"Tetsuya, wait up!" The redhead called after his blue haired friend. Kuroko turned around, his cheeks were covered in red splotches. Akashi laughed and wiped away the stains, "People are going to think you're covered in blood if you don't clean the paint off of your face…and everywhere else." He said while looking down at the blue haired boy's clothes which were covered in different colors of paint.
"I'm an art student…It's hard to stay clean when I'm painting, sketching or sculpting." Kuroko said as he let the redhead wipe away the paint on his neck, hands, forehead, nose and arms.
Akashi smiled when he wiped away the last bit of red paint, "So what are you working on this time? It's definitely red."
The blue haired boy opened his sketchbook and showed his friend the rough copy of his painting. Akashi saw a sketch of himself, his red hair was flying in the wind and he had baby blue wings sprouting from his back and the wings were spread out, as if they were reaching for the sky.
"It's a really rough sketch," Kuroko said, "so it might look a bit strange. But the painting itself will look better."
"It's beautiful. But why me?" The redhead asked.
The blue haired boy showed his rare smile and said, "You're my best friend and I'm always able to draw you since we're together a lot. I hope you don't mind."
Akashi shook his head, "I don't mind at all."
"Can you model for me then?" The blue haired boy asked, his sapphire eyes sparkling. The redhead couldn't resist the happiness shining in his friend's eyes so he said,
"Of course. Anything for my best friend, however, you have to tell me the story behind the painting."
Kuroko and Akashi walked to the closest bench to talk and the blue haired boy went on forever to explain his thoughts about the painting.
"So you were a great warrior and you fought for your loved one. You were strong, confident and very trustworthy, except many people looked down on you because you weren't a noble."
Akashi grunted, "Sounds complicated."
The blue haired boy gave a devilish smile, "It gets worse. You fought in many wars and you were an amazing fighter. The kingdom acknowledged your talents and took you in. Your loved one was the heir to the throne, so you two had a Romeo and Juliet kind of love. Both of you were so madly in love that you found ways to be together without being seen, but you were never to be together to the public eyes. During a war, you were killed. As you fell on the battlefield, you saw the devil preparing to take you to hell for all the people you've killed. However, while the devil was dragging you, your loved one sacrificed…herself to give you the wings of an angel. You watched as your loved one was dragged into hell and you ascended into heaven."
The redhead had a confused expression on his face and he said, "What are you doing to me, Tetsuya? That's not a happy ending… It's amazing you thought about that though. You should add my loved one in the painting being dragged to hell and we should be grabbing for each other. It'll add to the story."
"Nah, your loved one will ruin the picture." Kuroko said while sipping his cup of coffee.
"Gee, thanks Tetsuya. It's nice to know that the one I love is so hideous that she can't be in the picture." The redhead said.
The blue haired boy laughed and then looked at his watch, "I have to go. I'm only on break, I have to continue the painting. I haven't painted you yet, just the background. I'll call you in to model when I need you. See you at the dorm later, 'kay?"
Akashi smiled and waved at his friend, "See you later."
Kuroko sat in art class with a thin paintbrush, he lightly brushed on green paint to create the grass, which broke apart and fell to create the pit to hell. Hell was portrayed as dark bits of grey and red, as if fire was bursting out and blood was being splattered. Kuroko suddenly felt as if it would become a disaster; he didn't like the feeling he got from the painting, the more he painted, the more he hated it. In frustration, Kuroko dropped his paintbrush and left his painting to look at something else to ease his mind. He flipped through his sketchbook and looked at his other art pieces. Most were of Akashi studying, sitting, eating, smiling or laughing; sometimes angry because Kuroko was always drawing him and the redhead was always telling the blue haired boy to draw something else. Kuroko had captured every moment of his best friend on paper. The blue haired boy smiled at his sketches of Akashi and then went back to work.
When class ended, Kuroko trudged back to his room to see Akashi studying at his desk.
"Goodnight." The blue haired boy mumbled as he prepared to collapse on his bed. The redhead quickly grabbed Kuroko before he fell onto the bed and pushed him into the shower.
"Don't you dare get paint on your bed. Take a bath." Akashi ordered the blue haired boy.
Kuroko whined but let the redhead undress him and throw him in the bathtub.
"What would you do without me, Tetsuya?" The redhead asked while rubbing shampoo into Kuroko's hair.
"I'd probably die from loneliness…" The blue haired boy mumbled, half asleep.
Akashi stopped and remembered what the blue haired boy was like when they had first met. Kuroko kept to himself and was always alone. Most people thought he was a freak because he wasn't so responsive. The blue haired boy had been abandoned by his father because Kuroko had chosen arts instead of medical school or law school. The blue haired boy's mother had passed away from sickness and the blue haired boy was left with his mother's fortune to survive through university.
Kuroko's art at first was filled with pain; it was dark and there was barely any color to it. When Akashi saw those paintings, he told the blue haired boy,
"I really love your paintings, they bring an immense amount of emotion. Except, those emotions are always pain; I wish to see more happiness from you. What's your name?"
The blue haired boy had run away when Akashi said that because he was embarrassed to even have to face another person, but the second time they met, Kuroko wrote his name down on a piece of paper.
"Kuroko Tetsuya…That's a nice name. I'm sorry if I scared you before. I talk a lot and I heard from my friends that I might have scared you since you're so introverted. It's just that your paintings were so amazing that I needed to tell you and…I should probably stop talking now…"
The blue haired boy had laughed for the first time in years and said, "It's alright and I took your advice to add more happiness in my paintings. Would you like to see them?"
Ever since that day, the two of them stuck to each other like glue and Kuroko only expressed his feelings to Akashi and in his art.
The redhead continued to wash his best friend, who had fallen asleep in the tub. Akashi sighed, "I'm not going to mother you for your whole life…"
Kuroko mumbled incoherent words as the redhead dried him off and carried him to his bed. The blue haired boy curled up and Akashi quickly pulled some clothes onto Kuroko's naked body. When the redhead was done, he stood back to admire his work, which was a fully clothed, washed and sleeping Kuroko. Akashi felt his face heat up when he saw the blue haired boy look so adorable, but he quickly dismissed the thought of Kuroko looking cute and went back to studying.
The next day, when Akashi woke up, the blue haired boy was already gone. The redhead smiled when he saw that Kuroko had made breakfast for him. The blue haired boy always made breakfast for Akashi, no matter what. When Kuroko had art history, the redhead had chemistry and the only time they met during the day was when Kuroko had his break during painting class.
The blue haired boy saw Akashi waiting for him in front of his class when he went on break, "Good thing you came for me, Akashi-kun. Can you model today?"
"Sure." The redhead said while putting down his things. Akashi was kneeling on the ground in front of the blue haired boy and let Kuroko position him. The redhead's hands were reaching towards the ground, as if he was trying to grab something and his face was angled downwards but his expression was still visible. Kuroko quickly sketched his friend and then wrote notes to figure out how he would add color. Akashi watched the blue haired boy work and then he had to leave to study. Kuroko painted the warrior into the painting. The warrior was bloodied and crying. He was fading away where his hair was flying in the wind and the baby blue wings angled towards the sky. The blue haired boy painted the sky with light colors to make sure the warrior was the key. Kuroko admired his work and when he felt happy with it, he left to go back to his dorm.
The blue haired boy greeted Akashi and then hopped into the bathtub. After a while, Kuroko fell asleep in the warm water, except he trusted the redhead to check on him before he possibly drowned.
Akashi walked into the bathroom after a while to check on the blue haired boy. The redhead sighed when he saw that Kuroko had fallen asleep. He dried off his friend and clothes him before tucking him into bed. Kuroko smiled slightly and whispered, "Thank you, Akashi-kun."
"You were awake?" The redhead asked.
The blue haired boy sat up and laughed, "Yeah, I just didn't want to move."
Akashi turned his attention back to his studies, "You're such a jerk."
After a few minutes, the redhead felt Kuroko's arms wrap around him.
"Tetsuya, what are you doing?"
"Trying to show you that I mean it. Thank you for taking care of me. Thank you for being here with me." The blue haired boy said.
Akashi smiled and hugged his friend back, which surprised the blue haired boy, "No problem. Now go to sleep."
The blue haired boy refused to move, "Too lazy, Akashi-kun. I don't want to move…"
The redhead laughed and then picked Kuroko up to toss him back on the bed. When Akashi let go of the blue haired boy, Kuroko pulled his friend down so that they were close. The redhead swallowed thickly as he suddenly became aware of how close they were, more importantly, how close their lips were. Kuroko searched for the redhead's emotions in his eyes; his crimson eyes glistened with want and Kuroko was aware of it. The blue haired boy lightly closed his eyes to let Akashi know that he could take what he wanted. The redhead hesitated, but throwing all his fears away, Akashi leaned in and lightly pressed his lips to Kuroko's.
The blue haired boy flinched at the touch, feeling nervous himself, but he accepted the feelings and his hands slowly traveled up to thread through Akashi's hair. The redhead groaned and also let his hands roam around Kuroko's body, causing the blue haired boy to shiver at the touch. Akashi was able to feel his friend's nervousness, so he pulled away and said,
"You're afraid."
Kuroko held onto the redhead and blushed, "Of course I am! Nobody has ever touched me like this before and I've never felt like this before either."
The redhead chuckled at how honest Kuroko was and lightly stroked his hair, "Are you scared of me?" He asked.
Kuroko shook his head frantically and held onto the redhead tighter, "I'm not scared. Just kind of…surprised. I want this though and I can tell that you do too."
The redhead smiled, "You were always good at reading emotions."
Akashi leaned in and kissed the blue haired boy again and again until Kuroko was unable to say anything. Eventually, the blue haired boy couldn't think straight and he was only able to hold onto Akashi.
Kuroko woke up early in the morning, still encased in the redhead's arms. Their clothes were discarded on the ground and the blue haired boy squirmed to crawl out of Akashi's embrace. The redhead woke up from all the movement and mumbled,
"Good morning, Tetsuya."
"Good morning, Akashi-kun. I have to make breakfast then get to class, so if you could just…let go." Kuroko said while squirming. The redhead laughed and let go of the art student so that he could get ready for the day. Before the blue haired boy left, he lightly kissed Akashi on the cheek and said,
"I'll see you later, 'kay?"
The redhead felt his face heat up and he nodded, "Okay."
Kuroko finished his painting by touching up some places and by taking the redhead's advice, he painted the loved one onto the canvas. Suddenly, he was called to the main campus because someone was waiting for him.
The blue haired boy saw his father waiting for him with a frown on his face. Kuroko turned to run away but his father caught up to him and grabbed him, "I've come to take you back. I think I let this 'dream' go on long enough. You're smarter than this. You shouldn't waste your talents on painting. We're going home."
The blue haired boy shook his head and tried to pull away from his father's iron grip, "I can't! You can't just pull me out of university."
His dad smirked, "Well I am, so deal with it."
Kuroko struggled against his father's will. I'm twenty, I should be able to do what I want. The blue haired boy thought, until he felt pain sting his right cheek. His father raised his hand again to hit him; Kuroko flinched away with his eyes closed tight. The blue haired boy felt someone's warmth envelop him and a familiar scent surround him. When Kuroko opened his eyes, he saw that Akashi was there and holding his father's wrist to prevent him from hitting the blue haired boy. The redhead had his arm firmly around Kuroko and he whispered, "It's alright."
The blue haired boy's father tried to pull Kuroko away from Akashi, "Who are you and what are you to my son?"
Akashi felt the blue haired boy tremble slightly, "My name is Akashi Seijuro and I'm your son's roommate. I'm a student in the science program. I was passing by and I saw my friend in trouble; what are you doing here? It's not normal for a parent to be here at this time of the year."
"I'm taking my son back. He's wasting his time here." The blue haired boy's father said. Kuroko knew that once his father made up his mind, there was no changing it, "I suggest you let go of my son. He belongs to me."
Akashi felt anger bubbling in him but the blue haired boy interrupted before anything got bad, "I'll go with you. I don't wish for you two to fight. I'm going to go pack my things. Father, wait here and don't move or follow me."
Kuroko walked to his dorm with the redhead close behind him.
"Tetsuya, you can't really be thinking of leaving, right?"
"My father will do anything to get me to do what he wants and he has enough money to do so. Akashi-kun, I knew this would happen one day and I thought I was prepared for it before, but after I met you…I don't know…I'm kind of afraid to leave. You make me happy and I want to stay with you. The time I spent with you made me realize what love is. I love you, Akashi-kun but as much as I love you, I have to leave you." The blue haired boy said while packing his bags.
The redhead grabbed Kuroko and hugged him, "Don't go….Tetsuya, please…"
Kuroko held onto the redhead tightly and said, "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry. Akashi-kun, please don't make it any harder for me and take care of me until the end."
The redhead reluctantly let go of Kuroko and helped him pack his bags. Akashi walked his best friend to the car and smiled sadly, "I love you, Tetsuya. We'll see each other again. I'll find you."
Kuroko grinned and kissed the redhead, even if his father saw him, "Or maybe I'll find you."
Akashi kissed the blue haired boy's forehead and then glared at his father. Kuroko's father was too stunned by the fact that they had kissed, so he didn't pay attention to Akashi but he just left with Kuroko without a word.
The redhead spent the rest of his university years without Kuroko, but he was able to keep the blue haired boy's art. Akashi walked in the dark classroom to look at the painting that the blue haired boy had created. He threw the white cover off of the canvas and sobbed when he saw the painting.
The warrior in the painting was bloodied and crying as he was being lifted by baby blue wings. He was fading away where his hair flew in the wing and the large pale wings angled towards the sky. Akashi looked at what the warrior was reaching for and saw the spitting image of Kuroko falling into hell, also crying and reaching up for the warrior. The two lovers faced each other, pain streaking their expressions. The warrior watched his loved one fall into the depths of hell, but no matter how much pain it caused the warrior, he never looked away from his loved one. The loved one had a sad smile, almost as if he was happy that his love was able to be sent to heaven. He faced the warrior in the painting as if to say the forbidden words, "I love you" as the ground crumbled around them on the battlefield.
The redhead remembered the story that Kuroko had told him and he muttered to himself, "My loved one sacrificed himself to give me the wings of an angel…and I watched him be dragged to hell in my place."
Akashi took the painting with him and looked at it every day to remind himself of the blue haired boy.
A few years later, when Akashi graduated, he moved into an apartment. The landlord gave him a tour around the room and then said, "Watch out for your neighbor, he's a bit…strange. He doesn't really talk at all and he hates having people around."
"I'm sure people misunderstand him. I should still greet him, he is my neighbor after all." The redhead said. The landlord just shrugged and left.
Akashi lightly knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Who is it?" Someone called out on the other side.
"I'm your new neighbor and I just thought I'd stop by to say hello." The redhead said.
Akashi heard multiple locks being unlocked on the other side and the door swung open slowly. A blue haired boy kept his eyes glued to the ground and offered his hand shyly and said,
"It's nice to meet you, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."
Akashi smiled at the sight of the blue haired boy who had grown taller and had reverted to his shy self. The redhead felt tears streaming down his face and he hugged Kuroko.
"It's nice to meet you too. My name is Akashi Seijuro." He whispered in the blue haired boy's ear. Kuroko was able to smell that familiar scent and he held onto the redhead with his eyes wide.
"Akashi-kun…Akashi-kun…I'm so sorry. I thought I wouldn't see you again."
"It's okay, Tetsuya. I'm right here. It's alright." The redhead said while rubbing Kuroko's back. The blue haired cried when he felt Akashi's hands caressing his face, "I'm so sorry. I'm…sorry." Kuroko cried while nuzzled his face into the redhead's hands. "I'm sorry for leaving."
Akashi smiled and brushed away the blue haired boy's tears, "No more apologizing. You haven't even done anything wrong. What have you been doing these past few years?"
The blue haired boy led Akashi into his apartment and showed him his diploma, "I graduated as a doctor and then disappeared so that my father wouldn't find me."
Akashi left to grab something from his apartment and then came back with a canvas, "This is yours."
The blue haired boy uncovered it and smiled, "Thanks. I almost forgot what it looked like."
Akashi watched the blue haired boy observe his own painting and then the redhead carried Kuroko like he used to in university after a bath.
"What the…Akashi-kun, what are you doing?" The blue haired boy exclaimed as he was tossed onto the bed.
Akashi pressed down and kissed the blue haired boy. Kuroko leaned into the redhead to feel more of what he had missed for years.
Their memories were sparked and the redhead quickly pulled away. Kuroko laughed a bit and then hugged Akashi.
"It's been a while, Seijuro." The blue haired boy said. They went to get their tattoo and then decided to move to a house together. They kept Kuroko's painting in the house and spent the rest of their time travelling all around the world.
Akashi passed away first and a few years after that, Kuroko passed away as well.
Kuroko's painting was found in their house and was hung in a museum for the tragic storyline and beautiful art style.