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Disclaimer: if I owned Kuroko no Basuke I wouldn't be writing fanfiction.

The Park

Daiki moodily trudged out of the school after the last class of the day and sat down heavily in a patch of grass under the shade of a tree. He was going to skip practice. He had been doing that quite a bit lately. It seemed pointless for him to practice when he was already better than everyone he knew. So why bother with it? It frustrated him to no end, that there wasn't anyone who could put up a good fight.

He sighed and laid back in the soft grass, closing his eyes. He didn't really feel like going home just yet. A cold emptiness was slowly spreading through his chest. It wasn't fair. He loved basketball. He really did. But the more he played and the better he got, the more boring the game became. There wasn't anything he could do about it.

The coaches had been getting on his case for not showing up at practice, or leaving early when he did show up. Daiki didn't care. It wasn't like they were going to kick him off the team or anything. He was too valuable. He could always just blame missing practice on the assload of homework he needed to get done. Which he wasn't going to do, of course, but it might get the coaches and his teammates to leave him alone.

Daiki breathed in the scent of the grass, trying to get rid of the awful feeling in his heart. It was going to be okay. He'd find someone who could beat him soon enough. Then he would go to practice. He tried listening to the going ons around him to stop from thinking. He heard a few girls discussing who's house to go to, and also a boy arguing loudly on the phone with someone. Then just the rustle of the wind in the leaves and a bird calling out. Then nothing for a while.

"Aomine-kun?" He felt a light prod on his ankle. He opened his eyes and was a little startled to see how different the sky looked. Tetsu was standing near his feet, his school bag over one shoulder. "I apologise for waking you, but I don't think it's good to sleep out here in the evening."

"You say that like you think someone's going to come on the school grounds and attack me," Daiki said. He sat up and pressed his palms into his eyelids.

"I meant you won't be able to get to sleep tonight if you sleep in the evening," Tetsu told him.

Daiki just grunted in reply. He knew he would be able to sleep, he was always able to sleep. It seemed as if being tired was a permanent part of him recently. He didn't mind; he liked sleeping. If he was awake, he'd have to think, and that was something he definitely did not enjoy. Thinking made his chest ache. He ground his palms even harder into his eyes until he saw white spots. He couldn't even remember falling asleep there in the grass, but the sky had changed too much for just a few minutes and he knew Tetsu wouldn't leave practice early.

"Aomine-kun?" Tetsu's voice sounded in his ears again. "Are you okay?"

Daiki took his hands away from his eyes. "Yeah."

The sky-blue haired boy crouched down next to Daiki. "Momoi-san is worried about you, you know," he said.

"Satsuki can mind her own damn business," Daiki huffed back. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate her or anything, he'd be completely lost in class if it wasn't for her notes, but she could be really nosy sometimes.

Tetsu tutted, a noise Daiki thought sounded rather mother-like. "You shouldn't worry your friends, Aomine-kun."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, okay?" Why were they worrying about him in the first place? He had always been like this. Getting a little upset about basketball did not make him not okay.

Neither one of them said anything for a few minutes. Then Tetsu stood and held his hand out to Daiki. "Come on." Daiki stared at the small hand offered to him for a few seconds before reaching his own hand out. Tetsu smiled slightly and pulled him to his feet. Or tried to, anyway. Daiki pretty much stood up on his own for fear of pulling the small boy over.

The light and his shadow walked in silence, the way they had for the past couple weeks when they walked home together. At the part of the journey where Daiki would normally turn right and Tetsu would continue to walk straight, Daiki felt a light tug on his sleeve and he knew the phantom player wanted Daiki to follow him. Daiki complied, even though he wasn't sure what the other was up to. Tetsu could be sly as fuck when he wanted to be.

They walked for a few more blocks, and Daiki wondered where they were going. They were at a part of the road where the houses were more spread out. Tetsu came to a halt halfway between a house and a convenience store. "I want to show you something that is this way," he spoke, pointing into a space somewhere in the middle of a few trees.

"Huh?" The power forward squinted in the direction his partner was pointing, but he couldn't see anything beyond the trees. Tetsu started to walk into them with a purpose, so Daiki followed. He noticed that they were following a faint path of grass that had been stepped on too many times. A minute and a few trees later, they came to an opening.

"This is what I wanted to show you," Tetsu stated, gazing around contently. 'This' was a small park. Toward the right there was a metal slide and a pair of faded red swings. On the left was a large square of cement and a lone basketball hoop with a chain net. An old wooden bench and table sat in the middle. Tetsu immediently headed for the bench and sat down, setting his bag next to him. Daiki, not really knowing what to do, followed suit.

"I come here sometimes when I want to escape from everything and just relax," Tetsu told him. "It's very peaceful. It seems no one knows this place is here."

"Maybe because it's surrounded by trees?" Daiki guessed. "How'd you even find this place?"

"I followed a cat." That was so very Tetsu-like. Daiki smiled in spite of himself. He glanced at the boy next to him. Tetsu was gazing thoughtfully at the lonely hoop. "It's just nice to get away sometimes, you know? Just pretending you're the only person in the world."

Daiki nodded. He could really use a break from everything. From his team, from his classes, even from his friends. Maybe not from Tetsu, though. But, Daiki realised, this place isn't going to be the same for Tetsu anymore. It was no longer a place that he alone knew about.

"Why'd you take me here?" he questioned. " It's not 'your place' anymore. I can come bug you as much as I want now." Even though he would never do that if Tetsu didn't want him to.

"I thought you could benefit from a place like this," he answered pleasantly. "Plus, now this can be 'our place', not just 'my place'." Daiki surprisingly didn't feel embarrassed by this statement at all. In fact, he felt the now familiar warmth spread through his chest, cancelling out the cold, empty feeling left there by today's lack off basketball practice. Daiki shifted slightly on the bench to look at his shadow. Their knees touched. He felt a spark shoot through his leg.

"Ne," Tetsu said suddenly. "Does Aomine-kun want to play with me?"

"Eh?"

Tetsu pointed towards the hoop. "Basketball. I've been leaving one of my balls here in case I get an urge to play."

Oh, right. Basketball. "Sure."

They both got up and headed for the half court. Tetsu retrieved the ball from under a bush. He tossed it to Daiki who bounced it a few times to test it. It seemed a little flat, but nothing they couldn't deal with. Their game mostly consisted of Daiki half-heartedly getting the ball through the hoop and Tetsu trying hard but failing to stop him. It only lasted less than an hour before Daiki decided he was done.

"We should probably get home," he said. He knew that Tetsu would stay and play all night if no one stopped him.

"I suppose," Tetsu agreed. He was panting and Daiki could see a thin layer of sweat on his face. The moonlight gave him a fierce look. Daiki felt hot at the realization that he found his best friend extremely attractive when he was like this. Tetsu caught Daiki staring at him and a curious expression crossed his face. He stepped over to Daiki, stopping when he was only about a foot away. "I really like playing with Aomine-kun."

"I like playing with you too." Daiki stared into his partner's blue orbs. He'd never realised how beautiful the small details in his eyes were. How many different shades of blue could possibly be in one object? Daiki couldn't even count.

"You know, I missed you at practice today," Tetsu stated. "It's not the same without you there."

"Sorry." Daiki found his hand reaching up to rest on Tetsu's pale cheek. Tetsu's own hands found their way to Daiki's shoulders and slid up around his neck.

"I..." Instead of completing his sentence, Tetsu stood on his tip-toes and pressed his lips to Daiki's.

Daiki freaked out the moment it happened. There was no way he was going to kiss his best friend. He'd heard plenty of stories from Satsuki of how taking things too far with a friend ruins the friendship forever. In the stories, the two people end up being sad and lonely because they no longer have their friend. He definitely did not want that. Not at all. Plus, what would happen to their teamwork? He took both of his hands and gently pushed Tetsu away from him.

"W-we probably shouldn't...you know...friends and all..." Not to mention they were both boys. But he didn't say that. He didn't want Tetsu thinking that was the problem.

Tetsu looked startled for a split second. Then his eyes flicked downward and he blinked a bit faster than he usually did, and Daiki was terrified that he was going to start crying, but instead he just let out a soft, "I guess."

"We really should be going home. It's pretty late." Daiki tried to pick up from where they were before things got weird.

"You can go," Tetsu told him, not meeting his eyes. "I want to stay a bit longer."

"Alright... See you tomorrow." With a wave, Daiki headed for the trees. It was too dark to see where the path was, so he just picked a random spot and made his way to the road. He probably should have explained that it wasn't that he didn't want to kiss Tetsu, it was just that they shouldn't. He was afraid it would mess up their friendship. Oh well, he thought. Daiki would just pretend it didn't happen. Tetsu was probably embarrassed about it anyway and wouldn't want to talk about it. They'd forget about it and things would be how it always was.

But things never got the chance to go back to normal, because certain events during basketball put a huge strain on their friendship and they never got around to hanging out for the rest of middle school. Only much later would he realise that that was the last good day with Tetsu until high school.

I'm sorry if this is a shit chapter. It's very late and I'm running on like no hours of sleep. I know my writing sort of, well, bad, so if you have any suggestions, do tell me. Reviews are much appreciated!

On another note, I am extremely upset about the very abrupt ending of KnB. Kuroko didn't even get to really talk to anyone. I really wanted some super heartfelt conversations between Kuroko and the GoM or Ogiwara or something. When I found out it was ending so soon, I actually cried, and even now when I think about it, I tear up, like legit tears, guys. (Pathetic, aye? Haha) But there is too many loose ends for my liking, and I think it really could have benefitted from a couple more chapters.

But instead of complaining (I'm bitter, okay) I should be thanking the wonderful Fujimaki-sensei for 275 amazing chapters. He's earned a break. But I really will miss Kuroko. My weeks won't be the same without waiting for a new chapter.