Chp 7

Chapter Summary:Upon seeing Kagami and Kuroko together, Aomine began to question his place.

Winter Cup Finals, Seirin vs Rakuzan

After years of playing on the field, Aomine had forgotten just how exciting it is to sit on the spectator seat in a basketball game. It's the perfect scene, two old teammates, battling each other with their new teams, the scores fluctuating by one point. They're both seemed unstoppable, and the game that seemed decided turned into an unexpected seat clincher.

Aomine's trained eyes followed the impossible plays both teams concocted. Each stand off between Akashi and Kagami made his spine tingle with excitement. 'He's never going to win over Akashi.' Aomine thought with a twisted sense of satisfaction. And yet every time he is proven wrong. Against all odds Kagami evolved, and he returned every loss basket with a triumphant dunk.

He would never admit it out loud, but he's glad that Kagami proved him wrong. He's beyond talented, he's a prodigy. 'He's me.'

And then there's Kuroko, the unseen glue that holds the team together. Unlike the excited shivers that he felt every time Kagami held the ball, Aomine's heart dropped whenever Kuroko is in the spotlight. Being noticed means his misdirection is fading. Without it, Kuroko has lost his biggest weapon.

Aomine was right. As the game progressed, it became more evident just how much Kuroko was lagging behind. Against Akashi, relying on his usual tools of the tade proved to be ineffective. He tried his best to use his other skills, but his ball handling and shooting percentage pales in comparison with the other players. However, just as Kagami evolved to break free of Akashi's emperor eyes, Kuroko also grew from a mere supporter into a formidable opponent that can stand on his own right. Aomine couldn't be prouder.

The clock ticks down, and the point difference grew and shrink like an elastic band. It's down to the last second, and the ball is in Seirin's court. Kagami steals a dangerous pass from Rakuzan's center, throwing it with all his might to Kuroko's waiting hand. Akashi stood before him with only two centimeter in height advantage, but in everyone's eyes, he's an impenetrable mountain that no mere human could cross. Kuroko took a deep breath, and like magic, he disappeared.

In the most critical point of the game, with thousands of desperate eyes watching, Kuroko managed to pull off his misdirection and dribbled past Akashi. Nobody really saw what happen, but when the redhead finally comprehends what has happened, Kuroko was already behind him, running gracefully along the paint. With one last effortless jump, he pushed the ball up against the backboard and scored a game winning lay-up.

Seirin won the Winter cup.

Everyone around him stood up in an uproar, celebrating with open arms and tears of joy. Aomine swallowed hard, suddenly aware of his scratchy dry throat. Was he cheering for them all this time? He couldn't remember. He only had his eyes on the two men on the court, their light shinning so brightly that he couldn't look away.

He let himself be dragged down to the court by his overexcited manager. He couldn't break free if he wanted. He was too dumfounded to react. The excessive jubilation seemed muted as he came face to face with Kagami. The exhausted sweaty redhead turned to him; his eyes sparking with the gleam of victory.

'I lost.' Aomine thought in resignation, transfixed by Kagami's charisma. So this is the man that's chasing after his Tetsu. Could he even measure up to him?

At the sight of his blue haired rival, Kagami instantly lost all his intensity and grinned like an idiot, holding up a hand for a high five. "C'mon droopy face, congratulate me!" Aomine snapped out of his musing and couldn't help but smile. That infectious grin is simply impossible to resist. He clasped their hand together and mumbled "Congrats."

Suddenly feeling defeated, Aomine hung around the edge of the court and watched pensively as Kagami joined into a crowd that's carrying Kuroko on their shoulders. They look happy. They look like a real team. He should be happy for them, but the sight of them only made Aomine heart twitch with envy. 'A partnership, a championship trophy, a real team… he's given you all, hasn't he, Tetsu?' He thought quietly.

The boy caught sight of him and smiled, his face red from all those running and jumping. Aomine waved at him and smiled back, trying hard to put on a happy face for Kuroko. After a few more exchanges with his team, Kuroko ran past the eager reporters and made a beeline straight to the brooding teen.

"Did you see my last shot Daiki? Did you? Did you?" Kuroko badgered him like an excitable puppy, happily using his first name in public. He usually only calls him Daiki in private.

"I sure did." He replied with an indulgent smile "You were really cool Tetsu." Aomine said, stroking the boy's cheeks gently.

Kuroko eyes brightened up again and the smaller boy tacked him onto a wall, uncharacteristically jumping up and down in place as he let Aomine petted him back into his usual composed self. "Heh, excited are we?" Aomine smiled and allowed the boy to hug his as much as he wanted. It felt nice. He should savor this hug while he can, since it's obvious that Kagami is ready to sweep his Tetsu away.

Kuroko was oblivious of the depressing thoughts that are running around Aomine's mind. All he knew was that Aomine just praised him, and that his heart felt like it could swell up and blew up into a million pieces of confetti. "Thanks for practicing with me and helping me win." He mumbled quietly, too embarrassed to face Aomine directly covey his gratitude.

Aomine pulled him close and gave him a good knuckling on the head. "You won the game, not me." He said, hiding his embarrassment behind his gruff exterior. "Its your win, not mine… enjoy it dumbass."

Kuroko's thin arms squeezed him tighter, making the taller boy grumble even louder. Finally, Aomine relented and returned the eager hug with a gentle embrace of his own. " Daiki..?" Kuroko pulled away, surprised at the uncharacteristic gesture. Aomine coughed and pulled away, unsure how to reconcile the desperate longing that's slowly chipping himself away.

He's so used to being the champion, arrogantly winning and taking Kuroko like he's a coveted prize. Now, their roles are reversed. He is a mere bystander in Kuroko's victory parade. The boy is the champion, not him, and he deserves to be treated as such. The cold and friendless Ace had never done anything that before.

So he took Kuroko's hand brought it up to his lips, anointing the tired digits with gentle kisses. "Uh Daiki-kun, people are staring …" Kuroko blushed and fidgeted around. Aomine ears reddened in embarrassment and mumbled for Kuroko to shut up as he muster the courage to say what he felt.

'I'm no champion, I'm just a selfish loser who wants you all for myself.' He sighed again, giving Kuroko one last kiss on his pale slender wrist. 'but I want you to love me anyway.'

Deciding that no words could ever convey those feelings properly, Aomine took Kuroko's hand and lead him back into the court and into the eager public. "Daiki…?" Kuroko asked, confused at Aomine's quiet demeanor.

"Go. They ceremony is starting." Aomine said, nudging him towards his expectant teammates. The boy looked as if he didn't want to leave but he nodded obediently, hands still defiantly curled inside Aomine's large palm.

Kagami saw the coy exchanges between the two and decided that he had enough. He pushed through the line of clamoring reporter and grabbed Kuroko's arm.

"Ugh, stop hogging him will ya?" He said, his eyes meeting Aomine in a hostile glare. He hoisted the boy up into the air and carried him back to his team with the eagerness of a groom in his wedding night. The team hooted and welcomed Kuroko's arrival, teasing their champion until his face is as red as it can be. Amidst the rush of flash photography and frantic journalist, Kagami kept his arms around Kuroko, aware at Aomine's piercing stare.

Hours later, Outside of the Auditorium.

The crowd dispersed in shivering pairs, each clinging to their friends and lovers for warmth from the cold winter air. Once the ceremony is over, everyone was keen getting back home to their warm houses. Only a few persistent journalists stayed back to interview Kuroko about his winning shot. The rest of Seirin High all went home on their own, still drunk from their victorious night to bother dragging their two star athletes. Kagami glad they didn't. He wanted to walk home together with Kuroko and asked him for something.

When he told Alex about his feelings for Kuroko, the blond American promptly squealed and demanded to take part in his romantic pursuit. She sat him down, gave him a pair of ticket for a Japanese NBA showcase, and ordered him to ask Kuroko out on a proper date.

"Don't let that Aomine guy steal him away. Be. Aggressive!"

"Easy for her to say." Kagami mumbled though cold chapped lips. It's hard enough to ask someone out, but it's impossible to find time to do so. If they're not practicing as a team, Kuroko is off with Aomine for his 'training' session. The only time he had the boy alone with him was when they're standing together on the train station. In public.

So after a million of failed attempts and lost nerves, Kagami decided that it is time. Whatever the outcome of the game is, he's going to bite the bullet and finally ask Kuroko out, properly. "I just need to think of the proper words to say…" he mumbled.

"The proper words to say what Kagami-kun?" A familiar calm voice snapped him out of his musing. Well, snapped is an understatement, since Kagami literary jumped up like a frightened alley cat, hair standing up and all.

"NOTHING." Kagami hid the tickets in his pockets. "I mean I was just wondering about where you were. Cuz I was waiting for you. Yeah." Kagami grinned, messing Kuroko hair to hide his awkwardness. He noticed the boy's hair is still wet from the shower, so without a second thought, he took off his beanie and put it over the boy's head. "Dry your hair before you go out you goof. You wouldn't want to get sick, right?"

"Yes, yes." Kuroko laughed, already used to Kagami's nagging. For an overly tall and muscular man, Kagami's acts like an overprotective mother. Today, something felt off. Kuroko could feel that Kagami is holding something from him.

Kuroko's persistent stare did not go unnoticed by Kagami. "Come on, I'll walk you to your station." The redhead said nervously, fiddling with the tickets in his jacket pocket.

"Ah, wait." Kuroko turned towards the building. "Aomine-kun asked me to wait for him. He's still in the building talking to some reporters."

Kagami couldn't help but to furrows his eyebrows. It'd hard enough to stop them from twitching in annoyance. "Ugh, just when I thought I finally got him alone." He mumbled under his breath.

Kuroko frowned at the less than discreet complaint. He understood that it's in Kagami's nature to moan and complain, but it made him feel guilty whenever he badmouths Aomine. Kuroko wanted the two to get along, even with their clashing interest. After all, they're both incredibly precious to him.

"We'll I'm alone now. What's up?" Kuroko asked, making Kagami jump right out of his boots. Caught of guard without his 'will-you-go-out-with-me' speech prepared, the redhead is reduced into a stuttering mess.

Kagami is usually confident and direct; there is nothing that could make the boisterous man uncomfortable. Confused at the sudden change in attitude, Kuroko walked up closer to Kagami and give him his disapproving stare. That usually make him spill whatever beans he's hiding.

With that big blue eyes staring him down, Kagami gave up on his speech and just showed him the tickets.

"Is that…?" He asked, shocked at the priceless treasure that Kagami held in his hand.

"Ugh, I had a whole spiel prepared but.. ugh whatever." The redhead complained. Kuroko calmly looked up, his expectant blue eyes shimmering with a child's excitement on Christmas morning. Kagami blushed and looked away as he finally choked out; "I-I was wondering if you want to-"

"YES. YES I WANT TO GO." Kuroko answered a little bit to quickly, his eyes still fixed on the tickets. He wouldn't miss a game with Nash Gold in the lineup. That guy have been his idol ever since he's in middle school! "How did you manage to get a ticket? I thought it's all sold out!" Kuroko burst out uncharacteristically.

"Alex… and yeah…" Kagami barely managed to mumble his answer out before falling to the ground with a loud thump. Relieved at his estatic answer, Kagami can finally relax. He tried to get up, but his knees are still shaking. 'Man. Asking people out is hard.' He thought.

Upon seeing Kagami's prone posture, Kuroko immediately of the worst scenario. Maybe Kagami didn't want him to go with him, and now he felt too guilty to correct Kuroko. This is his first time seeing Kagami so vulnerable like that. Upon the possibility that he might not go to the game, Kuroko swallowed his disappointment and kneeled in front of Kagami so they could see each other eye to eye. "I'm sorry Kagami-kun, I didn't mean to take your tickets like that. What were you going to ask me?" He tentatively asked.

"No! No, I definitely want you to go with me. It's just that-" Kagami mumbled though a series of unfamiliar words, mixing his Japanese and English. Kuroko titled his head in confusion, but he waited patiently. He'll always wait for Kagami.

After calming down his frayed nerves, Kagami took a deep breath and continued. "… What I'm trying to say is that I want to go to this thing with you because I'm asking you out on a da-"

"Yo!" Aomine's deep baritone cuts through the still air between them.

"Ah, Aomine-kun." Kuroko answered quickly, leaving the tickets in front of Kagami so he can ran over to greet him. Kagami looked up to see Aomine. Even out of his uniform, he still exudes an overbearing aura of confidence. Being on the ground looking up at him simply magnified the effect.

Aomine trudges over to them like a foreign invader trespassing on a sovereign nation. Just like a belligerent nation, Aomine forces himself into other people's spaces, humiliated his opponent, and took from them what they hold most dear from them.

"Oi Tetsu," He pulled the boy close, pulled off Kagami's beanie from his head, and ruffled Kuroko's silky hair like he would do to his pet dog. "Your hair is still damp. Here, you can have my hat." He put his oversized snapback onto Kuroko's head, the brim of the hat covering his eyes.

"Aomine-kun," Kuroko whined, pushing the pestering hands away from him."You're being rude. Kagami and I were having a serious conversation."

"Oh were you?" Aomine laughed to feign ignorance. "Alright then, converse." He stepped back and crossed his hand, silently challenging Kagami with a smug look on his face. He knows that with him within earshot, Kagami wouldn't dare to try anything with Kuroko. When Kagami stayed silent, Aomine scoffed and rolled his eyes. 'What a wuss.'

Kuroko had enough of Aomine's hounding, so he elbowed Aomine squarely on the ribs, making him double over in pain. Gently, the blue haired teen led him to a nearby seat. When they're alone Daiki can be the most gentle and wonderful person in the world, but when he feels insecure, he can be the most unlikeable person in the whole world. "You're such an ass sometimes." He whispered with an exasperated tone.

Aomine just groaned. "-butididntsayanyhingOW."

Kuroko elbowed him again for good measure and returned to Kagami with an apologetic smile. "Sorry, you were saying..?"

Kagami was laughing at the spectacle; his frayed nerves now melded back together because of Kuroko's swift elbow of justice. What was he so nervous about? Kuroko clearly enjoys being with him, so much so that he would hurt the fearsome Aomine Daiki into submission.

"Eh… Kagami." Kuroko asked, a little bit taken aback at how much Kagami is laughing.

"Sorry." Kagami snickered, laughing so hard that he had to wipe a tear away. "But yeah, what I was saying was; I want to ask you out on a date."

Aomine listened to the faint hushed conversation between the two. Although they tried to be discreet, he still caught the right words as they mumbled about their date. Aomine sighed, winching when his sides ached under his heavy breath. No wonder Kuroko was so intent on getting rid of him.

So when Kuroko came back to sit next to him, Aomine did his best to act nonchalant. "Aomine-kun?" Kuroko asked. Aomine grunted and stayed silent. He's afraid that if he answered him, his voice would crack and come out all weird.

Kuroko leaned down and poked him on his sore ribs. "Ouch!" Aomine yelped, making Kuroko giggle. As cute as the boy looked, Aomine still tried his best to put on his best scowl. "The fuck did he want from you?" He asked, hints of his harsh Kansai's accent surfacing up as he expressed his annoyance at Kagami's mere presence. Ignoring Aomine's clear distaste for his teammate, Kuroko held his ticket up, jumping in place to give the tall boy a better look.

Aomine took the tickets and regarded it quietly. At first Kuroko thought he's going to go into one of his tirade about Kagami and convince him to back out, but unexpectedly, Aomine kept his cool passed the tickets back to Kuroko without so much of a frown. "Cool, Nash Gold's showcase huh?

"Yeah! Kagami is taking me there, for free! How lucky am I, right?"

"Soo lucky." Aomine replied, his monotone voice expressing just how much he cares about Kagami's advances. "So where's your boyfriend? He's not afraid that I'll kidnap you away before your big date?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably at it. Kuroko gave him a knowing smile.

"Stop it. He just invited me out to see a game together." Kuroko answered guiltily.

"Sounds like a date to me." Aomine scowled. The absence of a denial made him angrier. " Well? Did you turn him down?" He snapped, this time he couldn't hide his irritation from his voice.

Kuroko's smile faded at the demanding tone. Aomine's old habits are showing up again. The old him would've looked away and apologized, afraid to anger the man even further. Today, he felt something that he never felt before. He felt indigmant.

"I said, Did. You. Turn. Him. Down." Aomine asked again.

"Why should I? Nash Gold will be there. I don't want to miss seeing him play." Kuroko shot back, feeling slightly angry that he should be asking permission from a man that's been absent for the last year.

"Because!" Aomine groaned, clearly frustrated at Kuroko's obliviousness. "You're just leading him on. If you're not going fuck him then turn him down. It's pathetic seeing him following you around like a puppy."

Kuroko frowned at Aomine's harsh words. The man could really pick his words.

"I like Kagami-kun. I don't want to just 'fuck' him and throw him away. That's not how relationships work." He said rather pointedly. Aomine looked away, knowing full well that Kuroko is alluding to their previous relationship. "Not that it's any of your business." Kuroko added quietly.

He didn't expect such an assertive answer from Tetsu. The Tetsu from Teiko would never speak to him that way. In many ways, being in Seirin really did changed him. Aomine was ready to go on one of his long tirade, but even he couldn't deny the truth in Tetsu's word. He has no right to tell him what to do or who he should spend his time with. After all, Tetsu is no longer his. Aomine has no special privilege.

If he had his way, of course he would've reverted back to his old ways and go through his jealous possessive lover routine, but what right does he have over Kuroko? They're no longer in Teiko, and here he's nothing but a mere friend who has professed his love. He has no right to burden Kuroko with the guilt of his jealousy. Besides, just today he's going to let Kuroko enjoy his victory it his full extent.

So he relented, swallowed his pride, and made peace. "You're right." Aomine answered quietly, clearly unhappy with the situation, but he yielded anyways.

Kuroko sighed and sit himself down next to him, exhausted by the exchange. Sure he felt guilty for shutting Aomine down like that, but the man needs to understand that he's not longer his plaything. He's his own man, and he would do anything to stop himself from becoming that meek little property that he once was.

But that doesn't mean that he should hurt Aomine like that, should he?

"Daiki… I'm sorry. I-"

"That's enough out of you." Aomine grumbled. "You didn't say anything wrong. You shouldn't be the one apologizing." He mumbled, slyly grabbing Kuroko's hand. "Sorry." He said, kissing the cold little digits to warm them up. He sighed and leaned onto his knees. He fucked up again. He told himself that it's going to be different this time, that he's going to treat Kuroko right, but he couldn't even handle a single exchange without snapping at him. "I'm a failure"

Seeing the man visibly distraught over a short exchange really softened Kuroko's heart. "You're trying your best, aren't you?" He asked, holding his hand up against Aomine's cheeks. The man smiled, looking tired and sad at the same time.

"Is it working?" He asked, unable to hide the desperation from his voice. He knows it's not enough. He knows that he's too late, but he just wanted the boy so badly. He turned to Kuroko, the boy looking as beautiful as the first day that he fell in love with him. "Fuck trying." He thought and let his instinct take over.

"I… I don't-" Kuroko stopped him, alarmed at Aomine's forwardness.

"Then don't." Aomine mumbled, burying his finger into Kuroko's still damp hair and pulling him into a gentle kiss.

Saturday, the day of the NBA showcase, 5 pm.

Kagami hummed a happy tune all the way back from the airport. After sending Alex home, he only had a few small errands to run before his date with Kuroko. The red head has been looking forward to this for days now, his body responding with giddy excitement every time he thought about spending his time with Kuroko alone. They're going to watch a good show together, eat some dinner, and maybe if he put Kuroko in enough of a good mood, he'll be able to steal a kiss from him at the end of the night. Maybe today he'll finally get the answer that was promised to him.

So, imagine his disappointment when he found Aomine waiting on him instead of his cute little shadow.

"What's up monkey face." Aomine greeted him with an irritatingly happy smile. At this point Kagami was done. He flipped open his phone and punched in Kuroko's phone, ready to demand an answer for this situation.

"What are you doing?" Aomine grabbed his phone to see what he's typing. "Are you going to rat me out to Tetsu?"

"Yes!" Kagami shouted in exasperation, drawing attention from the people around him. "This is our date, why the hell are you here?!"

Aomine pulled out a ticket, a golden vip ticket that places him near the player's bench. "I'm watching the game too." He said smugly.

Kagami grabbed his collar, ready to punch Aomine right in the mouth for toying with him like this.

"Kagami-kun, Aomine-kun." Kuroko's monotone voice broke the tension. The boy tilted his head, confused at Aomine's presence. "Why are you guys fighting?"

"I'm not the one picking a fight," Aomine shrugged Kagami's hand off of him. "I'm just here queuing up for the show like you two."

"No! I wasn't picking a fight. I was just confused. I thought today was just for you and me." He said, suddenly realizing how lame he sounded. He caught sight of the guilty look on Kuroko's face and caved completely. "I mean! It's fine that he's here. It was just a misunderstanding, that's all."

'Huh, pathetic.' Aomine spat to his side and watch Kagami figuratively rolled over like an obedient little puppy. What a disgrace. A man shouldn't have to scrape and bow for his woman, er, lover. He should demand and claim them like a man should. He couldn't imagine what Kuroko ever saw in this sniveling pup. Just as he thought of that, he saw Kuroko's indulgent little pout turned into a smile as he reached up to pat Kagami on the head.

"Ugh, enough with both of you." Aomine growled, irritated at the sight of the two getting along. He stomped his way into the auditorium alone, scaring people away with that glare of his. Some of the people who recognized him whispered around, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the Ace of the infamous Generation of Miracles. Aomine just quietly walked on. He's used to this bullshit.

He found his seat, courtside just behind the player's bench. Aomine had paid a pretty penny for this seat. It wasn't his choice though, it was the only seat open that's remotely near the two. If it were up to him, he would seat himself right in between Kuroko and Kagami.

Speaking of Kuroko, the boy called out from behind him with an uncharacteristically loud voice. Aomine waved him over, hooking his arm behind his coveted seat to and turning his way towards Kuroko.

"Jealous?" He gloated, basking in Kuroko's envious look.

"Very. You're right behind Nash Gold Jr!" Kuroko gushed, his little feet marching in place out of sheer excitement. Seeing Kuroko's enthusiasm, an idea popped into his mind.

"C'mere." Aomine grinned and pulled the boy down. "I'll let you take my seat if you let me have a quickie with you in the bathroom." He purred.

Kuroko gasped and blushed. Clearly the man is back to his old self. Aomine laughed out loud. Teasing Kuroko never gets old. "Just kidding, but yeah, do you want to trade seats?"

"Really? You mean it?" Kuroko looked at him suspiciously. "Why would you give up such a good seat though?"

Aomine titled his head to the side and smirk. "I don't know, what do you think?"

The starting buzzer rang through the court, invigorating the crowd and bringing them onto their feet. All five thousand fans clapped, stomped, and cheered like crazy. Amidst the chaos Aomine grabbed Kuroko by the collar and pulled him down for a passionate kiss.

Kagami stared down in disbelief. Instead of the gentle blue haired teen he expected to spend the evening with, a demon have appeared and parked himself right in Kuroko's spot.

"I'm not sitting next to you." He said determined to ward of this evil spirit that's haunting Kuroko's seat.

"Well tough luck kid, I traded my seat to Tetsu." Aomine yawned back, adjusting himself on the rickety yellow chair and purposely lounging out to take Kagami's pot. When Kagami gave him a glare, he just shrugged. "You said you didn't want the seat."

"Young man! Yes, you with the red hair! Sit down before I smack you with my cane!" An old man with a bright yellow jersey yelled and waved his walking cane comically. With strangers staring at him, Kagami had no choice but to begrudgingly take his seat next to his arch nemesis, take the opportunity to shove his elbow out so they wouldn't be touching. It's all nothing but a futile attempt really. As two broad shouldered Power Forwards, they take too much real estate to sit away from each other comfortably.

The two spent the first quarter elbowing each other for arm space, bringing in their competitive streak out from the basketball court. As the whistle signaled the end of the first quarter, they're both are groaning and winching with pain as much as the players out in the court.

"This is so stupid." Kagami hissed, rolling his neck and rubbing his sore elbow.

"Well if you can't take it then scoot over and let me have the arm rest." Aomine retorted back, becoming more irritable as the second ticked by.

"Fuck you, that's my armrest."

"Like hell it is."

"... what are you guys doing?"

The two idiots looked up to find Kuroko staring down at them. The only way to describe his look was to compare him to a mother seeing her two songs fighting. The people sitting in front of them looked back at the two, all equally unimpressed with the disturbance that they're causing. They were so engrossed with their petty argument that they didn't notice the security guard eying them.

Unabashed by the stares Aomine just crossed his arms and looked away with a huff, while Kagami grinned sheepishly. At least he had the decency to act embarrassed. "Hehe, did we disturb you?" he joked. Kuroko frowned and put his arm on his hip, shaking his head in disbelief. "… So that's a yes?" Kagami joked around, but his laughter quickly died at Kuroko's icy cold glare.

"If I had known you two are going to be this difficult then I wouldn't have traded seats with Aomine." Kuroko sighed. As silly as it seemed, his little guilt trip worked. Aomine dropped his tough guy act and Kagami began to twiddle his thumb, both of feeling like a kid caught stealing out of the cookie jar.

Despite the sheer embarrassment, the two endured Kuroko's admonishment quietly. They both knew how much Kuroko was looking forward to this and they hated that they're taking Kuroko's enjoyment from the game. So when Kuroko asked them, "Are you two going to settle down or are we going to have to leave?" both Kagami and Aomine obediently agreed.

The first half of the game ended, signalling the team's ten-minute break. People began milling about, but both Kagami and Aomine stayed put. They watched the cheerleader danced around the court. As completely healthy eighteen year olds, you would think that they would've had their eyes stuck to their scantily clad bodies, but strangely, they found they eyed wondering elsewhere. They don't need to look at each other to know that they're both staring at Kuroko.

"If you stared at him even harder, you'll burn a hole through his head." Kagami broke the silence with an innocent joke. Aomine rolled his eyes and ignored Kagami's playful nudges.

"Stop it." he growled, only to have the redhead laugh at his pathetic attempt at intimidation. There are only so many growls a man can do before his voice crack. A few minutes before they were fighting, and now he's comfortable enough to be cracking jokes at him. No wonder Kuroko liked him so much. Kagami's easy smiles and bad jokes has a way of disarming his defences. He's felt like an old friend that he never had.

Even with his happy-go-lucky façade on, he knew that Kagami was no better than him. When he thought Aomine wasn't looking, he would steal short glances at Kuroko, smiling like a complete fool at the mere sight of the boy. Kagami is completely enamoured by the boy, just like he is.

"… You're never going to give up on him, are you." Aomine asked, or rather, stated out loud. The playful smile suddenly disappeared from Kagami's face. He never heard Aomine sounding so despondent before.

"Never." He replied firmly.

"Thought so." Aomine muttered.

Kagami looked to him and asked, rather hopefully, "and I guess you wouldn't either?"

Aomine just gave him a look. "You already know the answer to that question."

"Ahh." Kagami moaned in frustration, unconsciously kicking an unfortunate's spectator seat. "Kuroko should choose already. That way I wouldn't have to see your ugly mug every time I try and make a move on him." Kagami whined, feeling the fatigue from the month long mental standoff against Touou's premier ace. "I want to know what he really feels… even if it ends in rejection on my end."

"He reject you. He's too soft for that." Aomine said flippantly. When Kagami looked like he would jump at him for insulting Kuroko, Aomine waved his hand and continued. "You know what I mean. It's Tetsu here we're talking about."

Kagami nodded begrudgingly. "Even so!" He tried to complain again. "I don't get why it's so hard for him to. Just. Choose."

Aomine regarded the man silently. He understood Kagami's frustration perfectly, but at the same time he's also irritated by Kagami's lack of empathy. "Well," Aomine scratched his head, trying his best to find the right words to describe Kuroko's disposition. "Imagine yourself as a 'shadow' like he is. He's always putting his Ace's pride first while trying his best to stay unnoticed. If I were him and I was suddenly put on the spotlight of two of my partners, well… I wouldn't know what to do."

"… Whoa, Aomine … you-" Kagami shook his head in disbelief. "I thought you're just your run of the mill selfish jerk. Turns out you're a pretty thoughtful guy huh?"

"… Fuckoff dickwad." Aomine grumbled.

Kagami smirked Aomine attempt at hiding his own embarrassment. The guy is acting like he's never been praised before. He now understood why Kuroko liked Aomine so much. He might be prickly and unlikeable, but he's a decent guy that pays attention. As a man and as a basketball player, Aomine have earned him his respect, even with his terrible temper.

Aomine coughed to break the awkwardly friendly atmosphere. "Well if you wont back off and, I guess we better figure out how to tolerate each other quick." He muttered. "If Tetsu is as indecisive as I remembered him, then we're going to see a lot of each other. I'd prefer it if we can do so without making Tetsu worried about breaking up a fight."

Kagami erupted in an uproar of laughter. "Is that even possible? We hate each other after all."

"I don't." Aomine said in his signature deadpan tone. "I mean I hate how you keep acting like you're his knight in shinning armor or something… but I don't hate you."

"Really?" Kagami raised his eyebrow out in surprise.

"Well yeah. Hating someone takes a lot of energy. I rather spend that energy playing basketball." Aomine said. He turned to a befuddled looking Kagami. "Why? Do you hate me?"

"Of course not!" Kagami said a little too quickly "I just can't hate someone that Kuroko lo.. lo…"

"That's good." Aomine cut him off easily. "Tetsu will be happier if we get along."

Bewildered by his overfamiliarity, Kagami is further surprised as Aomine conceded his armrest; fake yawned, and turned away from Kagami. "Wake me up when these old has-been are done reliving their old glory days." He muttered.

Kagami just laughed in disbelief, his previously shattered misconceptions about Aomine suddenly melding themselves together again. How could Kuroko ever describe this megalomaniac as 'gentle', 'kind', and 'protective'? The guy just wasted thousands of yen for a VIP seat to sabotage his date, called a top tier basketball team 'old has-beens', and is now sleeping instead of watching the show! "What an asshole." Kagami muttered, slightly in awe at Aomine's sheer apathy, but mostly irritated by his presence.

He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he shared most if not all of Aomine's views. If it wasn't for Kuroko, he wouldn't even glance twice at the tickets Alex offered. Of course, he would rather die than admit that he agreed with Aomine, but he understood the sentiment.

"Hey Aomine." Kagami started. "We're really aren't that different, you and me. It made sense why Kuroko likes us both."

Aomine stayed silent, unsure of where the conversation is going.

"To him," Kagami continued. "Choosing either of us would be the same. Sure we have some different quirks and personality, but we're still two basketball heads who would do anything to make him happy." He turned to Aomine and pulled his shoulder back. "Right?"

"Of course." Aomine answered reflexively. "What are you getting at bakagami? Are you scared that he's not going to choose you huh?" Aomine jeered like he usually do, but is quickly disappointed at how quiet and serious Kagami is. He waited for a good minute or two before his temper flared.

"You little shit! At least answer when someone's question you fucking-" He didn't finish his insult. Next to him was an empty seat, and whe he turned to search for the redhead, he caught sight of Kuroko being cornered by a tall Caucasian player.

Out of sheer instinct, Aomine snapped awake and followed suit after the red head, his head spinning as he counted off the thousand ways he would make that old has been's life miserable for trying to flirt with his Tetsu.

AAAAAAA

The moment Kagami's and Aomine's fist connected to the NBA player's grinning face, Kuroko knew that they would never see the rest of the game. He sighed and called security, not out of concern for his two players, but for the safety of the blond foreigner that's being pummelled right into the ground. When security carted them off, kicking and screaming of course, Kuroko followed quietly. He tried to hide his embarrassment by occasionally bowing and apologizing random people, but he had so little presence that nobody really noticed that he was the source of all the commotion. Kuroko didn't mind though. The way the security guards dragged his two friends made him glad that he's not so noticeable to begin with.

Before he exited the auditorium, the blond NBA player called out to him. Even after two men knocked him straight on the jaw, face, and stomach, the man still had the audacity to flirt. He might come off as a complete philanderer, but Kuroko admired his tenacity. With a combination of muffled English words and broken Japanese, the man slipped him a card and told him his room number at the adjacent hotel. "Please come. I'll even autograph your basketball." He winked before being dragged off by his manager.

Kuroko stared at the key card as he followed security out of the stadium, completely engrossed with the thought of an autograph basketball by a famous player. 'It would certainly sell well online…'. Before he could make a decision, he found himself outside, freezing with two very irritated boys glaring at the keycard in his hand.

"He told me to come to his room. He said he'll-" Aomine grabbed the acrylic card and snap it into two. "-sign my ball."

"Oh, I bet he would. That old pervert." Kagami snarled, pulling off the sweaty jersey that the star draped over Kuroko's head and throwing it onto the snow. The boy's hair is all tousled up into a fluffy mess, but even with that his large blue eyes still find its way to peer up to him. Those orbs were emotionless, if not, slightly irritated at them two.

"Geez Kuroko, can you be more… arghh." Kagami blushed and busied himself by smoothing Kuroko's hair. "Be more self aware, will ya? That creep was ready to molest you right then and there." Kuroko winced at Kagami's rough hands, but was too polite to say anything.

"Ugh, move over monkey hands." Aomine pushed Kagami away and combed his long fingers through Kuroko's delicate strand, surprising them both at his gentle gesture. When he's satisfied with it, he took off his hat and fit it snugly over Kuroko's head. "He's right you know. Men are no better than dogs, so don't be a dumbass and trust us so much, 'k Tetsu?"

"…'kay." Kuroko answered obediently, making the two men internally scream at his sheer cuteness. Kuroko rubbed his nose and sniffed. "Ah it's snowing pretty hard." Kuroko said out loud. Like two trained dogs, both men then began clamoring to give him their jackets.

"It's fine, I rather just go home and be warm under my Kotatsu." He said, thinking that it would probably be wise to end the outing early. If Aomine and Kagami were to break into another fight, he wouldn't be able to separate the two.

"Well my apartment is a few blocks away. The floor is heated and I have lots of blankets. Maybe we could…"

At first it looked like Kuroko was almost swayed by the offer, but he quickly shook his head. "It's okay. I rather not take the chance." He said rather unconvincingly.

"… but I still want to spend time with you." Kagami whined.

"Yeah Tetsu, are ya bored with us already?" Aomine teased, although his tone held a nervous edge that he never had before. When Kuroko didn't answer, the blue haired played frowned. "I'm not bored with you at all Tetsu. Don't leave yet."

"Yeah don't leave." Kagami quickly added. For once his constantly furrowed browed was upturned.

Unable to resist not only one, but two perfectly handsome players begging for his company, Kuroko nodded his agreement and tried his best not to show them his perfectly pink cheeks.

TBC

Next Chapter: Kagami and Aomine finally got their answer.