Oh my god I'm so so sorry it's been so long since I've last updated . I've literaly been stuck in a hole-in-the-ground with no internet for the last month, hence the delay. Still, hope this one lives up to expectations ;)

Forewarning - I know pathetically little of how the Japanese educational system works, and whatever research I tried to do proved frustraitingly unhelpful, so I just combined what I DID know with how it works where I live right now. Hope you dont find it too confusing to follow, and if you do, feel free to message me ^.^

No smut in this chapter cause I would just make y'all uncomfortable - might attempt it in a side-story if people request it though.

Also, Nijimura&Kuroko for the win.

Anyway, ENJOY!

A year ago, if someone had told Hanamiya that he and Kuroko Tetsuya, Seirin's shadow and Good Boy Extraordinaire would become best friends, he would've laughed them in the face.

A year later found him sitting in Kuroko's living room, having tea with his grandmother while he waited for the bluenette to get out of the shower.

Irony is a bitch. he decided with wry amusement.

Tetsuya's grandmother was sat on a sofa nearby, slowly sipping from her cup, and Hanamiya decided to busy himself by looking around the various keepsakes hanging on the walls. Wordlessly, he got up, walking to the nearest one; it was a picture of two young boys, chubby cheeks squished together and blinding grins on their faces.

"That's Ogiwara-kun." Kuroko's grandmother informed offhandedly, and Hanamiya nodded, moving onto the next picture. There were a few of Ogiwara, two of Kuroko with his grandmother, one of him with his parents, (though the Kuroko in that picture looked no older than seven years old, a fact Makoto found rather curious) but he kept silent, eyes growing wide when they fell on the next photo. His arm rose, almost against his will, and his fingers fluttered over the cracks in the glass of the frame, the broken glass distorting the faces on the picture it was meant to protect. Distorting, but not erasing, and Hanamiya was treated to the sight of a younger Generation of Miracles, happy grins on their faces and a trophy clutched victoriously in the middle. Just as he opened his mouth to ask about the condition of the frame, his eyes fell on the one beside it, of Kuroko squished between Kise and Aomine, a fond, exasperated smile on his face as the tanned teen ruffled his hair and Kise grinned for the camera, forever the model. The glass in this frame was also broken, and Hanamiya was staring to see a pattern; sure enough, all the other photos that depicted the Miracles also had their glass broken, and Makoto huffed, torn between amusement and concern.

"Ah, I've been meaning to change those frames for a while." Kuroko's grandmother announced, but she didn't sound too concerned, which annoyed Hanamiya to no end.

"Why are they broken?" he asked, gesturing to the frames in question, "Kuroko-sama?" he added as an afterthought, not trying to come off as impolite.

The elder chuckled, but the look she gave him was sad. "This is probably not my story to tell, but you have wormed your way into his life even more determinedly than that Kagami boy, and I'm worried that he's going to keep some things from you because, somewhere deep down, Tetsuya is still afraid that you will turn and leave like them." this was the first time Hanamiya had heard anything like contempt come from the woman, and for once, he didn't need clarification on who they were. It seemed that he was not the only one still harbouring a grudge against the rainbow-haired miracles. "But you deserve to know." she declared, and Hanamiya snapped to attention.

"Are you aware of what happened to Ogiwara-kun's team during the second year of middle school?" she asked, and Hanamiya frowned.

"They got bulldozed by Teiko. And I heard that they also manipulated the score." Kuroko's grandma nodded sagely, and sighed.

"After what his team had done to Ogiwara-kun, Tetsuya broke." the woman announced, and Hanamiya froze. "He felt betrayed. He told me, after that game, that, being unable to participate due to injury, he'd asked his captain to play seriously, because he knew that his friend would be disappointed if Teiko went easy on his team." she paused, letting Makoto take her words in and he almost snapped at her to keep going, damn it, he could take it in as she went! "What that redhead did instead was unforgivable, and it destroyed Ogiwara-kun. He cut all ties with Tetsuya, saying that he was afraid of him, of his eyes. And my little grandson, who spent hours a day training, who loved the game, loved the people involved, grew to hate the sport." somehow, Kuroko and hating basketball was not computing well in Hanamiya's mind. "He said that he'd quit, that he wanted nothing to do with the sport, with his teammates, but there was still something stewing in those broken eyes of his. This," she gestured at the photos, "happened a few days after, when he'd officially quit the basketball team."

Hanamiya paled, scowling. Kuroko had quit?

Despite having gradually come to realise that Kuroko's desire to beat his teammates had stemmed from something other than just friendly competition, it seemed that he'd still not managed to grasp the full extent of the bluenette's unfaltering motivation, Hanamiya mused, mulling over the information, while his eyes never left the unnerving blue ones before him.

"He didn't strike me as the type to break things." he snorted, stalling as he tried to wrap his mind around the news.

Kuroko's grandma laughed. "Don't look so shocked, Hanamiya-kun. We Kurokos are mild-mannered by nature, but our anger, when provoked, should never be underestimated." she teased, and Hanamiya briefly wondered if he was the one who'd chosen to stick with the crazy, as opposed to the bluenette. The woman sobered quickly, and Makoto tensed.

"I say anger, but, really, it was more despair than anything; he said that he had no idea what to do, and the doubt in his eyes broke my heart. He'd quit before he got to ask the others what high schools they were choosing, but he'd said that he was almost certain he knew which ones they would not even consider, and he came to me with all the brochures, unsure. One of them was for your school, by the way." she paused, smiling at Hanamiya's attentive expression. "I gave him a few days to make up his mind, and in that time, I think, he went to Ogiwara-kun's school and although he was not there, something happened that brought back that spark of determination into his eyes, and he slowly rekindled his love for the sport, and said he had decided to join Seirin. The way he was behaving you'd think his life depended on it, or something." she chuckled , then looked at Hanamiya with warm eyes. "The rest, as they say, is history. But those few weeks after the tournament, he looked so torn, so doubtful, so broken. Have you ever hated something you loved, Hanamiya-kun?" she asked rhetorically, and Makoto frowned. "But worst of all, was that Tetsuya doubted himself."

Hanamiya was still mulling over the words, but startled when the elder woman glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Ah, it seems like Tetsuya is finally done with-" but before she could even finish the sentence, Hanamiya was already on his feet and he stalked over to the petite teen, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and all but dragging him to his bedroom, pushing the other so that he lost his balance and sat on the bed while Makoto paced in front of him.

"Makoto-kun?" the bluenette inquired, puzzled, but Hanamiya held up a hand to silence the teen, sorting out the last few things before he stopped pacing and stood in front of the sitting teen.

"You're a fucking idiot, Tetsuya." he announced bluntly, startling the other. "Honestly, I don't even understand why I bother with you sometimes." he hissed, scowling when the bluenette looked down so his still damp hair obscured his eyes, and his shoulders tensed at the unexpected criticism. He balled his hands when Makoto sighed, expecting the tirade to continue with more insults. What he most certainly did not expect was for the bed to dip suddenly with the added weight and for Makoto's arms to wrap around him in a hug?

Kuroko froze, eyes wide and uncomprehending under the cover of his fringe. Sure, over the months there'd been the arm wrapped around his shoulders, sometimes his waist, the occasional bed sharing or a teasing smack to his behind and what had transpired in the locker rooms after the Winter Cup, but they had never hugged. Makoto rarely initiated physical contact, and Kuroko never asked for it. Yet, he found himself relaxing under the raven's touch, sagging into his chest, at least until the other teen spoke.

"If there's ever a case where-" he cut himself off, as if the words were painful to get past his lips. "Ah, where it's like it was during that game-" he paused again, and Kuroko was oddly reminded of the way Aomine used to struggle with expressing gratitude, yet he knew that while the Miracle had been prone to get embarrassed and flustered, Hanamiya's frustration at himself manifested in the form of anger, so he just waited. "If there's ever a case when you doubt yourself- fuck, no, I can't do this, I'm not some fucking therapist for fuck's sake!" he jumped up, terminating the hug and jostling Kuroko to the point where the bluenette nearly lost his balance and returned to pacing. Tetsuya blinked, thrown off by the raven's words more than the sudden outburst, and, on the fifth pace he made by the bed, he reached out a hand to stop his movement.

Hanamiya startled at the hand wrapping around his wrist, the gentle pressure somehow enough to stop him in his tracks. He looked down, the bluenette's eyes so earnest and enquiring that he scoffed, looking away. "Your grandma told me about what happened during your third year of middle school." even when looking away, he still sensed how the other froze at his words, the gentle pressure on his wrist increasing til almost painful for a second before it relaxed. "And, I wanted to tell you," he took a deep breath, gritting his teeth as he turned to face the other before he slowly exhaled. "that if you ever doubt yourself like that, you will come to me and we will work through it like adults, not supress it into some secondhand guilt." he hissed, eyes not meeting the bluenette's for fear of what the other would see. "Understood?" he grumbled, chancing a look at Kuroko and almost groaning at the surprise in the other's eyes at his declaration. This was why he let people think he was an asshole through and through - it was so much easier to deal with their disappointment than surprise.

"I'm grateful, Makoto-kun, but I can't agree. It's too much to ask a friend to shoulder." Kuroko replied, his initial shock fading as a small frown creased his forehead.

"'Friend'?" Hanamiya scoffed, snorting at the other. "I thought we got past that shit after making out in the locker room for an hour." he pointed out, smirking at the other's surprised face, before he groaned when the surprise didn't fade. "For fuck's sake, Tetsuya, don't tell me you were expecting a bouquet of flowers and an offer of courtship at the top of a Ferris wheel or some shit." he whined, unable to believe how clueless the bluenette could be sometimes.

"I thought that was more of a 'no-strings-attached' event for you." Kuroko pointed out, and Makoto winced at how ridiculous the phrase sounded coming from him, and braced himself for what would no doubt be the most emotional shit he had ever spouted in his life. "Tetsuya." he called, gaining the other's attention as he massaged his temples in annoyance. "Do you really think I would have bothered with this emotional shit if I didn't want to pursue this thing between us?" he asked, scowling.

Kuroko blinked, staring owlishly at the raven before a tiny smile bloomed on his face. "No, you wouldn't have." he acknowledged, the smile growing. "So... are you going to ask me to be your boyfriend, Makoto-kun?" he asked casually, and Hanamiya gaped.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Tetsuya, take a fucking hint!" he yelled, exasperated, hand running through his hair in frustration.

"But in all the books I read, such declarations are always cemented by actions." the bluenette pointed out innocently. "You haven't even kissed me yet." Hanamiya openly gaped this time, eyes narrowing at the teasing glint in the other's eyes and the way his mouth kept twitching, fighting to supress a smile.

"You little shit." he hissed, even as he reached down to grab Kuroko's collar and pull the bluenette towards him and into a bruising kiss that left them both gasping for breath. Yet the victorious smile on Kuroko's face was unmistakable and Hanamiya felt perfectly justified to pull the other back to him and attack his mouth with kisses that lacked any sort of finesse or technique but left their lips almost burning with their intensity.

He only did it to wipe that annoying grin from Kuroko's face. Naturally.

Contrary to what Kuroko may have thought, being in a romantic relationship with Hanamiya didn't change many things about their routines. In fact, it changed so little that Hanamiya claimed that even Seto hadn't caught on, and the teen prided himself on being able to read his captain like an open book.

In fact, the three things that changed were only ever done behind closed doors anyway, and it wasn't like either of them was prone to public displays of affection, so it seemed as if Kuroko wouldn't even have to worry about how to break the news of their relationship to his teammates.

One of the things that did change was that Hanamiya now had his own drawer at Kuroko's house, and the bluenette occasionally found the raven's laundry had gotten mixed up amongst his own, particularly when he was looking for something to lounge around the house in or scavenging his wardrobe for some sleeping clothes (and if Hanamiya smirked and was a little more touchy-feely every time he caught the bluenette wearing his clothes, well, Kuroko would not be the one to complain.)

Another thing that changed were their bets after their shogi games. It seemed that no matter whether enemies or friends or lovers, their little habit of board games and wagers would continue. But the change in their bets really started when Hanamiya had smirked after his win one evening and demanded that Tetsuya sit on his lap for the duration of the second game; the bluenette had sensed a challenge, and, as he took the win in the second game, he remarked that Hanamiya looked rather uncomfortable in his shirt and recommended he remove it, and the raven had to endure their third game shirtless, scowling at Tetsuya throughout, but with the fire of competition burning steadily in his eyes. It had become a habit for their bets to take a slightly more private manner; Kuroko rather enjoyed asking Hanamiya for the 'simple things' but ones that neither of them would normally initiate, like cuddling on a couch during a movie or requesting that Hanamiya cook them dinner for the night. The raven, on the other hand, appeared to be particularly fond of making the bluenette wear his clothes. His Kirisaki Daiichi varsity jacket had taken up permanent residence in Kuroko's wardrobe, and Hanamiya would occasionally demand for the shadow to wear his top to basketball practice, or his jacket when they went outside. (Kuroko would make a fuss every time, but they both knew he wasn't half as irritated as he pretended to be.)

And the last, and probably the most satisfying thing that Kuroko had discovered, was that the one, failsafe way to calm Hanamiya's temper tantrums and lashouts was if he was the assertive one and he initiated the make-out sessions. Kuroko's rare displays of dominance never failed to shut Makotoup. They had both decided, with no small degree of amusement, that it was a rather beneficial solution for both ends.

Kuroko smiled slightly as he studied Hanamiyawhile the raven made notes for the entrance exams which were slowly but surely coming up for the third years. Initially, he'd thought that with Hanamiya's genius status, the teen wouldn't bother to study or revise, but was rather glad to have been proven wrong; if anything, the raven's abnormally high IQ just made him more meticulous and determined in his studies, and Kuroko could always ask the other for help if he struggled with something himself.

Deciding to voice his previous (oddly melancholy) thoughts and the feelings that they dredged up, he shut his books and made sure to carefully put them away before he turned to face the raven. "Ano, Makoto-kun," he began, the other letting out a grunt to let him know he was listening, but not taking his eyes off his notes. "I'm really glad Shouichi-kun introduced us." He mused, and blinked in surprise when the other startled, eyes snapping to meet his, as if needing to check that Kuroko was being serious.

It seemed that, same as Kagami, Hanamiya could never quite get over Kuroko's lack of hesitance to say what was on his mind, regardless how 'sappy' it may seem. He scoffed, looking away, a hint of red colouring the tips of his ears. "Stop making it seem like all of this is thanks to that megane bastard." He scowled, gesturing between them as if to indicate the easy comfort that always settled around them, and Kuroko smiled at how flustered he seemed.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I was just thinking about the fact that I never thought I'd get to have something like this and how happy I am to realise I was wrong." He explained, not quite managing to hide the small smile on his face as the raven's blush spread to his cheeks; for someone so icy and scathing, Hanamiya blushed really easily.

Makoto spluttered momentarily, but quickly calmed himself and sighed, snapping his books shut with an air of finality before he turned to the bluenette with a smirk on his face that spelled trouble. "I think we've both had quite enough of studying, wouldn't you agree?" he asked, but Kuroko didn't even have a chance to reply before he was being quite literally thrown on his bed and suddenly found himself with an armful of a smirking raven, and a shiver of anticipation running down his spine.

(he'd quickly discovered that Hanamiya was not good with voicing his feelings, but he'd be lying if he said he had any qualms against the other's policy of returning Kuroko's confessions with actions; it was rather quite pleasant, if he did say so himself.)

12th of January was upon them, and Kuroko had gone to Riko and politely requested to be excused from practice that day, pulling his best Nigou-inspired puppy eyes that, after Hanamiya's tutelage have gotten even more impossible to say 'no' to, secretly smug when the third year had caved almost immediately and didn't even ask any questions. With his coach's approval, he had no qualms against heading home as soon as the final bell rang, and he quickly changed, grabbed Hanamiya's present as well as his wallet and phone, and headed to the station, the Kirisaki varsity jacket slung over his shoulder. (Since it was Hanamiya's birthday, he might as well humour the teen with his inexplicable fancy of seeing Tetsuya in his clothes.)

He arrived at Kirisaki Daiichi in the middle of practice and snorted upon seeing that all the regulars had little paper birthday hats on their heads and smirks on their faces; Hanamiya, on the other hand, looked exasperated, but Kuroko could detect a hint of amusement and fondness underneath. He smiled, grateful for being able to see this side of the Uncrowned King and his 'delinquent' team. He dutifully sat on the balcony til practice ended, and then made his way downstairs, unnoticed til he perched himself on the bleachers, knowing that all he had to do was wait a little and – "Tet-chan!"

Hara barrelled towards him, and Kuroko didn't bother dodging, knowing that, unlike Kise, the bubblegum lover would not stop til he literally nearly hugged the daylights out of the bluenette. "Hello, Kazuya-kun." He greeted when he felt like he could breathe again. "I almost didn't recognise you because of that jacket!" Hara confessed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. Then his eyes widened and he gazed at Kuroko with a teasing smile on his face. "I wonder if that's one of Hana-chan's kinks?" he mused, but the bluenette was saved from answering by Hanamiya making his presence known.

"If you have enough energy left to wonder about such stupid things, how about you run five extra laps, hm, Kazuya?" he asked, smirking, and Kuroko sent a sympathetic glance at the lilac-haired teen, but didn't attempt to otherwise defend him. Frankly, he was startled at the question, worried that Hara'd somehow found out about his and Makoto's relationship.

"Ah, I'd rather not, Hana-chan." Hara replied, trying and failing to look apologetic, but Hanamiya was undeterred. "That wasn't a question, Kazuya. Unless you want to run fifteen?" but the taller teen had taken off before he could even finish the sentence. Smirking triumphantly, the raven turned to face Kuroko.

"I didn't expect you to come. I thought you didn't like skipping practice?" he asked as way of greeting.

"I don't." Kuroko agreed, then smiled slightly. "But it's your nineteenth birthday after all. Last year as a teen, Makoto-kun." He smirked then, drawing a raised eyebrow from the raven. "I had to come. You're getting old, I don't know how many more birthdays I'll be able to witness." He teased mercilessly, startling the other so much he narrowed his eyes.

"You calling me old, Tetsuya?" Hanamiya sneered, but there was no real heat behind it – if anything, he looked rather amused. Playing along, Kuroko pulled the same face as he did with Riko; "I never said that, Makoto-kun." He replied innocently, startling a laugh out of the other.

"Damn, Tetsu, you look like a puppy!" Seto walked up to stand beside Hanamiya, grinning lazily at the bluenette. "You've been hanging around with that dog of yours too much."

"I thought it's the animal that takes after its owner, not the other way round, Kentaro-kun." Kuroko frowned in response, dragging a chuckle from the geniuses and an annoyed; "Oi, let's go change; Hara's nearly done with his laps then we can go eat!" from Yamazaki as he turned to head towards the lockers after waving at Kuroko.

"Hm? You're not changed yet?" Furuhashi chose to make his presence known then, and Kuroko did a slight double-take at how different (but good) the teen looked, dressed in a crisp burgundy shirt and pale blue jeans, with a jacket slung over his arm.

"Eh? How the hell are you already dressed?" Yamazaki demanded, gesturing between his sweaty, flushed self and the other teen's showered, pristine form.

Kuroko was certain that if Furuhashi was the type to roll his eyes, he would've, but as it was, his deadpan didn't change even as he answered; "Because I don't loiter around to bother people when I know I've got something to do?" he replied with a question, the 'unlike you' ringing loud and clear even though it went unsaid. Yamazaki scowled and stomped off towards the lockers, Hanamiya and Seto following suit with a somehow still high-spirited Hara dragging behind. Furuhashii settled down beside Kuroko, a comfortable silence settling between them. Tetsuya had always found the other's presence oddly calming as neither was a fan of small talk, and, unlike with Hara or Yamazaki, they had no qualms against silence. This time, though, it seemed as if Furuhashi had other plans.

"You and Hanamiya have started dating recently, haven't you?" he asked quietly, but Kuroko could sense no judgement in the other's tone, and he knew that he couldn't lie to Furuhashi even if he tried – being versed in the art of deadpan, he knew the other would know immediately. He wouldn't call him out, oh no, he was too polite by half, but the bluenette didn't feel like straining the trust they'd somehow established between the two of them.

So he just sighed and nodded, smiling slightly at the bruenette. "Almost a month ago." He admitted just as quietly, then sent him a look that he hoped said please don't tell the others. Furuhashi nodded, his eyes softening slightly. "It's been good for him. For both of you." And it took Kuroko a second to connect that the 'it' was referring to their relationship.

He shook his head, smiling fondly. "He still made Kazuya-kun run though." He pointed out, earning a small huff a laugh from the brunette.

"Yes, but Kazuya deserved it; the idiot needs to learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes. And it was only five laps." He justified, and Kuroko chuckled, murmuring a quiet 'if you say so', and settling his head on the brunette's shoulder to pass the time, feeling a small pressure on his head as Furuhashi did the same. He didn't realise he'd dosed off until Hara's teasing, "My, don't you two look cute?" reached his ears, and he opened his eyes to see the lilac-haired teen putting his phone away, the rest of the regulars gathered around him. Kuroko met Hanamiya's eyes and the other shot him an amused look, eyes flickering from his to his hair in a meaningful way, smirking when Kuroko rolled his eyes; I wasn't even in bed. How can I get a bedhead? He grouched inwardly, so much so that he almost missed Furuhashi's slightly groggy "Be quiet. You were taking a while." directed at Hara.

Shaking himself off, Kuroko stood up and didn't protest being pulled into Hara's side as they walked out of the sports hall. "You look like one of us with that jacket and the messy hair, Tet-chan." Hara teased, and Kuroko felt something warm bloom in his chest at the words, the 'one of us' echoing in his mind. "It's a good look." He smiled then, wondering how his middle school self would react to the knowledge that he'd one day come to feel at home amongst a bunch of delinquents. As his eyes met Hanamiya's appreciative gaze, he decided that, no, his thirteen year old self would (probably) be able to handle growing up to feel at home amongst delinquents, but he'd no doubt have a heart attack upon learning that he'd be dating one of said delinquents. His smile grew.

Life was good.

They'd ended up in a pretty high-up restaurant, none of the Kirisaki students being exactly poor, and even if, even they could shell out for birthdays occasionally. After they'd all eaten, the group dumped their gifts in front of Hanamiya, and it was only after nearly fifteen minutes of Hara's childish insistence and teasing that the raven agreed to opening the gifts in front of him, a slightly awkward air around him that Kuroko found nothing short of adorable.

The gifts were almost perfect representations of their owners' personalities; Yamazaki had gotten Makoto vouchers to a kimchi restaurant ("He loves the stuff. Stop giving me that look, Furu!"), Hara had, predictably, gifted the raven with bubblegum, and Kuroko was rather disgusted to discover that it was chocolate gum ("It's HERSHEY'S!" Hara had defended. "Bubble Yum? That's, like, god of gum! I had it shipped from America, c'mon!"), Furuhashi had given Hanamiya a list of recommended books and vouchers to a bookstore ("I heard they have a particularly good criminology section." At which Makoto had nodded, his fondness for the detective/crime solving novels being no secret. Kuroko knew the real reason for this 'fondness' was that the raven liked to see if he could guess who the murderer was before the protagonists. He'd also found out quite quickly that it was almost impossible to play Cluedo with Makoto).

But what was probably the most surprising was Seto's gift; "Condoms, Kentaro? Are you serious?" Hanamiya asked, pulling out a packet with distaste, scowling at the other's satisfied smirk. "Condoms, lube; all the essential stuff you'll definitely need at some point." the lazy center replied with a shrug (but when his eyes flickered to Kuroko, a knowing smirk on his face, the bluenette was struck with the realisation that he knew, had probably known from the start, and he nearly facepalmed when he remembered that both he and Hanamiya had thought the lazy teen was none the wiser to their relationship.) Hanamiya scoffed, grudgingly amused at the explanation, and then moved on to unwrapping Kuroko's present, and his hands stilled when he glimpsed the contents.

"Where the fuck did you get this?" he asked quietly, and Kuroko smiled.

What he'd gotten Hanamiya wasn't as luxurious as what he perhaps could've gotten, but the raven's wide eyes told him that it was more than appreciated. It had been an innocuous thing, something he was sure Hanamiya thought he wouldn't remember - they'd been sitting in Makoto's bedroom, relaxing after a long week full of practices and preparation for exams; the raven was on his laptop, a frown pulling at his brows before he angrily slammed the lid of his PC down and threw it on the bed, glaring at it as if he wished it would spontaneously combust. "Is everything alright, Makoto-kun?" he had asked quietly. Hanamiya turned and glared at him, his anger not yet gone and he scowled, "It's sold out. The fucking seminar that I'd been waiting for for a year is fucking sold out. All the whitecoats and idiots who know nothing about biochemistry called dibs and that's that. I fucking hate everything right now." a little more wheedling had revealed that it was a seminar led by an internationally renowned biochemist and, since that was the path that Hanamiya was planning to pursue at university, he'd been looking forward to it. He didn't mention it afterwards, but once he got home be searched and searched and pestered and wheeled and pleaded but he got one of the 'whitecoats' to surrender his ticket to the event, and he felt almost as pleased with himself as he did when Seirinhad won the Winter Cup, certain that this was the one thing Hanamiya would not expect of him.

And he'd been right.

As such, he grinned at the raven and shot him a pleased look. "I can be very persuasive if I want to be." he finally replied, and he saw clear surprise in Hanamiya's eyes before it was replaced by concern. "You didn't kill anyone, did you?" he asked. And there was a time when Kuroko would've been outraged, frowning and denying the sheer notion, but after a year, he was hardly fazed, taking it in stride. "Not this time, no." he replied in his classic deadpan, and Hanamiya snorted.

Hara leaned over to read over the raven's shoulder, "A biochemistry seminar with Dr. Tachibana for the - that sounds so dull, what the hell, Tet-chan? I thought you would've been more creative." the lilac haired teen whined, but there was a surprised look on Furuhashi's face that told Kuroko the brunette had thought of the same thing and was equally as stumped as Hanamiya as to how he'd obtained it.

"Perhaps it's dull for you, Kazuya-kun, but I think Makoto-kun might appreciate it." he replied absentmindedly, and the all but gleeful look Hanamiya was still sporting did more than confirm his words.

(and if Hanamiya jumped on him as soon as the door to his house closed, and if he was the one to initiate the cuddling on the sofa after the making out, and if Kuroko woke up on said sofa the next day, the smell of cooked fish and rice teasing his senses, and if Hanamiya was clad in an apron (only an apron and boxers) and turned to him with a smirk and a tray of food, well, he would not complain. And he felt more than justified to decide that his gift was appreciated.)

Kuroko was just coming back from his walk with Nigou, making plans to maybe finish his homework and then work on the shot Makoto had taught him, when his phone buzzed and he frowned, not having expected anyone to contact him since it was Saturday and off-season.

-Hey, Tet-chan, can you come to the park where the streetball tournament was taking place? Seto was an idiot and twisted his ankle and now we're one short ;(

The bluenette frowned at his phone, concern for the center's well-being and curiosity at the forefront of his mind.

-What's this for, Kazuya-kun? He texted back almost immediately.

-Ah, there's a tournament of course! Me and Hiro-chan wanted to have a last game with the third years before uni!

Kuroko snorted at the notion of the fierce-looking Yamazaki being referred to as 'Hiro-chan'.

-'Hiro-chan and I', Kazuya-kun. And are you sure the others won't mind me being there?

Because there was a difference between 'hanging out' and playing basketball on the same side of the court. There were set offenses that he would not know, he refused to injure anyone, he wasn't sure how they'd react to being on the receiving end of his passes –

-Don't be silly, Tet-chan! Hana-chan practically ordered me to call you :P and wow, you're even more picky with grammar than Furu-chan ._.

A smile pulled at the corners of his lips and he felt as if a weight was being lifted off his shoulders.

-Alright. I'll be there in half an hour.

-Score! :DD

True to his word, Kuroko turned up at the park in thirty minutes, dressed in a pair of black shorts and a white shirt – which he suspected originally belonged to Hanamiyaas it was far larger than his own shirts – his usual bag containinghis sweatbands, a water bottle, his shoes and a ball slung over his shoulder.

He scanned the courts til his eyes found the Kirisaki regulars, huddled noticeably closer than the other teams gathered in the park. He made his way over to the group, also spotting Kasuga and the ex-Seiho captain as well as Miyaji and Otsubo in the crowd; seemed like some of the games would be interesting. Furuhashi spotted him first, his height and the way he was facing letting him see the bluenette approach, and Kuroko reciprocated the small smile that pulled at the brunette's lips as greeting.

"Ah, Tet-chan, you came!" Hara's cheerful voice rang out, and Tetsuya didn't bother dodging the arm that wrapped around his shoulders, merely shooting the taller teen an exasperated look.

"I did say I would come, Kazuya-kun." He admonished, before his gaze fell on the incapacitated centre player who was perched on the bench, his ankle wrapped up with an icepack on top. "How are you feeling, Kentaro-kun?" he asked worriedly, but the brunette waved him off.

"I'm fine, it was just a slight sprain. Anyway, Hanamiya already played nurse on me so I'll be just fine." He replied, eyes sliding teasingly to the raven who swatted him on the back of the head.

"Don't be an idiot, Seto. That's Hara's job." He scowled before his eyes fell on Kuroko, and the scowl morphed into a smirk when he realised what shirt the slighter teen was wearing.

"Ano, Makoto-kun, are you sure it will be fine if I play?" Tetsuya asked quietly, anxiously, unwilling to let his friends (and boyfriend) down.

But Hanamiy merely wrapped an arm around his waist and led him to the courts as their next match was called out, a confident smirk on his face.

"You should know by now not to doubt me, Tetsuya."

There were no issues.

More than that, Kuroko thought dazedly as they made their way off the court to wait for their next game to be called out, the match had gone smoother than most of Seirin's matches, and he realised that it made little difference whether he sent a Cyclone Pass to Kazuya or to Kagami. But what he'd found more surprising was that, after he'd requested that the Kirisaki regulars forego their usual rough play since it was not an official match, he settled into the flow of the game, the style and the pace of the offense almost naturally. It seemed odd, but between Hanamiya's steals, Yamazaki's three-pointers, Hara's dunks, Furuhashi's 'unsettling' demeanour, and Kuroko's passing, they'd formed a rather well-rounded team. Although, probably most importantly;

The game had been fun.

"Tetsuya," Hanamiya called, drawing the bluenette's attention as they waited for their next game to be announced. "in the next match, if you're marking a wing player again, sag off them slightly, so you're almost in the 'help' position. I want to try something." Kuroko merely nodded, weeks of being coached by the raven allowing him to trust his judgement easily, and he made sure to put Makoto's words in practice in their game, a pleased smile forming on his face when Hanamiya swooped in for a steal, sending a pass to Hara who was already running towards the basket, chuckling at the taller teen's delighted woop.

(Seto's eyes widened from where he sat, not missing the bluenette's position nor Hanamiya's smirk when he went for the steal. It was too rough around the edges to be called the original, but, he thought as the duo settled into the same position again, the intention and end result were definitely the same. Yet, instead of feeling replaced, he was amused, sending a wordless kudos to thebluenette for accomplishing such a feat; after all, learning how to cooperate with Hanamiya in the Spider's Web had taken Seto most of their first year rather than the first hour.)

The games had gone on till it was dark outside, and Kuroko, worried about making the others travel so far at night, invited the Kirisaki regulars to stay at his house instead. Hara had jumped on board almost immediately, but there were a few objections, mainly from Seto and Yamazaki who were worried about the space and what Kuroko's parents would feel about housing five extra teens. Kuroko had quickly dismissed their concerns, saying that there were guest rooms at his house and his parents were both away on business trips so there was no reason to worry, and he promptly ignored the almost concerned look directed at him by Furuhashi. When they finally got to his house, he showed the others to their rooms (his apology for requesting that two share a room since there were only two guest rooms was met with an incredulous gaze from Hara and a "Did you forget about the dogpile we slept in at 'Hashi's place?" from Seto) and when all were finally in their rooms - Hara with Furuhashi and Seto with Yamazaki - he joined Hanamiya in his room, the other already washed up and changed into his pyjamas. By the time Kuroko had settled in bed beside the raven, it was already close to midnight, and a tired, comfortable silence settled between them.

Just as he was about to drift off, Makoto's quiet voice broke the tranquil atmosphere;"It was good to play with you today." and Kuroko almost jumped at the words, not having expected such a confession. Mulling over the words and thankful for the cover of the night, he shared his own thoughts on the day's events.

"I agree. Although, I must admit that, when Kazuya-kun initially texted me, I was reluctant. I didn't think I'd enjoy playing with you as much as I did, considering the differences in our styles." he paused, collecting his thoughts, half grateful, half worried about Makoto's continued silence. "But I'm glad I went. And, actually... I'd love to play with you again."

Hanamiya, forever the realist, nodded amicably. "That can be arranged, you know. There are other amateur tournaments or friendlies or one on ones that we could play together." he assured, but there was a certain hesitance in his words that made Kuroko think the raven knew that that wasn't what he'd meant.

"I'm glad, but... What I meant was slightly different, Makoto-kun." he sighed, resigning himself to baring his feelings to the other. "I meant play competitively. Together. In a team that goes to official tournaments and has official games."

Even without looking at the raven, Tetsuya knew the other was frowning. "I'm going to university in April." he stated matter-of-factly, and Kuroko sighed again and struggled to swallow against the sudden lump in his throat. "I know, Makoto-kun." he replied wearily. "And I wish you all the best. It's just that..." he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence after feeling the sudden weight of Makoto's scrutinising gaze on him. It was silent for a long time. Kuroko lay on his back and stubbornly didn't take his eyes off of the ceiling, and tried to will the unexpected burn of tears away, while Makoto rested on his side, a contemplative look on his face as his eyes assessed the bluenette in the dark room.

"You don't want me to leave." he finally surmised, and Kuroko almost didn't manage to catch the sob that threatened to leave him at the words. Why was he being so emotional all of a sudden? Yet all he managed was a shaky 'hai' and then he threw his arm over his eyes and turned so his back was towards Hanamiya, ashamed. Who was he to place his comfort and selfish wishes over the bright future standing before the raven? He had no claim, no influence over the other's actions.

When it seemed like Hanamiya was not going to reply, Kuroko sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders and he swiped angrily at the few tears that had escaped him. "I'm sorry, Mako-" but an arm wrapped around his waist, cutting him off, and he startled slightly as he felt Makoto's chest against his back, but the other's quiet, "Go to sleep, Tetsuya." had him relaxing and almost melting back into the other teen's embrace. This gentle, patient side of Hanamiya was something that made it even harder for the bluenette to deal with the other's looming departure. But, as he felt the arm around his waist tighten and Makoto's steady breaths deepen and slow down, he chased those thoughts away and welcomed the temporary escape of sleep, Hanamiya's warmth and comfort lulling him better than any lullaby his grandmother had ever sang him.

(If he thought the issue would be forgotten, and Hanamiya would let his sudden confession slide, well. He was wrong. Badly so.)

In the days that followed, Kuroko discovered one more thing; Hanamiya was one hell of a possessive asshole.

Hara was the one to enlighten him to that fact, after he'd discovered Kuroko in Hanamiya's shirt with an enormous, clearly visible hickey on his neck. His expression had been rather comical, but he quickly got himself together and went on to tell the bluenette how 'leaving love-bites and all but demanding your partner wear your clothes' are signs of possessiveness. "But it gets better." he murmured in Kuroko's ear, grinning madly. "Watch Hana-chan's face." he instructed, and proceeded to wrap an arm around the bluenette's waist. Kuroko obediently trained his eyes on Hanamiya, and the raven, who had been discussing something with Seto while Furuhashi and Yamazaki played video games, immediately turned around and scowled, shooting Hara an annoyed look, much to Tetsuya's surprise. The lilac-haired teen threw his head back and laughed, but didn't relinquish his hold on the bluenette. "It's like he does this almost subconsciously, it's great." he remarked, reaching up beneath his fringe to dry his eyes of invisible tears.

But it wasn't great.

Not for Kuroko, at least, less than a week later.

Makoto was his first relationship of the non-platonic nature; that was no secret. As such, although happy to explore and try new things, he was still rather clueless to some things, one of the main ones being how much force exactly (when taking into account his easily-bruisable skin) was necessary to create a tell-tale mark that showed. So he did not complain when Makoto, on one of his rare affectionate days, was peppering lightly-biting kisses wherever he could reach, while Kuroko absentmindedly stroked the other's hair much like he would Nigou's.

At the incident that took place the next day after practice, he grudgingly realised that he most definitely should have complained.

Practice was over, and everyone was exhausted, the drills and routines being particularly ruthless that day as the stress of entrance exams was getting even to Riko, and it was no secret she tended to release her stress through making them run. As such, when Kuroko finally dragged himself to the lockers and under the shower, it took him a while to realise that all of the quiet chatter that was filling the lockers before he'd walked in had suddenly cut off when he'd taken off his shirt. Unaware of the fact that everybody's attention was suddenly focused on him, he let out an appreciative noise when the hot water hit his tired, sore muscles and enjoyed the few minutes of bliss.

At least, until he was shoved back into the cold tile wall by a very flustered Kagami, who for some reason refused to look at him. "What the hell's all that?!" the redhead all but shrieked, gesturing towards Kuroko's torso (no easy feat considering the taller teen still had his gaze trained resolutely on the lockers).

"Got yourself a feisty girlfriend, Kuroko-kun?" Izuki's teasing voice rang through the silent lockers, and the point-guard earned a smack to the back of the head from the blushing captain. Confused, the bluenette cocked his head at his seniors, and it took the raven's meaningful glance down at his chest for him to look down at his body and-

Oh.

Dozens of small, shockingly purple bruises dotted his torso, from his collarbones all the way down to his hips, and when he craned his neck slightly, he realised that the same was happening at his back, and he had a sudden flashback to yesterday's night and Makoto's 'oddly affectionate' behaviour. He grit his teeth. Knowing the raven, he probably already knew exactly how much pressure he had to exert for the marks to show. That possessive little-

He wasn't sure what exactly his face was showing, but it must've been bad because Koganei next to him paled and nudged him carefully, "Hey, Kuroko, you alright?" the cat-like teen questioned curiously.

"Ah, hai," Kuroko replied distractedly, shutting off the water even though he had not finished washing and wrapping a towel round his waist, ignoring his senior's confused call. "I just- I need to text someone." Without further explanation, he dug into his bag, pulled out his phone and-

-I hate you.

The reply was almost immediate.

-Don't tell me you didn't enjoy the attention ;)

The emoji tacked at the end made Kuroko's grip on his phone tighten til the device gave a pitiful crack, and he carefully loosened his grip, even as he imagined doing an Ignite Pass on Hanamiya's stomach.

-I didn't.

-Well, what's done is done. I'm afraid there's nothing you can do about it now, Tetsuya.

And the bluenette could perfectly imagine the smug satisfaction that was undoubtedly on the other's face as he typed that message. He opted not to grace him with the response.

Then, as he changed into his uniform again and walked out of the changing rooms, an idea struck him; Makoto was wrong, there was something he could do. It was a blow below the belt, but as he remembered the awkwardness and embarrassment the raven caused him, he declared it a more than fair comeback.

An eye for an eye, Makoto-kun. He thought as he fished his phone out of his pocket and dialled a number he never thought he'd need to use.

"Ah, Hanamiya-san, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, Makoto-kun's friend, sorry for interrupting…"

When he finally got home, shucking off his shoes and dropping his bag down in the hallway, he didn't get much further than the sofa when he was unceremoniously pushed into the wall, his cheek pressing uncomfortably against the cool wallpaper, grunting when he felt his arms being twisted behind his back and held in place with a strong hand.

"Did you think that was funny, Tetsuya?" Makoto's voice drawled in his ear, tone carefully bland so that Kuroko could not discern the raven's true emotions. "Did you think you were clever, that you'd one-upped me?" Hanamiya was hissing now, and the grip around Kuroko's wrists tightened imperceptibly.

"I don't see what's so bad about what I did, Makoto-kun." Tetsuya replied innocently, with a calmness he didn't fully feel; despite being used to the other's unpredictable mood-swings and knowing that what he'd done would no doubt provoke a strong reaction, he hadn't expected the other to get so angry to actually manhandle him.

"You called my mother, Tetsuya." Makoto sneered, using his grip on the bluenette's arms to flip him around so he could get right into the other's space. "You called my mother to tell her I'd caused you 'public embarrassment' with my 'non-consensual kink exploration'." He hissed indignantly, one hand going to Kuroko's collarbone to keep him pinned to the wall while the other clutched at his hip, fingers digging into the pale flesh one step away from painfully.

Kuroko regarded the raven with his usual deadpan carefully in place. "I do not mind you marking me when we're in the privacy of the bedroom or in places where they're not easily seen. However, you knew those would be seen when you made them, and you chose not to tell me. I did not appreciate that. So I chose to remind you as to why trying to trick me is a bad idea."

Hanamiya considered him for a moment before he looked away with a snort and a smirk on his lips, the anger slowly leaving him. "Damn, Tetsuya, you've gotten ruthless." He muttered, turning so his gaze met the bluenette's and the hand on his hip moved to squeeze his behind, making Kuroko jump. "I'd be impressed if I wasn't so mad at you." He admitted, and Kuroko smiled, feeling the angry tension dissipate and be replaced with their usual comfortable silence, til he broke it.

"I'm sorry, Makoto-kun." He murmured as he rose on his tip-toes to press a soft kiss to the raven's chapped lips. Yet as he went to pull away, the hand that had been on his collarbone moved to the back of his neck, holding him in place. Makoto stared at him with his usual, teasing, slightly predatory smirk and half-lidded eyes. "'In places where they're not easily seen', did you say?" he hummed, smirk widening. He bent his knees til his face was level with Kuroko's and moved his lips to the spot just behind his ear, kissing it lightly before he bit it, sucking the flesh into his mouth as Kuroko gasped, then soothing it with his tongue. "So here's okay?" he whispered into Tetsuya's ear, but the bluenette knew he wasn't actually asking for permission. Still, unwilling to fully give up that particular battle, he wormed one of his hands which was still trapped behind his back free and tangled it in Makoto's hair. He tugged til their faces were level, then leaned forward until there was barely an inch between them and whispered, "I'd prefer here." And surged forward and smashed his lips against the raven's.

(The surprised grunt that quickly morphed into a pleased moan that escaped Hanamiya was almost worth Seirin's faces the next day, when he took off his shirt after practise to reveal even more marks interspersed amongst the fading ones from the previous day. Almost.)

Kuroko had never really understood the fuss behind birthdays.

If he was really honest with himself, he'd say that it was because he rarely had people to celebrate his birthday with. His parents were almost always away on business trips, his grandma had an on-and-off relationship with the hospital, and although Ogiwara was his first true friend, a two-man party was hardly a glamorous event. The Generation of Miracles was the first real friendship group he'd belonged in, but by that time he was much too shy and they much too serious for sleepovers and home-hosted birthday parties; they ended up either giving presents quietly before or after practice or going out for ice-cream or burgers on the day. So Kuroko was not expecting Hanamiya to tug him into bed at a very respectable 9pm on a Friday, the night before his birthday; when asked why, the raven stared at him for a moment before he sighed and made himself comfortable on Kuroko's bed. "Because," he began, as if Tetsuya was stupid for asking the question. "my team will show up early tomorrow morning, and with all the hassle Kazuya makes about birthday parties, I reckon you'll need a good night's sleep to deal with it." At that, Kuroko stared at the older teen with a blank look on his face, one word in particular echoing inside his mind. When he finally regained his voice, he choked out, "Party, Makoto-kun?" and did a double-take at the raven's almost confused look.

"It's your eighteenth birthday tomorrow, Tetsuya." He stated, as if the bluenette didn't know. "Most countries recognise that as the official age of majority, do they not?" but when Kuroko continued to look like Makoto had just told him he was considering switching from basketball to ballet, he scowled. "Don't tell me you've never had a birthday party thrown for you, Tetsuya."

Kuroko's silence seemed answer enough.

Hanamiya sighed and pulled the bluenette into his chest, wrapping his arm around the petit teen's waist, effectively assuming the position of the 'big spoon'. "Just don't tell that to Kazuya. He'll go insane." He snorted, then seemed to consider something. "I thought for sure that, given how 'team-obsessed' Seirin is, and with the fact that you have that idiot Kiyoshi on your team, they'd have overwhelmed you with birthday wishes and parties."

Kuroko sighed. "I doubt they know." He admitted, and smiled inwardly when Makoto stiffened, his wordless 'why?' clear in the air – Tetsuya shrugged as best as he could in his position. "They never asked when it was, so I never told them." Hanamiya sighed and buried his face in Kuroko's hair. "Definitely don't tell Kazuya." He mumbled into the pale tresses, his arm tightening. "Now sleep. You'll need the energy to deal with my idiot teammates."

It turned out that the Kirisaki regulars throwing him a party was not the only surprise fate had in store for Kuroko the next day. The bluenette was awoken to the sound of energetic knocking on his door, and he crawled out of bed, absentmindedly noting that Hanamiya must've already gotten up a while ago since his side of the bed had gone cold, and didn't even bother to tame his bedhead as he made his way downstairs. He momentarily froze in his tracks at what he saw; his entire living room was suddenly… colourful. Banners declaring 'Happy 18th Birthday!' decorated the walls and balloons of all colours of the rainbow were littered around the floor, and as he made his way further into the living room, he noted Yamazaki pinning up the last corner of the biggest banner, one that looked hand-made despite bearing the same message as the other ones. A further assessment of his house proved that all of the Kirisaki regulars were already there; Hara was busying himself by the stove, Seto was spread on the couch, his trademark eye-mask on his face, and Furuhashi was perched by the sleeping centre's feet, reading.

Hara appeared to have just finished cooking when he walked in, and he bounded up to him, a plate in hand, "Wakeywakey eggs and bakey, birthday boy!" he greeted, much too cheerily for such an early time. Kuroko rubbed the sleep from his eyes and shot a grateful but apologetic look at the lilac-haired teen, "Thank you, Kazuya-kun, but I don't eat bacon." He apologised, at which there came a grunt from the sofa and Seto's arm shot up, brandishing a plate with steamed vegetables and rice.

"Wakeywakey vegetables and sadness." he grumbled from his position on the couch, and Kuroko giggled quietly at the words even as he took the plate, then watched as the center propped himself up on his elbow and wiggled his fingers in Hara's general direction.

"C'mon, Kazuya, you dragged me out of bed at half past eight on a Saturday, the least you could do is feed me." he whined, finally reaching up to pull off his eye-mask, levelling the lilac haired teen with a look that reminded Kuroko strongly of Nigou when he wanted to be fed. Amused, the bluenette watched as Hara whined but surrendered the plate, then he glanced around to where Yamazaki was now scavenging for food in his fridge, and frowned when he realised there was one person missing.

"Where's Makoto-kun?" he asked nobody in particular, stifling a yawn.

"He went to get the door." Furuhashi answered, reminding Kuroko of his original reason for getting up before he shut his book as he looked up at the bluenette with a soft smile. "Happy birthday, Kuroko." he added almost as an afterthought, and Tetsuya smiled, murmuring a quiet 'thank you' as he made his way to the front door to retrieve his boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Makoto was scowling at the sight before him.

He didn't mind the interruption, or the knock itself; Kuroko's neighbours were rather friendly people as he had dealt with them a couple of times in the past, and he had already been awake for a couple hours, so that was no problem. What was a problem, however, was who was actuallywaiting beyond the door; majority, if not the entirety of Seirin's basketball club, complete with their coach were all outside, all dressed in training attire with their sports bags slung over their shoulders. The moment he opened the door, he saw the redhead was about to speak, but upon recognising him, he fell silent, and his teammates just stared at Hanamiya with their eyes wide and jaws gaping and hanging somewhere by their knees.

"A-Are you sure this is the right house, Kagami?" the one Makoto recognised as the captain stuttered, clearly the first one to regain his wits. "Of course!" the redhead defended, indignant. "God knows I've walked past this place nearly everyday for the past two years!"

"Well, in that case," the female coach began, narrowing her eyes at Hanamiya who merely shot her a disinterested look. "What on earth are you doing at Kuroko-kun's house, Hanamiya?" she demanded, earning a few 'yeah!'s from the others.

The raven shrugged, smirking inwardly. "I practically live here." he admitted nonchalantly, revelling in the flabbergasted looks the confession earned. "And Tetsuya is still in bed, so I'd appreciate it if you kept your voices down." he admonished, not missing the effect his choice of words had on the group. Ah, the power of implication...

Before he could remark that they should close their mouths because the 'gaping fish' look is not the most flattering expression, he felt thin arms wrap around his middle and a forehead rest on the back of his neck. "Stop terrorising my neighbours and come back inside, Makoto-kun." Kuroko murmured, and Hanamiya openly smirked at the shocked faces before him. Unfortunately, the stupid redhead had to go and ruin the moment.

"K-Kuroko?!" he shrieked, startling the bluenette. "What the hell?!" Kuroko jumped at the volume and quickly detached himself from Makoto, squeezing past him to face his team.

"K-Kagami-kun!" he greeted shakily and bowed apologetically. "What are you all doing here?" he asked.

"There's a tournament in the park and we thought we could all go like last year!" Furihata explained, and Hanamiya saw how Kuroko's shoulders tensed at the words. "Ah, I didn't know..." he trailed off, looking to the side as he bit his lip, a habit that told Hanamiya he was conflicted.

"That's why we came to fetch you, baka!" Kagami teased, grinning at his shadow. "So hurry and get changed and we can go!" it was only because Hanamiya had kept his gaze on the bluenette through the entire exchange that he didn't miss the pleading look Kuroko sent his way. He cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around the smaller teen's waist. "I'm afraid Tetsuya can't do that. He's otherwise occupied today."

"Oh yeah?" Kagami demanded, giving the raven the stink eye. "What's more important than basketball with his team?" he snarled, and Hanamiya sighed, but was silenced before he could reply by a cheery; "It's Tet-chan's birthday, of course!" Hara exclaimed, picking the bluenette up and throwing him over his shoulder, ignoring his affronted squeak.

Seirin appeared to be in so much shock at the teen's sudden appearance that it took them a while to register his words. "B-birthday?" the pointguard finally asked, eyes wide. "Is that true, Kuroko?" the teen in question was still slung over Hara's shoulder, with the power forward's hand resting teasingly on his behind, but he paused in his attempts to get free long enough to utter an affirmative noise. There was a sudden grunt of pain from the lilac haired teen as Furuhashi appeared in Seirin's line of sight, and the brunette led Kuroko to stand next to Hanamiya, settling behind him with a hand on the small of the bluenette's back in a now-familiar hold.

"Why did you never tell us?" Hyuga asked, scowling behind his glasses, but was answered by Furuhashi's condescending deadpan instead. "Isn't it your job as his teammates to find that out?" he questioned, not missing the flash of guilt that passed through the captain's face. Kuroko tilted his head up to frown at the brunette, a quiet "Koujiro-kun." falling from his lips in admonishment, to which Furuhashi replied by running his hand gently up and down his back in a gesture that Kuroko interpreted as apologetic. The bluenette turned to face his team and a tiny frown settled between his brows, "I don't regard my birthday as particularly important, so I didn't feel the need to share it. My apologies, Hyuga-senpai, Riko-san, everyone, but I will not be able to participate in today's tournament." he bowed again, the position allowing his teammates to see the possessive hand Furuhashi still had on his back.

"That's alright, Kuroko-kun," Riko responded, when it seemed like nobody else was going to. "Just please tell me; why is the Kirisaki Daiichi team at your house?"

Again, Hara beat everyone to the explanation; "We're throwing Tet-chan his first birthday party!" he announced and popped a party-popper over Kagami's head, which drew a startled chuckle from the bluenette. "Can you believe it? Living eighteen years on this earth without a decent birthday bash?" he reached over Furuhashi to pat the bluenette on the head, then turned on his heel with a chuckle and strutted back to the kitchen. The looks on most of the faces of Seirin's basketball team were those of surprise, but some had an unquestionable 'why would you bother?' air around them. Furuhashi, apparently reading that air, glared. "We may not be the team he ended up with," he started quietly, but the cold anger in his voice still drew all eyes to him, "But we're the team he deserves." and with those words, he wrapped his arm around Kuroko's waist and led him away from the door, shooting a meaningful look at Hanamiya as he went.

Makoto regarded the group with a cool gaze, before his eyes settled on Kagami. "I'd be careful if I were you." he warned, and he could see how the redhead's shackles rose at the direct address. "I've already taught that stupid ex-captain of his what happens when you don't appreciate what's right in front of you. I won't hesitate to do the same to you." and with those words, he shut the door in their faces and headed back to the living room.

On the other side, Izuki chuckled. "I think I figured out who Kuroko's feisty girlfriend is." he announced, grinning.

(Seirin still headed to the courts, and Kagami's sense of unease only grew when they handed their team list to one of the organisers, and the man clucked his tongue, pointing at Kuroko's name. "I'm afraid that one's already signed up with a team." he declared, and Kagami paled. At the question of 'whose team', the man dug around until he produced a sheet of paper with six names on it. "Ah, a team called 'KiriDai'? I don't know much about them other than the fact that they've won the last tournament a few weeks ago." and Taiga saw exactly what Hanamiya had meant by 'I won't hesitate to do the same to you'; what he'd forgotten to mention though, was that he'd already started to do so.)

Kuroko's first official 'birthday bash' was as chaotic as the name suggested. On top of the balloons, banners, loud music, party hats, and birthday cake, a food-fight had broken out, and they were all sticky with molten ice-cream, icing, cake in their hair (Kuroko was disturbed to discover some had even gotten in his boxers; ew) and then Hara had brought out the alcohol and by the time evening rolled around, Kuroko's living room looked like a battlefield, and they were all in varying degrees of intoxication, though he reckoned that him, Makoto and Furuhashi were the least drunk, although all were pleasantly buzzed.

"Present time~!" Hara declared suddenly, and plopped himself and a poorly-wrapped lump in-front of the bluenette, vaguely waving at the others to do the same. "Ah," Kuroko gasped as the others settled around the kotatsu, not having expected presents in the slightest. "You didn't have to, Kazuya-kun." He murmured and startled at the heavy hand that landed on his head, gazing up at the taller teen in confusion. "Maybe I didn't." he hiccoughed. "But I wanted to! So you have to open it!" and Kuroko nodded, and began the painstaking job of unravelling Hara's present (it seemed that whatever the lilac-haired teen lacked in terms of wrapping talent he compensated for with sticky tape) and when he finally managed to pull out the contents, he was surprised by finding soft, navy-and-green wool, and further inspection revealed a knitted hat, scarf and gloves. "Did you make this, Kazuya-kun?" he asked curiously, gently tracing his fingers over the stitching. He was rather stunned when he raised his eyes and saw a pink blush dusting Hara's cheeks, which wasn't there before, despite his obvious intoxication.

The power-forward grunted an affirmative and looked away, mouth twisting down at Yamazaki's amused chortle. "Hana-chan told me you always get cold easily and you look good in our colours and it was stupid I know but-!" his rambling was cut off when Kuroko leaned across the kotatsu and planted a small kiss on his cheek, murmuring a; "Thank you, Kazuya-kun. I think it's lovely." Because he genuinely did – the quality of the stitching was near immaculate, and the gesture itself warmed something deep in his stomach. But when he moved to pull away, there were suddenly hands on his hips and he was yanked unceremoniously across the table and into Hara's lap and crushed against the taller teen's chest in a bone-crushing hug. "You're so cute, Tet-chan!" Kazuya cooed, and added. "If you weren't dating Hana-chan, I'd totally ask you out!" and he laughed at Makoto's annoyed warning of 'Kazuya' before loosening his grip. "I'm not going to, obviously, you can chill out, Hana-chan." He teased the raven, then reached over the table and pressed another present into Kuroko's hands. "Next one!"

The rest of the gifts Kuroko received were just as cute and thoughtful as Hara's had been – he'd gotten a boxful of books from Furuhashi, vouchers for vanilla shakes in Maji Burgers from Yamazaki, and a basketball designed specifically for outdoor use from Seto. "So you give him a basketball but I got condoms? Fuck off, Seto." Hanamiya grumbled, and when Kuroko turned to face him with a soft smile on his face, the raven met his eyes and handed him an envelope. Tetsuya frowned; it was large and heavy, and he gently unsealed it, pulling out what looked like photocopies of emails and official letters. Kuroko glanced up at Hanamiya, but the raven's face was carefully blank, so he turned his gaze to the first page, eyes widening with every word he read.

This is to confirm that Hanamiya Makoto has been accepted to Keio University's one-year post-graduate physiotherapy course that will take the role of a gap-year before he chooses a full-time university, and will give him a professionally approved qualification as a physiotherapist should he wish to pursue that path. The details of the course are listed below:

Kuroko's eyes skimmed over the details then moved onto the next letter, and his mouth dropped into a small 'o'.

In regards to your inquiry about your application to Tohoku University,

Should you get the grades you are predicted, and should you manage to accomplish what you claim to be able to in regards to basketbal, there is no reason as to why you should not be able to start your courses in the Biochemistry Department at our school starting next year. Know, however, that should your grades drop, this arrangement will be terminated and your entrance denied immediately. Our prestige as an internationally recognised university takes precedence, and we do not accept any slacking, especially in potential students.

Kind regards,

Susumu Satomi, Headmaster

With his heart feeling like it was about to jump out of his chest and the tell-tale burn of tears in his eyes, he moved onto the last sheet of paper; a hand-written letter;

Tetsuya,

I know you are aware by now of what this is about; you're not stupid, which is one of the few reasons why I'm still around you.

A tiny snort escaped the bluenette; that beginning was so Makoto-esque that he nearly rolled his eyes, but he continued reading regardless.

Neither of us is prone to frequent displays of emotion, or affection for that matter, so I will admit to being slightly thrown by that confession of yours a few weeks back; it prompted some rather serious reflection on my part. As loathe as I am to admit this, I do not really want to leave you either. Therefore, I won't. But I also won't let you stand between what I want to do in the future. I will go to Tohoku, and I will study Biochemistry, and you will come with me. They have an ancient literature department too, so fret not. I will continue coaching you through your third year, but know this; Tohoku is a prestigious university – I am willing to tutor you so you will get the required grades, but I refuse to do everything for you; start slipping, and I'll leave you behind. The physiotherapy course is merely to kill time while you're at school – I care little for the actual qualification, but it will help when we play together in university, should you get injured.

I hope that you find this a satisfactory present.

Happy 18th Birthday, Tetsuya.

"Hey, Tetsu, are you crying?"

But Kuroko ignored the question and all but threw himself from Hara's lap into Hanamiya's arms, crushing their mouths together as he wrapped his arms around the stunned raven's neck. Makoto's arms quickly came up and wrapped around his waist and he reciprocated the kiss til they were both breathless, and Kuroko pulled away and rested his forehead against Hanamiya's.

"It is so much more than 'satisfactory', Makoto-kun." He murmured, breath puffing against Makoto's chin. "Thank you so much. I love it." Something else was on the tip of his tongue, but he stopped himself, not quite feeling like they were ready to cross that particular line just yet. Instead, he pressed his lips to Hanamiya's and did his best to convey the unspoken words through the push and pull of their mouths, the tight grip of his arms around Makoto's shoulders and the smile that refused to fade from his face. Suddenly, the raven's hand tangled in his hair and pulled, and a quiet moan escaped Kuroko before he could bite it back, the mix of pleasure and pain at the action sending a shiver down his spine.

"Ehem." Someone cleared their throat beside them, and Kuroko pulled away from Hanamiya, a blush rising to his cheeks when he realised all the other Kirisaki regulars were staring at them, expressions a mix between amusement and surprise. "Save the rest for the bedroom, would you?" Seto commented, a smirk on his face.

"Honestly, Tet-chan, not that that wasn't hot as fuck, but you might wanna listen to the ape for once." Hara teased, and Kuroko found himself being pulled into the lilac-haired teen's lap for the second time that day, and Kazuya leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Otherwise I'm not promising that I won't get jealous." Hara's proximity and whispered implication sent a not-exactly-unpleasant shiver down Kuroko's spine, yet before he could really think on that, he was pulled from Kazuya's lap and sat beside Furuhashi (he huffed at being manhandled again), and the brunette sent an exasperated look at his childhood friend.

"Honestly, Kazuya, you're worse than a bitch in heat." He scowled, and Kuroko stifled a snort while Hara pouted.

"So mean, Kou-chan!" he whined, making grabby hands at Koujiro.

Yamazaki watched the spectacle unfold and facepalmed, raising long enough to grab the unopened bottles of alcohol and bring them to the kotatsu. "If this is gonna keep up then I need more alcohol." He sighed, pouring himself a generous serving. Hanamiya mirrored his sigh and held out his own glass. "That's the most reasonable thing anyone's said all night, Hiroshi." He grumbled, throwing back his head and downing his drink the moment Yamazaki finished pouring it.

Kuroko sat quietly, observing, a pleasant warmth pooling in his stomach as a surprising realisation settled in; he really, really, loved these people. A fond smile on his face, he held out his own glass, snorting quietly at Hara's wink as he downed his drink.

The rest of the night passed in much the same way - at one point, the alcohol he'd ingested had gotten even to Kazuya, and they all drifted off, one by one, ending up in a heap that was rather similar to the one they'd found themselves in the very first time. By around one in the morning, the only ones awake were Kuroko and Hanamiya, and the bluenette was leaning on the raven whose back was propped up against the front of the couch, legs stretched out on the floor before them. In the near darkness of the room, Kuroko cuddled a bit closer to Makoto's side, resting his head on the teen's shoulder, the other's am wrapped around his back, hand resting on his hip.

"Thank you, Makoto-kun." he murmured, breaking the comfortable silence between them. Hanamiya didn't verbalise his response, but he hummed and the hand on Kuroko's hip squeezed lightly and the shadow didn't have to be a genius to know the other was silently asking 'what for?'
Sighing, he relaxed even further info the raven's embrace and closed his eyes. "For the best birthday I've ever had."

It was silent for a moment, then Makoto snorted and rested his head on top of the bluenette's, "Don't be an idiot, Tetsuya." he admonished, "I hardly did anything; you've just got pathetically low standards." But even Kuroko could hear the satisfied smile in Hanamiya's voice, and he found himself mirroring it.

They were going to be okay.

The Generation of Miracles had invited Kuroko out to Maji Burger a week after his birthday as their way of celebration.

"We wanted to go out on the day, but you weren't picking up your phone." Aomine explained, grinning at his old shadow. "Found someone more important than us?" he teased, and Kuroko blushed.

"No, Aomine-kun," he denied, scowling at the taller teen when he laughed. "My friends just threw me a surprise birthday party so I didn't even get a chance to check my phone." Kuroko explained patiently, but was not expecting Kise to turn his big puppy eyes on him and tilt his head in confusion.

"What friends, Kurokocchi? We weren't there, and Kagamicchi said that all of Seirin went to the streetball tournament!" he questioned, and the bluenette barely masked a wince; the implication stung. Aomine glared at the copy-cat and Midorima scowled and smacked the blonde around the head, ignoring his pitiful whining as he scolded, "Don't be obtuse, Kise, Kuroko is entitled to have friends other than us." Kuroko directed a grateful nod at the shooting guard, but the taller teen just scoffed and looked away, adjusting his glasses.

"So mean, Midorimacchi!" Kise cried, rubbing the back of his head before he trained his eyes on the petite bluenette. "But who were they, Kurokocchi? I don't recall you mentioning anyone else you hang out with." Kuroko frowned, not feeling particularly inclined to answer, the blond's previous words still fresh in his mind, adding to the already raging fire of insecurities. What friends? Who cares about you enough to throw you a birthday party? You're not good with people, who would bother? But he chased those thoughts away and sighed. "It's not important, Kise-kun. I just wanted to apologise for missing-!"

"It was the Kirisaki Daiichi team, wasn't it?" Akashi interrupted, and Kuroko paused, not appreciating Kise's wide eyes and Aomine's startled jump. He trained his eyes on his ex-captain and nodded mutely, bristling inwardly at the unadulterated disgust that passed through the redhead's face.

"Hai," he acknowledged, unwilling to stand down. "When Kazuya-kun learned that I had never had a proper birthday party, he insisted that he had to rectify that. He, along with Koujiro-kun, Kentaro-kun, and Hiroshi-kun came over to my house and threw me a 'birthday bash', to quote Kazuya-kun. It was, surprisingly, rather enjoyable."

Aomine sent him a proud grin that reminded Tetsuya of their good days back in middle school and he smiled fondly as the taller teen moved to ruffle his hair, but Akashi's voice froze them both in their tracks.

"I take it Hanamiyawas otherwise occupied?" the redhead inquired coolly, and Kuroko briefly understood the raven's distaste of his ex-captain; his habit of assuming was rather irksome. He moved away from Aomine's hand and faced his old captain, a small frown pulling at his brows. "The reason Makoto-kun did not come over, if that's what you're implying, Akashi-kun, was because he'd stayed over the night before." he clarified, not fully understanding why he felt such an overwhelming need to justify Hanamiya, only registering the quick jolt of satisfaction that shot through him when Akashi's eyes widened marginally at the news. But the redhead's expression was soon schooled back into his aloof mask of indifference as he raised a condescending eyebrow (the look made Kuroko feel sick to his stomach; it reminded him too much of what Akashi used to be like before his defeat in their first year Winter Cup.)

"I didn't know you were in the habit of inviting strangers to your house, Tetsuya." he remarked scathingly, and Kuroko suddenly wished he had Aomine's quick temper, or Makoto's inborn defensiveness, for that would provide him with a reasonable justification as to why the redhead's words made him want to Ignite Pass him in the stomach. As it was, he was who he was, and he stuck to who he was; he quietly adjusted the bag on his shoulder, made sure his face portrayed his usual polite disinterest, and regarded Akashi with what he hoped was the same level of impassiveness as Furuhashi was renowned for. Then, he spoke.

"To tell you the truth, Akashi-kun," he addressed dully, but each word was weighted down with acid and carefully controlled fury, "you're more of a stranger to me right now than he's ever been." and with those words, he nodded at his stunned ex-teammates and left the restaurant, feeling the bitter burn of tears and a lump forming in his throat, and he briefly wondered why all the different friends he made could never get along. And why, oh why was Akashi so scathing towards Hanamiya? Despite his anger at the redhead, the thought send a chill down his spine and he whispered a quick prayer to whoever was listening up there, hoping, begging'please don't let him revert to how he was after middle school. Please. I won't be able to bear it.'

(when he got home, he had enough energy left to crawl to bed and bury himself under his blankets, teetering between the oblivion of sleep and the pain of consciousness, unable to fall either way. That was how Hanamiya had found him, and the raven took one look at him and sighed; he refrained from his usual remarks or snide commentary - instead, he grabbed a book from Kuroko's bookshelf and settled himself down beside the dozing bluenette, crossed legs thrown over Tetsuya's, his free hand running up and down the slighter teen's back.

No words were said.

None needed to be said.

And with the quiet, strong presence of the raven at his side, Kuroko fell asleep, but with a small, pleased smile pulling at his lips.)

"Kuroko!" Nijimura leapt up from his seat at the cafe as the bluenette approached him, a genuinely pleased smile on his face. "I wasn't sure you'd come considering the unsightly impression I'd made before the Winter Cup! I'm very glad you did, though." his ex-captain greeted, and Kuroko felt the corners of his lips pull up into a hesitant smile.

"You requested a second chance, and I agreed, Nijimura-senpai. Of course I came." he responded quietly as he sat himself down opposite the older teen, eyes flickering left and right as he took in his surroundings. "How have you been, senpai?" he asked instead, gaze finally settling on the raven.

Nijimura waved him off, "Fine, honestly, better than I had expected, to be perfectly honest." his grin faded into a slightly more reassuring, genuine smile, and Kuroko felt the last of the tension leave his body. "But I'm more interested in you; are you still hanging around that bunch of delinquents?" he questioned, but the teasing lilt to his words alerted Kuroko to the fact that he didn't mean the words as scathing.

And somehow, Tetsuya found himself relaxing enough to reply with more than monosyllabic answers and actually share some of the stories, pulling surprised laughs, wide eyes, and amused snorts from his ex-captain, and they had a very pleasant back-and-forth until the topic of conversation drifted to the Generation of Miracles.

"Uh-oh," Nijimura murmured as he noticed the frown that pulled at Kuroko's brows at the mention of his old teammates. "Is something wrong, Kuroko-kun?" he could see the bluenette was considering whether to tell him or not, and he made sure his face was as unassuming as he could manage and waited. Finally, Kuroko spoke, and the words that left his mouth made Nijimura freeze.

Seijuuro, you idiot. He chided internally as he thought of the redhead and his complete ignorance of how his words and actions were misinterpreted by the bluenette.

"I just don't understand what Akashi-kun's problem with Makoto-kun is." Kuroko finally admitted, and the sigh that left his lips was so weary that Nijimura promised himself he'd thoroughly chew Akashi out during their next Skype call.

He debated just outwardly telling Kuroko what exactly Akashi's problem was, but he thought that the redhead would no doubt never forgive him if he spilled his biggest secret, regardless of whether it was for his own good. Instead, he tried a more subtle approach.

"Honestly, from what you've said, Kuroko-kun, it just sounds like he's jealous." He admitted, watching the bluenette carefully for any reaction. What he got was confusion, and he sighed. Damn.

"Jealous? What does Akashi-kun have to be jealous of?" he asked rhetorically, and at Nijimura's raised eyebrow, he frowned. "Me? What do I have that he doesn't?" and Shuuzo groaned inwardly at how his junior had misinterpreted his question.

"Have you ever thought that maybe he's jealous of your relationship with Hanamiya?" he asked, all thoughts of subtlety forgotten.

Still, the only response his words earned him were wide aquamarine eyes and a disbelieving, "But he despises Makoto-kun. Why would he be jealous of me spending time with him?" this time, Nijimura really did groan out loud and facepalmed.

"I can't believe that of all the qualities that could've stayed the same since middle school, it had to be your absolute cluelessness." He whined, voice muffled by his palm. He wagered that even Murasakibara would've gotten the hint by now. Still, when he raised his eyes, Kuroko looked just as confused as he did at the start of the conversation. "Nevermind." Nijimura groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll tell Seijuuro to stop being an asshole, but I'm not getting in the middle of this otherwise." He grumbled, then quickly realised the need for a distraction when Kuroko's brows furrowed and he assessed him with the gaze that made Shuuzo feel like the bluenette could see straight through him. "Anyway, have you thought about which university you want to go to after high school?" he quickly changed the subject and almost startled when Kuroko brightened.

"I'm going to Tohokudai." The bluenette announced, and Nijimura paled.

"That's… ambitious." He finally choked out, more than aware of the university's prestigious status and he stared at Kuroko curiously, unaware that the other had such high goals.

"I will do it." Kuroko declared, and Nijimura found himself nodding along, convinced by the sheer conviction and determination shining in the bluenette's eyes. He wondered briefly how people still claimed that Kuroko had a 'weak presence' – just then, staring at his old captain with an expression that dared him to disagree, the shadow's presence was even more intense than Akashi's, and Nijimura felt he knew the exact reason for that change; after all, even he, in his short time with the teen, had realised that all that Kuroko needed to excel was someone who believed in him.

And he had a feeling that Hanamiya Makoto did so wholeheartedly, and Kuroko knew it.

It took Kagami an entire month and a half since Kuroko's birthday to ask about his relationship with Hanamiya, which was two weeks longer than Makoto had given him, and Kuroko mentally congratulated his light for his willpower. Still, the day before spring break found him all but cornered by Kagami in the locker rooms, the redhead staring at him with a mix between embarrassment and determination, and the bluenette sighed and stared at the taller teen expectantly.

"Yes, Kagami-kun?" he prompted when it seemed as if Kagami was not planning on speaking any time soon.

Shaking himself out of whatever stupor he was in, the redhead frowned, the corners of his lips downturned slightly. "Are you dating Hanamiya?" he asked in a much more coherent fashion that Kuroko had expected, and he would've almost said that Kagami was unaffected if not for the fact that less than three seconds after the words left his mouth, a bright red blush spread over his face, covering his entire neck and even the tips of his ears.

"Hai, Kagami-kun, I am." Kuroko admitted easily, inwardly amused at how the red seemed to darken and the redhead let out a noise that was a mix between a relieved sigh and a distressed groan, and covered his face with his hands and mumbled something unintelligible.

"I'm sorry?" the bluenette inquired, unable to make out the string of words that left the redhead's mouth.

"I said," Kagami began and he seemed almost mortified, "that the other two seemed rather possessive. I mean, the one with the bubblegum all but fondled you, and the dead-fish guy just. Kept. Touching. You." He choked out, and he reminded Kuroko more of a beetroot that a human by that point, and the bluenette smiled at how adorable his light was, despite his rather intimidating appearance.

He shrugged. "They're all rather affectionate, that's all." He explained, not understanding why the redhead suddenly blanched.

"'All'?" he echoed, all the colour draining from his face. "You're with them all?"

"Yes. I spend almost every weekend with them. Why?" Kuroko asked, confused. Why did Kagami look so mortified all of a sudden?

"But- How does that… work?" he questioned suddenly, his earlier distress overwhelmed by what appeared to be a sort of disturbed curiosity.

"Work? I go over after Friday's practise, we tend to go out for the evening, then stay over at Makoto-kun's place, then at night we-"

"Nevermind!" Kagami suddenly interrupted, face back to its worrying shade of red. "I-I just remembered I need to go home and, uh, walk my neighbour's dog!" he exclaimed, and before Kuroko could question that with a 'I thought you disliked dogs?' the redhead was already gone, and the bluenette was left alone in the locker rooms, wondering what it was in their conversation that had made Kagami run away like the devil himself was on his tail. He carefully reviewed their exchange in their mind, and –

Oh.

Well.

He slowly took out his phone, staring at the blank screen for a few minutes, before carefully typing the message.

-I think I broke Kagami-kun.

The reply was almost instantaneous:

-What did you do?

-I think… I think he assumed I was dating all five of you. He typed, eyebrows near his hairline even as a light blush dusted the bridge of his nose. This time, Makoto took a little longer to reply.

-Please, by all means do explain what on earth you could have said to make him think that?

Kuroko sighed and began typing, setting on the meticulous journey of retelling his conversation with his light, even as his fingers started to ache half-way through the message. Quickly reviewing what he wrote, he hit send and waited with baited breath for Hanamiya to reply.

-I'm coming over tomorrow during your practice and I'll straighten things out. You're mine.

Tetsuya could physically feel the blood rushing to his head at the declaration, his cheeks feeling hotter than they had any right to be. Before he could even begin the attempt at stringing together a coherent sentence in response, his phone buzzed again.

-And I forwarded the message to the others; Kazuya is ecstatic, Furuhashi claims he's not possessive (as if) and Seto wanted me to tell you he's laughing at you. Yamazaki is being a bore; he says you should just text your idiot teammate and straighten things out. He'll even vouch that he's not dating you if that's required.

Kuroko smiled and sent a quick 'Thank you!:)' to the shooting guard, receiving a 'np; this team needs some1 sane. glad to help.' Before he set to replying to Makoto.

-You need to study; your exams are in less than a week – I can clear things up with Kagami-kun myself. Or I'll just sic Nigou on him if he doesn't believe me. Also, please ask Kentaro-kun how he'd like it if his hair wax was to mysteriously disappear before his next game. I'm sure that could be arranged if he persists with this attitude.

There was a long pause in which he could almost see the amused smirk that no doubt graced Hanamiya's face as he read his message, but when the reply came, he almost dropped his phone.

-Fuck, Tetsuya, I fucking love you XD

Kuroko froze.

On the other end, Hanamiya did the same, eyes wide as he stared at the words he'd written not a moment ago, heart hammering madly in a mix of embarrassment and frustration. Fuck the fact that the cliché 'first love confession' was done over text, he also, of all possible emojis, just had to tack on the goddamn 'XD' – he regretted all his life's choices that had led up to this moment, where he was sat in advanced calculus, notes long forgotten, heart in his throat as he awaited a reply, for the first time understanding why Furuhashi had described him all those months ago as a 'preteen schoolgirl with a crush'. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, and he almost dropped it in his haste to see the bluenette's response.

-I love you, too, Makoto-kun. Although I hope you forgive me for forgoing the profanity.

And Hanamiya snorted, openly and loudly, completely ignoring his teacher's disapproving glare and the curious looks of his classmates as he pocketed his phone, a new, not entirely annoying warmth pooling somewhere in his chest.

Birds of a feather flock together.

"Tetsuya." Akashi greeted when Kuroko appeared at the redhead's agreed meeting point, sighing inwardly at the bluenette's puzzled look. "I'm glad you could make it."

"What is this about, Akashi-kun?" Kuroko greeted, forever blunt, even as he inclined his head in acknowledgement of Akashi's greeting.

The redhead in question shook his head, mildly exasperated, but then, Kuroko was never the type to beat around the bush. "I've asked you here to... apologise, in a sense." he admitted, unable to stifle a quiet chuckle at the bluenette's startled jump.

Kuroko would admit to being mildly apprehensive of meeting with the redhead, especially after their last group outing for his birthday; the impression Akashi had left had been far from favourable. Yet, hearing those words from his old captain, despite having wanted an apology after his distasteful show and scathing attitude towards Makoto, he couldn't quite believe his ears. Wordlessly, he stared at the redhead inquiringly, daring him to elaborate.

"I've been informed by a, ah, reliable source, that I need to be more forward in my intentions towards you, Tetsuya." Akashi declared, waiting for the spark of comprehension top dawn in Kuroko's eyes.

That spark never came.

"'Intentions', Akashi-kun?" the bluenette parrotted, oblivious to his friend's building frustration.

Gritting his teeth, Akashi willed the desire to flee and preserve his dignity away, knowing he would not survive the incessant teasing Nijimura would dish out onto his person upon learning he'd chickened out. He could already imagine the taunts; 'I thought Akashis didn't get cold feet?' or ' aren't you supposed to be an heir or some shit?' and most likely 'it's just Kuroko, what's the worst he could do, stare you to death?'

Yeah, no, he wasn't going to put himself through that.

"I like you, Tetsuya." he announced, loud and clear, despite wanting nothing more than to flee the scene at such an infantile declaration.

"I like you, too, Akashi-kun, although it wouldn't hurt if you were a bit more hospitable towards my other friends." Kuroko replied, blinking curiously, not understanding the reason for the sudden tension in the air.

(Akashi low-key wanted to bang his head against the table between them, and that was saying something about how disastrous the situation was because the redhead went out of his way to make sure he never did anything low-key.)

"No, Tetsuya." he forced out, unable to quite resist pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration as he decided to just spell it out, abandoning all sense of subtlety or tact. "I am romantically interested in you. I would like to court you, should you allow it."

After more than a minute of silence, the redhead chanced a glance at his partner, groaning out loud at what appeared to be Kuroko's brain disconnecting from the rest of his body; the bluenette's face was blank , the only hint that he even heard Akashi's words being the ridiculous widening of his eyes and his mouth agape in a tiny 'o'. Despite being the picture of frozen shock outwardly, inwardly, Kuroko was, for lack of a better word, freaking the fuck out.

Suddenly, all those taunts and jokes by Hanamiya about how "beautiful jealousy was" and how "Kuroko not having a clue just made it more fun" and Nijimura's not so subtle "It sounds like he's jealous" made sense. Yet, the only thought that was circuiting in Kuroko's mind was a half-awed half-disturbed Akashi-kun has feelings for me Akashi-kun has feelings for me. Me. Akashi-kun. and if he were to write the emotions surrounding that revelation, the only thing he could come up with would probably be '?¿?!'

He wasn't aware how much time passed, but it must've been a while since Akashi finally cleared his throat making Kuroko's eyes snap towards him, and, almost sheepishly, inquired, "Your answer, Tetsuya?"

And Kuroko forcefully calmed the freakout and focused on piecing together a coherent sentence. "Despite the fact that I'm very, um, flattered, Akashi-kun," he paused, averting his eyes from the redhead's expectant expression, "I must decline." guilt stabbed at his stomach when Akashi's face fell slightly, but he recovered in record time.

"Very well." he murmured, an odd tone to his usually even voice. "I suppose that was to be expected. May I just ask," and Kuroko snapped to attention, curious. "Why? Are you not yet ready for a serious relationship, or do you not find my company pleasant, or...?" for the first time since he'd met him, Kuroko heard Akashi sound almost insecure, so he was quick to reassure.

"It's nothing like that, Akashi-kun, I'm just... already involved with someone else." he did not miss how Akashi's eyes widened at the news, and Kuroko briefly cursed his luck that the first person from the Generation of Miracles to find out about his relationship with Hanamiya just had to be his old captain.

"Who?" Akashi asked bluntly, and Kuroko had a feeling the question had slipped out before he could quite stop it, and he smiled slightly at this rarely seen, unguarded Akashi.

"Makoto-kun, actually." he replied, the admission coming much easier than he'd expected, and the redhead stared at him, as if trying to figure out if he was saying he truth, before a short chuckle escaped him.

"That's why you were so defensive." he murmured, and Kuroko frowned, but Akashi waved him off. "I apologise; I did not know the extent of your relationship and I think my displeasure at how much time you were spending with Hanamiya showed a bit more than I planned for it to. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me again, Tetsuya, and I hope that despite my confession, we can still continue as friends."

A bright grin split Kuroko's face. "I'll forgive you as soon as you promise to be a bit more pleasant towards Makoto-kun and his team." he cautioned, at which Akashi nodded, making his grin widen. Realising they still haven't ordered, he pushed his luck, "Then, in honour of our friendship, will you let me buy you coffee?" he teased, but his smile faded when Akashi's relaxed expression turned sour.

"Don't be foolish, Tetsuya." he scolded harshly, and Kuroko cowered. "I invited you out, of course I'm paying. You can pay for milkshakes afterwards." he elaborated, and Kuroko's eyes widened before his grin returned. "Hai, Akashi-kun!"

The rest of the day passed pleasantly, and when Kuroko returned home and told Hanamiya of the day's events, the raven had laughed until there were tears in his eyes and kissed Kuroko until they were both breathless, and the evening was spent lazily making out on the sofa while trying (and failing) to pay attention to some movie Hanamiya had recommended they watch, though neither was too bothered by the fact that when the ending credits rolled about, neither Hanamiya nor Kuroko could tell you more about the movie than the name of the main character.

Kuroko's third year of high school passed much too quickly for his taste.

Hanamiya was, as promised, right there by his side throughout, an unmovable, undeterred support, though a force to be reckoned with if he thought Kuroko was overworking himself or not working hard enough. Their combined stubbornness ("Determination." Makoto had corrected) had resulted in Seirin winning the Winter Cup again in their third year, and Kuroko had aced all the mock exams and tests and quizzes his teachers had thrown at the third years, yet, even with that comfort, he could not stop his nails from digging into his palms as he awaited the moment the results were published, sat nervously in front of his PC, refreshing the national results page every few minutes, the rest of the old Kirisaki Daichi team gathered around him, as they had insisted on being there to 'support their darling kouhai on doomsday'. Hanamiya was sat beside him on his chair, elbowing him once in a while when he dug his nails too deeply or gnawed too hard on his lip. Finally, the PC pinged and Kuroko pressed F5 so quickly he almost missed the key, the others leaning toward the screen as they found his name.

Kuroko Tetsuya:

Ancient Japanese: 97
Biology: 84
Calligraphy: 91
Chemistry: 87
Earth Science: 89
English: 86
Ethics: 88
Government/Economics: 90
History: 92
Home Economics: 91
Japanese Literature: 96
Mathematics: 85
Modern Japanese: 94
Physical Education: 72
Physics: 83

Overall: 88.33 (A)

A stunned silence settled around them, and Kuroko stared at the screen as if to make sure what he was seeing was actually there. He couldn't quite believe the bright and bold '97' that stared back at him, nor the fact that he didn't score anything below 70, even on his most dreaded subjects.

"Holy shit." Hara finally whispered, for once too shocked too chew his ever-present gum, even going so far as to brush his fringe back to squint at Kuroko's results, as if he too couldn't quite believe them.

"This- What the fuck did you do, Makoto?" Seto gaped, and it was the first time Kuroko had heard the center stutter.

Hanamiya was oddly calm, though there was a proud smirk on his lips, as if he'd expected nothing less. "You beat me in Ancient Japanese. Congratulations, Tetsuya." He murmured, pressing a light kiss to the bluenette's temple, but he drew back when Kuroko's phone vibrated around ten times in quick succession. He picked up the device and passed it over to the shadow, a curious look on his face, and he settled behind him along with the rest of his old team to read over his shoulder.

From: Kise-kun

-Uwaaa, Kurokocchi! O.O Your score is incredible! It's higher than Midorimacchi's! _ I had no idea you were so smart! Wooo! WELL DONE KUROKOCCHI! I'M SO PROUD!

Kuroko quickly scrolled past the embarrassing message, but the next one was no better;

From: Aomine-kun

-88.33. whadda fuck? what the actual fuck, tetsu? are you secretly a robot? that would explain the lack of expression hmm. but srsly, wtf? even midorima scored lower.

The one from Kagami was not much different.

From: Kagami-kun

-I don't know whether to be awed or terrified. I thought Tatsuya was a monster for getting 84.

He groaned, but opened the other messages regardless.

From: Nijimura-senpai

-Congratulations! Tohokudai really is in sight for you; I apologise for doubting you. Meet for coffee soon? My treat?

Something warm bloomed in his chest at the supportive message, and he saw the corner of Hanamiya's mouth curl up, and he realised that with a few words, Nijimura had fixed the less than favourable first impression he'd made on the raven.

From: Midorima-kun

-Yoo well done shadow-boy! Shin-chan is sulking in the corner so I stole his phone! He's not likely to forget the 0.7% anytime soon, so you might wanna watch out!;P

The next one had Hanamiya scowling.

From: Shouichi-kun

-I wonder what motivation Makoto-chan used… hmm… Maybe I should've offered to tutor you instead – I'm sure we both would've enjoyed my methods ;)

"Tch." Makoto scoffed. "As if." Kuroko shared an exasperated glance with Furuhashi, and moved onto the next message, fingers freezing over the cursor.

From: Akashi-kun

-Congratulations, Tetsuya. Although I still do think you could have scored higher had I been the one to tutor you.

Despite having fixed his relationship with his old captain, the self-assuredness still annoyed Kuroko; before he had really registered what he was doing, his fingers had already hit send, and he suddenly registered the silence that settled around the room as they all stared at his response.

-Thank you, although I sincerely doubt that would have been the case, Akashi-kun.

He scrolled back to the top of the page til his eyes fell on the name he was searching for: Akashi Seijuuro: overall: 89.6

"What did you get, Hanamiya?" Seto questioned and Kuroko turned to face his boyfriend who had a confident smirk on his face.

"91.2." he admitted easily, eyes meeting Tetsuya's. "Shouichi got 94, but we've already established that he's a nerd." Kuroko snorted and he felt the last of the tension leave his shoulders. Then, just as he was about to shut off his computer, a quiet ping that signified an e-mail drew his attention back to the screen. He opened his messenger and his heart skipped a beat at the subject of the email;

Congratulations on your acceptance to Tohoku University.

The look on Hanamiya's face when he turned to smile at Kuroko was worth all the stress and arguments and late-night cramming they'd gone through in the past year. And Makoto's enthusiasm in bed that evening after all the old Kirisaki regulars left only reassured Kuroko that his decision really was the right one; and that loving Hanamiya was not a mistake.

…

Eight months later

Rumours had reached Kise about some university up north with a basketball team that had disappearing passes and unexplainable steals as their M.O. As soon as his brain processed the words and his heart skipped a beat, he didn't hang around and instead, without any further ado, sent a mass text to all the people he could think of, the words simple enough:

-I know where Kurokocchi is!

The response had been immediate.

They were all starved from information from their favourite shadow, as the bluenette had pulled the same disappearing act as he had at the end of middle school; after the university entrance exams, he'd attended the farewell party thrown by Seirin's basketball club, where even the old members like Hyuga and Izuki had come, then he'd called the Generation of Miracles down to the courts for a three-on-three before they all split for the spring break. His ex-teammates didn't question him, enjoying the games, the competitive air, and the ability to play together without restraint. They'd said their goodbyes, their 'till next time!'s, and left with grins on their faces.

The next day, Kuroko had disappeared.

When Akashi, uncharacteristically but justifiably worried, had dug around till he had found the bluenette's address, the other Miracles tagged along with him because this was Kuroko, damn it, they owed it to him. When they arrived at the house Akashi's address had pointed them to, the door had been opened by an elderly lady who had introduced herself as Tetsuya's grandmother, and had invited them in, albeit with poorly hidden sadness in her eyes that had perplexed them all.

That confusion cleared quite quickly after she sat them down and told them the same story she had told Hanamiya nearly two years earlier, and the five teens were startled to realise how much their ignorance had cost their shadow. The thing she'd said afterwards had nearly made Kise cry.

"He said that he's not leaving forever; he'll plant his roots elsewhere, and when he's ready, he'll come back. He does love you, even after everything. Trust in him."

But after eight months of no Kurokocchi, Kise felt justified to take matters into his own hands and go guns blazing in pursuit of the bluenette.

The train ride to Kuroko's university had taken two hours, and during that time, the Generation of Miracles, plus all of Seirin who had been able to gather, old and new members alike, were wondering why their shadow had gone to such lengths to keep his destination secret from them. Upon arriving though, as their gazes fell on the university grounds and Kise finally registered why the name Tohokudai had rang a bell, their jaws dropped.

"Wasn't this the school you were trying to get into, Midorimacchi?" the blonde asked quietly, staring in awe at the grand establishment. Midorima nodded mutely, equally surprised.

"Kuroko got in here?!" Hyuga exclaimed, Izuki by his side seeming equally flabbergasted. "Don't get me wrong, he never seemed stupid, but god damn."

"He did score something like 89 on his entrance exams, too, didn't he?" Koganei questioned rhetorically.

"Oi, Seijuuro!"

All heads swivelled over to the source of the voice, and Seirin was surprised to find a fairly normal-looking raven make his way in their direction, but what was even more surprising were the reactions of the Miracles.

"Nijimura-chin." Murasakibara grunted, clearly surprised – the expression looked almost cute on the giant's face; the childish disbelief and excitement providing a great contrast to his usual indifference.

"Nijimura-senpai?" Midorima looked equally shocked, and it was the first time anyone had heard the shooting guard address anyone with the 'senpai' honorific.

"Shuuzo." Akashi greeted, eyebrow raised. "I didn't think you'd actually come."

The raven snorted. "Of course I came. You think I'd leave Kuroko-kun to fend for himself when all of you no doubt try to all but assault him?"

Kagami frowned. "Who are you though?" he asked bluntly, which earned him a prompt smack to the head from Riko and an admonishment of 'Manners, Kagami!'

Nijimura seemed almost amused. "I'm Nijimura Shuuzo. I was in charge of babysitting these brats," he gestured at the Miracles, "in my second year at Teiko. Pleased to meet you."

(all of Seirin, both old and new members sighed or facepalmed when Riko all but swooned at the charming introduction)

At Kagami's still-blank face, Midorima sighed. "Nijimura-senpai was Teiko's captain through most of his first and second year." He explained.

"Yeah, so if any of you," Nijimura gestured at the teens gathered around him, the look in his eyes daring. "ever complain about how hard it is having one 'miracle' on your team, imagine having six of them."

And Seirin felt a sense of respect for the young man before them, til Aomine startled them from their awed silence. "Are we actually gonna try and find Tetsu or are we just gonna stand here and reminisce like old farts?"

Nijimura snorted. "As always, you have no tact." He shook his head, then moved to walk in front of Akashi. "Let's go."

Finding the sports hall was not too difficult. What was difficult, however, was finding a spot on the bleachers.

"But it's a Saturday!" Kise wailed. "All I was expecting was a practise, not a real match!"

"It's playoff season up here, idiot." Nijimura admonished, looking around. "Kuroko did say they were going to be playing the qualifiers soon, so I guess that justifies the crowd." he mused, earning startled glances from the others.

"You've been in touch with him?" Midorima inquired, but Nijimura waved him off. "I knew where he was going, so when he stopped messaging me, I did a similar thing to you and just invaded one of his training sessions and lectured him about proper respect for his senpais."

(Riko had permanent hearts in her eyes as she gazed at the Rainbow Captain)

"There's an empty spot there!" Koganei announced, pointing a few metres to their left, at standing places by the banister where they might all manage to fit and have a clear view of the court. "Has the game started yet?" he asked rhetorically.

It turned out that the half-time break was just coming to an end, and as they all took their places, they were surprised to find the score being 66-62 in Tohokudai's favour. "That's quite an intense game." Hyuuga remarked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

Just then, the refree called both teams back on court, and the Miracles and Seirin both were shocked at what they saw; "Kuroko's vice-captain?"

The number 5 on Kuroko's jersey was unmistakable, the navy contrasting pleasantly with the white material made the numbers clearly visible.

"More importantly; Hanamiya is the Captain?"

Hanamiya and Kuroko walked on court side-by-side, 4&5 emblazoned proudly on their chests, the rest of their team surrounding them, all a good head or more taller (Seirin was surprised to find large, relaxed smiles on their faces - the game was far from over, and could easily tip in favour of the other team; how could they be so relaxed?) Somewhere beside them, someone laughed. "So they're putting in the genius first year duo. Damn, Tohokudai is getting serious."

The Generation of Miracles exchanged curious looks - surely, they didn't mean-?

"Excuse me," Riko inquired quietly, a frown creasing her brows. "Who do you mean?"

The man who'd made the comment grinned. "That number 4 and 5 - apparently, the number 4 turned up to training and immediately challenged the at-the-time captain for his position." he explained, and Seirin rolled their eyes, exasperated. Of-fucking-course Hanamiya would do something like that, his ego knew no- "The best thing was, my buddy told me, that he proposed a match between the first string regulars against him with the tiny number five. If the regulars won, those two would never show their face there again, but if they lost, he'd become captain and both him and the lil blue kid would become first stringers. Funniest thing was, they bulldozed over the regulars with some crazy disappearing passes and impossible steals." He laughed. "I called bullshit on the story - passes can't disappear. But damn, since I've seen them play, there's no other way I'd describe it."

There was a sudden commotion down in the court and they realised that the game was back in play and in Hanamiya's possession. The man they'd been talking with settled comfortably against the banister, chin in his hand and a grin on his face. "This is gonna be good."

Just as he finished speaking, three things happened in almost too-quick-to-follow succession: the ball left Hanamiya's hands and travelled to the right wing, the defense moving with it; Hanamiya raised his hand and snapped his fingers; the ball was sent to the center, the defense ended up collapsing right under the basket, then suddenly, the ball was in the left wing player's hands and swishing through the net in a graceful three-pointer.

Cheers broke out in the bleachers, and Tohokudai's team had smug grins on their faces, crowding around the petite bluenette and patting him on the back- where did he come from?!

"I didn't even see him move." Kagami breathed, disbelieving. Aomine merely nodded, stunned and staring at his shadow in a mixture of confusion and determination.

"Akashi?" Midorima asked, hoping the redhead would shed some light on the situation, but the teen was staring at the court in a mix of surprise and awe. "I... don't know what to tell you, Shintaro." he eventually admitted.

The other team had missed the shot, and the ball was back in Tohokudai's possession; Akashi's eyes were wary, tracking Kuroko's every move, to the point where he didn't even realise Hanamiya had simply dribbled the ball through the defense and scored an easy lay-up til the referee had blown his whistle. Mildly startled, his eyes zeroed in on the smug smirk on Hanamiya's face as he bumped fists with the bluenette.

"He didn't seem to disappear that time." Riko murmured, a frown creasing her brows.

In the next few minutes, Kuroko's team had managed to draw ahead by 16 points, and the other team was slowly losing their composure, their anger and frustration turning their defense aggressive, while their offense became more dynamic. While the referee called the fouls, by the end of the third quarter, the gap had gradually dwindled back to 6 points, and the Generation of Miracles turned to regard Hanamiya and their old shadow, fully expecting them to be just as frustrated as the other team had been. They did not expect to find the entire Tohokudai team sporting confident smirks and relaxed postures.

"What the hell?" Kagami demanded, seeming to voice the thoughts of most of Seirin present. The tiger-like redhead leaned over the barrister and raised his voice, "Oi, Kuroko, what the fu-!" but he was interrupted by an even louder; "Show 'em who's boss here, Tet-chan!" from somewhere to their left. Kuroko's eyes snapped to the caller, and a fond, exasperated smile graced his face, though he nodded and nudged Hanamiya, who, even without looking, flipped the bird at whoever had shouted the encouragement. "So rude, Hana-chan!" but the rest of the complaint was drowned out by the referee's whistle, calling both teams back on court. Kuroko's team was the first to go on defense, and the way the bluenette positioned himself had Hyuuga drawing in a startled breath, though at Koganei's concerned look, he shook his head dismissively. After all, it couldn't be.

...Right?

When Hanamiya dove to steal the ball and sent it flying to their already sprinting centre for an easy lay-up, he dismissed it as lucky coincidence.

But after the next dozen points scored in the same way, he couldn't ignore it any longer. Kuroko was cooperating with Hanamiya on the Spider's Web.

"They aren't going to score any more points this game." the man whom they had been talking to before uttered, peeling himself from the banister and stretching lazily. "This game is over." Kagami looked ready to protest, or demand an explanation, but Akashi stopped him.

"Imayoshi said that during your game with Hanamiya's team, Tetsu's unpredictable passes freed Hyuuga, and he broke out the others. The team Tetsu is playing now has no pass specialist, and, probably, no one crafty enough to come up with a similar solution. This game is done. The only question is, whether they will bulldoze over their opponents, or toy with them." he cast a meaningful look at the scoreboard which now read 98-76 and smirked.

"I didn't know Kuroko-kun was capable of-"

"Yeah, well, apparently there were a lot of things you didn't know Tetsu could do." a bored voice cut Riko off, and the Miracles plus Seirin turned to face a familiar centre.

"Nijimura." the teen nodded at the ex-captain.

"Seto." the raven responded in kind.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kagami demanded, always quick to accuse.

Seto raised a bemused eyebrow. "Supporting my friends, of course. How about you?"

Kagami gaped at the teen, struggling to come up with a response. "I think the words you're looking for, tiger-chan, are 'stalking my old friend'." A cheery voice supplied from behind Seto just before the obnoxious sound of chewed bubblegum reached their ears.

"You too?" Aomine gaped this time, eyes narrowing at the lilac-haired teen.

"Of course." Kazuya responded, nonplussed. "What sort of family would we be if we didn't support our babies?" he asked rhetorically, and whined when a hand connected with the back of his head.

"Stop spouting nonsense, Kazuya." Furuhashi scolded, though his face was as inexpressive as ever when he turned to regard Seirin and the Miracles. "I recommend you make your way down now if you want to avoid getting trampled; the game is almost over." When Akashi chanced a glance at the shot-clock, he found that the brunette was right – only 15 seconds remained of the game, and the score was a brutal 114-76 in Kuroko's favour.

"There's only a few seconds left." Akashi announced. "Do you not wish to see the last play?" he asked the ex-Kirisaki players, and was surprised at the tiny smirk that graced Furuhashi's face.

"No, thank you." He replied, though the mysterious glint in his eyes remained. "They always do the same thing anyway."

Alarmed, Seirin and the Miracles turned back to observe the game, just in time to witness Hanamiya tip the ball for the nth time, and it sailed gracefully straight into Kuroko's waiting hands; their opponents too weary and angry to chase them in the final seconds. A laugh sprang from Kuroko's lips as he passed the ball back to Hanamiya, both running parallel to each other towards their basket, and then, just a few steps away, he pushed off the ground, momentum carrying him up, up, and still climbing higher, til he received the ball just as the elbow of his outstretched arm was level with the rim, and he guided the ball through the rim and net just as the buzzer rang out, then dropping lightly to land beside the now still ball, sharing an excited grin with the raven as they both turned to regard the scoreboard; 116-76.

"Kuroko-"

"Dunked?!"

They soon made their way down to the courts, the crowd around them slowly trickling out of the sports hall, some still cheering or sending loud congratulations. Kuroko and Hanamiya were surrounded by the old Kirisaki squad, but the bluenette soon spotted them, and froze.

To their surprise, he only sighed and levelled Nijimura with an exasperated look. "You could've been a little less vague, senpai." He chastised, drawing a laugh from the raven.

"You could've stopped with the disappearing act after middle school, Kuroko, seriously, I'm starting to think you like making people look for you."

A frown pulled at the bluenette's brows. "You know it was nothing like that." He denied, not seeming to notice the hand that Makoto placed on his back to ground him, despite the fact that its presence was making Aomine turn greener and greener by the minute.

"I know." Nijimura shot back. "They don't."

"I don't appreciate being referred to as if I'm not here, nanodayo." Midorima interrupted, drawing a peculiar expression from Kuroko; he looked half surprised, half as if he were about to keel over laughing.

Alas, he composed himself and responded in his usual manner. "Ah, my apologies, Midorima-kun. Perhaps Nijimura-senpai is right and I do owe you an explanation." But he didn't appear too apologetic; in fact –

"Why are you so giddy, Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara mumbled around some pocky, purple eyes shining with open curiosity.

"Giddy?" Kuroko echoed, ignoring Makoto's snort. He shot a puzzled look at the Kirisaki players, but all seemed to be hiding their laughter (apart from Kazuya, who was already leaning on Furuhashi and shaking with the force of his laugh). "I'm not sure I understand what you're referring to; I'm always like this, Murasakibara-kun." Hanamiya propped his chin on Kuroko's shoulder and murmured something in his ear (at this point it wasn't only Aomine who was going green). "Ah, right – I do still owe you an explanation." His eyes fell on Akashi. "Would you like to come to dinner? Makoto-kun and I live nearby, and we were already going to cook for the others" – he gestured at the old Kirisaki regulars behind him – "so if you want, you can come along." He offered.

Kise frowned. "Why were you going to cook for them?" he asked, at the same time as Furihata blurted, "You and Hanamiya live together?!" which drew a laugh from Kuroko.

It didn't seem that the rest of Seirin had paid much attention to that particular part of what he'd said, and they now stared at him in a mixture of shock and awe.

"Call it a tradition of sorts," Kuroko replied, addressing a shell-shocked Kise, before turning to Furihata. "and yes, we do. Considering the fact that he spent most of my third year of high school living at my apartment anyway, we decided that a shared apartment would not be much difference, especially since we both chose the same university." He smiled, finally linking his fingers with Makoto's insistent ones. "Anyway, are you coming, or not?"

An hour or two later, surrounded by the comfortable warmth of Kuroko's surprisingly cosy apartment, watching as the bluenette bustled around the kitchen, his movements in perfect sync with Hanamiya's as they stirred pots, added ingredients, and pulled dishes from the oven – occasionally pausing to reassure Riko that really, they're almost done, she doesn't need to help, they're sure – he realised that this was where Kuroko belonged. He had dismissed Murasakibara's accusation of being 'giddy', but Akashi had to admit, there was some truth to the giant's words: he was buzzing with a sort of energy that Akashi had only ever witnessed a few times on court, yet as Kuroko slapped Hara's hands away from the various pots with the spatula, handed finished dishes and cutlery to Furuhashi, and raised a bemused eyebrow at Hanamiya and Seto's argument over – if Akashi heard right – destroying the sanctity of rice by adding soy sauce, Akashi felt a rueful smile tug at his lips at the realisation that he and the other Miracles couldn't have provided the same level of comfort for the bluenette – their history was too much to just push aside.

He was almost ready to thank the old Kirisaki players for what they'd done for his old crush, when a shout from the kitchen drew his attention;

"Kazuya-kun, Kise-kun, stop fighting over the pie, you'll-!"

A sweet, crumbly substance collided with Akashi's face, followed by an even sweeter, sticky substance trickling all the way from his chin and undoubtedly staining the collar of his crisp white shirt.

"– send it flying."

Slowly, Akashi wiped away the remaining cream that was obscuring his vision, his monochromatic eyes falling on the paper-white faces of the two troublemakers.

Perhaps he really should reintroduce people to his scissors.

Finally done!

Tell me what you think in a review!

I have taken some liberties with how end-of-highschool exams are done. Hope that's not too confusing.

I might add another chapter - it'll be more like a drabble though - with Kirisaki boys, Kuroko, GoM & Seirin, plus the promised HanaKuro interaction (the, not-quite-smut-but-definitely-not-fluff at the locker rooms ;)) if people would like it. I would've added it to this one, but by the time I remembered, it was already 20k words xD

Til next time!