I struggled with this. Let's see how you find Midorima and Takao. I also thought I should mention, to those of you trying to guess where I'm going with this, that the reason I'm writing is because even though it seemed to me like this story should exist, it doesn't seem like anyone's written it. I've read a ton (literally) of KnB fanfiction and haven't really found anything along these lines. If I had found something reasonably close, I wouldn't be writing this. So predicting this story by what other people have written won't help you. The clues are in here.
Once again, to those who have reviewed, followed, and favourited, my sincere thanks
"Isn't it great, Shin-chan?" Takao asked enthusiastically, "Tet-chan is starting school with us tomorrow!" Midorima looked up from his laptop and frowned at the uninvited guest currently sprawled across his bed. Takao used the name Tet-chan freely, as though coming up with preposterous nicknames for virtual strangers was a given. Midorima sighed.
"What are you doing here, Takao?"
"I'm helping you prepare for Tet-chan's visit, of course!" Midorima considered telling Takao that Kuroko definitely wouldn't appreciate being called Tet-chan, but figured that wouldn't stop Takao, so didn't bother.
"I'm not preparing for Kuroko," Midorima replied instead, pushing his glasses up and looking away.
"You totally are!" Said Takao confidently. "What were you searching just now?"
"...the best route to Kuroko's place." Midorima had, in fact, never been to Kuroko's condo, although he knew where it was. Takao took a moment to absorb his answer then whooped.
"You're going to pick up Tet-chan?! That's SOO cute! You're like lovers or something!" Midorima felt himself blush harder with every line Takao added.
"You pick me up every day," Midorima objected, "that doesn't make us lovers." In the time they had known each other, Midorima had never lost a game of rock paper scissors against Takao. He had, therefore, never had to pull the rickshaw, despite the fact that they went to school together daily. As fate would have it, this year he and Takao were also in the same class, and Midorima had come to the conclusion that he saw far more of Takao than was reasonable.
"That's different," Takao dismissed. "This is Tet-chan we're talking about! Your sweetheart!" Midorima spluttered.
"Kuroko is not my sweetheart! I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Oh, don't be such a tsundere, Shin-chan! It's so obvious!"
"It's not obvious!" Midorima protested.
"So you're trying to be discrete?" Midorima froze at the sharpening in Takao's tone. "Eh? I always knew Shin-chan felt something special for Tet-chan." Midorima's face was almost painfully red. Takao noticed that and switched gears. "Have you ever tried telling him how you feel?"
"There's nothing to tell," Midorima said shakily. " Bloodtypes A and B are not compatible." Takao groaned, and rolled over.
"If Tet-chan was bloodtype B, would you confess?"
"It's not that simple, Takao," Midorima exhaled. He glanced at the clock then added, "look, I need to call Kuroko now before it's too late. Is there any possibility you could stay quiet while I'm on the phone?"
"I'm the soul of silence!" Takao proclaimed. Midorima eyed him dubiously, but chose to accept it. He pulled out his cell and hit Kuroko's contact.
"Hello," the bluenette's voice came through, and all of a sudden Midorima's mind was filled with memories of silken baby blue hair. He cleared his throat, hoping to clear his mind with it.
"Kuroko, I'll come by tomorrow morning and pick you up."
"Midorima-kun doesn't need to inconvenience himself like that," Kuroko replied. Midorima knew that Kuroko was trying to save him the trouble, but the rejection still stung.
"I'll show you around Shutoku since you're new," Midorima said. "It's not like I want to spend time with you, or anything."
"My leg is fine, Midorima-kun. I'm not a girl in need of protecting." Whether deliberately or not, Kuroko entirely missed the point.
"I never said you were a girl," Midorima shot back, ruffled.
"I can meet you at Shutoku."
"No," Midorima snapped. He saw Takao's eyes widen at his tone. Before Midorima could say anything else, his phone was snatched out of his hand.
"Hi Tet-chan! It's Takao! Listen, Shin-chan is too shy-"
"I'm not!"
"-to say that he really wants to spend time with you-"
"I don't!"
"'-so for his sake, why don't you let him take you to school?" Midorima spluttered. So much for Takao remaining quiet.
"...If Midorima wants to escort me, then I guess it's fine." Kuroko eventually answered, sounding resigned. Not exactly the reaction Midorima was hoping for, but that couldn't be helped. Kuroko was bloodtype A, after all. "I look forward to getting to know you better, Takao-kun."
"Me, too! Hey, do you mind if I join you guys?"
"I don't mind," Kuroko replied after the slightest hesitation.
"Great! Listen, Shin-chan is all ruffled now-"
"I'm not ruffled!"
"-so I'll give the phone back to him and see you tomorrow." With those words, Takao handed Midorima's cell back to him.
"There's no morning practice tomorrow," Midorima told Kuroko.
"Is Midorima assuming that I'll be joining the basketball team?"
"Won't you?" Midorima questioned, somewhat shocked by the possibility of Kuroko not being on a basketball team.
"Of course." Then why phrase it like that? Midorima thought. He sighed and switched topics, summoning his courage.
"I'd like to cook for you while you're going to Shutoku." It was exceedingly rare for Midorima to say what he wanted, and Kuroko had never been someone who wanted charity, so he knew he would face some resistance to the idea.
"Why?"
"You can only boil eggs, right?"
"It's a mean boiled egg," Kuroko assured him confidently. What's that even supposed to mean? Midorima wondered.
"You need to eat more than boiled eggs, Kuroko."
"There's nothing wrong with boiled eggs, Midorima-kun."
"There is if they're all you eat."
"I eat other things."
"Milkshakes don't count," Midorima sighed. "Listen, Kuroko. You're a national level basketball player, but you can't recover from your injury and train on your usual diet."
"...I suppose this is why Akashi-kun insisted on going grocery shopping before he left today." Midorima was more interested in the fact that the redhead had made time in his intensely busy schedule to come to Tokyo and visit with Kuroko than that his offer to cook for Kuroko had been anticipated.
"It's important for me, as a future doctor, to learn more about nutrition." Midorima knew that Kuroko hated to be a bother, but would fold if you could convince him that you were doing this for yourself.
"Please tell me it's not miso soup and onigiri."
"I can cook more than that!" Midorima defended, then considered the possible reason for the question.
"Is that all Aomine fed you?"
"Yes." Midorima waited, letting Kuroko reconcile himself to the offer. "...alright. I look forward to eating your cooking, Midorima-kun." Midorima's face flushed at the slight softening of Kuroko's tone. They hung up, and Midorima noticed Takao's too sharp gaze on him.
"You're cooking for him, too? That's so sweet, Shin-chan! Seriously, though, why don't you confess while he's here?" The teasing tone in his voice was contrasted by the careful look in his eyes.
"I don't know know what you're talking about!" Midorima protested.
"It's ok, you know. I totally get that Tet-chan is a little hottie-"
"Don't," Midorima interrupted, his previous discomfort pushed aside. "You can't talk about Kuroko like that, Takao." Takao's teasing smile froze at the change. Seeing the unease in his eyes, Midorima thought about what he might be able to tell Takao. He didn't usually mean it when he snapped at Takao, something the other seemed to instinctively understand, but this time he was serious. "One time, when we were in first year, a couple of guys saw him and thought he looked really cute," Midorima closed his eyes, remembering the scene, "they tried to pick him up off the street." Seeing that Takao didn't get it, he added the key word. "Literally."
"...That's serious, Shin-chan," Takao replied solemnly, his face pale. "What happened?" Midorima snorted.
"Aomine and Murasakibara attacked the men. I thought they were going to kill them. Akashi had the men arrested. They were sentenced to ten years in prison." Midorima didn't feel the need to mention that he and Akashi had also thrown themselves at the men. He could only imagine Kise's reaction if he had been part of the team at the time.
"How do you get ten years in prison for a crime you didn't successfully commit?"
"You face Akashi's lawyers." Takao seemed somewhat taken aback by Midorima's cold reply.
"So being good looking has caused problems for Tet-chan?"
"Yes," Midorima said. "Kuroko gave you permission to go to his condo-"
"Tet-chan has a condo?"
"-but I need you to promise that you won't tell anyone where he lives."
"Because strangers aren't the only danger to Tet-chan." Sometimes Midorima forgot how smart Takao could be. "Tet-chan coming to school with us, no one finding out where he lives... This all has something to do with that phone call you got a couple months ago from Akashi, doesn't it?" Midorima had expected that he would need to explain Kuroko's sudden transfer to someone as inquisitive as Takao. If anything, Midorima was only surprised that it had taken this long for him to ask.
"We were worried that someone might have tried to grab him, again," Midorima briefly explained, "but it turned out that he had broken his leg, and no one had spotted him."
"How long did it take for someone to find him?"
"Three days."
"...That's brutal," Takao eventually replied.
"Kuroko's tough," Midorima assured him. "He's probably the toughest person I know."
Midorima opened his front door to find Takao already sitting on the bicycle ready to pull the rickshaw.
"Since when are you so excited to see Kuroko, Takao?" Midorima greeted. "I thought you didn't like him."
"How can you say that, Shin-chan? Tet-chan in my rival! And he's your friend! Of course I'm looking forward to having him go to school with us!"
"He's not my friend," Midorima replied automatically.
"Your crush, then?"
"I can make you walk, Takao."
"Don't be like that, Shin-chan!" Takao protested as Midorima carefully placed the cabinet door (his lucky item for the day) and the curling iron (Kuroko's lucky item) in the back of the rickshaw. After a routine game of rock paper scissors (which Midorima inevitably won) Takao began to pedal. "Where are we going, by the way, Shin-chan?"
"I'll direct you."
"Are you going to be dropping Tet-chan off after school, too?"
"Yes."
"So you'll be picking him up and dropping him off every day?" Takao clarified, eyes wide.
"Yes. It's not like I'm worried about him or anything, but it'll be good practice cooking."
"Shin-chan," Takao said, "I never mentioned cooking." Midorima fell silent. It took fifteen minutes, as he had anticipated, and they were just pulling up in front of the building when Takao glanced over and waved.
"Tet-chan!" Even Midorima, who had known Kuroko for years hadn't spotted him that fast. Takao's Hawk Eye was impressive.
"Midorima-kun, Takao-kun," Kuroko acknowledged with a bow. "Thank you for coming to pick me up."
"No problem, right, Shin-chan? Shin-chan has been really excited that you're coming to Shutoku!" Midorima ignored the curious glance Kuroko sent him.
"I'm looking forward to it as well. Congratulations on your ranking in the regionals," Kuroko deadpanned, climbing into the rickshaw and sitting beside Midorima.
"Third place? We were hoping for better, but our team lost a lot of senpai, and we're getting used to the new team," Takao chattered happily as he started pedalling. "Only Captain Miyaji, Shin-chan and I are left from last year's team!"
"I saw your match. You both played well."
"I can't turn to look," Takao panted, obviously feeling the difference in effort required to pull two people, "but I bet Shin-chan is blushing!"
"Don't be stupid, Takao," Midorima grumbled, pushing his glasses up.
"It sounds like Midorima-kun and Takao-kun are very close," Kuroko commented.
"What?" Midorima spluttered, feeling himself blush. "It's not like that!"
"If Midoima-kun is friends with Takao-kun then I would also like to get to know him better." Kuroko's voice was flat, despite the kindness of the words.
"I just said it's not like that!" They were stopped at a traffic light, and Takao turned back to look at them. Then. Began. Laughing.
"Your face! Oh, God, how do you get it that red? Ahaha!"
"Let's go," Midorima said gruffly, relieved the light had changed again.
Kuroko enjoyed his first day at Shutoku. Midorima and Takao were entertaining guides, and he was happy to have been placed in the same class as them. When Midorima had awkwardly presented him with a curling iron for good luck in the rickshaw, Kuroko had sudden visions of two months worth of lucky items accumulating in his condo: doorknobs, statues, and knickknacks defying identification cluttered the space. Hoping to avoid that, Kuroko had accepted the gift on the condition that it was the only time Midorima would buy him his lucky item. Midorima was, predictably, concerned about Kuroko's fate without his lucky items, but Kuroko had been adamant.
"I have to say, Tet-chan, I never expected to play on the same team as you," Takao commented as the three of them exited the change rooms.
"Please don't call me that," Kuroko replied. It was the eleventh time he had made the request. Before Takao could refuse, again, Midorima spoke.
"I've already told Captain Miyaji about your transfer, but you should greet him in person." Kuroko nodded. Despite Midorima's obsession with Oha-Asa, he was virtually the only member of the Generation of Miracles who consistently remembered the niceties, which was something Kuroko appreciated.
"Hello," Kuroko greeted, watching the new captain jump.
"Wah! Do people ever get used to that?"
"I'll be in your care," Kuroko continued, not bothering to address the question. Kuroko didn't think it was likely that many people would be able to get used to him in a mere two months, and wasn't worried about it.
"Midorima said that you were recovering from a fractured leg," the captain said. Kuroko nodded. "I gather you played for Too yesterday?"
"Yes, but only in the fourth quarter," Kuroko agreed impassively.
"How did it hold up?"
"Fine."
"Alright, you join practice and we'll see how it goes. I won't risk injuring a player, so if you can't play I need you to tell me."
"I will monitor Kuroko's condition," Midorima volunteered joining the conversation, and causing Kuroko to frown. "Sit down so I can look at it," Midorima instructed.
"Momoi-san and Akashi-kun both looked at it yesterday," Kuroko protested.
"No one has looked at it today." If Midorima decided to tell anyone that Kuroko wasn't looking after himself, his life would be completely overrun by well wishers, Kuroko knew. He sighed quietly at Midorima's response and resignedly took a seat on the bench. Midorima knelt in front of Kuroko and carefully inspected i, running his hands over it to assess the bone and muscle. Kuroko was aware of the whispers around them, but focused on answering Midorima's questions. Once Midorima was satisfied that Kuroko was in fact fit for practice, they began stretching together.