Warnings—I don't know if there are squirrels in Japan (aka: couldn't be bothered to check) and kinda dialogue-heavy. Vanilla milkshakes are a must in a MayuKuro. I stopped playing dmmd for this and I'm not sure it was worth it pffff.—-
Chihiro had told himself that once everything was finally done with school, he would no longer get up early. He was pretty sure he had earned that small luxury after the years he'd spent chasing a decent education.

So why he was in Tokyo at such an early hour, he had no idea. Especially when it was so close to summer that he could see the heat rising up from the ground. When Kuroko finally stopped under a tree and sat down gracefully he let himself fall to blissfully cool grass in a heap.

"It's too early," he said, covering his eyes.

"It's one in the afternoon."

"Like I said."

"You are the very definition of an otaku, Mayuzumi-san."

He frowned in Kuroko's direction and sat up. "If anyone else had said that I would have hit them. But you look strangely cute when insulting people so I'll let it slide this once."

He gave a small smile around his straw. "I apologise, Mayuzumi-san. I am sure that this current laziness is just a temporary slump. But I am very grateful that you did come today, so to reward you for your troubles—"

"You're going to make out with me?"

Kuroko frowned. "No."

"Worth a shot."

"Not in public."

"Oh really?"

"You can finish my milkshake."

He held the half-empty cup out towards Chihiro with an expectant look, who raised an eyebrow before falling back against the ground again and sliding sunglasses from his head to put them on. "It's vanilla."

"You'll thank me later."

"And I'm the one who bought it in the first place. You can't return a gift."

"I suppose that's true."

He continued sipping it delicately as Chihiro yawned and rolled onto his front. "Just promise me that next time you'll drag Kagami out of bed or something. At least he isn't in a different city."

"I'll keep it in mind. Do you want some chips?" A small bag of chips dropped between Chihiro's elbows and he picked through it for the short ones; which were always better no matter what everyone else said.

"Try them with the milkshake, maybe?" Kuroko held out the drink and put his head innocently to one side when Chihiro looked at him incredulously. "You're not very brave, are you, Mayuzumi-san?"

"Tch," Chihiro scoffed. "Braver than most," he continued, but he still felt some slight inkling of horror when he dipped a small part in the milkshake (of a longer chip; he wasn't about to waste a shorter one) and popped it in his mouth.

"So?"

Chihiro pulled a face and swallowed, chasing the flavour away with another chip. "Yeah, sure. Now you try it."

"Of course I won't," Kuroko said. "I'm not an idiot nor a savage."

He crossed his legs and gave Chihiro a triumphant little smirk for the smallest fraction of a second before dead-panning again, seemingly as innocent as the squirrels that were running along the branch of the tree behind them. "Insulting me twice in one sentence?"

He pursed his lips, meeting Chihiro's eyes as he sat up to lean closer. "Savage isn't always an insult."

"But in this case it was. And I'll have to warn you; one more insult and you'll have to suffer the consequences."

It was a clear invitation; one time when Chihiro was anything but subtle. Kuroko placed the milkshake beside him. "Your basketball playing during our last one-on-one was sub-par," he quipped, smiling wider than usual when Chihiro pushed him back against the ground and kissed him until he was feeling light-headed (and knowing once Kuroko locked his legs around his waist that stopping would require more self-control than he had). When Kuroko gently pushed him away and said in a responsible-teenager voice (he was pretty sure he could insult Kuroko with that), "I don't have protection," he tried to push closer again.

"It's fine; I always carry protection with me."

He knew it was a mistake to say that as soon as Kuroko pushed him harder. "And why, exactly? It's not as if I'll be running into you inKyoto."

"What? I carry it for this exact kind of situation. With you!" he tacked on when Kuroko narrowed his eyes. "Come on, Tetsuya. I haven't seen you in a week; help out your horny boyfriend would you?"

The gasp from a few meters behind him made his stomach sink and he looked over his shoulder to where a girl about Tetsuya's age was walking. Their eyes met and she blushed before walking quicker.

"Whoops," he said, turning back to where Kuroko was watching with his arms crossed. "What? I am."

"Proud of yourself, Mayuzumi-san?"

"Kinda, yeah."

MayuKuro

Physical affection came slowly for Mayuzumi, starting with 'accidental' brushing of hands and elbows when they were walking. Kuroko would merely look at him with an unreadable expression (which was becoming readable, Mayuzumi noticed when he understood the slight tilt of his eyebrows) and turn back to the front. Once Mayuzumi understood the set of his shoulders he understood that Kuroko was annoyed.

It was when they were in MajiBa and Kuroko had ordered them vanilla milkshakes (Mayuzumi grimaced but still accepted) that he really looked hurt, even by normal human standards. He had asked that Mayuzumi sit next to him, but, after a noncommittal gesture, refused and instead sat in front of Kuroko. After battling with himself for several minutes during which an uncomfortable silence arose, Mayuzumi smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. I don't find it easy to show any kind of… affection."

Kuroko's answer was quiet and reassuring, "No need to worry, Mayuzumi-senpai," but still distant enough that Mayuzumi could feel him slipping away.

"I don't know why it's so difficult now. I mean, I've had relationships and it's never been all that hard." It was spilling out, now, and Kuroko was watching him with the interest a scientist might have when observing a particularly odd species. "I could just hold their hands and kiss them and whatever, but I wasn't in love with them." He froze when his words caught up to his brain and knowledge settled in which he hadn't even started taking into account. He caught Kuroko's light eyes, which weren't expressionless, and the light blush on his pale cheeks gave him the courage to continue. "But I kind of am with you. So you'll have to get used to me not being able to put myself on the line all that much."

He sighed, and Mayuzumi was somehow aware that Kuroko hadn't been breathing since his confession. "I would have thought that with your extensive knowledge of light novels you would have come up with a better way to confess." He sipped at his drink placidly as Mayuzumi glowered.

"Hey, it's different when it actually happens in reality."

Stopping when Kuroko smiled, he looked at the table and thought that he would rather like to be laid out dead on top of it instead of suffering this humiliation. "I know it is."

Kuroko was blushing too, and had joined him in looking at the table rather than at his companion. "When you say that you know…"

"I feel the same." Mayuzumi let out a long breath and didn't pull away when Kuroko took his hand, instead focussing on the roughness of his palm and the strength of his grip. "Is this okay?" he asked, meeting Mayuzumi's eyes.

"Not quite enough." Mayuzumi reached forwards, cupping his cheek and enjoying the way his cheeks darkened again when he stood up.

"We're in public," he complained.

"It's not as if anyone will take notice of us."

A slightly impish smile was hovering around Kuroko's lips before he kissed Mayuzumi, the grip on his hand tightening as he brushed the corner of Mayuzumi's mouth before—finally—a real kiss which tore the breath from him. This, also, was something the light novels hadn't prepared him for, the teasing pressure and gentle touch of the tip of his tongue. He almost pulled away to demand how Kuroko had learnt to kiss like that, but suspected that fell under the category of 'creepy, possessive boyfriend', which he didn't want to lay claim to.

Because he knew it would make him laugh (at least inside), when they separated he pulled a face. "You taste like vanilla."

Kuroko did laugh, slightly giddily, which put such a light-hearted expression on his face that Mayuzumi could only gaze at him for a few moments. "So do you," he said, sitting back down and picking up his drink again.