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There were very few people Kuroko Tetsuya could not handle.

One of them was Kise Ryouta.

He was all sunshine eyes and crooked smiles and just exuded an insane level of affection, much to Kuroko's (supposed) displeasure. He was also the more favored kindergarten teacher, and this may or may not have been a sore spot. Maybe.

But despite his seemingly bright and sparkly demeanor, Kise was quite a dangerous man. There were all those too-perfect moments of eye contact and subtle elbow bumps and head pats and cheek brushes.

And Kuroko couldn't stand him. (But he also did nothing to stop him.)

It didn't help that they shared a break time during recess, when all the children were scrambling and frolicking about and rolling around in the dirt. He brought his attention back to his fellow colleague before him in the abysmally cramped break room and nearly choked on his own spit with a sudden sharp gasp.

Kise was staring right at him — smiling right at him — from his spot at the counter, and it was such a knowing grin, slanted and amused, that it seemed like he could see right into his mind despite Kuroko's usual expression, devoid of all emotion.

"Would you like some coffee," Kise's voice was like a mixture of honey and vodka, sweet with burn, and Kuroko couldn't remember a single time he did not visibly flinch at their first conversation of the day. Talking with Kise was like walking in the dark, stressful and full of endless surprises. "Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko blinked.

Ah, he really couldn't stand him.

"No, thank you, I don't like bitter things." He politely declined, and perhaps he closed his eyes as a pathetic means to collect his composure. "And please don't call me that."

"Hm?" Kise tilted his head. He was mocking him; he was definitely mocking him. "What's wrong with Kurokocchi?"

Kuroko sighed. "It's childish. You are treating me like a child."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"But I call you 'Kurokocchi' because I think very highly of you, you know." It was only then that he had noticed Kise was significantly closer and sitting in the seat across from him and leaning his elbows on his table and teasing him like he thought it was acceptable.

Kuroko's brows furrowed slightly. "The students will stop listening to me. I already have a difficult time controlling them. They obviously like you more. I'm just the second pick."

And he should also probably refrain from sharing his private insecurities with the enemy, but.

"Hmm," Kise hummed in cheerful contemplation. "I think you're wrong. But if you really want me to stop, I will."

Kuroko glanced at him, probably with such an incredulous and suspicious look that Kise found a fair amount of delight from it. He was laughing at him, all crinkled eyes and Cheshire smiles, and Kuroko thought vaguely that it might have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He definitely couldn't stand him.

(That was a lie.)

Leaning his cheek to rest in an open palm, Kise added, "If that's the case, I'll just call you Tetsuya from now on."

At that moment, Kuroko's heart stopped in its tracks and everything went blank. And at all once, the blood rushed to his ears and face, and Kise just smiled, smiled, smiled.

He was a dangerous man, indeed.

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