Chapter Summary: Kuroko and Aomine tries to reconcile their past through a nice dinner in a Korean BBQ place. Kagami tagged along.

Timeline: Set after the Winter Cup training camp is over.

Chp 3

The past few days that Kagami spent with Kuroko were a like dream come true. After their training camp ended, they spent the free time that they had together. They went to a nearby basketball court and practiced pick and roll strategies to use in games, perfecting their passes until it felt like second nature to them. They would play until their clothes are soaked in sweat, and when the sun finally sets, Kagami would walk Kuroko to the station and send him off with a goodnight.

Not only did their teamwork improved, but they managed to connect on a level that they haven't been able to before. For instance, Kagami found out that his friend loves children and would love to work as a kindergarten teacher if he can. "-but then I found basketball, and like everybody else that fell in love with this sport. I begun to dream about playing professionally, which is impossible for me, so I'm trying hard to let it go before I get too excited over it.

"Impossible? Really? I don't think so." Kagami said. Kuroko laughed at Kagami's straightforward answer.

"Bakagami, I cant play professionally. I cant even score a basket to save my life!"

"Yeah I know, but if you're playing with me then it's not impossible right? You said it yourself, you're my shadow and I'm aiming for the top so you better keep up!"

Silly sentimental conversations like that filled their days and strengthened their trusts. They were no longer just mere teammates, they've become friends that knew and care about each other deeply. Slowly, Kagami's resolve to stay friends began to crumble. Day by day his hope grew, and as he learned more silly idiosyncratic things about the boy, the more and more convinced he is of his feelings for Kuroko.

The hopeful prospect of a future love truly made chilly autumn air felt as fresh as spring.

Everything was going great for Kagami except for one thing; Kuroko's phone.

Everyday at exactly midday and sunset, a barrage of texts would interrupt their games. Worried that it might be an emergency, Kuroko would stop their games and sat back to read his messages.

"Who is it?" Kagami would always ask, and the answer that he's given would either be a terribly made up lie or a bad attempt at distracting him with another topic involving food or basketball.

At first Kagami left the matter alone to give him some privacy. After all, no matter how close two people become they will always still have secrets to keep from each other. However, it didn't stop him from noticing the sad look on Kuroko's face as he reads those texts. Only one person could make Kuroko look that sad.

On the seventh's day of their practice Kuroko's phone played a different melody. Usually during their walk home Kuroko would discreetly check the sender and quickly put his phone away without writing a reply. This time a look of relief wash over his face when he read the caller id flashing on the screen. He confidently flipped open his phone and answered in a loud voice.

"Hello, Momoi-san? Is something the matter? t's unusual for you to call me duri-"

"Ah so you did have your phone with you." A deep voice interrupted from the receiver. "Why didn't you answer any of my texts Tetsu?"

Kuroko stopped walking, frozen still in crowd of busy streetwalkers. "Aomine-san." He breathed out, unsure how to reply to his question.

"Tch. I told you I hate it when you call me that. It makes me feel like a stranger." The voice rustled. "… I miss you Tetsu."

"Daiki, don't-"

"Hear me out." Aomine rasped through the speakers. "Remember when I crushed your school? Well I felt terrible after. I don't get it, Tetsu, winning shouldn't feel this bad. Whenever I think about what I said to you, my chest it feels like it just- fuck I don't know."

Kuroko held his breath, trying hard to push down the emotions welling up from inside of him. For a while he thought that Aomine had lost all forms of remorse and sensitivity. Those words just proved him wrong

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that" Aomine tried again. "Hell I don't know… I just wanna see you again."

"Oi, Kuroko!" Kagami called out loud, attracting a few curious onlookers. He had been walking alone for a block and a half before he noticed that Kuroko was gone. At first he thought that the lack of presence was nothing special, but when looked around, he found that Kuroko was in fact standing a block away from him. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kagami jogged to the boy, just in time to pull him out of the way of an incoming bicycle.

"Fuck, be careful will ya!" He shouted after the apologetic cyclist. "You okay?" he asked. Before he could discern an answer, Kagami's ears picked up on a familiar voice coming from Kuroko's phone. His face paled. A voice that deep and menacing could only belong to one person.

"Hang up the phone Kuroko." Kagami said quietly, but the boy petrified. "Kuroko!" Kagami called again, this time forcefully pulling the phone from his hand. He was ready to unleash a torrent of slurs and profanities to the mic, but his chance was lost then he saw the screen blinking out the words 'disconnected'.

"Dammit!" He cursed and closed the phone angrily. "What did he say to you?" Kuroko looked up to him blankly, his cheeks becoming as red as his watering eyes. Kagami was taken aback. Blushing was the last thing that he thought Aomine could do to Kuroko.

"He said… He wanted to meet me, to talk."

"Fuck that." Kagami eyes darkened with rage. "Let me call him back and reject that offer for you." He said, scrolling furiously through Kuroko's contact list and accidentally opening a candy crush app. "Fuck!"

Kuroko pulled him to get his attention. "Don't! I already said yes."

Kagami turned to him with his brows furrowed down. "Why?" He asked with a tight voice. Kuroko sighed and plucked the phone away from Kagami's tightening fist.

"He said he wanted to apologize so I'm going to give him that chance. Besides, I think it's a good time for me to, ah… tell him clearly that I only want to be friends and nothing more."

Kagami looked at Kuroko as if he had lost his mind. "After what he did to you in that hall? After all that he humiliated us during inter high? After all that bullshit you still want to be his friend?" The red head threw his hands in expiration and screamed out. "Why. Are. You. So. Argh! Can't you see? He's going to try and put his hand on your again and, and, and.-"

Kuroko shot him a glare that could cut through steel. Kagami gulped at the anger and malice in that one look. He doesn't need to spend three years Teiko with him to know that Kuroko would not change his mind. He could talk all day until his voice is raw but it would all be for naught. When Kuroko is et on doing something he will carry it to the end. 'Stubborn idiot.' Kagami thought.

After a minute of glaring at each other silently, Kagami broke his gaze and turned away. "Fine." He said through tightly curled lips. "Fine! Go and meet up with him for all I care. But don't you think that you're going to see him alone."

The smaller teen frowned at the answer. "I can protect myself Kagami. I'm not a helpless little flower for you to defend. I am a man too you know?" Kuroko angrily shot back.

He hated being treated as some kind of weakling. Even in his days in Teiko he worked hard and took the regular spot on how own. He doesn't need a paternalistic knight in shinning armor to 'defend' him from anything. Kuroko turn his back on his partner and stride through the crosswalk, his anger preventing him from realizing that he's walking into the path of an incoming bicycle.

With quick reflexes Kagami pulled on Kuroko's arm and saved him for the second time today. Kuroko's face flushed red, embarrassed that he's been proven wrong by a strange struck of luck, pulled his hands free and began walking away to hide his embarrassment. Kagami long legs quickly caught up to him and kept up with his furious pace.

"I know." The redhead caught up with him with heavy breath and began to run his mouth like a motorboat.

"I know you're a man, and I didn't mean to say that you're weak or anything. Sorry, my Japanese isn't very good, so I don't know how to say this properly, but I'm not saying that you're not a man for sure! I know for a fact that you're quite strong despite you being a midget, so what I mean is that I just-" he paused to take a deep breath and ended up coughing like an chronic asthma patient.

Kuroko sighed at the pitiful sight of Kagami pounding his chest. 'This idiot.' He thought fondly as he patted Kagami's broad back to help ease his hectic coughs.

"I know Kagami, I understand." He said gently as he tousled Kagami's red hair, letting his eyes speak of the gratitude he felt but was too bashful to say.

That same night, At a Korean BBQ restaurant

"You've got to be shitting me." Aomine mumbled when he saw Kagami sitting in the private both that he reserved for his date with Kuroko. He sat himself in front of a very bored looking Kagami and slammed his hand on the table. "Why the fuck are you here? Is that little shit too scared to come and sent his monkey instead?"

"I'm right here Aomine-kun." Kuroko suddenly materialize and called from the corner of the booth, his voice a monotonous as ever. Aomine jumped back in surprise, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest from the scare. Kagami just smirked and sat back gleefully, pleased that Aomine didn't notice Kuroko's presence.

"Ugh. Whatever. Since you bought your pet monkey with you it's pretty clear that you don't want to talk to me at all. Thanks for wasting my time Tetsu, enjoy your dinner and go fuck yourself." Aomine spat out and strode out of the restaurant. Kuroko sighed and gave Kagami an 'I told you so.' look.

"Ugh. I got it! I got it!" Kagami rolled his eyes, grabbed his jacket and rushed after Aomine's fading figure. He caught up with the blue haired man in an empty basketball court. He's dribbling a worn out basketball and throwing it into the basket with a pleasant 'swish'.

'Nothing but net from all the way over here?' Kagami though with a hint of jealousy and appreciation. He can make powerful dunks from the inside and he can defend the basket like a champ, but shooting from outside the paint has never been his forte. He caught the bounding basketball and dribbled it to Aomine, jumping up lightly and sending the ball bouncing from the blackboard and into the hoop. Aomine greeted him with a glare.

"Your form is terrible." He said. "No wonder you got slaughtered in the Inter High tournament." Aomine spat to his side and walked over to the discarded ball, picking it up and throwing it behind his head carelessly.

"You're the one to talk." Kagami sneered at the floating ball, cursing to himself as he watch it pass through the hoop with another pleasant 'swish'. Aomine turned to Kagami and gave him a look that just oozes arrogance and superiority.

"Yeah, I am. I was the one who took you both out singlehandedly. While you were jumping around like a monkey on hot sands, I was dribbling circles around you and scoring free baskets. It's pathetic really."

"Ahahahaha." Kagami laughed stoically, channeling all his inner power to suppress the urge to punch him. "Come over her and prove it to me again you ganguro bastard." Kagami threw the ball forcefully to Aomine. He caught it easily and let it bounce lifelessly in the concrete.

"I'm not in the mood of playing with someone who just came into my dinner reservation uninvited." Aomine said quietly, walking along the linked gates and kicking it open with a thunderous rattle. Kagami chased after the man and threw the ball to the back of Aomine's head. With lightning quick reflexes, Aomine turned and caught it with one hand. Kagami smirked.

"Then, how about a bet then. You, me, one on one. First basket wins. If you win, I'll let you do anything that you want with me." Aomine stopped walking and turned his ear to Kagami, interested in the offer. "You can tell me to stay away from Kuroko or to not play in a game… anything you want. And if I win," Aomine scoffed and rolled his eyes. " You'll come back to the restaurant and listen to what Kuroko have to say."

Upon mentioning that name Aomine stiffened and slammed the ball onto the ground violently. "I know what he wants to say. He came by with you in tow, I think the message quite loud and clear."

"Is it?" Kagami chased after the ball and deftly bounced it in-between his feet, running up to a basket for a lay up. "I thought that Kuroko would reject your offer out outright, but he insisted that he want to go and 'make things right'." He caught his own ball and passed it to Aomine. "Are you sure you still don't want to the offer? Or are you just too scared that you're going to lose?"

Aomine looked down at the ball and began dribbling it in place, still as a statue except for his fluidly moving arms. He grinned and began manipulating the ball with his left hand. "Like hell I am."

Kagami grinned, the hair on his nape rising up in anticipation. "Bring it." he said, overabounding with confidence. Aomine clicked his tongue and begun to dribbled forward in a powerful drive, his speed making him look like a blur to a normal human's eyes. Kagami tried to keep up, confident that his training would help him dance with this monster, but it was to no avail. Over and over Aomine's skillful handling and devastating speed overwhelmed him. Seeing the glimpses of despair in Kagami's face, Aomine smirked and jumped up for a shot, purposely aiming so the shot would miss.

The ball suspiciously bounced off the blackboard and went straight into Kagami's hand. Wasting no time and taking no chances, Kagami run up along the paint and dunked it in.

"Yeah! In your face you arrogant prick!" Kagami pumped his fist and jeered, unable to contain himself. Aomine smirked and shoved his hand into his pockets, walking towards the direction of the restaurant "Hey wait! Don't you want to play another round?" Kagami asked, slightly disappointed at the short game.

"I don't play with people who suck." Aomine called out, ignoring Kagami's angry shouts.

It's been one hour of awkward silence between the three, their vigil only interrupted by the sounds of Kagami shoving copious amounts food into his mouth. When Aomine first came back, he sat down and refused to acknowledge Kuroko's presence. Kuroko tried to make conversation with him, but the man was adamant in his silence, focusing on his bowl of rice and meat. The short teen eventually gave up, wearing a disappointed look throughout the dinner.

Kagami noticed the look on Kuroko's face and realized that they're not getting anywhere with him around. He slammed him last bowl of rice, burped, and slid out of the booth, mumbling about buying some popsicles from the convenience store.

"Hey," He called to Aomine, gesturing down to Kuroko. "Talk to him goddammit."

The moment the store door closes, Aomine looked began to speak up.

"So… You got yourself a new toy." He said icily.

"Huh?"

"The redhead. You got him wrapped around your fingers pretty good now don't ya?"

"We're not like that." Kuroko said, flustered at those words. "He just tagged along for some reason."

"Yeah, right." Aomine fumed, not believing a single word that came from Kuroko's mouth. Tired of taking nonsensical blame, Kuroko looked up to him firmly.

"Is this what you wanted to talk about? If it is then I shouldn't have came out to meet you. I had enough of your stupid possessive attitude to last me a lifetime!" Kuroko grabbed his jacket and scarf, wrapping it around his neck and began making his way out the door. Before he could take a second step away, Aomine large hands grabbed him and pulled him tumbling down onto his lap.

"Your words still cuts me in the right places, as always." Aomine murmured, his face just inches above Kuroko's. "How else do you expect me to react when I see another man sitting next to you?"

Kuroko angrily pulled himself away from Aomine's hold, scooting away from his lap and onto the seat next to them. "I expect you to act like any other normal human being and not jump into conclusions. Kagami is straight! We don't have that kind of relationship. He's just a concerned teammates who wanted to get this thing sorted out. I mean, that's what teammates do right? Take care of each other?"

Aomine hardened exterior softened when he heard Kuroko's explanation. How can this boy still think so purely of other people like that? "Really Tetsuya… you should stop making me want to hug you." He whispered, wrapping his arms around Kuroko's narrow shoulder.

"Ah.." Kuroko just let out an exasperated sigh and buried his face into his hand, completely exhausted from keeping up with Aomine's bipolar attitudes. "I don't get you Daiki-kun… You're always like this. It's like middle school all over again. You said you weren't interested in me but you slept with me anyways. Then I told you that we should just stay friends and you cut me out. And those rumors…" Kuroko sighed and shook his head. "I get that you didn't like me rejecting you, but to throw me under the bus like that…"

"Wait, what?" Aomine furrowed his brows. "I didn't spread those rumors"

"What?"

"You heard me. I never told anybody about us. When I found out about the kids who trashed your locker, I was the first to beat them up and made them stop." Kuroko gave him a look, unsure what to believe anymore. Aomine frowned. Since when does Tetsu doubt him like this. "I am the last person who would hurt you like that." He said firmly, his eyes unwavering and true as he looked into Tetsu's

"Then why did you change so much after the rumor came out? Why did you stop seeing me as a friend and start using me just for sex? How do you explain that Daiki?"

Aomine scoffed and shook his head. Was Kuroko really that blind?

"Of course I changed." He said harshly. "You suddenly avoided me and only came to me when there was no one else. I hate it. It fucking sucks to know that the only reason you came to me was because you had no one else." Aomine voice lowered as he tucked a lose strand of hair behind Kuroko's ear, caressing the smooth shell on and remembering how Kuroko would giggle when he licked it playfully.

"I want to be your first choice Tetsu, not your last resort." Aomine finally said, his face scrunched up in a frown out of embarrassment. He waited for an answer, but Kuroko said nothing. Aomine sighed, feeling defeated by Kuroko's stoic attitude. The boy must really hate him. Finally he relented and just, gave up. Why try and mend something that cant be put together again? He shook his head and laughed helplessly.

"I know why that idiot came to me. You wanted to cut me off for good, right?" Aomine chuckled. "So let me say what I came here to say save you some time, okay?" He titled Kuroko's face up, caressing the side of his face gently. He looked the same as the day he first confessed to him; small, gentle, and beautiful beyond words.

There are a thousand things that he wanted to say to him. A year's worth of pent of feelings and regrets swarmed his head, each wanting to escape his lips in a desperate attempt to capture Kuroko's heart. Aomine wanted to badly to do so, to finally give an answer to the confession that he was too afraid to answer before. However, upon seeing the tears welling up in Kuroko's eyes Aomine stopped for a moment and held back.

'Why is he crying? Doe he hate being with me that badly?' He thought sadly, brushing away the droplets of tears from the corner of his brilliant blue eyes. Aomine remembered all the selfish things he made Kuroko do, how he took advantage of the boy's feelings, how he brushed him aside when he was finished with him, how he turned his anger & frustration and ruined the basketball that they both loved. Kuroko would be better off without him.

So he closed his eyes, gave the boy a gentle kiss on the forehead, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

With that last good bye settled, Aomine stood up and grabbed his jacket, exiting the restaurant before he could change his mind and do something rash. 'It's better this way.' He thought. Outside he caught sight of the red head loitering in front of the restaurant. "He's all yours." He declared, brushing past the confused looking redhead and began his long walk back home.

Kuroko had expected Aomine to make some kind of ridiculous demand like he always does, so when he heard the sincere and quiet apology, he was left speechless. Before he could answer him, Aomine had already left the restaurant, leaving him alone in a table full of empty plates and a pain in his chest that wouldn't stop aching.

"Kuroko?" Kagami voice called out to him. Kuroko looked up to see a very worried Kagami leaning over the booth, his face red from the cold wind outside. "Kuroko are you okay?" Kagami asked again, this time reaching down to wipe the tears from his face.

"Kagami." He hiccupped, suddenly aware of the tears streaming down his face. Why is he crying? "Daiki left… I didn't get to say what I wanted to say." He stammered, hating how weak his voice is sounding. Kagami mumbled some profanities under his breath and turned around, ready to chase down Aomine for a second time. A gentle tug on his jacket pulled him back down onto the seat. "Don't go. P-people will notice me crying if you leave me alone." Kuroko muttered from under his breath, latching himself onto Kagami's arm to prevent him from getting up again.

The redhead sighed and leaned back onto the seat, lending Kuroko his arm for comfort. Upon noticing a few curious onlookers, he pulled the smaller teen onto his lap and zipped him up inside his jacket. "There, now nobody would know that you're here at all." He teased, giving him a noogie

"…. Bakagami… we're probably attracting more attention now." Kuroko mumbled from underneath the fabric.

"Yup, but everybody would only notice me and not you." Kagami chuckled. "Ooo see what I did there? Misdirection woo woo." He said proudly with an added sound effect.

Kuroko scoffed and laughed, peeking his head of the zipped jacket to flick him on the nose. "You're so lame Bakagami." He laughed, wiping away the last traces of tears from his eyes.

"I know, I know. I am pretty lame." The redhead admitted, flicking him back on the nose and eliciting a giggle from the boy. Kagami noticed a droplet of tear hanging form Kuroko's translucent lashes, quivering dangerously on the edge, barely hanging on. 'just like me'

"Even if you're with this super lame Bakagami, aren't you glad that I came with you?" Kagami whispered, brushing that one last tear away. He was completely captivated by this beautiful, unable to hold his feelings back any longer.

Kuroko blushed at the intimate gesture, unsure of what to say at a situation like that. Kagami's gaze held that same intense passion that that he always gave him, his deep red eyes enflaming the fire fluttering deep in his chest. He mumbled something incoherent and unzipped Kagami's jacket open, stumbling onto the seat and knocking his head on the wall.

"Geez, you're hopeless Kuroko." Kagami laughed, rubbing the spot where Kuroko hit his head. Unable to hold his feelings back any longer he tilted Kuroko's chin up and stole a kiss from those soft pouty lips. "I love you." He whispered.

On his way back home, Aomine stopped when he saw two Teiko students walking home together, arms around each other, carrying a basketball, and a Maji burger bag. It's eerie how similar they are to Kuroko and him. They always stopped by Maji Burger after practice for a quick bite to eat. He would buy two large double cheeseburgers so he could share one with Kuroko, who without fail would always only order a small vanilla milkshake even after a long day od training.

"You're never going to grow tall if you only eat those sugary stuff. Buy a burger next time!"

"But you always give me your burger anyways Daiki-kun. It would be a waste for me to buy my own."

"Haha! Sneaky! Trying to bleed my pockets dry huh?"

Aomine smiled at that memory, wondering to himself how things turned out the way they are now. When did he so arrogant that he started skipping practice and walking home alone? 'Tetsu must've been hungry. I've always given him one of my burgers." He muttered quietly. "He must've been lonely."

Without a second thought he turned around and began sprinting back to the restaurant. He realized why he felt terrible after his win. He realized why he felt empty and purposeless after he began pushing Kuroko away. He's in love with Kuroko Tetsuya, and he always knew it. He's just too arrogant & cowardly to try and meet him halfway.

'I love him.' He thought, a big wide smile plastered on his face as he ran against the cold chilly wind. 'I'll tell him that and make can make him happy again. I'll make him smile again. I'll-'

His smile disappeared when he saw the scene through the restaurant window. Kagami was cradling his beloved in his arms. Kuroko looked confortable as the redhead held him close, wiped his tears, and whispered something that made him laugh and smile.

"That should've been me." He thought.

He should be the one holding him like that, wiping the tears from his eyes and comforting him. He should be the one Kuroko is latching onto for help and support. But where was he? He wandered alone on his self-imposed isolation, moaning about not having anyone that understand him while his beloved is swooped onto the lap of another man.

Aomine watched helplessly as Kagami lean down and kissed the lips that used to be his. His fists are shaking. His adrenaline is pumping. He's ready to burst in there and make a scene, but to what end? Tetsu would thought that Aomine was in one of his possessive mood and wouldn't take him seriously. Tetsu would tell him about the times that he threw him out in the past. He would reject him like the scum that he is and turned to his new light for comfort.

"I'm too late huh Tetsu?" He said to himself, laughing helplessly at the absurd situation that he put himself in.

TBC

Next Chapter: Akashi came into the picture and ordered Kuroko to put Aomine back together.