Summary:

Kagami asked Kuroko why he went to that stupid Ahomine to learn how to shoot. A jealous Tiger is not pleasant at all; the Phantom learns it the hard way.

Disclaimer:

Kuroko no Basuke and all its glory belong to the one and only Fujimaki Tadatoshi.

Let's Enjoy ^_^

Beta: alibananas

Jealous Tiger, (not so) Amused Phantom

It's been a long time since the last time Kagami-kun called my name. He even tried his best to ignore me whenever he got chance to do so. And that's a lot, considering how naturally quiet I am. Despite how close we sit in class, or how we always practice together, we are not talking with each other outside the necessary.

Is the world ignoring me as natural occurrence not enough? Should my partner ignore me also? It just hurt.

It's not like I haven't tried to reach out to him, but he always successfully blocks or dodge my outreached arm. He closed the door and built a wall between us. I wish I was brusque enough to shatter the wall, or brave enough to pick the locked door. But I'm afraid, afraid that what little we have left will all disappear if I made a wrong move.

Lonesomeness is like a plague. It eats you alive. Slowly, but surely, it devours your entire being. I have enough of this loneliness in me. It's drifted me more to the darkness, to the shadows, to the nothingness.

Once upon a time, I accepted the loneliness within me as something normal. But then, I met five lights that introduced me to friendship.

But they shattered my world when they took it from me. Loneliness doesn't hurt when you know lonesomeness is your only option. But after you taste the honey, lemon will taste more unbearable.

It just hurt. But then, once again, I found a light. A warm light that enveloped me with burning love and care. So I bet once more that this light would forever keep me out of the darkness lurking inside me. But… did I… make the wrong choice?

Something was bothering Kagami-kun. Kuroko could tell from his play during their practice. It was much more wild, fierce, and brutal than usual. Did Kagami-kun have other problems? Or am I the problem? Isn't it enough for him to ignore me? Should he change as well?

Kuroko's heart hurt so much that his face should have been twisted since coach's frown when she looked at his direction. The light blue haired teen could only wait with patience while the brown haired girl walked to the bench where he rested.

"Ne, Kuroko-kun, what's wrong with Kagami-kun?" asked the coach of the Seirin Basketball team.

"I don't know, Coach." Replied the passing specialist with a monotones tone. 'I wish I knew…'

The older girl stared at him intently, causing the pale boy to fidget uncomfortably under her gaze. "Okay, wrong question. What's wrong with the two of you?"

Kuroko visibly flinched at the question. He looked everywhere except at those two brown orbs that pierced his very soul.

Riko inwardly sighed at his boys' stunt. "You think I won't notice?" she asked with tender voice.

"..."

"The team is worried, Kuroko-kun. You better sort things up soon."

Again, the bluenette keep avoiding her gaze and keep his mouth shut.

"If you don't do it soon… I might quadruple your menu you know!~" said the brunette girl in a sickeningly sweet tone.

The light blue haired teen finally gave up his silent act. "Coach, will you… lend me a hand?" asked the light haired boy timidly.

Riko give him a warm smile before replying, "And here I thought you'd never ask."

Today's practice was hell, literally. Somehow the devil coach got really pissed off and slaughtered the whole team, especially the one redhead. It's true that Kagami made more mistakes than the others, even with his idiotic standard. His stupid act today could be said as the worst. He stormed off by himself, grumpy and muttering unclear things in English, not listening to his upperclassmen, and the worst, completely out of sync with his supposed to be shadow.

The devil coach and the clutch mode captain bestowed upon him a decree at the end of practice today.

"Go and run 50 laps around the school to put more sense in that idiotic brain of yours, Bakagami!"

So it was no surprise that the gym was empty when the ace of Seirin came back from his laps. He simply shrugged it off and went to the locker rooms to change. It was getting late and Kagami was starving, so the redhead decided to take a shower later in his place.

"Kagami-kun."

"Gyah!" the sudden call from a familiar voice startled him. "Idiot! Stop scaring the hell out of me!" yell the redhead hotly, he was so sure that he was the only one in the locker room just then.

"I've been here before you came in, Kagami-kun." stated Kuroko as usual.

"Tch, and here I thought that I've already got used to it."

"That's because you've been avoiding me lately, Kagami-kun." said Kuroko bluntly, catching the taller redhead off guard.

Kagami's eyes twitch at the smaller boy accusation. "What the hell do you mean, Kuroko?" growled the redhead in low tone, trying to play innocence, only to fail miserably. He just had the wrong opponent.

"Stop pretending to be oblivious, Kagami-kun. You've been ignoring me for two weeks and three days now." Said Kuroko calmly, but his deadpanned façade slightly crumbled to show a tiny bit of turmoil inside his heart: pain.

It just for a miniscule of a second but Kagami saw it, and he doesn't like it at all. "You sure that's not just your imagination?" asked the power forward sheepishly. He knew the problem was him, and the effect it had on the smaller boy. But he was just not ready to face it yet.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure of that, Kagami-kun. May I ask why?"

"It's nothing. Maybe you're just overthinking things Kuroko." Said the Seirin ace hopefully, trying his best to avoid his judgment time.

The phantom inwardly sighed at his partner's obvious lie. "Please stop pretending, Kagami-kun." he said with a bit of irritation in his voice.

Meanwhile, the power jumper made a retreating move to the door, with poorly veiled intention which was clear as day to Kuroko's eyes.

"And stop trying to escape. It is futile." the bluenette deadpanned.

Kagami forgot his attempt to escape unnoticed and run to the door, only to find that door wouldn't budge.

"I've locked the door, Kagami-kun." said Kuroko calmly.

"What? Open the door, Kuroko!" shouted Kagami with clear annoyance.

"No."

"Where's the key, goddamn it!"

"I hid it."

"Bastard! What do you want, huh?"

"I want you to answer my question, Kagami-kun. Why have you been avoiding me these past two weeks and three days?"

The redhead cringed at the question. Kagami went speechless. He couldn't believe that Kuroko even counted the days.

"Kagami-kun?" asked the smaller boy with apparent worry in his tone. Worry of what? He didn't know either.

The Seirin light averted his eyes from his shadow. He desperately looked at anywhere but the twin blue orbs that always mesmerize him. They drowned him inside and obtained the truth out of him with just simple by stare.

Kuroko carefully took a step closer to his partner. He maintained his gaze to catch the crimson orbs that always made him believe that everything would be fine, that there would always be a warmth that would envelop him, keep him safe from loneliness. The gaze that he desperately longed to hold.

"Kagami-kun, please look at me." Pleaded Kuroko almost inaudibly.

Kagami reluctantly forced himself to face Kuroko. He knew he'd lose the moment Kuroko's blue orbs caught his crimson ones, but he couldn't ignore Kuroko, not forever. Especially not when he sound so hurt like this, because of his fault; his idiocy.

The moment their eyes meet, Kagami felt an imaginary knife splitting his heart open. Kuroko's face currently, was something he wish never saw. It was full of so much pain that he almost shed tears by only looking at him.

"I…" Guilt won over his reluctance. "You see, I…" he bit his lower lip and brace himself. "I… don't like it." blurt the redhead as he shut his eyes.

Uncomfortable silence fills up the almost empty changing room. The silence was so thick to the point where Kagami could easily hear his raging heartbeat and Kuroko's erratic one. He still stubbornly closed his eyes for what seemed like forever, until he heard the sound of a single drop of water hit the floor. Fearing for the worst, Kagami snapped his eyes open, only to witness a trail of tears on Kuroko's pale cheeks.

"You… hate me…?" whispered Kuroko in an oddly even tone.

Kagami widen his eyes as he realized the implication of his dumb words. "What, no! O-Of course not! I could never hate you."

"Then… why…"

He slumped down to the floor, just in front of the locked door. "It's not you I don't like-" Kagami outwardly sighed before he averted his gaze and scratch the back of his head, reluctantly spilling out his feeling. "I don't like it, when you went to that bastard instead of going to me."

"Eh?"

"When you learnt to shoot, why- I mean- uh… do you?" spluttered Kagami unclearly. "Ah goddamn it!" yelled the redhead after a few seconds of silence. "Did you really need to go to that stupid Ahomine?!" asked Kagami in the end.

Kuroko was effectively at loss of words. His mouth gape; his eyes blank. In any other occasion, Kagami would have surely taken out his phone to snap a picture to preserve this ultimately rare moment where Kuroko lose his composure.

"I mean, there are other people that are good at shooting, you know… You could've always gone captain. Or maybe that green haired weirdo from Shotoku, he is the number one shooter right? I mean… well… anyone but him…"

All his worry faded away. Just as usual, Kagami was able to put him at ease. When realization hit him, Kuroko couldn't help but smile fondly at the redhead before him. The poor redhead didn't see him though, since Kagami was still avoiding Kuroko's gaze.

'He is… jealous? How cute…'

"Stupid Taiga." Muttered Kuroko fondly.

"Hey!"

Kagami's protest got cut short by a pair of soft lips that touch his chapped ones gently. A sweet and chaste kiss that he couldn't get enough of. His mind stopped working for the few heartbeats when their lips meet for the first time in these last couple of weeks. Just when Kagami was about to embrace the bluenette out of habit and instinct, Kuroko pulled away.

Kagami stared at his boyfriend dumbly, still not quite sure of what the other meant with the kiss.

Kuroko looked at his boyfriend fondly, a soft smile gracing his lips. A tint of pink adorned his blushing cheeks.

"Because, if I asked you to privately coach me, we wouldn't end up practicing with my shooting, silly Taiga." The blue haired boy was blushing more feverishly after those words.

The sight of his adorable boyfriend blushing in front of him, his realization of what Kuroko's words meant, their situation and position, and the sudden consciousness of how stupid he acted finally dampen upon him. Kagami Taiga instantly blushed even more than his boyfriend, the differences of color between his face and hair suddenly disappeared.

Kuroko let out a little chuckle at the sight of his adorable boyfriend.

"Oi…" growled Kagami to conceal the embarrassment he felt currently.

Kuroko can't hold his laughter anymore. He laughed softly and tried to cover his mouth in his poor attempt to conceal his laughter.

The sound of Kuroko's laugh was Kagami's favorite. He inwardly danced in happiness and smiled fondly at the boy that he had hurt in his stupidity. Outwardly, he scowled even more and hid a feral smirk.

Kagami moved swiftly, just like a tiger pouncing on his prey. He pinned down Kuroko to the floor and held both of his hands up above his head with single hand.

"If you keep teasing me... I won't let you home tonight." Whispered the redhead to the smaller boy beneath him huskily.

The next day, at morning practice, Seirin basketball team inwardly smiled at the sight of the obvious different atmosphere around their first year duo which was nearly as silent as graveyard these past weeks. Now, they're back to the usual, if not more sickeningly sweet than before.

One girl scrutinized the couple with her sharp analytical eye. She was glad that those two made up, she really was, but…

"Bakagami! I asked you to sort things out, not make him unable to practice properly! Triple the menu for you!"

end of Jealous Tiger, (not so) Amused Phantom

A/n:

Thank you for reading my story ^_^ Please left a review on your way out, that would be much appreciated.