"What are you doing, Bakashi-kun?" Kuroko almost shouted back, barely remembering to keep his voice down so he wouldn't disturb the neighbors. Not like a hot guy standing in front of his house with a motorcycle was attention grabbing enough.

The smirk remained on the red-head's lips as he moved closer to the window. "What else but visiting my needy little kitty?" Akashi teased with a wink. The asshole really needed to stop doing that or Kuroko was going to turn into a pile of goo – the jerk knew it too, with the way that smirk widened and showed off his pearly white teeth.

"Come on down, princess." The red-head called when the bluenette didn't answer for a while. Awaking from his thoughts, Kuroko closed the window before turning around and running out of his room. When he got to the front door, he stuffed his feet into his shoes and shrugged on a jacket. Kuroko nearly plowed right into Akashi when he flung himself out of his house, but the latter easily caught him in his arms and spun him in circles. With a small laugh, he placed a gentle kiss to the bluenette's nose.

Returning the embrace, Kuroko released a chuckle of his own. "You idiot," He breathed, smiling up at the red-head. "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I say earlier?" Akashi asked. "I'm here to give my Tetsuya a little TLC."

At that statement, Kuroko suddenly remembered Akashi's words from earlier. The red-head had said he had a solution to the bluenette's problem, hadn't he? Who would have thought that he would have meant this?

Shaking his head, Kuroko nuzzled into his boyfriend's shoulder. "Not that I don't love the surprise or anything, Akashi-kun, but you do know that my mom still says we can't see each other, right?" To be honest, the bluenette couldn't care less about what his mom said right now. His boyfriend was here in his arms; who was he to deny that?

"Oh Tetsuya," Akashi rumbled, the grin on his face turning downright mischievous. "What your mother doesn't know, won't hurt her."

Just like that, Kuroko was swept out of his grumpy mood by this wonderful man. Cocking one blue eyebrow, the bluenette pulled himself flush against Akashi. "Yeah? And what else isn't she going to know?" He purred, loving the fire that lit up the red-head's eyes.

…..

The sensation of the wind rushing through his hair as Akashi sped them down the highway was an exhilarating feeling to say the least. Of course, getting to cling onto the red-head was a little bonus. After the older man had managed to get the bluenette to get on his motorcycle, they had taken off, leaving his house as only a speck on the horizon. Kuroko still had no idea where they were even going, but he figured tonight was going to be eventful and with the week he's had, he just wanted to let his hair down so to speak.

Even if it had been a while since he and Akashi had actually met, it felt like that time away from each other just disappeared. Every time he talked to the red-head, the same thought kept running through Kuroko's mind; he felt as if they had known each other their whole lives. The bluenette didn't know if Akashi felt the same way, but he sure hoped so. He could easily see himself becoming lost in his love for the red-head…As if he wasn't already or something. To be honest, basketball didn't even hold a candle to how he felt for Akashi – not in the slightest.

A small pang of pain surged through Kuroko's chest at the thought of basketball. He had dedicated his whole life to the sport when he fell in love with it as a child. At first, he wasn't the greatest player, but with a lot of practice and his unwavering determination, the bluenette had made a name for himself. Lately, however, Kuroko found the thought of practice unappealing. Logically, he knew it had more to do with his teammates than it did with a general dislike of the sport, but all the fighting and arguing made even the thought of basketball painful. It was terribly unfortunate, though; Kuroko still loved to play.

Lost in his thoughts, the bluenette wound his arms tighter around the man in front of him. It seemed that lately Akashi was the only constant entity in Kuroko's life. Sure, he still had Kagami, but even he couldn't offer the support and comfort that the smaller red-head could. Kuroko was unbelievably grateful for that, because he just knew that if it hadn't been for Akashi, he would have snapped somewhere along the line and gone off on his team. Perhaps he may have even completely lost his love of basketball.

As Kuroko occupied himself with his thoughts, he didn't even notice when Akashi pulled into a small parking lot a short distance off the highway. He barely even registered that they stopped until the red-head patted the bluenette's hands. Releasing his death-grip on Akashi, Kuroko took off his helmet and glanced around. About ten yards to the right of the nearly empty lot was a street basketball court, much like the one he and Akashi had been to before the bluenette got his concussion. This one, however, was obviously maintained much better; it even sported a bright blue chain-linked fence around its perimeter.

"Where are we?" Kuroko asked as Akashi helped him off the bike.

There was only one other vehicle in the whole parking lot, and the bluenette realized he knew the two men who leaned against the car's shiny black hood. It was Midorima and Takao, the friends that Akashi had introduced the bluenette to several weeks ago. Smiling slightly when he saw Takao waving, Kuroko gave the red-head a slightly confused look. The smirk on his face told Kuroko that the red-head knew everything that he was thinking.

Without a word, Akashi took the bluenette's hand and dragged him over to the court, meeting up with the two other men at the entrance.

"Kuroko! I missed you!" Takao exclaimed as he bounced around the bluenette, a huge smile on his face. Even Midorima gave him a short nod before he pushed up his glasses with his middle finger. Glancing around the group, Kuroko lifted a brow as he turned back to the red-head.

Cocking his head, he was truly confused. "It seems I'm at a disadvantage here, Akashi-kun. Everyone appears to know what's going on but me."

"Relax, Tetsuya." Akashi soothed. "You're very bright, I'm sure you can figure out exactly why we're here."

With their location and the fact that Takao magically conjured up a basketball, Kuroko hazarded a guess. "Basketball?"

"Ding, ding, ding!" The raven-haired man shouted as he put a finger to his nose. Midorima shook his head at the man's antics while Kuroko was left even more confused than before.

"Okay…" He drawled, once again pinning the red-head with a hard stare. "What I want to know is why."

Once again, that secretive smile appeared on Akashi's face. Instead of an explanation, however, he merely walked onto the court. Midorima and Takao weren't far behind, leaving Kuroko to stand there utterly confused. What was going on here? He wasn't so dense that he couldn't figure out that the three other men intended to play basketball, but why would the red-head drag him out of his house so late at night just for this? There had to be a catch, Kuroko just wasn't sure what it was.

Following his boyfriend onto the court after a moment of contemplation, the bluenette figured he might as well try to have some fun while he was here. It hadn't been a long time since he had last played, but it had been a while since he felt the tinge of excitement that was currently running up his spine. Kuroko couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but the look in the eyes of the three men had him shivering with anticipation. While they had been joking around earlier, they now wore intense expressions. Akashi, however, continued to hold his smirk in place – though that only served to make him appear even more intimidating.

A smirk of his own appeared on the bluenette's face as he joined up with the others. He could tell that things were about to get serious.

…..

The excitement continued to thrum through Kuroko's veins as he propelled the ball into Akashi's hands with his palm. Immediately after, the red-head drove straight at Midorima, cutting back just before he slammed into the man. No matter how hard the green-head tried, though, he couldn't keep his balance under the onslaught of Akashi's crossovers and cutbacks. In the end, he ended up on his butt as the red-head calmly shot the ball into the hoop.

Running over to his boyfriend, Kuroko gave him a fist-bump. It had only been a few minutes into their game, but they already connected with each other and easily maneuvered around Midorima and Takao. The bluenette couldn't even believe how much fun he was having.

They chose teams at random, but it was actually the first time that Akashi and Kuroko were on the same team since they started. It was fun playing with Midorima and Takao, but the bluenette felt so in tune with Akashi. The feeling was really out of this world, and so was the score.

Offering the green-head a hand, Akashi's lips lifted in a cocky smirk. "You're out of shape, Shintarou. Maybe you should train more."

Takao snickered off to the side as Midorima grumbled, stalking off to the bench to get some water. The raven-haired man wasn't far behind. From the looks of things, the two seemed to be discussing strategy – not that it would really help with the gap in the score.

A smile tilted Kuroko's lips when he felt Akashi's arms wind around him from behind. He'd never admit it out loud, but he felt so at home in this man's arms. The bluenette could feel the sweat dripping from Akashi's face as he rested his forehead on the former's shoulder, only telling how hard he had been working. To be honest, Kuroko got a little thrill from seeing how dominant and confident Akashi was on the court. It was kind of hot, too.

"Are you having fun, Tetsuya?" Akashi breathed, pressing open-mouthed kisses to his neck and shoulder. Tilting his head to give more access, Kuroko hummed in affirmation. When they first arrived, he hadn't thought he'd have as much fun as he was. Lately basketball had been more of a chore to him, but with Akashi, it felt so invigorating. It felt like it used to, when he first fell in love with the sport. For that, Kuroko was beyond grateful.

Twisting in the red-head's arms, the bluenette wound his own around the taller man's neck. He leaned up and placed a small kiss to the bottom of Akashi's chin before resting his head on his chest. The smile was still on his face as he nodded once more. "I'm having a lot of fun, thank you, Akashi-kun." Leaning back, he beamed up at his boyfriend.

The grin that appeared on those sinful lips was absolutely gorgeous. Akashi's features grew softer as he tucked a stray strand of the bluenette's hair behind his ear.

"Anything for my baby…" He murmured.

"Soo cuuuute!" Takao shouted from somewhere over Kuroko's shoulder, instantly lighting the bluenette's face on fire. He had completely forgotten that they weren't alone. Burying his face in Akashi's chest once more, Kuroko tried to ease the heat from his cheeks. The melodious sound of the red-head's chuckles was amplified by the rumbling against the bluenette's ear.

…..

"See you later, Kuroko. Let's do this again sometime!"

Smiling, the bluenette nodded his head as he waved to Takao. He agreed with the man. It had been so long since Kuroko had last had so much fun, even before his own team started to only care about winning. Hell, Kuroko didn't think he ever had felt so excited and alive before. All his worries and stresses that he had felt earlier were now nowhere to be seen, and all thanks to Akashi. The bluenette didn't know what he had done to receive such a great gift, but he would thank whoever was listening for giving him the red-head.

Kuroko stood lost in thought as he watched Midorima and Takao drive away. It was well into the night by now, but he couldn't even bring himself to care what his parents might think should they ever find out.

He nearly jumped when a hand stroked down his back, grumbling when he heard Akashi's chuckles.

"Are you ready to go, Tetsuya?" The red-head asked, pulling Kuroko into his arms. Accepting a small peck to the lips, the bluenette nodded. "Thank you so much, Akashi-kun. I had a lot fun tonight."

One large hand cupped his jaw as the other continued to draw lazy circles into his spine. "Anytime, my love. I had fun too. Don't you think we made a great team?" Akashi's smile was soft as amusement played behind his eyes. They'd absolutely crushed Midorima and Takao, and the red-head seemed to find it funny since they were both shorter than the other two men. Not that Akashi would admit that he was short; in fact, he nearly smacked the green-head in the face with the ball when he muttered as much under his breath.

A soft chuckle fell from his lips as he nodded. "Yes, we certainly would. I would love to play with you again sometime."

At his words, a strange look crossed Akashi's face before he opened his mouth to talk again. "Actually…" He began, the smirk reinstating itself on his lips. "There's this tournament coming up at my college, and I'd like for you to be on my team."

Kuroko cocked his head to the side in confusion even as a smile pulled at his lips. "I'd love to…but don't you need to be a student to enter? Wouldn't we get disqualified?"

The smirk turned devious as the red-head pulled the bluenette closer. "You just leave those details to me, alright love?"

…..

The next morning, Kuroko woke up feeling refreshed despite only getting a few hours of sleep. After they had left the court, Akashi had brought the bluenette home. They stayed outside on the front lawn for a while, just talking to each other under the bright stars, until Kuroko's eyes began to droop in exhaustion. He was reluctant to part with the red-head, but the bluenette still had school in the morning. Akashi probably had class and work to do too, and so Kuroko was left gazing after his boyfriend's back as he disappeared into the night sky.

Shrugging his uniform shirt over his shoulders, the bluenette lazily buttoned it up as he thought about Akashi. The man was such a dream, and he didn't know what he had done to deserve such a gift. With all the stresses surrounding him, Akashi just made everything look so much brighter. It was like every time Kuroko heard that melodious voice, a weight was lifted off his shoulders.

A smile pulled at his lips as he finished getting dressed and stuffed a piece of toast in his mouth. The bluenette was pretty sure that nothing could kill his vibe right now, not even his teammates. Even if that was true, though, he still didn't want to see them. Kuroko was considering quitting the team, and he didn't need to be barraged with questions and angry glares. Akashi was completely right, people like them didn't deserve his time or energy.

With one last look at his reflection, Kuroko stuffed his feet into his shoes when he made it to the foyer. Since he no longer attended morning practices, he had so much time to get ready and get to school. At first the bluenette had felt guilty about skipping, but after a few more earfuls from his coach, he honestly couldn't care less anymore. In Kuroko's mind, it was his team that had driven him away, so they had no right to criticize him. He was finally making decisions for himself and not anyone else. To be honest, it was about time that the bluenette had done something he wanted rather than what he thought others would want.

Feeling empowered by his own thoughts and the words of Akashi, Kuroko left his house with his head held high. Nothing was going to bring him down, and he was determined to keep it that way. Should anyone other than Kagami try to talk to him, Kuroko decided that he was just going to ignore them.

…..

It was half-way through his day and so far, Kuroko had managed to steer clear of negative thoughts and attitudes. The only person from the basketball team that he had seen was Kagami, and the large red-head had merely nodded in greeting. It was a little odd since the basketball junkie was usually exuberant and lively, but the bluenette chose to think nothing of it. He was having a good day, so if Kagami had some problem stabbing him in the side, that was none of Kuroko's business.

After buying some bread for lunch, the bluenette made his way to the roof to catch some of the sun's rays. It was a beautiful day out, not even one wisp of a cloud in the vibrant sky. There was even a whispering breeze in the air, keeping the temperature just right. Laying himself out in the middle, Kuroko closed his eyes. He couldn't even remember the last time he just stopped and let the world turn. It was ridiculous that he hadn't even known how fast he was trying to rush through life until he met Akashi. All the warm feelings Kuroko received from the red-head were new to him, but boy had he been missing out.

They hadn't known each other for long, but that didn't matter to Kuroko. Everything that Akashi did and everything that he was spelled out perfect, and it made the bluenette long to be the same; it made him want to make himself better. Kuroko could honestly say with all his heart that he believed that Akashi was his soul mate. Their first meeting hadn't exactly been ideal, but he would treasure that moment in his heart forever. Even all those strange visions that had surged through his mind would be in his memories…

Now that he thought about it, what were all those visions? As soon as Kuroko had looked into Akashi's eyes, so many scenes had flooded through his mind's eye like a tidal wave, but he hadn't been able to make any sense of them at the time. Thinking back on it now though, Kuroko recalled something curious about those images. In almost every one, he could remember seeing two people that resembled both himself and Akashi. That was impossible though; Kuroko had never met the red-head before, right?

Jackknifing, the bluenette gripped his hair tightly as the pressure in his head multiplied in massive amounts. It was like someone was hammering away from the inside, he just didn't know why. He was pretty sure he wasn't sick, and he had never experienced a headache this immense before; not even when he had a migraine. The pain eventually grew so great that it began to eat away at his vision, causing the bluenette to barely even notice his teammates approaching him. Kuroko's hearing was also fading fast, so he wasn't quite sure what his coach was currently complaining about. He didn't really care. It was probably just something else about him being "lazy" and "not a team player" again. What Kuroko really wanted right now, was for the crushing tension in his head to ease.

Things could never be that simple though, could they? Aside from Akashi, the bluenette rarely got what he wanted, and this seemed to be another one of those times. Instead of easing, the pressure in his mind grew so great that he could hardly even see or hear – hardly even breathe. Unable to hold his shout of pain back any longer, Kuroko's hands fell to his side as he crumbled to the ground, succumbing to the wonderful numbing feeling of unconsciousness.