AN: This is a fic I wrote a while ago and posted on Ao3. Basically I'm just cross-posting this here because of boredom. Apologies in advance for the shitty puns, because I can't pun to save my life.

Warning: This fic contains yaoi, aka BL, aka a romantic relationship between two male characters. So, be warned, and if you're against that then don't read.

Disclaimer: KnB does not in any way belong to me, and neither do any characters that might show up or be mentioned in this fic.

"Arigatou," Izuki chirped to the barista as he grabbed his drink. He smiled as he took a hesitant sip, hissing slightly when the hot chocolate burned his tongue. Yes, Izuki liked hot chocolate. He had quite the infamous sweet tooth, after all.

Izuki pushed open the door of the small cafe, gripping his cup tightly with cold hands as a chilly wind greeted him. Seeing as it was only autumn, Izuki hadn't bothered to wear gloves, and he took a moment to mourn that fact. He walked out of the cafe, lamenting the loss of the heated air, and almost bumped into someone. Almost, because they had both managed to stop just before collision, Izuki's Eagle Eye warning him of the approaching person. Izuki glanced at said person who had almost suffered a terrible death by scalding hot chocolate. He was a kid about his own age, maybe a bit younger. Izuki noted that he had a pale face and dichromatic eyes; red and gold, and cherry red hair to match his red eye. There was a knitted blue and white toque on top of his head, allowing only red bangs to peek out, and Izuki thought it was absolutely adorable. He pushed that thought aside, however, seeing as they hadn't even said anything to each other.

Smiling apologetically, Izuki said, "Ah, sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

He moved to walk past, but the other teen moved to block him, studying him with intent eyes. Izuki blinked in confusion, and suppressed the shiver that wanted to run down his spine at the other's intense gaze.

They remained like that for several moments, and just when Izuki was about to open his mouth to ask what the redhead wanted, said redhead hummed and said, "Interesting."

Izuki tilted his head slightly to the side. "Me?" he wondered, feeling vaguely pleased. He wasn't one to stand out, much less be called interesting.

The boy's eyes narrowed. "You have the Eagle Eye," he announced, and Izuki paused, surprised.

"How… did you know?" he wondered.

The boy didn't answer, merely extended a hand politely. "Akashi Seijuurou," he said by way of introduction.

Still bemused but interest piqued by the strange teen, Izuki took the offered hand and shook it firmly. "Izuki Shun."

That was the beginning of a highly unexpected yet completely normal friendship for the two. Akashi was indeed a year younger than Izuki, and still in his third year of middle school. He went to Teiko, which was a very well known school. Izuki remembered that there were some rumours about an amazing team of basketball players known as the Kiseki no Sedai, but he pushed them away to concentrate better on their conversation. After nearly bumping into each other in front of the cafe, they had gone to a nearby store that sold many little trinkets. It even had a shogi board, and the two ended up playing shogi while talking about Izuki's Eagle Eye and how he could improve it. Izuki was curious how Akashi knew so much about it, and the younger revealed that he had something similar, if far superior, called the Emperor Eye. Izuki was surprised to learn that Akashi could basically see the future with his eye.

After talking about their respective Eyes, they moved on to talk about everything and nothing. They discovered that both loved basketball and played for their schools, and that both were point guards. Akashi offered to help Izuki with his basketball and maybe practice a bit, so they left the store, having played four games of shogi (with Akashi emerging the victor of all of them, of course), and went to a nearby street basketball court. They played for about an hour before Akashi checked his watch and declared, much to the sadness of both of them, that he had to be home soon if he wanted to have time to finish his homework. Both were saddened, but they exchanged phone numbers and Izuki walked with Akashi up to the point where they had to part ways, giving him a little wave as he left.

Izuki walked home smiling. Akashi was an interesting person. While cold at the beginning, he gradually began to warm up a little bit after a while. He was also pretty quiet and let Izuki do most of the talking. For the most part, Akashi had ignored his puns, but if he said a particularly witty one, he would turn away with what Izuki saw was a small smile. It was very endearing to the older point guard. Akashi was not one to mince words, so he could often be extremely blunt, especially in basketball. His tips were more criticism of the player's faults, and informing them of what needed to be fixed, instead of how to fix it. He was also not one to give compliments easily, and Izuki had to work hard on the court for Akashi to acknowledge any improvement. Speaking of that, when on the court Akashi's personality seemed to change completely. Instead of being merely quiet but sociable, his aura changed into one of intimidation and menace, one that was intense and almost scary, that screamed total domination. Akashi said that he didn't really do anything, it was just the thrill of being in a game, and Izuki admired that about him.

Not to mention, Akashi was an amazing basketball player. Far, far better than him, which was worrying because on top of the Kiseki, there was Akashi. Well, Izuki supposed, he was from Teiko, which was a powerhouse school.

Over the rest of Akashi's third year in middle school, the two continued to text and meet up spontaneously. They became very close friends, and when the end of the school year approached, Izuki began wondering which high school Akashi would go to. Izuki entertained briefly the notion of Akashi going to Seirin - now that would be something, but he reminded himself that Akashi was Akashi, plus there was his mysterious father, who Izuki had briefly heard about. Akashi never liked to talk to him however, and Izuki never brought it up, sensing Akashi's discomfort over the subject of family.

When asked, Akashi admitted that he would like to go to Seirin because Izuki was there (that made Izuki grin giddily for the rest of the day) but his father wanted him to go to a prestigious boarding school known as Rakuzan. While disappointed, Izuki had congratulated Akashi and declared brightly that, at least, Rakuzan had an amazing basketball team. He promised that they would meet in games, and that Seirin would definitely win, to which Akashi gave him a withering look and replied, "Have you already forgotten, Shun? I always win, and I am always right, because I am absolute."

"Wait - could you repeat that?"

Everyone turned to look at Izuki's stunned expression. "Repeat what, Izuki-senpai?" Kuroko asked, puzzled.

Izuki looked unnerved. "Your - uh, your captain in middle school. The point guard of the Kiseki no Sedai… what was his name?"

Still bemused, Kuroko replied slowly, "Akashi Seijuurou."

There was a moment of silence, before Izuki choked on thin air and whipped out his phone, unlocking it in record time and pressing the call button, typing in well known numbers that had long been memorized by his muscles. The entire Seirin team scrambled to their feet, but before they could do anything, Izuki was out the door, yelling apologies and saying that he would get Hyuuga to tell him what they had talked about later. By the time Furihata, who was closest, reached the door, Izuki was long gone.

"You never told me you were Akashi Seijuurou!" Izuki accused the moment Akashi picked up the phone.

"... I believe I did, Shun," Akashi replied slowly. "I remember our first meeting very clearly."

"NO! Not that!" Izuki complained, waving his arm in the air and ignoring the strange looks passers by gave him. "You didn't tell me you were part of the Kiseki! Not to mention their captain!"

There was a moment of silence. And then Akashi said, "I thought that was implied with my name."

Izuki's face met his palm. "Not everyone knows the names of the Kiseki, baka! I only knew there was some dream team of amazing basketball players, I never knew their names. Only Kise, because he's Kise, and he's a model, but that's beside the point!"

Oh, okay, and now Akashi was rolling his eyes on the other side of the phone line. Izuki could tell. There was that distinct I-am-rolling-my-eyes-at-humanity's-stupidity vibe that Akashi positively oozed whenever he was exasperated, especially when he was rolling his eyes, which he didn't do often, because that was telling of his emotions, and showing your emotions was weak and not an Akashi thing to do apparently.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," Izuki complained.

Akashi sighed. "Shun, I would not put up with such insolence if it wasn't you."

Izuki grinned. "Yeah, as long as you don't Shun me for it."

"... That's the sixth time you've used that one."

"But the last time was like three months ago!"

"Still inexcusable. You should be more creative, Shun."

"You're no fun," Izuki pouted. Then he checked his watch and realized what a stupid thing the shock of finding out your friend was the captain of your kouhai's generation of prodigy basketball players had made him do. "Shit," he cursed.

Akashi was immediately paying attention. "Shun…" he began almost apprehensively. "What did you do?"

"..."

"Shun." Yeah, okay, even Izuki couldn't miss the blatant I-will-murder-you-with-scissors-if-you-do-not-reply-right-now threat that was in Akashi's voice.

"So Kuroko told us all about you being the captain of the Kiseki and I was really shocked so I kinda called you and ran away and now everyone will probably think you're threatening me or something…"

An exasperated I-have-lost-faith-in-humanity sigh. "Do they not know of our acquaintance?"

Izuki suppressed a chuckle. It was kind of cute how shy Akashi actually was. 'Acquaintances,' his ass. If they weren't friends by now, then Izuki would stop punning forever. "I didn't think it was relevant. I mean, I didn't know you were part of the Kiseki! You should have told me! C'mon, what sort of friend would leave that out!"

An extended period of silence, before Akashi said, "This conversation has gone in a complete circle."

"That's because you keep circling around the question."

"If there is nothing else of importance you have to tell me, I am hanging up now."

"Oh, my grandparents moved to Kyoto recently, and I'm visiting soon with my family, so we can maybe hang out next weekend?"

"That is acceptable. Goodbye for now, Shun."

"See you later, Seijuurou-kun!"

Seirin stared at the door in confusion after Izuki left. "Wait… who was he calling?" Furihata wondered.

Kuroko frowned, suddenly extremely suspicious. "He was very interested in Akashi-kun," he mused. Suddenly his eyes widened.

"You think Izuki was calling your middle school captain?" Hyuuga asked.

Even Kuroko's poker face didn't manage to completely hide the horror he felt.

Everyone looked vaguely worried now. "What's so bad about this Akashi-kun, Kuroko?" Kiyoshi asked, his eyes already saying that he was wondering whether or not he should be worried for his friend.

"Well," Kuroko said. "Akashi-kun is very… different from most people, you see…"

Izuki paused as he reached for the door handle.

There was a moment of complete silence, before the raven cringed. "... Shit," he cursed. He knew the moment he stepped in, he would be subject to vigorous questioning on how he seemed to know Akashi Seijuurou, and why he had gone for his phone, and why he had run out.

He took a deep breath and exhaled it again, squaring his shoulders. Well, it was better to get it over with, right?

Resisting the urge to close his eyes, Izuki twisted the door handle and pushed the door open, stepping into the room.

After entering, there was a moment where nobody knew what to say. And then, all of a sudden, Hyuuga pounced on his best friend and shouted, "IZUKI!"

Izuki tumbled back through the door as the entire Seirin team mobbed him with various cries of, "You're okay, Izuki-senpai!" and "I can't believe you're still alive!" and "What did Akashi do to you?!"

To the last, he blurted in confusion, "What are you talking about? Seijuurou-kun didn't do anything to me!"

There was a pause. "Seijuurou-kun?!" everyone in the room shrieked.

Izuki gave them confused looks. "Yeah?"

There was a loud thud as Furihata fainted and fell over.

Hyuuga fell onto his knees in despair. "My best friend has been brainwashed!" he cried out, burying his head in his hands and sobbing. Kagami was gaping in unadulterated shock, while Kuroko was looking on with his usual deadpan face.

Meanwhile, Aida grabbed Izuki by the collar and screeched, "YOU'RE FRIENDS WITH AKASHI SEIJUUROU AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!"

Izuki gulped. Yup, he was so, so screwed it wasn't funny.

All of a sudden, an audible Ding! was heard.

Everyone turned to look at Kuroko, who calmly took out his phone. He read the message on the lock screen, and then his eyes widened in shock and his face paled drastically. "Kantoku," Kuroko said, so quietly it was almost a whisper. "You might want to let go of Izuki-senpai."

Aida looked surprised. "Why?"

Kagami looked over Kuroko's shoulder at the text, and his jaw dropped again in shock.

Now the entire team was curious. They gathered around the Shadow to see what the text had been, and as they read their faces all paled as well.

'Tetsuya,

'Please tell your team to stop manhandling Shun, or I will take things into my own hands.

'Akashi'

It had just happened. What had just happened, you ask? The opening ceremony of the Winter Cup, of course.

Izuki was excited. He restrained himself from skipping, however, and merely stuck to grinning like an idiot and cracking the cheesiest puns he could think of on the spot, driving Hyuuga insane. The entire team was fired up after being in front of such a huge crowd, but ecstatic at the fact that yes, they had made it into the Winter Cup. Games were going to get much, much harder from now on, and while that was nerve-wracking, it was also exhilarating.

A familiar Ding! was heard as everyone turned to look at Kuroko, who was taking out his phone. He glanced at the text message before putting the phone back into his pocket. "Kantoku," he said to Aida, "Akashi-kun has asked for the Kiseki to meet up after the opening ceremony."

Aida looked surprised, before she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She darted a glance at the time, looking anxious. The bus would be there soon.

"It shouldn't take long," Kuroko assured her, and she finally relented.

"Okay," she said, nodding. Then she glanced around at the rest of Seirin. "I'll have someone accompany you to make sure you don't get into any trouble." However, at her words, the entire team began backing away. Aida gave them all withering glares.

Izuki spoke up. "I can go," he offered cheerfully.

Everyone gave him that look. The look that asked, 'Holy crap man, are you really suicidal?!' Izuki didn't notice and merely smiled. "If the entire Kiseki will be there, that means Sei-kun will be there too! I haven't seen him in ages!"

Seirin sweat-dropped.

"First it was Seijuurou-kun," Hyuuga grumbled darkly to Kiyoshi. "Now it's Sei-kun."

Kiyoshi, despite being shocked, recovered quickly and gave Hyuuga a patronizing smile disguised as a friendly grin. "Jealous, Hyuuga?"

The sounds of Hyuuga sputtering followed Kuroko and Izuki out of the huge gym.

Izuki watched as the Kiseki greeted each other with varying forms of awkwardness, hostility, and apathy. He hid a smile at how the former-friends interacted. It was clear to him that they could be friends again, if they tried, but it appeared that none knew how to start it. Vaguely amused by his kouhais, he glanced around and was disappointed when he realized Akashi wasn't there yet. It was true, he hadn't seen Akashi since the other had visited Tokyo about a month ago. And a month was so long…

"Hello Daiki, Atsushi, Shintarou, Ryouta, and Tetsuya. I apologize for my tardiness."

Ah, speak of the devil. Izuki smiled as he looked up the stairs at his friend. From this angle, it was particularly difficult to see his face, but if the voice didn't give it away, then the cherry red hair did.

Normally, Izuki would have called out in happiness and gone up to ruffle the younger boy's hair (which he always did now, mostly because Akashi supposedly 'despised it' and would 'castrate him with scissors if he ever inflicted him with such painful immaturity again.' Akashi had yet to fulfill this promise though, and it had already been several months) and cheerfully begin talking about the latest basketball magazine or something, but he knew this wasn't the occasion. First of all, the approach from above suggested that Akashi wanted to give off the entire (quite formidable) force of his I-am- absolute-and-I-rule-over-you vibe, and if Izuki attacked him with his cheerfulness then it would undoubtedly ruin the entire thing. Second of all, Izuki's eyes were sharp, and they noticed the quick glance spared his way that contained a warning.

'Do not interfere.'

Izuki knew when Akashi was being serious.

Akashi glanced around at the gathered teens, eyes intense and glowing as always. "I enjoy seeing all of us together again after so long," he said with faux pleasantness dripping from his quiet voice. "However, there is one person who shouldn't be present." And his eyes fell on Izuki, who managed to hide most of his surprise. Izuki had always been good at hiding his emotions, and his time spent with Akashi had only improved that ability.

At the condemning words, the entire Kiseki turned their heads to look at Izuki, and he resisted the urge to gulp in nervousness as he felt their heavy coloured gazes on him.

"If you don't mind, could you please leave? I would like to talk to my comrades."

Izuki was torn. He knew Akashi was being completely serious, that there would be consequences if Izuki stayed. On the other hand, now he was just insanely curious to see what was so important that they had to talk about it in secret (and Akashi must have realized it too, if the slight annoyed twitch of his eyebrow said anything) plus Kantoku would probably kill him if he left. In the end, it was a choice between Aida and Akashi and who Izuki thought was more dangerous - the answer was quite obvious. Akashi seemed to read his decision even before he opened his mouth to say it, because his gaze was that much softer and there was a slight pleased tilt to his mouth.

"Alri -"

Izuki was interrupted by someone stepping up behind him, the noise of their footsteps on the pavement alerting him to their presence. He turned, and voila, there was Kagami, in the flesh. 'Better late than never,' he thought, and then, ruefully, 'Too bad Kantoku's going to kill him anyway.'

Kagami glanced briefly at him, and then up at the shorter redhead on the stairs, and a predatory grin overtook his features. Izuki almost cringed at how much emotion he was showing - it was clear that Kagami was not well versed in the ways of the point guard and lacked subtlety and fine observation. "So you're Akashi Seijuurou, huh. You shouldn't act so rude to your senpai, you know."

Akashi glared. It was a mild glare, but Izuki could still see how Midorima's shoulders tensed slightly, and how Murasakibara shifted as if he thought it would be smart to move. Aomine's head jerked back a fraction of a millimetre, and Kuroko's breathing paused just a little bit too long. Kise was completely obvious, a wince settling on his features as he anticipated what was to come. Izuki, used to Akashi's glares constantly being leveled on himself, merely mentally patted Kagami's back in congratulations for not backing down.

"And who might you be?"

Kagami smirked. "Kagami Taiga."

Akashi stared at him for a long moment. Then he walked over to Midorima and said slowly, "Shintarou. Let me borrow your scissors."

Izuki suddenly had a very, very bad feeling about this.

Apparently, so did Midorima, because he frowned slightly before asking, "Why?"

"I'm thinking about cutting my hair," Akashi replied calmly, hand still out and looking vaguely irritated.

(Izuki mentally mourned this, because knowing Akashi, he really was going to cut his hair then and there, and though he might be absolute, he had absolutely zero experience at cutting hair and was more likely to accidentally cut himself. Also, Izuki wouldn't be able to secretly idolize how adorable Akashi looked with a toque over his head anymore, and that was depressing)

"Sure," Midorima replied, hesitance obvious in the way he paused before letting go of the handle of his lucky item.

Akashi turned toward Kagami, eyes blazing with cold fury, and Izuki felt coldness down his spine. 'Shit,' he thought. 'Is Sei going to -'

Before Izuki was even conscious of it, he had detected the tensing of Akashi's legs and the twitch of the hand holding the scissors, and he darted forward.

The next thing he knew, he had Akashi's wrist in his hand and Akashi was halfway through the action of stabbing Kagami in the face with scissors (honestly, scissors, what the actual fuck?!), while Kagami had dodged to the side expecting the blow. Everyone was completely and utterly silent.

Akashi looked up at Izuki, shock in his fractionally wider eyes and slightly parted lips. Then he clenched his jaw, real fury lighting up in his eyes, and Izuki forced himself to meet the glare head on. There was nothing to fear, he told himself. Sei was his friend. Sei wouldn't hurt him. Right?

"Shun," Akashi said, in such a low, threatening voice that even Aomine and Kagami flinched. "What are you doing."

Izuki, under immense pressure and with nothing to lose, said, "Don't you know that if you cut someone up, you'll get cut off from playing games?"

Midorima made an audible choking noise, while Izuki heard clearly Aomine's whisper of "He's dead," and Kise's reply of "No kidding." Kuroko's fearful inhale was echoed by Kagami's almost inaudible squeak, which was then heralded by the sound of Murasakibara swallowing his snack.

Akashi glared at him for several more seconds, and Izuki could feel the sweat sliding down the back of his neck. Still meeting the red haired teen with his grey eyes, they had a staring contest that seemed to last forever, tension palpable in the air.

Then Akashi huffed, and Izuki smiled, and released Akashi's wrist.

The entire Kiseki and Kagami blinked, and blinked again.

"What just happened?" Kise whispered.

"That was a dismal one, Shun," Akashi said with a tinge of disapproval in his tone. "You have done better many times before."

Izuki sniffed. "Well I'm sorry, but I was under threat of being stabbed with scissors, so excuse me for not being able to think of anything else."

Akashi glared. "Pressure is no excuse for performing under par." Then he turned back to Kagami, who was trying not to faint over the, dare he say it, friendly interaction between the two point guards. "Because of your speed in dodging and Shun's insistence on defending you, although I cannot fathom why, I shall excuse your behaviour. However, if you defy me again, rest assured that I will not hold back, and not even Shun will be able to stop me. Because I always win, I am always right. I am absolute." He reached up and opened the scissors, about to cut through the bangs in front of his face, when -

"Noooooo! Sei, STOP!"

Akashi paused and gave Izuki the most withering of all glares. "What is it?" he snapped in irritation, and it would have made the bravest of men cower, but Izuki merely took the scissors away from Akashi (by force, no less!) and handed them back to Midorima before grabbing the younger teen by the shoulders and steering him away.

"If you're going to cut your hair then you're going to do it properly," Izuki declared, pushing him toward the entrance of the Winter Cup building. "Who knows what you could do to yourself with a pair of scissors! What if you slice up your face in the process?!"

"I won't," Akashi grumbled, allowing himself to be maneuvered toward the entrance. "What do you think I am, some amateur?"

"At cutting hair, yes," Izuki retorted. "What are the chances you would know how to cut your hair?"

Akashi scowled, almost petulantly. "I have performed research on it," he scoffed.

There was a brief moment of silence, before Izuki stopped in his tracks and burst out laughing.

Akashi turned and gave Izuki another glare. "Are you laughing at me, Shun?" he inquired coldly, even as Izuki dropped to his knees and clutched at his sides, howling with mirth.

"Y - you -! The great Akashi Seijuurou has searched up how to do something. Someone help, it's the end of the world!"

"Be quiet, Shun," Akashi said, which was as close to "shut up" as he would ever get. Because, well, it was Akashi. He might have allowed Izuki's rather boisterous treatment of him, but it didn't mean that he would lose any of his dignity. In fact, even as the Kiseki felt absolute shock at their cold captain being treated like that by an older point guard, there was something about the scene that was just extremely touching. It was like how each had found someone to connect with - Kuroko and Kagami, Kise and his Kasamatsu-senpai, Midorima and Takao the Hawk Eye, Aomine and Momoi, and Murasakibara and Kagami's brother Himuro. It was a surprise to discover that Akashi had gained someone like that too, even more of a surprise that it was someone from Seirin, but it was also… reassuring, in a way. Akashi wasn't alone anymore.

'Maybe,' Kuroko thought, 'maybe soon Akashi-kun's real self will come back.'

Just then, Izuki popped back around the corner. "By the way, Akashi wanted to say something about the promise that you apparently made in middle school. He also told me to say some dramatic next-time-we-meet-it-will-be-in-battle stuff, but I'm not good at dramatic speeches so just imagine I made a dramatic speech and don't make any drama about it. Bye!"

Even from there, the Kiseki could hear Akashi rolling his eyes.

The bus ride back to Seirin was exceedingly awkward, to say the least. Since Izuki had insisted on Akashi getting a haircut with the best (Hyuuga had a strong suspicion it would be him, and that did not help the tense atmosphere much because he had the air of one who was marching to his death about him) and the bus was leaving, Akashi had tagged along with the rest of Seirin, claiming that he would take the train back to Kyoto later and that his father wouldn't mind. Therefore the first thirty minutes of the bus ride consisted of Izuki chattering to Akashi in excitement and making horrible puns, none of which anyone else bothered to tell him to shut up for, in fear of the red haired emperor's wrath.

Kuroko finally broke the silence, perhaps the most familiar with Akashi and the least fearful of his abilities. "Akashi-kun, Izuki-senpai, if it's not too intrusive, would you mind telling us how you two met?"

At this everyone perked up and subtly shifted to listen better - this was something they had been wondering for a long time, too. How their cheerful point guard had met up with Rakuzan's terrifying one was often a befuddling prospect, and no one dared to voice it for fear of the world ending, or something else as horrible.

"Ah, we met outside a cafe!" Izuki replied cheerfully.

'A cafe?!' everyone thought, sweat-dropping. 'That's so… normal.'

"We nearly bumped into each other and somehow Sei-kun realized I had the Eagle Eye," Izuki continued, oblivious to the unanimous flinch that came with him saying Akashi's nickname so casually. He frowned. "How did you figure that out anyway?" Izuki wondered. "You never told me."

"Your eyes turned silvery for a moment," Akashi replied. "I figured it out when you stopped yourself. I would have been able to avoid you by myself, but the fact that you noticed and acted accordingly intrigued me."

"When was this, Izuki?" Koganei asked curiously, flinching when Akashi's dichromatic gaze swung his way.

"Ano, it's been pretty long," Izuki mused. "Fall of last year, wasn't it, when we nearly fell onto each other?"

"I believe so," Akashi agreed.

Everyone sweat-dropped again and stared at Izuki. 'They've known each other for about two years?! How can they read each other like a married couple?!'

As if reading their minds, both point guards looked at each other before Izuki grinned and they said in unison, "It's a point guard thing."

The entire Seirin team felt a shudder going down their spines. 'What has Akashi done to our point guard?!'

"I still cannot understand why I am not allowed to go to a barber in Kyoto, and have to have my hair cut by your shooting guard," Akashi commented as they (Akashi, Izuki, and Hyuuga) walked toward Hyuuga's father's store.

Izuki pouted. "Aww, don't you wanna spend time with me? I'm insulted!"

Hyuuga may or may not have made a constipated squeaking noise.

Akashi's eyebrow twitched. "You know that's not it Shun," he replied, a hint of annoyance in his tone, and Hyuuga feared for his friend's life. "I just don't see why your shooting guard is a better barber than all the others in Kyoto."

Hyuuga wondered if he should feel insulted or not, and decided he did, but then he decided not to do anything about it, because well, it was Akashi.

"Because I trust him," Izuki huffed. "Also, it's better than having you cutting your own hair, and risking your death. Besides, I don't see why you have to cut your hair in the first place, your hair looks perfectly fine to me!"

All of a sudden, Akashi smirked, and Hyuuga was very sure he didn't like that expression, especially when it was much more of a leer, and especially when it was directed at his childhood friend. "Why, do you prefer it long, Shun?"

It was in all aspects, a perfectly normal question. However, being said with that expression and that tone of voice, the phrase sounded creepy and just plain suggestive. Even though Hyuuga wasn't the most observant person, he still saw the blush that spread across Izuki's face, and he was 100% sure Akashi had seen it too.

After Akashi's hair had been cut by Hyuuga (Akashi had admitted that Hyuuga was decent at it, which was a Hyuuge compliment, for one such creature as Akashi), Izuki walked Akashi back to the train station, making idle conversation along the way.

"The shooting guard, Hyuuga Junpei… he is your friend?" Akashi asked curiously.

Izuki was walking with his arms linked behind his head. He turned to look at Akashi at the question. "Eh? Yeah, he is. He's probably the one who knows me best out of the whole team. We've been friends since a really long time, we met in our first year of elementary school."

Akashi was silent after that, quietly contemplative, and after a few moments of the silence Izuki couldn't help but joke, "Why, you jealous?"

The most hilarious noise escaped Akashi's throat - a cross between a scoff and a choking noise. Perhaps a choking noise that was almost but not quite covered up by a scoff; either way, it made Izuki dissolve into laughter as Akashi tried valiantly to rescue his drowning dignity.

After a few playful (or not so playful, in Akashi's case) insults being flung back and forth, the two spent the rest of the walk in silence. When they reached the train station, Izuki mourned the ending of their time spent together. Since the two lived so far away, it wasn't often that they got to meet up, and Izuki treasured every moment of it.

"Y'know, I did really like your hair longer," Izuki mused, reaching out to tousle the younger boy's hair (much to said boy's dismay). "But Hyuuga did a good job. It makes you look more mature, not that you needed it."

Akashi frowned (not scowled, scowling was petulant) and batted away Izuki's hand. "Hmph. That's why I wanted it cut in the first place. I still don't understand why you made such a large fuss over something so inconsequential."

Izuki didn't miss the light flush over his friend's face, and he couldn't hold back his own fond smile in response.

Over the course of the Winter Cup, Izuki played hard with his teammates. They almost couldn't believe how they beat opponent after opponent - first Touou, and then Yosen, and Kaijou, it was harrowing match after harrowing match. Izuki had never before taken basketball as seriously as these matches, but he knew this was it. This was their only chance to win with the team they had now, and he would not give up that chance for anything.

It was after their game against Kaijou that Akashi appeared before him, tapping his shoulder. Izuki gave him a bright smile. Sweat was dampening his hair, and he was completely exhausted, but that did not in the least affect any of the excitement he always felt when his friend was around.

"I would like to speak with you, Shun," Akashi said calmly.

Izuki, confused, looked over at their bus, where Seirin seemed to have noticed their lack of point guard and had turned around only to freeze when they realized who else was there. "But the bus -"

"I can take you home," Akashi replied smoothly. "I know where you live, and I have a driver with me."

"Ah, Sei-kun I can't do that -"

"Yes you can," Akashi interrupted, eyes intense. "I have something of great importance to tell you."

Izuki studied the redhead, before nodding and calling back to his teammates that he would be going home with Akashi, much to their horror.

He knew when Akashi was being serious.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Izuki asked, straight to the point, once they were inside the cafe. Yup, the cafe, the one in front of which they had first met. Who knew Akashi had such a sentimental streak, eh? Or maybe it was more the fact that they had passed it while driving and Izuki had pointed it out with excitement, which somehow led to the two of them sipping from their drinks (black coffee for Akashi and hot chocolate for Izuki) as they sat at one of the small tables in a secluded corner.

Akashi leveled serious dichromatic eyes at him. "What I have to tell you Shun," Akashi began slowly, "is something that only those closest to me know. It occurred to me recently that Tetsuya might tell the rest of the Seirin team about this, and I thought it would be more proper if I told you myself."

Ah, so it was something private then. Izuki could keep secrets. Not to mention that Izuki was very touched by the fact that Akashi was considerate enough of his emotions to tell him in person. No doubt Izuki would have started worrying and pointlessly fretting over their friendship if Akashi hadn't told him, and he had instead been informed by Kuroko. "I won't tell anyone," he promised. "You can tell me, Sei-kun."

Akashi studied him for a moment, and after deciding that he was being genuine, leaned back slightly in his seat before sighing and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. It hit Izuki all of a sudden that Akashi was actually nervous, which spoke volumes on how serious this conversation would be. Izuki mentally ordered himself to not make any puns; this didn't seem like the right time for it.

"I - during my, during Akashi Seijuurou's years in Teiko," Izuki tried not to look at Akashi weirdly, he really did, but, what…? " - his second year especially, he was burdened with much stress from being captain of his team, as well as his father demanding only the best. The Kiseki began growing in leaps and bounds then, and he feared that they would soon lose their respect of him. One day, Atsushi, the one you know of as Murasakibara, he rebelled, and nearly won a one-on-one against Akashi. Desperate to win and to stay in control of his team, Akashi Seijuurou needed someone who was strong enough to win, to keep the Kiseki's respect. Someone strong, someone absolute. And that's how I was created."

Izuki sat still for a moment, absorbing the facts. "So…" he summarized, "you were in a lot of stress, and you created another personality so you didn't have to deal with the world?"

"The other Akashi did," Akashi corrected, not bothering to hide the irritated twitch of his eyebrow. "We are distinctly different individuals."

The older point guard leaned back in his seat, a frown crossing his face as he thought. "Not really. At least, not for me. The original Akashi and you both stemmed from one concept, which is striving for the respect of your teammates. You both wanted to do what you believed to be best for your friends. I think that you two are similar enough. You are simply one aspect of him, and he another aspect of you. It would be foolish to think otherwise, ne?" Izuki grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Gomen, I don't think that made much sense. I'm not one for philosophical discussion."

A sound escaped Akashi's mouth that might have been a laugh, much to Izuki's shock, and the younger redhead allowed a small smile to form on his lips. It took Izuki a moment to realize that the emotions shining in Akashi's mismatched eyes were relief and gratefulness.

"Thank you, Shun."

Then, there came the day that everyone who watched high school basketball must definitely have been anticipating.

The day of the Winter Cup itself.

Seirin vs. Rakuzan.

Izuki was tense with excitement and nervousness, although it didn't show that much outwardly. Hyuuga and the others were the most obvious with their feelings, but there came a time before the game where Izuki was just buzzing with pent up anticipation, and he needed some time alone where he didn't have to put forward the confident upperclassman act, so he excused himself and went to the washroom. He entered and leaned against the sink, taking deep breaths and making sure his Eagle Eye was in order. It had gotten much stronger over the two or so years that he had practiced against Akashi, but the downfall was that Akashi now knew all his tricks (including the Eagle Spear). However, Izuki was also very familiar with the way Akashi played, and felt like he might be able to actually do something in this game.

Well, hopefully.

He turned on the tap and splashed some water on his face, hoping to cool himself down before the match. He had to be calm. He was the point guard, and he had to be calm to make the decisions for the team. Who knew what would happen if he got too fired up. While the team around him got angry, got determined to attack, he had to stay calm. He had to be the anchor, who wouldn't let them do anything too reckless.

The door of the bathroom squeaked open, and Izuki looked up from his place at the sink, bangs slightly damp from the water and droplets sliding down his chin. From the mirror, a pair of dichromatic eyes looked back at him.

"Ah, Sei-kun," he said in surprise, not expecting his friend. He quickly wiped his face dry.

Akashi studied him with his intense eyes for a moment. "Today our teams will face one another," he stated.

"I see you aren't beating around the bush," Izuki said with a smile. "I'll finally get to beat you."

Akashi's eyes darkened, but Izuki met it head on. "I am absolute, Shun," Akashi said. "I will not lose."

"Yeah, well neither will we," Izuki replied. "Seirin is strong."

"And so is Rakuzan, but you already know that."

For a moment, the two stared each other down, competitive tension rapt in the air. And then pale slender fingers grabbed hold of the older male's chin. Izuki inhaled sharply, but didn't jerk away. Akashi's fingers were strangely warm, placed against his skin, and the sensation of them brushing against his neck sent shivers down his spine. Akashi smirked, before yanking the other forward for a chaste kiss on the lips. "Good luck Shun," he said in a low voice, licking his lips.

When Akashi let go, Izuki stumbled back, face shocked and fingers reaching up to brush his lips before wide grey eyes turned to look at the younger boy, only to see him pushing open the door of the washroom.

The door closed with a very final sounding click, and Izuki's fingertips brushed over his tingling lips once more before a grin spread across his face. "Good luck indeed, Sei."

*Omake*

"Do you have a Band-Aid? Because I just scraped my knee falling for you."

Akashi's face did not twitch from its serious expression. Izuki frowned. Okay, so he would have to try again.

"Are you a fruit, because Honeydew you know how fine you look right now?"

Hmm, nothing. Ah, Hyuuga was shooting him his what-the-fuck-are-you-doing-Izuki-stop-now look. Oh well, he would ignore that. Maybe some… more inappropriate ones?

"I was feeling a little off today, but you definitely turned me on."

Damn. No dice. And he probably only had a couple seconds left before Kiyoshi passed the ball.

"Is your car battery dead? Because I'd like to jump you."

Ah? Was that an eyebrow twitch right there? And a hint of pink cheeks! He probably had time for one more; what was the most dirty thing he could think of without it being so insulting Akashi would kill him? It couldn't be too over the top dirty then, and still flirty. Because there were some pick up lines out there that were just plain weird, and Izuki felt that there was definitely a high chance of Akashi murdering him if he said something like that.

"Did you sit in a pile of sugar? Cause you have a pretty sweet ass!"

There was the noise of the basketball hitting the floor of the court in a bounce pass, but unfortunately, everyone was too busy to pay attention (including Kiyoshi, who had allowed the pass to simply bounce off course). Busy with what, you ask? Busy gawking at Akashi whose face was the same shade of red as his hair, and was currently covering his face in mixed mortification and fury.

Akashi had never regretted a decision so much in his life.

*Omake end*

AN: I found the pick-up lines on the internet, because my pick-up lines suck more than my puns. Akashi and Izuki are OOC af. But whatever. Thanks for reading.