The afternoon was brilliant. School had just ended and the basketball club was given a rare day off to celebrate the holiday known as Valentine's Day. It was a happy occasion and love filled the air, the weather reflecting this by being neither too blue nor too gray but instead a gathering of fluffy white clouds with sky streaking through.
And exiting the gates as they headed home, were two boys walking next to each other. One was so tall that he drew everyone's attention, while the other might as well have not been there at all. Yes, it was just Murasakibara and Kuroko.
Now, there was a reason for this. Even on such a holiday there was no way Akashi would just let them skip practice, and he had a logical explanation as none of them had any plans and Kise would need an excuse to escape his fans. However, as with every year there were some extreme valentines, so much this year that he needed to call a mandatory student council meeting. With no excuse Kise decided to hide until most of his fans had gone home before sneaking out. Momoi had a similar problem where she was given love letters and had to go reject the boys. Aomine went with her just in case, though he'd make up some crappy excuse if you'd ask. Midorima on the other hand has class duty and a bad matchup with Aquarius and Libra, so he asked that they go ahead.
So they did, which led to the present moment. It was nothing special, just walking together, but for some reason Murasakibara felt anxious. He's actually been feeling this way for a week, the feeling growing increasingly annoying with each passing day. Also, for some reason the feeling has greatly intensified whenever he was near the blunet walking beside him. When he thought about it, the tall boy always felt strange around Kuroko, but that could probably be because he was ready to be asked whether he liked basketball or not.
However, this past week the feeling has grown unbearable. He told Akashi about his situation but the redhead just hummed thoughtfully and gave him some cryptic advice with a knowing smile, understanding fully well that it would be of no help to Murasakibara. However, as it was Akashi the tall boy had tried his best to figure it out and came up with "follow your insticts". So he made sweets, chocolates in fact. Lots of them and different types, too. It helped calm him down as baking always did, but that time was especially effective. The main source of this boost seemed to be the vanilla chocolate sweets he made, for some reason. He even planned to bring them to school but refrained because he was afraid he'd eat them. Murasakibara was acting really strange and he knew it.
But now, as he looks down at Kuroko from the corner of his eye the purple-haired boy can't even breathe and his chest hurts, aching for something which he doesn't understand. It won't stop unless he does something, anything. And Murasakibara complies, but what came out from his mouth only confused him further and worsened the feeling in his chest, "Ne~ Does Kuroko-chin wanna come over today?"
The boy looked up, deep blue meeting violet, "I don't have any plans today so I suppose I could. Is there a reason though?" he finished with a slight tilt of the head which made the giant's heart skip a beat for some reason.
"I just want Kuro-chin to comeover, that's all~" Murasakibara drawled in response. For some reason the unbearable feeling from before lessened considerably from the blunet's answer. What was even stranger was how the giant's heart raced in excitement and anticipation. Murasakibara didn't understand.
The two walked the rest of the way to Murasakibara's house in relative silence, only commenting occasionally. For the tall boy the walk was far too long and he felt so incredibly relieved to see his front door just a few meters away. However, that relief soon faded as he realized that none of his family members were home and probably wouldn't be back for at least a few hours. They may annoy and tease him whenever he brings a friend over but he felt like that would be a welcome distraction today.
Murasakibara told Kuroko to wait in his room while he prepared snacks, of course being the sweets he made the past few days before. Murasakibara made sure to be a good host and prepared some tea as well, a blend he knows Kuroko likes a lot, and waited for it to seep by arranging the snacks on a tray. He was being really meticulous, he never put this much effort even when Akashi was the one visiting.
When he was done, the purple-haired giant picked up the tray and carried it to his door, where he balanced the entire thing on one hand so that he could open the door. He paused in the doorway at what he saw though. Kuroko was sitting on his bed in a relaxed position with headphones on as he listened to the giant's iPod with that special expression of his that conveys a smile while keeping a blank face. It felt very… homey. The feeling in Murasakibara's heart seemed to lighten upon the scene before him and he unconsciously smiled a bit.
Kuroko seemed to notice his presence then and slid the headphones to hang around his neck as he turned to look at him, "Should I help?"
Ah, the ever polite and kind Kuroko. He was so hard to spoil, "It's fine~" the giant drawled as he set the table for them. He noted that it was already bare and wiped down, Kuroko must have cleaned it while Murasakibara was in the kitchen. This made the tall boy pout, he really wanted to spoil the blunet for some reason.
They sat at opposite ends of the table and began munching on the sweets as they watched tv. Every once in a while they would engage in small talk but neither were very talkative and therefore the conversation died off shortly after beginning. It didn't help that Murasakibara couldn't comment on the content of the movie as he was too distracted by the boy across from him. The giant watched every movement Kuroko made, every reaction he showed no matter how slight. He found it much more interesting than some movie even though it had a very high rating.
That's when he noticed the smaller boy's plate was empty but there were few missing treats on his side of the table, where he made sure to put the vanilla chocolates.
"Kuro-chin what's wrong~? You're not eating~" he drawled out, though there was a hint of concern in both his voice and features, "Does it taste bad~?"
Kuroko turned to him ,"It tastes very good, Murasakibara-kun. I'm just not hungry right now and sweets are very heavy."
Though he was happy that the blunet liked the treats, Murasakibara pouted like a petulant child and grabbed a vanilla chocolate, "Kuro-chin needs to eat more or you'll never grow~"
He reached over and popped the candy into Kuroko's mouth, flinching slightly as his fingers brushed the smaller boy's lips, 'Soft.'
Kuroko reluctantly ate the chocolate and then washed it down with some tea, turning away from Murasakibara's hand that had another candy in its grasp, "Murasakibara-kun, I'm not hungry right now, I can't eat any more than this."
"Why not~?" the giant pouted with a gloomy look in his eyes as he ignored Kuroko's protests and shoved the chocolate into the smaller boy's mouth, his fingers lingering on his lips for a bit this time.
"Why won't Kuro-chin eat?" he asked, this time more seriously as he shoved yet another chocolate into the boy's mouth, "I made these for Kuro-chin."
Murasakibara blinked, he made these for Kuroko? When he thought about it, it made sense as Kuroko loved vanilla and he originally planned to share with him at school. The tall boy retracted his hand and noted the chocolate on his fingertips, licking them clean as he looked to the source of his strange behavior with lidded eyes. He couldn't help but think of the soft touch lingering on his thumb as he traced it across his bottom lip. The slightly annoyed look on Kuroko's face and the small pout only attracted more of Murasakibara's attention and he couldn't stop himself upon seeing a smudge of chocolate on the other's lips.
Time seemed to freeze the next second, both boys too shocked to move as Murasakibara pulled Kuroko forward by the back of his head and kissed him. They stared wide-eyed at the other, neither fully comprehending what just happened. The moment ended soon after as they both pulled away with equally confused expressions. However, Murasakibara realized something. He didn't want to stop.
Standing up, Murasakibara took to steps around the table and sat back down next to Kuroko who, though shocked, still managed to turn to face him. They stayed that way for a moment as Murasakibara didn't know how to proceed . Then he remembered what motivated him to take the initiative.
The tall boy lightly grabbed another chocolate and pressed it to Kuroko's lips just as he recovered. Murasakibara pushed it inside and moved to cup the smaller boy's cheek in his hand, before diving down to once again capture his lips. The purple-haired giant made sure to savor the kiss this time as he forced his tongue into the other's mouth, rolling the half-melted chocolate around the wet cavern and tasting all he could. He planned to pull away as he remembered the smaller boy's struggling but was surprised as Kuroko calmed down and eventually slid his arms around Murasakibara's neck.
They finally broke apart when it was clear that Kuroko needed air. Panting though he was, Kuroko's expression seemed to demand an explanation. Actually, Murasakibara would like one too. Why did he kiss Kuroko? Why did Kuroko kiss back? Just what was going on with him lately?
Murasakibara leaned his head back and groaned, "I don' get it~" he shifted to look at Kuroko's face, finding himself regretting it as the boy's flushed cheeks and glazed expression made something tingle in the giant's body as his own flushed cheeks evolved into a full-on blush, "I don' get it~ Why do I have to feel this way? I hate people like Kuro-chin so why do I love Kuro-chin~?" Murasakibara froze.
Oh. So that's what it was…
Murasakibara sat with his eyes wide at the realization. Then they suddenly softened and he gazed at the blunet before him with probably the most mature and sincere expression Kuroko had ever seen on Murasakibara's face before, "I love Kuro-chin."
He leaned his head back again as the past few months flowed through his mind. How he'd increasingly made rude comments knowing fully well that Kuroko would respond passionately. How he'd bring some extra vanilla treats because he knew Kuroko didn't eat enough. How his chest hurt when he saw the team play between Kuroko and Aomine. How he cringed whenever he heard the terms "light" and "shadow". How he was so anxious near a romantic holiday. Ah, it all made sense now. And he had to realize it after messing up so badly.
Things were silent for a few moments after the confession. Then suddenly, Murasakibara heard the rustling of clothing and looked down to see Kuroko placing a chocolate in his mouth from a position so close he was practically straddling the other boy. Then before Murasakibara could register it Kuroko had draped his arms around the taller boy's shoulders and pulled him down enough to clash their lips. The shock wore off and Murasakibara found himself hugging the boy close to his body, Kuroko now truly straddling him, as he licked the other's lips for permission for entrance, and was pleased at how he opened willingly. They both moaned as their tongues danced together fighting for dominance, though Murasakibara soon overpowered the smaller boy and deepened the kiss even further.
They only separated when the need for air surfaced once again, this time both boys panting heavily, though Murasakibara's was more from lust than breathlessness. He watched the other boy, who was panting against his chest with his face hidden.
Swallowing the lump in his throat Murasakibara asked the sole question on his mind at the moment, "Why did Kuro-chin kiss me?"
Kuroko looked up slowly. Then a small smile formed on his lips, making Murasakinara's heart skip a beat, "Your confession, it made me happy. And I already received my gift." He gestured to the sweets on the table before focusing once again on the taller boy before him. His smile deepened slightly in an expression that Murasakibara knew made him fall in love all over again, "Happy Valentine's Day, Murasakibara-kun."