Kagami-kun roused himself an hour out from LAX, removing his gigantic headphones and blinking myopically around the cabin until one of the nice ladies came over with a hot towel for his eye boogers.

Kuroko, slightly green and with a pounding headache from the ten-hour flight, accepted one as well.

"When's breakfast?" said Kagami-kun, once he'd taken and eaten Kuroko's leftover packets of mixed nuts. He checked his phone for the landing time. "Uh, lunch."

"I'm not sure," said Kuroko, who had been unable to do more than sip at endless tiny cups of orange juice. "Thank you for upgrading me, again." It was a big change from his last and previously only flight, two hours to Okinawa on economy with his family a decade ago. The thought of the four or so seats Kagami-kun would have to occupy in that class had kept Kuroko amused for the third and fourth sleepless hours of the flight.

"Nah," said Kagami-kun, stretching his shoulders into Kuroko's space. "I've got so many miles, they just sit around all the time. What's the point of even booking on the same flight, otherwise?"

"True," said Kuroko. He looked at his phone again, rereading the last email from Kiyoshi-senpai for the thirty-third time.

"He's gonna be there?" said Kagami-kun, peering at Kuroko's lap. He knew what to expect now when Kuroko wound up staring at his screen.

"Yes, he said he wouldn't miss us," said Kuroko. "And I promised Uncle and Auntie I would help him pack and report on his progress to them, since he is so set on returning before they think he's ready."

"It'll be nice to see him," said Kagami-kun. He attempted to nudge Kuroko meaningfully, but only succeeded in banging his elbow.

"Yes," said Kuroko.

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At the arrival hall, Kiyoshi-senpai greeted them with a smile, a hearty backslap for Kagami-kun, and a head-pat for Kuroko, putting his long fingers through Kuroko's lack-of-sleep-mussed airplane hair.

"It's so good to see you two!" he said. Then he hugged them. Kuroko actually felt himself and Kagami-kun physically lifting off the ground.

"I completely believe he's been taking it easy for this year," murmured Kagami-kun, wincing as he checked his ribs for cracks.

"You are going to have a great time," said Kiyoshi-senpai in what Kuroko thought of as his captain tone. "I can't believe my grandparents got you to agree to spend your vacation flying over here to nursemaid me."

"I uh have to text my dad," said Kagami-kun, as though they were supposed to believe that. He escaped.

"I wanted to come," said Kuroko. He fought the baggage cart, trying to get it to follow Kagami-kun.

"Yes," Kiyoshi-senpai said. "But you really didn't need to. I can pack up myself."

"I want to," said Kuroko, and changed the subject as they caught up with Kagami-kun. "Is Miss Alex meeting us?"

Kagami-kun had produced a pair of sunglasses from somewhere, and they were already firmly on his face. Indoors.

"Yeah!" Kiyoshi said, with a twist around his mouth that suggested the topic had not been dropped. "She's bringing around the car, there wasn't any good parking."

"Alex is driving?" said Kagami-kun. The lower half of his face contrived to express horror. "Why?"

"Of course, it's her car!" said Kiyoshi-senpai. "I… held on and closed my eyes."

Kagami-kun snorted. "That'd make two of you," he said, craning his neck incrementally. He scanned the terminal. Kuroko wondered what he saw up there. With those sunglasses on. "We'll go wait for her, then. Kuroko, get your bag, we can't take the carts out of the terminal."

"I've got it," said Kiyoshi-senpai, lifting Kuroko's bag out of the tangled, twisted mess the airport called their baggage carts.

Kuroko took it back from him when Kiyoshi-senpai would have wandered diffidently after Kagami-kun. "Senpai," he said.

Kiyoshi-senpai looked astounded. "I can handle it, Kuroko, really," he protested.

Kuroko eyed him sardonically. Kiyoshi-senpai had not changed. "I will take that," he said, wresting his own luggage, with difficulty, from Kiyoshi-senpai's iron grip. "Please, lead the way."

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"First things first," said Miss Alex as she pulled them into a parking lot. Kuroko relaxed his death grip on the car window's handle. Kagami-kun, whom Kuroko suspected had had his eyes closed throughout the ride, sat back fractionally. "Taiga, let's get you refuelled."

"Oh fuck yes," said Kagami-kun, and he was first out the door, shedding his jacket and bag in the car at Zone speeds. Kuroko followed at a more sedate pace, lining up behind Kagami-kun and his three trays at the counter.

"And four double-doubles," said Kagami-kun, wearing an expression of incredible satisfaction and apparently rattling off the menu by heart. "What about- sorry, what about you, Kuroko? Need help with the menu? Their milkshakes are pretty good here."

"I guess I'll get a milkshake," said Kuroko. He fixed the cashier with a serious expression to make sure she had noticed him, and began to order in English.

Miss Alex and Kiyoshi-senpai let this continue for almost three minutes before discreetly miming Kuroko's order to the cashier in order to spare his dignity.

"It's not at all like Maji Burger," confided Kiyoshi-senpai to Kuroko. They joined Kagami-kun and Miss Alex at their table.

"It's not," said Kagami-kun fervently.

Kuroko took a sip of his milkshake. "This is incredibly delicious," he said and began to slurp, refusing to put it down.

"I know," said Kagami-kun, his mouth full.

Miss Alex and Kiyoshi-senpai laughed at them. Kuroko caught Kiyoshi-senpai's eye, and examined the new lines at the corner of it, the slightly furrowed ridge of eyebrow, cataloguing the changes in his face.

Kiyoshi-senpai was laughing at him, his contentment leaking out the corners of his eyes. I wanted to, Kuroko thought. He wanted it still, and now.

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Miss Alex dropped them off at a complex of public courts in a park, telling them to get some fresh air and run around while she did some errands. Kiyoshi-senpai and Kagami-kun waved her off in unison.

Kuroko blinked. Now he wished he had sunglasses.

"You'll like this," Kiyoshi-senpai said to Kuroko as they wound through the flora towards the courts. Kuroko kept getting thrown by seeing unfamiliar plants. "I come down here most days after school," he added. "They're pretty good! There's someone I think you guys will really like meeting, he plays here all the time too."

"Kiyoshi-senpai," said Kuroko warningly.

"To watch, to watch," he said, laughing. "I know I should still be taking it easy. I'm already lucky they're letting me go back home to graduate."

"Wouldn't you have to do that anyway?" said Kagami-kun. "Unless you're staying here for college."

"Well, graduation's important," said Kiyoshi-senpai vaguely. "It's a pity we don't have second buttons, I remember there was a big fuss about them at mine."

"Really?" said Kagami-kun.

Kuroko elbowed Kagami-kun. Some of them could imagine why Kiyoshi-senpai would want to graduate with the rest of the third-years.

"Ow," said Kagami-kun.

Several people waved to Kiyoshi-senpai and he waved back.

"Time for a round after those guys?" a boy asked as they passed his group. Kuroko could barely catch the English words, but the way he pointed at the courts and the games going on in them was mistakable.

"Senpai," said Kuroko sorrowfully.

"And sometimes a little pickup game," admitted Kiyoshi-senpai, waving his apologies to his friends. "A very little one."

"How little," said Kuroko.

"Quite little," offered Kiyoshi-senpai. "Or you know, I only play defense. Or Horse." He twinkled. "Don't tell Riko."

"We won't," said Kagami-kun instantly, weak. He scanned the groups with interest, pulling off his sunglasses and sticking them in his bag.

"That's exactly what he wants us to do, Kagami-kun," said Kuroko austerely.

Kagami-kun had the grace to look abashed, but Kiyoshi-senpai continued twinkling at Kuroko, as though he knew the younger boy would never betray him to Coach's wrath.

"Look, there he is!" said Kiyoshi-senpai. "Not bad, huh?"

Neither of them needed to ask to know who Kiyoshi-senpai was pointing out for them. Tall, dark-haired, loose-limbed, he barreled through a knot of other players ferociously, fighting to keep possession of the ball. He did not have a shirt on. He executed a flawless cutaway, leaping to score above the heads of two other players: he made it and a few watching groups spontaneously broke into cheers.

Kuroko was quite suddenly twelve again, standing on the viewing deck of the first-string gym cheering for the seniors playing a practice game. Nijimura Shuuzou, eighteen and still astoundingly attractive, accepted the hi-fives of his similarly un-shirted teammates as his due and jogged back into position.

"-who," said Kagami-kun, his mouth open and his voice rasping on the words. "Who is that?"

Kiyoshi-senpai looked sideways at Kuroko. Kuroko looked sideways at him.

"He's helped me a lot since I came here," said Kiyoshi-senpai, in answer to Kuroko's unspoken question. "Alex said he's been around for a while, too. Do you want to meet him? He plays a mean game."

"I already have," said Kuroko, leaving off the as you already know. "It'll be nice to speak to him again and find out how he's doing."

They both looked at Kagami-kun, who had not closed his mouth. "Do you want to meet him, Kagami-kun?" said Kuroko innocently.

Kagami-kun shook himself out of it and shrugged. "Sure," he said. "If he's Kiyoshi-senpai's friend and knows Alex, why wouldn't we- wait, now?"

"Why not now?" said Kiyoshi-senpai, entering the fenced-off court area. "They'll finish soon."

"Maybe we can get in on a game," said Kagami-kun. His eyes continued to track Nijimura-san's progress along the court, lingering on the golden skin of his back. "It was a pretty long flight."

"Of course," said Kuroko, accepting Kagami-kun's diagnosis that the cure for jetlag was basketball. They watched the game play itself out- Kuroko couldn't actually tell who had won or lost, but both sides seemed happy- and Kiyoshi-senpai hailed Nijimura-san, who smiled and walked over. He put hs shirt back on as he walked, to Kagami-kun's evident disappointment.

"These are the cute juniors I keep talking about," said Kiyoshi-senpai, indicating Kagami-kun and Kuroko with a flourish. "They've arrived!"

"Oh?" said Nijimura-san, looking Kagami over and nodding to him. "I thought you said Kuroko was going to visit you? Didn't he come?"

"Nijimura-san," said Kuroko, politely.

Nijimura-san closed his eyes, with that familiar dammit I was looking right at him expression. "Kuroko!" he said. He examined the younger boy. "You… have not changed. Good job on the Winter Cup last year. And pretty good in the Interhigh this summer, I hear."

"You look very well," said Kuroko. "Yes, our team has done quite well recently."

Kagami-kun was looking between them, and in answer to the question in his eyes Kuroko said, "Kagami-kun, Nijimura-san was my senior in the basketball club in middle school."

"Oh," said Kagami-kun. "...oh. So same as those guys?"

"Yeah, I guess you would know them," said Nijimura-san. "Are they still calling them the Generation of Miracles?"

"Oh, them," said Kagami-kun, a masterly understatement. "Yeah, I know them."

"Those annoying bastards," said NIjimura-san, which was so in keeping with Kagami-kun's own thinking that by the time Nijimura-san revealed he had a passing acquaintance with Himuro Tatsuya and discovered that Kagami-kun had been instrumental in beating every single former Teikou member in at least one tournament match, they were of one mind, murmuring to each other in a mixture of Japanese and English and the occasional curse, laughing under their breaths. It was quite difficult to tear Kagami-kun away, but by then jetlag setting in for them both and Miss Alex came down to the court looking for them. Kagami-kun seemed reluctant to leave, but then Nijimura-san ordered him off to bed in masterly manner that Kagami-kun seemed to find very persuasive.

Kuroko took four pictures. Perhaps five.

"Where are you staying?" said Miss Alex, as they all piled back into her car. Perhaps unwisely, this time Kagami-kun got into the passenger seat.

"Kagami-kun's house," said Kuroko, choking down his yawn.

Kiyoshi-senpai ruffled Kuroko's hair. "I offered my place, but Kuroko turned me down for fancy penthouse ensuites."

Kuroko had seen Kiyoshi-senpai's hostel room on Skype while helping Uncle and Auntie to video chat him several times. "And where would you sleep?" he murmured.

"Sometimes it's exciting to sleep on the floor," said Kiyoshi-senpai.

"There's lots of space at my dad's place," said Kagami-kun. He had replaced the sunglasses, and his head dozed against the windowsill, where he did not have to look forward at the road. "He probably won't even realise we're there. What time do you want to meet?"

"I still have some meetings at the school to transfer stuff," Kiyoshi-senpai explained. "I'll see you after that, if that's good? Whenever you guys wake up, you'll probably need to sleep in."

"Very well," said Kuroko, sleepily. He felt himself dissolving into puddles in the pool of vast blackness that seemed to be the American night sky. He could see Kiyoshi-senpai's head outlined against the darkness in stars, the droop of his eyelids revealing his eyes glinting at Kuroko, catching light.

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They did not return to the streetball court for another three days, caught up in Kiyoshi-senpai's sightseeing itinerary. Kuroko saw through Kiyoshi-senpai's plot to keep them away from his place so that they could not forcibly assist him in his move back to Japan, but he let it go. They had a whole week here. Kiyoshi-senpai's defences would be much easier to penetrate once he had his guard down. He had to admit that it was enjoyable. Kagami-kun had a habit of disappearing with a quick goodbye and catching back up with them at mealtimes, with his own tasks to accomplish while he was here. He had a local's unconcern for landmarks and destinations, and the look of dismay on his face as Kuroko obediently trotted from tourist trap to tourist trap was enough for them to excuse him from most of their outings.

"It's no fun if you're not with someone," Kiyoshi-senpai excused himself, even though he had been here for a year. And it was fun, with him. More than once Kuroko would have moved off, but a hand plucking at the back of his shirt stopped him.

"...can't we?" Kiyoshi-senpai would say, smiling as he held Kuroko's shirt delicately between the tips of his fingers. His eyes would plead with Kuroko for the treat. And Kuroko would acquiesce, and enjoy himself.

Kuroko took many pictures of Kiyoshi-senpai and the place where he lived for Uncle and Auntie, carefully checking the time difference to make sure to send them when they wouldn't be busy or asleep. He sent some to his own grandmother as well, once Kiyoshi-senpai caught the younger boy taking pictures of him and retaliated in kind by capturing Kuroko's candids, the expressions that Kuroko was unaware he was making.

On the fourth day, they met with Kiyoshi-senpai at the street courts to find Nijimura-san there already, engaged to continue the campaign of forcing Kiyoshi-senpai's juniors to enjoy themselves.

Kuroko could only applaud the deployment of such an amoral measure. They folded themselves into an already-formed team, and played four-a-side in rotation with some of the other boys. It was less crowded this early in the day but the play was still ferocious, and when they looked at the time and finally called a halt to their games it was not just Kagami-kun eager for food.

Even though Kagami-kun had had burgers for dinner, supper, brunch and lunch already, his face fell when Kuroko raised an objection to having burgers (yet again) for tea-shading-to-dinner.

"I know a good ramen place," said Nijimura-san. "C'mon, give Kuroko a break."

"It's too hot for ramen," Kagami-kun protested.

"Not this one," said Nijimura-san. "Come along- it's pretty worth it." He jingled car keys at Kagami-kun, instantly commanding his attention.

"Oh," said Kagami-kun. "You drive?"

"Yeah," said Nijimura-san. "It's not far. You'll like it."

"Okay," said Kagami-kun, obediently.

They did like it. Kuroko gratefully ate his dipping noodles, laced with lime and broth, tasting the rich sweet soup on his tongue. He thought that this was where Kiyoshi-senpai and Nijimura-san went, when they wanted to smell of home. And in here, without the constant background buzz of English in his ears, it even sounded like home.

"I hope I'll be able to catch up with the rest of them," said Kiyoshi-senpai. "When I get home."

"Don't listen to him," said Nijimura-san. "He had all the teachers worried he was going to have problems because he was in the hospital so often, bastard took the tests as top of the year."

"I had a lot of time," Kiyoshi-senpai said, shaking his head. "It's not like I could play basketball or go out a lot."

Kagami-kun, mouth mostly full, looked confused and sad at the same time. Kuroko, sipping ice water, kept his thoughts to himself.

It was still relatively early when they left Tsujita, well-fed and satisfied.

"No one left anything?" said Nijimura-san, displaying the habits of well over a decade. "Ready to go?"

"Of course," said Kuroko. "We're all ready to go to Kiyoshi-senpai's place, thank you."

"Right, buckle up," said Nijimura-san, "I already got you guys that stuff you wanted to pack up." He paused. "I mean to go over there and pack Kiyoshi up."

Kiyoshi-senpai frowned at them, affronted and astounded. "You two-!" he said. "How did you set this up? When did you two do it?"

"Senpai, please," said Kuroko. "Of course Momoi-san has Nijimura-san's email address."

Nijimura-san laughed.

Kiyoshi-senpai gave in with bad grace, since he couldn't actually physically block them from entering his rooms. Without a physical altercation. As Kuroko had suspected, their packed itinerary for the past week had completely stymied Kiyoshi-senpai's home packing efforts: boxes lay half-filled or flat on the floor like a cardboard massacre.

"I have it under control," said Kiyoshi-senpai, attempting to gather his dignity.

"Sure," said Nijimura-san. "Kagami, put the boxes down here. Kuroko and Kiyoshi, start sorting out here first?"

"You're staying?" said Kagami-kun, blinking at the older boy, long and slow.

"Looking at this?" Nijimura-san snorted. "I'd better help. I don't have anywhere else to be, anyway."

Three hours and four trips by the delivery boy later, they had made considerable progress, where due to the constraints of space Nijimura-san and Kagami-kun handled boxes in the kitchenette-living room while Kuroko and Kiyoshi ferried junk out to them and packed up the bedroom. The only task left was the actual packing of things Kiyoshi-senpai wanted to bring back, and the things he would continue to use for the four days he had left.

Kuroko's phone rang, and he opened the videocall and held it out for Kiyoshi-senpai to see.

"Tetsuya!" said Auntie. "Is this a bad time? Are you ready? Your message said to use that- that thing, you know, at this time." She caught sight of Kiyoshi-senpai and melted. "Teppei! There you are!"

Kiyoshi-senpai smiled at her, and Kuroko handed him the phone and promptly excused himself to the closet to pull out Kiyoshi-san's folded clothes.

"Be sure to thank Tetsuya properly, Teppei," she said. "He's been so reliable. Such a help to us all this year."

"Yes, Grandma," he said, his voice low and soft and sweet. "I'm so glad he was helping you. It's really been a big weight off my mind."

She beamed at him. "Is it late there?" she said. "I won't keep you talking too long, Teppei. We'll see you soon! Make sure to call before you get on the plane, yes? And when you land, so we can come find you."

"Yes, of course," said Kiyoshi-senpai. He hung up the call and returned Kuroko's phone, the slim shape dwarfed in his giant hands.

"It is very good of you, Kuroko," he said. "I really don't know how I can ever repay you. And then you come out here, just because-"

"I wanted to," repeated Kuroko. His hands tightened on Kiyoshi-san's folded shirt.

I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you. I wanted to hear the sound of your voice. I missed how your head tips down to listen to me, so gently that it's never an insult. Your hands, and the way you smile. I dreamt of never touching your back, and I- I.

"I wanted to see you," said Kuroko, very softly. Raising his gaze to Kiyoshi-senpai's face felt like a confession.

Kiyoshi-senpai's eyes opened very wide for a moment, as though he saw the admission for what it was; Kuroko dropped his gaze again, and busied himself stacking half-filled boxes.

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"I'll come back tomorrow to finish the job," said Kuroko, once the clock hit midnight. "Kagami-kun won't be necessary."

"No you won't," said Kiyoshi-senpai, alarmed.

"Now that we've made a start on things, it would irritate me to go away and leave them unfinished," said Kuroko calmly.

"I wanted to bring you to this food truck I really like tomorrow," whined Kiyoshi-senpai. "Kuroko, you're really disappointing me."

"We can still do that," said Kuroko. "And then afterwards, I'll come here, and continue helping you pack up."

"I feel sad," said Kiyoshi-senpai. "Sad and betrayed."

"Sad and betrayed and ready to come home," said Kuroko. He looked at the half-packed room. "Mostly ready," he amended.

They left the bedroom, Kiyoshi-senpai still making sad noises under his breath, to find that Kagami-kun and Nijimura-san had finished carrying out the trash boxes and stacked up the donate boxes in the corridor, ready to be brought downstairs. Nijimura-san had left, to bring the car around.

"We're done for tonight," said Kuroko. "Thank you very much for your help, Kagami-kun."

"Nah, no problem," said Kagami-kun. "Glad to help."

"You're not welcome," said Kiyoshi-senpai pathetically. "I wanted you guys to have fun while you were here."

Kuroko looked at Kagami-kun. "Ignore him," he said, but Kagami-kun seemed preoccupied.

"Wanna go to the beach after we drop these off?" said Kagami-kun, unexpectedly. "It's really nice this time of year."

"At this time of night?" said Kuroko, surprised.

"He said he'd drive us," said Kagami-kun. He was obviously Nijimura-san, who had clearly not stuck around all night taping up boxes for nothing. Kuroko had sat behind Kagami-kun long enough to recognize the touch of longing, and responded accordingly.

"Of course," Kuroko said. He glanced at Kiyoshi-senpai. "If that's okay with you, Senpai."

"Of course!" said Kiyoshi-senpai, predictably. He looked astounded that anyone would not want to go.

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Nijimura-san and Kagami-kun, predictably restless, walked shoeless down the beach towards some rock formation or other, so that Kagami-kun could show Nijimura-san his favourite surf spots, and draw in close to him in the chilly seaward wind, talking low to make himself heard. Kuroko wondered if anything could save Kagami-kun now.

"We'll give them privacy," said Kiyoshi-senpai comfortably, dropping onto the sand instead of following. His long legs stretched before him, and he patted the sand next to him for Kuroko to sit down.

"Oh, it's from Riko," he said. "I told her you were bullying me by packing up my stuff. She says I should be bullied all the time, with a taser. She promises me there's hell waiting for me in rehab when I come back."

Kuroko laughed. Kiyoshi-senpai was smiling fondly down at his phone, then he folded it up and put it away. "It'll be nice to see Riko again," he said. He looked at Kuroko. "We used to go out, you know."

Kuroko had known, of course. He could not have said how he had known, when he had discovered it, but he had.

"Captain and Coach started dating after we were dropped from the Interhigh," he said. Fact. That was a fact.

Kiyoshi-senpai looked smug. "Of course," he said. "I told Hyuuga to do it." He thought for a moment. "Then I told Riko she had to do it because I didn't think he was going to listen to me. I wonder who did it first in the end? Ah, but it doesn't matter." He smiled even more widely, pleased with himself.

Kuroko chose his words carefully. "You're not… disappointed?"

Kiyoshi-senpai looked surprised. "Of course not," he said. "I knew they were going to be better together. He's a better fit for her, and she's the only one for him."

Kuroko was acutely aware of Kiyoshi-senpai's hand separated from Kuroko's own by less than grains of sand.

"That is very like you," he said. "You always know better when it comes to everyone but yourself."

"Don't I have you for that, Kuroko?" said Kiyoshi-senpai, he smiled. "You're taking care of me so well."

Kuroko's mouth was dry and perhaps, perhaps lulled by the darkness and his nearness and the sound of waves, so close and so far, he leaned towards the older boy more than he had meant to. Whatever the cause, Kiyoshi-senpai took it for an invitation, reaching out to cup Kuroko's cheek in his wide hand, pressing a gentle kiss onto Kuroko's startled face.

Kiyoshi-senpai pulled back and smiled at Kuroko. "Thank you," he said, softly, and so sweet.

Kuroko caught him by his collar when he would have withdrawn further. He sat up by using senpai's shirt as leverage, and Kiyoshi-senpai did not move, so solid. The daring of it swept dizzily through his veins. "Is that all?" he said.

Kiyoshi-senpai grinned. "Of course not," he said, and drew Kuroko down for another kiss.

Kuroko put his arms around Kiyoshi-senpai's neck: as he had devoutly wished for several months now, he buried his fingers in Senpai's hair, crumpling crisp strands between his knuckles, tasting Kiyoshi-senpai's purr on the tip of his tongue.

"That's nice," said Kiyoshi-senpai, coming up for air. Kuroko panted into the space between them. At some point, either Kuroko had crawled into his lap or Kiyoshi-senpai had lifted him on, and sitting on his strong thighs Kuroko felt as though they were anchors in an endless sea.

Kiyoshi-senpai let Kuroko catch his breath on his massively wide shoulder. "Look," he said, staring past Kuroko's head. "This is nice, isn't it? So many stars." He paused. "Maybe so many aeroplanes. They're moving."

"If they were shooting stars, we could make a wish," said Kuroko. He held onto Kiyoshi-senpai even as he sat up and smiled at the older boy. He did not want to let go.

Kiyoshi-senpai smiled at Kuroko. "I already got all my wishes," he said. His eyes were open very wide, as though he saw Kuroko for who he was.

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