Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basket is owned by Fujimaki Tadatoshi
Pairing: AkaKuro
A/N: Thanks to my reviewers: angel of neverending darkness, KurokoTetsuya101, Kichou, kuroshiro19, BashyBunny, yukiseijuro, Kandaka, Myadorabletetsuya, sp, Akiii, neither-of-them, EclipseKuran, Tennu, Silvinukas, deadlycute17, Ayusa, Dark Cat Food Lover, shirobara1, clarit, Lily Fenton Phantom, gloriaakowuah, EchizenRyoma, xeyuxe20, Assasin8 and 4 Guests. Thanks for the favorite and follow alerts, too.
Third Night: The Miracle's Curiosity
"I refuse to have a human live with us, Akashi."
"I agree with Midorimacchi. Why does this human have to live with us vampires anyway?"
"Yeah, plus he's a guy. If you brought a hot, busty chick then I wouldn't mind."
"That's not the point Aominecchi!"
"What about you, Atsushi?"
"I don't mind. I'm okay with Aka-chin's decision."
"You're always okay with any of Akashi's decision, Murasakibara."
"Eh~ But it's Aka-chin, Mido-chin. I'll always follow Aka-chin."
"Enough. I know why you feel opposed about this but my decision stands firm. Tetsuya will live with us and I suggest that you will at least try to be civil with him even if you won't like him. Understood?"
"Yes, we understand."
xXx
Kuroko moaned sleepily when he felt the warmth of the sunlight coming through the window. He burrowed deeper to the bed and tugged the covers close to his body. He wondered when his bed became so soft or did his mother bought a new bed for him last night…
Kuroko immediately opened his eyes and abruptly sat up on the bed. His eyes apprehensively glanced around the unfamiliar room and its expensive décor. No, not an unfamiliar room, this was the very room that he woke up in last night.
Kuroko groaned and rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming on. He remembered everything that had happened. As much as he wanted to forget and hoped that it was all a dreadful dream, it wasn't.
It was all true. Vampires, they truly exist.
And he was kidnapped by one of them.
Kuroko once again groaned and covered his flushed face with his hands when he recalled how the red haired vampire—Akashi—touched him and even his embarrassing reactions. It took all of his willpower to appear nonchalant after what happened in front of the vampire. Though he got the feeling Akashi knew what he really felt.
Kuroko's eyebrows scrunched together thoughtfully when the last thing he saw before he passed out was Akashi's red eyes glowing. The vampire must have put him to sleep to see the people who came in last night to which he could only assume as other vampires. He frowned at the thought. Since Akashi was covering his eyes, he didn't saw what they looked like. He forcefully shoved the thought aside when he remembered the position he was literally in at that time.
After making sure that there were no other presence in the room (not that he could sense a vampire's presence anyway), Kuroko got out of the bed. He was glad the vampire didn't take off his uniform while he slept. He almost blushed at the thought.
Kuroko cautiously walked towards the door across from him and opened it. He blinked in surprise at what he saw. The closet was much bigger than his room, he saw shelves all lined up with rows and rows of shoes and a provided space for hanging racks filled with different kinds of clothes. He never saw so many clothes and shoes in a closet in his entire life. Calling it a closet was an understatement, it deserved to have a new name.
He lightly touched one coat and after one look, knew that it was expensive and possibly even custom made. It wasn't a farfetched idea that the remaining clothes were also the same.
Kuroko noticed a door to the right side of the closet and opened it with care, showing a large and clean bathroom. The thought of taking a bath to such a glamorous bathroom was tempting since he did feel a little sticky and hadn't taken a bath since the day before. But he decided against it as escaping from that place was far more important than anything. With that in mind, Kuroko quickly got out of the closet. He walked towards the other door to get out of the room and altogether that mansion until a voice stopped him.
"Good morning, my love."
Kuroko's heart beat wildly against his chest and he knew the vampire could perfectly hear it as well. He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath and slowly let it out. He needed to calm down if he was going to interact with the vampire again. He was going to need all his wits as Akashi could be manipulative when he wanted to be.
Kuroko slowly turned around and found the red haired vampire calmly sitting in a chair while casually sipping tea. He looked at the assortment of food laid on the table. He almost forgot that he hadn't eaten anything since last night and he was grateful that his stomach didn't growl at the sight since he knew the vampire would probably hear it. He already suffered enough embarrassment last night, thank you very much.
"Aren't you going to eat?" he heard Akashi asked, who watched him in interest.
Kuroko stared at the vampire and said the first thing that came to his mind. "Why aren't you burning?"
Akashi stared at him for a moment before chuckling. He placed down his teacup and turned to Kuroko, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Why don't you sit and eat first, my love, while I answer your questions."
Kuroko was indeed hungry. He supposed he could eat first to replenish his energy and at the same time come up with some kind of plan to escape. He chose to sit opposite of Akashi, a reminiscent of last night. Kuroko absentmindedly said his prayers and took a toast, spreading strawberry jam on it. He then stopped and stared at the food in his hand.
"It's not poisoned."
Kuroko glared at the vampire, who was watching him in amusement. Still, he took a bite out of his toast and ate quietly. He was taking a croissant when Akashi finally answered his earlier question. "It's just a myth. Vampires can't be burned by the sun. It just gives off an uncomfortable sensation mostly to newborn vampires as we are a creature of the night. Old ones, however, aren't affected by it."
Kuroko looked at Akashi. "So you're an old vampire then?"
"In a way, vampires are old," Akashi vaguely replied with a smirk.
Kuroko sighed at Akashi's ambiguity and took a sip of his tea. Hmm…chamomile. "Let me guess, holy water and garlic doesn't work on you either," he said and glanced at the bed he slept in. "And you don't sleep in coffins, too."
"Thankfully, no."
Kuroko stared at Akashi with a serious expression. "So how do you kill vampires?"
He thought that Akashi wouldn't answer his question or would even try to change the subject. Much to his surprise, the red haired vampire did the opposite. "Decapitation, fire and a stake through the heart works," Akashi answered.
"Are you sure telling me that information is the right thing?"
Akashi smirked at him. "My love, the matter doesn't lie on killing a vampire, it's on how to catch one fast enough to kill it. Even if you knew how to kill one, you still can't defeat a vampire much less kill it. Humans aren't capable of doing that after all."
Kuroko narrowed his eyes at the subtle insult. "Aren't there vampire hunters out there or something like that?"
"Before, yes. They're all annihilated now, I'm afraid," Akashi said before drinking his tea. Kuroko set down his now empty teacup since he was already full. Akashi elegantly raised an eyebrow at that. "Don't tell me you're done eating, my love? What you ate doesn't seem sufficient enough."
"I don't have a huge appetite to begin with."
Akashi leaned back on his chair and clasped his hands over his lap. "We'll work on that then." Kuroko didn't like the sound of that. "Any more questions, my love?"
Kuroko frowned. "Why do you keep calling me love?"
Akashi let out a secretive smile. "I'll tell you when I think you've earned it."
Kuroko opened his mouth to ask what that meant but was interrupted by a sound of knocking from the door. He gazed at Akashi, who took a sip of tea, about to ask who it was but the door opened before he could and Kuroko saw a handsome blond young man carrying a dozen of paper bags with him.
"I've brought what you asked Akashicchi!"
Kuroko blinked when the blond unexpectedly vanished and almost jumped in surprise when the other was suddenly near him without his notice. He finally understood what his friends feel whenever he popped out of nowhere.
"Don't scare him Ryouta," Akashi lightly admonished.
The blond—Ryouta?—smiled sheepishly at Kuroko. "Sorry about that. Here," he handed him the paper bags, "that's clothes and other essentials you need. It's not much but it was the only thing I could gather in such a short time. Akashicchi didn't give me much time to shop."
"I told you to do that last night."
"But the shops were all closed!"
Akashi coolly glanced at the blond. "That is not my problem."
"That's why I used my connections to buy all these stuff," the blond said, pouting. "I'll buy more, later."
"You don't need to," Kuroko butted in, making the two vampires—he was sure the blond was also a vampire—turned to stare at him. "I'm not staying here."
The blond watched him in confusion before fearfully glancing at the stoic Akashi. "I'll go ahead—"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Or not," the blond mumbled.
Kuroko fought the urge to shiver when Akashi leveled him with a cold and hard gaze. "I'm going home," he said with all the determination he could muster.
"No, you're not," Akashi said slowly as if talking to a child.
Kuroko didn't like that one bit. At all. It was now his turn to glare coldly at the vampire. "I am and that's final."
"No, you don't. You will stay here Tetsuya."
Kuroko paused when the vampire said his first name for the first time. He could feel cold sweat trickling down his neck. Akashi didn't raise his voice but he could still feel the heavy weight of his words. It wasn't a request, it was an absolute order. He either obey or else.
Kuroko was vaguely aware when the blond vampire cleared his throat and tried to diffuse the tense atmosphere. "Akashicchi, Midorimacchi wants to talk to you about something."
Akashi stared at Kuroko for a moment longer before sighing and stood up from his chair. "I'll leave you in charge of Tetsuya, Ryouta."
"Yes, Akashicchi."
Kuroko was then left alone with another vampire.
xXx
Kise Ryouta stared at the teal haired human before him. He had to admit the human was cute. But he still couldn't see what Akashi saw in him. He seemed perfectly ordinary to him. He met and saw more appealing humans than this one.
However, there was one thing strange about him. Kise discreetly sniffed the air. That's right. The human didn't have any particular scent. If it wasn't for the boy's pulse beating, he wouldn't notice that a human was in the room. Was this the reason why his leader was interested in the boy?
But last night, Kise saw Akashi almost feeding on the human and he knew Akashi was a bit selective when it came to the blood he drinks. So it meant that this human's blood was at least tempting to his leader.
Be that as it may, orders are orders. He was now in charge of the little human. Kise smiled amicably to ease the boy. "Are you done with your breakfast?"
The human boy looked up at him. "Yes." Tilting his head to the side, he said, "We haven't formally introduced yet, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. May I ask who you are?"
Even if he didn't have any outward reaction, Kise was impressed at the boy's composure even after undergoing Akashi's intimidating stare. Not to mention, polite and mild-mannered, too. "I'm Kise Ryouta," he introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Kuroko-kun."
The human stood up from his seat and bowed. "Likewise, I'll be in your care then Kise-san."
Kise laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to be so formal."
The human boy just stared at him before turning to the leftover food on the table. "It's such a waste to throw all these food away."
"Relax, you don't have to worry about that," Kise said. "Murasakicchi will take care of it."
The human boy glanced at him. "Kise-san is also a vampire, right?"
Kise knew that the boy knows the truth and was just asking for confirmation. Nonetheless, he smile and showed his fangs. "Yes." The human boy blinked at his fangs but didn't seem daunted by it.
How intriguing.
"This Murasakicchi…"
Kise laughed. "Sorry, I tend to add –cchi to those I respect. Actually, it's Murasakibara. His full name is Murasakibara Atsushi. He's kind of like our chef because, well, he really has a huge appetite and is a great cook."
The human boy looked confused. "Is he also a vampire?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"So vampires also eat human food?"
"That's right," Kise said and watched the human's puzzled reaction. "You just saw Akashicchi drinking tea just now."
The human boy shrugged. "I thought he was faking it. Besides, I never saw him eat anything."
Well now, that was rare. The only time his leader doesn't eat any human food was when he just recently consumed blood. "Did Akashicchi…uh…" Kise trailed off. How should he ask this? He didn't want to come off as rude. If he disrespected the human boy, Akashi would skin him alive.
"Feed on me?" the boy finished his question. "No, he didn't."
Curiouser and curiouser, as Alice from the book Alice in Wonderland had said. How curious, indeed. "Why don't you take a bath and refresh yourself, Kuroko-kun?" Kise suggested, "Before I tour you around the mansion."
The human boy sighed, "Alright." He took the paper bags and made his way to the bathroom.
While the human boy was busy, Kise stepped out of Akashi's room and called Murasakibara, who was probably in the kitchen on the other side of the mansion. Since their private rooms were soundproofed, their advance hearing wouldn't work. In an instant, a tall vampire appeared in front of Kise, his long purple hair tied in his back. "What is it Kise-chin?" Murasakibara lazily drawled.
"Help me clean up the leftover breakfast in Akashicchi's room," Kise said and let the other vampire inside the room.
"Didn't Aka-chin and his human eat?"
Kise shrugged. "I don't know. They were both drinking tea when I came in."
"It looked like it hadn't been touched," Murasakibara commented. "Oh, except for the toasts and one croissant."
"Don't mind about that, Murasakicchi. Let's just start cleaning," Kise suggested and started taking away the plates.
"…Or I could just eat it."
Kise whirled to Murasakibara. "All of it?" Murasakibara gave him a nonchalant shrug and just ate the scones closest to him. "Fine, just hurry up before the human boy is done with his bath."
"Does Kise-chin know why Aka-chin likes the human?" Murasakibara asked in between bites.
"I don't know yet," Kise answered while absentmindedly stacking the empty plates the other vampire gave him. "But the human is kind of intriguing."
"I'm done!" Murasakibara exclaimed while licking his fingers.
"Already?!" Kise was only distracted for a second and shook his head when he saw the food a while ago was all gone, not even a crumb was left. How Murasakibara could eat all of that food in such a short time was a mystery. But he knew some questions were better left unasked. He passed the empty dishes to Murasakibara. "Here, take this to the kitchen and I'll take care of everything else."
"Okay~" Murasakibara soon left the room after, carrying all the plates.
Kise was done cleaning when the human boy emerged from the bathroom, wearing the clothes he bought, a white polo shirt with a red vest on top, black pants and black shoes. He saw the boy fiddling with his vest. "Don't you have anything casual?" he asked.
"Akashicchi likes to dress impeccably."
The human frowned. "I'm not him."
Kise didn't know how to respond to that. He cleared his throat. "Shall we tour around the mansion now, Kuroko-kun?"
"Sure," the human boy sighed.
Leading the way, Kise in his tour guide voice showed the human boy around the vast expanse of the mansion. Pointing here and there explaining the purpose of the rooms they came across with though some of them he just made up on the spot (he got the feeling the human knew that as well but just let him be) since he didn't know what they are for.
Kise thought for sure the human would at least marveled at the grandeur displayed in the mansion but the boy just impassively looked at it and seemed to be uninterested and was just following his whims, having nothing better to do. The only time Kise saw the human boy having close to a reaction was when he said that their next destination was the library. Akashi did tell him beforehand that the boy likes to read and to take him to the library. While walking, Kise glanced at the quiet human beside him. "Do you have any questions so far?"
"I do actually," the boy said, staring straight ahead.
Kise smiled. "Ask away!"
"How did you become a vampire Kise-san?"
Kise suddenly stopped. His smiled dropped off his face and turned to the human with a serious expression. "That's too personal for a question, don't you think?"
The human glanced at him for a moment before continuing his way. "I suppose." Kise followed the human and the tense and awkward silence between them was then broken by the boy. "How old are you, Kise-san? Or is that a personal question as well?"
Kise decided to ignore the last part. "You mean, how long have I been a vampire?"
The human glanced at him coolly. "Yes."
"I've been a vampire for about two hundred sixty two years."
He saw the human looking at him in surprise. "You're that old?"
Kise chuckled and laced his hands behind his back. "Not really. I'm actually the youngest out of all of us."
The human slightly tilted his head. "There are more of you?"
"You mean vampires as a whole or…"
"No, I meant here, in this mansion."
Kise scratched his left cheek awkwardly. "Akashicchi didn't tell you?" The human boy shook his head. Gesturing for the boy to continue walking, he explained. "There are vampires who chose to live alone in isolation or become a nomad wandering around the world. And then there are some vampires who formed a group among themselves and lived together. They are called covens."
The human boy seemed to mull at the information. "So all of you here are a coven?"
"Yup!" Kise nodded his head. "There are five of us in here and Akashicchi is our leader."
"Does every coven have a leader?"
"Most of them, yes. Some don't have any."
For the first time, Kise finally saw apprehension and caution in the human's eyes. "Should I be worried that one of your…uh, friends will bite me?"
Kise laughed. "Relax, we won't feed on you. We have full control of our thirst and won't just drink blood of a human just because we're near them. And besides, you're Akashicchi's."
The human boy turned to glare at him. "I am not his property."
Kise smiled indulgently at the teal head. "Of course," he said.
Obviously, it was a lie as ever since Akashi laid his eyes on him and even went as far as to have him live with them; the human boy became without a doubt his leader's possession. Though if lying was the only way to make the human boy be at ease, he supposed he could do that. The human would know the truth sooner or later anyway even if he was against it.
They stopped in front of huge door and Kise opened it, letting the human boy stepped inside first. He saw how the boy's sky blue eyes widened in astonishment at the huge expanse of the library with countless floors to ceiling shelves all lined up with hundreds and hundreds of books, scrolls and ancient artifacts displayed. The library wasn't his favorite place but even he had to admit that it was pretty exceptional.
For the first time, Kise genuinely smiled at the wonderment in the human's face. "Do you like it?"
"I do, this is an amazing library, Kise-san. Thank you for taking me here."
Kise was surprised when the human gave him a soft and beautiful smile. And did his heart skip a beat when he saw that smile? He shook his head at the thought. Pull yourself together, Ryouta! Remember, he's Akashicchi's human. Kise silently followed as the boy walked to a closer shelf and looked at the titles of the books, trailing a finger on them as he moved on.
"Did your coven collect all of these books?" the human asked as he picked up a book written in Russian.
"Well, it's mostly Akashicchi and Midorimacchi," Kise answered. "Ah, Midorimacchi is kind of like our vice-leader and Akashicchi's right hand man."
"I see," the boy hummed. "Some of these books are in different languages and even first editions, these are collector's items. Your coven must have been all over the world."
Kise shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "We did but we still considered Japan as our home and stay here most of the time."
The human boy looked up at him. "Can I read one of the books here?"
"Of course!" Kise said with a smile. "That's why we went here so you can read any books you want."
"Alright," the human boy once again smiled. He took a book from the shelf and settled himself on one of the couches situated in the library and quickly immersed himself into the novel he picked. Kise couldn't help but smile at the eagerness of the boy as he plopped himself down on a chair across the teal head and took a basketball magazine in one of the shelf.
It was a long, long while when the human suddenly spoke. "Why does your leader want me?"
Kise turned to the teal head who asked out of the blue. He thought the human forgot about him since the boy was lost in the book he was reading. He was about to doze off, too since he wasn't doing anything and was bored, the magazine he took lay forgotten on the floor. Putting his chin on his left hand that was resting on the armrest, Kise gazed at the teal haired human. "I was wondering the same thing myself. You're too ordinary for a human. Akashicchi can do much better."
The human boy stared at him blankly. "I should feel insulted but I guess I would treat that as a compliment instead."
Kise couldn't help but chuckle when he heard the human's deadpan words. "Well I have to admit, you're quite fascinating."
"I don't understand. There's nothing fascinating or intriguing about me. And just like you said, I'm too ordinary," the boy said as he slightly tilted his head to the side.
Kise shrugged. "Well, I don't know about Akashicchi but to me, you're very different from all the humans I know and I've met a lot. They all have unique personalities but they became boring after a while." He stared back at the sky blue eyes watching him. "You, on the other hand, are quite an enigma."
The human boy shook his head. "Kise-san's words are full of contradictions. You said that I'm too average then I fascinate you and now I'm an enigma? I really don't understand."
Kise smiled. "I'll go straight to the point then, you're very unpredictable. I think it's possible that Akashicchi took a liking to you because of it."
The boy's eyes narrowed at him. "That is not enough reason for me. And besides, he took me here because of my blood not because I'm a puzzle he wants to solve."
Kise smirked. "Don't be so sure."
The boy fiercely glared at him, his sky blue eyes burning ice cold. "All of you may be vampires and I'm just a lowly human but it doesn't mean that you can just toy with me and use me to your whims. You may have me imprison here but I would never ever submit to anyone of you or even to your leader," he said, his voice full of resilience. He then stood up and hurriedly moved to get out of the library.
Kise stared wide eyed at the retreating back of the teal haired human. He blinked.
Well, what do you know; he finally got to know why his esteemed leader was smitten with one Kuroko Tetsuya.
"Ah, wait for me Kurokocchi!"
xXx
Aomine yawned widely as he made his way to the garden for an afternoon nap. Even though he was a vampire and was averse to the sun, he still liked to sleep outside especially under the cooling shade of a tree with the soft grass beneath him and besides he wasn't a bit bothered by the sun anyway.
Aomine raised an eyebrow when he saw Kise loitering around the garden. He knew Kise didn't like to go outside during the day, not because the sun gave them an unpleasant feeling but because the idiotic blond said that he didn't want to get tanned like him. He snorted at that, vampires couldn't get a tan anyway and this was his natural skin color but Kise was stubborn and refused to go out. Just like Aomine said, Kise was an idiot.
So what the hell was Kise doing outside in the garden? "Oi, Kise!" Aomine called.
Kise turned around and smiled widely at the sight of him, waving his hand frantically. "Aominecchi!"
Aomine ambled his way to the blond. "What are you doing here Kise, grinning stupidly all by yourself?"
"I wasn't grinning stupidly by myself!" Kise whined, pouting. He then beamed afterwards. Seeing the stupid grin, Aomine started to feel his annoyance towards him bubbling which, unfortunately for him, was a usual thing. Kise continued, "Anyway, I was touring around Kurokocchi and the garden was our next stop."
Aomine's brows scrunched together in confusion. "Kuro—what?"
"It's Kurokocchi!" said Kise. "You know, Akashicchi's guest."
"Oh, the human," Aomine said, shrugging. He started to look around for the boy and frowned when he saw no human in sight. "I don't see anyone."
"I'm right here."
Aomine blinked and slowly turned beside him and found a human with the same teal hair color and eyes gazing up at him expressionlessly. He hastily backed away and shakily pointed at him. "What the—since when did you get here?!"
"I've been here the whole time," the human deadpanned, pouting a little.
Aomine stared at the human boy in front of him in a daze. He had never been caught off guard like this before and it was done by a human no less. Even vampires with their fast reflexes never caught him unaware before (well, with the exception of Akashi but that was given). He glared hard at Kise, who was laughing his heart out at him. "Shut up Kise!"
"You should have seen the look on your face Aominecchi!" Kise said in between laughs. He smiled at the teal head when his laughter subsided. "Kurokocchi, you're the best!"
The human paid no heed to Kise and bowed to him. "I'm sorry if I surprise you."
Aomine scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "It's fine. You don't have to apologize." He intently gazed at the boy in front of him. For some reason, he seemed very familiar. He leaned closer to him, not caring he was invading the boy's personal space. "Have we met somewhere before?" he couldn't help but ask.
"No, I don't think so," the human boy shook his head.
"What are you doing Aominecchi?" Kise asked and tugged the boy closer to him. "Are you hitting on Kurokocchi?"
"Huh?"
"You're using some lame pick-up line!"
"I wasn't, you moron!" Aomine shouted and kicked Kise away. He sighed in exasperation and in the corner of his eye, noticed that the boy was watching him. "My bad, it's just that you looked familiar to me," he said to the teal head.
The boy continued to gaze at him. "Do I remind you of someone Aomine-san?"
"Kind of," Aomine shrugged. "Maybe we passed each other before?"
"That's impossible. Aomine-san wouldn't be able to detect me easily because of my weak presence."
Aomine froze on his spot at the human's words. "You…have a weak presence?"
"He does!" Kise answered him instead. "I almost repeatedly lost him in the mansion because of that."
Aomine ignored Kise and stared thoughtfully at the teal haired human. I see. So that's why…Trust Akashi and his weird interests. "Hey, can I ask a question? How did Akashi get a hold of you?"
"He kidnapped me," the teal head straightforwardly answered.
Aomine stared wide-eyed at the boy and he could sense Kise was feeling the same way as him. "Akashicchi did what?!"
The human boy regarded both of them and their surprise reactions in confusion. "You didn't know? I thought both of you knew that."
Aomine couldn't help but let out the laughter building inside of him. "Man, Akashi must really like you if he did that!"
The boy turned to Kise questionably. "Kise-kun should already know about it. You were there when I demanded to your leader that I want to go home."
"Wait, when you said you wanted to go home, you mean as in go back to your house and never return here?" Kise asked disbelievingly.
"Yes," the boy nodded. "What did you think I meant?"
"I thought you just wanted some space because you and Akashicchi were having a lover's quarrel!"
The human's mouth turned into a frown. "He and I are not lovers. I only met him last night after abducting me on my way home."
"So you're the reason why Akashicchi didn't come home the other night?"
"Yes, your leader is a stalker by the way," the boy frankly said and even in a monotone voice.
Aomine stared intently at Kuroko before bellowing out a hearty laugh, clutching his stomach. "Oh man, it's been a long time since I had a good laugh like that. The last time was when Kise got drunk."
"Ugh! Aominecchi don't tell Kurokocchi about that!"
Disregarding Kise, Aomine patted Kuroko on the head with a wide grin on his face. "You're a good kid Tetsu."
Kuroko looked confused for a moment but seemed to appreciate his words. "Thank you Aomine-kun," he said with a small smile on his lips.
Aomine blinked when he saw Kuroko's smile and distractedly ran his hand through Kuroko's teal hair. He leaned closer to him. "Hmm…I didn't notice it before but Tetsu you're pretty cute for a guy." He gasped in surprise when he felt a sharp elbow hitting him on the stomach and glared hard at Kise beside him. "What the hell was that for, Kise?" he incredulously asked.
Kise gave him a knowing stare and subtly nodded his head at Kuroko. Aomine blinked. He didn't get it. "What?"
Kise face palmed. "You really are an idiot Aominecchi."
"Hey!"
Kuroko interrupted them before the fight could escalate further. "Why don't we go inside Kise-kun, Aomine-kun?"
"You're right, Kurokocchi. I don't want to get tanned like a certain someone," Kise said and glanced at him teasingly.
Aomine's left eye twitched in annoyance and smacked Kise on the head. "How many times do I have to tell you, vampires don't get tan, you idiot!" He turned away before Kise could retaliate and led Kuroko inside the mansion.
Kise easily caught up to them. "Don't hog Kurokocchi! I'm his tour guide and Akashicchi left him in my care."
Aomine snorted. "Well, I'm going to take care of Tetsu now. Who knows what you might do to him."
"That should be my line! You might lure Kurokocchi into your room and do perverted things to him! Kurokocchi is innocent and Akashicchi will kill you if you touch him!"
Aomine glared at Kise. "Shut up! Let's ask Tetsu who he wants to go with!" He glanced back for Kuroko only to find no one behind them. "Tetsu?" His eyes wandered around searching for Kuroko since he might be just somewhere, unnoticeable due to his weak presence. "Do you see Tetsu?" he asked the now paled Kise.
Kise shook his head and turned to him fearfully. "A-Aominecchi?"
Aomine eloquently summed up their situation. "Oh, shit."
xXx
Murasakibara was drifting aimlessly around the mansion, a bag of snacks on his left hand while the other was holding a cream stew flavored Maiubo when he encountered a teal haired boy strolling in the mansion. He remembered that the boy was the human his leader was interested in. "Hey, you're Aka-chin's human," he said catching the boy's attention.
The boy whirled towards him, glaring a little. "I would prefer if you don't call me like I'm someone's property," he said and then seemed to compose himself. "My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. And you are?"
"Murasakibara Atsushi," he introduced himself between munches.
The boy relaxed a little. "Oh, you're the one Kise-kun mentioned before."
At the mention of Kise's name, Murasakibara searched for him around. "Where's Kise-chin anyway? Shouldn't he be with you?"
He saw the boy sighed in exasperation. "He and Aomine-kun kept arguing and didn't notice that they left me behind."
"Aka-chin will kill Kise-chin if you got lost."
The boy paused and looked up at him thoughtfully. "You don't mean that in a literal sense, right?"
Murasakibara shrugged. "Maybe," he vaguely replied. He gazed down at the human boy, who was looking a bit worried. Akashi wouldn't like it he left the boy on his own. "You wanna go with me to the kitchen?"
"It's not like a have a choice," the human boy sighed in defeat. "I'm not familiar with this place and might get lost."
"Come on then," Murasakibara said and led the way to the kitchen with the human in tow. Once there, he turned to the human boy, who was observing the expanse of the kitchen and its expensive and complete utensils. "Have you had lunch yet?"
"No, not yet," the boy said while shaking his head.
"Kise-chin should remember that you're not one of us and needs to eat."
"It's not entirely his fault. I should have told him that I want to eat."
Murasakibara gestured for the boy to sit on a barstool near the kitchen counter. "What do you want for lunch?" he asked while putting on an apron.
The boy shrugged. "I'm not sure. Just cook whatever you want Murasakibara-san."
Murasakibara then decided to prepare chicken sandwich since it was easy and could make it in seconds. Literally that is. Which was why the boy was surprised when he handed him a plate of sandwiches in no time. "Here."
"…Thank you Murasakibara-san," the boy said and took a bite out of one sandwich. "This is delicious."
Murasakibara nodded in acknowledgement and just watched the human eat while munching on his snacks. Last night when Akashi said that this human was going to live with them, he wasn't lying when he said he was okay at his leader's decision. He knew it has been so many years since he saw Akashi paid attention to anything and anyone. So who was he to go against it? If this boy could make his leader content then he was fine with it.
Once the boy was finished with his lunch (though how could two pieces of sandwiches satisfy the boy was beyond him) and was now drinking water, Murasakibara said, "I'm making vanilla milkshake."
The boy blinked. "Vanilla…milkshake…?"
Murasakibara nodded his head. "Uh-huh~ Do you want some?"
The teal head boy nodded, and if he saw right, a bit eagerly. "Yes, please."
Murasakibara started preparing the milkshake as the human watched him. It wasn't hard to make and quickly finished it. He handed a glass of vanilla milkshake to the boy. "Here you go."
The boy took the offered drink and took a sip from the straw. "This is so good!" he said and looked up at him with his sky blue eyes twinkling in delight. "Thank you Murasakibara-kun."
Murasakibara stared at the human boy in wonder. This was the first time someone genuinely thanked him for the food he made. Akashi and Midorima only said that to him to be polite and it wasn't like they appreciate human food anyway. Aomine only ate meat and didn't care about anything else. Kise was meticulous at what he eats because he wanted to maintain his figure (not that vampires could get fat anyway, Kise-chin was just being weird).
Before he knew it, Murasakibara was ruffling the Kuroko's teal hair in appreciation. "Kuro-chin is nice."
xXx
Midorima clutched his lucky item—a teru teru bozu—in his left hand while the other was fiddling with his glasses.
He sighed for the umpteenth time.
Out of everyone in Akashi's coven, Midorima had known the red haired vampire the longest so he could safely assume that he knew Akashi more than anyone else and at least knew of what his leader thought half of the time. But last night's revelation was probably the most unexpected thing he had heard from Akashi since he had met him.
Akashi was cold, calculating, logical, manipulative, and a master at strategies. His leader always decides what was best for the coven no matter how, sometimes, outrageous those plans were. He didn't decide things out of a whim.
So imagine Midorima's surprise when Akashi proposed that the human he picked up was going to live them, amidst a group of vampires and not just ordinary vampires either but the most powerful coven in the world.
It was the most ridiculous thing that Midorima had ever heard from his leader.
It wasn't the first time that Akashi was fascinated with a human. But he gradually lost interest in them after a few days or weeks and what's more none of them ever lived with the coven; stayed for a night because of a feeding, yes but not lived with them permanently. But it looked like that this human was quite different. Akashi wasn't just interested in the boy, he was smitten with him. And if everything goes accordingly, Midorima was certain Akashi would turn the human into one of them—a vampire.
Nevertheless, regardless of what Midorima and the coven think about the situation, Akashi was still their leader and his words were absolute so they had no choice but to obey his wishes. On the other hand, if Midorima deemed the human as a threat to Akashi and in turn the coven, he would have no qualms in ending the human boy's pitiful life even if it meant inducing Akashi's ire.
"Kurokocchi, where are you?!"
"Tetsu!"
"Come out, come out wherever you are!"
"Stupid! He's not a dog!"
"That hurt, Aominecchi!"
Midorima glared at Aomine and Kise roaming down the hallway being noisy and annoying as usual. He strolled towards them. "What are you two morons blabbering about?"
"Ah, Midorimacchi!" Kise greeted when he noticed him. "Have you seen Kurokocchi?"
Midorima pushed his glasses at the bridge of his nose. "If you mean the human then no, I haven't seen him," he answered. He then glared at Kise. "If the boy got lost or worse escape, you do know Akashi will make you pay, right?"
Kise pouted. "Jeez, I already know that! That's why we're looking hard for him."
"How did the two of you lose sight of him anyway?"
This time Aomine answered. "This idiot"—jerking a thumb to Kise—"kept whining on and on to me that we didn't notice Tetsu got left behind."
"That's not true! Aominecchi was at fault, too!"
"Enough yammering," Midorima said. He had enough of these two's infuriating arguments. "Just follow the human's scent and you'll find the boy soon."
"He doesn't have any," said Aomine, lazily pocketing his hands.
Midorima frowned. "What do you mean?"
"We meant that Kurokocchi doesn't have any scent," Kise elaborated.
Midorima narrowed his eyes at the two vampires. "The human doesn't have a scent, none at all," he repeated, waiting for them to disagree with him or tell that it was some kind of a joke but Kise and Aomine did none of that and just nodded at him in confirmation. "That's impossible," he uttered.
Aomine shrugged at him. "We figured it must be one of the reasons why Akashi is fascinated with Tetsu."
Midorima raised an eyebrow. "One of the reasons, you say. There's more than one?"
"Tetsu is a nice kid," Aomine simply described.
Midorima saw Kise's amber eyes glittered in happiness. "And Kurokocchi is so cute! And mild-mannered, polite, though he may be a bit blunt sometimes—"
Aomine slapped Kise's mouth hard to shut him up from his rant. "But the most important thing here is that Tetsu has a very unique trait."
Midorima turned to Aomine, sensing his seriousness. "What is this trait you're speaking of?"
"Tetsu has a very weak presence."
Midorima paused and then stared hard at Aomine, who was giving him a knowing look. A weak presence, huh? No wonder…
Kise must have discerned the stare between him and Aomine and was watching them back and forth. "What's with that suspicious look? Are the two of you hiding something? If it concerns Kurokocchi I want to know!"
"It's nothing Kise," Midorima said, throwing Kise a glare before he could open his mouth to complain. "Let's check first if Murasakibara saw the human." He didn't wait for their reply before turning around and headed to the kitchen. He then heard footsteps catching up to him. They were halfway to the kitchen when they heard Murasakibara talking to someone and since Akashi left the mansion (without as much saying where he was going again); the human was probably Murasakibara was talking to.
"Kuro-chin should eat more."
They heard a soft sigh.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Murasakibara-kun, I don't have that much of an appetite."
"But Aka-chin would like it if you eat more."
"Well, I don't."
Once there, Midorima opened the door and saw Murasakibara eating cookies. It took him a few seconds before he registered the human boy sitting opposite of Murasakibara and was watching them. He finally understood what Aomine meant by having a weak presence.
Kise ran past him and towards the teal haired human, almost hugging the boy but managed to control himself it seemed. "Kurokocchi, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried when you were suddenly gone!"
He saw the human patting Kise's arm in consolation. "I'm sorry for making you worry Kise-kun."
Aomine walked towards the human boy. "You should have called us when you got left behind Tetsu," he said while taking a few cookies from the table to eat.
"I did and a few times at that but you didn't seem to hear me." The human then turned to Midorima and watched him for a moment. "You must be Midorima-san," he said and stood up to bow at him. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, nice to meet you."
Midorima was surprised at the human's courteous manner and since he knew proper decorum unlike the other buffoons in the kitchen, he slightly nodded his head to the boy. "I'm Midorima Shintarou, Akashi's second-in-command."
Aomine lazily regarded them while stuffing his face full of cookies. "Both of you are too formal."
"Are you saying we should act like a fool such as yourself?" Midorima sardonically said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I'd rather not drink blood for a year than stoop to your level."
Aomine menacingly glared at him. "Huh? What did you just say, you pompous asshole!"
Unfazed, Midorima said, "I'm surprise you know what pompous mean."
Midorima was prepared for Aomine to attack him when the human suddenly barge in. "Um, you shouldn't fight Aomine-kun, Midorima-san," he said and walked closer to Aomine to unclench the vampire's tightly closed fist. "Aren't the two of you friends?"
"No!" both he and Aomine shouted. Midorima glared at him for that to which Aomine gladly reciprocated. He could also hear Kise quietly snickering in the sidelines and no doubt Murasakibara was watching them in amusement.
The human looked between him and Aomine. "Really?"
"Midorimacchi and Aominecchi don't get along that well," Kise answered the human's question.
"Mido-chin doesn't get along with anyone except for Aka-chin," Murasakibara added.
Midorima glared at Kise and Murasakibara for their comments but the two vampires didn't seem affected by it though and ignored his glare.
"Then—" Midorima glanced back at the human boy who spoke. "—I hope we get along well Midorima-san. I know that it's strange to have a human lived amongst with you vampires but I'll try not to be a bother. Midorima-san is the vice leader, right? In that case, I'll impose on you on how to assimilate myself better here."
Midorima silently regarded the teal haired human in front of him. There was something about him that he couldn't quite grasp. It also didn't escape his notice how the coven accepted him so easily. Kise was used to dealing with lots of different humans and manipulated them to his advantage but it seemed his affection for the boy was genuine. Murasakibara was uninterested when it comes to humans but it looked like he was fond of the boy already. And Aomine doesn't care about just anyone but he seemed to acknowledge the human boy as someone important to him.
If Midorima considered these facts then keeping an eye on the boy for a while would prove to be beneficial for him and maybe for their coven. He had an intention to observe the teal head anyway for any hidden motives so it didn't hurt to monitor him and his behavior to the rest of the coven.
"Um, Midorima-san what is that you're holding?"
Midorima snapped back from his thoughts and looked at the human boy, who staring at his left hand. He reflexively gripped the teru teru bozu in his hand tighter. "It's my lucky item," he answered, "from Oha-Asa horoscope."
"Horoscope?" the boy repeated, still staring at the teru teru bozu in his hand. "Midorima-san doesn't seem to be the type to believe in those."
Midorima fiddled with his glasses as he explained. "Man proposes, God disposes. I am a man that proposes. I always carry my lucky item of the day with me as my horoscope said."
"I didn't know vampires believe in God or horoscopes."
Every one of them froze on the human's words until Aomine burst out laughing and slapped the teal haired boy on the back. "Damn Tetsu, you're on a roll!"
"That hurt Aomine-kun."
"Oops, sorry about that," said Aomine and started to rub the boy's back.
Midorima saw Kise glaring at Aomine for that. "Aominecchi stop touching Kurokocchi!"
"What, I'm just rubbing him."
"That sounds so wrong!"
Midorima watched the scene resignedly. It looked like this would be going to be a routine from now on.
xXx
Akashi opened the door to the mansion and stepped inside. He couldn't wait to see Kuroko again and of course see his flustered reaction to his touches; maybe even take a sip of his sweet blood, too. He was wondering where Kuroko might be when he heard his coven's voices coming from the direction of the kitchen.
"What do you want for dinner Kuro-chin?"
"Anything is fine with me Murasakibara-kun. If Murasakibara-kun made it I'm sure it will be delicious."
"Let's try Japanese then! That's okay with you, right Kurokocchi?"
"Cook lots of meat Murasakibara! And hey, maybe Tetsu will eat more. Meat is good for you, Tetsu."
"Why is everyone fixated on my appetite?"
"It's for your own good Kuroko so try to gradually increase your appetite."
Akashi couldn't help but raised an eyebrow at the conversation drifting from his coven and Kuroko. It was only last night that his coven was adamant in their opposition about having a human live with them. He only left Kuroko to their care for only a day and now everyone was getting along with him. Not to mention, the various nickname they bestowed upon Kuroko.
His lips twitched up in a small smile. Trust Kuroko to even get along well with a bunch of troublesome and eccentric vampires. He really was full of surprises.
Akashi headed for the kitchen and upon opening the door; his eyes first sought Kuroko's sky blue ones. He knew his coven had already heard of his arrival so he didn't bother greeting them. "I'm back, my love," he addressed Kuroko.
Akashi disregarded the shock expressions his coven was sporting when they heard the endearment he used for Kuroko. He walked closer to Kuroko. "Aren't you going to greet me back, love?" he asked, highly aware that everyone's attention was now focused on both of them.
"This is your house and I'm your cap—I mean, guest so I don't think me greeting you back is warranted," Kuroko rebutted, unblinking. "Moreover, you have your coven here to welcome you." He then gave Kise a pointed glance.
At the corner of his eyes, Akashi saw Kise wincing and started to cough in surprise before giving him an awkward and shaky smile. "Welcome back Akashicchi."
Akashi deemed no response and just stared hard at Kuroko who returned it unflinchingly. He sighed and glanced at his coven, who seemed to be captivated at their interaction. It must be because no one ever dared to defy him so openly without capturing his wrath before. "You're going to prepare dinner, right Atsushi?" he asked Murasakibara.
"Yes, Aka-chin," Murasakibara nodded.
"I'll help you then Murasakibara-kun," volunteered Kuroko, probably because he didn't want to talk to him.
Akashi ordered Kise and Aomine to set up the table while Midorima asked to talk to him in private to discuss some matters concerning some other coven. When dinner was served, he sat at the head of the table with Midorima on his right and Murasakibara on his left and beside him was Aomine while Kise sat beside Midorima.
Akashi sipped his tofu soup while his attention was solely focused on Kuroko on the other end of the table. Well, not entirely on Kuroko but the interaction between him and his coven, particularly Kise and Aomine.
"Kurokocchi, you really should eat more than that," Kise slightly admonished as he stared at the small quantity of food on Kuroko's plate.
Kuroko calmly ate his rice. "I'll get sick if I eat more than I can Kise-kun."
Aomine stuffed more meat in his mouth before turning to Kuroko. "Then, eat more meat Tetsu."
"I'm not you Aomine-kun," Kuroko deadpanned.
Kise glared at Aomine. "And don't talk and eat at the same time Aominecchi. It's unsightly."
Aomine ignored Kise though and continued to talk to Kuroko. "So if you're not going to eat all your meat, can I have some of it?"
"I don't mind," Kuroko shrugged. "Help yourself Aomine-kun."
"Sweet!" Aomine grinned before taking some meat from Kuroko's plate.
Kise gawked at Aomine incredulously. "Aominecchi, that was for Kurokocchi!"
"Huh?" Aomine looked at Kise with a bored stare. "But Tetsu said I can have some."
Akashi tuned out the oncoming bicker between the two vampires and just watched Kuroko, who was disregarding the squabbling duo in front of him with ease and seemed to be comfortable eating in silence with his meager dinner. He had a hunch Kuroko had intentionally done it. Kuroko must have a good grasp of Kise and Aomine's distinctive personalities for him to do that when he had only known them for just a short while.
Akashi inwardly smirked at that, today was really full of surprises for him.
"Didn't anyone tell the two of you that arguing in front of food is rude?" Midorima scolded the two vampires when their fight started to escalate. "If you want to continue arguing then you're free to leave the dining room. You're spoiling our appetites."
"Also, Kise-chin and Mine-chin fight like a married couple," Murasakibara unhelpfully added while lazily watching them.
"We don't!" both Aomine and Kise vehemently protested.
Midorima then turned his sharp green eyes to Kuroko, his mouth turned into a frown. "And Kuroko, if you think I don't see what you're doing because of your weak presence then you're gravely mistaken."
Kuroko paused, having caught in the middle of putting almost half of his dinner in Aomine's plate. "Ah, I've been found out," he muttered.
"Finish your dinner Kuroko," Midorima succinctly ordered. Kuroko sighed but did try to finish his dinner albeit a bit slowly, his action obviously forced.
"I'll make a vanilla milkshake for you later, Kuro-chin," said Murasakibara, motivating the teal head. The purple head's incentive seemed to work as Kuroko looked more determined even through his blank expression in finishing his dinner.
Akashi leaned back on his chair and just contentedly watched his coven and Kuroko. In his mind, he realized it has been too long since he had dinner with everyone else like this. It changed because of Kuroko. It almost felt like this was a routine and occurred every day. He has a distinct feeling that this was only the start of a shift in his coven. He supposed he didn't mind.
Akashi carefully put his chopsticks down on top of his bowl, signaling that he was done. The sound of it reverberated over Kise and Aomine's dispute while Midorima reprimanded them again, making everyone's spines stiffened with the exception of Kuroko, who just finished with his dinner as well. He didn't say anything and just clasped his hands together over his lap, waiting for everyone to react first.
Midorima took the initiative and excused himself, saying that he has some documents to run over to which Akashi nodded in approval. Murasakibara was the second to leave and told Kuroko that he was going to make his milkshake. Kise awkwardly looked between Akashi and Kuroko before standing up and said that he would wash the dishes. After clearing everyone's plates away, Kise left dragging Aomine as well much to his irritation and yelled at Kise to let him go but Kise ignored him.
Then it was just him and Kuroko.
Akashi stared at Kuroko who looked straight back at him, neither of them saying any words. He first broke their eye contact and stood up from his chair. "I'll walk you to your room, love," he said. He thought Kuroko would refuse (he sure loved to defy Akashi at every turn) but he didn't and just silently followed him out of the dining room as Akashi led the way to his private room. Once there, he opened the door and gestured for Kuroko to head inside first.
Akashi watched as Kuroko took a seat in his favorite chair and turned towards the door when someone knocked, opening it. Murasakibara entered carrying a tray with a glass of vanilla milkshake and a bottle of wine for him on it. "Here's your milkshake Kuro-chin," he said as he placed the glass on the table in front of Kuroko. Akashi settled back on the couch as Murasakibara filled his glass with red wine. He carefully took the glass, swirling it a little before taking a sip.
"That's a real wine and not blood, right?"
Both Akashi and Murasakibara paused at Kuroko's question. He couldn't help the smirk emerging on his face. Kuroko was really amusing. "Would you like to take a sip and find out, love?" he offered, tipping the glass towards Kuroko.
Kuroko narrowed his eyes. "I'd rather not."
"Relax Kuro-chin," Murasakibara interjected. "It's just wine. It doesn't taste good if you add blood on it."
Kuroko looked hesitant. "That's good to hear…I guess."
"Do you need anything else Kuro-chin?" Murasakibara asked.
"No, I'm fine," Kuroko said before taking a sip of his vanilla milkshake and his sky blue eyes lit up as he drank it. "Thank you Murasakibara-kun."
"Okay~ Good night Kuro-chin, Aka-chin," Murasakibara said before leaving the room.
"Good night," both he and Kuroko said at the same time.
Akashi stared at the glass in Kuroko's hands. "Your favorite drink, I presume."
"Yes," Kuroko nodded. "I'm very particular when it comes to vanilla milkshake but Murasakibara-kun makes it just the way I like it."
"No wonder Atsushi is so happy."
Kuroko blinked and tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Atsushi is passionate when it comes to food," Akashi explained. "So seeing someone clearly enjoying the food he makes is fulfilling for him."
"Really? But I only ate so little at dinner."
Akashi smirked. "I believe you pose as a challenge for him. So be prepared when Atsushi insists on making you eat more for the next few days."
Kuroko sighed tiredly. "Again with my lack of appetite."
"You'll find the reason for that soon enough," Akashi answered nonchalantly before changing the subject. "How was your day, love?"
"It was fine," Kuroko answered nondescriptly. "Kise-kun toured me around the mansion."
"Memorizing the mansion's layout and looking for escape routes perhaps?" Akashi assumed, one eyebrow arched. Kuroko shrugged in reply, neither denying nor confirming his accusation. Trailing a finger to the rim of his glass, he asked, "Did Ryouta treat you well?"
"Yes, he was amicable at first but…"
Akashi looked at Kuroko when he trailed off. "But?"
"But he suddenly got overenthusiastic and then started adding –cchi to my name even if I demanded not to call me that way."
"Ryouta does that to people he respects. I'm curious as to what you did to warrant his acceptance in such a short time," he mused.
"I don't know either," Kuroko said, furrowing his brows in puzzlement. "He changed after I said that I won't submit to you or to your coven."
Akashi smirked at that. No wonder Kise fell for Kuroko's charms so easily. "You're a strong willed person, love. Ryouta could see it and respects you for it."
"Is that so?" Kuroko asked, raising an eyebrow, clearly not believing him.
Akashi refrained from answering. "What about Daiki? What did you think of him?"
Akashi stared hard at Kuroko when he let out a fond smile and said, "Aomine-kun seems so free-spirited and the type to do whatever he wants."
"You like him," he stated rather than questioned.
Kuroko nodded absentmindedly. "Aomine-kun is the opposite of me in every way. But there's something in him that just draws you to him, a magnetic pull of sorts. And you unknowingly just found yourself into his pace."
Filling his glass with wine, Akashi said, "That's a very detailed description. Should I be jealous?"
"Why would you be jealous?" Kuroko retorted.
Akashi chuckled at the very sincere and genuine question of Kuroko. He could be naïve at times, too. "I agree with you about Daiki," Akashi answered, evading Kuroko's question. "It's one of the reasons why I offered him to join my coven. It is also because of him that Ryouta joined us. They may always argue but Ryouta greatly admires Daiki."
"That's nice to hear," said Kuroko, a small smile on his lips.
Gazing at Kuroko over the rim of his wine glass, Akashi asked, "And your thoughts about Shintarou?"
Kuroko looked thoughtful. "Midorima-kun seems to be reserved, a loner, formal and takes his job as your second in command very seriously."
"That is the reason why I chose him as my right hand man," Akashi said, "because he's dedicated in his position. I can assuredly leave the coven in his hands when I'm more inclined to other matters."
"Like stalking and kidnapping me, for instance," Kuroko deadpanned.
Akashi smirked unabashedly. "Yes, exactly."
"I don't know how everyone puts up with you," Kuroko said while shaking his head resignedly.
"The same way I put up with them, I suppose," Akashi said. "Leading them isn't that simple, they aren't normal even by vampire standards."
Kuroko's mouth curved in a soft smile. "That, I can agree."
"You seemed to be closer with my coven even though you've known them for a day," Akashi casually remarked. He put down his glass of wine and stood up from his chair and walked closer to Kuroko, leaning close to him with his hands on the armrest, effectively trapping Kuroko in his seat. "And I've noticed that you called them by their name but for some reason I haven't heard you say my name yet. Is there a reason for that, my love?"
Kuroko just stared at him impassively. "They were all nice to me."
Akashi raised an eyebrow. "Love, are you insinuating that I wasn't nice to you?"
"Well, you did kidnap me," Kuroko quipped. "And that isn't a very nice thing to do."
Akashi's lips twitched upward to a smile. "You do have a point," he said. He leaned closer to Kuroko to whisper, his lips slightly brushing with Kuroko's sensitive ear. He inwardly smirked when he heard Kuroko's heart beating faster. "Then, how about I do something nice to you? Would you like that, my love?"
"I would like to go home," Kuroko gritted, trying to push him away. "And please, stop getting close to me."
Akashi grabbed Kuroko's hands and gazed sharply at him. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
Kuroko glared at him. "Why? If you want my blood, you can…"—he stopped and took a deep breath—"…you can feed on me but at least let me go back home, back to where my normal life is."
"I can't Tetsuya. This is your life now."
Kuroko just stared back at him, studying his expression, weighing the truth of his words. He then averted his eyes and tugged his hand free which Akashi released. "I'm tired. I would like to rest now," he said, still not looking back at him.
Akashi sighed and gently took Kuroko's hand to pull him into his arms, which seemed to surprise Kuroko and momentarily paused. He ran his hand through those soft teal locks. "I'm not making any promises but I'll try to think about it. Is that enough for you?" When he felt Kuroko nodding his head, he took a step back and cupped his cheeks. "Good night, love," he murmured and pressed a soft kiss on Kuroko's forehead.
After giving one last look at Kuroko, who was touching the forehead he just kissed in a daze, Akashi walked towards the door. He would just slip in his bed later when Kuroko was fast asleep but for now he would give him the space he wanted.
"…Akashi-kun."
He stopped when he heard his name and looked back at Kuroko.
"Thank you."
Akashi's eyes softened and gave Kuroko a tender smile. "You're welcome, my love."
A/N: So many of you are asking if the rating will go up to M. Sorry to say but it won't. I don't feel comfortable writing smutty/explicit. Even so, the future chapters will have smexy times between our favorite pairing so please look forward to it.
In other news, I decided to have a Q&A Corner! So if you have any questions about the story, current chapter or even future chapters (I won't spoil but I could give hints), feel free to ask! I'll post it at the end of the chapter so everyone could read it and to avoid repeated questions, too.
Ask away everyone!
