"Tetsu-kun!" Momoi yelled, keeping him from leaving. Training had ended just minutes ago, and the blue-haired boy was about to head to the changing room before returning home.
"Wait please," she exclaimed. "I have something for you."
Tetsuya Kuroko walked towards the team manager, no sign of the curiosity he felt on his face. Blushing, the girl held out a gift covered in colorful wrapping paper and smiled brightly at him. "Happy Valentine's Day, Tetsu-kun!"
"Thank you, Momoi-san," he smiled softly, accepting the chocolate. "I wish you a happy Valentine's Day as well," Earning an armful of Momoi, he petted her hair in return, unsure how to respond to the awkward angle she was hugging him from. Momoi just smiled up at him, pressing more firmly against his chest.
"Hey! What about me? When I'll get my chocolate?" Aomine slipped his arm around his childhood friend, grinning. Scowling, Momoi turned on him. "You said you didn't want any!"
"Right!" He paused. "Last time you tried to make chocolate I nearly died of food poising. You'd better have bought them!" He pointed at the parcel in one of Kuroko's hands.
"Ahomine!" Momoi shouted, removing his arm from her shoulders. She let go of Tetsuya in the process. The bickering grew louder, the pink-heard girl screaming insults at the Ace, who returned them with an equal amount of vigor.
Kuroko smiled at the other two and left while he had the chance. They could be too much at times, and he had promised to be home early. His mother wanted him to help her make chocolate pudding for the family.
Smiling slightly, he thought about how this was the first time a girl had gotten him chocolate for Valentine's. In all the years prior, he was forgotten by everyone; unseen, invisible to everyone but his mother and grandmother. Although it was nice of them, and he valued the gesture a lot, it was different getting the sweets from someone his age.
And while it had its perks to be a shadow, he was truly glad that this year, this time around, someone remembered him. He was grateful to have found good friends in his teammates. If only it could stay that way forever.
But things had already started to change. They'd recently got a new addition to their group in the form of one Kise Ryouta. All the while, The Miracles were evolving further and further, slowly but surely leaving him behind.
Entering the locker rooms, Kuroko stashed the present in his school bag. If only these days could last forever. But he wouldn't give up; he would train harder, he would do his best. Smiling, he finally changed out of his training clothes.
"Ano," Atsushi said, looking at Akashi. "Why did only Kuro-chin get chocolate? I want chocolate as well."
"Murasakibara, you got already sweets from a couple of girls today," stated the captain calmly.
"But I want more… why did Sa-chin only give Kuro-chin some?" The tall center looked longingly over to where Momoi was still chasing after a laughing Aomine.
"Because Satsuki cares for Tetsuya in a different way. Girls give chocolate to those who are special to them." Akashi promptly turned and headed for the changing room as well; he had reports to write anyway. "You can have my chocolate if you want, Murasakibara."
Happily, Atsushi followed his captain. "Am I special to Aka-chin?"
"No more so than everyone else, Murasakibara. But I don't actually care for the sweets, so you can have them."
The tall center smiled in bliss. More chocolate was always a good thing! "Thank you, Aka-chin." The redhead just nodded.
Arriving in the locker room, Akashi offered the other boy two plastic bags of candy. Swiftly the first gift lost its wrapper, revealing home-made pralines.
Murasakibara popped the treat in his mouth, savoring the sweet taste of chocolate covered cherries. They weren't as good as the pralines filled with caramel he had before, but they were still tasty enough. He took a second one, then went to his locker and took his bag out. He would change at home, he decided.
Flipping another candy in his mouth, he headed for the exit, bag over his shoulder, the two goody bags in his hand. Aomine was still teasing Momoi, Midorima had already left, and Kise was having a hard time leaving, being surrounded by many girls.
Murasakibara scowled. Kise-chin wasn't that special. He shouldn't get that many sweets. He didn't love them that much anyway.
Heading towards the main entrance, he opened another packet of chocolate. They looked pretty, covered in grated coconut and sprinkles, so he tried them. He wasn't sure whether he liked them or not. The filling was strange. It tasted like strawberries and raspberries, and was runny, though the chocolate was tasty.
Trying another two, he found that they weren't very good either, and there were still quite a few sorts left to try. Looking for a trashcan, he spotted a light-blue colored patch of hair. Within a few strides he was behind the small boy. "Kuro-chin!"
Kuroko turned around, looking up at his teammate. "Murasakibara-kun," he greeted in return.
Kuro-chin, Atsushi thought, was always friendly and kind, but sometimes a little annoying when he talked about his stupid way of basketball and was angry with Atsushi because he had no passion for the sport. Still, he was really nice and sweet - like a lovely piece of candy.
"… give chocolate to those who are special..." Aka-chin's words rang in his ears.
Kuro-chin was like candy; he was special. Smiling Atsushi dove into one of the bags, grabbed a big parcel, and offered it to Kuroko.
"Why are you giving this to me, Murasakibara-kun?" asked Kuroko.
"Because Kuro-chin is special." Ruffling the shorter player's hair, he smiled and then ate another praline. They truly weren't that tasty; he needed to find a trashcan soon.
Besides, he suddenly wanted some cotton candy. Maybe he would find some mint sort, the blue color looked nice, a little like Kuro-chins hair. But Kuro-chin didn't like when he touched his hair. Didn't he know that his hair was as awesome as cotton candy?
Waving at Kuroko, he left; he needed to find a certain kind of sweet after all, missing the tender smile replacing an annoyed expression.
When Momoi received a small box of white chocolates a month later, attached with the note "Thank you, Momoi-san. I wish you a happy White Day." she was overjoyed, shoving it in the face of anyone nearby.
In the turmoil, nobody seemed to notice Kuroko walking over to Murasakibara, offering him a wrapped gift.
"Thank you, Kuro-chin," he said, taking the parcel and opening it right away.
Murasakibara smiled; he really liked candy, they looked delicious. And he really, really liked the card that lay on top of the candy.
"Because Murasakibara-kun is special too."