I don't own Kuroko no basuke.


The night before their first Winter Cup, Kagami and Kuroko hold a much anticipated conversation after the rest of the Seirin team leaves. At the end, Kagami displays an unexpected talent for expressing himself in order to get Kuroko to sleep.


Spoilers for chapter 228. Good lord that chapter made me squee.

It's also AU/OOC, in terms of Kuroko's One True Purpose being to make kisses with Kagami, rather than making him the best in Japan.

...

It was twenty past two in the morning, and Kagami-kun still hadn't asked him to leave. At this point, Kuroko wasn't sure what he was waiting for. The rest of their team had left almost half an hour ago, and even though they would be playing the most important match of their lives tomorrow afternoon, Kagami had done nothing but sit on the couch, sip on green tea from a cracked mug, and occasionally ask inconsequential questions about the Generation of Miracles from their middle school days. He showed no sign of impatience, seemingly content to sit in his living room and make small talk all night. Kuroko didn't understand the odd yet comfortable limbo they were lingering within.

This begged the question: why didn't he just leave? Did he need an invitation to do so? Kagami-kun no doubt expected Kuroko to handle his own affairs, and would be bewildered at the thought of Kuroko needing permission to leave his apartment. He had been a guest here many times, and his visits had encompassed everything from enforced study sessions, to impromptu dinners after a match in the park, to watching hours of old NBA games on Kagami's laptop. From the beginning, it was so easy to be with Kagami-kun. He was so direct yet easy-going, and Kuroko found that a refreshing change from his past experiences. Yet there was also something childlike about the power forward, and it allowed Kuroko to set the pace of their interactions. Save for their time on the court, he was always in control, and it allowed him a measure of security – Kagami-kun would never leave like Aomine-kun, surely.

Tonight he couldn't seem to find his way to the exit, however. Kagami-kun had flipped the tables again, taking charge in real life as he so often did on the court. You've always been our friend, he had said. Kuroko suspected that simple sentence was the reason he was trapped here now. Why were those words so portentous? They were like an echo inside of him, changing everything they touched. The realization that his past experiences did not require forgiveness was foreign and wonderful, and he couldn't help but feel he owed it all to Kagami-kun. The rest of the team may feel the same, but if Kagami-kun hadn't said it, would it have mattered?

"You want some more tea? It'll probably calm you down, right?"

Kuroko froze, eyes fixed on Kagami's knuckles. His large hands were wrapped around his mug, and Kuroko found himself suppressing the urge to take those hands in his own, lift the cup to his lips, and drink. "I am fine, Kagami-kun. Actually, I think I will…" be heading home. As I should have done forty minutes ago. What on earth am I doing? Why am I sitting on your floor, hanging on to this moment as if I'll never see you again?

Kagami held his lost, wide-eyed gaze before speaking. "You don't…have to sit on the floor, you know. Plenty of room on the couch." Kagami raised the mug to his lips, holding it there for a long moment. Both boys knew there was no more tea in his cup.

Kuroko's mouth shut abruptly, before standing and making his way over to the couch. He wondered when control of the evening had slipped through his fingers. "Green tea does have caffeine, even if it is far less than black tea or coffee. We probably shouldn't be drinking it if we will go to sleep soon." His clumsy tongue tripped over the we, not fully understanding what he was doing, phrasing it that way. Yet now Kagami-kun would remember why they shouldn't be sitting here chatting at half past two in the morning, and would act appropriately. Even acting inappropriately was fine, as long as he did something for Kuroko to react off of and to break this stagnancy.

"Probably won't be able to sleep tonight. And sometimes this tea helps, caffeine or no." Kagami shrugged, and Kuroko's eyes tracked the American gesture. There was an aspect of Kagami-kun he could never fully understand, and it encompassed not only his friendship with Himuro-san, but also the six years of his life he spent in America. He suspected that his time there had been the primary factor in his resilience, in his unique approach to life, but he could not be sure.

"I apologize if my…story is keeping you awake. Perhaps it was badly timed. I should have told you all sooner, instead of keeping my past experiences to myself."

Kagami snorted, and finally set the cup down on the table. He didn't quite turn to face his friend, but spread his long legs out in front of him. "Oh, it has nothing to do with that. There's nothing about you that's badly timed, Kuroko. You're like a wizard, or something. You're always where you need to be, saying what you need to."

Kuroko ignored the wizarding bits entirely, assuming them to be a product of Kagami's American education. Perhaps Kagami's size was more easily explained, if wizards were part and parcel of American culture. "If not my story, then what keeps you awake? My presence?" There. That was Kagami's last hint/warning/invitation, and if he wouldn't take it, then neither would Kuroko.

"Huh? Not really. I mean, you're pretty small, so it's not like you take up much room."

Kuroko blinked. "I'm not that small. Kagami-kun is just excessively large."

"Yeah, well, so is the couch. Bed, too. You just gotta' pick which one you want."

Kuroko's breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, all he could hear was the beat of his heart, accompanied by the thrum of his blood. To sleep together was sudden and incomprehensible; utterly demolishing the rules of their game. Yet all he could think to say was, "But I thought you wouldn't sleep tonight?"

Kagami cocked his head to the side, in a perfect (unconscious) imitation of an eight year-old girl. "Well, probably not. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't. Although you should probably call your parents, or whatever. I'll get out the spare blanket." He rose slowly, bending back over to pick up his long finished tea. "You take the bed, ok? It's clean, no worries. I'll just park out here." He paused, broad back outlined in the doorway of the kitchen. Kuroko's mouth was dry, and small winged insects crept up the inside of his belly. "Probably rewatch some NBA, if you're not ready for bed yet."

Then he was in the kitchen, and Kuroko was left with nothing to do but fumble for his cell phone, and attempt to breathe deeply. He could hear the faucet run in the next room, and imagined Kagami-kun was pretending to do the dishes. They had all been washed and dried hours ago, but he had a phone call to make, and he knew this was Kagami-kun's way of being considerate. He closed his eyes as he leaned back against Kagami-kun's couch, and then raised the phone to his ear.

Three in the morning found Kuroko dozing, grimly determined not to fall asleep. The thought of lying in Kagami-kun's bed made something twist in his stomach, and the mixture of pleasure and dismay was nearly enough to send him to the door. He settled for staying up with Kagami-kun, even though it was a lost cause from its inception. Finally, the weight of his eyelids became too much to fight against, and he simply lay there. He let his mind drift in and out of impossible situations, both terrifying and beautiful, until he felt Kagami-kun shifting next to him. Then, the light from the TV playing against his eyelids went black, and the quiet click of the remote being placed on the coffee table clued him in. Kagami-kun thought he was asleep, or was going to sleep himself.

Deciding it was safest to continue feigning slumber, Kuroko kept his breathing slow and even. He dipped down a little deeper into the couch as Kagami stood, and waited. Would Kagami-kun attempt to wake him? Or would he leave him here, on the couch?

The answer was presented in an unexpected way. His only warning was the exhale against his temple, and a light touch on the inside of his knee. Then he was lifted into the air as easily as a child, held carefully in the cradle of Kagami's arms. He held his breath as Kagami straightened and slowly turned, mindful not to jostle the boy he held. He did not let his breath go until the subtle drop in temperature – as he was a furnace, Kagami-kun did not require heaters, even in the dead of winter, apparently – let him know he was now in the bedroom. It was then that he realized that not only was he being carried like a princess, he liked it.

He did not speak until he had been laid down onto the bed, as Kagami-kun startled easily and he had no wish to be dropped, even if it was onto something as soft as a mattress. "Kagami-kun is quite the gentleman. I suspect he is secretly a prince."

As expected, Kagami straightened up immediately, flushing and stuttering. "Ge-geez, Kuroko! Let me know if you're not actually sleeping!" He rubbed the back of his neck, and Kuroko suspected it was at least partially to keep from chopping him on the head again. "Man, and here I was trying to be nice..."

Kuroko couldn't have helped his blossoming smile any more than he could the sunrise. "You've been very nice tonight, Kagami-kun. You prepared dinner for us, and listened to my story, and even beat me up at the end of it. Then you put up with me when I was being strange, and carried me like a prince. You did very well tonight, Kagami-kun. Someday you will make someone very happy."

"You need to get off that prince kick, baka." Kagami hesitated, but then sat carefully down at the edge of his bed, leaning over to pull the blankets up to Kuroko's chin. "Otherwise I'll point out how you just got carried like a princess, and that will be embarrassing." He attempted to hold Kuroko's blank stare and failed miserably. "Ahhh, enough of that. You weren't strange tonight, or anything. Actually you kept me company, and it was nice. Otherwise I get kinda'...bored sometimes."

Kuroko frowned. By that, he meant lonely, didn't he? Kuroko burrowed his hands out from underneath the comforter, regretting the cold air but not the impulse itself. He curled his fingers gently around Kagami-kun's wrist. "No, I was being strange. Strange and weak because I didn't want to leave. I don't want... I didn't want tomorrow to come."

"Are you serious? I can't wait! Tomorrow is the day we beat down your psychotic ex-captain, after all. Just think about how good that's gonna' feel." He smiled widely, either not noticing or caring that Kuroko's fingers were carefully edging from his wrist to his palm. "Tomorrow's the day we're gonna' show everyone, Kuroko. We're gonna' show them how the game is played."

On any other day, the utter assurance in Kagami-kun's tone would have convinced him. Tonight, it merely sparked a little bloom of warmth in his chest. His fears were too deeply rooted to be so easily cast aside. "And what if we don't? I believe in our team, and I believe in us...but I'm still afraid, Kagami-kun. I don't want to see our team defeated like Meikou. I don't want to see you make Ogiwara-kun's expression..." His hand finally stilled, wrapping around Kagami's fingers. "I don't want you to know that despair."

Kagami's eyes seemed as dark as night, and Kuroko suddenly felt very exposed. All the muddled feelings he had been struggling with all evening – half the season, truthfully - finally came crashing down on him, and with them came a moment of clarity. He needed Kagami-kun. He could dress it up as prettily as he wanted, talk about lights and shadows and the way they ran their game, but Kagami-kun's faith was more important to him than his own. Were he to fall, Kuroko would fall right along with him. And now, lying in his bed with his hand inside Kagami's, he realized that this truth applied off the court as well: except in this instance, the reverse was more accurate – Kuroko was pretty sure he had fallen first.

There was a long, tense moment before Kagami relaxed, exhaling and curling the tips of his fingers around Kuroko's palm. "I…Kuroko…" He bowed his head, eyebrows drawn together. Kuroko could only stare at him, half-mesmerized by the way he bit his lip. He would not allow himself to think on how it felt to be bitten. "Don't trust me, huh?"

"Of course I do. But this is not a matter of trust."

Kagami shook his head. "Yeah it is. Every day you trust me to play with you, and to be your…your light. So now you just gotta' trust me about this too." He leaned down, arching over Kuroko by supporting his weight on his forearm. He kept his other hand trapped in Kuroko's hold, and stared him dead in the eyes. "I promise, Kuroko. I'm not like that Shige guy. I'm not gonna' let anyone beat us down on the court. And it's not just a matter of being friends, you bonehead: if I'm your light, I can't let you down. Otherwise what the hell am I shining for? Besides," belatedly realizing their position, he leaned back a touch, just enough for Kuroko to see him blush, "I'm pretty sure my shadow isn't gonna' let me down, so I just trust in him and know better than to worry about the rest."

Kuroko blamed what happened next on Kagami-kun's expression. It was embarrassed yet determined, and there was something so inexplicably cute about Kagami-kun trying so hard to hold eye contact and failing anyway. So it absolutely wasn't his fault that he threw his arms around Kagami-kun's neck, startling him just enough to topple forward when Kuroko fell back onto the bed.

After the impact, neither boy moved. Kuroko was fairly sure they both stopped breathing. He could be wrong, however, as every ounce of his formidable concentration was spent cataloguing the feel of Kagami-kun's body; from the stubble that rubbed against his own smooth cheeks, to the hand trapped between them, now pressing up against his stomach. He felt overwhelmed, and wondered if it were possible to drown in a person as if they were the ocean. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, and knew.

Yet the moment was stretching and he had to say something, or risk losing it all. "I won't let Akashi-kun hurt you, Kagami-kun. I won't even let him look at you-"

Kagami slowly dragged his cheek away, and Kuroko could feel the heat behind the stubble, as well as lips that curved at the tips. "You're gonna' misdirect me, huh? That would be something." There was something deep and dark in Kagami's voice, and the sound of it so close to his ear made Kuroko shiver. The sensation of spiraling down into something he didn't fully understand caused him to tighten his hold on Kagami.

"I could do it, you know. Hide you away, that way no one would see you but me." He swallowed past the lump in his throat and wondered if Kagami-kun could hear the thunderous beat of his heart. "Then you'd light up only for me. Then you would never leave. Then I could-"

Kagami freed the hand in between them by flattening it and sliding it slowly up Kuroko's chest until it rested on his sternum. "I'm never gonna' leave you, Kuroko. I promised you then, and waiting doesn't change anything-"

"And if we win tomorrow and the whole world notices you, are you still going to need me? Or are you going to leave me behind just like-"

Kagami's mouth covered his, cutting off any further objections with the surest proof of his promise. Kuroko's eyes flew open before he forced them shut – seeing was unimportant when the taste and texture of Kagami-kun's lips was available to him once more. He parted his lips, attempting to push the kiss past chaste and into an encounter that would relieve his heart of all his built up insecurities, yet Kagami would not be budged. Finally, he pulled back, ignoring Kuroko's little impatient whine.

"Tomorrow changes nothing, Kuroko. Except that then we won't have to wait anymore. I'm keeping that promise, just like I'm keeping this one." Kagami leaned in again to place a quick kiss on his nose, pulling back when Kuroko tried to tug him back down. "Think of it this way – tomorrow we can do this whenever we want, yeah? Win or lose at least we'll have that. Anyway, you were the one that said we had to wait until after the Winter Cup was over..."

Kuroko scowled. Kagami-kun's dedication and honor had much to do with Kuroko's feelings for him, but such sense at the moment was unwelcome. "I know. You're right. I was... just a little nervous. Not only about Akashi-kun, but also about Kagami-kun. Sometimes, I think Kagami-kun forgets he likes me."

"Baka. I do not forget that," Kagami growled. He leaned down to place one more possessive kiss on his partner's mouth. Then, he carefully extracted his hands from Kuroko's so that he could vault himself over onto the other side of the bed. He stretched out, unconsciously curving his body into a corresponding shape with Kuroko's, although he was careful not to touch. "That kind of thing is impossible to forget, especially with the story you told tonight. I mean, dang – do you think I like it when you look that upset? Or when I hear about how Ahomine played you? Or how that damn Akabrat uses your first name? I meant what I said earlier - about how you should have just beat them up – but damn, Kuroko-"

A tiny smile played at the corner of Kuroko's lips. "Is Kagami-kun jealous of Akashi-kun? How unexpected. If anything, I would have thought you'd be jealous of Aomine-kun, because he was my old light."

Kagami growled for real this time, and the sound of it caused Kuroko's heart to stutter in his chest. It had been hard enough waiting all these months to admit his feelings for Kagami-kun, but displays of dominance and possessiveness undid every last inch of his resolve in an instant. "Well damn of course I'm jealous - you won't let me say your first name! And yeah, about Ahomine too, although I believe you when you say that's over. But the worst part doesn't have anything to do with that. "

Kuroko broke their unspoken rule and reached out to cup Kagami-kun's cheek. He rubbed a slow path along his cheekbone with his thumb; back and forth until the fierce light in his tiger's eyes softened. "Oh? Then what makes you so upset, Kagami-kun?"

Kagami's gaze flicked to his wrist. "Well. Its how that Shige guy almost made you give up basketball. I mean, if you had gone through with it, and that senpai hadn't talked some sense into you, we wouldn't have met, I wouldn't be your light, and we wouldn't have-"

"Made out in the locker room of the hot springs during our summer training? Yes. It would have been a bleak future indeed."

"I was going to say come this far, but I see where your head is." Kagami's eyebrows drew together in an imitation of a scowl. Further belying his indignant expression was the hand that snaked over Kuroko's chest. "You've been really worrying about that, haven't you. Maybe we should have worked it all out sooner - we could have been wrong to let it go this long…"

Maybe, indeed. They had come together months ago, caught in an explosion of desire and frustration and curiosity. Kagami had caught him as he slipped on the wet tile, a murky question in his side-long gaze, and that was it. Before he could question his impulse Kuroko had tugged him down to the floor, and the next twenty minutes were a time of exploration and blinding passion. They were fortunate that the boys from both Seirin and Shuutoku were otherwise distracted, else they surely would have been discovered.

Yet both realized the dangers of their attraction, and decided to wait. Basketball was the primary consideration in both their lives, and undertaking anything that might affect it negatively was unthinkable to them. There was a good amount of emotional self-preservation in this decision as well. Neither boy knew how to handle their new feelings, yet instinctively knew they were too powerful to trifle with. It had taken almost a week of detente to return to social normalcy, although any awkwardness on the court was beaten out of them within minutes of their scrimmage with Shuutoku.

"We did what was best, Kagami-kun. Even though we have slipped up once or twice, basketball has always been our main focus. I do get nervous sometimes, but I would not change our decision. Besides, it is as you said: tomorrow we can worry about us. Although I must admit to some impatience, now that we are so close." He swallowed back a sly grin as Kagami-kun swallowed thickly and shifted his legs. "I would feel much better, however, if Kagami-kun admitted to some impatience as well."

"You jerk. You know exactly how impatient I am. You also know that's why I'm trying so damn hard not to touch you. Remember what happened the last time?"

Kuroko certainly did. What had begun as a brief foray into the classroom storage closet for supplies quickly escalated into a physical conflagration, and they had once again barely evaded censure. Yet those breathless moments were delicious, and even if he had suffered through the discomfort of sticky underwear until practice, it was worth it - he had dreamt of Kagami-kun's tongue sliding along his neck and his fingers against his cock for nearly a week afterwards.

He was thinking of it now.

"Kagami-kun. I have an idea."

The man next to him sighed, but humored him. "Is it an idea that will help you get to sleep? 'Cuz I know your stamina, and even if you sleep all morning it won't be enough."

"Don't be rude, Kagami-kun. My stamina is perfectly fine. I took a nap between games, remember?" Kagami shook his head, and Kuroko scowled. "See, this is why I say you don't pay enough attention to me. What if I had been attacked?"

Kagami-kun's confusion was adorable. "In the locker room?"

"Is Kagami-kun going to listen to my idea or not?"

"Do you promise to go to sleep right after?"

"...yes."

"'K then. Shoot."

Oh, to hell with propriety. He had waited for months, and had attempted to talk himself out of wanting his partner for even longer. He would consider it a bit of pre-celebration for their win tomorrow (today) and for once, he would get what he wanted. "I will only go to sleep if Kagami-kun helps."

Kagami's trademark eyebrows drew together, and the fingers that were currently smoothing over Kuroko's hair stilled. "And by that you mean…?"

Kuroko was thankful for that darkness that shrouded his blush. Even though he was well used to showing an inexpressive facade, this was an embarrassing request. "I won't be able to sleep until Kagami-kun sets all my fears to rest. Especially the fear about him...liking me. So he should make me feel better, and then I will be able to sleep."

Kagami sighed, and slowly withdrew his hand. "Jesus fuck, Kuroko. Didn't we just quit saying we would wait one more day? Are you trying to kill me? And maybe you don't understand how pent up I am, but if you let me at you now I might seriously attack you, and then where will we be tomorrow, huh? Let's just...one more day, Kuroko…"

The thought of Kagami-kun wanting him to that extent made the blood run warmer in his veins. His breath stuttered as he inhaled. "You don't have to do anything, Kagami-kun. Just...tell me. That would be enough."

Kagami rolled over onto his stomach so he could look his friend in the eye. Deadpan expression or not, he wanted to be sure about this. "You want me to say how I feel about you? Or-"

This was harder than he had anticipated. Why was Kagami-kun asking so many questions? "If that is too much, perhaps you could begin with what you'd like to...do."

"...To you?" Kagami looked for confirmation, and found it. "Oh god. But what if it gets to be too much? What if I can't help but...you know. Touch."

Is that a problem? That is definitively not a problem. Why would that be a prob-oh, right. Winter Cup. "Think of it as special training, then. If your endurance holds tonight, tomorrow will be no problem. Or does Kagami-kun not want to do it?"

"That is not the the case." Kagami's voice cracked, and Kuroko suddenly felt very small and powerful all at once. "I just don't know exactly what to say."

This was Kuroko's cue to get the ball rolling. "Do you want to kiss me?"

"...yes."

Kuroko sucked in a deep breath as blood rushed south. "Then start with that, please."

"I...well…" Kagami exhaled through his nose, unable to keep his eyes strictly on Kuroko's face. Kuroko suddenly felt quite hot underneath the blankets, even though it was cold in Kagami's room. "I wanna' kiss you. A lot. Right now." Kagami's voice was hushed and careful, yet there were undertones of want weaving in and out. "I wanna' kiss you until you make that humming sound, and I know that you like it too."

Kuroko's hips wriggled underneath the blanket. Even when he didn't know what he was doing, Kagami-kun was so damn sexy. Kuroko was erect just from the thought of kissing his partner, and the knowledge that Kagami-kun truly wanted him back.

Kagami's sharp eyes caught the bulge under the blanket, and like the true sportsman he was, changed the game accordingly. "If I could kiss you now, I'd do it until we both went crazy. We'd learn all the ways of doing it - hard and soft and even using our to-tongues. I'd kiss your neck too, like I did in the closet. I liked when you gasped, Kuroko. It made me want to bite when you grabbed me, and whispered my name. If I could do it now, I'd...I'd give you bites where no one else could see. But you'd know they were there. And I would too."

A tiny moan slipped past Kuroko's lips. Kagami-kun's words were so earnest and awkward, and that endearing mixture was incredibly sexy. The urge to be wanton and touch himself was building. Kagami shifted next to him, bringing back the arm that had stilled against his head. Kuroko watched breathlessly as he trailed it down down his broad chest, letting it come to rest on the waistband of his shorts. Kagami-kun was also hard. That realization made it three times harder to breathe.

"I wanna' touch you all over, Kuroko. Your skin is so damn smooth, and you feel so good. Small but strong and just friggin' perfect. If I touched you now, I'd probably lose it - I'd want everything. Your shoulders, your chest, your legs, your hips...your ass. Some parts I wanna' touch softly, but other parts...I wanna' bite."

"Yes. Yes." The thought of Kagami-kun using his teeth on his body stripped away the last of his propriety. He gripped at Kagami with one hand, but the other traveled down to his waist, slipping past the elastic of his underwear and wrapping around his cock. He felt Kagami-kun's fingers lace through his, but it couldn't distract him from his other hand as it began to pump.

"If you'd let me, I'd eat you up, Kuroko. I wanna' know how you taste. I wanna' make you forget how to breathe, and to come so hard you forget how to think. But right now I wanna' see you, Kuroko. Will you let me look? And if you want I'll let you watch too."

Kuroko must have nodded his assent, because the blankets were pulled back a moment later. There was a momentary flash of embarrassment that ended when he saw the hunger in Kagami-kun's stare. Then there was only the unexpected pleasure of being watched as he palmed his cock, and the burning curiosity to see Kagami-kun's too-

As if he could read his mind, Kagami pulled his shorts down his hips, freeing his erection in one smooth movement. Dear lord, he was big. Kuroko's eyes widened and his pace slackened as he took in the length and thickness of Kagami-kun's...little Kagami-kun. It was both exciting and terrifying all at once- arousing, certainly, but how on earth was that ever going to fit inside of him? It couldn't. Therefore, (clearly) Kuroko should be the top in this relationship.

"You ok, Kuroko? Am I...oh damn I'm scaring you, aren't I? God, I'm sorry - I'll put it away-"

"Don't." Kuroko's voice was sharp, cutting across any flustered insecurities Kagami held. His hand began to move faster, just in case Kagami-kun didn't heed his directions. "I want to see as well."

Kagami's hesitation didn't last long. He began to rub himself at a steady pace, flicking his thumb across the tip. The motion made Kuroko huff in amusement. Of course Kagami-kun would be good at this, as a returnee from America. Even if he didn't read or watch porn, he at least knew how to do that… There was little time to worry about inconsequential things, however. The sight of Kagami-kun touching himself was nearly as potent as the sound of his voice, and the excitement that had been building up for the last few weeks was now tightly coiled in Kuroko's belly. It wouldn't take much for it to explode, and Kuroko knew he couldn't hold on for much longer - especially if the little grunts and hums Kagami-kun was making continued.

At the end, Kuroko overcame his embarrassment and looked directly into Kagami's eyes. There was such heat there, and the palpable desire between them drove him to the brink. With a ragged inhale he came, shuddering against the pillows as his orgasm erupted inside him like fireworks against his flesh. He floated on that haze of unknowing contentment until Kagami groaned lowly in his ear, and he came back to awareness just in time to see Kagami come. Unlike Kuroko, Kagami closed his eyes as he came, and his expression of pained bliss was something that Kuroko would remember whenever he touched himself for weeks and weeks. At the moment, however, there was only the fading pleasure and the trails of warm, sticky liquid coating his hand and stomach.

Kagami blinked slowly, like the jungle cat he was named for. "Hey. You alive over there?"

Exhaustion came crashing in on Kuroko, and it was difficult to respond. He settled for a slow nod, hoping it tokened wisdom rather than laziness. It caused a sly grin to creep up the side of Kagami-kun's face, however, and that wouldn't do.

"Ready to sleep, huh? Just stay there, I'll get a washcloth."

Kuroko tried to muster up enough energy to either deny his exhaustion or thank Kagami for his thoughtfulness, yet could do neither. All he could think to say was, "...Told Kagami-kun. I'd sleep if he helped."

"...and my shadow is always right, after all."

He wanted to smile, but he couldn't. Sleep was stealing up on him like waves lapping inexorably at the shore, and his eyelids were heavier than the weight of his resolve. The last thing Kuroko remembered before he succumbed was a rare, gentle smile on Kagami's face - and then there was nothing but the dark before dreams.

..

...

...

This was supposed to be very, very different - just a drabble with Kuroko thinking and fighting his feels. Still, I tried. Dirty talking was never my forte. Also, Kagami is awkward. I should have written about Himuro doing this, that I could see (but not to Kuroko, don't even go there).

R&R!