Notes: Why did you guys encourage me? The pining! My god, the pining. Kise is literally the guy who passes a stranger twice on the street and asks, "What are we?" alkfjlsdjfodjf

Please enjoy. ;)

There is a time skip! Haizaki's point of view continues right from chapter one, but Kise's point of view takes place after a few weeks.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket.

02.

"I have class in like an hour, so I need to start getting ready," Ryouta tells him, rinsing out his cup and leaving it in the sink. "Are you gonna be alright here by yourself?"

Shougo rolls his eyes. "I think I can manage not to grievously injure myself while you're not hovering over me." He's a fucking demon, for god's sake.

Snorting, Ryouta shoots back, "I could do without the sarcasm, but I'm starting to realize that's just how you communicate."

"What can I say? I'm a damn delight," Shougo snarks, smirking around the lip of his mug.

Laughing, Ryouta retreats to his bathroom, presumably to shower. Shougo's proven correct when he picks up the tell tell sound of running water.

Dismissing the imagery that provokes, Shougo takes it upon himself to make breakfast. He hasn't eaten since yesterday, and he's willing to bet it's the same for his new... roommate. His ears flatten against his head, and his tail swishes behind him irritably.

Ugh. Whatever! He's just going to take this one day at a time. In the mean time, he'll work on finding loopholes in his contract - besides the vague and unhelpful conditions that were mentioned. Demons are all of them slippery and innately good at picking up on shaky wording and flexible phrases. Even demon contracts aren't infallible.

For now, though, he's starving, and Ryouta's got jack shit in his fridge and cabinets. Shitty, useless human. Can't even fucking eat properly.

"Can I get groceries?" He yells loud enough that Ryouta will hear him, and fuck any neighbors who might be annoyed.

Right now, his magic is tied to Ryouta, so that means he needs permission to use it. Normally, this sort of admittedly lazy, careless use would require - you guessed it! - a contract since he's in the human realm, but he's bound to a human through a contract already, which gives him free reign so long as Ryouta's cool with it. An irritating limitation but still better than if he'd been here on his own. His mom really has thought of everything.

There's a pause, probably of surprise, and then: "Sure!" is Ryouta's chirpy reply.

Satisfied, Shougo snaps his fingers, and instantly, the kitchen is stocked with food and drinks - most of them Shougo's favorites, but there's enough generic items too, all from his own home back in the other realm. Another snap, and an apron appears over his borrowed clothes with the words 'don't fucking touch the cook' in bright red across the front.

He smiles and then begins pulling out pots and ingredients. He's not the best cook out there, but he's not shit either - whatever his brother might say.

-o-

His tail sways happily as he glances around at his handiwork. It didn't take that long, and he thinks everything turned out alright.

Laid out on the counter is Miso soup and chicken, along with another cup of coffee for Shougo and some orange juice for Ryouta.

He's just finished placing the drinks when Ryouta steps out of the bathroom in nothing but a small towel. "Whoa, did you make breakfast, Haizakiichi?" He asks, water dripping down his mostly naked body almost obscenely.

Shougo gives him his best unimpressed look. "What are you doing," he grunts.

Ryouta pouts, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "I was hoping for a better reaction than that. You're so cute when you're flustered."

Heat rushes to his face entirely against his will, and his patience snaps with an audible crack. "Shut the fuck up, asshole!" He snarls, and fucking god, his voice is higher pitched than he'd meant it to be. "Demons aren't- They're not fucking cute, you damn human."

"Oh? But you're a demon, and you're cute," Ryouta counters, smiling teasingly.

Shougo growls, "I'm gonna fucking strangle you, fucker."

And he means to do it, really. But the collar gives a warning buzz, and he remembers that he actually can't harm this human. Even if the fucker deserves it.

"...Go get dressed already, asshat," he orders lamely, gritting his teeth.

Perhaps sensing Shougo's increasingly violent thoughts and lack of restraint, Ryouta goes with minimal teasing.

Belatedly, Shougo calls after him, pissed, "And don't call me that, fucker!"

Ryouta laughs.

-o-

Breakfast is a quick, mostly quiet affair. Mostly because Shougo shuts down any and all attempts at conversation, and Ryouta has to eat fast or risk leaving late.

"I'll see you in a few hours, Haizakiichi~!" Ryouta chirps from the front door, wrapped up in a stylish coat and scarf and shouldering a bag with school supplies.

Shougo waves half-heartedly from the kitchen where he's cleaning up. "Yeah, yeah. Just fucking leave already."

Smiling, Ryouta says, "It's nice to have such a pretty husband to come home to~!" Then he steps outside, swiftly closing and locking the door behind him, and the ladle Shougo had thrown crashes to the floor, spraying bits of soup.

Shougo lets out a wordless yell in frustration. Damn annoying human.

-o-

This realm is boring as shit. There's not even anything good on TV, which is often true in either realm but still damn annoying.

With nothing to do, he spends some of his time reading and rereading the contract and the rest of it unashamedly poking through Ryouta's things.

If he hadn't wanted Shougo to snoop through his stuff, he should have fucking said so. Or left him something interesting to do.

Fucking sucks that he can't leave this shitty apartment. He couldn't even stick his hand out through the door. There was an invisible barrier, which is obviously what's keeping him here.

Next time he's going with the human. Even if it is to some shitty human school. He'll go crazy if he has to stay cooped up in here any longer than this.

-o-

Oh god. Ryouta gulps. Why do you test me, he thinks, taking in the sight that greets him as soon as he steps inside his apartment.

Haizaki is clad in a tight tank top and loose sweatpants, stretched out on his side on Ryouta's couch and looking more like the cover of a dirty magazine than a roommate simply channel-flipping.

He scratches his stomach, lifting his shirt up and revealing his mouth-watering abs in the process, and crap, Ryouta needs to stop gaping before Haizaki calls him out on it or he says something stupid.

Instead, he very firmly closes his mouth, fills his head with images of boring things like the bills he has to pay and the essay he has to write, and toes off his shoes before walking into the kitchen.

"Welcome home," Haizaki says, distracted.

"I'm back." Ryouta peeks over and sees that the demon is puzzling over a reality TV show and laughs. "You're gonna rot your brain watching that."

Haizaki scoffs. "There's no way this human show can harm me - except maybe to bore me to death. There's nothing interesting to watch!"

Smiling, Ryouta returns to his task, readying the coffee pot for another late night. "Do they have TV in the demon realm?"

"Yeah, and it's just as bad." The voice this time is much closer. Ryouta turns and finds Haizaki shuffling into view. "There's this fighting show - Blood and Guts, I think. It's pretty good."

The demon says more, but it's all lost on Ryouta, who was distracted by Haizaki as soon as he saw him.

The sweatpants are a little big for him, and they're just about the only pants Ryouta owns that aren't at least a little tight when on Haizaki's bulkier, more muscular frame. Hence the tank top clinging to his torso almost obscenely.

But the baggy pants are hanging dangerously low, revealing what the shirt doesn't cover, showcasing his razor sharp hips and the flat, toned skin beneath his belly button. Ryouta wants to lick it.

He tears his eyes away.

"Why am I not surprised that's a show you'd enjoy?" He asks, frazzled but doing his best to hide it behind his teasing.

It's a state he finds himself in quite often now that he's living with a demon. A demon who happens to be charming and cute and funny and hot - and where was he going with this again?

Haizaki rolls his eyes, so ridiculously adorable with his fluffy hair and the cat ears that twitch in tune with his annoyance. "Whatever. I'm sure you're some romantic sap. Bet you watch rom-coms." He scoffs and starts looking through some cabinets. "Where's the nutella?"

"The other cabinet. On the top shelf," Ryouta tells him with a grin. He'd discovered Haizaki's not-so-secret obsession with chocolate not long into their acquaintance, and like most things involving his new roommate, Ryouta is utterly amused by it. "There's nothing wrong with romantic comedies," he adds, idly.

Haizaki snorts but doesn't comment. It's probably a good thing because Ryouta loses touch with reality the moment Haizaki turns around and reaches up to the topmost shelf - thus, revealing his back to Ryouta.

And honestly, it's not fair that it could be so attractive! Even so, his eyes are glued to Haizaki's shoulder blades, the long line of his back, yet more delicious skin revealed when he stretches and his shirt rides up.

He barely manages to suppress a strangled noise when the sweatpants drop even lower.

He's going to die. Haizaki is going to kill him by being too pretty. Maybe this is his own personal torture, some bad karma come to take its due, and Haizaki is the tormentor, using his body as a weapon. Ryouta is about ninety-five percent sure Haizaki's doing it unintentionally, which might be even worse.

"So how does Demon culture differ from ours?!" He blurts out quickly, grabbing the first thing that comes to mind and going with it. He's supposed to do reading on various cultures tonight, but now that he's accidentally broached the topic, he does want to know. "I'm just curious," he says defensively when Haizaki turns back around, jar in tow and looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Shrugging languidly (and drawing Ryouta's eyes to his bare shoulders again), Haizaki hops up to sit on the counter, legs dangling over the side. "It's not like I know much about humans, you know? I wasn't even allowed to be here, which is why I got in trouble." He opens the nutella, nabs a spoon from the drawer to his right, and scoops out a big glob of the chocolate spread. "There's a whole unit at the academy for stuff about humans, but I didn't need to take it since I was on the military track, and all we needed to know was how to fight."

He sticks the whole spoonful in his mouth, and Ryouta smiles helplessly at the pure delight in the demon's expression, especially when his ears flatten in pleasure. "Just how to fight? You didn't learn diplomacy or-"

Waving his licked-clean utensil dismissively, Haizaki clarifies, "Yeah, a little, but I'm part of an elite group. By the time they have to send me out, talking's not an option anymore. We're the last resort."

"So you're like secret agents or something? Do you have code names? Ooh! Do you wear special, modified suits?" Ryouta would keep going, amazed by the idea, but the image of Haizaki in a crisp, cool suit has derailed him quite spectacularly.

He's broken out of his daze by laughter. A little awed, he watches Haizaki throw his head back with a large grin, and it's so, so endearing that he laughs with his whole body.

"You're a weirdo, you know that?" Haizaki eventually tells him with a smirk. At Ryouta's sheepish smile, the demon goes on, "It's really not that organized. There're no code names or a dress code or anything. We just have a tattoo imbued with our leader's magic, and it works as identification and a way to locate us. Other than that, we're just a bunch of violence-loving demons fighting over who gets the next job."

Tattoos? Agh. Ryouta bites his lip, chagrined.

Before he can do something monumentally stupid - like asking to see it, the pot beeps, and mechanically, he sets about making a cup of coffee in his favorite large mug, a gift from Kurokocchi.

The then teen had thought it hilarious to encourage Ryouta's bad habit, especially when it incurred a lecture from Midorimacchi every time he'd caught Ryouta with it.

He smiles at the thought, and it reminds him...

He hasn't told anyone about his new roommate yet. He's not really sure how to make 'I have a demon living with me. Oh yeah, and we're magically bound together because of this collar I put on him when I thought he was a stray cat. But don't worry, he's not mad at me!' sound good even on the off chance someone believes him.

Honestly, he'd probably have been skeptical too, but he'd seen Haizaki's ears and tail firsthand, not to mention the few instances of magic the demon has performed right in front of him.

Making a contract appear out of thin air? Tossing a fireball idly between his hands? Reheating his coffee whenever it naturally cools down with scarcely a breath? It's enough to curb his disbelief.

He'd moved quickly to acceptance, especially once it was clear Haizaki had no intention of harming him. Weirdly enough, it really just feels like Ryouta's gained a new roommate. Maybe from a foreign country. Who also happens to be really into cats.

Ryouta actually likes Haizaki too, which is a plus. And well, the fact that Haizaki's super good-looking doesn't hurt. Not anything but his self-control, anyway.

"I guess courting is different?" Haizaki muses from behind him. He's twirling the spoon in one hand and propping his head up on the other. "And I've yet to see any more than two humans in a 'healthy' romantic relationship on the television. Demons can have multiple partners, and it's rarely ever so destructive and secretive - as it apparently is for humans. We accept all kinds of love." He quirks a brow, smiling sardonically. "It's hilarious that demons are more open-minded than innocent, baby humans."

Ryouta sort of feels offended on behalf of the human race, but Haizaki starts speaking again before the offense even fully forms.

"'Course most high demons think lower demons are dirt beneath their feet, and lower demons think we're all entitled little shits, and we're all pretty prone to the darker emotions - lust, envy, rage. Guess none of us are perfect either way." He shrugs and shoves another spoonful in his mouth. His tail swishes idly behind him. "Magic's cool, though."

He laughs. "It definitely is."

-o-

It's way too early for this.

Ryouta is hardly awake enough to do much of anything beyond go through his morning routine mechanically. There's just no room for processing the sight of his roommate in an oversized T-shirt and presumably boxers - presumably because all Ryouta can see is the too big shirt and a whole lot of leg. Like, probably an indecent amount of leg!

It's too damn early for this!

"...What are you doing?" Ryouta scrambles up some brain cells to ask. He's got no idea why Haizaki is blocking the door, nor why he chose to do so without any pants on, and Haizaki is starting to look a little irritated at his silence, tail swishing tellingly behind him.

He crosses his arms and raises his chin, daring Ryouta to defy him as he demands, "Take me with you."

Ryouta's stupid, sluggish brain gets caught up on 'take me' and summons up images he did not ask for and does not need. Even if they're pretty hot.

...He files them away for later.

"Why? Do you miss me when I'm not here?" He teases and is rewarded with Haizaki's pretty flushed skin.

Haizaki bristles, hands falling to ball into fists at his sides. "Fuck no! But if I have to stay in this goddamned tiny ass apartment for another fucking second, I'm gonna burn it the fuck down!" Ryouta opens his mouth to make a dumb joke ('Cause you're so hot?'), but Haizaki quickly snarls, "Don't fuckin' test me, bitch."

He laughs but holds up his hands defensively to ward off his roommate's ire. "I don't mind if you come with me! It's just, well, I have a few concerns..." He trails off as he glances pointedly at the very obvious fluffy, cat ears twitching in annoyance.

"No," Haizaki denies, flatly.

Ryouta smiles. "You can't go out like that. People will think you've got a cat kink or something."

Haizaki's nose scrunches up in his disgust. (Cute!) "The fuck. Is that a thing? Never mind. I don't wanna know." He clicks his tongue but grudgingly says, "I guess I can tuck my tail in my pants. And maybe wear a hat or somethin'."

"You can't just magic up a disguise?" Ryouta asks, a little disappointed at the mundane solution.

"The fuck do you think my job was? I didn't need a disguise. And my grades in school in anything other than offensive magic were shit. The intricate shit like that was for like spies or researchers or whatever," he explains, somewhat impatiently.

Ryouta lights up. "There are demon spies?!"

Haizaki just sighs and stalks off to get dressed. When Ryouta catches himself staring, he slaps his cheeks and tells himself to get it together. He's a grown man! Not a love-struck teenager! He shouldn't be pining like this!

When Haizaki comes back, he's wearing one of Ryouta's black, wool winter caps, a dark grey hoodie, and jeans - which might as well be skinny jeans with how they cling to his legs.

Disgruntled, Haizaki reveals, "Your damn pants are too fuckin' tight to hide my tail, so I just shoved it under the jacket." He turns to show Ryouta his back, adding, "You can't tell, right?"

"Nope!" Ryouta confirms. With his extra appendages covered, Haizaki actually looks human. Like a very cute, grumpy human. "Let's get going."

Ten minutes later sees them walking to the station.

Haizaki keeps fidgeting, hand reaching up to tug on his cap and clearly itching to take it off. He doesn't complain, though.

"Uncomfortable?" Ryouta asks, knowingly.

"S'weird. Makes me feel restrained," he admits, moving to tug on his hat again before apparently realizing and abruptly dropping his hand. "I don't like it, but it's better than bein' cooped up in than damn hell hole."

Ryouta laughs. "It's not that bad!"

"You weren't stuck there for three damn days. I can only watch so much TV before I fucking explode."

"You didn't have to just watch TV," Ryouta tells him, amused. "I've got a whole shelf full of books, and-"

Shougo snorts, loudly. "If I wanted to read, I'd just go through our contract again, and I'm fucking sick of reading that thing." He gives Ryouta an accusing look as he says, "And if you were about to suggest those board games in your closet, don't bother. Only a fucking loser plays those by himself."

He laughs again, swiping his pass before walking through the gates. Haizaki mimics him (where on Earth did he get a train pass?), following along dutifully. "Sorry, sorry. I left all my consoles and games at home when I moved. I'm sure they're still in my old room, though. Mom's left it the way I had it." He glances over at Haizaki with a grin. "Want me to get 'em?"

He rolls his eyes. "No. I refuse to be stuck there again any time soon. You won't tempt me with your games, human."

"Call me 'Ryouta' in public!" He suggests, cheerfully, when the business man next to them shoots Haizaki a weird look before putting distance between them. "And I'll call you Shougocchi."

Haizaki flushes, scowling, and Ryouta can almost see his ears trying to convey their annoyance within the black wool. "How 'bout I call you 'Asshole,' instead?" He sneers.

"Is that 'cause you want to put your dick in me?" Ryouta asks, curiously, and then he dodges the resulting swipe with a laugh.

"I'll kill you!" Haizaki promises, and Ryouta sweats.

"Isn't that like the number one thing you're not supposed to do to me?" Ryouta reminds him, stepping out of reach. "You know, according to the contract?!"

Haizaki snarls, "I'll find a way around it."

"I admire your dedication, but can you please not be so terrifying?" Ryouta demands.

"Ugh, whatever," Haizaki huffs, shoving his hands inside the huge pocket of his hoodie. "You're fucking impossible."

Feeling safe enough to move closer, Ryouta says, "I've been told I'm annoying but endearing."

"Sounds about right," Haizaki agrees, and Ryouta blinks at him, surprised. Haizaki seems to realize what he said because he goes red and adds, vehemently, "Not that you're endearing to me- I just- You sort of grow on people, okay?! Like, you're annoying as fuck, but not, like, always-" He cuts himself off when Ryouta laughs.

"I like you too, Haizakicchi," Ryouta tells him, smiling and unable to stop.

He grimaces but doesn't deny the implication. The train pulls up then, and Ryouta grabs Haizaki's wrist and leads him onto it through the crowd.

He lets go only to throw his arms over Haizaki's shoulders and pull him close. "Let's not get separated," he says, and Haizaki grunts and allows Ryouta to hold him without complaint.

Ryouta grins and wonders if Haizaki with his advanced senses can hear just how fast his heart is beating. Wonders what his face looks like if he can.

He huffs a laugh and props his chin on Haizaki's shoulder.

-o-

"What's the problem?" Haizaki asks, not quite grumpy but not exactly amiable either. His normal demeanor, if you will. "No one's gonna say anything, and if they do..." He trails off, not needing to add the gruesome things he would do to the poor fool who'd dare question him.

Ryouta shakes his head, unable to stifle his smile even in the face of this... whatever this is, with Haizaki. His friends had often been bewildered and occasionally irritated at his cheerfulness in any given situation off the court, and that hasn't changed even when adding demons and mirror dimensions into the mix. "The problem is that you jumped from a three story building - and in front of another student, no less. What were you even doing up there?"

Haizaki scoffs, despite clearly being a little embarrassed. "S'not like I meant to. Obviously, if I'd seen 'im before I jumped, I wouldn't have done it. Fucker was high as a kite anyway," he adds, dismissively. "I couldn't exactly hang around the campus all day, and besides, people kept tryin' talk to me. It was annoying."

"Oh?" Ryouta cocks a brow, curious. "What did they want?"

He shrugs, nose crinkling in his annoyance. "Dunno. It was a buncha random people asking me what classes I was in and where I was going 'after this' and if I wanted to go with them somewhere." He clicks his tongue, looking for all the world like such questions and interactions were the worst things to ever happen to him. "S'fucking annoying. Like I'd bother with such nosy shits in the first place."

Oh.

Ignoring the sudden flare of... something in his chest, Ryouta paints on a smile (not hard to do once he looks at Haizaki again and is reminded of how adorable the demon is no matter his expression) and asks, carefully nonchalant, "Did they make any comments about your appearance? Give you a nickname, perhaps?"

Visibly growing even more angry, Haizaki grunts in affirmation. "Fuckers had the fucking audacity to call me shit like 'cute' and 'pretty boy,'" he growls, enraged. "I'm intimidating. I'm powerful. I strike fear into the hearts of my enemies. There is absolutely no fucking reason a puny ass human should find me anything but fucking terrifying." He scoffs, derisively, "I know humans have fuck all in the way of self preservation instincts, but still, that's fucking pathetic."

A prime example of such a human, Ryouta can only compare Haizaki to a grumpy cat with particularly sharp claws, and the image is super adorable and amusing. What's not amusing is the irritation he feels at just the thought of anyone but him flirting with Haizaki or taking any of his attention away from Ryouta, and that's... worrying.

Ryouta has come to accept his darker traits and doesn't really care what others might think of him should they surface. It's all him, after all, and he's never been hung up on his own image, despite what his job as a model might imply. His tendency to grow possessive of the people he cares about is nothing new, but still, it likely doesn't bode well when the person he's feeling possessive of is quite literally already bound to him, possibly permanently.

He does his best to shove those instincts aside and offers, "Sorry. If you want, I can make it up to you?"

Haizaki tugs his cap down a little and shoots him a considering glance. "Yeah?"

"We can buy you some clothes that actually fit you. Not that I don't like the view," he says with a wink, grinning when Haizaki rolls his eyes disgustedly.

"Fine," he agrees. "I'm sick of all your tight ass clothes."

"Okay!" Ryouta cheers, snatching Haizaki's closest hand and intertwining their fingers. "It's a date!"

"It fucking is not!" Haizaki huffs, half-heartedly trying to free himself. "You're such a fucking-"

"Dashing, charming human being?" Ryouta cuts in with a laugh. "Why, thank you."

That gets him another disgusted huff, and he laughs again, delighted when Haizaki gives up on trying to reclaim his hand.

-o-

"I know I was the one who suggested it," Ryouta says, as he follows Haizaki around the first store they happened to try, "but do you have to get new clothes?"

Haizaki gives him a look that clearly questions his intelligence. "Yeah? None of yours fit me right. Besides, I'm tired of smelling like you. It's sickening."

"Right, sure," he agrees, not really listening. "But honestly, I really like you in my clothes. It's like you're telling the whole world that you're mine," he explains, mostly teasing.

As expected, though, Haizaki does not take it well. He can almost see smoke coming off Haizaki's skin he grows red so quickly.

"Fuck that!" He snarls, gripping the bottom of his hoodie and yanking it up, revealing his unfairly toned abs and chest as he tries to undress.

Ryouta hastily grabs the hoodie and pulls it down, whispering insistently, "We're in the middle of the store! What are you doing?!"

Haizaki growls from within his cloth cocoon, "Like hell I'm yours! I'll walk around fucking naked if I have to! Get this shit off!"

Using every last bit of his willpower to lock down his way too vivid and kinky imagination, Ryouta almost-shouts, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It was just a joke!"

"Fucking-!"

"I was kidding! No one thinks that! Promise! I promise!"

It takes another minute, but eventually, Haizaki calms down and allows Ryouta to drag his shirt back down. Both of their faces are red, and neither can quite look the other in the eye.

"...Let's just pay for these and go, okay?" Ryouta suggests, regaining his composure, determined to not think about the amount of skin he just witnessed or the various times his arms brushed against rippling muscles.

"...Fine," Haizaki says, snatching up the few clothes he'd dropped and stalking off to an open register.

Ryouta lets out a breath, combs his hair back into place, and then follows after the demon, shooting disarming smiles to the bewildered onlookers as he passes by them.

"Wait for me, Haizakicchi~!" Ryouta calls out in a sing-songy voice, laughing when a sound not unlike a cat hissing greets him in return.

"Fuck off!"

End Notes: Thanks to you guys I've got somewhat of a plot now. (...Not that you can tell so far.) Speaking of!

Thank you to: Fye, who suggested they go shopping for clothes and SakuraLuck, who asked for Kise POV and asked about differences between demon and human societies (we'll get more into that next chapter, as well as the rest of your review!) And everyone else who suggested ideas! I'll add as many as I can to this ridiculous fic lmao