Things were quiet for a while. Kuroko wanted to be alone most days, Akashi refused to be at Kise's if Aomine was there, and said man was almost always there now. As Aomine lounged about Kise's apartment, a sudden though struck him. "Oi, Ryouta. You wanna play some basketball?"

Kise squealed excitedly. "Oh yes~ It's been so long since I've played~"

Aomine grinned as he wrapped his long arms around his boyfriend, kissing his cheek. "Let's go then. But don't start crying when I destroy you."

Kise laughed as they headed toward the door. "As if, Daiki-cchi! I'm gonna pulverize you!"

"Ah, good luck. The only one who can beat me, is me."

It was a short walk to the park's basketball court, and Kise was bouncing excitedly by the time they got there. "Ooh, Murasakibara-cchi is here~"

Aomine noted the purple headed giant, and a mop of green hair just behind him. "So is Midorima. Two on two, Ryouta?"

The blond squeaked. "Sounds fun~"

Aomine grinned as they made their way over to their friends. It wasn't hard at all to convince them to play a game, but just as they were ready to start, Aomine caught a glimpse of a shock of red hair. He turned to find Akashi sitting on the far side of the court, watching them blankly. Just seeing him made Aomine's blood boil. Without a word, the bluenette crossed the court, unaware the Midorima was following him curiously.

"Akashi, what are you doing here?"

The redhead glanced up at the taller man before fixating his eyes straight ahead. "What, I'm not allowed to watch my friends play now either?"

Aomine grit his teeth. "The only reason I'm not strangling you right now is because Ryouta wouldn't want it."

Akashi raised a brow, finally meeting his gaze directly. "I'm sorry, what have I done to anger you now?"

"Tetsu told me."

The redhead's face suddenly paled significantly, and Midorima, still standing just behind Aomine's shoulder, was very confused.

"Don't ever touch him again."

The green haired boy finally spoke, bringing both men's attention to him. "What happened to Kuroko?"

Aomine pointed toward Akashi, "He took advantage of him."

Akashi scoffed. "I did not!"

Midorima silently pushed past Aomine, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "You did what to Kuroko?"

Akashi openly glared at the man. "I did nothing of the sort, but regardless, I don't have to explain myself to the likes of y-"

His words fell silent as a taped fist collided with his jaw. Akashi put his fingers to his lips only to find a warm red substance dripping from them as he pulled them away. Aomine stared at Midorima with wide eyes, dumbfounded. The green haired man simply untapped his fingers before pulling more tape out of his pocket.

"Don't touch Kuroko," he said simply as he turned and walked back to the oblivious Kise and Murasakibara.

Aomine stood in silence until a laugh erupted from his chest, only making Akashi seethe further.

"This isn't over, Daiki," he muttered as he stood to his feet.

Still laughing, the tan man shook his head as he watched him, "Better watch yourself, Akashi. Kuroko has more friends than you think."

XXXXXXXXXX

Of course, Akashi wasn't one to obey others. So as soon as the game had started, the redhead had made a beeline straight to Kuroko's, though he wasn't quite sure why at first. Did he want to punish him for sicing Aomine on him? Or did he just want to prove to everyone that he didn't have to listen to them? Or worse, what if he simply longed for the bluenette's soft touch? He shook the thought away as he knocked on Kuroko's door. His brows furrowed as he heard a dog barking loudly from the other side. When Kuroko opened the door, he held the still barking dog in his arms.

"I didn't know you had a dog."

"Huh? Oh, yeah, he's normally rather quiet. Eh, what do you want, Akashi?" The redhead ignored him and reached a hand out to pet the dog's ears. The yelping instantly ceased as Nigou turned into the touch, wagging his tail happily. Kuroko sighed. "Akashi."

Akashi finally looked at Kuroko, and he watched as those blue eyes gradually widened with realization.

"No," Kuroko said, putting Nigou aside. "No, not again. Not ever again."

Akashi stepped forward, barely in the doorway, as Kuroko instinctively stepped back.

"N-No. Akashi, l-leave."

The redhead stepped forward again, but this time, he did not let Kuroko mimic his movements. He wrapped both arms around the slightly smaller man's waist and pulled him close, kissing him as he shut the door with his foot. Kuroko's face flushed, and he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to find the resolve to push this man away. In the end, he couldn't manage, and he was once again swept off his feet and carried to his bedroom. Akashi fell onto the bed with Kuroko still in his arms, wasting no time in pulling both of their clothes off until they were equally in the nude. Kuroko's mind was still screaming for him to push Akashi away, but his body was begging for more already.

Akashi either didn't notice the inner conflict, or he didn't care. He simply reached out to stroke Kuroko's member softly, eliciting a moan as he kissed him again. The redhead smirked as he felt him harden beneath his touch, his body arching slightly.

"My, my, Tetsuya~ Aren't we a little eager?"

Kuroko flushed and turned away, avoiding Akashi's knowing eyes. "D-Don't-"

Akashi squeezed his palm a little tighter, cutting him off. Kuroko's mind was hazy, what had he been about to say? He quickly came to the conclusion that it didn't matter as Akashi lightly probed his entrance with his index finger.

"Do you remember how this works, Tetsuya?" he asked softly, pulling his hand away only to position it at Kuroko's lips. The bluenette, still refusing to meet the other man's gaze, hesitantly opened his mouth, slowly sucking on three of Akashi's long fingers. When the redhead was satisfied, he pulled his hand back and probed at his entrance once more.

Akashi relished in the soft moan that came from the bluenette's lips as he slowly pushed two fingers inside him. Kuroko's back arched, and Akashi took that as a sign to add the third finger, prepping him as gently as possible, despite how eager he was to claim him once more. His other hand still stroked Kuroko's member, his thumb lightly gliding over the tip every so often. He could tell by the moans he received that Kuroko was already half way there.

Akashi pulled his fingers out and placed his own member at Kuroko's entrance. "Ready, Tetsuya?"

The bluenette could barely think, let alone speak, but the small nod was enough for Akashi, and he slowly pushed himself in. Kuroko's body arched, and a long moan bubbled from within his throat, whilst Akashi panted heavily at the overwhelming warmth surrounding him. As his body moved of its own accord, his crimson eyes gazed over Kuroko's body, taking in every inch of perfect smooth skin, his slowly perking pecs, his mess of hair, clumped together with beads of sweat, and his flushed cheeks, as red as Akashi's hair.

In that moment, a strange thought occurred to him. Even if he'd been blessed with the ability to see this side of Kuroko every day for the rest of his life, he didn't think he'd ever get used to it. He didn't even have the strength to bat the thought away, and he suddenly found himself longing to be with this man forever. He'd certainly regret these thoughts later, when Kuroko kicks him out again.

Kuroko cut off his train of thought then, grinding his hips onto the redhead and sending him into a frenzy. Akashi's movements automatically became more erratic, pulling more moans out of the bluenette beneath him. Akashi knew the instant he'd found Kuroko's prostate, as he'd suddenly forgotten how to speak human.

"S-Sei- ah, eenghho..."

The redhead laughed softly as he continued to his that same spot, and it wasn't long before the bluenette released, covering Akashi's palm and his own stomach. Akashi gave a single last thrust before convulsing and releasing his own seed inside of the slightly smaller man.

The two lay like that for a while, both panting heavily, until Akashi shakily pulled out of Kuroko, falling onto the bed beside him. Kuroko had been on the verge of unconsciousness when Akashi spoke.

"I love you, Tetsuya," he said as he fell into his own slumber. Kuroko's heart had jumped in his throat, but he could no longer hold his eyes open.

XXXXXXXXXX

It was around midnight when Kuroko awoke. His heart was already pounding, and he had a knot in his stomach. He looked beside him to find Akashi still sleeping soundly. He couldn't help but notice how peaceful he looked, how similar he looked to the Akashi Kuroko had once known and loved. He sighed as he wondered if that man was truly still in him, or if he'd even ever existed at all. Suddenly he remembered what Akashi had said just before he fell asleep, the words now echoing in his ears.

'I love you, Tetsuya.'

Was he serious? Or had it just been a fluke? A simple, thoughtless act performed in the haze of ecstasy? Kuroko wasn't sure anymore, but he decided he couldn't bear to build his hopes up only for them to be crushed once more. And so he forced himself to believe it was the latter, and that this was just another mistake. Part of him wanted to wake the redhead up and shove him through the door. The other part wanted to make sure he was well rested, as it seemed to him that Akashi had not been sleeping well lately. He absentmindedly wondered why that was as he subconsciously reached out to stroke his hair softly. He was surprised when the redhead mumbled, "Tets...uya..."

A blush crossed his cheeks, but he shook it away, standing and leaving the room. There was no way Akashi returned his feelings. It must've been a coincidence. Still, he couldn't help the small amount of hope that now dwelled in his chest. His thoughts were cut short when his phone rang. Confused as to who would be calling so late, he answered the device quickly so as to not wake the sleeping redhead in the other room.

"Hello?"

"Tetsu, sorry for calling so late. Um, I need to talk to you."

"Uh, okay."

"Come to Ryouta's, okay?"

"Eh, sure."

Just as he hung up, Akashi emerged from the bedroom, his own phone in hand. "Did you get a call too?" he asked, sleep still heavy in his voice.

Kuroko nodded. "Apparently I'm going to Kise's."

Akashi looked him up and down slowly. "Me too. But you should probably put some clothes on first."

Kuroko blushed deeply as he remembered he was completely naked, and he hurried past the redhead to do as suggested, leaving Akashi to slightly smile to himself.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kise was certainly surprised when eh opened his door to find both Akashi and Kuroko, without the aura of death surrounding them. But he pushed the thought aside for now, smiling brightly. "Come in~" he sang, stepping out of the way for them.

Akashi motioned for Kuroko to go first and followed directly behind. Aomine raised a brow as he noticed that Kuroko wouldn't meet his gaze. He'd ask him about that later. Right now, there was another topic to discuss.

Kise had the two sit beside each other at the bar, whilst he and Aomine stood in front of them. "Alright," the blond said finally, a huge grin on his face as he looked lovingly into his boyfriend's eyes.

Aomine smiled down at him, interlocking their hands as he turned back to their friends. "Guys," he said, "We're getting married."