Kuroko awoke to the sound of banging at his front door. He released a meddled groan, glancing at the clock listlessly. It was 4 in the fucking morning, who could be up at this time?

Begrudgingly, Kuroko arose from his bed (bed hair amazing as usual) and descended to the door. Whoever this was, they better be worth his goddamn beauty sleep. Approaching the door, Kuroko whipped it open, ready to scream at whoever was crazy enough to be up this early, only to freeze at the sight of his grandmother standing on his porch. She looked cold and tired.

"Obaasan, what are you doing here?! Better yet, why are you here so early in the morning and where's your jacket?! You could catch a cold!" Kuroko ushered the woman into his small living room, rushing to get her a blanket and something warm to drink.

"I apologize for the intrusion, Tetsuya. I just need some place to stay for the meantime," the blunette jolted at her words. Her place wasn't far from here, why did she have to stay here? Not that he would mind her company. The two got along rather nicely. His obaasan was like a second mother to him. She practically raised him!

Kuroko Tame was her name. Their family had a thing for keeping the 'T' to 'K' ratio going. The woman had old pale skin and even paler blue hair. The woman was the exact image of his mother, just a few decades older.

"Of course, obaasan. Though, may I ask why?" Kuroko wrapped the blanket around the old woman's shoulders, placing the warm cup of tea into her shivering hands.

Tame gave her thanks before taking a sip of the beverage. "My house is being reconstructed. Termites and some nasty rodents have infested my beautiful home. I need them gone as soon as possible." Kuroko let out an amused, albeit tired, smile.

"You always have the best explanations, obaasan. Entertaining as always." The two sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Tame drinking her tea and Kuroko yawning every so often.

"Ne~ Tetsuya, you have school in a few hours, am I right? You should get some sleep."

The teal-head gave a curt shake of his head. "It's alright. I'll wait till you finish and walk you to my room. You can sleep there for the time-being." Kuroko stood, heading up the short stairs to readjust his bed. Arriving back down, he noticed the empty cup on the coffee table with his grandmother preoccupied with some pictures hung on the wall opposite of her.

Kuroko quickly washed the cup before directing Tame up the stairs. "Tetsuya, you should be sleeping in your own bed. I'm not that old, I can handle the couch." Kuroko expected that to be her answer. Releasing a sigh, the teal-head shook his head. "No, obaasan. As your grandson it is my duty to cater to you. Come on, up we go."

"I am not a child either, Tetsuya."

Tame exhaled inwardly. Kuroko was always so stubborn. Selfless yet stubborn. Complying, Tame allowed Kuroko to help her onto the bed. Tucking her in and turning off the lights, Kuroko mumbled a small, "Good night- err morning, obaasan."

"Good night, Tetsuya," was her simple reply.

xXx

Kuroko didn't know how long it had been. He felt something soft yet uncomfortable underneath him. His eyes were so heavy he couldn't even open them. The only senses he could use at the moment were his sense of smell, touch, and hearing. And right now, all he could hear was the banging of pots and the smell of fire. Fire? Wait...

Kuroko shot up from his place on the couch, hair even more messy than this morning, before racing toward his kitchen expecting to see it lit with flames. However, and fortunately, instead he saw his grandmother cooking. Though, what she was cooking was unknown.

The blunette didn't have many ingredients. He barely cooked. Heck, he could barely cook! The only things he was decent at were probably miso soup and boiled eggs. Which happens to be his main diet, with the exception of his favorite vanilla milkshakes.

Rubbing his temples to keep his mind straight, Kuroko rapped his knuckles on the wall, ultimately scaring the poor old woman.

"Oh my- Tetsuya! Are you trying to give this old lady a heart attack?!" Kuroko almost chuckled at her exaggeration. His obaasan reminded him of Kise at times.

"Gomen obaasan, I was just wondering what you were cooking."

Tame patted her chest right above her heart, feeling her heart racing from the fright of her grandson. Goddamn, it's been a while since he's scared her like that. "Nothing too big. Just some rice and eggs. It seems to be the only thing you have in this little run-down apartment."

Kuroko didn't mind her words, he was used to the way she expressed things. Her and Kuroko tended to have the same personality at times. Straight-forward and blunt. Maybe that's why they got along so well. They could handle each other's criticisms.

"I haven't received my monthly allowance from okaasan and otousan yet. I promise to buy something much more to your liking when it arrives."

Tame didn't respond, much to Kuroko's bewilderment. Suddenly, realization hit the blunette and he whipped his head toward the direction of a clock hanging on the wall. The hands read: '11:20'.

Kuroko felt dread run down his spine. He had completely forgotten about school! His alarm clock was in his room while he slept downstairs so of course he hadn't awoken on time. Kuroko let out a strangled groan which received a look from Tame.

"Something the matter?"

"I missed school."

"You can make your last few classes if you leave now."

Finals were coming up this month but the idea of leaving his grandmother at his house alone didn't sit right with him. "One day won't kill me. I'll spend the day with you."

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"I know that," Kuroko pulled out a chair, slumping into it tiredly. "Though, it's been a while. We could take this time to catch up."

Tame watched the blunette from the corner of her eye. "Don't you have finals to study for?" The blue-haired woman grabbed a couple bowls from a cabinet before pouring some miso soup into each. "Your studies are much more important than catching up with me. We have all the time in the world for that. Education first, young man."

Kuroko gave her a soft smile. "I am fully aware of that fact, obaasan."

"Then, you should be going to school. After you eat."

The only response she received was an amused shake of his head. "Thank you for the food, obaasan." Tame pushed another bowl, this one filled with rice, toward the blunette. "We can't have you starve, no can we?"

Kuroko watched the woman take a seat in front of him before they both said their thanks for the food.

The two teal-head's ate in comfortable silence (much like this morning) with Kuroko taking careful glances toward the old woman discreetly. She may be spunky but she was still an old lady. She had to be watched and taken care of. Kuroko was willing to do as much as he could for her. She was his life.

"Do you want tea, obaasan?"

"Yes, I would appreciate that."

Kuroko stood, hastily making a warm tea before placing it in the middle of the table.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you for lending me your bed. It is quite comfortable, though I suggest not leaving your books littering the floors. That is a safety hazard, especially for an old hag like myself."

Kuroko laughed softly and offered a nod. "I shall clean that up for you."

They continued eating, each taking quick glances toward the other surreptitiously. As they finished, Kuroko immediately took their dirty dishes to the sink to clean them. Tame stayed put in her seat.

The teal-haired woman gazed back at the many pictures littering the living room wall. There were photos from when Kuroko was a tot up to when he was promoted from middle school. So many memories, so little time. Tame wondered when her little grandson had grown up. It seemed like only yesterday, the blunette was a five-year old wanting to learn basketball.

Tame always wondered why Kuroko quit basketball. He was more passionate about that sport than anything else in his life. That friend of his... Ogiwara was it? He was always over at her house wanting to see Kuroko. Every. Single. Day.

She didn't mind, but it sure got annoying at times. Especially when the child wouldn't stop ringing her goddamn doorbell every second.

Now, Kuroko never really talked about his friends. The boy used to come home, eat or do his school work before locking himself away in his room for hours doing only god knows what. Tame was worried when Kuroko's parents decided to get him his own place.

He was only 14, much too young to be living alone. Kuroko's parents were always away at business. They would send the blunette 'allowance' money to keep himself afloat. Of course, they paid for the apartment and utilities, but that was about it.

Although, looking at Kuroko now, Tame could tell he didn't mind being alone. The teal-head seemed content with the way he was living; everything was just fine for him. The teal-haired woman knew Kuroko missed his parents, though the boy wasn't the type to complain or open up willingly. One thing he inherited from her that she was not proud of.

"Are you alright, obaasan?"

The older blunette started at the sound of her grandson's voice. "Y-yes, I am alright Tetsuya. Why do you ask?" Kuroko raised an eyebrow before looking at the pictures she had previously been intently watching. "You were staring at the wall."

"W-was I now? Ah, I apologize. Thank you for cleaning the dishes."

"It was no problem. This is my home after all."

"R-right."

Tame stood up abruptly. "I think I'm just gonna go for a little walk... maybe check out how my house is going," her nervous chuckle didn't ease Kuroko's nerves. "Are you sure? Do you want me to go with you-?"

"No! I will be just fine, I promise."

The teal-head didn't seem convinced but agreed nonetheless. "Alright, just be careful."

"Of course, Tetsuya. I am always careful."

xXx

"What are you doing here?"

Blue eyes clashed with navy ones as the owner gave a deadpan expression. Aomine scoffed before shoving his way through the door. "You didn't show up today, why? You don't look sick so I'm not gonna take that as an excuse."

"Shouldn't you be at school?"

"Like you?"

"Touche."

Kuroko shut the door before approaching the ganguro who was now lounging on his couch. Aomine sure had a way of making himself at home wherever he went. Kuroko released a breah.

"I'm taking care of my grandma today." Aomine quirked a brow at the quiet response. "Is she sick or something?"

Kuroko gave a terse shake of his head as he took the seat opposite the tanned male. "Not at all, she showed up randomly at my front door early this morning and I forgot to set an alarm. I woke up a little more than an hour ago." Aomine gave a noise of understanding.

Not sensing a reply from the male, Kuroko asked, "Are you gonna answer my question now?"

Aomine spread himself out on the small couch, something akin to an easygoing smile was present on his tan face. "I was worried, obviously." Kuroko didn't quite believe him.

"Were you now?"

"Yes... and Kise wouldn't stop blabbering about how worried he was about you. He thought you were sick or something so I came to check on you myself." Ah, so that was the reason.

"As you can see, I am not sick so you should be heading back to school now."

"How cold, Tetsu. Can't I hang out with my friend for a bit?"

"You have a 40 minute lunch so you better get back to school, eat, and go to class. We have finals this month and you don't wanna fail, do you?" Like Kuroko was one to talk, but at least he wasn't failing. Kuroko was average in about every one of his classes so he would be fine as long as he studied while out of school today.

Aomine let out a loud groan, obviously displeased with Kuroko's demand. "Don't wanna~" he started. "School sucks~"

"Yes, school sucks but that is no excuse to fail. Lots of people hate school yet excel at it. Why don't you be more like them?"

"You sound like my mother now, geez."

"Your mother must be a really smart person then."

Aomine laughed at that before releasing another exhale, giving in. "Fine, but can I at least eat here? I didn't bring a bento to school today and I got no money for the snack machines." Kuroko was hesitant at first, glancing at the clock, seeing as there was still quite a bit of time before the fourth period started.

"Alright, but I must warn you, I can't cook much. Is miso soup alright?" Aomine nodded his head vehemently. Miso soup sounded amazing right about now. However, that could have just been his stomach talking. Anything sounded good when you have been starving all day.

Kuroko offered a smile before disappearing into the kitchen for a while. When he came back, he had a steaming bowl of miso soup sitting on a small tray. He slowly handed the plate to Aomine before taking the vacant seat next to the navy-head.

"Why didn't Kise-kun come too if he was 'so worried'?" the lighter colored blunette asked after a few minutes of silence.

Aomine swallowed the remains of his soup before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Satsuki was with him and he didn't want to leave her at the table alone. Also, it would have been inefficient for all three of us to come check on you. Especially since we didn't actually know what was wrong. Good thing only I came because it doesn't seem like anything is wrong with you."

"Wow, Aomine-kun. Using big words I see," Kuroko teased, internally he was grateful his friends cared so much for him. He had barely known them for a couple months yet they have been nothing but cordial to him. It was nice, y'know?

"Shut up!"

Kuroko and Aomine shared a laugh before quieting down for the teal-head to speak again.

"I appreciate all your concern, Aomine-kun. Seriously." The tan-teen raised a brow for a second before averting his gaze with a slight blush. "Whatever. It was all Kise's idea, I had no part in this."

'Sure you didn't,' Kuroko thought amusedly, a soft smile growing on his face. He could tell Aomine wasn't the type to openly express his positive feelings, but he was fine with that. He liked Aomine just the way he was.

Glancing back at the clock briefly, Kuroko clapped his hands together, "Looks like you should get going! You have about 15 or so minutes but it might take a while to walk back to school. You should get going now."

Aomine glared at the clock before slouching into the couch again. "Yay~" the ganguro drawled sarcastically. The blunette nearly laughed.

Rising to his feet, Kuroko reached over to grab the desolate bowl that Aomine had discarded a few minutes prior. However, a bit of the soup must have dripped out when the navy-head was chowing down because Kuroko slipped and landed absentmindedly onto Aomine's lap.

The teal-head let out a small yelp and grabbed onto the nearest thing he could find, that being Aomine. The navy-head had also unconsciously wrapped an arm around Kuroko's waist to balance him, much to their surprise.

The two didn't move for a few seconds, dazedly staring into each other's eyes with deep blushes.

Not a minute passes before the front door slams open and a loud voice echoes in the deathly silent room. "Tetsuya, I'm-" the exclamation was cut off when the owner of the voice gazed upon the scene in front of her.

"What is going on here?!" that seemed to snap the duo from their trances because they jumped off each other, landing on their feet stiffly. Kuroko was the first to speak after a few moments of silence.

"U-uhm, I can explain..."

Tame folded her arms over her chest, a fine eyebrow raised. "Yeah, you better young man."

Aomine awkwardly scratched his nape before clusimly, albeit slowly, advancing toward the door. "U-uh, I think I should get going... See you at school tomorrow, Tetsu?" he gave a slight wave before rushing out the apartment, not even waiting for an answer.

Tame let the male leave, eyeing Kuroko expectantly. "Well?"

The blunette male sat on the couch, rubbing his temples. "He's just a friend, obaasan." Tame didn't look convinced as she came to sit next to her grandson. "Are you sure?"

"Yes! Why are you even asking that?!"

The female blunette gave a giddy chuckle, raising a hand to her mouth teasingly. "Well, you don't typically sit on your friends lap like that. Especially in a vacant apartment with no adults or people."

Kuroko could feel his ears burning in embarrassment. He had not meant to fall onto that stupid ganguro's lap. All that was just a freak accident. If anything, it was Aomine's fault for being so messy while eating!

"I-it was an accident! I just slipped on some food he had dropped while eating! I didn't intentionally fall on his lap, obaasan!" Kuroko explains truthfully, semi-voicing his thoughts. He had his hands shielding his face, evidently covering the growing blush. Tame wriggled her eyebrows a bit.

"I wouldn't judge you if you swung that way, y'know! If anything, you picked quite a handsome one. He seemed charming, despite his awkward exit." Tame giggled more as she saw her grandson's ears grow redder. "I would totally support you!"

"Obaasan! We aren't dating, I told you we are just friends!" the teal-head exclaimed, revealing his red-face when he went to stare wide-eyed at his grandmother.

"That's what you say now, but~"

"Okay, y'know what? I think I'm just gonna go lay down. Yeah, I'll do that." Kuroko stood up, half mumbling to himself at the end of his statement. He padded toward the small flight of stairs, not caring that his grandmother's stuff was up there at the moment.

Tame watched the teen go with a small smile. She didn't totally believe Tetsuya's words but she would let him be for now. The boy was doing a lot for her and he didn't need to be pestered and teased the whole time.

Chuckling to herself, Tame rose from her seat and went to grab a book to keep herself busy for the time being. Tetsuya would probably be asleep for a while so she had a lot of time to herself.

xXx

When Kuroko finally awoke, he glanced at his clock, seeing that it was already late in the evening. He could already smell the scent of something being cooked downstairs which caused him to obliviously follow it to the kitchen.

Kuroko took in the sight of his grandmother cooking something yummy. Fair, he didn't exactly know what it was yet, but it smelled delicious.

"Hello, obaasan."

Said woman looked up from slicing a few greens to send a small smile to her grandson. "Hello, Tetsuya. Would you be a dear and set up the table? Dinner will be ready soon." Kuroko gave an affirmative nod before doing as told.

Once he finished putting out the utensils, Tame approached the table with two bowls of rice. Placing them down, the woman went back to the kitchen before bringing out two plates full of tofu and fish.

The blunette observed the fish and tofu questioningly. "I don't remember having fish and tofu in the fridge?" It came out as a question but he was too awestruck to construct proper sentences. Tame chuckled at his shocked mien.

"I bought these while I was out on my 'walk', I guess you were too embarrassed about falling on your friend's lap to notice," Tame said with a teasing grin. "But aside from that, let's eat. I hope it is to your liking."

Kuroko would have blushed if his mouth wasn't too busy watering from the sight of freshly made fish. It had been so long since he's had such a pleasing-looking meal.

"I agree!"

Both blunette's took their seats before clapping their hands together with a, "Itadakimasu," and stuffing their mouths. The food tasted as good as it looked. Kuroko was very pleased.

As they finished up their meals, Kuroko wiped his mouth with a napkin before saying, "So, when is your house going to be done? Not that I don't appreciate your company, but I would like to know just in case something comes up with school and I need to stay or come home late."

Tame looked thoughtful for a second, Kuroko just waited patiently. "I think a week or two."

Blue eyes widened at the news. "Hmm, that's not too bad, but why so long? I thought it was only termites and rodents. Shouldn't pest control have them gone and out in a few days?"

The older blunette chuckled nervously, rubbing her teal hair. "Yeah, but those filthy creatures have done a number on the wood and stilts of my home. It might take a while for them to rebuild some bits." Kuroko simply nodded with understanding.

"I suppose I do have the room here. You are welcome to stay as long as you need, obaasan."

"Thank you, Tetsuya. You are such a kind grandson."

Kuroko smiled slightly before rising and taking their dishes to the sink. "It's nothing, really. I'm always here to help when you need it." Tame's expression grew grim when a certain thought plagued her mind.

"Tetsuya, there's something I think you should know."

Kuroko hummed, however his eyes remained locked with the sponge and dishes. Tame's eyes saddened at the sight and she shook her head dismissively. "Nothing, nevermind."

The blunette male looked over his shoulder toward the woman worriedly. "Are you sure? Is everything okay?" Tame forced a small smile. "Yes, I am fine. Don't worry about an old hag like me. You should worry about those dishes."

Kuroko pursed his lips, concerned before following her orders and finished washing quickly. Drying his hands on a nearby towel, the teal-head approached the woman with perturbed-squinted eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, right? If something is bothering you, please talk to me."

"You're not my mother, Tetsuya. Let alone, a therapist. I'm doing just fine, help me up the stairs to your room though, please?" A nod is what she got as an answer.

As they arrived at the room, Kuroko gently helped the woman onto the bed. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes, thank you. Don't forget to set an alarm for tomorrow, you hear me? We don't need you skipping another day." Kuroko gave another curt nod before shutting off the lights with a quiet 'good night'. Once he received one back, he left the room with a shut of the door.

The blunette leaned his back on the door lightly as he reviewed the day - something he's grown accustomed to doing. The day hadn't gone as smoothly as he had liked. One reason being the incident with Aomine.

Great. Things were gonna be awkward between them. Just great.

Not to mention, his grandmother had been acting off for quite some time. He was concerned but didn't want to pressure her into talking. She was a grown woman and could take care of herself, he knew that. But, that didn't seize his worry.

Pushing himself off the door, Kuroko pulled out his phone just in time to see that same random phone number calling. Again. Just recently, Kuroko has been getting a phone call from the same number. Every. Single. Fucking. Night.

It would ring continuously throughout the night, disturbing his slumber. Even when he declined, the caller would ring him again, twice as fast! It was aggravating and a constant drainer. He needed his beauty sleep goddammit.

Shutting his phone, Kuroko opted to ignore it. He didn't recognize the number so there was no point in bothering himself with it. If it was his parents, they would have texted him by now. He didn't have many friends so it couldn't have been anyone he knew.

Moreover, his friends wouldn't repeatedly nag him with evening and late-night calls. It was just so inconceivable and random.

Slumping onto the couch after shutting off the lights, Kuroko pulled out his phone one last time to set an alarm (thankful he wasn't interrupted with a call) before throwing it onto the coffee table and closing his eyes. He deserved some much needed sleep after the day he's had.

xXx

The next morning went quickly. Kuroko woke up at 6 am, enough time to shower, get dressed and make himself some breakfast before racing out the door. His grandmother had not woken up by the time he left so he opted for leaving a note telling her he had left for school.

Arriving at the 'prison', Kuroko rushed to his locker, only to be greeted by the sight of a group of lanky teens lurking in front of it. Inwardly sighing, Kuroko approached them. He really wasn't in the mood but his textbooks were more important.

"Excuse me, you are in my way." One of the teens (a brunette) glanced at the pale teen, bewildered before he shoved his friends' shoulders to shut them up. That they did.

"Ah~ are you Kuroko Tetsuya?"

"Yes?"

Another male, this one a raven, stepped forward. "We are on the basketball team but we've been struggling with school lately. We heard from a little birdie that you helped out Aomine with his studies a few weeks ago. Think you could help us too?"

Kuroko looked away, a little uncomfortable with all their stares. "I'm not the best at school either. I'm average in about everything so maybe you should ask someone with better knowledge. Also, I'm not a very good tutor. If you ask Aomine-kun he would have told you the same thing."

The teens didn't reply for a few seconds and Kuroko took that as their sign of resignation. "So, if you don't have any more questions, could you please move. I need to get to my locker."

The blunette tried, and failed, at maneuvering himself around the teens to get his stuff, but they held their stance; unmoving. "A-ano?"

"You aren't a very good liar, y'know. You must be good if you were able to help Aomine of all people. So help us, yeah?" Kuroko took a step back when the brunette advanced toward him. "I already told you no."

That answer only seemed to aggravate them more (if their pissed off expressions weren't evident enough). Don't get him wrong, Kuroko wasn't scared of them - but he wasn't stupid enough to smack talk to the point of a physical fight.

"Please, I just wanna get to class."

One of the males looked thoughtful for a moment before approaching the blunette with a smirk. This time Kuroko didn't back up.

"Knowing Aomine, he probably gave you something in return for tutoring him. So name your price. Money, food, drugs? Or was it..." the male trailed off toward the end before continuing after another moment of thoughtful thinking. He leaned toward the teal-head while grabbing chin. "Sex~?" he murmured sensually in his ear. Kuroko suppressed a shiver before shoving the male away.

"Don't touch me and no, it wasn't… that. He's my friend, all I did was tutor him. Nothing more, nothing less." The opposed male just barked out a laugh.

"Your statement doesn't sound very convincing when you hesitate so much. How about you give up this act already and let's make a deal. How does this sound, I'll fuck you as many times as you tutor me, sound good?" Kuroko grimaced at how easily that sentence came out.

"N-no! I don't wanna have sex with you, let alone tutor you! Find someone else. I need to get to class." Books be damned. He wasn't going to keep standing there getting harassed. Some things just aren't worth it.

Just as he was about to turn away, a calloused hand snagged his wrist sharply, causing him to hiss in pain. "Let go," he ordered after a few seconds.

"Hey! You don't get to leave until we settle this deal, you hear me?" The male had obviously ignored the blunette's refusal or simply didn't care. Kuroko almost scoffed at his tone. These kids were definitely desperate.

The teal-head was about to jerk his hand away before a tanned hand grabbed at the opposing male's wrist. "He said to let go. So, let go," Aomine drawled out the last two words, accentuating his anger.

Kuroko stared up at the navy-head with wide blue eyes. "Aomine-kun…"

The blonde that had snagged his wrist let go, however not before sending a nasty glare toward Aomine. "So you hero has come to save the day again, I see. Do you ever mind your own business?"

"Not when you are so openly harassing my friend."

"We weren't doing anything of the sorts. The two of us were simply sorting out a deal," the blonde explained with a vile smirk, an arm finding its way around Kuroko's shoulders. The blunette would have shaken it off if Aomine hadn't slapped it away.

"He already told you not to touch him. Are you having problems understanding that? Do I need to idiotize my language for you?" Aomine crossed his arms over his chest as he pulled Tetsu back toward him. "Or do I need to beat it into you?

"Aomine-kun-"

"Quiet Tetsu." Kuroko shut his mouth at that. Aomine had never snapped at him before, but it certainly was scary. He stood in place, never taking his eyes off Aomine.

The blonde that had grabbed him (and had tried to make a deal with him) rolled his eyes as he leaned on Kuroko's locker. "We were simply asking for some help in our classes. The little asshole wouldn't cooperate, so we were discussing a deal of sorts."

"He doesn't commonly tutor people so how did you know to come to him of all people?" the tan teen question skeptically. He had a feeling he knew the answer already.

"A little birdie told us you were being tutored by him so we thought we'd take our chances." Bing! There it is! Aomine was gonna beat the crap out of whoever told them about Tetsu. Not even that! He was gonna beat the shit out of whoever told these assholes he was being tutored in the first place!

"Uh-huh and what was this 'deal' you spoke of?"

"He gets fucked in his 'a' for every tutor session he gives us. That sounds about right, huh Kuroko?" When Aomine turned surprised eyes toward him, Kuroko shook his head defensively. "N-no! I never made that deal, I swear!"

Aomine released a sigh of relief. He knew Tetsu wasn't the type to make such a pact but it was still surprising that Kuroko had been given such an offer. He didn't think a lot of people knew Tetsu; with his low presence and all.

"Oh c'mon! What is it that you want?" the brunette started. "What did Aomine give you that we can't?"

Kuroko simply rolled his eyes. Teens like them always had a one-track mind. How annoying, "He didn't give me anything! Like I said, we are friends. I was simply helping out a friend in need."

"Fine, we will be your friends! Help us now!"

Kuroko slapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation. Not even five minutes ago these guys were trying to bribe him with sex! At this point, they've done a complete 180! "It's still a no. Please leave me alone."

The blonde one scoffed but it seemed he was starting to surrender. "Fine, whatever. Heed my words, you will regret this!" Aomine stood in front of the blunette protectively, his stature towering over the other three males. "Let's see how the couch… or better yet… the captain reacts to your little display today. Imagine the amount of training- or wait! He might even kick you off!"

The teens' confidence seemed to deflate at that warning as they scurried off toward class. "And don't even think about messing with Tetsu again, you hear me?!" Aomine hollered at them from down the hall.

After a few seconds, the ganguro bellowed out a laugh before turning back toward the paler blunette. "Sorry 'bout that, you okay? They didn't hurt you or anything, right?"

Kuroko shook his head to clear his fogged mind before analyzing his wrist. Seeing no marks he gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Aomine rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he averted his gaze. "I didn't think they'd come after you like this. This whole ordeal is my fault, I'm sorry." Kuroko curled a brow before chopping Aomine in the side.

"This is not your fault at all. I should have been able to defend myself. I'm sorry for having to get you involved," the blunette bowed slightly as Aomine cradled his injured rib cage.

Getting over the pain, the navy-head lightly punched Kuroko's shoulder. "That hurt dammit!" Rubbing his side a few more times he continued, "And this isn't your fault. If I had been more discreet about the tutoring, then no one would have found out."

"It's not really something that has to be kept secret, y'know. I don't mind people knowing, just the way those three handled it was… odd." 'Odd' was an understatement, Kuroko knew that. But he didn't really have another word for it. Aggressive? Wrong? Vulgar? There were so many ways to describe that situation.

Freeing another exhale, Aomine simply gestured to Kuroko's locker. "Well, we better head to class. Get your books and I'll walk you there, alright?"

"Sure."

The blunette hurriedly punched in the combination before taking out his desired textbooks. "Alright, all done," he said after shutting the locker closed.

"Sweet, let's go."

B-lining to Kuroko's math class, the silence around them grew awkward. Kuroko was reimagining the event from yesterday and he had no doubt Aomine was too.

"H-hey, Tetsu… about yesterday..." Kuroko was thankful Aomine was the first to speak. "Aomine-kun, how about we just forget it happened… It was an accident and I deeply apologize for grabbing onto you. Although, you are also at fault for being such a messy eater."

Aomine's brow twitched in annoyance at that last statement before a grin replaced the irritation. He was thankful for Kuroko's blunt nature. "Yeah, I agree! I don't like things being so awkward between us."

"I couldn't agree more."

xXx

A/N: Sorry- I've been reading too many AoKuro fanfics; they are corrupting my mind! Gosh! I think this is one of my longest chapters EVER! Like no joke- I have a FOUR PAGE google doc that is filled with notes pertaining to this story... it's sad like... really sad, in a comedic kind of way ig LMAOO

Also, a head's up! I have a wattpad under the username: ikuyatsu! Go check it out if you want :D

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to vote!

To be continued...

~Rin