Kise nearly melted the first time he saw The Smile.

Kagami- the big idiot- didn't even notice, although he was the one to earn the smile out of the boy after offhandedly complimenting a particularly good pass Kuroko made during a two-on-two between the four of them- Kise, Kasamatsu, Kagami, and Kuroko. Kagami and Kuroko had been playing one-on-one on the court by Kuroko's house when Kise just happened to walk by with Kasamatsu- by which I mean he texted Momoi until she told him where Kuroko would be that afternoon in a totally not stalkerish way.

Anyways, after hearing the compliment and bumping fists with Kagami, Kuroko got this adorable little smile on his face; it was just the barest curve of his lips and the deepening of a dimple to the left of his lips that Kise had not noticed before, but it was enough to get his heart rate up to unhealthy levels.

"Kise-kun, it is not polite to stare," Kuroko mentioned, the smile disappearing, leaving his normally expressionless- although not emotionless- face in its wake. As much as Kise wanted to then tackle Kuroko to the ground and rub his cheek against his and babble about how CUTE Kuroko was and beg Kuroko to give him another one of those smiles, he managed to contain himself because obsessing over it would most certainly not get Kise another one of those smiles.

"Aw, but Kurokocchi is so adorable, how can I not stare? It gives Kurokocchi an unfair advantage," Kise pouted.

"Kise-kun, please focus on the game at hand."

"So mean, Kurokocchi!"

But the game continued until Kuroko was too tired to keep playing and the group split up, Kuroko and Kagami walking toward Maji Burger, Kasamatsu and Kise walking towards their homes with Kasamatsu scolding Kise over dragging him all the way there just to stalk Kuroko and did he know Kasamatsu had his own stuff to do and if Kise liked Kuroko so much why didn't he just date him. Kise provided the required reactions while being lectured, but his mind was more focused on how to get another smile like that out of his Kurokocchi.

The second time Kise glimpsed The Smile was while Kagami and Aomine were playing one-on-one, cursing each other and proclaiming that they were both the best, being arrogant and hot-headed as always.

Even though watching Aomine and Kagami was amusing, especially since one or the other ended up falling on their butt at some point, watching Kuroko's face was much better; the way he tilted his head to the side when one of them did something to try to confuse the other or slightly biting his lip when one of them fell or almost fell or... well, Kise could go on for hours, and he had, mostly to an annoyed Kasamatsu.

The Smile appeared this time because Kagami came the closest to beating Aomine he ever had and the two started squabbling immediately after over whether Aomine truly was the only one who could beat Aomine- per usual. Kuroko was oblivious to Kise's staring, or he chose to ignore it, although Kise guessed it was the former because The Smile didn't seem to appear when Kuroko knew others were looking. But there it was again, making his eyes sparkle and sending Kise's heart rate through the roof. He could barely contain himself; with that smile, Kuroko could become a total heartthrob.

Too bad it was about as common as Kagami beating Aomine in a game.

And when it appeared, it wasn't for nearly long enough.

"Oi, Kise, stop with your staring and get over here." Kise blushed bright red, annoyed at being caught by none other than Bakagami, and reluctantly agreed to closely ref a rematch between the two because Kagami was convinced he would win if Ahomine would just stop fouling him constantly. When Kise finally glanced back at Kuroko, the boy's face was clear of amusement and he was absorbed in some book. Kise suppressed a sigh and tuned back into the whining of the Two Idiots.

"Ne, Kurokocchi, go on a date with me."

Kuroko didn't even bother looking up from his book. "No, thank you, Kise-kun."

"But, Kurokocchi," Kise whined, dragging out the syllables of the other boys name.

"Kise-kun," Kuroko's gaze flicked up from the book, annoyance obvious in his beautiful blue eyes. "Please do not make such silly proposals."

Kise had tagged along with Kagami and Kuroko on one of their outings to Maji Burger- Momoi really was a saint- and Kagami seemed too absorbed in devouring a platter of burgers to care what Kise was saying. "But, I want to go on a date with Kurokocchi!" Kise pouted.

"Kise-kun, whining is not attractive."

"Aw, you're such a meanie, Kurokocchi!"

"You are still whining, Kise-kun. What if your fans saw you?"

"Ne, I'm cute no matter what, right?"

"..."

Kise dragged his eyes from Bakagami's disturbing eating habits to see Kuroko, blank-faced Kuroko, blushing slightly.

"Kise-kun should not ask such things; vanity is unbecoming."

"But that's not a denial... does this mean Kurokocchi thinks I'm cute?"

"...I never said that."

Kise whined for a while longer and, eventually, Kuroko put down his book and gave Kise his full attention. All the while, Kagami tuned them out in favor of shoving food into his mouth and occasionally taking a swig of his soda.

Kuroko sipped his milkshake, both hands wrapped around the cup, looking adorable- as always. "Kurokocchi is so cute!" Kise enthused. "Eh, Kise, stop with the lovey-dovey; some people are trying to eat here." Kagami groaned, stuffing another burger in his mouth.

"Ba-bakagami!" Kise yelped, his face flushing at the accusation, which was kind of true, but still. Getting called out on it by half of the Idiot Duo was enough to piss anyone off, especially because Kagami was usually so oblivious. "Eh? Who you calling baka, baka?!" Kagami barked, his own face flushing red.

Kuroko watched the boys fight- irritatingly loudly- as he finished off his milkshake. Then, without either of his friends noticing, The Smile graced Kuroko's face.

And, this time, it was directed at the one who so desperately wanted it.

Stupid Kise, Kuroko thought.

At least the Third Idiot had the next few years to figure it out.

The Smile was always meant for the dummie who was watching.