Hello everyone! It's BB33 and this is my very first fanfic!

Keep in mind that English is not my first language, thus I'm sorry for any mistakes you'll find in the text.

:3 I hope you enjoy your reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kuroko no Basket nor any of its characters. Also, this is a non-profit fiction, written for the solely purpose of entertaining.

PROLOGUE

TIME: 15:00 DAY: 7/16/20XX

It was a bright summer day of July. The sun was heating up the streets around the city and a warm wind was blowing through the windows of Kagami's apartment. There, the red-haired teen was having a hard time dealing with the hot weather, sitting at the kitchen's table with his face in front of a small fan, the only thing he found in his house to help him cope with the summer. While trying to find some kind of relief, he stared at his shadow's face, that was now full of sweat. Kuroko was drinking his vanilla shake from Maji's, but it was obvious that even the icy beverage couldn't help him with the hot weather.

"Kagami-kun, why didn't you think of buying an air conditioner? I don't think I can go on like this..." The blue-haired guy was sweating a lot, and he felt so weak he could barely talk.

Kagami didn't even look at him, too busy with the fresh flow directed to his face to care.

"...It's too much of a hassle- he said in a bored tone -you need people to assemble and set it, and it requires maintenance, a lot of it... plus, come on! Summer has never been this hot in Japan! It's not like I ever needed one!" He scowled, then he increased the speed of the spinning fan blades. "...Ah...fuck.." Kagami felt like he was going to die right there, slowly melting while his blood would evaporate. He rested his head on the table, trying to rest a bit.

Summer heat sure made him tired.

"Kagami-kun"

"What now?!"

"...you know that's bad for your health, don't you?"

"Uh, excuse me?"

"The cold air blowing straight to your face...it's not...good for you" Kuroko was striving to speak, sipping his now warm vanilla shake through his words.

"What...the hell, Kuroko..?! … I'm too hot to care about that now!"

Maybe it hadn't been that much of a great idea to invite Kuroko over on such a hot day. Kagami had asked him to come to play games and talk about their new training sessions that would start on September: Riko said that practice was going to be twice as hard as it already was, and the two of them should start improving their synchronization and other stuff he didn't quite get (or listened to), but he did understand that she suggested that they spent more time together in order to deepen their friendship, which didn't sound bad at all...except for the damn hot weather.

Kagami was now in a daze, looking at the spinning blades with his sweaty face still rested on the kitchen table. Beyond them he could see his shadow's face and his absent stare. That was going to be a hard day.

"Yo, Kuroko... are you still there?" The shorter boy took his time to answer, then he nodded lightly.

"Are you sure you're okay? You look a bit red" The blue-haired boy now looked really dizzy, so Kagami managed to stand up and he laid his hand on Kuroko's forehead. "DAMN! Kuroko you're burning up! Wait here, I'm getting you some ice!"

Kagami opened the freezer and grabbed an icepack.

"Here you go, pass it on your wrists, on your neck and on your forehead, and go lay on the couch...damn it! What the hell is with today?!"

He helped Kuroko with the ice and made him get up, then gently laid him on the couch in the living room.

"Thanks, Kagami-kun" The boy fell asleep almost immediately.

"Seriously, what a day..."

Tired from the effort and the overwhelming heat, Kagami sat on the small spot that was free on the couch, and he drifted to a deep sleep.

.

.

.

He woke up later in the evening, when his cellphone started ringing.

*RINGRINGRINGRING* (a/n: I'm sorry I don't know how to write a ringtone sound... ^^")

"... … … ..."

*RINGRINGRINGRINGRING*

"...Mhh.."

*RINGRINGRINGRINGRING*

"..Uhm...what...?"

*RINGRINGRINGRINGRING*

"OKAY, OKAY I GOT IT I'M COMING! ..jeez..." He looked at the screen and froze instantly: the call was from his father. He picked up.

"Hello"

"Hi Taiga, how are you doing?"

His relationship with his father was going great. They always made sure to keep in touch at least once a week, and Taiga always told him about his friends, school, the basketball matches and the exhausting practices he had to go through, while the man, that was a famous American company's CEO, talked about his latest achievement in the business field. Taiga's mother, instead, seldom called him, since she was even busier with her job as the sales manager of another great company in the USA. Even so, Taiga wasn't bothered nor offended by it, instead, he understood the position of his parents and made sure not to act selfishly or as a spoiled brat. He knew that they both loved him, and their phone calls were always lively.

Nevertheless, answering his father's ones always made him nervous.

"Hey dad! I'm doing fine now, but today it's been a hard day...it's been super hot since this morning, and Kuroko almost passed out due to the heat. Now it's still hot but it has cooled up a bit. Anyway, these days have been great, practice is as hard as ever, but it's always good to meet up with the team." He smiled and though about how lucky he was, having such friendly and strong teammates.

"What about you? How is work going?" he inquired curiously.

"Actually, it's been going quite smoothly lately, I'm even surprised myself. By the way, this time I called you because I want to tell you something important."

Kagami gulped...what could it be?

"Since your birthday is coming in few days and it's been a while since we last saw you, your mother and I thought about giving you a special present. Do you happen to know the NBA Special Summer Camp? The one that is held every year here in Chicago?"

Kagami widened his eyes.

"Do you mean the one where young players from all over the world go practice for three weeks? OF COURSE I KNOW IT! I've even heard that on the last day of the session some of the actual NBA players would show up!" Kagami had always had one thing in mind: basketball, so he kept himself updated with the latest news from the basketball world, especially NBA ones.

"Well, we were thinking...actually, no: we decided to make you attend that camp as your birthday present, if you want to, of course. And the special news is that we also chose that you can bring a friend with you: we'll give both of you return tickets for the plane, and, of course, the best accommodation at the camp. What do you think?"

Kagami-san could almost feel his son screaming inside, showing that bright smile of his, and, in fact, Taiga suddenly got up from the couch, just as he had been thunderstruck.

He couldn't believe it.

Not only was he going back to the USA (which was great once in a while, because he got to see his parents) but he was going to the NBA camp!

WHAT.

THE.

HELL.

"Dad, it's...it's THE BEST (FUCKING) THING EVER! How did you come up with the idea...I mean...how did you even know..?"

His father giggled on the phone

"Ahahah my dear son, we have our ways to know what you wish for. I'm just happy you are satisfied with your present. Anyway your flight is on Friday the 20th , at 11:10 a.m., so you'll arrive at Chicago at 8:55 in the morning, local time. We'll drop your luggage at home and then we'll go visiting the city and we'll spend the rest of the day together. We'll make sure you will rest properly at night and recover from the jet lag. You'll arrive to the camp on Saturday, Kaito will take you there. The three-weeks period goes from the 21st of July to the 12th of August, although it's a shame not to have you with us on your birthday. You'll leave in the late evening...oi Taiga?"

He chuckled

"Ahahaha don' tell me you were so dumbfounded you didn't get a word of what I said?"

Taiga was just shocked from all the details his father gave him.

He had everything planned. Taiga could almost feel it becoming real.

"Ah, no, I think I got that... Thanks dad, really, and thank mom too." He smiled "I'm really grateful for this opportunity...really."

Kagami-san chuckled again, happy that Taiga enjoyed what he said. He really looked like he was still a kid sometimes.

"Ahahahah! No need to thank us, son! We're glad you liked your present. Anyway, we'll send Kaito to check on you in few days: we want you to wisely choose the one who will accompany you, after all your mother and I have an image to keep, and we don't want anything unpleasant to happen at the camp. That being said, I have to hang up. See you soon!" And he hung up.

Taiga was still smiling at his phone like an idiot. "Wow, that was...something" it was like the heat of that summer day never affected him.

"Are you going to ask Aomine-kun?" Kuroko's voice suddenly brought him to reality again.

"Oh Kuroko, you're awake." He was glad to see his friend was better "How do you feel?"

The pale guy answered in a soft voice "A bit better, thanks, Kagami-kun. Anyway, are you going to ask him?"

Okay, now Kagami was confused.

"Ask him? Who? What? What are you talking about?"

"About the trip for your birthday, are you-"

"Wait how do you even know about that?!"

The shorter boy sighed, "Kagami-kun, you were screaming on your phone, and your father was talking very loudly as well. I just heard it all. Anyway, I was referring to Aomine-kun"

"Don't you eavesdrop on my phone calls, Kuroko...wait... WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"

Just as he heard his rival's name he started panicking inside.

Lately something was changing about their relationship.

After the Winter Cup the tanned idiot had called him to play one-on-one together, and they slowly started getting along, spending more time together on the public courts, and it wasn't unlikely that sometimes Aomine would invite himself over for dinner or to play games with the red-haired rival.

Even so, lately, something had drastically changed in the way that Kagami looked at the idiot. Taiga knew he was gay, after all he'd never shown interest in girls. He had grown conscious of it when he had started to feel an "overly-friendly" attraction to his "brother" Himuro. It wasn't something much more than friendship, but it made sense to him. Nevertheless he didn't think of the black-haired friend as a possible partner, it didn't feel right, plus their friendship was too deep to think of the other as "something more than a friend": "brother" was the right term for it.

Anyway, there was something wrong with the way he felt about Aomine. The idiot would constantly bother him, invite himself over, steal his burgers when they would eat at Maji's, and, of course, he was an ass. But there was something in the way they played together, when they looked in each other's eyes, when it was just the two of them, that made Kagami feel like a complete retard. It was a new feeling to him, like Aomine's gaze could see through him, with his low voice echoing from Kagami's ears to his chest, that signature smirk of his that made him feel like jelly. And he hated it. The idiot made him feel...so vulnerable. But he couldn't stop staring at him, at his perfect body, his hot skin, his sculpted arms, his deep blue eyes.

Oh gosh those eyes.

Sometimes Kagami would freeze on the spot while looking at them, sometimes he would just stare in a daze, lost in that unknown universe. When the two of them were together he felt like there wasn't any need for words. They were perfectly synchronized, like they shared the same brain, and Kagami was sure he wasn't the only one that felt sparks whenever they played a one-on-one.

There was a perfect combination of wildness, electricity, passion, challenge and lately even a mutual understanding that he couldn't just ignore. He knew what he felt for the blue-haired idiot, and he was even scared it could go far beyond a simple "liking". He, in fact, liked everything about the other, even his rude behavior, and recently Aomine was starting to act differently near him, more...considerately, maybe? He didn't know, but one thing he did know was that he couldn't call it just friendship anymore. On his behalf, at least. Even so, he wasn't sure he wanted to become something more than that. Their relationship now was enough to him...maybe.

Anyway, what worried him now was the fact that Kuroko seemed to have understood something. Damn, Kuroko!

"I asked you if you want him to go with you to the USA, Kagami-kun. I know the two of you have been getting along pretty well lately, plus coach Riko said I can't skip practice with the team for a while, since it might happen that I lose my misdirection ability again after our success at the Winter Cup. So it's pretty obvious that you're going to ask him."

"It's true that we kinda get along now, but... I still have to think about it"

Actually, that wasn't a bad idea at all. He might just invite the idiot. Three weeks together with him would be awesome. Plus, it would leave Aomine in a state of shock for a minute or two, after which he would try to keep his happiness from showing with no avail. And that would be so satisfactory.

"Actually, you know what? I guess I'll do just that. Do you mind if I call him now?"

"Sure, go ahead Kagami-kun. I'll go drink some water" Kuroko got up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen.

Kagami typed the number and waited. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance!

…

…

…

"Yo, Bakagami"

Kagami smirked.

"Ahomine"

"What do you want? I'm busy playing videogames so hurry up and tell me. I hope you didn't call for no reason." A digital music could be heard on the backgroud. "Shit! I lost! Damn Bakagami just hurry up, okay?!"

"Fine, fine. I called you because...well it's a long story but do you have any plans from the 20th of July to the 12th of August?"

"Huh?! What the hell? How should I know!? It's a three weeks period, idiot, I can't say! OH FUCK THAT BLUE SHELL I WAS FIRST DAMN IT"

"Just tell me if you have made any plans with your parents, a family trip, a summer training camp with your team,...wait, are you playing Mario Kart? WHAT THE HELL HAHAHAHAHAHA" He bursted out laughing on the phone

"SHUT UP GODDAMNIT. Your laughter is fucking noisy. My little cousin visited me yesterday and he forgot this stupid game. It's been a while since I played it so I just wanted to try it again and-"

"And you even suck at it! Hahahahahaha!"

"Oi stop it Bakagami, just say what you have to say or I'm hanging up"

"Hahahahaha jeez, fine, relax, dude. My father called me and he said this year my birthday present is two tickets to the NBA Special Summer Camp, the one in Chicago, you know it, don't you. Well I have to bring someone with me so I was wondering if you were...uhm...free" Kagami smirked. He knew what was going to happen next.

No one talked for at least three minutes.

Then Aomine reacted.

"Wait...What?"

"Oh come on don't make me repeat it, damn! I said that my father called me and-"

"WHAT THE HELL! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! YOU'RE NOT JOKING, ARE YOU?"

"OF COURSE NOT, AHOMINE! I'm not an ass like you, I'd never make such a joke!" He sighed.

"...Dammit. And stop saying I'm an ass, you ass!. ...well, anyway, I have to ask my folks about it but it's fine with me... I mean it's more than fine, it's fucking amazing. Th...th.." He stopped for a second.

"What?"

.

.

.

"… … … Thanks, I guess"

"Woah, the almighty Aomine Daiki being grateful, what next, the Apocalypse?"

"...shut up."

"Hahaha I'm glad you liked the idea. Well I gotta go now, apparently Kuroko can't find a glass to drink, what about we go for a one-on-one tomorrow to talk about the details? Is 10:00 am okay with you?"

"Sounds good. Say hi to Tetsu on my behalf."

"Sure. See ya at the court, then"

"Ah, wait, Kagami... "

.

"Thanks, really"

Kagami smiled

"You're welcome, Aomine".

That was going to be a different summer.

In a good way.

Okay sooo... I don't know anything about NBA because I'm not from the USA so I have no ways of following the matches (although I wish to), nor do I know if there actually is something like a summer camp, so I'm sorry if I write weird things that do not correspond to reality :c . I chose the city of Chicago because I did some research and I found out that there's a very big stadium (the one of the Chicago Bulls team whose name I don't remember, sorry T.T), so I thought it would be the perfect location for the training camp.

Also, it took me a while to figure out the flight times LOL, because there is a 14 hrs gap between Chicago and Tokyo, while the direct flight lasts about 12 hrs, plus I'm no good with math, so my brain kinda exploded while trying to set the time but it's okay now :D .

Then again, I'm sorry if I made any grammar/concept mistakes, I didn't mean to do so. If you notice a very ugly one you can write me a message and I'll fix it ;)
Thanks for reading, I'll try to update weekly, even if I'm going through a rough exam session in May-June.

cya!

( ･ω･)ﾉ -BB33-