Beastly Call

by TCon

"You mean," Kuroko started. "You'd be my Heat Partner?" He didn't expect Kagami to explode into a myriad of different shades of red more impressive than his own hair. "Y — yeah tha's what I'm sayin!" for some reasons he lapsed into english with an odd accent. KagaKuro & side-pairs A/B/O Dynamics & Sex Pistols AU - Fusion

3. the First Call

A/N: Holy crap, thanks for the faves/alerts/subscriptions/kudos/comments/reviews/views guys! They made my day. :D

I have thought about how long this fic is going to be. And I'd say that I will not be writing more than 10 - 13 chapters, given how I write long chapters (I always feel like I haven't wrapped up the chapter decently enough and/or haven't written enough about my OTPs). It fact, it may be even less!

More pairing highlights and unexpected outcomes. This chapter's probably too long, but long is good, right? :D

UPDATED: This chapter is proof-read by IAmTheAnon! :-D

Weremanity Glossary

Homosexuality: Despite Primates' beliefs, homosexuality is common practice among selective species in the animal kingdom, thus it is not regarded as unusual for the Werepeople to engage in such relations. In retrospect, the invention of Parasites that allow the creation of temporary womb and pseudo penis have allowed same-sex partners to produce children, which ultimately benefited the community in whole. This has further promoted the role of homosexuality and bisexuality in their community.

Pregnancy: Werepeople's pregnancy phase differs from Primates'. While the Primates species take about 9 to 10 months of pregnancy until childbirth, the length of gestation for Werepeople depends on their respective species; small mammals species may only need 4 to 5 months for the foetus to fully mature, while larger species may require longer. The child is in their True Form during incubation period and is also born as such, thus Werepeople's pregnancy is not always obvious in appearance. Depending on the species of the child, it may take several weeks to a full year for the child to grow into human form.

Endangered Species: Fertility has been ongoing issues for the Werepeople. Several species have gone extinct due to similar problems, either by infertility or the inability to produce children that inherit the rarer parent's breed. Those who are within the list of endangered species are given special treatment and put under close surveillance by the government and certain interested parties.

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Beastly Call

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Chapter 3: The First Call

—

"Kuroko, it appears that you have finally started dating Kagami."

Kuroko didn't feel like asking the meaning behind that 'finally' in Midorima's statement.

"We are not exactly dating, Midorima-kun,"

He had to point out the fact, though.

"Ah, is that so …?"

Midorima pushed up the bridge of his specs with one hand, the other was hugging a Rilakkuma head pillow plushy. It looked as ridiculously out off character as it sounded — even more so than the usual. "He is your Heat Mate, then? After all, it will soon be the scheduled time."

"Yes, that is a more correct term for it." Kuroko took a sip of his Vanilla shake, rolling the drink in his hand idly.

Midorima looked at him quietly, with the expression he always wore whenever he attempted to figure out what Kuroko was thinking. Sometimes his keen interest in reading Kuroko could be so unnerving. Seconds passed, and after it had been half a minute, Kuroko raised an eyebrow and threw the other man a questioning look.

That one, Midorima was able to interpret. "Please don't mind me. I am merely intrigued, as I don't remember ever seeing you claim a mate before." He cleared his throat. "I had some suspicions towards you and Aomine, however."

Kuroko shook his head slightly.

"Aomine and I were never like that. We were just good friends."

"Despite your apparent closeness to him during Teikou?"

Kuroko had looked at him weirdly. "I think there has been a misunderstanding, Midorima-kun. We are only close in friendship, I assure you."

Midorima's jade eyes narrowed slightly. "… Never mind then. I will not criticise your choice in mates, however —" he paused. "I think Akashi would appreciate a heads up from you. He does not fancy being left out of updates, especially when it concerns his subjects."

"I believe the Shogunate era had ended hundreds of years ago, Midorima-kun, but I will keep that in mind."

After all, Akashi did have an almost obsessive determination to keep in touch with his Teikou ex-teammates. However oddly creepy it might seem.

A figured strode past Kuroko and stopped by the table he and Midorima was occupying. It was Shuutoku's Point Guard, Takao Kazunari, looking slightly out of breath.

"Shin-chan! Thanks for waiting — oh hey, Kuroko. What's up?"

"Good evening, Takao-kun." Kuroko greeted politely.

"You're late, Takao."

Midorima crossed his arms and squinted his eyes, annoyed, his Rilakkuma pillow was on his right. He scooted over to provide some space for the other man to sit on, which the Point Guard took in an instant.

Takao clapped his palms together and grinned apologetically. "Sorry, the hospital was crowded today — there was a really, really long queue at the apothecary. Don't be mad, Shin-chan, I waited two hours to get your meds!"

"Hmph."

Kuroko looked at Midorima and Takao at the revelation. "Are you on medication, Midorima-kun? I didn't know you were ill."

"Oh, no no. Shin-chan isn't sick," Takao answered the question for him, casually waving his hand his dismissal. "It's some prescribed pills and hormone serums for the fertility treatments Shin-chan and I are on."

"Takao, do shut up." Midorima had a blush spread over his face to the tips of his ears.

"Fertility…? Aah."

Male pregnancy was completely possible with the use of Parasites — although the success rates for gay couple were lower than heterosexual couples, and it had its own side effects — but he didn't know there were also fertility treatments for it. Also, Midorima and Takao were dating. But of course, given Takao was the only person able to withstand Midorima's famed prissiness in close proximity, for extensive periods of time. Kuroko didn't know how he could have achieved it.

"Um, I suppose a congratulation is in order?" Kuroko offered politely, unsure how to react to the news.

"God no. Not yet, anyway, we're not planning to pop any kids until after we graduate! Shin-chan insists on doing counselling and treatments early, —the worrywart — he hopes it'll increase our chances when we finally get to it." Takao grinned widely with a proud radiance of bliss, throwing an arm over his partner's taller shoulders. Midorima in the other hand, didn't look too happy with Takao's apparent chattiness.

He cleared his throat, pushing up the bridge of his specs.

"Man proposes, god disposes. It is to be perfectly expected to do everything humanly possible to achieve the best possible outcome —"

Takao laughed. "Whatever you say, babe. You're such a nerd." He pressed an affectionate kiss on Midorima's jaw.

How adorable.

"Congratulations on your engagement, then." Kuroko smiled at them.

Takao grinned foxily. "Aww, thanks Kuroko! We'll still beat your Seirin ass up at the next match though, so we can tell future kiddo all about it!"

"Seirin will not lose to Shuutoku, Takao-kun. So hold on to that thought, if you please." Kuroko return the challenge good-naturedly.

Kuroko listened to Takao talk about their plan to move in together as soon as highschool was over. They'd go to different universities in Tokyo — Midorima had been aiming for Todai's medicine studies, but Takao hadn't decided on his choice yet — and sharing an apartment would mean cheaper accommodation and more time to build their family ("hey I can always be a stay-at-home papa while Shin-chan's the breadwinner daddy!" Said an enthusiastic Takao).

They hadn't formally told their respective families yet, but Takao came from a Middle Seed family, so it shouldn't be much of a problem.

It was a nice thing to see how obviously happy Midorima was with Takao (even though he'd deny it with every inch of his pride). And to think he'd be the one getting hitched first among the Generation of Miracles. Life was funny and unpredictable. Kuroko tried to imagine Midorima as a father and husband — coming up with images of him buying the baby various kinds of toys doubled as luck items or even bringing some with him to work as some kind of talisman. It was a funny thing, and also strangely adorable.

Later on, Kagami texted him to come over soon and Kuroko had to excuse himself. Midorima had stopped him before he left and asked him to keep it all a secret, because he wasn't keen on telling too many people just yet. Kuroko had given his promise to keep silent and he knew his ex-teammate was thankful. After that, Kuroko bade them good bye and left with Kagami's flat in mind.

"Hey," Kagami opened the door for him after he had rang the bell and waited for a short moment. "Did you get the pencil?"

"I did, Kagami-kun. Midorima-kun said hi." Kuroko simply said, as Kagami ushered him into the shoe area near the entrance of the flat.

"Ah, wait a sec."

Kuroko was clutching at his sling bag and was about to remove it, when Kuroko felt a tap on his shoulder and he was gently pulled back. Kagami caught him with a surprise kiss, nibbling on his lip for a second before withdrawing. He grinned in satisfaction at Kuroko's blank stare — pinkish flush scattered on pale cheeks.

"Kagami and his American Returnee habits," Kuroko grumbled under his breath. He just couldn't be used to the surprise touches and kisses Kagami threw at him in unexpected moments, and he had a nagging suspicion that Kagami had done it on purpose just to rouse a reaction out of him.

And now Kagami was sniffing him, nosing up the top of Kuroko's head down to the spot behind his ear for a good half a minute.

"You smell like that Midorima bastard," He scrunched up his nose in displease after he'd withdrawn. "We'll have to change that."

He took Kuroko's hand and gently tugged him to follow his lead — which Kuroko decided not to refuse for lack of excuses. Kagami dragged Kuroko to the couch and sat, pulling the smaller boy to sit in front of him and trapping Kuroko in his arms. Kuroko had guessed this would happen, having somewhat used to the redhead's habit to snuggle him given the chance. He supposed he could allowed a little breather time; they could use the short break before continuing their studies.

"Kagami-kun, there's something I'd like to ask." Kuroko had asked as the redhead started sniffing him again, seemingly enjoying himself.

"Hmmm?" Kagami purred, nosing up the crown of Kuroko's head and breathing in his hair deeply.

"It's about the Stunted Heat treatment. Would you care to explain more about it to me?"

Kagami grunted an affirmation and furrowed his eyebrows, he looked like he was trying to think of or recall something. He made soft noises as he contemplated, eyes widened slightly when he remembered. "I read about it maybe… two days ago? The books in my bedroom so I'll give it to you later — but I'll tell you the shorter version. General knowledge and such." He decided, returning Kuroko's stare with a grin.

Kuroko waited for him to start the explanation.

"Normally, the symptoms come a day or two earlier than the actual Heat Week holiday — this depends individually, some people got it early, some got it late. It's never too far off though. Two days top before or after the schedule. Government usually don't miss the dates — I got mine on time usually, so I'll get into Heat maybe around Sunday evening or Monday morning. I don't know about you, but it looks like yours gonna be early, typical of Stunted Heat Condition."

Kuroko took a moment to digest and thought over the information. "Early … That will be troublesome. What if I am still at school? I — I'm a little worried."

"'tis fine. I have Patches, you can use some if it comes to that!" Kagami waved his hand and laughed.

Kuroko cocked his head to one side. "Patches…?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know these stuff. Uh, Hormone Suppressant Patches. You use it to delay Heat Symptoms, 'cos it'll get bad if you suddenly go into Heat in a middle of nowhere or when you got no choice but be somewhere else, right? It'll only work if you use it early enough though, 'cos after two days, your hormones'll be too crazy to control. I still have some leftover, I'll give it to you later."

"Ah and uuh… what's more again? Hmm. Oh yeah, I'll have to use the patches too. Gotta delay mine so I can help you deal with your first day."

"My… first day. First day of Heat?"

"Yeah. First Heat's always way confusing for beginners. My parents had to lock me up in a Heat Room and put me on security cam for surveillance. It's freakin' embarrassing — anyway, you're not used to being in heat, it'll get real troublesome for you and I'll need to be in my right mind to assist you first. I'll wear the patches some days before my Heat schedule, it'll buy me a day or two at most."

"I… I understand." He quietly said, voice subdued.

"Hey, hey," Kagami seemed to notice something, he brought a hand to cup Kuroko's face, peering in closely. Their foreheads almost touched. "Don't worry so much. I'm here, you know? I'll help you as much as I can. We'll get through this together. It's gonna be okay." He assured him gently, stroking his fingers across Kuroko's jaw. His eyes shone in genuine concern.

Kuroko smiled thinly, grateful of the reassurance.

"Yes. I believe in you, Kagami-kun."

The redhead's hand stopped, then he inexplicably blushed.

"Shit — you're too cute."

The hand moved to the back of Kuroko's head and Kagami leaned in, closing the gap between them with a kiss. Kuroko closed his eyes as the redhead's lips moved against his own, languidly trailing a tongue along his lower lip. Kuroko parted his mouth slightly, allowing Kagami to slip in. The kiss was deep but unhurried, he could feel Kagami's fingers tangled in his hair and tilted his face to deepen the kiss.

Kagami licked the roof of his mouth and the insides of his cheek, Kuroko found himself swallowing the combined mix of their salivas. Unconsciously, he brought a hand to grasp Kagami's shoulder, the fabric of the shirt scrunched around his tightened fist. Soon, it was becoming too heavy and intense to continue, Kuroko had to use his concentration to prevent himself from being too swept off.

"Kagami-kun, please — please wait," Kuroko whispered when they broke off, he pushed Kagami's shoulder lightly before the redhead could react. The taller boy had a dazed look on his face, staring at Kuroko's mouth — bruised red and wet from kissing — as he spoke. He looked like he was about to dig in again.

"Please, tell me more about it?" Kuroko urged, not ready to change the topic just yet.

It didn't look like Kagami was quite ready to redirect his attention, however.

"Huh…? Oh. Uh, right. Crap. Sorry, will be back at it." He fumbled his words, withdrawing his hand from Kuroko's head with great reluctance. Kuroko waited as Kagami took several deep breaths, presumably to divert his focus back into the conversation.

Kagami cleared his throat. "So, we'll go to Kanagawa next Saturday. We have a bigger summer house there with proper Heat Room, and it's in a more private area. It's probably a bit dusty right now so I'm gonna have to call the cleaning service. Also, gotta stock up for food later. We're going shopping for groceries when we get there."

Kuroko lowered his gaze and stared at the table full of textbooks and study notes. Guilt pricked at his chest. "Kagami-kun, I feel bad that you've been preparing for everything. I think that I should do something, to make up for this."

"Huh? You don't need to do that. I was planning to go there when it's Heat Week anyway. There's no Heat Room here in this flat, also, the neighbours will complain."

"…. were you planning to ask someone else to be your Heat Partner?"

As soon as Kuroko asked, he clamped his mouth shut and went rigid. He didn't know why he'd asked the question — it slipped out before he could think it over. A small swirl of nausea settled in of his belly and he knew he didn't feel like he wanted to know the answer, it was odd that he'd want to ask the question in the first place.

Kagami had looked conflicted, eyes darting up at the ceilings in contemplation. "Ah, well, huh, come to think of it, I haven't thought about it? I just moved back to Japan last year, so I don't exactly have a lot of acquaintances. Plus, I've been busy — what with the Basketball tournaments and Seirin trainings. I thought I'd spend it alone this time around, to be honest." He scratched the back of his head.

Kuroko was more than a bit disturbed by the fact that he'd felt relieved by the answer.

"And you? Were you thinking of asking for someone else's help?" Kagami's tone brusquely took to a sharp change, traces of fury slipped out as low snarls rumbled out of his throat. Kuroko could see his aura was beginning to take the form of a massive tiger and his scent smelled of something burning. To say it was intimidating to be within close proximity of it, was an understatement.

"Please calm down, Kagami-kun, I have not thought of it either. It did not occur to me to seek a partner to remedy my condition, I was thinking more on the lines of medical treatment and consultations." Kuroko told him calmly.

The tiger receded back into Kagami. "Oh," He said blandly when his anger had cleared out. "Good. I thought — I thought you'd go to Aomine or Kise. Or something." He sheepishly scratched his nose as he looked away.

Kuroko felt a familiar feeling of dejavu.

"Aomine-kun? No. I believe he is a little too… rowdy, to be honest. Also, he prefers girls. And I think Kise-kun would be too busy with plenty of partners to choose from."

He remembered it had always been rough on the blonde, girls and boys kept hounding after him day by day whenever it was near the Heat Seasons. Aomine would just intimidate those kind of people, but Kise had to keep up appearances due to his modelling career. With his exceptional breed, it was only expected. The usual chaos twice a year.

"Huh, well. You're mine now. So they can just fuck off." Kagami scoffed, reaching a hand to pull Kuroko's head onto his chest.

He wanted to retort that they were only temporary mates for the Heat Week, but decided against it.

"Kagami-kun, we have to continue studying. Tomorrow's exam subjects are math and history, remember?" He reminded the redhead.

Kagami groaned painfully, head lolled back.

"Now now, Kagami-kun." Kuroko patiently reasoned, "I don't believe you'd want to stay back by a year, do you? If you do, we won't be classmates again for the next year." That somehow earned a sharp turn of the head from Kagami. He muttered curses and english obscenities under his breath, but complied with a resignation.

Against Kagami's wishes, they continued their study sessions until past midnight. Kuroko had brought enough clothes with him to stay for another night, and they went to Kagami's room to turn in after tidying up. Now when he had a sleepover, Kuroko would sleep in Kagami's bed instead of the extra futon. Kuroko had grown used to Kagami's body heat warming him up at night, and the steady rhythm of breath from another person had become something of a lullaby for him.

They took showers (no they didn't shower together, Kuroko knew that was too risky — although he couldn't help but to blush at the memory) and brushed their teeth before climbing into bed, Kagami nudged Kuroko to move to the side against the wall. Kuroko wriggled slightly into a more comfortable position, he felt the duvet moved as Kagami tucked him in, staring at him quietly. Kuroko stared back and they stayed that way for short few seconds, before the redhead leaned down and kiss him on his forehead.

The bed creaked when Kagami settled himself next to him, casually putting an arm over Kuroko's waist as he shifted closer.

"Good night, Kagami-kun." Kuroko whispered, eyes locking with the redhead's.

He saw a smile formed on Kagami's lips.

"Night, Kuroko."

—

Kuroko had set the alarm of the clock by the bedside table before going to bed. They were cuddled up in the cosiness of the blanket, when the alarm went off — Kagami had groaned loudly and muttered english swear words as he tossed around, the bed creaked as he did, then he punched the off button with a loud thud. Kuroko's head was still heavy with sleep, rubbing his eyes off of the crusts gathering at the corners of his eyes.

"… Five more minutes…" He heard Kagami grumbled as he tumbled back into the mattress face down, he grabbed Kuroko and tried to pull the smaller boy into bed again.

"Kagami-kun, it's morning. Please wake up. We have school." Kuroko was too sluggish to try to physically push the redhead, opting to shake him by the shoulder instead.

Kagami groaned loudly again, his eyes opened unwillingly, half-lidded and heavy with slumber. "Kagami-kun," Kuroko nudged him again. With a final groan, Kagami kicked the duvet off and slapped both his hands to his face — presumably to ward off the sleep. Two minutes later, he staggered out of the room and Kuroko got off the bed, then made a beeline for his bag to take out his uniform and underwear. Kagami usually was the first to take the morning shower.

After breakfast, it turned out Kagami had plenty of leftovers and packed them into lunch boxes. He packed a normal sized lunchbox for Kuroko, while Kagami helped himself with a large-sized four-tiered set. Along the way to school, Kuroko and Kagami crammed in some notes for the Math exam — Kuroko recited questions whilst Kagami tried to remember formulas. He got it right six out of ten, which was something Kuroko was proud of — all the studying they did finally paid off. He did not want to lose to Midorima's magical pencil prowess; as it was only a last resort.

They arrived in their classroom early, so Kuroko took the chance to solve some problems, Kagami watched him as he wrote formulas and counted the final result for problem X. In the end, he half-forced Kagami to join him and they both went through several more problems before the first period bell rang. The Math teacher Mr. Tanaka entered the classroom and asked for everyone to clear off their desks, save for their pencils and erasers. The exam papers and answer sheets were distributed evenly — the teacher declared start five minutes later.

Kuroko thought he did rather well — Kagami had looked like the earth had swallowed him and spat him back out, by the time it was over. Kuroko had vaguely wondered how the redhead would look like by the end of the week and he contemplated if he'd take pictures or not, as commemoration photo.

When he checked his phone at lunch break after Math exam, Kuroko noticed he had received a text message from Kise.

"How peculiar," He commented as he bit into the octopus sausage Kagami cooked in the morning, reading the message with his phone in one hand.

Kagami was digging into his 4-tier large-sized lunchbox like a hungry tiger — cheeks stuffed full of food — when Kuroko's mutter caught his attention.

"Huh? What's that?" His mouth was half full of food and bits of it bounced out of his mouth as he spoke, eloquent as always.

Kuroko chewed his sausage and swallowed before he continued. "Kise-kun texted me asking for a favour, it is rather rare of him to do this. He says it is very important." He told Kagami, tilting his head to one side. "He asks whether I am free to meet up with him later, presumably after school."

Before Kagami could expel his tiger aura in a bout of irrational fury, Kuroko added, "He says to bring you along if I can, Kagami-kun. It would appear that this favour may require your assistance." The redhead quirked a thick eyebrow, Kuroko just shrugged.

"We will continue this discussion later, Kagami-kun, in the meantime…"

He flipped his phone off and stuck it back into his pants pocket. Kagami stuffed himself as he watched Kuroko pulled out an assortments of notes and a set of joint cue cards from what looked like to Kagami, as if they came out of nowhere like Kuroko was a ninja — though it was just the inside pockets of Kuroko's Gakuran. He put the lid on the already empty lunchbox with the chopsticks settled on top, then displayed the notes on his lap, the cue cards in hands.

"Let's do a quick study, Kagami-kun. Japanese History and World History are next. I've written the years and dates of important events on these cue cards." He said. "Please finish your lunch soon, Kagami-kun."

Kagami groaned, the noise muffled in his chewing.

After lunch time was over, they went back to their classroom. Kuroko didn't have a lot of difficulties with History subjects, as they were mostly about memorisation. He was able to fill up the answer sheets and finished fairly quickly. The same couldn't be said about Kagami though, who'd looked more and more like a redheaded zombie by the end of the school day — it was very amusing to watch. After the first day of exam, they were allowed to leave school early.

Kuroko and Kagami were walking towards the entrance gate, Kuroko's phone buzzed and the screen enlightened with a new inbox message. Kise had asked to meet up at a neighbourhood courtyard nearby Seirin. He told Kagami and the tiger sternly declared he'd go with Kuroko, claiming there was no way he would leave him alone with Kise. With a sigh, Kuroko accepted his confirmation. He'd only hoped it wouldn't end in unnecessary hostility.

The court was only ten minute walk from their school in a secluded corner of the neighbourhood, enclosed in worn steel mesh panels. There wasn't anyone yet when Kuroko and Kagami arrived, they hadn't seen the blonde. While Kagami inspected the empty court, Kuroko went ahead and circled the area, looking for any sign of Kise. Maybe he hadn't arrived yet, he mentally concluded, when he spotted a head of golden hair hiding in the shadows behind the cubical toilet building, at the far back of the courtyard.

"Kise-kun?" He called out, stepping closer.

The blonde's head twitched and he shifted, wary gaze slowly turned to Kuroko before they widened in recognition. "Kurokocchi! I've been waiting for you!" He exclaimed with a cheery smile, stepping out of the shadow with arms spread. He walked over and into Kuroko personal space and gave him a hug.

Kuroko let himself be embraced by the blonde, used to his former teammate's overly friendly behaviour.

"It's been a while since the Tournament, I missed you! How are you doin —"

Except he didn't quite expect Kise to go stiff when he did.

"Oh … oh whoa. Whoa. Kurokocchi, what is that…?" Kuroko heard him mutter inanely. The hug loosened, but Kise kept his grip on Kuroko's arms as he took two steps away, seemingly trying to get a better look at him for reasons unknown. He gave Kuroko long, inspecting glances from head to toe.

Kuroko tilted his head, not comprehending the situation. "Kise-kun, what's the matter?"

Kise didn't immediately reply. Instead, he moved back in and started sniffing Kuroko in a very close proximity — near his temples — and took deep inhales. He closed his eyes as if relishing in it. "You smell like Kagami," He said. "But there's another… foreign scent… it smells amazing. Oh my god. So tempting and delicious…" He groaned low, grip tightening around Kuroko. Kise was acting very strangely, he seemed lost in a strange urgency to smell Kuroko.

It was getting rather weird and uncomfortable, even if it was Kise.

"Uuum, Kise-kun?"

Kise was too busy inhaling the air around Kuroko, to reply to him. He wasn't really doing anything particularly improper, other than the innate sniffing. He was a wolf and such was part of his nature to want to sniff people close to him. But Kuroko was honestly confused, Kise had never acted this particularly … infatuated. He usually gave a quick sniff or two whenever they met, like a greeting, and this was already the umpteenth time.

Kuroko would try to resist and get away at this point, but Kise had a tight grip on him. Instead, Kuroko began contemplating whether he'd hit Kise to get away from the weird sniffing.

"Kise-kun, could you please let go? My arms are starting to hurt…" He'd decided he'd ask nicely for now.

"Hmmm? Sorry, Kurokocchi. Just a bit more… It's just… smells so… good." Kise's face was flushed red and he had a dreamy, almost obsessive look on his face. He didn't look like he wanted to stop. It was starting to get irksome and borderline creepy.

So, violence was the answer. Such a shame. Maybe Kuroko could use his leg instead.

Although, before Kuroko could execute his escape plan, Kise's grip was suddenly yanked away with a brute force, and Kuroko watched as the blonde flew backwards and fell onto the ground hard, landing on his butt with a dull thud. Kuroko could only stare agape and stunned as the scene unfolded.

It took him a second before the figure of an infuriated Kagami entered his line of vision. The tiger's eyes were wild and his fists balled tightly, his face twisted in fury and his spirit tiger was out, looming over the fallen blonde with blood red aura seeping out of its beastly form.

"Fucker! You dared touch my mate!? I'll fucking kill you!" The redhead barked harshly, pupils shrank into slits and nails sharpened at the tips as he flexed his fingers open. His red eyes flashed golden.

Kuroko snapped out of his shock, taking in the immediate danger of the situation. He quickly glanced at Kise, who was brusquely cornered and taken by surprise, looking up at Kagami with shock and dumbstruck. Then Kuroko looked at Kagami — claws and fangs out— who looked like he was very much ready to sink his claws into Kise. The latter was in a clear disadvantage, with an ambush that disoriented him.

"I'll rip you apart. Get ready, asshole!" Kagami snarled in rage, voice filled with throaty, animalistic rumbles.

Kuroko didn't think Kise would lose should a fight broke between them, but a fight between two Heavy Seeds players outside of actual Basketball game would be highly unpleasant, bloody and it could get them both in trouble. It could get them banned from club, or worse.

"Kagami-kun, wait!" Kuroko yelled as he ran towards the tiger, outstretching his hands to hold the redhead's arm.

"It's a misunderstanding. Kise-kun didn't do anything." He reasoned with haste. "He was just sniffing me, that's all. Nothing else happened. Please calm down, Kagami-kun. Please." Kuroko sternly said — sounding like a command. He forced Kagami to look at him in the eyes with a hand cupping the redhead's face. As he'd suspected, light stripes were forming on Kagami's features.

Kagami stared back at him, eyes wild and angry — but Kuroko was insistent and refused to let go — they stayed that way for a moment before Kagami's harsh breaths quietened, eyes back to normal and claws retracted. They kept their gazes locked until the redhead had cooled down sufficiently.

"Better?" Kuroko asked. Kagami only stared at him.

Then Kuroko felt hands all over him, Kagami pulled him into his embrace with a forceful tug, enveloping the shorter boy in the tiger's scent and warmth. Kagami looked at him, eyes darting everywhere to look for something. His other hand was on Kuroko's face, turning his jaw right and left before nudging him slightly backwards to expose his neck. Kuroko was rather irked by it, as exposing one's throat willingly was a sign of submission in the animal world.

"Nothing happened, Kagami-kun. Please stop that." Kuroko tiredly assured him, as Kagami stubbornly continued his inspection. "Kise-kun was only sniffing. He is a canine, after all."

"He was touching you." The redhead snarled.

"Kise-kun was just being Kise-kun, Kagami-kun. You are aware of his habit to give friendly hugs, don't you? He has always been like this since middle school."

Kagami's mouth opened and closed several times like a fish, before he settled with a pout.

"I don't like him touching you." He said, a flush spread over his cheeks. "Only I get to touch you."

"… That is an embarrassing thing to say, Kagami-kun. I believe friends are entitled to a degree of touching. Hugging fellow friends is hardly an indecent act. You've been rude and brutish, Kagami-kun. Please apologise to Kise-kun properly." Kuroko resisted the urge to facepalm. Kagami could be so childish and unreasonably short-tempered at times.

Kagami looked as if he'd been slapped. "I — he was — he was touching you for way too long! You looked like you weren't happy about it! Why am I the one who have to apologise!?"

Kuroko couldn't deny that claim. But that still didn't excuse Kagami's action.

"That is true, but that will be up to me to deal with it. Or do you think I cannot take care of myself and my own problems, Kagami-kun? I rather prefer not to resort to violence whenever trouble arise, I hope you'd understand that. And I really would prefer you not do anything reckless on my behalf as well, especially under this circumstances. It is simply unreasonable." He calmly said. "Do you understand me, Kagami-kun?"

The redhead looked away, face red in stubbornness. Still pouting.

"I don't want to, but fine. I got it. I'll apologise."

Kuroko smiled, bringing up a hand to gently pat Kagami's head. "Good boy, Kagami-kun."

"So… are you guys done with the pep talk?"

They both turned their heads to Kise. The blonde was already at his feet again and he was standing a few steps away from them, scratching his nose sheepishly. Kuroko felt a hot flush risen up his cheeks, aware they'd been ignoring Kise the whole time and Kuroko was still held tightly in Kagami's arms. He could feel the shame began to pool within the cranium of his head, clouding his mind with embarrassment. He quickly pushed Kagami away to break the embrace.

Kise had looked surprised when he saw Kuroko's flushed face — the initial surprise quickly morphed into a series of chuckles.

"Aaah, sorry sorry, I really didn't mean to offend anyone. Sorry, Kagamicchi, I didn't know you've taken our Kurokocchi here as your mate — he does smell a lot like you, though. I thought it's 'cos you guys are always stuck with each other at school and club. Guess it was just about time, huh?" He grinned at Kuroko, winking and waggling his eyebrows meaningfully.

Kuroko didn't really want to ask what that meant.

"Ah, I uh, I'm sorry too." Kagami lamely said, scratching the back of his head. "I thought you were attacking Kuroko and got carried away. Sorry about uh, your butt. And for being brutish." He finished lamely.

"Well, I'm not completely innocent either," Kise said, grimacing apologetically. His eyes looked awkwardly into the empty space of the courtyard. "I was really stunned by the smell Kurokocchi was giving off … I forgot myself for a moment there, to be honest. It's a good thing you stopped me, I guess. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't."

Kuroko cocked an eyebrow. "My … smell?"

"Yeah, you're giving off this really, really deliciously alluring scent, Kuroko. You didn't notice? It's kind of camouflaged in Kagami's scent, but I can separate them if I get close enough." Kise had looked taken aback.

"Come to think of it, you didn't have such a nice scent before. No, I'm sure I'd definitely remember if you did. " Kise crossed his arms and tilted his head, thinking.

"It's like you've been hiding all this enticing pheromone somewhere behind that cute little ass of yours … if I'd known, I would've pounced you waybefore Kagamicchi could — that was just a joke, Kagami. Seriously, stop looking at me like that!" The wolf cowered down, face rapidly blanching. Kuroko saw an imaginary tail tucked in between his crouching legs.

And to think Kise was a Heavy Seed from an exotic breed. Kuroko felt this situation was plain ridiculous.

He resisted the urge to sigh. He felt he had let out one too many times lately.

He turned to the redhead. "Kagami-kun, please behave yourself and try not to overreact every time I'm with my friends. You're being unreasonable." Kagami jaw dropped, gaping. "And Kise-kun, please stop the unnecessary sniffing. It was frankly annoying and creepy." Kuroko turned to the blonde, who'd looked like he was about to let out crocodile tears.

"That's mean, Kurokocchi!" Kuroko didn't bother to react to Kise's wolf in sheep's clothing act. Kagami only grumbled under his breath.

"I think the conversation topic about my peculiar scent can wait another day. Kise-kun, you contacted me because you said there's an emergency." He reminded the other two calmly, crossing his arms over his chest. The redhead and the blonde both had a look of realisation dawned on their faces, Kise in particular looked astonished that he'd forgotten all about it.

"As you've requested, I have come here with Kagami-kun. Would you care to explain what is it that you need help with? I need to remind you, however, we are currently having the semester exams, and thus we are losing precious study time as we speak. If you could be so kind, please do make it brief." Kuroko stated firmly, in a no-nonsense kind of way.

After all, he had prepared study notes and mock exam papers that he intended to go through with the redhead, for an after school study session.

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi. And thank you for coming here for me." Kise had looked guilty, scratching the tip of his nose.

Kuroko nodded once and waited.

Kise fidgeted, his eyes were drawn elsewhere when he spoke. "So, hmm. Yeah, I'm not sure how to say this exactly …" He cleared his throat. "I need to obtain a certain item. It's really hard to get and expensive, but I can't buy it under my name. Basically, I need someone else to pitch in their name for me." Kise seemed to develop an uncanny interest in a stray leaf that flew in front of him.

Kuroko took a consideration of the request.

"May I ask what kind of item is it? Is it… illegal?" The way Kise's jaw dropped and frantically made wild hand gestures almost convinced Kuroko that the item in question, might indeed be illegal in Japan.

"No! God, no! It's totally legal, I swear!" Kise flustered, face lightly flushed from the exertion. "It's just that … I am under surveillance, okay? So I can't buy certain stuff without a third party knowing, or worse, the organisation …" His voice grew quieter nearing the end of the sentence, Kise fiddled with his fingers as his gaze lowered.

"Organisation?"

"It's an international organisation that helps the preservation of the Endangered Species." Kagami unexpectedly gave Kuroko explanation. "I heard they do shit like tracking your house addresses, credit card bills, parentage records, financial situations, even former and current mating partners. In short, they like to stick their noses where it doesn't belong."

Ah, it clicked. Kise was one of the few Japanese Wolves left in Japan. With such a pedigree, it was no wonder he was put under heavy watch.

"You forgot to mention they love playing match making too. As if we don't have other choices in life but to breed children they want us to make." Kise added, scoffing scornfully. It was the first time outside of the court that Kuroko could see the wolf slipped out of the blonde, radiating a feverish contempt.

"They don't get that wolves mate for life — we don't breedlike common dogs."

Kuroko suddenly wondered if Kise already had someone in mind when he uttered those statements.

"So, this item… does it have anything to do with your mate?" It was merely a conjecture on his part.

And then colours drained from Kise's face.

"I — how do you — you're as sharp as ever, Kurokocchi. I shouldn't even try to hide it." The blonde sighed in resignation.

"Yeah, you see, ever since I turned sixteen, the organisation's been hounding me to breed as soon as possible. They send letters and mating offers to my apartment nearly every day, and tell me all these things they'd provide me if I agree to the offers, like money, favours, facilities or shit like that. It's honestly exhausting." Kise brought his hand up and rubbed circles on his temples.

Kuroko actually felt pity that Kise had looked worn out and tired, looking older than his actual age.

"I've been seeing someone in the past year. Only recently, he finally agreed to spend this Heat Season with me. I really believe we're meant for each other. But I can't let them — I can't let that dumb organisation ruin everything." Kise bit his bottom lip, eyebrows creased deeply.

"Plus, my partner is moving away soon — I only have this one chance — I'm really desperate right now. I admit that." A shadow hung over his features, staining his usually bright visage.

"Kise-kun…" That was all Kuroko could say, looking at the blonde with sympathy.

"Sorry for being selfish, when I heard from Midorimacchi that you two are dating, I thought I could ask you two to pitch in your names for me. I mean, they won't suspect a thing if a same-sex couple like you buy the item I need." Kise looked up at Kuroko, his gaze hopeful.

Midorima had been running off his mouth. Kuroko was displeased. Perhaps he'd 'accidentally' have a slip of tongue regarding Midorima and Takao's engagement — the thought gave him a degree of satisfaction.

"You said you didn't know Kuroko was my mate before." Kagami cocked a thick eyebrow.

"Sorry, I lied! You were really scary, Kagamicchi … and I dislike violence outside of court!" the blonde clasped his palms together and bowed his head apologetically. Kagami looked annoyed but didn't pursue the subject further.

"What is this item, actually?" Kuroko asked. It didn't escape his notice that the blonde had been oddly secretive about it.

"It's Parasite, isn't it?"

Kagami spoke before Kise could answer, causing the other two to turn to the redhead — Kise gaped and Kuroko stared.

"What? Heat Season's around the corner, his mate's moving out of town and the organisation's dogging him — no pun intended by the way, I'm not Izuki. Isn't it obvious?" Kagami shrugged his shoulders.

"Besides, high-quality Parasites aren't sold freely in Japan last time I checked. You'll have to place a special order from overseas due to stock almost always runs out. The sales of Parasites can be tracked too, by the way, 'cos only certified distributors with special permit can sell 'em. If we're talking about Black Market Parasites, those can't be trusted, and I don't think you'd risk that with this important mate of yours."

He knew it was rude, but Kuroko didn't think Kagami could make such a thorough educated guess. How did he knew so much about it?

"Do you perhaps, want to purchase Parasites too, Kagami-kun? You seem to know an awful lot about it."

He was just making guesses, of course — it was a harmless question. The redhead did mention something about checking details of Parasite sales in Japan.

He didn't expect Kagami to explode in various shades of red identical to what Kise was sporting presently. They both flustered, mouths gaped with incoherent babbles and their hands were making wild gestures, in what looked like a comical two-person mirror reflection game. Kuroko watched the two in mild amusement.

"A — anyway!Kise's the one buying the damn Parasite! He probably wants to knock up his mate or something!" Kagami pointed an accusing finger at the blonde, face flushed furiously and eager to place blames.

"What!? That's cheating, Kagamicchi! I never said anything about buying Parasites or — or intentionally getting someone pregnant! You don't know for sure!" Kise's voice was thick with panic.

After several more denials, vicious accusations and direct rebuttals later, Kise finally calmed down. They had moved locations to the usual Maji Burger junction because it was getting late. Kuroko knew for sure they'd never make it with the study plan at that point. After they'd ordered their food and started eating, Kise finally admitted that he and his partner had planned to conceive this coming heat season.

"It just seems like a good idea, you know? Before the organisation can butt into our business, we'll make a kid so they'll stop with the harassments. We won't see each other much anymore, so I want to … I want to make himmine. Like some kind of twisted assurance, I want to tie him to me. So we agreed to try it out, at least — not that we'd know that we'll succeed. I mean, the chances are pretty slim with me anyway." The blonde uttered, tone bland, vacantly staring into the space with cold eyes.

Kuroko was sipping on his Vanilla shake as he quietly listened to the blonde's story.

"You're so concerned about what the organisation think, Kise-kun, why? Won't they back off after you have a steady mate?"

Kise visibly flinched.

"My mate isn't someone they'd deem worthy of my pedigree. They'd never shut up about it if they knew. They'd tell me he's not the right breed for me — and that the chances of making wolf cubs will be nonexistent. Like I care for all that." He'd scoffed, openly showing the same hostility as he displayed so candidly before.

It was silent, but deeply ingrained like the slow boil of a kettle. Kuroko never thought Kise was capable of such dark resentment towards something or someone, as he was always nothing short than a sunshine incarnation.

"I don't want to make a big scandal out of it — I can't do that to my mate. He's just — he's just an ordinary Seed. I can't let him and his family go through a media maelstrom because he's with me. And besides … I'm afraid they'll try to do something to separate us. I heard rumours about them breaking up couples because of shit like Seeds quality." Kise chuckled bitterly, expression dark.

To think there would come a day when Kuroko would watch his friend be seriously in love with another person — and that person was Kise, the most frivolous man he knew — it was simply astounding. Was he so in love with his mate that he'd fight the society so readily? Kuroko found himself thinking. It was rare for a wereperson to be so devoted to one mate — not with the kind of society they were raised in. Midorima and Kise had proven that a single-minded loyalty was a possibility.

For once, Kuroko thought he found a common ground he could relate with, as a wereperson raised in Primates' ways. For once, he thought they might not be so different after all. Everyone had their own problems, even a Heavy Seed with a rare breed like Kise. Kuroko was always the stranger wherever he went; not a Primate in body, yet not quite a Wereperson, in spirit. Before he knew it, he was thrown into a confusing dualism between two different societies and its opposing moral codes. And it had baffled him since he was younger.

He felt relieved, somewhat.

"You can use my name if you want." The redhead suddenly said.

Kuroko looked at the redhead, who had been strangely composed and silent during the conversation. Kagami had finished up his large portions of burgers, licking his fingers idly. "Don't use your credit card, I'll lend you mine. That way they can't track your records." He added, looking disinterested.

Before Kuroko could say anything, Kise had beat him to it.

"Really!? Thank you, thank you Kagamicchi! I really, really owe you one!" He almost leaped all the way across the table, half of his body bent as he clasped Kagami's hands — even though they were covered in chilli sauce and mayonnaise and saliva, Kise didn't care — his eyes welling up and shining in joy. The redhead jerked with a violent jolt, face paling with disgust.

"Shit — get off me, Kise! Gross!" He shoved the blonde, accidentally kicking the table. It jumped about five inches off the ground and rattled shakily.

Kuroko slurped his Vanilla shake, swiftly avoiding the plastic utensils that flew to his direction.

"Please calm down, you two. Everybody is staring." He bluntly pointed, his gaze went over the room and saw the rest of the customers were staring — the enamoured looks on their faces were apparent.

This was why having two Heavy Seeds in a public space could be so troublesome — their combined pheromones was bound to seduce everyone within two hundred meters radius. Especially when Kise around, they attracted too much unwanted attention.

The belated realisation finally dawned on their faces. Then they both withdrew, Kagami looked angry while Kise was off into his own dreamland, the shadow was replaced by a brilliant sunshine — Kuroko was glad to see his friend returned to his usual self. The dark resentment didn't suit Kise at all, Kuroko preferred the silly and bright Kise any day.

The staring crowd soon became too much and it was getting rather late — so Kuroko suggested they turn in for the day, he and Kagami had school exams tomorrow after all. Kise bade them good bye and bounced away happily, leaving Kagami and Kuroko alone in the parking lot of the Maji Burger junction. They watched as Kise turned in a corner and vanished. Kuroko felt tired.

"I'm glad we were able to help Kise-kun. Thank you, Kagami-kun, I really appreciate your help for him." Kuroko said, bowing slightly to the redhead.

Kagami looked away and picked his ears, looking disinterested despite the flush of his ears. "No big deal or anything. I mean, he's your friend and I just happened to have some spare money."

Kuroko smiled. "You've been wonderful, Kagami-kun. Thank you."

Kagami's face went blank, staring at him. "You really need to stop being so cute, seriously…" He mumbled softly as he scratched the back of his head, but it was enough for the other boy to hear. Kuroko only laughed.

He took Kagami's hand in his and tugged him gently. "Would you care to accompany me until the station, Kagami-kun? It will make me feel happy if you would."

The redhead's bigger hand squeezed Kuroko's, he changed their hold until their fingers were laced in a more intimate knot. "Yeah, 'course I will. Let's go." He murmured, gaze downcast.

They started walking down the neighbourhood road, the sky above them was tinted in darkening shades of indigo with a strip of orange in the horizons. Their laced hands swayed in the enclosed space between them as they walked side by side. There wasn't much people around at this hour, even if there was, Kuroko didn't think Kagami would let go.

"… I forgot you won't be sleeping over at my place for a while." Kagami said, tone subdued. He kept his gaze straight ahead, squeezing Kuroko's hand tighter.

"It's only for a week, Kagami-kun." He had kept his tone gentle and understanding.

Kagami didn't respond for a while. "I've gotten used to have you in my arms at night and when I wake up, you're there beside me. What I'm saying is — I'm gonna miss that." Kuroko saw a crimson blush spread over his face, all the way to the tips of his ears. He looked straight ahead as if avoiding the shorter boy's gaze on him.

"I thought Alex-san also sleeps in your bed?" Kuroko tilted his head to one side for a greater effect.

Kagami turned to him and looked mortified. "That's — that's a misunderstanding! That damn old hag just went ahead without permission! I didn't do anything to her! We never did anything, I swear!" His other hand gestured in an attempt of persuasion, face blanching in panic.

Kuroko smiled teasingly. "I know, Kagami-kun. Alex-san did tend to be too touchy-feely, even I almost fell into her clutch."

It was the night after they won the winter cup and had a celebratory dinner in a Japanese restaurant. Later on, they moved to Kagami's flat for a second round — Alex had supplied the underage teens with generous amount of canned beers. Kuroko didn't drink of course — he drank tea while the rest of the Seirin team fell drunk or fainted one at a time. Hyuuga was the second to get drunk, Riko was beside him and had looked mildly annoyed with Hyuuga's sudden metamorphosis to a hugging monster with the alcohol influence.

Koganei was the third to fall drunk and babbled on laughing hysterically, Mitobe all the while patiently holding him steady. The rest of the first years sprawled unconscious on the floor due to low tolerance, Fukuda and Kawahara laid on top of each other while Furihata soundly slept against the couch, drooling. Kiyoshi had a drinking contest with Izuki, who went full throttle with his drunk-punning. Kagami had gone out to buy soft drinks at that time while Kuroko was observing quietly as the scene unfolded, the only one still completely sober.

Kuroko had excused himself to go to the toilet, when he realised a very drunk Alex was inside, slumped against the porcelain tiles with her top gone somewhere. He had been stunned and taken by surprise when he was suddenly pounced by a half-naked Alex — it was a good thing the woman was too disoriented with alcohol. She didn't get to taint Kuroko's virtue, Alex promptly went to sleep instead. Kuroko managed not to fell backwards and hit his head against the wall when Alex jumped him.

"That kind of thing happened?" Kagami had said incredulously, he seemed conflicted whether to get angry or amused by the story.

"Yes, Kagami-kun you should've been there to see it. I had to drag Alex-san alone into your room and put her into bed." Kuroko remembered he was sore after that, his body wasn't meant to carry someone taller and with more built than he was, especially after the match with Rakuzan. He felt slightly jealous back then, Alex was a female Middle Seed and had more built than he did.

Kagami was muttering something barely audible. "… to be the one who get you into bed first …" He saw a faint flush on the redhead that could be mistaken as something induced by the cold weather.

The train station soon entered their line of vision. Kuroko tugged their entwined hands lightly, to get the redhead's attention. He used his other hand to unzip his sling bag, taking out a notebook that looked thicker than it was supposed to be, full of uneven gaps and folded papers that were sticking out messily. It was held together by a string that was wrapped around it and tied with a simple knot at the front. He handed the book towards Kagami, who was only staring at it blankly.

"Kagami-kun, please make sure you study these tonight. There are important key notes and the mockup test papers with the correct answers written on them. Tomorrow is science subjects. I planned to get it through with you today, but Kise-kun came up. I hope this will be enough, at least." He explained.

Kagami looked at it, face still blank and staring at Kuroko. He didn't make an attempt to receive it.

Kuroko was about to ask why he hadn't — when Kagami suddenly pushed him against a wall and claimed his lips, the question dying in incoherent muffle. "Kagami — hmmmnnh." Kuroko tried to say in his surprise, only for Kagami to take advantage of his parted lips to push his tongue in, draining all attempt to utter anything but soft mewls. The notebook fell from his hand and onto the ground, his empty fingers clutching at the back of Kagami's jacket instead, the other hand was on the redhead's chest.

"Kuroko, Kuroko…" He heard Kagami whispered against his lips, hot breaths tickled his nose and Kuroko was filled with Kagami's scent. His back that was shoved on the wall felt cold and hard, but he didn't seem to care. Their tongues mingled more freely when the redhead tilted his face, deepening the kiss as if they could get any closer than this. White, translucent steam escaped their mouths, vanishing into the cold air. Kuroko felt fingers tangled in his hair that held him in place, warmth spread from where the grip was.

Kuroko could feel the heat that rushed up his face intensified, his body brimmed with a sudden surge of lukewarm fever. "Aah, Kagami-kun… I —hnnn." He moaned softly when Kagami sucked his tongue, he couldn't close his mouth and saliva was trickling down his chin. Kagami licked it off and resumed devouring Kuroko's mouth. His senses were overwhelmed with Kagami's presence and his body's warmth reached into the depths of Kuroko's chest; his heart rate accelerated in a maddening pace.

When it was over, Kuroko was suddenly too cold, even in his jacket. A trail of saliva connected them as Kagami pulled away, face flushed red and his breaths were heavy. Kuroko's face must be crimson too, because it felt feverish and a degree too hot. His head was hazy and his thought process was slowed down to an alarming tempo. He could only stare dazedly at Kagami, who stared at him back, red eyes emblazoned with desire — his lips were wet and red and slightly plump from their kiss. Kuroko couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from them.

Kagami ducked and licked his lips and chin, and Kuroko found himself wishing they could continue the act — but Kagami withdrew again a second later.

"Sorry, I just can't help myself." He heard him murmur, voice thickened with low, throaty and barely audible rumbles. "And your book …" He bent his knees to pick up the notebook was lying by their feet. He pat the dirt off of the surface, looking down at it.

"Thanks, I'm gonna study it tonight. It won't be wasted on me, I promise." He grinned.

Kuroko felt the urge to pull the redhead down to kiss that adorable grin — stopping himself only when he realised how odd the thought was.

The train station was just around the corner and they knew they had to part ways, but neither of them were eager to let go of the hold they had on each other. They lingered for several more minutes just standing close to each other, before Kuroko had to leave because his phone buzzed with missed calls from his mom. They looked at each other once more and parted ways, Kagami stayed until Kuroko entered the platform.

When he arrived home, Nigou greeted him with enthusiastic barks. His mom peeked out of the kitchen to inform him dinner was ready and that he had to shower first. So Kuroko, with his thought full of Kagami, went to his room to put his bag first before he entered the bathroom quietly. After he stripped down his uniform and under shirt, he caught the sight of himself in the mirror — his shoulders down to his chest were marred in bright red bite marks and hickeys — and he exploded in a furious blush.

Kuroko staggered into the bathroom, turned on the shower and let the cold water hit him harshly, hoping it would cool down the raging frenzy that gathered in the south of his body.

—

Kagami had looked like he hadn't slept the whole night. Maybe he kept his word and studied.

The exams kept Kuroko distracted from any embarrassing memories (no he did not, once again, blush furiously when he thought about last night's ardent kiss), and the anticipation of the Heat Week. Mostly true for the latter, as occupying his mind with studying for exams had been more than sufficient to distract him from his anxiety of the coming Heat Season. Kuroko had read and prepared himself with the theories, but it was the practice that worried him the most.

And well, he couldn't deny that Kagami constant distraction wasn't a bad thing either. The redhead would always comfort and reassure him whenever he hinted at his worries. He didn't even have to voice it out loud, Kagami just seemed to know when he felt anxious. Maybe his scent gave his thought away — scents were known to change slightly when hormones shifted with emotional charges — as Kuroko did not have a scent before. He idly wondered if this would affect his misdirection in court, it would be bad if it did.

That was one more distraction he needed. He'd planned to find a way to curb his scent to a minimum, maybe he could come up with a special training for that.

At lunch, Kagami told Kuroko that Kise contacted him — he was irritated when he found out Kuroko had supplied the blonde with his numbers — and that they would meet up later to work on the details of the Parasite purchase. Kagami invited him to come along and Kuroko accepted, they were going to Kagami's place for a study session anyway. Science subjects weren't Kuroko's specialty, but he thought he did a passable job on it. Meanwhile, Kagami had gone white as sheets with stress and lack of sleep at the end of the day. This time, Kuroko took a picture.

After school, they met up with Kise at the entrance gate of Seirin (the blonde was surrounded by a crowd of adoring fans as usual), and they went to Kagami's place after that. In the apartment, Kise revealed he had placed a special order weeks ago under an alias and all he needed to do in order to receive the package, was to pay under someone else's name. So they used Kagami's credit card via online payment and the Parasite would be sent to Kuroko's house as decoy. Kise would transfer the exact fund into Kagami's account and that was all they needed to do.

They had no time to fool around other than to study, so nothing significant happened at the latter days. Kagami still walked him down to the station and kissed him after their study sessions — and Kuroko felt a tingle vibrated throughout his body every time they kissed. He began to feel that a brief kiss wasn't enough. Kuroko felt embarrassed at such improper thoughts. But even he couldn't deny his own desire. Kagami was making him feel and think of things he wouldn't have considered before.

With the Heat Week enclosing rapidly, it only added to Kuroko's growing anxiety. He read books related to his situation more than he did of exam related subjects. He tried not to think too much of it, and continued with their routine of studying for exams and spending time together. Kagami's presence helped him keep his calm. They rehashed the plan in between studying and it made Kuroko feel better. Kagami even gave him the Suppressant Patches that he started wearing by Thursday, in the end, he managed to convince himself everything would be okay.

Until Friday rolled in, Kuroko woke up with a slight fever in the morning.

His head was dizzy and he felt slightly nauseous. He had thought he might be catching a cold and decided to take some vitamins after breakfast. On his way to school, he had attempted to read some notes during the train ride but couldn't concentrate, his head was spinning and the fever worsened. He was slightly disoriented when he arrived at school, only managed to reach five minutes before the bell rang because somewhere along the way, he'd taken turn at the wrong intersection and got lost. It was unusual of him to be so forgetful.

Everybody was quiet when he entered the classroom, typically busy with last minute cramming. Kuroko staggered towards his seat, Kagami's face was hidden behind a textbook when he passed by. Just as he was about to put his bag onto his desk, a hand suddenly grabbed him. He shifted half-lidded blue eyes at the redhead, who had a grip on his wrist, his book was down and his expression stiffened so hard, Kuroko thought his face would crack.

"Kuroko, you —" Kagami was about to say, when the bell rang loudly, signalling the first period.

The teacher came in and told everybody to take a seat. Kagami had been reluctant to let go, but he did. Then Kuroko moved clumsily onto his own seat.

He could barely focus.

There was only one subject left for the exam today and they could leave earlier, so Kuroko thought he'd soldier on for a few more hours — despite his head growing heavier and duller, a strange swirl of heat was bouncing around in the insides of his body. He resisted the urge to squirm and kept his eyes open, marking the answer sheets one by one, carefully. He had half a brain left functioning for this, and it was a good thing that the subject was something he excelled at.

The minutes went by cruelly, Kuroko felt the fever worsened, and the most peculiar thing happened. He started feeling odd, the haze in his head was still thick but the heat started swirling downwards, bit by bit it clustered around one particular focus spot, and Kuroko came to horrifying realisation; he was getting hard. It was without any cause or any sort of incentive. At the back row of the desks where nobody was paying attention, he started squirming in his seat, his crotch was getting heavier with pressure.

His fingers reached the edge of desk, where he dug his nails in almost painfully, he was sure he left marks on it. He bit his lips as the heady heat intensified, slowly boiling his blood to a warmer degree — the blood that decided to go down on him, torturing him further. Kuroko could feel his face heat up like a furnace and he started gasping, slowly and mostly silent at first as he refused to give in to this strange, embarrassing situation. His eyes darted at the clock above the blackboard in front of the classroom, twenty minutes left before the bell rang and signalled the end of the exam.

It was hateful. There was nothing he hoped more than to escape this room and take care of this odd situation. His throat was suddenly parched, dry as the sands of the vast desert. Kuroko then felt a surge of fear that momentarily overcame the arousal, anxiety riled in like a force of nature that swept over everything else. He finally came to a belated conclusion; he was experiencing his First Heat.

Here. Now. In a room full of people.

Kuroko's nails — now turning into sharpened claws — dug deeper into the desk, scraping at the surface. With a weak, throaty voice he didn't recognise as his, he called out, slipping into a tiny whimper at the end. "Kagami-kun… Kagami…"

The redhead suddenly stood, his desk rattled violently as he did so, the sound of pencils hitting the floor was followed by a collective of gasps. Kuroko watched blearily as Kagami turned on his back and grabbed his wrist, looking over his shoulder.

"Sir, Kuroko is not feeling well. Permission to bring him to the health room, please." He almost barked the sentence, voice loud and urgent. Their teacher was stunned silent for a moment before he took a look at Kuroko.

Kuroko wished he could turn invisible right at the moment — he knew he looked like a mess and the fact that the entire class was looking, didn't help the situation.

"Ah, of course. Please take care him, Kagami, I'll collect your answer sheets from your desks later." The teacher said.

Kagami didn't waste any time, he hoisted up Kuroko with one clean swoop — their classmates made a collective of gasps again — and the redhead bolted out of the classroom, carrying Kuroko in his arms. Kuroko wasn't in the state to complain, he merely clutched at Kagami and clung to him, the thick, musky scent the tiger emitted made his head go into a frenzy.

"Kagami…" The whimper sounded like a beg, Kuroko would feel ashamed had he been in his right mind.

"Shhh. You're having early symptoms — which is way too fucking early. Shit, I shoulda known!" Kagami alternated between comforting Kuroko and cursing under his breath, he broke into a small run as he carried Kuroko, careful not to make it worse.

The redhead nearly kicked the door off of its hinges when they arrived, and he rushed in, heading for the empty bed next to a wall. He leaned and placed Kuroko on the bed delicately, and Kuroko was thankful for the gesture. But his arousal hadn't dissipated, it only grew stronger that it started burning. His pants were beginning to feel damp on the insides, and he knew his dick was fully hard now — he couldn't help but to grind against the bed sheets just to relieve some of the tension.

Kagami left him for a moment to close the door and then fumbled about by the medicine rack, he went over and checked the labels of the bottles, cursing when he didn't find what he was looking for.

"Fuck, they don't have anything in here." He said when he returned empty-handed. "The Patches and other stuff are inside my bag — but I can't leave you here alone." He tsk'd, fishing out his phone from his trouser pocket.

Kuroko was gasping, taking gulps of air as if it would never be enough. No matter how many times he inhaled, he couldn't cool down the searing heat in his body. It was steaming up within of him and spread out all at once until it seeped out of every pore of his skin, making him sensitive at the slightest friction. He ground at the sheets again, clawing at them until small tears appeared. Low guttural sounds vibrated in his windpipe and he could hear himself growl in frustration.

He glanced at the redhead and remembered the things they did in the bathroom and the kiss in front of the station — and a storm of lust resonated from the depths of his belly. He wanted Kagami. He wanted Kagami like he never wanted anything else before. Kuroko felt his rationality slipping — he couldn't resist the temptation as he groaned Kagami's name and shifted position to be on his hands and knees, bending and stretching his limbs like a wild animal, releasing everything he had to seduce the man.

Kagami's words died in his tongue when the redhead turned to look at Kuroko, the phone still pressed against his ear. He visibly swallowed — his adam apple bobbed up and down — and he licked his lips. Then he averted his gaze almost immediately.

"No, Kuroko, stop. You're not — we're not in the right place. This is not the right time." Kagami's voice shook as he lowered the hand that held the phone.

Kuroko made a displeased groan, his hand reached down to palm his growing arousal, high-pitched whines escaped his lips at the friction.

"Furihata will get our bags here after exam's done. I've got some medicine …" Kagami paused, turning to Kuroko again. "In the meantime, I'll help you relieve some of the tension."

When Kagami sat down on the bed, Kuroko clung to him, tugging at the front of his shirt. He wanted it off. He needed to feel Kagami's skin on his. In the back of his mind, what was left of Kuroko's humane side became appalled at the wild, beastly nature he was boldly displaying. He wanted to stop himself, but the arousal was so intense it was ardently painful, his head throbbed just attempting to hold back the vicious, raw desires. He was terrified. He couldn't help the tears of frustration beginning to well up in his eyes.

Kagami wiped the drops that overflowed and trickled down, stroking a thumb over his cheek. "Ssshh, take it slow. I'm here, it's okay. There's nothing to be ashamed of, this is natural. You're not the only one like this when the heat comes. Everyone's got it."

Kuroko sobbed softly and leaned to his touch, whispering in a husky voice. "Kagami-kun, help me. Please… touch me."

A hitch of breath and Kuroko was shoved into the bed, the sheets rippled beneath his back. He watched as Kagami hovered over him, one hand loosened the collar of his Gakuran uniform. Kuroko's heart beat loudly in his ears as Kagami loomed over him, his scent becoming muskier and stronger.

"Take off your clothes, so it won't get dirty." The command sent shivers down his spines.

Kuroko's hands were trembling as he unbuttoned his uniform, ashamed when Kagami had to help him undress. His boxer was soaked and sticky when they removed Kuroko's pants, his dick stood in full attention — flushed red and leaked at the tip, dribbles of pre-come wetting the length of the shaft. Kuroko flushed even brighter when Kagami stared at it with gaze flashed with fascination. Kuroko was naked and vulnerable, legs opened obscenely and dick so hard, it was excruciating.

"Don't… look…" Kuroko rasped, suddenly obtaining some of his rationality back. He felt so ashamed, he threw his arms over his face, refusing to look at Kagami.

"Haa —!" He jerked when he felt hot fingers encircled his shaft, holding it in an infuriatingly gentle manner.

"Don't be shy. There's nothing about you that's ugly. It's the opposite, I swear." He heard Kagami said, and Kuroko felt more embarrassed instead.

His breath hitched faster when Kagami began stroking him, the rough surface of his calloused palm felt good against his shaft. He started a steady pace of long strokes, thumbing the slit every once in a while. "Ah, ah, Kagami — mmnnn" Kuroko moaned and gasped, trying his best to stifle the noises but failing his purpose.

"Kuroko, don't hide. I wanna see you." Kagami whispered to his ear and tugged at his arms.

Kuroko wanted to refuse him, but the terrible anxiety forced the shame aside in favour of seeking comfort from the redhead. He reluctantly opened his arms, and Kagami's blood red eyes were looking at him.

"Hey," Kagami grinned at him.

He didn't know why, but Kagami's grin pushed him off the edge and Kuroko came fast, spurting hard onto his stomach. He arched his body and threw his head back with a whimper. Kagami gave him a few more strokes to milk out the remains, but Kuroko's dick was still standing and stiff, as if he hadn't cum with an explosion. His chest heaved up and down and he absently stared at the white mess on his stomach, and at his shaft that refused to get down.

Kagami withdrew his hand slightly, licking the semen off of his fingers. Kuroko — having cleared some of the haze from his mind — looked at him, half-horrified and half-mesmerized. "Kagami-kun, don't lick it, please. It's dirty." He found himself saying, flushing furiously.

"Nah. It's alright." Kagami shrugged noncommittally, sucking on the last finger. "Besides, you're not done yet."

Kuroko was still aroused — he was glaringly aware of it. Just once wasn't enough to satisfy the haze of lust that clouded his mind. "It appears so…" He couldn't be more embarrassed than this.

"Alright, then. C'mere."

Kagami grabbed his forearms and hoisted Kuroko's limp, sensitive body up and shifted him onto his lap — Kuroko let out a yelp when Kagami did. They were now face to face, with Kuroko straddling Kagami's thighs, his erection rubbing against the fabric of his trousers. A sticky trail was staining the front of the uniform.

"Kagami-kun, your uniform will get dirty." He promptly warned the redhead.

"Hm? Oh. Don't mind it. I have change of clothes in my bag." Kagami nudged Kuroko's hands to settle on the redhead's shoulders, getting him into a more comfortable position.

"… It's strange that you're so well prepared for this …"

Kagami laughed. "Maybe I planned for this to happen, who knows? I did plan to jump you after schools over. Not really like this, though. I was going to seduce you with food, get you into my bed and do things that make you blush like this." He teased, earning a vivid red flush on Kuroko's face.

"You're a despicable man, Kagami-kun. I am regretting my decision. I don't want to be your heat mate anymore." Kuroko deadpanned.

"Hey now," Kuroko let out a moan when Kagami started jerking off his dick again. "Who's gonna quit on who?"

Kuroko couldn't snark back because the haze of lust came back with a vengeance. He arched his back as he tried to steady himself with one hand on the bed and another grasped at Kagami's shoulder, his lips parted and saliva that he didn't swallow escaped his panting mouth. Kagami had one hand circled around his waist, his mouth was busy setting burning trails of kisses and nibbles across his torso, sucking on the spots where the bite marks had started fading to renew the bruises.

He was too far gone with the sensation to notice Kagami's hand was missing on his waist, fumbling to the back pocket of his trouser. He heard a click somewhere in the misty haze of his mind. Kagami murmured against his skin. "This is going to feel a little weird, but… trust me."

Kuroko almost whined when Kagami's hand left his erection, tossing an angry glare at the redhead. Kagami leaned in to kiss him, in reply.

"Be patient." He whispered against Kuroko's lips, before he claimed them with a ferocious force. The ire was thrown off somewhere, and Kuroko's hand snaked to the back of Kagami's head as they kissed deeply and passionately.

Kuroko only had a slight inkling of what was going on, when he felt rough palms groping his ass. He groaned into the kiss. The hands were messaging his buttocks, sending sharp chills up his spines and down into his dick, in rapid successions. "Haa — Ah. Aaah — feels good —" He mewled obscenely, unknowingly withdrawing from the kiss and throwing his head back, lost in ecstasy.

"Hey, get back here." Kagami growled, and Kuroko's dick twitched at the deep, husky tone the tiger let out.

Kagami nipped at the base of his neck, just above his collarbone, low growls rumbled against Kuroko's throat. His teeth had sharpened slightly against his skin. Kuroko clamped his eyes shut when Kagami spread his cheeks apart, a hiss escaped his lips when something slick and long intruded the back entrance, shallowly nudging in and out.

"What…" Kuroko managed to utter in the midst of lust, confused.

Half-lidded gaze found seductive pair of red eyes. Kagami had beads of sweat dripped down his face and jawline, the drops emitted an alluring fragrance. Kuroko thought the stray red strands slicked in sweat and stuck to his temples looked incredibly sexy.

"It's gonna be uncomfortable at first, but it'll feel good. I promise." The deep huffs that escaped the gap of his mouth was incredibly mesmerising to Kuroko.

The finger dug into his hole deeper, it was a strange sensation, being intruded like that. He braced himself and threw his arms over Kagami's shoulders, uncontrollable whines spilled out of his mouth when Kagami's hand returned to his dick, stroking in time with the finger at his backside. Kagami's lips were on him again, trailing down to his chest and mouthing a nipple, giving a tentative lick at the pink bud. Kuroko shivered.

"Try to relax, Kuroko." The redhead told him as he kissed him again, as fervently as ever.

A second digit entered him, and he felt himself opening up in the most vulgar way possible. Kagami's pace slowed down as he fingered his entrance, going in with shallow depths until Kuroko was wide enough at the rims. Then they dipped in deeper, and Kuroko could feel them moving inside of him; scissoring and exploring for something. Kagami crooked the digits and Kuroko saw white flash, letting out a loud squeal, breaking their kiss.

"Ah, here, huh?" Kagami grinned lewdly. The fingers dug in and touched the same spot and Kuroko felt a jolt of electricity jump up his dick, he panted harder and heavier, a blazing pleasure was building up in the pit of his stomach, and he felt like coming. Kagami's movements at the front and the back were driving him to madness.

"Kagami-kun… aaah, Kagami! I can't —I can't— I'm going to, I —" Coherency left his mind, his mouth agape and face slicked with sweat. His body was flushed with a violent storm of heat that raged inside of him, demanding to be released. Kuroko was so close.

Kagami was watching him closely with those blazing crimson eyes, his skilful fingers were bringing Kuroko to the edge once again. "Let it go, Kuroko." Kagami growled deeply.

And Kuroko came a second time, spilling messily on his stomach and the front of Kagami's gakuran. He let out a dragged out moan, eyes squeezed shut as he rode another explosive orgasm, more intense than the previous one. His shaft trembled and spilled more in short jerks before it emptied out, finally fell limp.

Kagami gently held him when Kuroko was too spent to move, he shifted the smaller boy carefully until Kuroko was lying on his back, in the soft cushion of the bed.

Kuroko blankly stared at the ceiling, whilst Kagami tucked the sheets to cover his nudity. He turned his head to watch Kagami stripped off his soiled Gakuran — he had a shirt under the uniform and his pants were thankfully untouched. Kuroko outstretched his arm absent-mindedly, reaching out for him, and the redhead caught his hovering arm easily.

"Looks like the heat cooled down for now." Kagami sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with Kuroko's pale fingers idly. "With some medicine, it should be able to delay the symptoms until we get to Kanagawa tomorrow."

Short of things to say — or maybe he was just too tired — Kuroko merely nodded.

Then he heard soft knocks on the door. Kuroko looked at Kagami warily.

"Don't worry, I locked it earlier. It's probably just Furihata." Kagami told him.

He rose from the bed and Kuroko pulled up the sheets to cover himself further. The redhead unlocked the door and slid it open, it was their Seirin First Year teammate Furihata. Kuroko noticed the boy's face was flushed a vibrant red as he nervously threw glances at Kagami and then at Kuroko, taking in the modest state of the latter and blushing an even darker scarlet. He was holding onto two bags — Kuroko's and Kagami's — and was clutching them to his chest.

"Um, I didn't want to bother you two, so I waited outside and uh… I told the others the room was um, being cleaned. S — so they won't get suspicious. And I — I have your bags with me." He stuttered, shoving the bags into Kagami's arms and looked around nervously, as if making sure nobody was around.

Kuroko blushed a deep red at the implication that Furihata might have heard them. He felt guilty — and mostly mortified. But too spent to react, otherwise.

"Thanks and uh… sorry about this," Kagami said, scratching the back of his head.

"Ah it's alright! Um I also bought this for you, I thought you'd need it." Furihata handed the redhead two bottles of water inside a white plastic bag, Kagami received them with gratitude. Then he turned to Kuroko — he tried to avoid looking too directly at the boy — and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I heard from Kagami, it must be hard on you Kuroko. I'm sorry I was so insensitive before, I didn't know about your condition."

He must have meant the time they discussed the Heat Week some time ago.

"It's no problem, Furihata-kun, thank you for helping us." He returned the sentiment, nodding twice.

Furihata grinned. "Alright, you two can um, finish up your business here! I'm, uh, gonna make sure nobody's coming in."

The brunette waved his hand and closed the door, presumably resuming his watch.

Kagami unzipped his bag and took out a box of Suppressant Patches and a small glass jar. He let their bags flopped down onto the empty bed next to Kuroko's, then unfastened the lid of the glass jar. He took two dichromatic capsules out and held it towards Kuroko. "It's to suppress the symptoms, like the patches, but stronger. Obviously, the patches aren't enough for you." He explained.

"Thank you for your trouble." Kuroko sat up and gratefully accepted them. He turned the capsules around in his fingers before he pushed them past his lips.

Kagami uncapped a bottle of mineral water that Furihata bought them. He drank some from it before he handed it to Kuroko, who took it and drank, swallowing the medicine along with the fresh liquid. He realised he was feeling parched, his throat was sore.

"Take one every three hours, before or after meals. Make sure to discontinue consumption after two days. Side effects… drowsiness." The redhead read the instruction label on the jar out loud, turning it around in his hand.

"Kagami-kun." Kuroko said, his voice raspy.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For helping me."

The redhead turned to him.

"No," He said, lips stretched into a predatory smirk. "It's my pleasure."

Kuroko didn't know why he'd shuddered.

—

TBC

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