Title: Statice (2/2)
Writer: Amariys
Fandom: Kuroko no Basuke
Character/Pairing: Generation of Miracles, Momoi Satsuki/OT7
Rating: T
Words count: 5186 words
Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basuke, but I do own this fic and the idea. Any plagiarism will be very frowned upon.
Summary: Some things were never meant to be changed. GOM-centric. Complete.
-:-:-
"Was it really necessary, Akashi?"
"I'm afraid you have to be more specific, Shintarou."
The sound of Midorima gritting his teeth together was almost audible. He did, however, repeated his question in more details, "Was the game really necessary?"
"Ah," was Akashi's response before he fell silence—seemingly intentional for all purpose—as if he was unaware that almost all of his companions was thrumming with the same curiosity. Momoi was the only one who didn't seem waiting for an answer; the girl already smiling knowingly. Akashi gave her a glance and respectful smile, truly impressed by her intelligence. He only decided to speak up again when he thought Midorima was about to growl. "Of course it was necessary. I wanted to gauge the strength of my team and also yours. I'd say the end result isn't that bad."
"But Akashicchi didn't have to play for Rakuzan, right?" Kise blurted out. The pout was obvious even in his tone. "Thanks to that, we couldn't win."
"That's because your Perfect Copy took too long to be useful, idiot!" grunted Aomine. He didn't particularly like to be defeated, even if it was only a practice match. It felt like a low blow to his previous motto of, 'the only one who can beat me is me.'
"Wha-?! Excuse me! If anything, the reason we lost was because Aominecchi couldn't understand team work at all! You should've passed the ball more often!"
"Passing is Tetsu's job, not mine!"
"Aomine-kun really shouldn't blame other people for his own fault." Kuroko said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He didn't like to lose either. Especially after he had worked so hard to keep their miserable team together in the court.
"Well, at least the point difference wasn't that big. Quite surprising, actually, considering how … disastrous your game was."
"Is that supposed to cheer us up, Momoi? Because it doesn't work."
Akashi chuckled as he listened to his friend's banters. The impromptu match he had suggested did end up with Rakuzan's win by mere three point difference. It wasn't because Rakuzan had better skill either, despite being led by Akashi himself, but rather because the rest of Generation of Miracles were so used to be the ace in their current team they forgot how to follow orders. That, and Midorima wasn't particularly skilled as a Point Guard too.
"I wouldn't worry much about the result. Considering everything, I think all of you had played well enough. It was an interesting game."
The soft spoken words were enough to make the others stop their argument. There was enough pride in Akashi's voice that sent them back to the old days, back where those simple words were the only things they needed to hear after a game—more than the cheers or praises from their audience. It proved that they had done something right; that they were worthy enough to be acknowledge by Akashi, and even to this day those words still had the power to make them happy.
"So," Murasakibara, who previously was more interested in channeling his irritation to his chocolates, spoke up. Apparently he had just finished another box of chocolate and decided to save the rest for later. "Where are we going now?"
"I was planning to go directly home. Unless there's some place you all want to visit?"
"Then can we go get popsicles?"
"… Haven't you eaten enough, Murasakicchi?" Kise asked with no small amount of awe. True, he had known about Murasakibara's (unhealthy, according to Midorima) obsession to snacks, but whenever he saw it with his own eyes, it was still overwhelming.
"I still can eat popsicles," Murasakibara shrugged. "besides, we always bought popsicles whenever we go home together."
Kise looked surprised hearing the answer—and to be fair, so did everyone else. They would never expect to hear those words from Murasakibara's lips. The purple haired man didn't usually like to reminisce about the past—he was far too lazy to worry about things like that—unlike Kise or sometimes Momoi. So the fact that he actually remembered their little habit was enough to render the others speechless.
Until finally Midorima scoffed and adjusted his glasses. "You only want an excuse to eat more."
"Well~ there is that, too." Murasakibara agreed easily.
Momoi giggled. "I agree with Mukkun though! Maybe we can stop somewhere before we go to Akashi-kun's house. What do you think, Tetsu-kun?"
"It's still a little bit too cold for popsicles, but … I'm not opposed to the idea. It's not every day we can gather like this again."
"As long as it's free, I have no objection either."
"Aominecchi, you really should be ashamed."
"Don't be a damn hypocrite, Kise. I know you won't refuse free foods either."
Kise pouted but he didn't say anything in return. It was true enough. Still, he didn't feel like agreeing with Aomine, so he stuck his tongue out—very maturely—before mumbling, "Ahominecchi" which earned him a painful headlock from the tan male.
Akashi smiled indulgently. "Well, that's decided then. I will pay for the popsicles, Daiki. You don't have to worry."
"Hah! You hear that? It'll be free after all!" Aomine whooped before releasing Kise from the headlock. He was grinning widely while Kise straightened and tidied his hair.
"Yes, yes, good for you," the blond rolled his eyes. He then turned his attention to Akashi after taking out the last box of chocolate from his bag. "That reminds me, here's your share of chocolate, Akashicchi!"
"Thank you as always, Ryouta." Akashi accepted the chocolate with a smile.
"Oh! Midorin also brings something for us!" Momoi suddenly exclaimed, grabbing at Midorima's arm as if to prevent him from running away.
"D-don't be silly, Momoi! I bring no such thing!"
"Midorima-kun, it's not good to lie."
"That's right, Mido-chin. You shouldn't hide a gift~" Murasakibara drifted closer to the three-pointer, looking as if he was about to drape his whole body over Midorima's back at any moment.
"There's no gift! Get out of my personal space, Murasakibara!"
"Really, Midorima, you should try to be more honest. It's not like any of us believe your tsundere act anymore."
"Aomine-kun, that's quite rude."
"Tetsu-kun is right. That's uncalled for, Dai-chan!"
"OI! I was only saying the truth!"
"Hahaha, Aominecchi's getting scolded~ Serves you right!"
"Shut up, Kise!"
"All of you, shut up. Atsushi, please step away from Shintarou. Daiki, Ryouta, stop bickering. Satsuki, you can release Shintarou now and Tetsuya, stop making the situation worse."
The way Akashi gave out the order, calm yet very precise, made the others immediately scramble to obey. Murasakibara stumbled a bit as he took hasty steps away from Midorima. Momoi let go of his arm as if burned and even Kuroko's expression turned slightly guilty. Midorima harrumphed for the harassment he had received, but swallowed down any retorts he might have. It wouldn't do to redirect Akashi's wrath at himself, after all.
Once he was satisfied with the response he got, Akashi smiled thinly. "Let's stop bothering Shintarou for now. He can give us the presents later on tonight."
"Akashi, you're not helping."
"Why, Shintarou, whoever said I was going to help you?" Akashi shot back without bothering to hide his amusement.
Midorima stared at the red head for a long moment. Then he visibly resisted the urge to sigh—or to bash Akashi's head in, perhaps—massaging the bridge of his nose as if to hold back an headache, before deciding to simply walk away from the crazy bunch that he, unfortunately, called companions.
"Aww, I think we've made Midorin angry!" Momoi bit her lower lip. She couldn't deny teasing Midorima was fun, but she was afraid they had gone too far. "Do you think he'll be alright?"
"He's fine. Midorima is always like that. You don't need to worry your pretty head about him, Satsuki."
"I agree with Aominecchi. Midorimacchi never could stay angry at us for too long."
"I think Mido-chin needs to eat more sweets."
"I don't think that's Midorima-kun's problem, Murasakibara-kun."
Akashi smirked, completely amused by the whole conversation. He let the others continue talking for a moment longer before starting to walk forward, knowing instinctively that the rest was watching him silently. He didn't bother looking back at all, although he did give them an explanation of sort, "We should catch up with Shintarou. We don't want to make him feel lonely."
There was a moment of silence in which Akashi knew the others were finally looking for Midorima who, indeed, had been walking far enough they could barely see him. The silence continued for few heartbeats before hasty footsteps could be heard approaching him from behind. Before long, the others had caught up with Akashi, some of them grumbling about a certain green haired man who just couldn't take a joke and the smirk on Akashi's face changed into a small smile.
No matter how much they loved to tease each other, Akashi knew each one of them considered everyone in Generation of Miracles precious—and yes, for Akashi, Momoi was also a part of the GOM—and that meant none of them would be willing to let anyone go. It was dangerous, this relationship they had, because affection (or maybe obsession) shouldn't be divided into seven, but there was nothing they could about it.
They had made a mistake once; had almost lost Kuroko because of that, and it was not a mistake any of them wanted to repeat. Now that they could be together once more, the thought of losing anyone again was unbearable.
Thus, Akashi wasn't surprised when he saw Midorima halting his steps until finally he came to a total stop and simply crossed his arms—as if waiting for them to catch up. He merely smiled once again. After all, he knew Midorima had always felt the same.
.
xXXx
.
When they walked out of a small convenient store nearby Rakuzan, popsicles weren't the only items in their plastic bags. They ended up buying lots of snacks too, under Murasakibara's not so subtle suggestion, to be eaten later on in Akashi's place. The red head himself didn't look quite pleased with the amount of unhealthy foods they had brought—a sentiment Midorima shared wholeheartedly—in the end he still gave in since the idiots (namely Murasakibara, Kise and Aomine), wouldn't bother listening even if he did ask them to put most of the snacks back onto the aisles.
Well, at least Akashi didn't have to pay for the snacks. He only paid for the popsicles, as per agreement, while Momoi and Aomine (after being pestered, bugged, and then threatened by the girl) shared the bill for the snacks. The short trip had also managed to lift everyone's mood up—and yes, this included Midorima who wasn't scowling as fiercely this time—which was also a good point.
They shared popsicles as planned, despite the chill that still clung in the air, and didn't talk much on their way back to Rakuzan's front gate, where Akashi had asked to be picked up. They were all tired from their little game and Akashi didn't want to inconvenient himself while he still had the luxury of comfortable transportation on his disposal.
His driver was already waiting when they arrive, punctual as always, and the middle-aged man gave a small bow before opening the door for all of them. In the end, Akashi decided to take the front passenger seat though, because there was just so many space left in the vehicle after four gigantic males and two smaller people sat inside. Perhaps Akashi should have asked for the limousine instead—if only it wasn't too conspicuous.
Besides, he didn't have any problem sitting alone at the front, because Kise always had this habit of leaning forward, his arms circling the head of the front seat, long fingers sometimes tickling Akashi's hair just so. The blond's cheerful voice could be heard from his left side, while if he tilted his head a bit, Akashi would immediately see Midorima, sitting right behind the driver, looking out at the window with an almost serene look on his face. Occasionally Momoi would turn her face towards him, her lips permanently curved into a wide grin, pink orbs bright with happiness and a bit of mischief as she asked his opinion for whatever argument she had with Kise.
From the back seat, Murasakibara was chewing on his snacks continuously—Akashi knew because he could hear it. The sound only ceased occasionally whenever Aomine decided to butt into Momoi-Kise's arguments. Kuroko could neither be heard nor seen by Akashi, but he wasn't really worried. The phantom sixth man did have the tendency to fall asleep inside moving vehicles.
The thirty minutes it took to reach Akashi's house (which, in fact, was one of their vacation houses. Thus, Akashi was living practically alone except for the servants there) went by in a blink of an eye. Before they knew it, Akashi's SUV had stopped in front of the main entrance. The driver walked around towards the passenger's door to open it, but before he could do the same to the back door, Kise had already pushed it open and stepped out of the car.
Akashi chuckled as he saw the way his driver blanched at that. Kise's behavior was unheard of within the Akashi household. No wonder people would be horrified seeing it. Though, Akashi had no intention to tell his companions to do otherwise. He stepped closer to the older man, resting his hand slightly on his arm until he gained the other's attention. "Don't worry about that, Kida-san. Thank you for your work today."
The driver still had a strange expression on his face, but at hearing Akashi's words, he seemed deflated. Then he bowed down once again in smooth movement. "Have a nice day, Seijuurou-sama," he said before walking back towards the driver seat and drove the car away.
"Well then," Akashi turned back towards his companions. "Welcome."
"What, there are no maids lining up to greet us?" Aomine actually looked very disappointed at that.
"Seriously, Dai-chan, what were you thinking? No, never mind. I don't think I want to know." Momoi huffed before approaching Kuroko, who still looked sleepy, and linked their hands together. "Let's go inside, Tetsu-kun! I don't want to be anywhere near that pervert ganguro."
Still unable to think coherently, Kuroko just nodded his agreement and followed the pink haired girl as Momoi gently tugged him forward. He didn't bother letting go of their hands.
"Honestly, Momoi, you shouldn't enter someone's home before the host gave you their permission," the disappointment could be heard thickly in Midorima's voice. He had thought Momoi would have more sense than anyone else in their group.
Akashi merely shrugged lightly. "I don't mind, Shintarou. Let Satsuki do what she wants. Also, Daiki, that kind of line up only happens in our main house, and only when my father comes home. Don't expect anything too much."
"That's right, Aominecchi. Stop thinking about dirty things!"
"Che, you all just had to destroy my dream."Aomine grumbled but he didn't object when Kise pushed at his back to make him move forward, following the others who had started to enter the house.
.
xXXx
.
"So, what should we do now?"
The question, unsurprisingly, was asked by Kise. They had all gathered in Akashi's room, which was also the main room, after putting their bags into the guest rooms that had been prepared beforehand. The blond was sitting on Akashi's bed, back leaning against the headboard while Momoi's head rested on his lap, and he idly played with the long pink strands. The girl looked comfortable in her position, occasionally turning her face up to say something to Aomine who sat beside Kise, close enough that their shoulders brushed against each other.
Murasakibara and Kuroko were sitting on a couch on the right corner of the room, watching some kind of anime program while sharing bags of snacks. On the other side of the room, near the glass wall, Akashi and Midorima sat in front of a shogi board. They spoke in hushed voice without taking their eyes off of the board at all during the fifteen minutes they had spent on playing. None of them seemed to hear Kise's question—or maybe they just didn't want to bother answering—which in turned made the blond pout indignantly.
"Mou, don't ignore me like that! I'm always bored when I don't have anything to do!"
"There, there, Ki-chan, we're not ignoring you," Momoi cooed with a gentle smile. She propped her body up to pat at Kise's head like he was a small child. "I think everyone is just still tired from the long trip."
Kise's pout didn't lessen at all. He crossed his arms and turned his face away from Momoi in petulant gesture. "Yeah, but this is boring and I don't want to sleep when we're finally together like this."
"You always have too much energy, Kise," Aomine didn't bother to cover his mouth as he yawned widely. "I won't say no for a little nap."
"Aominecchi, stop being a lazy ass." Kise grunted half-heartedly. When he heard Aomine just chuckled in response, he sighed and turned his attention back to Akashi, leaning forward a bit and making Momoi fall back down onto his lap. "Nee, Akashicchi, stop playing with Midorimacchi and let's do something. I'm boooooored."
"Shut up, Kise. Your whining is annoying," Midorima snapped without looking at the blond. Their current game was reaching the end and he couldn't afford to lose concentration even for one second. He wouldn't accept another defeat from Akashi! Not this time!
Akashi smirked as if he could read Midorima's exact thought. He hummed and leaned back against his chair, head turning slightly towards Kise as he responded, "We're almost done here, Ryouta. You just have to wait for a moment longer."
Honey brown orbs narrowed in suspicion, but then Kise sighed, accepting Akashi's words for now. "Alright then," he conceded before initiating a game of 'I spy' with Momoi and Aomine.
"Stop looking so smug, Akashi. I will defeat you this time!" Midorima glared up at Akashi who hadn't stop smirking. He scowled before making his move, the small wooden piece creating soft tuck sound on the shogi board.
Akashi actually had the gall to chuckle. "It's too bad you still can't prove your words right now, Shintarou," he moved his piece, eyes glinting with satisfaction as he drawled out an, "Oute."
It was then Midorima realized he had fallen right into Akashi's trap. The green haired man bit back a curse, glaring at the board for a while as if it could change the result. Then he closed his eyes and heaved a big sigh. When he finally lifted his head up to return Akashi's gaze, his expression had smoothed back into that of neutrality.
"Next time, I won't lose, Akashi."
"I'm looking forward to it," said Akashi with a small smile. "Thank you for the game, Shintarou."
"Hmph," was Midorima's succinct reply. He nodded sharply before standing up from his chair and walked towards Kuroko and Murasakibara. He took a seat on the single armchair and decided to join in with the other two—only to protest and change the program into an educational one, much to the displeasure of the others.
From the bed, Kise perked up when he saw Midorima walking away. Momoi immediately sat up too once she noticed the blond's excitement, unwilling to be jolted roughly should Kise forget about her. Once Momoi's weight had left his lap, Kise scrambled towards the bed's edge, propping his body up with his arms as he looked at Akashi with a wide grin.
Aomine thought Kise looked like a puppy wagging his tail. Momoi couldn't say she disagree.
"You're done, Akashicchi? Can we actually do something interesting now?"
"Of course. Lunch won't be ready for a while, so meanwhile, we can see what Shintarou has kindly bought for us." Akashi said, just loud enough to be heard by everyone else. He wasn't surprised to see Midorima was glaring at him—again. It only made Akashi smile though, the corners of his eyes wrinkling in amusement. He did take some kind of pleasure from teasing Midorima; perhaps a little bit too much. "Come on, Shintarou. I'm sure your presents will be nice."
"I don't have any presents for you! Stop making things up, Akashi!"
"Aww, Midorin, but the wristband you gave to me is so pretty!" Momoi jumped out of the bed to show Akashi the orange wristband Midorima had previously given to her. "See? And Midorin still has others too! There should be enough for each of us."
"I see. It's very nice indeed." Akashi tilted his head back, catching and holding Midorima's eyes evenly. "Shintarou, I hope you're not planning to play favoritism to Satsuki now."
"What are you—"
"Akashicchi is right!" Kise interrupted before Midorima could finish his sentence. "I want the wristband too, Midorimacchi! I want the yellow one!"
"Why should I—"
"Midorima-kun," this time, Kuroko's voice cut in. He was looking at Midorima with eerie intensity. "I'd suggest you agree with Kise-kun. He's in the mood to whine and I don't think we all want to hear that. Please, just give in this time."
"Urgh, fine!" Midorima looked ready to throw his hands up in exasperation. Only his own self-control actually prohibited him from doing that. He stood up swiftly from the couch, whipping up a glare that made Kise whimper a bit. "Only because you all are so annoying!"
With that last words, Midorima walked out of the room, looking as if it took all of his power not to stomp his feet too harshly. The rest of them watched until the door was close behind him, before their faces broke out into various degrees of amusement. Kise was the first to snicker as he took the armchair Midorima had vacated.
"I really love Midorimacchi sometimes."
"Mido-chin is interesting," murmured Murasakibara as he changed the program back to anime since Midorima was gone. "Although sometimes it's bothersome to follow his tsundere act."
"But Midorin wouldn't be Midorin if he isn't a tsundere~" Momoi said in sing-song voice. She had joined in with the others and decided to sit beside Kuroko.
Aomine leaned against the back of Kise's armchair, brows furrowing when he heard Momoi's words, "You know what you've said made no sense at all right, Satsuki?"
"Aomine-kun just doesn't get it because he's stupid."
"Oi, Tetsuu!" Aomine growled to the teal haired man, only to turn his irritation towards Kise who didn't bother hiding his laughter. "Shut up, Kise!" the tanned male demanded before reaching out and squeezing Kise's head with enough force until the laughter changed into pained gasp and pleading whines.
"Honestly, you two are worse than little kids." Momoi huffed without much heat as she saw Aomine and Kise. "Do you think Midorin will actually come back?"
"He will," Akashi spoke up after taking three bottles of mineral water from a mini bar in the room. He placed them on the table in front of everyone before taking the last empty armchair on the right side. "Shintarou will never go back against his words. Just like you all."
There was faint murmur of agreement following his statement before they decided to simply wait for the green haired man. Aomine had released Kise and was now sitting on the floor in front of the blond, leaning back against Kise's leg while the other rubbed at his temples absent-mindedly. Murasakibara had his whole attention focused on the anime show in front of him while Kuroko, Momoi and Akashi were conversing softly with the girl's head resting against Kuroko's shoulder.
When the sound of door opening finally resounded in the room, Akashi was the one who looked up. His smiled was a bit too smug as he saw Midorima entering the room, looking not at all pleased, but with a set of wristbands in his hand nevertheless.
"Welcome back, Shintarou."
Midorima didn't bother responding. He just approached the redhead and shoved the wristbands to him. The scowl on his face was fierce enough Akashi decided not to tease him by taking his time in accepting. Instead, Midorima was surprised to see a somewhat sincere smile on Akashi's face as he curled his fingers around the wristbands, only caressing Midorima's skin ever so lightly it might as well be his imagination.
"Thank you," Akashi murmured.
"Hmph," Midorima pushed his glasses higher in response, although the scowl on his face had lightened up enough to show he wasn't irritated. He turned away from Akashi then, looking for a place to sit, only to stop for a moment when he registered that all of the couches was full.
Realizing Midorima's problem, Momoi roused from her seat with a smile. "Midorin, you can sit here!"
"I can't take your seat, Momoi. You're a woman."
"Shintarou is right, Satsuki. You don't have to do that," said Akashi in soft tone before Momoi could even protest—since she always hated to be treated differently only because of her gender. "Atsushi won't mind to move from his seat."
"Hmm?" Murasakibara finally looked away from the television screen when he heard his name. He blinked lazily as he saw Midorima. "Ah, Mido-chin, you're back~" The purple haired man paused before taking in the situation more closely; capturing the fact Momoi was currently standing in front of Midorima who looked a little bit impatient. His violet orbs moved towards Akashi, who returned the gaze calmly, and then he swirled his head towards his left side where Kise and Aomine sat. Understanding dawned on him immediately. "Oh."
"Don't change the channel, Mido-chin," was Murasakibara's only warning as he stood up from his seat and, with his usual slouching pose, walked towards Akashi only to drape himself on the back of Akashi's chair. He grinned crookedly when Akashi gave him a new bag of potato chips as a thank you.
Akashi waited until both Midorima and Momoi had sat down before speaking up once again, "Well then, I'll gave out the wristbands Shintarou had kindly bought for us." He took one of the wristbands; it was in deep purple color. "Anyone agree if I hand it out according to color?" When everyone had expressed their affirmative, Akashi nodded. He gave the purple wristband to Murasakibara. "Here's yours, Atsushi."
"Thanks, Aka-chin."
"Next, Daiki," Akashi passed the blue wristband to Momoi who then passed it onto Kuroko who simply threw the wristband to Aomine.
"The red one is for me," he put the red wristband aside for now and moved on, "Ryouta," the yellow wristband met the same fate as Aomine's, only this time it was thrown to Kise, of course. There was only one wristband left. Akashi's brows rose up when he saw the color. "Black? Isn't it supposed to be a set of rainbow wristbands?"
"Apparently they don't have a peach one, so they substitute it with black." Midorima explained.
"Black … huh," Akashi smiled softly. "How fitting. Black for our most loyal phantom," red orbs met with sky blue ones; the smile on Akashi's face widened as he gave out the last one. "Here's yours, Tetsuya."
"Thank you, Akashi-kun," replied Kuroko with a similar smile. He turned towards Midorima and bowed his head a bit. "Thank you, Midorima-kun."
"You don't need to thank me. I don't intentionally bought it for any of you," Midorima sounded tired of explaining the same thing over and over again, although he didn't sound half as grumpy as the beginning—and they all knew it.
"That might be true, but still thank you, Midorimacchi!" Kise quipped in with his usual cheerful tone. Added to the grin on his face and it wasn't hard to imagine the blond as sunshine personified.
For a moment, it looked as if Midorima was ready to snap at the blond, but the genuine happiness radiating off of him made him choke back the retort. He crossed his arms across his chest and decided to turn his face away from Kise instead, least he'd be too dazzled by the other. Sometimes, Midorima hated how the people who could infuriate him the most were also the ones who could ignite such warmth inside of him.
"Oi, Tetsu, this means you're the only one who hasn't given us gift!" Aomine exclaimed with a roguish grin.
"And what, exactly, was your gift, Aomine-kun?"
"I shared the bill for snacks with Satsuki. That should count to something."
"Aominecchi, you're so pathetic," said Kise with contrasting fondness in his tone. "You didn't even want to do that until Momocchi forced you to!"
"I still did it in the end. That's all that matter!"
"I must agree with Daiki this time," Akashi leaned back on his chair, eyes firmly set on the red wristband now circling his left wrist. His lips twitched upwards as Murasakibara's hair tickled the side of his face. "At least even that was better than anything he could come up on his own."
"I don't like the way you said it, Akashi, but there you have it. You're the last one, Tetsu!"
"I understand," conceded Kuroko with the barest of sigh. "I'll give you all my gift," he paused a bit while the others focused their attention at him. There was a thin, almost evil smile on his face as he continued, "later on tonight."
Stunned silence followed. Until Kise groaned dramatically and threw his upper body back onto his chair. Movements resumed as various response answered Kuroko's statement.
"Kurokocchi, teasing us is so unfair!" Kise whined.
"For once the idiot is right! You can't just say something like that, Tetsu!"
"I apologize, but I won't change my mind."
Kise and Aomine started to protest loudly at that, making Midorima rolled his eyes in exasperation. Momoi smiled indulgently, not at all surprised by Kuroko's words, while Murasakibara only watched on with obvious amusement in his eyes. Akashi was also smiling. He could understand Kise and Aomine's frustration, but he made no move to force Kuroko to reveal his gifts anytime soon. They still had enough time together and besides, he had always loved the idea of saving the best for the last.
As he watched the six people who had managed to worm their selves into his heart, Akashi felt warmth filling him entirely. He was grateful their bond hadn't been destroyed beyond repair and it was nice to have them all together like this once again. The possessive side of Akashi wanted him to cage these people inside forever and more, but he knew that would be impossible. In the end, he decided to simply enjoy this moment while in his head, the plan for another one of their traditions—New Year gathering—slowly formulated into perfection.
Traditions were meant to be uphold, after all, and Akashi vowed to never miss any ever again.
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.
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—END.