Kiss 003

He had started to come here again.

At this deserted, worn-down street ball court forgotten amongst asphalt and graffiti-covered walls and high fences, Aomine was at the top of his game.

A long time ago, he used to practise his heart out at places like these, picking up the street style of basketball before any coach had the chance to tell him what was right or wrong. That was, before. Before he surpassed them all. Before it started to bore him senseless.

The present was yet again different.

Aomine relished in the way the ball felt against his finger pads and the cool evening air filling his lungs. Sweat beaded on his skin, hotly trickling down his face and arms as his muscles tensed up and he charged forward, fuelled by the memory of red, sparkling eyes challenging him.

His brain followed the movements of his body rather than the opposite, as he let out his explosive power in a fast dribble, a blink-of-an-eye change of pace, following a cross-over switch, before he turned within a heartbeat; scoring effortlessly from the division line.

Wiping the sweat off his face with the front of his shirt, the Ace of Touou felt a smile tug at his features as he ran and fetched the ball. Damn, this was really...

A faint sluuurp made him stop dead in his tracks.

Kuroko was seated on the bench next to the court where he had left his belongings, drinking a milkshake while impassively staring right at him.

"Damnit, Tetsu!" Aomine growled. "Don't do that!"

"Do what?" Kuroko said in a questioning tone, tilting his head to the side in a gesture of innocence.

Although Aomine knew him well enough to wonder how genuine that innocence actually was, he exhaled slowly and ran a hand over his face. He, if anyone, should be used to this.

"It's just... it's been a while." He muttered, feeling his face soften against his will. Now when Tetsu was here, it felt even more like the old days.

"What do you want, anyways?" he asked as he walked up to the bench and picked up his hoodie, pulling it over his head.

"I thought Aomine-kun might be playing. I came to watch."

"You're late, I was just leaving." Aomine shrugged in an act of unconcern, although he was fighting back a smile.

"I've seen enough."

Kuroko's voice held that special-little-something, which Aomine had learnt to apprehend a long time ago, a low purr underneath the layers of monotony. He slowly turned his eyes to the other boy, already sort of knowing what he would see in those blue pools of mysteries.

Mischief.

The smaller boy did not stand. He merely grabbed Aomine's hoodie laces and tugged them, so that the taller teen was forced to lean in, bringing their lips together. Kuroko's tongue was cold and tasted like vanillashake. As it playfully met with his though, Aomine felt a warm tingle spread through his body – defrosting, soothing.

For some reason, that was the effect Kuroko had always had on him.

Aomine straightened his back when the blue-haired little devil broke the kiss and let go off his laces, face betraying no emotion.

"You're the same as always, Tetsu," he half-smiled, half-scowled.

"Same could be said for Aomine-kun," stated Kuroko. He picked up a magazine from Aomine's open bag. "You're still into this type of girls, right?" he asked, pointing at the incredibly busty girl on the cover.

The dark-skinned boy grinned.

"Well, yeah. I guess."

"Then how about Alex?"

"Huuuuh? What about her?" Aomine frowned, clueless as to what Kuroko was getting at.

"She has big boobs. Yet, you never look at her."

"That's cause she's always with Kagami." Aomine replied before thinking.

Kuroko dropped the magazine and picked up his milkshake again. Straw in mouth, he gave Aomine a long look.

"What difference does it make if she is?"

Aomine blinked. His thoughts were suddenly in disarray.

Being one of few persons able to detect the rascality hidden beneath Kuroko's guiltless appearance, Aomine did not miss the hint. He used to love that side of Tetsu. Yet now, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable. For the first time, Kuroko's direct stare bothered him.

Looking away, he awkwardly scratched his head.

"He's special," he mumbled. "It's that... the kind you can't keep your eyes off, even if you try."

Silence.

Aomine was surprised to notice how fast his heart was beating, and he turned to the other boy feeling oddly apprehensive. He met with the rarest, most beautiful thing.

Kuroko was smiling.

"I know," he said.