It had been three months since Akashi had left, and Kuroko was still very much heartbroken. His heart felt as though it had been torn out of his chest and crushed right before his eyes, in the palm of the man he trusted most. He was not handling it very well, and he'd long since given up on pretending he was okay. The bluenette was currently sprawled out upon his bed, his eyes once again red and swollen from the hours he'd spent crying.

Now he just felt numb, but there was an emptiness inside of him, pushing its void to the outermost corners of his broken soul. It ached, horribly. As he stared blankly up toward the ceiling, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong whilst simultaneously assuring himself that it was all Akashi's fault, his mental conflict was momentarily paused by a knock at the door. He sighed as he pulled himself up, and another battle began in his mind. Whilst part of him readied himself in case he needed to slam the door in a certain redhead's face, the other part longed for it to truly be him. In the end, Kuroko felt nothing as he opened the door. Sure, his guest was a redhead, but it wasn't his former lover.

"Kagami, what are you doing here?"

The tanned man frowned down at his friend and former coworker. "Kuroko, have you been crying?"

The bluenette shrugged, and without a word, he turned and walked further into his apartment, leaving Kagami to close the door behind himself.

"So you're not handling it well?"

Kuroko laughed softly as he plopped onto his sofa. "Being jobless? I don't even care anymore."

Kagami noticed the honesty in the bluenette's response, but the bitter tone in his voice was very contradicting. "If you don't care, why are you still crying?"

Kuroko paused for a moment, clearly debating something within his mind. He finally turned to his friend, a sigh on his lips. "I actually tried to do my job, Kagami."

The redhead blinked. "Oi, I know. I saw your pictures. You were on him like a hawk."

Kuroko nodded, his gaze shifting to the floor. "But I failed. I was with him every day, and I never saw..."

Kagami was more than confused. He laughed softly, nervously. "You say that as if you were attached to him, Kuroko."

He paused. "I was."

"...You know that's against the unspoken code of the reporter."

Kuroko rolled his eyes. "I loved him before I got the job."

Kagami stilled immediately, his eyes widening. "L-loved?"

A heavy sigh fell from Kuroko's lips. "Yes, loved. Kagami... I've been secretly dating Akashi Seijuro for two and a half years."

The room was still for a long, painful moment, until Kagami shakily fell onto the sofa, burying his face in his hands. "Shit, Kuroko, why didn't you tell me?"

The smaller boy shrugged. "Akashi promised we wouldn't be a secret forever. I was waiting for his word of approval."

"Fuck, I am so sorry, man."

A small laugh escaped from the back of Kuroko's throat. "Why are you sorry? You're not the one that promised me a lifetime of happiness whilst secretly plotting to ruin my very existence."

Kagami flinched, and he finally raised his head to look into his friend's eyes. Kuroko wondered why the other male's red eyes were filled with so much pain. Sure they were friends, but he didn't really think they were that close.

"N-no, Kuroko," he murmured, his voice shaking, "but I-I am the one that c-called that story in."

Kuroko's eyes widened, and fresh tears brimmed his eyes, but a small sad smile graced his parted lips.

"Thank you for opening my eyes, Kagami..."

XXX

Akashi groaned loudly as he yanked his tie off, throwing it on the floor. Midorima, watching disinterestedly from the redhead's bed, sighed in disapproval.

"Do you not know how to properly tie a tie, Akashi?"

"Shut up! Tetsuya always did it for me!"

Midorima rolled his eyes, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Honestly, Akashi, you're rather pathetic."

Crimson eyes narrowed, darkening dangerously toward the other man. "Know your place, Shintaro."

The green haired man sighed again. "I liked you better when you were with him. You were much nicer."

"Well you can blame him for this then. I'd never intended to-"

"That's what makes you stupid."

Akashi blinked, incredulous. "Excuse me?"

"You can't expect something so drastic of someone, no matter how much he loves you. And you should never ask such a thing of the one you hold so dear. Your relationship was bound for failure the moment you made that absurd decision."

Akashi glared at his friend, wishing to burn holes into his very soul, but Midorima seemed unfazed by this.

"Why are you even marrying that girl?"

Akashi sighed, retrieving his tie from the floor. "The company-"

"You've never cared for the company before. You even refused to carry on the business once your father is gone."

The redhead shot him another glare, quickly tiring of the interruptions. "I don't care for the company itself, but that company is my father, and if he needs assistance, I will not hesitate to give it."

"...Isn't there another way, Akashi?"

He frowned, staring at the tie in his hand. In that moment, he remembered, so vividly, the image of Kuroko. His touch, his smile, his love. The redhead's heart clenched within his chest as he missed his beloved more than ever. He sighed, wrapping the tie around his neck once more. "No, this is the only way."