I have no words to explain what I've done. Please accept my apologies for falling off the face of the earth like that. I tend to do that when I have a lot of work to do. It feels like it's been forever since I'd last written. I think I've forgotten how to write.

Anyway, I hope this makes up for the absence! Fair warning though; I won't be free again until maybe around christmas time, so I'll be going ghost again for a while. I'm still freaking out internally over the fact that 2013 is almost over and I'm going to have to grow up again next year. Sigh.

As always, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

The light glinted maliciously off the thin blade as it sliced through the air.

The figure stood just out of reach of the circle of bright orange light of the streetlight outside the shop's window, a small knife in his hand. As he kept his eyes focused on the security post of the apartment complex across the street, he toyed with the object; flinging it into the air with little care for the fact that one end was extremely sharp. He had been forced into an impromptu exile due to the attention the media and cops were giving him, and there was little a man could do in a small shack on the outskirts of humanity. The knife he held had been his only plaything, the only thing that had been on his person the day he had fled Tokyo. The scars from his time practicing with the knife were still prominent on his pale skin, but the wounds were healed, and he had perfected the ability of throwing the knife over a substantial distance.

All in all, his exile could have been worse.

The abandoned shop he had set up camp in was cold and bare, and his thin jacket was doing very little to keep the chill out of his bones. He hunched his shoulders, and buried his nose in the warm muffler that he had stolen off a laundry line somewhere along the way.

He pursed his lips as he let his mind wander, thinking of anything and everything as he waited for his prey to show up. It was another hour before the dark coloured vehicle rolled up. The tall, dark-skinned man stepped out of the car, and scoped the area around him. There wasn't an obvious soul in sight. For a moment, Aomine looked through the window of the decrepit shop window he stood behind, and he imagined that their eyes really had met in that split second. The knife stilled in his hand, and he carefully angled it so as to not reveal his presence.

The detective crossed the road and stood just outside the compound, staring up at the building for a minute or two, checking something he held before he made his way inside. Across the street, Kou Shougo's smile was nothing short of sinister as the blade in his fingers began to dance again.

xx

"Was that your girlfriend?"

Aomine started, having gotten lost in a daydream about soft, blue hair that smelled like vanilla and a pair of bright blue eyes that seemed to cleanse the soul that he had been on the verge of forsaking. He blinked at Tsuki for a few seconds too long.

"Yeah." He mumbled finally. "My girlfriend."

"Huh," she said, coming closer and scrutinizing him much too closely. "That was a guy."

"What?" Aomine stared at her, mouth agape. "How-?"

"You learn to pick up the signs when you've been in the business long enough." The petite model laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "But that's a waste, though. You're a very fine specimen."

"You haven't seen him, though," he murmured distractedly.

"Ooh, man, you're definitely in love," she laughed again.

Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Is it that obvious?"

"Even if I were blind, I'd see it." She told him, turning to lean against the railing. "Does he have a name?"

"I call him Tetsu."

"Huh, cute name," she said. "You don't happen to have a picture of him, do you?"

Aomine couldn't control the slow, slightly evil grin that spread across his face. Tsuki burst out giggling at his expression, and shook her head at him. "Looks like I've unleashed the floods."

"My undercover days have paid off."

"Great way of utilising your skills," she nodded sagely. "Maid outfit?"

Aomine was already scrolling through his phone, eyeing the multiple candid shots critically, looking for the best of the lot. "I haven't managed to get him that drunk yet."

He finally found his favourite shot. Kuroko had been struggling with a crossword puzzle, and Aomine had managed to capture him chewing on the end of the pen, expression serious and a hand in the motion of running through his hair in frustration. He handed the phone over to Tsuki who whistled low.

"Damn," she said. Her eyes were wide as she drew the device closer and stared harder. "Why are all the hot ones not in modelling?"

"I told you," Aomine said, bursting with pride. "You should see him in skin-tight jeans."

"I might die," Tsuki answered vaguely, zooming in on Kuroko's face and contemplating it in total silence while Aomine continued to beam beside her. "He's godly."

"He is," he agreed readily. If he could he would've gotten down on his knees and prayed to the man. "Do you want to see the one where he's just out of the shower?"

"Duh." She breathed, thrusting the phone back at him. "Show me everything."

xx

The problem with relationships, he mused, was that after a while, one tended to expect the constant presence of the other by their side. On that thought, he turned his head to the empty side of the bed that had been Aomine's designated area for what felt like a year. The air felt different without the vibrations of the dark-skinned man's soft snores. Kuroko rolled onto his side, contemplating the other side of the huge bed and stretched out his legs like he usually did when he wanted some sort of body contact without doing something like plastering himself across the other's chest or disturbing the snores that he had grown to like. They comforted him.

It bothered him in more ways than one when his feet only found cool sheets, and not another pair of legs that would automatically tangle up with his. With a sigh, he manoeuvred himself until he had his back to the gaping bareness of the other end and burrowed under the blankets, determined to not let himself think about Aomine any more than necessary. Tomorrow was going to be a long and tiring day.

Fifteen minutes of struggling later, Kuroko sat up with a grumble, hair up in all directions and scooted over to the other side of the bed. No one, he decided as he inhaled his boyfriend's scent, will ever find out.

xx

"I'll be back in a couple of hours. These officers will keep you two company in the meantime," Aomine said, on his way out the door. Mari and Tsuki hovered behind him, the former refusing to return his gaze, and the latter nodding along to everything he said. He nodded at the two young men that stood just outside the door, wondering if he should be concerned by the wide-eyed awe they regarded the two models with. They looked like they had been out of the police academy for all of two weeks.

Aomine exited the building and reached for his phone as he jogged across the street to his car. It was reassuring that there was the flow of life around him now. At least no one would try anything stupid out in the open. He looked around casually, checking to see if there were any suspicious people lurking near his car. Satisfied, he sent off two quick texts, one to Kuroko and one to Midorima, informing both of them that he was headed over to Kuroko's apartment.

It was some minutes after he had driven off when the door to the abandoned store he had parked in front of swung open.

xx

The way his heart palpitated when he slotted the key into the lock was utterly ridiculous. His fingers even quivered a bit. He was hit with the fresh and now familiar scent of vanilla when he tugged the door open, his eyes immediately honing in on the glare of light from the TV coming from the living room. Aomine gravitated towards the source of the muffled sounds of conversation, instantly brightening up at the sight of the back of Kuroko's head.

At the sound of his footsteps, the blue-haired man turned, his face lighting up with an answering smile.

"Welcome back," he greeted softly. The moving images on the screen before him danced along the side of his face, making his eyes shine.

"I'm back," he replied, taking two strides to the back of the sofa and smashing their lips together. Aomine felt like a drowning man pulled back to shore. It'd been an entire twenty-one hours. The way Kuroko's lips quirked upward in a small smile in the split second before their lips made contact meant that he was probably thinking the same thing. Aomine deepened the kiss, reaching up to cup the side of Kuroko's face and tug him closer. He had never before experienced the kind of euphoria he got just from locking lips with the pale-skinned man. He'd had his fair share of great make-out sessions, but kissing Kuroko was like a balm that soothed a turbulence he hadn't even realized was there.

Long fingers trailed lightly down the column of Kuroko's neck, feeling every tick his muscles made as he returned the kiss with equal vigour.

"That'll be quite enough of that, Tetsuya."

The dark-skinned man nearly hit the ceiling, flinging himself away from Kuroko with a yelp. Jerkily, his head whipped around the room, looking for the newcomer that he hadn't heard enter. Kuroko, looking completely unruffled but for the slight tinge to his cheeks, untwisted his torso and glanced down at the disapproving face of his sibling.

"Ah, Akashi-kun," the said man had fallen asleep stretched out along the length of the sofa with his head nestled on Kuroko's lap. "You're awake."

"It would be difficult to sleep with the disgusting noises the two of you were making right above me." Akashi said. He pushed himself into a sitting position, locking his eyes onto Aomine who was still missing a few wisps of coherence. After a onceover that sufficiently conveyed just what he thought of the detective, he stood up and padded out of the living room.

"Now that you've seen your valiant knight in shining armour, we can leave. I'll be downstairs in the car." He called over his shoulder in parting. The silence persisted for some minutes after the door had shut.

"Leave?" Aomine asked confusedly.

"My parents have been insisting that Akashi-kun and I visit them," Kuroko responded with a small sigh as he stood up. "Akashi-kun finally managed to get some time off work, so he's dragging me back home for a while."

"Oh," the dark-haired man mumbled. He was aware that it was no coincidence that Akashi had managed to get time off right then. It was almost definitely because of his call. "How long will you be there?"

Kuroko's expression turned thoughtful. "He didn't say. About a week, perhaps."

"Okay," the other replied, letting out a relieved breath. "You probably shouldn't keep him waiting then."

"Yeah," Kuroko said wryly. He reached up and pulled Aomine down for another kiss. "I'll see you when you get back."

"Have fun," Aomine murmured, arms wrapping around Kuroko's waist on their own accord.

Kuroko pressed closer, snaking his fingers through the short strands of Aomine's hair. "You too. And take care."

"I will," he said solemnly, pecking the smaller man on the lips. They remained wound together, neither willing to let go. It was only when the shrill ring of Kuroko's ringtone pierced the silence around them that they finally parted. Kuroko smiled morosely, answering the phone on the way out the door.

"I'll call you!" Aomine called out just as the door was about to swing shut. Kuroko stuck out a foot to halt the door and gave him a thumbs up and a wink. Shaking his head, Aomine made his way into the bedroom and began to toss his things into a small duffle bag.

xx

"Make sure you check in with Chief. I don't want him on my ass because he thinks I'm dallying about." Aomine told the two officers who were leaving. Mari and Tsuki stood close by with Mari's luggage, looking absolutely out of place in the middle of the bustling station. There were three large suitcases beside them, each big enough to fit a body. The two young men shared a smile and nodded. They waved at the pair of models who waved back enthusiastically. The trio watched the pair of uniformed men walk off.

"I'm going to miss them," Tsuki sighed as soon as they disappeared around the corner. "They could play some kick-ass poker."

Aomine had returned to the penthouse to find the four seated in a circle on the floor in the middle of the living hall, laughing and possibly slightly tipsy. He turned a raised eyebrow toward the smaller model. "Really?"

"Yeah!" she said, looking gleeful. "Mari was getting beaten so hard."

"Hold on," Mari protested, stopping suddenly to turn back to the two of them. "You were losing more money!"

"I had expected it," Tsuki retorted, waving her words away. She dodged a gaggle of old women and jogged up to Mari's side. "You looked like you were about to cry."

"I did not!"

"Oh, please, you were practically bawling."

"Was not!"

Aomine rolled his eyes as the two women continued to bicker as he trailed after them. They reached the gate to the platform and stood out of the way of the flow of people, hugging and exchanging farewells. Mari wasn't the only one who looked like she was about to cry. The detective waited close by, scanning the crowd idly as he waited for them to be done. He remembered when Satsuki would send him off on trips, the goodbyes took an eon.

"Aomine-san," he glanced down at Tsuki expectantly. "You take care of Mari, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he grinned. The model stuck out a hand which he took, shaking it firmly. "You alright going back on your own?"

"My manager is going to pick me up," she replied. "I have a photoshoot in an hour. Some of us can't afford to take time off."

"Just leave already," Mari retorted, elbowing her friend lightly. "Your manager won't be happy if you're late again."

"Yeah, yeah," Tsuki swatted the arm away. "Have a safe trip!"

xx

Aomine didn't have many regrets in life. Even after inciting the wrath of a serial killer, he had to say that life was pretty fantastic, if only because Kuroko was a part of it. Yet there was one thing that he'd craved for, albeit subconsciously.

The second they stepped off the train that evening, there had been a loud cry that greeted them, and Mari had nearly been bowled over by a gang of people once they left the platform. Their stop was the second last stop on the line, and there had only been three other people to alight with them. He discovered that she was the oldest of five children, with siblings aged between five and eighteen. Her entire family was gorgeous, but much more tanned than she way.

The dark-haired man had possibly never met people who were as nice as her family. They treated him like an old friend, ignoring all formalities and hugging him in turn.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter," Mari's mother was a very pretty lady, and the smallest of the lot. Her smile was warm, and she had immediately started calling him 'Dai-chan' as soon as he had introduced himself.

"It's no problem at all, ma'am," Aomine responded with an easy smile.

"Mari told us about that time you saved her life," her father cut in. He wore glasses, and towered over Aomine. "If it weren't for you, we could have lost our daughter."

"I didn't really do anything," Aomine said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was just pure luck that I happened to be somewhere nearby."

"Such a resourceful young man!" her mother piped up. Mari was silent beside her, looking like she wanted to melt through the floor right then. "I don't suppose someone as handsome as you would be single, hm?"

"Mama," Mari moaned, looking appalled. "Please don't do this."

The corners of his lips tilted upward as the question sparked a flash of Kuroko's face. "I'm seeing someone right now."

The model's mother shook her head disappointedly as Mari fought to hide hers. "I knew it. She's a very lucky girl."

"I agree," he said, garnering a few chuckles. "But I'm the luckier one."

xx

"How much longer are you going to keep up this ruse, Tetsuya?"

Kuroko hadn't heard the other man approach from across the room due to the sound of the wind whistling past him as he lounged on one of two deck chairs placed on his private balcony. He lifted the glass to his lips and took a long sip. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"There's no point in playing dumb," Akashi countered easily as he leaned against the back of Kuroko's deck chair. "We've gone through this dialogue plenty of times before."

"Then you already know how this is going to end," he replied, sounding slightly curt. He vaguely wondered if Akashi would be able to spot the four empty bottles of red wine he had hidden behind the curtains from where they were. It was probable that the other man already knew about the stash.

"A person like him brings many complications into the relationship." Akashi's voice floated over the top of his head softly. He could feel the slight ruffle atop his head as the redhead began to absentmindedly toy with the tips of his hair.

"Not the least being his history of infidelity," Kuroko murmured drily. He lifted the glass and tipped it slightly, watching the way the red liquid rippled with the shine of the moonlight. "I am well aware of what I have gotten myself into, Akashi-kun. Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary."

"You seem to have forgotten what my concern stems from," Akashi's voice was still gentle, but his fingers were firm when they tugged at the blue strands until Kuroko's head was tilted back and he was exposed to the full intensity of his sibling's mismatched eyes. Bright red and gold clashed with cool blue eyes as the words neither dared utter flowed between them. "You need to stop pretending."

Kuroko's gaze was defiant and unwavering. "I'm not pretending."

"He's hardly your type."

"You do not have the right to tell me who my type is."

"Don't I?" The corner of Akashi's lips tilted upward in a slight smirk. "I know your type very well."

"Do you?" Kuroko kept his features carefully blank, determined not to let himself be unnerved by the stare-down.

Akashi hummed, trailing a finger along his jawbone. His gaze flickered upward to the thin line that Kuroko had compressed his lips into.

"Tall, dark, and handsome sums it up about right." Akashi said, his eyes now focused on Kuroko's mouth. The latter let out a bark of laughter.

"Is that all you can come up with?" Kuroko asked, more than a little derisive. "A little bit generic, don't you think? That describes most of the men I've come across."

The redhead quirked an eyebrow at the seated man, an acceptance of the challenge.

"Tall, at least taller than you. Dark, in the way that the light reflected in their eyes deepens them and the slightly troubled vibe you seem to be so irresistibly drawn to," Cerulean blue eyes widened as Akashi went on, "Finely chiselled features, with a well-sculpted body. And you also prefer those who radiate strength and power."

Akashi's smile was smug. "Sound familiar?"

"Yeah," Kuroko replied, staring straight into the redhead's eyes. "It sounds like Aomine-kun."

The taller man's expression didn't shift much, but Kuroko noted the slight twitch of Akashi's left eye. A sign, he had learned over their years together, that meant that Akashi's somewhat violent nature was bubbling below the surface, but he was doing his very best to maintain his composure. The alcohol decided for Kuroko that he should add fuel to the fire. Reaching up, he patted Akashi's cheek.

"I'm sure Akashi-kun will find his type too, someday," he said kindly. "Now, excuse me while I make the mandatory late night call to my sex-deprived boyfriend."