Author's Note: Wahhh ;3; Been having trouble updating my fics because of LIFE. :'( but I got this done on the car to the States! Haha. Have a good Lunar New Year fellas.

Disclaimer: I don't own KnB

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Kuroko was suffering through an intense headache. He was finding it impossible to concentrate on the lecture. He had even nearly forgotten which class he was attending. A vein in his head was throbbing and it got worse every time he thought about a certain pressing matter.

He was tapping his pen on the table absentmindedly until a hand shot forward and stopped his own.

"Stop it."

Kuroko looked to his right and saw a black-haired boy with a beauty spot under his left eye staring back at him with a perturbed. Kuroko let the pen drop to the desk and wondered why he was doing something that attracted attention.

"Sorry," he mumbled and started to turn away. The boy grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

"Hey," he said. Kuroko couldn't imagine why this person would even bother talking to someone like himself.

"Are you okay?" he said concernedly.

"Er… yea… why?" Kuroko said tonelessly.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed but I've been sitting beside you every single class…" he said awkwardly, "and you seem really out of it today."

Kuroko started at this.

"You… noticed me?" He said curiously.

"Of course," he shrugged, "my name's Himuro."

"…Thanks Himuro…" Kuroko replied. He wished that the conversation would drop there, but he was secretly glad that someone had actually noticed his presence for once. This guy was different.

Himuro smiled ruefully from under his bangs and propped his chin on his hand.

"So, if you don't mind me asking… what's your name?"

"Kuroko."

"Hmm… nice. So, right now I'm bored out of my wits, and if you don't mind me asking…" Himuro trailed off.

Kuroko was silent for a few seconds, wondering what would happen if he started ignoring this person for the rest of the class.

"Don't ignore me!" He hissed and Kuroko felt like chuckling.

"It's… nothing…" Kuroko mumbled.

"Does it have something to do…" He pointed at Kuroko's chest, "that hickey?"

"Excuse me for being direct, but I really have nothing better to do," Himuro laughed softly.

"Really." Kuroko said uninterestedly.

"Does it?"

"Does it what."

"Where'd you get that hickey?"

"I didn't peg you as a nosy person," Kuroko quipped.

"I can be different when I want to," Himuro patted Kuroko's leg.

"I'm not saying. Stop asking me." Kuroko said moodily. His headache wasn't getting any better and he lifted a hand to his temple to massage it lightly.

"Your head hurts?" Himuro smirked, "Let your problems out, and it'll stop. Trust me."

"You're hilarious," Kuroko said sarcastically.

"I know. I'm the class clown, aren't I? Who was the lucky guy, anyways? You usually seem so emotionless, but now you're practically brimming with sexy vibes."

Kuroko couldn't help but turn red, wondering what he looked like right now.

"Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?"

"Hah. You didn't deny that it was a guy," Himuro smiled.

"I'm too tired to deny anything at this point," he sighed softly.

Himuro put a hand on Kuroko's shoulder and looked at him seriously.

"I am a complete bystander. I'm totally unrelated. Just tell me. I won't judge you at all," he said honestly with a seemingly renewed vigour to discover the truth.

Kuroko took the dropped pen back from where it lay, and began to twirl it thoughtfully. He had no clue who Himuro was, and whether he could be trusted with such embarrassing secrets. The more Kuroko thought about it, the less sense it made to tell Himuro anything, but he felt absolutely desperate to just tell someone. He wasn't someone who gossiped, not at all. But there were some things that he needed to get off his chest.

He wasn't sure how long he had sat there thinking, but by the time he had made his decision, class was over, and everyone was gathering their belongings and filing out of the classroom like fishes through the small doorway.

Himuro had his bag packed and was standing over him with an expectant look on his face.

"Come on, you have a lunch break right? I don't have a class for the next two hours," Himuro crossed his arms.

In an instant, a feeling overwhelmed Kuroko. It was the kind of feeling that one felt when seeing a relative after a very long time. Sort of like nostalgia, but more like relief. Kuroko found it funny, because Himuro was practically a complete stranger to him. He placed a hand on his chest and squeezed it shut.

"Okay, let's go." He stood up defiantly and grabbed his bag.

After the pair had took a seat in a busy café a few blocks away from their campus, Kuroko started to feel rather uncomfortable. Himuro currently nibbling cautiously on a sandwich, watching Kuroko with unveiled curiosity. He hadn't ordered any food because his stomach wasn't up for it.

"How's your latte?" Himuro said conversationally.

"Fine," Kuroko muttered.

"Who was it?" Himuro asked persistently.

"…A stranger," Kuroko reluctantly admitted it to himself, and Himuro. It was the first time he had ever said it out loud.

Himuro's eyes twitched by a fraction of an inch and there was a long silence that followed.

"Wow."

Kuroko said nothing as he stared at the leaf pattern that was still floating on the surface of his drink. He felt hot with embarrassment and didn't even want to explain the full situation.

"How?"

Kuroko chewed the inside of his cheek and opened his mouth to speak.

"I think it was a complete… accident," He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "and it turns out we have mutual acquaintances."

Himuro drew in an elongated breath and hissed.

"Damn…. No wonder you're bothered," he said sympathetically, "care to elaborate?"

"Uh…"

"Relax. I've got all the time in the world," Himuro nodded and crossed his legs.

Kuroko took a deep gulp of his latte and winced as the hot liquid burned his throat.

"I… was trying to hire… an escort," Kuroko finished lamely.

"And how the hell did an escort end up being someone that has mutual acquaintances with you?" Himuro grimaced.

"I have no damn clue at all. I don't even know if he was an escort… I think it was one big misunderstanding," he said as he buried his head in his hands.

Himuro muttered something under his breath and shook his head, "In a way, this is perfectly hilarious, but if I were to put myself in my situation, I think I would want to jump off a cliff."

"I think I'll just freefall off this building instead," Kuroko groaned.

"By the way, do you want to… talk about the sexuality thing?" Himuro said gently and Kuroko shook his head.

"Funny enough, that's not the pressing problem anymore,"

"You can't do anything about it now until you find him, right?" Himuro said and reached over the table to flick Kuroko's head.

"Update me when you find out more, okay?" Himuro offered his phone out to Kuroko after he lifted his head and gestured for Kuroko to give his in exchange.

They saved each other's numbers in silence and Kuroko wondered how he would give his thanks to Himuro for offering to listen to his problem.

"How was he?" Himuro asked without a trace of shame.

"W-what….?" Kuroko felt his face growing hot as he recalled the incident.

"You know, was he good? It was your first time right?" Kuroko was surprised at how Himuro was completely nonchalant about this subject.

"Why… are you so… casual about this?" Kuroko gritted his teeth together.

He shrugged.

"I've been through worse," Himuro grinned.

Afterwards, they finished their food and drink and donned their coats. Himuro and Kuroko walked together back to the campus in silence.

"Do you feel better now?' Himuro smiled.

Kuroko shoved his hands into his pockets and breathed out a puff of smoke. He shivered slightly at the cold bite of the air.

"Yea. At least I have someone to confide in now… I guess…" Kuroko said.

"You guess? Of course you do," Himuro said firmly but stopped in his tracks abruptly and Kuroko stopped as well.

"What…" He had started to say.

"Taiga!" Himuro called and waved. Kuroko wondered why the name seemed so familiar, and felt his heart stop and start again. But this time, it was beating to a mad and furious rhythm. The blood in his veins froze and immediately turned into fireA familiar red-and-black haired figure was walking towards them from a distance and Kuroko felt like puking all over again. He looked frantically back at Himuro and squeezed his eyes shut.

This would be a great time for his lack of presence to kick in now.

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