Heyyy! Well, so this is a sequel to my previous fic "Forever? Forever" If you haven't read it, don't worry, it's just a normal blind Kuroko AU for you then XD I hope you enjoy it, and please tell me what you liked or disliked about it! Thank you for readling and for your support (Especially you, Elena XD)

"The air is cold and the wind is calm and soothing. Some snow fell yesterday, so the streets are covered with a thick, soft, white mat. It's stunning actually; the sunrays are reflected by every frozen corner, making the place incredibly luminous and heavenly. Everything seems so light and gentle, so harmonious and fresh. Almost as if the streets were adorned with cotton and glass, almost as if clouds had descended to the streets. It's beautiful…no, it would be beautiful; if it wasn't for…" The redhead made a pause, and certain blind boy clenched the phone with nervousness, as if he could squish the other's words from it that way "If it wasn't for the fact you're not here"

Kuroko sighed, throwing his tired body onto the bed and giggling softly as he brought the phone to a reasonable distance again. He asked for a description, not for a cheap pick-up line.

"You are so corny" He said mockingly into the device.

"That's only your fault"

He could literally hear the other's smirk through the phone, and he couldn't help but to feel a bit nostalgic. He missed him, he wanted to see him. He had traveled with his family to visit his grandma during Christmas, and she lived on a far away city, separating him from his best friend and lover for an entire week.

'Anyone can find love' Kuroko's granny always said, who at the age of 78 met a man during a trip and decided to get married and moved to live with his prince. And the blue-head couldn't agree more with her words, since he and his Sei-kun were doing more than fine after ten solid years of friendship and a month as a lovely couple. Yes, anyone could find love, even a spoiled blind child.

"I miss you" He suddenly whispered, a bit ashamed of sounding so dependant.

"I miss you too" The other responded with a warm heart, flattered and internally melting because of his precious Tetsuya's sweet words "When are you coming back?"

"Just three more days" He said with a grin "I'll be there just in time to celebrate the new year"

Akashi suddenly brightened up, a pleased expression on his face and a good idea in his head.

"Tetsuya, would you like me to invite you and your family to our New Year's dinner?"

Silence, there was no a continuous answer. Maybe because the words were still half sunk into his dense skull, or maybe because he didn't wanted to acknowledge them. If one thing was for sure, is that it wasn't a good idea.

"Tetsuya…"

"Sei, I don't think that's a good idea" He mumbled, turning his body to the side as he curled on the bed "My family is not as... 'prestigious' as the guests you usually have"

"Don't be ridiculous, it's not like we are inviting the queen of England or something" He said with a bit of frustration, he wasn't expecting to be rejected. "Plus you and your parents have really good manners"

Kuroko sat on the bed, not completely sure yet, since he usually felt uncomfortable in that kind of environment. That people had mansions six times bigger than his own house, limousines that could occupy the whole length of his street and he could bet that their underwear was made of shiny, precious gold. No, there was no way he belonged there.

But, if it was for his Sei-kun, especially since he could hear him pout from the other line, he couldn't deny the offer.

"Ok" He finally surrendered before his lover's pleads "But…"

"But what?" The other bluntly spoke, already savoring victory.

"Had you…had you already told him?"

There was an uncomfortable silence; the question was left floating in the air, as if nobody wanted to catch it, to take responsibility. He knew what it meant, and the blue-head knew the other knew. But neither of them dared to break the silence, until Kuroko impatiently sighted already knowing the answer and Akashi cleared his throat trying to respond anyways.

"I didn't, I apologize" He said with the most serious tone he could pronounce "It's kind of hard, you know?"

Kuroko suddenly felt kind of sorry hearing a tint of sadness in his voice. It was true, he was being unfair, and he shouldn't pressure his lover into that. Both of his parents already knew about their relationship, about two weeks after they decided to date they had a talk with Kaori and Ken explaining the situation and earning their approval. 'He's actually the only person I would ever trust to be by your side' the comprehensive woman said, and it was true. Who would take better care of her son?

But with Masaomi it was a completely different case. The relationship between Akashi and his father wasn't the best, and Seijuurou knew that having a boyfriend wasn't something on the list to make his daddy proud. It would completely dirt the family name, and he was not ready to face the consequences. Not yet.

"It's ok Sei, I understand" He said with a warm smile, hoping the other could sense it through the phone call "I need to go now, I have to ask my parents if we can spend New Year with you"

"Perfect, I'll be waiting for you" There was a small silence, both of them mute "I love you"

"I love you too" And he hanged the phone.

But Akashi didn't, he just stayed there. Hoping that, for some reason, his lover's voice would appear on the line again.

December 31st, 20:30hs. The Kuroko family was patiently waiting outside the mansion. They had knocked at the door several times, but it seemed that the hosts were quite busy. They were all dressing pretty formal, a nice long dress for the lady and identical suites for the gentleman. The only difference was that Tetsuya was forcefully holding to his walking stick, with unstoppable nervousness.

The last time that his whole family visited the mansion, was before Shiori's death, and that kind of brought him shivers. His parents never had a great relationship with Masaomi, and that made him feel rather sorry for making them go to the dinner. But whenever he tried to bring that up as an excuse, they would just reply: "but we like Seijuurou-kun almost as much as you do" and he didn't know if that made it better, or worse.

Suddenly, the door opened a little bit and a red combed mass of hair emerged from the inside. A huge, pleased, excited smile seemed to be trying to escape from under the skin of his face as suddenly as he saw the person he was expecting. The butler was supposed to open the door, but as soon as the younger Akashi saw the blue-head waiting by the doorway, he said he would do it himself.

"Tetsuya" He exclaimed merrily, and after making sure that anyone except for the latter's parents were around, he brought him into his arms.

"I missed you Sei" The other said, responding the hug gleefully, nuzzling his face on his neck. The red head grabbed his face between his hands "Thanks for inviting us"

It was until Kuroko mentioned the word "us", that Akashi suddenly remembered that the other couple was standing there.

"Kaori-san, Ken-kun, welcome" He greeted politely with a bow, relieved he abstained himself of kissing Tetsuya in front of his parents "I hope you have a good time"

The married couple just shrugged and walked inside the house. They weren't even upset, neither uncomfortable. They were completely ok with the situation and they secretly laughed at how embarrassed the kids were when showing affection towards each other in front of them. They found it adorable. Oh, youth was so much fun.

Akashi internally swore, wanting to grab his precious Tetsuya and escape, but then remembering he needed to give an image. He silently closed the door behind them and kindly guided them inside the huge place.

The four of them walked through the mansion until they reached the enormous dining room. Kaori and Ken were amazed; it surely had changed since the last time they were there. It was more glamorous, more decorated…but also kind of cold. It didn't had the plates Shiori painted hanging on the wall anymore, neither the picture of her that used to be harmoniously placed above the fireplace. It was clearly sad, the air they breathed there wasn´t the same any longer.

They spotted Masaomi talking with a group of people, but as soon as he saw them standing there, he approached and introduced them to every other person in the room. Kuroko stiffened, the other presences was so high and noticeable that his senses felt saturated, kind of choked. And he felt crushed, everyone was willing to salute his parents but no one seemed to notice the blind boy.

"This is Sayama-san" Masaomi presented a very fine looking young woman wearing a bright red dress "She's the owner of a very prestigious jewelry store" said woman bowed and grinned arrogantly "And this is Hawara-kun, the manager of the National Bank" Again, the addressed person bent formally.

"And who are them?" Another woman asked, she was wearing a glittering purple dress and her shoes seemed to be made of glass.

"We are-"

"They are the Kurokos" Masaomi interrupted before Ken could even talk "They are just the neighbors"

'Just the neighbors' …the phrase resounded inside Kuroko's head. Again, he felt out of place and completely stepped by elegant high heels and business shoes. He suddenly felt the sleeve of his suit being pulled from behind, and a kind, warm feeling invaded his body as soon as certain someone "accidentally" leaned his body over his so that their arms were touching.

Yes, this was the most intimate thing the couple could do at the moment. Contact their arms, just that. But right there, the blue-head didn't mind. He now felt more assured knowing that his lover was right beside him. And, using the "blind kid" excuse he always had, he grabbed his arm and smiled at him playfully.

"Guide me around, Akashi-kun" He said loud enough for the other guests to hear.

Akashi couldn't help but smile, but then covered his expression with a neutral and formal one, following his boyfriend's game. It was obvious he didn't need to be guided, he knew the mansion almost by heart and he was also carrying his walking stick. The idea was to have an excuse to be together without being uncomfortably questioned and ruining the family reputation. In fact, helping an innocent, poor blind kid was seen as an act of big courtesy by the rest of the guests.

"My pleasure, Kuroko-kun"

Nailed it.

When it was time for dinner, all the guests were offered a seat at an incredibly large mahogany table and were served wine of the most excellent quality, as well as some gourmet appetizers prepared by the mansion's most talented chef. They were all sitting by a huge crystal window that had the beautifully illuminated garden as its main view. Some classical music could be heard in the background if you paid enough attention, and lots of waiters and waitresses were coming in and out of the room with different foods for the guests to try.

Kaori and Ken met another married couple who was also new to this kind of events, so they ended up talking a lot and actually got along pretty well. Kuroko could hear them laugh, and that made him feel more comfortable and in place. He felt Seijuurou grabbing his hand from under the table and smiled. They hadn't seen each other for a whole week, and it seemed the redhead was desperate for affection.

He squeezed the soft hand lightly and rubbed it with his thumb. But soon he heard the sound of high heels approaching the table and he had to let go 'I'm sorry, Sei' He thought 'maybe leter'

"Dinner is ready" a waitress announced. And immediately, everyone had an exquisite plate of food placed in front of them.

Seijuurou could feel his father ogling him with irritation as he ate, and he assumed it was because he wasn't talking with the guests much. So just to make him satisfied and to get rid of his restless stare, he complied and began to chat with the public.

Kuroko was impressed, he always knew that his friend had very good manners and that he had an incredible facility to talk, but he never expected him to be this…popular. Every person in the room seemed to fight for his attention, as if he was god receiving prayers, and his company was divine. Sure, most of this people were his father's compeers, and he knew them since he was young. But it was just exaggerated, as well as his father; both of the Akashi's where the centre of attention.

"Seijuurou-sama! Where are you vacationing this summer?"

"Seijuurou-sama, you new hairstyle looks gorgeous, is it true that you cut it yourself?"

"Are you participating in the next horse race with Yukimaru, Seijuurou-sama?"

It was like that. All. Night. Long. They just wouldn't shut up! And Kuroko didn't even tried to talk, since he knew nobody would listen to him anyways. So he opted to stay quiet and sat on his place, waiting for the new year to come, and maybe from some attention from his own boyfriend.

'What am I even expecting?' He wondered resting his arms on his lap 'He won't even be able to kiss me at 12 o'clock' He sighed and tried not to think about it, all his New Year expectations already dead but haunting his imagination. 'He's too busy for someone like me…'

"Excuse me" a deep, female voice snapped him out of his thoughts "Could you please hand me the salt please?"

He did not know if the woman was stupid, or if she just didn't notice he was blind. People usually understood it at the first instant they met him, so he assumed it was the first option. He faced her, trying to make her understand that he couldn't freakin see where the salt was, but the woman remained silent, waiting.

Kuroko sighed, was he really going to deny the only attention he received the whole night? It was exceedingly awkward but subtly and slowly, he began to wonder his hands through the table. He could feel the lady staring at him in annoyance, so he got nervous and hurried up. But as soon as he touched something, something cold, something made of glass, he knew it wasn't the salt. He accidentally had brushed a cup with his index finger, and almost in slow motion, he felt how the expensive piece of crockery fell to the side; spilling a cold, elusive liquid on the table.

Crap.

"What are you doing?!" The woman blurted out, making the latter feel incredibly uncomfortable and incompetent "You spilled my wine cup, you clumsy inept!"

Kuroko wanted to hide under the table; he didn't know what to answer. What was he even thinking? He always screwed up things!

"I…" He wanted to say something, but he was abruptly interrupted.

"How dense can you be, woman!? He's blind!" The familiar voice of his lover emerged from behind his back "Don't ever treat him like that again!"

Silence; complete and absolute silence.

He could feel everyone's look of surprise, he could feel his parent's gaze of confusion, and also Masaomi's crushing, disappointed stare towards his son. But most of all, he could feel the annoyance in Akashi's voice, and he could perfectly imagine his expression, filled with disgust and rage, totally ruining his image in front of the guests. And it was his entire fault.

"I...I'm sorry" He muttered, grabbing his napkin and trying to clean the mess "I swear it was an accident"

Some hours passed by and Kuroko wasn't having a good time. Akashi had to make up for his rudeness and say sorry to the lady and that left him even more occupied and away from his Tetsuya. The boy felt kind of alone and abandoned, and by the time the dessert was served, he was quietly sitting on the black couch that was placed a few meters apart from the table, trying to retain himself to cause another silly accident. 'I'm such an idiot…' He though while resting his head on the seat. He was slowly starting to feel more at peace, being away from such people, until all of a sudden, a startling noise was heard from outside.

Bang!

"Oh, look! The neighbors are already shooting fireworks!" He heard one of the guests exclaim in delight.

Bang!

Oh no.

"Yes! Let's go to the garden so we can watch them better!"

Bang! Bang!

Please no!

"So beautiful!"

Kuroko started to hyperventilate. Why was he so stupid? How did he forget about the goddamn fireworks!? Oh god, his heart was starting to play a race with the sweat rolling down his forehead, he couldn't stand it. Bang! There it was again…he hated fireworks, he despised them! He couldn't see the lights and the colors, he couldn't appreciate their beauty; so all he had left to experience, were the loud noises and bursts that accompanied them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Also because of his refined hearing, the noise made his ears feel as if they were pinched by a needle, as if they wanted to bleed. During Christmas he travels to see his grandma, and not pyrotechnics are allowed in that area. He hadn't experience fireworks in years, since he was a little kid and had to hold to his mother's skirt and cry.

"Look! Just five minutes for the new year!"

He felt his eardrums pounding, his whole body shaking. He couldn't see the lights so he got incredibly startled by each explosion. The sensation was as similar as being in the middle of gunfire! Was it possible for something to fell from the sky and hit him? Could he get hurt? Aren't pyrotechnics dangerous?

He never liked to admit it, but he was terrified of fireworks.

Bang! Bang!

He covered his ears with his hands as he desperately tried to look for his walking stick. He was alone. He didn't want to bother his parents and ruin the party for them, they seemed to be enjoying themselves…even his mom forgot that he was scared of fireworks. And Akashi…well, Akashi didn't have time for him. So he shakily stood up from the couch and rapidly walked towards the stairs. The last thing he wanted right now, was the other guests laughing at him because he was in panic.

"Three minutes! Just three more minutes!"

"Tetsuya? Tetsuya!?" Akashi asked to every corner, waiting for an answer "Has anybody seen Tetsuya?"

The other guests, for the first time in the whole night, weren't paying attention to him. He looked worried and stressed, he was no fun now. Also they were just a few minutes apart from the new year, they couldn't think much about anything else. Seijuurou wanted him to be there, he didn't want to welcome the new year without his lover. So as he approached every single individual standing on the garden and asked if they knew where his friend was, the answers he got weren't cooperative at all.

"I'm sorry sir, have you seen the boy who I was accompanying some time ago?" He asked as politely as his nervousness permitted, beginning to seriously worry.

Bang! Bang!

"The blind boy?" The rich man answered with disinterest, also in a very loud voice so that the other could hear on top of the earsplitting fireworks "I haven't seen him since dinner!"

But he didn't surrender 'two minutes left' He thought, almost not caring about it anymore.

"Sorry miss, have you seen…"

"What!?" The woman asked him to repeat himself, almost screaming.

"I was asking if you have seen my…!"

"I can't hear you!" She exclaimed, a finger pointing at the decorated sky above her "The fireworks are too loud!"

'The fireworks are too loud' He repeated inside his head 'too loud…' And suddenly he realized 'Oh no'

He ran inside his house in a rush, almost crushing with his father in the process. The man looked at him with disappointment, asking him to return with a stare, but this time his son did not comply. He turned his back to his dad, and entered the mansion to look for his Tetsuya. Knowing, but not caring about, that there were going to be consequences for his behavior.

"20…19…18…17…16!" He could hear the people chanting from the garden.

"15…14…13…12…11!" He searched all around the first floor, in every single corner, behind every sofa, inside every closet, but he was nowhere to be found.

"10…9…8…7" And then an idea suddenly crushed his mind.

"6…5…4…" He run upstairs, toward the direction the latter knew the best, the door he opened the more, the place he spent more time in: his bedroom. Ever since they met, they always hung out in his bedroom. He knew the boy founded that place comforting, he knew he found it relaxing. So as fast as he could he run, grabbed the doorknob into his hand and opened the door to step inside immediately.

"3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

There he was, behind the bed, next to the glass door that leaded to the balcony. He had his hands covering his agonizing ears, his head sunk into his flexed knees. Akashi could see him tremble, breathing heavy, and he felt completely miserable.

"Tetsuya…" He said as he approached him, the other never answering, too concentrated in trying to avoid the explosive torture. The redhead sat next to him and, with no further thinking, hugged him, placing the blue head on his chest kindly and caressing his hair with soothe, soft movements.

"Sei!?" The other blurted out, moving his head to face his companion with a worried expression "What are you doing here!? You must go to…!

"I mustn't go anywhere" He said with his usual, demanding voice "I must stay here and take care of my Tetsuya"

"But…!" Suddenly an extra-loud explosion filled his hears and his mind with panic. He quickly hid his face on his boyfriend's chest, hugging his waist tightly, now wanting to let go.

Akashi smiled, stroking his head and back, enjoying the situation a bit more than what he should.

"I wanted you to be the first thing I saw in this new year, Tetsuya. But not like this, definitely not like this."

"Shut up" The other muttered as he could, his face completely buried on the fabric of his lover's shirt.

The minutes passed by and Kuroko's breathing began to soothe down. He owed everything to his lovely company, he had to admit. Resolving your fears was a piece of cake while being besides him. Nothing was scary enough while he rested in those warm, kind arms, not even the starling bangs of the fireworks, not even the gunfire inside his head.

So as the time went on, and the absence of their voices was giving more audible room to what happened outside, the blue-head began to wonder: 'Why do people like fireworks so much?' He never really asked that to himself, since he couldn't even imagine what they looked like 'Are they worth the scandal the guests are doing about them?' He could hear their voices filled with excitement from outside. Seijuurou's room had a glass door which conduced to a balcony that hanged above the garden, and he could hear everything they said. 'What makes an explosion so special?'

"Sei?" He murmured after a while, making the other hum in response and abandon his state of slumber. "Describe fireworks"

Akashi was astonished, incredibly confused. He grabbed the blue-head's shoulders and made him face him, looking at his inquisitive stare. Those round, big, curious eyes, that although they seemed useless on their carrier, the other found extremely beautiful and rewarding. Because those eyes, those bright, transparent eyes, talked to him. Yes, they spoke even louder than a scream, even clearer than a voice. He could tell how the other was feeling, what he wanted, what was bothering him…all through those two round windows. And now, with that unblinking stare and reflecting the moonlight that entered through the glass, they were telling him that they were hungry, curious, demanding. He always gave that look when he felt left out, when he needed someone to lend him his eyes, when he required an explanation about something. And Seijuurou was always willing to comply. Nothing was more satisfying for him that the satiated look of happiness the other gave in response.

"Fireworks…fireworks look like…they look like magic" He pronounced, not even sure of the answer himself. "They're like far away explosions of color, of shine, of light. They decorate the sky, almost as if it was embroidered with sequins, and whenever you see them, you see hope." Kuroko's eyes wide in curiosity, in wonder "You know that every time you hear their noise, although it may be startling, it means a new start, it means reunion, it means glee. The moment you see the night is sprung with colors and fire is raining from the sky, you began to feel alive"

There was a moment of absolute silence between both, in which only the sound of the fireworks could be heard in the distance, and the laughter and talking of the guests seemed nonexistent. The redhead stared at the other's shocked expression, and he could almost see the image the other had inside his head right now: stunning, dazzling fireworks. He looked so concentrated, as if trying to distinguish good from evil, and with certain glint in his eyes that made him even more delightful.

"Sei" He said after a while, trying to lock his dead stare with his lover's "Can we go watch the fireworks?"

Akashi couldn't help but smile. Of course, of course they could. And although anyone would think it was stupid, it was rare, it was pointless; he knew what the latter wanted. He just learnt that fireworks were something beautiful, something to cherish, and he wanted to seize them, live them, in company of his lover.

So without saying a word, he took his hand and they stood up, heading to the balcony. Kuroko grinned contentedly and followed him outside, just above the garden where the guests were staring at the bright, noisy show. There, the noises were louder and forceful…but not scary, not anymore. He now knew what a gorgeous thing those noises were, and he was going to enjoy them too.

Akashi saw him facing the sky, imagining the scenery, feeling the sounds that surrounded him. He was so special, always able to see beauty, always making everything seem even more beautiful. God, he loved him. He loved him so much, every aspect about him. And he found himself staring at him instead of the lights. He couldn't help it, his Tetsuya was perfect.

He hugged him by the waist, resting his head on top of his, as the other responded to the affection and nuzzled his chest, wrapping his arms around him too. Luckily, the guests were too concentrated on the fireworks and didn't turn to see the balcony, they would have found an even more interesting sight if they did. That was definitely good gossiping material. But fortunately the couple got some privacy, and they stayed like that as the minutes passed by, just enjoying the spectacle and each other's company.

"How did you manage to get over your fear so easily, Tetsuya?" Akashi asked while caressing his arm.

Kuroko smiled, leaning to the loving touch, and answered with the truth.

"Well, I got to understand how fireworks are since I was able to compare them to something else" He responded calmly, facing his lover with red cheeks.

"Oh, enlighten me then" The redhead said, holding the other's face in his hands "What were you able to compare them to?"

"Fireworks are what I feel inside my chest whenever I'm next to you"

Akashi didn't waste any more time and crashed his lips to his lover's, melting them into a sweet, passionate kiss. He continued to caress him softly as the other responded by titling his head and opening his mouth for him, completely surrendering to the effects of his touch.

Kuroko felt his chest on fire, a tingling sensation in his stomach as he felt that sweet, tender mouth molding with his; that warm, soft tongue lancing with his own,;and those firm, careful hands roaming his body. He felt dazzling, he felt hot, he felt as if he was about to explode.

Never in their lives had they kissed so hungrily, so passionately, so lovingly. They felt full, intoxicated with each other, and incredibly happy, as they welcomed the new year with a beautiful, tender kiss.

Kaori and Ken got a bit worried when they couldn't found their son for the countdown, but relaxed when they realized Seijuurou wasn't there either. So they just waited in the garden, surrounded by the obnoxious guests, while toasting and staring at the fireworks. Suddenly, Kaori turned around and looked towards the sky, since she thought she heard something coming from the balcony. What she saw awoke a smile on her face.

"Ken, love" She whispered as she elbowed his husband, trying to get his attention. "Look at that"

The man turned around only to see his son completely tangled to certain redhead's body, kissing him like there's no tomorrow, and looking unbearably content.

At first he was shocked, but he couldn't help but smile too. After all, seeing Tetsuya happy, made him happy.

"Hey, let's leave in a while" He said playfully, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist "If they continue like that they are going to need lube and I don't think there's any open store right now"

Both of them laughed and kept staring at their son on the sly, trying not to call the other guests' attention. Kaori sighed.

"Isn't youth fun?"

Well, that's it! I really appreciate reviews!