Kuroko was a mess the week leading up to the match against Kirisaki Daiichi.
He couldn't concentrate in class, he couldn't focus during training. His mind kept gravitating towards two things – Kagami and Makoto. On Monday, he found himself sitting in his classroom while the rest of his classmates returned from lunch. Only then did he realise that he had totally missed the lunch period because he was lost in thought.
During training on Tuesday, Izuki tried to pass a ball to Mitobe only for the ball to smack right into the side of Kuroko's head. Apparently, they both didn't see Kuroko standing there, and Kuroko's mind wasn't in the game. Whenever he tried to concentrate, all he could focus on was the tingling sensation on his lips and the phantom touches along his tongue. His mind would slowly go back to brooding over Kagami and what ifs and whys. This continued all the way to Friday and Riko being concerned about the match the next day, decided to call in the cavalry.
Why did his heart choose Kagami? That made no sense. The two of them were really different despite their love for basketball. So what if he had the realisation that he had serious feelings for the redhead? The other was overseas and it was unlikely anything would come out of his feelings. It was useless to feel this way but Kuroko couldn't help it.
It was in the midst of his jumble of thoughts when he got suddenly accosted by a heavy body colliding with his.
"Tetsu-kun!"
"Eh? Satsuki-chan? " What was she doing here?
"Thank God you're finally here. He was out of sorts all throughout the week." Riko sighed and Kuroko saw the rest of the team nodding in agreement. Had it really been so bad?
A weight fell across his shoulders and dark skin appeared in his peripheral vision. Aomine slung an arm around his shoulder and the taller male was heavy.
"Don't worry, Seirin. We'll take over from here and make sure he's ready to play for you guys tomorrow." Aomine proceeded to bodily drag Kuroko off court. "Oi! Ryou! Go get Tetsu's shit from the locker room."
"You don't have to boss me around, Daiki-cchi." Kise grumbled but complied anyway. Soon enough, Kuroko found Seirin waving goodbye to him with a reminder from Hyuuga to be punctual and focused for tomorrow's match. Riko warned Aomine to have Kuroko back before ten so that he could get enough rest. Kuroko didn't understand why everyone was trying to mother him but it didn't seem like he had any choice in the matter.
Ten minutes later found Kuroko, Aomine, Kise and Momoi at a nearby Basketball court. Five minutes later, Midorima arrived, already in sports attire.
"Get your head out of the clouds, Tetsuya-cchi! You need to help me take revenge on Kirisaki Daiichi!" Kise reminded and toss a ball over his shoulder to Kuroko who caught it instinctively.
"We'll be playing two on two. You and Daiki against Ryouta and I. I will be playing more of a support role than a scoring role." Midorima announced.
"I don't know what you're suddenly caught up about, Tetsu. But if there's anything that can get you to focus, it's playing basketball with a light. You're natural at that and it should get you back in shape. I'm going to be your light this match, Tetsu, so focus on me alright?"
Kuroko didn't know why they were all being so serious. It's been years since Midorima took on a supportive role, and Aomine asking Kuroko to rely on the other caused all sorts of strange memories to resurface.
"The legendary duo that could never be beaten." Kise taunted then directed a question to his partner for this match. "Do you think we can finally trounce them because Tetsuya-cchi isn't on form?"
"Hmm. Aquarius is ranked last today. And the other blockhead thought he didn't need Tetsuya's specialised passing. We won't lose to such noobs." Midorima pushed his glasses up on his nose.
"Wow where did you learn such a word, Shin? Such unusual vocabulary coming from you. All I hear is talk and no action. And Ryou? Eat shit." Aomine took the ball from Kuroko who was still not comprehending the current situation.
"Have fun, Tetsu-kun! Don't worry, they're being like that because boys are dumb and they don't know how to express themselves better. They're just worried about you and want to help." Momoi offered and smiled kindly at Kuroko.
Before Kuroko could reply to any of that, Kise had stolen the ball from Aomine and made a dash for the hoop with Aomine immediately following behind. Kise passed the ball to Midorima who waited for the right moment to throw towards the backboard, leading to a alley-oop to Kise and the blond made a beautiful dunk into the hoop.
Without waiting, Aomine took the ball and threw it to Kuroko who was just standing still at the edge of the court, not yet participating. Kuroko was instinctively jolted out of his musings and used a ignited bounce pass under Kise's defence into Aomine's waiting hands leading to a flashy around-the-world move and then a dunk. Kise hurried on the turn over and passed to Midorima who was conveniently standing near Kuroko, so Kuroko simply reached out for a steal. An ignite pass led to a easy lay-up by Aomine. Kuroko saw Kise's mouth tilt upwards in amusement and knew the blond had done that on purpose to get him involved in the game. Fine.
"Nice pass, Tetsu! Show me where you want me to go next!" Aomine encouraged and Kuroko obeyed. The next possession, Kuroko flipped the ball above Kise leading to an alley-oop by Aomine. It was so easy. Kuroko's tells and habits were ingrained into his ex-light and Aomine was scoring so effortlessly. A little shift in Kuroko's posture and Aomine knew where to position himself. Kuroko loved it. He didn't even need to signal. He hardly had to plan. He knew Aomine's capabilities like the back of his hand, and creating plays with the light was so very, very easy.
And so very, very familiar. Like Kagami was. But this was Aomine. And Kuroko knew him too. It was effortless to shift his playstyle from the light that was Kagami to his first light. Kuroko missed playing like this and he enjoyed it immensely.
He missed Kagami but Aomine was stealing his attention just fine.
Back and forth they went. At a point in time, Aomine went into zone and Kise matched him. The two moved really quickly but Kuroko kept pace with his passing, used to this speed as he had to support Kagami in zone previously.
"Tetsu!" Aomine kept calling out to him, making it easier for Kuroko to keep up when the light zoomed into position. Midorima kept getting his passes stolen since the green-haired shooter wasn't used to playing with someone in zone. Kuroko felt his spirits lifting with each ball he stole, and with each fist-bump exchanged with his light.
It was fun. And nostalgic. He really wanted to play like this again.
He missed Kagami.
But, he also enjoyed the thrill of being point-guard with Seirin now. He relished at being the player who scored the buzzer-beater. Kuroko felt thankful for his miracles who had stepped in to cheer him up, but knew he had to face reality too.
"Thank you for tonight, everybody." Kuroko gave them a deep bow at the end of the game. "Daiki-kun is an amazing light and I'm glad I still get to be your shadow every now and then."
Aomine grinned and scratched at his blushing cheek. "Anytime you want, Tetsu. You just need to ask."
Kuroko nodded and turned to Midorima. "Shintaro-kun should stick to playing the shooting-guard. But I'm thankful you would step into the role just to make this game happen. Thank you for your sacrifice and time."
"Idiot! You don't have to say all that. Whatever." Midorima too, had blushed and turned away like the tsundere he was.
"Thank you, Ryouta-kun, for being amazing at everything and working hard to keep up with Daiki-kun and I. No one else could do it."
Kise laughed and gave Kuroko a huge hug for the sweet words. Kuroko tried his hardest to get away from the clingy blond.
"And most importantly, Satsuki-chan. Thank you for arranging all this and always watching out for me. I really appreciate it." Kuroko stared seriously into the young lady's eyes as she burst into tears and clung onto Kuroko, fighting for body space with Kise.
"You're so sweet, Tetsu-kun!"
"I guess this means group hug time." Aomine shrugged and pulled Midorima in with one arm, and the rest of them with the other arm thus squishing all of them together.
"Oi! Get your hands off me!" Midorima complained but his arms automatically went around Kise and Momoi.
"I think someone is touching my butt."
"Sorry, Ryouta-kun. But I have nowhere else to place my hands."
"I think that's considered molestation, Tetsuya-cchi."
"Eh?! Ryou-kun is molesting Tetsu-kun?!"
"What! NO! Satsuki-cchi you've got it wrong! Tetsuya-cchi is molesting me!"
"Please don't say it that way, Ryouta-kun. It was involuntary."
"Yeah, Ryou. Who would willingly want to grope you?"
"Eh?! I'm a model! Lots of people would want to grope me!"
"Wow, you're so full of yourself."
"Ryouta-kun is such a pervert."
"I've personally never wanted to touch Ryou-kun inappropriately before."
"Eeeew Satsuki why would you even say such a thing!"
"Shut up, stupid Daiki! No one asked you!"
At the end of the night, Kise walked home with Kuroko while Aomine accompanied Momoi home. Midorima excused himself at the earliest possible moment and disappeared from the group. Kuroko reached home before ten, dropped a thank you message to Riko, before preparing to go to bed. Lips tingling, he sent one last message before falling asleep.
'Remember you end of the deal, Mako-tan. I look forward to playing on the same court as you. Please congratulate me when Seirin wins tomorrow. – Tetsu-tan.'
'Satsuki has informed me that you're a little out of sorts. Stay strong, Tetsuya, I'll handle it. See you soon. – Seijuro-kun.'
Saturday brought the finals between Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi. The stands were packed to the brim and there were even some fans who came with banners. Kise had brought one that said "Number 11 is my Number 1" and forced Aomine to hold the other end of the banner. Midorima and Momoi stood between the two, feeling embarrassed at the cheesy banner.
Kuroko entered the court behind the rest of Seirin, armed with his lucky item of the day – a first aid kit. It was as if Oha Asa knew Seirin needed it today. The Kirisaki Daiichi team came out from an opposite entrance with Hanamiya leading the group. It was the first time since that night that Kuroko saw the other. Flashbacks to warm skin, a musky scent, soft lips, and pleasant shivers down his spine assaulted Kuroko but he deftly pushed them aside, head already in the game. He had practiced for this and he wanted to make a statement.
Hanamiya had a smug look on his face and Kuroko knew why. The Captain probably thought he knew all of Kuroko's tricks and that Kirisaki Daiichi had this game in the bag. What Hanamiya didn't know was that Kuroko had been practicing with Takao too. He couldn't wait to see the look of surprise or fury on Mako-tan's face.
When Hanamiya decided to come over to Seirin's bench, Kuroko felt his heart skip but also the dread settling at the bottom of his stomach.
'Please don't cause a scene' was his current mantra but he knew nothing could stop the chaos Hanamiya decided to bring along with him.
"Well if it isn't the team without their star player." Hanamiya decided to begin with. At once, Seirin glared and growled.
"Just go back to your bench, Hanamiya. Nobody wants you here." Hyuuga postured defensively. "We know your style and we're ready for it."
"Hmmm... being ready doesn't mean you're going to win. I've looked at every one of you and none of you spark any motivation in me to play seriously today. Seems like I won't even bother pulling out my usual stunts since you guys are all so boring." Hanamiya shrugged.
"We won you last year. It shouldn't be hard to do it again this year." Izumi supported from behind Hyuuga.
Hanamiya waved the remark aside. "That was when you had that tall red-head. You're just a bunch of gloomy mid-tier players now."
"And what are you going to do if we do win today?" Kuroko decided to step in from slightly behind Hanamiya. Seirin all jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of their phantom but Hanamiya just turned around nonchalantly.
"Oh no, I didn't see you there." Hanamiya spoke monotonously. He then scoffed and glared at Kuroko, the usual fond gaze absent since they were in front of others. "As if I'd say that! I noticed you from the start little Tetsu-tan. I will take you down today."
"Was that a threat?!" "Don't mock Kuroko with names!" came Seirin's collective cries of outrage. Hanamiya proceeded to roll his eyes at the predictable behaviour while Kuroko rolled his eyes at Hanamiya's goading.
"Whatever. You guys bore me." Hanamiya turned to walk away but before doing so, he reached a hand towards Kuroko's cheek and cupped it like he did that night. The cold hands ironically sparked a fire in Kuroko's chest and memories from that night flooded through his brain again causing him to be stunned momentarily.
"I look forward to playing with you on court, Tetsu-tan. I can't wait." A thumb stroked his cheek. Someone snapped a hand out to slap Hanamiya's hand away but the spider was too quick and removed contact before that happened. Kuroko could vaguely hear Aomine's and Kise's angry roar from the stands. When his mind came back to the present, the Seirin seniors were standing defensively in front of him, forming a barricade as if they could bodily stop Hanamiya's attack.
Right. Kuroko realised that no one else (other than Momoi) knew that Hanamiya and he were friends. That's why everyone was so worked up at their proximity. That's why everyone thought that Hanamiya was mocking him.
"Please calm down, everyone. I'm alright." Kuroko tried to explain.
"He was insulting you! That guy is despicable! How could he do that?!" It was one of the rare times Izuki got so worked up.
"He disgusts me." Hyuuga's hate for the other resounded through that statement.
Riko approached Kuroko slowly and used her hands to check Kuroko's cheeks. Her small, warm hands traced his jaw, making sure Hanamiya didn't do any damage. Nodding, she made a decision and announced to the team:
"Alright. Kuroko won't be starting. Hanamiya has a grudge against Kuroko and we will not risk his safety. The starting line-up will be Izuki, Hyuuga, Mitobe, Koganei, and Fukuda. We will focus on our defence. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"Wait, coach. Please let me play. It will be ok." Kuroko was desperate to play. He had trained to play against Hanamiya and he was the one who knew the Kirisaki team's playstyle best!
Riko shook her head. "No. I will only sub you in if it is really necessary. Hanamiya has made a threat and your safety comes first."
Kuroko wanted to pull the hairs out of his head in frustration. "I'm sure that was not what he meant. He was really just looking forward to play against me. Please let me play, coach. I know his playstyle and I can counter it."
"Kuroko, please understand the situation. We cannot risk one of our own. Have some faith in your seniors!" Hyuuga knocked Kuroko's head with a fist.
"If Kagami were here, he would agree with this decision too. He would kill us if we sent you out there after what Hanamiya said." Koganei chirped in and the rest nodded.
Kuroko wanted to scream in frustration.
Also, why did they feel the need to bring Kagami into the conversation again?
Also, stupid Mako-tan and his stupid games causing his stupid teammates to make stupid decisions.
On the outside, Kuroko's face maintained his usual stoic look. Inside, Kuroko felt a little disappointed and hurt that his team wasn't listening to him. Like they didn't believe in him.
"Fine. I'll sit out for now. But if anyone gets hurt, I'm subbing myself in."
Hyuuga smiled. "Don't worry. We'll play safe and watch out for one another. Alright then, SEIRIN GO!"
The team cheered and the starting line-up prepared themselves to begin. While the two teams lined up to face each other, Hanamiya sent a look Kuroko's way. The glint in the other's eye told Kuroko that Hanamiya's plan had worked, but the eye roll that followed shared that Hanamiya wasn't entirely satisfied with the outcome.
The game started clean and Seirin took the lead. Kirisaki Daiichi didn't seem to be using much effort to play, and their team really did seem quite bored which pissed Seirin off. Kuroko noticed Hanamiya and Hyuuga exchanging words constantly but wasn't sure what was being said between the two. It was such a clean game that Kuroko was fretting over what Hanamiya's actual plan was. It was never that simple with the spider.
At the end of the first quarter, Seirin was leading by nine points. Kirisaki Daiichi left the court with a joyful, playful attitude despite being down in score. On the other hand, Seirin looked like they were the ones losing.
"That asshole!" Hyuuga growled and chugged down his water from the bottle. "He kept asking me to put Kuroko into the game or they wouldn't play seriously."
"Seto kept telling me that if Seirin didn't want to use Kuroko, they would gladly have him." Izuki frowned as he spoke about Kirisaki's center.
"Hara mentioned how cute Kuroko was and that we should let their captain play with him." Fukuda told the team about the Kirisaki forward whom he had defended in the game.
Disgust and outrage against the other team started but Riko shushed them all.
"Well, tell them we will not be subbing Kuroko in. We will not give in to them." Riko declared and the team called out in agreement.
Kuroko groaned. The whole of Makoto's team were in on it! Damn it! Looking up at the stands, he saw Momoi's confused look, Aomine's and Midorima's heated glare at the opponents, and Kise's look of concern towards him.
Kuroko sighed once more, irritated at how everyone was so protective of him at a moment when he could contribute. At the corner of his eye, he noticed Hanamiya watching him. Slightly amused, but really bored.
Fine, it seems like the only one who could be relied on to sub him in now were the opponents themselves.
Kuroko locked his gaze on Hanamiya, thus catching the captain's attention. A raised eyebrow signalled that Hanamiya was wondering what Kuroko was up to. He then looked at the score board, looked back at Hanamiya, look back at the score board, look back at Hanamiya who was now looking at the score board, then pointed to himself until Hanamiya got the message.
Hanamiya smirked and gestured with his chin in a manner that Kuroko interpreted as this:
"Oh so you want me to make Seirin fall behind so badly that they will sub you in? What's in it for me?"
Kuroko returned with narrowed eyes. "You know you want to play against me."
Hanamiya leaned forward, chin propped up with his hand resting on his knees. "Maybe I'll just leave you for the last bit. No hurry."
Kuroko frowned. Yeah, he knew Makoto would actually do such a thing – taunting Seirin until the last quarter and only playing against Kuroko for a bit. Makoto had all the time in the world outside the competitive scene to play against Kuroko anyway. Damn it. Kuroko was desperate to win Kirisaki Daiichi and he needed to play now.
Kuroko raised 1 finger in front of his face and gave Hanamiya a serious stare.
"One favour."
Hanamiya smirked, then cracked his knuckles in preparation to decimate Seirin. The captain called out for the rest of the Kirisaki team to huddle in to initiate a new plan of attack.
When the second quarter started, the entire Kirisaki Daiichi line-up had a change in attitude. Seto had gelled his fringe away from his eyes, Hara had stopped chewing bubble gum, Yamazaki was actually guarding Hyuuga properly, Furuhashi had finally had a smile on his face, and Hanamiya was actually quiet for once. This quarter, Seirin was unable to score more than five points, while Kirisaki Daiichi had taken over the lead. Hanamiya's spider web was in full effect and no one could get pass it. Seirin was baffled by the intensity of the other team and even with Hyuuga spitting taunts at Hanamiya, the other Captain didn't react. Hanamiya Makoto was focused and controlled. The quarter ended with 40 to 32 in the favour of Kirisaki Daiichi.
"I don't understand these guys!" Hyuuga raged in the locker room as the team took their half time break. "One moment they think we're not worth it, the next moment they go all out!"
"Coach." Kuroko started. "Let me play in the second half. We need to close the gap."
"They're playing with our emotions, Kuroko. Sending you out means falling for their trap." Riko explained.
"And not sending me out means losing the game which is also part of their plan. I'd rather fall for their trap and have a shot at winning, rather than doing nothing and lose." Kuroko's resolve must have shone through because Riko gave a sigh and nodded in acceptance.
"Alright then. For the next half, Kuroko will be subbed in. Please watch out for one another I don't want any one getting hurt. If they so much as touch you, I will sub you out. Understand, Kuroko?"
"Yes coach."
The rest of the team didn't seem happy with the call but knew they needed Kuroko's passing to break through Hanamiya's spider web. Hyuuga must have been having flashbacks to when Kiyoshi-sempai was sent straight to the hospital after messing with Hanamiya because the Seirin captain was muttering about safety under his breath. It was rather endearing but Kuroko was happy to be playing.
A knock on the door made everyone turn their heads towards the entrance to the locker room where Aomine had popped his head in.
"Tetsu. Come out for a while, will you?"
A quick exchange with Riko told Kuroko that his coach was alright with him going outside for a while. So he followed Aomine out to the corridor.
"What is it, Daiki-kun?" Before Kuroko could finish his sentence, he was enveloped in a hug from Kise who was waiting outside.
"We were worried. What did they say? Why didn't you play? What happened?" Kise fretted and did a quick check of Kuroko's wellbeing.
"Slow down, Ryou." Aomine took one of Kuroko's hand into his own for comfort. "They only allowed two of us in. Satsuki and Shin are outside waiting. They're worried too."
Kuroko gave them a smile to reassure them that everything was ok. He was touched that his friends were concerned about him. It was really unlike how the miracles were last year. "Everything is fine. My team just overreacted to Hanamiya's jokes."
"That asshole."
"Why did he touch you, Tetsu?" Aomine's hands came up to cup Kuroko's cheek. "Did he hurt you? What else did he say?" It was funny that this was the third time in a single day that someone had held Kuroko's cheek. Strangely, only one tingled with heat.
Flashes of memories from that night accosted him once more, light touches danced down his spine and a smooth tongue traced along his lips.
"Please, Daiki-kun. Stop fretting so much. Nothing happened." Kuroko managed to quickly push those thoughts away and avoided suspicions.
Kise continued to squeeze him tightly while Aomine stroked his face, gaze intensely checking that Kuroko wasn't lying.
"You're going to play in the next half, aren't you?" Kise asked and Kuroko replied with a nod.
"Don't let them hurt you. If they do anything, I'll kill them." Aomine's tone was gentle despite the words being harsh. It was a rare thing to hear. Touched by their concern, Kuroko moved his arms to envelop them both in a hug together. He swore he heard a squeak from Kise and a breathy whine from Aomine.
"I'll be fine. You're being mother hens and we all know that's Shintaro's job. I'll catch you after the game when we win, alright?" He felt Kise's face snuggle into the crook of his neck, and Aomine's breath puffing into his hair. "I'll be fine. They won't hurt me."
"We'll be cheering from the stands." Kise let go first leaving Aomine to give Kuroko an even tighter squeeze.
"Win this, Tetsu." Aomine finally let go and offered a fist for Kuroko to bump which the shorter male did. As the two left, Kuroko felt his spirits lifted, thankful for having such great friends. He knew he was going to be ok. Kirisaki Daiichi wouldn't hurt him because they knew him from all the times he had observed their training sessions. They might play a little dirty but Kuroko was ready for that.
He really wanted to win Makoto with his own techniques. He was ready.
With a tiny smile on his face, Kuroko re-joined his team, ready for the second half of the match.
The two teams came back out on court from their respective locker rooms after the short break. Riko made sure to run through their tactics one last time. They had planned to use Kuroko's Shadow Zone right from the start. Kuroko was actually really curious how his technique would fare against the original spider's web.
The teams were called back on court for the second half. Kuroko couldn't help it when a little smirk slipped onto his face mirroring the one Hanamiya had on too. Seems like Makoto was excited to play against him too and for some reason Kuroko felt a warm feeling bubbling in his chest from the respect that Makoto must have for him.
"Good. They finally let you out huh? That means we get to have some fun, Tetsu-tan." Hanamiya immediately started to defend Kuroko the moment the referee blew the whistle to start the match. "I told everyone all about your techniques. You won't be able to use misdirection much on us."
"I have a whole bunch of tricks up my sleeve, Mako-tan. Don't be so sure you know everything." And with a sudden change in direction, he managed to lose Makoto who narrowly avoided Izuki who was sent to body block for Kuroko. Kuroko managed to direct the play all the way into the paint, and a nicely placed bounce pass put the ball into Koganei's hands. The forward was about the shoot when suddenly the ball was snatched away. Koganei wasn't too hurt but the little tap at his ankle caused him to shift his posture defensively, thus allowing for Kirisaki's defender to make a steal.
The ball transferred into Kirisaki's hands and soon enough made its way into Hanamiya's control. Kuroko admired the charisma of the captain for a while before directing his own team mates into formation. He knew what Hanamiya was planning and sent Mitobe in place to block while Hyuuga distracted fom the side. Kuroko quickly faded into the shadows which he knew would draw Hanamiya's attention because the captain was wary of losing sight of the phantom. This play allowed Mitobe to slap the ball out of Hanamiya's hands. Ball over to Seirin again.
"Fucking damn it!" Hanamiya cursed, irritated that he fell for that. Kuroko sniggered knowing it was a cheap trick that only worked because he knew Makoto rather well. Mitobe had passed the ball on to Izuki who dribbled quickly to their end of the court and readied for a layup. Out of nowhere, the Kirisaki centre appeared and managed to block Izuki's jump path. The two collided but Izuki wasn't too hurt, just bruised. No points yet for the second half.
The pace of the game was as quicker than the first half but no points were made yet. The moment Seirin found a way into the paint, the ball would be stolen from them. The same happened when Kirisaki tried to run the ball to Seirin's side of the court. Kuroko found his grin growing bigger with each glare sent from Hanamiya. The Captain was truly irritated that the Kirisaki team couldn't break through Kuroko's Shadow Zone.
"Kuroko! We need to start scoring." Hyuuga called out. Kuroko nodded in agreement. Right. Izuki passed him the ball which he then flipped over to Hyuuga. The shoot was immediately defended by two people so he quickly passed the ball over to Mitobe who then go the ball back to Kuroko who was now in the paint. In a flash, Kuroko got into his stance for Phantom Shot and released the ball – only for the ball to be slapped away by Hanamiya.
"As if." Hanamiya scoffed as the referee blew his whistle, calling for Seirin to throw in. "You think you're open? We always have someone on you and we all know how your stupid shot works. You're not scoring today, Tetsu-tan."
Kuroko grunted, irritated, but called for the ball from Izuki who threw in from the side line. He tried using Vanishing Drive only to pass Hanamiya and smack directly into another Kirisaki defender, thus losing the ball. On the turnover, Hanamiya tried for his specialty – the teardrop shot, only for the ball to disappear from his hands the moment he started to fade away backwards.
"Fuck!"
"Mako-tan…" Kuroko warned half-heartedly, passing the ball on. "You know your shots don't work against me too. I know your form too well."
"You're such a little shit, damn it." Hanamiya growled but also ruffled Kuroko's hair first, making it look like a cuff at Kuroko's head, which told Kuroko that the other wasn't really angry at him.
"Stop flirting, you two!" Hara teased but quickly dashed off after Hanamiya sent him a death glare.
"Fucker." Hanamiya cursed and hurried off to defend. The captain let slip another amused grin on his face before sprinting over to aid his team. Kuroko rolled his eyes. Anyone who knew Makoto would know he was enjoying himself.
At the end of the third quarter, Seirin scored six points with Hyuuga's shots, leaving the scores at 42 to 38, still in Kirisaki Daiichi's favour.
Kuroko was having fun.
"Did he hurt you, Kuroko?" The second years came to check on Kuroko's head while the first years helped massage the bruises on their senior's arms and legs.
"I saw him hit you on the head." Furihata checked through Kuroko's blue locks, making sure there were no bruises.
"I'm fine. It was nothing." Kuroko swatted off the wandering hands pawing at him to check for any other injury. "But we need to think of how to start scoring. All my moves don't work on their team."
"Yeah. They seem to know how all your techniques work, Kuroko." Izuki commented and Kuroko was worried they would find out that he had in fact given all his secrets to Hanamiya.
"They're dirty players but they're smart. Seems like we need to just run faster and work harder to break through their defence and keep away from their attacks!" Hyuuga pumped a fist, resolved hardened.
"We've managed to close up the gap but if we want to win, we need to get more threes in." Riko announced. "Kuroko can we count on you to shoot some threes?"
"I'm pretty sure Hanamiya-san knows how to counter my threes but the rest of his team wouldn't. So, if you can block Hanamiya from defending me I can shoot my three-pointers."
"Alright then. Izuki, you're on Hanamiya duty. Let's try to free up Hyuuga and Kuroko as much as we can."
"Alright then, you heard the coach! SEIRIN, GO!"
Before the fourth quarter started, Kuroko made sure to stretch his ankle and knee tendons more thoroughly. This was it. It was time to start his plan.
Right from the start, four seconds into the fourth quarter, Kuroko sunk his second official three-pointer. The cheers from the crowd was crazy and he heard Koganei mutter something along the lines of "yep, totally not a fluke."
Izuki was doing a great job of blocking Makoto but that freed up Hara to shoot some threes on his own. The score stayed close and eventually tied up. Captain Hanamiya obviously had enough and shouted at his team to 'fucking defend properly and if you can't do it, fucking free me up and I'll defend that little shit on my own!"
When Hara started to stick to Izuki like glue, Kuroko knew it was time to start his final plan.
It started with a strange dodge where Kuroko bent a little too low, and bent his leg in a manner than was slightly strange – so strange that Hanamiya almost tripped over Kuroko's left feet when he tried to follow Kuroko's motions.
After a bit of correction, Kuroko started to delay his turns just a little bit and to the trained eye it just seemed like his feet and upper body were just not cooperating with each other. This move actually caused Hanamiya to tip Kuroko over sending the both of the sprawling onto the floor. The ball rolled off court and the referee called for Kirisaki Daiichi to throw in.
Hanamiya gave Kuroko a glare but didn't say anything. Kuroko gave him a small shrug and a quick "sorry".
Kuroko readjusted his calculations again and knew it was going to work this time.
Seirin and Kirisaki Daiichi were tied and there was barely 8 seconds on the clock. If everyone played this right, the game would end in a tie.
But Kuroko had other plans. Kuroko planned to win.
Hanamiya called for his team to defend and watch out for Kuroko's phantom shots – both the two and three pointers. The spider web was in full swing and no one should be able to get a shot in.
Too bad Kuroko wasn't aiming for a shot.
Kuroko was in possession of the ball and Hanamiya was defending him.
"Oh it's so boring, isn't it, Tetsu-tan? It's going to end in a boring draw unless you try to shoot now. Are you going to shoot? Are you going to try your misdirection on me?"
Kuroko tuned him out, used to Makoto's droning. He shifted his weight, one leg lower than the other, his body tilted in a strange manner than kind of showed he was going to try to spin around and dodge past his defender.
He had to do this right.
With a quick spin, Hanamiya followed Kuroko's movements thinking that he was trying to do another sort of misdirection but Kuroko simply turned back and with his ankles in a strange position, and his back leg angled strangely and positioned lowered than his other, Makoto fell for it.
With 2 seconds left on the clock, Hanamiya's leg tripped over Kuroko's and Kuroko tilted backwards and fell onto the ground with the ball still in his possession. The referee blew the whistle as the crowd threw their hands up calling foul.
To everyone's eyes, it looked like the spider of Kirisaki Daiichi kicked Seirin's star player's legs causing the shorter male to fall backwards harshly.
Kuroko smirked, Hanamiya raged.
Hanamiya's hands shot out towards Kuroko ready to strangle the other but the Kirisaki team quickly came to hold their captain back. Seirin quickly rushed over to body block for their team mate.
Through the entire ordeal, Hanamiya's eyes didn't leave the blue ones of Kuroko.
"Penalty shot, Seirin!" The referee called.
Ahhh. That felt good. Kuroko had practiced his with Takao-kun and it had paid off perfectly. He watched as Hanamiya continued to fume and grit his teeth obviously trying to hold his anger back.
Kirisaki Daiichi's captain had finally gotten caught by the referee, and it wasn't even the captain's own fault. Kuroko hoped that Makoto could find it in his heart to appreciate how much effort that took. Kuroko hoped Makoto wouldn't kill him later.
The teams lined up at the penalty area and Kuroko stood in his phantom shot form and perfectly shot the ball in. With 2 seconds left on the clock, Kirisaki Daiichi was unable to pull off a last minute basket and the game ended with Seirin victorious.
The crowd cheered and Seirin celebrated but Kuroko only had his sight on Hanamiya. The older male strode over and bunched the front of Kuroko's jersey up and lifted the smaller male slightly off his feet, face to face with the angry captain.
Kuroko's heart thundered, slightly afraid of what Hanamiya was about to do, but knew it was totally worth it. The other needed a taste of his own medicine after all and Kuroko did learn from the best.
"Fuck." Hanamiya deep growl caused a shiver to run from the tips of Kuroko's hair down to his toes. The heat in Hanamimya's eyes burned through Kuroko. Before Kuroko could say anything, Hanamiya continued, pulling Kuroko closer until their foreheads touched.
"I could fucking kiss you right now."
What?
Before anything else could happen, Seirin came to the rescue and Kirisaki pulled their captain away as well. The two teams exchanged curses and continued to insult each other. Kuroko watched as the heat in Hanamiya's eyes changed into something familiar from that night, and eventually a smirk appeared on the captain's face. Kuroko felt his own face heating up and a tingle going downwards.
"That was a good game, Seirin." Hanamiya called out, stopping the verbal exchange of everyone else. "You guys are lucky you have Tetsu-tan on your side."
An exchanged look between the two of them told Kuroko that Hanamiya wasn't angry at him but actually appreciated the play. Kuroko let out a little smile from the pride welling in his chest. Good. Everything was alright between them.
A whispered "what the fuck is he saying?" came from a Seirin player.
"Let's go." Hanamiya signalled for his team to fall back and they slowly backed off. With a mischievous grin, Hanamiya threw one more back at Seirin. "You owe me one, Tetsu-tan! See you on Saturday! Congrats!"
Kuroko coughed as a laugh threatened to escape. Damn it. He knew Makoto would get back at him somehow. "I'll catch you then, Mako-tan."
There was a moment of silence while Seirin processed the exchange between 'Tetsu-tan' and 'Mako-tan'.
The shrieks and 'what the fucks' were worth it after that. Ahh. It was probably time to explain to Seirin anyway. With a satisfied smile, Kuroko ushered his team back into the locker room promising to tell them more about it later while his chest bubbled with a warm well of happiness.
A/N: the next chapter will carry a scene that sparked this fic in the first place. ANTICIPATION. please leave a review to remind me to write. HAHA.