Kuroko no Basuke

Mad Love

Chapter Ten: Kise VII

The sun had already long set and Midorima was beginning to regret agreeing to eat with Akashi and Murasakibara. It was now far too late for Murasakibara to go home, and Akashi felt 'at fault' for their predicament and therefore that equation equals them spending the night at Midorima's. The green-haired boy had no idea how that added up, but he wasn't about to turn away two old friends.

While they made their way to the train station, they took a short cut through the park and entered a less crowded street. There were a few people loitering about, but far less than the main streets. From where they were walking, they spotted a quarreling couple up ahead. They were too far to make out what was happening, but it seems the boyfriend was trying to get the girl to leave with him but she was refusing.

"This looks interesting," Akashi murmured. "Maybe we should help the poor girl?"

"Looks bothersome," Midorima crossed his arms. "I say we cross the road to avoid contact with them."

"Eh… Really~?" Murasakibara looked ahead. "… Isn't that a love hotel up ahead?"

"What?"

Midorima looked further ahead and saw that there was indeed an inconspicuous love hotel not far from where the couple was standing. At the realization of the potential seriousness of the situation, he saw the couple in a new light. The boy must have been trying to get his girlfriend to stay at the hotel with him.

The plan was now changed, instead of crossing the road and ignoring them completely. They'd walk by and if it looked as bad as they thought, then they would step in and help.

Taking on the boyfriend was another story entirely. Akashi had come up with a tactical plan during the little time they had when they were approaching. Murasakibara would chop the boyfriend's wrist (which would hopefully get him to let go) and afterwards, Akashi would calm the girl while Murasakibara and Midorima take on the boyfriend.

It was the perfect plan and the three get to play hero. The boys were actually feeling a little embarrassed as they were hoping the situation was so bad that it'll call for the plan.

When they got close enough, they began to distinguish voices.

"Let's just go home," the girl whined.

"I said no! We're going to stay out! I even saved up for this!"

"You're a model! Like you had to save for long!"

… A model?

"How can you say that, Toracchi?!" he cried back. "I put my heart into planning today! I just wanted to spend our evening together!"

Midorima felt the colour drain from his face. It was like witnessing a bad dream. He recognized those voices right away; they were the very same voices he'd hear whining on about the other.

"They sound familiar, don't they?" Akashi spoke the obvious.

"Oh, isn't that Torachin?"

"You can't forget about the idiot that's trying to force her into a love hotel!" Midorima raised his voice slightly. "How dare he!"

"Wait, Shintarou," Akashi called after him. "Perhaps we should watch before acting so brashly?"

The boy has lost his reasoning. Ignoring Akashi's comment, he stomped over to the quarreling couple. With the plan thrown out the window, the other two boys had no choice but to follow after Midorima frantically.

"Kise!"

"… Huh?" the blond looked over his shoulder, obviously startled. "M-Midorimacchi? … Akashicchi?!"

"I'm here too," Murasakibara droned. "Did you forget about me, Kichin?"

"Uh- no, no, of course not," Kise turned around fully to face the boys. "What are you all doing in Ikebukuro?"

"Well… Akachin had a tournament," Murasakibara lifted the trophy slightly. "So I came to watch."

"Really? Congratulations, Akashicchi!"

"Thank you."

"Enough about that!" Midorima snapped, grabbing onto Kise's shoulder to get his attention. "What were you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Kise's smile dropped and he had a standoffish look in his eye. "Toracchi and I are on our date."

"I know that much," Midorima's scowl deepened. "But what were you trying to force her into?"

"Huh?"

"Ikeda, are you okay?"

"What do you mean-."

"You don't have to cover for this idiot," Midorima reassured her. "Don't worry, you're safe now."

The girl was completely at a lost with what Midorima was saying. Kise has stepped forward to hide her behind his back as soon as he saw the three boys, and she couldn't see very well past his shoulder. She knew it was probably just the protective side of him kicking in again, but it was a little ridiculous considering how it was just Midorima… or perhaps it was Akashi.

"What do mean-."

Before she can step around him, Kise's arm swung back to keep her in place behind his back. Surprised by the extent he was going to keep her away from the boys, she looked up to him questioningly and stepped back. But her boyfriend missed the look as he was too concentrated on the taller boy in front of him.

"What are you trying to pull?" Midorima snarled. "Why are you acting so defensive?"

"Get your hand off me."

"What's wrong with you, Kise?"

This was really getting absurd; there was an obvious misunderstanding between the two. It was a case where both of their chivalrous natures have gotten them to accuse the other for something fanciful.

Tora tried to step around Kise's other side, and she was successful this time as Midorima held down Kise's shoulder. She stood by Midorima and tried to explain things through to him, but this only made Kise feel even more anxious. The moment Midorima looked to be considering to listen to her, Kise spoke out again.

"Let me go, Midorimacchi!" he called. "I didn't do anything! You're making me look like the bad guy!"

"Shut up! You're so loud!"

Back to point one; she was going nowhere with Midorima. Giving up on the green-haired boy, she turned and looked behind her shoulder. Akashi was standing not far behind her, and she waved him over so she could stay by the two's side. She knew that if it were Akashi, the two would definitely shut up and put a stop to their little squabble.

"Akashi-kun, can you please try to explain to them that there wasn't any-."

"Let me go, Midorimacchi!"

Seeing his girlfriend speaking to Akashi, the blond boy panicked and whacked the encroaching hand off of his shoulder. This sent Midorima's arm flying back… and going directly for Tora.

She felt the air get knocked out of her. She hadn't even seen the elbow coming for her, by the time she realized everything she had already been thrown back. When she tumbled onto the ground rather ungracefully, she felt a sting in her chest from where Midorima hit her.

Surprised by what just transpired, the four boys could only watch as she tried to sit herself up right.

"Ow-Owie…" Tora clutched onto her aching breast. "That hurt, Midorim-."

"What the hell, Midorimacchi!" Kise cried. "Why did you touch my girlfriend there?"

"It was an accident! It was your fault anyway!"

The two were going at it again.

Poor Tora who had been knocked over was now completely forgotten by the quarrelling boys. First Aomine, and now Midorima; everyone seems to be trying to hurt her. She sniffled slightly with a pout as she watched them. One was her boyfriend, and the other was someone that she'd consider an older brother; and after getting knocked to the ground, all they can do is argue amongst themselves. Tora's appearing tears were now completely gone, and instead she felt a fit of rage boiling within her. The moment she was about to call out to them, someone else spoke up.

"Mou~… You two stop it already," Murasakibara drawled as he walked over. "Stop arguing and help Torachin-."

"Ow! Oww!"

Tora felt another piercing pain on her fingers, and that was when Murasakibara realized that he'd accidentally stepped over her hand. He immediately pulled his foot off her, but it was too late once the damage was done. Tora felt her beaten tears slowly returning.

"Ah… gomen, Torachin…"

"Ah! Murasakibaracchi!" Kise cried. "You just stepped on my girlfriend!"

From nowhere, Kise grabbed Murasakibara's collar and pulled the taller boy down to his eye level. It was risible as Murasakibara towered the blond boy by a good few centimeters, but Kise still insisted on picking a fight. Now it was Midorima's turn to attempt to put a stop to their one-sided argument.

This left Tora forgotten on the floor once again; she was sick of being ignored on the ground, but she wasn't able to get herself together and off the ground. Her chest and fingers throbbed from the dull pain and she sniffled slightly. Just as she was about to role tears, something unexpected happened.

A pale hand extended towards her; long and thin delicate-looking fingers that were both calloused and gentle. She looked up and saw Akashi smiling back at her, those infuriatingly beautiful eyes of his looking down on her. She felt a thump in her chest; she couldn't help it, it was just last year that she was completely infatuated with the boy.

"Are you alright?"

"… Yes, thank you," she reached for his hand.

He helped her up and released her hand. It was quick and painless; she could tell it was completely out of courtesy and she was thankful for that. She had only just managed to get over him recently and with so many boy troubles already, she didn't need Akashi wriggling his way back into her heart.

"Atsushi, Shintarou, Ryouta," Akashi spoke, his voice stern. "Stop arguing and apologize to Ikeda-san."

Tora sniffled soundly behind Akashi as he scolded the other boys. She rubbed her eyes free from her tears, and looked ahead. It's been a while since she's last witnessed Akashi lecturing the Kiseki, but it was the first time she's seen him traditional clothing. He looked sort of like a lord from one of those historical TV dramas telling off his manservants. She smiled little as she thought back to the shows she's watched; Akashi had the similar estimable airs, but he was lacking in the height the actors had.

"And Ryouta, is that how you would treat your injured girlfrie-."

"Akashi-kun?"

"Yes, Ikeda-san?"

Tora stepped forward and stood beside him.

"Thank you, but it's fine now… there's no need to-."

She paused mid sentence as she got a better look at Akashi. She used to have the problem with having to look down on him during the rare moments when they did speak, but now she found herself looking straight ahead to meet his eyes.

"… You grew taller," she commented. "… Ah! Um, I mean…"

Despite the fact that she wasn't so much as fazed by him as she used to be, she did just say something terribly rude and perhaps a sensitive topic for Akashi. She's always wondered if Kuroko and Akashi were self-conscious being the shortest members of the basketball team; and she felt even more unease with the looks the rest were giving her. Much to Kise's dismay, Akashi simply smiled back as Tora began glowing red.

"… Akashicch-."

"I did," Akashi spoke up before Kise managed to call out. "I'm surprised you noticed, Ikeda-san."

"Yeah," she smiled back, blush fading once realizing he wasn't upset with her. "It was surprising."

"T-Toracchi."

"Hai?"

She flipped her head around to see Kise looking troubled again. She could guess the reason for it; he would have probably grabbed Akashi by the collar if he had the guts. Thankfully, even Kise knew better than to pick a fight with Akashi out of jealousy.

"Uh… should we go now?" he eyed between Akashi and Tora. "We don't have to go to the restaurant if you really don't want to."

"Yes, all right you big baby," she sighed, before turning to Akashi. "Thank you for today, Akashi-kun. It was nice speaking to you today."

"Likewise, Ikeda-san."

Tora smiled and stepped ahead towards Murasakibara and Midorima. First she greeted Murasakibara and bid him farewell. Though he apologized for stepping on her fingers, she felt it was little more than common courtesy than anything. But nonetheless, she accepted it with a smile and moved onto Midorima.

"Ah, Ikeda," Midorima nodded. "Sorry for what happened earlier."

Only when Midorima made sure that the other three weren't listening, did he begin speaking. She could tell he was ashamed with his previous actions, and perhaps would have liked if she didn't mention it.

"It's fine," she shrugged and pointed at the bunny soft toy in his hand. "What made you think I was damsel in distress?"

"Your boyfriend was pulling you towards the direction of the… hotel," he passed the bunny to her. "And plus, the first part of your conversation was misleading."

"And you lost your cool?" she chuckled lightly. "That's so unlike you."

"Only after I realized who you were."

"Well thanks for your concern, Midorima-kun," she tossed the toy back to him. "But you still hit me."

The toy hit Midorima right in the face, and he caught it after it bounced off.

"You let Murasakibara off," he protested. "And that was hardly my fault."

"I know," she whispered with a quick wink. "I'll pay Kise-kun back for what he did later."

"You're still not going home?"

"Well, we were arguing about dinner… I don't think he'll let me get away without feeding me," she chuckled again. "But what about you? I was surprised to run into you."

"… Akashi and Murasakibara are staying overnight. We were on our way back to my home."

"Really?" she giggled. "Like a slumber party?"

"Not like a slumber party, Ikeda," he affirmed. "It's too late for them to get back, so it was decided that they'd be staying at mine."

"Oh, I see," she nodded. "Well then, I won't take any more of your time. I'll be seeing you then. Come on, Kise-kun!"

The rest of the group walked over to join Tora and Midorima. Kise ran to Tora's side and held her hand.

"Have you apologized?" she whispered, and he gave an innocent nod. "Well then, sorry for the trouble today and I wish you safe travels tomorrow, Murasakibara-kun and Akashi-kun."

"It wasn't a problem, and thank you," Akashi crossed his arms. "What are your plans now?"

"Hm…" Kise hummed. "… Why don't we stop by my place, Toracchi?"

"Sure," she shrugged. "Oh! I almost forgot. I'll call you either tonight or tomorrow morning, Midorima-kun."

"Alright."

"Goodnight then!"

"Goodnight, Torachin~."

"Goodnight," she smiled back.

"Bye, Akashicchi, Murasakicchi and Midorimacchi!"

The trio was once again on their own as they watched the couple go their way. That little encounter had lasted them much longer than Midorima originally expected, and they were already running behind schedule. If they stayed out any longer, then they have difficulties with rearranging the futons once they get back.

Just as Midorima was about to speak out to the pair, he noticed something strange in Akashi's gaze. He was watching after the couple vanishing down the street, but there was a peculiar glow to his stare.

"Akachin, why are you smiling like that?"

'Good question,' Midorima thought.

"Hm?" Akashi glanced towards Murasakibara. "Pardon?"

"… Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, was there a reason why you asked?"

"… Uh… You just looked kinda funny that's all…" Murasakibara trailed off.

"I suppose I'm just pleased," Akashi folded his arms. "Shall we go?"

XoXo

Tora stood silent as she watched Kise go unlock the door to his house; though she's visited before and has met Kise's parents, she was nervous now as she hasn't greeted them properly after becoming Kise's girlfriend. When the door clicked open, Kise looked back and smiled when he saw that Tora was shifting on the spot. He held his hand out towards her, and she latched on with a quick smile.

"You okay?"

"Yup."

He gave her another reassuring look as he pushed the door open.

"Tadaima!"

"Ryouta?"

Kise's father, Senichi, appeared in the hallway. He was still dressed in his suit from work and carried a can of beer in his hand. As he walked out, he looked as if he were about to say something; but he paused as soon as he saw that his son brought a guest. The girl was someone he'd met before, Ikeda Tora her name was, and he's heard his son mention that they've began dating countless times. But Senichi had never paid too much mind, as Kise couldn't provide much evidence other than his words and claims.

Tora straightened up when she met the aged man's eyes; she held her hands on her waist and gave a short bow.

"… You're Tora-chan, right?"

"Yes, I am," she nodded back. "Its nice seeing you again, ojisan."

"Please, the pleasure's all mine," he smiled warmly at her courteousness. "What are you standing around for Ryouta? Invite her in."

"Oh, right," Kise's face lit up. "Ah, come on in, Toracchi."

"Okay, thank you."

Tora slipped her flats off carefully and stepped into the slippers that Kise laid out for her. She gave him a quick smile and mouthed a thank you as she followed Senichi down the hall.

"Ah! Dad! We haven't eaten yet," Kise called after. "Do we have any food?"

"I ate before I came back," Senichi stopped abruptly. "I think we have some leftovers… maybe I'm not sure."

Kise gave his dad a 'are you kidding me' look and turned to Tora.

"Don't worry! I may not look it but I'm a pretty good cook."

"Seriously?" she mused. "I wouldn't have guessed."

"If you can look past how ugly it looks," Senichi chuckled as he headed into the living room. "Ah! By the way! Ryouta, your mum and sister are delayed in Nagoya and won't be back until tomorrow afternoon so we'll get takeaway for lunch."

"What? How did that happen?"

"Tsubaki fell and hit her head," Senichi shrugged. "Your mum said it wasn't serious but then your sister managed to fall into the fountain next to the train station."

"… D-Did that really happen?" Kise murmured. "That doesn't sound very much like neechan."

Though she didn't say anything, Tora agreed with Kise's statement. She's also met Kise's two older sisters; Minako and Tsubaki were both beautiful but had different takes. Minako was a free spirit that dropped out of her last year of high school to become a writer. When Tora first met her, Minako had only just began high school and aspiring to become a classic literature teacher; Tora would have never guessed she'd drop out and she was highly surprised when Kise told her of the news. But it seems that Minako had thought things through well and wrote two novels that became bestsellers, now she is able to support herself and just recently moved out from her parent's home.

Tsubaki was something else entirely; she was only a year younger than Minako and had always been determined in pursuing a career in physics. And though she was just as beautiful and friendly as Minako was, she was also incredibly hardworking and which is why she graduated high school with some of the highest nationally ranked grades.

The more Tora thought about it, the harder it was to visualize the well-poised Tsubaki stumbling over and hitting her head… and even harder to see her falling into a fountain.

"My thoughts exactly, but I guess she was just unlucky," Senichi stifled a yawn. "… Anyways, I've had a long day so I'll see myself to bed first. Tora-chan, if you end up staying late I'd rather you spend the night than go home at late hours. But if you need to then get Ryouta to walk you back."

"Ah, yes! Thank you for your hospitality, ojisan."

"Don't mention it," he smiled back. "And Ryouta, can I speak to you for a little while?"

"Ah, sure."

Kise directed Tora to their kitchen, and so she headed there first ahead of him. She was a little curious to whatever they had to talk about, but she chose to ignore it as she surveyed their fridge for any signs of the leftovers. But sadly, it seems Senichi had been mistaken and there was nothing that looked like leftovers of any sort, but thankfully the fridge was well stocked up and it wouldn't be very difficult to make something simple for the two of them.

As she began picking out basic ingredients, Tora heard a mortifying cry followed by heavy footsteps. The impending footsteps soon brought Kise to the kitchen. He was flushed a deep red and had his hands in his pockets awkwardly. The moment he saw Tora by the fridge, it was like he had a mini spasm and turned away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!"

Tora saw through his ruse, he really couldn't be any more obvious. She placed the ingredients down on the counter and walked towards him.

"What did your dad say?"

"Uh… I can't say," he avoided her gaze. "It's too embarrassing."

"… Seriously, what did he say? Tell me and I'll make you onigiri."

"… But I already said I was going to cook!"

"Stop trying to change the subject, Kise-kun! Just tell me!"

"Well, I don't want your onigiri, Toracchi! So I don't need to tell you anything!"

"… And what makes you think I want your onigiri?"

"I never even said I was making onigiri," Kise grumbled. "You know what? Fine! Then I won't cook if it's such a big deal!"

"… Okay," she crossed her arms. "Then I won't either if you don't want my onigiri!"

In all honesty, now Tora felt a little bad for forcing them into this awkward silence. They stared at each other as the seconds ticked by. It felt ridiculous because both knew that they were hungry, but neither made a move towards the kitchen. Especially since they've already had a similar argument regarding the restaurant earlier, and that little quarrel led them to one of the most embarrassing moments for them.

"… Hey Kise-ku-."

"Okay!" Kise suddenly sprang to his feet. "If you're really that hungry, then I guess I'll have to make you something!"

Tora gaped at him as he practically skipped into the kitchen. Did that mean she just lost their little unspoken battle? She fumed at the thought of him tricking her into speaking out first; but she soon calmed as she realized that he was only trying to be hospitable by making dinner, even though he did have to trick her in order to do so.

XoXo

Dinner went by quick and easy. The food Kise made may have looked irregular, but to the contraire it tasted great. He may have boasted somewhat during the meal, but Tora let it pass as she was a guest at his home. By the time they finished their food, it was already well past ten and Tora was undecided if she should return home or not. She may have gotten Senichi's consent, but her parents were expecting her home around this time.

"Just stay~," Kise whined as she pulled away from his hold. "I won't do anything weird, I promise."

"I believe you and I'd like to, but do you seriously think my dad would let me stay?" she sighed, reaching for the cellphone in her bag. "… They haven't called me yet… that's a first."

"Reicchicchi hasn't called yet?" Kise lightened up.

"No…" she murmured. "Maybe something happened."

"… Perhaps you should call then."

"Yeah."

Tora gave him a quick smile before heading into the hallway to make the phone call. It was Saturday night and they were at his house, not to mention that his mum and sister were away. Opportunities like this don't come very often, and if by some miraculous phenomenon occurs and Tora's allowed to stay over, then he'd get to spend the whole evening with her for the first time since they've began dating.

Though Senichi had some rather crude notions on his son's intentions, Kise had no such thoughts. If she was going to stay over and wasn't comfortable in his room, then he'd let her take his sisters' bedroom if that was what she wanted. But he couldn't deny the fact that he'd prefer it if she ended up staying with him in his room and falling asleep in his arms. Kise blushed as he imagined the scenario in his head; just holding her close would be more than enough for him.

"I'm back," Tora hummed. "It's an okay, they said I can stay over?"

"S-Seriously?" he jumped to his feet. "Reicchicchi let you?"

"Yeah," she giggled. "He sounded a little delirious on the phone though. I think my mum's having an episode."

"Well, nonetheless, I'm glad that you can stay over," Kise grinned. "I was worried that they'd make you go home at this hour."

"Yeah well, your dad specifically asked that you walk me home if that were the case," she stuck her tongue out. "Aren't you just glad you don't have to put the extra effort?"

"Don't put it that way, Toracchi," he chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you to my room."

Kise's bedroom was the smallest one out of all the bedrooms in the house; it made sense as his sisters had to share a room so Kise was given a smaller room himself. Though the small room was well packed, everything was fairly clean considering that it was a boy's room. He had a closet full of clothes from his work, and another smaller drawer with his everyday clothes and uniforms. His desk was filled with piles of different sorts of magazines and schoolwork that he had yet completed.

It may have been less than half the size of Tora's own bedroom, but she didn't mind all that much as it felt cozier. Tora examined the room as she walked in, it was just as she remembered but his bed sheets were different from the last time she was here.

Tora walked to the middle of the bedroom and dropped her bag and cardigan on his chair. As she did so, Kise walked about his room straightening things up. When he reached the front of the room, he noticed that there was something strange on his end table. He hadn't remembered having such a thing, but he certainly remembered his dad trying to force it onto him earlier when they were speaking in the hallway.

"What's wrong?"

"O-Oh! Nothing," Kise swiped the little squared packet off his desk and hid his hands behind his back. "Do you want a change of clothes or something? You can go look into my sister's closet."

"Oh no, it's fine," she shook her head. "Is it okay if I borrowed a shirt and a pair of shorts?"

"Really?" he dashed over to his drawers. He took his time with looking through and took the opportunity to slip the packet amongst the clothes. "… Hm… I've got t-shirts… shorts… Are my basketball shorts, okay?"

"Yup."

After picking out the clothing, he handed them over to her and she looked over the clothing then gave her approval. The t-shirt was a plain black sleeved one and the blue shorts were from his Kaijo uniform; there was no doubt that it'd be baggy on her but she preferred that to constricting night clothes anyway.

"Toracchi, you can go take a shower first."

"Can I?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll set out a futon."

Tora left to take her shower, and whilst she was doing that Kise went to get the spare futon from his parents' room. He knocked lightly and heard his dad on the other end call for him to come in. Kise grumbled slightly as he came in and claimed that he needed to get the extra futon.

"Did you see what I left you?" Senichi looked up from his book.

"Yes! I can't believe you put that there!" Kise raised his voice in embarrassment. "Thank god I noticed it first! Toracchi would definitely misunderstand if she saw that!"

"Just in case," Senichi shrugged. "I'm only worried, I'd rather you two be safe if you were to do it."

"We're not going to do anything like that!" Kise cried. "And if you had time to go into my room and put a condom on my table then you might as well have helped bring the futon out!"

"That's the boyfriend's job," Senichi shooed the boy. "If you're done then go prepare before Tora-chan comes out."

"… Hai."

Once Kise got back to his bedroom, he speedily set up the extra futon and then went to find the condom packet he hid away in the drawer. Who knew what would happen later on, he knew it was better be safe and get rid of it before Tora came back. The packet may have been small and he practically stuffed it the furthest the drawer goes, but he was having trouble finding it.

Kise felt miserable as he picked out pieces of clothing. The pile of clothes on the ground eventually grew larger and larger as he emptied the drawer out. He was near tears when he reached the last shirt in the drawer.

"Looking for something?"

"Yeah, I can't find the dumb condom. It's not even my-," Kise froze. "Ah."

He slowly turned to the end of the room and saw that Tora had just come back in. Her damp hair was unusually curly and she was wearing his oversized clothes; he would have commented on how cute she looked in them if she wasn't scowling and holding up the very packet she was looking for.

"W-Where'd you get that?"

"It was in the bundle of clothes you gave me."

"… Oh. Uh-."

"Were you really not planning anything weird?" she suddenly sounded doubtful. "I'm not so sure about staying over now…"

"No! No! That's not even mine!"

"… It's not?" she looked at the packet in her hand. "Then who's is it?"

"No! It's uh…" Kise trailed off, blushing a deep red. "… My dad put it in my room… I tried to hide it but I guess I messed up. I really wasn't planning anything weird!"

At the realization that it was Senichi that left this for them, Tora too blushed deeply. When she first found the condom, she had been embarrassed but she was determined to not get flustered when she confronted Kise about it. But now that she knew it wasn't Kise, she couldn't help but get embarrassed all over again.

"I-Is that so…" she hurriedly passed it back to him. "Well uh, okay then. Um… is that futon mine?"

"Oh no, you can take my bed."

"… Oh okay, thanks."

Kise silently cursed his dad. It was completely his fault now that things have gotten so awkward between him and Tora. To make room for her, he quickly picked up the clothes and stuffed them back into his drawer along with the problematic item that was just as at fault.

She nodded thanks and sat herself down on the bed. Silence overcame the couple once again; neither knew what to say to the other anymore and the longer they were quiet the more anxious they got.

"… You look cute in those clothes."

"Really?" she looked down. "The shorts are a little loose but I think it'll be fine."

"Do you want me to find you a different pair?"

"No, it's fine, Kise-kun," she gave a small smile.

Kise leaned back onto his desk and took a proper look at her; he didn't know if it was just the fact that she was wearing his clothes, but she looked even cuter than usual. And it didn't help that she wasn't only in his clothes, but she was sitting on his bed too. It was every teenage boy's dream to have the girl they like alone and to themselves; but now that she was here, he really had no idea to do.

"… What-."

A buzzing came from his chair, and he noticed that her bag was still there. He picked it up and passed it to her.

"It's Midorima-kun."

"Oh, okay. I'll go take a shower then. Tell them I said hi."

"Got it," she picked up the call. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Ikeda."

"Hey, what's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you got back home okay."

"Yeah about that," she murmured. "I'm kind of sleeping over at his place."

"What?" he blurted out. "Why would you put yourself in that situation? Don't you remember what happened earlier? I know it was all a misunderstanding, but what if he tried-."

Midorima rambled on about possible scenarios that could occur tonight; they were far-stretched and highly unlikely but she smiled at his attempt because she knew that he meant well. As she listened on, she watched as Kise got up from his spot and grabbed some clothes. She gave him a small wave as he left the room, and in which he returned a smile.

"I can't believe that Reicchi-san would allow such a thing! If you-."

"Midorima-kun?"

"… What is it?"

"Seeing Kise-kun and me today, what did you think?"

He was quiet for a moment before replying. "You can do a lot better than that idiot."

"Don't say that," she smiled at his response. "You know what I mean."

"… Well ignoring the fact that Kise just managed to jump on every guy that showed so much as a spec of interest in you… you two look better… well you look happier."

"I feel happier," she giggled. "He treated me like a princess all day, you know?"

"Good to hear," he mumbled back dully. "Speaking of your day, did you get any calls from Aomine?"

"I wouldn't know," she replied. "I had it off the whole day, I just turned it on a while ago to ring my dad. Why? Did you?"

"Yeah, right after we got back. He said he couldn't reach you and asked if I could get a hold of you."

"And you said?"

"I kept my word, I didn't tell him a thing," he sounded stern over the phone. "… Ikeda, I know it's not really my place to ask this but if you do have problems I want you to come to me with them, okay? Especially with things regarding Kise or Aomine."

"… Okay, thank you," she whispered with a bitter smile. "… Anyways, how is Akashi-kun and Murasakibara-kun? You boys having fun at your sleepover?"

"They're sleeping like babies," Midorima sighed. "Akashi fell right asleep the moment he crawled into his futon, and I gave Murasakibara some hot milk and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep after."

"… It sounds like you're dealing with children," she laughed.

"You're telling me," he sounded humored. "They're not as mighty as you imagine them to be. But speaking of Akashi, you handled it well today. I didn't expect to see you speak to him so casually."

"Seriously?" she twitched slightly. "I was so worried that I offended him in some way.

"Ah, but I shouldn't take up anymore of your time. You and Kise have a goodnight."

"Yes, you too, Midorima-kun… Oh! One more thing I wanted to ask, are you going to be attending the match between Tuou and Seirin next week?"

"I will be. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to go and I wasn't sure if Kise-kun was going or not. But if you are then I don't have to worry about being alone."

"Actually, I think it's natural that Kise would go," he replied. "That match will determine who his opponent will be in the quarterfinals, so he'd definitely show up. And on the day, if you two end up together, please don't come and look for me."

"What? Why not."

"In fact, don't even tell Kise I'll be there."

"That's mean!"

"Goodnight, Ikeda."

"Night~!"

Despite Midorima's cold words, he sounded more like he was teasing than warning her. Whatever the case, now she knew for a fact that he was going to show up. So even if Kise doesn't, then she'd have someone to watch the game with. Tora switched off her cell phone after sending her parents a quick reassuring message. She was already low on battery and she'd rather conserve the power for tomorrow.

There wasn't much to do in Kise's room apart from read magazines. Well he did have a laptop, but she wasn't sure how he would feel about her snooping through his files. She chose to stick with something safer, and decided to look through the books on his desk. She flicked through the magazine, but it was rather dull as she has never been particularly interested in trends and clothes.

When she finished looking through yet another magazine, she added it to the growing pile. She reached for the next one and realized that it wasn't a magazine but a photo book; more specifically Kise Ryouta's first official photo book. She's heard Kise mention it once, but she has never seen it in person.

The more she looked through, the more she began to realize just how impressive was the person she was dating. It was common knowledge how well known and liked Kise was amongst their peers, but she's never really thought about how talented a person must be to garner all that attention.

"Toracchi~, I'm back~."

"Welcome back," she smiled at the blond that just returned into the room.

"… You look to be in a good mood," he grinned. "What did you and Midorimacchi talk about?"

"About how Akashi-kun and Murasakibara-kun fell asleep like babies right after they got back," she smiled. "And he had concerns over what you might be up to."

"… Typical, Midorimacchi," Kise chuckled as he pulled the towel off his neck. "Oh, your hair's pretty much dried."

"Oh, yeah," she reached for the strands. "Do you want help drying yours?"

"N-No, it's fine," he blushed a little. "I don't mind sleeping with wet hair."

"That's no good, Kise-kun," she sat up and reached for the towel he just discarded. "You'll get sick if you don't take care of yourself properly."

As Tora was still sitting on the bed, she directed him to sit him down on the ground in front of him. When he did so, she began to rub his hair dry with the towel. She wasn't sure if she was doing it right, but she was hearing no complaints from him so she continued.

The atmosphere between them was surprisingly serene. Tora thought she would have been feeling flustered and anxious of staying in the same room as Kise, but she was unexpectedly calm. Perhaps it was because she's spent the whole day with him, and what nervousness she's felt around Kise were quelled.

"Hey, Kise-kun."

"Hm?"

"… I had a lot of fun today."

"Me too," he grinned back. "It's been so long since we've spent so much time together. It sort of felt like we were back in junior high."

"Yeah, I got that feeling too," she nodded. "We even got to see half of the Kiseki."

"… Yeah," Kise sighed. "Hey, Toracchi?"

"Yes?"

Kise pulled the towel off his head and tossed it aside. His expression suddenly grew serious as he turned around and leant forward, resting his arms on her lap. He was looking right up at her, his eyes firm and unwavering.

"W-What's wrong?"

"… I've known you for how years, and you've never called me by my first name."

"… Hai?"

"I was just thinking," he pouted a little. "We've been dating for a while so I thought you'd probably start calling me Ryouta sometime soon, but… are you uncomfortable with it or something?"

"… N-No, of course not. It's just embarrassing."

"Why do you think it's embarrassing?" his expression shifted to curiosity. "Wouldn't it be more embarrassing for me to call you Toracchi?"

"It's not that," she glanced away slowly. "… I'm just not very… good at handling this kind of stuff."

"What stuff?"

"... You when you're acting all romantic…"

"… I'll say," he burst out laughing. "I still remember that punch you threw at me last year."

"Okay, I admit that that was extreme, but you were asking for it," she huffed back. "And in no way was that romantic! You basically attacked me!"

"Did I hear that right? Attack?" Kise laughed again. "Because a kiss is a complete lethal offensive."

"… I'm going to get angry if you start getting smug," she stuck her tongue out and pushed him off her lap. "And as if I'm gonna call you by your first name after you said that. I'm going to sleep, goodnight!"

The springs creaked as Tora leant around and pulled the covers up. She crawled in without another look at Kise and turned to face the wall. Kise smiled as he imagined the sort of face she must have been making at the moment. But he knew that if he said anything now, she'd just retort it with a smart comment; though it was partially his fault for it, he didn't want her to ending in the high note.

Kise stood up, and as he did he swear he saw he stiffen under the sheets. This only amused him further as he walked to turn off the lights. Once the lights were turned off, Kise walked back to the futon and lied down.

"Oyasumi, Tora-chan."

"… Oyasumi…"

Tora mumbled quietly; she had no idea if he was upset or still making fun of her. She was going to add 'Kise-kun' to her goodnight but then it'd be awkward if he was still on about her calling him by his first name. The thoughts were whirring all around her head, and it didn't help with the silence pressuring her. She could hardly fall asleep under these circumstances, and she was too tense to even turn away from the wall.

When a shifting came from behind her, she almost lost her mind and screamed; but she realized that the overly familiar scent could only have been her boyfriend. She felt the mattress slump as Kise lied down behind her; his arm appearing from nowhere and holding her around the hip.

"Oh? What's this?"

"I managed to roll off the futon."

"Off the floor and onto the bed?"

"Yes."

She could feel his breathe behind her ear; his heat was so numbingly close behind her, it felt as it her head was going to explode with her thoughts. She closed her eyes and counted the seconds; the arm around her grew tighter as he pulled her closer towards him.

"Your hair's so soft," he nuzzled her warmly. "… Toracchi?"

When she pulled away from him, he thought he had been in trouble and dreaded the fact that he got carried away with teasing her. He was going to apologize but before he could, she turned around to face him and pulled him into a loose hug.

He was startled at first, but soon his hands fell around her and he held her back. She steadied herself against his chest and buried her face in his shirt; she could feel her cheeks firing up as she mentally prepared herself.

"… Oyasumi, Ryouta."

I'm exhausted beyond words and haven't proofread anything so please go easy on me (╯ಊ╰)

I also want to apologize for not getting back to my reviewers, but I just want all you kind people (that put the time to write a review) to know that that I definitely saw them and I appreciate them greatly. You lovely people really motivate me to carry on writing this fic, so a big thank you!