The Dress Which Kuroko Wears
It had sounded ridiculous to him at first. No matter how much he thought about it, the idea in itself was just… well, ridiculous. Not that he found anything wrong with a man wearing women's clothing, he had no problem with that, but the idea that that man had to be him did somewhat disturb him. Why did it have to be him anyway? He could have asked anyone, literally anyone else but him. Hell, he could have asked an actual woman!
He never thought his friend would actually take him up on that stupid offer after all those years. That afternoon in the locker room, when he saw Midorima take that day's lucky item from his bag, that accursed pink dress, it just slipped out his mouth; but he hadn't meant anything by it!
"If he asks me to put that thing on, I'm drawing the line," he remembered commenting in passing.
"Wouldn't that be sight to behold?" his teammate had replied, grinning like only someone who was already creating a mental image in his head would.
"I might consider it if you were the one asking. But it would have to be a pretty dress."
"And it is," defended Akashi, holding out an elegant evening gown.
Kuroko stared in astonishment at him and the garment in question. That was definitely not the point he was trying to make when he brought up that damn conversation.
"Couldn't you find someone else to accompany you?" said Kuroko. "I'm sure any of the girls in your school would jump at an opportunity like this."
Akashi sighed like an old exhausted man who had been there and back again one too many times. He neatly placed the dress back inside an expensive looking velvet box before taking a seat across from his friend. "That is precisely why I can't ask any of them. My father requested I attend this party escorting a 'refined and modest lady'. I'm afraid an 'enthusiastic' teenage girl is not quite my definition of a refined and modest lady at all."
"And I am?" questioned Kuroko.
"Two out of three," replied Akashi, gingerly picking up his cup of tea and taking a long sip. Kuroko could have sworn he could see the smirk on his face through the delicate porcelain.
"And it will only be for a couple of hours?" he finally asked, starting to give into the idea.
"It will be over before you know it," said Akashi in a humorous tone that gave away how much he was rejoicing in his victory already.
Deep down Kuroko knew that he meant it most definitely would not. He sighed in defeat and muttered a muffled "fine" as he approached the garment and ran his fingers underneath the fabric as if to confirm its existence. He had to concede it was a pretty dress, tasteful yet… who was he kidding? He knew absolutely nothing about high couture. The most he could say about the thing was that it was blue, dark blue, with some kind of silver pattern embroidered at the bottom.
It was only a few hours later, as he was standing atop the long stairwell in full refined-lady-costume, staring down at the sea of colorful silhouettes mingling with each other, that he began regretting his inability to say no to Akashi.
Even after he had been reassured many times that he looked better than any of the actual women in attendance, Kuroko could not shake the feeling that his presence was being noticed. He realized he was garnering unwanted attention onto himself, and, being unaccustomed to the notion, he decided this could only mean that he was not, in fact, melding into the crowd of shiny perfect people. He glanced nervously at his friend in his impeccable black suit, looking like this was just any other Tuesday for him, and for brief a moment he was fascinated by the quiet confidence he seemed to radiate.
"Don't tell me you're already mesmerized by me?" Akashi teased, linking their arms together and gently guiding him down the steps.
It took Kuroko a few seconds to process an answer as he scrambled to blurt out a coherent sentence and descend the steps without stumbling in the high-heeled shoes.
"I'm just a little surprised at how calm you are," said Kuroko, shaking his head from side to side.
"I see," said Akashi a bit disappointed. "You get used to it… eventually."
"Sometimes I forget this is the world you actually belong in," said Kuroko somewhat wistfully. He already knew this bright gilded life was Akashi's reality. A reality so far removed from his own he would have not believed it was not a dream were he not seeing it with his own eyes. Standing there now, he felt as if the ordinary days they had spent in the basketball team were the impossibly bizarre fantasy. For an instant Kuroko thought he saw a glimpse of loneliness in his friend's eyes as he smiled charmingly at all the people who were suddenly turning to greet him as they walked by.
"This might be the world I live in," said Akashi when they finally found themselves a moment undisturbed. "But it's not where I belong."
"And where do you belong then?" asked Kuroko curiously. "The basketball court?"
"I suppose so," Akashi seemed to ponder on the question for a moment before finally giving an answer. 'As long as you're there,' he added as an afterthought only to himself. Kuroko looked back at him and smiled. Somehow, he felt his nerves calming after hearing him say that.
"So… what do you generally do at this type of events?" said Kuroko.
"Mingle, mostly. Charm my father's associates with witty conversation, impress them with how great the Akashi family is, bore myself to death, entertain the daughters of other prominent families, try not to kill everyone, dance with said daughters…" Akashi trailed off looking around the room unamused.
"You can dance?" asked Kuroko, ignoring all other information.
"That's what you choose to take from that?" Akashi chuckled softly at his former teammate's surprise. "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course I can dance."
"And are you any good?" asked Kuroko innocently. It wasn't until the words had already left his mouth that he realized his mistake. Before he could utter another word, Akashi's burning glare silenced him as he grabbed his hand and dragged him forcefully to the dancefloor.
"Am I any good?" he echoed, almost offended by the question as he pulled Kuroko into his arms and maneuvered his into the correct positions. "I am the best," he stated as a matter of fact.
As Akashi began swaying gracefully to the rhythm of the music Kuroko struggled to keep up with his practiced pace. He tried looking at his feet to understand what he was meant to be doing but that only served to confuse him further.
Almost immediately he was made painfully aware of the presence of the other guests when their indistinct hushed chatter reached his ears. They were all staring at them and he was making a fool out of them both. Nerves started creeping up on him once again as his eyes anxiously darted around the room analyzing every disapproving expression on each face. All of a sudden, Kuroko felt Akashi's hold on him tighten as he leaned forward to speak in a low whisper.
"Don't look at them," he commanded sternly into his ear, his lips lightly brushing against his skin. "Look at me."
As if out of sheer habit Kuroko obeyed his orders and turned to look back at Akashi. The instant his eyes met the other's piercing crimson gaze he felt the entire world melt into nothing. He could barely hear the waltz playing in the background anymore, let alone the voices of other people. The only sound his brain could register at that moment was that of his own heart thumping against his chest, resounding thunderously like the bounce of a basketball in the empty gymnasium during his late practices. Almost as if in a trance Kuroko's body started naturally matching Akashi's every expert step. His feet following along of their own accord while his eyes stayed laser locked on his.
It was only a few short minutes before the piece was over and the roaring applause of the crowd brought Kuroko crashing back down to reality. He felt Akashi's arms slowly release him to join them on the celebration of the band's performance, but his gaze never once faltered from his. While mimicking the other's actions, Kuroko hoped against all hope that the makeup they had put on him was concealing the deep blush that was burning his cheeks from Akashi's undeceivable eyes.
"So, are you mesmerized now?" asked Akashi in a mischievous tone that did nothing but intensify his dismay.
Kuroko found himself unable to produce a single intelligible string of words to speak. His mind raced to find a sentence, any sentence to blurt out and destroy the silence that had settled between them, but he came up empty. Akashi looked at him, patiently waiting for a reply, but after some time of unpleasant quietness, the music started playing once more. Upon realizing the clear uneasiness his body language was betraying, he grabbed Kuroko's hand and began leading him away from the crowd.
As they walked on, Akashi wondered warily if he had stepped over the line. It wouldn't be entirely truthful to say he hadn't asked Kuroko to accompany him to this stupid event hoping to coax some sort of reaction out of him, but this was not what he had intended at all. He never meant to put him in any kind of awkward position. He had simply wanted Kuroko to see him as something other than just his old basketball buddy, if only for an instant. But if this was the result then… maybe he could reconcile with the idea of being no more than that.
As they stepped out onto the terrace and into the fresh evening air Akashi let go of Kuroko's hand and walked a little distance away from him.
"Look, I'm sorry if I did anything to upset you. I just…" began Akashi turning his back to him. After a long pause he ran a hand through his hair and willed himself to continue speaking. "You can just forget this ever happened."
Kuroko watched quietly as Akashi walked up to the low wall, rested his elbows on it and turned his sight towards the starry sky. Confusion plagued his mind as he tried to make sense of the whole evening.
"I… I'm not sure I want to do that," replied Kuroko still attempting to sort his thoughts out.
Akashi suddenly straightened his back, spun around and stared at Kuroko in disbelief.
"What am I meant to understand from that?" he asked tentatively.
"What am I meant to understand from… all of this?" replied Kuroko.
Akashi paced to close the distance he had put between them but stopped a few steps short. "I believe you already know the answer to that question," he said catching Kuroko's gaze with his own. "But if it will make you uncomfortable then I think maybe it might be best I keep it to myself."
Kuroko began fidgeting with his hands trying to find the courage to set loose the words that were entangled in his throat. "I don't think you could ever make me uncomfortable. Nervous maybe…" he added in a low voice, quickly looking away in order to hide his flustered expression.
"Kuroko."
At the sound of Akashi's commanding voice calling his name Kuroko instinctively turned to face him, but before he could even utter the beginning of a reply, he felt the warm touch of Akashi's hand on his cheek and his unsure lips against his.
Kuroko could sense the hesitation behind the soft caress that was Akashi's kiss. It was unexpected. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he had always pictured Akashi would be the assertive and intense type in this kind of situation. The notion of the proud, fearless, former-captain of the Generation of Miracles being meek under any circumstance made him chuckle in an uncharacteristically loud manner. The sudden burst of anxious fluttering in his chest might have had something to do with it as well.
Menacing was not quite the word Kuroko would have used to describe the look Akashi gave him at that moment, but he had to acknowledge it probably would have struck fear in him were the current situation not what it was. Akashi was caught somewhere between bewilderment and aggravation. He found himself pondering why exactly he had been so concerned with Kuroko's reaction to being with. It seemed to him like he was doing perfectly fine. A little too fine, in fact, he thought a bit irked.
"That was not quite the reception I was expecting," he admitted.
"Well, that wasn't quite the pass I was expecting either," said Kuroko, returning to his composed self. "I never would have thought you could be capable of uncertainty."
"Is that a hint of disappointment I detect in your voice?" questioned Akashi amusedly as he stepped forward bearing down on him. Almost as if under a spell, Kuroko obediently stepped back until he found himself trapped between the stone railing and Akashi's bewitching red eyes.
This time Akashi did not hesitate as his mouth came hungrily down on Kuroko's, leaning forward to press their bodies ever closer together. He smirked with delight into the kiss as he felt the other's arms shyly slither to link behind his neck. Now who's being uncertain? He thought, stretching his hand across his back and pulling him flush against his chest.
Akashi relished devilishly at the satisfying gasp that escaped Kuroko's lips when he suddenly pulled away. He surveyed his captivating expression thoroughly, as he so often would an opponent during a match, while running his thumb lightly along his quivering lips.
"I trust that was more up to your discerning standards?" teased Akashi as he stared down at him debating with himself whether it would be too inappropriate to tackle him onto the grass and… on second thought, he concluded, it would be best not to entertain that line of reasoning for the time being.
He nodded his head absentmindedly in order to buy some more time to come up with a proper answer. "That was more like the Akashi-kun I know," said Kuroko suddenly becoming aware of the chilly evening breeze now that the heat Akashi transmitted was dissipating and the adrenaline was wearing off. He shook like a life as a gust of wind blew between them, accompanied by the scent of an intoxicating, sweet cologne.
"Come on. You are not dressed appropriately for this cold," Akashi beckoned him towards the hall.
"And whose fault is that?" accused Kuroko.
"I take no responsibility for my persuasive nature," he replied pleasantly, sneaking a light peck on Kuroko's lips. "I will however, gladly reap its benefits."
"Next time you'll have to wear the stupid dress," said Kuroko, sulking at how easily Akashi could convince him to go along with his every whim.
"Absolutely not," answered Akashi immediately.
"Even if it is a pretty dress?"
"Especially then."
The End
A/N: I have no idea where this fluffy little thing came from, but I just couldn't help myself. I hope you had fun with it as much as I did while writing it. As my first story in this fandom, I hope it's not too out there. I haven't watched Kuroko no Basket in a while. Anyways, thank you for reading!