"Do you know about Polaris, Tetsuya?"

"The North Star?"

Akashi nodded, a ghost of a smile glossing his lips. "Correct."

Kuroko dropped his gaze. He ran though the information in is brain, hoping to remember what he had read about that star (he was smart, he would prove that to Akashi). "It's on the constellation Ursa Minor... Right?"

"Correct again." Akashi pointed to a group of radiant points in the sky. "That's Ursa Minor. Polaris is the brightest one. Can you see it?"

Kuroko stared blankly at the night sky. He vividly remembered the first time he really gaped at the black sheet above them, trying to sketch it. "Yeah. It's pretty."

"Mhmm," Akashi agreed. "The star also went by a few other names in early times. The Greeks called it Cynosūra, meaning 'the dog's tail.' It was referring to the entire constellation of Ursa Minor, which in their opinion resembled a dog rather than its modern counterpart." Every syllable rolled off his tongue naturally, like honey from a jar.

"Wow, Akashi-kun," Kuroko praised, "you know a lot about astronomy."

A light laugh (a flutter in his heart), "Well, I did study it at one point."

"Really? Did you want to do something in that field?"

"No." The redhead breathed in the cool air, pausing. He glanced at Kuroko before focusing again on the stars. "I just decided to learn about it."

A frown stretched across the blue male's face. He was confused. "Why?"

Akashi shrugged. "I need to know everything."

It was curious that Akashi had decided to say 'need' rather than 'want.' Kuroko contemplated this fact for a while. He knew the man had hailed from a rather prestigious lineage, but we're they perhaps too powerful? So desperate for greatness and perfection that they would push so many priorities onto their son without batting an eyelash?

(He was probably just overthinking.)

They stayed out later than usual that night. It was nearly midnight when Kuroko and Akashi decided it was time to part. They spent their night talking of nothing. Asking questions that led to no topic and no insight into each other.

"How big do you think the universe is?"

"It's infinite, isn't it?"

"Tetsuya, one usually doesn't respond to a question with another question."

"Oh, sorry."

And their time continued until another minuscule statement was said. Though many would find such a situation awkward, the two just enjoyed the silent company. Few words were said, yet they felt closer after each meeting.

"Sorry for keeping you out this late, Akashi-kun." Kuroko stood facing the other, dipping his head in a tiny apology.

Akashi shook his head. "No need to feel bad, I rather relish the time I spend here." A dash of pink spread across Kuroko's cheeks. He tried to think of a quick excuse (none came), but before even opening his mouth, Akashi spoke first. "Tetsuya, you have a mobile phone right?"

"Ah, mobile phone...? Well, yes. I do." Kuroko seized the moment and broke eye contact, looking in his pockets for the small device. He willed himself to calm down.

"Good, let's exchange numbers." Akashi pulled his out in a single, quick moment (unlike Kuroko, who was still clumsily fumbling for his). "I'm going to be a bit busy this week, so it'd be easier to call and tell you I won't come rather than stand you up completely."

Kuroko's hands finally felt his phone and he whipped it out. "Oh, alright." His face shamefully burned. Though it was a insignificant moment of ungracefulness, he's not usually like this.

His mind feels jumbled.

As Kuroko neared the park, he felt a vibration in his pants pocket. He quickly took out his cell and checked his messages (subject: I'm sorry, I'm busy tonight).

A heavy feeling took over him as he closed the screen. He turned around and went back the way he came. Maybe he could just grab some food with Aomine instead.

July faded into August. The change brought along a new moon and new tasks. Kuroko had to text Akashi for the first time and cancel on his accord. They switch to calling after sharing a few messages.

"No, I understand." Akashi's smooth tone carried even in phone calls. "It's your friend's birthday. It would be rude to miss it."

"I'm sorry."

"Tetsuya." Kuroko wondered what expression Akashi was making on the other end. "Stop apologizing. It's fine, really."

"Are you sure?"

"My, my, are you really attached to my presence that much?"

Even though the other man had no way to possibly see him, Kuroko still furiously kept himself from blushing (good practice for when they do meet). He replied quickly, without thinking, "One doesn't usually respond to a question with another question, Akashi-kun."

There was a pause on the other end. Kuroko stifled a soft gasp, afraid maybe he crossed the line. That was until he heard the sweet sound of laughter erupt in his ears. He lost it then, turning red from his nose to his ears.

(Ah can you feel it...)

"Happy Birthday!" Rang a chorus of people as Kagami blew the candles in his plate. Cheers and applause followed as the small crowd saw all the flames extinguished.

The party continued for most of the night. It was a causal outing with only a tiny number of people, but it still held a joyous, exciting atmosphere. Kuroko melded into the feeling, but there was a small part of his mind still wondering, wondering, wondering.

"Oi, Kuroko!" Kagami snapped his fingers in front of his best friend's blank face. "Oi!"

"Eh?" Kuroko flinched, craning his neck to meet the other's eyes. "Yes, Kagami-kun?"

"You're spacing out, you don't wanna get left behind, do you?" A few snickers were exchanged. "Sometimes your hard to see. You're just lucky that I'm so use to that."

Kuroko frowned and crossed his arms. "Kagami-kun is such a mother hen." Kagami, in response, gripped the bluenette's head and squeezed tightly. "Ow, ow, ow. It hurts, Kagami-kun, it hurts."

It was getting late. Most of the guests had already left, bidding Kagami one last, "Happy Birthday!" before heading home. Kuroko silently made his way to the door, hoping to use his low presence to sneak out.

Unfortunately, he was swiftly pulled back by his shirt collar. Monotonous eyes met eyes of a tiger. All those years on the court made the larger man much more receptive to Kuroko's antics. "You stay."

He sighed in frustration. "Maybe I'll steal back my present while I'm here." Kagami frowned and rolled his eyes, unaffected by the lax statement.

When everyone was finally gone, Kagami easily picked up Kuroko and placed him on his couch. The smaller male kept an unamused pout on his usually unexpressive face. Kagami pulled out a folding chair and sat across from him. They stared at each other, unrelenting, until Kagami spoke, "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"What's up with you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

Kagami groaned and ran his hand though his hair. His face read that he knew this was going to turn into a long, difficult night. "You're usually on top of things. Tonight, when everyone was singing, you were staring at the wall in a daze. When everyone was heading out to Maji Burger, you lagged behind, and I had to pull you with us. When Kise accidentally popped all those balloons and got us kicked out, you stayed behind. I don't even think you realized we were all gone until I called you."

Kuroko blinked. "So, you're upset I was distracted during your birthday?"

"Don't twist this around, you bastard!" Kagami snapped, annoyed. "What's going on?"

"Nothing... Kagami-kun really is like a doting mother."

"I'm gonna let that last comment slide." Kagami frowned. "Come on Kuroko. I heard about your Japanese history grade."

"Kagami-kun really is like a doting-"

"Don't fucking repeat yourself!"

"Kagami-kun, please refrain from swearing."

The tall male threw his hands up in exasperation. Kuroko may seem polite to some, but he really did know what buttons to push on others. "Kuroko-"

He was swiftly cut off by the vibration on the blue haired man's cell. Kuroko couldn't be more relieved. He answered quickly ignoring the daggers Kagami was staring at him. "Hello?"

"Sorry for calling so late, Tetsuya." Never mind. The situation went from bad to incredibly worse now. "But I'm going to be extremely busy again tomorrow. I thought it would be better to call sooner than later."

Kuroko began to sweat (call later, call later). "Oh- erm, thank you."

"By the way, how was the party? You had fun right?" Kagami was now sitting back in his chair, obviously soaking in the conversation (please, call later).

"Ah, yes. Thank you for asking."

"That's good-"

"I apologize, Akashi-kun, but I have to hang up now. Goodnight."

"Oh, okay. Goodnig-" Kuroko quickly closed the phone and averted his eyes from his worrisome friend. He fidgeted in his seat.

Kagami just raised one of his (weirdly-shaped) eyebrows. "Akashi-kun?"

Kuroko spent the following evening alone in his dorm. He sat on his bed, absentmindedly mixing colors. After a while, his store-bought blue had morphed into an unsightly brown. He sighed as he threw out the palette, unsure why he just wasted the paint.

His eyes traveled over to Akashi's half-finished painting. He could just easily look up a reference on his computer and finish the stupid thing, why didn't he? He could use the same excuse over and over again; It's not the same.

But who really cares? He liked his time with Akashi. It felt wrong for it to come to an end so quickly. Kuroko didn't want their time together to turn into a fleeting memory, forgotten in the redhead's grand life.

(... the seed that which had grown into affection? I wonder how it will die?)

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko spoke softly into the speaker. "How are stars made?"

"Well, Tetsuya, stars form inside relatively dense concentrations of interstellar gas and dust known as molecular clouds. These regions are extremely cold, ranging from temperature about 10 to 20 kelvin, just above absolute zero. At these temperatures, gases become molecular, meaning that atoms bind together to form the physical being." Akashi recited as if reading from a textbook.

"Hmm." Kuroko closed his eyes and let himself saturate the other's voice. "That's interesting."

"It is, isn't it?"

"Hey, Akashi-kun."

"Yes, Tetsuya?"

"Keep talking, I'm listening." Kuroko allowed a light smile spread on his lips. He lied on his bed, staring out of his compact dorm window. "Just talk about anything. How hot is the sun?"

"... The sun is about 5,778 degrees kelvin on the surface. That translates to 5,600 degrees Celsius or 10,000,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The center is much hotter at 15,000,000 degrees kelvin, or . . ."

Kuroko fell asleep to the smooth melody of Akashi's voice.