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

12. Deconstruction

A/N: Not much to say, than gotta write, gotta write, gotta write. And thank you for the usual support! Anyway, even though BC will be over soon, I'm working on separate spin-offs for a few of the side-pairs, so technically, it's not over yet; It's the KagaKuro's story that's finishing up. Their story ends to open the curtains for the others, to bloom. :-}

P.S.: I got into an interesting discussion with a reader, regarding in-depth backgrounds of the characters in BC's universe on my tumblr's "Ask TCon" tag page. You can get the spinoff's teasers (otherwise, beware of spoilers) from there. My personal tumblr: secretly-devious . tumblr . com

P.P.S: I set up a fanartist/doujin circle on tumblr, for all my fan artworks: www. circle-tcon . tumblr

Fan service for the main pairings included! For those who've supported this story so far; on AO3, or Tumblr. Thank you for reading! :3

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Beastly Call

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Chapter 12: Deconstruction

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"The mating date for Kise and Kuroko, is in three days. I do believe that we have a problem." Akashi told them, voice laced in a sort of direness.

Kagami let the words sink in rapid successions, until it hit rock bottom, with the sharpness of a needle piercing into the surface of his mind with one clean stab. The word 'mating' in the same sentence with Kise and Kuroko's names, rubbed him the wrong way — shook him — he loathed it, with every fibre of his being. Like a red hot iron digging its way into his chest, branding a scorching, gaping scar. Kagami loathed it so much. The anger that lied dormant within him stirred, slowly rising in a quickened pace.

"Three days?"

Kagami opened his mouth and uttered in disbelief. "What the hell can we do in three fucking days?"

The redhead looked at him. "I am aware of the time constraint, Kagami. It is truly a shame that we may not be allowed more time for this operation. However, we must not be pessimistic. We may still be able to do this, with proper management." Akashi assured, still smiling. He didn't flinch nor surprised by Kagami's reaction — he must've anticipated it would upset him.

"… it's still too short! How can you be so sure we'll make it before they could force them to mate!?" Kagami snapped, then soon realised he was getting angrier by the second. He inhaled slowly, making sense of his own conviction as calmly as possible. He was failing his own purpose, the temper had inevitably risen to his head, blood rushed up so fast it made him dizzy.

He clenched his jaw tightly, the burning sensation was stirring inside of him, swirling into a violent storm. The images flashed in his mind were burning him with endless jealously, an excruciating shadow cast upon his heart, as if it rained shards of glass on him, piercing and stabbing repeatedly. In the midst of the blackened sensations, Kagami felt a tug on his sleeve, he turned to see Kuroko had gotten off his seat and came to his side, looking up at him and sneaking a hand to hold his balled fist.

Kagami didn't realise he'd been clenching his hands, he loosened them to hold Kuroko's hand in response, feeling Kuroko's cool skin against his heated one. Kuroko knew how much this idea bothered Kagami. They needed no words to exchange. It gradually calmed him down, to look into Kuroko's beautiful blue eyes — like the water to his fire.

Akashi gave him an understanding look.

"I understand your predicament. We can only do the best we can, and with what we're provided with. We will do our best to finish the tasks." The redhead spoke again, his voice carried a stronger tone, affecting Kagami. "We have logical reasons to be positive about this. Please, do not worry too much. We are here to gather as many solutions as possible, are we not?"

Kagami chewed his lips.

"Sorry — I just jumped into conclusions. You're right, Akashi." He scratched his head, ashamed that he'd let his emotions got the better of him, again. "I mean, I know I wouldn't be here with Kuroko if it weren't because of you. I — I trust your judgement. Please, get everyone out of here safely, not only Kuroko. I've seen enough what they did to them in this place. It kills me to see them like this."

He felt Kuroko squeezed his hand tightly, Kagami looked at Kuroko, the deep sea blue pools stared back at him. He could see the sadness there, the worry and the anxiety. Kagami wanted to erase such unhappiness, make them once again clear and pristine. He looked around towards Furihata, Kasamatsu and Kise. He could see the similar emotions, laid bare upon their faces. Nobody wanted to be there. Everyone wanted to go home, to be free.

Every other person in the room agreed to his sentiment; this was a risky plan, there were bound to be complications.

They had to do this for them, Kagami convinced himself, they needed to succeed. He could accept this, calmly.

"I see. But of course, we will get everyone out. We will make sure this plan is going to be a victory on our side, in the end of the day." Akashi's eyes glinted strangely, as he glanced at Furihata, then he turned to them, gaze hard and severe. The brunette looked down, he seemed anxious.

"I was quite displeased with this turn of events myself. The time constraint only adds to the pressure and risks of this already delicate plan, I believe we must thread carefully, but surely. Aomine, is it possible to persuade Director Daichi to reconsider?" He turned to the taller boy to his right.

Aomine shook his head.

"My Uncle, I think he's suspicious. He doesn't believe Tetsu and Kise would agree that easily without a catch. He's been really paranoid lately — I can't tell what he's been thinking these days. He wants to arrange everything as soon as possible, so they don't have time to rethink their decisions, that's what I figure out. He's sly." He grimly told them. "I tried to tell him it's too soon, but he shot me down, completely. … he's planning to confine Tetsu in tighter surveillance as soon as he's pregnant — It's fucked up. I didn't think he could be this cruel."

Kagami could smell the thickened musk from Aomine, his arms crossed and expression so stiff, hard lines were apparent on his face. Aomine was pissed off — maybe even as angry as Kagami was, at the revelation. They planned to put Kuroko under even more pressure, with even more constrictions, once he conceived — they didn't see him as a person anymore, merely an animal to use to breed offsprings.

Kagami had a hard time suppressing the rage, it took all he had not to burst into a fit — had Kuroko not been by his side, he would have done it. He would've cracked, but he didn't. He had to remain strong for his mate, but it was such a difficult thing to do — not to be furious, when Kuroko was degraded so much. He couldn't stand that someone so precious to him, be treated so low, so cruelly. This was wrong.

Kuroko on the other hand, remained impassive, face unreadable. Only the tightened grip he fastened around Kagami's hold, betrayed what he truly felt about this mating arrangement. Kuroko was nervous about it, too — maybe even scared.

Kagami wished he could just take all of them away from that place, all the while knowing how impossible of a task it was, to do such a thing right there and then. How Kagami wished he was stronger. He was only a sixteen year old kid — all of them were still kids. How could they win in a game the adults created and made them play, blind to the rules and everything else — as if walking in complete, ominous darkness.

"Please do not be too anxious, this is not the worst possible scenario; if we do our best, it is possible to beat the deadline and prepare everything sufficiently, before the due date." Akashi offered them a calm smile.

"Midorima and Momoi are working on their own tasks to the best of their capabilities, we will do what we can here, as well. Kuroko and Kagami, I'm sorry to have put such a pressure with the time constraint, but if you could, please finish your tasks in two days, top. If possible, I'd like to propose the idea of achieving the installations of the items, by the end of the day tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Kuroko whispered, eyes widened. "That's a very limited time, Akashi-kun. There are areas we weren't able to enter due to the lack of access keys, especially places restricted to staff only. The institution is a large place, as well. The centre building's alone is eight stories tall, it'll be difficult to navigate around just with the two of us, in a full day."

"I'll lend you my master card, Tetsu. This should unlock any door installed with the identification scanners." Aomine told him, a hand reaching to his back pocket and fishing out a card.

Kagami caught the card easily when Aomine threw it at him. Kuroko and Kagami inspected it, the latter turning it in his hand, it was a plain hard plastic card, off-white in colour, with about 5 millimetre in thickness and a bar code embedded at the back.

"There're some doors still using the old locks and keys though, they can be tricky to get. East Wing's the oldest building around, so the locks there are mostly manuals — we haven't the budget to renovate 'em. Centre and West Wings' buildings are newer; they use automatic locks, some are manual but mostly for the patient's rooms. I can't ask them to give me those, without them ratting me out to my uncle. I can't risk that, I still gotta spy on him. You have figure out a way take them." Aomine scratched his head, clucking his tongue.

Kagami and Kuroko looked at each other, they came to a wordless understanding; the East Wing was where the storages for supplies were. They had to steal the keys, somehow.

"Could you tell me the locations of those keys, Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked.

Aomine furrowed his eyebrows, thinking. "Usually, the security and the nurses have them, the nurses keep them in the main staff office in their respective Wings — the office's usually packed with staff on night shift. As for the security, the place is … it's outside, in the security post near the gates. You gotta break in there if you want them. Both have its own risks, but I think it's safer to get them from the staff's office. Less risky. Maybe you can, I dunno, trick them or something." He paused. "Don't get yourself in danger, Tetsu."

Kuroko nodded. "Alright, thank you for the card and the concern, Aomine-kun."

Aomine turned to Kagami, glaring. "Kagami, make sure you protect Tetsu. Don't you dare get him in danger."

"You don't have to tell me, I'm gonna do it anyway!" Kagami snapped, irritated. Like hell he'd let Kuroko be in danger — over his rotting, dead body. Kagami would throw himself into the crossfire before they could lay a finger on his mate, that was for sure.

The other teen snorted. "Heh. Talk big when you actually made it."

A vein popped in Kagami's head. "You damn asshole — "

Kuroko took a step forward.

"Stop. Please, don't argue here. You two are agitating Furihata-kun and Kasamatsu-san — be more mindful of their conditions, Aomine-kun, Kagami-kun. Behave yourselves." He firmly told them off, narrowing his eyes particularly towards Kagami.

Kagami only gaped at him. Even though Aomine started it first! Realising he couldn't win an argument with Kuroko, not when they really did somewhat agitate Furihata (while Kasamatsu looked mildly amused by the turn of event, instead), Kagami backed down, somehow he ended up apologising in soft grumbles. Aomine sniggered and smirked at that. Damn him, he pissed off Kagami so much.

Kuroko smiled, stepping closer into Kagami's personal space to whisper something to him, in a husky voice, only audible to their close distance. "Good boy, Kagami-kun. You'll get your reward for the good behaviour." He trailed a hand up Kagami's arm, ever so slowly.

Kagami stared at Kuroko, wide-eyed, mouth opening and closing — his cheeks were hot, mind went blank in seconds.

Kuroko returned to his previous post, along with his focus in the meeting, as if he hadn't said something suggestive to Kagami not a minute ago. "I understand the need to hurry, Akashi-kun, however this will be a little difficult for the both of us to finish it within a day. May we have more time, please?"

Akashi had looked apologetic.

"Yes, I believe I may be too demanding. However, there is a reason why I suggested you to finish the task so soon — I am aware there is more than just simply the installations of the items itself, to create the diversion. There are other elements to make this deception more believable, are there not?" He pointed out.

"The necessity of one day-limit, is to perfect the draft that you had set up the day before, the second day will be dedicated to prepare for the rest of the necessary elements — the manipulation of the sounds systems, for example. I was talking to Aomine on the way to the hospital, it would seem that they do have a radio facility — and a control room. They used the facility in the past, as a way to relay news and announcements to the staff, before the invention of more convenient technology."

Aomine joined in on the explanation. "We're planning to renovate the room recently — 'cos classical music's good for kids and the patients' pregnancy development, or something like that. Got the old machine's replaced and everything. For now, the project's been left on hold because we're lacking the budget." Aomine scratched his head. "It should work — they tested it some weeks ago. I got no idea how to use it, though."

"I believe we do need people who are aware of how these machines work, I've been thinking of letting some of my people infiltrate the staff's ranks to assist us. The situation has grown urgent, I will need to use more resources than I've previously predicted — I will try to convince my father, should he asks of it — This is very important. In this case, the hospital's understaffed state is to our advantage." The redhead explained.

"However, it may be unwise to let too many people in at a time. We need to thread carefully, so we won't be discovered. I will have a sound effects expert on standby when the time comes, perhaps the day after tomorrow. Kagami, Kuroko and Kise, you may assist the expert, I'll introduce you to him."

Kuroko looked thoughtful. "I understand, Akashi-kun. We will do our best to finish the task on time. However, it may still be difficult, we need time to think of which, from a number of rooms and hiding spots to choose from, for the installation. So far Kagami and I have thought of storages, so we will also need to get the keys for the area."

"Kuroko's right. They need help. Only the two of them won't be enough to finish everything on time." Kasamatsu suddenly said, gaining their attention. The older boy looked at Kise, who stared at him back, blinking. "Kise, you go help Kuroko and Kagami." He told the blonde.

Kise's jaw dropped slightly and stared at his mate, wide-eyed. "Senpai…? What are you talking about? I need to protect you! I can't leave you alone!"

"I'm fine. They need help, Kise. Besides, I'm not alone — Murasakibara and Furihata will be around with me." He reasoned calmly, glancing towards Murasakibara and Furihata, the former waved a hand at them whimsically.

"That's right, Se-chin. I can guard Kasa-chin and Fu-chin while you're gone." The purple-haired titan said, grinning lazily.

The blonde didn't look convinced, eyebrows furrowed. "B - but! Senpai! I — I'm worried about you!"

"I appreciate the sentiment, but we have more pressing issues to address. Kuroko and Kagami need assistance for their assignment, and you are well enough to do that." Kasamatsu reasoned, sternly. "Don't tell me you're going to laze around here all day long, while your friends are working hard to get us out of this place safely? I'm disappointed, Kise. I thought you said you wanted to become a more reliable mate."

Kise looked dumbfounded, slightly panicky. "I, I did say that, but — but you, and the cub — "

"The cub and I are fine, Kise. I don't think they'd be doing anything to us so soon, after all you've agreed to their deal. They've accomplished their goal. There is no need for them to get violent, when they've gotten what they've wanted — for now." Kasamatsu said, his expression growing sullen. "Go help Kagami and Kuroko, Kise."

Kise chewed his lips, he looked really conflicted, falling silent for a short moment. Kasamatsu looked at him, quiet, expecting an answer. "If you — if you say so, Senpai. Then, okay. I'll help Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi." He said, finally, still seemed unsure.

"Do your best, you hear? Don't inconvenience them." Kasamatsu brought a hand up to stroke Kise's head, patting him.

"Yes, Senpai." The blonde grinned, cheeks lightly flushed.

Damn, Kasamatsu was good at controlling Kise, Kagami secretly commented. Then he'd realised Kuroko was good at controlling Kagami, too. Never mind that they were the heavier seeds in the relationships — their mates held the reins over their hearts and bodies.

Reluctantly, Kise turned to Akashi. "Akashicchi, I'm gonna help Kagamicchi and Kurokocchi with those things, is that okay?"

"Of course, Kise. I'm sure Kagami and Kuroko appreciate your offer." He gestured towards the two. The blonde whispered something to Kasamatsu, which the latter returned, then Kise got off the bed, glancing once at his mate before walking over towards Kagami and Kuroko.

"Thank you for helping us, Kise-kun, I'm glad you decided to join us." Kuroko greeted the blonde.

The blonde scratched his head, glancing at them apologetically.

"Yeah, um, sorry Kurokocchi, it's not like I don't wanna help your guys out, or anything. I'm just — I'm really scared something's gonna happen to Kasamatsu-Senpai when I'm not around, you know? You — you get that, don't you? I mean, when they told me he got into an accident, I — " Kise clamped his mouth shut, eyes glazed wet, then he inhaled deeply, shaking his head.

" — sorry, I didn't mean to get all emotional. Senpai's so cool, he's way more calm than I am, even though I'm the Alpha — God, I really gotta stop being so lame. I mean, we're gonna have a cub! Gotta get my shit together. Senpai needs me." He declared and attempted to laugh it off, awkwardly.

"It's alright, Kise-kun. I understand. It is an unusual time for all of us." Kuroko gently assured him.

Kagami breathed in. "Yeah, I, I get it. It's no big deal, don't worry about it."

He balled his fists on his sides, quietly, Kagami remembered all those days when he'd no idea where and what happened to Kuroko, at his wit's end with worry and frustration. Kise's anxiety and worry were something Kagami understood well, he could empathise with him.

Kise got closer to the both of them, he wedged himself in between them from behind, hands grabbing both ends of their shoulders and head peeking forward.

"By the way," He whispered. "Kagamicchi, I know you're not happy with the plan and all, but don't worry about that. I'm not gonna take advantage of the situation to get Kurokocchi for myself — I mean, man, it's tempting and all, but I have Senpai already. He really hates it when I play around — he never shows it though, so I quit that habit some time after we started dating." The blonde grinned, it looked surprisingly troubled, warm honey eyes shone with something akin to guilt.

"I did a really stupid thing, so Senpai doesn't trust me anymore. I know that. I got a lot to prove to him. I can't risk screwing up again, you know? No need to get angry, Kagamicchi — I'm not gonna lay a hand on Kurokocchi, I swear. I only have eyes for Kasamatsu-Senpai, now — not that Kurokocchi's a bad catch, but you get what I'm trying to say." Kise grinned at him.

Kagami stared at the blonde blankly. He appreciated what Kise just told him, but Kagami didn't quite understand the latter part of the speech. Kise did a stupid thing that caused Kasamatsu to lose trust in him — what in the world was he talking about?

He caught Kuroko staring at him, just as he was about to ask. "I'll explain later, Kagami-kun. It's a fairly long story." He told him, as if reading his thoughts.

"Uh, okay?" Kagami nodded.

Later, they put a pause on their little chat, to get back into the main discussion. Kise excused himself after they'd agreed to discuss more details about their assignment after the meeting, returning to Kasamatsu's side eagerly. The blonde was all smiles when he flopped onto the mattress, once again he embraced the older boy in his arms, seemingly content and happy.

Kagami wondered idly about the thing Kise was talking about — it seemed that their relationship was much less simple than he'd previously thought, their issues might run deeper than how it looked like on the surface.

But Kise seemed to genuinely care for Kasamatsu, it wasn't just a mere fling; respect mixed with affection and proprietorial possessiveness, but there was also something else there — something deep and dark. Kagami couldn't exactly put finger to identify what it was exactly, but Kise's infatuation for Kasamatsu seemed a little obsessive.

What he knew was that with such a bold, raw display of protection that Kise showed to ward off potential threats from his mate, Kagami knew Kise was serious about Kasamatsu. He didn't know about the latter though — Kasamatsu was hard to read, always remained composed and impassive — unshakable. Maybe because he was older, the way Kasamatsu thought must be different compared to younger guys like Kise and Kagami.

" … … — the security around Former Director Daisuke's home is still tight. It'll be difficult to try contacting him, the normal way. We may want to attempt a different method." Kagami snapped from his daze, realising he'd been missing a portion of Akashi's explanation. He quickly gathered his wits to listen in to the discussion, feeling slightly guilty.

"Uncle prohibits me from meeting or contacting gramps, but if you send Satsuki, he just might let her in — he's got a soft spot for her." Aomine told them, crossing his legs and leaning backward. "Satsuki's close to my family since we were kids, maybe she can persuade him to let her visit gramps."

"Is that so…? I will ask Momoi whether she'd be willing to speak with your uncle, Aomine. We need someone to inform the Former Director of what we're trying to accomplish and relay our messages." Akashi said, thoughtful. "Is Momoi also close to your grandfather, Aomine? It seems that she holds a special place within your household, from what you told us."

"We were matched up when we were just cubs, so, naturally." Aomine scratched his head and avoided his gaze, a light flush darkened his complexion further. Kagami almost thought Aomine was being shy. He must be seeing things; this was Aomine. Aomine did not do shy — he was an egoistic, shameless dumbass with a potty mouth and a creepy obsession for big-breasted idols. Kagami decided he might be hallucinating, after all. He refused to acknowledge it.

"Satsuki's family and mine have been friends for years, they'd been planning for us to be mates since before we know what that means. Satsuki's been around for as long as I remember. Uncle's married but has no kids, so he dotes on her. She's practically family. Even if we didn't become mates, I don't think that would change." He paused. "The point is, if it's Satsuki, Uncle might let her get to the house. And yeah, she's close to gramps, and she's a smart woman. She'll find a way in, if you tell her to."

"Then, I will discuss this with Momoi the next time I see her." Akashi uttered, satisfied.

"Regarding the details on the intelligence gathering, I am aiming to gather support for the Former Director — perhaps also from the past employees who had been unfairly dismissed due to the change of leadership and their close relations to Director Daisuke. With his long years of dedication to the preservation of the Endangered Species, and his good reputation, I predict he may receive a great sum of them — nationally and internationally. That is why I need to leave shortly, tonight. I cannot stay for long, this particular task must be handled personally, by myself."

Akashi boldly turned his attention towards the direction of the bed at the other side of the room, looking straight at Furihata and holding his gaze. Practically everyone in the room followed his line of sight. The brunette had looked surprised, wide-eyed. He whipped his head around then he quickly lowered his gaze, hands fisting the bed sheets tightly — like a deer in headlights. Akashi sighed, deeply and soundly.

" … I am saddened that I may not stay with someone I truly wish I could be with tonight. However, it cannot be helped. There are more pressing issues to address, as Kasamatsu-san has kindly pointed out." He uttered solemnly, his expression softened in a quiet grief, red gaze still locked onto the rapidly shrinking form of Furihata, who was now red to his ears and neck.

Kagami blinked. He could've sworn Akashi was doing that on purpose to subtly let everyone in the room know, that he'd laid claim on Furihata — even if he knew that wasn't true — so nobody in the room would dare proposition Furihata in his absence. Kagami threw a sympathetic look to his oblivious Seirin teammate. Furihata had gotten himself involved with a troublesome lion.

"That being said, I believe we have come to the end of our meeting. Kuroko, I will hand you four cellphones in which you may use to contact each other. You may need it during your assignment. Be mindful that all of them are made with attached GPS and built-in radio, for emergency calls. If you ever need to contact me, you may do so. My numbers are already added into the contacts list, so did Aomine's and the other phones."

The redhead gestured to Aomine, who bent his back to pick up a small black sack, tied at the top hem, he passed it around the group until Kuroko had it safely in his hands.

Kuroko untied the knot, his slender fingers dipped into the hollow of the opening and fished out a palm-sized black cellphone from the bag. Kagami looked into the gap; there were three others along with its chargers. Both of them exchanged looks, they could spread them each for their team, and one for Kasamatsu or Murasakibara, to keep in contact just in case something happened during their leave. It could be very useful.

"Thank you, Akashi-kun."

"Your welcome, Kuroko." The redhead smiled politely. He turned to Aomine, who nodded at the gesture, both of them raising from their seats. "I'm afraid we will need to leave soon, as I've mentioned earlier. Does anyone have any question? We may stay a little while longer, should you have any, or should you need anything regarding the assignments."

Kuroko perked up and stepped forward, towards his tall ex-teammate. "Aomine-kun, are you leaving soon? I'd like to discuss a couple of things with you."

Aomine looked at the shorter teen, glancing at Kagami for some reasons. " … sure, Tetsu. I wanna get something to eat, we can talk at the lounge hall if you want. Alone." He emphasised the last word, smirking. "Akashi, that okay?"

The smirk on his face really annoyed the hell out of Kagami, what the fuck?

"Of course, Aomine. Take your time chatting. I'd like to say a few words to Kouki before we leave the vicinity, as well." The redhead confirmed, he smoothly excused himself from the group and made his way towards the brunette, in elegant, unhurried steps, practically preening. Furihata was baffled, like a cornered prey.

"Kuroko, I'm going with you." Kagami insisted, disliking the idea of Kuroko and Aomine being left alone, just the two of them.

"No, Kagami-kun. Please stay here, I'll be back soon." Kuroko shook his head, placing a hand over his arm and looking up at him with those big blue eyes. "There is nothing to worry about, Kagami-kun. It is just a chat, I want to ask Aomine-kun about the list of terminally ill patients we were talking about just before. Please wait for me? We'll go to bed together, won't we? I promise I'll be back as soon as possible."

Kagami somehow agreed to it. Damn, the way Kuroko looked at him — it made him feel weak.

He grumpily watched as Kuroko and Aomine left the room together, flopping his ass onto the nearby empty chair and fuming by himself, arms crossing over his chest and legs tangling. He furrowed his eyebrows and tugged his lips down, knowing it would do nothing to fix his bad mood. Kuroko had gone to private meetings with Aomine twice, already, and Kagami was allowed to attend neither. Was it bad that he felt anxious and jealous about it!?

Kuroko and Aomine had a history together that he knew little about — but he knew Kuroko was a virgin. Kagami was his first, so at least nothing sexual ever happened between them. He consoled himself silently, the creases between his eyebrows gradually softened as he remembered the time he kissed Kuroko for the first time, or the first time they slept side by side in his bed. Shit, Kagami couldn't stay mad at Kuroko. He felt bad for overreacting, yet again. Kuroko would scold him if Kagami acted this way in front of him.

Murasakibara, who was sitting next to him, yawned loudly.

"Kasa-chin, I'm hungry." The titan said, turning to Kasamatsu and tilting his head to one side. Kagami shot him a weird look.

"Are you, now? I gave you a bag of potato chips not two hours ago, didn't I?" The older boy said, one eyebrow quirked.

"Yeah, but… I finished it already. I'm hungry again. All the serious talk takes brain energy to process." Murasakibara pouted. "Kasa-chin, do you have food? I'm starving."

"I still have some of the snacks in the other room, but you shouldn't eat so much, Murasakibara. We don't get to exercise here, you'll loosen up your muscle density." Kasamatsu glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, he peeled Kise's arms off of him and climbed off the bed — he brushed off the blonde's attempt to assist him.

Kasamatsu manoeuvred his steps along the rows of chairs. "It's around dinner time, let's call the room service. What would you like, Murasakibara? Furihata and Akashi, you guys too, what do you want eat? Are you staying for dinner, Akashi?" He asked the other two who had been discreetly chatting across the room.

The purple-haired giant perked up slightly. "I want seafood, Kasa-chin. Hhmmmm, seafood fried rice, lots of it, and strawberry milkshake."

"Kasamatsu-san, I'm sorry to keep inconveniencing you — I'd like some soup or porridge, if there are any. My throat feels a little sore right now, I'd prefer something warm and easy to eat. Thank you." Furihata answered, smiling gratefully. He turned to the redhead who sat on the side of the bed, shyly. "Um, Akashi, what would you like to eat?"

Akashi beamed him a million-watt smile, and Furihata was visibly blinded by it — as if that was possible. Kagami was just joking.

"I'm afraid I have to politely refuse, Kouki. Kasamatsu-san, I will have my dinner late tonight, thank you for the offer. In fact, I would rather watch you eat, Kouki. You need to eat more, to heal the wounds properly. You look so thin, I am very concerned about you." He suggested kindly, brushing his fingers down the brunette's cheek, and along the jawline.

Furihata jerked and shied away from the touch, looking confused and embarrassed. "I, uh… thank you? I'll try to eat … more." He stuttered, shrinking under Akashi's adoring gaze.

"Akashi is right, Furihata. You haven't been eating much lately, I'll order you some chicken porridge with eggs, make sure you finish everything. Kise, you want an omelette rice, right? How about you, Kagami? What do you want to eat?" Kasamatsu glanced at him, the room's phone handle was already in hand.

"Uuh," Now that Kagami thought about it, he was getting kinda hungry. "Fried rice is good, I guess."

"Extra large portion like Murasakibara, correct? I'll take the order to the room service, the food will be here in half an hour, at most." Kasamatsu proceeded to place the receiver to his ear and dialled the buttons, speaking into the phone after a short moment.

Kagami watched the older boy, amazed. Kise had crept to the seat next to his, dropping an elbow onto Kagami's shoulder and watching his mate with a dreamy look on his face. "Senpai's always been good at taking care of his juniors. Such a considerate guy, don't you think? Even in a situation like this he thinks of other people first, before himself." He gushed to Kagami, tone laced in unabashed pride.

Kagami agreed. Somehow, this situation was as if they were staying out at a friend's place, rather than in captive. Friendly and normal. It was weirdly comforting.

He ordered something for Kuroko too, for when he returned to the room, coming up with something Kuroko would like to eat. Kagami would cook it himself if he could, but in the mean time that wasn't possible. He idly thought he'd like to make food for the rest of them as well, maybe after all of this was over, like a celebration or something. He'd invite them over to his place for barbecue and meat, that would be a nice gesture.

The food came around fifteen minutes later, but Kuroko still hadn't come back.

Kagami kept shovelling scoops of fried rice into his mouth with eyes locked at the door, munching impatiently — while Kuroko's portion of the rice omelette was getting colder on the table. Kise was eating with Kasamatsu at the dining table, the blonde put half of his own portion into the older boy's rapidly emptying plate of pork rice bowl, convincing Kasamatsu that he was full already. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Furihata was frantically refusing Akashi's offer to spoon feed him the porridge.

Twenty minutes later, still nothing. Kagami's plates were already clean from any seed of rice. Murasakibara had insisted on snacks, so Kasamatsu gave him a box of chocolate Pocky for dessert, now the titan was munching on the sticks and lounging lazily on the bed. Furihata was still eating. And Kuroko's food had grown ice cold.

Seconds ticked by painfully slow and torturous for him, with each passing minute, Kagami was growing more and more impatient. With jealously eventually overriding his logic, Kagami excused himself from the group to go fetch Kuroko. Kasamatsu told him the lounge hall supposedly located on the floor below theirs, he thanked him and dashed out of the room in near mad rush.

He knew how wasteful it was to do selective transformation for this kind of reason — but screw logic. Kagami began tracking Kuroko and Aomine's scents when the elevator door opened with a ding, he didn't want to get lost too, anyway.

It was easy enough to track, Aomine's scent was somehow stronger than Kuroko's, as if he was trying to show off.

Kagami noted with much chagrin. That bastard had better not done it to seduce his mate, or else. He eventually reached the entrance for the lounge area, noting there were two bodyguards present by either side of the two-leaf glass door. Kagami hid behind a wall quite far from the entrance and hesitated. Shit, he couldn't risk being found out just because of this. Only now did he realise Kuroko would be pissed off if he'd barged in on them, but Kagami couldn't help it.

He was curious, dammit. He wanted to know if there was suspicious activities between Kuroko and Aomine. Once again burned by irrational jealously, Kagami stubbornly transformed his ears to listen in what was beyond the entrance of the lounge hall, separating the threads to focus on the familiar voices beyond the doors. Kagami ignored the small noises and other details in the background, eagerly sharpening his senses.

"… … — cares about you a lot." Aomine's voice became clearer and louder.

Kagami blinked, scrunching his eyebrows to concentrate.

"I can see it. Kagami, he loves you — the way he went on and on talking about how much he wanted to be with you, never said a thing about the danger or risk. Makes me think he wouldn't mind being in captive as long as he has you by his side. … it's abnormal to be that devoted to one mate — like you're the centre of his world, Tetsu."

Kagami's cheeks instantly grew hot. Oh God, he didn't expect this at all. What did he just get himself into?

"Is that so…? I did not know." Kuroko's voice joined in, sounding brighter than usual.

He heard a sarcastic chuckle. "It's obvious, Tetsu. Everyone can see it; that idiot's not been hiding it, he's all over you practically all the time. Seriously, how can you be so dense? … he makes you happy, doesn't he?"

"Yes. Kagami-kun always makes me feel happy and safe." Kuroko didn't even pause to answer. "I… have never felt such feelings before, the happiest I'd been was when Seirin won Winter Cup last year. However this, is a curious thing. I didn't think it would be possible to feel that way, everyday. Every moment I spend with Kagami-kun, I see glimpses of such great joy — I cannot find anything else to compare it to, pardon me."

"… that much, huh?" Aomine's voice grew quiet. "I'm glad, Tetsu. His feelings for you aren't flimsy, at all. Obviously, even I don't think I can beat his dedication to you, Tetsu. That Kagami, he's unbelieavable. I can't believe I'd lose to him again, fuck!"

Aomine proceeded to cuss at Kagami under his breath. The latter once again popped a vein.

"Thank you, Aomine-kun." Kuroko said, voice gentle. "I believe you may still be able to achieve such a feat, with Momoi-san, that is. Please do treat her well; girls are delicate, Aomine-kun. Be gentle to her."

"God, do I have to? … joking. Of course I'd do that. Satsuki's been with me for so long, I forget that she's my mate, sometimes. She's like a part of me, I can't separate her from my life." Aomine sounded uncharacteristically gushy. It was weird. Kagami heard Kuroko laughed softly. "… take care, Tetsu. Kagami's waiting for you, I sort of pissed him off there. He must be fuming with jealously right now."

Kagami snorted. He wasn't fuming — he'd done that already, like ten minutes ago. That didn't count; he'd progressed into stalking — Shut up! He wasn't being a creepy boyfriend! Kagami had no idea who he just mentally told to shut up just now. God, he must be imagining things. Kagami needed to stop.

"Aomine-kun, you shouldn't tease Kagami-kun. He gets so jealous and possessive sometimes, it's troublesome." Kuroko sounded irritated. "I would have to assure him nothing happened, again. It's tiring, having to repeat myself."

"Heh. Can't help it. It's so easy to rile up that idiot."

Dammit, Aomine pissed him off so much. If anything, he was as more of an idiot as Kagami was — academically wise. Kagami was better, he worked hard on his grades, goddammit! In your face, Aomine! Kagami had wanted to give Aomine the finger, but he realised he had to calm himself down, it wasn't like Aomine was there for him to brag to.

"And yes, it is true. We have spent too much time here, I believe. I need to make sure Furihata-kun takes his medicine before bed — although I'm sure Kasamatsu-san would do it in my place, I have to go back, now. Thank you for your help, Aomine-kun. I appreciate it."

"Any time, Tetsu. Come to me if you need anything else."

"One more thing, Aomine-kun. I have noticed that you have been rather down, lately. Are you sure you are alright? I'm very concerned. I smelled alcohol from you, last night, you have been drinking. I am aware your family's problems have taken a toll on you — Akashi-kun has mentioned it, before. I'm sorry, I wish I am able to help you."

A pause.

"I'm fine, Tetsu. Satsuki's been helping me out, to solve the feelings thing. Never really good at it, obviously, it's lame." Aomine's voice sounded muted. "But, I'll get to it, I guess. Thanks … for worrying. It's been hard on you, too. Sorry, I can't do much."

"You've done the best you could, I'm sure. Aomine-kun. Please do not hesitate to seek me, if you'd like someone to talk with. I'll do my best, to assist you."

" … I'll do that. Thanks. I'm glad … we're still friends." A pause. "Good night, Tetsu."

"Good night, Aomine-kun. I'll see you soon."

Kagami heard a creaking noise and faint footsteps that gradually became closer.

Oh fuck. Kuroko was leaving.

He grew a little bit panicked. Shit, now what would he do? Should Kagami hide or should he reveal himself? What if Kuroko got mad at him for — for stalking and eavesdropping on their conversation? Dammit, he couldn't decide! Kagami fumbled and pondered, yet grew more confused. In the end, he couldn't reach a decision at all, he stood there awkwardly, by himself, fumbling about with wide hand gestures.

"Kagami-kun?"

"Gwwaaah — !"

Kagami nearly jumped out of his skin, the back of his head bumped harshly against the wall when he spasmed backwards, too violently. Fuck, it fucking hurt, he cursed under his breath as he rubbed the slightly swollen bump. He felt his blood ran cold — when he lifted his gaze and found big blue eyes were staring at him, weirdly.

"Wh- what the hell!? Kuroko, when did you get there!? What the hell are you doing there!?" He stammered, a palm pressed against his chest, while another was on the back of his head, his heart was beating too fast.

Kuroko quirked an eyebrow. "I should be asking the question, Kagami-kun. What are you doing here, standing in such a shady spot?"

Fuck. Kagami had nowhere to run. He'd been caught red-handed.

"I - I uh, I was just… taking a stroll? Ha - hahaha … " Kagami awkwardly laughed. He averted his gaze and scratched his head — obviously, Kuroko didn't buy it. He cleared his throat. "I mean um, I come here to get you. F - for dinner, your food's getting cold." Okay, that was a reasonable enough excuse.

Icy blue eyebrows furrowed slightly. "You are here to fetch me? Why didn't you just go in the lounge area?"

Shit. He couldn't just tell Kuroko he stayed there because he chickened out in the end, then ended up eavesdropping on them. Kagami fell quiet, face became deeply crimson and he kept stammering incoherently, unable to make up valid excuses. Kuroko all the while was staring at him blankly, neither looked convinced or angry, just staring. Quiet. He was making Kagami even more nervous. Fuck, why the heck did he put himself in this kind of situation? God, this was lame. Kagami was so fucking lame.

"I see." Kuroko said after all his stammering and fumbling about, he tilted his head to one side.

"I suppose if you don't want to tell me why, I wouldn't pry. Let's go back, Kagami-kun. I'm fatigued, I'd like to shower before bed. Ah, after dinner, that is." He declared, taking Kagami's hand in his. Kagami blinked when Kuroko smiled cheekily at him, amused. Kagami had a feeling that Kuroko probably had guessed why he was there. "I'd like to shower with you, Kagami-kun. It's been a while. Won't you join me?"

It took him more than a few seconds to process what Kuroko just told him — his face flushed hot as soon as it did.

"I — oh, fuck. My head's all messed up." He scratched his head and glanced at his mate, embarrassingly turned on by the offer. He leaned down and kissed Kuroko, knowing they were in a secluded, shaded spot where nobody could see them. "Dammit Kuroko, don't play with me. You know we can't do much here. Too risky." He growled, whispering in Kuroko's ear and biting the outer curve, lightly.

Kuroko shuddered under his touch.

"It is revenge, and a reward. Kagami-kun." Kuroko whispered, cupping his face and kissing him back.

—

They returned to the room a short moment later, everyone was still there.

Akashi stood up when he saw Kuroko entered the room. "Ah, have you finished your business with Aomine? I think it is time for us to go back, he'd texted me earlier." The redhead explained, turning to Furihata and giving him a gentle smile. He took his hand in his. Furihata had a look on his face that reminded Kagami of a frightened rabbit. "Kouki, I'd love to stay, but I'm afraid I may not be able to. May I call you tonight? … ah, no. Never mind, you need to rest. I will text you, instead, is that alright?" The redhead asked.

"I, uh, it's okay. I mean, we've been doing that for a while anyway. You don't need to ask permission, Akashi." Furihata's gaze trailed off somewhere else.

"Thank you, I will text you later then. I'd like to say good night, before you go to bed." Akashi leaned down and pressed his lips on Furihata's slightly discoloured cheek, the brunette collectively exploded in red, shying away.

With so many people still around, it wasn't like they could do much. Kagami scratched his head. Akashi left the room after he excused himself to everyone, promising to return with more news. Kagami called the room service to heat up the food for Kuroko, as they huddled together in a circle again, this time Kise joined in whilst Kasamatsu chatted with Furihata on the other side of the room, taking care of the boy's medication details. He did it voluntarily — after all the rest of them needed to regroup and discuss their strategy.

"I've borrowed the hospital's nurses schedule recently. I think it will come in handy for us, in order to obtain the keys." Kuroko brandished several folded sheets of paper, carefully peeling it apart and placing it on the table for them to see.

"According to this, there will be fifteen nurses on night shift at the East Wing's main staff office, around six to eight of them will be on patrol during certain hours — 11 P.M. - 12 P.M., for the first round then 3 A.M. to 4 A.M., the night shift ends at 5 A.M., I assume they will do the round to check on the patients, which will be considerably far from the main office. I think 11 P.M. is the earliest convenience, later on would be a little difficult for us to maintain focus, since we aren't used to staying up late into the night, like the nurses do. We can't afford to be careless."

Kuroko warned, a finger made invisible line under the 11 P.M. - 12 P.M. patrol schedule.

"It is better to take advantage of the decreasing numbers of staff during the 11 P.M.'s scheduled patrol, as the less people there are in the office, the easier for me to sneak past them, to get the keys for the storages." He continued. "There would be around seven to nine people left during the time, we'd have more or less, an hour to do so. However I do not know if some of them may finish earlier than the schedule. — also, one more thing, I'd like to ask the both of you to provide a distraction and buy enough time for me to search and find the keys."

"Distraction, huh?" Kise suddenly perked up, smirking widely. "I can do that. They're nurses, right? Women? We can totally take them on, Kagamicchi!" He elbowed Kagami lightly on the side, winking at him for some reasons.

Kagami cocked an eyebrow. "Huh? Me? Why the hell do I have to do that?"

"Of course, who else is there to do it but you and me? Kagamicchi, with how you look right now, they'd swoon to you. I mean, you're a Heavy Seed! You got the pheromone, body and face — that suit does wonders to your silhouette, already. I bet you'll be a hit with the older ladies. They like manly guys like you, Kagamicchi." Kise didn't sound like he was just in it to tease him, he actually seemed serious — albeit in Kise way of showing it.

Kagami gaped and stared at the blonde, wide-eyed.

"Wait, what? You mean to seduce them?" He stuttered in disbelief. "Are you kidding me? I don't do that shit to just random people!"

"It's not for real, Kagamicchi, duh. It's to give Kuroko a distraction, to sneak past them. We just gotta chat 'em up for like, twenty or thirty minutes — wait, is that alright, Senpai? I'm not hitting on them for fun, I swear! It's for the plan! I love only you, I promise!" Kise looked over his shoulder and shouted loud enough for his mate across the room to hear. Kasamatsu lifted his gaze, furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged nonchalantly, turning to Furihata again to resume their chat.

The blonde whipped his head back to them, grinning. "Anyway, is that okay with you too, Kurokocchi? For Kagami to seduce those nurses?"

Shit, Kuroko wouldn't get angry at Kagami because of this, right? He slowly looked at his mate, waiting for any negative response.

Kuroko was staring at him, face blank and devoid of emotions — too unreadable for comfort. Kagami usually could tell what Kuroko was feeling, but now he couldn't, at all. He shifted in his seat slightly, uncomfortable, the way Kuroko fell quiet for a moment was unnerving.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Kuroko finally said, tone oddly bland. "Please provide a distraction, and keep it up for as long as possible. We are moving out, tonight. We must prepare ourselves."

Kagami felt a little relieved by the confirmation. At least it didn't look like Kuroko was too bothered or annoyed by it, this was just for the plan after all. He did feel a bit disappointed, like it was Kagami who always got jealous, Kuroko never seemed to react to anything — it couldn't be helped. Kuroko wasn't the most expressive guy Kagami knew. Kagami secretly sighed — maybe he still needed to work harder for Kuroko to finally feel the same way for Kagami.

"Let's not forget the phones Akashi-kun provided us, I'd like to spread it to our group — and one for Kasamatsu-san and Murasakibara-kun, too." Kuroko grabbed the small sack from the nearby nightstand, untying the knot and fishing out the contents. He handed one to Kagami and Kise each, then he stood up to walk over towards Kasamatsu for his, staying there to explain what they were going to do.

Kagami inspected his phone. It was pretty small in his big hand, probably only useable for communication and lacked of unnecessary apps, unlike smartphones. Kagami idly remembered he'd left his in Akashi's hotel room, along with his clothes. Akashi said something about emergency call via radio and GPS? The device was probably more high tech than it looked. A deception embodiment, just like the redhead's style. He pocketed the mobile phone into his trouser.

He noticed Kise stood up as Kuroko returned, he approached Kasamatsu's side, and began talking with the older boy. Kagami dropped his jaw and Kuroko's eyes widened, when the blonde leaned down, embraced Kasamatsu and boldly kissed him, in front of everyone — well, everyone but Murasakibara, who only glanced at them once and then went back to watching the TV, disinterested.

Furihata's face was red — being in close proximity with them — he quickly averted his eyes and looked at Kagami and Kuroko, mouth moving and head shaking slightly. All three of them came to a silent mutual understanding and averted their eyes too, Kagami cleared his throat as he looked at the ceilings and Kuroko stared at his own lap. Awkward.

He sneaked a peek at them; Kasamatsu hit the blonde's shoulder until Kise staggered backwards, his face flushed and eyebrows furrowed deeply, mouthing something that sounded like " … you idiot!" But then quietly added. "Be careful, and come back safely." Kise was grinning extra widely there.

The blonde practically skipped on his way back.

"Okay guys, I'm ready! I got Senpai's good luck kiss and all." He gushed, radiating glee.

"God, are you even listening to yourself?" Kagami resisted the urge to facepalm, feeling embarrassed for Kasamatsu. Kise was shameless.

If it were Kagami who did that in public, Kuroko would've gut-punched the shit out of him. Kise was lucky to have gotten away with just one hit on the shoulder — Kasamatsu sure spoiled the blonde. Japanese culture was pretty reserved, no PDA whatsoever as far as what he'd seen, unlike in the US. Kuroko disliked it if Kagami acted too familiarly in public, unless there were't other people around.

"Should we head out now? We can inspect the surroundings, first." Kuroko suggested, raising from his seat.

"Wait," Kasamatsu suddenly said, everyone turned their attention to him. The older boy approached them, his expression hardened. "Are you sure you want to go out in a group, all three of you? They'd get suspicious. There's a security camera overlooking the hallway, outside. I saw it yesterday. I'm guessing they have those everywhere." He told them, a thumb pointed over his shoulder, at the entrance of the room.

Kagami froze.

Security camera. Why didn't he think of that?

Kagami and Kuroko exchanged looks, the latter's expression fell to a certain degree of tight intensity, lips stiff and eyes widened in realisation. They knew they had both been careless. They were much more cautious during the day — but just the night before, they'd sneaked out together, walked hand in hand and kissed, even went to the emergency fire escape to — shit. Kagami realised what a deep shit they could be in. If the staff could see everything via the security camera, they could've possibly been found out, already.

"It … should be alright, Kagami-kun." Kuroko whispered to him. "Nobody has approached us yet, maybe they didn't see anything. Maybe they've missed it. They are understaffed presently, it is possible." He'd assured Kagami, tugging on his sleeve.

"I hope so." Kagami replied, fingering a stray strand of blue hair and tucking it behind his ear. Now he was the one needing assurance from his mate, Kuroko wasn't the only one worried. Anything could go wrong at this point. He felt anxious. Kagami shook his head, no, he wouldn't think negatively now. He'd fight with every inch of what he had to get Kuroko back to their normal lives.

"There's no helping what has happened — we must do our best and be more careful, in the future. We can't afford the time to hesitate, the plan must proceed. Kasamatsu-san is right, we can't go out all at once. Kagami-kun, you should go first. You know where to go, right? I'll be there shortly. Don't worry, I won't get caught." Kuroko told him.

"Kise-kun, you can use scent-tracking to know where Kagami is going, can you? Please do so, and go second. We'll keep the interval of our departure, each between ten to fifteen minutes. We still have plenty of time before 11 P.M." It was still 09:05 P.M., they didn't necessarily need to rush — but they could at least be more prepared on the way there.

"Got it, Kurokocchi. Leave it to me." Kise, who was standing to Kasamatsu's side, replied easily.

Kagami brushed his fingers along Kuroko's jaw. "Kuroko, be careful." He whispered, staring into those blue eyes. "Call me when you need me. I'll be with you. Always."

"Ever the romantic, Kagami-kun." Kuroko smiled, gazing at Kagami. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

"I trust you, alright. I'm just … worried. I don't want to feel that way again, when I thought I'd lost you. It's a horrible thing." Kagami admitted, voice low. His chest was pierced with a similar pain, every time he remembered, the desperation and the frustration — the anger. The memories were still fresh in his mind, branded and carved upon the surface of his psyche with a blazing heat.

"I'll keep that in mind, Kagami-kun. You must be careful, as well."

Kagami went out first, closing the door behind him.

He looked up and gazed along the ceilings of the hall, he found a camera attached at a corner above the door to Kasamatsu's room, staring at him with its beady mechanical lens. Kagami growled in displease. There was barely any privacy here, cooped up like an animal and treated like a damn prisoner, was this the kind of life they were offering Kuroko? A fucking lunatic, delusional option. He couldn't stand these people, loathed them.

Kagami wanted badly to just fly into a rage and destroy everything that stood between him and his mate; a mental image that brought him a sense of comfort — even though he knew violence was not the answer, neither was it a realistic, effective solution — but Kagami wouldn't hesitate if it was for Kuroko's freedom. He'd fight for it. For now, staying calm and reasonable, was also for Kuroko's sake. He'd endure.

Frowning, Kagami began walking away, hands stuffed into the pockets of his trousers.

He retraced the steps to front of the staff office on the first floor, where he and Kuroko had gone to, just a few hours before. He rode the elevator, walked past the closed apothecary and the main lobby, the sight of a nurse station quickly came to his vision, supposedly the office was there as well, at the back — the office was bigger than the rest at the other floors, enough to fit multiple people comfortably. There were only three to four staff in the other nurse stations.

The corridors were dark, the unused lights were turned off. It was silent and eerie, smelled heavily of chemical drugs, pure alcohol and disinfectant — awful combination. As unpleasant, as ever. He was growing to dislike hospitals — he knew it wasn't rational, but being cooped up inside for so long under duress, had affected him over time. Kagami didn't know how Kuroko, Furihata and Kasamatsu could endure it for so long.

Kagami stopped a little ways before reaching the station, hid himself behind a wall at an empty guest area nearby and waited. It was a blind spot for the security camera. The clock on the wall ticked, second by second, minutes passed by slowly. He watched the lit up hallway towards the nurse station and sharpened his hearing to listen in, in case anyone was around to discover him.

Around ten minutes or so later, Kise appeared from one end of the corridor, from the elevator area, walking closer. The blonde joined Kagami, standing towards the inner side of the guest waiting area, next to him.

"Okay, Kurokocchi said he's coming in a bit. We can do our own prep now." Kise declared, inspecting Kagami, eyes going up and down like Kagami was some kind of a product on display. "Kagamicchi, we gotta make you look hotter. Here, let me do it." The blonde said, a hand cupping his chin.

Without his permission, Kise smoothly loosened the silk tie and pulled it off of his head — meanwhile Kagami resisted the urge to yell out "what the hell!?" and gaped at him, as the blonde popped a few buttons of the shirt's front, peeling the collar apart to reveal the bridge of his collarbone and the tendons of his neck, and a part of his chest. The blonde took a few steps back to inspect his handiwork.

"Hmm, the jacket's too stiff. Take it off, Kagamicchi."

Again, without asking for permission whatsoever, Kise just went and pulled his suit jacket off of Kagami, spinning him around in the process. Later he placed it on the nearby chair. Kagami, slightly dizzy, just glared at the blonde, who didn't seem to notice it — or maybe purposely ignored him, too engrossed in his little task.

"Okay, next … let's show off those biceps."

Screw permission — Kagami decided to let the blonde do whatever, exasperated. Kise popped the buttons of his cuffs and rolled the sleeves all the way up, until just above the elbows. The rolled up sleeves strained against the muscles of Kagami's forearms, making them seem bulky and shapely. The cotton fabric rippled around his limbs in circular waves, wrinkled and a bit messy.

Kise grinned in satisfaction, looking at Kagami up and down. "Right. Let's do something with your hair too. You kinda look too young like that, the ladies will notice. Unless they're cougars looking for young cubs, of course — If you know what I mean." He winked for good measure. "I'm playing the idol-like pretty boy, you're the manly guy. In case they like you better."

Kagami grimaced. "You're having too much fun with this, seriously … "

Kise sniggered and winked at him, again, making Kagami cringe. "I've been found out? Don't worry Kagamicchi, I know what I'm doing. Acting's part of modelling, these days. So does self-styling."

The blonde brandished a small bottle of hair gel, seemingly out of nowhere. Kise pushed him to sit on one of the chairs, then proceeded to squeeze a hefty amount of the liquid into his hand, evenly spreading it on his palms and grinning. The shadow of the darkened room fell upon the blonde's visage, making Kise look somewhat devilish and scary.

Kagami gulped, tightened his jaw and clenched his eyes shut in anticipation. He flinched when he felt cold, slick fingers touching his forehead and brushing his hair from front to back, in repeated motions. He nearly jumped when he felt a little bit of the icy slickness brushing against his eyebrows, body stiffened rigid.

"Okay, I'm done." Kagami opened one eye and saw Kise was wiping his hands with a tissue. He blinked. Well, that was quick and surprisingly painless. He'd thought it would take longer, at least.

The blonde was staring at him with an odd look of fascination. Kagami fidgeted under his stare. "Gosh, Kagamicchi, do you look hot — not exactly my type, but the ladies are going to love you! I wonder how Kurokocchi will react to your makeover?" Kise looked mighty pleased with himself, hands akimbo and nose tilted upwards. Golden honey eyes glinted mischievously.

There wasn't a mirror or something reflective around, so Kagami couldn't exactly check out the result. He brought a hand to touch his hair, most of the strands had hardened and greasy with the gel. The hair was pushed back neatly, but not completely flattened, Kise had given him some sort of pompadour, but not too much. Kagami wondered how he looked like right then. By Kise's testimony, he supposed he looked fine enough, at least for the mission. He was actually feeling better without the stiff collar and jacket, thank god. It was hard enough to move around in the suit.

Kagami started missing his shorts and baggy shirts — and basketball. He felt his muscles had grown stiff with inactivity.

"What are you guys doing?"

Kagami nearly yelped when Kuroko appeared next to him, all of the sudden.

He managed to clamp his mouth shut in the end. The latter blinked and stared at him, eyes blank, as Kagami clutched at his loudly beating chest. Seriously, Kuroko was getting better and better with this camouflage business. That was twice in a few hours! And it was nighttime, dammit, it was harder to see in the darkness, especially difficult to track Kuroko with his scentless body and soundless steps. He was like a literal ghost. Kagami shivered involuntarily.

"Geez, Kuroko! Stop doing that shit! I almost yelled — could've given away our position!" He chastised his mate, as quietly as possible.

"I … apologise. I, um, I won't do it again." Kuroko looked away when he said it, head lowered and expression hidden behind long fringe.

Kagami raised an eyebrow. Wait, he wasn't being too harsh on Kuroko, was he? He was about to ask, but Kuroko cut him off first, already in business mood. "It's still around an hour before 11 P.M., we may observe the situation, for now." He said, blue eyes gazed far off, orange tints dancing over the surface of the azure sky.

During the wait, Kuroko asked Kise to pipe down his presence for a bit, he began teaching him how to do it, in case they'd need his help for the smoke bombs installation.

Meanwhile Kagami kept a watch over the nurse station, waiting until the nurses started going out for a round of patrol. Kise, with his copy ability, absorbed what Kuroko taught him fairly quickly — although not exactly getting there just yet. Kagami could still smell Kise's flashy scent (he probably used some kind of branded aftershave or cologne), his presence was still too conspicuous to use the misdirection properly, let alone the camouflage. Kuroko huffed and sighed, annoyed, when Kise made light of his lessons, which the latter did several times over, seemingly on purpose.

Kuroko told the blonde to wash up and not to use any kind of scented products for tomorrow's tasks, and Kise had pouted at that, but agreed regardless. Kagami glanced at them in between the lookout, amused by the sight.

The clock on the wall hit 10:55 P.M., Kagami's keen hearing caught the sounds of a door knob slowly turned, the gears rotated, shifted and clicked. He shushed them then, Kuroko and Kise immediately went silent, their breaths quietened in anticipation.

Footsteps hit the porcelain floors, resonating throughout the empty corridors with chattering of people, some female and some male.

Kagami backed away slowly, he no longer used his eyes, but his ears instead, as he listened in. He stepped away from the light, deeper into the blackened shadow of a corner, where Kuroko and Kise were standing by, already sufficiently hidden in the darkness. They stayed still and paused. Kuroko's presence vanished, even when he was standing next to Kagami, while Kise's presence weakened slightly, though he still smelled like the aftershave.

Kagami did his best to remain undetected, halting his breath. One, two and three nurses, male and female, passed the lightened corridor, unaware of them. Kuroko counted with a soft voice. Only three so far, they'd have to wait until at least six of them were out. The group of three eventually left the vicinity, their voices and footsteps disappearing into the background.

They waited, for around five to eight minutes, the noises emerged and echoed into the empty space again, then more people went past the corridor. Two. Then another pair, after ten minutes. That was already seven people out. Kagami looked over his shoulder to check with Kuroko, the latter nodded, showing him the master key card he'd gotten from Aomine, in case the door was locked electronically. Kise also nodded, stepping forward to Kagami's side.

The blonde pulled off his sweater, he was wearing a white button-up shirt and jeans underneath. Kagami looked at him weirdly, as Kise popped a few buttons off his front, and messed up his hair. Kuroko tugged at Kagami's wrist, diverting his attention.

"It's best not to think about it. Kise-kun's the best at using his sex appeal to manipulate the crowd. We'd better leave him be." Kuroko told him, finally looking at Kagami in the eyes. He hadn't done that for about an hour there. "And … Kagami-kun, you look … different. What happened?" He asked, almost shyly.

"Oh, this. Kise did it, said it'll make me more appealing to the nurses or something — do I look weird? I can't tell. There's no mirror or anything like that." He asked, pulling up the shirt sleeve that had gotten loose somewhat. The hems felt a little tight around his biceps. Kagami folded and unfolded his arm, trying to loosen up the fabric. He got to prepare himself for the tactic — no need to get too used to it, it was probably only for thirty minutes, top.

Kuroko's blue eyes were locked on him, unblinking. "Kuroko? What's wrong?" Kagami raised an eyebrow. "We gotta go now, are you ready?"

"Ah — yes, of course. I am ready. You and Kise-kun may go now, Kagami-kun." Kuroko replied in a snap and avoided his gaze, seemingly concentrating on his task.

Kagami breathed in and out, cracking his neck left and right. While seducing random people wasn't really his thing, he'd only need to pretend, maybe, that he was trying to seduce Kuroko — like acting. He could do this. Right. It couldn't be that hard. Kagami cleared his throat as Kise worked on his last minute tidying up, humming to himself.

"Alright, I'm done, Kagamicchi. Let's go!" The blonde declared, his hair lightly teased with the hair gel, one part of his fringe pushed back, leaving only half of it framing part of his face. His shirt was untidy, the buttons of his front were off all the way down his chest. Kagami seriously wondered how'd Kise managed to do that without a mirror, maybe it was because of his modelling experience.

"O - okay, got it. I'm ready." Kagami stuttered and huffed, a bit nervous. Kuroko. He only needed to think of them as Kuroko. He could do this.

Kise elbowed him lightly, stepping into the light first. Kagami hesitantly followed him, Kuroko stayed back in the shades. Casually, the blonde sauntered towards the nurse station and rang the bell on the table, waving to Kagami to quickly follow, which he did, now standing next to Kise, awkwardly. They could see the main office in full view, a large glass window separated the outside and the inside, there were around six people in there, four women and two men, dressed in blue scrubs. The entrance was just in the inner corner of a small corridor next to the large reception table.

A young woman came into the counter, and Kise suddenly changed. His tone of voice became husky and sweet, honeyed words flew out of his mouth, smooth as silk. Golden brown eyes narrowed and eyebrows raised, glancing sensuously at the young lady.

"Good evening. I am a family member of a patient who's staying here, I was hoping you can help me with something?" His scent grew thickened, wafting in the air like a perfume. Kagami almost had to pinch his nose to prevent its access. It seemed to work, as his pheromone entered the narrow opening of the glass door, and the young nurse stared at Kise, enthralled.

"I — I'm sorry, I'm new here. I can call the head nurse, if you need anything. B - but she's currently on patrol … " She stammered, face red. Kagami was amazed at how quickly she reacted to Kise's woo. And did she just say she was newly hired? Some of the other nurses seemed fairly young too. Just like what Aomine told them, they were new staff. This could make things easier, Kagami thought.

"Oh, but I do think you're enough to help me, Ms. Nurse. Or should I call you Ms. Kinoshita Sakura?" The blonde peeked at her name tag, casually calling her by her name and smiling sweetly.

One look, and Kagami knew she was a goner. "Oh my, I'm sorry — I'm really not qualified, or - or experienced enough to assist you. P - perhaps I can ask some of my colleagues? They may be able to help."

"Only if you stay, too. I still want to chat with you, Ms. Sakura, we can get to know one another better, don't you think? The night's gonna be long and boring, after all. What time do you finish your shift? We can hangout when you're done working." Kise winked at her suggestively, musk thickened and spread out.

The young nurse squealed loudly, in a high-pitched sound, earning the interests of her fellow young co-workers. Maybe Kise's pheromones had reached them, maybe it was the smooth talk, or maybe it was Kise's unusually seductive appearance. Now more than half of them were staring at both Kise and Kagami. Wow, this was really working. Kise was good.

When two more of the young nurses, a girl and a guy, Kise smoothly manoeuvred the conversation and strayed from the initial question. Instead of the topic about the 'help' he needed, he'd asked them about the hospital instead, drawing out the information that they were all newly hired by the hospital. All freshly graduated this year or the previous year, barely had any experience. Kise got everything under control with those three young nurses.

Their chat got loud, rousing the interests of the older nurses, they all still looked somewhat young — maybe around late 30's or early 40's. Kagami assumed one of them got annoyed by the noise the new interns were gushing, she went as far as to go outside of the office to reprimand them in person. A bespectacled female nurse in her early 30's with hair tied into a tight bun at the back of her head, stood in front of Kagami, looking up at him and scrunching her face in displease.

Kagami noticed the door was still slightly opened and Kuroko was sneaking nearby, almost invisible. Kise was occupying the other three's interests. Kagami gulped, he realised this time he had to do this himself.

Meanwhile the older nurse threw a dirty look at Kise and the newbie nurses, seemingly unimpressed by him.

"Excuse me, you're disturbing the peace. Please state your business here clearly, or leave the vicinity." The nurse nudged up the bridge of her glasses, huffing irritatedly.

She was rather short, shorter than Kuroko, but Kagami forced himself to imagine it was Kuroko standing in front of him. This was going to be a challenge for him.

"I - I'm really sorry Miss, we were just — " Kagami stuttered, fumbling with the choice of words. " — we were bored. We thought we wanted to explore the place since m - mother's sleeping. I mean my mother is staying here for recovery."

At the corner of his eyes, he could see Kuroko's bent form, slowly and soundlessly trailing across the wall, just a little farther behind the older nurse.

The nurse raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh, really? Which room do you belong to, Sir? I'd like to know her name, so I may check in the database — you're not supposed to walk around the vicinity during the night. You will disturb the patients — as you are already interrupting the staffs on duty."

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the other three, who were all too enthralled by the blonde's adventurous tales, Kise didn't attempt to help Kagami, because he was already occupied with the younger nurses. He needed to keep up the distraction. Kagami had to handle this one by himself.

Fuck, if Kagami answered with a random name, the nurse would go in and check the name of a non-existent patient, Kuroko wouldn't be able to get the keys and they'd be found out. They couldn't afford to retreat and try again later, there was no time. Kuroko almost reached the door, too. Kagami chewed his lips, suddenly greatly focused as if he was in the Zone, the gears in his head turning and rotating. He could see his goals and how to achieve it. He had to go for it.

Inhaling sharply, Kagami stepped forward, releasing his pheromones like Kise did. The nurse's eyes widened, Kagami heard her breath hitched and paused, then she stepped back, until her back pressed against the wall. Kagami used his entire height to loom over her petite body, bringing both of his arms up and outstretching his palms towards the wall, pressing and entrapping her in the cramped space of his arms. She let out a tiny shriek, staring up at him and flushing.

In his head, Kagami was seeing Kuroko — forcing himself to imagine so, at least. She looked different — the wrong hair colour, the wrong scent, the wrong complexion and the wrong pair of eyes. Still, he endured. He glanced to his right and saw the real Kuroko had vanished from his previous spot, and the door to the main office was closed tight. His mate was nowhere to be found.

There were still two of the staff in the room, but Kagami trusted Kuroko's ability to sneak past them without notice. They already did their best to distract four of them — this was all they could manage, for now. Then they had to buy as much time for Kuroko, as possible. They needed to keep up the attention of all four of the nurses, until Kuroko obtained what they came there for.

Then Kagami remembered Akashi, for some reasons.

" … I'm sorry. I don't mean to seem bold and aggressive. However, I need to make you realise, exactly how I feel for you." He recited the redhead's lines from the top of his head, trying to remember what else Akashi said that would swoon any woman he spoke to. That guy was incredibly smooth. "I think … you're very lovely, ma'am. I can't seem to tear my eyes off of you, from the moment you walked out that door."

He paused, for a more dramatic effect. The nurse was practically melting under Kagami's intense gaze.

"Please, tell me. Are my feelings … undue?"

He didn't know whether Kise's words were right or not, but Kagami appealed to the older like honey for bees.

The nurse was reduced into a mess of incoherent babbles, her face was awfully red — meanwhile all Kagami felt was that he might have seduced someone Alex's age. God, that was just too many different shades of wrong. He seriously hoped Kuroko could find those keys soon, because now Kagami needed to maintain the distraction a little while longer. He resisted the urge to shudder involuntarily.

The other nurses squealed and gossiped among themselves, talking about how jealous they were. And Kise, in the other hand, had whistled to Kagami for a seduction well done. Kagami wasn't happy about it, now he had a woman around twice his age clinging to him and asking for his numbers. Kagami had to continue the act, ushering the nurse to the nearby seat to resume their 'chat'. Kise was still distracting the other three.

Kagami channeled Akashi again and attempted to be as natural as possible — he pretended he was talking to Kuroko, that made it much easier for him to act as if he had fallen in love at the first sight with the nurse and maintain the cover.

Minutes ticked by, and it was already 11:53 P.M., Kagami was beginning to worry. Kuroko was taking too long. Just as he was wondering, a bundle of soft blue hair went past his vision in a blur, Kagami turned his head and noticed Kuroko was out, standing at the other side of the corridor, a bunch of keys dangling in his hand. Kagami perked up and grinned. He'd done it! Kuroko got the key! Now Kagami could be relieved of the pain from the company of a smitten nurse.

"Um, I'm sorry, Ms. Nanahara, I have to go now. It's late, my mom's gonna wonder where I'm at. I'm worried she's gonna freak out if she realises I'm not there when she wakes up." He'd tried to excuse himself. The older nurse inexplicably pouted.

"Aww, Taiga-kun, you're such a sweetheart! You care so much about your mother! Alright, I won't stop you, if you promise you'd visit me again tomorrow? I'll leave my schedule open for you." She smiled seductively, running a hand up Kagami's thigh towards his crotch. Shit. Kagami grabbed her hand and put it back to her own lap.

"Ms. Nanahara, I don't want to — to rush things. Please understand, we should take this slow." He attempted to reason, wanting so much to just leave the scene right there and then. She was pretty persistent and clingy once seduced — but it looked like she was touched by his lie; hook, line and sinker.

"Oh my god, you're so sweet! Where have you been all my life, Taiga-kun? Come here, I'll give you this instead, instead." Before he knew it, the nurse had pulled him down by the collar and kissed Kagami on his lips.

Kagami's blood froze and body went rigid, too horrified and shocked to react immediately.

She withdrew after a few seconds, smiling mischievously and pushing up the rim of her glasses. "Call me later, alright? I still have some works to do, so I can't stay long. Such a shame." She gushed, winking.

The nurse bounced towards the nurse station and waved at him, which Kagami mechanically returned, mind still blank. Kise returned to his side after the nurse went into the room, having left the other three. Loud squeals could be heard from the direction of the main office. Kagami suddenly felt depressed.

"You did a good job, Kagamicchi." The blonde consoled him and patted his shoulder, shaking his head. "You were pretty awesome there! Shame Kurokocchi saw it — it's not like it's your fault, but uh. You might be in trouble, dude." He gave Kagami a pitying, sympathetic look.

Shit, he totally forgot!

"… where's Kuroko?" He said, whipping around and tossing his head about to look for his mate, slightly panicked. The spot where Kuroko was standing on was empty now, replaced by the hollow, empty darkness.

"Yeah, that … is why I told you, you're in trouble." Kise grimaced. "Kurokocchi kind of stormed off after that chick kissed you — by the way, you might wanna wipe off that lipstick before you get back. It's just gonna make things worse."

Kagami instantly wiped his lips with the back of his hand, staring at the rouge stain over his skin.

"Fuck."

There was no way he was getting that reward, now.

—

Kise and Kagami returned to the room, it was already 12:15 P.M., by then.

The room was quiet, Furihata had most likely fallen asleep, Kasamatsu was also sleeping on the chair by the bed, the upper of his body laid flush against the side of the bed. Murasakibara woke up when they entered the room, quietly, he had been sleeping on a chair, his head poked out from the freakishly long folded arms over the dining table. Kagami looked around for Kuroko, while Kise approached Kasamatsu, finding a rather large bulk on the guest bed, stray silvery blue strands of hair peeking out from under the blanket.

Kagami sighed, at least Kuroko was in the room.

At the other side of the room, Kise was moving Kasamatsu the older boy into his arms, to carry him. "Senpai, if you sleep here, you'll get cold. Let's go back to our room?" Kagami heard him whisper. Kasamatsu grunted in his sleep as the blonde cradled him, shifting him into a more comfortable position, the older boy's head pressed against Kise's shoulder.

Kise smiled and walked towards the entrance, whispering to Kagami as they passed by each other. "Kagamicchi, we're going now. Make sure to make up with Kurokocchi! Good luck." The blonde told him. Murasakabara rose from his seat and yawned, about to follow Kise. Kagami's lips twitched, then he nodded, silently staring at the bundle on the guest bed.

Kise grinned encouragingly, then sauntered out of the room, the purple-haired titan tailed him, he ducked his head as he passed the door.

Uncomfortable silence quickly filled the empty space, as soon as the rest of them left, only the steady breaths of the sleeping Furihata were audible in the room. Kuroko was trying to hide away his presence, lacking of his usual friendly, inviting scent, as if he wanted Kagami to leave him alone. Like hell he'd let it go like that! Kagami hated it when Kuroko was withdrawn, he wanted his mate to feel happy and safe, especially in a situation like this. It was too easy for things to get worse for Kuroko.

Kagami approached the bed and sat on the empty spot at the edge, leaning down and bending his upper body. Both of his hands were placed at the either side of the bundle that was Kuroko's covered form. He stared at the messy strands of hair laide on the sheet of the pillow, he bit his bottom lip and pondered how to start.

"Kuroko." He called out, gently and carefully. "Are you upset with me? You have the right to get mad, but I swear I didn't mean to do that — it wasn't on purpose. I never wanted her to — to do that with her. Kuroko, believe me." He stated, firmly. He was anxious to hear a respond from his mate, who remained eerily silent. He waited. Seconds ticked by and still no response.

Wait, could it be that Kuroko was sleeping? Kagami was unsure.

"Kuroko? Are you sleeping?" Kagami asked, hesitantly brought a hand to the hem of the blanket that covered Kuroko's head, slowly peeling it off.

Kuroko's eyes were hidden beneath the long fringe. Kagami brushed the strands away with his fingers, finding both of sea blue eyes were opened, looking absently into the space. The sapphire gems moved, but refused to meet Kagami's eyes. Kagami tightened his jaw, feeling Kuroko had withdrawn from him even further, despite having seen more of him. He didn't like that. He wanted those eyes to gaze at him, with love and warmth written on them. He wanted it, so badly.

The silent stretched on, a little too long for comfort.

" … I'm not sleeping." He heard Kuroko quietly said. Kagami sighed in relief, at least Kuroko was talking to him.

"Are you… mad at me?" Kagami tentatively asked.

Kuroko clamped his mouth shut. Pupils as vivid as the sunny sky moved to meet his, finally, they reflected Kagami's own face, lit by the dim lamp at a corner of the room. His lips parted, moved, but soundless, then Kuroko averted his gaze as if he didn't know what to say. Kagami wondered why.

Kagami then felt a hand push his shoulder, it was Kuroko's, he was rising from the bed and had pushed Kagami to give him some space. The latter understood and did as suggested, giving Kuroko a chance to rise and sit on the bed. The blanket rolled down to his lap as he settled himself on the bed, hands clutching the sheets and making ripples over the white fabric. Kuroko was quiet again, staring at his own hands.

Kagami's heart was pounding.

"I … understand that you had no choice but to do what you did — I am aware of the risks and the time constraint. I was the one who asked you and Kise-kun to provide the distraction. I had agreed to the methods Kise-kun suggested, as well. I know. This is irrational of me." Kuroko said, voice soft. A shadow was cast upon his visage, making it hard for Kagami to read his expression.

"However, I," His mate paused, lifting his gaze to look at Kagami in the eyes. The minuscule sky quivered, glazed wet and shaken — a shadow overcame the surface, like the dark clouds that blanketed the bright blue sky. "When I … when I saw … that Kagami-kun was kissing another person, I — I felt as if my heart was breaking within my chest. I was shocked. It is a very — "

He paused, inhaled deeply, gaze lowering and form shrinking.

" — very painful sensation. I did not expect for it to hurt so much. I had to … I had to leave. Because, I could not stand it. I'm sorry, this is very illogical. I know Kagami-kun was just acting, to provide the time for me to find the keys. And yet still, I, I could not help what I felt." Kuroko's voice broke at the end of the sentence, he paused again as if to gather his wits.

Meanwhile, Kagami was taken aback — he'd expected Kuroko to be angry, but not like this — not the sorrow he was displaying right now, as if Kuroko didn't have the right to get angry with Kagami, resigned and insecure.

The clutch on the sheets tightened.

" … this is silly. Kagami-kun, I know. I know that because I am of a lower Seed level, I cannot ask you to stay faithful only to me. I know that I may have to endure it, should you wish to be with other people. But … but it is … painful for me, after all. I can barely stand it." Kuroko uttered, his voice grew softer and faint. "But still, I want to be with Kagami-kun. I — I want to be with you, so much. I do not know what to do."

… what?

"Wait, what the hell are you talking about? How does this become that?" Kagami interrupted, grabbing Kuroko by the shoulders and forcing Kuroko to look at him. He could see minuscule drops of tears clung to his eyelashes. Kagami was getting irritated, there.

"When did I ever tell you that I want to be with other people? I never said that. Don't just assume I'm gonna cheat on you, Kuroko, because I'm sure as hell I've never cheated on anyone in all my life — and what the hell is with this business about me wanting to hurt you on purpose and you enduring it? I don't ever want that shit for you. You should know that already!" Kagami tried to say it as gently and carefully as possible — somewhat difficult, because he was genuinely pissed that Kuroko would think about him like that.

This was ridiculous. Where the hell did Kuroko get these ideas from?

Kuroko blinked, confused. "But I — because Kagami-kun is a Heavy Seed, I thought — "

Geezus, so that was the cause of this.

"Just because I'm a Heavy Seed, that means I'd want a harem? That I'd want to stick to that promiscuous expectation and have multiple partners? I have my free will, Kuroko, I can make my own goddamn choices. I don't have to follow the society's stupid rules to live my life. My parents never forced me to do otherwise, and they've been exclusive themselves since god knows when — and that's cool to me. I mean, I'm never the kind of guy who's comfortable with that kind of stuff, anyway. I don't wanna be one of those pompous jerks who'd get laid just because I can, and disregard your feelings."

Kagami sighed exasperatedly, scratching his head. He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Kuroko, deeply, into the eyes he loved so much, his grip on Kuroko's shoulders tightened slightly.

"Kuroko. I told you, I want you. Only you. Is that clear enough? I don't plan to have other people now, and not in the future. You don't have to worry about me mingling with others — because that's not gonna happen. I mean, unless you want to break up with me, if you don't feel the same way. I'll be broken up, of course. But I want to make sure that you want this, as much as I do. I want us to be exclusive. I can't stand the thought of you with other people, too."

He told him, firmly and slowly emphasising each word so he wouldn't get misunderstood again. Kagami knew that maybe he should have clarified his intentions much sooner, but it was better late than never. Thankfully, it wasn't too late, because it looked like Kagami's words were starting to sink into that thick, dense head of his. Kuroko could be so slow sometimes, even though he was supposedly smarter than Kagami.

"Kuroko, believe in me. I want only you — I don't want other people. Only you, alone, Kuroko. I won't leave you and I don't want you to leave me either, hopefully for as long as possible — always. I want us to always be together." Kagami solemnly said.

He detached his hands from Kuroko's shoulders to move up, cupping Kuroko's face and leaning down to kiss him, gently, just feeling his warm lips against his own. He withdrew, pressing his forehead against Kuroko's and fingers delicately stroking his beloved's cheeks. He stared into Kuroko's eyes, unblinking and unfaltering. He wanted Kuroko to understand this.

"I … I believe in you." Kuroko uttered, softly, eyes widened. The pupils wavered in a fraction of a second and the gorgeous blue shone brighter, as if lit up by a light that came from within the depths of those pools. Slim, pale hands reached Kagami's jaw, framing his head and fingering his hair, their foreheads pressing against one another.

"Yes, Kagami-kun. The answer is yes. I'd love that. I want to be exclusive with you, too. I want to always be with you!"

Kuroko wrapped his arms around Kagami's neck and kissed him passionately, Kagami reacted by embracing his waist, pulling Kuroko close to him and kissing back with just as much ardour. "Kagami-kun, I'm so happy. Thank you." Kuroko whispered sweetly to him, before their lips locked again, until they were breathless. Both threw themselves deeper into passion, their feelings had finally, truly become one, mutual. The misunderstandings were cleared out. Seriously, Kuroko had no need for such insecurities.

Kagami sighed into the kiss, their lips parted and he grinned, wiping off the saliva from Kuroko's chin with a thumb. He patted the slight bed hair at the top of Kuroko's head and flattened it. "Feeling better, now?"

Kuroko blushed.

"Yes. I feel better now." He shyly nodded.

"Great. Now, you should go to sleep. We've been out all day. I don't want you to tire yourself." Kagami said, untangling himself and pushing Kuroko gently, until his mate slowly fell on to the mattress, an arm looped around Kuroko's waist to support the fall. Kuroko blinked, as Kagami detached himself and pulled the blanket to his neck.

"Kagami-kun…? About the shower…" Kuroko attempted to say, only for Kagami's hand to shush him.

"Better not. I'm not sure if I can hold back, anyway. Plus, you're tired. We shouldn't push it. I'm still gonna have to shower 'cos my hair's all greasy though." He scratched his head, feeling the artificial hardness in his hair. If he slept like that, there would be consequences. Like Kuroko's epic bed hair in the morning; cute, but not gonna work on him.

Kagami leaned down to kiss the top of Kuroko's head, smiling to him. "Kuroko, get some rest. I'm happier if you're getting better. We can wait."

His mate flushed, he shrunk into the duvet until half of his face was hidden under it, nodding quietly. "Okay. I'll wait until you're finished."

He grinned.

"We'll go to bed together. I'll be back before you know it."

Kagami spent around fifteen minutes in the showers rinsing off the grease on his hair, the hairstyle Kise gave him flattened in seconds after being showered by the hot water. He idly inspected the bathroom, finding the narrow space to be just barely able to fit two people in. With his height and body size, Kagami thought maybe it was a good thing they didn't go through with showering together, slippery and cramped didn't make a fun place to enjoy the company of each other. The bathroom in his own flat was much preferable.

He towelled off the excess water off of his body, put on the track pants and pulled the shirt he borrowed from Kuroko, down his neck. It was still a bit tight on him, the hem of the sleeve strained against in biceps, but he couldn't be too picky — he let the towel hang over his head and walked out of the bathroom, drops of water still dripping down the wet red strands.

Kuroko was reading a book on the bed, the lamp on the bedside table next to the guest bed provided enough light for him to do so. Furihata was still sleeping soundly, the curtains closed around his bed and the lights on his side of the room were shut off. When Kagami approached the bed, Kuroko closed the book and scooted over for him, placing the book on the bedside table. The former peeled the duvet aside to slide into the bed with his mate, the cramped space forced them to stick closely to each other again. Not that he minded.

He settled himself on the bed and turned sideways to face Kuroko, the latter stared at him and brought a hand to brush his still damp hair, fingering the fibres with great interest.

"I have thought that hairstyle look good on you, Kagami-kun. You looked so mature, I was surprised." He breathed, voice quiet and slow. A blush scattered on his cheeks, ever so lightly, the gentle light from the lamp danced over his features. "You were so handsome, that you took my breath away."

Kagami felt his cheeks grow heated by such a sudden compliment. Embarrassed, he leaned close and kissed Kuroko's temples, whispering to his ear. " … I'm glad you liked it." He paused. "You know, if I didn't imagine it was you whom I had to seduce, I wouldn't be able to do it, Kuroko. In my head I saw you, not someone else. That's the truth."

He withdrew to find blue eyes had grown wide, sparkling like gems. "Really? That's … surprising."

"Yeah, duh. Who else was I gonna imagine to get through the damn mission?" Kagami laughed, ruffling Kuroko's hair with one hand. "I mean, you got nothing to worry about Kuroko. I'm pretty sure I won't be changing my mind any time soon, if ever. For me, there's only you."

Kuroko stared at him, lips forming a smile, blossoming like the bud of a cherry blossom in spring, opening up into a full bloom. Kagami was taken aback, charmed — his heart thumped loudly in his chest — his breath stolen like the day he saw Kuroko's misdirection for the first time. No, that wasn't right, it was a crush back then, now it was love. A full-fledged love that was requited, finally — now he was sure that Kuroko felt the same way that Kagami did for him. They were both in love with each other — and Kagami couldn't be happier.

He embraced Kuroko closely to himself, breathing in his hair. How he loved the way their scents mingled together, the way Kuroko fitted in his arms and the way Kuroko responded by wrapping his arms around his back, returning every bit of Kagami's affection with the same amount of fervour. This was perfection. As if the missing pieces of himself had returned to him, creating a perfect, completed picture within. Kuroko made him whole.

Nothing could ruin this very moment, not even the situation they were in — because Kagami would crush anyone who'd stand in their way, and because he'd do anything to make sure nothing would ruin their peace.

"Kuroko, thank you," for accepting me. Kagami whispered, a thumb brushed over Kuroko's cheek.

He was drunk in the happiness, his chest was throbbing with a sense of great joy he'd never thought was possible. The warmth they shared merely amplified the sensations — it was insane, to feel so happy, despite everything going on around them. "Let's go to sleep, we'll have a long day tomorrow. I want you to be well-rested when you wake up in the morning."

Kuroko stared up at him and snuggled closer against Kagami's chest, then lowered his gaze.

"Alright." He whispered softly. "Good night … Taiga-kun."

Kagami blinked.

He'd thought he'd heard wrong, when he looked down at Kuroko, and saw the tips of his ears had grown deeply red, hands clutching Kagami's back tightly. Kuroko was embarrassed, and it was so adorable Kagami could do nothing but stare with a flushed face. He was sure Kuroko could hear his loudly beating heart, being so close to Kagami's chest. Speechless, Kagami brought a hand to stroke Kuroko's hair, attempting to calm down and hold back on the desire to confirm their feelings right there and then, physically.

He breathed in and out, deeply, before he replied back. " … good night, Tetsuya."

Kuroko stirred in his arms and held onto him even tighter. Kagami had never felt more content and silly — as if the world was created only for the two of them, at that moment. He closed his eyes with Kuroko in his arms, so close to him, and fell into a slumber deeper than any he have ever had before, a sweet, dreamless sleep.

—

The next morning, at around 7 A.M., they had another briefing about the locations of the bombs installation, after breakfast.

While Kise, Kuroko and Kagami were all gathered at the dining table, Kasamatsu took care of Furihata's breakfast and other things. Murasakibara was asked to tag along, just in case something happened while they were gone on a mission, so he'd know where they were or what they were doing. They needed to get over everything, before they set off. Kuroko had spread sheets of maps for the hospital that were more detailed than the flimsy pamphlet, and a bunch of post-it notes and a pen that he'd snatched from the main office just the night before.

"I've found these maps on one of the tables in the office — I think they belonged to some of the new staff, to learn of the environment." Kuroko told them. "However I could only get the ones for the East Wing, I'm not sure if we can get more of these, for the Centre and West Wings. But I digress, let us focus on the East Wing first."

"Yesterday, Kagami-kun and I agreed that it might be better to target rooms that are usually locked or but used on regular intervals, such as the supply storages and empty patient rooms — I've also thought about places like the staff's and orphan's dormitories, it has risks of being found out — but it may be worthwhile. We also need rooms with proper ventilations, for the smoke to be able to come out, and create a deception of fire. To prevent them from finding out the deception, I believe we must possess the keys for these locked rooms, so they may panic that they could not enter and put out the 'fire'." He explained.

"Currently, we have the important keys for the East Wing, but there may be duplicates in the security post near the entrance gates, as Aomine told us. I have asked him about the places to avoid — thankfully, there are no current patients with terminal diseases. Most of them are expecting mothers, elders and children. Still, there are risks of asphyxiation from the smoke. We must be mindful of this and keep a sufficient distance in between the installations, avoid closed up spaces where there are patients within the room, especially if they are children."

Kagami let the explanation digested into his mind.

"Kuroko. I know you want to be thorough, but honestly we don't have much time. We should decide where to go first in the East Building, then cover the ones in the Centre and West Wings, ASAP. Put it under a few hours at a time or something." Kagami interrupted, reminding of the time constraint they have. They seriously have a tight schedule here. There was no room for error, yet there wasn't room for more preparation either.

He added. "I can pose as a bodyguard and sneak into the dorms if I have to. But you and Kise, they know you by face. You can't go where there are security around."

Kuroko nodded. "You're right Kagami-kun, we do not have time to be too picky, however I'd like to be as careful as possible. We can't involve innocent people into the conflict. I can use my misdirection to sneak by, Kise-kun should be able to do it as well to some degree, or provide a distraction for me in the mean time."

The blonde grinned. "Got it, I can do that! Plus, I did what you tell me to, Kurokocchi, I don't use any product today — not even my moisturiser, now my skin's all dry — "

"Anyway, Murasakibara-kun, please contact us should anything happen during our absence. You can use Furihata-kun's phone or Kasamatsu-san's." Kuroko briefly ignored the blonde and turned to the giant, who was picking his ear with a pinky finger.

"Okay, Kuro-chin." Murasakibara nodded once.

Kise suddenly jumped from his seat. "By the way, Murasakibaracchi! Don't forget to guard Senpai extra tight, okay? If he wants to vomit again, be sure to pat his back gently, like this." He brought a hand and pat the titan's shoulder, ever so lightly. "See? Not so hard! Be gentle! I know you're not good at handling short, delicate people and all, but you must absolutely be gentle towards Senpai. Got it, Murasakibaracchi?"

The purple-haired giant scratched his head. "Okay, I guess. Se-chin is so strict."

Meanwhile, Kasamatsu threw a dirty glare at the blonde, and shouted from across the room. "I'm not freakin' short, you asshole! I can go the bathroom by myself, I'm not a child!"

Kise shot him a genuinely shocked, horrified look. "But Senpai! You've been vomiting your food, I'm worried! You haven't been eating much, either! What if you faint in the bathroom, or, or worse, slip and fall down?"

Kasamatsu flushed. "Kise, for god's sake, concentrate on the meeting! Don't worry about me, I can survive this small thing. You have more important tasks to do! Sit down and stop talking to me. Focus, Kise. Don't be a bother to them." Kasamatsu told him off, he turned to Furihata and sighed. The brunette gave the older boy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

The blonde did as told, sitting down and mumbling grumpily. "… but you're more important to me … "

"Um, moving on." Kuroko uttered, exchanging awkward looks with Kagami. He bent down to pick up a medium-sized package box and settled it on his lap.

"As Akashi-kun has said, he has provided us with 40 custom made smoke bombs. It appears that each of them is be able to produce a vast amount of smoke, so we may use it sparsely, across the hospital. Be sure to look around the rooms to check for the locations of the fire alarms and place the items nearby, so when they are ignited, the alarms would be set off at once." He tore the seal of the box and peeled off the tape, opening the lid of the box.

He fished out one of them and showed it to the group; a grey metallic tube with the length of a chapstick, but thicker in diameter. "I will give around ten of them for each of us. They are quite small, as you can see, so you may put them into your pockets. But please be careful not to lose any of them, we have limited supply and there are many rooms in this hospital to cover. I trust your judgement of the places to install them strategically, please make it inconspicuous and hidden from plain sight."

Kuroko paused, seemingly thinking for a moment. "To save time, we may have to divide the tasks by the buildings. However, since we only have one access card, so we'll go by two to one, is that alright?"

"Sure. That sounds like a plan." Kagami said, crossing his arms over his chest. Kise nodded along with him.

Kuroko stared at him, blue eyes flickered in uncertainty for a short moment, before they grew firm, ensured. "Then, Kagami-kun, I'd like you to infiltrate the dormitories for this task in the Centre and West Wings. Meanwhile, I will go with Kise, to venture the storages and the East Wing's patient rooms."

It took a moment for Kagami to digest what Kuroko had said.

"What?"

He blurted out in shock, arms unfolded and body jerked forward. "What do you mean? I'm going with you, aren't I!? I told you I'm not leaving you alone! I'm not agreeing to this!"

Kuroko shook his head and gazed at him, firmly. "Please understand and be reasonable, Kagami-kun. We've hardly the time to argue — and as you've said, you're the only one who can penetrate the dormitories and places with the bodyguards around, Kise-kun and I cannot do that. We can save time with this arrangement. Please, do this for me. We cannot afford to waste time — besides, I'll have Kise-kun with me."

"But —But you — " Kagami tried to say, stammering to find the right words.

"Please, Kagami-kun. We only have one whole day to do this. We may not be able to make it tomorrow, there are too many at stakes — we've risked exposure several times, already. We must do this swiftly, before anyone realises anything." Kuroko firmly told him.

Kagami clamped his mouth shut, he couldn't say anything — couldn't find the right reasons to argue back, because what Kuroko said made perfect sense to him. They couldn't afford to be too fussy about how to do the mission. They were short of time and the manpower. Kagami clenched his jaw. The thought of letting Kuroko go somewhere he couldn't supervise made him feel anxious. What if something happened again, when he wasn't there?

Would all those unfortunate events repeat itself, when someone else would get badly hurt like Furihata, and for Kuroko to be broken in grief, once again? He couldn't stand the thought — he couldn't. It was too much. But that was a weakness he couldn't show to his mate — Kagami had to swallow his anxiety and worries, and remained strong. This was for the team. This was for Kuroko and Furihata, as well as for everyone else, ultimately. He couldn't be selfish.

"Kagami-kun? What would you say?" Kuroko asked, careful. He looked worried. Kagami felt like such a douchebag, to have made Kuroko worry like this. Didn't he promise that he'd make Kuroko feel safe?

"… yeah, got it. I'll do it. For you, for everyone." He finally said, resigned. There were so many things in this plan that he hated, but he had to compromise. He knew that. Kagami could do nothing but accept and grit his teeth.

He felt a pat on his shoulder and turned to see Kise had placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling encouragingly to him.

"Don't worry Kagamicchi, I'll make sure Kurokocchi's safe. I swear this to you, as a man." He assured.

"Thanks, Kise." Kagami tried to smile back, but knew it was a shaky one. He couldn't brush off the thoughts of Kuroko's sorrowful voice on the phone, or Furihata's bruised face, or Kise's fears and Kasamatsu's odd calmness. So many people were involved in this, so many were at stakes. They couldn't fail — they just could not. The invisible pressure was slowly crushing him under its heels, merciless. He swallowed the lump that gathered at the back of his throat.

No. He must be strong. Kagami couldn't be weak now. He had to focus.

"Kagami-kun, please trust me. I will be fine." Kuroko uttered, his gaze moved and settled towards the direction of Furihata and Kasamatsu, who were chatting at the other side of the room. "I know it is very difficult — things happened so fast that I cannot help but to worry that everything may fall apart in the end, but, we can only do the best we could presently. We cannot give up, for Furihata-kun and Kasamatsu-san as well."

Kagami inhaled.

"I know, Kuroko. You're right. This is pretty damn scary to me, I'll admit that. I don't want you — or anyone here, to get hurt anymore. It scared me. It scared the shit out of me, but that's why I'll fight for it, because it's a damn worthy goal to achieve; your freedom. I won't give up, for that reason alone." Kagami looked at them, deep in the eyes.

Both Kise and Kuroko fell quiet.

"Therefore, we must do our best. Whether it would succeed or not, it does not matter right now. We will take the risks, for our freedom." Kuroko declared, boldly.

"Yeah. Of course we're gonna do that. We'll do whatever we can." Kagami agreed.

Kise grinned widely. "My sentiments exactly, Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi! I'll do my best, too!"

Murasakibara quietly smiled, unbeknownst to them.

All of them reached a mutual agreement. Kuroko gave them their share of the smoke bombs, Kagami got 13 of them, which fitted into his trousers' pockets although they bulged out. He relocated some of them and his phone into the inner pockets of his suit, he could feel it bumped against his breast, safely tucked away. The rest of them were shared between Kuroko and Kise. They would need to head out and do the job as soon as possible, Kagami reminded himself of the ways to go to the Centre and West Wings. There were directional maps at the elevator area should he get lost.

When Kuroko was handing him the master key card, Kagami had held his hand, leaned down to embrace his mate and kissed him. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, Kuroko grew stiff at first but quickly relaxed, Kagami felt a hand reaching his waist and another at the back of his head. This was nice. It calmed his nerves faster than anticipated. Kagami withdrew after a while, looking at Kuroko, apologetically.

"… sorry, I needed that. I know you don't like it when I do it in front of other people." He admitted, stroking Kuroko's face gently. Somehow, he understood why Kise had done it the other day. Kissing Kuroko, it was as if his frayed nerves became whole again — the knots in his head untangled, undisturbed.

"I… understand." Kuroko said, looking up at him. His blue eyes sparked like two precious gems shone in light, so beautiful, Kagami could just gaze at them for hours. "Under this circumstance, I allow it, Kagami-kun."

Kagami clenched his jaw. "Kuroko, be safe. I don't want to lose you. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I will do my best to remain unharmed." Kuroko uttered, leaning to his touch. "Kagami-kun, please be safe too. I may not show it, but, I am very worried. For you, for everyone."

" … I know. I will."

Such dark, horrible things — these anxiety, and fear. It ate him up. To have his beloved, and their friends, under the mercy of strangers, in which Kagami could do little about. It was frustrating. Infuriating. He felt helpless, weak. Kagami wished, from the bottom of his heart, that he could be stronger.

They held gazes and hands for as long as they could, before they had to part ways. Kagami noticed later on, that Kise had gotten one of his 'good luck kisses' from a reluctant Kasamatsu, seemingly slightly more open to the idea after Kuroko and Kagami's bold display. It wasn't exactly his intention, but the blonde sure looked happier and much more motivated after that. Well, good for him, Kagami supposed.

They had agreed they would come back to the room in a few hours, to regroup and inform each other of their progress.

Once they were outside the room, Kise squeezed his shoulder once more as a subtle reassurance before they set out, walking off into different direction; Kise with Kuroko, and Kagami, alone.

He remembered the way to the Centre and West Wings, wondering which he should go to first, on his way there. He remembered the West Wing's staff's dormitory, or more specifically, the bodyguard's dormitory. It was the farthest from where he was; maybe he could start from there and work all the way back towards the Centre Wing, then he could go back to the room for the meeting, on time. Quietly deciding upon his choices, Kagami strode along the corridors.

He walked down identical corridors and halls, rode the elevators and passed by the hospital's staff, meanwhile keeping up the appearances and the act of a bodyguard. There really weren't a lot of people around — not the patients, nor the staff. Were they really that understaffed? Or was it because it was still early in the morning? Could be. Kagami vaguely wondered whether the orphans who stayed there were at school right now, or maybe they were homeschooled? If it was the former, then their dormitory must be empty. He could take advantage of that.

As for the bodyguard's dorms, Aomine did tell them that the night shift ended at 6 P.M., the morning shift started after that. It was almost 8 P.M., currently. Most of the bodyguards who were on night duty must be sleeping right now, the ones awake must be already in their respective posts. Kagami could sneak in there. He had to be extra careful though — there may still be some of them awake and aware, lingered around, could possibly find him out while he was planting those bombs in.

Next, how many bombs should he use for the dorms? He only possessed so many, he needed to spare a thought to it. He couldn't use too few nor too many. What a conflict.

He was already reaching the Centre Wing - West Wing skywalk by then, still pondering about it.

The dormitory was on the second and third floor, he didn't know much about it since he and Kuroko could only go so far without a card — and couldn't inspect much due to the risk of being found out by the staff, so Kagami didn't know which one was the hospital staff's dorm and which was the bodyguard's. He could make a guess. Kagami decided to try the one on the second floor, quickly riding an elevator on his way down, from the third floor.

As soon as the elevator's door opened up, he knew he had to turn left, from the overhead directional board that hung on the wall.

He walked until he reached a glass door at a corner of the other side of the hall, seemingly ordinary, with a white placket attached to the surface that said, "Staff Dormitory, Do Not Enter". There was an identification machine for scanning the id cards, rows of buttons Kagami assumed as bell beepers, there was also a receiver and a small screen under it, installed on the wall to his right.

Tentatively, Kagami reached for his pocket for the card, and swiped it over the flat platform of the identification machine. The tiny light on the right corner flickered red several times — it made him more nervous than necessary — before it turned green, then machinery noises and faint clicks could be heard from under the door's handle, unlocking itself. Kagami sighed in relief. He grabbed the handle and swung it inwards, stepping into a long, narrow corridor.

He was walking down the corridor, and he stiffened when a bodyguard came out of an elevator at the back, going towards him. Kagami tried to act natural, just walking into the dorm and yawning — more due to nervousness than anything else. The bodyguard noticed him and looked up — damn his tall and huge body, Kagami could never pull off a stealth stunt like Kuroko. To his surprise, the bodyguard smiled to him. It was a friendly one.

"Hey, long night at the shift? New guy, right? Must be tough at first." The guy greeted, patting his shoulder for a job well done — Kagami presumed.

"Y- yeah. It's pretty tough." Kagami said, attempting to sound normal — or groggy — whichever worked.

"You'll get used to it, eventually." The older man offered kindly. "Get some rest, things are gonna get hectic around here."

Kagami paused.

"What do you mean, by hectic?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, don't mind it. We, bodyguards on day duty, are going to have to gather up to greet the Director, later around noon. You know, the new one? He's visiting today. There's going to be a huge event in the coming days that needs a lot of preparations. The Director is personally supervising, it's a pretty big deal." He told him, easily. "He's bringing temps for the security too, I heard. It's going to make things easier for us, isn't it great?"

Kagami froze.

Oh fuck. Oh Shit. Shit shit shit shit! This wasn't supposed to happen!

They didn't need anymore pressure than this! Kagami cursed violently in his mind, but remained fairly calm as the other bodyguard bade him goodbye, going off for his post. After the entrance door swung close, Kagami could feel panic rising from the depths of his belly. He couldn't think of nothing but Kuroko, and then Akashi, then the plans. This could possibly screw up everything.

Kagami quickly strode out of the corridor, he left to search for a more private, secluded spot he knew nobody could see nor hear him. He needed to make calls. He needed to warn Kuroko and Kise, especially. He needed to call Akashi and Aomine, immediately, of what he'd heard. Nobody warned them about this, this was completely unexpected.

Fuck. They needed to regroup. Now.

—

TBC.

—

A/N: I'mma stop here cos it's getting too long (20K for this chapter!), since I don't want to rush the pacing, there may be a need for an extra chapter before Epilogue. We'll see what's coming.