The blunette sipped quietly at his vanilla shake, watching with a blank expression as Kagami sat down across from him in the shop. As usual, the other failed to notice him as he ate. But he would. And so Kuroko sat there quietly, waiting for the others reaction. "..."

Scarfing down another sandwich, Kagami choked and gasped for air as Kuroko materialized in front of him. Fighting to swallow his food, he thumped himself on the chest as he gasped out, "How long have you been there?!" Coughing, he took a sip of his drink, before growling at his partner. "You enjoy doing that, don't you?"

The smaller male made no change in expression as his teammate flipped out upon noticing him, as he and others so often did. He gave no answer to his first question, merely shrugging somewhat in response. And though his face made no change, his lips parted and a blunt reply came from his lips in reply to the second question. "A little."

"Y-you…" Kagami stared at him with narrowed eyes. "I knew it…" He grumbled as he picked up another sandwich. Shoving another in his mouth, he chomped down on it viciously. Man, he loved food. Finishing it off, he paused as he was about to unwrap yet another.

"… You want one? You don't eat all that much." He mused, still eating as he stared at Kuroko and his milkshake. What was so good about milkshakes anyways? They were fine and all, but it didn't compare to real food…

"..." Kuroko pondered the question for a moment, before nodding. "Only half though."

Kagami scoffed, ripping his sandwich in half and passing one side over. Only half…How could he run on so little food? A man needed sustenance dammit! He'd never get strong like this… Speaking of which…

"How about we hit the court for some practice after?" Kagami asked. He only had five subs left, so it wouldn't take more than a few minutes. Of course, that also depended on how fast Kuroko ate… Nevermind the milkshake…

Kuroko's eyes lit up just a little bit despite the rest of his face making no sudden changes at the mention of practice, his lips pressing into a thin line as he took the half of the sandwich he was offered. Practice together? That could be good, though he didn't stand a chance one-on-one. That didn't bother him, though. He liked to see just how strong his light was; to feel his potential.

"I'd like that." Kuroko answered, setting down his milkshake and beginning to eat his half of the sandwich. If they wanted to have time to practice, he should try to eat it quickly… With that thought, Kuroko's brow creased somewhat as he took a fairly large bite out of the sandwich. He just had to concentrate on finishing it quickly.. It wasn't often he got to practice with just Kagami, so he wouldn't pass it up.

Kagami raised a brow at how fervently Kuroko was eating. Was he that eager to practice? Well, that was just fine with Kagami. More than fine in fact. He shoved another sandwich in his mouth, finishing it off in one bite.

"Mfo-" He paused, taking time to chew and swallow. "You done anything yet about your 'new style'?" He shoved the last burger in his mouth. Just plain playing/training with Kuroko was great, but it would be even better if he could help him refine his new style.

Kuroko averted his gaze for a moment, but soon returned to staring at the other male with an unreadable expression. "No." He replied flatly, stuffing the sandwich into his mouth once more. That's why he had to do everything he could. He couldn't keep Kagami— who was working so hard and improving, waiting. Otherwise he'd get left behind. "I haven't had any ideas yet."

"Ah, well, that's okay." He shrugged. "You'll get it eventually." He believed in Kuroko. It might take him a while- the boy could be slow as hell sometimes- but he came through spectacularly when he was needed. "I know you will." Stretching his arms high above his head, he sighed, tray now empty. Food was good. Slumping down in his chair, he gazed at Kuroko, content with a full stomach.

Kuroko offered the faintest of smiles in response to Kagami's words, a mildly confident glint in his irises. "Right." He nodded, turning his attention back to his half eaten portion of the sandwich. "… I can't finish." He stated firmly, staring harshly at the sandwich he held in his hands. He was at his limit. "Sorry. Please eat my share." The smaller boy held the sandwich out over the table, lips pursed into a thin line.

Kagami let out a short bark of laughter and grabbed the unfinished meal. "No problem." He scarfed it down like a starving man. The food was gone in mere seconds leaving no evidence that it had even existed in the first place. "Ah, that's good." Kagami said, patting his stomach as he stood up. "You ready to go?" He asked, looking down at Kuroko, smiling.

Kuroko let out a soft sigh of relief as Kagami finished off the food. He could always rely on him not to waste a single bit of food— which was good, as the blunette was incredibly polite in that respect. If he hadn't known Kagami had a stomach like that, he probably would have sucked it up and continued to eat the food.

With his teammates words he stood up, nodding along in confirmation that he was ready to go. "Yes." His answer was simple as he grabbed his milkshake, bringing it along as they began to walk out of the shop.

It was a short walk to the park where the court was at, Kagami's excitment mounting with each step. He grinned, pulling a basketball out of his bag, then tossing the satchel to the side. "Alright!" He dribbled the ball a bit, turning to Kuroko with an excited grin. "Ready?" The anticipation in his voice was tangible.

By now Kuroko had finished his milkshake, throwing the empty cup into a nearby trashcan and slipping off his jacket. Getting into a standard playing position, he gave another nod. "Ready." He answered, brow creasing once more as he began to focus. He had to improve. He had to make his new basketball. "Please go easy on me."

"Like hell!" He replied viciously, sprinting forward. "We're playing to get stronger- you won't get stronger if I go easy on you!"

Feint- Pivot- To the left- Have to get stronger, need to get stronger- He was playing seriously- can't lose again, won't lose again- a picture of Aomine briefly flashed before his eyes-

"C'mon Kuroko, extend your limits!"

"Alright." The blunette nodded, a somewhat serious tinge dawning upon his features. He extended his arms to the sides, following the others movements as best he could in order to defend. Focus. He couldn't let him score— he had to do his best, too. "I'll do my best." He announced confidently, though he knew he stood no chance. But that was all part of improving.

Damn right you'll do your best! Kagami thought with a triumphant smirk. He wouldn't accept any less from him either.

To the left- no, right! - forward, forward, had to keep going forward, can't stop- aomine- Can't stop, keep going, keep growing, blocked, to the side- Aomine- Feint, forward, almost there- Aomine!

Kagami surged forward with a jump, reaching for the hoop.

Aomine!

Too high. It was definitely too high— but Kuroko was so fired up he simply ignored it. He positioned his feet, bent his knees and then made the jump, arm extended and fingertips stretching out with all their might to try and reach the ball. But it was no use, the difference in both their height and strength was too vast. Instead, with how heated Kagami had gotten— probably due to their recent loss, he really went all out— the taller male's body slammed into his, the sound of the ball falling into the hoop and bouncing off the ground uniting with the sound of Kuroko's own body falling, trying to manage to land on his feet, but failing. The significantly weaker of the two landed awkwardly on his ankle, all of his weight crushing it in the awkward position. Stumbling, his body hit the pavement.

"…" He stifled a groan, his body making no movement. Kuroko's lips parted as though he were going to speak, but instead he did nothing more than look up at the tall figure. Was he really this useless? His body was much more frail, and he was an inch shorter than the average shortest height for a basketball player. But even so, he wanted to become stronger. He wanted to beat the Generation of Miracles.

Dunk! Kagami cheered, pumping a fist in the air with a cheer. And the haze that had gathered, cloyed his senses and clogged his brain, suddenly disappeared. The anger and frustration and -Aomine!- was suddenly gone.

Kagami looked around, blinking in confusion. Kuroko? He… he was there just a second ago! Was his disappearing act getting better or something? There was a small huff of breath, quiet and barely audible. Kuroko?

"Shit!" And there he was, crumpled on the ground. "Kuroko!" Dammit! He'd gotten so caught up in the heat of the moment -aomine- that he'd ended up hurting Kuroko.

Kneeling beside his partner, Kagami tentatively extended a hand. "Hey… you okay?" Stupid question. Kuroko wasn't, ah, the most enduring person and Kagami's hits weren't exactly soft. Of course he wasn't okay.

Though his expression was calm, it was evident that he must have been in pain, and even humiliated at having been so weak in this way. He could hardly react to the hand that reached out to him, and after a long moment of making no movement, he finally outstretched an arm— his fingers trembling as they made an attempt to grasp Kagami's hand. "Yes, I'm alright." He abruptly retracted his hand, shaking his head a bit. Extend your limits. So he would try- try to support himself. He couldn't rely on Kagami, right?

Jumping to his feet suddenly, his face maintained it's deadpan look. "See, Kagami-kun?" His voice was flat, and with that his body toppled over just as quickly as he had gotten up. "…" He let out a shaky breath, tears pricking at the corners of his sky blue irises. Was his ankle.. broken?

Kagami gave Kuroko a flat stare from his crouched position, face blank and disbelieving at his blatant lie. The redhead sighed, standing up. "Alright."He said, picking Kuroko up by the armpits -not exactly hard considering how small he was- and carrying him over to the bench. Setting him down, he knelt in front of the blue haired boy. "So which foot is it?" He questioned, grimacing.

Kuroko wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his face away with the collar of his shirt, a little frustrated. This wasn't any good. He would have to get better before the Winter Cup. It was their last shot, after all. And he needed to come up with something new before then. "…Left." He answered softly, shame dripping from his usual monotonous voice. "—Please don't worry about it. I'm sure it's just a sprain." He couldn't help but insist for Kagami to quit aiding him— it made him feel even more useless. In saying so, he shifted on on the bench, shrinking away from his teammate. They couldn't win by relying on each other. He had to take care of himself.

Kagami ignored his protests, gently prying the shoe and sock off his left foot. He handled him gingerly, probably as careful as he could possibly get. "Tell me if it hurts."

Sliding his hands lightly over the injured ankle, Kagami pressed down on certain points. God knows he'd had enough injuries (They played rough in America) to know how to find and treat one, even if he didn't always acknowledge it.

"Here?" He asked, pressing the juncture softly. Fractured ankles were tender and bruised easily, so a soft touch was really all he needed to confirm.

The blue-haired teen couldn't help but whimper as pressure was applied to his ankle, his brow furrowing slightly. "Y-Yes.." He gave a weak nod, doing his best to remain calm despite the throbbing sensation of his injury. Somehow it wasn't so bad, Kagami's large hands serving as a form of comfort despite the situation he would be in if his injury were severe. "... I'm sorry." He apologized impulsively, feeling as though he was becoming a hindrance at this point. He had no time for this. He needed to get stronger as soon as possible. But even so… Kagami-kun was probably feeling bad about it, too...

"No." Kagami sighed, shaking his head. "It was my fault. I guess I just… lost myself and… well, it's my fault." There was no way he could tell Kuroko that he'd gotten so incensed because of Aomine; that he'd temporarily been delusional and forgotten where he was.

"Try rotating it." He said, pulling his hands back. The range of motion and how easily it would move would be very telling as well. He then blinked and added as an afternote, "Don't apologize for something you didn't do."

With obedience Kuroko did what he could. Which turned out to be absolutely nothing. Dread washed over him, his expression darkening somewhat. "…Kagami-kun. What if it's broken?" He asked, looking and sounding almost completely empty. "I can't move it."

A grim look crossed Kagami's features and he didn't reply. Taking hold of Kuroko's ankle again, he began to move it, just a bit, in various directions. "Well, I'm pretty sure nothing's dislocated at least." He said finally. The foot had already begun to swell a bit.

The redhead cursed internally. He was almost sure that Kuroko's foot was broken. And that meant he was benched for- for a while. A long while. And his was his. fucking. fault. He grit his teeth and glared at the pavement, hands stilling briefly. He'd just taken their trump card out of play. He might as well have just cost the team the Winter Cup.

Kuroko had winced a bit when Kagami moved his ankle around, checking out the damage that had been done. For some reason, Kagami's words only made him feel worse. So it was probably broken... "…I should go home and take care of it." He did his best to stand, applying all of his weight to his right foot. He could hop home like this if truly necessary.

Kagami stood back, raising his brows as Kuroko tried to stand. Scoffing, he scooped him up , holding him bridal style in his arms. "And how exactly were you gonna get there? Nevermind how you were planning on taking care of it. Idiot." He said, walking over to their things and crouching. "Grab our stuff. My hands are kinda full." Kagami explained as he cradled Kuroko in his arms. Damn but the boy was small- light too. He could barely feel him in his arms.

"Okay." Kuroko replied in a gentle tone, arms reaching to pick up the basketball from the awkward position he had been lifted into. His fingers trembled lightly as he put the ball inside Kagami's bag, taking the both of their bags up into his own arms and looking back up at his teammate.

He couldn't argue. It just wasn't in his nature, no matter how much he wanted to stick to not relying on Kagami. He wasn't even physically equipped to protest at this point."Will you carry me home, then?" He asked. If that were the case, he'd have to give him directions to his house.

Kagami gave the other a considering look before shaking his head. "No." He shook his head. "You live alone, right? If you want to heal fast, you can't put any pressure on your ankle, and if there's no one there to help you… I'm the reason you got hurt, so it's my responsibility to help you get better." Kagami nodded, filled with a sudden determination. "I'll take care of you." His arms curled around Kuroko just a little bit tighter, and he set course for his own apartment.

"I understand." Kuroko mumbled, crossing his arms over the bags in his grasp and burying his face within them. As his body was rather weak, he couldn't help but feel a little drowsy. The throbbing pain in his ankle only increased as Kagami continued to carry him, pessimistic thoughts drowning him all the while. But what kept him afloat was just one thing. Kagami was going to take care of him. Just this once, it would be okay to rely on him.

It wasn't a very long walk to the apartment- it was a very short one actually. Maneuvering himself and Kuroko up the stairs without disturbing him had been rather difficult and in the end, all for naught as he was presented with the locked door to his apartment. Sighing, Kagami grumbled lightly.

"Kuroko…" Kagami uttered softly, reluctant to rouse Kuroko from his doze. "Kuroko, oi. I need you to get the keys from my bag and unlock the door."

The blunette stirred, having been half asleep by the time they got there. "Nnn.." Came the soft whine of a response, half-lidded irises doing their best to focus on Kagami as he lifted his head up. Nodding sleepily, he fumbled with the bags in his arms and opened up the red-headed male's bag in search of keys. After a few minutes of fumbling around, he finally pulled them out. "I've got them." He announced, reaching out to unlock the door and… dropping the keys on the ground.

"I don't have them anymore." He spoke flatly, flopping back down over the bags while he remained in Kagami's arms. Given his injury and bodily limits, he wasn't all that there.

"Kh." Kagami cursed, awkwardly trying to crouch while at the same time not disrupt Kuroko or his leg too much. Leaning the boy half against the wall and half holding him with one arm, Kagami picked up the keys with the very tips of his fingers, all the while managing not to drop Kuroko or the bag.

Deciding not to trust him with the keys, Kagami began the awkward and difficult process of unlocking the door like this. Somehow, he managed, kicking the door open afterwards. Slipping off his shoes at the entrance, he traveled to the living room to set Kuroko down on the nearest couch.

After Kagami had set him down on the couch, the blue-haired basketball player did his best to switch into a laying position. Once he had gotten himself semi-comfortable position, he glanced over at the taller of the two. "Please don't worry too much." Kuroko insisted tiredly. It would probably be best if he was taken to the hospital, but he would much rather sleep.

Kagami nodded once. "We'll take you to the hospital tomorrow." He muttered, half to himself. He slipped off Kuroko's remaining shoe, picking up the one he had taken off earlier at the park and put them by the entrance. Walking back into the living room, Kagami paused as he looked at the boy dozing off on the sofa. It was his fault Kuroko was stuck like this. His fault.

Kagami almost smacked himself when he realized that he was probably in a lot of pain. He swiftly fetched some pain killers and a glass of water, then crouched beside Kuroko, nudging him gently. "Oi. I have some pain killers for you."

Kuroko reached out weakly, grabbing the pain killers and glass of water from Kagami and taking the medication as directed. Afterwards, he handed the glass back to him and stared intensely at him for a brief moment. "…Kagami-kun, could I have a blanket?" He asked sleepily, shifting in slight discomfort on the couch.

"Eh? Oh, yeah." Grabbing a blanket, Kagami paused. "Are you… I mean…" Fidgeting a bit, Kagami looked away and spoke, refusing to look at him. "Did you want to use my bed? It's probably more comfortable than the couch and since…" Since this is my fault. " … So you'd probably be more comfortable there. If you want to, that is…" He trailed off weakly, picking at the blanket.

The blunette made an effort to lift his head, offering no response for a long moment as he thought about it. Was that really okay? It would probably mean Kagami sleeping on the couch instead. He didn't really want to make him do that.. He had caused the redhead enough trouble as it were, making him carry him all the way here. "Is it really okay to do that?" He asked finally, lowering his head a little. "You've done enough, you know. It was an accident."

An accident that probably cost us the Winter Cup. He grimaced, then wiped his features and turned it into a smirk. "So, is that a yes then?"Without waiting for an answer, Kagami gathered Kuroko in his arms again and began for the bedroom.

Shouldering the door open, Kagami used his knee to move the blankets away, the set Kuroko down, pulling the covers back up over the injured boy after. "Better?" He asked with a grin.

"...Yes, it's a lot better. Thank you." Kuroko stared up rather blankly at the other male. Silence filled the air again. The blue-haired boy wasn't entirely sure what to say at this point, but managed to find something. "…Where will you sleep?" Though his voice was calm, he was concerned for where the other would be sleeping. Did he have a second bedroom he could rest in, or was he going to take the couch simply because Kuroko had made a soft complaint…?

"Hm?" Kagami looked back over his shoulder at him, from his position of riffling through his closet. "The couch, obviously." Digging through the things in his closet a bit more, he made a quietly triumphant 'aha' when he found what he was looking for. "I knew I had another pillow in here somewhere." Kagami said as he returned and delicately picked up Kuroko's foot, slipping the large pillow underneath. "I can't really properly elevate your foot like I should, but this should do for the night… I guess." The taller man stopped, scratching his head and looking around awkwardly, now that he had nothing to do. "Ah… did you want anything else?"

"No, this is fine." Kuroko answered gently, ignoring the dull shot of pain that coursed through him as Kagami did his best to be delicate with his foot while elevating it with the pillow. It wasn't as painful as it had been a little while ago, the medication evidently setting to work on numbing some of his pain. His eyes drooped, finding it all too difficult to stay awake.

Chapter 1 go! Alright, so in cannon, Kuroko lives with his parents and his grandma or something but... We plead creative license! So this might seem a bit unrealistic with... well, everything, but just go along with it, okay?