I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, but it feels like it's been ten thousand years since I last updated, so I'm just gonna leave this here...

Sometimes, Murasakibara wonders why he even bothers.

"Why not talk to her?"

"She already rejected me yesterday…"

"Oh for God's sake,"

He didn't want to be here at all, but Himuro had insisted. So the giant had been called upon for moral support while his unfortunate team captain ran around hitting on every girl in sight. Currently, they were on day three of their little "mission".

It was not going well.

Okamura was a true, unrivaled failure at picking up girls. It was well past painful to watch; it was almost awing. The purple haired giant had never witnessed someone be consecutively rejected so many times in so many different ways; he had to be breaking some sort of record. Watching Yosen's gorilla-of-a-man basketball captain fail at getting a single girl to consider going on a date with him was surprisingly educational. For instance: just because you're the captain of the school's basketball team does not mean girls will be interested. Another: being tall and strong did not automatically make you a contender. Third: Okamura was only a self-proclaimed ladies' man (not that Murasakibara hadn't known that already). Fourth: Yosen's basketball team made for both horrible wingmen and terrible moral supporters.

"I hope you guys are taking notes," Fukui comments, "because our captain is the perfect example of exactly everything you should not do when talking to girls."

"Even I'm offended just watching him," Himuro murmurs in agreement.

Their captain dejectedly makes his way back over to his teammates, metaphorical tail between his legs. "I guess they aren't biting today,"

"Dude," Fukui says flatly. "Girls ain't fish." Liu nods.

Himuro looks thoughtful, "Maybe you just need a new tactic." He suggests, the only one bothering to be somewhat supportive.

"Yeah, yeah," Fukui cuts him off, waving his hand dismissively. "But I was thinkin'; I know what kinda girls you and Muscle Gorilla here like, but," he turns to Murasakibara, "what about our lazy ace here?"

The center blinks, head tilting to the side. "His kind of girl"? Was Fukui asking for his "type"? Well, the joke's on him. Murasakibara doesn't have a "type", per se, more like he's pinning after one specific person.

But even Himuro looks curious, so Murasakibara decides it would be okay to humor them a little. "Someone who gives me snacks," his disinterest in the question rings clear in his tone. Fukui makes an irritated noise.

Himuro decides to step in before Fukui snaps at the petulant underclassman, "He's trying to ask what you look for in a girl, Atsushi, not what you would want her to do for you."

The purple haired male sighs. "What does it matter?" Why is it any of their business?

"It matters more than you think," Fukui insists. "You don't wanna look like some jackass who thinks any girl's fine, as long as they buy you candy." He crosses his arms, looking the younger boy up and down. "I know today wasn't the best representation of how to treat girls. Captain isn't exactly adept in how to treat people he wants to like him or respect him. But you shouldn't leech off of people and lead them on. If someone really wants you to like them, they won't mind giving you treats to sway you. If you date someone just because they give you candy you like, and not because you actually like them, you'll end up hurting them."

Murasakibara is quiet for a moment, contemplative. He thinks about Kise, what he likes about Kise. Yes, Kise gave him lots of treats, especially when he wanted something in return, but there had been a lot of instances where the blond just gave him snacks for no real reason. He appreciated that, yes, but that isn't the only thing he likes about Kise. He likes how bright Kise is, how positive he is. His general disposition is light and cheerful, whereas people like Midorima and Aomine are heavy or dominating. Unlike the rest of their ex-teammates, the blond never tried to change anything about Murasakibara. Kise could be annoying, true, but he never meant any harm. And that isn't even mentioning the physical attraction the center feels for the other.

He focuses on Fukui again, giving him a lazy shrug. "You don't have to worry about that." The other Yosen student must find something genuine in his words, as he nods and drops the subject

Suddenly, the purple haired giant feels his phone vibrating in his pocket. He languidly pulls it out and flips open the small device to see who is calling. With mild surprise, he realizes it's Kise.

He answers the call and lifts the phone up to his ear. "Hello?"

"Is Himuro with you?" Kise's voice rings out from the tiny speaker, tone hurried and borderline frazzled. "I need to talk to him, and I don't have his number, so…" He trails off expectantly.

Murasakibara glances at his teammate standing beside him. "Muro-chin's here." He says simply. Himuro looks up at the sound of his name, but Murasakibara doesn't do anything to acknowledge him.

There's a slight beat of silence before Kise speaks again. "… Can I talk to him, please?"

"I guess." He shoves the phone towards the dark haired teen. "It's Kise-chin." He clarifies when Himuro stares at him in bemusement. If anything, the information just makes him seem more confused.

"Um, hello?" He answers tentatively.

It's silent on Himuro's end as Murasakibara tries to listen in on the conversation. He can faintly hear Kise's voice through the small speaker, but it's not loud enough for him to pick out any words. He can gather that the topic isn't really something the dark haired teen beside him wants to hear, however, as Himuro's face pales and his pleasant expression cracks. "I'm sorry, you want me to what?"

The conversation isn't long, and concludes with Himuro quietly agreeing to meet somewhere. He hands the phone back over to Murasakibara. The younger teen eyes him curiously as he presses the phone to his ear. "Ne, Kise-chin, did you really call me just to talk to Muro-chin?"

"Sorry—I don't really have time to talk on the phone right now. But you'll come with Himuro-kun to see me at the studio, right?"

The purple haired giant glances at Himuro questioningly. "I guess." He answers.

"Great! See you soon!" Kise hangs up.

Himuro smiles, "I guess Kise wants us to… come see him while he's here in Akita." He explains, "You don't mind, do you?"

Murasakibara shrugs. There had to be more to the request, considering how Himuro had reacted. He doesn't question it, though, and listens as the raven continues to explain what Kise had told him. Apparently Kise was here to film for a commercial. The company had been very adamant about the blond's involvement in their new product's advertising, as they'd worked around many, many reschedules just to accommodate Kise. It still seems as if the older teen is keeping something from him.

"So," he says, wrapping up, "Do you want to go? Kise said there'd be free snacks," As if he needs to be enticed to go see Kise.

"Sure," he replies simply, and with that, they part from their upperclassmen and make their way to the directions Kise texts Murasakibara moments after the call. On the way, the giant tries to piece together why Kise had needed to talk to Himuro instead of him. Maybe Kise felt as though Himuro would better convince Murasakibara to come see him. He remembers the numerous times he'd passed off Kise's requests, either because it sounded boring or he simply didn't want to. Back then, he'd seen Kise nearly every day. Now, however, they rarely see each other at all.

The place isn't too far from their current location, and a quick bus ride is all it takes to get to the studio. The building's outside appearance is more modest than Murasakibara anticipates, but it's not unattractive. Contrary; the sleek and clean, yet rather plain is more inviting than something more glittery and fashionable.

Himuro leads the way inside the building, quickly walking up to the front desk. Murasakibara hangs back, lazily taking in the scenery. The inside décor feels rather impersonal, at least compared to what he might have been expecting. The color scheme is a simplistic white, gray, and black combo, the only splash of color being the woman behind the front desk, and even she isn't wearing much color.

After talking with her, Himuro walks over to his teammate. He hands him a black lanyard with a rectangle badge. "Someone will escort us to the studio." He says, slipping his own badge around his neck. "Have you visited Kise at work before?"

The giant shakes his head. "Too troublesome," he drawls. "It was never worth it when I already spent most of the school day with him."

Yosen's shooting guard winces slightly before offering a weak smile. "I guess we're in the same boat, then." Murasakibara doesn't understand the other's anxiety, so he simply shrugs.

It doesn't take much longer for a security guard to arrive and escort them into the elevator and up to the studio Kise's photo shoot is in. The walk there is silent. Murasakibara can read the nervous energy radiating off his teammate, even if the other does his best to hide it. He's curious enough at this point to inquire, but the elevator dings, signaling their arrival, and he supposes he'll get his answer soon enough.

The security guard hovers as an assistant working on the set leads them to where a woman the giant recognizes as Kise's manager and a man he doesn't know stand.

"You're Himuro-san, I'm assuming?" Kise's manager addresses the shorter of the two, appraising him with her eyes. "I'm Ichinomiya Kaori, Ryouta's manager."

He nods. "Himuro Tatsuya, nice to meet you."

The unknown man looks over the both of them in approval. Murasakibara narrows his eyes in confusion. "I'm glad you could show up on such short notice." He says. "My name is Mizushima Takuma. I'm the Promotional Director for Gaokin." This peaks Murasakibara's interest. Gaokin was one of his preferred snack companies. "We've been wanting Kise-kun specifically to advertise our new line of snacks, but he's been rather hard to pin down." Mizushima laughs good-naturedly. "We've already done the photoshoot, and we're filming the commercial today. We were scheduled to film it last week, but Kise-kun was sick, so we obviously rescheduled. Unfortunately, the other model can't make it. That's where you, Himuro-san, come in."

The cogs in the giant's head begin to turn, and he looks down at his companion. "Ne, Muro-chin, you should have just said you were helping Kise-chin."

Himuro's face goes red, and Yosen's center thinks this might be the first time he's seen the other so flustered. "I wasn't sure that was what Kise was calling about." He says, but Murasakibara knows that's a lie.

Kise's manager nods. "We'll get you in hair, makeup, and costume, then you'll be read to go. This shoot is rather simple, and you'll only have one or two lines. Ryouta will be doing most of the work."

Speak of the devil, following her statement is an enthusiastic call of, "Himuro-kun, Murasakibaracchi!" and Kise rushes over, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so happy to see you guys!"

Both Murasakibara and Himuro take a moment to process what the blond is wearing before speaking. "Kise-chin, why are you a tiger?" Kaijou's small forward is dressed in a loose-fitted, orange-and-black onesie sporting a hood with rounded cat ears. There are thin black streaks in what can be seen of his airbrushed-orange hair, and his face is painted to look like a tiger's, complete with whiskers and cat-eyed contact lenses.

Nonetheless, the makeup can't hide the embarrassed blush that rises to his cheeks. "It's for the shoot," he explains. "I'm the tiger, and Himuro-kun will be the leopard." He raises his hands, as if to make a swiping motion with his fingers, and Murasakibara sees he's wearing gloves shaped like tiger paws.

The purple haired teen nods. "You look cute."

He's not sure, but he thinks Kise's face goes even redder. "A-anyway! Should I do my solo stuff now?"

"Go check in with the director." Ichinomiya tells him. "Murasakibara-san, if you don't mind, you can stay here and watch the shoot with Mizushima-san. Himuro-san, if you would follow me," And with that, the woman leads Himuro back to the dressing room while Kise leaves to find the director.

Although he doesn't look at the man, Murasakibara knows Mizushima is silently sizing him up. "Have you ever modeled before?"

"No." Didn't photoshoots have snack tables? If this was a shoot for Gaokin, there should be lots of snacks.

"Have you ever thought about it?"

"No." Didn't Himuro say there was going to be snacks? Murasakibara should have stopped at the convenience store before coming here.

"How long have you been friends with Kise-kun?"

"Three years." How long was this going to take? Murasakibara might have to leave to find some snacks if this was going to take a while. They had passed a convenience store on the way here, right?

"Ah, so you've known him since middle school, then?"

"…" What was with these questions? He wasn't looking to make small talk. The giant decides to cut the conversation by starting one of his own. "Are there any snacks?"

The man nods. "The company supplied some, as well as samples of the new product Kise-kun is advertising. The refreshment table is over there." He points, and Murasakibara walks off without another word.

He finds the table quickly enough, and proceeds to raid the various snacks. When he's satisfied with his choices for the moment, he looks up and sees he has a perfect view of the set. He sees Kise standing on the blue screen set taking directions from the director of the commercial. Kise's eyes are attentive as he listens. Murasakibara isn't used to seeing the blond look so focused off the basketball court. The director walks away, and Kise looks over at where Murasakibara is. He smiles brightly, and the purple haired giant offers a wave in return.

Kise's solo shoot doesn't take long. He doesn't have many lines, and he's able to perform them without needing many retakes. By the time Himuro returns, Kise has almost finished his solo scenes. Himuro approaches Murasakibara. His costume and makeup are similar to Kise's, simply re-patterned to look like a leopard. The shooting guard still sports his signature hair style, however. Murasakibara absently wonders if the other had fought to keep his hair like that, or if his hair simply refused to move.

The dark haired teen smiles sheepishly. "How ridiculous do I look?"

Murasakibara shrugs. "Not that bad," he says. "Your hair doesn't really match, though."

"The stylist said she liked it… and that she didn't have time to do anything with it." Ah.

"Are you nervous?"

"Maybe a little bit," he admits.

"There's nothing to be nervous about!" Murasakibara turns and sees Kise walking over. He's smiling reassuringly as he moves to Himuro's side. "This shoot won't be difficult. Besides, I'll be there to help you out."

"Ryouta, Himuro-san," Kise's manager calls out, gesturing them over. Kise grins, grabs Himuro by the wrist, and pulls him over to the set.

As far as the shoot goes, it takes Himuro a while to get comfortable. Kise easily gets into his role, enough for Murasakibara to realize maybe Kise did have some acting skills. Himuro seemed to struggle with feeling embarrassed, but once he ditched those inhibitions, the scenes went rather smoothly. Nonetheless, they do several takes. Admittedly, it's quite boring. If he's honest, the giant is a bit disappointed with the subject of the commercial. Snacks were always good, yes, but the costumes aren't especially… to his liking. He would have liked it better if Kise's costume was more form-fitting, and showed off his impressive figure. Murasakibara wasn't one to think about that sort of stuff, but it's a little hard not to when he can imagine what Kise looks like under the loose costume.

He looks up from admiring the other's form and meets Kise's gaze. The blond gives the Yosen center a teasing smile, and Murasakibara cuts off that line of thought as effectively as he can. Instead he busies himself with the snack table.

"Himuro-san is doing a very nice job," Murasakibara notices Mizushima beside him, blinking dully in reply. "Of course, Kise-kun is making it pretty easy for him. He's very good at what he does, ne?"

"Mhm…" Murasakibara didn't pay much attention to Kise's modelling jobs in the past (unlike Aomine), so he can't really answer. But from the little that had been forced on him and what he'd seen today, he understood why the blond was so popular. His gaze roams back over to the stage, definitively not making a displeased face when he sees Kise drape himself over Himuro's shoulders.

"Ryouta is a professional." Kise's manager speaks up, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "He'd likely be a lot more successful if he didn't let basketball distract him."

"He'll realize soon enough what's more important." Mizushima replies flippantly. "They always do."

Murasakibara frowns. "Basketball is important to Kise-chin." He refutes, not liking the way they casually dismiss something so central to the blond.

"For now," Ichinomiya agrees. "Ryouta won't stay with it forever. I'm surprised he's still playing." She sighs disinterestedly before walking back over to the set.

Mizushima peers at the teen with curiosity. Smile intact, he calls for a short break. Kise and Himuro are quick to rejoin the purple haired giant. Yosen's center wants to say something, but he can't get a word in as Kise continually praises Himuro over his performance so far. The raven haired teen doesn't accept the compliments, instead watching Murasakibara's reaction. The giant frowns lightly in irritation. When Kise pauses to take a breath, Murasakibara shoves a maiubo in the other's mouth. "Kise-chin, you're being too loud." He's not, at least not in comparison to how he usually is, but Murasakibara doesn't appreciate being ignored.

Kise stumbles back a step, surprised. He manages out an apology around the maiubo still in his mouth. He removes the snack, obviously not planning to eat it. "You could have done just said so, Murasakibaracchi." The blond grimaces, looking a bit hurt. The giant pats his hood-covered head in apology. The blond swats his hand away, "Don't touch the hood; you'll mess my hair up!" He whines, though there's no real annoyance in his tone.

"Ah, but it's so soft," Murasakibara comments, trying to tease the other. Kise pouts.

Himuro watches the exchange quietly, an absent smile on his lips. "You two are so childish." He comments. Kise is quick to protest, but Murasakibara doesn't do anything to refute the statement. Instead he takes the opportunity while Kise is distracted to pet his head again. The blond makes a noise of disapproval, but doesn't bother to do anything about it.

"So what do you think of the shoot so far?" Kise asks, changing the subject.

"Eh, the snacks are good."

Kise pouts. "And the shoot itself?" He prompts.

The giant shrugs. "It's fun, I guess."

The blond deflates a bit. "You 'guess'? That's not very convincing, you know!"

Murasakibara's head tilts to the side in thought. He wonders if it bothers Kise that none of his friends expressed any interest in his modelling. "I didn't know it took so much time and work for a commercial."

"Of course!" Kise agrees. "It's important to get the best shots possible." He looks pleased enough that his efforts have been recognized. "What do you think, Himuro-kun?"

"Well," Himuro offers a smile. "It was a bit awkward at first, but it's fun. I admit, though, that I can't wait to get this makeup off."

Kise nods sympathetically. "It gets annoying after a while. But I don't think we have much more to do."

"I hope so," Himuro glances towards Murasakibara, an unreadable look on his face. Kise only smiles in reply.

Murasakibara finally lets his hand fall from Kise's head, careful not to pull the hood down. As soft as the hood is, he thinks it would be better to pet Kise's hair instead. "Good. I wanna go home soon."

"Himuro-kun," The three look over to see Kise's manager approaching. "We just have your solo scenes left. Ryouta, I'd like you over here as well."

"Ah, I guess I'll be back," Himuro walks back towards the set. Kise waves to Murasakibara as he leaves. The giant sighs. Honestly, this is the first time he's felt this annoyed at being left alone.

Thankfully, the shoot wraps up quickly enough (though not as quick as Murasakibara would prefer). Kise and Himuro were sent to the dressing rooms to take off the makeup and change back into their own clothes. Murasakibara had decided to wait until they came and found him, but he soon grows impatient and searches them out. He approaches the dressing room, but pauses just outside the door when he hears voices.

"You're being selfish." Although muffled by the wall, Himuro's voice is otherwise clear and strong.

There's a slight pause before Kise responds. "What do you mean?"

"You think he doesn't talk to me about you? You realize you're just pulling them both along to your whims, don't you? They're catering to you, and you're not giving any consideration to them whatsoever." Himuro accuses.

"'Catering'…?"

"The only reason we're even here is because you've got Atsushi wrapped around your finger."

"That's not true—,"

"What, do you think he's here for the snacks, the experience? For me?"

"Why do you care what I do?" Kise snaps. "It's not your business. We aren't even close friends. You don't have the right to criticize me like this. Besides, it's not my fault if Murasakibaracchi would rather hang out with me than you."

The giant hears a loud thud, and decides to make his presence known. He doesn't bother to knock as he pulls open the door. The sight that greets him is not one he expected to see. Kise is on the ground, holding the right side of his face. Himuro stands over him, fists clenched, and his head slowly turns towards the door. The other Yosen ace's only visible eye widens in horror.

"Atsushi," he breathes.

Murasakibara ignores him, walking over to Kise and offering him a hand. The blond accepts the gesture, letting the giant help him to his feet. He seems surprised, but otherwise alright. Nonetheless, the giant still asks, "Are you okay?"

Kise nods. "Yeah, I'm fine." The giant nods. The blond looks over at Himuro, but the dark haired teen is staring solely at his teammate. Murasakibara refuses to meet his gaze. "Um, I have to get to the station, but I don't mind if you want to walk with me." Kise says, and Murasakibara can see the way he covers up his lingering discomfort.

The purple haired giant nods. "Sure." He tilts his head back, still not looking at his teammate as he addresses him. "You can go back without me, ne?"

"Atsushi, hold on," Himuro says, his voice stronger this time. Murasakibara looks at him this time, glaring as their eyes meet. Himuro flinches before a hurt look flashes in his visible eye. "T-that's fine," he replies shortly, and Murasakibara pretends he doesn't feel guilty. Himuro deserves it, after all. The dark haired teen forces a smile that appears natural enough and leaves before either can say anything else.

Kise blinks after the dark haired teen until he turns into the hallway and out of sight. He looks up at Murasakibara and offers a weak smile. "I guess we should get going." Yosen's center nods. Kise grabs his bag and they exit the studio.

Although the blond usually leaves no room for silence, he doesn't talk much on their way out of the building. In fact, he doesn't say a full sentence until after Murasakibara asks, "Does your face hurt?" It's starting to swell already. He thinks it might bruise.

Kise gives a short laugh, raising a hand to his cheek. "No, it's alright. I deserved it anyway."

"Muro-chin has a bit of a violent streak," Murasakibara says.

Kise doesn't say anything in response to that, pausing for a moment. "Sorry to drag you into my photo shoot," he apologizes. "That probably wasn't how you wanted to spend your evening."

Murasakibara shrugs. "I didn't mind. It was good to see you again."

Kise gives a slight laugh. "Yeah, I was talking to Akashicchi about how little we see each other now." The center frowns slightly at the mention of their former captain. Besides maybe Kuroko, Akashi was the person he trusted the least with Kise. Although he might argue otherwise, the Rakuzan captain wasn't above breaking his own rules when things came down to the wire. Akashi isn't desperate, but Murasakibara knows the redhead wouldn't let himself get to that state. If Akashi feels threatened, he doesn't hold back.

While he wants to keep the conversation away from their former teammates, Murasakibara is somewhat inclined to see if he can find if Kise likes any of them. The only way to do that is to get the blond talking. "How is Aka-chin doing?"

"He's doing well." Kise answers. "I, uh, was sick the day I went to see him, and so there's probably a lot he said that I don't remember. But he seemed to be doing good." The blond pauses, "He's more like he used to be, you know? I didn't realize how much I missed that." He shrugs, and Murasakibara notices the way his face goes red and he looks away. "Uh, but I guess that's just me missing Teikou. Not that I don't like Kaijou or anything. It's only natural to miss your old team, right?"

"I guess," Murasakibara didn't think about it much. The move from Teikou to Yosen felt like natural progression. "Sacchin said you've been hanging out with Mine-chin and Kuro-chin a lot."

"Well, Aominecchi and Kurokocchi are my best friends." He answers. "And you know I'd come see you more if we didn't live so far apart. Speaking of Aominecchi, I don't suppose you've talked to him recently?"

"Nope." That's a slight lie, but it wasn't as though he and Aomine ever made meaningful conversation.

Kise hums in acknowledgement. "He's been acting…weird lately. Like, clingy and stuff." The blond purses his lips. "I just wish he'd chill out a bit."

Murasakibara takes a moment to consider his words. This could be his opportunity to sway how Kise perceives the others' actions and behavior. He needs to determine the right way to do it. "Maybe Mine-chin misses Teikou."

"Maybe…" Kise doesn't look convinced. But after a moment, he seems to resolve himself. "Yeah, maybe you're right. Kurokocchi and Midorimacchi were kind of acting the same way."

The giant nods. "Mido-chin is trying to grow out of his tsundere personality, and Kuro-chin just wants us to be friends again." Those were plausible explanations for their possible behavior.

Kise nods once, offering a smile. "And what about you?"

"Hm?"

"You've been exceptionally patient today." He explains. "You never come to my photo shoots, and you didn't seem especially interested in the snacks. So I can only assume you had some other reason for being there."

"Ah, I wanted to see you." Murasakibara answers simply. He decides to be open and honest. "I miss being with Kise-chin." Kise's head turns to the side, away from the Yosen center, but the purple haired teen still sees red spread across the blond's cheeks. As much as this was an excuse to dissuade Kise's opinion on the others, it was also an equal opportunity to express his own feelings. "Because I like Kise-chin."

He sees the way Kise hesitate before looking back up at the purple haired center. The blond smiles, and he can't tell if it's genuine or forced. "I miss hanging out with you guys too. We should do more stuff together, ne?"

"I guess," Murasakibara tries not to express his disappointment over Kise misunderstanding what he had said. Kise's current disposition bothers him, however, and so he doesn't bother trying to correct him.

"Mizushima-san seemed interested in you," Kise says. "I know he was impressed with Himuro-kun's work, considering he had never done anything like that before. I'm sure he'll request the two of us for more jobs—and maybe you too." When his expression softens, Murasakibara knows the sincerity has returned to the blond's side of the conversation. "I… I don't want to need an excuse to contact you. But that's hard when you live so far away."

Murasakibara doesn't say anything, doesn't really know what to say. Kise is right, after all, and there isn't anything he can do to change that. They do live a lot farther apart than they used to, and it's hard to find the time to see each other between school, basketball, and Kise's job. And while Kise's job brought them together today, it proved to keep the blond away from his friends more often than not. There wouldn't be many opportunities for them to get together because of chance, or because Kise's agency needed someone to fill in for a shoot. All things considered, it would be relatively impossible for them to hope for something like that to happen again.

The Yosen center doesn't know how to further voice his thoughts. Kise keeps misunderstanding what he's trying to say, so maybe verbal communication isn't worth it. His hand meets the top of Kise's head again, resting in golden strands of hair. Amber eyes look up at the taller teen.

"It'll work out," the giant promises quietly. Kise nods, glancing back down at the ground. The taller teen's large hand falls to the other's shoulder, and he can feel the way Kise's frame shudders as the blond pulls in a deep breath. "Ne… next time Muro-chin visits Kaga-chin, why don't we meet up too?"

A laugh pulls from Kise's chest, and he stops walking. He looks up at Murasakibara, eyes thoughtful and bright. "You're being really kind today. Are those candies sweetening your attitude?" Murasakibara only gives him a shrug. Kise grins loosely. "Either way, I'd really like that."

Murasakibara nods. Though his communication and face-o-face contact with Kise is limited in comparison to the others who live closer, it's where his advantage lies. He can give Kise so much now. He can give him so much, only him, whereas the others have already given him what they already give each other.

He keeps his arm around the blond's shoulders, tugging him to keep walking. "Are you sure you have to go? You could just stay in my dorm if you want."

"Haha! Sorry, but I've really gotta get back home. I've been travelling enough this week. Even I need some time to myself!"

"Hmm…" Murasakibara isn't sure how much he believes that. Nonetheless, he knows he can't keep the other any longer. They're already in sight of the train station. He wants to spend more time with Kise, doesn't feel like he's come close to satiating his need to be in the other's presence, but he lets go of Kise's shoulder. "I'll come see you soon."

"I'll hold you to it." Kise answers. "Talk soon, okay? I promise you don't need a reason to text me."

"Right."

Kise smiles, though melancholy softens the edges of his expression. "See you later."

"Wait," He closes a hand around the other's wrist. He reaches down into the bag slung over his shoulder, digging around until he finds what he wants. He places a snack bar into Kise's open palm. "You didn't have any snacks at the studio, ne? This should keep you from getting hungry until you get home."

The Kaijou ace breathes out a surprised laugh, his hand closing around the snack as Murasakibara lets go of his arm. The smile on the blond's face turns fond, any trace of sadness leaving his expression. "Thanks," he says before walking away, leaving Murasakibara to watch him go.

I'm convinced Himuro has anger issues; he punched like two or three people in the anime.
Gaokin is a play on Yaokin, the company who distributes umaibo (which Fujimaki based maiubo off of). "Gao" is the onomatopoeia for the roar of a tiger (or pretty much any animal that roars), so I thought it would be kinda cute. All of this is just an excuse to put Kise in a tiger costume. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
So next chapter might be a Kuroko chapter? IDK. Do you guys want to see more KiKuro moments? I'm not sure that pairing is as popular as I think it is, haha. Actually, I'm very interested to know which pairings you guys want to see more of. Now that everyone's gotten at least a little involved, who seems the most likely to win over Kise's affections?