Longest chapter yet. I spent an embarrassing amount of time on this. Oh, also, *points to rating*

Yes. It is true. I finally caved. You are welcome.

I'm glad you enjoyed Poker Night! ;D I had so much fun writing it, even though I got stuck once or twice ahem. Your support means the world to me! All the reviews made me smile so goofily I looked retarded.

Anyway, enjoy and let me know what you think!

"I can't believe you." Aomine winced at the sharp ring of his partner's voice. "When do you intend to grow up and act responsibly?"

"Not so loud," The navy-haired man whispered, the reverberations of his vocal chords seeming to intensify the throbbing in his head. "Please."

Midorima gave him a derisive look. "What kind of example do you think you're setting for the younger generation?"

"I don't have any kids," he replied, finding it slightly difficult to properly process the green-eyed man's words.

"Thank goodness for that," Midorima retorted, still as loud as ever. "Though who knows how many illegal off-springs you've fostered."

Groaning, Aomine buried his head in his hands, rubbing circles into his temple with his thumbs in the vain hope of easing the pain. He knew Midorima was enjoying himself. Not once in their years as partners had the other man ever given up on an opportunity to reprimand him for his actions.

"Only someone as irresponsible and stupid as you would get hung-over on a Tuesday," He was saying, disdain dripping off his words. Aomine didn't have it in him to put up a fight. "Here."

Aomine squinted against the harsh fluorescent light of the restaurant at the object that had been tossed across their table. Gratefully, he took the pair of sunglasses and slipped them on, immediately feeling the sting in his eyes lessen. He turned to look out the window that their table was set against, and eyed the office buildings across the road from them. Meanwhile, Midorima had waved a waiter over and was saying something to them, probably placing an order. Aomine couldn't summon up the interest to tune into the conversation. His head felt stuffed full of cotton and his eardrums were beating an agonizing rhythm with the sounds around him.

He swallowed hard, feeling the sandpaper in his throat scrape together. "S'that it?"

Emerald eyes followed his finger towards the black Audi that had pulled up in front of one of the larger buildings. They watched in silence as a man got out of the vehicle, dressed to the nines in a chauffeur suit. Even from their spot they could tell that the shimmery material of his uniform was top-grade. Shutting the driver's door, he opened the one behind him and bowed slightly with an outstretched hand that a dainty, creamy white hand slipped into.

Fuzzy as his brain was, Aomine still had enough of his wits about him to appreciate the beautiful woman that stepped out of the luxury car with the help of the chauffeur. She was dressed in office wear, a fitted pencil skirt matched a dark gray blazer that showed off her tiny waist and carried a small bag that probably cost as much as his car. The pair watched, completely captivated as she sashayed into the office building.

"What'cha looking at?" The sound of their chairs screeching across the tiled floor turned several heads in the restaurant. Hands pressed to their thumping hearts, the two men struggled to wipe the guilty looks off their faces. Midorima's significant other stood beside their table, bent forward, face sporting a pleasantly enquiring smile. Hastily, Aomine jabbed a thumb behind him.

"Car," he announced intelligently.

"Car?" Takao repeated with a quirk of an eyebrow. He glanced at the parked Audi. "Oh. Car."

"What are you doing here?" Midorima finally spoke up, as he adjusted his glasses, looking less flustered. Takao gave his boyfriend a deadpan look.

"I own the place, Shin-chan. You can't forget something so important just because we haven't seen each other in a while." Aomine choked on a laugh. Takao had always been a good match for the other man. Not only was he able to see through the asshole exterior, he had a level of sarcasm to match the green-eyed man's own.

Midorima turned a slight pink. "You were supposed to be off today, weren't you?"

"Aww, you remembered," Takao pouted pitifully at him. "Wait that means you didn't come here today to see me? Am I the only one feeling lonely at night~?"

Midorima tossed a panicked look at Aomine who was being of absolutely no help with his face buried in his forearms on the table, body rocking with mirth. He straightened, hiccupping slightly from all the laughter and readjusted the sunglasses on his face, feeling in much better spirits.

"We had a lead," he explained, still unable to wipe the wobbly grin off his face. "It was coincidentally right across the street from your place."

"Ah," Takao nodded understandingly. "In that case, stay as long as you want. Oh, and here, something for your hangover. One of the staff told me Shin-chan ordered it for you."

Aomine took the pungent, oddly-coloured drink that was offered with a thank you. Wrinkling his nose, he held his breath and downed it in three large gulps, immediately reaching for the glass of water that Takao placed on the tabletop. He instantly felt much better.

"I'll get someone to send out some food for you two, too." Takao said with a smile as he picked up the empty glasses. He turned to leave and casually tossed back over his shoulder, "She had a really fine ass, didn't she?"

xx

"Tetsuya." Blue eyes glanced up from the book he was reading towards the redhead who stood framed in the doorway of his bedroom.

"Yes?" He asked, noting that the latter had shed the crisp black suit that he had arrived in and was dressed in a burrowed shirt and a towel wrapped around his waist. He appreciated seeing his sibling dressed up for work, because there was no denying that Akashi pulled off a tailored suit very well, but he was more comfortable around the other man when he was clothed casually as he was right then. It reminded him of the person he grew up with.

"I am going to take a shower," Akashi declared.

"Okay," Kuroko nodded readily. Akashi gave him a pointed stare. Blinking back, he waited for the man to move. When he remained still, he added helpfully, "Bathroom's down the hall."

"I require your assistance." This time, Akashi's eyes glinted a warning at him. Furrowing his brows, he quirked his head to the side inquisitively.

"With what?"

"Bathing." Came the easy reply, as though it was obvious.

Kuroko blew out a breath. "We're not five anymore, Akashi-kun."

"My shoulders and back ache." It was voiced in a commanding tone, but Kuroko knew that it was Akashi's form of begging. An admittance of feeling discomfort was the closest Akashi had ever been to admitting that he was merely human.

"Then I'll give you a massage once you're out." He returned flippantly. Still, Akashi failed to budge, despite Kuroko resuming his reading as he blatantly ignored the man that stood patiently where he was. The silence dragged on for a while until Kuroko shut the book with a noisy thud and stood up with a grumble. He stalked towards the bathroom, fully aware that his brother was smiling smugly as he tailed after him.

He ran a hot bath, and left Akashi to get in while he prepared a mug of hot tea for the redhead. Akashi could act very much like a spoilt, demanding child whenever he wanted, but Kuroko would never fault him. He'd grumble and complain at the unnecessary things he was made to do, but he did it all anyway because Akashi had spent his childhood before they met being forced to act much too adult for his age, and thus always had trouble grasping ideas such as fun, relaxation, and idle time. Only in recent years had he allowed himself to be occasionally pampered by the bluenette, and it seemed to Kuroko that Akashi was starting to enjoy those occasions much more, even going to the extent of demanding it of him when he didn't feel like offering.

He returned to see Akashi stretched out in the tub, eyes closed as he leaned back against the side. Bright eyes cracked open slowly at the sound of Kuroko's entrance and he wordlessly handed the mug to the redhead. The air was dense with steam from the tub and the scent of a fruity bubble bath that Kuroko had noticed Akashi had liked when they went out shopping together which he had bought on the sly. He'd never commented at the sight of the bottle in Kuroko's bathroom, but Akashi had never used any other soap when he was visiting.

"Do you want me to wash your hair?" Kuroko asked, already pulling the short stool towards the side of the bathtub. Humming, Akashi handed him the bottle of shampoo along with the empty mug and shifted so that his back was propped facing Kuroko. While he worked the shampoo into the blood red strands, he hummed a soft lullaby that his mother used to sing to put the two of them to sleep. Rubbing firm circles into his skin, Kuroko slowly moved his fingers down to Akashi's nape. He massaged the knots in the other man's shoulders with steady pressure, taking the sound of Akashi's breath turning ragged as a good sign.

"Mother is asking about you," At his words, Kuroko stopped humming, but continued to massage, hands spreading out and moving down as his thumbs pressed into the flesh around Akashi's spine.

"Is that so?" He muttered. He felt slightly guilty for not contact his family, but he had been preoccupied the past few months.

"She wants to know when you'll be going back to visit. Father is asking as well." Kuroko paused in his ministrations, a surprised look directed at the back of the bubble-covered head.

Thoughtfully, he replied, "I suppose I'll go back soon, then, if dad is asking as well."

Akashi was silent for a while. Kuroko could sense that he wanted to say something, but was hesitant. "What is it?"

"They want to meet this man of yours."

"Aomine-kun?" Kuroko dipped his hands into the lukewarm water and wiggled them to wash off the soap. "Why?"

"How much do you know about him?" Blue eyes narrowed at the abrupt change in topic.

"Not very much," he conceded, swirling his fingers in the water as he stared at the dispersing bubbles contemplatively. "We haven't been going out for very long."

"In spite of that you told him about me?"

"That was purely coincidental. He wasn't supposed to meet you so soon!" Kuroko protested. "I could hardly let him find out about you and leave him to agonize over it."

"Is that what I am?" Akashi's voice was low, and his eyes were downcast. "A skeleton in your closet?"

A frown scrunched up Kuroko's forehead. Akashi was refusing to meet his eyes. Something was very wrong if Akashi resisted eye contact. He reached a hand out, settling his fingers gently on the back of the other man's head and ruffled the damp strands slightly before suddenly dunking his head in the water. Akashi came up spluttering and looking furiously indignant but his tirade of words was cut off by the thunderous expression on Kuroko's face.

"Don't be stupid," Kuroko snapped sharply, not even completely sure himself why he was so angry. They were brothers. Akashi was the first and very best friend he had. He was proud of his sibling, despite the fact that his line of work was questionable. He loved him unconditionally, and even though it had never been voiced by either party, he knew that what he felt was mutual. Akashi remained silent, his expression that of a petulant child.

Struggling against the grinding feeling in his chest, he stood and grabbed the shower head, busying himself with adjusting the temperature of the water while he composed himself. He sat down again and nudged the other's head closer to begin rinsing off the suds. At first his fingers were unnecessarily rough, but he took deep breaths and slowed down, fingers caressing and gentle as they ran all over his scalp.

When he was done Kuroko dropped the shower head into the water with a plunk and waited until Akashi finally looked up to lock eyes with him. As their eyes met, the blue-eyed man felt the anger seep out of him. Akashi had a stubborn quirk to his mouth, but he still looked defenseless, nothing like the crime lord that the rest of the world saw.

"You're my brother," he began softly, stroking fingers brushing up and down the side of Akashi's face lightly. "I can't think of anything that would make me ashamed of you."

Sighing deeply, Akashi nuzzled his palm. "Do you ever think of what might have happened to us if we weren't legally bound this way?"

"Dad would have a fit," Kuroko replied with a grin. "He really wants a grandchild."

Akashi groaned at his words. "I'm not ready for marriage."

"I'm sure anyone would do so long as she doesn't mind you being so childish away from work." Kuroko said, with a casual shrug. There was a sudden yelp. "My clothes!"

Akashi matched his glare with a smirk, hand still hovering over the water where he had scooped and splashed a substantial amount at the latter. "Care to rephrase that?"

"You are such a brat," Kuroko muttered, and dodged most of the second splash of water.

xx

Aomine rolled off his sofa with a moan as the shrill ringing of his doorbell jerked him awake from his nap. He cursed slightly at the disheveled state of his clothes and glanced frantically at the clock. He had arrived home three hours ago and had decided on a twenty minute nap to refresh himself. But the sound of his doorbell and the hands on the clock told him that he had overslept. Shit.

Stumbling slightly, he shuffled his way to the door and opened it, mildly horrified to find that he hadn't even remembered to lock it. Smiling sheepishly at the face upturned towards his, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Hey Tetsu, c'mon in." He turned sideways to allow the smaller man to enter the apartment. Taking in his state of dishevelment and the lack of food on the dining table, Kuroko smiled amusedly at him.

"Just woke up?"

"Yeah," he mumbled, linking his hands together in front of him like a student being reprimanded. "I slept longer than I thought."

"Well," Kuroko stated. "I guess we should start cooking then?"

xx

Aomine wanted to ram his face into a wall. He'd planned an amazing dinner, and was prepared to show off his mad cooking skills that he had learnt up from the multiple women that he had dated previously.

Of course, Kuroko didn't need to know that little tidbit of information.

However, the pale man didn't seem to mind in the least, in fact, he came across as rather pleased, if the way he was humming quietly to himself while he chopped up vegetable was any indication. Aomine disappeared into his bedroom to change his clothes and to freshen up a bit, feeling grateful that his hair was so short that it'd be humanly impossible to mess it up.

"How hung-over were you?" Kuroko asked over his shoulder when he emerged feeling more put together. The hangover had dissipated, thankfully, but he was traumatized and had vowed to never ever listen to Kuroko's friends when they dared him to try drinking Kuroko under the table. He already knew it was a crazy idea, but the strange smile that Kuroko had playing about his lips had lulled him into the trap. He'd ended up not only under the table, but had woken up feeling like he'd spent a month buried in a coffin.

"Told my partner I loved him this morning," Aomine replied. It had not gone well. He was still somewhat drunk at the time of the call, and when Midorima berated him for not turning up at work, he'd apparently told him that his obsession with punctuality was rather endearing and that he loved him and hoped he would never change. All Aomine recalled was that he'd been woken up by a furious looking goblin with flashing green eyes busting into his room and violently kicking him off his bed onto the ground with a very painful crack of his spine.

Kuroko looked at him enquiringly and it dawned on him that the smaller man didn't know Midorima. He reworded the sentence. "Very hung-over."

"I never knew that Aomine-kun was so good at cards." He had returned to chopping up the vegetables. Aomine procured a wok and set it on the stove to begin cooking.

"It's nothing special. I just picked up a few tricks here and there over the years."

"But I'm not satisfied losing," Aomine glanced over to see the most adorable pout he'd ever seen. "That money was supposed to be for the frying pan."

"I'll give it to you," he replied as he began tossing in the veggies. "I wasn't gonna keep any of it, anyway."

Kuroko paused, knife hovering over a carrot as he considered Aomine thoughtfully. "Are you sure?"

"You can't say I won it fair and square," he pointed out.

"Still, you won it."

"Nah, I played just for you." Crap. That came out sounding cornier than he'd intended. He flashed a devilish smile at Kuroko as a cover up, wondering if he was still drunk.

Laughing, Kuroko said, "How about we have a one-on-one match for it?"

The taller man crooked an eyebrow. "Is cheating allowed?"

"When is it ever?" Kuroko snorted. He suddenly snapped his fingers as a thought hit him. Eyes lit up with excitement, he jabbed the knife at Aomine who jerked back, wide-eyed. "Strip poker!"

"I – what?" Aomine stared at him, not sure if he heard wrong.

"Strip poker!" Kuroko was sounding way too happy about the idea. Though, it wasn't like he was going to complain about it. "Last one standing gets all the cash."

"You're serious about that?" Aomine asked hesitantly, gulping silently as images flashed through his mind.

"Why not," Kuroko asked with a shrug. "It'll be fun!"

Fun wasn't the issue. He could vouch for fun. There would undeniably be a lot of it. Actually, Aomine couldn't really find any problem with the idea at all, but it was probably a biased opinion. No, the issue was that he doubted he would be able to keep to himself while Kuroko sat across him in increasing states of undress.

"You do realize that there's no way I'm gonna play fair now." He said pointedly.

Kuroko looked up at him, expression sultry and wicked, making Aomine wonder what kind of saint he must have been in his past life to get himself a guy like Kuroko. "Good."

xx

"You're not even trying," Aomine merely grunted in reply to the taunting remark as he undid the last two buttons on his shirt and shrugged it off. Because both men had been dressed in few pieces of clothing, Kuroko had suggested that they removed the articles of clothing in stages rather than a piece at a go. And because he was a blasted masochist, he had readily agreed.

He had won the first three rounds, but had lost the last five. Thus, it was that Kuroko sat opposite him, shirt undone down to the third button, and his own torso was bared with no protection against the chill in the room. It was okay, though, he was steadily heating up. He was trying, he really was, not due to the money, but because he wanted to get Kuroko undressed and in his bed as soon as possible.

Aomine was distracted. It was as simple as that. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the tantalizing expanse of alabaster skin that hinted at so much more. He ran a hand across his face in a show of rubbing his nose to make sure that he wasn't salivating. Taking a deep breath, he shoveled all the perverted thoughts out of his head and focused on the cards he held. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

Kuroko was totally aware that he was a source of distraction for the other man. He had made a show of analyzing his cards carefully, but had really been concentrating on the dark eyes that stared at him unabashedly. He'd taken advantage of that, pulling back his collar to scratch seemingly absent-mindedly at his collarbone. The bluenette had been enjoying himself immensely, even more so now that Aomine was shirtless and everything seemed to flex with each movement he made.

Yet, seeing the exposed tan skin, Kuroko was starting to worry as he began to get lost in fantasies and he had to force himself to remain on track. He was not going to be the first to snap.

The game went on, tense and silent, as both men ogled at the other when they thought they wouldn't be caught. It wasn't long until Kuroko found himself without a shirt too, and he would have felt less conscious about it if not for the utterly lecherous grin that didn't leave Aomine's face while he shed the piece of clothing. Revenge came quickly for him, though, as he cheated his way through the next two rounds and the taller man had to remove his belt and one pants leg, resulting in a strange combo of comical and suggestive.

Neither of them was playing fair, and if anyone were to look closely at the cards scattered between them, there'd be a number of questions asked. The clock on the wall showed that it was just after ten, and both men were struggling to retain their self-control.

"Looks like you're losing this game," Kuroko mentioned, as he picked up the new batch of cards. Aomine snorted in answer.

"Don't get your hopes up so soon." He shot back, as he arranged his cards carefully.

"I have every right to," blue eyes flashed mischievously at him. "You're almost out of clothes to lose."

Aomine laughed at that. He'd never found trash talking to be so provocative before. "You're not far behind."

Kuroko hummed, laying down his cards face up. "I really want that cash."

"Well, you're gonna have to wait a bit longer for it," Aomine returned with a smirk, as he put down his cards triumphantly.

Kuroko stared at the hand. "You cheated."

"Are we really going there?" He asked drily, leaning back on an arm. The motion drew pale blue eyes to his body, and Kuroko didn't seem so upset anymore. Standing up, the petite man wiggled out of his jeans and discarded them somewhere in the vicinity of the sofa. Aomine stared at him, dumbfounded.

"It's getting late," Kuroko said in answer to the unvoiced question. "We should end the game quickly."

The dark-skinned man fisted his hand. The unaffected tone of his voice when he spoke belied the queasy anticipation he felt. "Fine by me."

Reaching down, he tugged on the bottom end of his shorts, and easily pulled it off his leg. They eyed each other, the challenge issued and received. The air fizzled with tension, so much more intense than the night before had been. Silence dripped around them, occasionally disturbed by the rustling of the cards as they were shuffled and distributed. A unanimous agreement silently made between them, they placed their cards face up simultaneously, eyes focused on the other's hand.

The atmosphere around them snapped and disappeared as Kuroko threw his hands up and whooped in victory and began to dance. Aomine laughed until his sides ached at the ridiculous bopping movements of the smaller man and allowed himself to be bowled over as Kuroko threw himself delightedly at him.

"You cheated!" Aomine accused laughingly.

Kuroko leveled himself away to give him a droll look. "Are we really going there?"

"I'll let it go if you give me a kiss," he bargained with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. Kuroko shook his head at him but kissed him nonetheless. It was brief, nothing more than a meeting of their lips and Aomine made a face as he pulled away. "That all you got? That ain't a fair trade for letting you win."

"You didn't let me win," Kuroko protested.

"Sure, I'll let you believe that." Aomine nodded condescendingly.

"Asshole," Kuroko muttered in retort and stopped any words he might have prepared in answer with a searing kiss that was planets away from the one earlier. Their tongues tangled together in a tango, and roaming hands traveled over expanses of skin that had been tormenting them for the past few hours. Aomine leaned forward to push Kuroko into his carpet and press himself against the delicate frame. He bit at the skin below Kuroko's ear, garnering a jolt and a moan that had his temperature rising.

He trailed down the body, worshipping the unblemished skin with fluttery kisses and well-placed nips. He was forced to stop his exploration as Kuroko's knees came up to lock against his sides. Dark eyes looked up questioningly. Kuroko was flushed, pale eyes hooded and his breath coming out in harsh bursts.

"Want you now," he said hoarsely, the urgency in the smaller man's voice making a chill run down his spine. Rocking back on his knees, he grabbed the sides of Kuroko's boxer shorts and slipped them off, doing the same with his own. Looming over the other man again, he captured those pale, soft lips in a heated kiss as he reached overhead to grab at one of the cups of water on the coffee table that they had been drinking from earlier. Carefully, he maneuvered the object onto the ground beside him and dipped his free hand in it.

Running wet fingers down Kuroko's body drew out moans as the cold liquid made contact with hot skin. Aomine bit down on the flesh of Kuroko's shoulder just as he nudged a finger in him. The body below him convulsed, and Kuroko dug his fingers painfully into taller man's shoulder blades as he let out a strangled cry.

Their breaths mingling, Kuroko fisted a hand in Aomine's hair and pulled him down for a demanding kiss as the latter added another finger, scissoring motions stretching his insides. His whole body was wound up, and unbelievably sensitized from all the teasing. When a finger found his sweet spot, his body tensed up, and he threw out his arms, fingers frantically trying to find purchase in something before he recalled that they weren't on the bed.

Aomine ran his tongue over a taunt nipple, and rolled it between his teeth as he marveled at the throaty sounds the smaller man was making. He was already incredibly high-strung himself, but he wanted to enjoy the look of wanton abandonment on Kuroko's face just a little bit longer.

"Stop teasing," Kuroko huffed, eyes glazed over with desire. In response, Aomine crooked his fingers and watched in fascination as the pale body arched upwards. He didn't have it in him to tease much more. Withdrawing his fingers, he planted his hands on either side of Kuroko's head and pushed into him slowly, stretching him more. Despite the prepping, he was tight and hot, the familiar feel of him wrapped around Aomine making him moan. It took effort not to give in to the urge to thrust fast and hard into him, but he ground his teeth and waited until Kuroko's breathing evened out a bit.

Pulling back almost completely, he thrust forward, earning a loud gasp. Digging his knees into the rough material of the carpet, he thrust in harder and faster, leaning over Kuroko and locking their lips together, drinking in every sound he made. Slim legs wrapped tight around his upper back, allowing his thrusts to go deeper and changing the tone of Kuroko's cries as he slammed into his prostate repeatedly.

His breathing was ragged, and Kuroko's voice was pitched higher as he slipped their hands together. He was teetering on the edge and he knew that Kuroko was, too. With one final thrust, Kuroko's body convulsing and tightening around him drew out his own release, and he felt his arms wobble and give under him. Kuroko's legs slid off his back to thud limply on the ground and he let out a huff of breath as Aomine fell on top of him.

They remained like that in silence for a while, both trying hard to calm their beating hearts.

"Should get to the bed." Aomine's voice was muffled by the carpet his face was planted in.

"Unff," Kuroko mumbled as fatigue and contentment washed over him. "Let's just stay here."

"Not good," Aomine said as he turned his head sideways to be better heard. "What if a robber comes in?"

"It's okay, you're a cop."

"I don't think a naked cop instills much fear." He retorted, prompting a giggle.

"Fine. But you're going to have to carry me. I can't feel my legs." Aomine made a face at him and rolled off with a grunt. Kuroko lifted his head slightly, wriggling his toes with a look of exaggerated surprise. "Oh look, there they are!"

Aomine grabbed a pillow from the sofa and dropped it unceremoniously onto Kuroko's face, muffling his laughter. He glanced around at the chaos that was once his living room.

"Should I clean up?" he mused out loud.

"Do it tomorrow. I need my heat bolster."

"What the hell is that?" Aomine raised an eyebrow in askance at the man sitting up, pillow in his lap.

"You, of course," Kuroko replied instantly with a roll of his eyes. And for good measure he added, "Dummy."

"I won't let you win next time," Dark eyes narrowed at him threateningly.

Kuroko snorted up at him. "You didn't let me win."

"Okay then," he said, the easy agreement making Kuroko look at him in surprise. "But you can crawl to the bedroom yourself."

He ducked just in the nick of time as the pillow flew towards his face. Laughing, he sauntered off to the room, feeling incredibly light-hearted and gleefully ignoring the names that followed him.

Oh, and I ate a banana while I wrote a part of this with one hand. No, it's not the part you're thinking about. Perverts.