Prologue. Occasion
The lunchtime crowd of the cafeteria has always impressed Tetsuya, and it is one of the times he appreciates his invisibility; the sight of Kagami angrily pushing through the mass of people and getting bounced back is almost as satisfying as the first sip of his favorite udon lunch set.
"Kuroko, you jerk. Where are you?"
Kagami doesn't seem to have noticed Tetsuya at his side, which is strange considering how often they repeat this pattern throughout the years. So Tetsuya does what he always does and whispers a monotone "Kagami-kun" in the taller man's ear and steps back to watch the show.
The redhead jumps a feet in the air, waving his arms around violently and almost smacking a few poor students in the face. "Since when were you there?!" is the flustered response.
"I've always been there," Tetsuya says, though it isn't strictly true, the evidence of which is his half-eaten udon in the tray in his hands (he had gotten hungry while waiting for Kagami to make progress into the cafeteria room).
It takes twenty minutes of painstaking effort, but Kagami eventually manages to order his food (and in the process clear out the cafeteria counter). Tetsuya scans the hall for a place to sit. Maybe he shouldn't have abandoned his seat just to scare Kagami.
Five minutes of Kagami's grumbling later, Tetsuya catches sight of a secluded corner, hidden by tall generic potted plants, where there is a table for two people, but just as he moves towards it, the flow of the crowd shifts and pulls him toward the opposite end of the room. By the time Kagami notices and is colorfully cursing his (involuntary, this time) disappearing act, Tetsuya is already several feet away.
While his lack of presence helps him evade people, it also makes it near impossible to escape once he is stuck, so Tetsuya lets himself be carried to wherever the mass of chattering, fashionably dressed girls is moving.
"Kuroko? Dude, you're freaking me out! Where the hell are you?" Kagami's voice rings out from behind him, but it's unlikely that Tetsuya can respond in a voice loud enough anyways, so the redhead would have to deal.
Giggles seem to grow louder and more high-pitched the closer the crowd (and him) is to the back of the hall.
At last the motion slows and comes to a stop. Past the waves of carefully styled hair and manicured nails is a person leaning casually against the wall. The girls push toward him, stealthily shooting glares at each other.
Ah.
An exceedingly handsome face. A simple silver loop in one ear. Golden hair that seem to shimmer in the sunlight as its owner looks up to smile at the next girl who speaks.
Caramel-colored eyes framed by impossibly long eyelashes widen in shock. "Eh… Tetsuyacch-"
"Ryouta-kun."