"Tetsuya... Tetsuya... Tetsuya!"

Kuroko bolted upright, heart pounding as he frantically searched his surroundings. He soon found that he was in the locker room, and he vaguely remembered practicing with the team. His eyes finally fell upon Akashi, arms crossed as he loomed over him.

"Tetsuya, everyone left ages ago. How could you fall asleep here?"

Kuroko sighed and forced himself up from the floor, his body aching from the harsh position he'd laid in. "I was tired..."

"Why are you so tired today? You fell asleep three times in class, too."

Kuroko's nose scrunched up. "I was up late. Why were you paying that much attention to me anyway?"

"Go home, Tetsuya," Akashi replied, of course ignoring his question.

Kuroko scoffed, and still in his half dazed state, he asked, "What, you're not going to come over again today?"

Akashi blinked at him, and Kuroko suddenly paled significantly. He could practically see the thoughts in Akashi's head, and he did not like them at all.

"Well if you insist, Tetsuya," was all the redhead said before he pulled Kuroko out of the room.

XXXXX

As everyone sat around the table for dinner- another spur of the moment recipe of Shiiro's- Kenchi wouldn't stop staring at Akashi, his eyes searching over every inch of his body. Kuroko noticed this, and would've commented had it been any other guest, but he didn't want Akashi here anyway. So let him be uncomfortable under his brother's gaze.

The problem was, he wasn't uncomfortable at all. Akashi was staring right back at Kenchi, even attempting to keep eye contact. If anyone was uncomfortable, it was Kuroko.

The bluenette sighed, "Please postpone the staring contest. It's rather annoying."

Kenchi grumbled something under his breath and reluctantly pulled is gaze away, eliciting a small somewhat victorious smirk from the redhead.

Nina smiled up at Akashi from her place beside him. "What's your name again~?"

Akashi smiled back at her, his eyes softening. "Akashi Seijuro."

"A~ka~shi~ Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

Shiiro's eyes flickered to his sister, well aware of that tone in her voice, but neither Kenchi nor Kuroko seemed to catch on until it was too late.

"Are you dating Tetsuya?"

Kuroko coughed on the very air he was breathing, his eyes wide. "Nina?!"

Akashi's smile never wavered. "No, he's being hard to get."

"Akashi!"

Nina giggled, nodding. "He's stubborn like that~"

Akashi laughed and turned to find Kuroko staring at him incredulously. The redhead cleared his throat and returned his gaze to Nina. "Actually, Nina, to be honest, Tetsuya and I don't really get along."

Her brows knitted together in innocent confusion. "Then, why are you here?"

"It's.. Kind of an adult thing."

Kenchi snorted, "You're not an adult. You're only seventeen."

Akashi raised a brow at him. "Oh? Well so is your brother, but he seems to be the only adult around here." Akashi could feel the tension rise dramatically, and he wondered what he'd said to cause such a reaction.

"That's different. Tetsuya has proven himself to be an adult. What have you done, lead the basketball team?"

Akashi's eyes narrowed slightly, but more in observation than anger. He could see the hurt on Kenchi's face, though the boy was desperately trying to hide it behind his badass façade.

Kuroko sighed deeply, standing to his feet. "Akashi, come with me please."

Akashi blinked but followed Kuroko upstairs to his room, leaving the other children to stare at their brother's uneaten food.

Kuroko fell onto his bed with another deep sigh, as Akashi slowly positioned himself beside him. "Akashi, if you're going to be around here, don't say things like that. For their sake."

The redhead didn't have to question what he was talking about, but he certainly was curious as to the reasoning behind it. "Where are your parents, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko smiled, small and bitter, as he lay back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling above him. "My father, as I've told you before, is absolutely useless. We kicked him out a long time ago. Who knows where he is."

Akashi stared at him in silence, waiting for his mother's explanation. He'd been in Kuroko's house a few times now, and he'd only seen one picture of who he assumed to be the woman in question. The picture was torn and reattached with taped, in a shattered frame, barely poking out from under Kuroko's bed.

"My mother is dead."

His crimson eyes widened slightly. He hadn't known what to expect, but certainly not that. "How did she die?" He hadn't meant to ask, he felt it was rude, and though Akashi hated Kuroko, he was tired of being needlessly rude. But the words had simply fell out of his mouth.

"I don't know. My father came home without her one day. I asked where she was. The response I got was a drunkenly slurred, 'Dead, get over it.'"

Akashi frowned, feeling an unfamiliar twinge in his chest. Before he could figure out what it was, Kuroko surprised him yet again.

"Akashi?"

"Hm?"

"… Let's do it again."

The redhead was confused, though he knew exactly what Kuroko was talking about. He'd said it was a onetime thing, though, that it would never happen again. He began to question Kuroko's incentives, but stopped when he saw the single tear falling down his face. Well, if it was what he wanted, Akashi certainly wasn't going to complain.

Akashi rolled over onto Kuroko's body, nipping at the base of his neck as his fingers trailed along his torso, until they reached the band of his jeans.

XXXXX

Kuroko felt completely numb as he lay next to Akashi, who was still panting rather heavily beside him. He never really thought he would be this kind of person, to solve his problems through sex. But it didn't really surprise him. His father had always told him he'd grow up to be a whore.

"Akashi?"

"Yes?"

Kuroko paused for a moment, not quite sure what he'd meant to ask to begin with, but as his will faded, his tongue grew loose. "Why do you hate me?"

"...I don't."

His blue eyes widened slightly as his head fell to the side. "But you said you did."

Akashi nodded solemnly. "Yes, and I did, at the time."

Kuroko's brows furrowed, his head spinning. "Then, why-?"

The redhead thoughtfully turned his gaze to the ceiling. "I was raised to hate those that actively search for excuses. Those people that always look for the easy way out. When you came to school late and claimed you had a family to look after, I assumed you were over exaggerating for your own sake." He turned his head to face Kuroko once more, his eyes soft and unguarded, but as serious as ever. "I realize now that that is not the case. Your brother is right, you are more of an adult that I will ever be."

Kuroko was frozen in absolute astonishment. Was this real? Was this actually Akashi? Where were the hidden cameras?

"Akashi..."

"Yes, Tetsuya?"

"… You're a dumbass."

XXXXX

The next morning, Kuroko zombily shuffled into his class, falling into his seat without even realizing Akashi was standing right next to it waiting for him.

"Did you not sleep well, Tetsuya?" He asked, and Kuroko cut his eyes up at him.

"It's hard to sleep well if you don't sleep at all."

Akashi frowned, catching Kuroko off guard as he seemed genuinely concerned. "Is it because of me?"

"… No, just thinking too much."

The redhead nodded, but it was clear he was still partially blaming himself. Kuroko wasn't sure he liked this side of Akashi. It was weird, and he almost wished they were back to hating one another. Not that he'd ever stopped hating Akashi.

"Hey, Tetsuya, I've been thinking."

"Woah, congratulations," he muttered sarcastically.

Akashi rolled his eyes but continued on, "I know you still hate me, but we've had sex twice now, and-"

Kuroko groaned loudly, momentarily cutting him off. "Do you have to be so blunt about that? And here, of all places? What if someone heard you?"

The redhead blinked. "I didn't think it was a secret. Anyway, since you seem to have no problem with that, what do you say we make it a semi regular thing?"

"...Like offical fuck buddies?"

"Yeah. I mean, you're still my best bet, and I'm always down to help you out with this at least."

Kuroko spent a long moment just staring up at Akashi like he was insane, though the boy never seemed fazed by it at all. Eventually he heaved a sigh, waving his hand dismissively as he turned to face the front of the room. "Yeah, sure, whatever. I don't care. But it's just sex, okay?"

"Of course."