Kuroko Tetsuya was not the most well known of people. His lack of presence made almost everyone overlook him. Indeed, few people even knew his name. However, his teammates prided themselves in being some of the few people who actually knew anything about him. The scene before them, however, had them questioning everything they ever thought they knew about their teammate.
The Generation of Miracles gaped openly at the bluenette who had opened the door to the Kuroko household. There was no mistaking that this was their teammate. No one else could have those baby blue eyes. However, as the five boys continued to stare, they were forced to admit to themselves that this was not just a hallucination. The person standing before them was unmistakably…
"…a girl?" Kise finally said weakly, speaking for all of them.
Yes, the familiar bluenette standing before them was indeed a girl. A tangled mess of pale blue locks tumbled around her shoulders as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. The tank top and short shorts she was wearing only further confirmed her gender. As Kise's words had semi-roused the boys from their stupefied state, most had the courtesy to keep their eyes trained on her face. Their own faces were tinged pink. How else were they supposed to react when a girl answered the door in her pajamas?
"Can I help you all?" the girl finally said, blinking her eyes blearily. It was far too early for her to be out of bed. There was no school that day, after all.
"We were going to have a meeting this morning," Akashi said, finally recovering completely. He offered a charming smile. "May we come in?"
"Sure, I guess," she mumbled, finally stepping to the side.
The Generation of Miracles entered hesitantly, still thrown from their discovery. The girl simply waited patiently as they removed their shoes. Once that was done, she gestured for them to follow her. They did so in silence. With a yawn, she led them into the living room. Then she looked at them, a smile appearing on her face. All five boys nearly died. Kuroko had just smiled. Smiled. This morning was definitely shortening their life spans.
"Just wait in here," she told them. With that, she vanished. The five boys stood awkwardly for a moment.
"Kuro-chin is a girl," Murasakibara finally said. Though it was stating the obvious to the extreme, the other four just nodded mutely.
"My horoscope did say to be prepared for a shock today," Midorima murmured, clutching the lottery ticket that was today's lucky item as if it was his only lifeline.
"He…I mean she hides it very well," Akashi observed out loud. After all, even he, with his Emperor's Eye, had been oblivious to this fact. Though this disgruntled him, he decided that could wait for another time.
"We play basketball together practically every day," Aomine sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You think we would have noticed."
"I can't believe Kurokocchi is a girl," Kise said in a loud voice. "And on top of that, a pretty girl."
The five fell silent again as they took in that comment. Had they been asked last week, the previous day, even an hour ago, they would have vehemently denied any comment made along a similar line. However, now faced with the truth, they couldn't help but admit it to themselves: Kuroko was indeed very attractive. In fact, if anyone else were to learn of this, the poor b…girl would probably find herself surrounded with boys vying for her attention. This thought made every single member of the Generation of Miracles straighten and exchange determined looks.
"No one else is to know about this," Akashi said in a commanding tone. "We will protect her and her secret. Are we clear?"
Before anything else could be said on the matter, Kuroko returned to the room. If the poor boys were confused before, they were even more confused now. The long hair that Kuroko had been sporting just moments before was gone. Instead, the shorter style that they all recognized was present, though slightly mussed from sleep. A baggy tee shirt and a pair of basketball shorts replaced the revealing outfit that Kuroko had answered the door in. In fact, if they hadn't seen the scene for themselves, they would have never believed that Kuroko was actually a girl. But they had seen it. So it had to be true.
"Good morning everyone," Kuroko said politely, his usual poker face in place. "What brings you all here?" This stumped everyone for a moment.
"We were going to have a meeting," Akashi said again, just as he had at the door. He tilted his head at Kuroko. "I told you so at the door. Do you not remember?"
"At the door…?" Kuroko repeated, his brows furrowing ever so slightly in confusion.
"Well, you did seem half asleep when you opened the door," Aomine allowed, watching his partner closely. "Maybe you just forgot?"
"Aw~ that's so cute!" Kise exclaimed, leaping forward to wrap Kuroko in a hug. He had barely touched him when a large hand pulled him away.
"You can't do that to her," Murasakibara said firmly, frowning at the blond. "She's a girl after all."
"…I'm sorry, but I don't understand," Kuroko piped up, his poker face finally collapsing to show his honest confusion. "Who is a girl?"
"You don't have to hide it anymore, Tetsu," Aomine drawled. He absently wondered if he should call her something else now, since she was a girl and all, but decided to question that another time. "We saw when you answered the door."
"Yeah, why didn't you ever tell us you were so pretty?" Kise pouted.
"If she was so determined to keep it a secret, that wouldn't exactly have come up in conversation," Midorima commented. Then he tilted his head. "Then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Perhaps she doesn't see herself as pretty?"
"What, really?" Kise said with wide eyes. He looked at Kuroko and grabbed his shoulders. "You are most definitely pretty, Kurokocchi."
"Very pretty," Murasakibara agreed with a nod of his head.
"Um…" Kuroko managed, still unsure of what his teammates were talking about. He had just woken up, after all. His brain had yet the power to keep up with their antics.
"You should have more confidence in yourself, Tetsu," Aomine said gently. "You really are very pretty."
"At the very least she is above average," Akashi agreed. The way his eyes raked over Kuroko was making the bluenette decidedly uncomfortable.
"But you don't need to worry, Kuroko," Midorima added when he saw how Kuroko was reacting to their compliments. "We won't tell anyone else."
"Yeah!" Kise cheered, throwing a fist in the air. "We'll protect you from all the nasty guys who would take advantage of a pretty girl like you. Just think of us as your big brothers!"
The other four nodded along with this statement. Yes, Kuroko would be protected by them. What kind of teammates would they be if they couldn't do that much? Their moment of mental bonding was broken when peals of laughter filled the air. All six males turned to look at the source. Five jaws hit the floor. The person laughing was…Kuroko. A very obviously female Kuroko who was leaning against the wall in an attempt to support herself as she laughed, one arm wrapped around her midsection. Eyes silently flickered between the two bluenettes for a moment.
"…there're two Kuro-chins?" Murasakibara finally said.
The Generation of Miracles finally decided they had had enough. This morning could not get any stranger. First Kuroko turned out to be a girl. Now there were two Kurokos. It was only with great strength of will that they did not run out of there screaming. They had never been so happy to see the outside. They walked quickly for a few blocks when Kise stopped abruptly. The other four turned to the blond questioningly.
"So Kurokocchi isn't a girl?" Kise asked, tugging at his hair in frustration.
"Maybe…?" Aomine offered, just as confused at the other.
"The second Kuro-chin was a girl," Murasakibara pointed out. Everyone thought on that for a long moment. Then Midorima and Akashi shared a look, one that suggested that if they were the type to face-palm, they would in that moment.
"Twins," they said together.
Realization hit the Generation of Miracles like a sledgehammer. Kuroko Tetsuya had a twin. Said twin was very obviously female. Which meant she was the one who had answered the door this morning. Which meant that Kuroko Tetsuya, their teammate, was most definitely male. Which meant that all five boys had just told their male teammate that he was pretty. Their faces began to burn in humiliation.
"We will never speak of this again," Akashi said harshly.
The other four, though terrified of the killing intent leaking from their captain, nodded silently. Without another word, the five of them separated, determined to pretend that the morning had never happened.
Omake: Back at the Kuroko House
"So those were your teammates," Kuroko Ayane said, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Yes," Kuroko Tetsuya said simply. "I wonder what they wanted."
"…they aren't very bright, are they?" Ayane frowned, referring to the huge misunderstanding she had just witnessed. Then she brightened. "But they all thought I was pretty."
The next day, the Generation of Miracles learned a very important lesson: Akashi in a bad mood had nothing on an overprotective Kuroko.
