Gypsophilia.
Nobody in Seirin thought that a fleeting meeting between the former leader of Generation of Miracles and the Phantom Sixth Man before the Winter Cup would lead to them facing a nostalgic face in the following year's Inter-High. AkaKuro
The Maji Burgers were as crazy as usual that day.
The lines were ridiculously long and all the seats were filled, save one near the window. But whenever people took a seat on it, they always ended up being stared at with a pair of striking blue eyes, looking at them confusedly.
Tetsuya Kuroko, the Trump Card of Seirin High, sipped his milkshake quietly as the fifth person of that evening apologized to him for thinking that the seat in front of him was empty. This wasn't a rare occurrence at all, so he didn't mind it. After all, in a way, it was his fault for practicing his misdirection in everyday life.
But then, old habits die hard. He used to just do it so he could practice it better in the court. But then it became a habit. Besides, it was quite comfortable to be able to just immerse himself in things quietly. He could fly away to the heaven of vanilla milkshakes and nobody would see. Kuroko smiled as he sipped another gulp of vanilla heaven.
But then a sound of someone sitting in front of him woke the teen up from his daydream. This person would be the sixth person of this evening to apologize to-
"Ah, I didn't see you, Tetsuya."
Kuroko's whole body tensed up in surprise, clearly not suspecting his captain to be here of all places. Kuroko didn't know in which school Akashi-kun enrolled, but he knew that the captain had went back to his birthplace, Kyoto, to continue his education. What was he doing in-
Ah, that was right... Winter Cup.
Kuroko took the milkshake away from his mouth and put it on his table before bowing slightly to the redhead in front of him. "Akashi-kun." His name still had that respectful-edge of tone whenever Kuroko spoke his name. This man was the one who took him to consecutive national championship. He led all of them to victory.
"May I sit here? I happen to have come to this place on the worst possible time." Akashi-kun should have known that even if he didn't ask, Kuroko wouldn't have mind that he was here. But Kuroko nodded anyways.
Akashi-kun still looked like how he was in Middle School. The only difference Kuroko could spot from the man was his now mismatched eyes. Red and gold stared deeply at his own striking blue, not at all intending to start a conversation.
It reminded him of the time those eyes were still red. The moment when Akashi-kun led him to his basketball...
"I cannot make much of your school if the uniform is just a traditional gakuran with blue trims on the end." Kuroko's eyes instantly flitted to his uniform, assessing it briefly before his eyes went to Akashi-kun's uniform.
It certainly looked like their uniform back in Teikou, a dress-shirt, a jacket, a tie and a trousers, only in muted shade of gray and black instead of white and blue. Kuroko's eyes caught on Akashi-kun's breast pocket, Rakuzan High.
So he went to Rakuzan High...
But, wasn't Rakuzan High the school that won the Inter-High this year?
"But the first thing I should say after all this time would be, of course, long time no see, Tetsuya."
"Which high school are you enrolling to, Tetsuya?"
"It's in Tokyo, Akashi-kun."
"Are you going to ever consider coming with me to Kyoto?"
"...I apologize."
That was the last conversation they shared before he disappeared entirely from Teikou Junior High's basketball club. So... 'long time no see' wasn't really a thing he expected to hear from his captain.
"You look confused, Tetsuya." Akashi-kun snapped him out of his reverie again. Kuroko only stared impassively at him, clearly hiding his surprise within himself. Just like how he did everything else, as Akashi-kun had said.
"I apologize." The phantom player snapped back almost immediately in a programmed response. "I can never get over the fact that you will go beyond each and every expectations I made, Tetsuya. I expect you to look surprised over my assessment. But you just take it all in a stride. Perfect."
"Thank you, Akashi-kun."
Why was this conversation so cold? Kuroko stared right at his captain, just as his captain's heterochromatic gaze met his. They both stared at each other without looking away even once.
Kuroko could hear the sound of shoes cluttering on top of polished court. He can also ragged breathing from faraway. His own breathing.
"Tap pass?"
"It can be used to redirect normal passes into the direction you wish for the ball to go."
"Can you teach me, Akashi-kun?"
"It is the very reason why I am here."
But their staring competition was cut off when Akashi-kun broke their gazes to sip on a drink, Kuroko's drink. "This vanilla milkshake is good." He took another sip. "I can see why you even sit alone in such a crowded place for this." The captain then put back his drink on the table before carrying off his tray and dunked it in the trash.
Kuroko watched as his captain returned to his seat to take his bag. He slung it across his shoulder as he bid a farewell to him.
"I will see you in the Winter Cup, Tetsuya." He then walked away, but before he could be swallowed up in the crowd, Akashi-kun turned back to look at him.
"My offer from last year... it still stands until now. Don't forget that." Kuroko watched as his captain got swallowed by the crowd of people hoping to get some burgers.
"Are you going to ever consider coming with me to Kyoto?"
"...I apologize."
"I want you to come with me to Kyoto, Tetsuya. I'm willing to offer you the greatest light to make an even deeper shadow for you. I will find you someone who shines even brighter than Daiki does."
"I apologize, Akashi-kun... but can we not talk about Aomine-kun?"
"Very well. Are you coming?"
"... I... apologize."
His heart clenched, but he didn't know why.