like that, dumbass. We're in public." He said, gaze averted and face reddened.
The cafe was crowded, but he doubted they were paying attention to them talking as it was loud in there. Conversations of around thirty people overlapped one another. Noisy.
"I always say I like you, but I never heard you say it." Kise sipped his soda, pouting. The movie they'd watched was an action movie with a side-romance. Cheesy as it might be, it got him wondering. "Sometimes I wonder if you're dating me because of something like my body, Senpai." He feigned a mournful sigh, tone teasing.
Kasamatsu snorted. "Nonsense. You're kind of slender. Kobori has more built because he's a Centre. You're slimmer, like Moriyama."
Kobori. Kise furrowed his eyebrows, the name left a bitter taste in his tongue. Why should he come up in this conversation? "You're not answering the question, Senpai. Do you like me, or do you not like me?"
He blushed. Kise thought it was so cute that the usually stern senior with the cold business-like attitude was actually blushing in embarrassment. " … if I don't like you, I wouldn't be dating you." He said, the volume of his voice was above a whisper. He ducked his head and sipped his tea again, now red to his ears.
More than words, this reaction was so incorrigibly adorable, Kise didn't push the topic further.
—
Kasamatsu never showed favouritism or paid extra attention to him.
He tried. He really did. Kise performed every textbook dating cliché to seduce his Captain.
He turned up in practices early to play with the third years, sought out Kasamatsu all the way up to the third year's corridors to ask him out for lunch (in which Moriyama and Kobori always tagged along, to his chagrin), flirted with him (which earned him a blank stare and a quick excuse to leave from a confused Kasamatsu), he even released his almighty pheromone one time, that apparently charmed everyone in the radius of ten metres, only for Kasamatsu to not notice because he was having a stuffy nose at that time.
Seriously, he'd never worked so hard to entice someone before. And Kise thought he understood a little of what that Batou guy felt. Kasamatsu was unresponsive. Abnormally unresponsive. Almost like he didn't have an ounce of romance in him. As Captain, Kasamatsu would often smack him lightly in the head and told him to cut it out whenever Kise flirted with him.
In the end of the week, Kise was so frustrated, he went out on a date with one of his sex friends just to unwind.
"Who's this 'Kasamatsu'?" During the date, the beautiful feline of a girl, discovered the texts and call logs that displayed his attempts at wooing Kasamatsu. Kise was just freshly out of shower, the towel hung by his waist.
"My senior in school and basketball club." He gave a short answer, flopping onto the bed. She was already in her bras and panties. "Didn't I tell you not to peek at my phone?" He said, a little annoyed.
She ignored him. "Weird. Why do you call your senior so much?"
"He's my new target."
She turned to look at him, eyes wide. "New target? You mean he's your crush, Ryouta-kun?"
"Well, I wouldn't say that. It's just playing around." He shrugged. "He's a tough nut to crack, though."
She made a low humming sound. "Really? There's actually someone who'd reject your proposition? I'd like to meet this Kasamatsu. Is he hot?"
"He's surprisingly popular. Alright, stop that. Give me back my cellphone." He leaned towards her and snatched away the phone. She pouted prettily. "And no, he's not the first. Kurokocchi rejected me too. You know — my best friend from middle school. I asked him if he wanted to spend the Heat together, but he politely declined."
She giggled and turned, exposing the curve of her stomach. "You're insatiable. I feel sorry for your friend."
Now it was his turn to pout. "That's mean. I genuinely liked Kurokocchi! But I guess he had something going on with Aominecchi. They were really close."
"Oh, whatever. Do you want to do it or not? I have an appointment with the nail salon in two hours."
They ended the date an hour later.
On his way home, Kise thought he hadn't seen Kuroko in a while, as his attention had been focused on trying to crack Kasamatsu's defences.
He was starting to miss that cute ball of snarks. He heard Kuroko went to Seirin, some no-name highschool that was built in the recent years. How could he go to such a lame place? He could have been better off in Kaijou with his ability. Kise could be his new light, he thought, since Aomine was out of the picture. And Kise, well, he really wanted to meet his best friend again.
So he decided to visit Seirin, in order to get Kuroko back.
—
He started breaking up with his sex friends, a few weeks into dating Kasamatsu.
In truth, he hadn't done so even as they started dating. Kise thought it wasn't a big deal since it was a common practice for an Alpha to have multiple lovers, although Kasamatsu was different than the others. Kise prioritised him. Kasamatsu was his favourite. He went on genuine dates that didn't involve sex in the end of the day and he actually waited for a month until Kasamatsu felt comfortable enough to have sex, with the usual excuse was that they had to practice for the tournaments.
And Kasamatsu hated the fact that Kise had other lovers.
As usual, he never said anything. He endured.
Kise was aware the expectation of a lover from a lesser Seed level that Kasamatsu couldn't ask nor mention that he didn't like that Kise mingled with others. It was a traditional viewpoint that other countries might have forgotten, but in Japan, this tradition survived. But Kise knew how much it made Kasamatsu unhappy.
The first time he noticed, they had a date planned.
He admitted, ever since they started dating, Kise's attention was focused on Kasamatsu almost entirely. On the weekends, they went out together, spending time when it wasn't disturbed by basketball practice or anything like that. He ignored the other lovers. It got to the point when one of them went to his apartment unannounced, surprised him in the doorsteps and then proceeded to attack him.
In result, he ran late for the date with Kasamatsu, stinking of her scent and sex. He didn't have time to shower.
Of course Kasamatsu would notice. How could he not?
The first reaction was the sudden tension, visible in the way his entire body went stiff. The second, was a pair of widened steel blue eyes, staring up at him blankly. As if in denial, for a second or two before the look on his face was struck by a grim realisation. At that point, Kise wanted to explain himself, but his voice was stuck in his throat and he soon found that he didn't know what to say.
Then it progressed downwards from there.
The knitted eyebrows. If usually they looked as if Kasamatsu was permanently displeased, this time it was the direct opposite. Sadness. Disappointment. Something Kise had never seen on him, it sent a cold painful sensation pricking within his chest, spreading out viciously. He realised later on, that it had been guilt.
He saw the glazed grey blue gaze faltered, fallen down and fixated at the ground beneath them.
"I — I have to go. I forgot … something. At home." A slight tremble of his lips. His voice quivered, soft. Unlike the Captain, or the senior. It didn't sound like it belonged to Kasamatsu Yukio.
His own throat was constricted with pressure, but Kise forced himself to speak. "Senpai — "
"I have to go. Don't — don't come after me." Kasamatsu repeated, his tone firmer, this time. Kise couldn't see his face because he'd looked away and turned on his heels, then walked into a large crowd around the train station area. Kasamatsu bumped his shoulders against several people and almost fell on his feet, but managed to keep himself up.
Against his will, Kise tried to chase after him. But the crowd on a Saturday in the middle of Tokyo had hidden Kasamatsu, as if trying to protect him from the pain Kise had inflicted.
—
After his first defeat against Kagami and Kuroko, he couldn't get over the fact that he'd lost.
Since then, Kise had been practicing nonstop. He attended morning practice earlier, didn't skip the schedule and he'd taken less modelling gigs for the sake of improving his plays. It was odd how one loss could change him to that point, now he took basketball more seriously, and he'd started spending more time with the Kaijou team. Gradually, he learned how to work with them, how to connect his passes with theirs. It was awkward at first, then it improved with each game they played for practice.
He even started bonding with the team. Each had their own specialty that Kise grew to appreciate. It was different, he felt like Kaijou was more open in regards of strategy and constructive criticism. Unlike Teikou, where he could play however he liked as long as they won, Kaijou actually tailored their style to best assist their ace, with team work. It was different, but wasn't unwelcome.
He'd almost forgotten all about the silly game before, now his head was preoccupied with methods on how to win against Seirin the next time they met in court.
" — don't you think this method works better? We should block Kurokocchi and prevent him from assisting Kagamicchi." He suggested, during a meeting with the starting players.
"Easier said than done, that kid's kind of hard to see." Moriyama commented, scratching the back of his head. "But if there's a cute girl who'd cheer me up, I'm up for it! I don't care if he's a ghost, I'll catch him for sure!"
Everyone in attendance shot an exasperated look at the senior, almost in unison.
Kasamatsu clapped his hands to draw their attention. "Alright. Let's practice what Kise suggested, Nakamura. You play as Kuroko, can you do that?"
"Me?" The bespectacled boy seemed hesitant.
"Yes, you. Come on. Interhigh is in a few weeks."
Kise picked up a ball from the floor and stared at it. He recalled the memories of his first loss that raised his motivation level. He'd never lost since he'd become a starter player in Teikou, he was used to winning effortlessly that he felt nothing about it, and now … it felt sort of exciting. He had a goal, to beat Kagami and Kuroko, then maybe the rest of the Generation of Miracles.
"Hey," A hand tapped his shoulder, wakening him from his thoughts. He turned and saw Kasamatsu was looking at something beneath him, he followed his line of sight and found his shoes. "Your shoes are tattered. You've been practicing with them too much, haven't you?" He looked up and asked.
"Uh, yeah. Kind of. There's a basketball court around my neighbourhood." Which he used to practice on weekends, nowadays.
"They'll affect your play. It's not good." Kasamatsu remarked, pausing. "Go shopping with me on Saturday, I know where you can get good quality imported shoes."
Kise blinked.
"Shopping? With you, Senpai?" He asked, in case he'd heard wrong.
"Yeah, Kise. With me." Kasamatsu smiled and ruffled his hair, taking him by surprise. "I have to go buy some new strings for my guitar anyways. It's in the same shopping district."
And he didn't expect Kasamatsu would be a guitar kind of guy. "You play guitar?"
The older boy took the ball from Kise, dribbling the ball lightly. "Yeah, I play it in my spare times."
"Then," He swallowed a little. The Captain actually did something relaxing once in a while that didn't involve spartan training. So many surprises in one sitting. "It's a date? I'm free next Saturday."
He saw Kasamatsu's cheeks flared lightly, flushing.
"… don't say it like that, geez. It's just shopping, don't read too much into it." He nudged his elbow to Kise's side, but it didn't hurt. "But yeah. I'll meet you in front of the station on Saturday? I'll text you the time." Kise watched as Kasamatsu walked away to position himself in the court, the orange ball in hands.
It occurred to him that was the first time Kasamatsu asked him out — well, not exactly in that way — outside of school or club. And only with Kise? He didn't know what to make out of it. Usually Kasamatsu ignored him unless it was something related with club, but it looked like he was being friendly. Whoa.
Kise was beginning to see Kasamatsu in a different light.
—
It took a while, but he'd managed to break it off with everyone. Now, Kasamatsu was the only lover Kise had and the only one he wanted to focus on.
He knew this had become beyond just casual dating. Kise had lost interest in other people. That never happened before — it was strange, but he was happy. Being with Kasamatsu brought out all sorts of things that he didn't think he was capable of.
Like how he actually liked holding hands with Kasamatsu when they were out on a date, that spending a lazy Sunday together in bed became something he looked forward to every week, or that he became insanely jealous whenever Kasamatsu was approached by his secret admirers. He never knew he could be possessive over a lover. When he looked at Kasamatsu and kissed him, Kise wanted this to last forever.
He was in love.
What a scary thing it was, yet exceedingly exhilarating at the same time. Kise was on cloud nine.
If there was something that disturbed this happiness, was the fact that Kasamatsu was due to graduate next year. His time in school was limited. Kise was more than upset that they wouldn't get to spend as much time together, especially when Kasamatsu would move out for college. He was already unhappy that the preparation for university entrance exam had taken over his mate's schedule and they had less time to meet up after Winter Cup was over.
When they met up, it was a precious time that Kise refused to waste. He wished he could have Kasamatsu for himself, even knowing it was impossible.
"Kasamatsu-Senpai." As soon as the door to his apartment closed, Kise had Kasamatsu's back against the wall, kissing him passionately. It had been a week or two since they had sex, Kasamatsu was busy with the tests. Kise could have him this Sunday, the whole day.
His needs were urgent, he wanted Kasamatsu so much — his hands opened the jacket and slipped under the sweater, touching and stroking the sensitive spots he could find.
"Ki… se …" Kasamatsu gasped against his lips when he ground himself against Kasamatsu, hooking one of his leg up, around his waist.
The older boy hadn't even the chance to take off his shoes, and Kise kept devouring his mouth in urgency, preventing him from speaking. His fingers were unbuckling the button of his jeans. "Not - not here." Kasamatsu managed to say, pushing him by the shoulder. His face was flushed, lips swollen and wet with the kisses.
Kise growled, disappointed, but didn't push further.
He let Kasamatsu took off his shoes and jacket properly, then entered the bedroom, before Kise cornered him again, pushing him down onto the bed. Clothes were thrown haphazardly, Kasamatsu was still in his sweater and Kise still in his jeans, when he inched into Kasamatsu. The tightness surrounded his cock, making him breathless.
"You … okay?" He asked, panting. He ran a hand through matted blond that got onto his face.
Kasamatsu took several deep breaths as Kise stopped, fully sheathed inside of him him. "I'm okay." He said, firmly, sweat beading on his temples. "Just… slow down."
He didn't want it to be over too quickly, so Kise patiently waited. He waited until Kasamatsu relaxed, before he started a pace, going in and out of him, enjoying every bit of the sensation. The sweat, the smell of their pheromones mingled together, it was addictive. He couldn't get enough of it, of how well they suited each other, how right this felt for Kise. He kissed Kasamatsu, several times, licked the sweat off of his temples, trailed his lips down and marked him with vibrant red marks.
"Hnnn, Kise. Kise…" He heard Kasamatsu moaned his name, it made him grow harder. He bit his lips and moved faster, more desperately. Beneath him, Kasamatsu had lost control, tossing and groaning and moaning — cheeks flushed red and eyes squeezed, his claws made thin scores over Kise's back. The sting felt good.
"… Yukio… san." Kise whispered in his ear, driving into him. Their bodies were joint again and again, until Kasamatsu reached his peak then Kise followed suit, pulling out and coming onto his stomach. Their semen mixed and mingled.
Kise loved Kasamatsu. He'd never felt this way. Never thought love was something incredibly intoxicating, he was becoming an addict. He wanted no cure. The feel of Kasamatsu's skin against his felt so right, like it was meant to be. In the back of his mind, he could hear the Great Wolf howl proudly, its voice resounded in his head.
'Our mate. He is ours.' He couldn't agree more.
—
They'd lost to Touou.
He'd cried over it. He'd failed to lead Kaijou to victory as their ace, and it was painful. Suffocating. He was beyond disappointed. He'd failed himself, and failed the team. Most importantly, he'd failed Kasamatsu, who'd gone out of his way to help him during practice and supported him throughout the match. He couldn't get it over his head. Kise wanted to apologise to his Captain. The seniors told him not to look for Kasamatsu, but Kise needed to talk to him. He left the group to search for him.
He'd reached the entrance door of the locker room, hesitating.
Kise took a moment to gather up courage and his hand was on the door knob, about to turn it, when a loud clattering slam startled him.
"SHIT!"
He blinked once. It sounded familiar.
Then, there were sobs. In a second, he realised what was going on. Unconsciously, Kise broadened his earshot, his ears strained to listen to the familiar voice. "Shit … ugh…" Another sob, which was followed by another and another. Sniffles. He heard something drip, falling onto the floor with faint splashes.
Kise inhaled sharply, knowing he was listening to something forbidden. A secret.
Kasamatsu Yukio was crying.
He'd looked so calm, accepted the defeat amicably and even took the time to console their teammates. Kise thought that was admirable, how composed he'd been in dealing with everything. But this … he swallowed. He shouldn't be here, he thought. This was private. He was crossing the line. Yet his legs didn't move, and he made no attempt to leave the scene.
There was a part him that was curious.
Gulping nervously, Kise stepped forward, his hand reached for the door knob and turned it, making as little sounds as possible.
He knew that what he saw next, it changed everything.
—
"I'm thinking, maybe we should break up."
When Kasamatsu uttered those words, his head went blank.
He didn't expect that at all, given the time and the location. It was Saturday and they were having lunch in a cafe by the park, overlooking a large fountain in the middle area, where kids and their parents were playing various activities. Winter had just passed and it was warmer that day. His pasta was half-eaten, and his coffee was finished. It didn't sink immediately.
"Why?" Was all that he could say.
In truth, he wasn't really listening. His mind was still on that very question, the words 'break up' echoed in his head, repeating endlessly. His ears were catching too many sounds, voices overloading his senses, children laughing, the utensils clashing with the plates, waiters taking orders, then Kasamatsu — Kasamatsu was explaining something about him being a third year and it was time to focus on college preparation, all the while avoiding eye contact.
" — that's why. I think we should stop … seeing each other." Kasamatsu concluded, this time looking at him in the eyes. They were dim, unlike the strong gaze he always held.
'But you love me.' Kise wanted to say, but his voice was lost somewhere. "You want to break up with me." He said, with a flat tone. "Because of college?"
He saw those steely blue eyes faltered, the strength diminishing, drifting off slightly. He bit his lips, the flesh reddened under a set of white teeth. "Yes."
Someone in the back dropped their fork, the metal clatter rang in his ears. 'But I love you.' The voice in his mind never reached his mouth. Instead, another set of words came out, his voice was still flat — devoid of emotions. "Is that so."
He didn't know why. His heart started beating rapidly inside of his chest, the mixture of the noises hurt his head.
Kasamatsu looked like he wanted to say something, then he paused, before seemingly deciding it was best to say it. "Kise, I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" The question came out before he could think about it.
'Why are you leaving me?' That was what he truly wanted to ask.
Kasamatsu swallowed. "Because — because I'm — " He paused and fell silent. He looked like a thousand things were running inside of his mind all at once. It was odd. Kasamatsu looked baffled, confused, lost. All of those things. " … I'm sorry." He finally uttered, voice soft.
In the back of his mind, it was chaos.
A lot of things crossed his head. Most prominently was a strong sense of denial. Every inch of his whole being refused to accept that Kasamatsu wanted to break up with him. Denial. Rejection. His brain scrambled for a way to make this stop — this painful sensation that started rising from the pit of his stomach. Words like "don't leave me," "let's stay together," "please, I love you," and a hundred of others ran through his head. He was ready to beg to stop Kasamatsu from leaving.
Then something else emerged.
He was reminded that those words had sounded awfully familiar. Memories of the past came to him, the images of him dumping his past lovers and temporary mates. How they'd begged and pleaded, with tears in their eyes, for him not to leave, professing their love for him with a pitiful voice. They clung, they pleaded, they begged and cried, yet Kise still left. How sad and pathetic they sounded.
His mind overlapped their images with Kise's own, crying and begging.
And it appalled him.
He balled his fists. " … the next Heat Season." He said. "Accompany me in the next Heat Season, Senpai."
Kasamatsu looked at him like he thought he'd heard wrong. "What?"
For the first time in months, he put on the fake smile Kise reserved for his fans and the modelling job. The complete opposite of the chaos on the inside. The Wolf was roused from silence, snarling deeply, angry. "After the next Heat Season's over, I'll break up with you."
The first time he fell in love, he was about to make the biggest mistake in his life.
—
He hadn't meant to kiss Kasamatsu like that.
Kise was gloomy. He'd made a big mistake. "Stupid! I'm a fucking idiot." He scolded himself, slamming his head against the locker door to punish himself. He paused, forehead still connected to the metal surface. He brought a hand up to touch his lips, stroking the surface with the pads of his fingers.
"… it was salty." And wet. Very wet. After all, Kasamatsu had been crying.
His cheeks grew hot at the memory.
"I took advantage of him." He sighed glumly.
He barged in when Kasamatsu was crying alone in the locker room, of course he was found out immediately. The room was dark and once the door opened, no matter how sneakily and silently he tried to make it, the light still went inside the room. Kise saw the full extent of Kasamatsu's face after he'd cried his eyes out. Puffy eyes, wet cheeks, dripping nose — no wonder he was horrified when he noticed Kise was around.
Of course he'd be angry.
However, as he was scolding Kise to "get the fuck out", Kise instead took a closer look at his face and suddenly he was overcome by this strong compulsion to wipe his tears away. And what did he do? He kissed Kasamatsu. Kise earned a slap on the cheek for his trouble, but that was after the blank stare and Kasamatsu flushing instantaneously, as soon as he realised what happened. He ran out of the room after that.
"I'm an idiot." Kise sighed. "Why did I do that?"
He already knew the answer to that question — Kise's cheeks grew hotter.
"I like him."
—
TBC.
—