It's the summer before they start their third year when Kuroko's house has to go through renovations, and Kuroko has to stay with Kagami until it gets fixed.
Technically, he didn't have to stay with Kagami. Kuroko's parents and grandmother booked a suite in a hotel from the city that had more than enough room for all of them to comfortably stay in for the time being. Kuroko would've had his own room, too, which Kagami had seen as they'd helped Kuroko's family settle in, but the downside came with how far the hotel was from Seirin. Kuroko's dad had tried to reassure them that he wouldn't have minded waking up even earlier to drive his son to school, but that solution didn't sit right with Kagami and so, after getting permission from Kuroko's parents and convincing Kuroko that he couldn't take a bus at the crack of dawn to get to school, Kagami earned himself temporary roommates.
Roommates. Not roommate. Kuroko and Nigou were an apparent inseparable package deal that Kagami was fine with because he wasn't an absolute jackass to let Kuroko's already busy parents and wearied grandmother tend to Nigou.
That same day, after receiving a pat on the shoulder from Kuroko's dad, a hug from Kuroko's mom, and a pat on the head from Kuroko's grandmother- which she was only able to do after she'd kindly asked him to duck down- Kagami and Kuroko were dropped off at Kagami's apartment with Kuroko's luggage and Nigou on his leash. They'd spent a while standing outside Kagami's apartment building, listening to Kuroko's parents lecture them about the proper etiquette of living in a shared space as two teenagers before Kuroko politely interrupted them to remind them that they had yet to unpack. After heartfelt goodbyes and promises to check in and visit, they drive off and leave them be.
Between Kagami doing the hard labor of carrying Kuroko's luggage and Kuroko's tidiness, Kuroko settled into the spare room in a couple of hours without much of Kagami's help. It was an impressive feat, considering how little they had to take a break and how little they had to eat in the entirety of the day, and they were both more than ready to continue to enjoy their summer vacation.
As days go by, Kagami quickly discovers how nice it is to have Kuroko around. Ever polite, Kuroko helped Kagami around the apartment, not minding doing most of the laundry, lending a hand with the dishes, and overall, keeping the apartment spotless. He was also considerate in the morning, making no noise if he woke up before Kagami- which wasn't frequent since Kuroko apparently wasn't a morning person and rather enjoyed sleeping in until nearly the afternoon- and he was considerate with Kagami's neighbors, avoiding dropping things and keeping his footsteps light. Well, lighter than usual.
Which is why it doesn't surprise Kagami that he gets into the habit of calling his apartment theirs. The guest room becomes Kuroko's room and Kuroko's stay feels natural. Kagami barely remembers to ask Kuroko's parents how the renovations are going during their sporadic visits. Having Kuroko around is nice. He likes the company and how less empty the apartment is. It's properly lived in now. Even Nigou's occasional barking fits into the normalcy.
They get teased by their friends for supposedly being attached to the hip, which is ridiculous since they were always close, even before they started staying under the same roof. They had the same classes their second year and it'll be the same on their third. They're on the same team and they're friends. Of course Kagami's going to see Kuroko every day and be in the same room as him.
The teasing is embarrassing, but Kagami thinks it's a little funny seeing the skeptical looks he gets from the Generation of Miracles. It would help to tell them about the situation but Kagami tells Kuroko to keep them out of it for now. As close as they've all been getting, Kagami wants to build up the shock factor until the timing is right.
Their closeness is also the reason why Kagami forgets that they both need moments of individual privacy and why he forgets to knock before entering Kuroko's room three weeks later.
Kagami's about to tell Kuroko that dinner is ready, but no words come out when he notices three things.
The first is that Kuroko's freshly out of the shower, which explains why the hallway was warm on the way over to Kuroko's bedroom. Between the two, Kuroko takes forever in the shower, taking advantage of the infinite amount of hot water Kagami's shower has and usually forgets to turn on the shower fan, turning the bathroom and hallway into a steamy mess.
Second, to go along with the first of Kagami's discoveries, Kuroko's naked. With no towel on sight, Kuroko faces Kagami, displaying not only just smooth pale skin but a few physical aspects he didn't think Kuroko would have.
Which brings Kagami to his third and final discovery: Kuroko's apparently a girl. Or rather, he looks a lot more feminine than he did earlier. His chest, for starters, is no longer flat and he has curves that must've been hidden under Kuroko's loose-fitting clothes. He hadn't looked any lower, but he's pretty sure Kuroko didn't have a- well. A dick.
Face heating up, Kagami brings a hand up to cover Kuroko's body from his line of sight and meets Kuroko's eyes. The two stare at each other, beyond awkward, and remain stock still. Neither of them move until Nigou brushes past Kagami's legs, making a beeline to Kuroko's bed, where Kuroko's towel is. Near it, there's a bra, girlish underwear, Kuroko's standard and very loose pajama shirt, slightly less loose pajama pants.
Clearing his throat, Kagami forces himself to speak. "Uh," he says, admittingly like a dumbass. "Should I, you know, keep referring to you as a guy?"
Kuroko snaps out of it and then reaches for the abandoned towel. "No."
"Okay," Kagami nods, stepping back towards the hallway, keeping his gaze on the door. He processes Kuroko's answer and hesitantly looks over again. Luckily, saving them from further awkwardness, Kuroko's utilizing the towel. "You're not just saying that, right? I don't- I'm not going to judge or hate you if you're-"
He stops rambling at the sight of Kuroko's smile. "I'm a girl, Kagami-kun," Kuroko says. "Always have been." She gestures to her clothes. "Let me get changed. I'll explain everything in a bit."
"Right." Kagami reaches for the doorknob and promptly slams the door shut. Kagami's making himself busy in the kitchen, fluttering around pots and pans, mindlessly checking if the food meets his expectations (and whether it's good enough in case Kuroko's mood falls and he needs something to get back into her good graces), when he hears the creak of her bedroom door opening.
Having already served them food, he stands still, hoping that he doesn't look that anxious. He has no reason to be, he knows, but walking in on someone isn't something one can forget so easily. Sure, they change in the Seirin locker rooms, but it's not like Kagami's purposefully glancing over at Kuroko. And even then, he's pretty sure he never saw Kuroko with a pair of tits. Not even at the pool. Somehow, Kuroko hid them or maybe wore a t-shirt with the figure of a guy's naked chest.
Kagami frowns. No, that can't be right. A t-shirt wouldn't hide the bump of Kuroko's tits and the outline of the soaked material would've been a deadaway. Maybe if she had a smaller breast size, but since she doesn't, Kuroko must've hidden them another way. Maybe with misdirection. Momoi was also there, and that itself was a distraction, even if Kagami didn't like her in that way.
"It smells good."
Kagami nearly jumps at the sound of Kuroko's voice. He smooths his expression just as Kuroko glances up at him, waiting expectantly for some kind of response.
"I hope so," Kagami ends up saying. Cautiously, and because it's hot, he passes over her bowl. She takes it, their fingertips brush and he finds that her hands are still warm from her shower. Her hands are usually cold. "It's a new curry udon recipe I saw online."
"I should've brought you some of my mother's cookbooks," Kuroko says over her shoulder as she makes her way over to the living room. Nigou trails after her, eyes trained on her bowl. "I think you'd like a lot of her recipes."
Kagami follows after her, wondering if their expected conversation is going to be much too serious for them to eat at the kitchen island. "If she's writing down her recipes, how are you unable to cook anything but eggs?"
"Not everyone is talented in the kitchen," she argues, setting her bowl over a coaster on the coffee table. She crouches to sit in seiza, not bothering to use a pillow for her knees.
"Shame," he sighs exaggeratedly, copying her at first before giving up on sitting like that. Instead, he settles with sitting cross-legged, and since he has the couch to his back, he stuffs a pillow behind him. "It would be nice to be the one getting home-cooked meals for a change."
He barely dodges the napkin she flings at his face.
After taking a moment to express their gratitude for the food, they dig in. Right away, Kagami finds that he likes how the curry udon came out. Kuroko hums, apparently thinking the same.
With that settled, Kagami allows himself to take another bite before setting his bowl down. Kuroko, who'd been trying to kindly shoo Nigou away from the table, merely watches him. Her face is passive, but Kagami can tell that she already has an idea of what he's going to talk about.
He starts off with an apology. "I wanted to say sorry. For walking in on you." He averts his eyes, boring holes at Kuroko's steaming bowl. "I actually don't know what I was thinking when I didn't, you know, knock. I didn't mean to, uh, look at you, either."
"I've already forgiven you, Kagami-kun."
He flicks his eyes back up, meeting unwavering blue ones. "Really?"
Kuroko nods, the corner of her mouth lifting a little. "Yes. It was careless of you, but an accident nonetheless. It was bound to happen at some point." With the hand she's holding her chopsticks, she rolls her wrist. "You finding out about my secret, I mean."
"About that. Why didn't you tell me?"
Kuroko keeps looking at him steadily, the air around her woeful. "I didn't want to keep it from you. Or anyone else, for that matter. But I couldn't risk it."
"Risk?" Kagami repeats.
Kuroko nods. "The school doesn't know."
"Why is that such a big deal? I mean, I guess you'll get shit on for using the guy bathrooms and locker rooms, and for not wearing your actual school uniform, but- wait." Kagami stops his musings abruptly. "Shit. The school doesn't know."
Kuroko's smile is grim. "It wasn't my intention to lie, much less let it last this long."
"Why did you?" He asks. "Start this lie, I mean."
"Ogiwara-kun and I came up with the idea when we became friends," she says, raising a hand to keep Kagami from interrupting her. "At the time, we played together during recess. It wasn't until our school started announcing basketball tryouts that we came up with the idea." Her tone becomes wistful as she says, "We were young and didn't want to lose the opportunity to play basketball together."
Kuroko doesn't talk about Ogiwara often. They haven't rekindled their friendship to the point that it's the same as it was in the past, but they've been keeping contact with each other. Through tentative phone calls and occasional texts, Kuroko and Ogiwara are still getting the hang of talking again.
"Due to Ogiwara-kun living in a different district, we were both going to different junior high schools," Kuroko continues. "We were devastated, of course, but hopeful. We figured that if I got away with it during elementary, then I'd have a shot of continuing with the lie during junior high. And if things went the way we had planned, we would at least play basketball against each other."
Kagami leans further back against the couch, crossing his arms. "That makes sense."
"I always felt guilty," Kuroko goes on. "It was easy to pretend considering no one knew me, but I kept in mind the chances of Teikō and Meikō- Ogiwara-kun's junior high school- playing against each other. If I passed tryouts and got into the team but Meikō wasn't chosen to play against Teikō, I would have been lying for nothing."
"But it didn't turn out that way," Kagami supplies.
"It didn't," Kuroko agrees. "I was excited, more so after I met Aomine-kun, Akashi-kun, Kise-Kun, Midorima-kun, Murasakibara-kun, and Momoi-san. I didn't think I'd find anyone else that was passionate about basketball like Ogiwara-kun and I. It made me feel better about lying." Sighing, she reaches for Nigou and focuses on petting his ears as she spaces off, caught in the past. "Then things began to change. My friendship with Aomine-kun was dwindling and I didn't know why. The others began to get too ahead of themselves and lost the true meaning of basketball. I got careless and got caught similar to today."
Having been paying close attention to her storytelling, Kagami doesn't hesitate to connect the dots. "Momoi?"
Briefly, Kuroko smiles, amused. "I was always the first one in the locker room and the last one to finish changing, a feat I got away with because I changed in the bathroom and let everyone think I was shy."
"What a sneak," Kagami smirks. "You're practically an angel. No wonder no one suspected anything else. Except for Momoi, I'm guessing? Did she follow you to the bathroom?"
"Ah, no. Momoi-san cornered me before practice one morning and said that I needed to size up my jersey if I wanted to keep hiding my bust." Scratching her cheek, Kuroko pinkens slightly at the confession. "I saw it as an opportunity to tell her the truth. I was overwhelmed with what was going on and needed a friend."
Hearing how the Generation of Miracles were assholes to her again makes the previous resentment he had of them resurface, but he pushes it away to focus on Kuroko. The past was the past. They aren't like that anymore. Cocky, yes, but so was Kagami at times.
"Momoi-san knew better ways to help me appear more masculine, and as helpful as it was, the day to play against Ogiwara-kun snuck up on us. On me." She clutches Nigou to her chest, and Nigou offers a sympathetic lick to her cheek. "I couldn't change what happened during that game, much less how Ogiwara-kun felt after. He promised not to tell anyone about our- the idea before he left, but at that point I didn't have any motivation to keep going with it. I had a chance to start anew, and yet I still felt like it was my burden to continue."
The urge to ruffle her hair or flick her forehead or anything to keep her from thinking about the past is strong. It's been a while since they've had a heartfelt conversation. He's rusty and unsure of whether she needs some comfort or not. It wouldn't necessarily stop him if she needs him, but he'd rather avoid being the reason she got upset in the first place.
Staying in his seat, he does the next best thing he can think of. He talks and hopes it's enough. "I'm kind of surprised the others didn't figure out about what you've been doing. You know, conserving how smart Akashi and Midorima are."
Kuroko sits up, the melancholy from her eyes fading. "There were instances where I feared they were going to," she admits. "Once appointed as captain, Akashi-kun grew into the habit of getting to practice nearly the same time I did and Midorima-kun once went into the bathroom when I was still changing." She sets Nigou back down with a small exhale, a noise akin to laughter. "In a haste, I put my shirt on backwards that day."
Unlike Kuroko, he doesn't bother to hide his laugh. "And he didn't say anything?"
"He did," Kuroko says, lips pursing in displeasure. "It was quite embarrassing."
While he keeps laughing, Kuroko resumes to eat, impatiently waiting for him to stop.
Eventually, he does, but only because he remembers Kuroko's family. "What about your parents? And your grandma? Were they in on this too?"
"Yes, though they're neutral about it. They warned me about the trouble I could get myself into but they sympathized with my reasons." Kuroko's face actually breaks into a brief grimace. "I'm sure once the school decides how to punish me, they will be far less neutral."
"If the school finds out," Kagami corrects. "We've got one more year left. You might as well go through with it." Tentatively, he adds, "Or don't. It's your choice."
"I'll think about it," Kuroko says. "Thank you for listening. It wasn't my intention to ramble."
Kagami waves her off. "Don't sweat it." In reality, he rather liked how much she talked. She has a nice voice. Monotone yet oddly perfect for storytelling. "And don't worry about me walking in on you again. I promise to knock from now on."
And that settles that.
For now.
__________
Thankfully, nothing between them changes.
Kagami doesn't think of Kuroko differently, much less treat her like she's made out of glass. She's capable of taking care of herself- unless, of course, she's intervening in street fights that shouldn't be any of her business- and she's still the same person she was. Her personality wasn't an act and they carried on with the rest of their summer vacation.
It's surprisingly easy to play along Kuroko's lie while they're out of the apartment. He's more than just a little impressed at how good Kuroko is at putting on her disguise. And it is a disguise. Kagami is permitted to enter her room one day while she's getting ready and he'd seen how she contours her face with light but solid makeup.
He had to leave when she had to change clothes, but once she'd exited her room, he was a little shocked at how he never noticed how precise her choice of clothing was. She couldn't just wear baggy clothes. They're tailored to hide the shape of her hips, the thickness of her thighs, and her ample chest. When he genuinely asked how she was able to pull that last part off, she lifted her shirt up to show him how bound her chest was. It looked far from comfortable and once she'd confirmed that it was the least favorite part of her whole routine, he reassured her that she could drop the entire act in the apartment.
And she does.
While they aren't out, she ditches her altered clothes and wears typical baggy ones- some of which, Kagami discovers, are his. Rather than being abashed for getting caught, Kuroko instead asks if it bothers him, and once he tells her that it doesn't, the subject is put to an end and Kagami finds himself staring at her more often than not as she wears his clothes like it's the most normal thing.
In some ways, it is normal. They're best friends living together, splitting certain chores and going grocery shopping together. Hell, Kuroko sometimes does his laundry. She sees his boxers and often gives him his clothes already folded and ready to be put away. At this point, there's hardly anything for them to do that could make things weird for them.
He does try to keep his staring contained, but as they spend most of the days of the week cooped up in the apartment- a mutual decision they settled with to fight off the brutal summer heat- he keeps finding himself looking at how smooth Kuroko's legs are whenever she wears short shorts while wearing his shirts. Lately, though, he's been particularly focusing on her hands. During a movie night, he compares them with his. His are obviously much bigger. He has square palms and long thick fingers as opposed to Kuroko's thin but long fingers, and her hands are smoother than what he'd expected them to be.
Ultimately, comparing hand sizes is a poor decision. He dooms himself by becoming hyper-aware of Kuroko. Of the smell of her- vanilla and oat extract lotion if the scent of her crisp, herbal detergent isn't particularly strong- of the coldness of her hands and feet when their hands touch or when she decides to hide her bare feet under his thighs while they're sharing the couch and she's too lazy to cover herself with a throw blanket.
It's distracting, but thankfully (and unfortunately), school begins.
The efforts of keeping her guise flawless during school hours keep Kagami from being keenly aware of how Kuroko wearing his clothes is a good look on her, and though they share the same classes, their seating arrangement helps direct his focus elsewhere since he sits behind her. And during practice, he's busying himself with basketball and getting to know their new teammates.
No one suspects anything. Neither does Kuroko, and he plans to keep it that way. It's not like he can go up to her and say, "You look good in my clothes." What kind of friend says that? Kuroko isn't one to judge anyone, but Kagami's ninety percent sure that even she would make a face if he told her that.
That aside, playing along with Kuroko's secret comes naturally to him. Their teammates don't think anything of Kuroko changing out of her practice clothes in the bathroom. With her low presence, she smoothly steps out of the locker room and returns just as their teammates want her attention for something. Kagami hardly has to keep watch for her unless Riko's feeling impatient and being extra observant with her 'analyzer's eye.'
Regardless, Kagami decides to ask Kuroko again about taking a deeper consideration on telling at least their friends about the whole thing.
"Maybe I'm freaking out over nothing, but let's say the school catches you," Kagami says to Kuroko while they're at Maji Burger. He has a burger in his hands and Kuroko's sipping on her milkshake, listening attentively to him. "If our team and the others knew already, they'd defend you. One slip up and it's game over."
"That's true," Kuroko accedes. "I would feel better if I didn't have to keep this facade with them." Fiddling with her straw, she gazes out the window. "Ogiwara-kun has brought this up, as well."
"Yeah?" He takes the last remaining bites of his burger. "Is he getting nervous too?"
Kuroko hums in confirmation. "He's always been a worrywart."
"You can be tough to handle sometimes," he jokes, unwrapping another burger. At her silence, he frowns and studies her expression.
To anyone else, she would seem fine. She's sitting back against her chair, posture ramrod straight. She's still drinking her milkshake and she's watching passerbyers outside the restaurant's glass windows, clearly people watching. But to Kagami, she's closing off and losing herself in thought. Bad thoughts.
Setting his burger down, he pokes at her shin with his shoe. "I think Ogiwara's a worrywart for a reason. What's up?"
Kuroko's eyes flicker over to him. "I guess I'm trying to imagine what everyone's reactions will be."
"They're not going to hate you if that's what you're thinking. I'm calling it now. The most they'll do is ask why you didn't tell them earlier."
It'll be funny. Kagami can already picture the faces Furihata, Kawahara, and Fukuda will make. Their first year team members might not react as big since they're barely getting to know each other, but since all of them admire Kuroko, they'll be flustered. Riko's reaction, however, might be a little extreme. She might put Kuroko and Kagami in a Boston crab for lying to her. Kagami's already dreading that encounter.
As for the Generation of Miracles, Akashi and Midorima will definitely stress over how Kuroko managed to fool them for so long, and Kise's going to be dramatic. Aomine might be, too, more so since Kuroko fits the description over the type of girls he likes. In comparison, and ever so laid back, Murasakibara seems like he'll hardly react.
The corner of Kuroko's lips twitches. "How do you suppose I do it?"
"Like ripping off a bandaid," Kagami says simply. "You never hold back from the truth. This shouldn't be any different."
Kuroko looks back out the window. "Considering how long I've been doing this, it won't be so simple. I wouldn't blame them if they felt any offense."
"They're your friends," Kagami presses, "They'll understand. And if they don't, I'll kick their ass."
Vaguely, Kuroko makes a noise of disapproval. "Violence is never the answer."
Kagami rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, Ms. 'I butt into random street fights.'"
"I don't intend to fight anyone's battles," Kuroko starts to say before pausing to say, rather tersely, "Kagami-kun."
"What?" Kagami picks up his burger again, wanting to prevent it from getting cold. It's far from the last one he has to eat. He hesitates. "I won't actually fight anyone, okay? Not unless someone starts shit."
"How considerate," Kuroko says offhandedly. "But I wasn't referring to that."
"Then what-"
A slight knock on the glass window prevents him from continuing, and the two immediately find themselves staring at Kise, who stands right outside. He waves at them before he's suddenly cuffed in the head by Aomine. Akashi, Midorima, and Murasakibara bypass Kise and Aomine as they non-heatedly get into a grapple to get to Maji Burger's entrance.
Kagami looks back at Kuroko. "I guess today's the day, huh."
Kuroko simply sighs.