Future Basket

A/N: Just a heads up to avoid confusion: this is written like it's a translation of Japanese, so you'll see some grammar and terms accordingly.

Apparently there's a KnB x Free! crossover doujinshi out there, but I couldn't find it. The concept piqued my interest, so I decided to add to the fandom with this story. Every character's career is based off of KnB's Character Bible and Free! Eternal Summer's second ending scene.

Warnings: Yaoi BL pairings: featuring Kagami x Kuroko, Makoto x Haruka and maybe some others in future chapters. The story takes place years after they graduated highschool, so readers who have not passed the Winter Cup finals in KnB, read at your own risk.

Chapter 1: Food Captures the Heart

Kagami awoke to the tinkering sound of the toaster in the kitchen. He rolled around in bed, squinting at the rays of morning sunshine seeping through his bedroom curtains. He was a firefighter – recently promoted to first class. The previous day, he had the later shift from 12:00PM to 8:00PM. That day was the same schedule, so he intended to sleep in. But the clacking of pots and pans in the kitchen made him snicker; he eyed his nightstand for his gleaming accessory.

On the surface lay a silver ring with a shiny white band on one edge and a blue band on the other. The center remained a silver stripe with the engraving "Ebony and Ivory" embedded across in English letters. Kagami took the ring and slipped it on his left ring finger, a satisfied sigh escaping him. It was not official, since same-sex marriage in Japan was not recognized; but the redhead still went out of his way to design one-of-a-kind wedding rings to symbolize their new life together. They exchanged rings in the private of their apartment, celebrating with friends the following days. It may not have been grand, but it was sufficient for him and Kuroko, his highschool sweetheart and currently husband.

Another chiming sound came from the toaster, bringing Kagami out of his thoughts. He slipped out of bed and made his way for the kitchen. When he turned the corner of the corridor, he peeked into the kitchen where the bluenet was busily making breakfast and packing his bags for the start of his morning class. As Kuroko removed his apron, he bent down to scoop food into Nigou's bowl. The puppy had grown drastically over the years; if he stood on his hind legs, the tips of his ears would reach Kuroko's chin. Kagami took a peek at Nigou momentarily, who was sprawled over his cushiony bed in the corner of the living room, sound asleep, regardless of the ruckus in the kitchen. He had grown accustomed to the husky, but still grimaced at the oversized dog.

The redhead redirected his attention back at the bluenet. Kuroko was, as he aspired to be, a kindergarten teacher. After years of finishing his major in literature, he had also obtained a teaching certificate. He was able to take care of the children at the nearby school and care for the overgrown child at home. Actually, it was mostly the other way around - Kagami taking care of the former sixth prodigy.

"Good morning, beautiful," Kagami called out in English with a smile, walking over and leaning on the kitchen island.

"Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied as he turned around with a plate of omelets and toast, returning a "good morning" in English as well; His pronunciation had gotten quite well with Kagami's coaching. Kagami grinned at this.

The redhead proceeded to pout playfully. "I told you 'Taiga' is just fine. We're married, geez."

"But I've grown accustomed to calling you 'Kagami-kun'," Kuroko explained with a flat expression, stoic as ever even after all those years. "Calling you by first name feels very foreign to me." He set the plate down and began eating. "I won't hold back."

"I call you 'Tetsuya' now," the redhead stated matter-of-factly, stealing a bite of the omelet. "Woah," his eyes widened briefly at the rather decent omelet. "This is good; you really improved. I taught you well."

Kuroko's face lit up with a smile. "Eggs are my forte," he stated confidently, followed by an insistent "Kagami-kun."

"You little runt," Kagami pursed his lips together then snickered, proceeding to ruffle the other's hair. "I'll graduate you to beef recipes or curry soon, then."

Kuroko combed through his powder blue locks then turned his attention back to the taller man. "I look forward to it," He smiled serenely at Kagami, to which the redhead stared back with his mouth slightly hung open.

After all those years, Kuroko's brighter smiles were still a rare sight to him. And each time he received that sort of expression from him, or that heart-stopping blush up to his ears, Kagami always ended up in a daze. It must have been one of the bluenet's misdirection tricks, because as Kagami snapped out of his trance, Kuroko was already at the genkan all set to leave.

"I packed an evening meal for you today. It's in the fridge," the sixth prodigy pointed to the stainless steel structure before hoisting his bag over his shoulder. "You can make another one yourself if it's not enough. Well, I will be-"

"Tetsuya," Kagami had rushed over to him, standing inches away.

He gazed lovingly into Kuroko's pristine blue eyes with his fiery red ones. Before the bluenet could ask what was the matter, Kagami had cupped his cheek in his hand and bent down to kiss him. Kuroko dropped his bag onto the floor, standing on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around the taller man's neck. After highschool, Kuroko stopped growing at 168cm and Kagami went up to 193cm, much to the shorter man's chagrin. Regardless, he felt secure in his light's enveloping embraces. His ring gleamed in the sunlight, having the exact same design as Kagami's, but with a red stripe instead of blue, and a shiny black stripe instead of white; the English engraving 'Ebony and Ivory' was also embedded on the silver band. A signification of how they complemented each other in perfect harmony.

Just when Kagami gently pushed forward to deepen the kiss, his phone began buzzing in his pocket. Kuroko broke away from the kiss, albeit reluctantly.

"You should get that. It's probably work paging you for an emergency," he suggested, but was interrupted by another brief kiss by Kagami.

"In a bit," the redhead replied dazedly, diving in for another kiss, "or another two minutes."

Kuroko hopped up and planted a chaste kiss on his nose. "Now." he smiled.

Kagami groaned irritably as he obeyed, fishing his phone out. He shot Kuroko a half-puppy-dog, half-scowl expression, to which the bluenet let out a quiet, airy chuckle.

"See you later, Kagami-kun. Work hard today." He opened the apartment door. "I'll be off now."

"Un," Kagami nodded dejectedly, "You too. Ah!" He suddenly jolted, slightly surprising the bluenet. "I love you! H-Have a safe trip!"

Kuroko blinked then gave a soft smile. "I love you too." He closed the door behind him. "Bye."

As the door clicked, the redhead sighed. He stared at the caller ID of his buzzing phone which read "Tachibana Makoto" and flipped it open to answer.

"Kagami Taiga…speaking," He mentally disciplined himself to remember his speech manners.

"Hey, it's Makoto," came a gentle reply from his fellow firefighter, "good morning, Taiga-kun!"

"Ah, good morning, Tachibana-senpai. What's up?"

On Makoto's side of the phone, the tall brunet sat idly at the couch. His green eyes wandered briefly to the figure standing to his far right in the kitchen – Haruka, his partner in life, was grilling mackerel like every morning, along with various other breakfast dishes. Haruka was donned in nothing but an apron and swimming jammers; his black hair still shined and trickled with water droplets from the cold morning bath. Makoto gulped.

"Hello? Hey, Tachibana-senpai?"

"Ah, yes! Hi!" Makoto blubbered when he snapped back to the conversation, face heating up.

"Yeah…you called for…?" Kagami raised a brow.

"Oh no, I was just calling to tell you that you have the same schedule as me now. And I'll show you how to prepare incident reports today, ok?" He chirped. "Oh and 'Makoto' is fine – we've been coworkers for so long," he added.

"Ah, yeah. Okay."

"…"

"…"

Kagami cleared his throat awkwardly. "Is there anything else, uhh…Makoto-senpai?"

"Huh? Oh, that's all." The brunet laughed sheepishly.

"Aw man, senpai…" Kagami groaned irritably as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He lost a tender moment with Kuroko for this. "You could tell me these things at work instead, you know?" He grumbled.

Makoto chuckled embarrassedly, "Aha, yeah that's true…I'm sorry for the disturbance."

"It's fine. I'll catch you later for the day's tip-off, senpai." The redhead sighed with a determined grin.

"Yeah, get ready for your first dive as first-class firefighter, Taiga-kun!" Makoto cheered calmly.

"Bye."

With a flip of his phone, Makoto put his cell on the coffee table before him. He did not mean to call the former Seirin ace; as he stared longingly at Haruka's bare back, he absentmindedly dialed Kagami's number. Before he knew it, the redhead had picked up and Makoto panicked enough to (ironically) improvise a conversation with him. Makoto was a first-class fireman himself, promoted almost a year before Kagami joined the force. Both had become fast work buddies and, eventually, good friends.

"Makoto," Haruka called out monotonously at the dining table, "breakfast is done."

"Ah, alright." The brunet stood up and walked over.

Nanase Haruka, or "Haru", as addressed endearingly by Makoto, worked as a sous-chef at a reputable brunch restaurant in the Ginza district. After graduating from culinary school, he landed the job at the newly opened restaurant; supposedly the chef/proprietor hired him because he blew him away with a particular dessert.

"I'm the luckiest man in the world!" Makoto chuckled as he planted a chaste kiss on Haruka's temple. Haruka snorted and was about to retort with something snarky, but the brunet cut him to it. "Not only because Haru is my personal chef, but also because…" He bent down to press his forehead against his lover's. "Only I get to enjoy the entire~ set of your skills and talents."

Haruka's eyes momentarily widened before he bent backwards to flick Makoto's forehead with his fingers. "Pervert."

"Ehhh?" The brunet whined, massaging the pinked spot on his forehead. "I was only talking about your artistic skills and talents!"

"Sure you were," Haruka deadpanned with a tiny blush forming on his cheekbones.

Makoto brightened with amusement. "I was," He whispered huskily as he reached his arms out, from which Haruka whirled away.

"Got to eat; or I'm going to be late for work," Haruka muttered, sitting himself down and pulling the plates toward himself.

The fireman chuckled, agreeing with his partner to leave it at that; he sat himself across Haruka. Occasionally, between bites of his breakfast, he took secretive peeks at Haruka's ring finger.

"Hah…" Makoto breathed a tired sigh as he sat at a table in the fire station cafeteria.

Evening had fallen. The streetlights were already lit in spite of the purple-orange glow that still coloured the skies. Makoto unpacked his reheated dinner, lifting the lid and allowing the steam to fizz out. There were two layers of the box, each with two compartments; the first had stir-fried prawns and rice on one side, and sautéed vegetables in the other; the second had grilled mackerel slices on one side and mini sausages cut to look like octopuses in the other.

"Oh man, that looks good." Kagami sat across from him, salivating at the sight of his senpai's meal. "Must be nice to have a chef as a significant other." He stacked two empty bento boxes beside him, proceeding to open the third which was packed by Kuroko (saved the best for last).

The large box had a tray with two compartments stacked halfway above the container. On one side of the tray were scrambled eggs while the other had apple slices cut to look like rabbits. Kagami lifted the tray out of the container to reveal a giant ball of rice with pieces of nori arranged on it to look like an angry face. Around the rice ball was a wreath of slices of hardboiled eggs.

"So cuuuuuuute!" Makoto chirped with some chuckles.

"Stop that, senpai!" Kagami furrowed his eyebrows at the brunet, blushing fervently, then dug into his meal. "What does he think I am? One of his kindergarten kids?"

Makoto gave him a teasing smile. "You say that, but you're really, really happy inside, right?"

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead waved him off.

He paused, about to dig his chopsticks into the rice ball. Reluctantly, he pulled a portion of the rice off. He would not admit it, but he felt somewhat disappointed to have ruined something his special someone had intricately prepared for him. He quickly put that thought aside, however, when his ears perked up in surprise as he tasted something. In the center of the rice ball was a filling made of roughly-mashed tuna mixed with mayo – an instant burst of flavour ambushing him from behind bland rice.

"Uwah-ha!" Makoto leaned forward as he let out an impressed gasp. "Tetsuya-kun is full of surprises." It was certainly refreshing after some time of seeing only hardboiled eggs in a separate lunch container that Kagami always packed along.

"Hrm," Kagami grunted with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, masking a subtle moan of pleasure. "Damn him. He's using misdirection in cooking now too?" He cursed mentally. "What kind of cooking tricks is Haruka-san teaching him?" He asked.

"Heh?" Makoto sweated a little – he had been found out. "How did you know Tetsuya-kun was taking secret lessons from Haru?" He asked sheepishly.

Kagami pointed to the filling in his rice ball. "Who else would have taught him how to prepare tuna-mayo filling?" He deduced from examining Makoto's lovingly-packed, seafood lunches every day.

"That obvious, huh?" The brunet let out an airy chuckle.

A few months back, the station held an exhibition to showcase its firefighting prowess for the new year. It was then that Kuroko and Haruka were introduced to each respective couple; it was also the moment of epiphany that their significant others were, in fact, male – much to their pleasant surprise. Ever since then, it seemed that Haruka and Kuroko were able to establish some sort of rapport regardless of their quiet demeanor. But that was a story for another time.

"Good evening."

The sudden monotonous greeting made Makoto yelp in the falsetto register as it sent a sharp chill up his spine. Kagami only twitched a little; he was already used to it. Makoto whirled around in his seat to find Kuroko standing behind him – face completely void of emotion. Speak of the devil.

"Oh my, it's only Tetsuya-kun." The brunet breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you were a ghost."

"How nostalgic - I have been called that back in my basketball days, one way or another," Kuroko responded stoically, although there was a hint of wistfulness in his voice.

"Hey there, Tetsuya," Kagami greeted him calmly, showing a sweet smile.

"Hello, Kagami-kun," Kuroko replied with smiling eyes, "I brought you an extra meal just in case." As he placed the box next to Kagami, the redhead snorted before uttering his thanks – he really knew him well.

"Ah, that's right, Tetsuya-kun and Taiga-kun were part of the champion team of Seirin, and then Vorpal Swords, right?" Makoto exclaimed suddenly. "I heard from Taiga-kun that even back then, you guys were an impressive pair."

Kuroko and Kagami exchanged looks; not before long, the redhead averted his gaze, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly; Kuroko cleared his throat, looking away with the faintest tint of red on his cheeks.

"And he was all like 'Uoh! Tetsuya would always keep me level-headed!' with this almighty pose," Makoto mimicked his kouhai, putting his hands on his hips. "And he'd go 'Tetsuya was my shadow while I was his light, but it's even like that outside basketb-.'"

"Senpai!" Kagami interrupted him, a fervent blush dashed across his face.

The brunet attempted to stifle an amused laugh while the corners of Kuroko's lips slowly tilted upwards.

"Oh, I see! 'Light and Shadow', 'Ebony and Ivory'! So that's why Taiga-kun chose that particular phrase to engrave into your rings!" Makoto thumped his fist down onto his palm to emphasize his understanding.

Kagami buried his face under his arms on the table, muffling his embarrassed groans; Kuroko's face brightened even more.

"By the way, how did you propose to Tetsuya-kun?" The brunet tilted his head to the side curiously.

"Ah?" Kagami sat up. "I did it in private at our place – exchanged the rings then and there too." His face then shifted into a smug. "Tetsuya totally cried."

While still facing Makoto, Kuroko swat the palm of his hand to the side onto Kagami's face, comically stifling the redhead.

"Kagami-kun was bawling," he revealed bluntly, roughly rubbing his hand all over Kagami's face like he was washing a window.

The former Seirin ace gently took hold of his wrist. "You little pipsqueak!"

Makoto chuckled at their chemistry. He remembered it clearly – the day that Kagami begged and brought him to various jewellery stores to find the perfect set of rings.

About two months ago, the two firemen were on their days off when they agreed to walk the Ginza district for the perfect ring hunt; Ginza, because the brunet wanted an excuse to visit Haruka at his brunch restaurant along the way. After hours of fruitless shopping, Makoto did end up bringing Kagami to Haruka's workplace. The restaurant had already closed by that time. With a brief chime of the copper bell that hung above the entrance, the pair entered the restaurant.

"Sorry, we're closed for th-"

"Haruuu!" Makoto chirped as he jogged towards his partner.

"Makoto," Haruka stared blankly, "What are you doing here?"

"Yo, Haruka-san." Kagami waved tiredly.

Haruka nodded in greeting. "It's been a while, Taiga-kun." He pinched and tugged at Makoto's ear before adding, "Thanks for always taking care of this flimsy guy."

"So mean, Haru!" Makoto whined playfully.

"Ah, nah." Kagami darted his eyes everywhere, feeling embarrassed at their displays of affection. "it's senpai who takes care of me, really."

"Mm-hmm. That's why I'm taking him ring shopping here." Makoto pointed his forefinger into the air.

"Ring shopping?" Haruka tilted his head to the side questioningly, to which Makoto only stared back with a cheery smile. Like always, the two seemed to have been telepathically connected; Haruka's eyes widened in understanding, then he turned to give Kagami a small smile. "Congratulations. I hope all goes well with Tetsuya-kun."

"Th-thanks." Kagami flushed profusely. "We can't get married officially in Japan, but I still want to do something."

Haruka still held his smile, "How nice."

Makoto eyed him; if he was not mistaken, there was a very obscure hint of envy in his partner's voice.

"We've been to almost every store in Tokyo, though," Kagami groaned, "I still can't find the perfect set of rings."

Haruka was about to comment, but the restaurant head chef emerged from the kitchen, emitting a dragging voice.

"Nana-chin~ where did you leave the asymmetrical cake stand~?"

Kagami's jaw dropped and his voice stuck in his throat. The head chef stared at him, humming questioningly before popping up in surprise.

"Murasakibara!" The redhead pointed rudely at the head chef.

"What, it's Kami-chin~" Murasakibara slid his voice up in a lazy yet surprised crescendo.

Makoto and Haruka's eyes darted back and forth between the former basketball players. The head chef slumped his shoulders and pointed the egg beater in his hand at Kagami.

"This guy used to play basketball with me back in the Vorpal Swords days~" He explained to the couple.

"Why do you make it sound like I was an eyesore?!" Kagami roared comically.

"Uh…'cause you kinda were?" Murasakibara shrugged lazily, earning an annoyed yell from the redhead which he ignored. "Wait a sec~ so you all know each other?"

"Yes chef, Taiga-kun is Makoto's colleague at the fire department," Haruka replied stoically.

Murasakibara's interest seemed piqued. "Heh~~~? What a small, small, puny world." He marveled a little, then turned his attention back to the redhead. "So Kami-chin's tagging along for the lovey-dovey visit?"

Makoto and Haruka tensed and exchanged glances before turning red.

The brunet waved his hands in front of him defensively. "No, that's not it! Well, kind of," He chuckled nervously. "Taiga-kun is looking for wedding rings, so I'm helping him shop. Thought I'd drop by here along the way."

"Ah~?" Murasakibara felt delighted to catch up with his old Vorpal Swords teammate despite his half-hearted demeanor; he grew more curious by the second. "Congrats~ You and Kuro-chin seriously hit it off, did you~?"

"H-How did you-?" Kagami tensed with shock.

"Totally obvious chemistry back then…" the head chef interrupted, "Like everybody on the Vorpal Swords team knew one way or another~" He ignored the redhead's nervous stuttering as a thought entered his mind. "Speaking of which~ if you're looking for rings, why don't you check out the jewelry store down the street? Aka-chin totally owns the entire franchise…I can call him to hook you up with the salespeople there."

Kagami was dumbfounded from the chef's sudden goodwill and news of Akashi's flourishing business diversification. "Seriously?"

"Serious~" Murasakibara pulled out his cellphone and started dialing Akashi's number. At the sound of the answering click, he perked up slightly. "Hi Aka-chin~ are you busy? I kinda need a favour…"

"Wow, I kind of feel star-struck," Makoto chirped quietly. "How does it feel to reunite with some of your teammates?"

Kagami stared at his senpai who was radiating with curiosity. "Uhh…it's okay, I guess," he answered absentmindedly, mostly focused on the conversation that Murasakibara was having.

The head chef flipped his phone closed and walked over to Kagami. "Aka-chin says congratulations and do your best for the proposal~"

Kagami stood dumbfounded while Makoto applauded cheerfully behind him. "Uh, um, right. Thanks."

"So it's all set~ Kami-chin will just have to meet the manager at the store. Aka-chin also says that if none of the ring designs are to your fancy, the manager will sketch your design," Murasakibara explained. "They'll arrange for the jewelers to personally craft the rings for you and treat it as a priority order. Ah~ and you get 50% discount."

"Uwah-ha!" Makoto gasped while Haruka hung his mouth slightly agape in awe. "What an impressive network! Well, what are we waiting for, Taiga-kun?" He gave his kouhai several hearty pats on the back to egg him out of the restaurant. "Let's not have your old teammate's offer go to waste."

"Y-yeah. Ah, Murasakibara," Kagami paused and turned back to face the chef. "Thanks, I really owe you and Akashi one. And it was nice seeing you again. Let's play some street ball one day."

Murasakibara smiled. "You're welcome~ bring Kuro-chin along sometime to eat here. I can seriously live well off of only your bills if I wanted to~ Heh." He snickered a little at his own snarky tease towards the gluttonous redhead. "And I'll totally smash you on the court when we play again~"

Kagami replied with a determined grin, "Hah! I'll make you eat your own words. Later! Bye Haruka-san!"

"Bye, Murasakibara-san!" Makoto waved to the head chef to which he only grunted in response. "See you later tonight, Haru." He winked at his partner.

Haruka blushed slightly. "See you later, Makoto."

"Welcome, dear customer! You must be Kagami Taiga-san, correct? Please come this way."

Upon entering the jewelry store, the manager had already stood at the entrance, waiting for their arrival. She led them to a counter to sit, placing a small notepad and pen on the surface. Makoto's eyes traced every display case while Kagami sat nervously before the manager.

"So, do you have a particular design on mind?" She asked cheerily.

"Uh…not really," Kagami replied sheepishly, "I just know they gotta be silver as a base; a size 7 for me, and a size 5 for my partner."

"Alright," the manager jotted down some notes onto her notepad. "Well, let's start by telling me about your spouse-to-be. It can help jog your thoughts a little for a design idea."

"Uh, yeah…um," He pondered awkwardly. "Well, he's quiet, he likes books, h-he likes vanilla milkshakes…"

The manager chuckled. "Um, let me rephrase. Tell me about the chemistry between you both; what makes your connection special?"

At that, Kagami perked up like something hit him hard across the back of his head. "Kuroko and me, we used to be on our highschool basketball team. And he was labeled the 'Phantom Sixth Man', right? He said he'd be my shadow while I would be his light," he rambled on, "Nowadays, his calmness would still keep me level-headed, and my passion would get him fired up. Just like a yinyang balance kinda thing – light and shadow, white and black…" He suddenly stared blankly at the manager who stared back awkwardly.

"Um…dear customer, sir?" She beckoned him to continue talking.

"I know exactly what I want in the design."

"Oh! Fantastic!" She proceeded to draw rough sketches of two blank rings on her notepad. "So you said silver…"

One week after that, Kagami was fiddling with a velvet ring box in his pocket. It was another one of his days off work, and he suddenly felt the urge to get on with the proposal. After Kuroko left the apartment for work, Kagami started to put his plans in motion.

He cleaned the apartment, arranging all the furniture, washing all the laundry and linens, setting clean bed sheets (regardless of them surely being ruffled later that night); Kagami turned red at the thought, so he shook his head back to focus. Nigou barked excitedly, following the redhead as he marched all over the apartment. When he took a break, he paused before the dog who was making bee-lines in front of him.

"Nigou, sit!" Kagami ordered firmly, to which the husky obeyed with his tongue hanging out. He bent down to pet the canine a little. "I got butterflies all over my stomach. What do you think? Will Kuroko say 'yes'?"

Nigou panted excitedly before pouncing onto Kagami's shoulders, licking his face to give him cheering reassurance. The former Seirin ace nearly lost his balance – Nigou certainly gained a lot of muscle and size through the years.

"Bu-blah-plah! Okay, okay! I'm glad you think so! Pluh!" Kagami set the husky down while grimacing and spitting.

Even though Nigou had grown on him, it was still unpleasant to receive a face full of dog drool. He proceeded to wash his face before going back to his preparations.

The evening hours fell faster than Kagami thought. He eyed the clock and realized that Kuroko was about to come home. With anxious, jittery movements, he put the final touches on his preparations. Nigou's ears perked up and he ran to the door as the sound of jingling keys and the opening apartment door resounded.

"Nigou," Kuroko greeted the barking and hopping husky, making his way into the dark kitchen. "Kagami-kun?" He called out. "Why aren't the lights on?" He turned the corner to place his hands on the light switch, but stopped midway when his eyes darted all over the kitchen.

There were almost twenty glass lanterns spaced across the kitchen counter, kitchen island, and other flat surfaces; each lantern had a tealight candle burning serenely inside. One lantern was placed on the wooden dining table's center where two plates of food sat across one another. There were homemade beef burgers on each plate with homemade sweet potato fries on the side; the accompanying cocktail glasses were filled with vanilla milkshake. Overall, the meals resembled a much fancier version of what Kuroko and Kagami had when they went to Maji Burger during their younger days.

"Welcome home, Kuroko," Kagami greeted with a nervous voice as he fiddled with the hem of his sweater.

Kuroko eyed him suspiciously. "Kagami-kun…" he walked over to the taller man and stared him down. "…Imposter."

"…Huh?!"

"Who are you and what did you do to my partner?" Kuroko pulled Kagami by the shirt collar in an attempt to question him threateningly.

The redhead wore a smug grin– two could play at this game. He leaned towards the bluenet's face. "I'm the tiger that ate him, and I think I'll do something similar to you."

"I'm just kidding," Kuroko uttered monotonously as he released Kagami's shirt, much to the taller man's triumphant amusement. "Are you feeling alright? Are you sick?" He placed the palm of his hand on Kagami's forehead, to which the redhead stuttered confusedly.

"I'm fine!" He swatted Kuroko's hand away.

"Then why are you doing something so…" The bluenet looked behind him at the romantic atmosphere "…out of character?"

Kagami rolled his eyes, poking his partner on the forehead with his forefinger. "Can't I spoil you from time to time?"

Kuroko gazed at the particularly sincere eyes his partner had that day, a pinch of red forming at the tips of his ears. He smiled.

"I suppose you can."

Kagami grinned. "Come on, sit over here." He tilted his head to the side briefly to beckon his partner. He pulled out the chair at the dining table for Kuroko, waiting for him to sit down, then went to sit across.

The sixth prodigy carefully took the cocktail glass, eyeing the contents in wonder. "Did you make this vanilla milkshake yourself too?"

Kagami grinned proudly, taking the glass and pointing it out to the bluenet for a toast. "I used top grade vanilla ice cream!"

Kuroko's face brightened. He clinked his glass with Kagami's, uttering a calm "kanpai" before sipping the vanilla shake through the straw. The drink exceeded his expectations; he licked his lips and squished his eyes shut in pure pleasure.

"It's the most delicious vanilla milkshake I've ever had!" He exclaimed in an airy, yet excited voice.

Kagami could not even dig into his meal. His heart dribbled like a basketball as he was left in a daze at yet another one of Kuroko's expressive faces. Almost instinctively, his body moved on its own as he got up from his seat and walked up next to the seated bluenet. Nigou sat next to the couple, tail wagging fervently and his mouth hung open in a large smile.

Kuroko set the drink down, turning in his seat to face the taller man. "…Kagami-kun?"

"Kuroko," the redhead looked him straight in the eye, full of sincerity. "We've been together since highschool, and we grounded each other into somewhat of a routine." He eyed the Maji Burger imitation meal on the table. "Heck, you're the one who grounded me whenever I blew a fuse. You're a really expressionless guy, so whenever I make you show some sorta emotion, I feel like I won the Winter Cup again. You're…" He sighed as he realized he was rambling. "Uh, r-remember you asked 'what is victory?' T-To me…" he struggled to remember the words that he rehearsed, getting down on one knee and taking hold of both of Kuroko's hands. "…victory is having you as my partner in life."

"Kagami-kun…?" Kuroko held his breath as he anticipated what came next.

"It's not officially recognized in Japan, but I want to do this at least symbolically." The redhead fished the ringbox out of his pocket. "Kuroko Tetsuya," He opened the box to reveal the two silver bands, "Will you marry me unofficially for now?...Please?"

Kuroko stared at him blankly, trying to compose himself, but to no avail. Not before long, his voice was shaken as tears of happiness escaped him. His eyebrows furrowed and he sniffled, rubbing the tears away with the back of his hand. "That was really embarrassing, what you said." He chuckled airily.

Kagami felt dizzy and extremely head-over-heels in love. Even he struggled to keep from crying. The moment was just so special and he felt like every ounce of his strength was used for that proposal. When Nigou whimpered, the redhead blinked back into focus. He put his free hand on Kuroko's thigh and gave it a nudge.

"Hey," he chuckled, voice somewhat wavering. "Say 'yes' or 'no', dummy."

Kuroko continuously sniffled, covering his flushed face with the back of his hand. "Are you an idiot? The answer is 'yes', obviously."

Kagami's face brightened; he burst in excited laughter as he lifted Kuroko into the air with a strong embrace. "Nigou, Kuroko said 'yes'!" He looked down at the husky who was hopping side-to-side cheerily. "Kuroko said 'yes'!" Nigou barked several times, ending with an excited howl.

"Kagami-kun, let me go and put the ring on me already." The bluenet smiled, ruffling the redhead's hair with his hand.

"Ah, right!" Kagami set him down in front of him then pulled the rings from their perch in the box. He gave his ring to Kuroko and held the bluenet's ring readily. When Kuroko held out his left hand, he slipped the ring onto his ring finger.

Kuroko read the engraving on the silver band, slowly enunciating each English syllable. "…E-E-bo-ny and I-vo-ry." He stared blankly at the words, not quite understanding the meaning.

"Yeah," Kagami pointed to the engravings on both rings. "'Ebony and ivory, together in perfect harmony' – they're lyrics to a really popular song in the U.S. back in the 80's. 'Ebony and ivory', like the black and white keys on a piano – like light and shadow."

Kuroko's eyes widened in understanding; he blushed a little. "Kagami-kun," he smiled, "when did you become such a sap?"

"Shut up and put the ring on me, already." Kagami pouted playfully, putting out his left hand.

Kuroko let out an airy snort, doing just as Kagami demanded; both men took a moment to marvel at their rings then they pulled each other into a tight embrace.

"I really, really love you, Kagami-kun," The sixth prodigy whispered, fluttering his eyes closed to enjoy the warmth of his husband.

The taller man felt dozens of butterflies tickle his chest – the romantic spark like this rekindled every now and then even after years of being together. He had no regrets for his choice.

"Yeah? Well, I really, really, really, really, really love you too," He paused before adding endearingly in a whisper to Kuroko's ear, "Tetsuya."

Kuroko visibly shivered in Kagami's arms. As he felt the trembles stop on the bluenet's back, Kagami's smile turned mischievous.

"Tetsuya," he whispered again, followed by a wet kiss on his husband's cheek, "Tetsu…ya."

"Please stop that, Kagami-kun," Kuroko tried to sound as monotone as possible while attempting to escape from the taller man's clutches.

"Taiga," Kagami demanded, retaining his firm grip on him. "You have to call me 'Taiga' now, Kuroko. Oh! I mean," He glued his face next to Kuroko's flushed cheek and whispered huskily, "Tetsuya."

"Kagami-kun!" Kuroko whined as he struggled even more.

The couple argued lovingly back and forth while Kagami carried his bride to their bedroom, closing the door with his foot.

"And well…" Kagami scratched his temple shyly as he finished recounting the proposal, "…the rest is personal, so yeah."

"Aww…" Makoto had an arm on the table, propping up his head with the palm of his hand. A bubbly smile ran across his lips. "That was very well-thought-out."

"Your version omitted a bunch of things," Kuroko shook his head in disapproval at the redhead. "I am certain that Kagami-kun bawled when I said 'yes'."

"I did not!" Kagami bellowed.

"Did too." Kuroko deadpanned.

The relay went on for a short while, Makoto's eyes darting back and forth between the two.

"Heheh! The married life must be nice." The brunet chuckled in envy. "I can't wait to get to that step with Haru, which will be soon."

The couple stopped their bickering to stare at Makoto who only nodded in affirmation.

"Mmhmm. I'm going to need some help from you two – a return favour for my help in your ring shopping?"

Kuroko and Kagami's faces lit up; the redhead uttered an emboldening "senpai!" before grinning and reaching across the table to give a brotherly punch to Makoto in the arm.

"Un! Do your best, senpai!"

"Yes, we'll help as much as we can." Kuroko reassured.

Makoto chuckled, reaching across the table to lightly ruffle the bluenet's and redhead's hair. "Thank you in advance."

Notes: Please do leave a review! Thank you!

(1) Endearing names: Rather than 'sweetheart' or 'honey', Japanese couples call each other by first name without honorifics. In that way, it's more endearing. Although close friends do call each other by first name too, as seen with the characters in 'Free!'. However, the significance is in KnB, where it's super rare for the characters to call each other by first name. So when Kagami called Kuroko by his first name, 'Tetsuya', it makes it super duper endearing.

(2) Genkan: A traditional Japanese entryway that is recessed to the floor. The place where people take off their shoes before going into the house/apartment.

(3) Nana-chin: Murasakibara adds '-chin' to last names. It's a super cute way of addressing people casually. Hence, Nanase Haruka – 'Nana-chin'; voila.

(4) Kami-chin: I haven't heard Murasakibara call Kagami's name, or I might've missed it. I'm only catching up in the anime right now. LOL But I figured after Vorpal Swords, he must have given him a super cute nickname too. "Gami-chin" sounded odd…so I opted for "Kami-chin" since we can read the last character in Kagami's last name as "Kami (神)" – it has a better ring in my opinion. Correct me if Murasakibara gave him an official nickname, though.

(5) Senpai and kouhai: Just in case, for people not so familiar with Japanese honorifics; 'senpai' means 'senior', and 'kouhai' means 'junior'.

(6) Kanpai: Japanese equivalent to "cheers!" when making a toast.