A relieved sigh escaped him when no reply came a moment later.

See? The voice sounded almost disappointed despite the intended smugness. You made a big deal outta nothing, stupid!

He just turned to go to his room when he heard the door creak open. Quickly turning back around, he saw an amber eye peering warily from between the crack.

"Yeah, Kagamicchi?"

A frown came over his face at how rough Ryouta's voice sounded.

"You okay, Kise? The question slipped out before he could think of a better thing to say.
Mentally kicking himself for being so tactless, Taiga quickly added, "I just put away the groceries and wanted to see if you were home but, uh, you sound sick. Catch a cold?"

It was weird to him how unusually quiet the blonde was being today, though he figured said behavior wasn't that weird if the other was, indeed, unwell.

The hesitation his housemate showed in just opening the door any further struck him as odd. Was he perhaps not sick? If he didn't know better Taiga would have thought Ryouta was indecisive about coming out or letting him in.

Like trying to pick the lesser of two evils, the thought came unbidden, and Taiga shook his head sharply to get rid of it.

The pale pallor to Ryouta's skin and swollen eyes gave him pause. Perhaps that was the issue. Perhaps Ryouta wasn't sure if he should talk to him or not.

Heh! Wouldn't you like to think so?! He had to do something about that damn voice. It had been popping up all of a sudden at in convenient times.

"Er," Taiga rubbed at the nape of his neck awkwardly, not sure where to rest his gaze after having met the bloodshot, red rimmed amber eyes.

"Y-You wanna talk about it, Kise?"

As his eyes filled up again, which the redhead assumed was more because of the meaning behind his words- the offer of loading off- than the words themselves, he saw Ryouta angrily wipe at his eyes.

"Didn't know you were still friends with Aomine after everything that happened," he croaked out in response, making Taiga wince at how scratchy his voice was. Must be painful.

That was until the words sank in a moment later and left him gaping. Why would Ryouta think that?! And this wasn't the time to be indignantly spluttering, damn it!

The man in question had taken the opportunity in that moment to step out of his room and quickly closed the door behind him.

"Why- What makes you say that?" Taiga stepped back to allow Kise to exit his room and move past him.

All fight having left his body, Ryouta silently made his way past the taller man and headed straight for the kitchen. He was parched and since it seemed they would be talking about it after all, he would have to soothe his throat.

Taiga followed the shorter man into the kitchen, feeling an odd sort of dread filling in the pit of his stomach already. However, he chose to ignore it and instead, bravely, or stupidly, sat opposite Ryouta at the kitchen table.

Ryouta ignored the expectant eyes on him and calmly finished his glass of water before refilling it.

"Aomine came by today," he finally offered before taking another long sip.

When he didn't get a response, he finally glanced up and immediately felt guilty for having phrased his words that way earlier- for having assumed Taiga had kept contact with Daiki and told him of Ryouta's current whereabouts. What the hell had he been thinking?!

Teeth grit and jaw tight, Taiga waited a moment before attempting to speak, not sure even then that he would be able to keep his cool. Not entirely.

"Why?" The word came out as a croak despite him not having been the parched one of the two, and certainly not the one who had cried himself hoarse. Immediately he followed up with another question, voice much more firm this time. "Did you let him in?"

It struck him a moment after he had already spoken that the latter had been an unfair question. After all, the flat was currently the blonde's home too. He had all the right to invite in whoever he wanted.

Ryouta didn't seem fazed by the question though, almost seeming to have expected it even.

When he spoke, it was with a calm, steady voice.
"He said that he had come to see how I was doing," only the sarcastic roll of his amber eyes gave away the anger Ryouta felt. "And no," he continued. "I refused to let him in."

"And he just left? Just like that?" Too late, Taiga realized he should just cover his mouth. While he was grateful Ryouta hadn't told him off yet for the continuous questions, he didn't want to be doing it at all! Being over bearing and interrogating his friend was definitely not how he wanted to spend time. Ever!

At the glare he received, Taiga raised his arms quickly, palms held out disarmingly.

Ryouta hadn't cried since he had moved in with him- not that Taiga knew of anyway. This was probably good for him in the long run; could probably be the key to helping him actually move on. Or so Taiga hoped.

Finished with the water in his glass, Ryouta pushed it away and sat back, eyes averted and lips pursed. Like he was trying to get his thoughts in order.

Or trying to come up with some lie to get you off his case. Who needs you or your approval anyway?

Taiga waited. Silent and watchful- traits that nobody would have used to describe him before. Not even Taiga himself.

After a deep intake of breath Ryouta cleared his throat. Was he nervous? Anxious? Maybe. Why exactly, he couldn't understand.

"I got- I got angry at him, Kagamicchi." At the twin eyebrow raise from him, Ryouta continued.
"I mean-! I couldn't exactly place it, but the moment I saw Aomine I just…"

Taiga wanted to speak. To somehow prompt the other to keep talking when he trailed off, but seeing Ryouta struggling he held himself back. Doing anything to encourage him right now would actually be counterproductive, he knew.

So he sat quietly, feeling just as helpless as his friend looked.

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Ryouta made a sound somewhere between a groan and a loud sigh. This was turning out to be harder than expected!

"Kagamicchi! When I saw him, all the hurt and anger and upset just-just bubbled out of me and I couldn't- I can't understand why! Why now?"

Well, it seemed quite obvious. Taiga opened his mouth to tell him exactly what he thought but was cut off before he could even get a word out.

"I mean wasn't that a little too late to react like that? To get angry?"

If anything was to come of this, then seeing Ryouta already starting to revert back to his usual self was a gift! Even if his whining seemed off because of his scratchy voice.

"W-Why are you smiling, bakaaa~! I'm telling you what's upsetting me and you're-! Hey quit daydreaming~ ssu!"

Ryouta woke up to sunlight warming his face and immediately felt the stiffness in shoulders. His legs were all but asleep too. Damn it. He groaned softly as he shifted his legs so they were sprawled in front of him now rather than bunched up against him. Those pins and needles in his legs would surely kill him today!

The clatter beside him caused him to flinch violently and he quickly turned to the source. A small sigh escaped him when he saw the large plastic bowl, now empty, having landed at his side.

"What the-," the statement broke off into a yawn and Ryouta quickly covered his mouth as he reacted too.

Groaning tiredly he pushed off the ground, feeling his back start to ache from having slept sitting against the couch, and picked up the fallen bowl as he stood.

Behind him Taiga was blinking blearily, one hand under his t-shirt and the other loosely wrapped around the ladle.

The damned ladle he used as a spoon! Who does that?

"Mornin' Kagamicchi," he mumbled and staggered his way to the bathroom.

After relieving himself and flushing, he was washing his hands when his gaze fell upon it. Sitting innocently on the countertop like it belonged there.

Sighing, Ryouta set to brushing his teeth. The damn bowl could be taken to the kitchen after he had showered!

Wrapped up in his fluffy, yellow bathrobe and hair dripping already cooling water, Ryouta exited the steam filled bathroom with the bowl in hand.

"Kagamicchi, shower's free now," he called as he entered the kitchen. He placed the bowl in the sink before making his way over to where the taller man was chopping vegetables.

Something made him want to give him a tight hug. Perhaps it was that sad look Taiga was wearing on his face?

What the hell was he thinking?! No hugging!

"Go get freshened up, Kagamicchi~! I'll finish making breakfast."

Taiga rolled his eyes and didn't turn to face him as he replied, "Sure. If you wanna make breakfast in your bathrobe."

Feeling the urge to fire back somehow, Ryouta aggressively stuck his tongue out.

It must have looked funny with his indignant frown because Taiga, having seen him out the corner of his eye, was now doubled over himself with laughter.

"I was trynna be considerate," he shot back with no real heat to his words.

With impressive amount of effort Taiga reigned in his laughter and held a hand up, the gesture bringing immediately to Ryouta's mind an image- a memory really- that seemed now to be from another life. The first time Ryouta had met Taiga, the redhead having done the same thing as he laughed with excitement at his loss. Some things were still the same, it seemed.

"I'll take your offer," Taiga was saying, already turning to walk out of the kitchen when Ryouta caught the last words and realized he had been smiling. Not like the goofy grin Taiga still hadn't managed to wipe off, but rather a softer, smaller smile.

A/N: gaahhh! it's literally 3:35 am right now xD i'm sorry if there's crazy mistakes i missed in there!

also! i fucking haTE the summary! i think i'm gonna change it...

any suggestions?

alsooo! i'm emotionally stagnant so please give me ideas on how to make kagakise interactions seem...not forced?